Black Forest Krampusnacht

A life well lived is one where… you overcome all challenges and go out in a blaze of glory. you have learned all you ever wished to know, and then some. you have contributed towards the greater good. you have achieved security for yourself and your loved ones.

You see a student yelling at another student in your common room. You… put yourself squarely between them and tell the aggressor to knock it off. try to ease the tension with a joke. don't interfere, but you listen and file away what you've learned for later action if needed. listen until you get the gist of the situation and then attempt to negotiate a truce.

You're really upset about something. You… sneak away to your special hiding place (usually the roof or a secluded tree) to work through it. talk about it with one of your friends. read from your favorite book. It always makes you feel better. find a physical outlet, even if it's just stomping around your room until you've calmed down.

You're in detention! Why? Caught dueling a bully. Borrowed a book from the restricted section of the library without permission. Snuck off into the woods to party with your friends. Delivering a message to the professor overseeing detention. Detention is for amateurs. You haven't been caught red-handed since you were a little kid, and even if you were, you could talk your way out if trouble as easy as breathing.

You hear someone crying in the bathroom stall after a really difficult lesson from your meanest professor. You… ask, "Are you okay? Do you want to talk?" Nothing. People deserve their privacy. Nobody cries in a toilet because they want an audience. recognize them by their shoes. Later that day, you leave them a copy of your notes for tomorrow's test in the form of an enchanted origami cat. go straight back to the classroom and ask your professor where they get off being so rude to their students.

You've just woken up from a terrible nightmare! You dreamed that… your loved ones were in danger, but you could barely move to help them. It was as if you were moving through molasses. you walked into class and suddenly realized you were only wearing your underwear! you sat down to take your final exams, but the questions were total gibberish. Any questions or interruptions would mean automatic failure, so you have to suffer in silence. your teeth started falling out.