Terms & Conditions

1. Eligibility & Accounts

This platform hosts original serialised fiction and is intended for a general audience. It is not an 18+ or age-restricted platform, and content is not sexually explicit.

• You must meet the minimum age permitted under applicable law to hold an account and use online services that include social features such as commenting, suggesting, and voting.
• By registering for an account, you represent that the information you provide is accurate.
• We reserve the right to suspend or terminate access to any account where we reasonably believe these Terms have been violated.

2. Accounts & Access

Some content on this platform is available to anonymous visitors; other content requires a registered account.

• Chapter 1 and 2 of any story is freely accessible without an account.
• Access to Chapter 3 onward, and to voting and suggestion features, requires a registered account.
• Accounts are accessed via a passwordless “magic link” sent to the email address you provide or through a password that you create. You are responsible for maintaining control of that email account.
• You agree to provide accurate registration information and to keep it up to date.
• We reserve the right to suspend, restrict, or terminate any account at our discretion, including for violation of these Terms or the Community Guidelines.

3. Reader-Submitted Content (Suggestions)

Each week, registered readers may submit suggestions for how the story should continue, and vote on suggestions submitted by others. This section explains what happens to a suggestion once you submit it.

4. Content Moderation

Reader suggestions pass through automated and human review before and after submission, including an author-editable list of restricted terms and an AI-assisted moderation check. These checks are designed to help process a potentially enormous number of contributions and flag potentially inappropriate content; a suggestion may still be visible while a check is pending.

• The story's author retains final editorial authority at all times, including the ability to remove a suggestion before voting opens, and to veto a suggestion at any stage, including after voting has begun or a suggestion has won, for any reason, at their discretion.
• Moderation decisions are not required to be explained, though a reason may be provided at our discretion.

5. Generated Chapters & Credits

At the close of each voting round, the top suggestions are reconciled by the story's author and used to write a new chapter for publication.

• Readers whose suggestions are selected and used will be credited on the platform, typically by the display name associated with their account at the time of submission.
• You may request that your credit be amended or removed by contacting us; we will make reasonable efforts to accommodate such requests.
• All rights, title, and interest in the published chapters themselves (including the underlying story, characters, artwork, and narration) belong to Crowdteasers, separate from and in addition to the licence you grant over your own submitted suggestion under Section 3.1.

6. Prohibited Conduct

When using this platform, you agree not to:

• submit content that is unlawful, harassing, defamatory, or that infringes the rights of any third party;
• impersonate any person or entity, or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity;
• create or use multiple accounts to manipulate voting, submissions, or any other platform feature;
• attempt to circumvent rate limits, moderation systems, or access controls;
• attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of the platform, including administrative areas;
• use automated means (bots, scrapers, etc.) to interact with the platform without our prior written consent; or
• submit content involving minors in a sexual or romantic context, under any circumstances.

Violation of this section may result in immediate suspension or termination of your account, removal of content, and, where appropriate, referral to law enforcement.

7. Intellectual Property

Except for suggestions submitted by readers (which remain subject to the licence in Section 3.1), all content on this platform (including but not limited to story text, characters, the Story Bible, cover artwork, audio narration, platform design, and branding) is owned by Crowdteasers or its licensors, and is protected by applicable intellectual property laws.

You may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from this content without our prior written permission, except as reasonably necessary to share or discuss the story in the ordinary course of using the platform (e.g. sharing a link to a chapter).

8. Disclaimers

• All story content is fictional. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or actual events, is coincidental unless explicitly stated.
• The platform is provided “as is” and “as available,” without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including as to availability, uninterrupted access, or fitness for a particular purpose.
• To the maximum extent permitted by law, Crowdteasers or its licensors, shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of, or inability to use, the platform.

9. Privacy

Our collection and use of personal information (including email addresses collected at signup and for marketing communications) is described in our separate Privacy Policy. By using the platform, you also agree to that Privacy Policy.

10. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to the platform, remove any content, or discontinue the platform or any story at any time, with or without notice, at our sole discretion.

11. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of Victoria, Australia, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. Any disputes arising under these Terms will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Victoria, Australia.

12. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be indicated by updating the “Last updated” date above. Continued use of the platform after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

13. Contact

Questions about these Terms can be directed to hello@crowdteasers.com.