What would you do if you got dropped into the 7 kingdoms?

[Woman of War]

So I suggest we artists should hurry up to invent oil painting, this was done by Jan van Eyck in RL at the beginning of the 15th century and was a revolution in painting, as well as painting on canvas and stretcher: you could easily transport your works on horseback.

[Clansman]

I would head to Kings Landing, stand on a soap-box with my flashy clothes taking pictures with (and showcasing) my cell-phone. Then I would start a bidding war and take away a good amount of cash from selling the sensational phone and rubber bands. I will be long gone when the battery runs out.

With the money I made I would buy some armour, a horse and provisions. I would ride out and join the nearest band of dastardly scoundrels where I would rape, murder and pillage my way to an early grave (or else supreme awesomeness).

[Knight of Ashes]

woah. I actually never noticed that...

You hear a good bit about sculptures, carvings, and tapestries, but I can`t remember any mention of painting or large drawings...

The only example I I could think of was Renly showing Ned a locket that had Margaery's likeness in it. Which is darn small...

[Moa]

I would save my chocolate for a few weeks, because I'm sure that I'll feel depressed over only eating horse meat.

I would probably scam some fool with my smartphone, taking pictures and talking about collecting souls(got to be carefull or tha faith will have my ass).

With the money I would buy a sword(I had Kendo classes in the past, so I would probably hold my ground againts common thieves on the road), clothes and food.

Than I would look for a wealthy Lord in westeros or on the free cities and offer a vapor engine. I'm apt to build one with my mechanical engineering background, so I would offer much faster boats that are less prone to get caught in a storm.

With my fortune I would live happily ever after with three bedmaids in a small house in the free cities, well not so small, the house would have a great bathtub.

Ocasionally I would go to the citadel and teach the maesters some physic laws.

I could use my high school knowledge about chemistry and human body too.

Thinking through this, I would probably ivent the eletricity and the light bulb. :D

[Alia of the knife]

I think I'm screwed from the start since I'm a woman. That means I can`t try and make it for the Wall nor Oldtown. It's a fucked up situation.The chocolate would be useful for nourishment. The smartphone is as good as"nipples on a breastplate" since once the battery goes out there are no means to charge it again. The swiss army knife and rubber bands could help building a refuge in the wild and perhaps do some hunting. ( a What would Bear Grylls do? sort of thing...) Or I could try to find a sept and ask for help there, with some assault-disgrace made up story of course.

Quite scary actually. Just a highborn looking and educated wench with no money(21st c. currency is of doubtful use here) no name, no titles, no family, no friends, no means of defending herself (neither weapons nor escorts), no horse, no food, no water, with queer clothes(say a pair of jeans, snickers and metal band t-shirt) and close to King's Landing.

The way I see it, the best options are to try and become a septa or a serving girl. Perhaps I'll end up in some castle with good food and a roof on my head teaching some lord's kids or mopping floors or cooking.

Or, you could just be a mysterious, highborn girl with amnesia.

With your extra special, 21st century cleanliness, good teeth, and vitamin enriched, lustrous hair, the gallant Noblemen would be fighting to claim you.

Now, doesn't that make you feel better? :cheers:

[Alexia]

I think the lack of art and artists is actually a really good point. Where are the theater plays, classical musicians, portraits, et cetera? One could almost think that Westeros only has pop songs where bards make fun of the local nobility! The Faith should be coming out with huge pieces of religious art and musical compositions. We hear about puppet shows and mummers, but nobody really seems to patronize it. The only time I recall someone sitting through a performance is Daenerys, and that was naked dancers having sex.

There is also a huge lack of the merchant class in ASOIAF (which is probably why you strange people are resorting to prostitution for survival!). We see bits and pieces but there are no mentions of guilds or anything about these people.

I could easily see Sansa Stark becoming a huge patron of the arts by the end of the story, but Westeros doesn't seem for her to have anything more than pop singers to take under her wing!

[SeanF]

I think the lack of art and artists is actually a really good point. Where are the theater plays, classical musicians, portraits, et cetera? One could almost think that Westeros only has pop songs where bards make fun of the local nobility! The Faith should be coming out with huge pieces of religious art and musical compositions. We hear about puppet shows and mummers, but nobody really seems to patronize it. The only time I recall someone sitting through a performance is Daenerys, and that was naked dancers having sex.

There is also a huge lack of the merchant class in ASOIAF (which is probably why you strange people are resorting to prostitution for survival!). We see bits and pieces but there are no mentions of guilds or anything about these people.

I could easily see Sansa Stark becoming a huge patron of the arts by the end of the story, but Westeros doesn't seem for her to have anything more than pop singers to take under her wing!

Culturally, Westeros doesn't seem very advanced. You might expect rich Lords to collect paintings, sculpture, books, and to enjoy (and perform) classical music, as they certainly did in fourteenth century Western Europe, but there's little sign of that in Westeros. Culture seems to mean listening to a performance of the Bear and the Maiden Fair.

So far as we know, there's no equivalent of Chaucer or Boccaccio or Dante.

Presumably, there's some culture at The Citadel, but that apart, there's no evidence of universites or monastic learning centres.

[Alexia]

Culturally, Westeros doesn't seem very advanced. You might expect rich Lords to collect paintings, sculpture, books, and to enjoy (and perform) classical music, as they certainly did in fourteenth century Western Europe, but there's little sign of that in Westeros. Culture seems to mean listening to a performance of the Bear and the Maiden Fair.

We also meet very few scholars. I would expect Margaery to be writing original translations from High Valyrian of the Seven Pointed Star (or other random books and foreign languages), Tyrion to be spending time not only reading and studying dragonlore but writing essays and books about it, Catelyn to be writing books about how a woman's highest purpose is fulfilled through submission to her husband, et cetera. These are things that were very common pursuits during the Middle Ages -- IIRC, Mary I was doing translations from Latin into English and French when she was still in her teens, Katherine Parr wrote a number of books and essays about femininity, etc. It is like the nobles in Westeros do nothing besides hunt and practice swordsmanship.

[Alexia]

Also, how is religious faith communicated to the masses? The Faith should be coming out with religious art for that reason alone! Halloween, for example, started out as All Saints Day (or became it, but that was the purpose it served) and there were parades with people dressed up as their favorite saint that featured the way that he died (carrying a cross, arrow through costume, etc.). There should be high holidays that have religious art and observances based around them.

[SeanF]

I wonder even how widespread literacy is in Westeros society. Davos doesn't consider it to be necessary to learn how to read until he becomes Hand, and while he was not born to the nobility, the fact that he was a landed knight for many years and saw no need to learn to read would suggest that even a lot of the minor nobility are illiterate.

[Alexia]

Does Lady Dustin say that a lot of the lords are illiterate and maesters are writing for them, and perhaps tweaking their words? But Westeros definitely seems to be in a really bad Dark Ages right now...

What do we see of art and culture in Essos? Besides dancing girls at weddings who get bent over by Dothraki warriors in public, or naked and oiled dancers who have sex as part of the performance? Classical dance or music? Art?

[Roose Seal]

Shameless Gary-Stu self-insert : I would assume leadership of the Brotherhood Without Banners

Realistic approach : If I'm not dead of hunger or mauled by a shadow cat by the time I find my directions to a town/city/castle, I'll probably end up working in a men's brothel (are there such things in Westeros ?)

[SeanF]

Does Lady Dustin say that a lot of the lords are illiterate and maesters are writing for them, and perhaps tweaking their words? But Westeros definitely seems to be in a really bad Dark Ages right now...

What do we see of art and culture in Essos? Besides dancing girls at weddings who get bent over by Dothraki warriors in public, or naked and oiled dancers who have sex as part of the performance? Classical dance or music? Art?

I imagine that Slavers' Bay is a cultural desert. Qarth must at least have a lot of literate people, as it's a hub of international trade. The erotic sculptures on its walls point to the existence of art within the city.

I don't know where the Free Cities stand culturally, but I suspect that Braavos is pretty cultured.

[Hell_Awaits]

Or, you could just be a mysterious, highborn girl with amnesia.

With your extra special, 21st century cleanliness, good teeth, and vitamin enriched, lustrous hair, the gallant Noblemen would be fighting to claim you.

Now, doesn't that make you feel better? :cheers:

Quite actually, and having a strange accent (not westerosi and giving for granted that the common tongue is english) can suggest for a long period of time living outside the seven kingdoms, adding mystery to the story. :laugh:

[Alia of the knife]

Quite actually, and having a strange accent (not westerosi and giving for granted that the common tongue is english) can suggest for a long period of time living outside the seven kingdoms, adding mystery to the story. :laugh:

Yes, you could really work it.

And when you start reading, writing, and doing mathematics, your stock will definitely go up.

Who needs a Maester when you are a girl who can do it all?! ;)

[KingWolf]

I'll prob go to Winterfell to hang out with the people of the North.

[Arkantos]

I'd either try to become a member of the Brotherhood Without Banners or a maester, being a soldier in one of the northern armies is also a possibility (thought not for lords like Roose, maybe Manderly) and I might consider the Night's Watch if it turns out that Jon survived dat little wound.

[Ser Tom]

Shameless Gary-Stu self-insert : I would assume leadership of the Brotherhood Without Banners

Realistic approach : If I'm not dead of hunger or mauled by a shadow cat by the time I find my directions to a town/city/castle, I'll probably end up working in a men's brothel (are there such things in Westeros ?)

Of course, your first client is probably going to be Whoresbane Umber.

[Steel Puppet]

I would:

- Go to King's Landing, make a fashion revolution with my clothes. Meet Tommen and present him with the chocolate. He would be so pleased that he would lend me a fortune.

- Use a part of my money to reach Oldtown, where I would meet with Sam and teach him Special Relativity and Quantum Mechanics :P (assuming it still works over there. I'm a physics student, I can't help it!)

- Then make my way to the Wall, and on my way I'd carve faces on every weirwood I see (using the Swiss army knife of course)... sort of "extending the Old Gods Network". I'd encourage people to grow weirwoods and carve faces on them as well.

- Meet Malisandre at the wall, convince her I'm Azor Ahai by showing her the phone. Tell her that R'hllor wants her to start worshipping the Old Gods and carving faces on weirwoods (further expansion to the Old Gods Network)

- Travel beyond the wall, and meet with the CEO of the Old Gods Net-- I mean the greenseer. Become an employee under him. With the rapidly expanding Old Gods Network he'll become even more powerful. Use visions from weirwoods and our warging abilities to blackmail all the lords and gain their support.

- Build a massive army with the lords' support and defeat the Others.

OK this isn't very realistic... but considering the chances of me suddenly appearing in Westeros, I think it's a pretty sound plan. :P

[Chise]

well, since I have no real useful skills outside of using a keyboard, pen and stapler...

go to nearest town, turn phone on and play an mp3 from it on loudest setting. Attempt dance to the tune.

Try lil dances for a bit, 'till more than passing pigeons and rats pay attention to me then turn the music on again. Continue to do so at intervals for next hour or two (dunno 'bout smarphones, but my DUMB phone has battery life for 8 hours of this torture at least)

Seriously, this outta earn me a few coppers! (which will then be safely kept in bra, dun need pickpockets taking my hard-earned money)

If anyone asks, insist I came from across the seas, am high~ish born and my whole ship crashed horribly & everyone drowned - my general built, silver fingernails, ability to do math & read and crazy colored hair can support in part all that madness. The book does keep pointing out Tyroshi and their love of blue hairdye, and gold and green dyes too... my crazy HotTopic-kid streaked hair gotta lend into that somewhere

My weird clothes outta help with this whole crazy scheme too... my current fav hoodie has painted flames on sleeves, and a picture of a turtle with a flaming rocket strapped to its back, no joke!) Attempt to buy (or steal if prices too high) colorful skirt to help with this entertainment bit

If dancing fails (do possess all the grace of a rabid hippo...) attempt to earn by telling crazy stories. Us 21st century kids watch too much telly, there's gotta be a useful Twilight Zone or LOST episode fit for retelling! (Greek or Norse mythology? Russian folk tales?? topic of Aerosmith song?)

Next stop involves Tommen to gift him with chocolates. Tell him tall-tales involving this magical new food from Sunset Isles and how need to borrow some gold to travel to bring him more!

Get money, get ship, race to da Citadel. Pray to anything that will find info on how to get the frell home from there