less than ideal
I currently seem to have a problem writing stories outside of canon.

I think it stems from the fact that I'm currently writing the Wordless 'verse in Supernatural fandom, which is closely canon-oriented, and I'm at the beginning of rewatching Merlin to outline an exclusively canon-oriented Arthur/Merlin fic. As time has gone on, AU stories that simply ignore character deaths like Sirius's or Tonks's or Fred's or Regulus's - sometimes even Remus's, though I think Severus's death may be easily explained away in a sentence or two - seem... too easy for me. It's hard to describe. I mean, I am an angst-oriented writer, so there's that - I like my tragedies and character deaths, thank you very much. I also am a writer who seeks the challenge - unlikely pairings. Making them fit into the canon world is something I like doing: showing the possibility of these pairings' existence is what I have been focusing on for the past year, I think.

That's why I want to follow up my Bill/Tonks(/Charlie) story with a Bill/Tonks/Fleur story, just so I don't completely ignore the Bill/Fleur pairing. That's why I'm having trouble envisioning the ending to my livelongnmarry story (which is Remus/Severus), which is so hideously late, I don't even know anymore. I have a plotbunny for February's daily_deviant, which has grown complicated in my head and therefore I have trouble making the beginning I have down on paper actually work. Likewise for wizard_love and hp_springsmut, though Springsmut would be easiest in the canon context, because I won't have to ignore the character deaths. I just have to fit the pairing into canon, which... is going to be complicated. The ending to WL, though... I'm not sure yet what to do. In the interest of my giftee I will have to ignore canon for that, I think, but would I be satisfied with that?

We'll see how well I can twist things around so I don't ignore preferences, but make the story work for me, too. Am I being selfish with wanting that?