However, as long as a story or novel appears, IMO, to be well-written, I'll give it a whirl, no matter which character is in the spotlight. though complex multi-character plotlines are always appreciated. (I've endeavored to include as many original characters as well as my own in my fan-fiction, with vital actions for all.)
Perfect way of putting it. Personally, I have never understood -- in any fandom (and I have been involved in more than a half dozen since 1975) -- why someone would like a show enough to be involved in the fandom and read fanfiction (which used to mean buy fanzines), yet limit their reading material by only reading fanfic about certain topics or characters.
I like reading about the WORLD that DS creates, which includes all characters whether i like them or not. Though, I must admit that I have a bit of Barnabas/Julia overload, as between all the copies of WODS I have and all the netfic I have read, the bulk of the stories tend to be B/J.
There are a LOT of underused characters out there, like Stokes. I would LOVE to see some background stories about how he got involved with the paranormal in the first place.
Quentin is also a seriously underused character. Someone knowledgeable in the occult wandering who knows where doing who knows what for 70 years -- and during what is classed as one of the most volatile periods in history -- one would think that story ideas would abound. But, aside from two or three sites with high quality well written stories, and some half written stuff that apparently was never finished there's nothing. <Insert obligatory plug here> Though I have had a novelette and a short novel, both about Quentin and Beth, accepted by Kathy Resch for publication. The novel would probably appeal to some here. Its a redo of "Quentin and Amanda go to Hell -- but Amanda is replaced by the EARLY incarnation of Beth. Remember her, the one with the backbone who made Quentin back down more than once? The one who had her own "I don't understand!" lobotomy courtesy of the writers, and became a one note crying machine.