The Codex — House Rules & Critique Code

I.House Rules

• 1. Absolute Creator Ownership.You own 100% of your copyright. By publishing here, you only grant the site a non-exclusive license to format and display your stories to other members.
• 2. Thirteen and Over.You must be at least 13 to hold an account here, and we check at the door. Stories and critiques explore intense, unsettling and mature themes — this is a horror community, and the feedback is honest enough to sting. Come in knowing that.
• 3. No Machine Generation.Every word published here must come from a human hand. We do not host, tolerate, or critique AI-generated content or machine algorithms.
• 4. Hidden Circle.Do not advertise this domain aggressively. Let the community grow organically, by word of mouth and whispers in the dark.

II.The Critique Code

Praise is warm, but constructive darkness is how we hone our tools. We operate under a single mandate:

"Critique the art, respect the author."

• Uncensored Analysis:Critiques can be blunt, direct, and critical of prose, characterization, pacing, or structure. We do not shield text from honest feedback.
• The Red Line:Critique is directed at the writing, never the writer. Personal harassment, doxxing, hate speech, defamation, and real-world threats will result in immediate exile (account termination) from the circle.

III.Content Warnings

We write horror. Fear is our medium. However, respect the reader's right to curate their distress:

• Mandatory Disclaimers:If your story contains heavy graphic elements (extreme violence, self-harm, body horror), please add a brief content warning (CW) at the start of your lede or pitch.
• Reader Curation:Readers are expected to exercise personal autonomy and curate their own reading list. Enter stories with the understanding that horror is meant to provoke, disturb, and unsettle.

IV.Legal & Liability Safe Harbors

• Section 230 Shield:As a provider of interactive computer services, the platform is not the publisher or speaker of any information provided by other information content providers. All liability for published content lies solely with the individual user who created it.
• DMCA Takedown Agent:We respect intellectual property rights. If you believe your copyrighted work has been posted without authorization, please send a formal takedown notice complying with 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3) to our designated agent at abuse@horrorwriter.org.
• Your Content, Your Call:Delete a post, thread, or story and it's actually gone — not archived, not quietly kept "just in case." The only exceptions: content removed by moderation, and where we're legally required to preserve something (a subpoena, DMCA recordkeeping, or reports of illegal content).
• Leaving Horror Writer:When you delete your account you choose: Erase everything, and your stories, series, critiques and posts are gone for good; or Seal my writing, and your stories and series are locked with a recovery code only you hold, kept for up to seven years, and restored if you return with the same email. Nobody can open a seal without your code, including us. Other members' critiques and replies on your work stay, credited to "a departed member."
• Humorous Psychological Waiver:By signing in, you agree that Horror Writer is not liable for sleep deprivation, nightmares, structural paranoia, or the sudden realization that there is someone standing behind you.