Terms of Use

WICKBORNEWORLD.COM TERMS OF USE Version: 1.0 Effective Date: July 23, 2026 Last Updated: July 28, 2026 1. ACCEPTANCE OF THESE TERMS These Terms of Use, referred to as the "Terms," govern your access to and use of WickborneWorld.com, including its public pages, account features, private profiles, Wickborne calendar and birthday features, Affinity Divination, Soulcandle Awakening experience, downloadable materials, and other content or services provided through the website. WickborneWorld.com is operated by Darien Cruté. In these Terms, "WickborneWorld.com," "Wickborne World," the "Site," "we," "us," and "our" refer to the Site and its operator. "You" and "your" refer to the person accessing or using the Site. By creating an account, checking the box indicating your agreement, or continuing to use an account after being presented with these Terms, you agree to be bound by them. If you do not agree to these Terms, do not create an account or use account-restricted features. You may still access publicly available portions of the Site unless otherwise restricted. The Privacy Policy separately explains how personal information is collected, used, stored, disclosed, and protected. By creating or using an account, you also acknowledge that you have received and reviewed the Privacy Policy and Data Retention Policy. 2. AGE ELIGIBILITY You must be at least 16 years old to create or use a WickborneWorld.com account. By creating an account, you represent that: - You are at least 16 years old; - The birthday information you provide is accurate; - You are legally permitted to use the Site; and - You will comply with these Terms. If you are 16 or 17 years old, you also represent that your parent or legal guardian has permitted you to use the Site and has had an opportunity to review these Terms with you. Users under 16 may not create or use an account. If we reasonably believe that an account belongs to someone under 16, we may suspend or terminate the account and delete associated information in accordance with the Privacy Policy and Data Retention Policy. We may request reasonable information when necessary to investigate suspected age misrepresentation. We will seek to avoid collecting more information than reasonably necessary for that purpose. 3. THE SITE AND ITS CURRENT FEATURES WickborneWorld.com is an interactive companion site for the Echoes of the Wickborne Flame fictional world. Current public or account features may include: - Access to Wickborne calendar information; - Account creation and authentication; - Private user profiles; - Gregorian-to-Wickborne birthday conversion; - Personal Wickborne birthday and age displays; - Affinity Divination and stored affinity profiles; - Soulcandle Awakening; - Soulcandle descriptions and images; - Limited promotional use of eligible adult-generated Soulcandle names and images as described in Section 10; - Password-reset and account-management tools; - Adult-transition privacy choices; and - Other features identified on the Site. Profiles are currently private and are not publicly searchable, publicly shareable, or available through a user directory. The Site does not currently provide private messaging, public profile pages, friend lists, direct user-to-user communication, or public user-posting areas. WickborneWorld.com is separate from DarienCrute.com. Links to DarienCrute.com or another external service do not merge the accounts, policies, databases, or responsibilities of the two sites. We may introduce, modify, restrict, or discontinue features in the future. Material changes affecting user rights, public visibility, personal information, or community interaction may require updated Terms, updated privacy notices, or additional consent. 4. ACCOUNT REGISTRATION To create an account, you must provide accurate and complete information requested by the signup form. You agree to: - Choose a username that complies with these Terms; - Provide an email address that belongs to you or that you are authorized to use; - Provide accurate birthday information; - Maintain accurate account information; - Protect your login credentials; - Use only your own account; - Notify us promptly if you suspect unauthorized access; and - Follow security instructions presented by the Site. Unless we approve otherwise, each person may maintain only one account. You may not create an account: - For another person without authorization; - Using false age information; - Using another person's email address; - To evade a suspension or termination; - To impersonate another person, organization, employee, fictional character, or public figure; - For automated, fraudulent, deceptive, or unlawful purposes; or - To interfere with Site systems or another user's account. 5. USERNAMES Your username must not: - Impersonate another person or organization; - Falsely suggest an official relationship with Darien Cruté, WickborneWorld.com, DarienCrute.com, or the Echoes of the Wickborne Flame series; - Contain another person's private information; - Contain threats, harassment, hate speech, or slurs; - Contain graphic sexual language; - Sexualize or exploit minors; - Promote illegal activity; - Infringe a trademark, copyright, publicity right, or other right; - Be designed to deceive users or administrators; or - Otherwise violate these Terms. We may require a username to be changed or may suspend an account when reasonably necessary to protect users, prevent confusion, comply with law, or enforce these Terms. 6. ACCOUNT SECURITY You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for activity occurring through your account to the extent permitted by law. You must not: - Share your password or authentication link; - Allow another person to use your account; - Attempt to obtain another user's credentials; - Circumvent login, session, form, or authentication protections; - Use automated tools to test passwords or usernames; - Conduct credential-stuffing or brute-force activity; - Interfere with password-reset or login systems; or - Attempt to access administrative or restricted portions of the Site without authorization. Contact support@wickborneworld.com promptly if you believe that: - Someone has accessed your account without permission; - Your credentials have been exposed; - A password-reset message was requested without your knowledge; - Your email address has been changed without permission; or - Your account is otherwise at risk. We may temporarily lock, restrict, or suspend an account when reasonably necessary to investigate or respond to a security concern. 7. PRIVATE PROFILES, BIRTHDAYS, AND CALENDAR FEATURES Your profile is intended for your own account use and authorized administrative access. It may display your username, email address, Wickborne birthday, account dates, Affinity Divination result, Soulcandle result, and account-management options. The Site may display your personal Wickborne birthday or related age information to you within the calendar interface. The Site does not currently publish that personal date to other users. You must not attempt to access, discover, scrape, expose, or distribute another user's private profile, account information, birthday information, Soulcandle record, or other nonpublic data. Public calendar information, fictional dates, character birthdays, holidays, observances, and related lore are provided for entertainment and reference. They are not factual representations of real-world events, history, religion, astronomy, or calendar systems. We do not guarantee that every fictional date, conversion, age calculation, holiday, or calendar display will be error-free. You should report suspected errors rather than relying on the Site for legal, educational, financial, medical, or official date calculations. 7.1 AFFINITY DIVINATION Affinity Divination is a fictional entertainment feature that randomly assigns a set of foundational Wickborne affinities and an Affinity Potential for each affinity according to Wickborne World rules. The feature does not use questionnaire answers or artificial intelligence. It does not analyze or make factual claims about your real personality, identity, abilities, beliefs, health, behavior, worth, or future. Affinity Divination results: - May be similar or identical to results assigned to other users; - Do not represent current skill, education, training, or achievement; - Should not be relied upon when making medical, mental-health, educational, employment, financial, legal, relationship, safety, or other significant decisions; and - Are stored with your private account so they can be displayed through your profile and Affinity Divination page. The affinity system, Affinity Potential system, domain descriptions, magical expressions, terminology, artwork, and other underlying Wickborne World content remain the intellectual property of Darien Cruté and applicable rights holders. Receiving a result does not transfer ownership of that underlying content. 8. SOULCANDLE AWAKENING Soulcandle Awakening is an optional fictional entertainment experience inspired by the Echoes of the Wickborne Flame setting. The feature may use your answers and limited account context to generate fictional text and imagery through an artificial intelligence service provider, as explained in the Privacy Policy and Soulcandle Artificial Intelligence Disclosure. Soulcandle Awakening is not: - Therapy; - Counseling; - Medical advice; - Mental-health advice; - Psychological testing; - A clinical evaluation; - A diagnosis; - A factual personality assessment; - Spiritual or religious guidance; - A prediction of future events; or - A determination of your character, worth, identity, or abilities. Generated results may be imaginative, inaccurate, unexpected, repetitive, incomplete, or similar to results generated for other users. You should not rely on a Soulcandle result when making medical, mental-health, educational, employment, financial, legal, relationship, safety, or other significant decisions. You must not place highly sensitive personal information in Soulcandle answers. This includes: - Passwords or authentication credentials; - Government identification numbers; - Financial-account information; - Exact home addresses; - Phone numbers or personal email addresses; - Private medical records; - Information about abuse or criminal activity that requires emergency assistance; - Confidential information belonging to another person; or - Information that could create a serious risk if disclosed. The feature is voluntary. You may maintain an account and use other available Site features without completing a Soulcandle Awakening. Before beginning an awakening, you must affirmatively acknowledge the current Soulcandle Artificial Intelligence Disclosure. If the Site treats your account as belonging to an adult when the Soulcandle is generated, completing the awakening also subjects the generated candle name and image to the limited promotional-use provisions in Section 10. Those provisions do not apply to a Soulcandle generated while the account is treated as belonging to a user under 18 unless a separate, legally sufficient promotional permission is later obtained. 9. LICENSE TO PROCESS SOULCANDLE ANSWERS You retain any intellectual-property rights that you lawfully hold in the original expression of answers you submit through Soulcandle Awakening. By submitting those answers, you grant WickborneWorld.com a limited, nonexclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to: - Receive and process the answers; - Transmit them to the authorized artificial intelligence service provider; - Use them with limited account context to generate the requested Soulcandle result; - Temporarily process them for security, error handling, and troubleshooting; and - Preserve limited evidence when reasonably necessary for security, legal compliance, or a dispute. This license is limited to operating, securing, and providing the requested feature. WickborneWorld.com does not claim ownership of your original answer text merely because you submitted it. The Site is not designed to retain raw questionnaire answers as part of your account after generation is completed. Temporary service-provider processing or restricted technical records may continue for the periods described in the Privacy Policy and Data Retention Policy. You represent that your submitted answers do not unlawfully infringe another person's rights and do not contain information you are prohibited from sharing. 10. SOULCANDLE CONTENT, PERSONAL-USE LICENSE, AND LIMITED PROMOTIONAL USE The Wickborne setting, lore, terminology, visual identity, fictional systems, and underlying creative world remain the intellectual property of Darien Cruté and applicable rights holders. A Soulcandle generated for your account does not transfer ownership of: - The Echoes of the Wickborne Flame series; - The Wickborne world; - Wickborne lore; - Soulcandle mythology; - Character names; - Place names; - Calendar systems; - Trademarks; - Site designs; or - Other underlying intellectual property. To the extent WickborneWorld.com or Darien Cruté holds rights that may be licensed in your generated result, we grant you a limited, personal, nonexclusive, nontransferable, royalty-free license to: - View your Soulcandle result; - Download your Soulcandle image when the feature permits; - Save a personal copy of the generated description; - Use the result for personal, noncommercial enjoyment; and - Share the result through personal, noncommercial communications or social-media accounts. When sharing a Soulcandle result, you must not: - Claim ownership of the underlying Wickborne setting; - Present yourself as officially affiliated with or authorized to represent Darien Cruté or Wickborne World; - Sell, license, mint, tokenize, merchandise, or commercially exploit the result; - Remove or falsify an attribution or notice supplied with the result; - Use the result to mislead, defraud, harass, or impersonate another person; - Suggest that the result is a real psychological, medical, spiritual, or professional evaluation; or - Use it in a manner that violates these Terms or applicable law. Commercial licensing or expanded use by a user requires separate written permission from Darien Cruté. 10.1 Promotional Soulcandle Asset For purposes of these Terms, a "Promotional Soulcandle Asset" consists only of: - The artificial-intelligence-generated name of a Soulcandle; and - The artificial-intelligence-generated image of that Soulcandle. A Promotional Soulcandle Asset does not include and does not authorize promotional use of: - Raw questionnaire answers; - The full or short Soulcandle reading; - Descriptions, traits, tensions, motifs, colors, shape details, wax details, flame details, surface details, movement details, orbit behavior, or other generated text; - A username, email address, Wickborne birthday, Gregorian birthday, account date, account identifier, profile information, or technical information; - A personal message, quotation, testimonial, endorsement, or statement attributed to the user; or - Any other information that identifies or could reasonably be linked to the user. 10.2 Promotional License for Adult-Generated Soulcandles If the Site treats your account as belonging to a person who is at least 18 years old when a Soulcandle is generated, you acknowledge and agree that WickborneWorld.com and Darien Cruté may select the resulting Promotional Soulcandle Asset for promotional use. To the extent you hold or may acquire any right, title, interest, approval right, or other legally transferable interest in that Promotional Soulcandle Asset, you grant WickborneWorld.com, Darien Cruté, and their successors and authorized promotional service providers a perpetual, worldwide, nonexclusive, royalty-free, transferable, and sublicensable license to: - Reproduce, publish, display, distribute, transmit, and otherwise use the Promotional Soulcandle Asset; - Crop, resize, compress, reformat, animate, place on a background, add labels or branding, and make other non-misleading presentation or technical changes; - Combine the Promotional Soulcandle Asset with other Wickborne World, Darien Cruté, book-series, event, or promotional material; and - Use the Promotional Soulcandle Asset in websites, official social-media accounts, newsletters, digital or print advertisements, press materials, media kits, presentations, event displays, promotional videos, and other materials promoting WickborneWorld.com, Darien Cruté, or the Echoes of the Wickborne Flame series and its related books or official projects. This license does not authorize the sale of the Promotional Soulcandle Asset as a standalone stock asset or the use of the asset to identify, profile, evaluate, or advertise directly to the user. 10.3 Deidentification and No User Attribution Before an eligible Promotional Soulcandle Asset is placed in a promotional library, WickborneWorld.com will take reasonable steps to: - Copy only the generated candle name and image; - Remove usernames, account identifiers, private file paths, embedded metadata, and other information reasonably capable of identifying the user; - Detach the promotional copy from the user's account record; and - Assign a separate random or non-user promotional identifier where an identifier is needed. WickborneWorld.com will not publicly identify the account holder who received the Soulcandle, attribute the asset to that user, quote that user, or state or imply that the user endorses WickborneWorld.com, Darien Cruté, or the Echoes of the Wickborne Flame series. 10.4 No Payment, Approval, or Required Use The adult promotional license described in this Section: - Does not require WickborneWorld.com to select or use any particular Soulcandle; - Does not entitle the user to payment, royalties, credit, notice, review, approval, or ownership of promotional materials; - Is irrevocable except to the extent applicable law requires otherwise; and - Survives account closure, Soulcandle deletion, termination of these Terms, and discontinued use of the Site. Deleting an account or Soulcandle does not require WickborneWorld.com to delete a deidentified promotional copy that was lawfully selected under these Terms or to recall, destroy, revise, or remove materials that were previously published, printed, distributed, archived, scheduled, or incorporated into a larger promotional work. 10.5 Soulcandles Generated for Users Under 18 The promotional license in Sections 10.2 through 10.4 does not apply to a Soulcandle generated while the Site treats the account as belonging to a user under 18. WickborneWorld.com will not select, copy, retain in a promotional library, or use that minor-generated Promotional Soulcandle Asset for advertising or promotional purposes unless the Site later obtains a separate permission that is optional, legally sufficient, and distinct from ordinary acceptance of these Terms or use of the Soulcandle feature. Refusing such a separate request will not prevent the user from completing or continuing to use Soulcandle Awakening or unrelated Site features. A Soulcandle generated while the user was treated as a minor does not automatically become eligible for promotional use merely because the user later turns 18, accepts adult-account processing, or continues using the Site. Artificial intelligence outputs may not be unique, may resemble other generated results, and may not qualify for copyright protection in every jurisdiction. We do not promise exclusivity, copyrightability, or ownership of every generated element. 11. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY Unless otherwise stated, the Site and its original content are owned by Darien Cruté or used with permission. Protected content may include: - Text; - Fictional lore; - Character and place descriptions; - Wickborne terminology; - The Wickborne calendar; - Soulcandle concepts and presentation; - Artwork and illustrations; - Logos and graphics; - Page designs; - Source code and software; - Databases; - Audio or video; - Downloads; and - The selection, arrangement, and presentation of Site content. Names, logos, designs, phrases, and other source identifiers may function as trademarks or trade dress, whether or not formally registered. Except for the limited permissions expressly provided in these Terms, you may not: - Copy; - Reproduce; - Republish; - Distribute; - Sell; - License; - Translate; - Adapt; - Publicly perform; - Publicly display; - Scrape; - Create derivative works from; - Train a machine-learning system on; - Remove ownership notices from; or - Commercially exploit Site content without prior written permission or another lawful basis. Nothing in these Terms limits rights you may have under copyright law, including fair use, or other rights that cannot lawfully be waived. 12. COPYRIGHT AND OTHER RIGHTS COMPLAINTS You may contact us if you believe that content available through the Site infringes your copyright, trademark, privacy right, publicity right, or another legal right. A complaint should include: - Your name and contact information; - Identification of the protected work or right; - Identification and location of the material at issue; - A good-faith explanation of the alleged violation; - A statement that the information in the complaint is accurate; and - Additional information reasonably necessary to investigate. Send complaints to: support@wickborneworld.com Subject Line: Rights Complaint Submitting a knowingly false or misleading complaint may have legal consequences. We may remove or restrict content while investigating a complaint. Removal does not necessarily mean that we agree that a legal violation occurred. 13. ACCEPTABLE USE You may use the Site only for lawful, personal, and authorized purposes. You must not: - Violate any law or regulation; - Interfere with another person's use of the Site; - Harass, threaten, stalk, exploit, or intimidate another person; - Promote hatred or unlawful discrimination; - Sexualize or exploit minors; - Distribute pornography or illegal sexual content; - Encourage violence, self-harm, abuse, or criminal activity; - Impersonate another person or organization; - Collect or attempt to collect user information without authorization; - Publish another person's private information; - Send spam or unauthorized commercial messages; - Upload or transmit malware or malicious code; - Probe, scan, or test Site vulnerabilities without written authorization; - Bypass security, access restrictions, rate limits, form protections, or authentication controls; - Access another user's account; - Access administrative systems without authorization; - Reverse engineer Site software except where the law expressly permits it; - Extract hidden prompts, system instructions, credentials, keys, or internal configuration; - Manipulate artificial intelligence systems to generate prohibited or harmful material; - Use automated bots, crawlers, scrapers, or agents without permission; - Overload or disrupt the Site or its service providers; - Frame or mirror substantial portions of the Site; - Use Site content to train or evaluate an artificial intelligence model without permission; - Create accounts in bulk; - Evade a suspension or termination; or - Assist another person in doing any prohibited act. 14. SAFETY AND EMERGENCIES WickborneWorld.com is not an emergency, crisis-response, counseling, medical, mental-health, or law-enforcement service. Do not use a Soulcandle answer, support email, or other Site feature to request emergency assistance. If you or someone else may be in immediate danger, contact local emergency services or an appropriate crisis service directly. We may contact appropriate authorities or take other protective action when we reasonably believe it is necessary to address an imminent threat, suspected exploitation, serious abuse, unlawful activity, or a legal obligation. Any disclosure of information will be handled in accordance with applicable law and the Privacy Policy. 15. CONTENT INTENDED FOR USERS AGED 16 AND OLDER The Site and the Echoes of the Wickborne Flame series may include fantasy violence, death, grief, conflict, romance, mature themes, or other material intended for an audience aged 16 and older. The 16+ designation does not guarantee that every item will be suitable for every individual user. Users, parents, and guardians are responsible for deciding whether particular content is appropriate for them or for a minor in their care. 16. COMMUNICATIONS You may use the designated support email address for legitimate support requests, rights complaints, privacy requests, account matters, security reports, or other appropriate communication. You must not use communications with the Site to: - Send spam; - Send threats or harassment; - Transmit malware; - Impersonate another person; - Make knowingly false accusations; - Submit unlawful material; - Advertise unrelated goods or services; or - Attempt to bypass account restrictions. By creating an account, you agree that we may send you transactional or service-related communications, including: - Account and authentication messages; - Password-reset messages; - Security alerts; - Adult-transition notices; - Policy-change notices; - Responses to your requests; and - Notices concerning your account or Site access. Transactional messages are not marketing messages and may be necessary to operate your account. We will not send marketing emails without an appropriate legal basis and any consent required by law. 17. THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES AND SERVICES The Site may link to or use third-party services, including: - DarienCrute.com; - Booksellers and ebook platforms; - Social-media platforms; - Calendar services; - Hosting providers; - Email providers; - Artificial intelligence providers; - Backup or infrastructure providers; and - Other external websites. A link does not necessarily mean that we endorse or control the third party. Your use of a third-party service is governed by that service's terms, privacy policy, and other agreements. We are not responsible for: - Third-party availability; - Third-party content; - Payment processing performed by another provider; - Shipping, delivery, or refunds handled by another provider; - Third-party security; - Third-party data practices; or - Losses caused by your use of an external service, except to the extent responsibility cannot lawfully be excluded. 18. SITE AVAILABILITY AND CHANGES We may modify, update, suspend, restrict, or discontinue any part of the Site. We do not guarantee that: - The Site will always be available; - Every feature will remain available; - The Site will be error-free; - Generated content will always complete successfully; - Stored content will never be lost; - Third-party services will remain compatible; - Calendar information or conversions will always be available or error-free; or - A particular device or browser will continue to be supported. We may perform maintenance, install updates, change service providers, address security issues, or temporarily disable features without advance notice when reasonably necessary. Where practical, we may provide notice of material planned disruptions or permanent feature closures. 19. MODERATION, SUSPENSION, AND TERMINATION We may investigate suspected violations of these Terms. We may take actions including: - Issuing a warning; - Requiring a username change; - Restricting a feature; - Temporarily locking an account; - Deactivating an account; - Permanently terminating an account; - Blocking abusive technical activity; - Preserving relevant evidence; - Reporting unlawful conduct; or - Taking other reasonable protective action. We may act without advance notice when reasonably necessary to: - Protect a user; - Protect the Site; - Address a security threat; - Prevent fraud or abuse; - Preserve evidence; - Comply with law; - Respond to an emergency; or - Prevent continued violations. When circumstances permit, we may provide a general explanation of the action taken. You may contact support@wickborneworld.com to request review of an account restriction. We are not required to restore an account when we reasonably conclude that continued access creates a security, legal, safety, operational, or abuse risk. 20. ACCOUNT CLOSURE AND DELETION You may request closure or deletion of your account as described in the Privacy Policy. Closing or deleting an account may result in loss of access to: - Your private profile; - Your Wickborne birthday information; - Your personal calendar entry; - Your Affinity Divination result; - Your Soulcandle result; - Your Soulcandle image; and - Other account-restricted content. Account deletion is subject to the Data Retention Policy. Limited information may be retained when reasonably necessary for: - Security; - Fraud prevention; - Legal compliance; - Dispute resolution; - Enforcement; - Documentation of the request; - Preservation of legal claims; or - Restricted backup cycles. Limited pseudonymous records of legal acceptance and adult-transition choices may be retained after account deletion for the period described in the Data Retention Policy. Deleting an account does not require us to delete records that we are legally required or permitted to retain. Deleting the Site's copy of a Soulcandle does not delete copies that you previously downloaded or independently shared. It also does not require deletion of a deidentified Promotional Soulcandle Asset that was lawfully selected from an eligible adult account under Section 10 or removal of that asset from promotional materials as described in that section. 21. USER SUGGESTIONS You may voluntarily send suggestions, ideas, corrections, feature requests, or other feedback about the Site. You understand that we may already be developing similar ideas. Unless we separately agree in writing: - Suggestions are not confidential; - You are not entitled to payment or credit; - We may consider, reject, or use a suggestion; and - Sending a suggestion does not create an employment, partnership, agency, or creative-development relationship. This section does not transfer ownership of original content governed by another section of these Terms. 22. NO PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIP Using the Site, sending a message, viewing calendar material, completing an Affinity Divination, completing a Soulcandle Awakening, or receiving a response does not create: - An attorney-client relationship; - A therapist-client relationship; - A doctor-patient relationship; - A financial-advisor relationship; - An employment relationship; - A school enrollment relationship; - A fiduciary relationship; - An agency relationship; or - Any other professional relationship. Site content is provided for fictional entertainment and general information and should not be treated as individualized professional advice. 23. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE SITE AND ITS CONTENT, FEATURES, GENERATED MATERIALS, DOWNLOADS, AND SERVICES ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE." WE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF: - MERCHANTABILITY; - FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE; - TITLE; - NON-INFRINGEMENT; - ACCURACY; - AVAILABILITY; - SECURITY; - RELIABILITY; AND - QUIET ENJOYMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT: - THE SITE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE; - DEFECTS WILL ALWAYS BE CORRECTED; - THE SITE WILL BE FREE OF HARMFUL COMPONENTS; - CONTENT WILL BE COMPLETE OR CURRENT; - A CALENDAR CONVERSION OR AGE DISPLAY WILL ALWAYS BE ACCURATE; - AN AFFINITY DIVINATION RESULT WILL BE UNIQUE, FACTUAL, OR SUITABLE; - A SOULCANDLE RESULT WILL BE ACCURATE, UNIQUE, COPYRIGHTABLE, OR SUITABLE; - USER CONTENT OR GENERATED CONTENT WILL REMAIN AVAILABLE; - A THIRD-PARTY SERVICE WILL PERFORM AS EXPECTED; OR - USE OF THE SITE WILL PRODUCE A PARTICULAR RESULT. Some jurisdictions do not permit the exclusion of certain warranties. In those jurisdictions, the exclusions apply only to the extent permitted by law. 24. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, DARIEN CRUTÉ, WICKBORNEWORLD.COM, AND THEIR SERVICE PROVIDERS, REPRESENTATIVES, SUCCESSORS, AND ASSIGNS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING FROM OR RELATING TO: - YOUR USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE SITE; - LOSS OF DATA OR CONTENT; - ACCOUNT SUSPENSION OR TERMINATION; - AFFINITY DIVINATION RESULTS OR RELATED INTERPRETATIONS; - GENERATED SOULCANDLE CONTENT; - CALENDAR OR BIRTHDAY CONVERSIONS; - THIRD-PARTY SERVICES; - UNAUTHORIZED ACCOUNT ACCESS; - SERVICE INTERRUPTIONS; - DEVICE OR SOFTWARE PROBLEMS; OR - RELIANCE ON SITE CONTENT. This exclusion includes, where permitted, damages for lost profits, lost opportunities, emotional distress, reputational harm, loss of goodwill, or loss of data. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY ARISING FROM OR RELATING TO THE SITE OR THESE TERMS WILL NOT EXCEED ONE HUNDRED UNITED STATES DOLLARS. These limitations do not apply to liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited, including liability arising from intentional misconduct, fraud, gross negligence where applicable, or other non-waivable legal obligations. Some jurisdictions do not permit certain limitations of liability. In those jurisdictions, the limitations apply only to the extent permitted by law. 25. INDEMNIFICATION BY ADULT USERS If you are 18 years old or older, you agree, to the extent permitted by law, to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Darien Cruté and WickborneWorld.com from third-party claims, damages, judgments, liabilities, losses, and reasonable costs arising from: - Your unlawful use of the Site; - Your material violation of these Terms; - Content or information you submit; - Your infringement of another person's rights; - Your fraudulent or deceptive conduct; or - Your intentional misuse of Site systems. This obligation does not require you to indemnify us for our own unlawful conduct, gross negligence, or intentional wrongdoing. This indemnification section does not apply to a user who is 16 or 17 except to the extent expressly permitted by applicable law. 26. GOVERNING LAW These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of New York, without regard to rules that would require application of another jurisdiction's laws. This choice of law does not deprive you of mandatory consumer protections that apply to you and cannot legally be waived. 27. DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND COURT ACCESS Before filing a lawsuit concerning the Site or these Terms, you and we agree to make a reasonable, good-faith effort to resolve the dispute informally. A written dispute notice should include: - Your name or username; - Contact information; - A description of the dispute; - Relevant dates; - The resolution requested; and - Supporting information reasonably necessary to understand the claim. Send notices to: support@wickborneworld.com Subject Line: Legal Dispute Notice The parties should allow 30 days after receipt of a complete notice to attempt informal resolution, unless immediate legal action is reasonably necessary to prevent serious harm, preserve a claim, seek emergency relief, or comply with a deadline. If the dispute is not resolved, either party may bring the claim in a court of competent jurisdiction located in the State of New York, subject to applicable jurisdiction and venue rules. Nothing in these Terms prevents: - An eligible claim in small-claims court; - A report to a government agency; - A privacy or consumer-protection complaint; - A request for emergency injunctive relief; or - The exercise of a right that cannot lawfully be restricted. These Terms do not require arbitration and do not include a class-action waiver. 28. CHANGES TO THESE TERMS We may revise these Terms to reflect: - New features; - Changes in Site operations; - Changes to user rights or responsibilities; - Changes in law; - Security developments; - New community or commercial features; or - Changes to service providers. The version number and last-updated date will identify the current Terms. For material changes, we may provide notice through: - An account screen; - The signup or login process; - Email; - A Site notice; or - Another reasonable method. We may require you to affirmatively accept revised Terms before continuing to use account features. Changes will not retroactively authorize materially different uses of personal information where separate consent is required by law. If you do not agree to revised Terms, you may stop using account features and request account closure. 29. ELECTRONIC AGREEMENT AND RECORDS You agree that checking an acceptance box, selecting an acceptance button, or completing another clearly identified electronic acceptance process may constitute your electronic agreement to these Terms. You may save or print a copy of the Terms. We may maintain records of: - The Terms version accepted; - The Privacy Policy and Data Retention Policy versions presented; - The date and time of acceptance; - The account or pseudonymous subject involved; - Whether minor and guardian-permission confirmations applied; - Limited cryptographic technical information associated with acceptance; and - Any later withdrawal, closure, reacceptance, or legal hold. These records may be used for administration, security, compliance, and dispute resolution. 30. SEVERABILITY If any provision of these Terms is found invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, that provision will be enforced to the greatest extent permitted or separated from the remaining Terms. The remaining provisions will continue in effect. 31. NO WAIVER A failure or delay in enforcing a provision of these Terms does not waive the right to enforce that provision later. A waiver is effective only if made in writing by an authorized representative and applies only to the specific matter identified. 32. ASSIGNMENT You may not assign or transfer your account or your rights under these Terms without prior written permission. We may assign or transfer these Terms as part of a reorganization, business transfer, succession, or transfer of the Site, subject to applicable law and the Privacy Policy. 33. ENTIRE AGREEMENT These Terms, together with any additional terms expressly presented for a specific feature, constitute the agreement concerning your use of the Site. The Privacy Policy explains our data practices. The Data Retention Policy provides additional information about retention and deletion. The Soulcandle Artificial Intelligence Disclosure provides feature-specific information presented before an awakening. The Adult Account Transition Notice explains the privacy choice presented when a formerly minor account reaches age 18. The Security and Breach Response Plan is an internal operational document and does not create additional contractual guarantees unless expressly stated otherwise. If a feature-specific term conflicts with these Terms, the feature-specific term controls only for that feature. 34. CONTACT Questions about these Terms may be directed to: Darien Cruté Website: WickborneWorld.com Email: support@wickborneworld.com Subject Line: Terms of Use Question Do not send passwords, authentication links, financial information, government identification numbers, or other unnecessary highly sensitive information by email.