Every euro,
in the open
This project runs on donations. Here is an honest account of where things stand — what has been spent, what has been received, and how much of my time has gone into it. I'll update this page as the numbers change. If you'd like to help, a contribution is always welcome.
Costs — itemised
| Domain — piercetheshadow.comRegistered via Cloudflare, 2026. Renews annually. | ~€10 / year |
| Cloudflare Pages & WorkersHosting, API proxy, database (D1). Free tier — no cost while traffic stays within limits. | free tier |
| ResendMagic link email delivery. Free tier — up to 3,000 emails/month. | free tier |
| Anthropic APIPowers the AI features of the site. Charged per use in USD, converted to EUR (rate used: 1.14).
|
€25.21 |
| Claude Pro — developmentMy AI development partner, used to build the product. Charged to the project at full monthly cost. | €21.96 / month × 4 = €87.84 |
| Claude Pro — extra usageUsage beyond the monthly subscription limit, billed by Anthropic. | €4.99 |
| Total to date | ~€128.04 |
Owner hours
97 sessions between May and September 2026: ~128 hours of design, development, writing, and thinking — one person, with AI as the only collaborator.
This is what the project is currently paying me. It will update honestly as the numbers change — up or down.
Creative contributors
No external contributors yet. If and when creative work is commissioned — illustrations, writing, design — it will be listed here with the contributor's name, what they produced, the amount paid, and any personal relationship to me.
If Pierce the Shadow is worth something to you, a contribution — however small — covers costs and tells me it's worth continuing.
Every contribution is noted here within a few days.
Last updated: September 2026