Terms of Service

Effective June 5, 2026 · Last updated May 13, 2026 · Operator: Feanor Services LLC

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of "40 Stories to Break Your Comfort Zone" — the Telegram bot @Fortystoriesbot and the Mini App and website located at fortystoriesgame.com (collectively, the "Service"). The Service is operated by Feanor Services LLC, a New Mexico limited liability company ("we," "us," "our").

By using the Service, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

1. What the Service is

40 Stories is a skill-based gaming experience delivered inside Telegram. Each week, we publish a chapter of a personal-essay series authored by Francisco Cordoba. Each chapter is paired with a 40-second skill game. Players compete against each other on leaderboards for prizes paid in Telegram Stars (Telegram's virtual currency).

Outcomes in 40 Stories depend predominantly on player skill — reaction speed, memory, pattern recognition, attention, and reasoning — not on chance. The Service is not a gambling product, casino, or lottery.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old (or the age of majority in your jurisdiction, whichever is higher) to use the Service.
You must have a valid Telegram account in good standing.
You must access the Service from a jurisdiction where skill-based gaming with virtual-currency prizes is lawful. It is your responsibility to verify this. The Service is not available where prohibited by law.
You must not be on any United States, European Union, or United Nations sanctions list.

3. Your account

Your "account" on the Service is your Telegram account. We do not collect a separate username or password. By opening the Mini App from inside Telegram, you authenticate via Telegram's Web App authentication mechanism.

You are responsible for all activity that takes place under your Telegram account. Do not share your Telegram account with another person. Do not operate multiple Telegram accounts to participate in the Service multiple times.

4. Telegram Stars as the exclusive currency

All purchases and prizes inside the Service are denominated in Telegram Stars (XTR). We do not accept fiat currency, cryptocurrency, or any other payment method directly. Telegram Stars are purchased and managed through your Telegram client, subject to Telegram's terms.

The Service does not control the issuance, value, or convertibility of Telegram Stars. Telegram Messenger Inc. and its affiliates control those operations independently. See our Stars disclaimer for details on Stars-to-fiat conversion.

5. Plans and pricing

The Service offers the following plans, paid in Telegram Stars:

1 play — 4 ⭐ — one attempt at the current chapter's game.
Day pass — 40 ⭐ — unlimited plays for 24 hours.
Week pass — 250 ⭐ — unlimited plays for 7 days.
Month pass — 1,000 ⭐ — unlimited plays for 30 days.
Founding 400 ticket — 1,000 ⭐ — lifetime access to all 40 chapters, eligibility for the Grand Prize, 25% affiliate commission rate. Limited to the first 400 purchasers.

We may add, modify, or discontinue plans at our discretion. Existing passes remain valid for the duration originally purchased.

6. Prize structure

The Service awards prizes in Telegram Stars based on skill performance:

Daily prize: 200 ⭐ — awarded to the player with the highest valid score in any 24-hour period (midnight to midnight UTC).
Weekly prize: 4,000 ⭐ — awarded to the player with the highest valid score across the calendar week (Monday–Sunday UTC).
Monthly prize: 40,000 ⭐ — awarded to the player with the highest valid score across the calendar month.
Grand prize: 40,000 ⭐ — awarded once, at the conclusion of the 40-week series, to the Founding 400 ticket holder with the highest cumulative score.

Daily, weekly, and monthly prizes are open to all players with a valid active pass. The Grand Prize is open only to Founding 400 ticket holders.

In the event of a tie, prizes are awarded to the player who first achieved the tied score. We may, at our sole discretion, split prizes or run a tie-breaker round when warranted.

7. Acceptable use

You agree NOT to:

Use automated tools, bots, scripts, or third-party software to play the game on your behalf or inflate your score.
Reverse-engineer, decompile, or attempt to extract the source code of the Service.
Submit fake or replayed score data to the API.
Operate multiple Telegram accounts to participate in the Service or claim prizes more than once.
Coordinate with other players to manipulate leaderboard outcomes.
Exploit any bug, glitch, or unintended behavior to gain an advantage.
Interfere with the Service or its underlying infrastructure.
Use the Service to launder funds, finance illegal activity, or evade sanctions.

Scores that trigger our anti-cheat system are flagged automatically and excluded from leaderboards and prize payouts. We reserve the right to forfeit prizes, void passes, and ban accounts that engage in any of the above conduct. No refunds will be issued for purchases on banned accounts.

8. Score validity and administrative discretion

All scores are subject to verification. We may, at our sole discretion:

Flag, void, or recompute any score that appears anomalous, inconsistent with replay data, or otherwise suspect.
Delay prize distribution pending review.
Reverse prizes paid in error.
Require additional verification before processing a payout (including, but not limited to, identity verification for prizes exceeding 100,000 ⭐).

9. Affiliate program

The Service offers an affiliate program. Sharing a personal referral link earns commissions in Telegram Stars on referred purchases:

Public tier: 10% commission on each referred sale.
Founding 400 tier: 25% commission on each referred sale.
Generals: 50% commission on each referred sale, plus eligibility for the country-level "Community Manager" recognition. Generals status is awarded based on referral volume and is at our sole discretion.

Commissions are paid in Telegram Stars within 72 hours of the referred sale clearing. We may withhold or claw back commissions on sales that are subsequently refunded, charged back, or determined to be fraudulent.

10. Withdrawals (Stars to fiat)

Telegram Stars earned through prizes or commissions accumulate in your Telegram wallet. Conversion to fiat currency is performed via Telegram's native Stars-to-TON pathway, and onward to USDT or local currency via third-party exchanges. Availability and rates vary by jurisdiction.

For regions with limited TON liquidity, we offer a manual USDT-TRC20 fallback. Contact [email protected] to request manual fulfillment.

You are solely responsible for any taxes, fees, and reporting obligations associated with converting Stars to fiat. See our Stars disclaimer.

11. Intellectual property

All content of the Service — including chapter prose, game designs, source code, branding, and audiovisual assets — is owned by Feanor Services LLC or its licensors and is protected by U.S. and international copyright, trademark, and other intellectual-property laws. You may not copy, redistribute, or create derivative works without our written permission.

You retain ownership of any content you submit via Telegram (game scores, replay data). By using the Service, you grant us a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free license to use that data to operate the Service.

12. Termination

You may stop using the Service at any time. We may suspend or terminate your access at any time, with or without notice, for any reason, including violation of these Terms or applicable law.

Upon termination, any unused Stars-denominated passes will be forfeited unless we determine otherwise in our sole discretion.

13. Disclaimers

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. WE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND COURSE OF DEALING.

WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR SECURE. WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ACT OR OMISSION OF TELEGRAM MESSENGER INC. THAT AFFECTS THE SERVICE.

14. Limitation of liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, FEANOR SERVICES LLC AND ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SERVICE.

OUR AGGREGATE LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SERVICE SHALL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE AMOUNT YOU PAID TO US IN THE 90 DAYS PRECEDING THE CLAIM, OR (B) USD $100.

15. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Feanor Services LLC and its agents from any claim, loss, liability, or expense (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from your use of the Service, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any third-party right.

16. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of New Mexico, USA, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service shall be resolved by binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association under its Commercial Arbitration Rules, conducted in English, with the seat of arbitration in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

You waive any right to a jury trial and any right to participate in a class action against us.

17. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be announced inside the Mini App and via an updated "Effective" date above. Continued use of the Service after a change constitutes acceptance.

18. Contact

For questions about these Terms, contact:

[email protected]

Note on company structure: "40 Stories to Break Your Comfort Zone" is a product line of Feanor Services LLC. Feanor Services LLC is the operator of record for all payments, prizes, and customer-service obligations relating to the Service. Our affiliated brand "MIRA" and other products are operated separately.