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Amelia, Worm AU [Complete]

Would this combination allow cloning of dead parahumans without needing access to the originals?
Contessa/Clarice/Cranial/Ciara

Contessa to do the improbable step of of creating the dna, despite never seeing it.
Contessa again to to create the entire memory set that the dead person had from scratch.
Clarice's tech to make a functional body.
Cranial's tech to upload it.
Ciara because I need another C.
 
Would this combination allow cloning of dead parahumans without needing access to the originals?
Contessa/Clarice/Cranial/Ciara

Contessa to do the improbable step of of creating the dna, despite never seeing it.
Contessa again to to create the entire memory set that the dead person had from scratch.
Clarice's tech to make a functional body.
Cranial's tech to upload it.
Ciara because I need another C.
I don't think we've gotten clarification from TanaNari if natural Eden capes are allowed. I don't see why they wouldn't be, but he did specify no Eden shards.
 
If Leet understood his tech, then his tech wouldn't blow up in his face.

Leet is a great example of a shard not telling the interface hardware what it's making him do.

Leet is explicit support for my argument.
Oh, you mean trying to cheat the shard by never forgetting what it does? Might work, certainly worth trying, but I don't think it will. People have been trying to crack Tinkertech for a long time. Perfect memory probably helps, but recording Tinkers hasn't worked before. I don't see why this would be different.
 
If we're still doing that "recommend capes for her to copy" thing...

Prism + Spree + Grue (2nd trigger)... I don't think you need any more than this?

Surround them with thinkers, have them grue-copy the thinkers, then have them make extra copies of Akaihana via prism/spree... Even at diminishing returns on spree-clones, having a few hundred extra accords/contessas/ubers/taylors/coils/dinahs is just freaking ridiculous.

If you need something built, then instead have her use the above three while in range to copy Leet, Masamune, Defiant, Emma.

If we're looking for stat-buffs, I would heavily consider Vellum and Dauntless copying, the former can get put on a moord-nag-like treatment (with the tree that grows bodies) to get her permanent stat boosts, the latter can make equipment. If you combine Dauntless with Zach... You can likely reach whatever Dauntless's end-game is VERY quickly (and WoG has him at Legend-level offense, and just shy of Alexandria durability if he had lived the 2 years to golden morning... Him at the equivalent of a few hundred years instead? Could be pretty nutty).

While he limitation of no eden capes get copied by her power, by copying another trump she can bypass this limitation potentially.
 
Amelia, Ch 394- Emma
Amelia, Ch 394- Emma


Birthday? I looked into the room. They had gathered practically everyone. Including Chevalier and Victoria. And they didn't even show up for Taylor's birthday. The only people missing are my family, and that actually makes sense. "I'm sorry, guys, but my birthday isn't until the twenty third. You're four days early."


"We're getting sick of everyone not being surprised by their surprise parties, so we're doing yours early," Zach informed me. Then he kissed my on the cheek. "Don't worry, you're not committing any crimes for the next few days."


I wanted to be embarrassed, I really did. But that was an emotion built mainly on autonomic reactions, more than actual feelings. Closer to experiencing pain or tired than feeling happy or bored. It didn't really register to my biology.


Taylor cleared her throat. "Actually, Avalon's constitutional age of consent is sixteen. With some wiggle room for individual nations to create their own guidelines. That part's all fuzzy and messy, mostly so our subordinate nations can encourage marriages and the theoretical offspring that come with."


Zach smiled. "So you're saying I get my birthday present early?"


Taylor shrugged. "If you want to look at it that way. But you're still getting a surprise party. With about eighteen thousand crickets."


"What, not grasshoppers?"


"You'd expect that, and then where's the surprise?"


I walked into the room, using a combination of powers and natural observation skills on everyone who was here. Clarice was happily wrapped around Theo's arm. She'd been busy of late, doing all the new suit designs and cataloguing Yangban powersets. Jobs that would normally fall at least partially on me. I assumed that meant it was 'her turn' with Theo.


Then there was the collection of our other Tinkers. Trevor, Anton and Amanda over by the drinks. She was doing her best to catch the attention of one, or maybe both, of the boys. Oh is she going to be disappointed. I didn't see Symbiosis or Yum Kaax around, but that was to be expected. They were in their thirties, they rarely worked directly with me, and frankly both of them were creepy. Not in a pervy sort of way, but in a 'I wouldn't trust them not to build zombies if left in a morgue overnight' way. Former villains, much like Clarice. But unlike her they hadn't reformed, they merely found better paying jobs.


Elena and off to the side talking with George and Monica. With my full time assignment to decoding Dragon, the three of them had taken over my jobs. It was something of a point of pride that it took all three of them to do what I normally did. During a downtime period where we weren't really pushing for anything truly new. All our Tinkers basically had 'do whatever crazy stuff comes to mind right now, we'll figure out implications later' as their standing orders.


Dinah in yet another adorable suit, chatting with Missy. Is that? I blinked on my enhanced vision for a second, looking at the white lapel pin she was wearing. Yes it is. A small, intricately engraved image of a gryphon. In solid platinum, no less. The girl has expensive tastes. Then again, her every need is provided to her for free and she charges ten grand for less than two minutes of work, so she can buy anything she pleases.


All those observations were made in the few seconds it took me to approach Taylor and Amelia. There was a time when I was actually jealous of how close the pair was. Not the whole romantic part, I wasn't into girls at all. But simply how close they were. Taylor and I never did quite reconnect with the relationship we once had, and that hurt. I comforted myself that at least we'd found the basis of a new friendship in the ashes of the old. Even that was far better than I deserved.


Taylor smiled sheepishly. "Sorry it's nothing exciting or elaborate. I know the last time I was at one of your birthday parties there were caterers and there were like fifty people and, well, especially since last year we missed it entirely thanks to the drama with Butcher and-"


I smiled back. The sensations of choking up, butterflies in the stomach, or crying in any fashion for any reason, were now alien to me. But I could still feel gratitude and right now I was so happy just to know I was appreciated. I interrupted Taylor's rambling by wrapping my arms around her. Maybe the motormouth isn't completely gone. She jolted for a moment, and I chose to believe it was from surprise at my actions instead of discomfort at contact with my skin. "It's perfect."


She brought her hands up, hugging me back. A little awkward, but it was nice nonetheless. For a couple seconds, then I realized that neither of us knew how to politely break the hug. Should I say something? Should she? What do we say?


Then it was Zach to the rescue. "So," he stage whispered to Amelia. "Should we break them up or are you enjoying the show as much as I am?"


Taylor startled, and I would have if that still worked for me. Either way we disengaged, and I couldn't help but notice Taylor's blush. Not any kind of latent attraction, but she was still embarrassed by- suddenly everything looked different. I could see the patterns of blood and veins and organics being organic. I'd switched into my biotinker mode by accident. Oh, not, Taylor. Taylia. Responding to a stray thought off of Amelia.


"As I was saying, it's absolutely perfect."


"There won't be a lot by way of presents or anything. I got you some Belgium chocolates, though." She handed me the box. "I remember how much you used to love them."


I gave it a glance. A plain dark brown laminated box with gold trim. They didn't even bother with putting their brand on the thing. Which usually meant 'we're too snooty to need name recognition' in the world of confections. "Thanks, I'm sure they'll be delicious."


I felt bad for misleading her, but it was a harmless half truth. They were almost certainly going to be delicious, but I'd sneak them off to someone who could enjoy them better than I. Anne will appreciate them, and it's been a while since I talked to her.


Amelia looked a little awkward. She and I would probably never be friends. She was nice enough, out of respect for Taylor's wishes, but I was still the person who made her fiancée's life a living hell for two years. "I really didn't know what to get. But if you want to bring your parents here, or take some time off to go visit them, we'll work out having Eric or Missy provide transport."


Actually. "Umm, sure, that'd actually be really helpful. I should probably go talk to the other guests."


"Of course," Taylor agreed. "Be kinda bitchy of me to hog all your time."


Zach followed me, and I handed him the box. There was a remote chance he'd steal a couple, but if he did that then I'd just pawn two or three off a day on various friends. Clarice would be happy to take some. The other Tinkers would be harder to do subtly, but not impossible. Except for Monica and George. They had mutations similar to mine that meant they wouldn't enjoy the things any more than I could. The price we paid for power.


Was worth it? It was for me. I had a man who loved me, friends who cared about me. That was worth anything. I'd probably have killed myself if Clarice didn't tell me about Cauldron and what it could offer me. Or maybe done something stupid enough to get me killed. Tried to emulate Sophia and become a vigilante, perhaps. Most parahumans were still vulnerable to bullets, and all normal people were. Go out in a blaze of glory. I couldn't begin to guess.


Vicky was my first stop. She smiled broadly. "So, how's it feel to be eighteen?"


This, this is a good thing I did. She wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for me. The mind copy stuff, sure, the team could do that without my help. But interlinking to work on crystal stasis would have been impossible without me. I returned Vicky's smile "I won't be eighteen for a little while. Besides, you're only a few months older than me you bimbo!"


"Months older, years more mature."


I just raised my eyebrows.


She snickered. "Yeah, okay, even my powers couldn't let me say that with a straight face. By the way, thanks for the new suit of armor. These new upgrades are crazy."


"Thanks, but I can't even take most of the credit. Amanda and Anton were responsible for most of the work. All I did was make all of it work together and show the others how to make organic equivalents of most of the tech. After that, it was all Clarice at the wheel."


"Yeah, but still, you're the only reason this stuff can be half as good as it is. Half the guys here can build cool armor, I'm sure. But you're the only one that can take eight different cool armors and turn them into a single super badass armor. Now stop with the false humility. We both know that's not how women as awesome as us operate."


"Okay, you win. I'm all that and a bag of chips." Vicky's attitude was infectious. She was like a not-bitch version of me from two years ago.


"I can attest to that," Chevalier agreed. "My armor doesn't even use your organic technology. I never used Tinker equipment because of the upkeep before, but yours almost never seems to have any major errors, and we can use other Tinkers to handle most of the repair. It's truly remarkable. I'd ask for an upgrade, but it's unlikely that the PRT would authorize the expense, now that there aren't any Endbringers left to use such a weapon on."


I shrugged. "Such is the life of a Tinker. Doesn't matter, I made a pretty penny off of your bosses." I did, too. About six mil in total. "My only regret is we never got it to the point where it could actually kill Endbringers."


"But it did save lives. Thousands, perhaps tens of thousands that I wouldn't have been able to help if not for you. It was worth every bit of the time and effort."


No wonder Vicky likes this guy so much. He's what those old comics meant by word superhero. "Thanks. I'm actually working on a more advanced model for the final conflict. There's a great deal I haven't planned as yet, but the main attraction is going to be the Aether Cannon. We know Scion's vulnerable to attacks, but he can immunize himself pretty fast to anything we through at him. So we've been analyzing Eidolon's power, as well as a few others. Long story short, the weapon will generate an energy field that concentrates and distorts energy. Basically, if it can be a blaster power, this weapon at least has a chance of causing it. No way to predict what we'll get. And hopefully that means Scion can't, either. Coupled with your sword, it also means the blade itself would have randomizing properties."


I watched the surprise and awe rise up in his emotions. Vicky did, too, from what I could tell. "How are you planning to test it?"


"On Khonsu. Remember, Endbringer-Slaying weapons are a public goal. Once it's demonstrated as effective, we'll make a show of gifting you with the prototype weapon. But we're probably going to have to wait a year or two before that becomes a reality."


"Something to look forward to."


Victoria leaned against Chevalier's shoulder. "Speaking of, what are you planning to as your first act of adulthood? You do have an idea, right? Is it going to be batshit insane, or would your rather go for something responsible that sets the tone for the rest of your life?"


I smiled. "Yes."


=====================


A/N- I won't post the next chapter until someone guesses what Emma's planning. :p
 
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Heh. Leave it to Zach to make anything sound lewd...
FTFY

Please back-up the assertion rather than repeating it.

Give an unambiguous and useful (to a writer) definition for "techniques" and "skills".

All you have is the intuitive feeling that some things must be excluded, that there must be a line which he can't cross, but you have no particular rule about what in specific -- no guidance as to where the line might be.

It's okay to admit that the WoG is not useful. It's not your fault.

Uber, as noted in canon, has a talent for performing any particular skill. If he concentrates, he does it as if he's been doing it all his life.

However, as I see it, he can do things like cook an awesome meal or perform a perfect gymnastic routine, because that's all actions, taking what's there and working with it.

He could not, however, stand up in court with no preparation and argue a perfect court case. He has no knowledge of the minutiae of the law, even if he's awesome at public speaking.

Essentially? He can't know stuff, but he can do stuff.

The example above, about fighting? He can fight. He won't overbalance, or overextend himself, and he'll be able to pull all the tricky shit that comes from absolute training within your own capabilities. But he won't know the history of the fighting style he just taught himself by watching a five-minute video.

Likewise, he would be able to fix plumbing or wire an electrical panel (once he knows what each of the bits does) but he wouldn't be able to disarm a bomb without the specific, esoteric knowledge of that type of bomb's internal workings and how it might be booby-trapped.

Play chess like a grand master? Sure. But if someone tells him to try the Kazinski Gambit, he'd go "Huh?" Because he doesn't know what that is.
 
This chapter really drove home the fact that Emma lives in the uncanny valley. Beyond even the eternally cool skin, it's the conscious emotional expression that makes it hurt. I imagine that her computer-like brain allows her to make an expression quickly enough to seem almost natural, but still not quickly enough to avoid giving the people around her a sense of unease. A deep, gut instinct feeling that she is other.
 
I don't think we've gotten clarification from TanaNari if natural Eden capes are allowed
ARE there natural Eden capes?

This chapter really drove home the fact that Emma lives in the uncanny valley. Beyond even the eternally cool skin, it's the conscious emotional expression that makes it hurt. I imagine that her computer-like brain allows her to make an expression quickly enough to seem almost natural, but still not quickly enough to avoid giving the people around her a sense of unease. A deep, gut instinct feeling that she is other.
Thanks. I have a certain running theme with most of my OC parahumans that is an experiment for my own supers setting.

Power comes with a cost. Every one of them has something intrinsic to what it is to be them taken away. Emma paid a physiological price. Anima was more psychological. Genius Loci didn't have a body at all.

Dream Girl lost the ability to ever be seen as herself by others.

Zach got lucky. Because Worm is a nicer world than the one I'd be creating. But if you can't make being unable to die suck, you're a shit writer.

Akaihana... yeah, I'll reserve that one for if I ever do a chapter from her perspective. Let's just say the more power they have, the greater the price they paid.


... So, yeah, something to look forward to.
 
Given that this seems happy, she'll cry herself to sleep in Zack's arms when she remembers she gets nothing out of the sex she's now legally allowed to participate in.

And then she'll remember that she can't cry or sleep either.

Because the amount of happiness the characters feel in this fic has to balance itself out with the sadness.
 
A/N- I won't post the next chapter until someone guesses what Emma's planning. :p
She'll... cry to herself about her inadequacies.

She'll... make a clone of herself that can enjoy sex, and live vicariously.

She'll... use her six million to to make the Six Million Dollar Man.

She'll... download Dragon's code into her supercomputer brain, and they'll combine their powers like Voltron.

She'll... demand that Taylor create a Royal Bank which finances low-cost loans for small businesses.

She'll... unveil goggles which allow you to view versions of yourself in other dimenions.
 
ARE there natural Eden capes?
Yes.

I just took my sleeping pill, so I can't go and find you a list of them, but I do have this quote from Scion's interlude handy.
The entity is approaching the galaxy cluster in question now, and it sees its counterpart doing the same, if at a slightly slower pace. Both are trailed by a cloud of shards now, each cast off in such a way that it won't reach its target location until a set time and date.

The entities begin to close their spiral dance, drawing together as much as they can with the counterpart struggling.
They approach their destination, and begin to disintegrate in great quantities, until thirty percent remains, twenty, ten, two…

It will take one hundred and sixty revolutions before their destination reality hits critical mass.

Three hundred and thirty-one revolutions before the shards reach a critical mass and enough information is gathered. To look to the future and seek that information in advance would take too much energy. To do this and fail would be a catastrophic setback in the cycles.

This suffices. It spends the least energy for the maximum result.

The counterpart is descending, having selected a destination world. It is hemorrhaging shards in clusters, due to the excessive exchange of shards with the lesser one, too soon before their arrival at their destination. These shards are breaking off in huge volumes.

A check confirms these shards are coded, that everything is technically well.

Danger, the entity broadcasts.

Confident, the counterpart replies.

The counterpart remains secure. Nothing to be done.

There is no more time to devote to the crisis. The entity focuses on its destination, on the next part of the cycle.

The shards have largely been assigned to hosts. They will remain latent, they will wait for the first crucial moment of crisis and use that to shape their function, to better assist their host.

...
Time passes. A revolution of the planet around its star.

Something has gone wrong. It is time, but it has not received a broadcast from the counterpart.

The entity emerges, stepping into the target reality.

It can see its shards showering down from above like meteors traveling the void. The first to arrive.

It can see the shards of the counterpart.

Not all are intact.

Dead shards. Damaged ones. Vital shards, even, going to hosts.

The entity destroys these on sight. They are corrupt, ruined. They will fail to provide usable results.
So, yeah. You could easily handwave it away and say that X-percent of the parahuman population is a natural Eden cape. It's unlikely that anyone in story would know the difference, considering that the shards that got released by Eden already had all the appropriate lockouts and restrictions that all normal shards do.
 
Taylor smiled sheepishly. "Sorry it's nothing exciting or elaborate. I know the last time I was at one of your birthday parties there were caterers and there were like fifty people and, well, especially since last year we missed it entirely thanks to the drama with Butcher and-"
Fuck, it's only been a year since the Butcher fiasco went down? Even with the time skips? Eesh. It feels like forever - and I only found this fic about a month ago.

"Speaking of, what are you planning to as your first act of adulthood? You do have an idea, right? Is it going to be batshit insane, or would your rather go for something responsible that sets the tone for the rest of your life?"


I smiled. "Yes."
Taking the reverse of the normal meaning of "yes" in this context - 'and' instead of 'or' - means something both batshit insane and responsible and tone-setting. All that comes to mind is some sort of radical power play that rids the world of a major threat. The only problem is that at this point, the only ones I can really think of are the CUI and Scion. Unless the Elite's still kicking, anyway. ...yeah, I'll go with that. Hecate vs the Elite, Round One: Fight!

(I really do wish we'd gotten an Emma fight scene at some point. Just because her powerset isn't optimized for combat doesn't mean she's incapable of it, and she already has everyone else's tools to work with to take advantage of her Case 53 biology and non-Tinker powerset.)

She'll... unveil goggles which allow you to view versions of yourself in other dimenions.
This idea is still great the second time around. Made even moreso because it accounts for other fanfics in addition to canon. Emma was wondering what might have happened to her without Clarice's help: I wonder how she'd react to seeing herself as Nyktos - a blatant mashup of Sophia and Taylor's powers, still with a side-effect that makes her unable to fully connect to other human beings...but still a hero, doing what good she can even if it's on a much smaller scale. I'd write it myself if I had a good enough handle on Amelia!Emma.
 
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"Belgian".

dasstan is precisely correct, but I'll add that via WoG we know that L33t is one such Eden cape.

It's a bit of a shame that Scion only distinguished between "living" and "dead" shards, without regard for which entity they came from, since it'd have fleshed things out a bit more, and would have been in character. As it is, aside from Scion's Royal Court (and Imp), it's possible (if quite unlikely) that every cape we see has an Eden shard.
 
Contessa is technically a natural Eden cape.
"Belgian".

dasstan is precisely correct, but I'll add that via WoG we know that L33t is one such Eden cape.

It's a bit of a shame that Scion only distinguished between "living" and "dead" shards, without regard for which entity they came from, since it'd have fleshed things out a bit more, and would have been in character. As it is, aside from Scion's Royal Court (and Imp), it's possible (if quite unlikely) that every cape we see has an Eden shard.
Dead shards are specifically attached to Cauldron capes, which are Eden shards. Living shards came from either Eden (before the splat) or Scion (whenever) and one or two (Contessa, for one) as a result of the splat.
 
She'll... make a clone of herself that can enjoy sex, and live vicariously.
Dragon: "Not vicariously. That's got negative implications. She'll live remotely and in parallel! That's much more satisfying."

She'll... download Dragon's code into her supercomputer brain, and they'll combine their powers like Voltron.
This is such a good idea.

It's just too bad there's no more Genius Loci to form the head. :(
 
"I have my question," I finally spoke up. "You don't need a lot of details, do you? I could, say, ask you if a plan would work without you needing to know the details of the plan, right?"


"Yes," Dinah answered. "Minerva often uses questions of that nature."


"I have one of those plans," I replied. "If it succeeds, how much do the odds change in the end?"


"Point five percent increased odds of the apocalypse occurring," Dinah replied, her eyes widening. "But if it does occur, the number of survivors increases by almost one hundred and fifty seven million people." Her eyes met mine. "What exactly are you planning?"


I'd bet good money that it has something to do with this but I'm not sure what. Maybe she's attempting to build a device that can seal dimensions from Scion? At least temporarily?
 
Dinah in yet another adorable suit, chatting with Missy. Is that? I blinked on my enhanced vision for a second, looking at the white lapel pin she was wearing. Yes it is. A small, intricately engrave image of a gryphon. In solid platinum, no less. The girl has expensive tastes. Then again, her every need is provided to her for free and she charges ten grand for less than two minutes of work, so she can buy anything she pleases.
Man, Dinah is going to be one spoiled girl when she's older.
 
Dunno if this is beating a dead pegasus, but evildice and GiftofLove, I think you're both kinda right about how tinkers work in terms of alien designs vs. advanced science.
Interlude 19.x said:
The work of a tinker wasn't typical science. Refining it was science, but the blunt, raw use of the power? It was almost the opposite.

Good science meant starting with the conditions, forming a hypothesis, making a prediction, and then testing it. Repeat, repeat, repeat, until there was a solid base of knowledge. That knowledge let one establish further conditions, refine hypotheses.

But tinkers started with the end result. A moment of inspiration, glimpses of the major steps one would need to take to get there. It involved working backwards, up until that moment the means came into view.
It seems they're given the (rough) starting point, and also enough scientific insight to get from point A to point Death Ray, although probably not enough to advance the mundane state of the art by much.

And I'm sure Tinkers also vary in position along the scale of divine (space whale) revelation BS vs. almost science (if you squint hard enough) BS, with Leet being an outlier toward the "How the actual fuck did I just build that?" end.


On an unrelated note, I'm finding it quite amusing that, in insignia33's sig,
the disembodied girl.
...is no longer an unambiguous identifier.
 
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I thought that MM was one, actually, and that was why she remembered her Trigger vision. Eden didn't get around to it or something.
 

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