Hey there. I apologize for being somewhat absent these days. I haven't really talked, nor posted much, but there is a reason behind that, one that I now want to share with all of you. It's getting a bit fatiguing to explain it individually to my friends, so I might as well just write a journal about it and link everyone here when they ask me "How I have been doing."
To give you the full picture, my sister got pregnant a while back. Her pregnancy developed perfectly fine, every doctor telling her how well she does. In fact, she left for another European country while pregnant in 5 months to continue working because she just got promoted. Badass, right? However, later on, she returned to her country to give birth here. I didn't really keep in touch with her while she was away, but we've always been the sort of siblings who, regardless of how little contact we have, we always had a very easy time picking things back up.
So, on May 31st, I have a perfectly normal conversation with her, everything's good with the world, she's super excited for the baby and, strangely enough, so am I. I'm not good with kids, and I always tended to refuse spending time with them if I could. However, when somebody that you deeply care about keeps telling you how awesome things will be, you also tend to join in the hype, right?
Well...as much as everybody wished a happy ending to this story, it just didn't happen. I find it awfully ironic, how my niece wanted to come into the world on the first of June, which is national children's day here (not sure if it's world-wide as well). I was 100% certain everything will go well; the doctors had never, for a moment, doubted it.
Then, I get a call from my mother (Who was at the hospital with my brother in law) where she just spills it out for me. My sister's baby died during labor, and that started an internal bleeding that almost claimed my sister's life as well. The doctors intervened in time to save her, but there was nothing they could do for the child. She was gone, and that was that.
I have never been so shocked, so terrified in my life before; to expect things to go perfectly fine, and for fate to make a 180 degrees turn on that. That drowning feeling of utter powerlessness to be unable to do or say anything but listen to the bad news will probably haunt me for a very long time, probably forever. I haven't really suffered a tragedy before, so this shocked me out of my guts.
I don't really want to get into the technical details. Debating what happened and how it happened isn't the point of this journal. Past is past, and dwelling too much on it doesn't ever do anybody good.
What I do want to mention is that I am incredibly proud of the show of strength my sister showed in the wake of such tragedy. I asked my mother if my sister will ever smile the same again after this incident, and a couple of days later, she's mostly her normal self. For some reason, the women in my family have always been stronger than the men :P And that definitely applies to my sister. She said it herself: "Some people in my place got depressed, did drugs, or abandoned life altogether, but what good will that do me?"
It really puts things into perspective, when somebody who not only almost died during child birth, but who suffered the most powerful of losses, is able to move on and look towards the future. She is a truly inspiring personality that I will always look up to.
So, there we go. This is why I haven't posted stuff here lately, why I have been silent, and why I couldn't focus on the commissioned work I owe. One day, you talk to your sister like everything is okay, then the next, she loses her baby and comes within an inch of losing her life as well...it'll take time for this numbing feeling to wear off, but I'm certain I'll put it behind me eventually. I plan to follow my sister's example, that of cherishing that she's alive and the future opportunities that she'll be offered.
To that degree, I want to do something for her. Something more than just paying her hospitalization bills (She just came out of the hospital the other day). I'm thinking of gathering some funds to give her an awesome vacation somewhere that will further solidify the fact that life is worth living no matter what. This doesn't come close to covering the terrible loss she suffered, but my family has never been rich, and I really wish to grant her some joys that she never could afford before.
In order to do that, I will need to take on more commissioned work, maybe accept some donations, whatever you're willing to offer really. 100% of the proceeds go to paying the remainder of the hospitalization debt, and to the mini vacation fund I'm building for her. Truth is, as much as I'd love to take on a lot of commissioned work, I have to first take into account the current workload I already am facing. I owe a couple of stories to some very kind people, and I still gotta work on those, which means the maximum new work I can take at the moment are 1 novel, 2 long stories, and a couple of shorter commissions (Which can be YCHs, illustrated stories etc).
I normally prefer to work for my money, but given the circumstances I find myself in, donations are extremely appreciated. Nobody could have prepared for this, least of all me, so all I can do is work with the hand I've been given and make the best of it. Plus, the main driving force behind this is the what I consider to be a very noble cause. I've taken my sister for granted, as we all tend to do with family, and now that I had to stomach some very brutal truths, all I wish to do is make her happy in whatever ways I can. It is what siblings do for each other, right?
For this fundraiser, I strive to raise a total of 2.500$, where 1.200$ covers the remainder of the hospitalization debt and the other 1.300$ is for her vacation, which I believe would do wonders for her state of mind. Everybody loves surprises, and since she could never afford to actually travel abroad before, it's a perfect gift for her. Below are the options through which you can support this initiative:
1. Contact me about a donationvia private message/email at fiestydrake43@gmail.com and in return for your generosity, I'll give you a huge bundle of stories that aren't available on Sofurry, including all of my published works, the full "Fated Scales" novel, and much more! A minimum of 20$ are required, to at least pay for the story bundle you are getting.
2. Buy a story commission. At the moment, I can currently take 1 novel, 2 long stories, and a couple of shorter commissions (Which can be YCHs, illustrated stories etc). But first, read my commission info here: https://inkbunny.net/journalview.php?id=142548
4. Story + Art bundle- personalize your story commission with a piece of art depicting the main event of the story, if you know what I mean. These are 500$ for a medium sized story + art bundle, and 900$ for a long story + art bundle. I can only take 2 of these, so act fast.
5. Make a pledge on Patreon if you wish to support my initiative through donations while also receiving early access to a fair amount of content in return: https://www.patreon.com/cheetahs
