Content Policy | fancanon

This Content Policy is part of the Fancanon Terms and Conditions. All users must follow these rules when posting or interacting on fancanon.com. Capitalized terms not defined here have the same meaning as in our Terms.

1. General Philosophy

Fancanon’s purpose is to host and share transformative fanworks. We believe that creative freedom is essential, and we will not remove content simply because it is offensive, shocking, or in poor taste, so long as it does not violate a specific policy below. Users are encouraged to use site features such as content ratings, warnings, and blocking tools to curate their own experience.

2. Fanworks Requirement

Works posted on Fancanon must be fanworks. A fanwork is a transformative creative work (fiction, art, or other media) that is based on or inspired by an existing source material, character, or real person. Posting content that is not a fanwork, such as non-transformative original fiction, personal blog posts, or commercial writing, is not allowed unless explicitly permitted in a designated area of the service. Bookmarks or collections, if available, must be used only for fanworks.

3. Commercial Promotion

You may not use Fancanon to promote, solicit, or advertise commercial products, services, or activities. This includes, but is not limited to, commission price lists, links to crowdfunding campaigns, or paid sponsorship messages. Links to a personal website or social media profile that is not primarily commercial are generally acceptable.

4. Copyright and Transformative Works

4.1 Large-Scale Reproduction. Reproducing large excerpts of copyrighted works without the consent of the copyright owner is not allowed. This includes wholesale copying of stories, song lyrics, articles, or entire chapters from published works, regardless of whether credit is given.

4.2 Epigraphs and Short Quotations. Short quotations and epigraphs are allowed, as is content that is set within or based on an existing work.

4.3 Transformative Works. Fancanon is founded on the belief that non-commercial transformative fanworks are a legitimate form of creative expression and may be protected under fair use and similar doctrines. A complaint that merely objects to the existence of a fanwork referencing a copyrighted or trademarked property will not be pursued. We will, however, respond to valid DMCA takedown notices that identify specific instances of wholesale copyright infringement, in accordance with our Copyright Policy.

4.4 Fan Translations and Podfics. Translating or podficcing another fanwork without the original creator’s permission is treated as a derivative work and is only allowed if the original creator has given explicit consent or has applied a blanket permission statement on their profile.

5. Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the use of someone else’s words, ideas, or creative expressions without appropriate attribution, presented as your own. Minor alterations (such as changing names, substituting synonyms, or rearranging a few words) do not make a work original. Plagiarism is not allowed. Deliberately writing a story using the same general concept or trope as another work is not plagiarism, but acknowledging the inspiration may be appropriate and is encouraged.

6. Personal Information and Fannish Identities

You may not post content that reveals seemingly accurate, non-public personal information about another individual without their consent. This includes:

Real (legal) names, residential addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, or workplace details.
Information that links someone’s fannish username to their real-world identity without permission.
Non-public details of a person’s health, finances, or private life.
Any personal data that would constitute a violation of applicable privacy laws.

Real-Person Fiction (RPF) is understood to be fictional. Names, public social media handles, or publicly known details about a real person (e.g., city of residence, birth date) used in the context of an RPF story are not ordinarily treated as a violation of this policy. We reserve the right to hide or remove any content that crosses the line from fiction into targeted exposure of private information.

7. Impersonation

You may not impersonate another individual, group, or entity in a way that misleads others about your affiliation. This includes creating an account or posting comments that falsely appear to come from a known figure. Fiction clearly labeled as such (including parody accounts with obvious disclaimers) is not considered impersonation.

8. Harassment

8.1 Definition. Harassment is any behavior that creates a generally hostile environment for its target. This includes bullying, threats, personal attacks, doxxing, and repeated unwanted contact directed at an individual or group.

8.2 General Rule. Harassment is not allowed. When evaluating a report, we will consider the context, including whether the behavior is repeated, targeted, difficult for the target to avoid, or part of a wider pattern of group harassment. Filing repeated, baseless reports against a user or group may itself constitute harassment.

Content that is merely rude, critical, or annoying will generally be allowed. Users are strongly encouraged to use muting, blocking, and other tools to control their own environment.

8.3 Threats and Advocating Harm. Content that advocates specific, real, harmful actions against real people is not allowed. This includes, but is not limited to, death threats, direct incitements to violence, or encouraging others to harass a specific person or group. Fictional depictions of harm within a story are not treated as advocacy, provided the work is not being used as a vehicle to target its real-life subject (see below).

8.4 Real-Person Fiction (RPF). Creating RPF is not in itself a form of harassment. A story in which a real person is depicted dying, suffering, or engaging in activities that might be considered harmful is typically not a violation, as it is fictional. However, deliberately delivering such content to the subject (for example, by tagging them on an external social media platform in a harassing manner, or using platform features to force it upon them) may be ruled as harassment.

9. User Icons and Profile Content

User icons, profile banners, and other publicly displayed profile elements must be appropriate for a general audience. They may not contain:

Photorealistic or graphic depictions of genital nudity or explicit sexual acts.
Hate symbols, including but not limited to those associated with white supremacist, terrorist, or otherwise violent extremist groups.
Imagery that is intended to intimidate, threaten, or cause harm to an individual or group.

10. Mandatory Content Ratings and Warnings

10.1 Rating Requirement. Every story published on Fancanon must be assigned a content rating using the tools provided. The available ratings are:

General – Content suitable for all ages.
Teen – Content suitable for teens 13 and up; may contain mild violence, minor language, or non-explicit suggestive situations.
Mature – Content that contains adult themes, strong language, or non-explicit depictions of violence or sexual situations.
Explicit – Content that contains explicit sexual acts, graphic violence, or other intense material intended for adults only.

You are required to select the rating that accurately reflects the highest level of content present anywhere in your story. Deliberately misrating a work to avoid content filters is a violation of this policy.

10.2 Content Warnings. When you publish a story containing material that may be sensitive, disturbing, or triggering (such as major character death, graphic violence, non-consensual sexual situations, or underage romantic content that is non-explicit), you must include appropriate content warnings. You may choose not to use specific warnings but we will tag those as “Author Chose Not To Use Warnings” label, which serves as a blanket notice that the story may contain any or all of the above. A story with this non-specific label is always considered sufficient tagging for the warnings field.

10.3 Enforcement. Fancanon administrators may, at their discretion, change a story’s rating or add the “Author Chose Not To Use Warnings” tag if a work is found to be mislabeled. Persistent or egregious mislabeling may result in the removal of the work or suspension of the account.

11. Prohibited Content

The following types of content are strictly prohibited on Fancanon, regardless of rating, warnings, or other tags:

11.1 Sexual Depictions of Minors. You may not post, share, or link to any content that depicts, describes, represents, or promotes sexual activity, simulated sexual activity, or sexually suggestive conduct involving a character who is portrayed as a minor (an individual under the age of 18). This prohibition applies to all media types, including text, illustrations, and photorealistic images, and encompasses situations where both characters are minors. A story that merely references the existence of a past relationship or a character’s age-appropriate romantic feelings, without depicting explicit sexual acts, is not automatically in violation, but any explicit sexual content involving a minor will result in immediate and permanent removal of the content and termination of the associated account.

11.2 Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). Any content that appears or purports to contain sexually explicit or suggestive photographic or photorealistic images of real children is prohibited. This will be reported to law enforcement immediately.

11.3 Non-Consensual Intimate Imagery. Posting intimate or sexually explicit images or realistic depictions of a real person without their consent is not allowed.

11.4 Malware and Technical Threats. Uploading files or posting links that contain malware, viruses, worms, trojans, or other destructive code is prohibited. Attempting to hack, exploit, or disrupt the technical integrity of Fancanon is a serious violation.

11.5 Illegal Goods and Services. Content that provides instructions for, or links to, illegal goods, services, or activities (such as warez, cracks, controlled substances, or restricted technologies) is not allowed.

12. Spam

Repeated posting of identical or near-identical content across multiple stories, comments, or areas of the site is considered spam and is prohibited, regardless of whether the content is commercial in nature. We may use automated filters to detect and remove spam. If your content is caught in a spam filter by mistake, please contact support@fancanon.com.

13. Reporting and Enforcement

13.1 Reporting Tools. Fancanon provides built-in reporting functions for stories, chapters, comments, and user profiles. If you believe content violates this Content Policy, please use the reporting feature rather than engaging in public call-outs or vigilante enforcement, which may itself violate the Harassment policy.

13.2 Review Process. Our team will review all reports. We may take any of the following actions, depending on the severity and context of the violation:

Issue a warning to the user.
Edit or add rating/warning tags to a work.
Temporarily hide or suspend a work or comment.
Permanently remove the violating content.
Suspend or permanently terminate the user’s account.

13.3 Appeals. If you believe content you posted was removed in error, you may contact support@fancanon.com with a detailed explanation. We will re-evaluate the decision, but we reserve the right to make final determinations at our discretion.

13.4 False Reports. Submitting knowingly false or malicious reports is a violation of this Content Policy and may result in action against the reporting account.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Content Policy from time to time. Material changes will be announced on the site and, where appropriate, via email. Continued use of Fancanon after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.