What do you think about characters who smoke?

[nekokaburi]

Why are scenes of characters smoking in drama CDs and games so unexpectedly sexy?!
Honestly, I hate cigarettes and the smell in real life, but when it's my favorite character smoking, it transforms into the ultimate aesthetic!
The casual gesture of placing a hand on the ashtray, the melancholic eyes hidden behind the smoke, the decadent expression as they exhale the purple smoke... It's something that would never happen in reality, but on screen, the sexiness is extraordinary.
Are there others who feel the same way as me?!

 

[shishy]

ME!

Smoking always looks so hot in media T_T irl though, the smell makes me wanna barf.

I think it's probably because big tobacco companies have spent centuries and billions on marketing campaigns and we are now collectively brainwashed into subconsciously associating smoking with something cool.

Like, I really doubt we'd have the same perception of smoking if they included coughing fits, constant spitting, bad breath and teeth plaque in their ads.

 

[ynnaliaa]

Personally, I don't really mind it as part of a character's personality or aesthetic, as long as the story doesn't try too hard to romanticize it. Sometimes it can fit a character really well, especially with certain archetypes.

 

[Daisy Magnus229]

I hate the smell and smoke of cigarettes in real life. I even had a bad experience where ashes blew into my eyes because someone was walking while smoking. It hurts a lot, so I hope all of that irresponsible smoker's cigarettes become damp!

However, none of that is a problem in drama cds or games, so I love it lol. I agree it's sexy, especially when a character stops smoking for our sake (like being considerate because we're a non-smoker). I love it when they make that small gesture!

 

[b3rryb3rry]

I love them!!!! I find it so attractive (★ω★)

It gives the character a sexy, mature vibe? It looks cool in fiction but irl I'm not into it, the smell is pretty horrible.

I do like it when characters who smoke try to quit for the MC though, I think it's so romantic. I read a Sebastian Stardew Valley fanfic one time where that happened and I loved it lol.

 

[kamilya5]

I don't really mind it, whether in real life or in otome games

 

[sobble]

I hate it irl but it is sooo good in fiction. The smell gives me headaches and nausea in real life, but with fiction I get to appreciate it WITHOUT that smell. And also without all the bad side effects of it too!

 

[deluluscious]

I don't mind characters smoking in fiction, but I hate the smell of cigarettes in real life.

 

[annaqueue]

I absolute hate cigarettes. The smell is so bad it literally makes me nauseous and burns my nostrils. Since almost everyone around me smokes and I have to put up with that disgusting smell every single day—including how it clings to people—I can't even like fictional characters who smoke. Even if they aren't real, they just remind me of the suffering I endure daily.

 

[haiane]

I don't mind them that much in fiction, but whenever I encounter a smoker irl, I'd love to grab them by the head and dunk them in a barrel of sewage so they can taste their own medicine. It smells so horrible it makes me vomit. This addiction turns people into inconsiderate jerks who ignore anything and everything around them.

I would prefer authors to start employing more creative, "cool" bad habits for their characters so they can stop unintentionally promoting smoking.

 

[burrascoso]

due to how annoying people who smoke in my rl are i have started to hate anything that has to do with smoke both irl and in media TT

 

[Pancito]

Yes, I totally agree. I really don't like the smell of cigarettes in real life and I don't smoke either, but in otome games it's completely different.
I think when a character who already has a serious or mysterious personality is shown smoking, it automatically gives him this more mature and interesting aura. And drama CDs make it even worse because just hearing the lighter, the pause, and that little moment of silence already gives the whole scene a certain atmosphere.
Obviously, I know smoking isn't glamorous in real life, but in fiction… I don't know what otome games do, but somehow they make it look incredibly aesthetic. ⊙⁠﹏⁠⊙

 

[SmallEagle]

I think that it can be attractive and aesthetically pleasing in media, especially when the character is a tired older men but irl is such a big turn off, my nose is super sensitive and the smell of smoke makes me feel sick.