March 2022 Update & BIG Announcement - We're Moving to a New State · 5:02pm Mar 3rd, 2022
Well then... where do I begin with this one?
For starters, let me just say that February was a pretty eventful month for me -- And not just because of certain worldwide events (although obviously, fuck Putin). A family death kinda put a damper on my writing schedule at the beginning of the month; but just to make things clear, I didn't exactly "grieve" for their loss either. I hadn't seen or heard from them in over 6 years, and nobody on that side of the family tried to reach out to me either. Of course, that fact alone was hallowing enough to make me reflect on things even more than usual. It wasn't nearly as bad as my depression spell back in January, but it was still a bit of a monkey wrench in the gears, you know?
Fortunately, I was able to upkeep commissions enough to pay my bills and have rent ready by the end of the month. However... this is where the big part of my personal update is coming into play.
Right at the end of February, my boyfriend and I were informed by the property management that our rent was going to increase due to "inflation." And it was going to keep rising each month at a gradual rate.
Now, I don't think it's a big secret that Stormy and I have had some financial troubles over the past year since working freelance. Granted, the two of us were lucky as hell to have been so self-reliant while working safely from home. Not only were we making enough income to live comfortably together, but we happened to live in one of the cheapest cities for rent in the continent. (And that's not an exaggeration either. Springfield, Missouri was literally on a graph with one of the lowest projected rent prices alongside cities in Mexico)
Nevertheless, the two of us had put a lot of thought and discussion into options. For the longest time, this city and state have been my home; it was where I grew up with family, planted my roots individually for the past decade, and also where I went to college. However, over the years Stormy and I have lived here, the biggest reason we had to stay was the cheap rent. But now that the rates are going to rise, there's no real reason for us to struggle month after month in such a tight bubble. Especially in such a conservative place full of Anti-Maskers and bigots.
So because of that, I'm officially announcing that Stormy and I are planning to leave Missouri, and move across the country to live with a close friend on the East Coast.
I'm not gonna lie, the idea of uprooting myself from a state I lived my whole life is nothing short of terrifying. The biggest obstacle I had to face personally was telling my Dad, who's one of the only family members I still keep in contact with in my life; luckily, he and I had a good talk last night about how this is the chance Stormy and I need for a brighter future. At the same time, I'm fully aware that things aren't going as well as one would hope for Stormy and myself. A brand new opportunity has come up for the two of us to take, and there's no doubt that we would deeply regret it if we didn't seize the chance.
We don't have a clear-cut plan in place for moving arrangements just yet, nor do we know when exactly we're slated to leave the state. However, we're hopeful that we'll be able to move out by April or May at the latest. Our friend on the East Coast said that they could help with moving arrangements for us if necessary; but with that being said, Stormy and I are obviously looking to collect funds ourselves to make this journey easier.
Whether it be donating to my Paypal, following me on Patreon, or commissioning either myself or Stormy, any contribution will help immensely in setting a bookmark for this new chapter of our lives. Not only will this cross-country move give us the opportunity we need to live more comfortably, but also for both of us to work on more personal projects instead of just commissions every month. A lot of changes are coming, and I sincerely hope that 2022 will be the year to make things really happen. :)
I think it's great that you're moving to somewhere you'll be able to get by easier! It's got to be tough living with bigots, they're so annoying...unfortunately my age bracket does not have the money for donations or commissions, and unlike most of my friends I have no part-time job at the moment. But I'll keep being a positive encouragement if it'll help!
Well dudes, best wishes to you both and good luck with the move.
I hope things start looking up for you and yours soon.
Hope all goes well with the move my dude.
I mean, inflation has been hitting the more rural and poorer regions the hardest. And Missouri isn't known to have a particularly wealthy population. Everyone's rent is going up because of it. It sucks that you have to uproot yourselves because you can't afford it, but this is stuff everyone is dealing with. My rent jumped up quite a bit this year too, food costs have almost doubled in the area where I live, and while utilities haven't really gone up, I expect it's only a matter of time. I miss the economy we had in 2018/2019 because things were stable and we didn't have the rampant inflation we are having now.
To the author - hi! 👋 i've just returned to fimfiction about 8 days ago & on my new laptop🎉: yay: 🎉
i'm glad to know things are going well for you & stormy. congrats on moving to a new state
Today is/was my birthday, don't even care what age i am, lol!