Community Guidelines
Build wild. Build together. Don't be a villain.
Last Updated: April 16, 2026
The Short Version
TBC... is built on one idea: great stories are better when they're collaborative. To keep this a place where that can actually happen, we need everyone to follow a few ground rules.
Be a creator, not a destroyer. Contribute to universes — don't burn them down. Make things that surprise, entertain, move, or delight. And treat the humans you're building with like, you know, humans.
Everything below is just that principle, expanded.
What belongs on TBC...
This is what we're here for.
Original Stories
All formats welcome. Live action, animation, AI-generated, puppets, stop motion, whiteboard drawings, phone footage, interpretive shadow puppetry. If you made it, it belongs here.
Collaborative Branches
Continuing someone else's story? Beautiful. The whole platform is built for this. Just make sure you're building on the universe, not hijacking it.
Mature Themes (With Care)
Dark stories. Moral ambiguity. Complex characters. Horror. Tragedy. Difficult subject matter handled thoughtfully. Real storytelling doesn't sanitize life — and neither do we.
Commentary & Parody
Satire, parody, and criticism are valid creative forms. Just make sure it's actually creative, not a thin excuse to target someone.
AI-Assisted Content
Generated, assisted, hybrid — all good. Disclose it if the platform prompts you to. The tool doesn't matter. The story does.
Cross-Cultural Stories
We're building for a global community. Stories from every culture, language, and tradition are welcome. Representation isn't a checkbox — it's what makes universes feel real.
What doesn't belong here.
These aren't edge cases — they're the lines. Cross them and your account is gone.
🚫 Sexual & Nudity Content
No nudity. No sexually explicit content. No suggestive content involving real or fictional minors under any circumstances. Artistic nudity that serves a genuine narrative purpose may be reviewed on a case-by-case basis — but when in doubt, it's out. This is a firm line, not a gray area.
🚫 Content Involving Minors
Zero tolerance. No sexual content involving minors. No grooming behavior. No content that depicts, encourages, or facilitates the abuse or exploitation of children. This results in immediate, permanent account termination and will be reported to appropriate authorities.
🚫 Graphic Violence
Fictional violence in service of a story is fine. Torture porn, gore for shock value, or real-world violence presented as entertainment is not. Ask yourself: is this violence about something? If the answer is no, rethink it.
🚫 Hate Speech & Discrimination
Content that dehumanizes people based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or national origin has no place here. This includes slurs, coded language designed to demean, and content that promotes or glorifies hate groups.
🚫 Harassment & Targeted Abuse
Criticism of public figures and satire are fine. Creating content designed to harass, threaten, or intimidate a specific real person is not. Doxxing, stalking behavior, and coordinated pile-ons will result in account suspension.
🚫 Dangerous & Illegal Content
No instructions for making weapons, drugs, or anything else that could get someone hurt in real life. No content that facilitates illegal activity. Fictional crime is fine. Instructional crime is not.
🚫 Misinformation
Don't present fabricated content as real. Don't use TBC... to spread health misinformation, election interference, or manipulated media designed to deceive. Clearly label fiction as fiction.
🚫 Spam & Artificial Manipulation
No bots. No fake engagement. No artificially inflating your branch reach. No coordinated inauthentic behavior. The branching engine only works if real humans are making real choices — don't poison the well.
Mature themes, handled right.
TBC... isn't a kids' platform, and we're not going to pretend that good storytelling is always comfortable. Horror, trauma, addiction, violence, moral ambiguity — these are legitimate creative territories.
If your content explores mature themes, use our content labeling system. Mark it appropriately. Let your audience opt in. That's the deal.
What we won't allow under any content label: nudity, explicit sexual content, or anything on the "zero tolerance" list above. Labels aren't loopholes.
Minors & Child Safety
This is the simplest section on the page. Zero tolerance. No exceptions.
No sexual content involving minors. No grooming behavior. No content that depicts, encourages, or facilitates the abuse or exploitation of children — real or fictional.
Violations result in immediate, permanent account termination and are reported to the appropriate authorities including NCMEC.
Respect the source material.
Original work is the foundation of everything on TBC.... If you're using someone else's IP — a character, a universe, a piece of music — make sure you have the right to use it.
Fair use, parody, and commentary are protected forms of expression. A satirical branch that riffs on a well-known franchise? Probably fine. Uploading someone else's copyrighted video and calling it a continuation? Not fine.
Copyright claims can be submitted through our IP portal. We comply with DMCA takedown procedures and have a counter-notice process if you believe a claim is incorrect.
Licensed IP Realms are special story zones for officially licensed characters. If you're building in one of those, there are additional rules — you'll see them clearly marked.
Harassment & Hate Speech
Content that dehumanizes people based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or national origin has no place here. This includes slurs, coded language designed to demean, and content that promotes or glorifies hate groups.
Criticism of public figures and satire are fine. Creating content designed to harass, threaten, or intimidate a specific real person is not. Doxxing, stalking behavior, and coordinated pile-ons will result in account suspension.
Spam & Manipulation
No bots. No fake engagement. No artificially inflating your branch reach. No coordinated inauthentic behavior.
The branching engine only works if real humans are making real choices — don't poison the well.
How we handle violations.
The Three-Strike System
We use a graduated enforcement system for most violations. Some things skip straight to the end.
Strike 1
Content removed. Warning issued. You'll receive a specific explanation of what was violated and why.
Strike 2
Content removed. Temporary posting restrictions (7–30 days depending on severity). Monetization paused during restriction period.
Strike 3
Account suspended. Permanent ban review initiated.
Zero-tolerance violations
Child safety, targeted harassment, illegal content, CSAM: Immediate permanent termination. No strikes. No warnings. No appeals for the most severe categories.
Appeals
We get it wrong sometimes. If you believe your content was removed in error, you can appeal.
- •Submit an appeal within 14 days of the removal notice
- •Appeals are reviewed by a senior human moderator (not an AI)
- •You'll receive a decision within 5 business days
- •If your appeal is upheld, your content is restored and the strike is removed
- •Repeated bad-faith appeals may affect your account standing
See something? Say something.
Every Cliff has a report button. Use it. The community is part of how TBC... stays healthy — your reports go to real humans, and they matter.
Reports are confidential. The person you report won't know it was you. And if you're consistently reporting accurately, your reports carry more weight over time.
Read our full Transparency Report →
Questions about the guidelines?
Reach out to our Trust & Safety team. We're real people.