Race in fantasy is treated differently depend on whether it takes place on modern Earth (e.g., Harry Potter, Black Panther) or on a secondary world (e.g. Lord of the Rings). Fantasy on modern Earth must reflect existing racial dynamics. Fantasy on secondary worlds does not. 1/5 Races in secondary worlds are often distinguished by features like eyes, height, ear shape, beards, feet - not skin color. So you can have two members of the same fantasy race with different skin colors since skin color is not how beings are racialized on secondary worlds. 2/5

Is lore important in adapting a book? Depends on whether the lore is central to the narrative. Daenerys Targaryen has purple eyes in the lore but not in HBO’s Game of Thrones adaptation. This change was of little consequence as it didn’t affect the plot or characterization. 1/5 Likewise, the skin color of Tolkien’s elves, dwarves, and hobbits in Amazon’s Rings of Power has no bearing on plot or distinction of races, and so the show need not be limited to white actors. Black or white, no one is confused about which characters are dwarves or elves. 2/5

“Fan-baiting” is a form of marketing used by producers, film studios, and actors, with the intent of exciting artificial controversy, garnering publicity, and explaining away the negative reviews of a new and often highly anticipated production. 1/10 Fan-baiting emerged as a marketing strategy in 2016/17, after fans of beloved franchises such as Ghostbusters and Star Wars objected to what they saw as poor writing choices, sloppy scripts, and cheap alterations to plot lines and characters for the sake of shock value. 2/10