Patriotism(?)

[blue_green_dream]

My neighborhood sounds like a war zone at the moment. aseanchai and I were talking tonight about donating to our local animal shelter for every booming blast, since more animals run away during the 4th of July holiday than any other time of the year. Well-meaning individuals have been trying to point this out on our community's Facebook page, only to get shouted down and harassed by every free-dum loving yee haw redneck that happens to see the post. The explosions started last weekend and probably won't stop for at least two more weeks. Our donation to the shelter will eventually reach infinity dollars.

I really shouldn't be upset about this, or at least not as upset as I am. Still, it's hard not to be. We live in an area with lots of wildlife, including sandhill cranes and bald eagles, not to mention plenty of pets. But it's the same every year, and not just for 4th of July. Living by a lake means we have a tourist season, though I've taken to calling it, "drinking season." People with summer homes descend on us starting on Memorial Day weekend and bring their loud vehicles, too-big boats and bad manners with them. In other words, we're invaded by people suffering from Main Character Syndrome. It can be exhausting. Literally, in the case of amateur pyrotechnics that last long into the night.

Maybe part of the reason why I'm so upset by this hyper-individualist assault is because I've been playing tons of TTRPGs recently with aseanchai , snakebitcat , and a bunch of other people I can't link to because they aren't on here. (Yet.) It sounds strange, but the collaborative environment of TTRPGs will start to shift your perspective over time. The best games don't feature on one person — everyone gets some "screen time," as it were, and the plot usually involves all of the party members working together to solve a complex problem. If you put yourself into that sort of environment on a regular basis, it can color your perception of how the world should be. We should work together. We should consider the needs of the group in addition to our own. We should look out for vulnerable people and seek to help them. (And in this case, "people," refers to all members of the ecosystem, including animals, plants, etc.) All of us should be trying to integrate that kind of everyday heroism into our lives, especially since it seems that most of the populace would rather gargle shattered glass. Someone has to turn this world of ours around. It may as well be us.

Maybe our upcoming game will give me even more inspiration. I can't wait to get started.

Comments

[thewayne]

We live in the middle of a national forest on the top of a mountain. And it being July, the fire danger scale is at 4 of 5. Hopefully there won't be much in the way of fireworks up here. Our dogs don't like it much, but they're well fenced-in.

We finished an RPG series in Lord of the Rings Online last night. Orcs and goblins were poisoning rivers in an area that, if unchecked, would wipe out Bree and the Shire and Lone-Land areas. Fortunately we were the ones to check them. We found their base last week and wiped them out and burned it out.

It was fun. A bit different since it's just story-telling and no mechanics involved. We were in an area that was around level 24, and I was the lowest level at 58! The goblins completely ignored us, at least until we started slaughtering them. Then there was the appearance of resistance, until our second blow, assuming they didn't die on the first.

We had both coasts of the U.S. plus a Kiwi!

[blue_green_dream]

We've been having rain on and off again, which is a blessing. At least we don't need to worry about brush catching fire in addition to the noise!

We ended up getting involved with Worlds Elsewhere Theater Company in 2020 and met most of our gaming friends there as well. (There's a big overlap between theater kids and TTRPG nerds - who knew?) We currently have players from all over the country as well as Canada, which is pretty cool. The only downside is that we haven't been able to meet most of them in person. Hopefully we can remedy that someday, because they're all genuinely good people. I'm better for knowing them. :-)

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

Something else you could do: put out kitty shelters, the kind normally recommended for winter. I'd go with one made from a styrofoam cooler, to help muffle noise. Put a few of those in sheltered corners so fleeing critters have a safe haven to hide in.

And yes, my Fireworks Bingo Fest has a prompt for scared pets / livestock / wildlife.

[thewayne]

Oh, there's no doubt that TTRPG made me a better person.  I very rapidly gained good public speaking skills from that, for one.  I'm still kind of a shy person, but I have no problem getting up and leading a computer training class of 40-50 or a project status meeting that includes the school administrator.

[blue_green_dream]

That is one of the more fascinating aspects of TTRPGs. I'm more of a theatrical player, in the sense that I need to give my character a history, personality and voice in order to really enjoy the game. I inhabit the character while I'm at the table, but that ability to become someone else can bleed into the real world. I am definitely more of an introvert and can be a bit shy and self-conscious. But playing TTRPGs has given me a strange ability to "inhabit" a more confident version of myself when I need to. I'm not sure if I would have been able to find that ability if it wasn't for all that time spent at the gaming table.

Re: Thoughts

[blue_green_dream]

That is a good idea about the cat shelters! It may be a bit late to create them this year, but I'll keep it in mind for subsequent Amateur Munitions Happy Hours.

I do consider myself at least somewhat lucky. I have friends in other states who are thankful that they haven't yet heard any celebratory gunfire. That's something I haven't experienced so far, and I hope I never do!

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> That is a good idea about the cat shelters! It may be a bit late to create them this year, but I'll keep it in mind for subsequent Amateur Munitions Happy Hours. <<

If you get the cheap, disposable styrofoam coolers -- they sell them at places like Wal-Mart or bait shops -- it's easy to cut through quickly. There's room enough for a cat or small dog inside, though you might want to flip it over because the top is wider than the bottom so they'll stack.

>> I do consider myself at least somewhat lucky. I have friends in other states who are thankful that they haven't yet heard any celebratory gunfire. That's something I haven't experienced so far, and I hope I never do!<<

Yeah, I'm out in rural territory so it happens here sometimes.