Chestnut NOLA

I'm not talking about being a fusspot about grammar boo boos or warnings I avoid.

I'm talking about why I like to read in fandom and what I look for when reading in fandom.

Canon Elements.

For me that's the whole point. Of course, all fanfiction is AU (Alternative Universe) to some extent to account for a writer's idea or character adjustments to account for a OTP. But, I rarely read what I call Pure AU's (PAU) where canon characters are dropped into a completely different setting or circumstance to canon. I won't say I never read them, since I have read some fantastic PAU's from authors whose work I've enjoyed. But in general, when looking for a story to read in fandom, I want the canon elements of setting and character to be present.

That's the point for me. I love the shows or movies from which I want to read fanfiction.

I want Spock to be Vulcan and on the Enterprise. I want Merlin to have magic and live in Camelot with Prince/King Arthur. I want James Bond to be an MI6 agent. I want Spencer Reid and the BAU catching serial killers. I want Derek Hale to be a werewolf and Stiles to be human.

That's a lot of I wants! And perhaps it sounds like I'm entitled reader, but I would never dictate to a writer what they should write. It's just what I'm looking for when I read in fandom.

I've read some fantastic PAU's in fandom. Mad Lori's Performance in a Leading Role comes to mind or mattmetzger's A Temporary Madness. But in general, a PAU is not what I'm looking for as a reader in fandom. I see PAU's as closely related to original fiction where the setting and world building is completely separate from canon. Where only the character names and perhaps, if the writer has the ability, elements of the canon character's personality comes through.

I've recently fell down the pit of despair (and I mean that only in humor) that is Teen Wolf after years of resisting watching the show. Needless to say, I've been in a real bing on it lately, and I've only found a few stories that have the canon elements I'm looking for. One of which I highly recommend, 

Pale Skin and Fragile Bone by fakinbrilliance

All of the canon elements I love are there. Stiles is human and I see this as special since he's the only human without supernatural abilities in the main cast of characters that make up the show. The setting is in canon with a new supernatural adventure to explore. This story hits all of the canon elements I'm looking for while still being divergent from canon and well written.

I have similar problems to finding stories I want to read in the Merlin (BBC) fandom. There are so many modern PAUs in that fandom, where Merlin is not magical and the past of Camelot is non-existent. That's not to say those stories aren't good or even excellent writing. Its just not what I'm looking for as a reader in the fandom. I want to read in the Canon Era of Merlin and it seems the majority of stories in that fandom are done in a modern setting without any of the canon elements I love. I have found some wonderful reincarnation stories that still have the canon elements I'm looking for as a reader. A wonderful example and an awesome story, I highly recommend is katherynefromphilly's, And like the cycle of the year, we begin again. 

And all these "I Wants" as a reader in fandom, is not to say I would never write a PAU. It could happen, if a plot bunny bit me on the butt hard enough.

But, in general, PAU's are not what I'm looking for when I want to read in fandom.

Best, The Nut