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Cam is watching a new recording of Atriama, tail swishing in the gap in his couch, and doesn't stop to pause the show when he feels a summons go by.
from_scratch
"I can make things that run on physics. I cannot make things with persistent non-physics-behaving properties of any kind. No fountain of youth, no philosopher's stone, no ring of Gyges, etcetera."
wormcan
"Powers in general do seem to ignore physics, and tinker products are probably no exception. But if it works, it could be incredibly important. I'll see what I can do."
wormcan
"Well, there is a lot in this for us as well as everyone else, to be honest." But it goes on the list of things to try.
wormcan
Person shoos.
It's not very long before they're ready for the first attempt, with some precise distance measurements and a parachute design. The first attempt may as well be a cargo entirely of Endbringer material, since if anything goes wrong it's not exactly fragile.
It's not very long before they're ready for the first attempt, with some precise distance measurements and a parachute design. The first attempt may as well be a cargo entirely of Endbringer material, since if anything goes wrong it's not exactly fragile.
from_scratch
As long as it has someplace appropriate to go and everything's in order, sure. Cargo of Endbringer bits.
wormcan
Arriving stationary relative to Cam turns mean indestructible objects moving at over five hundred miles an hour in San Francisco. Luckily, it doesn't. No one is too surprised when physics doesn't insist very hard. Powers don't have to make sense.
After a perfectly safe arrival, long-distance conjuration definitively works.
After a perfectly safe arrival, long-distance conjuration definitively works.
wormcan
"If you'd like to try some tinker products," his contact says, "this should be a safe test." It's a six-inch camera drone, which when activated levitates at about head height.
"The tinker is one we've worked with before. He says nothing in here would be dangerous if copied."
"The tinker is one we've worked with before. He says nothing in here would be dangerous if copied."
wormcan
It levitates at about head height. Nothing exciting happens at all.
"Perfect! Now that we know it works, you can try more of them, or larger scale devices.
You could be the best tinker since Dragon if you wanted to."
"Perfect! Now that we know it works, you can try more of them, or larger scale devices.
You could be the best tinker since Dragon if you wanted to."
from_scratch
"I'm not a real Tinker, but yes, thanks for the test! I've got a list."
Cam has a list. He goes down his list.
Cam has a list. He goes down his list.
wormcan
And the list now includes quite a few suggestions from overseas. Large-scale force fields to help protect port cities in case of Leviathan feature prominently. How OTP got the rights to make copies of those, even in limited numbers, is anyone's guess, but every city wants one.
wormcan
"That sounds like a good way to get tinkers to not show you their products in the first place," says Vega.
from_scratch
"They don't have to show them to me up close, they just have to use them in any way that makes them look appealing to anybody who is willing to tell me about them," Cam says. "If any Tinkers come to me after the money they were previously not making by selling these things either, I'll pay them, I have been known to produce things of interest to Tinkers. This plan is not flawless but it seems better than 'try to negotiate with a lot of parahumans who have every reason to waste my time jacking up their prices every time I want to make some tech'."
wormcan
"And a lot of tinkers would take you up on that. Others are more possessive, and keep in mind that tinkers are uniquely well positioned to make things unusable by anyone but the creator. You'd get most of the tech you can shake a stick at, certainly, but also the fear of every tinker and the enmity of plenty."
wormcan
"Make copies only in agreed-upon numbers. The more paranoid tinkers will still stay far away, but many would like the chance to focus on development while they or their team are already outfitted. And the ones who are strictly business, the one behind the large-scale force fields among them, would be much more likely to cooperate with you.
And regardless of how easily you can copy anything you've heard of, you should pretend otherwise. If the cat isn't out of the bag yet, act as if you need an example to copy for tinker tech. They'd have one less thing to worry about now."
And regardless of how easily you can copy anything you've heard of, you should pretend otherwise. If the cat isn't out of the bag yet, act as if you need an example to copy for tinker tech. They'd have one less thing to worry about now."
from_scratch
"I suppose that will do medium term as long as I can pretend I got ahold of plans or examples or video footage or something of anything a dead tinker made."
wormcan
"Once you have a reputation for refraining from copying more than agreed, the ruse would be redundant anyway.
For the plans, it might be a good idea to talk to the Protectorate. They have extensive records on what their tinkers make and on much of what they capture, and they might agree to back you up if you claim they let you see it."
For the plans, it might be a good idea to talk to the Protectorate. They have extensive records on what their tinkers make and on much of what they capture, and they might agree to back you up if you claim they let you see it."