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// Author's Ending Remark 
// Story: Camp Orion 
// by Meemie7 
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This is lengthy so I decided to make it a chapter instead of in that grey box at the bottom. 

First of all, thank you for reading Camp Orion. The support that I get means a lot to me. The below remark is getting more in depth about mental illness and what can be done about it.

I started Camp Orion after the airing of Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep this year. For the most part, I found the episode intriguing, but found something missing or something that needed further covering. This, of course, was Luna’s recovery. Self harm is not something that should be dismissed after a few passing words. It takes a lot of time and effort from both the person, friends, family, and the inevitable professional help that they will need. 

People go through some really tough crap in their lives. Sometimes, it’s situational. Loved ones pass away, couples break up, jobs have been lost, or they got back from being banished for a thousand years…ahem.

Other times, it’s something that’s been there a person’s entire life. It’s not going to be gone anytime soon nor will it ever be gone. But, they can be healed. All pain can heal. And pain doesn’t heal by itself. It needs someone else to help it heal. Heck, it needs a lot of people to help it heal. So, I guess my point is this:

If you are in pain, seek help. Even talking to trusted friends about what’s going on in your life can do wonders in lifting your mood. You may also want to get professional help to help you find good strategies to use to help dig yourself out of a hole when you stumble in. I get that, often, you might believe that nothing that anyone could say or do could help but, please, I urge you to just try it. Overall, don’t give up because there are so many people who love you and who would be devastated if you weren’t around and they want to help you if you let them. I realized that the recovery of Luna would never be that quick in real life. Like all scars, it takes time to heal. That is why I wrote Camp Orion and I included Discord along with his own back story to convey that this happens to more than one person. You are not alone in this struggle. There are people who might be about to go through what you are, people who are currently in the same situation as you, and people that have been there and have beaten it. Look for those people if you feel alone in the struggle.

If you know someone who is in pain and you are willing to help, keep in touch with that person. Not only will that person feel very loved that someone cares about them that much, but it also gives accountability. It helps them to remember that they should be progressing instead of regressing, to not go back to old, possibly destructive, habits. The other thing is, listen to them. You don’t even have to respond with some enlightening advice because I know that that can scare people into thinking that they won’t be able to help them. Just have an open ear and show that you are concerned. Ask questions and, if they reveal something that sounds like they might be a danger to themselves or others, don’t let them out of your sight and call 911. This is just personal preference at this point but, be liberal with hugs if they want them.

If you’ve got any questions about anything at all, I’d be more than happy to answer them. I’ve had to deal with Depression and have been clean from self harm for ten months now.

If you really really really need advice on something and no one you know can help you, I’ve found this guy to be pretty darn helpful(he’s also a Brony, btw): https://www.youtube.com/user/DRWolf001