The importance of beer and flowers

"The problem with being as happy as clams is that clams don't do or say much"- Drama prof. at UMASS Dartmouth

This quote has always stuck with me, not just as a writer and avid reader but especially as a role player. In any given story, imagine the incredible odds and turmoil our favorite characters face. Very rarely are they not the underdog faced by some great emotional, physical, mental or spiritual task. Their interplay with the situation and their resulting growth is what makes them interesting. We don't want them to shrug off every issue as if they were superman, immune to inner turmoil and the process of change. It's why we write our own characters with haunting pasts, nemesis and skeletons in their closets.

It's because of this we celebrate the dark and dirty plots, the ones that make us roll around in drama and walk away grinning from ear to ear in the stink of it because we got to feel that roller coaster of emotion and epiphany all from the safety of fantasy. We are able to rejoin the 'real' world with a sense of triumph, and it helps us deal with the everyday drama we can't necessarily solve in one epic encounter with sword and spell in hand.

But it is important to keep in mind that while taking regular swims in the river of story that we don't drown ourselves in drama. After all, what makes so much of the stories epic is that they are life and death, world ending on a personal or global level. Compared to day to day struggles with money and work, these major challenges strive to make us heroes. But just as these dramatic elements are important to an interesting story, so are those lighter moments which remind us one very important thing: why.

Why do we fight when all hope seems lost? Why do we live in a town plagued by villains who seem to set up shop in our backyard? Why do we leave the comfort of what is known and safe to try and do good?

A wise and crazy lady whom I have had the pleasure to plot with remarked on this once when she filled a weekend with difficult fights and half-won victories for her game. She plotted what was dubbed the 'beer and flowers' mod, a fight to be won and remind players that they ARE heroes, and here are the people you are heroes too and see what you have accomplished? I admired this choice in plotting, we all need the beer and flowers mod both in gaming and in real life. We need those reminders of why.

So contemplating this, I wondered about the game I PC, particularly the dramatic, epic weekend that had recently transpired. While I did not get to go due to epic pregnancy, my husband and friends came back with magnificent tales of woe and conquest. Now, because i wasn't there it is harder to pick out those beer and flower moments, because most often they are subtle, personal moments. Our staff is usually awesome about it, with characters who seek out players for those glimmering moments that spur us into the Next Big Thing.

And then a funny thought occurred to me as i read through my friends recaps: dinner time with my company was an often mentioned highlight. Now some may claim that defeating a hoard of cookies and burgers might be epic, but honestly- this time is filled with laughter, good company, stories, songs and the quiet recollection of people we take comfort in.

That's right: Grum's Company IS the beer and flowers mod! it is the guaranteed moment of why in every gather. This is pretty damn cool in my opinion, and not only speaks a lot of the players involved, but worlds of the staff who have created a game in which people so very different are drawn together out of need and want to stand together against everything they throw at them. It's pure magic. I thank them for it.

And now, one of Grum's 'beer and flowers' favorites:

Shadowfane Chop Suey

(note: credit is due to Klee, who first made the American version of this for Grum, and i have since put a tiny spin on to make one of his favorite meals of all time)

ingredients:
1 box whole grain pasta
1lb+ good red sauce
18 or so small Italian meatballs, quartered
1/4 vidalia onion, chopped
1tbs olive oil
salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian herbs
Parmesan cheese
directions;
In a small skillet, combine olive oil and onion with a dusting of garlic powder and Italian herbs. cook over medium heat until onion is translucent.
cook pasta according to directions and drain, mix with onion and herb mixture in a good sized pot. Add meatballs and sauce and heat through. (GREAT crock pot choice)

To serve, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese with good bread.

Hope you have a beer and flowers moment today!