TOPIC: First Saber!

Just got my first ASP saber last Wednesday (I believe), and because of the belt clip, I've been wearing it around my house almost nonstop! Sure it took a little while to get it (due to the fact that I ordered it just before Christmas. But luckily, I am a very patient man. ), but with how quickly it got here after it shipped, and with how awesome it is, it was DEFINITELY worth the wait!

Now, I call this saber the "Survivor" due to the history and journey of both the creator/wielder of this lightsaber, as well as the lightsaber itself. Speaking of which! If y'all want to know about said history and journey of the two, then check out the fan trilogy that I'm creating right now! We're still in some of the earliest stages of getting it started (i.e. finalizing the script for the first film, getting all the props/costumes, etc.), but we're getting close to the point of being able to post updates/behind the scenes stuff more frequently.

The series is going to be called "Tales of the Old Republic". It takes place 5 years after the end of the "Shadow of Revan" DLC from SWTOR, and is an alternate version of the events that took place afterwards. But I don't want to spoil too much about it, so I'm going to stop myself before I get too far!

This saber, as well as others -some ASP, and other sabers such as the Gladius and Reborn- are going to be in the films as well. But, without further ado, here are some pics! Hope y'all like it!

That is certainly a very interesting design! Question: is the Exalted body supposed to be reversed like that? That seems a bit unorthodox to me. If it functions, then I suppose it's no big loss (the reversed section seems to create a choke point for your hand at the middle of the saber-specialized for a Makashi grip, perhaps?), though I do have one recommendation if it is indeed supposed to be like that, and that (if you're okay with voiding the warranty) would be to remove the Covertech wheel, fill that hole in with a thumbscrew or something greeblie-looking, drill out a couple holes at the emitter and attach a D-Ring. That would scream "Vader-inspired" to me, and I think it could be a nice touch! Only do that if you're good with voiding the warranty, though.

It is indeed intended to be flipped. (I just liked the way that it matched up with the pommel and Epoch emitter more that way.) And the covertech wheel thing was something that I've had on my mind, even before I was able to actually order the lightsaber. I was actually thinking about doing something alone the lines with what you suggested, but I still have yet to decide how I'm going to do so, if that ends up being what I decide to do. As for clipping it to my belt, it hasn't been a problem if I just wear it sideways on my back, or like a katana on my side. (and for my character, he will have a piece of armor on his thigh that, if I keep the wheel where it is, I will put the belt clip on, to make things look better, and to also give him the ability to "quick-draw" his saber, so to speak.) And in regards to the Makashi thing, I just find it funny that you would mention it, because I recently took two quizzes from Leia's Lair to find out my lightsaber style and form, and I got a curved hilt for the style, and Makashi for the form. And after thinking about the choreography that I've come up with for my films so far, I've realized that a lot of the stuff I do is very Makashi-esque. And from that, I've determined that my ideal form would probably be a mix of Makashi and Soresu, with a little hint of Ataru. And I didn't opt for the warranty on anything, so I won't have to worry about that. XD

Hello again, I didn't even think about wearing it sideways like a Katana, I kind of dig that concept! I think you would need to make a custom Covertech design that puts the slidey-out function at a diagonal angle, to really maximize that iaido concept that you're going for. Very interesting concept, I'd almost think that you wouldn't need to do the D-Ring thing if you ended up sticking with that quick-draw concept.

As for fighting style inspiration, if your character is a samurai or ronin-inspired character, then I would say that a very precise combination of Shii-Cho (for quick-draw and hopefully ending a fight within the first strike), Ataru (for wide offense and the sweeping motion of a katana/odachi, since that looks like it's be long enough to be an odachi with a 37" blade) and Makashi (for precise movement) would really complement the character. Avoid defensive styles, since samurai tried to avoid clashing weapons.

I personally want to take up Djem So for single-saber combat, styled around a European longsword, and Ataru for dual-saber combat, like Florentine or Niten Ichi-ryu.

Awesome saber and awesome idea to have used the Fury backwards ! I really like this saber, and it might make me look from now at every body parts twice : once in the "regular" way and once reversed ! ^^

Thank you Kazemichi! And I'll definitely be sure to keep your suggestions in mind, Eddlyss! And I just had the thought the other night that, thanks to camera magic, whenever it gets to a scene where my character enters combat with someone, I can just remove the wheel for the duration of the fight, then just put it back on when the fight is over. XD

Also, in regards to suggestions, what forms would you recommend for using a sword and buckler/shield?
Also, with that, I am planning (and this is for the second film, as the character has had more time to get used to having a saber again after not having one for about 5 years, and because of the fact that, at the point in time that the second film takes place, he is now a part of a full out war.) on making it so that he has this retractable electro/ray shield thing (kind of like the personal shields the gunguns had in Episode I), so that he can quickly switch off between defense and offense. Also, the saber hilt will be slightly longer that normal (perhaps about the size of a small double blade? Sort of like Darth Zannah, size wise.), as well as (maybe) a shorter blade. I don't know, I still have to finish deciding on that design once the saber builder comes back up, but I do know that longer hilts are things that I've always liked design/feel wise. I might actually also wait on the longer hilt thing, but idk. I've stil got a while to figure that out. XD

Well, since Force users generally didn't use shields (consider that Jedi such as Satele Shan could block a lightsaber using her hand in tandem with the Force), I'm not sure that such a thing is covered by the Forms. Perhaps Niman? Depending on the character(s) in question, this saber plus a special designed Covertech would well suit a Force user master of Shii-Cho and Makashi, a master of the quick draw. In contrast, perhaps a longer lightsaber or a crossguard saber would suit a Force user that utilizes Djem So and Soresu, for maximum defensive potential plus a focus on counter-attacking, similar to a European knight that uses longsword techniques. Still a different Force user with a saber-shoto combo would use Jar'Kai in conjunction with forms such as Makashi and Niman to reflect a Florentine style. It all depends on the perspective.