One thing I feel people miss about lord of the rings is that itβs sort ofβ¦β¦β¦.post-apocalyptic?
Likeβ the world already ended, a long time ago, and the characters are surrounded by the ruins of dead countries. They spend most of their time journeying through places that are either abandoned (Moria) soon to be abandoned (Rivendell/Lorien) or half-destroyed and falling into decay (Rohan/Gondor.) The villains are creatures that Used to be Human; I feel like Lotrβs orcs/ringwraiths have more in common with zombies than they do with DnD-style orcs, because theyβre a state that βnormalβ people enter when theyβre corrupted by a supernatural force.
Even the Shire is surrounded by ruinsβ the ruins of watchtowers, the ruins of the old Northern Kingdom, the ruined city near the Grey Havens. The people around there have an idiom βwhen the king comes backβ that means the same thing as an idiom like βwhen pigs flyββΒ βwhen a completely ridiculous improbable thing happens.β Theyβre so used to the disintegrated state of the world that the idea of a central government is fairy-tale-like and bizarre. They have their little mayors and thains; they donβt need anything else.
So yeah! I see people try to βmodern-real-world- auβ versions of Hobbiton by making it βa peaceful suburbβ but to me, a modern au version of Hobbiton would be more likeβ¦β¦.
You are a hobbit.
You donβt know much history, but you understand that there were Wars a long time ago that destroyed a great amount of life on earth.
You live in a little hole in the ground. You donβt know that long ago these holes used to be called βbunkers;β you decorate them with flowers.
When you want to say that something wonβt happen, youβll sarcastically say things βlol yeah SURE that will happen! And tomorrow pigs will fly, Parliament will come back into session, there will be a president in the White House, there will be a prime minister making speeches, and diplomats will intercede between all of them! ha! XDβ
If you journey even a little outside of your home, youβll find the ruins of old cities and skyscrapers. There are messages in the ruins that are written in languages you donβt speak. Human beings used to live here; they donβt anymore.
And youβre not supposed to leave the Shire because sometimes youβll meet the things that used to be human, but arenβt anymore.
