question-a-meme

[salinea]

Since I've been friending many new people recently, it might be a good idea to do this meme :

Ask me one fandom-related question in the comments. This can be fandom-specific, general, or about fandom/lj stuff/fic writing/etc. in general. Question can be as wacky as you want. Ask me about characters, fanfic in general, fandom issues/meta, anything about any of my stories specifically. Whatever you want.

Comments

[imadra-blue.livejournal.com]

I like this meme. Hmmm. What sort of traits do you like to see in characters and relationships?

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

hahahah, that's a broad question. I could write several essays in answer :D

In characters
Well, I'm attracted to specific (arche)types of characters definitly, but there's several of them.
I tend to like anti-heros, in the broadest meaning, characters who deconstruct notions of morality. I tend to be pretty fond of some manipulative characters, especially if they're not Evil Overlord types, especially when they appear much more stupid, weaker or cheerful than they truely are. I do love Magnificent Bastards, and Anti-Villains. Highly socialite types are often liked for this reason.

I like badasses characters, especialy roguish badasses, and female ones. Especialy when they're realisticaly fucked up in being so. Although they're not the characters I'm most likely to write about in fanfics (with an exception for the vilain female badasses I guess ^^)

I love smart characters, and nerd-ish characters, and any kind of character that makes you think 'oooh that is so clever!' even when they're vilains (see Littlefinger).

I love righteous characters, when their sense of morality isn't something basic and unthought. When you get a sense of the real stakes that trying to be righteous is, and of wisdom about. I'm especially fond of empathetic and compassionate characters. This often makes me like the token female chicks which is uber-compassionate, the one that most people bash (see Sansa, and a bunch of others). I also love bravery, again, when we get a sense that there's a real sense of price to pay for that courage. (I do have some Gryffindor traits, after all ^^) I love characters who spit up in the face of adversity telling it to bring it on.

I love characters with control issues. Who cannot bear to express themselves, or who are desperate to hide their emotion, regardless of how good they are at it (see Remus and Snape. Oh, and Percy in a different way). I love characters who are intense but in an understated way.

I love characters who have a sense of humour, especially if they're snarky or quirky. I do adore sarcasm.

I love characters who know how to enjoy life, who know how to take the most of the moment, the good with the bad, the joy with the pain. I often like hedonistic characters and kinda over the top flamboyant characters.

I like crazy characters. I will occasionnaly totally love a character who is both very cruel and crazy, like Bellatrix.

I tend to like characters who deflect expectations, subvert types.

Sometimes I like a character, and dislike him for something at the same time. That usually results in me mocking the character systematically. That's usually characters who are sexist jerks with some redeeming feature, but occasionnaly would be characters who do some other kind of idiotic thing (see Zuko).

In general I do have a thing for characters who are underestimated for whatever reason, but do show a great kind of inner strength, and subtle power.

I also love characters who are utterly broken and very angsty and still. go. on. by sheer stubborness.

I love flawed characters.

Oh, and I'm shallow, and I like pretty characters too ^_^

I think that mostly covers it.

[imadra-blue.livejournal.com]

That's very interesting, and it was a really braod question, as I have a long list like that, too, but I really like yours and definitely share a few.

♥

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

In relationships
That's easier to answer. I'm an antagonistic pairing fan. Give me hate/love, redemptive love, corruptive love, friends who betray each others, ennemies forced to work together, rivals, people who fuck with each others' mind, people who snark at each others, people who belong to different sides, hatesex... all go.
I also love relationship where power and control is an issue. Whether that mean dubcon, BDSM, mindfucks.

I also love obsession, especially in one-sided ships.

I love deconstructions of the concept of love. Love as a continuum that ties up to everything. Love as something that's neither good nor bad, that just is.

When I like incestuous pairing - which is rare - it's always in fucked up family where power is an issue and there's good reason for rivalry between siblings.

Occasionnaly I like non antagonistic pairings which are cute or sweet. They're usually fucked up for other reasons, though ^^

I might as well just link up to my kinks / squicks / meh

[imadra-blue.livejournal.com]

I totally get the antagonistic thing--it happens to be an element in almost all my pairings too, at least to some degree, as well obsession and deconstruction of love, etc. I think we match up a bit on that.