I'm very canon-focused in my fannishness too, but when I find a fandom that inspires me to write fic, I'm comfortable straying very far from canon. I've never been much for filling in the gaps - I'd rather take the story in another direction entirely. *g*

I guess I alternate between high concept AUs and domestic, character studies. In Smallville I wrote a story about Lex and Clark eating pie, but I also wrote a story about Lex finding religion and disassembling the universe. I think the main reason I don't write a lot of slash, is that I don't write a lot of romance, period.

Do you tend to stick to fic that reads as an extension of canon?