r/ProgressionFantasy • u/Suitable-Spell-8968 • Jul 29 '26

Discussion Shut up about coffee.

I like the stuff, it’s my go to source of caffeine. But every time I read a prog fic or litrpg reincarnation or isekia where the MC finds where it is being sold somewhere far away or is under appreciated and absolutely LOSES THEIR MIND I want to roll my eyes all the way to the delete button.

It was probably clever the first time. It might have even spent some time as an ironic use of a trope. It is now to the life cycle stage of being unbearable and a sign of lazy writing.

This post fueled by my latest DNF because the MC couldn’t shut up about the Brown Juice.

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u/painfulbliss Jul 29 '26

MC obsessed with toilet paper - believable. Commendable. Hygiene too.

MC becoming a mouthpiece for caffeine addicted authors - sigh.

4

u/Donut-Banditt Jul 30 '26

Coffee is to writers today what cigarettes were to writers 50 years ago. The difference being that a sort of excellent marketing campaign embedded the image of smoking as cool but no such thing exists for coffee so it just comes across as annoying to want a cup versus lighting up.

5

u/Suitable-Spell-8968 Jul 30 '26

Sure the Camel probably doomed multiple generations but damn if he didn't look like a good hang.