By Stella Z. Hu (aka Twig)

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There was a poetry writing prompt online to write your “10 personal commandments.” I wrote the 10 personal commandments of my D&D character.

i. Look for the good in everything and everyone

(They have taught you the world will give you nothing but cruelty and misery.
They are wrong. 
They must be, for how are you meant to live in a world like that?
Besides, for all your life’s hardship, there have been small joys.
Music. Books. Flowers. Rainbows.
Things like these have been there at even the worst of times,
in the worst of places.
You have read of unsavory people with hidden goodness within them,
or at least a couple of redeeming qualities.
Those have to count for something.
You must believe that life can be good, that people can be good.
You must feed that belief in any way you can. 
This is how you keep going.)

ii. When you don’t like the situation you’re in, figure out what you can do about it, and do that

(You cannot stay stuck in negative circumstances.
You must overcome them.
No matter the situation, there is always something you can do.
Big or small, 
pleasant or unpleasant,
there is always a course of action you can take
that will help you.
You must figure out what you can do as quickly as possible,
and then you must do it.
You cannot afford to stall.
This is how you keep going.)

iii. Make sure people have every reason to trust you. 

(You learned very early on that they distrust you on sight. 
People see your curled horns and swishing tail and think “that one is trouble.”
You will not give them reason to solidify that further in their minds.
You will counteract the assumptions in every way you can.)

ix. Never start fights, but always finish them

(To strike without prompting is needless cruelty.
The world does not need more of that.
And it will prove them all right about you.
To go down when you are struck instead will make them think you weak.
Besides, some foes must be beaten, to survive or to make things right.)

v. Be prepared for the worst, but never assume it will happen

(You know too well by now that things can turn out badly.
Too many people in this world are cruel, and you cannot trust everyone.
You must remember these things to survive.
You must not let them catch you unprepared.
But you must remember that things can also turn out well.
That people can also be kind, that some people can and must be trusted.
You will not experience the world’s kindness unless you give it a chance to show it.
So hand them a knife, trust them not to cut you with it.
Just keep another in your boot to strike back if they do.)

vi. Vulnerability is dangerous, but sometimes necessary

(It has never been safe before, to be vulnerable.
At best people would dismiss you, coldly, uncaringly.
At worst they would take the opportunity to kick you while you were down.
You have read, however,
of people showing vulnerability and being met with kindness.
You have read that everyone needs this in their lives.
You hope to find it, eventually.)

vii. Give second chances and benefit of the doubt whenever possible

(No one has ever given them to you.
They assume the worst when you have only the best intentions.
You will not do the same to anyone else.
Besides, you are well aware that many less-than-upstanding things people do
are what they think they have to to survive.
It isn’t all that they are. 
It isn’t all that they can be.)

viii. Stories are the lifeblood of the universe

(There is a story behind everything. 
Behind every person, every animal, every object.
Every sound, every sight, every thought.
The stories you read are what showed you there is more to the world than you have seen.
They are what taught you that life can be more.
They allowed you a glimpse of the richness that it can be.
You will share more such stories with the world.
You will write one of your life, and you will make it worth reading.)

ix. Do what you can to make the world a better place

(You have seen firsthand how cruel and unjust the world can be.
This cannot go on. 
You will not be able to solve all of the world’s problems, but you can resolve some.
If ever you are able to lend a hand to someone in need,
If ever you are able to defend someone in danger,
If ever you are able to stop someone doing harm,
You must do it.
You will aim to do this as much as you possibly can.)

x. To make the world better you must be better than the world

(They have told you that you must be cynical and cutthroat to survive.
To some extent, they are right. 
Such things can very well keep you safe.
But they will not make you or anyone else happy.
They will not make things any better.
The world will not be kinder unless you put kindness into it.
It may come at great risk to you,
But the world can and must be kinder.
You will stop at nothing to make it so.)

You have not mastered all of the commandments yet. 
Several of them are a balancing act. 
You are out in the world now, free from the confines of the place you were raised in that you never called home. 
Things work differently out here. 
In a lot of ways, things will be better.
In some ways, they might well be even worse at times. 
There is much that you still don’t know. 
(It frustrates you.)
(The consequences may be severe, should you make a mistake.)
But you will figure it out. You will.
You refuse to be afraid.
Not when all you’ve ever wanted in life is within your reach at last. 
Hold the commandments close to your heart as ever. 
Hold to them tight. 
You will learn to survive, as you have always done.
And it will take time, and it will take effort,
But you will learn to live. 

You refuse, with every fiber of your being, 
to let anything in all of existence stop you.

Process

Joy Hopepunk. Joy Hopepunk Anakis. I go so insane about her every time I sit down and think about her, you don’t even know.