I don’t know if this is considered off-topic, and I apologize if it is. But, when writing stories that involve sexual assault or any type of assault for that matter. As Jo mentioned, whether it’s verbal, physical, sexual, or all three. A trigger warning or a skip option is well needed. It’s not right to be blindsided by something so vile like assault because it ruins the element of surprise or whatever the excuse it.
And as other mentions, it’s always best to handle a subject like this correctly. Adding scenes like this for drama only and not handling it correctly is disgusting. Yeah, stuff like this happens in real life and it’s not always handled, but this is a kids app that we are talking about. You legit can tell the story how you want and handle that subject better.
Don’t bypass it because you think you handled it by having the LI be the hero. Or because you don’t think people will notice because you have a ton more drama after that scene.
This scene is usually used, because authors want their MC to be saved by the love interest. Personally, I don’t like them because they are all the same thing, even the dialogue, they are all the same. Sometimes, when authors write this scene, they don’t even know they’re doing it.
I hate about 96% of the scenes in Episode that use sexual assault. I hate the way that they’re portrayed, handled, and delivered. While I can handle reading most of them (there’s only a few that really trigger me), I know that not everybody is the same.
I think the thing I hate most about how SA scenes are portrayed here is that they’re, as said above, used for plot lines and creating a stronger moment for the MC and LI. I’m sorry, but my experiences aren’t cheap thrills for your story. What happened to me didn’t “bring me closer to a man”. And honestly, I just see it as a super lazy writing tool when used- there are better, more creative ways to bring your characters closer together.
I VERY strongly agree with this. I get all the time that if I don’t like it, I shouldn’t read it. HOW CAN I KNOW NOT TO READ IT IF THERE’S NOT A WARNING TELLING ME IT’S GONNA HAPPEN? Trigger warnings get a lot of shit and people will make fun of them, but they’re so important. Somebody’s mental health isn’t a joke and they shouldn’t have to regress just because they’re reading a story, hoping to escape away from reality for a little bit.
I’m all for serious issues being properly portrayed in entertainment (and in Episode stories in particular since this seems to be a popular platform for young, developing minds), but it’s getting them to be portrayed properly and respectfully in the first place that’s the issue I think.
I agree. I think this type of subplot is very unrealistic, and yes, I know it’s a story. But, art imitates life.
You don’t get over something so traumatizing like that because your love interest ‘saved’ you. I can’t speak for anyone, but it seems unlikely that someone would get over something like this so fast because their partner is holding them or telling that ‘I’ll be here with you. That person won’t hurt you again.’ Or, however, the line of dialogue goes.
It would be nice for once to see some sort of positive outcome for the person (character) after they went through something like assault. My word of advice to anybody. If you don’t know how to write this in a properly way, then don’t add it in your story.
I’m probably not going to be able to reply to everyone, but I’m glad that we’re all on the same page when it comes to portraying sexual assault. What’s the biggest contender for me when it comes to this issue is that I can’t do anything about it. For those that know me, they know how upset I was when I read that story. The sad part is, nothing went against the guidelines, so there was nothing to report. If Episode is thinking of updating their guidelines, I strongly suggest they limit how sexual assault is written in stories.
Sexual assault has a place in authentic storytelling. But even when written with the best of intentions, depictions of rape and abuse will undoubtedly be painful for many people to read . Therefore, these scenes must be treated with purpose and respect.
As writers, we are charged with the task of drawing society’s attention to instances of sexual violence that often get normalised or ignored in the mainstream. But there are various ways that our writing also contributes to the problem.
Honestly I saw some stuff on IG earlier today on this subject that was alarming to me, so I appreciate that you created this thread so that we could discuss, in what seems to be a sensitive and productive way, when and how to portray the topic.
It can be painful to know guidelines aren’t being broken unless a scene is physically explicit.
That being said, I think sending in tickets regarding this kind of thing are useful. Strength in numbers as they say. One ticket by just one person isn’t super impactful, but getting multiple shows personal investment by the community.
I generally avoid stories where sexual assault or attempted sexual assault plays a part, even if they’re done well, simply because it makes me feel icky. If I see it, I make a beeline for the door in the top left corner.
If you’re going to say “but it happens in reality,” then at least make sure your portrayal of it is realistic (as several authors do, but others do not). The event could scar the victim for years… or ffs at least hours. I’ve seen too many stories where it’s just used as a cause for drama, or a plot device to have the LI save the MC. Just makes me feel a little queasy. There are so many other ways to have them bond, in ways that aren’t cheap, gross, and harmful.
But I always find a tiny bit of comfort in the idea that a lot of these problematic stories are by young writers, who haven’t experienced anything like this, so they can’t empathise. It warms me a little to see all these people who haven’t learned about this subject the hard way. I’d hope they never learn it the hard way, but they should definitely learn about it the easy way, for the sake of the community. Thus this thread. I hope at least one writer clicks on this and learns something.
I’ve always thought that Episode itself could do a little better to teach readers and writers alike about consent (and maybe safe sex too, but that’s a whole other discussion) if it’s going to host romantic and near-sexual content portraying older teens and adults. Hey Episode, if you want to prove that your app is appropriate for young teens, addressing issues like consent is one way to help.
exemple when i was reading a story who contain different type of assault i Don’t remember what type of assault it was but in a episode there was a choice do you want to skip that scene or no and even a choice that was saying “what do it contain” and people were report it, while THERE WAS A (FUCKING) CHOICE TO SKIP IT and it got deleted it was such a good story !
that not fair tho
as a victim of sexual assault, i don’t mind seeing it in stories as long as it’s handled with respect and with a trigger warning.
i’ve includes one scene in my own story, to show how someone can be manipulated into thinking it’s their fault, but also to show how strong the MC is as she handles it herself instead of the cliche LI coming to save her
Any villain who does this or attempts to do this to MC shouldn’t be romanticized, certainly not portrayed as being hot. Making them conventionally attractive isn’t inherent romanticization, but you as the author need to make it clear they’re not someone you should want or really even feel some forbidden lust for.
yeah and kendall stopped him by herself didn’t she? sexual assault scenes can be an opportunity to raise awareness or show how strong and independent the mc is
i can get upset by these scenes when they’re graphic and when the MC just gets over it like it was nothing. that shit really scars a person and shouldn’t be taken lightly or romanticised
yup she did , thank god she pushed him but at the party when it started i was like : no wut are you doing ;-; she kissed random people at the party tho ;-;
but the twist with mason was so good i was like WTF
I’ve seen too many stories where it’s just used as a cause for drama, or a plot device to have the LI save the MC. Just makes me feel a little queasy. There are so many other ways to have them bond, in ways that aren’t cheap, gross, and harmful.
and it got deleted it was such a good story ! 