That was really interesting, particularly your distinction between "contrivance" fic and "design" fic.

I'm a fan of contrivance fic in general, I suppose. Hackneyed almost never bothers me if it's done with flair, the characters thrown together in the contrivance are being properly irritable, depressed, charming, or however they normally act, and enough details of the contrivance plot are given that it takes care of basic suspension of disbelief. (Often a well-chosen, careful few details work better than too much explanation, so that one avoids getting mired in the improbability of it all. Especially if the fic is short.)

I think what I like best about contrivance is watching the characters fight themselves. I love it when they're made to do something they can't stand, then have to cope with both the fact that a) they did it and b) some of their dark psychological underbelly has been quite mercilessly exposed in the process.