PassionPress & Citadel: Content Guidelines

These Content Guidelines establish the creative and safety standards for all content published, uploaded, or shared on PassionPress and our digital application, Citadel (collectively, the "Platform").

Our mission is to champion independent publishing and provide a cozy, world-built sanctuary - Citadel - where readers can escape algorithms and connect directly with authentic, human-generated stories. To preserve this sanctuary, all contributing creators must strictly adhere to these guidelines. Any violation of these guidelines may result in content removal, or immediate and permanent account termination.

1. Our Ethos

PassionPress and the Citadel platform were built to champion and increase discoverability of human creativity. We aim to provide a safe, immersive, and uninhibited environment for independent authors to share their worlds, and for readers to discover their next great obsession. We believe self-published authors should have the luxury of writing uninhibited, provided they respect our community, our zero-AI values, and our requirement for transparency.

2. The Strict Zero-AI Policy

We protect the integrity of independent publishing and the livelihoods of human creators. No machine-generated content is permitted on the Platform.

• Manuscripts: All stories, books, and written material must be authored entirely by human writers. AI-generated manuscripts are strictly prohibited.
• Cover Art and Visuals: All book covers, promotional graphics, and profile images must not be AI-generated.
• Audio: Any accompanying audiobooks, character voice clips, or soundscapes must involve real human talent. AI text-to-speech or voice-cloning tools are prohibited.

We celebrate the indie soul and require all uploaded content to be the product of genuine human effort, craft, and emotion.

3. Permitted Genres

While we welcome diverse writing styles, Citadel is primarily a sanctuary for Romantasy and speculative fiction. We support established, emerging, and niche sub-genres, including but not limited to:

• Romantasy & Fantasy Romance
• Epic, Urban, & Sci-Fi Fantasy Romance
• Monster & Sentient Object Romance
• Dark, Gothic & Grimdark Fantasy Romance
• Historical, Contemporary, & Adventure Romantic Fantasy

4. Mature Themes

We know that the Romantasy and Monster Romance genres often deal with incredibly mature, dark, and intense themes. Our Platform allows these "Mature Themes" when they serve a genuine narrative purpose, are fictional, and are accompanied by proper warnings.

Acceptable Mature Themes include, but are not limited to:

• Explicit sexual content and erotica (including monster and speculative pairings).
• Violence, warfare, and gore tied to narrative stakes.
• Dark themes such as captivity, kidnapping, physical or emotional abuse, and dubious consent within a fictional, narrative framework.
• Explorations of mental health struggles, grief, identity, agency, self-harm, and trauma.

We urge authors to handle these themes with care and to err on the side of caution when designing their content warnings. Fictional storytelling is a safe space to explore complex themes, but readers must be allowed to make informed choices about what they consume.

5. Accurate Tagging, Categorisation & Content Warnings

Because we rely on a human-curated discovery engine rather than opaque, predictive algorithms, accurate metadata is crucial to our ecosystem.

• No Tag-Stuffing: You must only use tags that genuinely represent the tropes, themes, setting, and sub-genres within your work. Applying popular but irrelevant tags to manipulate search results or gain visibility is strictly prohibited.
• Maturity Ratings: You must accurately designate intimate scene amount (tag category "Heat Level") and intensity (tag category "Freak-o-Meter") using the appropriate tags categories.
• Content Warnings (CWs): You are required to list clear, comprehensive, and accurate content warnings in your book's metadata (tag category "Triggers"). This ensures readers can use Citadel's filtering tools to curate their own reading experience and avoid specific triggers.

6. Prohibited Content

While we champion creative freedom, we draw a strict line at content that promotes real-world harm, illegal behaviour, or targeted abuse. The following categories of content are strictly prohibited and will be removed immediately upon discovery:

6.1 Illegal Content

We prohibit any content that violates United Kingdom law (including Scots law). This includes, but is not limited to:

• The production, distribution, or depiction of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) or any sexual exploitation of minors (real or fictional).
• Content that facilitates, encourages, or provides instructions for real-world illegal activities, such as weapons manufacturing, self-harm replication, or drug synthesisation.
• Content tied to real-world criminal, extremist, or terrorist organisations.

6.2 Real-World Harm, Abuse & Discrimination

• Hate Speech: We do not permit content that promotes violence, hatred, or systematic discrimination against individuals or groups based on protected characteristics (including race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or age).
• Non-Consensual Exploitation: The unauthorised use of real, living persons as characters in explicit, defamatory, or highly sensitive fictional contexts is prohibited.
• Targeted Harassment: Content must not be used to bully, dox, stalk, or harass any reader, author, or individual.

6.3 Plagiarism & Copyright Infringement

• All uploaded content must be original work owned or legitimately licensed by the publishing author.
• Plagiarism, unauthorized translations, and the direct copying of other authors' settings, plots, or copyrighted characters are strictly prohibited.
• UK Copyright Compliance: In accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, copyright holders may submit infringement and takedown notices to our legal team at connect@passion-press.com.

7. Community

A healthy creative sanctuary requires mutual respect between authors and readers.

• Author Conduct: Authors must maintain a professional and respectful tone in their public profiles, bio sections, and interactions on the Platform.
• Review Manipulation: Any attempts to artificially inflate or deflate book ratings, purchase fake reviews, or exchange ratings dishonestly are strictly prohibited.

8. Enforcement

We take the safety and authenticity of our platform seriously.

Enforcement Actions: Depending on the severity and frequency of the violation, PassionPress reserves the right to:

• Require mandatory content revisions before a book can be republished.
• Temporarily suspend account publishing or commenting privileges.
• Permanently terminate an account and ban the user from both the Website and the Citadel app.
• Report illegal activity directly to UK law enforcement authorities (e.g., Police Scotland).

9. How to Report a Violation

If you encounter a book or profile that violates these guidelines, or have urgent safety concerns, please email our team at connect@passion-press.com.

Please provide specific book titles, pen names, and relevant quotes to help us process your report swiftly.

10. Updates to these Guidelines

We may update these guidelines periodically to adapt to new legislative requirements (such as the UK Online Safety Act) or platform features. When material changes are made, we will notify our community via email or an in-app update. Your continued use of the Platform constitutes acceptance of the revised guidelines.