I don't think even those know about the PPC in most cases.

Random question room by Voyd on 2013-05-15 14:06:00 UTC Reply

Welcome to a magical place where people can ask any (within reason, obviously) question they please, and other people can provide serious or silly answers.

Does Makes-Things... um, make things other than the standard equipment? Also, could a CAD be built into something else? For instance, an accordion?

*wanders into the question room* by hermione of vulcan on 2013-05-15 22:23:00 UTC Reply

I have one:

Since a canon knowing about the PPC is related to that canon's ability to break the fourth wall, do all first person narrators know about the PPC? Or is it just the ones who specifically address the audience, like Percy Jackson at the beginning of The Lightning Thief?

I don't think even those know about the PPC in most cases. by Outhra on 2013-05-16 02:04:00 UTC Reply

With the Percy Jackson or Kane Chronicles narrators, most noticeably in the latter, the main characters are compiling information in-universe, which undergoes the whole "oh, a publishing agent found this and thinks it's a good story, and made it a book that you can find at your local library" gimmick that shows up every once in a while. They aren't breaking the fourth wall any more than someone writing in a diary breaks the fourth wall. First-person narrators are just reflecting the thoughts of one canon character related to the story as a whole.

Now I'm wondering how badfic would handle this. If a reader's perception of a canon is based on the memories of a first-person narrator, would causing them to undergo character rupture start warping the canon itself? Hmmm. Possibilities there.

Answers by Phobos on 2013-05-15 16:39:00 UTC Reply

Makes-Things does, in fact, make all sorts of things. He is a builder, inventor, tinkerer, hider under desks, and the kind of guy you would want around if you ever needed your starship/time machine/console/hover board/video game fixed.

As to your second question, yes, CADs can be built into any number of things. I seem to recall someone wanting to have one built into an original Gameboy case, though I don't remember who or when. As long as it has some means of reading out the information (a screen or speakers would work) and buttons (which an accordion has lots of) and enough space for the hardware (I wouldn't recommend trying to build it into a silver dollar), then it should be fine.

-Phobos

Hmm... by Voyd on 2013-05-15 17:44:00 UTC Reply

So you're saying that an accordion is all fine and dandy (I can imagine it being played to dispense analysis, which is pretty hilarious), but something like a laptop, or maybe one of those gauntlet-computers from GI Joe Sigma 6 would work much better.

(seriously, I never see references to that show. Am I the only one that remembers it?)

Okay, a CAD in an accordion would be hilarious. by DawnFire on 2013-05-16 12:15:00 UTC Reply

Go for it! But, of course, do be wary about it exploding...maybe reinforce the CAD or the accordion itself?

(I...can't say I've ever watched any GI Joe stuff, although I have heard of it. Not sure how much help that is, though.)

Do go for the accordion, though, even if it's just until it explodes beyond repair. Rule of Funny, remember.

~DF

Answers to your two questions by Outhra on 2013-05-15 16:33:00 UTC Reply

Makes-Things mostly makes plothole technology, but he does have knowledge of tech from a wide variety of continua. I've seen stories where he works on Star Trek tech and TARDISes, for example. Standard equipment is most of what he deals with personally, but it's hardly all he can do.
There are other DoSAT techs that will be more helpful with technology from individual continua, but Makes-Things is still good for general knowledge and damaged equipment in most cases.

CADs can be modified to go into basically whatever would fit them without breaking. Heck, I've seen an agent who had installed one in her body. She was a synthetic life form from an anime continuum, but the precedent is out there. I don't know who you'd be bribing to install one into an accordion, but as long as there was some way that the CAD could actually still be used(it's hard to point an accordion at something, for example), it could potentially still work.

Of course, the problem of the CAD overheating, exploding, and/or having its parts fused together would come up, so you'd better have a really good reason why your Agent has to have it embedded in a musical instrument, especially one that will be basically unplayable if the CAD melts inside it.

I'm the one writing that Agent. by Sergio Turbo on 2013-05-15 20:50:00 UTC Reply

And, well, it's more like a CAD was programmed in her, as she's basically a magitek being in an universe where magic works like computer programs, but the point still stands.