Smoking emote.

[Reinha]

I'd say the distinction between self harm and smoking is, as the quoted Merriam-Webster definition states, purpose versus consequence. The person who commits self harm is purposefully harming themselves to fulfil their desired relief. The smoker's injury comes from a consequence they choose to either ignore or accept as a a trade, rather than the act it's self.

You could make a similar argument about any form of self gratification with health consequences, like eating in a less than perfectly healthy manner because food tastes good.

Fair enough. I don't think harmful self-gratification emotes are something that suits the game though. We aren't able to emote stuffing our faces with sugar and grease or make an obese character. Instead we can exercise by dancing, sparring and doing squats, push-ups and sit-ups. We can't gamble our gil away or pretend to use drugs with emotes. We can /toast to celebrate an occasion but we can't express being in a drunken stupor like this NPC:



Everything points to player characters leading a healthy life so I just don't see how taking up deadly vices is consistent with the image we currently portray as Warriors of Light or with how we interact with other players.

My issue is with tobacco specifically because it's one of the leading causes of deaths around the world. Some of those who die to it are killed by other people smoking. Being able to promote it via emotes to other players who could be minors is not a necessity. People could just make mods for this purpose like they do for other adult content. If there is some ancient method of inhaling smoke which in no way resembles cigarettes, cigars or pipes, that would be fine by me. Could call it /medicine too. Edit: Or make a housing item which allows your character to interact with it and smoke in private.