Just a small addition....I think that there is a world of difference between stating a personal preference for a specific character or team constellation (as you did in your post) and claiming that we ALL have to accept something as canon or more important than something else just because it is presented as such within the show itself (as many other Olicity fans sometimes do when discussing OTA). Audiences/fans have their own minds and interpretations, and sometimes they won't enjoy or accept what the writers tell them to enjoy/accept.
For example, my impression from your posts throughout the years is that you were never convinced that Oliver was truly in love with Laurel or that Laurel was the kind of person she was portrayed as within the show (in fact, I think you find her character portrayal quite flawed from a writing/acting standpoint). On the other hand, it is evident from many scenes that the writers' intentions was to portray Oliver as being in love with Laurel in season one (and for this discussion it's irrelevant whether his picture of her was true/real or distorted by nostalgia or remorse). In this case, I have the impression that you didn't find the writers' intentions (implicit or overt) a really valid argument for the "canonicity" or value/validity of a certain relationship.
If we transfer this line of reasoning to OTA, for many viewers/fans it doesn't matter that the writers tell us that Oliver believes that Felicity and Diggle are more special than other team members, since THEY don't feel the uniqueness of their connection. For them there is nothing special about O/F/D sharing scenes, going on missions or extolling their friendship with OgGangster toasts. The same applies to Olicity....the writers tried their damndest to convince us that Oliver and Felicity are engaged in an epic endgame romance throughout seasons three and four, and yet the backlash against the Olicity romance was pretty massive all over social media. Somewhere along the way something went wrong... If I'm to judge from social media, many fans found that the Olicity romance arc was both poorly written and too dominating in relation to other storylines and characters. Some even claimed that it was abusive and that it "destroyed" (or at least altered for the worse) both Oliver and Felicity. So, the writers' intentions were clearly at odds with the audience reception, at least among some fans. And these fans are by no means only comic book purists or Laurel stans....in fact, I know quite a few Olicity detractors who never liked Laurel and didn't look forward to a GA/BC romance.
I guess what I want to say is that you cannot pick and choose how to deal with authorial intention versus audience reception. It might well be the case that the writers want us to believe in the special relationship between the OTA members, or that Felicity is Oliver's "everything"/soul mate/salvation, but that doesn't mean that I or anyone else have to accept or buy their vision....just like many fans didn't accept or buy other aspects of the show, like season one Lauriver or Laurel's BC arc.
For example, my impression from your posts throughout the years is that you were never convinced that Oliver was truly in love with Laurel or that Laurel was the kind of person she was portrayed as within the show (in fact, I think you find her character portrayal quite flawed from a writing/acting standpoint). On the other hand, it is evident from many scenes that the writers' intentions was to portray Oliver as being in love with Laurel in season one (and for this discussion it's irrelevant whether his picture of her was true/real or distorted by nostalgia or remorse). In this case, I have the impression that you didn't find the writers' intentions (implicit or overt) a really valid argument for the "canonicity" or value/validity of a certain relationship.
If we transfer this line of reasoning to OTA, for many viewers/fans it doesn't matter that the writers tell us that Oliver believes that Felicity and Diggle are more special than other team members, since THEY don't feel the uniqueness of their connection. For them there is nothing special about O/F/D sharing scenes, going on missions or extolling their friendship with OgGangster toasts. The same applies to Olicity....the writers tried their damndest to convince us that Oliver and Felicity are engaged in an epic endgame romance throughout seasons three and four, and yet the backlash against the Olicity romance was pretty massive all over social media. Somewhere along the way something went wrong... If I'm to judge from social media, many fans found that the Olicity romance arc was both poorly written and too dominating in relation to other storylines and characters. Some even claimed that it was abusive and that it "destroyed" (or at least altered for the worse) both Oliver and Felicity. So, the writers' intentions were clearly at odds with the audience reception, at least among some fans. And these fans are by no means only comic book purists or Laurel stans....in fact, I know quite a few Olicity detractors who never liked Laurel and didn't look forward to a GA/BC romance.
I guess what I want to say is that you cannot pick and choose how to deal with authorial intention versus audience reception. It might well be the case that the writers want us to believe in the special relationship between the OTA members, or that Felicity is Oliver's "everything"/soul mate/salvation, but that doesn't mean that I or anyone else have to accept or buy their vision....just like many fans didn't accept or buy other aspects of the show, like season one Lauriver or Laurel's BC arc.
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