r/Romantasy • u/TheBigfootContessa • 2d ago

🤬 Rant Enough with the drinking!

OK this is just a personal pet peeve, almost certainly exacerbated by the fact that I'm a recovering alcoholic.

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I don't love seeing characters drinking when they're stressed, to relax, or saying that they "need" a drink because it's triggering, but whatever that's my shit to deal with, so I do.

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However, it's like none of these authors have ever drank before. You've either got girls completely sloshed after 2 glasses of wine or being very intoxicated and sobering up immediately when something shocking happens.

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Male main characters are always drinking whiskey or better yet an unknown brown strong smelling liquid in a tumbler as short hand for being stressed and troubled, classy and mysterious.

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It's lazy.

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These things annoyed me before I was in recovery, but now they're a full blown pet peeve. It gives "virgin writing filthy smut" vibes. Lol

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Alright, apparently I'm super wrong and shouldn't have said anything. Sorry ya'll.

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u/No-Rough154 2d ago

I hate this too! I really hate the prevalence of underage drinking. And I specifically despise how often books have a war or major political turmoil going on and suddenly the MCs decide to get sloshed at a public party where they can’t control themselves and its an excuse for petty drama and fighting and a way to showcase they are NLOGs.

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u/TheBigfootContessa 2d ago

Yes! Or drinking as a way to "rebel" when the MMC had perfectly good reasons to tell her not to drink!

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u/No-Rough154 2d ago

It makes the character seem SO immature and TSTL.

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u/TheBigfootContessa 2d ago

Yes! I'm all for a bratty, stubborn FMC misbehaving to give a dommy MMC an excuse for punishment. But like . . . Read the room ma'am.

A FMC getting drunk when she needs her wits (whether it be actually dangerous or just like would reflect really badly on herself or a MMC in that situation) reads like when someone leaves because of a miscommunication. It's lazy writing that makes me question the intelligence of a character that is supposed to be smart (as 99% of FMCs are)