2400 words from a path never written.

WORDS WORDS WORDS


Zoram
Posts: 141
Joined: Fri Jan 20, 2012 7:23 pm

Re: 2400 words from a path never written.

Post by Zoram »

Feels a tad excessive even for Saki's self-destructive phase :mrgreen: but yes, I agree that it's quite possible. Saki may tell this to Hisao in a matter-of-fact way, almost causing him a heart attack, only to conclude grinnng that it's a joke and that she made it all up on the spot. Then it would later be revealed that it's true, or at least partially (for example, the first part of that story may have not happened, but the second did).

Since we are at it, I posted about a new fanart with Saki and Rika prominently featured, and for how she has been characterized so far, that Saki VS Lilly scene may not be too improbable :lol:
themocaw
Posts: 459
Joined: Fri Jan 20, 2012 12:20 pm

Re: 2400 words from a path never written.

Post by themocaw »

Not a drabble or a drabble derivative, but here's a scene that popped into my head for late Act 3.

------

"Nakai-san, may I talk to you for a moment?" Mutou asks.

"Oh. Sure."

"Everyone, please continue your independent study. I'll be back in a few minutes," Mutou says.

I follow him out of the classroom. Mutou is holding my lab notebook in his hands and flipping through it.

"Mister Nakai, do you know what Occam's Razor is?" Mutou asks.

"It's some kind of scientific principle, right? Don't make your explanations too complicated?"

"Close enough. Occam's Razor states that all things being equal, the simplest explanation is the best. Now, I've been reading your reports for the last laboratory assignment, and I've noticed an anomaly in your results. I can now draw one of two possible conclusions. Either you made a very large mistake, or a high school senior has just overturned everything we know about physics since Isaac Newton first wrote his three laws of motion." He opens the lab notebook and points to one of the results. "Have you in fact, invented perpetual motion, Mister Nakai?"

Now that he points it out, the error is glaring. "I'm sorry, teacher," I say sheepishly.

"I've been noticing these mistakes cropping up in your work more and more, Nakai. It's uncharacteristic of you."

"I'm sorry," I say to Mutou. "I'll be more careful in the future."

Mutou nods at that, then shuffles his feet a bit, hands in his pockets, his brow furrowed in thought. "Nakai-san, do you know who Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischmann are?"

"Are they scientists?"

"They are. They were nuclear physicists who, in 1989, published a paper claiming that they had achieved nuclear fusion at room temperature. The method they had used is not important: what is important, however, is that no one else was able to duplicate their results using the exact same experimental setup. Fleischmann and Pons, however, were adamant that they had indeed achieved nuclear fusion at room temperature. Applying Occam's Razor, what is the simplest explanation?"

Simple. "They made a mistake."

"Yes. Scientists have a reputation for being creatures of logic. We see the world as it is dispassionately, without the bias of emotion or personal agendas. The truth is, however, scientists are human just like anyone else. Be it the desire for fame, prestige, or simply the desire to have the data match the results you expect to get, scientists must always be aware of the fact that their personal biases may be coloring the results they get from their data." He passes the lab book back to me. "Don't let your personal biases get in the way of your observations, Nakai."
User avatar
Asoko_Desu
Posts: 230
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2022 5:30 pm
Location: L5

Re: 2400 words from a path never written.

Post by Asoko_Desu »

My $0.02, 10 years late.

This was short, poignant, and sweet - like Saki's life. I can't help but wish - like many people, I'm sure - that there was so much more to the story.

A wonderful example of emotionally evocative writing on a character who stands out with her own distinct personality.
"So much to do, so little time."

Asoko Desu's one-shots and short pieces - and assorted tie-ins.
Two Body Problem - "Adventures in the 'Emiverse'"; Emi’s path from Rin’s perspective ..
The Years That the Locusts Have Eaten - Post-Rin’s good ending - a journey through the 'Rinverse'

+++
Post Reply