Oh, The Levels You’ll Reach!

(a little pep talk for Players)

Today is the day, little Player, hooray!
You're starting a chapter that's only your way.
You've got your own story, your own kind of light,
Your own kind of soft, your own kind of bright.

You'll learn who you are when no one's around,
When the noise of the world is a faraway sound.
You'll meet your own thoughts, the loud and the small,
And learn which ones serve you — and which ones to let fall.

You'll find that your worth was never on loan,
Never less, never gone.
Not earned, not deserved — just yours, all your own.

The price of admission was simply your breath,
You're already enough, from spawn until rest.

You'll be tested, sweet Player. The test is the gift.
Each setback's a chisel, each ache is a lift.
Refining your character with every bit.

The thing that breaks open the parts you'd kept tight
Is also the thing that lets in the light.

You'll fail. Yes, you will. And it'll feel awful and real.
You'll wonder if pain like this ever can heal.
But Player, dear Player, your tender's not weak —
The places you've broken are the places you'll tweak.

You'll learn that your softness is not a defect,
Your sensitivity isn't a glitch to correct.
The world tries to harden whoever it can,
But your softness was always part of the plan.

There'll be people who hurt you. That much I'll admit.
Who shrink you and shame you and don't seem to quit.
Who wrong you, and put you down,
Who leave you, who make you frown.

But hear this, dear Player — the work isn't theirs,
You don't have to fix them. Just notice. Just care.

Care for yourself first. Then care from afar.
You can love someone fully and not be where they are.
You can wish them the best and walk a new way —
That's not abandonment. It's not a dramatic play.
It's grace for yourself and a quiet release,
A boundary held softly, in service of peace.

You'll meet The Waiting. You'll meet it for sure.
The hush before answers, the ache without cure.
The middle of stories, the not-yet, the in-between —
The space where the seed has been planted, unseen.

The waiting will teach you what action cannot,
That you're not what you do, not your hustle — you ARE your plot.
You're worthy when still, you're worthy when slow,
You're worthy in seasons when you have nothing to show.

You'll learn that your purpose is not what you make,
Not the trophies, the titles, the praise you can take.
Not the belongings, the trimmings or trappings.
Not the noise of the world or its loudest of happenings.

Your purpose is presence — the way that you are —
The light in your eyes, the soft in your scar.

You'll learn to forgive, which is not "it's okay,"
But "I'm setting this down so I can walk my own way."

You'll learn that the past doesn't get to decide
Who you are now, or which path's open wide.

You'll meet other Players who see you, who get it.
You'll find your Soul Team — and yes, you'll forget it,
Then find them again in the strangest of places —
A coffee shop nod, a pause between faces.

You'll learn that your light isn't yours to hide,
Not too much, not too loud, not too wide.
The dimming was never your job, sweet one —
You came here to shine like a small, stubborn sun.

You'll level up softly, you'll level up slow,
The way that the trees and the moon seem to grow.

You won't always notice — and that's the surprise —
You'll glance back one day with brand-new eyes.

And there, in the rearview, you'll see how you've come,
The seasons you weathered, the hard things you've done.

The Player who started? Still in there, still true.
But oh, look at all of the rest that is YOU.

So today is the day. And so is tomorrow.
There's joy on the path. There's also some sorrow.
But Player, sweet Player, you're equipped, you're enough,
You're learning, you're loving — that's all of the stuff.

Your story is sacred, and ever unfolding,
And you, little light, are the one we're beholding.

Press play if you will. Or sit still in the sun.
Either way, lovely Player —
You've already won.

CUTSCENES

A series of illustrated poems for the moments between gameplay.

↩ One Quest, Two Quest, Red Quest, You Quest