Policy on Fans and Fanworks of Amazon's "Rings of Power" Series

The online Tolkien fanworks community has represented the coexistence of book and media fandoms since its popularization in 2001. As a site specializing in The Silmarillion, the SWG has been minimally impacted by the two film trilogies that have dominated other areas of the fandom. However, since the Amazon television series The Rings of Power concerns areas of the legendarium that are permitted on the SWG site, it is likely that this series will impact our group to a greater extent. As such, we want to lay out clearly the SWG's policies around the forthcoming show, its fans, and how show content should be handled on our site.

Rings of Power Fans

Tolkien-based fanworks have, at multiple points in their history, been largely driven by the participation of fans introduced to Tolkien or energized by the films produced by Peter Jackson and his creative team. At the same time, film fans have often been treated with derision and disrespect, and sometimes outright excluded from fannish spaces.

The SWG continues to affirm the value of all Tolkien fans and their right to participate in fandom, including making fanworks. We acknowledge that fans brought to Tolkien or to the fandom by the films have enriched the fandom in a variety of ways. We continue to welcome all Silmarillion fans to participate on our website and affiliated social media, including fans who are just beginning to engage with this part of the legendarium and fans interested in Tolkien due to the films, show, or other media products.

Under no circumstances will disparagement of fans, including fans not on the SWG, be tolerated in our spaces due to their interest in Tolkien-based media adaptations, including the Rings of Power show, or due to a lack of knowledge of the legendarium.

At the same time, we remind Rings of Power fans to keep in mind that we are a group that originated to discuss and make fanworks about The Silmarillion and related works. Not all members of our group will be interested in media adaptations such as the Rings of Power show. Discussions of the show should be limited to public areas provided for that purpose, which is currently the #tv channel on the SWG's Discord server, and on fanworks about or based on the show.

Rings of Power Fanworks

As noted above, we are a community and archive that exists for producing and discussing fanworks about The Silmarillion and related works. Because The Rings of Power is based off of appendix material from The Lord of the Rings, it is not considered a related work, and fanworks based solely on the Rings of Power are not eligible for our site (unless the creator has posted enough Silmarillion-based fanworks to be eligible to post in our Beyond the Silmarillion archive).

However, the SWG has always welcomed crossovers. Fanworks based on The Silmarillion or related works that use elements of The Rings of Power are permissible but should be marked as "Crossover" in the Genre field.

Amazon and Human Rights

Amazon has been found in violation of human rights, including the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, as documented by Amnesty International. The SWG is committed to not lending support to Amazon or the new Rings of Power show through any official activities that suggest support of the show or aim to expand its audience. We stand in solidarity with Amazon workers and their allies as they fight for better and more just working conditions.

However, we also recognize that participation in any capitalist system requires selecting from an imperfect slate of choices. Unfortunately, we all make purchase decisions that generate a negative impact on our fellow humans and the environment. Criticizing the purchase or consumption choices of individual fans is rarely productive and creates the kind of hostile culture that we have worked to avoid on the SWG.

As such, while we support boycotts and other activism against the Amazon and the Rings of Power show, activities or efforts aimed at making fans feel guilty about their choice to watch and participate in fandom around the show are not acceptable here. Discussion of problems with Amazon should not be directed at individual SWG members (including through comments on fanworks or private messages), and group discussions of these topics should not occur in spaces specifically set aside for show fans to discuss The Rings of Power, such as the the #tv channel on the SWG Discord. Discussion about social and economic justice issues in other spaces remains acceptable.