on ending

i hope you know the impact you had, Ian. Everyone that didnt become a nazi or was saved from being one because of your Alt Right Playbook and Angry Jack is not only a person we're not fighting against, but one that is now fighting on our side. After you converted me, I and some of my friends founded an org that actively fights discrimination and violence. We're now almost 100 people. After years we got funding that enables us to found similar structures in other cities in my country. We turned our energy towards that - instead of bigotry. Your videos were our first steps. Collective action that started with you. Not only the political videos. "The Artist is absent" taught me empathy and that the words I say may often not be the words you hear. My first steps towards NVC. "Tomatoes" taught me that meaning and worth is entirely subjective. The artist is dead and everyone else too. "Story beats", "Telltale" and "Phil Fish" taught me to step outside of the cultural narrative and see things from the outside. ... i could keep going. Before you, video essays never seemed worth the long wait for me. Now i know there is a reward at the end: Understanding the world a little better (or a fucked up version of Fur Elise. also good) Anyway. </loveletter> Do what you need to. If youtube is too much, its too much. But leave the patreon (or join the anticapitalist comradery(dot)co maybe? :D) what others have said also applies for me: this patronage is a thankyou, not a demand. you did a lot for me and the people around me. i will never not support you. cant give much at the moment, but ill adjust when i can <3 Sorry i didnt realise you were struggling. i hope this doesnt come off as trying to make this about me. i just wanted to show that your videos not only impact knowledge, but that this knowledge also leads to action, which leads to more knowledge, ... This comment is a product of loving your videos for the last 7 years. I hope it provided some insight that objectivity couldnt... ...and it could have been so much longer, you have no idea!

Take a break but then come back! We're gonna pay so much money we won't let you quit ;)

As someone who was an online feminist concerned about rising fascism during gamergate, the Alt-Right Playbook is the single best reference document I have to give people when they seem blindsided by Trump. I REALLY hope you return to the idea of a print edition, as I personally know dozens of liberals who don't watch youtube who would deeply benefit from that work. But no matter what you choose to do going forward, I hope you are able to rest & find joy. The patronage is a thank you, not a demand.

Take a well deserved break. I hope you can continue your channel in the future, but until then we all appreciate what you've done for us. o7

Take a break man, but don't turn off your Patreon! Let us keep funding your "sabbatical", if we can.

Just joined. Take my money. Don't shut this channel down let us help you out. Your videos especially the Rubicon video gave me a really great lens into how to look at what is going on in the USA.

Thanks for all the videos you've put out, this channel was one of the first "video essay" channels that made me fall in love with the genre (and sparked a brief but meaningful foray into making my own). All the best!

Will we still get to support you here? I hope so! I have only been a Patron for a year or so and I don't feel like I have paid you back nearly enough for all the Insight and enjoyment I have taken from your work.

Ian, I'm so sorry to hear that, but it's very understandable. I wish you all the best with whatever you decide to do next! Your channel is an incredible achievement and will always be some of my very favourite work on YouTube. I will still be watching it for years to come.

Really sorry to hear that. I’ve been following your work basically since the beginning and have revisited some of your videos countless times over the years; in a just world the incredible work you’ve done would be financially sustainable (well, in a just world your access to basic necessities wouldn’t rest on the quality or success of your work, but you know what I mean), and it really fucking sucks that that’s not the case. Wishing you the best in whatever comes next.

Please just know that what you've already done has meant so much to so many, we're extremely grateful, and nothing will ever change that. Thank you. Take care.

Genuinely heartbreaking, and I have no doubt even more so for you yourself than for us. There are very few creators out there on YouTube whose work I value as much as yours, and you're basically *the* reason I have a Nebula-subscription (even if there is a lot of great stuff there as well). I hope the archive of work you've built remains accessible, and without knowing the specifics about why you've made this choice, I'll be the first to click on it if there ever is a new thumbnail from Innuendo Studios in my feed. All the best, Ian.

I'm very lucky to have been a viewer from pretty early on. You made some of my all-time favourite video essays about video games that I think has helped me become better at the art of analyzing and forming detailed opinions on media. Your alt-right playbook series has likewise been key to getting me thinking about politics on a deeper level. I'm grateful for it all, and I wish you well! Thank you so much for all the videos.

Keep it real Ian, permanent gratitude for all you've done to educate, entertain, and inspire ❤️

Thank you for all your fantastic work. Angry Jack and Alt Right Playbook played a huge part in my political development, and "Bringing Back What's Stolen" is one of my favourite pieces of media critique. Your wellbeing and sanity, and that of your family, must come first, and I hope you'll be okay

Your work over the years has been so meaningful. Not just for understanding the alt-right better, but works like your Mad Max videos which really illuminated logically why great things struck the chords they did. The wonderful creations you've made will continue their legacy, and I will continue to take joy in showing them to people who somehow haven't seen them yet. But for now, it's good you are making a change. You, your health, and your family are important. Thank you for all of the hard work you have done. Take care, and I hope you find lots of joy in all the things that come next!

Thanks for the early heads-up, I appreciate it. Like everyone else said, do what you've got to do and you have my support no matter what you decide to do next. Let us know how we can help.

I have so much gratitude and appreciation for every video you have made. I reference your work regularly and often send it to friends who are struggling with family members lost in the Fox news vortex. It's been a grand run.

All good buddy. I do enjoy your content, but it isn't worth it for me if it comes at the cost of your mental health. I hope the change means that you'll feel better. And if you're ever in a better enough state to do videos again, I'll happily check them out again.

Thank you so much for all you've done. Take care of yourself first and foremost, but know you'll always have a public if you ever can and want to come back. Good luck for what comes next!

Thank you for everything you've done. You've been an important voice in my life, and I'll miss that, but you have to do what's right for you and yours. Wishing you all the best.

Thank you for your years of hard work, for the important and valuable insights you have shared, for the silliness and fun. When something isn't working, we have to do something else. We'll miss you. But we're all behind you on making life work. We hope to see you again, but if we don't—we understand. We support you, either way.

Thank you so much for everything 💜. You're wonderful, and wishing you the best in whatever form that takes

All the best, Ian! I hope you'll find success and happiness with whatever you'll do from here on out and that this isn't (final) goodbye. Take care!

Sending best thoughts Ian

Let the devil bless everything you do and keep you safe.

Take care. It's been a great run. Best to you and your fam.

I can’t thank you enough for everything. Discovering your channel 10 years ago was foundational to teenage me. You’ve made me a better person. And if you’re ever back we’ll be here!

Ever since I stumbled upon This is Phil Fish nearly eleven years ago, your videos have been vital to making me a better person.

I hope it's not goodbye, but I understand the need for more financial stability, I hope you can get that. Thanks for all the amazing creations you've made <3

So sorry to hear that Ian. I suspect I'm not alone in that Alt Right Playbook and Why Are You So Angry were genuinely transformative for me. Please let us know if there's anything we can do to help.

Hopefully not goodbye <3

Thank you. You are one of the most important voices in the world today. I've been honoured to aid you in broadcasting your wisdom. I wish you the greatest peace. And I'll miss you.

Thank you for what you have done.

You have given others enough. You deserve to take care of yourself and your loved ones. Be safe.

Warm thoughts. Be well. :)

You've been a huge inspiration for me, Ian, and hands down my favorite YouTuber for years. I've watched every single one of your videos, even the ones where you talk about things I know literally nothing about. I hope this isn't the permanent end of Innuendo Studios, but if you bring even a fraction of what you do on YouTube to your next endeavor, you're going to do great. We'll miss you, man. 💜💜💜

I've lost count of the times your videos have been the best, clearest, and simplest ways to explain political topics that make me want to tear my hair out, and I reference TARP more than almost any other work on the subject. Things just won't be the same without you. You'll be heavily missed and I can only hope that your situation improves in the future to the point where you feel it safe, workable, and sustainable to return. Until then, take care of yourself and your loved ones. We're in trying times and there is no shame in putting your focus on your own well-being. We'll be here when and if you can come back.

I didn't know until two years into watching TARP, but my first video of yours was actually about Smash Brothers as spectator sport. It was something I didn't know I needed, and in the wake of Trump TARP was much the same. Whatever you do from here, I hope it's as fulfilling as it is healthy for you and your family.

You were my gateway into leftist video essays. Thank you so much for everything! You will be missed

Appreciate all the work you’ve done and want to wish you well on whatever you do going forward. Your talents are many and your character has always come across as genuine and caring. Hope the next part of your life treats you and yours kindly.

I haven't commented before, but I've appreciated your work over the years immensely. The Alt Right Playbook was eye opening at a time in my life when I was exactly the right age to potentially fall into it myself. I can't thank you enough for putting all of this together, and you will be dearly missed. That said, it's extremely important that you do what is best for you and your family. Lives change, and it isn't always the right time for everything we once did. It's ok to move on/forward, the impact you've made will continue on whether or not you're making new content. If things eventually change and this is right for you again, that would be wonderful. And if they don't, I hope you find fulfillment in the life you have outside of this channel. For what it's worth, you've changed my life. Thank you Ian, from the bottom of my heart

❤️ I am sorry to hear that. You've been a source of reason and joy for me for years. I thank you and hope you can someday get back into it.

I can't imagine how hard it is to hang it up, but you did everything to make it work. Not all dreams can last for ever and having to accept reality isn't a failure. Ending is inevitable, you brought light while you could. Hope you can rest easy and find fulfillment elsewhere

Big love, Ian ❤️

For whatever it's worth, you've done wonderful work that puts good into the world. Thank you.

I’m so sorry, thank you so much for the alt-right playbook and all the other wonderful videos. Best of luck to you and your family, You will be missed.

I've never stopped trying to introduce your content to anyone and everyone I know. Your words are so important to the world and your videos gave me ways to express my observations and frustrations with everything going on. For example I never realized my conservative brother in law saw the world in terms of Monday's instead of in terms of harm mitigation. I can actually argue with him effectively now. Also thing of beauty, phil fish, and guybrush are huge comfort watches that are as insightful as they are fascinating. You're a goddamn hero and I'm so sorry that it doesn't pay the bills.

Heartbreaking. Hope you come back. 💔

Thank you for everything. Taking Back What’s Stolen and WSGBTW 3 are some of my go to comfort watches to this day that I share with anyone who will watch. Hope you find some of the financial stability you absolutely deserve.

You've been a valiant voice throughout this past decade and I am forever grateful to that. Do what you need to do to survive in this world, Ian. Until next time

Congratu-sorry ♥️ New adventures to come, I hope you're happier than you ever thought possible!

As always, do what you need to do to take care of yourself.

Thank you for helping make sense of the inexplicable.

Please take care of yourself and your family. Taking jobs to get fed is not unethical. Not Goodbye, -t

I’m so, so sorry to hear this and will miss this channel, but you have to put yourself first. Been a fan since the Phil Fish video and will still be a fan when and if you ever return. You have produced good and important work that will last a long time. Thank you so much.

Ian, I've never commented before but as someone who started a business and also left it for the financial and emotional toll it took on me and my family: you're doing the right thing. Your work has been genuinely powerful and healing for me (I think your beginners guide video helped me place my feelings about the Bible post deconstruction, funnily enough), and I'm so grateful for all that you've done. If you feel the need to step away, all I can say is "Thank you." I hope you find the rest, peace, comfort, care, and recovery you need after closing up. Supporting you financially off and on has been a joy.

Wishing you nothing but love and peace. YouTube won't be the same without Innuendo Studios, but doing what is sustainable and right for you and your family is and should always be the priority. And no matter the hiatus, you'll always have people excited to hear what you have to say if the circumstances allow.💜

Thank you for everything. I'll be here for whatever, if anything, comes next. And I hope you can find peace and comfort however you move forward. 💙

Rest easy comrade ❤️