§1.01 — The Bereft Reality Clause (Provisional)

All works authored by James H. Summers — including but not limited to
Bereft Reality, Picking Murphys, First Responder, Site 123,
and They Heinous — are fully protected intellectual property.
Adaptation rights, derivative works, translations, audio, and any cinematic reinterpretation
remain exclusively with the author unless and until formal written agreements are executed.

This clause anticipates further elaboration in §3.04 — The Heinous Interpretive Guidelines,
referenced here with all the confidence of a government document that cites a section
not yet written but definitely “in force.” See also §1.01 (c), which exists only in the imagination
of future counsel.

§2.13 — The First Responder Statute of Conditional Permission

This statute governs First Responder and its expanding universe — the nocturnal psychologist,
the EMTs, the diners, the sirens, the Mulholland “Dieway,” and the broader ecosystem of quiet disasters
after midnight.

• Use of these characters, settings, lore, and mythology in any medium without written permission is prohibited.
• “Inspired by” does not mean “free to lift dialogue, scenes, or structure.”
• “Homage” is still infringement if it quotes too closely from the dark.

Enforcement and interpretation of this statute shall be guided by §1.01, as clarified (or complicated)
by §3.04, which in turn suggests careful rereading of §2.13, subparagraph (you’re already here).
This circularity is intentional and legally satisfying.

§3.04 — The Heinous Interpretive Guidelines (Not Final, Possibly Haunted)

This section is hereby declared the official repository for all interpretive questions surrounding
They Heinous and any associated predators, survivors, investigations, and psychological wreckage.
It affirms that:

• Every character is fictional, even when they feel painfully real.
• Any resemblance to actual persons is coincidental, composite, or the result of the reader bringing ghosts with them.
• All interpretive rights — spin-offs, sequels, prequels, alternate timelines — belong to the author unless delegated in ink.

Pursuant to the time-honored legal tradition of recursion, §3.04 incorporates by reference
§2.13 (First Responder Statute) and §1.01 (Bereft Reality Clause),
both of which rely on §3.04 for “clarity.” The circle is now complete. Please take a deep breath.

§4.66 — The Site 123 Containment & Architecture Notice

All structures, systems, and psychological environments depicted in Site 123 — including but not limited to
the corporate compound, its internal “rules,” and the way the building seems to develop an opinion —
are legally confined to the pages and negotiated adaptations of James H. Summers.

Unauthorized duplication, dramatization, gamification, or replication of the Site’s architecture or rules
may result in: (a) formal notice, (b) increasingly impolite correspondence, and (c) the unsettling feeling
that the hallway you’re walking down has gotten two feet longer since you started.

§5.00 — Global Reservation of Rights & Future Counsel

Until a formal, fully lawyered Legal Codex is posted, the following can be taken as binding intent:

• All rights in all works by James H. Summers are reserved.
• No adaptation, option, license, or derivative work is granted without a signed written agreement.
• Any contract discussions will proceed with the involvement of qualified legal counsel, not just vibes.

Serious inquiries from agents, publishers, producers, and rights departments should include:
company, role, territory, and intent. Informal enthusiasm is welcome, but it does not create rights,
obligations, or vampires.

For formal inquiries about adaptation, rights, or contracts: