A follow up from last night
First, I want to thank everyone who answered. I was going to reply to everyone, but it looks like I have to unscreen your comments for that, so let me just say here that I really appreciate you coming forward and sharing with me. There were, of course, no right and wrong answers, and there wasn't something I 'wanted to hear' or 'didn't want to hear.'
Most of you said you didn't have this kind of experience, which didn't surprise me. Equally, I wasn't surprised by who said they had. Not because I thought of you as junkies or something, but because of the way you handle this thing in your writing/general attitude. In short, I was not surprised by how many people said they hadn't lived through any such thing themselves, but it's one of those times when I'd rather not be right.
First of all, this isn't spurred on by some personal drama, I apologize if I gave that impression. It started as something mildly annoying yesterday when I overheard those two people talking about their acquaintance and laughing their asses off at her expense. Then I came home, and there was this story, and it was that last straw all of a sudden.
What follows below is a rant, entirely useless for anything or anyone, except for me venting my frustration. It's a writing blog, so this is about writing.
I'll use Star Trek fandom as an example because most of us are connected through it. You know how popular the trope drunk!someone is around here. And indeed, what a treat. Alcohol/some whammy affects people's reasoning, so funny behavior and confessions follow. Joy.
I've read a lot of drunk stories, and I enjoyed them, they were hilarious, and sometimes romantic, and it was all in good fun. I certainly am no prude. Duh.
But let's get a few things straight.
Having a character drunk/whammed does not give the author an excuse to make him/her do whatever they (authors) want. Alcohol does not change one's personality. It does lower/delete inhibitions, but it does not turn this person into entirely someone else. Even shitfaced drunk/stoned, the character you've always known will stay himself/herself. They won't be acting like themselves, yes, but they won't be turning into exact opposites of themselves suddenly. They'll simply be more themselves, more their real selves, and that, while surprising to others, is different from what many drunk fics have going.
Let's take a very reserved person, whose behavior is always prim and proper, and get them drunk. Let's have them act on their hidden desires, say things they always meant but never voiced, let's make it really embarrassing. Do you know what happens to them the next day?
They want to die.
This is not an exaggeration. No one can be the harsher judge than those people themselves, and they will judge themselves. No matter how good-natured their friends' teasing is. The shame that you feel at such a moment is so overwhelming and devastating that for a while you literally don't know how you are going to carry on.
It isn't funny. If you care about such a person at all and you see him/her in this condition and you know what the next morning will bring -- you will not find it 'cute, sweet, funny, adorable, hot, sexy.'
It's humiliating. The more reserved the person is, the more humiliating it gets. If you look at him/her at such a moment and think that it's adorable, if you enjoy watching them making a fool of themselves, then I'm sorry, but you're a dick.
Let's get another thing straight, namely, there is nothing sexy about being shitfaced drunk. I'm not talking about tipsy or buzzed. I'm talking about hugging the toilet and throwing up your guts. Anyone who has witnessed it even once or has actually done that knows that it's anything but sexy. It's like, the least sexy thing anyone can do.
So please, fellow authors, please, I'm begging you: STOP WRITING IT AS IF IT'S THE BEST THING TO HAPPEN TO ANYONE.
Have you ever been in this position yourself? TRY IT. Would you still call it CUTE when it's YOU plastering yourself all over someone who looks mildly terrified at the prospect? HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF IT WERE YOU?
DON'T WRITE WALKS OF SHAME if you've NEVER WALKED ONE YOURSELF. Do you know why? Because you have NO IDEA how that feels, I promise you that. NO. IDEA.
*sighs*
I'm not trying to lecture anyone on anything. I like drunk fics when they're done right. Funny or angsty, humorous or dark. But this kind of attitude ^^ offends me, the general lack of consideration or respect, because while being drunk isn't as dangerous or hurtful as being raped or tortured, it's in essence a thing of a kind.
Getting your character drunk is a great means to provide comic relief, I'll be the first to admit that. But there is a line here, a VERY FINE LINE, and if you cross it, it stops being funny, and by that I mean IT STOPS BEING FUNNY and BECOMES OFFENSIVE.
Don't do drunk fics, unless you're certain you can see that line. PLEASE.
Humbly,
me
(The purpose of this post was not to offend anyone. I'm sorry if it happened. I love you all, I do. World peace.)
Most of you said you didn't have this kind of experience, which didn't surprise me. Equally, I wasn't surprised by who said they had. Not because I thought of you as junkies or something, but because of the way you handle this thing in your writing/general attitude. In short, I was not surprised by how many people said they hadn't lived through any such thing themselves, but it's one of those times when I'd rather not be right.
First of all, this isn't spurred on by some personal drama, I apologize if I gave that impression. It started as something mildly annoying yesterday when I overheard those two people talking about their acquaintance and laughing their asses off at her expense. Then I came home, and there was this story, and it was that last straw all of a sudden.
What follows below is a rant, entirely useless for anything or anyone, except for me venting my frustration. It's a writing blog, so this is about writing.
I'll use Star Trek fandom as an example because most of us are connected through it. You know how popular the trope drunk!someone is around here. And indeed, what a treat. Alcohol/some whammy affects people's reasoning, so funny behavior and confessions follow. Joy.
I've read a lot of drunk stories, and I enjoyed them, they were hilarious, and sometimes romantic, and it was all in good fun. I certainly am no prude. Duh.
But let's get a few things straight.
Having a character drunk/whammed does not give the author an excuse to make him/her do whatever they (authors) want. Alcohol does not change one's personality. It does lower/delete inhibitions, but it does not turn this person into entirely someone else. Even shitfaced drunk/stoned, the character you've always known will stay himself/herself. They won't be acting like themselves, yes, but they won't be turning into exact opposites of themselves suddenly. They'll simply be more themselves, more their real selves, and that, while surprising to others, is different from what many drunk fics have going.
Let's take a very reserved person, whose behavior is always prim and proper, and get them drunk. Let's have them act on their hidden desires, say things they always meant but never voiced, let's make it really embarrassing. Do you know what happens to them the next day?
They want to die.
This is not an exaggeration. No one can be the harsher judge than those people themselves, and they will judge themselves. No matter how good-natured their friends' teasing is. The shame that you feel at such a moment is so overwhelming and devastating that for a while you literally don't know how you are going to carry on.
It isn't funny. If you care about such a person at all and you see him/her in this condition and you know what the next morning will bring -- you will not find it 'cute, sweet, funny, adorable, hot, sexy.'
It's humiliating. The more reserved the person is, the more humiliating it gets. If you look at him/her at such a moment and think that it's adorable, if you enjoy watching them making a fool of themselves, then I'm sorry, but you're a dick.
Let's get another thing straight, namely, there is nothing sexy about being shitfaced drunk. I'm not talking about tipsy or buzzed. I'm talking about hugging the toilet and throwing up your guts. Anyone who has witnessed it even once or has actually done that knows that it's anything but sexy. It's like, the least sexy thing anyone can do.
So please, fellow authors, please, I'm begging you: STOP WRITING IT AS IF IT'S THE BEST THING TO HAPPEN TO ANYONE.
Have you ever been in this position yourself? TRY IT. Would you still call it CUTE when it's YOU plastering yourself all over someone who looks mildly terrified at the prospect? HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF IT WERE YOU?
DON'T WRITE WALKS OF SHAME if you've NEVER WALKED ONE YOURSELF. Do you know why? Because you have NO IDEA how that feels, I promise you that. NO. IDEA.
*sighs*
I'm not trying to lecture anyone on anything. I like drunk fics when they're done right. Funny or angsty, humorous or dark. But this kind of attitude ^^ offends me, the general lack of consideration or respect, because while being drunk isn't as dangerous or hurtful as being raped or tortured, it's in essence a thing of a kind.
Getting your character drunk is a great means to provide comic relief, I'll be the first to admit that. But there is a line here, a VERY FINE LINE, and if you cross it, it stops being funny, and by that I mean IT STOPS BEING FUNNY and BECOMES OFFENSIVE.
Don't do drunk fics, unless you're certain you can see that line. PLEASE.
Humbly,
me
(The purpose of this post was not to offend anyone. I'm sorry if it happened. I love you all, I do. World peace.)