Quantum physics Multiple Universes...no LOTR

[Morsul the Dark]

Quantum Physics has a theory that states for every decision made a new unverse is created for every possible conciquence(sp?) so what if during WWI our good Proffesor died...sad thought really.... What would you do having never heard of LOTR how would your life have been changed. I know that I would have failed English First quarter because beowulf interested me only because of LOTR refrences to it and Italian and chemistry I did projects about LOTR and I know I wouldnt have found something quite as good as it I may have latched onto HP buyt how would the lack of LOTR affect the writing of this tale would it have been as good as well?

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

I would be living a life of debauchery.


*ahem...*

[InklingElf]

Shadows and dust! Shadows and dust!

[Elennar Starfire]

I would likely be a silly female who cares only about clothes, makeup, and hot guys...

[The Perky Ent]

Hmm...well, for one, my typing wouldn't be as fast. For that matter, my writing wouldn't be as good. I'd read a lot of books. I'd play a lot more video games, and have a less rotted mind

[Morsul the Dark]

I do suppose I only asked for personal effects...butr what about the greater picture

the millions of fans the writers inspired by it the writers that make refrences to it...I ask you how much of our world formed from tolkein's work what would be the butterfly effect of it all? (Im refering to an older story(which i cant remember right now) by the way not the movie hated the movie Ashton cant act but anyway)

would D&D be so popular would RPGs be as fun would literature be what it is would movies be the same heck would our language be the same?

[Lhunardawen]

I'd be addicted to another book instead. And join another forum dedicated to the book.

[dancing spawn of ungoliant]

Without LotR...hmmm. We all would be still alive? No, seriously, the movies, for example, have brought certain companies lots of money, people arrange lotr weddings, some schools offer courses of elvish and we have an opponent for Harry Potter. But I don't think that the lack of the beloved trilogy would bring up any owerflowing difficulties to people's normal life. *dodges flying objects coming from die hard fans' general direction*

[Morai]

Orlando Bloom might not have been as famous. Elijah Wood would (PUN!) never have to worry about being called "Frodo", "Mr. Baggins" etc.

The Fantasy sub culture probably wouldn't be flourishing like it is now. (And what a sad thing that would be.)

Oh yes, people would still think of elves as really short people that make shoes and help Santa make toys.

[Morsul the Dark]

Originally Posted by dancing spawn of ungoliant

Without LotR...hmmm. We all would be still alive?

would we be? has anyone's parents met during a lotr convention? I wonder....

I would be playoing alot of videogames right now if it werent for lotr

[Lady Snickerdoodle]

I wouldn't be interested in writing and I wouldn't be absolutely determined to become a director as soon as possible in order to film MY take on the story. Also I'd probably be really boring. I mean, being obsessed is what I'm known for at school... But on the other hand I would probably have a much more relaxing summer, instead of learning elvish and rereading all the books instead of the required summer reading.

[InklingElf]

OK I was a bit panicky on my first post...I shall improve.

If Tolkien's fantasy had never existed it would indeed affect the literary world in a major way. During his time more of realistic fiction and authors like Virginia Woolf were more popular--and fantasy writing was nearly out of the question (OK maybe I'm overreacting)! In fact the style of writing during his time more revolved on character development -- in The Lord of the Rings it is more "plotty" per say. The characters he developed were more of "stereotypes" (or "archetypes" if you don't agree with that identification). Tolkien was focused on Medieval literature--it was unique.

If he hadn't published his volumunous prose perhaps we would still be stuck writing in more realistic points of views.

At the present RPGs won't be so popular and the fantasy genre would not have flourished as much--there would be less shelves dedicated to that genre in the bookstore.

On a more personal level...I would be a narrow-minded, practical, reader who's only purpose in the world is to find the perfect flat-billed Platypus egg in Tasmania.

[Elennar Starfire]

and we have an opponent for Harry Potter.

*coughcoughHPsaripoffcoughcough*

There would be many people with much smaller vocabularies.

[Saraphim]

No Tolkien?

Horrifying as it is to wrap my mind around, I will remark on it.

If nothing else, Saraphim, do it for the post count.

Alright. I will.

If Tolkien had died, or otherwise not written LotR, I don't think life would be the same. For one thing, he totally revolutionized fantasy, and even people who have never read the books or seen the movies have most likely been influenced in some way. Tolkien has wormed himself into society, and life is better for it!

On a personal level, I wouldn't have been born! My mom's boyfriend gave her The Hobbit to read, and she didn't because she thought it was childish, broke up with him, and went out with someone else, who happened to be my future father.

(Thirteen years later I discovered the offending masterpiece in the garage. I've since made my mom read it. Irony is the spice of life!)

[Lhunardawen]

Originally Posted by Morai

Oh yes, people would still think of elves as really short people that make shoes and help Santa make toys.

Indeed! People would still be stuck with the elf as Shakespeare described it...and the notion of the originally tall, pretty elves would go into the dust and be buried by the heaping piles of stories that talk about elves as minute beings.

Another thing, the list of geek indicators would sufficiently dwindle.

Saraphim, has your mother read The Hobbit yet? What does she have to say about it now?

[Encaitare]

I'd probably be slightly more normal.

Actually, I'd probably be a pothead or something, because LotR is my drug. I mean, anti-drug. I mean... oh, whatever.

But since Prof. Tolkien did a decent amount of work on Middle-earth before and during the war, perhaps Christopher Tolkien would have taken the project over from there? (Granted, ME would not be at all the same, of course.) It's a stretch, but a possibility.

[Meela]

God, what do you people have against Harry Potter?! You never let it go!

I'd probably be obsessed with Harry Potter only. I never obsessed over any fantasy or books other than Lotr and HP. And my walls would lack posters. And I'd spend next to no time on the net.

And yes, the elves would still be the little creatures with spiky hair and not those tall, gangly things that walk like they're catwalk material. I happen to be pro-micro on the elves issue.

Gosh, the internet minus 6 million Lotr sites and actor appreciation sites... I wonder what would be there instead. We would all be discussing ShadowPlains, or The Light of the Dragon Crystal, or some other fantasy epic. I'd be Tyran Nosebleeder (?), the Dark Elf from the Obsidian Coast. I'll stop there, I'm really getting into this...

[Hookbill the Goomba]

I might have had a social life, perish the thought!!

I would still hate Harry Potter as its EVIL! Its portrays Evil as good! Since when have sorcerers been good? Does not the Bible say that "a sorcerer must die!"? Besides, The 'Wizards' in Lotr were Mara, nothing to do with sorcery.* In fact, I'm ashamed to admit it, but it was my hatred of Harry Potter that led me to Tolkien.


*(See other posts in other topics for fuller and more comprehensible argument, I realise this is a little presumptuous, but bear with me. I think this was one of my first Downs posts so its bound to be rubbish )

[Lady Snickerdoodle]

I would still hate Harry Potter as its EVIL! Its portrays Evil as good! Since when have sorcerers been good? Does not the Bible say that "a sorcerer must die!"?

is anything truly evil? besides Sauron I mean? i suppose evil depends on one's definition of the concept.

[Elennar Starfire]

I would still hate Harry Potter as its EVIL! Its portrays Evil as good! Since when have sorcerers been good? Does not the Bible say that "a sorcerer must die!"?

Well, I would disagree with that...I consider sorcery just another form of power, and power itself is neither evil or good, the user of the power determines that. And couldn't Gandalf be considered a 'sorcerer'? Lets see...Gandalf is a 'wizard'...Thesaurus, thesaurus...Ah, here we go! Wizard: magician, sorcerer, conjurer, enchanter...

Of course, you are welcome to your own opinion.

[Maeggaladiel]

There would be no point in living... Oh wait, Pirates of the Carribbean would still be around, so I guess I could survive.

I probably would have no reason to laugh every time I said the name Viggo... because I would have no reason to have ever heard the name Viggo... Or Sean Bean... Or Elijah Wood... or Agent ELrond... Oh... my... god... A world without Lord of the Rings? Oh no, not again! I'm starting to hyperventilate... Calm down, it's just a thread, Maeg.. .Oh no, without Tolkein I wouldn't be Maeggaladiel! NO HOT ELVES! (Oh my Eru, did I just SAY that?!?) NO BOROMIR! NO CRAZY CAPTIONS! NO TURNING DOWN THE SOUND AND MAKING UP NEW WORDS! OH, THE HUMANITY!!! MAKE IT STOP!!

*Cough Cough* *Wheeze* Calm down, be cool, breeeeaaaathe. Okay...

Morsul the Dark, you're paying for my next counseling session. I was almost mentally sane again until you brought this up.

*Crawls into a corner in fetal postion and cries*

Maeg
Okay, I can still call myself Maeg, so that means Tolkien must still exist. Heh heh, yeah. Both feet in reality, now, Maeg.

[Sapphire_Flame]

Oh yes, people would still think of elves as really short people that make shoes and help Santa make toys.

And cookies.

what do you people have against Harry Potter?! You never let it go!

I'm with you on this one, Meela. Can't we all just get along?

A world without LotR would be a very terrifying place indeed. Most fantasy books might never have been written without it. Imagine: no Wizard of Earthsea. No Shanarra. No Sword of Truth. No Harry Potter. I may very well have shrivelled up and died. Or I would be some creepy little goth, sitting in the corner reading Stephen King books.

Who knows what the impact on the rest of literature would be. A great deal of sci-fi may not have been written. And it keeps on spreading...

Abedithon le,

~ Saphy ~

[InklingElf]

Our points of views regarding Miss Rowling's Potter are not even beside the question posed my Morsul. While I agree very much with Goomba's views let us ALL refrain from imposing further opinionated statements pertaining Harry Potter. Many respects.

[Encaitare]

Thanks for saying what I was just about to post, InklingElf. The HP series are books. They're not evil. Maybe nasty little LotR attention-stealers, but not evil. (Actually I like HP, so whatever.) But if there was no LotR, there also would be a lack of a lot of good music, such as the composings of Howard Shore, Blind Guardian's Nightfall in Middle Earth, and surely the musical stylings of a certain band would be drastically different, if existent at all, and this band is... Nightwish.

Now, where's Evisse?

[Elennar Starfire]

However, if anyone wants to debate whether or not HP is evil, I'm always game for a good PM discussion!

Now, back to the topic!

[Orominuialwen]

If it weren't for LotR, I probably wouldn't have ever met most of my friends. I'd hardly ever go online, and I'd be even worse at typing than I am now. I probably wouldn't be interested in sewing and costuming like I am, and I would have less incentive to practice my violin, without Howrd Shore's wonderful music to play.

[alatar]

Could be hallucinating, but think that someone once said something like if the gorilla did not exist, then surely we would have created it.

Guessing that if Professor Tolkien did not create Middle Earth, then someone would have filled the void with something similar - not an exact copy, yet satisfying the same need for a British fantasy mythology. Maybe elves would have been little creatures and goblins more friendly - dunno.

Something that I found scary it that (I think, again relying on a sub-par memory) Strider could have been named "Trotter." If that's how the final version went out, we would never have thought of Aragorn any other way. A major change for us now, but not enough to affect the timeline. You'd be as geeked out about Viggo being Trotter as you may have been when he was Strider.

So, anyway, the change in timelines is too far back for me to accurately see the consequences, but would guess that most of us would be here, now, discussing The Emperor of the Ring.

[Bergil]

I would still hate Harry Potter as its EVIL! Its portrays Evil as good! Since when have sorcerers been good? Does not the Bible say that "a sorcerer must die!"? Besides, The 'Wizards' in Lotr were Mara, nothing to do with sorcery.
In fact, I'm ashamed to admit it, but it was my hatred of Harry Potter that led me to Tolkien.

<edited out, let's just say I made a rebuttal.>

Back on topic, I could always fall back to "Wheel Of Time" (if it existed, I don't know much about these zen things)

[Hookbill the Goomba]

I don't think this is the place to start this discussion, Bergil.
There are other topics on the downs where such comments would be appropriate, but my post was a shorter and watered down version of my later arguments. Look elsewhere for not only my, but other people's opinions on this topic. It's not nice to discriminate against someone just because you disagree with his or her opinion.
(see the end line of this post.)

is not only absurd to say that an ability can change someone's morals

Although, I think it’s fitting to say this, "Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely."

************************************************** ***************

But back to the topic.

In a world that is Lord of the Rings less, I suppose the biggest change would be my group of friends, how I spend my time (i.e. not looking around the downs endlessly) and other random things. I think I'd be some mainstreamer.

[Gothmog]

Encaitare:

and surely the musical stylings of a certain band would be drastically different, if existent at all, and this band is... Nightwish.

And what would we do without such a band as Nightwish? The world would be something less than it is.

Parallel universes doesn't have to mean LotR wasn't written, maybe it's written but differently in some other universe. Trotter-Strider for example. Think about it: there's a million things that could have been changed but we would still think the version we read was the best. Imagine a world with LotS, Lord of the Shoes. A dark lord who makes a shoe and filles it with his evil. When people wear the shoe, they can fly. But the shoe has it's own will and can slip off the foot of unwary users, making them tumble towards the ground 100 meters down...

Or what if Tolkien was a big fan of African myths and legends instead of nordic. Would the wizard known as Gandalf have a name like N'gmbuto or something?

Or what if...(repeated for all eternity....)

Every little choice we make leads to a different future. One minute late to school and you never meet that special girl, who would have been your future wife and 3 beautiful kids are never born. This sort of incidents gives us infinite number of parallel possibilities.

If one electron happened to collide with a certain atom in a certain plant at a certain time, we would be looking for three-leaf clover right now, ignoring all those four-leaf clovers (Douglas Adams anyone?). Think of all things that could have made Tolkien write a different story! And maybe he has. The truth is out there...

One thing is for sure: Didn't LotR exist, the Downs wouldn't exist, I wouldn't be sitting here instead of studying and the rest of the week would be much less stressful

[THE Ka]

I would be without a wonderful social life... What would we be talking about on the barrowdowns instead? Quantum Physics of fingerpuppets?

~ Aesthete