Ok, I do not read many mafia stories; and so do many others as it seems. A popular complaint about mafia stories are that most are similar. While there are a handful that definitely are, I just want to know why this crossed people’s minds because as someone who is writing a mafia story (yes, very ironic because I don’t read them) I don’t think it’s true anymore
Well I think I’ve reached the point where I’m officially not going to read them anymore, no offense, since I’ve expanded my taste into different genres. The main thing about Mafia stories is it’s no where near realistic, at least most of them. I don’t mean to attack you as a future author, since it’s your story, do whatever you’d like. But in my point of view, I think some authors write it very unrealistically, being romanticizing criminals and criminals, getting away with treason, gang rivals to lovers and more. Then again, I’ve never read one that stands out, realistically speaking, in comparison to the others. But my opinion should be invalid since I’m one person, and I’m sure there are lots and lots of readers who live for these kinds of stories. Your the author, your story.
-Once again, I’m not attacking you. This is simply my point of view. Good luck with your story, love 
12 Likes
i was in the middle of a mafia story where the mafia guy was like an actual crazy guy. like he threatened the main character with guns and became physical with the main character sometimes if the mafia guy didn’t like how the main character was acting. so I think I made my story kinda realistic I’m not sure. but mafia stories are kinda enjoyable to read even if they are unrealistic. maybe just me
3 Likes
I’ve read some, and in my opinion they all followed the same theme. The MC is a young, innocent woman who intrigues the LI (for no apparent reason) and the LI is a mysterious, powerful mafia leader. The MC is attracted to the LI even though he literally commits murder in front of her. She doesn’t care that she is being put in danger. Etc, etc.
I definitely didn’t dislike a few of them that I read (like The Doberman) because they were well written and kept me entertained. But I do think they tend to be very similar in terms of the unrealistic relationship dynamic and glorification of “mature themes”.
8 Likes
To me they all have similar covers, similar titles, similar story descriptions and similar plot lines, sometimes even similar character appearances and backstories. For me, it’s kinda like a “I’ve seen one, I’ve seen them all” type thing even though I know some of them would be different to the others. But I just don’t like mafia stories. Period. I don’t think the mafia should be glorified irrespective of fiction, to me it’s akin to glorifying murderers, criminals, rapists, corruption etc, but realistically portraying the mafia would break a lot of guidelines so I can see why a lot authors who write such stories stray from the realistic side of it.
19 Likes
You got a testimony 
It’s sad that Episode deems glorifying career murderers as long as it looks kids-friendly is acceptable, but portraying them realistically with twisted ideology and/or how far the violence goes is not.
10 Likes
It’s mostly, in my opinion, because they’re SO overdone. Out of 10 popular stories you see, 6 are mafia or some type of criminal story, so it’s tiring to see the same thing over and over even if it’s done slightly different. Even so, they’re mostly done the same with the old innocent, young MC that never really stands up for herself (or does, but it doesn’t change anything lol) with the ruthless sex addict mafia boss that ends up being abusive and controlling (like telling her what to wear, not to talk to other guys/have guy friends, etc.) which is very annoying to read for me. I think it takes a very good writer to write an interesting mafia story and I personally haven’t found one yet.
3 Likes
Honestly I think authors do no research on what mafia is when it’s comes to mafia stories and making it look unrealistic. It’s seems like mafia stories have completely taking over the romance genre and all you can is mafia and other stupid things.
And most mafia stories have cringey descriptions too!
3 Likes
Though I started writing recently, I’ve been an Episode reader since they had the classic styled characters xD. Over time, I’ve seen this sudden increase in mafia themed stories, and I’ve even read a good number of them.
According to me, it’s not the mafia genre but the execution of the mafia stories that is considered repetitive. And for good reason. Personally, I find Episode mafia stories to be far too romanticized, glorified and placed on a pedestal for the wrong reasons. Since when did it become “hot” or “romantic” when a supposedly good-looking bad boy mafia heir/leader insults and even sometimes physically assaults the MC or some other woman? I am absolutely repulsed by how women are shown in such stories.
I much rather prefer to read and write about love interests who are genuine, respectful and mature, as opposed to distant, heartless and disrespectful ones. Don’t get me wrong - I’m not saying characters can’t have flaws, or have to be the Hollywood rom-com styled characters. I just mean to say that being abusive or disrespectful are not personality traits, especially traits that one should be made to find attractive. Unfortunately, most mafia LIs have an abundance of such traits, which has made me steer clear of the mafia stories whose story covers and descriptions go anywhere near this danger-zone.
But hey, in all honesty, among perhaps 15 bad mafia stories, I have read 1 or 2 mafia stories with genuinely interesting plots, that show the harsh realities of being associated with the brutal mafia world, in a manner that neither romanticizes nor glorifies them. I do not know what your story is about, hence I’d love to keep an open mind when I read it, provided the cover and/or description does not give me a hint of any mafia cliches, which I have come to despise.
Best luck with your story 
4 Likes
They r mostly almost the same buuuuuuuuuttttttttt I stil LOVE them, and with the right author they can be AMAZINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
2 Likes
l LOVE MAFIA STORIES!
1 Like
Well if the author writes mafia stories in the correct way, then it’s fine but writing it in the wrong way and romanticizing toxic relationships and glorifying abuse and other as well is a big NO NO!
5 Likes
Moved to Episode Fan Community since this is about Episode stories. Make sure to check out our Forum Tutorial for more info about creating topics, and feel free to PM me if you’ve got questions. 
I’ve read a lot of mafia stories and I don’t believe that they glorify abuse. They usually don’t have an all-happy-all-the-time-vomiting-butterflies type of relationship, but the LI is USUALLY respectful of the MC (not really to other women though which is a shame).
However, the thing that I can’t stand is that the MC is nearly always a helpless girl that is scared of everything (which is what would happen in real life tbh). But it’s so hard to find a really good mafia story where the woman has a position of power in the underworld. They are sometimes assassins, but they are almost never a leader (which is again what would happen in real life, sadly). I mean this is the 21st century, if even in Episode stories, women cannot be in charge, what does it say about our society?
It also often implies that a woman cannot rule over men because they would not take it seriously, which I absolutely hate.
I’m currently writing my own mafia story because I just got so sick of powerless girls (that have nothing special btw). I honestly haven’t made any research or what about mafia (so it may not be realistic at all) but since it’s only a story, I could make my MC the boss.
All that being said, I still love mafia stories in general !
3 Likes
I personally believe the opposite. I won’t be addressing the toxicity and inappropriateness the majority of popular mafia stories are, because that has already been covered by countless threads.
I think that saying mafia stories are generally the same is true for a lot of mafia stories (mostly the more popular ones) now. Before, mafia stories weren’t that big, and there were a lot of different premises and tropes being explored. Now that mafia stories are some of the biggest ones on the platform, a lot of other writers want to write the “next big thing” as well, and so they create a story with a similar plot and characters. That’s the cycle: people see and recreate. I have never seen any other storytelling platform so overtaken by mafia stories. Most readers are only seeing an “Episode version” of the mafia. Not any other “version.” That’s why so many mafia stories are so similar on Episode. It’s not that it’s the default, but because Episode allows (and seemingly encourages) that to happen.
I used to read quite a few mafia stories back when I was new to Episode and didn’t read any stories under 1 million reads. The LIs and MCs were all so similar. All the LIs were hot, witty, and possessive. All the MCs were sweet, innocent, and really attractive. Of course the stories I read weren’t carbon copies, but the general direction of all their stories were very similar. They all just felt like spin-offs of the same story.
It’s not that *all mafia stories are the same. That’s an absurd statement. I mean, I have no idea what your mafia story is going to be like. You can write what you like (just as long as you’re following the guidelines of course). Maybe it’s more action-focused unlike the others. Good luck with your story!
It’s just that there are enough similar mafia stories that I have read for me to say that mafia stories feel like the same.
1 Like
They have a common plot… I get irritated by the fact that these stories get millions of read even someone has written its first story on these topics. While there are many authors whose story deserves the respect these unrealistic stories get. They are on trending section and that too in Romance 
. Instead of taking off these stories … they take of another stories that have hardly broke the guideline.
No harm given or taken. This is my opinion and it shall not change. Writing such stories is your decision and I’m not attacking you. Good luck …stay safe
2 Likes
Very true, there have literally taken over the romance genre and made it their own.
1 Like
I mean when I look at them I feel like I am seeing the same dude and the same girl in different stories. The LI is almost always an Italian with a dark complexion with bright blue/green eyes and a scar. There is just nothing interesting about them anymore tbh. It feels like copy and paste but change a few things here and there. They were once my cup of tea but I no longer find them as I once did. There is only a few variations of those types of stories like MC being strong and fearless or the complete opposite. 
Apart from that yep there is nothing really that different. But hey you can’t expect everyone to like them as you do. I personally could go a lifetime without ever seeing one again but convincing maf*a readers what they are reading is copy and pasted trash is like pulling teeth. 
6 Likes
This topic was automatically closed 30 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.