Due South Workshop

Ahhh, yes. Pre- and post-canon is sort of a different beast. In that case, you're extrapolating, which leaves you on more uncertain ground, but it gives you more leeway, too. And you can absolutely bring Fraser to a place where he'd kick puppies. I guess what I'm saying (and I think you're saying, too) is that in those cases, the writer has to connect the dots more thoroughly for the reader, and then it becomes completely acceptable. But if you're writing mid-canon Fraser and he's kicking a puppy without the writer doing anything to explain that behavior, it's going to come off as very odd. (And of course puppy-kicking is an extreme example, but even, as you say, Fraser refusing to help someone--whether before or during or after canon--is something that's going to really stand out, and you can't just trust the reader to know how you got from point A to point X without illustrating that somehow. IMO.)

Thanks for participating!