this reminds me of a... speedrunner!

as many of you know, the work we did for Avid was substantial. the music we made with him has been our lifeblood for the past several months as we have been reeling from the onset of a severe, life changing disability diagnosis that prevents us from working a typical job. music, video editing, streaming, and making our own videos are about all we can do. our disabling dissociative amnesia prevents the timely and reasonable learning of new skills. while we have been working constantly with a dissociative specialist to inch towards remedying this, we do not expect that we will be equipped to work in any other capacity any time soon.

the royalties we received from the music we made together with Avid were roughly 80-90% of our income on any given month for the calendar year so far, and they have helped us stay afloat while we have been trying to go through the rigorous and ill-equipped disability system.

putting all your eggs in one basket is never a good idea regardless, and the fears i had building for the past couple of months only further emphasized this. as such, i have been trying to diversify by engaging with streaming, trying to get my name out there for collaborative work in other SMPs, and reaching out to my creator friends for editing work. i really can't thank two people in particular enough - LeonSBU and NatureOfGaming - for providing me work as they have been able to afford and especially in Leon's case, getting my name out there for other SMPs.

unfortunately, the true extent of Avid's manipulations and lies were more than i could ever have imagined. the fact that my entire understanding of his intentions has been flipped in a matter of no more than 3 days feels like being hit by a truck. for full transparency, i am no longer in contact with Avid, but i did inform them that i was leaving the fate of our music in their hands. in the final messages he sent to me before i cut contact, he told me that he "would never cut [me] off financially". he told me he would never do a lot of things, so forgive me if i have trouble trusting this. regardless, the dropoff in listenership after what has been revealed will be substantial and immediate.

in the best case-scenario, i have a month or two left before royalties catch up to this dropoff, and will see consistent income for that time still. in the worst, i will no longer be able to afford my rent by the end of the month if he does remove the music and disable my royalty splits.

what i need is two things: i need immediate funds to fall back on in case things go poorly, and i need longevity. i have been so lucky to be surrounded by so many truly astounding and generous creators who have been willing to put my name out there for work. i am hoping this comes to fruition. i am already hearing from some about potential editing opportunities which is amazing. but things are still up in the air, and i need to be quick and smart. this is why i am doing something that my fans know i hate. i'm asking for help.

as i see it, there are three pillars to this. all the highlighted text below links directly:

immediate aid - if you have the funds to spare, buying our music on Bandcamp and donating to our Ko-Fi are methods of which we see the funds in a matter of days, if not instantly. this will help us build an emergency fund if worse comes to worse.

supporting our work - by spreading the word about our streaming on Twitch and listening to our music on streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube (and any other platform our music is on), you provide a significant source of consistent income that we can rely on month-to-month.

word of mouth - talking about what we do and why you enjoy it is a surprisingly big help, because it helps us find connections for potential growth opportunities and commission work. additionally, letting people know we have a Discord and are the ones responsible for Avid's music in the first place not only helps us, but it helps the people who loved Avid's music know there is more out there from the person who made his songs possible.

i'm gonna level with you all. i fucking hate writing this. i feel like a beggar. i feel humiliated. these past three days of piecing things together have been some of the worst of my life, and having to once again ask for help is the cherry on top. since i learned about the truth three days ago, this has been constantly looming over me. everything else has been made crystal clear to me, so i at least know without a shadow of a doubt what happened. but with this? i'm terrified. Avid knew my situation, my disability, my reliance on our work together. he has left me in a truly impossible situation. i am taking it as an opportunity to double down on the work i was already doing and try to turn it into a positive. i hope that you all are gracious enough to help me make that a reality. it would really mean the world right now.

They contact you saying they have important info to say about your account and then proceed to explain that they reported you because they mistook you for someone using your icon and username. They will make it sound urgent, time sensitive, and really scary! They will act like they’re so sorry but you need to act NOW or your account is gonna be deleted and maybe even legal action will happen. They may include fake screenshots too. This is all a lie.

Genie Bureaucrat #13: Well, actually, the precursor to the word "eleven" means "one left", so it's much more likely that twelve would become the new eleven, and thirteen would become the new twelve, which means "two left"

Genie Bureaucrat #75: Doesn't ten descend from déḱm̥ in Proto-Indo-European, which comes from the word for "hand"? So eleven would become the new ten, right?

Genie Bureaucrat #506: Possibly, but there isn't enough evidence to confirm it! This could be an interesting way to test that hypothesis, by seeing if the word "ten" persists after the wish!

Genie Bureaucrat #13: Not that you could tell anyone, of course, the Wish Laws are very clear on that

Me: Okay so it becomes ten-something or something-teen, cool, still describes how it feels Genies are such fucking dorks istg

Genie Bureaucrat #75: What was that

Me: Nothing!!!! Anyway the wish yes do y'all understand it now

Genie Bureaucrat #13: You wish to retroactively give the entire human species a sixth finger on their right hand, yes?

Me: Yup! And I've got a helpful diagram attached to my wish submission, so no fingers on the back or palm of the hand or anything

Genie Bureaucrat #506: Oh, no need to worry about that! While making, er, creative interpretations of wishes is permitted and even encouraged, doing so for a wish on this scale would look very bad for us, so it's in our best interest to fulfill this wish in a satisfactory manner

Genie Bureaucrat #75: And that's good for you, because your "diagram" was nothing more than a drawing of this "Ford Pines" character; its detail is so lacking, it would be torn to shreds in any Wish Appeals Court

Me: Okay cool less talk more wishy

Genie Bureaucrat #13: But of course, your wish shall be granted

Me: Is there like a timeframe on that, like 2-5 business days, orrrr

Genie Bureaucrat #12: Oh, no need to worry about that, we're professionals; just take a look at your right hand

Me: Yooooooo fuck yes

Genie Bureaucrat #69: There are no refunds, mortal, so I hope for your sake that you wished wisely what the fuck why is my name like that

Genie Bureaucrat #12: Well, it looks like humanity switched to base 10—formerly 11—so that much was correct

Me: Oh god I have to relearn times tables don't I

Genie Bureaucrat #420: You heard what she said though! No refunds wait holy shit my name rules now YES

Genie Bureaucrat #69: Trust me, it's going to get old quick, just ask #352

Me: Wait why can't I move my sixth finger right

Genie Bureaucrat #12: Well you asked to retain all memories from the previous timeline, and unfortunately for you that includes your muscle memory. You should be able to move it better with time, but don't be surprised if you seem less dextrous than others, or start to feel dysphoria about your new appendage

Me: Okay starting to consider that refund

Genie Bureaucrat #69: WHAT refund???? I just told you there aren't any as much as I really wish there were right now

Me: Well fuck lemme go online and see if I can find any upsides

Me: ...

Me: Okay nevermind this was so worth it The Princess Bride is somehow exactly the same except Inigo Montoya just fucking kills every man he sees that's so fucking funny

Genie Bureaucrat #420: Just don't go telling anyone!

Me: You mean I have to keep this joke a secret????

Genie Bureaucrat #12: Contractually bound; you'll be incapable of saying it, in fact

I'm looking forward to watching Project Hail Mary with Avery because then I can unblock the Project Hail Mary tag and read everyone's Tumblr Posts about it.

The tag is blocked because I'd like to avoid spoilers, but of course sometimes they sneak through and I extrapolate very correct trivia and plot points that will no doubt ruin my experience of the film.

Here's what I've got so far.

Ryland Grace is an asexual, neurodivergent teacher who lives in the 90s and cannot wear glasses. He is played by Ryan Gosling.

He goes to space. I'm not sure why. Does he win a raffle?

Everyone else he goes to space with dies somehow I think. Or he went to space alone (less likely). I think based on statistical probability he goes with other people and they all die and he has to learn how to survive alone in space, like the Martian. Wait, is Matt Damon one of his colleagues?? I guess he dies en route then.

He meets an alien made of rock, whom he calls Rocky. Rocky is an astrophage, which I have to assume means "star eater". Damn, Rocky. (I think Rocky is probably even less able to wear glasses, but it's okay because he doesn't have eyes.)

Rocky lives in a terrarium and is made of legs.

They have to learn how to communicate. Ryland Grace is the only one who could have done it because he's beautiful/unconventional (is he a Tumblr Sexy Man?) and a teacher.

This saves the day? Or, Rocky and Ryland save the day together against a secret third thing? Unclear on this.

Ryland Grace and Rocky start out as enemies but become old friends and walk romantically on the beach together. I'm not sure how Rocky feels about this, surrounded by billions of his pulverised brethren, but fanart doesn't depict any discomfort.

Ryland Grace never leaves the 90s and never learns how to wear his glasses, and Rocky never judges him for this, which is why they are best friends.

So. I ask the important questions.

Also, I've made some fanart of Project Hail Mary, which I will be watching for the first time this evening:

US climate with equivalent cities from around the world.