As of recent I have noticed quite a lot of featured stories that revolve around infidelity. Most recently ‘It’ll be out Secret’, Now a disclaimer: I have not read these stories nor do I plan to. Because frankly, cheating is a reprehensible act that has been romanticized on episode in these stories and that disgusts me, I have seen families and people be destroyed by cheating and the fact it’s being used as a ‘teehee so scandalous’ bothers me immensely. Having said that, I would like to understand why these stories are popular, I get that there’s an element of drama but there are plenty of other stories that don’t depict something that is never ok.
Anyways, I would like to know if people share this opinion (I get the feeling i’m a minority on this one but who knows?) or if there is another reason why these stories are popular?
(I am not saying cheating should be totally not in stories but my issue is when it is the MC x LI and is depicted as something good or fun)
The sudden spike in stories where you play as a “cheater” came as a surprise to me. I find one of the most annoying tropes in stories is when MC is cheated on …and so to play as the cheater… Idk if authors were trying to put their own twist on this particular cliche by changing the perspective or what, but it’s not really something I’d actively seek out to read.
However… there’s an audience for just about anything these days, so it doesn’t really surprise me that Episode is promoting these stories and themes. Why be wholesome when you could be scandalous?
Do you guys think cheating is a “mistake”? I hear that argument from certain episode authors when the MC cheats. If both parties are able to consent and do so, I personally think that’s a sh*t excuse.
Exactly. I was reading a story where the MC cheated, and the author got backlash. In response, they said “everyone makes mistakes!” and expecting everyone to just forgive her. Like no, it wasn’t a mistake.
Maybe she’s on autopilot when she cheated 🤦 I don’t get the argument of cheating being a mistake as I’ve witnessed it with my own eyes that if he/she doesn’t have the will to cheat, they won’t, and they know when to stop to avoid it happening 💁
Tbh, it felt like the author was projecting? Like they WERE the MC and were trying to justify their actions. idk, I stopped reading because I got so fed up.
The worst part of the cheating stories is that 80% of them are either blamed on alcohol or the fact that the other party has cheated. There is also a line between falling out of love with someone and cheating. Some tend to mix up the 2 saying the MC cheated on her husband because she fell out of love but she doesn’t tell him so. People deserve to know. I would hate if stories like those could potentially normalise the act of cheating to younger readers. Sure, cheating is a part of people’s lives, it exists, but you have to be careful when portraying it in a story.
These popular stories about cheating, “alpha males”, and guys who are lowkey abusive make me uncomfortable, but I guess I can see why some people like them, even if I DEFINITELY do not,
Personally, I think that forgiving isn’t up to the other people around her, but her partner. it is all good for everyone to judge her, or forgive her (as in, based on that decision, do they still want to be friends/acquainted with her?), but the choice is up to the partner. Not going to say anything about whether the person should be forgiven or not because the circumstances range, but even if it’s definite that they cheated out of, well, cheating, it’s still the partner’s decision, even if it’s wrong. I don’t know if I looked into your comment too far, but I do agree with most of your points.
No, I completely agree. I never read stories that involve the MC cheating. I understand characters aren’t perfect and some people like writing stories that tackle the tough subjects. If handled the right way, I have no issues with people wanting to write certain things. But Episode is a very reader insert app, so I’d prefer not to play a character who is unfaithful.
The bad things about most cheating stories is they hide behind having a bad partner. So it’s supposed to justify why they cheat. But most the time it makes no sense as to why they wouldn’t just leave??? If you’re that disgusted by the person you’re married to, just go. And most cheating stories lack logical reasonings as to why they haven’t dumped their partner.
I actually write a story about cheating. I try to make it as realistic as possible because a lot of my family members have been cheated on. It’s my most read story though. But the mc is the one who got cheated on not who cheated,
Idk if authors were trying to put their own twist on this particular cliche by changing the perspective or what, but it’s not really something I’d actively seek out to read.
quirky character flaws 