Terms of Service

Welcome to The Z-Files & Other Wonderous Tales. These terms govern your use of the archive, including reading stories, sharing links, voting, and interacting with any other features on the site. By using the site, you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the archive.

What this site is

The Z-Files is an online collection of short speculative fiction, including stories written by human authors and stories generated or assisted by artificial intelligence. All entries are intended as fiction and should be read as such. The archive is a personal project, not a commercial publisher, news service, or legal authority.

Use of the archive

• You may read, bookmark, and share links to stories for personal, non-commercial use.
• You may not scrape, bulk-download, or systematically reproduce the archive without permission.
• You may not use the site to harass, spam, or abuse other readers or the site operators.
• You may not attempt to gain unauthorized access to admin tools, backend systems, or another user's account.

Content and copyright

Unless otherwise noted, the stories, images, text, and design of the site are the property of the site owner and are protected by copyright. You may not republish, adapt, or distribute the stories without explicit permission. Short excerpts shared with attribution and a link back to the original story are generally permitted.

AI-assisted works remain under the stewardship of the site owner and are treated with the same protections as any other published work here.

Disclaimers

The archive is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind. Stories may contain speculative, strange, or unsettling themes. Reader discretion is advised. The site owner is not responsible for how readers interpret, react to, or use the content.

We do our best to keep the site secure and available, but we cannot guarantee uninterrupted access or error-free operation.

AI-generated content

Some stories and photographs are created with AI assistance. These works are labelled as fiction and are not presented as factual reporting, real-world evidence, or authoritative advice. No personal data of readers is used to generate content.

User conduct

Voting, commenting, and other interactive features are offered in good faith. Please use them fairly. Attempts to manipulate votes, impersonate others, or disrupt the site may result in restricted access or removal of content.

Changes to these terms

These terms may be updated from time to time. The "last updated" date at the top of the page will change when they are. Continued use of the archive after changes means you accept the revised terms.

Contact

For questions about these Terms of Service, contact the site owner through the information provided on the site. We read every message.