I OWN NOTHING! So, something that has never quite sat right with me on Arrow is Felicity's general lack of self defense abilities pre-team. She grew up in Vegas, moved across the country to Boston, alone, for college, then went to a third big city, Starling, for her job. If we're going by common DC lore, Starling is near Seattle, so that's another solo cross country move. And you're going to tell me that through all of that, a women with a brain fit for MIT never thought to learn to throw a punch just in case? I don't buy it. Here's my fix-it for that, enjoy!
Felicity was five when she first walked past the doors of "Maccabee Krav-Maga studio" on her way home from her first day of kindergarten. A quick peek inside as she walked by showed a lot of people punching each other, and Felicity wrinkled her nose in disgust. Computers were much cleaner that all of that sweat, and she wouldn't want to ruin her new pink skirt. Nevertheless, she found herself glancing into the window of the studio each time she walked past over the course of that year and the next several.
Felicity was eleven when she first walked in the doors of "Maccabee Krav-Mada studio" on the Saturday after her first week of sixth grade. Her route home no longer required her to walk by, but it now involved passing some seedier bars where she felt eyes linger as she went by. They seemed to get more intense each day, and Felicity was smart enough to know she wanted a way to make sure they didn't touch her. Remembering all of the punching, she decided to give the place a try. Over the course of that year and the next few, her ex-Mossad instructor, Ori, proved to her that yes, sweat was definitely messier than computers. But it was sweat that got her out of many a sticky situation between starting classes and leaving Vegas.
Felicity was sixteen when she first arrived at BOS airport, all set for MIT. She hailed a cab and made her way to campus and found herself to busy to worry much about martial arts while navigating her way through her new life as a Bostonian Goth. Sure, she still thought about it, and occasionally found herself Googling nearby gyms, but then she met Cooper Seldon at the end of freshmen year and the world fell away into a haze of coding and kisses. One night, towards the beginning of their junior year, however, the world decided to reassert itself in a rather obnoxious manner as they were walking home from dinner.
"HEY sweetheart!" A young man called out drunkenly from the bar stoop they were passing. She and Cooper drew closer together, Felicity whispering "ignore him," in her boyfriend's ear. And that might have been that, but the man, boy really, he looked just 21 and it was a college bar, continued with his catcalls, planting himself in front of him as his friends jeered.
"Ditch the troll darling. They say white's for virgins, and from the look of you, you're far enough from that to make even me happy," he drawled drunkenly.
Cooper stepped in front of her, even as she tugged at his arm hissing "just go around him!"
"Say it again, I dare you." Cooper said to their new companion, looking the bigger man straight in the eye. He laughed.
"Alright dwarf, I will. You're girlfriend has a hell of an ass, and I want it. So are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way?"
Felicity bristled at the implication that she was something to be given and taken, but before she could process the thought, she was watching Cooper's arm swing out. The other guy was either trained or lucky, since he dodged the clumsy punch with ease and then delivered one of his own to Cooper's gut before grabbing Felicity's bicep.
"Come on girl, I've heard that all you goths are freaks in bed, and aren't I damn better than that mess anyways?" the creep slurred, starting to pull her away from Cooper, who was moaning on the concrete. Felicity rolled her eyes and internally thanked her lucky stars that she wasn't the young girl she had been who wore skirts. The cargo pants allowed her to easily deploy some of her choicest moves from training almost three years ago, and though she was a bit sloppy, they still worked like a charm. She left her would-be attacker with a twisted ankle, broken nose, and a hard kick to the nuts before rushing back to Cooper, who was leaning against a streetlamp and eying her with some trepidation.
"Where did you learn to do that?" he asked her warily.
Felicity made a snap decision. "You know how much TV I watch!" She giggled, as they wrapped their arms back together. "Plus, I guess instinct kinda kicked in," she added at her boyfriend's disbelieving look.
Cooper seemed to accept that, and they made it back to the dorms without further incident.
6 months later, Cooper was taken by the FBI and Felicity went back to wearing skirts.
About a year and a half after that, Felicity was back in BOS airport, headed for Starling City and a job in the IT department of Queen Consolidated.
Please review, part 2 to come!