LoC #47: Fictional Tools & Weapons

[Tripe]

Wouldn't it rather make you redundant though?

[Johnny Unusual]

Not if I was the only one who had it (aren't I greedy).  That said, I would have to take it in and out enough to properly judge their English.

[Asbestos Bill]

Not if I was the only one who had it (aren't I greedy).  That said, I would have to take it in and out enough to properly judge their English.

I wonder if it translates mistranslated English... Also, I thought it was a living thing and therefore disqualified, otherwise I'd have put it on my list. Same with the Death Star laser (not because it's living but because it's operated by tens, if not hundreds of people). Actually, if I'd known that turrets and such were fair game, I'd have gone for the black blob turrets from The Incredibles.

[Tyrant]

I wonder if it translates mistranslated English... Also, I thought it was a living thing and therefore disqualified, otherwise I'd have put it on my list. Same with the Death Star laser (not because it's living but because it's operated by tens, if not hundreds of people). Actually, if I'd known that turrets and such were fair game, I'd have gone for the black blob turrets from The Incredibles.

Living things, if their entire purpose was to be a tool/weapon and weren't home-grown human, were allowed. I can see where some confusion was understandable, though. Tell ya what, if anyone ever wants to see a LoC for Living Weapons/Tools, I'll run it by default to make it up to anyone who felt shafted by the rules for this LoC. All I ask is for some time to recover from running this list.

The Death Star laser was allowed because it was the weapon system itself, not the Death Star itself (which would have counted as a vehicle of sorts). Having multiple people running a weapon/tool wouldn't have disqualified it.

[Asbestos Bill]

I wonder if it translates mistranslated English... Also, I thought it was a living thing and therefore disqualified, otherwise I'd have put it on my list. Same with the Death Star laser (not because it's living but because it's operated by tens, if not hundreds of people). Actually, if I'd known that turrets and such were fair game, I'd have gone for the black blob turrets from The Incredibles.

Living things, if their entire purpose was to be a tool/weapon and weren't home-grown human, were allowed.

Who can say what living thing's purpose is, man??? FREE THE BABEL FISH!

The Death Star laser was allowed because it was the weapon system itself, not the Death Star itself (which would have counted as a vehicle of sorts). Having multiple people running a weapon/tool wouldn't have disqualified it.

I could have sworn there was a single-user clause, but there were a lot of hypothetical rules being thrown around so maybe that was one of them.

[Tyrant]

And here we go!!!

#5
Sonic Screwdriver- Dr.Who
(85 points) 4 of 12 lists - Highest Ranking - 3-way TIE: #1 Dr.Who?, Tripe H.Redux & lassieface

The sonic screwdriver was a common and basic Time Lord device. If needed, a Time Lord could made one from scratch in very little time.  It is possible the First Doctor himself likely created the first sonic screwdriver during his adolescence, rather than wooing a woman.  Other alien races were known to possess similar devices, such as the sonic pen used by Miss Foster and the sonic blaster obtained by Captain Jack Harkness. Sonic blasters were known to be made in the Villengard factory. The name of the device itself suggests that it functioned using sound waves, although the actual workings of the device were never fully explained.

The screwdriver had a multitude of settings, along with different versions of settings, as the Doctor told Rose to use "setting 15B" to help him triangulate the source of the ghosts and used 34-H to sink a ship. It is also said to have a setting 85.

The different versions of the Doctor's sonic screwdrivers exhibited different capabilities and uses, such as the interception of signals ranging from transmat beams to conscious thought; medical diagnostics and repair of organic parts; cutting, but also re-attaching together materials such as barbed wire; operating Earth machinery such as computers and even cash machines (at regular and high eject speeds); creating a spark to light a candle; and, on the rare occasion, driving screws without touching them. Although it was primarily a tool, it could also be used as a defensive weapon, such as when the Tenth Doctor put it in a sound board to destroy the Robot Santas.  Although the Eighth Doctor once claimed that the device could destroy a Dalek's brain if held directly against the casing when activated , according to the Tenth Doctor, the device could not be used to wound, maim, or kill living things. It could still be used to destroy non-living objects or mechanisms or place living creatures in circumstances where they might die, if the situation required.

From time to time, the sonic screwdriver needed to be recharged. The sonic screwdriver was self-repairing and could send out a homing signal to any parts that had been severed.

Sonic screwdrivers and similar technology could not unlock a deadlock seal. One of few exceptions was Miss Foster's sonic pen, which was able to open the deadlock seals on and within the Adipose Industries building when the Doctor's sonic screwdriver could not.  Some or all versions may be ineffective against wood, or in the presence of some models of hairdryers.

[Tyrant]

#4
Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device (Portal Gun)- Portal
(102 points) 5 of 12 lists - Highest Ranking - #1 Asbestos Bill

The Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device, originally marketed as Aperture Science Portable Quantum Tunneling Device and also known either as Portal Gun or by its acronym, "ASHPD", is an experimental tool used to create two portals through which objects can pass. It is used within the Enrichment Center's Test Chambers as the Test Subjects' primary tool to complete each chamber.

The ASHPD is hand-held device which has the ability to manufacture two linked portals. No matter the distance between them, any object which passes through one portal will emerge from the other and vice versa instantaneously. The portals can be placed on almost any surface which is flat, immobile, and large enough to accommodate them. Moving objects, or certain types of surfaces, will prevent the formation of a portal. Material Emancipation Grids will block any attempt to shoot portals through them, as well as reset any active portals should the ASHPD pass through it.

The ASHPD is held with a hand behind the weapon, holding the handle / trigger, while the other hand supports the barrel. A sprite in the small hole on the top of the ASHPD and a sprite in its glass tube have the color of the last shot portal. It has two triggers, one for each of its two portals.

When the ASHPD is fired, a burst of colored energy is emitted from the barrel, corresponding to the colored portal it is intended to create. Upon striking the targeted surface, a portal is formed, surrounded by a colored ring. If the surface cannot accommodate a portal for whatever reason, the shot will dissipate in a shower of colored particles. If one portal is shot into its opposite, the portal will be formed next to the first one, assuming the surface has enough room for it to form; otherwise, it will dissipate as normal. The device can only create two portals at a time. If a third is fired, the other of its type will be automatically closed and a new link will be formed.

The portals fired by the ASHPD each have a distinct color. Chell's ASHPD uses light blue and light orange portals. ATLAS and P-body each use a variant on those two colors; ATLAS uses light blue and purple portals, while P-body uses light orange and red portals.

The ASHPD also has a zero-point energy field manipulator, similar to the Gravity Gun but far weaker. It can pick up objects, but only those directly in front of it. It also cannot punt them as the Gravity Gun can, so the only way to throw the object is to physically swing the ASHPD itself, which can at best send the object a few meters away. It cannot catch Aperture Science High Energy Pellets, the equivalent of Combine Energy Balls, either due to the weaker manipulator or some difference in the composition of the two items. Items picked up with the ASHPD's manipulator can be carried though portals, which proves to be very useful in several test chambers.

[Tyrant]

#3
Phasers- Star Trek
(102 points) 6 of 12 lists - Highest Ranking - #4 Imrahil

Phasers are the most common and standard energy weapon in the arsenal of Starfleet and several other powers. Phasers fire nadion particle beams.  Based on the intensity and field of the beam, a wide variety of effects can be achieved.

The phaser beam can stun, heat, kill or disintegrate living creatures. Phasers can damage shields or other systems or even cut through a hull. Phasers can also be used to cut through walls and burrow through rock. The beam can be focused to a single spot or widened to impact a large area.

Plasma is passed to a phaser emitter resulting in a discharge of nadion particles. Residual particles can be found in places where a battle has recently taken place. The disruptive effects of nadion discharges are moderated to produce varying effects, ranging from benign to extremely destructive.

The Starfleet-issue personal phasers come in three types: The phaser type-1 (hand phaser) is small and can be concealed easily. The type 2 phaser is larger and hand-held. It has a longer hand grip or a pistol grip, depending on the model. The phaser type-3 is also known as the phaser rifle. It has a longer barrel, a stock, and some models have a second grip. This weapon can fire beams or bolts. Over centuries of use, there have been several models of the lightweight and effective phaser rifle.

Beyond these, phasers are usually mounted devices, such as the phaser type-4 used on Starfleet shuttlecraft and other small vehicles, all the way up to the large phaser banks and phaser arrays of starships and space stations. Various classes of banks, arrays and emitters exist, such as the more powerful phaser type-8 and the phaser cannon.

Hand phasers can be made to overload, either deliberately or by sabotage. Phasers in the process of overloading emit a distinctive high-pitched whine. The weapon will release all of its energy in an explosion capable of doing considerable damage to its surroundings.

Personal phasers are also used by Starfleet personnel as tools and not just weapons. The phaser can be used to heat rocks and stones for warmth.

As awesome as phasers are, they're still no match for the pants-wettingly awesomeness that is Mr.Spock.

[Tyrant]

#2
Proton Pack- Ghostbusters
(109 points) 7 of 12 lists - Highest Ranking - #2 Pak-Man

                                          -Egon Spengler*

The Proton Pack, designed by Dr. Egon Spengler, is a man-portable particle accelerator system that is used to create a charged particle beam - composed of protons - that is fired by the proton gun (also referred to as the "neutrona wand". Described in the first movie as a "positron collider", it presumably functions by colliding high-energy positrons to generate its proton beam. The beam allows a ghostbuster to contain and hold "negatively charged ectoplasmic entities". This containment ability allows the wielder to position a ghost above a trap for capture.

While the Ghostbusters' dialogue indicates that the accelerator system operates similarly to a cyclotron (and indeed Dr. Peter Venkman refers to the Proton Packs in one scene as "unlicensed nuclear accelerators"), modern particle accelerators produce well collimated particle beams. This is far different from the beam from a Proton Pack, which tends to undulate wildly (though it still stays within the general area at which the user is aiming). The proton stream is quite destructive to physical objects, and can cause extensive property damage.

Crossing the streams was initially discouraged, as Egon believed that "total protonic reversal" would occur: this effect would have catastrophic results (see quote above). However, in a desperate effort to stop the powerful Gozer the Gozerian, Egon noted that the door to Gozer's temple "swings both ways" and that by crossing the streams, they may be able to create enough force to close the door on Gozer and its control. As the Ghostbusters cross the streams, the combination of that much energy closes the door to Gozer's dimension and severs its ties to our world. The resulting blast destroys a good portion of the roof and blows up the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

*Also says this in the men's restroom.

[Tyrant]

#1
The Bee Cage- Wicker Man
(149 points) 12 of 12 lists - Highest Ranking - #1 RVR II

"NOT THE BEES!!!"
                                                 -Edward Malus

The bee cage is used on one Edward Malus as a form of torture by a clan of pagans intent on sacrificing him for a good harvest. Edward is allergic to bees, so this really sucks for him.

[Tyrant]

#1
Hologram Projector- The Star Wars Christmas Special
(149 points) 12 of 12 lists - Highest Ranking - #2 RVR II

Holograms were used mostly in telecommunications as an alternative to screens. A holocamera of any recorder or receiver would acquire the dimensions, form and movements of an object by means of ray scanning. This vision then could be transmitted simultaneously somewhere else, or stored and reproduced on a holoprojector at a later time. Projected holographic images were visible from all sides, although matterless. Holograms were initially monochrome with a cyan hue, though following the Clone Wars, an additional layer of color was added to some holograms. In full duplex telecommunications, users could see each other's holograms, as if they were in the same room talking to each other, although not always in relative proportion.

Standard holograms had a lesser quality than screens, since they were mainly monochrome and often flickered. The luxury versions could produce incredibly life-like full-color images, and were mainly used for entertainment purposes, such as at the Holographic Zoo of Extinct Animals, or Hologram Fun World, though they could also be used for disguises and other deceptions.

A projector was used by Chewbacca's creepy relatives  in the holiday special to watch various entertainment performances to while away the time until the Life Day celebration. Each performance could track the number of TVs that were shut off or changed in 1978 when the special aired.

[Tyrant]

Sorry. For reals now:

#1
Lightsaber- Star Wars
(149 points) 10 of 12 lists - Highest Ranking - #1 Pak-Man

                                     -Obi Wan Kenobi

[Tyrant]

Lightsabers #1!

Oh you!    Although it was a no-brainer.

That's it for me, guys. About an hour left (my time) to submit list suggestions. I'm feeling rather under the weather atm (Pak gave me some stomach virus or something), so the poll may be going up tomorrow at some time instead of tonight. Sorry about the delay, but I'd imagine Pak would rather I not vomit on his computer.

[Johnny Unusual]

#4
Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device (Portal Gun)- Portal
(102 points) 5 of 12 lists - Highest Ranking - #1 Asbestos Bill

Useful?  Sure.  Fun?  GOD YES!

#2
Proton Pack- Ghostbusters
(109 points) 7 of 12 lists - Highest Ranking - #2 Pak-Man

Who didn't want this as a kid.  As a small child I was always disappointed that the ones you could buy in the stores did not do a good enough job simulating the pure joy of Ghostbusting.

"Are you, Alice, menstruating right now?"
"What's that got to do with it?"
"Back off man, I'm a scientist."

Sorry. For reals now:

#1
Lightsaber- Star Wars
(149 points) 10 of 12 lists - Highest Ranking - #1 Pak-Man

Do not put this in my hand.  As much as I would want it, people would get hurt.  Good people.

Good job on the list Tyrant.  It was tons of fun.

[Pak-Man]

Awesome list! Let's hear it for Tyrant for making it through the last leg while battling the Stomach Flu! (Despite my protests)

Here's my 25:

1) Proton Pack
2) Lightsaber
3) Samus' Arm Cannon
4) Professor Farnsworth's Fing-Longer
5) Megatron's Plasma Cannon
6) Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device (Portal Gun)
7) Spider-Man's Web Shooters
8 ) Mario's Fire Flower
9) Mega Man's Arm Cannon
10) The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch (Monty Python)
11) Captain America's Shield
12) Excalibur (Arthurian Legends)
13) Sting (The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings)
14) Soul Calibur (Soul Calibur)
15) The Batarang
16) Hadouken (Street Fighter)
17) Death Star Laser
18) Master Shake's Straw
19) The Omni-Tool (Mass Effect)
20) Cloud's Gun-Blade (Final Fantasy 7)
21) Mjolnir (Norse Mythology)
22) Death's Scythe
23) Zeus' Thunderbolts (Greek Mythology)
24) Sheep Launcher (Worms)
25) Iron Man's Chest Blaster thingy