Update! Things are looking good · 6:39pm Aug 1st, 2023
This is a direct update on the previous blog, so if you haven't yet, read that first!
So.
We're in the clear on the dog front, everyone! The vet got back to her about the bloodwork, and it all looks good. Kidneys and liver are healthy, no sign of any tickborne diseases, and overall all things you want to hear. He's good to go in for the dental surgery on the 4th, and while that is nerve-wracking, it means we're almost at the finish line. Better yet, she got a new quote, and rather than being from the original vet who got us into "oh shit" fundraising mode in the first place, this is from the person who'll actually be performing the surgery.
The high end is only $1591. With a possible low end of $756. Now, the bloodwork itself had a 200ish price tag, and nothing's set in stone until the bill is in hand, of course, but still, compared to the 2k fears, it's a relief.
What have we learned from this experience? The doctors for humans and animals will sometimes terrify you with big numbers and the surgeon will dial it back once you get there. Good to know for the future. As discussed in previous blog posts, any excess will go toward vet-related expenses as well, for him and his brother, and we'll be keeping track of and sharing the receipts of anything we use the money for to make everything's fully disclosed.
But to even get this far, there's no way we would have without help. Just... thank you, everyone. People who donated, spread the word, everything. The words never feel like enough.
And several hours after I had my "screw it" moment yesterday, I had it proven to me that I wouldn't have needed to wait for too long to cross my milestone after all. I am now officially at 100 followers, and despite the fact that, logically, I know 100-divisible numbers only have as much significance as we give them, I can't help but smile looking at it.
Links to the server are now on my profile, and in the description of each story, which gave me opportunity to clean up the story descriptions in general. In the process, I placed the official confirmation that Act Of Chaos, Set Us Free is an Eventide branch. Just a branch, as with Crystalforged, it's more of a possible future, but once it wraps up, I can definitely see myself writing sequels.
It also meant that I had to change my profile tagline, since the links eat up the character limit. And what better for a shorter replacement then a reference to one of my odder character cameo choices for Rich In Dollars, Poor In Sanity? I don't know if I'm the first to write a fanfic with Senior Huevos, but seriously, the fact that a sock puppet dimension is canon is one of those things that just reminds me how absolutely bonkers this franchise is, and I'm here for it.
And speaking of current and future stories...
"Opaline being the Queen of Tartarus isn't a story, it's a setting element" I told myself.
Today, I woke up and realized that, yes, her being the ruler isn't the story.
But becoming? There might be something in that.
I don't get many story ideas that involve going into the deep past. I'm going to keep a hold of this one.
Glad to hear about the dog situation, and congrats on hitting triple digits!