If a player is often buying out of difficulties from a particular aspect, that's probably a sign they actually don't like it.  Someone trying to play a Harry-like character might just enjoy keeping his tongue in check a lot in an actual game, or maybe just prefers blowing Winter to smithereens rather than having deals with them.  When something like that comes up, it is a good idea to sit down with the player, look at those aspects, and figure out what they might be replaced with that he would enjoy.

Negotiation sounds all right, and I'm fine with the intent of the character's aspects.  I love getting him into those types of trouble.  I'm mostly just trying to make sure the aspects function well for that, which is where I run into confusion regarding the metagame compels and especially self-compels regarding same.  (See my last post above.)

In the aspect suggestions that you said did not have a choice, there is still a choice there.  For instance, if someone came looking for Marty, you could hide.

Take this one for example, then:  He could be fairly easily blackmailed since he plays both sides.  If there is a choice involved here, it is definitely on the metagame level.  The player can maybe opt out of being blackmailed, but as the book points out, it's kind of lame just to shoot down some story bits.  The only options I see on the character level still involve his life getting seriously complicated, which is still compel-worthy.  And even on the meta level, the difference between what's a compel and what's just story is hazy at best.

Sorry, I've got more to say, but have to run off to work.

Even going by the rules you can probably retroactively switch out two aspects.  We've hit two milestones.

I was not aware that you just wanted to change aspects though.  Otherwise I would not have spent over an hour coming up with the list up there ^^^.  :/

I used the second milestone's minor benefits to trade out a point of refresh for a new stunt, but I guess I'd have one retroactively.  I still don't see any reason for the limitation, or at least not one that couldn't be solved by a sentence in the book reading something like, "Just don't switch aspects because you decided you suddenly wanted an advantage or an opportunity for a compel."

But no, I don't just want to change aspects at all.  Ideally I'd keep these; your list is ridiculously helpful.  But I still don't understand how the no-character-choice compels function, or even how they'd be defined.

Real quick, before I get to the rest of it:

Plus, you can't really change aspects until we get milestones anyway so it's good to learn to make do.

That's why I asked Ian in a recent email if we could deal with any less-than-stellar aspects by changing them at this point, fairly early on.  I didn't get a response to that part of it, though.

Bluntly, this rule is silly.  If you're playing with, say, four bad aspects that won't generate compels or won't come into play often enough to get invoked, it's ridiculous to make you waste milestone benefits on altering aspects and to wait something like ten sessions to fix everything.  And I do mean "fix."  If your aspects aren't working for you, they're broken.  You are not going to be as involved in the story as you should be, and if you're not involved in the story, you won't be having much fun.  Furthermore, whether or not an aspect works for you can depend very largely on the campaign or on the GM.  Since you're creating your character before the game, these are likely unknowns to an extent.  So in other words, you find that an aspect that would have been fine under different circumstances proves, in play, to be useless, or at least to need altering.  Have fun waiting a few sessions before you can fix it.

Aspects are the lifeblood of this game.  Without them, it's just FUDGE.  If we can't fix what's broken with them when we need to, the game is not firing on all cylinders.  I understand you wouldn't want players altering their aspects whenever it suits them to get an unfair advantage in-game.  A werewolf walks in the room and suddenly you've got the "I Kill Werewolves" aspect.  Avoiding that is good.  But if that sort of thing obviously isn't what you're going for, why is the game stopping you from making the story better?

So I've recently started playing in a game, and am coming to realize I'm not quite happy with my PC's aspects.  I thought I'd start a thread where people with similar problems, or those who don't know which aspects to choose in the first place, can go for advice and ideas.  So the idea is to tighten up everyone's aspects for next session, and to have a list of what everyone's aspects are for each player in addition to the GM.  That way, especially in a group with eight PCs, everyone can keep an eye on potential compels during any given scene, and it gives the players not directly involved in a scene a little influence.

So the character is a  go-to guy for the supernatural and the less-than-legal sets.  If you need something, he knows a guy who can get it.  Here's what I have right now.  Any good ideas for potential compels or what the aspects can be invoked for?  Also, does anything seem too broad or too narrow?

Marty Holbrook

High Concept:
Miami's Shadiest Clued-In Fixer
Invoke:  With the fixer part, I'd say bribery, hobnobbing with the powerful, having access to somebody most wouldn't, coasting on his reputation, convincing someone he can help them out of a jam, finding people to do what he needs done, and so on.  With the clued-in part, it's helpful with making inroads into the supernatural community or helping out with Lore rolls.  With "shadiest," it's good for fitting in with lowlifes.
Compel:  This one's maybe a little tougher.  I see possibilities with the "shady" part of the aspect.  If Marty's trying to actually fit in with high society or with actual decent people, it could be used to get him to come across as slimy.  A more obvious route is with people coming to him for help making bad things go away.  "I heard you can make the ghosts go away," that sort of thing.  The aspect implies a certain level of infamy, as well.  So perhaps a compel when someone too violent or powerful for Marty to handle comes calling, wanting a favor?

Those last couple bring up a question I have about aspects.  The book suggests, in the "GM-driven compels" section on YS101-102, that sometimes there will be plot complication compels that don't really involve character choices.  The example given is that the PC's brother shows up beaten and bloody on the PC's doorstep.  Being a compel, there is a PLAYER choice involved--the example has the player spend a fate point to avoid the compel and call an ambulance to go deal with more pressing matters.  But how often does a situation like this crop up in someone's game not in the form of a compel?  Dramatic things happen constantly in games, and I'd think it would feel strange to present them in the form of compels.  In other words, I'm not quite understanding how one would utilize compels that don't involve character choice.  Here's a fate point to get your character to do something appropriately stupid makes sense, but here's a fate point for something to happen TO you doesn't to me.  Anybody have experience doing things this way?  And if so, how do you distinguish between compels of this sort and story-driven drama at the table?

Trouble:
A Vodoun Blackmailer Has My Number
I haven't worked out the details I really need to, but Marty knows his blackmailer is knee-deep in voodoo, but doesn't know who it is.  The idea is that this corrupts him.  He has a shady side job, but works with an ostensibly beneficial organization righting supernatural wrongs in the city.  Meanwhile, his blackmailer occasionally wants favors and sometimes these favors conflict with what Marty's trying to get done.
Invoke:  Help with being two-faced?  Certainly help with trying to figure out who's blackmailing him.  Good for dealing with stress?
Compel:  To have Marty work at cross-purposes to anything good he's trying to do, but this only really works if Marty has demands from his blackmailer.  If I'm going to keep this aspect approximately as-is, I'll have to make these needs very explicit to the GM.
I've considered replacing this one with a trouble aspect that is more personality-based and less situational, and that will come up more often.  "I'm Smart, But My Mouth's Smarter" below might qualify, as would "I Got This."

Other Aspects:
Surely We Can Talk About This
Invoke:  Pretty versatile.  Getting him out of trouble when guns show up, when horrible supernatural beasties show up, or when his mom shows up.  He's good at talking, and not so good with the fighting.
Compel:  Good for getting him to try talking when he really should be running or shooting or screaming or maybe all three.  This one came up last session when I self-compelled to try and talk to the hollowed-out animated skin of a former client.  Also good for making a nuisance of himself when he's tried talking and failed or has been thoroughly dismissed.

I Know A Guy.  With Horns.
This was intended to illustrate Marty's contacts across a wide spectrum, but especially regarding the supernatural.
Invoke:  Dealing with the supernatural, knowing someone who knows something about the weird, being unfazed in the face of paranormal craziness or being prepared for supernatural capabilities or troubles.
Compel:  I though about Marty's infamy making him a sort of supernatural shitstorm magnet, but that runs into the problem I outlined above.  There isn't much character choice involved.  This is the aspect I'm having the most trouble with.  Any suggestions for compels?  Or for an improved aspect?

I'm Smart, But My Mouth's Smarter
Invoke:  Getting someone's goat, getting noticed in a social setting, seduction, winning friends and influencing people.
Compel:  The troublesome side of this one's pretty obvious.  Saying a smart-assed thing when he really shouldn't.  Angering the influential.  Getting punched in a bar for some snide quip.  Failing to win friends and influence people.

The Authorities Like Me
Invoke:  Dealing with the police or the feds, mostly.  Getting bribes into the right hands and keeping them out of the ones that might take it the wrong way.  Avoiding red tape.  Maybe awareness of police procedure?  Contact rolls within departments.
Compel:  My idea for the negative side was a different interpretation of the words.  "Detective Mills, you like Marty Holbrook for the perp on this kidnapping job?"  "Oh, you bet I do."  But that runs into the same problems above.  There's not really much choice involved.  It's just the authorities coming after Marty.  Ways to avoid that problem might include compelling to get him to voluntarily interact with cops he really shouldn't, confident he'll be fine.  Hey there, Detective Mills!  "Hi.  Uhh, is that blood on your shoe, Holbrook?"  But this aspect could use some serious tightening up.

I Got This
Marty's cocky.
Invoke:  Dealing with situations where he finds himself in over his head or when he finds himself acting alone, confident he can handle it.
Compel:  Overconfidence takes its toll.  Going it alone when he should ask for help.  Taking aim at some horrible monstrosity when he should really be running.
Also, I Got This could make a nice replacement Trouble aspect.

Anyone with similar aspect trouble feel free to post here.  And any help would be mighty appreciated.

Things I learned today:

1)  Mr. T shits diamonds.

Hey yall, thanks for understanding as i bailed to watch the superbowl today. Jen (my wife) and I are both football fans and have been waiting for today and we had a blast watching it together. Next time yall are over, she perfected a TON of finger foods and she said if i was nice she would make it next time we played at my pad.

No problem.  I think everybody realizes we're the outliers when it comes to giving a shit about the Super Bowl.  But you missed some fun.  I'll try and have a recap up in the next few days.

It's not Dresden Files specific, but a game designer named Adam Jury compiled a very short version of the FATE rules here.  It's in the form of a two-page (!) PDF.