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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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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.

"It's quite expansive. The American Heart Association has held its annual Heart Walk here the last couple years, and it's always a treat to walk the grounds," he said as he admired the view.

Offering her his arm, he asked, "Shall I take you to the columns, milady?"

"You mean, for the whole country? Or just the local chapter?" she asked.

Ariadne giggled a little when he held out his arm.
"That would be lovely, sir knight," she said.

"It's for the local chapter," he said as he took her arm and led her down an idyllic tree-lined path. "Walking is probably my favorite form of exercise."

"Ah, all right," she said.

"Walking is nice. Not always easy to do when it's rainy or something, though," she agreed.

"Here we are," he said, gesturing at a set of standalone Greek columns and a picnic area through the trees.

"Pretty," she said, following him. "It's a little odd how quiet it is."

"That is precisely why I like it here," he said, admiring this favorite spot. He turned to her. "You look very lovely and very appropriate here, Your Highness."

Appropriate? Well, that was a new one.
"Thank you," she said automatically. "What makes you say that, sir knight?"

He smiled from ear to ear. "You just look right at home standing beneath the columns, Your Highness. It makes me want to kiss your hand."

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