Grump. The novel-length Harry Potter fanfic I'm reading today (shut up, I have a fever) has Buffy characters stuck in at random, for no good reason. It's jarring as hell to be going along in a nice peaceful fic and then whoomp, Buffy and Spike show up and have a nice chat with Hermione. The hell?

While I'm grousing, this particular fic reminds me that there are two things (okay, a lot more than two, but hush) about fandom that I don't get.

First of all, if you're going to write a novel (or multiple novels) why the hell would you want to do it in someone else's universe? Especially if said universe is one fiercely and jealously guarded by its creator, so there's no chance in hell of ever publishing it outside of teh intarweb? I can see writing in universes where the original authors aren't quite so restrictive -- Darkover and Valdemar both come to mind -- but let's face it, J.K. Rowling is pretty vocal about her dislike for fanfic, so I don't think we're going to see her editing an anthology any time soon.

Secondly, the whole Buffy thing. I don't get it. I just... don't.

Tags: fandom, fanfic, i don't get it., irk!, teh intarweb