This. Bad guys who aren't useless fucking incompetents or huge hypocrites for the sake of making them unlikable are always welcome. It's as if some writers are afraid to write a bad guy the audience might like too much. And please God let's please have a bad guy that sticks to their guns?

But all manipulative characters are welcome, be it the hero, the villain, or the people with their own agenda, which brings to another thing I like:

Characters with their own agenda. Life doesn't have just two sides; there's all sorts of shades of grey and middle grounds. I like characters who win;t let themselves forced into one side or the other but move according to their own wants and needs, like real people.

And detail, I love detail, as long as it's integrated well. Be it the exploration of a previously vague magical department, to the political situation in England (especially this) to fucking characters and their little back-stories or anecdotes. Tiny little things that make the characters more three dimensional and seem to be very rare in fanfiction.

 

Engaging second- or third-tier characters (that had speaking roles in canon); fics that blend seamlessly into canon; epic action scenes that incorporate physicality without degenerating into a list of actual martial art moves; and cliffhangers, because I fuckin' love-

 

Very true, QFT.

This is the very reason why I liked ATLA so very much. Princess Azula was so scarily competent that she makes canon Bellatrix look silly. Indeed, there's nothing better than a Chessmaster who manipulates everyone, including her brother, into playing into her hand. Hell, what Azula did in the season 2 finale should be replicated in more HP stories.

And she's somehow likeable to boot. Even though she's a manipulative bitch, you can't help but admire the finesse and sheer badassery she uses (especially in Season 2) to accomplish her goals. At some points, I was actually cheering on the Fire Nation, which was scary, since aren't they the racist bad guys? ;;;

It's a pity. Jo implies that many of the Death Eaters, especially Crouch Jr and Yaxley, are very manipulative, but we don't get to see a lot of their schemes. They're both minor characters I wanted to see more of.

 

It's fun rooting for the bad guys. Especially since the good guys pretty much always win. Keeps entertainment from getting repetitive.

I'm a fan of stories that include Gray vs Gray Morality, allows me to feel sympathy for both sides and have no clue who will win. That's not to say that the traditional Good vs Evil stories can't be good, they just need to have a more... mythological or religious feel to accommodate the morality spectrum, as Tolkien shows us.

The most important aspect for me to like a story, is probably the world itself. I can ignore weak characterization and dialogue, unless it's really that horrible, if the sheer depth of the world can draw me in. Stories that used half-assed explanations for their stories such as uber-powerful vampires that can one-shot anything, or Harry somehow being the heir of anything that's important, simply ruin it for me. It creates a world that revolves around one person.

 

I've moved past that and back into black and white territory at the moment. There's something pure about a simple conflict between good and evil, and while I still like my villains to be smart, cunning and ruthless in equal measure, I also like their opposite number in the steadfast and honest hero.

The Dresden Files being the obvious exclusion, though it has been leaning towards a traditional good versus evil showdown throughout the course of the series.

 

I enjoy a story with well written action, plenty of fluff between romantic interests (not smut, fluff), and people who don't make romance happen instantly.

SuperPowerful!Voldemort if you can find it. GoodButManipulative!Dumbledore also comes to mind.

Harry/Hermione or Harry/Luna Either of these being the romantic pairing will at least get me to read it.

 

The one thing I'd say brightens my day the most in fanfic is when authors change characters, and I'm not talking about growth over a period of time, but just taking a well known character from canon and giving you something completely different while still managing to keep the important parts intact.

Enigmatic, non-bitter-arsehole Snape? Why Not? A Dumbledore who's more than just a little unhinged, and not just the slightly barmy Headmaster we all know? Hell yeah! Hot Madame Pomfrey? I'll give it a go!

There aren't all that many of these, and that kinda makes me sad.

In second place is good character deaths. I have no idea why I like them, I just do.

FFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-

 

Wut? I'd say Dresden Files was always about good and evil... There was rarely any ambiguity Hell, it's one of the best examples of good vs evil where the evil side is not nerfed,hypocritical or criminally stupid. We all know who's evil, it doesn't stop them from being awesome.

 

You prefer it when characters are OOC without explanation?

 

Action scenes which are resolved not through application of brute force or "pluckiness" but through cleverness and application of skills and knowledge that have been hard won.

A more academic Harry.

Interesting magical systems that don't belittle magic.

A Harry who realises the difference between being a great wizard and a good fighter (essentially, the difference between Dumbledore and Moody).

Fem!Harry. Just 'cause.

Healer!Harry. I've put my justification elsewhere.

 

Love me some character depth, but it seems to be rarer than that unobtanium crap they were looking for in Avatar.

God, this. When a story is not only self-aware enough but well-planned-out enough to tie back into the beginning? Fuck. Yes.

I always get antsy and anxious when I as the reader can see the imminent fuck-up, and that makes me love that story all the more. Stories where indy!Harry mows down the baddies and never makes a mistake - essentially, Steven-Seagal!Harry - just bore me to tears.

Fuck yes. I remember reading some awful story way back when, and the idiot writing it was a big fan of Bobmin. We get a new Minister named after a favorite author as well, and the new Auror guard is named Bob Sunset. What. The. Fuck? Subtlety is a lost art (or rather, was never heard of by these ham-fisted writers.)

Again, subtlety. I don't enjoy being hit over the head with anything, let alone your obvious plot "twists," bitches.

Yep. Planning is a foreign concept to most. You pretty much know a fic is swirling the bowl when the author says, "IDK where this is going LOL!" The exception is, of course, Catharsis.

Oh my fucking god, are you serious? Then again, I saw "WTSMG" in a post by enembee earlier, and had to look it up.

An unhinged character is great to see.

I guess the best part for me is subtlety in the writing. When an author can use misdirection and oh-so-subtle clues and then drop a plot twist on you, that by all rights you should've seen coming? Makes my damn day, right there. Those are rare, and VotN's Concentric Wavelengths did a nice job of kicking my ass with the reveal at the end, even though I knew *something* was happening and had plenty of clues.

Even without the foreshadowing aspect, I really enjoy an unexpected plot twist. Just don't hit me over the head with the bashing and whatnot, please.

 

One thing that I don't see enough in fanfic that I LOVE is teenage!Tom Riddle Jr. at Hogwarts with Harry. I love the interactions with these characters, and we didn't get a lot of teen Tom Riddle in the books. If the author can write Tom well, and have Harry being manipulated into the Dark Arts by Tom, then that makes me a very happy reader.

Also Dark!Harry who is written well - he must be believable enough. I don't want Harry to all of a sudden be itching to Crucio people out of nowhere. There has to be a reason.

I also love well written Bellatrix and Tonks in my fanfics. Especially in interaction with Harry.

 

I like it when authors are able to prevent the Romance from taking over or driving the plot.

And, though it's so very difficult to find fanfics (and books) in which this happens, I love it when a boy and girl are friends and you don't even suspect any hint of attraction (discounting that first moment they meet because when you're reading a fanfic you're always on guard for those boy-meets-girl situations; it's like a reflex - you can't help it) until - BAM! It hits you and then you're like 'Duh'. Afterward, you can look back and see the way the relationship got more developed though you never expected to go off into a romance. This kind of fics don't give you much of a chance to hate the romantic interest of the main character and instead allow you to view and grow to appreciate their personality before they become tainted through the love-sick eyes of the second character. I hate it when an author glorifies a character through the attraction another character feels for him/her. It's the first step toward the making of a Mary/Gary-Sue.

Bonus points for awkwardness and refraining from the usage of the word "lover".

Also, I love me my sociopaths.

 

I like it when the main character bangs heaps of chicks.

 

Got any examples 'cause I've never read a fic like that?

 

None which are HP fics, except for maybe The Santi's HP and the Boy Who Lived fic.

 

Well written Dursleys, it's something only very few fics have. The most fics exaggerate at least one part of their personality.

While I'm at it, correct use of their, there and they're. It say's many things that I, as a german, know how to use it and many with english as their first language don't.

Edit: Well Taure got me, I'm not perfect.

 

Speaking of the English language, I should mention that the plural is formed with the addition of an s without an apostrophe.

 

You know, it sort of makes me think that we should create a basic thread for things like what Taure has just pointed out. :facepalm

 

And when something as drastic as that is required, the situation is far from ideal.