Sewing 1st Draft

This story is based on the Greek myth of Ariadne and Athena. This section of the game focuses on the climactic finale between the two seamstresses as they fight one another to see who can make the best tapestry. The player, a mortal watches as a member of the crowd, a neutral third party. When Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, loses to the mortal Ariadne, she curses her by changing her into the world's first spider. The rest of the onlookers run in horror, fearing the goddess's wrath. Only you remain. Can you convince Athena to change her mind, or will Ariadne be trapped in this new form for the rest of her days? [[Begin]]

Ariadne is slowly changing before your very eyes. The young woman's body begins to shift and contort slowly. Her back begins to hunch more and more, the sickening snapping of bone and flesh haunting your ears. Her once long and slender hair seems to wrap around her body, nearly covering every inch of her with pitch black darkness. "What have you done to me, you foul- wretched immortal!" Ariadne says between clenched teeth. The venom in her voice is palpable. [[Proceed]]

Athena stands before her, standing solemnly before us. Her golden armor burns brightly in the midday sun. The shine of her helmet does little to hide the unmistakable smugness plastered upon the goddess's perfect face. Her pupil-less eyes look down at the rival before her, uncaring. "I have blessed you with a form more befitting of your stature," Athena says, her voice echoing across the near-empty stage. "A talented mortal such as yourself deserves a gift from one such as I, and I can think of nothing better than immortalizing your vanity, for the rest of humanity to remember." As she says this, you see Ariadne slowly start to gain more limbs, extra appendages growing from her midsection. The painful screams are something you can barely stomach. [[Proceed 2]]

Athena suddenly turns to you, the lone witness to everything that has partaken onstage. "I can feel your judgemental eyes on us, peon. Now tell me, what does one such as yourself have to say on the matter. Do you feel my teachings are too immoral, or have I displayed due justice?" [["You have done a just job, O' great Goddess."]] [["This has gone too far Athena! Please, show mercy."]]

"Hmmmm... You are an educated one. Maybe your kind isn't as foolish as I once thought." The look on Athena's face shows that she approves of your words. "How can you.... AHHH!" Ariadne screams as she falls to her knees. (+1 to Human Ending) [[Side With Athena #1.2]]

Ariadne smiles a bit as she hears you side with her. Athena remains solemn in her composure, unchanging in her stance or emotion. "Seems that foolishness is something shared commonly among you mortals," Athena says with disgust. "You best hold thy tongue, lest you wish to suffer a similar fate." (+1 to Spider Ending) [[Side with Ariadne #1.2]]

Ever so subtly, you notice that Athena is starting to second guess herself. Or at least you feel that she is? Can an ascended being feel pity? There's something ever so slightly off with her. [[Proceed 3]]

Athena looks down on her, and refuses to make eye contact with the woman. "Please," Ariadne whispers, "your plight is with me, no one else. There's no need for such threats." Athena tsks to herself. "For once mortal, you're right. It's best I don't get ahead of myself, seeing as you're still very much the issue." [[Proceed 3]]

Athena stares back at the tapestrys that were made earlier. She wanders to them, admiring the artistry and pieces on their looms. For the first time sicne the audience left, you also manage to get a better look at both works. You notice the majestic beauty of Athena's artwork, depicting the gods as beautiful deities, high above their worshippers. The thread is lined with gold and silver, and the mosaic perfectly paints the gods as perfect, untouchable beings. Truly, it is something you cannot ignore. Yet, in stark contrast, Ariadne's piece has beauty in it's deceitful simcplicity. She chose to use groudned, more natural colors and threads, with figures depicting the dynamics between god and man. Even the lamest of simpletons can make out what she means with the piece, showing the gods as deceivers and perverts while man is innocent and victimized. [[Proceed 4]]

"Mortal," Athena says, "tell me. Which piece do you enjoy more? Please feel free to be honest. I shall not think less of you." In your heart, you know Ariadne's is better. But you also know that Athena will truly hate hearing such a thing, and that her pride has a tendency to blind her from the truth. [["I find the more elaborate piece to be more interesting."]] [["I find the more earthly piece to be more interesting."]] [["You know what, they both suck. And this has been extremely childish."]]

"Your piece has a better composition to it, and the idealization of the gods is something to aspire to." You see Athena ever so slightly smirk at the compliment. She seems to like you all the more for this answer. (+1 to Human Ending) [[Side With Athena #2.2]]

"There's something honest and beautiful about Ariadne's piece. I like the risks she took, and find it more memorable for it's uniqueness. Apologies, goddess, but that is the truth." The goddess does not dignify your apology with a response, but as you turn to Ariadne, you notice that she seems deeply moved by your words. Is that a tear rolling down her eyes? (+1 to Spider Ending) [[Side With Ariadne #2.2]]

"Both of you could have been more mature, settled this like adults," you say. "Only children would have let such a matter grow to such an extreme degree." Ariadne and Athena both look at you quizzically. "Excuse you?" they both say in unison. [[Athena Gets Mad #1]]

Athena's eyes are now glowing gold and a spear forms in her free hand. "Choose your next words wisely, child, for I shall not give you a second chance." [[Continue]]

On one hand, apologizing is the only way to guarantee that you live. On the other hand, when else will you have the opportunity to insult a god (and some random hotshot) like this? [["I'm sorry for what I just said. Please forgive me."]] [["No, the both of you deserve to hear just how foolish you've been."]]

"You are forgiven." Athena puts away the spear, letting it dissipate once more. "Now, answer the question. Which piece do you like more?" [["I find the more elaborate piece to be more interesting."]] [["I find the more earthly piece to be more interesting."]]

"Goddess of wisdom? Really? More like the goddess of pettiness and tempur tantrums! You lost to a mortal, and instead of losing gracefully, you chose to punish an innocent woman AND make yourself look pathetic in the process!" "AND YOU!" Your attention turns to the poor monstrous woman, jaw flabbergasted at the turn of events. "When a goddess challenges you to something, YOU LOSE! What did you expect from all of this? That you'd attain godhood, that an immortal being would change her ways? This has been an embarassment for all involved, including me! And now- " [[You feel something impale you from behind.]]

"That's been more than enough, worm," Athena says as a sick squelching and a pool of red grows from your chest. "Now, you have a meeting with Charon to attend." You lose your senses as your face becomes acquainted with the floor. As you start to lose your vision, you smile, knowing that you at least got to tell them both how you truly felt with your dying breath. With a final whisper, you say to the void: "Worth it." (Game Over)

Suddenly, Ariadne screams in a bloodcurling frenzy. You shift your attention to her. [[Proceed 5]]

You see her go through the final bits of her new form. Her body begins to shrink quickly, her face deforming and reshaping itself as her eyes split into eights. The feeling must be awful and you can't help but squirm as you hear her voice slowly fade away. [[Proceed 6]]

"You look so beautiful now Ariadne, so... quaint. And yet I find it hard to determine whether I should let you live like this or change you back... Funny how that works." [[Calculation]]

Athena lays Ariadne on the ground again, putting her hand to her face, contemplating her next move. You can feel the tension rising in the air as she thinks over and contemplates all of her possible actions. (The game will calculate the choices the player made, then add the total. If the player sided with Athena more, they get the Human ending. If the player sided with Ariadne, they get the Spider ending.) [[Spider Ending #1]] [[Human Ending #1]]

"I find that I have overstayed my welcome. Ariadne, may you find comfort in your new life. And hopefully you learned something from all of this." And with that, Athena dissipates into a shower of golden vapors, no longer among her people. [[Spider Ending #2]]

"You do not deserve this fate, Ariadne. This is ill befitting of someone of your... stubborness." With a wave of her hand, Athena reverts the transformation on Ariadne, changing her back into a human. "No need to thank me, although I shall say that you are quite welcome for my generosity." Ariadne is utterly astonished. "You... You can't be serious. You evil-" But before she can finish, the goddess leaves, likely embarassed of everything that just transpired. [[Human Ending #2]]

As Ariadne scurries off, you leave to go on your own, hoping that you learned something from this experience. In her head the spider vows vengeance on the gods, choosing to never worship them again. However, your eagerness to stay and support her, appreciating the tenacity of the witness. She spends her days helping humanity by helping rid the world of pests that may harm them. Her webs trap and protect humanity from the plight of insects that may harm human crops and food, her legacy left behind in the actions of spiders today. (Game Over)

"You. I can't believe you chose to side with that vile goddess." Ariadne storms off, cussing under her breath. You swear that she whispers something under her breath, something about gaining her vengeance... You can't quite make it out, as she leaves you alone to gather your own thoughts of what just transpired. You think you learned something today, but who can tell when under the guise of an uncaring pantheon? (Game Over)

"It seems that the process has finished." Athena walks up to the place where Ariadne once was, and lowers on to one knee. Something small and alien crawls onto on open palm. "A new creature, the first of her kind. I'd concepted such a creature before, but didn't know when to incorporate into our world. But now, after meeting you, Ariadne, you've proven yourself perfect to be the world's very first spider... Truly beautiful." She turns to face you, face prideful and reassured in her work. Ariadne begins crawling across Athena's palm. "Don't you agree? Is this new creature not beautiful? A blessing more than a curse?" [["No... This is horrendous. No mortal deserves such a fate."]] [["This is truly a beautiful new form. She is lucky to be born anew."]]

"Why, I thank you for that thought mortal." Athena says as she plays with the new being. "If this is how you feel, I can only imagine the anguish going through her poor mind right now. The regret, the turmoil. It makes it easier for me to decide what her final ending should be." (+1 To Spider Ending) [[Confrontation #9]]

"Hmmm... You do make a good point though... Does such a mortal deserve to be turned into a wondrous new creature? This is an honor, and yet I should be punishing her. Strange..." (+1 to Human Ending) [[Confrontation #9]]