I personally like magic, and characters thinking through things. Though I am a sucker for bullshit anime moments. (or laughing at shows with horrid problems. That works too!) I like seeing flashes of sudden brilliance, and I am a sucker for underdog-type characters who get thrown into shit way above their pay grade and they narrowly scrape out a Win.
One thing I dislike with a burning passion is when Gender Bender fics flip a character's body and it's all perfect sunshine and rainbows, and nothing ever goes wrong. Like.... no. I'm a transgirl, being AMAB for me sucks. i abhor looking at myself. My body is a travesty and fucking WRONG. And I just have to live with that shit. Like good fucking luck trying to pass.
But you know what? I'm STILL a woman. I STILL write. I STILL kick ass. The heart of my sapphic transbian fire, is taking that pain, that everpresent suffering, and kicking its dysphoric bullshit dysmorphic normative ASS. The essence of Luna Soltær, the integral fibre of her being, is overcoming what I am and blossoming into who I am.
A work that captures that drive, that intrinsic energy, that flame. THAT is what I crave. I want that gender euphoria hit, I want that validation, but to get that validation I need to see the trials and tribulations. I want that transformation to bleed the character raw. I want it to hurt a bit. Or a lot. I want that phase of self-denial where the character denies themself because how the hell. I want the back and forth, the misery, the challenge, the looming darkness of the world over your trans protag, and that protag going YOU KNOW WHAT SHUT UP and doing the thing anyway. And I want, at the end of the transition, for something to have been lost (even if that thing was time, as in significant numbers of years), but the overall result to be beautiful and worth every last bit.
Until I find that, though, I can always chat with my host about fun magic systems, and exploitations of physics. And metaphysics too. They crave stories about munchkins being munchkins and bullshitting their way through the setting, and you know that? There's a charm to that. I also like sarcasm and snark. Like. Mmm. Give me more of THAT. Banter is amazing, and I'm a bit of a slut for mid-combat dialogue, even though it really isn't realistic.
I know. I like escapism too. I'm not so above it all, like I try to give off the impression I am. Just.... shush. Let me be. (and if you know any super amazing series for when I'm no longer writing as 24/7 let me know)