RoyOllie

Roliver is the slash ship between Oliver and Roy from the Arrow fandom.

Canon
Oliver first hears about Roy when Thea tries to get Roy a job at Verdant, in an effort to steer Roy away from a life of crime, but Roy never shows. His life is changed by Oliver when Roy is captured by a man seeking to avenge the murder of his wife by live streaming his execution of people from The Glades. In the broadcast, Roy says his life isn't worth much, but Oliver comes to his aide and saves Roy's life at the last minute. This proves to be a life-altering experience for Roy, who wants to do something with his life and possibly finally starts to believe that he is worthy of happiness.

Roy goes to great (sometimes illegal) lengths to find "The Hood" and Thea helps him, which leads them to Merlyn Group where they bump into Oliver. This is the official meeting between Roy and Oliver, and when they admit to Oliver why they're there, Oliver tells Roy to stop looking for "The Hood" as he'll put Thea in danger. Roy doesn't listen and when Moira broadcasts The Undertaking, Roy stays in The Glades to help people because it's what "The Hood" would do.

INTEL AGENT

5 months after the catastrophe in The Glades, Oliver returns to Starling City and runs into Roy at Verdant when he seeks out Thea, saying "still here?" to Roy who replies "always". Roy still tries to stop crime at night despite promising Thea not to, and has been doing so since "The Hood" disappeared. Oliver realises that Roy has the finger on the pulse on what goes on in The Glades and finally meets Roy as Arrow. Roy is stunned by meeting his hero and The Arrow asks what he wants. Roy kind of stumbles, saying he hadn't thought of it past meeting him, but reasserts his intent to save the city, inspired by The Arrow. Oliver gives Roy the task of bringing him intel in exchange for stopping his nightly crusades and Roy agrees.

After Oliver's rescued by a mysterious vigilante, he asks Roy to track her down and Roy does. Although Oliver takes the (self-titled) "disapproving big brother" tack with Thea, he recognises Roy's worth. Roy continues to be heroic, although he doesn't seek out criminals, such as when he saves Sin's life when she's shot at the Cash For Guns initiative. When Sin approaches Roy about her missing friend, Max, he and Thea try to help Sin find Max, who eventually turns up dead. Roy takes a picture of the body and shows it to The Arrow, who tells Roy to stay away. Roy protests that just providing intel isn't enough for him anymore, when he suspects The Arrow knows something he's not letting Roy in on. In an effort to continually keep Roy away from trouble, Oliver shoots an arrow through Roy's right knee.

MIRAKURU

Thea takes care of Roy in her room, and hides it from Moira who thinks something's wrong with Thea and enlists Oliver to decode. This brings about a hilarious scenario where the group have to tell Oliver that the "crazy vigilante" shot Roy. Oliver is completely unapologetic, pulls the arrow out of Roy and enlists Diggle to patch Roy up. Before he leaves Oliver tries to impart his message — that he wanted Roy to stay out of trouble. The trio of Roy, Thea and Sin don't adhere, however, and ask Laurel for legal help with Max's files. Roy decides to break in and find Max's psych evaluation, but is caught by Cyrus Gold. He is injected with Mirakuru and Oliver revives Roy, telling him he won't lose someone else. Roy awakes and Oliver brings him back to the mansion where Roy's knee has healed completely.

5 weeks later Roy realises that he has super-strength, which freaks him out and he hides it from Thea, until the bomb threat at the Unity Rally where he saves her and Moira by catching and holding a power mast. Thea tells Oliver what happened and Oliver thanks Roy for saving their lives, realising that Roy's powers have begun showing and telling his team they will need to keep a close eye on Roy lest the powers start affecting his mind. Roy decides to test his powers with Sin and the serum affects his mind as he nearly kills a man until Sin stops him. Roy refuses to let Thea and Sin help him and cries alone in despair. Thea tells Oliver that Roy's changing and Oliver seeks him out as The Arrow, asking Roy to let him help train Roy to control what's happening to him, to which Roy agrees.

Oliver trains Roy with the same technique Shado used with Oliver, to hone archery prowess, but Roy has no patience due to the effects of Mirakuru. To appease Roy, Oliver decides to bring him along on a mission, but the Mirakuru leaves Roy beating a guy while Bronze Tiger gets away. Oliver tries to convince Roy to keep training to control his anger, but after he mentions Thea, Roy punches him and Oliver flies across the hangar. Oliver feels resigned, but Roy shows up at the harbour where Oliver confronts Bronze Tiger and saves Oliver. Oliver needs Roy to help get through the container housing the earthquake machine and only convinces Roy to stop pummelling Bronze Tiger after taking off his hood, revealing his identity. "Last year, you saved my life. And I don't mean from the guy who kidnapped me. I mean, you you saved me. You gave me purpose"

- Roy, to Oliver

Roy is stunned that it's Oliver, but Oliver appeals to Roy's love for Thea to focus on accessing the container and is successful in blowing it up with Roy's help. Afterwards, Roy thanks Oliver, face to face for the first time, for saving him from himself and reaches out to shake Oliver's hand. Roy's reaction signifies a new beginning for both their relationship and coming full circle from when "The Hood" saved his life to finding his new path in life. Oliver introduces Roy to Diggle and Felicity, cementing his induction as a part of the team.

TEAM INTRO

Roy attends Sara's welcome home party at the Queen Mansion, the first time they officially meet. He later starts training with the team to be able to control his strength and is trained by Sara in the Foundry. Sara, Diggle and Roy go to Queen Mansion to save Oliver, Thea and Moira when Slade suddenly comes back from the dead, which is the first time Roy goes on a mission as part of the team. Roy enters the foyer and greets Wilson sternly in front of the Queens, the latter realising that back-up has arrived to protect the family and he leaves.

With Roy still unable to manage his Mirakuru-induced anger, Oliver asks him to stay away from Thea. Despite the heartbreak, Roy stays with the team, dedicated to the cause. This changes when Thea is abducted by Slade Wilson. Oliver, Sara and Roy go after him, with Oliver telling Roy not to hold back this time. They find Slade, but Oliver decides that they should turn him in to the police, which Roy is not on board with. Following Wilson's release for wrongful apprehension, Roy is furious that they didn't even try to interrogate Wilson on their own about Thea's whereabouts. Roy insults and degrades Sara, refers to Oliver as 'King Queen' and attacks Diggle until Sara aims an arrow at him. Oliver walks in and Roy tells him he's done with him and done with the team.

"I believed in you. There's nothing left for me here"

- Roy to Oliver

THE CURE

Oliver's worried about Roy as the team went to Roy's apartment which has been cleared, but they have no time presently to investigate. When Oliver goes to shut down Slade's transfusion he discovers that Slade isn't using himself as the source — Slade abducted Roy. When the opportunity arises, Oliver swiftly grabs Roy and crane-lifts them both out through the ceiling with his bow. Oliver and Diggle bring Roy to the Foundry, but he awakes later and leaves. Roy runs into Sin who tries to reach him and he hits her, which has Sara on the war path. Oliver isn't ready to give up on Roy's humanity and wants them to try and track him. The team are unsure of where he'd go, but trace him to the Clock Tower downtown. Sara and Oliver try to fight him off, unsuccessfully, and Oliver is horrified as he watches Roy wound one officer, but kill another.

Oliver feels responsible, but still unwilling to let Sara take him out. When Roy shows up to attack Thea at Verdant, Sara's ready to take him out and Roy, in a lucid moment, asks them to kill him. Oliver shoots him with elephant tranquillisers and they keep Roy sedated with what snake venom is left from the League Of Assassins. Oliver has revealed that it's possible to make a cure and Felicity has Caitlin and Cisco working on one with Harrison Wells at S.T.A.R. Labs in Central City. When it's ready and brought to Starling, Oliver decides to try it out on Roy, to see if it works. He takes a moment to connect with the sedated Roy and tell him he's sorry, a very intimate exchange. Despite this, Oliver's unable to do it, but after learning that A.R.G.U.S. intends to level the city, Oliver gives Roy the cure, hoping it will save them all.

Just as Slade's Mirakuru soldiers come to kill Team Arrow, Roy awakes from his sedation and punches one of the soldiers, feeling the pain and seeing his Mirakuru-induced strength has gone. They escape the Clock Tower as Lyla blows it up with a rocket and return to the Foundry. Sara and Nyssa arrive with the League of Assassins and Oliver checks in with how Roy is doing. Roy says he's ready to get revenge for what Slade put him through and Oliver gifts Roy with his very own dark red mask, a symbol of their partnership going forward. Roy reaches Thea and they decide to leave town, but Roy is called into action by Oliver and tells Thea he has something he has to do before leaving. Slade's army is gathered in the tunnel out of Starling City and Oliver, Sara, Nyssa, Roy, Det. Lance and the League cure them all, ending the siege on the city.

Fanon
Roliver was a fairly common ship in the fandom while Roy was on the show, especially when he became Arsenal. Following Roy's return to the series in Season 7, he and Oliver have yet to share screen time as Roy's story takes place 20 years in the future. On AO3, Roliver is the 23rd most written ship within the Arrow fandom tag; Oliver's ninth most written and Roy's second.

Fandom
AO3

FORUMS
 * Archers @FanForum

TUMBLR

Quotes
"You would honestly kill me because I dare to criticize the almighty Oliver Queen?"

- Roy, to Sara as he's attacking Diggle

Trivia

 * Both Colton Haynes (Roy Harper) and the Season 2 Arrow writers seem to ship Roliver