Bot incursion - please read if you're a 'free member' (Patreon)

I've been getting a ton of obvious bot sign up for the past few months (basically since I started posting again; I got 4 in the last week, probably 30+ this year alone) and if you are an actual real person who signed up as a free member, I would really suggest you at least join the $1 tier. It's free, I am NOT charging anything and haven't for like 8 years. But soon some things will be posted to only """"paying"""" (you're not paying! it's free!) tiers because I don't know what these bots are doing. They might be AI scrapers (this is my guess), they might be doing other things. Basically, I don't like it, and they don't sign up at paying tiers. I actually tried to make a $.01 cent tier for people to join instead - disallowed. $1 is the lowest I can have.

The new chapters of Incidence have all been at the publicly accessible level. I was originally going to start posting new chapters to the 'free member' tier within a few chapters. But I'm going to post instead to the $1 tier (that means every level of every """paying""" tier will see it). So if you have been a free member and want to continue reading the story, please join at the $1 tier*. Again, it is free!

The new story will be posted from the start to the $1 tier (again, every level of """paying""" tiers can see it). If you're interested in reading this, which will start being posted at the end of this month, please join at the $1 tier*. Again, it is free!

Any bonus fun things, like translations, maps, worldbuilding, etc. will also be going into the $1 tier (again, free!). So if you would like to see these things, please join the $1 tier.*

I'm so sorry the internet has become such a capitalist hellscape where nothing is safe from theft and enshittification and everything has to be less convenient for people to do anything, but my writing is all I have that is mine and meaningful. I'm just trying to protect it, just a little. If you don't have the means (ie. a credit card or paypal) to sign up at the $1, I'm sorry also. It really is free, but I understand that some people don't like to put financial information into things. I know I kept saying free membership was fine, but these bots are actually insane.

*Also if you are an Apple user, don't subscribe from the app to avoid the app store fees. I have no idea if a non-charging Patreon will charge you fees, but just to avoid it all together, use the website itself/a desktop.