Anyway, I think this fandom, or at least the corner I live in, is pretty forgiving where canon-bending is concerned

My corner too, thankfully, because I am prone to such X and Y statements! Most of us on my flist cannot even agree as to what is canon or what should be given the greatest weight, so we tend to be supportive of each other's interpretations and agree to disagree. And I've always thought flame wars on subjects like balrogs and hair color to be rather a silly waste of time anyway.

And, yes, I've friended you too! :)