Protopomorphogenia · Voluntary support

Contribution terms

Website contribution terms · Version 1 · October 18, 2026

A contribution voluntarily supports Justin Mahlan’s livelihood and the continuing writing, research, world-building, artwork, audio and music of Protopomorphogenia. Please put your own and your family’s essential needs first. Reading and exploring the released website remain free.

Your amount, once

The website contribution option is a one-time payment in US dollars, starting at US$1. You choose and review the amount in Stripe’s hosted checkout before paying. It creates no website subscription or recurring charge. Substack’s optional subscription plans are a separate service with their own terms.

A contribution does not buy reading access, an investment, a financial return, ownership of the project, a guaranteed product, a commissioned service or a particular future release. It is not represented as a charitable or tax-deductible donation. Purchased website, document or other services have separate agreed scopes and terms and must not be paid through this voluntary-contribution link.

Payment processing and fees

Stripe processes the payment. Available methods depend on your country, currency, device, account eligibility and the methods offered at checkout; international availability is not guaranteed. Review the final currency and total on Stripe before confirming.

Processor fees reduce the creator’s receipts; this website does not automatically add those fees as a surcharge to your chosen contribution. Your bank or payment provider may apply its own currency-conversion or other charges. No particular fee rate or tax treatment is promised here.

Final contributions and payment problems

Voluntary contributions are ordinarily final and nonrefundable. This does not limit mandatory legal rights, rights concerning unauthorized payments, or the ability to report an error or duplicate payment. Your payment provider’s applicable dispute and card protections remain available. If something went wrong, contact protopomorphogenia@gmail.com privately with enough information to identify the payment. Do not post payment or receipt details publicly.

Spectatores Originis

The current website rule is one verified successful contribution of US$140 or more, measured by its gross US-dollar amount before processor fees. Exactly US$140 qualifies; US$139.99 does not. Separate payments are not added together. This website rule is distinct from the historical suggested annual Substack amount.

The disclosed rule identifier is spectatores-originis-website-v1. Only a payment actually verified in Stripe can establish eligibility. A browser return, screenshot, typed amount or recognition request alone is not payment proof. Initially this recognition route uses verified USD payments; no estimated exchange conversion is used.

Any future threshold change requires a deliberate published rule and effective date. Recognition legitimately earned under an earlier rule is retained without an extra payment. Delayed payment confirmations are assessed under the rule disclosed for the original payment flow. No future amount, date or increase schedule is currently set.

Public thanks is your separate choice

The default is no public entry. After a contribution, you may request a name or Anonymous, an optional message, and separate permission for any public amount, self-described location and Spectatores Originis label. You may contribute without asking for recognition, or ask for private recognition without a public badge.

Requests show a preview and are checked against the actual successful payment and your choices before human moderation and publication. Approval is not automatic. No email address, billing address, receipt reference, payment identifier or phone number belongs in the public entry. Anonymous suppresses identifying name and location fields; please also remove identifying details from any message you choose to share.

Request correction, withdrawal of public permission or removal at protopomorphogenia@gmail.com. Removal from this website cannot guarantee deletion of copies already made by other people or search services. Choosing privacy does not reduce your welcome here.

Privacy, provider terms and questions

Read the contribution privacy notice before paying or sending a recognition request. Stripe supplies its applicable payment and privacy notices in checkout. Its Privacy Policy explains its processing, and its consumer terms cover relevant consumer services, including Link where used. The Stripe Services Agreement is the merchant’s business agreement and is identified here for that role.

Email signup is a separate voluntary action at Get free email updates. A payment email is never used to enroll you automatically. Questions about a contribution or acknowledgement can go to the public email above.