I can understand that, dear. And don’t worry, I am not mad. 
I understand the frustration as a reader and author. But to be honest to code a pick a gender choice in story gives an author much more to code.
I agree that there need to be more male MC’s in mafia stories. If that happens I would read it.
hate them
I made them have consequences but not with the law (because of corruption). But yeah, I get what you are saying, I try to focus on the phycological aspect. Kel (the MC) doesn’t even sleep sometimes and she is constantly worried that something might happen to her friends or family members. She also feels guilty doing what she is doing and has real aspirations and dreams outside of the mafia (I’m not going to spoil anything but I really like the ending).
I really hope so :(( as I said, I’ve experienced the ugly side of this but I also know that externals things influence and that’s why many people enter criminal organizations. I wanted to give my characters an opportunity to change and have a better life, making them realize the harm that they’ve caused.
I read a story where the MC’s dad (a LI of another story) quit the mafia and tried to have a peaceful life. At first, I liked it, but I want my characters to face real consequences as you said.
I always wanted to give the readers the option to read as the LI or MC because of this, I know that many readers are male and I want them to enjoy the experience too. But… you are not the MC (at least in my stories). You can choose her looks and some choices, but she is another person. It’s like a movie or a tv series, but the difference is that you have control over some things.
I’ve responded to a lot of things in this thread so I apologize, I didn’t realize until Episode notified me. I’m not going to answer anything else (at least not today), sorry if you have a lot of notifications because of me.
I have read a couple that I’ve liked in the past, I do like a good fictional story, but it just really comes down to how the author portrays and writes the characters, as well as what they do and don’t glorify (it really applies to every story). Cliches aren’t necessarily a bad thing, but the lack of originality in the plot, especially when a lot of stories in the romance section follow the same cliche, makes it very boring and predictable, which is why I don’t read mafia stories anymore. Not every mafia stories do this (and it wouldn’t be fair to assume that every story does this) but the trending stories really tend to push the boundaries for assault and abuse (toxicity in general) and sometimes really crosses the line and glorify it which is not okay because let’s be honest, we know that there are a lot of people under 13 reading these who really don’t know better. I want to keep my mind open to these kind of stories because I don’t want to dismiss everything that involves mafia, but usually they’re usually problematic in their own ways and brings a really bad reputation because of the things they glorify.
I agree with you hehe…
Every stories are like about cliche bad boys, womanizers, playboys and stuff like that…it’s getting Soo boring reading the same type of story everyday 
Lol imo they’re v toxic. Innocent girl kidnapped by mafia, her only traits r stubbornness & liking food. Mafia leader & her fall in love he kills loads who r part of other mafias in cold blood but never hurts a woman so clearly he’s a good person 
She gets pregnant, one final battle then everyone lives happily ever after… except that ur husband is a murderer? Nah, that’s a small detail.
Also, how can we know that mc only falls in love w him because she’s scared. She doesn’t love him, she’s just afraid to run away? There’s a massive power imbalance & a mix representation of mafia ppl. The villain is ofc the police who want to lock the criminals up, how evil.
Nice ppl do not work by the “kill & b killed” thing. If someone tried to kill me, I wouldn’t get out a knife & try kill them back, I would call the police. If that’s what the innocent mc does then she’s clearly not so innocent after all.
bottom line is… if u wanna do a mafia story, research & do not romanticise, gruesome & violent mafia leaders They. R. Not. Hot.
Thanks.
I always wondered why they didn’t set it in Italy like- they’re in the Italian mafia what are they doing lurking around randomly in new york
Idk why but that gives me good vibes and bad ones at the same time lol. Like, if done right, that’s a start. But, again, why is it always about Italians? Is that all we’re known for? 
I mean, as long as you portrayed the characters realistically and with no romanticization it’s fine. Leaving their criminal life behind is a huge step towards the better. The issue isn’t the mafia per se, it’s how it’s portrayed 
The point is, people refer to this abstract thing that is the “Italian mafia” when there’s not really such a thing. I mean, yes its members are Italian or of Italian heritage, but it isn’t one single organization.
For starters, in America you can find Italian groups as well as Italian-American groups. The difference is that the former has its base in Italy but has businesses in America, the latter is based in America and it’s been there for a few generations already. So, someone who’s born and raised in America from Italian parents isn’t really Italian 100%. Usually, their given names are English, they speak English as their native language and maybe Italian as their second and they were raised with two cultures, or better said a mixture of the two.
I’m not sure how mafia works in America, but in Italy it is further divided into different kinds of organizations depending on where the families are from. In Sicily it’s Cosa Nostra, in Calabria it’s called 'ndrangheta, in Campania it’s Camorra, etc.
So like, even saying “the Italian mafia” is too vague, especially since most of the stories have ‘Italian’ characters living in America like???
When I was young I tried casting a spell on myself to become a wolf 
I was the stupidest kid
Oh I’m so sorry I had no clue, if I had known I wouldn’t of used the term “Italian Mafia”
I can’t really blame you honestly, don’t worry. But this is already the first and least problematic issue with mafia stories.
Whether people believe it or not, stories carry messages and information. People like myself (because I literally live in the country these authors think to portray correctly, not because I possess infinite knowledge) know that the information contained in those stories is false. But to the rest of the readers (and quite frankly, to the authors themselves), what is written in the story is taken as truth. Sure it’s fiction, but in reality every story is based on some foundation of truth. When even that foundation that is supposed to be reality turns out to be false, that’s when problems arise.
The “Italian mafia” distinction is just a minor issue. Imagine how many others develop through these stories because people are too lazy to do their research on the internet. It’s literally the ABC of a writer.
People are free to write whatever they want, but when something is public, the public has the right the express their opinion and authors can’t silence them. Freedom to write problematic stories = freedom to call these stories out 
Thank you for saying this and I absolutely agree with you.
Not at all. They totally gross me out. I hate the idea of a violent gang member being romanticized. Most of these authors have no idea what actually happens in gangs (TW) including sxual assault, sx trafficking, and other violence against women. With episode having such a young fanbase and the biggest demographic of mafia story readers being young teen girls, I think it teaches them terrible values and expectations for men.
When I first began reading community stories, I came across some of the more well known, popular mafia stories, and yes, I enjoyed them.
But reading them, honestly the mafia part wasn’t the biggest draw for me. I liked the familial element that was tying the majority of the main cast together, and the trials that they would face, as well as the journey for the couple we were reading about. I still stand by these stories as being some of my favourite on the app, and continue to read those author’s stories.
However, if i had to answer this question in a yes/no fashion, I would say no.
I feel like it’s become so overdone as a style of story, that I now steer clear of them. I will still follow the original ones I read, if they have spin offs that intrigue me, but aside from that, I just don’t read mafia stories.
The quality of many that you find now are lacking, and come across lazy as they are deliberately making them carbon copies of other mafia stories, and it’s clear that they are writing it to hit big with reads, as the term ‘mafia’ being added, pretty much guarantees you big numbers.
Once many (Not all), of these authors, decide to write a mafia style story, they instantly have their layout complete.
These work fine as key pieces of the puzzle. But they don’t seem to try creating something unique with them. They just bung them in and leave it there.
This lack of originality is just too much for me to warrant time looking for new stories in this sub-genre. The last one I read, I couldn’t get past episode 1. Once you’ve read the major ones, all the others seem 80-90% the same, just not as well executed in most cases. (Not slamming people here, just my own view as to why I don’t seek them out anymore.)
Another thing that I truly can’t stand, is when people start making mafia stories, and tell everyone it’s not going to be like any other ones. Deliberately going out of their way to state they won’t have toxic characters, or the mafia guy/girl won’t be the love interest etc, all in the attempt to lure in readers looking to see another version… Then, when you read their description, it’s just the same as the others you find on the app, which they have just slammed. This instantly puts me off. Don’t shame other mafia stories and authors, if you’re making the same thing. Own up to the fact that you’re making one too.
Absolutely true! 
As a personal opinion, I massively dislike them. Sometimes I’m minding my business reading a story and the description caught my attention so I’m all happy. And then the LI is in the mafia, and I’m running for that door in the top left.
I completely disagree with glorifying Marie lifestyle, as there is nothing hot, attractive about it, it’s freaking problematic. My opinion 