How Much Shorter Would It Be, If They Had Guns?

[Elegiac]

It's Friday, let's play a little game.

If you could insert exactly one firearm into a fictional universe that doesn't already have them (book, play, movie, video game, have it); which universe would it be, and to which character would you give the gun?

[Levelfive]

Gollum.

/10 chars

[Mister K]

Tyrion from Game of Thrones for the responsibility. Ramsey for the lulz.

[Coolthulhu]

The Arthurian cycle would be pretty funny.

[Tuor]

I would equip Minas Tirith with these

[Elegiac]

Loving these. For my part, I would give Harry Potter the only gun in the wizarding world.

[Laughingjack]

Loving these. For my part, I would give Harry Potter the only gun in the wizarding world.

I actually find harry potter weird for that. It has guns in its universe but for reasons they never explain no one in the wizardry world uses them when they are shown to be far more effective for combat then most spells.

[Milchshake]

Lets get real meta!

What if... ASoIaF fans had the guns?
"Finish the book George!"

Or what if his editor had a gun?
"If you write Nuncle one more time..."

[XDurionX]

The Arthurian cycle would be pretty funny.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Conn...thur%27s_Court

This is a thing.

[Jonnusthegreat]

Tyrion from Game of Thrones for the responsibility. Ramsey for the lulz.

I can't even imagine Chef Gordon Ramsay with a gun. Undercook your chicken and you're fucking DONE.

[Elegiac]

Lets get real meta!

What if... ASoIaF fans had the guns?
"Finish the book George!"

Or what if his editor had a gun?
"If you write Nuncle one more time..."

There are only two such viable targets in reference to the ASOIAF franchise and neither of them are George RR Martin.

Let's just refer to them as Dumb and Dumber. You could say they kind of forgot how to write a show.

[Shadowferal]

I actually find harry potter weird for that. It has guns in its universe but for reasons they never explain no one in the wizardry world uses them when they are shown to be far more effective for combat then most spells.

Magic has more utility.
And a single gunshot isn't always fatal and can be armored against.
Whereas that death curse is typically fatal.

[Milchshake]

There are only two such viable targets in reference to the ASOIAF franchise and neither of them are George RR Martin.

Let's just refer to them as Dumb and Dumber. You could say they kind of forgot how to write a show.

I can just see the spittle running down your chin.

[Elegiac]

I can just see the spittle running down your chin.

You could say that I kind of forgot how to have a measured response to malarkey.

[Queen of Hamsters]

The Dark Crystal, I'd shower high caliber guns over the resistance.

I actually find harry potter weird for that. It has guns in its universe but for reasons they never explain no one in the wizardry world uses them when they are shown to be far more effective for combat then most spells.

I always saw it as the Wizarding world being full of itself. They won't share their knowledge with humans, and they won't use what humans invent.

[Elegiac]

I always saw it as the Wizarding world being full of itself. They won't share their knowledge with humans, and they won't use what humans invent.

From a narrative standpoint, yeah.

From a meta standpoint it's just a function of JK not thinking very hard about her setting besides the window dressing.

So why not let Harry have a gun?

[Coolthulhu]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Conn...thur%27s_Court

This is a thing.

Cool. Didn't know about that one.

[Thekri]

Tyrion from Game of Thrones for the responsibility. Ramsey for the lulz.

The issue with this is that in ASoIaF, crossbows are "Functional Guns". Basically the amount of firepower in a given universe remains constant to the era of the writer, regardless of the level of technology. So a gallic horde advancing across an open field against a Roman legion will take approximately the same number of casualties over the same time and distance as a Confederate Brigade doing the same thing against a Union battle line, or an American Rifle company against a Nazi platoon, or a unit of Star Wars rebels against the blasters of an imperial fortress. The scale and effect will vary based on the message the author is trying to send, not the technology involved. This is why you see entire units die to a single volley of arrows in Spartacus, while AT-ATs and modern MBTs will struggle to deal with a handful of plucky heroes in the open.

Explosions are an even funnier example of this, as all movie weapons produce the exact same blast radius, which is coincidentally exactly the size of the largest black powder theater charge that unions allow them to use around live actors. So Trebuchets through Ion Cannons all make a burst of smoke and fire about 8 foot tall and 4 foot in diameter.

So I guess the question in this scenario, is what could Tyrion do with a gun that he couldn't do with a crossbow? What time was he actually constrained by the legality of his available ranged weapon options?

[Machismo]

Castaway.

On a side note, it appears I have a true fan from a burner account. How do I tell him that I'm not looking for anything serious at the moment?

[Milchshake]

You could say that I kind of forgot how to have a measured response to malarkey.

It's Friday! I got carried away

Back on Topic.

'Catcher in the Rye' would have been way better if Holden had a gun. As a MAGA teen, he shoots his own nuts off on accident.