"There was no long-term, and trying to cling to one would only spoil it all."
This article contains spoilers regarding the ending of Worm and plot of the sequel.
| “ | His disability or disabilities put him a step behind the rest. His daydreaming was worse, because his thoughts were so damn interesting, now. [...] Couldn’t finish half his projects without feeling compelled to move on to something else. | ” |
—Kid Win, Sentinel 9.4 | ||
| “ | He looked at me when I first walked up and it was like, he was looking at me and trying to remember the particulars, and maybe he failed, because he looked embarrassed when he saw I saw him looking. He doesn’t remember his dad. He’s quieter, more introspective. But he’s… he feels like someone who could fill in the gaps and become the Christopher I knew. | ” |
—Vista to Victoria, Sundown 17.3 | ||
Chris, known in his cape identity as Kid Win, was a member of the Brockton Bay Wards.
Personality
Chris has attention-deficit disorder (ADD) and dyscalculia. His focus easily shifts from projects, causing him to leave most unfinished. After he discovered his specialty, he's able to work around his disorders much more effectively, and hit his stride as a Tinker.[22]
He was much less affected by the fatalistic mood permeating Brockton Bay after Leviathan than his team was.[23]
He respects Hero greatly and models himself after him. Legend stated that Chris has a unique ability to connect with the public compared to the rest of his team.
Post-resurrection Chris is more reserved and suffers memory loss from his 'civilian' life.[24]
Appearance
Chris has brown hair and a pale complexion. As Kid Win, he wears red and gold body armor with a red visor.[25] Later in his career, he would reconfigure his armor for greater variability.
After the resurrection he has golden hair and multiple cyborg- or breaker-like alterations to his body,[26] including gold-glowing eyes made of red metal.[27][28]
Abilities and Powers
As a Tinker, Chris has the ability to understand and invent things well beyond the current level of technology. He originally believed that he specialized in advanced guns[2][29], though he later figures out that his speciality is modular weapons and equipment, equipment with multiple alternate settings and uses, adaptable equipment for different situations, and other less-focused devices.[30][2][31][32]
| Tinker Creations |
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History
Background
Kid Win was diagnosed with ADD and dyscalculia before he gained his powers. Although he resisted the ADD diagnosis, he couldn't deny the dyscalculia. He became even more distractible after gaining his power.[17]
A year and a half before the Sentinel arc, he was in a similar position to where Chariot was when they met - scavenging for resources, fiercely protective of what tech he could manage to create.[52]
Eventually, he joined the Brockton Bay Wards, and gained access to far more materials.
With great difficulty, he managed to create a hoverboard, driven by the thought of how awesome it would be to fly.[53]
At some point, he was prescribed medication for his ADD by the PRT's doctor. During the two weeks he was on it, he found himself vastly more effective, and constructed a powerful Alternator Cannon. He was forced to stop because of adverse side-effects.[54] He didn't have a chance to run it past the PRT military and science teams.[55]
Story Start
Deployed the Alternator Cannon, meant for an A-level threat, against a group of super-villains to stop them robbing a bank. He got into trouble because it hadn't been cleared; he underwent a disciplinary review and Piggot confiscated the power source.[55]
The Alternator Cannon was deployed and destroyed in the Battle against Leviathan.[54]
Post-Leviathan
He dismantled his hoverboard to turn it into a harness with floating, reconfigurable turrets but grew frustrated with a snag in testing.[53]
A week after the Leviathan fight, he helped the Wards fight the Travelers, the wards lost. He deduced that the Slaughterhouse Nine were in town, and learned that Chariot was an infiltrator.[56]
Post-Slaughterhouse Nine
Participated in the action to stop Coil's strike on the debate. Tried to disarm the sabotaged power source on Uber's suit.
Went off to try and contain the Scapes unleashed by the new S-class threat.
Post-Echidna
Helped set up a system to keep Skitter contained.
Deployed to New Delhi and survived, but it is unknown how he acquitted himself during the battle.
Post-Timeskip
Focused and expanded upon his specialty.[2]
Gold Morning
Kid Win was present during the battle. He was struck by a laser aimed at Crane the Harmonious, then something inside his suit detonated, killing him.[57][58]
Ward
At some point, Kid Win was resurrected as a member of Valkyries Flock.
Post-Attack on Teacher
Met Vista and Antares. Discussed the powers with Victoria.
The Ice Breaks
Winman participated in the Wardens' battles against The Simurgh and Machine Army alongside Clockblocker and Breakthrough.
He recycled Antares' gun by downsizing and incorporating it into his power-armor.[60]
Chapter Appearances
Trivia
- Before Wildbow wrote TINKERS 2.0 with the latest iteration of tinker types for Weaverdice, he classified Chris as closer to being a Mastermind (Limit x Mad Scientist) as defined in TINKERS.[31][61]
Fanart Gallery
Illustration by lonsheep on DeviantArt. Dec 12, 2016.
Illustration by pabel and nine on Tumblr. Nov 19, 2015.
With Clockblocker, Vista, Gallant, and Aegis. Illustration by YunYunHakusho on Reddit. Dec 11, 2016.
References
- ↑ “You’re a good guy, Christopher,” Vista said.
“Mm. I don’t think I am, but thanks.” - Excerpt from Sundown 17.3 - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Kid Win, Chris – A ‘tinker’, Kid WIN has the ability to invent things well beyond current levels of technology. After a long period spent struggling to find his niche, he discovered his powers didn’t center around laser guns as he’d thought, but around modular equipment. Initially modeling his outfit and his weaponry on Hero, the first tinker, Kid Win is in the midst of finding his identity. Wears a costume of red and gold, with red lenses and a characteristic red glow where he uses antigravity gear. As a tinker, his costume and gear change on a regular basis. - Cast (In Depth)
- ↑ “Christ, Kid,” Aegis groaned under his breath, with his ruined voice.
Kid Win looked more upset about Aegis’ reaction than anything else, “I, uh. I didn’t get it officially cleared, yet. I just thought it would be better to use the cannon and do what I could to stop the robbery.” - Interlude 3 - ↑ “What’s going to happen to Kid?” Browbeat spoke up for the first time, “I don’t know how all this goes. Is it serious?”
Gallant considered for a moment, “Could be, but my gut tells me Piggy just wants to scare him. He needs to stop testing the limits with the people in charge, or he’s going to get in real trouble at some point.” - Excerpt from Interlude 3 - ↑ We need their trust if we’re going to handle this whole thing.
If Breakthrough is to get together, if we’ll have the resources we need, and if Valkyrie’s flock is willing to divulge the tools or communication methods Clock and Win hinted at.
Just needed her trust. - Excerpt from Sundown 17.3 - ↑ “It’s good to have you on board, Win,” Defiant said. Less authoritarian and stern than I’d heard him since we’d gotten on board. - Excerpt from Last 20.2
- ↑ “Hey, Kid Win,” I said, addressing him from the opposite corner of the Uther’s rear bay. “Did you end up changing your name? You went by your civilian name when we crossed paths.”
“I had ideas. Clockblocker is trying to convince me of Winman.”
“No,” I said. - Excerpt from Last 20.2 - ↑ Ballistic raised one hand and pointed at Kid Win. He waited until Kid Win moved before kicking at the uneven, rubble-strewn ground, sending a spray of concrete and wood fragments flying like a hail of bullets. It only grazed the teenage hero mid-leap, lacerating the side of his stomach, hip and thigh, chipping his armor. It still hit hard enough that it twisted him in midair. He landed on his back atop the rubble that covered the ground, grunted. - Excerpt from Sentinel 9.4
- ↑ “And no. Some of the hazy good memory is around family. We did this one, um, it was a crisis point. No powers involved, but they sent me, Gallant, and Battery to talk to this woman who had been attacked, we were supposed to make sure she was okay, show our faces, give support and make sure no powers were involved. Not pretty but a bit of a softball for two teenage guys and an experienced hero, right?” - Excerpt from Sundown 17.3
- ↑ “You’re next oldest, after Carlos. It’s only going to be what, three or four months, before you’re the senior member?”
“And I’ll hold that position for not even the rest of the summer before I graduate and pass the mantle to you,” Clockblocker smiled self deprecatingly, “No worries. Take charge.”
Gallant took off his helmet and held it in one hand, running his fingers through his sweat-damp blond hair. He smiled winningly at Vista as she positioned the whiteboards so everyone could see them, “Thank you.” - Excerpt from Interlude 3 - ↑ At best, they were some terrific kids. At worst, they were good training for dealing with teenagers with issues, in case Addison ended up struggling.
They made their way down to the platform, where the bikes were all arranged in a row. Aegis, Gallant, and Kid Win were there, eating sandwiches from the vendor who was set up in one corner, to serve staff.
[...]
⊙
“Done digesting?” Shawn asked. He was as nervous talking to his son as he was on any first date or first day of the job. As nervous as he’d been when stepping up to participate in his first costumed fight, against Blackball.
A thirteen year old Addison sat at the kitchen counter, his laptop beside him. The boxes from their recent move were still unpacked. - Excerpt from Heavens 12.none - ↑ The idea and motivation driving the action had been good: he was graduating the Wards in a little while, he’d be expected to change his name and adjust his methods, because an adult calling himself Kid Win was lame. - Excerpt from Sentinel 9.4
- ↑ I looked at the assembled capes. The Undersiders, two Wards teams, the Protectorate, the Guild. Clockblocker, Vista and Kid Win were in the other Wards team. A little older.
[...]
And Kid Win was hardly a kid anymore. I hesitated to call him a teenager, even. His rig looked like it packed more artillery than any of Dragon’s craft. No neck, no arms, he barely looked capable of walking. Just two stumpy legs, a simple gold helmet with a red pane covering his face and enough gun nozzles that he looked like a hedgehog. - Excerpt from Sting 26.2 - ↑ Eager to change the topic, I glanced at the others. The Wards were sitting a short distance away, Kid Win, Golem, Vista and Cuff, sitting together. Cuff was fixing up Golem’s costume. - Excerpt from Cockroaches 28.5
- ↑ “I’m glad you’re better,” Kid Win said. His voice was deeper than I remembered it. I assumed it was because two years had passed before he’d died, more than anything about his current body. - Excerpt from Sundown 17.2
- ↑ “Congratulations,” Kid Win, who wasn’t even a kid anymore, told her. - Excerpt from Sundown 17.2
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 He was dumb, easily distracted, prone to leaving his projects unfinished, and it was moments like this that this knowledge hit him particularly hard. His dad had made him get tested, and the doctors had labeled him with ADD and dyscalculia. He held to the opinion that the ADD diagnosis was way overused – he liked to think that he was just a daydreamer, prone to getting lost in his thoughts.
The dyscalculia was something concrete that he couldn’t deny or explain away. He couldn’t keep numbers in his head, couldn’t make the most basic intuitive leaps or connections with them.
All of that had been before he got his powers. Nothing had changed, except that now he could visualize something, instinctively know how he could put it together. His disability or disabilities put him a step behind the rest. His daydreaming was worse, because his thoughts were so damn interesting, now. He couldn’t take reliable measurements without using computers to do it. Couldn’t finish half his projects without feeling compelled to move on to something else. - Excerpt from Sentinel 9.4 - ↑ “If you could raise your hand if you’re willing to participate?” She ventured.
Every hand except two was raised. Chariot and Kid Win.
It did mean she had Flechette, Clockblocker and Vista. The ones she needed.
“Thank you. Rest assured, Chariot, Kid Win, that I harbor no ill will.”
“My mom wouldn’t forgive me if I went,” Kid Win said. - Excerpt from Interlude 13 - ↑ “Kid Win is a Tinker 4. Guns and antigravity devices, primarily. Shadow Stalker is more ambiguous. Breaker 3, sublabels are Stranger 2, Mover 1. Her particular nature as a ‘breaker’ makes her superlight, semi-gaseous, transparent and capable of passing through solid surfaces.” - Excerpt from Sentinel 9.1
- ↑ Hyperspecialists are tinkers with an emphasis on the specialty alone. [...] The hyperspecialist often gets an advantage in exchange for the narrower focus.
[...]
Hyperspecialists are generated when the problem the triggeree faces is a singular, all-absorbing obsession. There’s one thing that takes focus at the center of this problem, and this is a discrete item or thing.
[...]
Hyperspecialists are almost always restricted to the one specialty, and no amount of research can take them beyond that, but they’ll amass a good selection of patterns within that specialty. Whatever their core focus is, they’ll typically be able to explore past it, but that core focus will dictate their starting options and the kind of thing they’ll always be the best at making.
Good in-story examples might include Glace (cryogenics hyperspec), Cranial (Neurology), Kid Win (toggles hyperspecialist), and Mannequin (Sealed Systems). - TINKER 2.0 - ↑ duburu: What is a "toggles" hyperspecialist even are?
Wildbow: Flipped modes, switches between A and B and C. - Comment by Wildbow on Parahumans Discord - ↑ “I’m more comfortable going the other route. I’d rather walk my own path and be a little screwed up, than walk everyone else’s path. I’m okay with thinking in a way that’s outside of the norm. I’ve been happier since I started down that road.”
“How does that impact your duties with the Wards?”
“It doesn’t. I mean, I stick to the rules,” Kid Win said, with a measure of confidence. “Funny, how it’s easier to do that when I’m being more unconventional.” - Excerpt from Interlude 18.z - ↑ “It’s like… if I did this therapy thing, and I mentioned how I’m not bummed and pissed off about what’s going on with the villains and all that, if I talked about how I’m actually happier now, when everyone else is miserable and stressed, I feel like you’d talk me out of it.” - Excerpt from Interlude 18.z
- ↑ "Christopher is, he says he doesn’t remember everything. He looked at me when I first walked up and it was like, he was looking at me and trying to remember the particulars, and maybe he failed, because he looked embarrassed when he saw I saw him looking. He doesn’t remember his dad. He’s quieter, more introspective. But he’s… he feels like someone who could fill in the gaps and become the Christopher I knew.” - Excerpt from Sundown 17.3
- ↑ Kid Win – A tinker serving in the Brockton Bay Wards, favors laser weapons and a flying skateboard, with red and gold body armor. - Cast (Spoiler Free)
- ↑ Chris -Kid Win Chris- had hair that was more gold than blond, and definitely not brown. There were more changes than I’d seen on either Aunt Sarah or Dennis, and I had no idea if he’d added cyborg parts or if he’d just come across that way. The back of his neck, the ridges of his ears, and his eyes all looked more like technology than flesh.
[...]
His voice was deeper than I remembered it. I assumed it was because two years had passed before he’d died, more than anything about his current body. - Excerpt from Sundown 17.2 - ↑ “Yeah.” Eyes in a tinted red metal glanced downward, pupils a gold light that emanated from the inside the orb, the tracery of etchings around the pupil bearing a similar effect. - Excerpt from Sundown 17.3
- ↑ He looked back at us with metal eyes that had holes in the surface, each hole rimmed with glowing circuit patterns in gold. - Excerpt from Last 20.3
- ↑ - Excerpt from Sentinel 9.6
- ↑ “Anyways, I think it’s working for me. I’m getting the feeling that I do have a specialization, but it’s more of an approach than a particular field. Equipment with multiple settings and uses, modular weapons, gear that’s adaptable to different situations, I guess?” - Excerpt from Interlude 14.y
- ↑ 31.0 31.1 kagedtiger: Classifying canon tinkers by methodology according to the Classification Doc
Has anyone done this yet? If not, let's get to it. Here's the doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hQx5XfXrb0cilcP3J178cq1Uj6Dlggcz2X9U3C5zV4U/
Wildbow: [...] Kid Win is closer to being a mastermind. - Comment by Wildbow on Reddit - ↑ Chris Kid Win Tinker specializing in alternate settings or uses. Struggles to build more focused devices. Wards Tinker 4 - Parahuman List, bolded edit by Wildbow
- ↑ Agitation 3.8
- ↑ 34.0 34.1 Monarch 16.5
- ↑ 35.0 35.1 Agitation 3.10
- ↑ 36.0 36.1 Sentinel 9.4
- ↑ It’s not customary for tinkers to design things for teammates. If they do, it’s on a relatively small scale, simple. Kid Win making Gallant’s armor, for example. - Excerpt from Drone 23.5
- ↑ Chrysalis 20.4
- ↑ His spark pistol sported a small power core that used spatial warping technology to magnify and then reabsorb a steady electrical current. The barrel was wired with a helix-shaped electromagnetic rail, based on some of Armsmaster's old data on the 'hard' light Purity and Dauntless created. Nanomolecular, ionically charged rifling on the barrel's interior was arranged to guide the fired charges into a rough elliptical shape, which sustained their shape and consistency the longest.
In laymen's terminology, it was not unlike a power bar that was plugged into itself, with a small addition that made each revolution of the current larger than the one before. An attached battery kept the current going. The shots themselves were 'hard' electricity condensed into balls, which meant they had a physical impact to them, due to how they carried and transferred kinetic energy. Given how the weapon charged, waiting a few seconds between shots meant the next shot hit harder, up to a limit. - Excerpt from Sentinelt 9.4 - ↑ I didn’t have time to dwell on her leaving. Flickers of light outside the bank caught my attention. Kid Win was flying fifteen feet above the ground on his hoverboard. In front of him, pieces of a massive device were materializing, shimmering into existence like you saw with the transporters on Star Trek. It was only one or two steps away from being complete, but you could tell what it was. A gun, no less than fifteen feet long, with a barrel three or four feet across, all turret mounted on a circular platform not unlike the board he was riding. - Excerpt from Agitation 3.10
- ↑ Extermination 8.4
- ↑ I waited to see if there was more, but neither she nor her teammates said anything. The drones Kid Win had made were doing a number on my bugs, catching me by surprise when they opened fire with lasers, striking from the other side of the room. It wasn’t easy to avoid them completely, when an exposed bug could get zapped, but keeping my bugs in hiding prevented me from seeing the drones themselves. - Excerpt from Cell 22.3
- ↑ Parasite 10.3
- ↑ 44.0 44.1 Sting 26.2
- ↑ 45.0 45.1 Sting 26.3
- ↑ 46.0 46.1 46.2 Last 20.3
- ↑ Monarch 16.8
- ↑ Cell 22.3
- ↑ Cell 22.1
- ↑ 50.0 50.1 Interlude 14.y
- ↑ 51.0 51.1 51.2 51.3 51.4 Parasite 10.4
- ↑ “I’m not giving up my stuff.”
Kid Win paused. This is like looking into a mirror to a year and a half ago. “Look, I can see your TV, your toaster. Chances are you’ve gone to the Trainyard or a scrapyard to find some stuff. Old batteries, car parts, chains, good metal, whatever.”
[...]
“I get it. Been there. You’re hungry to use your power, but more than any other kind of cape, you’re facing a hurdle in terms of the entry-level resources you need. This is where the team would support you. You get funding, a lot of funding, to put your stuff together.” - Excerpt from Sentinel 9.4 - ↑ 53.0 53.1 There were exceptions. He’d finished bigger projects. His hoverboard, driven by the idea of how awesome it would be to fly. Even then, it had been a chore. Monumentally stupid of him to dismantle it. The idea and motivation driving the action had been good: he was graduating the Wards in a little while, he’d be expected to change his name and adjust his methods, because an adult calling himself Kid Win was lame. He’d had an idea about a harness with a floating array of turrets that could fire different munitions depending on what gun he holstered in the main slot. Self adjusting and adaptive the way his Alternator Cannon was. Except he’d gotten frustrated at a snag in the testing, put it down to take a break and hadn’t picked it up again in six days. His hoverboard had effectively been destroyed for no reason, when it might have made the difference in getting the Travelers into custody. - Excerpt from Sentinel 9.4
- ↑ 54.0 54.1 His Alternator Cannon was the real gem. It had been the result of a medication the PRT’s doctor had prescribed, which he’d been forced to stop after two weeks when he began to get increasingly dizzy, anxious and nauseous. While he’d been taking the pills, he’d been focused, had a glimpse, maybe, of what he could do if it weren’t for his distractibility and daydreaming. When Piggy had spoken of destroying the thing, the mere thought had been crushing. Then Leviathan had destroyed it for real, maybe the only truly brilliant thing he’d be able to make. He harbored fears it might even the only brilliant thing he’d ever be able to make. - Excerpt from Sentinel 9.4
- ↑ 55.0 55.1 Interlude 3
- ↑ Sentinel 9.4
- ↑ Venom 29.2
- ↑ Teneral e.5
- ↑ Last 20.2
- ↑ Last 20.7
- ↑ Limit + Madsci Mastermind
[...]
The Limit Tinker is akin to the Hyperspecialist, with a primary field of specialty, but the lines are blurred. While they do best in their field of specialty, they dip their toes into other waters, or even have to dip their toes to operate at their best, with optimal operation tied to peripheral objects, focuses, or added complexities. Examples include:
[...]- The Mastermind tinker, who is a specialist unaware of their specialty; they can build outside of it, but not well, or with misfire chances. Every field test of varied, moderate-level tinkerings helps narrow this down. Finding their specialty unlocks a megaproject or another bonus. - TINKERS
| Anchorage | Auroch • Feint • Roulette • Vellum |
|---|---|
| Austin | Hoyden |
| Baltimore | Houndstooth • Avenguard • Avian • Stungun • Keychain • Blush • 10-59 • Pigeonhole • Optics ‡ |
| Boston | Hunch • Reynard • Roulette ‡ • Weld ‡ |
| Brockton Bay | Aegis † • Battery • Browbeat † • Chariot • Clockblocker † • Crucible • Flechette ‡ • Gallant † • Glory Girl ‡ • Kid Win † • Shadow Stalker ‡ • Toggle • Triumph • Vista • Weld |
| Chicago | Annex • Bearach • Cuff • Garnett • Golem • Grace • Raymancer † • Romp • Tecton • Wanton • Weaver ‡ |
| Houston | Gentle Giant ‡ • Chronicler • Young Buck |
| Los Angeles | Arbiter • Auroch • Flambé • Leister • Vantage |
| New York | Flechette ‡ • Jouster • Shelter |
| Raleigh | Cask ‡ |
| San Diego | Gully ‡ • Scapegoat |
| San Francisco | Trapper ‡ |
| Texas | Chronicler • Intrepid • Strapping Lad • Young Buck |
| Unknown Location | Eviction • Fisherboy • Greenhorn • Hype • Sunflower |
| Inaugural Wards Team | Chevalier ‡ • Miss Militia ‡ • Mouse Protector ‡ • Reed ‡ |
| Director | Emily Piggot ‡ • Thomas Calvert † • James Tagg † |
|---|---|
| Staff | Renick (Deputy Director) • Jessica Yamada (Parahuman Psychologist) |
| Leader | Armsmaster ‡ • Miss Militia |
| Members | Adamant • Assault • Battery † • Challenger • Clockblocker • Dauntless • Dovetail • Sere • Triumph • Velocity † |
| Team Captains | Battery • Triumph • Aegis † • Weld • Clockblocker • Crucible |
| Members | Browbeat † • Chariot • Flechette • Gallant † • Glory Girl ‡ • Kid Win • Shadow Stalker • Toggle • Vista |
| Leader | Valkyrie |
|---|---|
| Members | Grue • Milk • Cleo • Voltrage • Edgeless • Lady Photon • Furcate • Roucouler the Liar • Clockblocker • Kid Win |