LoC #47 Submit Your List of Fictional Tools & Weapons

[Tyrant]

Ouch. Just lost my thread creating virginity. After about 4 and a half years too. My flawless record of laziness....gone. At least the forum was gentle. 


HOW IT WORKS:

Create a list of of your favorite fictional weapons and tools, each numbered from 1 to 25 like so:

1. Your favorite fictional weapon and/or tool.
2. Your second favorite fictional weapon and/or tool.
3. Your third most favorite fictional weapon and/or tool.
And so on until you get to #25.

Once the list is complete, send it to me via Personal Message, not via this thread.

When all submissions are in, I'll score them. Your #1 choice gets 25 points, your #2 choice gets 24, all the way down to your #25 choice, which gets 1. I add up the points, and then rank the entries in a list here in this forum for your enjoyment. If you want to send a list of less than 25, that's allowed but be aware that points will be reduced based on how many you submit. In a list of five entries, the # 1 entry would only be worth 5. So if you want your entries at the top of the list, it will help to try for 25 entries.

Qualifications:

1) I'm counting only fictional weapons and tools. Ideally, this should be a weapon or tool that doesn't or can't exist in the real world, or perhaps a regular item that has been altered in some way to make its existence unique to the fictional realm. For example, a regular sword wielded in a fictional universe wouldn't count, no matter how cool it is. However, if it for some reason has a missile launcher on it or a magical enchantment, it's eligible for this list.

2) I'm counting only the weapons and/or tools themselves. As Pak mentioned earlier, Iron Man's suit doesn't count, but the weapons on it do. A mech wouldn't count, but again its weapons would. Likewise, Mike Mulligan's steam shovel doesn't count as a tool, but its claw-thing will.

3) Sentient (or living) weapons and tools count so long as they're exclusively weapons and/or tools. The brooms in Fantasia would count because they're exclusively brooms and still do broom things. Megatron wouldn't count because he isn't exclusively a gun, he just turns into one.

4) Chuck Norris doesn't count because he is the most real living weapon that has ever existed and this list is about fictional weapons.

5) The Situation doesn't count either because he's a real tool, not a fictional one.

6) No fictional person (human), no matter how deadly, is a weapon. They are a person.

Due date will be Monday the 18th. Tabulation will take place either the 19th or 20th as time allows. I'll announce when the list will begin. Post questions/issues with the list here or PM me. Have fun!

Notice: I've extended the deadline to submit lists to midnight (Mountain Time), the 19th. Tabulation will take place on Wednesday, the 20th.

[Tripe]

OK so how are you handling different iterations of a tool or weapon? Say the various versions of a katana like weapon that employs either contained plasma (theoretically workable) or a laser (as the actual name would suggest) in a galaxy a fair distance away?

Does each one count separately or do you want a single nomination for ity and you'll list the different iterations in the countdown?

The above isn't one I'm thinking of personally but it's one I know will show up on the final list.

[spaceforarent]

Hopefully I can come up with enough to make a list. And if not I'm sure I can throw a few extra weapons from the Ratchet and Clank series in there as filler.

[Tyrant]

OK so how are you handling different iterations of a tool or weapon? Say the various versions of a katana like weapon that employs either contained plasma (theoretically workable) or a laser (as the actual name would suggest) in a galaxy a fair distance away?

Does each one count separately or do you want a single nomination for ity and you'll list the different iterations in the countdown?

The above isn't one I'm thinking of personally but it's one I know will show up on the final list.

I won't be using different iterations of a weapon within the same fictional universe. If someone lists the specific katana like weapon that employs contained plasma or lasers wielded by the tall fellow dressed entirely in black armor who has a respiratory issue, it will count towards all the katana like weapons that employ contained plasma or lasers found within that universe. It won't matter if it's wielded by the tall, armored fellow or the short, green-skinned old one.

If, however, someone lists that same katana like weapon and then lists a similar katana like weapon that appeared in different fictional universe, either by way of a homage, rip off, or just coincidence, it will count separately because it's literally in a different universe and can be assumed to not use the same technology.

[Watchman]

Is there any web resource where you can find the name of an obscure fictional weapon from a movie (aside from Wookiepedia  ).

For instance... let's take a futuristic movie. Some futuristic weapons in this movie, but I don't know what they're called & would ideally write something more concise than "those _____ things from That Futuristic Movie".

[Compound]

Grr.





There. I may be extra testy after watching Gamera the Brave and the resulting feelings of "every child in Japan should be strangled"  that have resulted, but let's stop dancing around the thing.

[Compound]

Is there any web resource where you can find the name of an obscure fictional weapon from a movie (aside from Wookiepedia  ).

For instance... let's take a futuristic movie. Some futuristic weapons in this movie, but I don't know what they're called & would ideally write something more concise than "those _____ things from That Futuristic Movie".

Actually, before I got nerd rage, I came here to mention this: http://www.technovelgy.com/

It's a listing of approximately 2000 items from various science fiction novels. (I found it researching Memory Plastics from the Known Space series, which I had to remove from my list as they actually exist in present day, just using heat rather than Niven's idea of electricity.)

Also, try here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weapons_in_science_fiction or here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Science_fiction_weapons

[Watchman]

Actually, before I got nerd rage, I came here to mention this: http://www.technovelgy.com/

It's a listing of approximately 2000 items from various science fiction novels. (I found it researching Memory Plastics from the Known Space series, which I had to remove from my list as they actually exist in present day, just using heat rather than Niven's idea of electricity.)

Also, try here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weapons_in_science_fiction or here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Science_fiction_weapons

Right-O, thanks.

FTI, I am not including the lightsaber in my list. It may seem fatalistic & preordained that the lightsaber will rank as #1, but it doesn't have to be.  "There is no fate but what we make for ourselves."

[Darth Geek]

So are we going to have extras of worst/lamest weapons?

[Watchman]

So are we going to have extras of worst/lamest weapons?

In this category, sometimes it's hard to tell the difference*.  How about "Weapons that make the silliest noises?"

*(A lightsaber could be considered one of the worst weapons considering how many times their users drop them. They weren't designed to be held. Major manufacturing flaw.)

[Tripe]

I won't be using different iterations of a weapon within the same fictional universe. If someone lists the specific katana like weapon that employs contained plasma or lasers wielded by the tall fellow dressed entirely in black armor who has a respiratory issue, it will count towards all the katana like weapons that employ contained plasma or lasers found within that universe. It won't matter if it's wielded by the tall, armored fellow or the short, green-skinned old one.

If, however, someone lists that same katana like weapon and then lists a similar katana like weapon that appeared in different fictional universe, either by way of a homage, rip off, or just coincidence, it will count separately because it's literally in a different universe and can be assumed to not use the same technology.

Cool that's what I was thinking.

And obviously that means the one from Star Crash gets it's one entry.

[Tyrant]

So are we going to have extras of worst/lamest weapons?

In this category, sometimes it's hard to tell the difference*.  How about "Weapons that make the silliest noises?"

BRILLIANT!! I'm so doing this. I'll also include weapons that look silly too. Weapons that make stupid noises and look stupid but have devastatingly catastrophic effects will be especially appreciated. 

[Compound]

FTI, I am not including the lightsaber in my list. It may seem fatalistic & preordained that the lightsaber will rank as #1, but it doesn't have to

There's no reason at all for lightsabers to be in the top rank. I'll illustrate with non-eligible items.



This is a lightsaber. It looks neat and it cuts through almost anything that isn't a lightsaber. That's about it.

(It does not deflect things. The Jedi behind the lighsaber does that. Vader is seen deflecting bolts with his hand a.. A Jedi could deflect blaster bolts with a baseball bat, it's just that the bat would likely not survive more than one shot.)



This is a chainsaw. It also cuts through most anything and as an added bonus, it makes a much cooler sound than the lightsaber. (Fun Nerdy fact: the current fan interpretation of lightsabers is that they are in fact chainsaws, just using a ring of plasma rather than a ring of sharp teeth.)



This is a flamethrower. It allows you to from a distance SET THINGS ON FIRE.

You may think that cutting off people's limbs is fun, but making things burn is much more enjoyable.


This is a Defibrillator. It allows a jolt of electricity to be generated from one paddle which is then transmitted through a conductive material to make a circuit with the other paddle. The desired result of this is to restart a stopped heart, bringing the being with the recently non-beating heart back to life. This is much cooler than being able to cut through things and looking neat.

Please note- this argument comes from a person whose current list draft contains two items which might be accurately described as "A piece of wood."

[spaceforarent]

This is a chainsaw. It also cuts through most anything and as an added bonus, it makes a much cooler sound than the lightsaber. (Fun Nerdy fact: the current fan interpretation of lightsabers is that they are in fact chainsaws, just using a ring of plasma rather than a ring of sharp teeth.)

This actually makes me wonder if Ash's chainsaw hand would count. Sure it technically is just a chainsaw, but it is also part of his body. Thoughts?

[Darth Geek]

This is a chainsaw. It also cuts through most anything and as an added bonus, it makes a much cooler sound than the lightsaber. (Fun Nerdy fact: the current fan interpretation of lightsabers is that they are in fact chainsaws, just using a ring of plasma rather than a ring of sharp teeth.)

This actually makes me wonder if Ash's chainsaw hand would count. Sure it technically is just a chainsaw, but it is also part of his body. Thoughts?

I was just thinking about that, too. He did modify it so that he could use it as an extension of his arm, whih is different than the typical handheld chainsaw. I think it should count.