WIP: Laser Rapier replacement

[6742d631f3f6bJoin2]

Is it still a Rapier if it doesn't have a protective hilt, OP?

As for System's contribution, I've no idea what I'm looking at.

[6742d631f40e4chickenhead]

Holy crap!  For the first time I understand System's thought process!

System: "hmmm... it kind of looks weird when you drop the laser rapier... why would the blade still be extended when it's not in use?  Imma fix that."

And then he made a black baton instead of a rapier hilt without the blade.

[6742d63200049voodoo47]

you actually might be right - though for the sake of not being weird in the inventory and not crashing the game (weapons must be 3x1), the rapier blade should not be retractable, as odd as that may sound.

[6742d6320057eunn_atropos]

not be retractable, as odd as that may sound.

Also we would end up with something like this...

[6742d63200882Olfred]

Actually, according to the description the blade is in fact not retractable.
It's a solid component with fibers that break/bend apart when impacted. If you hit something these fibers open up the surface and the laser light is emitted through these holes and hit whatever you just hit.
So in reality it is like a baton that shoots lasers.
Inside the inventory it is even powered off, just laying around in the world it isn't, but that's more of a technical thing, and maybe fancyness.

[6742d63200cbcRocketMan]

They were using fiber optic technology as a springboard for their sci-fi description.  Light will be trapped in a fiber because of "total internal reflection" where the photon trajectory is unable to form a large enough angle with the fiber walls to escape.  If you go and bend the fiber severely you get "leakage" as you are increasing the angle between the photons and the outer surface, allowing light to refract with enough angle to escape the first medium and enter the second.  Any material that has a higher index of refraction than air could be used to contain the light of the laser rapier and doesn't need to be porous, just bendy.  Such a device may even work as described, in real life, if the material is of extremely high quality and the laser light is intense enough.  As a matter of fact, there are industrial fiber-optic lasers with articulating heads that run more than 1000W.  I'm pretty sure that if you bent the cable, you'd get hurt or killed if it were on.

[6742d63200e25Kolya]

Cool. Now explain a DIY hoverboard please.

[6742d63200f38RocketMan]

Sure.  Put a lithium battery in one of the conventional types with wheels from Ebay and you'll be hovering (some piece of you will hover over something, somewhere) in no time.

[6742d63201069Kolya]

I'm standing on the skateboard, the lithium battery is attached to the board, my feet are beginning to feel kinda numb. Do I really need wheels from ebay? Mine are from China. Further instructions required. 
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[6742d6320114aOlfred]

You still need to kick the air like McFly did.

[6742d6320121eRocketMan]

Nice socks!