A Little Something

Lighthouse Valley is the biggest novel about the supernatural to hit the market since those awful vampire books, and it's quickly outselling them.

It's also full of stories and characters that are eerily similar to Derek's life experiences and former Pack, and that's... Worrisome.

But also, gives him a strange flutter of hope. If the author--an obvious pen name (probably a big clue that's basically a "Come Find Me, Sourwolf", but I can't think of what it is rn)-- knows enough about his old life, they must know where Stiles is, and Derek is going to find out.

it concerns me that people really don’t know that adhd isn’t a personality type or behavioral problem.

adhd isn’t someone who’s personality is driven by fun and disorder.

adhd is someone who’s brain goes all over the place looking for dopamine, because it doesn’t make or register enough of it, and when it finds a source of dopamine, it hyperfixates on it. it’s about deregulation of attention as well as emotions.

it’s not a person who can’t behave. a person with adhd can look like a lot of things. misconceptions about what adhd looks like kept me from even looking for a diagnosis, and it also kept myself and others (professionals, even) from taking my suspicions seriously.

 “Look at you.” Oliver adjusted the headband slightly. “Aren’t you just the prettiest girl?”

The three-year-old pitbull grinned where she sat primly before him. Still panting from their hour-long run, she looked every bit as cute as he knew she would with the fresh flower crown situated on her boxy head. As if she knew what he was thinking, she wagged her tail, her eyes gleaming, her smile widening, her tongue hanging out even further… 

A line of drool slid from the corner of her mouth.

Oliver chuckled.

“Yes, you are,” he said, catching it before it could turn into a shoestring. “You are the very prettiest girl, and don’t you dare tell Mommy that I’m talking to you like this, because she’ll never let me live it down that the way she talks to you has rubbed off on me. She keeps trying to catch us, but we know what she’s doing, don’t we? You’ve got my back, don’t you, girl?”

Artemis agreed with a chipper little bark. Diggle insisted it wasn’t “little” so much as thunderous, but either way, it was damn cute.

“That’s my girl. Alright, you know the plan.” The instant that word was out of his mouth, all the nerves he’d managed to beat back since he decided today was the day roared back. Fighting to keep steady, Oliver clapped his hands together. Artie instantly stopped panting, her ears perking up behind the flower crown. It was so unbelievably adorable it made his chest hurt and he huffed out another little laugh as she inadvertently calmed him. “That’s right. You’re staying right here, and I’m going to have the souffles, and we’re going to wait for Mommy to follow the flowers in here, and then you’re going to distract her with how cute you are so she doesn’t see how nervous I am. Okay? Good. Good.” And just like that, the tiny reprieve she’d given him had disappeared. “Yep. That’s the plan.”

Ignoring the butterflies in his stomach, Oliver patted Artie’s shoulder and stood up.

Was it hotter than it had been a minute ago? He’d opened the curtains to let the sun in, but it was still early, and February, at that. No way it was hotter. 

Right?

if you happen to be reading this, i just wanted to say some things coming from someone who knows what it’s like to fall asleep in tears.

you are not a burden or a mistake or a problem. you are a person with feelings and talents and potential. you deserve happiness even when you feel you don’t, and you deserve a future even when you’re stuck in your past.

life isn’t all about finding the one or succeeding perfectly. life is about finding your happiness and wellbeing in a world that gives you chaos. in that chaos you might cry yourself to sleep, might stay in bed for a day only getting up to use the bathroom, might mean shutting out the world out of frustration, might mean saying “fine. bye.” when you really just want them to stay. but you have tomorrow. and i hope tomorrow brings you at least one, real, beautiful smile.

Rules Are Meant to Be Broken (Olicity AU)

(2: in the snow; 20: breaking the rules)

He ran.

The world faded away, leaving only the snowy path before him. The only thing that mattered was moving forward. The music in his earbuds filled in the empty space between his thoughts, not giving any of them enough traction to take hold. That was for later - the pressure from his dad to step up at QC, Laurel’s most recent bender, Tommy still not talking to him, Thea crashing her car while high on vertigo and refusing rehab, his mother and Walter getting closer, school breathing down his neck…

Oliver grunted and forced his mind clear. Only running. Only moving. Forward, forward, forward…  

He rounded a corner and spotted someone pacing up ahead. A very blonde, very short, very bright someone who had to be coming from an ugly Christmas sweater party because what she wore could only be called an ugly Hanukkah sweater.

She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk when she saw him.

He thought it was to get out of his way, but she didn’t move.

Oliver slowed down, his brow furrowing. He wanted to be annoyed, because his run was really the only time he had to himself, but the closer he got to her, the more he saw. She was… cute. Hair up in a loose ponytail, wisps dancing over her temples, glasses pushed high up on her nose. Tight jeans that took his mind to something a little more carnal rounded out the look, along with a pair of huge snow boots and flushed cheeks, bright red lips, and blue eyes that sparkled against a wall of Christmas lights strung up on a nearby tree.

She glanced at the house she stood in front of and Oliver looked over in time to see someone waving at her from inside.

When he stopped, her head whipped back to him with an abrupt, “Hi.”

A tiny, confused smile pulled at his lips. “Hi.”

The color in her cheeks deepened and she bit her lower lip. It was adorable and his smile widened, which had her eyes growing bigger as she stared at him.

“I have rules,” she blurted. “I… This is going to sound really weird, but I have rules about when I leave my house, and it’s not at five thirty every morning when I see you running by, because that… because you’re Oliver Queen and you look really good running and I don’t get up just for that, although it’s definitely a perk, but it’s not the only reason. Alright, sometimes it is - ack, see, this? This is why I have rules. And I’m breaking them. I’m breaking the rules because Curtis brought over themed margaritas and I’ve been up for about twenty-five hours and so naturally when he dares me to come out here in the snow to do this, I do it.”

His smile kept growing, and he would be lying to himself if he didn’t love the way it flustered her. He was used to, it shouldn’t be amusing him so much. He’d spent years using that smile to get in and on everything that crossed his path. But this was different.

She was different.

“Do what?” he asked.

“Kiss… you?” His eyebrows shot up and she covered her face. “Oh my god, this is ridiculous, this is not how I thought this would go. Not that I planned this! No, this isn’t me. I have rules! About ridiculously hot, very thick, very bearded men, and… and I can’t believe I just said that.”

He stepped closer and she blanched. He stuck his hand out. “Hi. I’m Oliver Queen.”

She slowly took it. A spark danced between them when they touched and he tightened his hand around hers, letting his fingers explore the soft expanse of her skin.

“I’m… Felicity Smoak?” Off his grin, she squeezed her eyes shut. “Is me. That’s me.”

“It’s nice to meet you. Felicity.” The low grit that came out startled him as much as it made her blush even more. You should be running as fast and far away from this as you can, a voice whispered. There was something about her, something… good, and what did he have to offer? A train wreck of epic proportions. Even as he thought that, though, he didn’t let her hand go. He didn’t want to. She seemed perfectly fine with that considering the gentle pressure of her fingers against his. “You know, I have a few rules of my own.”

“Oh?”

“I like to go on a first date before a kiss these days,” he told her.

“Right,” she replied. “Of course, that makes…”

He stepped closer. “But since you’re breaking your rules…”

Those beautiful eyes shot wide again, but she didn’t move save to grip his hand tightly. When it was clear what was happening, her lids grew heavy, her gaze dropping to his mouth. It sent an abrupt shot of lust through him. While he wanted to close the distance all himself, he stopped short of her mouth, not wanting to overstep any more boundaries than he already was. She had clearly been up all night, and he could smell the lingering remnants of strawberry and tequila, and this was obviously a silly game of truth or dare, so if she wasn’t…

Felicity closed the distance and pressed her lips firmly to his.

It was soft, and chaste, and it took his breath away.

When they pulled apart, he was positive the look on his face matched hers.

He was vaguely aware of excited screams coming from inside the house, but it was too far away for him to really pay attention. Not with her standing there, holding his hand, her lips mussed considering the innocence of the kiss.

“Will you go out with me?” he asked.

“Yes,” she breathed.

“Tonight?”

“Okay.”

“Can I pick you up? At… seven? Or eight, or…”

“Seven is perfect.”

“Okay. Good. I’ll see you tonight.”

“Okay.”

It was a second longer before they finally parted ways, but the grin didn’t leave his face for the rest of his run, or the rest of his day…

Oliver & Felicity || Amen (8x02) by infinitecanvas

It is, a lot of the time, little things that are usually easy just being complete hell on earth, like:

Crying just thinking about having to give a presentation in class

Not playing games or participating in fun activities (even with your friends) because you’re afraid you’ll be terrible at it and people will judge you

Having to rehearse your order at the restaurant a hundred times

And counting your money 10 times to make sure you have enough (even though you have plenty)

Being overly concerned about the way you look because you think people are judging you

Feeling anxious every time someone laughs because they’re definitely laughing at you oh god

Getting nervous about coming late to school because you’ll have to get in class and everyone will look at you

Crying a little when someone says you’re wrong or screams at you (especially in front of other people)

Not knowing what to talk about even with friends that have a lot of things in common with you

Feeling uncomfortable being in the front row in class or at the cinema because you think everyone is staring at you

Thinking and rehearsing for 5 minutes the simple things you’ll have to say in class (like “here” or “yes, I did my homework”)

Being afraid that the teacher will ask you something in class

Being embarrassed of something you did or said literally months ago (that probably wasn’t so bad)

Pushing people away when they show any type of interest because they’re definitely making fun of you and actually hate you

Going out of your way to avoid someone in public because you actually cannot talk to them

Biting you tongue or lips or clenching your fists or digging your nails into you leg when you’re embarrassed

Being scared of being alone with only 1 person because you don’t know what to do or say

“I’m sorry…did I leave you with the impression that I was a rational guy?”

Sequel to this!

Arrow Out of Context Part 4. Send me a number!

Also, check out chapter 1 of Arrow Out of Context, I’ve added an index for all AU organizing needs.

It was hot enough that Felicity could feel sweat dripping down her back. The sun was shining high above their heads in a perfect summer afternoon. And of course, there’s nowhere she’d rather be than at that stadium.

Her son Lincoln seemed to agree, because he refused to get out of his seat until the seventh inning stretch, when he’d made a mad dash for the bathroom, leaving her to chase behind him. 

Felicity glanced down at her five year old, his eyes fixated on the game and his legs swinging from his chair. He was almost tall enough that his feet could touch the ground, but not yet. Much to his disappointment.

Digging into her purse, Felicity pulled out her bottle of sunscreen, putting a generous portion on her palm before she reached for him. Like all the games before, Lincoln was too wrapped up in it to care as she fussed over him getting a sunburn. He let her apply it to his arms and legs, only squirming when she got to his face and blocked his view.

The kid had always been enthralled with the sport, so Felicity didn’t think very much of it. He’d grown up with an uncle in the major leagues, and now his mom was dating his favorite player. Lincoln’s interest in baseball was understandable.

Felicity loved it too, and always had thanks to her brother Jason. But she also loved a certain teammate of Jason’s who looked very, very good in a pair of baseball pants. Or shirtless. He looked really good shirtless. And Felicity had realized that he preferred to do most things shirtless. Like mow her lawn, exercise, and wash dishes.

Life was good.

“Up to bat is number six, Oliver Queen,” the announcer’s voice boomed over the intercoms while Oliver’s picture appeared on the screen with his stats from the last eight innings. “Queen has been playing an incredible game, one of his best all season. Not a single strike since the bottom of the first, let’s see if he can keep his lucky streak going.”

“Okay, Oliver,” Felicity mumbled to herself, leaning forward in her chair and wringing her hands together. Beside her, Lincoln mimicked her posture, mumbling the same words. Felicity smiled down at him, brushing his hair back.

Stepping up to the plate, Oliver made eye contact with the pitcher first, his eyebrow raised and his body relaxed. Felicity knew that for some reason, his ease always tended to rattle the pitcher.

When Oliver plays, he enjoys it. The excitement in his eyes every time he took the field was something Felicity would never stop marveling at.

Win or lose, that man came home with a smile and a positive attitude. It was one of Felicity’s favorite things about him. 

He tapped his bat against his heel, turning away from the pitcher. Oliver found her in the crowd easily where they were sitting behind home plate. And he smiled, taking a moment to wink at her before refocusing on the game. He’d gotten into the habit months ago, and the attention never failed to make her blush.

The look is short-lived, but long enough that the people around her always notice, which leads to plenty of staring and whispering as they realize that they’re sitting near Oliver Queen’s girlfriend. And then that leads to more blushing for Felicity.

Beside her, Lincoln tugged on her jersey, rocking in his seat. “Momma,” the five year old’s eyes lit up. “Get ready. It’s almost time!”

Her eyebrows furrow as she looked down at him. “Almost time?” Felicity asked. Lincoln had been excited since they arrived, especially whenever Oliver’s turn to bat came around, but his energy was more like the night before Christmas than a weekend baseball game. “Honey, what’s got you all—”

“Watch!” Her son gripped the sleeve of her shirt, shaking her until she focused on Oliver again.

The first two pitches, Oliver didn’t swing. And the opposing team started to get ahead of themselves, thinking their mediocre pitcher might just strike out Oliver Queen. “Come on, baby,” Felicity whispered to herself, holding her breath while Oliver got ready for his third and final swing.

Felicity tensed as the ball left the pitcher’s hand, and within the blink of an eye, a loud crack filled the silent stadium. Oliver’s bat collided with the ball, and Felicity jumped to her feet. “Oh!” She sighed, “run, run!”

The ball flew straight over the outfield and over the stadium wall just as Oliver’s foot touched first base.

And the man’s smile was everything.

Oliver didn’t stop, but he slowed down as he rounded second base, turning his hustle into a victory lap. Lincoln jumped up to stand with Felicity, both of them cheering Oliver on.

As he reached home plate, Oliver landed with a heavy foot, tossing his arm in the air and soaking in the enthusiastic energy surrounding him in that moment. Oliver’s eyes lock on her again, his pure joy sparking the same feeling in Felicity. She beamed at him, her own voice mixing with the Blue Jays’ fans as she screamed for him.

He doesn’t look away, giving his head a slight shake. Despite the craziness around them, Felicity could read him so clearly, seeing his eyes soften. And she knew that he wasn’t thinking about the score, the crowd, or the game.

The high of his home run was still radiating throughout the stadium, but Oliver doesn’t seem to notice. He was looking at her like he didn’t even hear it.

Felicity stopped, her arms dropping to her sides as she stared back at him.

Even when his rowdy teammates swarm him, Oliver pushed them back, keeping his eyes on her. He walked closer until he reached the waist-high wall that separated him from the stands.

Still, Felicity couldn’t do much more than blink at him. Especially when she noticed the footage of them on the mega-screen above his head, as if the whole field just wanted to know what he was up to. 

In truth, so did she. 

Oliver didn’t go out of his way to hide their relationship, but he was also a fairly private person. Aside from his little winking ritual each time it was his turn to bat, he hardly paid her any attention during the games. Probably because he knew it would end up projected in front of the whole stadium, just like this.

It wasn’t until Lincoln gently pushed her legs forward that she realized Oliver was waiting patiently for her to meet him halfway.

“Nice hit,” Felicity breathed, coming closer until her toes touched the wall between them. She cupped her hand over her forehead, blocking the sun so she could peer up at him.

Oliver’s eyes traveled down her body and back up. She raised an eyebrow, shifting on her feet while he smirked. “Nice jersey.”

Felicity glanced down at his number displayed over her chest, lifting a shoulder and smiling coyly. “You’ve seen me wear this thing a million times,” she pointed out.

“Yeah,” Oliver sighed happily, his gaze dropping again. “And it looks damn good on you every time.”

She had no idea what he was doing or why he was acting like he wasn’t in the middle of winning this game, but she didn’t really care. She’d go along with any plan that involved him looking at her just like this.

Rolling her eyes playfully, Felicity reached across the wall to push his chest. “All right, Romeo,” she teased, lifting her chin towards the field. “You better go figure out how the Blue Jays are going to beat those assholes.”

Oliver laughed, catching her hand and leaning closer. “We will. I kind of wanted to ask you for something first, though. It could very well be the thing I need to help us win tonight.”

“What’s that?” Felicity asked, cocking her head to the side.

He gave her a breathtaking, crooked smile, the sweat on his forehead distracting her for a moment. Seriously, how was it possible for him to be this sexy?

“A kiss,” he answered quietly, the dimple on his cheek making an adorable appearance. “You are my good luck charm, after all.”

“Well,” Felicity bit her lip, pushing onto her toes and smoothing her hands over his shoulders. “If that’s what it takes to help you go home a winner tonight, I think I can manage it.”

Closing the remaining distance, Oliver leaned down to meet her, not letting the wall stop him from running his hands down her back. “I’m already going home a winner,” he whispered, rubbing his nose against hers before their lips met.

His kiss was chaste and sweet, his mouth forming around her bottom lip while she tasted the salt on his upper. And his fingers skimmed to her waist, sending a shiver through her just as he pulled back.

Felicity looked up at him, ignoring the crowd that still cheered for him. She loved the calm, peaceful look in his eyes. And she especially loved that it was an expression she caused. “Will that do the trick, Queen? Are you ready to go kick some ass now?”

Oliver’s bottom lip disappeared beneath his teeth, and he gave his head a slight shake.

“Marry me.”

Blinking, Felicity hesitated as she tried to decide if she’d heard him right. “What?” She asked, certain that she did but needing to hear it again.

With a nervous little chuckle, Oliver let go. Then he lifted a leg and easily hopped over the wall. Standing in front of her, he took both of her hands while the announcer wondered out loud ‘what the hell’ Oliver Queen was doing.

Felicity’s heart was stuck in her throat, but it went soaring when Oliver got down on one knee in front of her.

“Felicity Smoak,” he spoke again, clearer this time. “Will you marry me?”

The proposal wasn’t coming completely out of left field. They’d talked about marriage. More kids. A life together.

She’d told him that she always wanted a memorable engagement and he’d told her that he would make sure it was. When that day came. They both understood that they were ready for ‘that day,’ Felicity just hadn’t been expecting it to be today.

A giggle passed her lips as she tried to catch her breath. The crowd erupted into thunderous excitement as they realized what was happening behind home plate. And the stadium grew louder than his home run celebration. Felicity tuned it out, focusing on Oliver. 

She already knew her answer. And he did too, or else he never would have asked her like this. “Are you sure you’re not just on an adrenaline high?” She clarified anyway.

Felicity was hoping to keep him in a little bit of suspense, tease him for a moment, but Oliver just grinned as if he’d expected her not to give him a ‘yes’ right away. He shook his head. “Definitely not.”

Since he was playing along… “How would I know?” Felicity cocked her head, and he squeezed her hands. “This whole thing seems like a spur of the moment decision, Oliver. I don’t even see a ring. How should I know that you’re thinking rationally about this?”

“I’m sorry…did I leave you with the impression that I was a rational guy?” Oliver grinned, his voice sarcastic.

“True,” she pulled her lips to the side, pretending to analyze him.

“Come on, Smoak,” he winked. “I always have a plan. You don’t think I’d do something this big without some help from a teammate, did you?”

Felicity’s eyes furrowed, following Oliver’s gaze over her shoulder. And there she found her son standing there, or rather bouncing there. Lincoln looked so excited…

Oliver waved him over. “Don’t you know us at all?” He teased, bending down to lift Lincoln into his arms. 

Standing in front of her, Oliver gave her a knowing look, and then he leaned in to whisper in the boy’s ear.

With a mischievous grin, Lincoln reached into the pocket of his shorts and pulled out a simple, gorgeous ring. Her son raised it in front of Felicity’s face, and she gasped, watching the diamond glint in the sunlight. A surprised laugh fell from her lips.

Tears sprung to her eyes, finally realizing why her son had been so fidgety all afternoon, carrying that thing around. Felicity could only hold the tears back for a moment, because as soon as she looked at Lincoln, he smiled at her as if this was his dream, too.

As if Oliver was their dream.

“Hmm,” Oliver hummed, leaning in again to whisper to Lincoln.

Her son nodded along with whatever Oliver was saying. And then he sighed, holding the ring a little higher. “Oliver would really, really like it if you said yes, momma. Because he would really, really, really, really like to marry you.”

“Yes,” Felicity laughed, shaking her head at them both. She finally snapped out of it, taking the ring from Lincoln’s tiny hand. “Of course I want to marry you. I really want to.Yes.”

The smile Oliver gave her in response was gorgeous, his eyes swimming with emotion as he took her hand, looking down at the ring now on her finger.

Felicity watched him, trying to burn the expression on his face into her brain. As much as she knew that Oliver was a dream come true for her and Lincoln’s life, Oliver proved to her every day that he felt the same way about them.

Looking back up at Oliver, Felicity cupped his chin in her hand, pulling him in for a kiss. “I already can’t wait to marry you,” she mumbled, forgetting all about the crowd, the game, and even the animated five year old getting squished between them.

Oliver didn’t break away from her this time, so they finally parted when Lincoln shoved a hand against Oliver’s cheek. “Guys!” The boy interrupted, “I can’t wait to eat cake, either! It’s okay!”

Chuckling, Oliver kissed the top of his head. “I told you buddy, that’s only part of what weddings are about.”

little wonders (twists and turns of fate) - a post-bunker sex s5 AU by @alexiablackbriar13 - coming july 1st 2019

> amazing art by the absolutely incredible @smoakqueenz

Oliver and Felicity’s drunken mistake of a hook-up in the bunker comes with unexpected consequences in the form of a… souvenir. Deciding to remain romantically uninvolved, the two of them will have to battle all the trials and tribulations of maintaining a platonic relationship while Felicity is pregnant and the two of them are living together, coping with all the emotional baggage that they both bring to the table - and dealing with the fact that they are still very much in love with each other, but scarred by the events that broke them apart in the first place.

a 10 part month-by-month style fic, posting weekly from july 1st

will be complete by time of posting

> Sneak Peak from the 1st chapter:

Oliver looks up with surprise when she strides in, quickly closing the door behind her. “Felicity. Hi. Is everything okay?”

He looks impeccable in a crisp navy blue suit and red tie, sitting behind his mayoral office desk. It’s almost unfair how attractive he appears. Swallowing, Felicity decides not to beat around the bush. She’s going to pass out from her nerves if she even makes an attempt at small talk with Oliver. She passes over the files from Sam, which Oliver takes with a grateful expression, and then reaches into her purse to collect the bag of pregnancy tests.

The expression on Oliver’s face as she dumps it in front of him would be priceless if he didn’t stop breathing and turn as white as a sheet almost instantly.

A heavy, uncomfortable blanket of stunned silence settles over the room. Felicity bites her lip as she watches Oliver’s panicked eyes flit between the pregnancy tests, her flat stomach and then up to her face. She can see he has a thousand questions just from the sheer intensity of his gaze, and she knows that she’s not going to have the answers to all of them.

Oliver slowly reaches out to activate his intercom and says in a scarily calm voice, not breaking eye contact with Felicity, “Hi, Sam. Could you please cancel my 3pm meeting and reschedule it for tomorrow, please? A pressing personal matter has come up that I need to handle immediately. Thank you.” He waits for a response, thanks his assistant again, and then returns to staring at Felicity in silence.

“I’m pregnant,” she tells him, although she’s pretty certain he’s figured that out by now.

He nods. “The seven pregnancy tests did sort of hint towards that, yeah.”

There’s a question in his voice about why she did so many, so Felicity toes at the office floor, feeling slightly sheepish as she says, “Google said to do multiple, just in case of false positives.”

If you would like to be tagged for updates, please reblog or reply saying so! You can also DM me personally or send an ask to my inbox.

> banner by @olida_magda

Our Version of Events – Chapter Fourteen is up!

By @geneeste & MachaSWicket 

The Green Arrow appears to be losing his leading lady, with Arrow star Emily Bett Rickards announcing that she will depart the superhero drama ahead of its eighth and final season. TVLine has reached out to The CW to confirm.

Rickards posted the shocking announcement to Instagram on Saturday, which in part reads, “Felicity and I are a very tight two, but after one through seven we will be saying goodbye to you.”