Here or There by @mshellbrat
Rating: Teen & Up // Warnings: N/A // Chapters: 6 (parts) // Words: 17,675
Summary: When life gets hard, sometimes it’s easier to close your eyes and make it all go away. For Felicity sleep has become a thing of the past. When she closes her eyes these days something else happens…somewhere else happens…and it will be up to her team to figure out what’s going on and pull her back from the edge.
Hook: I was instantly intrigued by the idea of this story. I haven’t read or heard of anything like this! And it doesn’t disappoint.
Why you should read it: Angsty season 2 Olicity? Check. In character John Diggle? Check. Olicity shipper Sara Lance nudging everyone in the right direction? Check. Adorable Queen sibling moments? Check. Worried/protective Oliver? Check.
Best Character Interaction: Thea and Oliver have some great moments. Felicity and Sara do too. But I think my favorite is Felicity and John. There is some really beautiful, relatable writing in this fic about how depression feels, and the truth of it really caught me by surprise and impressed me. It also fits perfectly with how a season 2 Felicity would feel if she got a glimpse of an older, more ready Oliver Queen. Because of that, it feels so heartwarming to see how John would’ve supported and listened to Felicity.
MVP: Thea Queen. I’m such a sucker for fics involving Sara, season 2, and that stretch of time after Oliver basically told Felicity he couldn’t be with her, and then got with Sara. I think the show left a lot to be desired in terms of the characters and their headspace in those episodes, so I love that in this story, Thea calls Oliver on his bullshit. And does so in a sarcastic, hilarious, very Thea-like way. Also, no love triangle!
Favorite Moment: Felicity hides something pretty big from the team. John and Oliver have really great, in character, John and Oliver reactions. It also involves a rooftop, Olicity, and Buffy references. So so good!
Favorite Line: “She never met his eyes…she didn’t want to. The only pair of those eyes she wanted to meet were the ones shining with love for her. He was probably worried too. She’d heard him whispering with John. She just couldn’t be bothered to confront them about it. They didn’t understand…none of this MATTERED. She didn’t care about the here anymore. This was only what she had to suffer through until she could get back there.” (part one)
Music Vibe: A Bad Dream // Keane
I want to contribute to this crazy phenomenon happening where writers aren’t getting the recognition they deserve. So of course I have to say this (#sorrynotsorry). Leave comments on fics you read, tell writers what you liked about it, ask questions if you’re curious about plot, give them your theories. Just show them that you’re paying attention and you hope they keep going!
There’s only three main points for these reviews:
1. Reblog the posts! Let your followers who may not follow the authors have a chance to see the review and decide if they want to read the story. They may not see it otherwise, and reblogs never hurt. Even if you’ve already read the fic, you don’t have time to read it, etc. Reblogging exposes more people to more awesome fanfics! Push the button. Do it.
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3. Send me recommendations. Please feel free to send suggestions to my inbox or message me (even if it’s your own work)! Of course I’ll be looking for fics myself too, but there are plenty of authors who deserve a little more love, so hit me up fam. Length and word count don’t matter!
Please also note that the reviews are MY (smoaking-greenarrow) opinions and interpretations as a reader, not the writer’s intentions or meaning (such as the song choice being my own whim and not influential to the stories in any way). So really I’m just strapping myself in and going on a fanfiction joyride.