Questions for a fic

[hils]

I'm writing my first Iron Man fic *gasp* and I have a couple of questions

How does the arc reactor in Tony's chest work? Does he have to charge it up?

I'm just wondering how

Comments

Re: This is probably more information than you wanted. :)

[lily_shrike]

Obie's suit was damaged, but they didn't show the reactor was damaged. And even if he used it tremendously hard, it was still glowing strong after he was beaten, so my guess is that the reactor in Obie's suit, the second chest piece that Tony built, was fine to keep Tony alive long enough for Tony to make a new one (hell even with 1% energy left it would still be able to keep him going for six months). My guess is that Pepper or someone removed the chest piece from Obie's suit on Pepper's orders, and she did the replacement on site.

My question, though, is if the original reactor powered the magnet, did the second reactor have a magnet included? Why did Tony say he didn't need it after she accidentally pulled it out? Unless the current produced by the reactor generated its own magnetic field, in which case, why wouldn't he tell her to pull it out in the first place? I'm just bothered by the magnet/no magnet thing. Either he needs it or he doesn't.

And just because the chest piece is practically dead, doesn't mean Tony is. He needs a working magnet to live, for all we know, he was bruised, battered, unconscious, but generally fine after the battle. Like someone in a bad car accident. They're hurt badly, but they can still walk and talk. And the little showing of the makeup was likely to suggest even more makeup covering bruises we didn't see.

[shusu]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnet#Electromagnets_and_permanent_magnets

(And my connection is going batty again, so hopefully that offers a possibly explanation. Also now I want to find an iron nail for magnet experiments.)

Re: This is probably more information than you wanted. :)

[lazaefair]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Obadiah and his suit pretty much vaporized at the end of the movie? Falling into a giant nuclear fusion reactor and exploding would sort of negate one's physical existence on this plane...

I was bothered by the magnet thing, too. I think the magnet must have been built into the Mark II reactor - it did appear to be larger than the Mark I reactor. It would probably just be more convenient to have all the parts incorporated into the same unit.

Also, there's another thought. Maybe the hospital or Pepper stuck a regular electromagnet on him until Jarvis or Tony could make another one by the next day.

Re: This is probably more information than you wanted. :)

[juniper200]

Four Times Pepper Potts Saved the World (and One Time She Didn't) by th_esaurus has Pepper help Tony hook himself up to a car battery again.

It's an awesome story all around. You should check it totally out.

Re: This is probably more information than you wanted. :)

[hils]

Thanks for the link! My fic is going to be something similar to that but now at least I know not to make it too similar :)

Re: This is probably more information than you wanted. :)

[veldeia]

A little self-promotion here maybe, but I've just got to link you this: I wrote a story on pretty much the same subject. I'm eager to see what your version of what happened will be like :D

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4260578/1/Nothing_Tylenol_Wont_Fix

Re: This is probably more information than you wanted. :)

[hils]

Hee! I didn't realise so many people had tackled this as an idea

Hopefully I won't step on any toes with mine

Re: This is probably more information than you wanted. :)

[earlwyn]

Unless the current produced by the reactor generated its own magnetic field, in which case, why wouldn't he tell her to pull it out in the first place? I'm just bothered by the magnet/no magnet thing. Either he needs it or he doesn't.

My take on this, for what it's worth, is that the Mark II arc reactor had its own magnetic properties and so Tony no longer needed the magnet. But he was aware that making the swap would be delicate and wanted to warn Pepper against yanking it out unexpectedly. I mean, like, I don't need my tonsils, but I sure as hell don't want someone reaching down my throat and ripping them out without any advanced prep or warning.

Re: This is probably more information than you wanted. :)

[lily_shrike]

Which makes the case that he would have a problem sticking the old one in after Obie had yanked he Mark II out, seeing as the old one had no electromagnet.

Re: This is probably more information than you wanted. :)

[earlwyn]

I keep random circular magnets hanging around my super expensive lab/basement. Doesn't everyone? ;)

I think he would have problems sticking in an arc reactor, even without a magnet, just -- wrist flexibility alone! Maybe the bots helped. *shrugs*

Re: This is probably more information than you wanted. :)

[lazaefair]

Plot handwaviness for the win!

Re: This is probably more information than you wanted. :)

[earlwyn]

These darn plotholes, I keep tripping over them! *handwaves away*