History Fanfic / TheirLastTime

** While Oliver is more jaded than evil, he reflects that the reason why he was against Laurel being a vigilante when she first wanted to join is because he couldn't understand how someone could willingly choose to live that kind of life.

* BigScrewedUpFamily: Chapter 7 really helps the team realize just how messed up the Lance family truly is. Between Sara never apologizing to Laurel, everything about the family dinner, and then learning that Dinah let Sara get on the ''Gambit'', they are left aghast at how "Laurel's entire family had collectively screwed her over."

** As usual, Diggle is a huge one for Oliver and Felicity. He is very upset when it looks like the book version won't be getting together.

* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Felicity isn't ''evil'', but she is selfish and immature. [[ClingyJealousGirl She muses to herself that it was agony to watch Oliver date other women (even before they started dating) when she was in love with him]], and cannot understand how Laurel could be preparing herself to do the same thing willingly. [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy The idea that Laurel wants Oliver to be happy (and believes that she can't make him happy) more than she personally wants to be with him does not occur to her]].

** After going over all of Sara's poor treatment towards Laurel in the old timeline, upon reading ''TCE'' Sara apologize for everything she's done to her sister, Felicity internally comments that the new timeline is already shaping to be much better.

''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/49652185 Their Last Time]]'' is a MST style fan fic set in the ''Series/{{Arrowverse}}'' by [[https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ray_Writes/pseuds/Ray_Writes Ray_Writes]].

** After going over all the way Sara has poorly treatment Laurel in the old timeline, upon reading ''TCE'' Sara apologize for every bad thing she's done to her sister, Felicity internally comments that the new timeline is already shaping to be much better.

** After learning that Oliver only acted friendly towards her to build trust between them when they first met, Felicity tells Diggle (who is currently reading) to just GetItOverWith regarding having to listen to the same scenario between their counterparts in the new timeline. Diggle promptly informs her that in ''The Cutting Edge'', Oliver deliberately avoided choosing Felicity as his tech support and instead went to Naomi.

** A good portion of Chapter 7 is dedicated to deconstructing Sara's poor treatment of Laurel in Season 2.

* YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe: The teams' reaction when they learn that Laurel cannot disband the League of Assassins, matching her reaction nicely.

* MaleGaze: The team (especially Quentin) don't particularly enjoy it when Laurel is subjected to this by various characters. Felicity ''really'' [[ClingyJealousGirl doesn't like it when Oliver does]].

** After learning that Oliver only acted friendly towards her to build trust between them, Felicity tells Diggle (who is currently reading) to just GetItOverWith regarding having to listen to the same scenario between their counterparts in the new timeline. Diggle promptly informs her that in ''The Cutting Edge'', Oliver deliberately avoided choosing Felicity as his tech support and instead went to Naomi.

* TripleShifter: Laurel's tendency to do this in ''TCE'' is frequently commented on by the team, most notably Quentin, who repeatedly wonder when she's sleeping.

** Thea, Diggle, and Felicity all turn on Oliver and Quentin and demand to know why they thought Oliver attending the Lance family dinner in Season 2 was acceptable.

** Oliver is worried that Kovar is still alive in ''TCE'' and will come for revenge sooner or later. An Author's Note in ''TCE'' explained why Oliver was [[PointOfDivergence successful in killing Kovar in Russia in this timeline]], something the book they're reading apparently lacks.
** Oliver, Felicity, and Diggle posit that ''TCE'' Oliver's working relationship with Naomi will end and he'll go to the new timeline's Felicity for tech assistance. Readers will know that Naomi flat out replaces Felicity as Oliver's tech support in ''TCE'' timeline.

* LetsWatchOurShowPlot: A fan fic variation, where canon characters from right before the starting point read about the new timeline that is about to be created in the form of a book (i.e. the fan fic).

** Felicity hopes this version of Oliver and her don't make the same mistakes they did, and worries that she'll have to deal with Laurel pining for Oliver while he's dating her. Readers know that ''The Cutting Edge'' versions of Oliver and Felicity won't be dating ''at all''.

** When they learn the Hood used to greet Laurel when she was home alone, after killing the lights no less, Quentin and Felicity both turn on Oliver, the former pointing he's lucky she didn't shoot him and the latter commenting that was the ''creepiest'' way to go about talking to her.

* PretenderDiss: Implied when the team realizes all of the similarities Bruce has with Oliver, Felicity comments that Bruce sounds like Oliver's biggest fan causing Mr. Mxyzptlk to react with outrage and call the team idiots.

** Felicity hopes this version of Oliver and her don't make the same mistakes they did, and worries that she'll have to deal with Laurel pinning for Oliver while he's dating her. Readers know that ''The Cutting Edge'' versions of Oliver and Felicity won't be dating ''at all''.

* SelectiveObliviousness: Diggle and Felicity have a hard time comprehending why ''TCE'' Oliver completely passed up Felicity for Naomi (and thus preventing the start of Oliver and Felicity's "romance") due to his dedication to proving himself to Laurel. As Thea notes, ''TCE'' Oliver doesn't know Felicity in this timeline yet and therefore has no reason to give her any sort of preferential treatment.

* DeconstructionFic: Reading Laurel's low opinion herself makes the team (mostly Oliver and Quentin) realize how poorly they've treated her before her death.
* DidntThinkThisThrough: It gradually becomes clear over the course of the story that Oliver and Felicity didn't put a lot of thought into their relationship at all, and assumed that just because they "loved" each other, they had similar values and goals in life, when in reality that is far from the case. The biggest example is when it's revealed they never discussed whether or not they wanted kids -- it turns out that Felicity doesn't, at least not right now, due to her young age, while Oliver (who is already thirty) does, and wants to start a family as soon as possible because he's not getting any younger. After that happens Oliver begins showing a decrease in interest in a relationship with Felicity, suggesting it's no longer what he wants now that he knows what such a relationship would really mean.

* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Deconstructed. Oliver, Diggle, and Felicity slowly realize that not telling Laurel things (the source of Barry's powers, Harrison Wells actually being Eobard Thawne AKA The Reverse-Flash) has put her in greater danger.

* WithFriendsLikeThese: Deconstructed. Seeing Laurel's ''very'' [[HeroicSelfDeprecation low self-worth]] causes the team to realize they were actually really bad friends to her. Oliver however [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre takes the time to reassure Thea that she at least has nothing to feel guilty over, and was probably the best thing Laurel had in her life before she died]].

** The team members that remember Isaac at all only remember a violent criminal. They are surprised to learn he was one a genuinely good man who cared about his community, and even volunteered in the big brother program.

* FatalFlaw: Oliver himself notes that his is a lack of follow through, he'll make promises to be better but then not be. Felicity attributes this to him telling himself that its impossible, which gives him an excuse to quit when met with resistance, something he doesn't deny.

* HiddenDepths: Rene Ramirez makes a poor first impression on the team. They are surprised to later learn he's a father and trying to care for his drug addicted wife.

** Oliver is worried that Kovar is still alive in ''TCE'' and will come for revenge sooner or later. An Author's Note in ''TCE'' explained why Oliver was [[ForWantOfANail successful in killing Kovar in Russia in this timeline]], something the book they're reading apparently lacks.

* ForWantOfANail: Discussed by the team is that Laurel's actions in the timeline have probably caused even more changes than she is aware of. One such possible change is Ryuku's survival; Felicity speculates that Ryuku was killed by the Tengu in the original timeline, which is why they never heard of him. Therefore, in the new timeline, Laurel's presence prevents his death and allows him to take up the family legacy as a demon slayer.

Official Summary: As the team grieves their beloved Black Canary, they're approached and taken captive by a fifth-dimensional imp named Mr. Mxyzptlk who has both good news and bad news: their friend's alive but has been sent back to the past to change things, thus tending their existences null and void. Before they're erased from time itself, he’s giving them the chance to see what becomes of Laurel and their own lives in this new future. Will they like what they read?

* DidntThinkThisThrough: It gradually becomes clear over the course of the story that Oliver and Felicity didn't put a lot of thought into their relationship at all, and assumed that just because they "loved" each other, they had similar values and goals in life. The biggest example is when it's revealed they never discussed whether or not they wanted kids -- it turns out that Felicity doesn't, at least not right now, due to her young age, while Oliver (who is already thirty) does, and wants to start a family as soon as possible because he's not getting any younger. After that happens Oliver begins showing a decrease in interest in a relationship with Felicity, suggesting it's no longer what he wants now that he knows what such a relationship would really mean.

** Thea is outraged at finding out how poorly Sara had treated Laurel in the original timeline.

** Felicity and Diggle posit that ''TCE'' Oliver's working relationship with Naomi will end and he'll go to the new timeline's Felicity for tech assistance. Readers will know that Naomi flat out replaces Felicity as Oliver's tech support in ''TCE'' timeline.

* {{Hypocrite}}: At first, when Felicity learns that Laurel is trying to ensure Oliver still dates Felicity, she says that Laurel can have him. She is then jealous and outraged by the fact that ''TCE'' Oliver is openly in love with Laurel and rejects even meeting her. Thea immediately calls her on it.