Well, to be fair, the author of the essay wasn't talking about Snupin; it seemed like she was more interested in fanfic based on tv shows. And yeah, we Snupin fans tolerate a heck of a lot! ;) But after all, since the canon story is set in a magical universe, we have a lot more freedom than someone writing for a fandom in a more realistic setting. And I guess we Snupin fans have to have a high tolerance for non-canon stuff since our pairing isn't canon to begin with.
It wasn't so much that the essay bugged me, but it got me thinking about all the great Snupin family stories I've read. It almost seemed like a sub-genre, but maybe they just stand out for me because I like that kind of story. As I said, the quality of Snupin writing seems to be pretty high, so maybe it's just that a writer can make any plot work if they're talented enough.