something growly, something cheery

Not a new fanfic pet peeve, an old one, but I was reminded of it the other day when hunting for M or Eve focused stories and finding nothing but Q - there are few things I abhorr more than people writing in fandoms where they're not familiar with the source. And just go by other people's fanfic or not even that, just the photos of pretty actors as inspiration. I LOATHE IT. I guess I should be grateful if people tag their stories to indicate they haven't seen the movie/haven't read the book/haven't watched the tv show, because that ensures I can stay the hell away from their stories, but I'm growling like a werewolf mid transformation whenever I read a tag or summary like that anyway.

Don't get me wrong: yes, I've occasionally read fanfic where I wasn't familiar with the source. Usually via a crossover where I knew about one of the fandoms but not the other and was curious enough to check out the story anyway; rarely, but it did happen, in cases where I liked the author via other stories so much and the summary made me think I might be able to follow the story despite not knowing the source. But that's reading. Writing is different. If you don't know the canon, how can I trust you as a reader to get the characters even remotely right?

That was your frustrated rant for the day. Meanwhile, on more fun news, we got a Doctor Who minisode and a trailer for the Christmas special. ( Spoilery thoughts ensue. )