Letters And Numbers:
Both of these for me. If a story is going to be completely unrealistic, it might as well be magic or sci-fi or something that is fun or has a sense of humor (or a sense of horror? I like horror stories, too).
For me personally, I like a dynamic where there is a public side and a private side to the character who’s gaining, so you can have some public uneasiness or embarrassment but in private those emotions can be flipped and embraced. It sets up a character arc sometimes.
Highly agree, as the suspension of disbelief can only go so far, as long as the escalation is worth it. The story has to have some form of grounding for the reader to be drawn in and keep around enough, even, (or in some cases especially), in sci-fi/fantasy imho.
So for me, the bonds the characters make are a huge component of storytelling, and WG fiction is no different, just with more emphasis on describing individuals, whose stories often revolve around gaining weight and how that makes them feel. Audiences tend to enjoy a positive outlook on gaining, (though a solid niche is made from character suffrage as a form of punishment), to coincide with the euphoria of reading these stories.
So emotional cores of encouragement, acceptance, self-acceptance, and being able to see the beauty that lies on the outside and inside are hallmarks of, for me, great stories to read through. The kind of growth emotionally to play parallel with the external helps stories come full circle and leave me with something more after reading.
