The Spirit of DawnScribe
DawnScribe was created to give web novel authors and artists a dedicated, respectful home for their work. We believe in creative freedom — dark themes, complex characters, and morally difficult stories are a legitimate and valuable part of fiction. What we do not tolerate is real harm directed at real people.
When in doubt, ask yourself: am I creating, or am I hurting? That is the line.
Creators
Post Only Your Own Work
Everything you publish must be your own original creation. Plagiarizing another author's writing or reposting another artist's work without explicit permission is a serious violation and will result in removal and a ban.
Tag Your Work Accurately
Use the correct content ratings and genre tags. Mature themes, graphic violence, and sensitive topics must be properly labelled. Mislabeling your work to reach a wider audience — including younger users — is a violation.
No Preview-Only Chapters
Do not post partial chapters and direct users elsewhere to read the full content. You may mention that earlier access is available elsewhere, but the complete chapter must also be posted on DawnScribe. Intentionally omitting chapters to force readers off-platform is not permitted.
Respect Your Collaborators
If you are working with another creator, honour your agreements. Do not remove or claim sole credit for work that was produced collaboratively. Disputes between collaborators should be handled privately and respectfully.
No Spam or Unsolicited Promotion
Do not use DawnScribe to spam other users with promotions, external links, or mass messages. This includes using DMs to solicit followers or advertise services unrelated to your creative work.
AI & Authenticity
DawnScribe is a platform for human creativity. We welcome the creative process in all its forms — but the work must genuinely be yours.
AI-Generated Stories Are Not Permitted
Stories written predominantly or entirely by an AI tool — with minimal human authorship — will be removed. You may use AI to assist with editing, grammar, or brainstorming, but the story, characters, plot, and voice must be substantially your own creative work.
AI-Generated Art Must Be Disclosed
Artwork generated primarily by AI tools may not be posted as original hand-crafted art. If AI was used as a significant part of your artistic process, you must disclose this in your post. Presenting AI output as entirely hand-made is deceptive to the community.
No Style Imitation via AI
Using AI tools to reproduce or closely imitate another creator's established style and presenting the result as your own original work is a violation of both these guidelines and our Terms of Service.
The test is simple: if a human's creativity is not the primary author of the work, it does not belong on DawnScribe.
Fanfiction
DawnScribe permits fanfiction — stories based on existing published works or characters — with the following rules:
Label It as Fanfiction
Fanfiction must be clearly labelled as such at the time of posting. Do not present fanfiction as wholly original work.
Fanfiction Cannot Be Monetized
You may not attach donation links, Patreon links, Ko-fi links, or any other monetization mechanism to fanfiction works. Fanfiction is not eligible for the DawnScribe Marketplace or any creator revenue-sharing program.
English Only
All stories — including fanfiction — must be written in English. Non-English stories are not currently supported on the platform.
Subject to Takedown
If a rights holder submits a valid DMCA takedown for fanfiction based on their intellectual property, DawnScribe will comply. You post fanfiction at your own legal risk.
Readers & Commenters
Critique the Work, Not the Person
You are welcome to leave honest, even critical, reviews. What is not acceptable is using reviews as a vehicle for personal attacks on the creator. Disagree with the story — never degrade the human who wrote it.
Use Spoiler Warnings
When discussing story events in comments or reviews, use spoiler warnings where appropriate so as not to ruin the experience for other readers.
Constructive Feedback is Welcome
Detailed, thoughtful feedback — even when critical — is valuable to creators. Comments that explain why something didn't work for you are welcomed. Comments that exist purely to demean or discourage are not.
Reviews & Ratings
The review system is one of the most valuable parts of any creative platform. Abusing it harms both creators and the community's trust.
Leave Honest Reviews
Reviews must reflect your genuine experience of the work. Do not leave fake positive reviews to boost a friend's ratings, or submit reviews for a work you have not read.
No Coordinated Review Bombing
Organizing or participating in a coordinated effort to flood a work with negative reviews in order to harm a creator — regardless of your grievance with them — is a violation. Reviews must reflect individual, genuine opinions.
No Retaliatory Reviews
Leaving a negative review in retaliation for a review someone left on your own work is not permitted. Reviews should be about the work, not the interpersonal dynamic between users.
DawnScribe monitors review patterns for signs of abuse. Reviews found to be fake, coordinated, or retaliatory will be removed and may result in account action.
Interactions & Direct Messages
The same standards of respect that apply to public content apply to private messages.
- Do not use DMs to harass, intimidate, threaten, or pressure other users.
- Do not send unsolicited explicit content, promotions, or bulk messages.
- Do not impersonate another user, creator, or member of the DawnScribe team.
- If another user has indicated they do not wish to communicate with you, respect that.
If you receive a message that makes you feel unsafe or harassed, you can report it directly without needing to respond first.
Artists & Artwork
DawnScribe is a home for original visual art. Artists on the platform are expected to uphold the following standards beyond the general creator rules:
Post Only Your Own Art
All artwork you publish must be your own original creation, or work you have explicit written permission from the creator to post. This includes digital art, illustrations, traditional art scans, character designs, cover art, and all other visual media. Reposting another artist's work — even with credit — is not permitted without their explicit consent.
Commission Art
If you commissioned an artist to create work for you, you may post it only if your commission agreement explicitly grants you the right to publish it on public platforms. When in doubt, ask the artist. Commissioners do not automatically own full publishing rights to work they paid for.
Disclose AI-Generated Art
If artificial intelligence tools generated the primary visual elements of your work — including characters, backgrounds, or major compositional elements — you must tag it as "Created Using AI Tools" at the time of posting. This is a platform requirement, not optional. AI-assisted tools used for minor cleanup, upscaling, or noise reduction do not require disclosure.
AI Training Opt-Out
Artists may designate their artwork as not available for use in AI training datasets. DawnScribe will respect and implement this designation where technically feasible. If you do not want your artwork scraped or used to train AI models, use the opt-out feature when publishing your work. Note that DawnScribe cannot guarantee third parties will comply, and you remain responsible for policing unauthorized use of your work.
No Style Theft via AI
Using AI tools to closely reproduce another specific, identifiable creator's visual style and presenting the result as your own original art is not permitted — regardless of whether you disclose AI use. This is distinct from general artistic inspiration and applies when the intent is clearly to copy a specific artist's recognizable style.
Visual Content Standards — No Nudity
DawnScribe welcomes alluring, suggestive, and romantic artwork — swimsuits, lingerie, cleavage, form-fitting clothing, and suggestive poses are all permitted. However, nudity is not permitted in any artwork posted to DawnScribe. This includes exposed nipples, genitals, or any imagery that would typically require a censor bar or mosaic. This standard applies regardless of the Erotica tag on the associated story — a story's text rating and its artwork rating are evaluated separately, and artwork is always held to the no-nudity standard.
If a piece of art crosses this line, here's what happens: the artwork is removed and you'll receive a warning explaining why. This is not normally an immediate ban — it's treated as a content issue, not a conduct issue, on a first occurrence. If you believe the removal was a mistake, you may request a review through the reporting/appeals process in Section 11, and a member of the team will take a second look. Repeated violations after a warning may escalate under the standard consequences in Section 12.
Prohibited Media
The following types of media are not permitted on DawnScribe regardless of context: imagery of real people posted without their consent (with limited exception for publicly known public figures in clearly non-sexual, non-defamatory contexts); any media depicting or simulating child sexual abuse material; media that captures or documents illegal acts; and graphic imagery depicting real-world violence, gore, or self-harm.
Avatar & Marketplace
DawnScribe features an avatar customization system and a Marketplace where creators can sell original virtual items. These rules apply to all users who participate in these features:
Selling Original Items Only
Items listed for sale in the DawnScribe Marketplace must be original artwork created by you. You may not sell items based on fan art, existing IP, AI-generated artwork, or work created by another artist without their explicit written permission. Fanfiction-related items may not be monetized through the Marketplace.
Virtual Currency Has No Real Value
DawnScribe's virtual currency ("Dawn Coins" or equivalent) has no real-world monetary value and cannot be exchanged for cash. Do not attempt to sell virtual currency or virtual items for real money outside the platform. Off-platform trading of virtual assets is prohibited and may result in account termination and forfeiture of all virtual assets.
Purchased Items Are Permanent
Once a user purchases a virtual item, it belongs to them for as long as their account is active and the platform operates. You may not as a creator request the removal of a purchased item from a customer's account — even if you end a collaboration, dispute credit, or simply change your mind. The transaction is final.
Forfeiture on Ban
If your account is permanently terminated for a violation of the Terms of Service or these Guidelines, all virtual currency, virtual items, and marketplace earnings in your account are forfeited. No refund, compensation, or appeal based on virtual asset value will be considered.
Accurate Item Representation
Items you list for sale must be accurately described and represented. Do not use misleading thumbnails, false descriptions, or manipulated preview images. Misrepresenting an item to increase its perceived value is a violation and may result in item delisting and account action.
What Is Never Allowed
Sexual Content Involving Minors
Any content — written or illustrated — that sexualizes individuals under 18, real or fictional, is absolutely prohibited. This results in an immediate permanent ban and a report to law enforcement. There are no exceptions and no appeals for this violation.
Targeted Harassment & Hate
Coordinated campaigns to harass, dox, threaten, or intimidate any individual are strictly forbidden. Content that promotes hatred based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexuality, disability, or national origin will be removed and the account actioned.
Plagiarism & IP Theft
Posting another creator's work as your own — whether text or art — is theft. This includes reposting published novels, using artist commissions without permission, or passing off close AI imitations of another creator's work as original.
Ban Evasion
Creating a new account to return to the platform after being permanently banned is a violation. Any account identified as a ban evasion attempt will be terminated immediately.
Malicious Links & Scams
Do not share links designed to phish, scam, or harm other users. Do not impersonate DawnScribe staff or fabricate official communications to deceive users.
Reporting & Appeals
If you see content or behavior that violates these guidelines, please report it. Every report is reviewed. You will not face any negative consequences for making a good-faith report.
- Use the platform's reporting feature on any content or user profile.
- For urgent matters involving threats, illegal content, or account compromise, contact the DawnScribe team directly.
- If your content was removed or your account was actioned and you believe it was a mistake, you have the right to appeal. Contact the moderation team with a clear explanation of why you believe the action was in error.
- False reports submitted in bad faith to target a creator you dislike are themselves a violation of these guidelines.
We aim to review all reports within 72 hours. Urgent reports involving safety or illegal content are prioritized and reviewed as quickly as possible.
Consequences
DawnScribe takes a graduated approach to enforcement. Actions taken may include any or all of the following:
- Content removal — the offending post, chapter, or artwork is removed.
- Formal warning — the user is notified that further violations may result in suspension.
- Temporary suspension — the account is suspended for a set period.
- Permanent termination — the account is permanently closed. Reserved for serious or repeated violations and ban evasion.
- Reporting to authorities — for illegal content, threats of real-world violence, or exploitation of minors, relevant evidence will be reported to law enforcement.
Staff & Moderation
- DawnScribe staff will never ask for your password through any channel. If someone claiming to be staff asks for your password, report it immediately.
- Moderation decisions are made impartially based on these guidelines, regardless of the popularity or status of the user involved.
- The moderation team's decisions can be appealed through the proper process outlined above.
- Harassing, threatening, or attempting to intimidate members of the DawnScribe team is a violation that will result in immediate permanent termination.
Our goal is a platform where every creator feels safe sharing their work and every reader feels welcome. Thank you for being part of building that.