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Entry tags:

ariadne,
gawain

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Characters: Ariadne and Gawain
Date/Time: Starting Friday, August 5.
Location: Lincoln, NE
Rating: TBD
Warnings: Potential weapons-grade cuteness
Summary: Ariadne comes to Lincoln for a weekend visit.

After a long flight, the plane finally touched down in the city. The view below hadn't been much to look at once they had gotten over the mountains, but the city itself seemed bustling enough from what she could tell.

Walking into the airport, Ariadne looked for Gawain among the people milling there, both on the upper levels and looking over to the balcony.

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"Mostly with Hades, and a little with Dionysus," she admitted. "How about you?"

"I spoke with Hades a little, too," he replied. "Interesting chap. Doesn't seem inclined to take the reins of Olympus."

"No, but he seems to have a plan for it. He seems very straightforward, but he must have some kind of an angle on things. He seems to have done a good job getting the other Greeks behind him. Even Aphrodite has consented to be at his side," Ariadne mused.

"And that takes some talent, undoubtedly," Gawain agreed. "I don't know Aphrodite well, but I get the distinct impression she doesn't side with just anyone."

He ate some spoonfuls of the spicy mulligatawny soup brought before the main meal. "So ... what are your thoughts on this whole competing pantheon business?"

"Honestly? I think it's a little ridiculous. Mythology has been just that since the Age of Enlightenment. It has no relevance in a world based on reason and science, and for those who put the greater weight in faith... Well, I don't imagine the Religious Right is going to take too kindly to having their cherished beliefs thrown in their faces," Ariadne said.

"Besides, it isn't like being a reborn princess gets me much in the way of perks."

"I agree that competing amongst ourselves is counterproductive," Gawain said. "If we are indeed who we think we are, or who Nigel and his colleagues think we are, then we should be striving to evolve beyond our ancient pettiness and do something productive in the world. That includes not proselytizing, which would make us as self-righteous as the Religious Reich ... excuse me, Right!"

He smiled. "Perks, eh? What are your hopes and dreams in this life, milady?"

"Agreed, but I'm not sure what choice we have. Nigel, or whoever is behind this, made it sound like some zero-sum game. Whoever wins, someone has to lose. Either way, it won't be easy getting people to believe in us again. We'll have to provide proof, but somehow do it in a way that isn't going to have them running off screaming in terror, you know?" she said.

"As for hopes and dreams... I just want to get by in this world. Maybe give a little something back. Solve a big problem of some kind, maybe, if people would get out of their way enough to let it be solved."

Suddenly Gawain's eyes lit up. "You've just given me a thought, Ariadne," he said. "We need to provide proof that won't be too shocking, as you say."

He leaned forward. "You're a game maker, and I have had some programming experience. What if the godlings collaborated on a game that helped get our message across? The most realistic mythology game ever?"

Ariadne quirked an eyebrow, intrigued.
"Yeah? And, what sort of platform are you thinking? What style?" she asked.

"Well, my favorite genre is the PC adventure game that was popular back in the 1990s," he said wistfully. "I remember a fantastic Minotaur sequence in King's Quest VI. Alas, those games aren't as popular anymore, except overseas."

She nodded.
"I remember those as well. Still, strategy and RPG games are still selling well, especially if they have a major combat focus. Halo, Dragon Age, Mass Effect... What all did you have in mind for something like that?"

He thought about it a moment. "If the combat were less gruesome and more cartoonish, it could be available to a wider age range. I remember playing a Donald Duck sidescroller in which Donald never actually killed his opponents, but instead temporarily disabled them with a plunger gun! It was highly satisfying!"

He leaned back in his chair. "The key would be to make a game that portrays the godlings as humanly sympathetically as possible, so that gamers rallied behind their cause by the end."

"And what role would the player take in all this? As one of us? A helper to the cause, somehow?" Ariadne tapped a finger to her lips. "A broad range of appeal is good, but we still want to be taken seriously. We don't want to dumb it down, especially if it's to be a realistic myth game."

"If I were designing the game, I would say the players should assume the role of helpers to our cause. That way, they can remain themselves but get to know us better as comrades," Gawain replied.

"And the game must make players think about the godlings' role in the universe. Gameplay should not simply be about gaining hit points, magic points, Folsom points, whatever."

"Interesting. It'll take some work to get something that strikes the right balance," Ariadne said, "Not to mention making it so it's marketable. It could be a tough sell."

"Of course it will be tough to create and market," Gawain said. "However, I think several of the godlings, present company included, are up to the challenge."

"We'll just have to see what we can do," Ariadne said, smirking.

"Well, that was pretty good," she said, finishing her meal, "What else is on the agenda?"

"Do you feel like a tour of the bookstore now, or would you rather do something else?" he asked.

"It's my first time to the city. What do you recommend?" she asked.

He beamed. "I have a favorite park called Pioneers Park. One picnic area even has some Greek columns! It also a nature center with exhibits of local animals, including herds of bison and elk. Sound like fun?"

"Sure, sounds good," Ariadne said, "Though we might want some water if we're going to be outside a lot. I'm not used to scorchers like this."

"Of course," he said, "We can stop at a market and get some bottled water on the way."

"That sounds perfect," she said.

"So... Greek columns, huh? Much else here that's Greek?"

"There is a very nice Greek restaurant called The Parthenon. We should definitely go there sometime this weekend," he said.

"Oooh, definitely. That sounds great," she said.

When they got to the park, Ariadne looked around.
"It's bigger than I thought," she remarked.