don’t forget about them og stories like Super Secret Cedar Hill or Campus Crush
The og days
1 Like
Hunted was the best too.
1 Like
Hey, that’s totally fine. This forum exists to give them feedback after all.
And I’ve had conversations with the staff before. Trust me. They are reading. 
But they can’t do everything we want. And even if they can, there’s a process to all of this, after all. I saw a lot of people were upset about the sneakers update, but that was actually something I asked for when I first joined the forum.
And I also think a lot of people need to remember that the people uploading images to the Instagram account aren’t the same people creating assets or making business decisions. Again, I don’t work for Episode, but I understand how they operate as a business.
I agree that Episode does have a lot they need to fix, but we all need to be patient. The people working there are just ordinary people, and change isn’t going to happen overnight. Because of the legal issues regarding their guidelines, it’ll be a while before they change it, if they ever do.
12 Likes
No.
13 Likes
I don’t think we are asking them to change the guidelines. Just allow for us to operate within them. If another author can provide written permission, then we are within the guidelines to use their copyrighted material.
1 Like
I personally think that you would make a great employee for episode
1 Like
I’ve definitely seen people asking them to change it.
7 Likes
My question is: why are people attacking Episode? Just because crossovers are not allowed? I mean, we are a very creative community that can develop great ideas and captivating stories without the need to use other elements created by another person. I don’t know, is my opinion. Maybe my idea differs with others
8 Likes
SO I mentioned above that I didn’t understand why song lyrics had different standards from other quoted copyrighted material, and I decided to ask my literary agent about this.
She said it’s technically OK to quote song lyrics (part, not all of a song) in DIALOGUE with attribution under Fair Use. Otherwise, they discourage it unless absolutely essential to the story because it gets expensive to license rights. The thing is, it’s apparently also OK to quote within dialogue giving attribution lines from movies and books as well, so while I now understand why song lyrics are OK up to 5 lines, I do not understand why film and book quotes aren’t. My agent said even for quotes being used under Fair Use, they flag it for the publisher just so their lawyers can make sure permissions are cleared, so maybe Episode doesn’t want to bother with this step, which is their right as a platform with content that is mostly self-published and reviewed by the parent company after publication. However, I am still confused as to why song lyrics have a different set of standards applied to them. I guess unless the guidelines are changed, though, all my characters will be singing their hearts out.
6 Likes
People are just upset because they love their work, but there are other solutions here 
2 Likes
This isn’t the first time they have done something like this. They constantly make these “new rules” then lie and make it seem like it’s always been there, lack of communicating with us, and lowering our rights and creativity.
1 Like
That’s true. There must be better communication between Episode and the community
2 Likes
This crossover stuff is apparently not a new rule, they’re just clearing it up for everyone. Which yes, I believe they should have done a long time ago, but yeah. It is what it is. This personally does not bother me, however I do think the rule for only 5 punches is a little ridiculous. You cannot have a fight with that. Episode is an age 13+ app, which sucks. I would love to see them somehow have a section that is meant for 17+ up, but I don’t believe that is able to happen.
None of these things will stop me with reading or writing on episode. I am not going on strike.
Some people that are literally cussing out episode, that is not okay to me. Very immature if you ask me. That’s not going to change anything. They are people just like all of us, and they can’t make everyone happy. Plus, things take time. I’m sure they are listening to us, but just like wanting something from a game or a show, us asking for stuff, they will do it on their time.
13 Likes
You think Episode cares about these insults? I’m sorry but many companies apart from Episode get insults and criticized all the time. They ignore it and continue on from what they do. This is also in Episodes case.
2 Likes
Clarity is key too. If there is a 5 punches rule, they need to be clear about whether those punches need to land, how they apply to sports matches between consenting parties, how they apply across branching, etc. Technically, Episode can have whatever guidelines they want, but it is important they understand the need for transparency.
The crossover stuff, though…
In addition, by publishing your story, you agree that it does not include any content that infringes the intellectual property rights or rights of publicity or privacy of any third party. This may include using any of the following without permission [my emphasis]:
- any works of authorship of other parties, including excerpts or passages taken from literary works, television or film;
- any trademarks or references to corporate or business names; or
- any references to real persons or places.
That seems to conflict with the idea of this being an old rule they are now clarifying. I can understand why people thought they had permission and were not violating this term if they had written consent through DMs from the Episode authors they depict. I am curious what qualifies as acceptable permission in Episode’s view.
6 Likes
Please don’t do this “Episode has feelings” thing. It’s annoying. They are a company. They have a community for a reason.if they upset the community that’s on them and their responsibility. You don’t speak for how they feel especially when they haven’t expressed any “hurting” at all. They’re still successful and prospering. They don’t even communicate with us. Barely so I doubt they will care for petty insults.
4 Likes
It’s still immature is all I’m saying. It’s not the end of the world.
At least not mine.
7 Likes
I never knew about the crossover thing. I don’t have any plans to do a crossover for any of my WIPs, but I guess it’s good to know, in case I ever changed my mind.
It would behoove Episode to explicitly outline some of their guidelines (i.e., five punches, five expletives, etc.). I’m aware of them, but it would nice to have a guide to refer to if I’m stuck on something. And it would prevent drama like this. 
12 Likes
I know it isn’t. I do agree some are overreacting. Even with that strike thing but I’m indifferent to how I feel about it.
2 Likes
