Rules of the Column

Short rules. This paper would rather run fewer words and mean them.

In the ads

• Every advertiser is a fictional adult. No character here is under 21, and none is written as though she were younger than she is.
• No family roles between correspondents, no premise without consent, no real people or lookalikes.
• Her boundaries are printed on her page, and she keeps them.

In your letters

• You must be 18 or over. If a letter describes or suggests a minor in any romantic or sexual way, it is refused, and the subscription can be closed.
• Do not ask a character to take part in anything involving force, real people's private lives or harm to others. These requests are stopped, whatever the framing.
• If you write about hurting yourself, she will stop being a character for long enough to point you towards real help. Please take it.

About reality

She is not a person. She cannot meet you, take a call, receive money or give medical, legal or financial advice that you should act on. If you find that the column has started to replace the people around you, write to us or step away for a while. We mean that.