Hey guys

So here is a new story I wrote up after having this plot bunny idea for a long while now for Barry's actions of creating Flashpoint had a greater effect then was discussed.

Also, I thank Stand with Ward and Queen for his help on this story.

On with this fic.

Joe West's house during the night

Barry sitting at the kitchen table is looking at the lab top and is slowly becoming somewhat more disturbed by what he finds when researching what other changes Flashpoint made. Changes created by his own actions.

Is one small but particular change is Oliver was far more ruthless his first-year back as The Hood, of there are some reports where Oliver put arrows into thugs already out of the fight. Or like Justin Claybourne got killed by The Hood instead of sent to prison which happened in the original pre-Flashpoint time Barry remembers. The information he acquired from a police report.

And Barry knows from his research that while Oliver was active in Russia before Flashpoint, The Hood's brutal methods are new. Because all of Hideo Yamane's security force ended up dead and the man himself was killed with three arrows despite begging for his life, from what one of the drivers who hid when the fight started had reported.

Though Barry wonders if in that case it was more of just Oliver upset from those drugs Hideo sold, no doubt getting to his sister since Barry remembers from news reports how Thea used to be a drug addict. After all, if there is one thing Barry knows is regardless of timeline changes if this was Oliver fully embracing his darkness Yamane might have ended up dead regardless for causing his sister harm.

Moving on Barry reflects on how when The Hood killed Kovar's men at the casino with even putting a second arrow into a guy already out of the fight, from an old crime scene report Barry stole.

Just an hour ago made a trip to see Anatoly Knyazev, upon remembering in a conversation once having with Oliver about Oliver's debatable Bratva status was Oliver's fondness for his friend. Talking with Knyazev he learned the extremely unpleasant truth that Oliver while in Russia year ago interrogated a man for information to stop Kovar's gas attack by skinning him alive.

An action that truly does horrify Barry since skinning a person alive, especially for practice is even something pre-Flashpoint Oliver who had issues did not take things that far.

Then kept going for practice as Kanyazev told Oliver in his own words "But this man I see now bears more resemblance to Slade Wilson or Anthony Ivo."

Letting out a sigh of guilt Barry wonders if he caused his friend to have a mental break down or something like that. Despite how much Barry hates to admit it Flashpoint seems to have turned his friend into something more like Joe West always claims he is. Only despite even what his adopted father would claim, even in this new timeline Barry can tell from all his research Oliver never hurt innocents, ever.

Really Barry knows even one-tenth of what Oliver went through is enough to drive anybody insane, let alone just all of what Barry has pieced together about Oliver's past.

So, the fact that Oliver had a mental break down at some point while tragic is not surprising because if it was him, Barry would have been in a mental institution a long time ago from everything Oliver experienced during those five years. Yet alone what has happened to him since then.

Which it seems at some point Oliver had a return to sanity or at least snapped out of his break down following his time in Russia. Going through his research Barry can tell Oliver still gave all the people he went after his first year a chance to right their wrongs and sent them to prison outside of a few people from The List he did kill, like in the timeline before Flashpoint.

So maybe Barry guesses being around Diggle and Felicity along with his family is what helped Oliver start to heal from his mental break down.

Regardless it's just one more thing he screwed up due to his selfish actions Barry knows while deleting all his information on Oliver and his past in this new timeline since does not want somebody finding it and putting the pieces together for Oliver being the Green Arrow.

Once that is done Barry closes the lap top, having done enough research for now What he's found just leaves more guilt to weigh on his mind and in his heart. Especially for how he keeps hurting his friends.

Hope you all enjoyed that and let me know what you think in a review, if you want.

It was shown in season 2 during his first episodes Barry has spent time researching Oliver's vigilante actions so the fact Barry would know about individual crime scenes and other such things regarding Oliver is not illogical.

Moving on I went with Oliver had a mental breakdown in his fifth year of flashbacks so that's why he skinned a thug alive for information then kept going for practice.

I wish the showrunners would have put into Arrow of it would have helped keep Oliver's character from not being a complete nut job to salvage the character damage they did do.

For the record, I don't have a problem with Oliver's increased ruthlessness in season 5 if it had made sense, or even used in a fan fic if done well.

Only for the show it was not because of Uncle Guggie, (the pet name the Olicty shippers gave Marc) and Mericle who have poorly thought out, illogical storytelling or burning hatred for Oliver.

The first issue I have is the showrunners gave no explanation for this retcon to start with on the huge difference between Oliver season 5 compared to season 1.

Second is Marc Guggenheim and Wendy Mericle hate Oliver Queen with a burning passion and want him to be the show's main villain.

Guggenheim has even said "One of the things we embrace on the show is he's a hypocrite, he's kind of a lousy leader, he makes terrible decisions. It gives us fodder for a lot of stories."

Let me get this straight, you write your stories from how stupid decisions Oliver makes? Yeah, you really do hate the character.

Now do I believe there's a part of Oliver who likes killing bad guys? Yes.

Do I believe Oliver likes killing as some insane serial killer who just wants an excuse to kill, as Guggenheim and Mercile wanted to make Oliver into during 5x17? Not at all, just from Oliver would have not given so many people second chances including the man who killed his own mother, or even had done his best in the series to avoid dropping bodies if Oliver simply wanted an excuse to kill.

On another note does anybody need a puke bucket for Olicty shippers calling Guggenheim Uncle Guggie? Cause if that does not scream pandering problems, I don't know what does.

Until next time