metaheroes - inbox

[voicelog]

CONTACTING...
T (private)
space donuts (public)
Iron Man (public/deactivated)
@tony.stark (neural implant)

TEXT ▪ AUDIO ▪ VIDEO ▪ SPAM

*assume all network exchanges with T
will be heavily encrypted and secured.

Comments

@jason.todd ( neural implant )

[reneger]

i need a hand with something

[voicelog]

?

[reneger]

dj got caught trying to fight off lowlives with no gear, just a hoodie and shades
i can gear him up myself, but your shit is safer

[voicelog]

have you considered just not letting a kid go out to fight crime?

[reneger]

if it were that easy, i would do it
you think you can stop him?
he's been doing it for five years

[voicelog]

i can
but i'm not his guardian
you are

[reneger]

and how would you do it?
kneecap him?
put him under house arrest?
monitor his every move and jump in the moment he finds trouble and decides he needs to get in front of it?

[voicelog]

yes to the latter
no to the rest

[reneger]

i dare you to try it

[voicelog]

i could, but once again, i'm not his guardian
you are

when you decided to take him in, you became responsible for looking after his safety and well-being, which does include being able to monitor and discipline him as needed

[reneger]

i know that
i became responsible for looking after him and keeping him safe
getting him gear that'll keep him protected is how i'm going to do that
because, even with all your tech shit, you're not going to be able to keep him from getting into shit
trying to stop him is only going to make him want it harder, it's going to fuck up any trust we've built between each other
instead of calling people when he needs help, he'll opt to just push forward himself like an idiot and get himself killed, because he'll think he can't trust anyone to back him up

making sure he goes out with someone, making sure his gear's top notch, is the only way to keep a robin safe out on the field

[voicelog]

so your solution is to indulge him and continue letting him take part in dangerous situations? even if he goes out with someone, you know there isn't any guarantee that he won't come out of it unscathed or worse

i can easily make him protective wear, but that isn't really ensuring his safety or doing what's best for him in the long run. that's just slapping duct tape on a busted pipe and convincing yourself that it won't eventually erupt

[reneger]

yeah, and your method is so much better
he's slipped out from under people with just as many shiny toys as you have

dick is going to do what he wants. you've seen what he grows into
he's smart, courageous, too reckless when left on his own, and stubborn as hell

if you don't want to, that's fine. i'll just do it myself

[voicelog]

that's just an excuse, jason

it shouldn't matter how difficult it'll be to prevent him from getting into trouble. you aren't his friend; you're his guardian. you do what you have to do as one, even if he might not like it and try to rebel. you adjust your methods until you can get through to him. you don't just humor him and pretend like everything will magically work out.

alts aren't the same, you know?
they might have similarities, but they aren't carbon copies of each other
dick is also old enough to know what he's doing by now
dj is only a kid
he isn't dick who has years of experience under his belt

besides, you of all people should know the dangers of entrusting a child to do the work of adults, so it's genuinely baffling to me why you would even entertain this

[reneger]

i do know
i was a year older than him when it happened
it's the younger tim's 15th birthday today

dj is a kid, but he isn't "only" anything
you're saying he lacks years of experience, but he's already got five under his belt
try talking to him for once, and you'll see it

you won't get it. you weren't one of us
but i get where you're coming from, and if it was damn near anyone who wasn't a robin, i'd find a way to ground them immediately
but trying to clip his wings is only going to make him fly away

[voicelog]

let me ask you first, have you even tried?
like seriously tried?

you're right
i don't get it
i'm not a robin and i can't even begin to understand what you guys must have gone through

but this is a different world we're in with different opportunities open to him
maybe what he thinks he wants right now is to be a superhero
but has anyone ever presented him with other options?

his life doesn't have to continue being a robin here

[reneger]

b tried to bench me once and i died

getting him out won't be instantaneous even if it does happen
he likes being robin. helping people, and the thrill of taking down criminals

he found out he accidentally created a legacy role, that four other kids took the name on after him
his name
and now you want me to smack it out of his hands and tell him "no"?

if you were 14 what would you do?

[voicelog]

[ you know what? this isn't a matter he should be sticking his hand into, so— ]

fine

i'll get a suit ready for him only because i don't want him to get hurt or killed
doesn't mean that i support it or like it

the rest i'm sure you can take care of on your own

[ aka he doesn't want to be involved in any way whatsoever, so drawing the very clear line in the sand here. please respect it. ]

[reneger]

you should try and talk to him
he's an incredible kid, too smart for his own good

tim is turning 20
the one you met
in case you want to say shit to him

[voicelog]

i'm sure he's an incredible kid, but i'm going to have to pass

and i think it might be best for you to just send tim my regards

[ he knows he sounds cold (trust him, he knows), but after their last conversation and recent events, he has come to realize that he needs to implement a bigger boundary between them, which includes getting too close with his family.

the price of knowledge, am i right? ]

[reneger]

( he sees it as soon as tony says to give tim his regards. between that and ignoring the person living right under him--well. tony being a recluse isn't new. but all of this hitting at the same time feels like it just might mean something a little--more serious. )

is this because of what happened?

[voicelog]

what happened? you're going to have to be a little more specific

[ he isn't about to confirm or deny anything until he knows which part of what happened is being alluded to here. better to curate a fitting response. ]

[reneger]

that's a yes
give me a bit to find a bigger apartment, i'll move out

[voicelog]

you don't have to move out
it isn't about that

we agreed to move past it, remember?

[reneger]

this isn't you getting over it
this is you shutting me and mine out