Green Arrow

249 - Politics

2008-10-01T00:39:47Z

The first time Ollie decided to run for mayor, things seemed a lot simpler. None of his friends had died yet, no one had gone to the dark side, and Dinah still loved him. His motivations for running for mayor were the same – he wanted to help people, and there were some things that you couldn’t do in a costume, but you could do as an individual. He didn’t get elected then – much to the relief of some, but the idea stayed with him.

Years later, things were different. He had died, and come back. His friends had died, and returned. He had done things that he might not have even considered years before. But one thing remained the same. There were things that a man could not do as a costumed hero, but that could get done the old fashioned way. Politics. Trying to change things.

Oliver Queen became mayor of Star City, not because he wanted to, but because he needed to. He had a city that he needed to protect, both in costume and out of it.

247 - Mess You've Cleaned Up

2008-09-14T20:42:03Z

Ollie had always tried to solve problems. However, he just wasn’t very good at it. Most of his bright ideas just usually ended up causing more problems than they had solved. Road trip with Hal? Ended with that mess with Roy. Rescuing Dinah and killing her torturers had just led to an entirely new set of problems. Taking in Marianne to try to help her out had ended with Dinah walking out on him. It seemed no matter what Ollie did, he would just end up creating more problems for himself, and for those that he cared about.

Now he was mayor of Star City. His city. A city that had nearly been destroyed. Star City needed him, it needed someone who cared about its people. He would do everything in his power to try to fix the mistakes that his predecessors had made.

He just hoped that this time he would leave Star City a better place when he left it.

Interview (RP for his_sarah_jane)

2008-09-08T23:14:11Z

Mayor Oliver Queen had given a lot of interviews since the election. He really wasn't sure who this new journalist was, but he was sure that he could handle her. He was prepared for it.

He sat in his office, trying to go through some of the never ending paperwork, waiting for her to arrive. Mia was sitting up by the entrance, she would show this Smith woman in when she got there.

244 - Happy Endings

2008-08-20T01:30:21Z

Oliver Queen had made a lot of mistakes in his lifetime. Lifetimes, even. He had taken things for granted, taken people for granted. And it had cost him dearly. He had children he hadn’t get to see grow up. Others who had understandably hated him. And years that could have been spent with Dinah that hadn’t been.

Because he had been selfish, because he had been a fool. There were so many things that he wished he could take back, that he could have done differently. But you can’t change the past.

Instead, what he could do was concentrate on the present. He had his family around him. He was finally married to Dinah, and she’d made it clear that she would kill him if he messed it up. He was okay with that.

He was older and wiser now, and he was ready for his happy ending. He figured that his family deserved it, even if he didn’t.

OOC: All characters mentioned are their canon versions.

243 - Olympics

2008-08-15T00:59:42Z

I’m sure you expect me to support the Olympics. The little guy, the one without powers, getting all the glory. World unity and peace and all those other things I support.

HA. The Olympics aren’t like that at all. It’s just a sham put on by the governments to make you think that the people are really being honored. They’ve turned these honored sports into patriotic bullshit where the individual competitors don’t matter at all; they’re just representing their fascist states as they compete against each other in a pissing match.

Considering the amount of drug use and rule breaking that goes on, why would I support something like that? Now, if you remove all the false patriotism, and really honor the people involved, without all of this ‘my country is better than yours’ bullshit, that I could get behind. Supporting our athletes.

[private] Still, I’m very proud that my daughter won her gold medal. Wish I’d been alive to see her do it. And that I’d known she was my daughter at the time.[/private]

240 - Discuss an individual who has scared you.

2008-07-20T00:46:42Z

[private]

Sometimes I worry for Roy and Dinah. For everything that I’ve seen, for everything that they’ve been through. I’ve seen them both at their worst, and seeing both of them so broken, so hurt, so helpless, and seeing the two people that I love most in the world like that terrifies me. Nobody should have had to go through anything like that, nobody should have to suffer. And seeing my loved ones in so much pain…. I’d do anything to make sure that they never have to go through anything like that again. That nobody does.

Of course, it doesn’t help that it’s my fault they were like that in the first place.

[/private]

The person I’m most scared of is Oracle. Does the world really need someone who can get into any sort of information? Oracle has files on everyone, and it isn’t like she always uses that knowledge for good. I mean, she turned me into a girl once!

OOC: The Roy and Dinah mentioned are canon, and Oracle is played by me.

236 - Respect

2008-06-24T23:39:51Z

Respect? The fatcats are considered respectable. But nobody should want to be like them. Businessmen and politicians and all the rest. They convince the people that they are something that you should live up to, something that you should want to be, while they take advantage of you and keep the people down. Yet apparently these corporate shills are deserving of our admiration.

Now real respect is something you earn for surviving. For knowing what the system does and still making your way through it. For fighting for the little guy. For doing everything you can to make sure that someone holds all those respectable people accountable for their crimes.

[locked/private]

Still. I would like for my kids to respect me. Or at least to think and understand that I did my best with them. Of course, just like those fatcats, I guess I really don't deserve it most of the time. I did try though.

[/locked]

Interview thing

2008-06-24T01:53:02Z

Here are the rules:
1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by asking you 5 questions of a very personal nature.
3. You will update your LJ with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this and an offer to interview someone else in the post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them 5 questions.

So. Hit me.

1. Did you realize, way back when, what was going on with the whole Arrowcar, Arrowcave, Arrowplane thing?

Sure thing! Great names, aren't they?

2. Is there anything you still haven't said to Roy that you need to?

[locked]He should know everything that needs to be said.[/locked]

3. What was it like being Mayor of Star City?

Still the best job there is, kid. You get to make a difference all the time.

4. Best JLA headquarters: cave, satellite or Hall?

I'm still partial to the early days. But they were all special.

5. Which of your kids (and "kids")... is the best shot?

Roy. Kids ~~better~~ nearly as good as I am.

1. Do you still think that you're a bad father?

[locked]Sometimes[/locked] I'd say my kids have all turned out pretty well.

2. What's your proudest moment ever?

Seeing Roy make it to the Justice League.

3. What's your favorite book?

My Wicked Wicked Ways: The Autobiography of Errol Flynn

4. What is UP with you and GL? I heard stories once...

We're good friends. With benefits.

5. Who do you respect the most?

Those who make a difference, even without putting on a mask.

1. How's your boy these days? The younger one, not Harper.

He's fine. ~~My mun refuses to acknowledge that storyline except in the occasional prompt.~~

2. Did he ever tell you the story about he, Fyres, the little bird, and I on that damned island?

... What is this? What were you doing with my son and my girl?

3. Mayor. Really? Quite the change from the man I remember--of course, you've had headlines as bad as some of mine, over the years.

Yes, really. Making a difference is a good thing. ~~So funding the Outsiders wasn't the brightest idea I've ever had.~~

4. How many times in the last few months have you wanted to deck tall, dark, and idiotic?

Only a few.

5. Jordan still his usually arrogant self?

Isn't it great to have him back to normal?

1. Congratulations on the marriage. Are you behaving yourself?

Aww, Pretty Bird and I are doing fine.

2. What's up with Star City still being half in ruins?

I'm still working on it, doing everything in my power.

3. How has being rich again affected your social conscience?

Doing my best not to end up like one of those fatcats.

4. How did you like politics?

Its interesting. There's a couple of people I wouldn't mind hitting with some arrows.

5. Planning any more crosscountry/cross-galaxy tours?

Not while I've still got kids I'm taking care of. I learned my lesson.

1) How are things with you and Dinah these days?

Not bad! Things with Pretty Bird have certainly been worse.

2) What's it like being an Outsider?

Interesting. Batgirl scares me.

3) I don't suppose you have any more of that chocolate chili somewhere...?

Of course. Come over whenever you'd like some.

4) Are you glad Roy's in the League, or do you miss it?

Of course I'm happy for him! He deserves it. And yes, but I wouldn't take that away from him.

5) So, uh... know any single girls looking for a hot date? I'm totally a hot date.

I think Oracle is single, since Nightwing is dating two other girls ~~and Dinah is with me.~~

232 - Unkind

2008-06-10T01:09:56Z

Oliver Queen had never been one to edit himself. He said what he thought, he said what he believed, and he didn’t give a damn if people thought he was being rude. He was only speaking the truth of the matter, and if the fatcats weren’t listening to him, well, that was their own fault. He just wasn’t speaking loud enough.

Still, his mouth got him into trouble some. Pretty Bird wasn’t always too happy with him, and it got him into more than a few fights. But he wasn’t going to become one of them just because it might make it easier for him. He would be betraying himself, betraying everything he believed in.

Still, there were times for it, and times when he wished that maybe he had learned to hold his tongue. Maybe then things would be better with his family. Maybe then he would never have drifted apart from them.

Of course, as he prepared to head into battle with the Outsiders, there was no harm at all in insulting Bats. Whatever happened, it would be worth it.

230 - Black and White

2008-05-20T01:44:39Z

The world used to be a much simpler place. When he was younger, when he was first starting out, Ollie could see the world in black and white. He was one of the good guys, and the little guys were the ones who needed to be protected from the fat cats. Ollie could preach against all the evils of the world, secure in the knowledge that he was doing the right thing. That he was helping show Hal the path.

But then he learned that it wasn’t quite like that. Situations were far more complicated. The bad guys could have a heart, the good guys could make very serious mistakes. Life was more complicated. Too much of it was in between. There were no simple answers. Maybe there never had been any.

Still, even though he knew that he had grown, he missed the days where it was just him and Hal, and the open road. And of course, his lectures on fatcats and fascism. Those had been the days.

229 - If you could get anyone drunk...

2008-05-08T00:04:26Z

~~I wish I had a good enough relationship with my boys that I could go out drinking with them.~~

Apparently, I’m going out drinking with Hal this weekend. He thinks that I should be one of those fat cats who abuses their political power and gets free tickets for tons of people to events. Ha! Like I would do something like that. It would be the exact sort of political excess that I spend so much time complaining about! ~~I already have seats reserved, Hal, how many people are coming with us? I paid for them out of my own pocket, I’ll have you know. None of those perks for me.~~

Of course, drinking with Hal is always an experience. We’ve got some good stories between the two of us. Old times to discuss. People to mock. Battles to rehash. You know, all that good stuff from being comrades in arms.

And then there’s always afterwards. Like I said, good times.

226 - Three Things You're Looking Forward To

2008-04-16T01:33:57Z

1-Getting to know Cissie better. It wasn’t like this was the first time that Ollie had found out that he had a kid, and she wasn’t even the oldest of his kids. But she was the first one who had been an established super hero by the time he met her, and he had planned to call Oracle and grovel in the hopes that he could get access to her career as Arrowette.

2-Joining Batman’s new team. Ollie had been missing the League lately. He was incredibly proud of Roy for being in the League, and he had no desire to try to elbow in, but he’d missed being part of a team. The Outsiders would be a good place for him, and hey, he would still have the chance to annoy Batman. Always good times.

3-He had a new recipe for chili that he was just dying to try out. Chocolate chili sounded like an incredible combination. Combining two things that he enjoyed had to work out into a great food, right?

222 - Sleeping on the Couch

2008-03-27T00:36:04Z

Oliver Queen had, all things considered, spent a large portion of his adult life sleeping on the couch. In the dog house. Whatever you had wanted to call it. Definitely not in Dinah Lance’s good graces.

He loved her, he really truly did. He had simply messed up their relationship on occasion. Not all of it had been his fault – but a fairly large portion of it had been.

And then it had been better. She had come back to him. There was going to be a wedding.

And then it had all fallen apart again. It hadn’t been real – it hadn’t been his Dinah. And he hadn’t known.

And now she wasn’t with him.

Ollie figured he would be spending the rest of his life making up for this one. Some things were unforgivable, and not realizing that the woman you loved, the woman you were going to marry had been replaced…. He was pretty sure this was one of them.

OOC: This prompt is not binding to dinahlaurelance unless she wishes it to be.

219 - Headlines

2008-03-05T00:08:43Z

Poverty Rates Increasing Across America.
Corporate America Making Record Profits.
Politicians Fail to Deliver Change.
Two Killed in Hate Crime.

Ollie often wondered if what he did, what they did, was worth it. Sometimes it didn’t seem to be. The same fat cats were still in power. He’d been dead for years and when he came back he’d hoped that he would seem some sign that things had improved. That he was coming back to a better world than he had left.

But there was no sign of that. Instead, there was just headline after headline showing that the world was still not kind to people. That maybe it was even worse off than before he had died.

Still… there were some good signs. The things that didn’t get as much press. The ones about the people who tried to make a difference. The ones that didn’t even make the papers – nobody seemed to want to run a story about the kids who stayed away from drugs. The town that worked to pass a law to protect all of its citizens.

The things that made Ollie believe that there was still a reason for living.

216 - Impossible

2008-02-29T01:55:43Z

He had a daughter.

Well, he had another daughter.

Ollie collapsed into a chair as soon as Cissie left, her promise that she would come visit him again ringing in his ears. He knew that he had been rather… indiscriminate in his younger days, but this was the second time he’d found out about a kid. He just hoped there weren’t any others running around.

Still, it isn’t like he should have been surprised. Blonde archer who was the daughter of one of his exes.

To be fair, he’d been dead for most of her career. He couldn’t be blamed for not knowing about her. He was sure that he’d be blamed for failing as a father anyway. He deserved it. For all that he’d failed with Roy. For not knowing about Connor.

He’d been getting better though. He’d been a good surrogate father to Mia. He’d been making all sorts of improvements in his relationship with his kids.

He could do right by his new daughter.

After all, it would be impossible for him to do any worse.

215 - Have you ever seduced someone or has anyone ever seduced you?

2008-02-01T23:27:50Z

There she was. Fishnets. Leather. Blonde. She was beautiful. She was strong. She was everything he had ever imagined. She was also currently kicking a lot of ass.

Just his kind of woman. Oliver wanted her. In fact, he couldn’t imagine wanting anything as badly as he did the Black Canary. He knew he had to impress her, he just wasn’t sure how.

He called her ‘Pretty Bird’ and tried hard to impress her. He spoke of his skills, he tried to overwhelm her with his personality.

And oh, there were sparks. There were misunderstandings, and there were times when he thought she would never give him the time of day.

But there was also passion, and it couldn’t be denied. And when the time came, he willingly let himself be seduced by her.

And for a time, they were happy.

Still, no relationship was perfect. And he found himself succumbing to the charms of another woman. And the hope that he could salvage his relationship fell farther and farther away.

Still, there was always the chance. He promised himself that he could change, that maybe one day he could be the man she wanted him to be. And maybe one day we could get back to where we once were.

212 - Fly on the Wall

2008-01-10T19:42:29Z

I missed out on a lot while I was dead. There’s so much I would have loved to have been there for.

But you know, I did get to see a bit of what was going on. My funeral, you know. I appreciate the getting together at Warriors but… sometimes I wonder what my friends were actually thinking. Is that really all they thought of me? Is that all they remembered?

Because when Guy Gardner is the only one who even thinks to say nice things, the only one who remembers that there are other people in my life who were important to me and that they might want to be informed…

It’s a good thing I wasn’t actually there for that one, because I still have some choice words (or arrows) saved up to explain exactly how wrong that one was.

Of course, had I actually been there it wouldn’t have been necessary.

I should really take Guy out for a drink one day to thank him.

208 - Four

2007-12-13T05:14:15Z

[locked from everyone]
I have four children.

Two of them were mine. Biologically, I mean. I didn’t get to raise either of them. I didn’t find out about Connor until he was an adult, and I have no part in Robert’s life.

Two of my kids found me. They’ve both had hard lives, and maybe I messed up pretty badly with one of them. But they were both Speedy, and I’ve been so proud of both of them. They’ve both made so much of their lives. Roy is in the Justice League now, and his daughter is incredible. Even with how badly I failed him, at least I can be proud of what he accomplished, because he did it all without me.

And Mia… I don’t know how she’s become the wonderful person that she is with everything she’s been through in her life. She’s just trying to be the best person, the best hero she can be. To make the most of all the time she has.

But Connor. Connor was the one who took my name. Who became Green Arrow. Who was my successor. While I’m proud of Roy for becoming Red Arrow, he is his own man first, and not just another version of me.

But Connor… he was Green Arrow. And he was wonderful. Everything I could ask for in a son.

And now he’s dead. On a mission to rescue me.

And now I only have three children still alive.

I liked it so much better when I had four.

OOC: I am NOT AMUSED by Judd Winick and his killing Connor. I am also not amused by Meltzer's claim that Ollie knew about Connor. So I am ignoring it.

206 - What do you live for?

2007-11-27T01:14:01Z

When I came back from the dead, I made the choice to come back to my friends and family. The ones who needed me. The fact that maybe the universe wasn’t quite done with me yet.

I came back because I was the only one who could stop that one incident, but I stayed because I had people I had made promises to, people who I wanted to be able to take care of.

I could have been selfish. I didn’t have to come back when Hal brought me back. I came back initially because he needed me to. I stayed because it was the right thing to do. I stayed because I’m a hero, and I was a member of the Justice League. I stayed because people needed me.

Oh, and because someone has to take down all of the fat cats. It isn’t like I can trust Superman to do it.

Belated thanks - RP for speedy_boyo

2007-11-26T21:33:55Z

Ollie had really meant to get back to Roy, but he had forgotten to check his email. Either that or Oracle was still playing childish pranks on him.

He had, however, finally managed to get in touch with Roy, and now the two of them were planning to have a slightly belated Thanksgiving dinner. Ollie had made turkey chili for the occasion.

He really wasn't sure he had that much to be thankful for, but then he remembered that Roy had gotten in touch with him and had wanted to have dinner. That was more than enough to be thankful for.

He was still stirring the chili when the doorbell rang.

205 - Talk about a moment where you wish you'd had a camera

2007-11-21T19:55:01Z

[locked from everyone]
It isn’t so much that there are moments I wished I had a camera, I can usually get pictures from everything I’ve been around for. But there are plenty of times that I haven’t been around to have a camera. I was dead for a while, and there are whole years I missed out on.

And then there are the other times, the times that I was too stupid to be there. All the time I lost with Roy, with Pretty Bird. All the years I didn’t know about Connor. I could have been there to watch him grow up. I should have been there for Roy. I should have been there for more of Lian’s birthdays. There could have been whole new memories made, and times that I would have had to carry a camera around to share in things. I should have been there in general.

[/locked]

I really don’t know why Dinah and Hal didn’t bother to get me pictures when Roy joined the Justice League and became Red Arrow. Shouldn’t a father have pictures of that moment? I mean, Pretty Bird has an excuse, it wasn’t actually her. But Hal should have known to have a camera! I want evidence.

Oh, also, I would really like to have pictures of what Pretty Bird and that girl of hers are up to.

Chili! - RP for girlfromkrypton

2007-10-30T00:24:43Z

Ollie's home was shockingly empty. Mia and Connor had offered to patrol, possibly because they still weren't talking to him because of the whole Dinah thing, but that just meant that there would be far more chili for himself and Kara.

It was a new recipe, too. He hadn't tried this one before, but his chili always worked out. He just had to spice it up just right.

He just hoped that Kara was suitably impressed.

He was just starting to worry when he heard someone at the door.

OOC: Hope this works for you! If not let me know and I'll do it over.

201 - Something Lost

2007-10-28T06:58:41Z

[locked – private]

I’ve lost so many things I can’t even begin to count them. I lost Roy. I lost Dinah. I lost the respect of my teammates and my friends. I’ll probably lose everyone else I’ve ever cared about because I failed that much as a mentor, a hero, and a lover.

[/locked]

I lost my fortune. I got back another one. I don’t know why it matters though, the money is just a symbol of the fatcat greed that infects our entire culture. I like to think that I was at my best when I was off on that road trip with Hal and Pretty Bird. I was actually there connecting with people, making a difference for the little guy. The road trip, even with all of the fallout, was still one of the most important things I’ve ever done.

I do have a fortune again now. Not the same one. But I try to use every bit of this fortune to make a difference.

… not that funding the Outsiders was the best idea I’ve ever had.

Just. Don't. Ask.

2007-10-06T07:02:07Z

Halloween Meme

bitter_robin puts real eyeballs in your gerbils

boywonder3 eats bitter_robin's spicy, spicy brains.

cryforblood puts apples in your razorblades

free_canarybird shows up with burning torches, pitchforks and dip

girlfromkrypton swoops on cryforblood and drains their Bank Manager's lunchbox

goddess_of_moon gives you a toothbrush

jubes_paf dresses up as princess_kory

knight_flyer sacrifices oracle_bop's pumpkin

kon_man runs around screaming for hours until abruptly silenced by girlfromkrypton, wielding a sharpened axe

not_kid_flash tries to pick up Phantom Hitchhikers

oracle_bop haunts your socks

princess_kory carves goddess_of_moon's effigy in the medium of cutlery

shaman_x summons the undead armies of wondercassie to steal your candy

speedy_boyo calls not_kid_flash to let them know the psycho killer's in the back seat

wondercassie TPs free_canarybird

LJ Name

199 - Genderswap

2007-10-06T05:40:39Z

There is only one reasonable explanation for this… this… outrage.

Somehow, this is Oracle’s fault.

Well, it’s actually really Pretty Bird’s fault, because she is the only one who could have put Oracle up to doing this.

Not that Oracle would have done this herself, you know, but that… that… person… has contacts everywhere. Oracle has to know someone who could be responsible for turning me into a girl.

… Although, I’m not a bad looking girl at all, if I do say so myself. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll… well, I’ll be right back.

[later]

Hmm. I wonder if Pretty Bird and that partner of hers would be interested in a threesome. I mean, now that Dinah’s a lesbian, maybe I have a chance? Of course, if I suggest it, then there’s no way at all that Oracle will arrange to have me switched back. She’d keep me that way out of spite.

… Actually, if I suggest it, Oracle might just make switching me back a priority.

OOC: oracle_bop borrowed from me. Ollie? Never actually going to be a girl ~~except for this post~~, because he is hiding from the idea.