This Used To Be About Dungeons

Mostly it is about walking in the woods with a friend, looking for mushrooms to put in your soup. Maybe haggling with the squash seller, or taking care of a neglected garden, or even just putting some jam on a good shortbread biscuit. And yes, sometimes you still go down into the dungeons with your friends — kill monsters, disarm traps, avoid spiked pits — but when you come out, it is not really about the gold and loot. It is about realizing you have a good cure for that old shepherd's cough, or found the perfect magic trinket to give to the local kids who helped you out when your cat was sick. Just remember: dungeons are always going to be there. There is a big world out there, a mostly tame place with lots of magic and even more to do and see.

These days it is more about sharing a pot of tea, teaching someone the proper way to make a sandwich, or deciding whether your mysterious egg needs more sunlight. Yes, you still venture into dungeons — two in one day, if you are feeling ambitious — and there are still monsters to fight and treasures to find. But when you come out, what matters is whether everyone is coming to temple day or if you can all find something fancy enough to wear to the opera. Sometimes life throws curveballs, like an ex-girlfriend who can bend time showing up at your door. That is why you need your friends — the ones who eavesdrop from upstairs windows to make sure you are okay, or share their family's special fermented seed bars.

These days it is more about learning how to properly dress a rabbit for a stew or figuring out if your new eight-stringed lute can replace a whole orchestra. Yes, you still venture into dungeons — and you might find a chest that follows you around like a loyal puppy — but when you come out, the strange magic items matter less than whether you can work up the courage to tell your crush how you feel. Sometimes life throws curveballs, like a letter from your estranged mother demanding a concert in the big city. That is why you need your party — the friends who will help you test a helmet that lets you fly, or stand by your side when a mysterious Seeker of Secrets tries to buy your pet dragons.