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As the saying goes:
There was no such thing as a wrong nickname, only a wrong name.
When it comes to Oliver Queen, whether it's his codename or his costume, one thing's for sure, he's way too green.
Before he became the Green Arrow, he was a certified playboy and scumbag.
And even after becoming a vigilante…
The women in his life never stopped changing.
Let's talk about two of his more famous exes: Black Canary, Laurel Lance, and White Canary, Sara Lance.
Oliver originally dated Laurel, but secretly hooked up with her sister, Sara.
Without saying a word to Laurel, he took Sara out on a cruise.
Then came the shipwreck aboard the Queen's Gambit, and the whole world thought he was dead.
While Oliver was "dead," his best friend Tommy Merlyn swooped in and started dating Laurel.
If Laurel gave Oliver one green hat, then Sara practically gave him a whole stadium of hats.
Sara survived the shipwreck, became the White Canary, and later the captain of the Legends of Tomorrow.
After that? She stopped being interested in men altogether, but the women? They also kept changing.
White Canary was wild and free.
But while Allen thought they gave Green Arrow green hats; it was well deserved because Arrow was also a cheater.
But the point was that none of these women were the "main heroine" type.
'So, let's look at the most likely candidate…'
Felicity Smoak, the IT girl, and his Watcher.
Was she the female lead? Maybe.
She and Oliver broke up and reunited more times than anyone could count. In between, she had several boyfriends.
And Oliver? He never seemed to care.
So yeah, Allen thinks the Green Riding Hood was actually more accurate than Green Arrow.
But then again… maybe being "green" was just a family tradition in the Queen household.
After all, Oliver's father wasn't exactly faithful either.
And speaking of fathers, we have to mention another man…
Tommy Merlyn's dad, Malcolm Merlyn.
A.k.a. the Dark Archer, who was trained by the League of Assassins.
Right now, he's the only major villain operating in Starling City.
This guy tried to level the Glades, the city's poorest district, to avenge his wife's death.
He planned the shipwreck of the Queen's Gambit, killed Robert Queen, and unknowingly created the Green Arrow in the process.
All of this, and what happened?
Nothing. The Glades were still standing five years later.
Like seriously, if they'd just let a few of Gotham's villains handle it, the place would've been leveled ten times over by now.
When Oliver Queen finally returned and became the Green Arrow, he followed the usual formula:
Find the big bad behind the scenes. Fight.
Only, this time his best friend, Tommy Merlyn, got caught in the crossfire and died.
'But hey, my best friend Tommy died? No big deal…' Allen sarcastically thought.
Malcolm still had a daughter: Oliver's half-sister, Thea Queen.
And that was where things got complicated.
Once he had a daughter, Malcolm was "reborn" and decided to raise her himself.
Using hypnosis, he manipulated Thea and even killed Sara Lance, who had returned from the League of Assassins.
Eventually, Malcolm took over the League, becoming its leader.
Not that it lasted long, he lacked the power to keep the title.
In the end, he helped Oliver fight Prometheus and sacrificed himself to save Thea.
Father and son, they were both painted green.
Allen could only laugh.
'I must be crazy… making jokes only I understand and laughing about them…'
Before he knew it, the car had already entered Starling City.
The style of the city was very modern.
While it lacked Gotham's Gothic flair, it shared a similar sense of darkness.
Crime incidents were endless, and the crime rate was nearly on par with Gotham.
The main difference? Starling City wasn't nearly as memorable.
The villains here just weren't in the same league.
"Where should I drop you off? I can take you there," Felicity asked, glancing over.
"Your place," Allen replied casually, pulling his gaze away from the window and smiling at her.
"Huh?" Felicity froze in shock.
"You live alone?" Allen asked again.
Felicity nodded slowly, a little on edge.
What did he mean by that? She just offered a ride; she didn't mean that kind of ride!
Seeing her nervous expression, Allen chuckled before offering a serious explanation.
"I'm from Gotham. You've probably heard what it's like there, right? No one pays for anything in Gotham. If you can take it, it's yours."
'If you can take it, it's yours?' Felicity found the logic disturbingly sound.
"So… I don't have any money right now. But I still need a place to stay. And maybe…" Allen looked at her with a half-smile.
"Maybe I'll need a pillow, too."
"I… I thought you were a good person…" Felicity trembled.
Allen laughed.
"Isn't this a good life lesson? Don't trust strangers so easily. Consider it free tuition. Anyway, staying at your place for a few days is fine, right?"
"Can I say no?" Felicity asked meekly.
"Nope!" Allen grinned brightly.
Felicity was on the verge of tears.
'Why did I pick him up? What do I do now?'
'I'll just play along for now, then call the cops when I get the chance.'
She bit her lip and drove the rest of the way in silence.
A few blocks later, she pulled over.
"I-I live here," she mumbled as she turned off the engine.
"Alright," Allen said with a smile.
Felicity stepped out of the car, unable to even reach for her phone.
Allen casually wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they headed toward the building.
At that moment, Felicity cursed herself for picking him up.
She had no choice but to go upstairs with him.
Fifth floor.
She reluctantly pulled out her keys and unlocked the door.
As soon as they stepped inside, Allen stopped, glanced around, and looked at her seriously.
"You're the first person in this world who made me feel like I'm not quite ready to settle down just yet."
"Your place… Stink."