VIDEO

[liverletdie]

Recent events have me thinking.

[ Stark says, taking a sip from his cup, before he focuses back on a camera. It's a lot more HD than your usual import camera -- then again, nothing but the best for Tony Stark. ]

In recent months, we've had people showing up, different times, completely different people, and now there's word of people sticking around. That's different, it's never happened before. [ A pause, a sip. ] But who knows, it could be a fluke, right? Or maybe I don't have complete data. Anyone else heard of anything like that happening?

I mean, that's as an aside. I've... I've seen a lot of people hold themselves responsible -- myself included -- for things that someone who isn't them did. Either a person they become, a person they were and aren't anymore -- or a completely different person.

Would you hold them responsible? After my...unfortunate incident I found people were holding me responsible for things that this -- different version of me had done. Is that a constant? Should people be held accountable for things that they weren't necessarily guilty of? If I'm ported out tomorrow, would the Tony Stark that replaces me be held accountable for anything I did over my time here?

[ Another pause then. His finger drums against the glass. ] Anyone have any thoughts?

Comments

[inmyothertights]

Are you trying to talk to me?

[liverletdie]

I know that this might surprise you, Mr. Kaplan, but not everything is about you.

[ A beat. ]

It was...inspired by what happened, but for once, I'm not passively-aggressively trying to call you out. If I wanted do do that, I'd be outside your window talking about stopping your magic.

[inmyothertights]

You'll have to admit that this sort of sounds like passive aggressive calling out, Stark.

[liverletdie]

Actually, I was referring to someone who put themselves in jail from the guilt of what they'd done.

And to talk about my own experience.

[inmyothertights]

Over...this week?

[liverletdie]

Well, I didn't get changed, but it's similar to what happened to me a few months ago.

[inmyothertights]

Can we go back to someone went to jail, please?

[liverletdie]

Oh. Yeah. [ I am feel uncomfortable when we are not about me? ]

Bucky. Assassinated some people -- and tried to do it to other people -- while he was changed.

[ Pointedly.

Thanks. Billy. ]

[inmyothertights]

[There's silence.]

Oh.

[liverletdie]

Yeah.

I sympathize, considering what I went through recently. But I personally don't think he should be held accountable for something he didn't really do.

[inmyothertights]

God.

Okay.

I'll go-

....handle this.

[liverletdie]

I think you should.

I mean, no offense, but... I even tried to be nice when I tried to enlist your help to fix it.

About magic. That was pretty good, for me.

[inmyothertights]

I was a kid, Tony.

Being nice to a scared kid is what decent people do.

[liverletdie]

And I did it!

[ A beat. ]

You were being a brat, too. I just want to point that out.

[inmyothertights]

Well, I was seven.

[liverletdie]

A bratty seven.

[inmyothertights]

A seven whose grandfather told him people were out to kill him.

[liverletdie]

Oh.

And it all comes full circle, back to your grandfather. Huh.

[inmyothertights]

Don't blame him.

[liverletdie]

Why not? Sounds like it was his fault.

[inmyothertights]

The spell wasn't his fault.

[liverletdie]

Convincing you people were out to kill you was, though.

[inmyothertights]

In that world, people were out to kill me. Maybe.

Probably.

[liverletdie]

I don't even think you exist in his world.

Yet, at least.

[inmyothertights]

He's not the one who told me that.

Those were memories. Of the one back home.