#the difficult bit would be ensuring the balance between ignoring him and 'ignoring him' yknow

[isaacathom]

instead of, yknow, writing stories, i think about fun structural quirks. like how, to reflect gideon's position at the time of the party split, none of the preceding episodes/stories can focus on him. he's in pretty much all of them, and hes obviously an important part of the ship's functioning as their primary/sole mechanic, but he never gets spotlighted. even when the ships struggling, the focus of the narrative would be more on the pilot and the captain working around him. he's not focused on.

and so when he makes the case to Xue, and by extension the audience, that he has not been given the proper respect, that is actually reflected in the narrative.

[dangan-happy]

(Having no self-control makes you a tough galoot, like me!) This is for Kaito, Leon, and Mondo, but anyone else who feels they can help is free to chime in! (TW For discussion of current events and parent issue related conversation)

Hi guys. I've been hella stressed lately, and it's just been getting to much for me. My class work is getting seriously out of hand, I'm constantly ignored by my parents in favor of my younger siblings to a concerning level, and I've been slowly isolating myself from all my real life friends. I've been struggling really hard in keeping my work-life balance normal, and its really hard to reach out for help when I'm either berated or ignored by my parents. The only one who seems like they could help is my older sibling, but I don't want to be a burden to them with my problems. Could I please get some advice on how to better interact with the people around me, how to destress myself, and how to try and maintain a healthy working habit without overworking myself? A hug and just someone to talk to would be really nice, sorry to come in here such a drag. Thanks so much for reading this and helping me feel like someone cares!

Course ya can have a hug, kiddo! I ain’t gonna turn down someone whose feeling like shit... when I feel like shit, all I want is a hug. Just someone to comfort me, yknow? Anyway, enough about me, now onto you.

Your parents are bein’ real dicks, not paying attention to ya. You ain’t gonna be a burden just by asking for help or, at least, ya shouldn’t be. They should pay attention to both their kids equally, not just the younger ones. I think ya gotta realise that ya friends are some of the most important people to you, they'd probably love to be there for you. Please don’t wreck ya relationships because of work, my Kyoudai, he's a workaholic and I gotta force him to take breaks. Maybe you need to keep someone like that.

And - I ain’t that good at working, but I am good at destressing! Now, I’m guessin’ you can’t go for a motorbike ride with ya gang? Right, so maybe a hot drink and a book? That’s what Taka likes... or, a warm bath ‘n some chocolates? Just, get warm and watch ya favourite movie or tv show. Let yourself relax and not think for a while. 

As for the overworking, take breaks between working. Time yourself, ya get me? Something like thirty minutes work and then a thirty-minute break? Summat just to keep time moving... just let yourself relax and talk to people sometimes. Take some self-care, kiddo. You deserve it.

~

Yo. I’m sorry to hear that your class work has been getting out of hand, I know exactly how you feel. (So does mod 11037!) Your parents ignoring you ain’t right either, that’s uncool of them, they shouldn’t be showing obvious preference for your siblings over you.

Balancing work with life is really difficult, I give you props for trying your best to do so. Not everyone attempts to try that. Hey, hey. You aren’t a bother to your older sibling, at least I would hope so. If they can help you, I really suggest you talk to them when they aren’t busy, you never know.

Interacting with people is tough, taking it slow is the best method. Try putting yourself out there the most that you can, find others that have common interests, you can always connect with others through mutual likes. Meditation is a great way to destress, it calms your nerves and listening to guided meditation can help you focus on getting rid of any negative feelings. Now healthy working habits…it’s best to make sure you stay hydrated of course, maybe cutting down on certain foods that you don’t really need to eat daily. I’m not really good at that kind of stuff, I’m not saying you need to stop eating things like sweets though so take that last bit of advice with a pinch of salt.

Don’t worry about asking for some help. It’s no drag at all, the only thing that’s a drag is your parents ignoring you. That’s seriously uncool of them and I’m still upset to know they’re doing that…but, I can give you all the hugs you want. I love giving you guys hugs! Really makes me happy to know that someone out there is feeling even a bit better because of what I have to say.

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Hey, don't worry about it! You're not a drag at all! This an advice blog, and it doesn't matter how much of a drag your ask might be, we're here to read it and help. Yeah, you sound like you have what I've heard be called "Quarantine Syndrome." Becoming a social hermit, yeah all that stuff's coming from the pandemic crap. Man, that's really unfair that your parents to treat you like that. You deserve so much more respect, and it sucks that they aren't listening to your problems. If anything, you should try talking to them about this. Make sure they're aware what they're doing is hurting you at the least.

As hard as it is, my recommendation for the friend thing is to put yourself out there. You might have to be the one to start conversations. I know it's a real drag, but this is a good way to ensure that you get to talk to irl friends more. Make a group chat or message people individually. You could try setting up group calls, or just playing online games together or something. Alright, the school/work thing is way too relatable. But hey, I got an idea for that too!! You might wanna set up schedules for stuff. Make time for each thing, and kind of organize your day so you can get everything done that you need to. I think organizing everything might help keep you on track a little more, so maybe give that a shot! If you think your older sibling can help you, then yeah, go for it! You deserve to get the help you need, and you're not a burden ok? Reach out to them and see how it goes, and you never know, that might end up helping a lot. 

Ok, so here's some tips for destressing. If you just wanna zone out, you could find some ambient music on youtube then watch live space wallpapers. They're really pretty and relaxing...or maybe that's just a me thing. Anyways, make sure you have some time to do the things you enjoy to stop yourself from getting burnt out. You might want to set time for this in your schedule too! Alright, did I get it all? I think I did! Yup, you can get a hug too! It's no problem ok, I'm glad I can make you feel like people care, because they do!! Feel free to shoot me an ask whenever, and I'll always be down to talk to you. Take care bro!