1 Mercutio: Hey Will, I have a great idea for a new fan-fic you should write. A prequel trilogy to one of the greatest stories ever!
2 Mercutio: You start with a young slave boy, who gets caught up in larger events and goes on to become a great warrior for the forces of good.
3 Mercutio: But in a tragic turn of events, his love for a woman ends up causing his fall to the dark side and he becomes the feared tyrant of the original trilogy.
4 Shakespeare: That sounds great!
4 Mercutio: Yeah! We'll finally know the story of Sauron!

So if Tolkien were still alive, and actually did this - wrote a prequel trilogy about Sauron growing up - and introduced a comic relief character who everyone hated, and a romantic plot with tortured dialogue, and so on... would people say that Tolkien had "ruined" The Lord of the Rings and hate him for it?

---

2024-08-30 Rerun commentary: As always, the way to become a respected writer or creator is to die before you finish your work.