#bannedbookreader

my friend (@theboost) and i watched the librarians together because after we finished birds of prey we needed another show to watch and we're both fans of leverage (+ they already got peer pressured into watching the first two episodes of the librarians by a family member and i had tried to watch it in ~2017 and failed because i wasn't ready). we did the first two episodes, then the three movies, then the rest of the show. another friend (@averyho) who had seen most of both shows told me to watch warehouse 13 afterward and i ended up watching the first few (i think three) episodes with them and then finishing it on my own. it was technically a show i had been meaning to watch for a while because i knew i'd liked it, but i think i watched it at a good time because it gave me my magic building fix.

obviously the two are superficially very similar which appears to partially stem from an under-the-table okay from what would become electric entertainment (after the movies were made but while they didn't have the rights from TNT to the property of the librarian movies) to the people who made warehouse 13--it's hard to find official documentation of this, avery and i looked, but based on some outside information from someone familiar with the production it does seem legitimate. apparently there was a lot of animosity from fans of warehouse 13 toward the librarians because warehouse 13 ended the same year the librarians premiered (may versus december of 2014) which is sort of how that information came out. i didn't know that because i didn't watch either show live.

Authour: @bannedbookreader

Subfandom: Justice Society of America

Media: Comics

Relationships: Gen (Tom Bronson-centric, Tom Bronson/Grant Emerson)

Year: 2024

Rating: Teen

Warnings: Implied/Referenced Death

Summary:

Tom decides to find his brother. No this isn't an unhealthy coping mechanism why do you ask? Or Tom tries to find his brother and along the way finds; friends, a sister, a father, and maybe even a lover.

Submitted by anon

Submitter's comment:

If my theory is correct and we're going to get Jackson. The two have fundamentally different views on Heroism and almost more importantly David. It'd be interesting to see the comparisons between them especially if we have Mr. Jackson "the good guys always win and my dad should totally turn himself in" Hyde vs...Kaldur who has been through so much TRAUMA and at this point is willing to lean into more *coff* Atlantean *coff* methods of justice...and if his baby brother is the one that maybe starts pulling him back from the edge. Well i won't complain

I'm not sure if Jackson is in the cards, if only because I don't see Greg bringing in a character based off his own creation when he's been playing Gotta Catch 'Em All this whole time. Then again, maybe? It would certainly make David's life more complicated.

I think Dolphin is being set up to play the young idealist to Kaldur's Knight in Tarnished Armor, though. She's been through trauma (as referenced in her brief discussion of her own background) and seems to be a kindred spirit with Kaldur. I also don't think its an accident that they had that "you are a good man" scene, either.

I can really see Kaldur's arc going one of two ways: either he falls further down the rabbit hole of Utilitarianism mixed with autocracy (negative Atlantis arc where Kaldur has to make choices to either end an Atlantean civil war or stop one from breaking out) and aligns with the Light to defeat Darkseid/this season's big bad and it blows up in his face.

OR

Kaldur focuses more on his close bonds and spends more time with friends and family (positive Atlantis arc that focuses on strength through diversity and intros us to the better Atlantis that Orin supposedly gave up the mantle of Aquaman to focus on building). He remembers he is just a man, and deserves care, and also doesn't have the RIGHT to decide for everyone else. He learns to respect the agency of other heroes and the contributions they can make to the common defense of Earth when they're holding all the same cards he is.

First Impression: My first impression of Todd was... Probably while reading Final Night? I thought his appearance there was cute and kinda put him in a mental box titled "Alan's gay son" and didn't pay him much attention. I remember flipping through an issue of JLA with him and Al, and going "who?"

Impression Now: He's MY son and Alan better shape up or I will keep him. I love him. He's such a depressed and creepy little shit, and he deserves better. I love how insecure he is, and how angry he can get because of it and I love him latching onto Jennie so hard, and having to learn to be less dependent, and I want to see him learn to be himself and make his own path and find his own goals and find friends of his own, that aren't also his sisters friends, and learn that he can fall back to his family and friends even when he's different and farther away from them and I want him to be happy.

Favorite Moment: Oh fuck, shit I don't know, uhhh - I do love his Final Night appearance a lot, it makes me all soft and gooey inside like yes you little shit, give your dad a heart attack by making him think the world's ended to show him you love him!!! Boss bitch. Him telling Nukleon he loves him in JLA was amazing too, I squealed when I read that. Todd's <3333

Story Idea: I have... ideas... I am writing a story that will feature him eventually - the first chapter's up, but it doesn't feature him yet. It's gonna be mostly directly after the Crisis, and feature a lot of Guy hanging around with Infinity Inc, and he and Todd are gonna talk about their shit dads and then Todd and Hank will talk about being villain kids and I am going to actually develop Todd's mental health issues he got from his mom while Todd and Hank start being friends because they are both... villain kids with brain problem.

For something I'm not working on: Infinity Inc 2, picking up right where the comic left off, staring Todd Rice as Obsidian in: Help, my sisters boyfriend who I hate is my boss now and my sister quit. I think it'd be very funny to make Todd have to deal with Henry as his boss without Jennie there as a buffer. They could grow as people together <3

Unpopular Opinion: I'm not sure I really have one? I don't know what opinions are popular about Todd. Guess I kinda think making him gay was a cop out, when he was first portrayed as mspec. Unless there's an issue somewhere that adresses it further, but if there is I haven't found it and I did try to, lol.

Edit: What I meant to say is that I think it's a shame we never got to see how Todd got from being unspecified m-spec to gay.

Favorite Relationship: Al Rothstein aka Nukleon. They are <3 And they were so great in the JLA!! Todd being depressed and clingy and in love, and Al being oblivious and trying to cheer him up and Todd loves him and Al questions his identity because he keeps hanging out with queer people and loving them and does he love Todd?? Is Al does the gay for Todd?? Loved that. Loved that so much. Two queer boys and their adventures. They should kiss.