Fiction or Fanfiction

I do not read or write fanfiction of any kind. The reason for this is because certain details of characters are not explained or elaborated on; those details are taken as given because the readers are assumed to be familiar with the material being portrayed.

And that's an extremely dangerous and stupid assumption. In so doing, you already filter out a large percentage of a potential audience. To me, it shows a disregard or lack of care for those who aren't familiar with the universe the fanfiction is alluding to. I find that's just poor form as a writer.

This tends to sadden me quite a lot because I think I've only read one non-fanfiction while here as a result.

That said...if a writer is to write a fanfiction, but also sufficiently describes the characters, creatures, and other particulars of the universe in detail, such that a complete outsider can read and understand the material, then that is acceptable. I personally feel this is how fanfiction should be handled, so as not to exclude a potential audience, intentionally or otherwise.