Listen y’all… I have a feeling my story won’t fly with episode’s guidelines considering my MC is a stripper. I censor the word “stripper” and most times just call her a “dancer” and don’t have explicitly sexual scenes. With that being said, the first half of the story is literally set in a strip club most of the time and has some very mature themes. I am going to do my best to make many things implied, but it’s rough. Regardless of guidelines, the sensitive topics I will be covering are going to be handled tastefully with consideration and care.
The mature themes in question (the mention of these themes may be triggering to some)
Allusions to suicide
Implied alcohol and drug abuse
Underage drinking
References to exploitation/manipulation of young women (18 yrs old)
My toxic trait is thinking I can get away with this. Any advice or information about this?
As long as you adhered to the episode guidelines, which you say you feel you have… It should be ok.
But I’m not an author, so I’m sure you’ll get more informed replies.
I think, just to be sure, maybe submit a ticket and ask Episode because there is always a possibility that someone could report your story if they think it’s not PG-13.
I wish they could re-release Ivy. I heard it was a cool app as it was full of adult content.
I think it’d be hypocritical of Episode to have an issue with it… especially since they allowed “She’s Bad” to be turned into an Episode Original Story. And I’m pretty sure the LI’s dad owns a strip club and is always hanging out there, in both the community version and [if my brain is remembering correctly] also the Episode Original version.
I think it’s possible, but you’re going to have to be really creative. Anything that may be “questionable” do your best to imply, but not directly talk about or show. I would also suggest that for anything that might be considered triggering, you give the option to skip that portion, perhaps with a quick summary so none of the story elements are missed.
It will be difficult, but doable. It’s important to remember that Episode are massive hypocrites when it comes to applying the guidelines. Simply pointing out that the same or similar material is present in their originals isn’t enough. They don’t care. Also, don’t rely on the so called PG13 rating. Unless it’s a mafia/criminal story, they’re going to hold the story to a much stricter standard. I’m still nursing a grudge about an element in one of my stories that they made me change that was in a G rated animated kids film.
I understand that you are concerned about the content of your story and whether it will be accepted by Episode’s guidelines. According to Episode’s official content guidelines, stories must always be appropriate for all readers ages 13 or older. The guidelines prohibit stories that promote or depict excessive violence or assault, including but not limited to sexual assault, murder, and torture against humans or animals include hate speech or content that promotes hatred or discrimination against individuals or groups, based on race, ethnic or national origin, religion, marital status, disability, gender, age, or sexual orientation, promote suicide, self-harm, abuse, or bullying; promote excessive alcohol, tobacco or drug use promote gambling, betting or casinos, portray adult themes, including pornographic content, nudity, or prostitution, slander or libel a person or third party, include excessive use of profanity or sexually explicit phrases, advertise for outside products or services, including but not limited to website links, reviews, and promotional language, excessively promote the use of firearms, explosives, and ammunition or excessively promote a political agenda.
Based on the mature themes you mentioned. it seems that your story may contain some sensitive content that could be triggering to some readers. It’s important to handle these themes with care and consideration. You mentioned that you will be handling these themes tastefully, which is a good start. However, it’s important to keep in mind that the guidelines prohibit stories that promote or depict abuse, exploitation, or manipulation of young women. If your story contains such content, it may not be accepted by Episode’s guidelines.
It’s great that you are taking the time to consider the impact of your story on your readers. If you are unsure whether your story meets Episode’s guidelines, you can reach out to their support desk for more information. They will be able to provide you with more specific guidance on whether your story is appropriate for their platform.
Based on the guidelines provided by Episode, it is not allowed to depict any sexual acts or nudity, even with censors, in any form. The use of sexual props or items in a sexual context is also prohibited. The guidelines also prohibit the depiction of drug or alcohol use of any kind.
Given that the first half of your story is set in a strip club and has mature themes, it is possible that it may not be approved by Episode’s guidelines. However, it is commendable that you are taking care to handle sensitive topics tastefully and with consideration.
While you have made an effort to censor the word stripper and avoid explicitly sexual scenes, the fact that the first half of the story is set in a strip club and has mature themes may still be considered inappropriate for the Episode platform. However, it’s great to hear that you are committed to handling sensitive topics with consideration and care.
It’s important to note that the Episode guidelines are subject to change, and the final decision on whether a story is appropriate for the platform is up to the Episode team. If you’re unsure whether your story meets the guidelines, you can reach out to the Episode team for clarification.
I am pretty sure that strip club’s themselves are against episode guidelines. I know that they used to be used in stories, however, not so long ago, a friend of mine mentioned that they are against the rules now. So my guess is, especially with the themes you also intend to use, that your story would break several guidelines.
Best idea, submit a ticket to enquire prior to writing anything. That way you wont waste time coding a story that will be taken down days later.
You’ll be able to get away with this, yes. Normally, this would be strictly against the guidelines, but Episode is quite loose on how they enforce their rules (this is very clear with some of the community stories you’ll see).
So, the themes you want to include are not allowed, although wether your story will be removed or not is anyone’s guess…
I’ve seen a few people mention sending in a ticket ahead of time to ensure what you create will be allowed. While this seems like a sensible idea, I would point out that because of how vaguely worded some of the guidelines are, whether or not something breaks guidelines is entirely dependent on which reviewer is making the decision. So even if you send in a ticket and get approval, it’s entirely possible some other reviewer may look at it and scrap the whole thing later on. Just something to keep in mind.
