You’ll get the same next three installments regardless of whether someone comes up with the Alternative Solution before Ending 1 is posted. But only if someone suggests the Alternative Solution will Ending 2 become the True Ending—the one that, as ’twere, actually happened in that ficton.
This is based on the visual novel format where a given storyline often has two endings, the True Ending and the Good Ending, or the Normal Ending and the True Ending (depending on which of the two is sadder).
To make the second ending the True Ending, someone has to suggest the alternative thing for the Impossible to do in this situation—it’s not enough to guess who the Confessor goes after.
Well, I’m glad the story wasn’t ruined by the alternative being too obvious. If no one’s thought of it yet in the comments, then it’s at least plausible that the people on the ship didn’t think of it earlier.
Anonymous—yes, I keep wondering myself about the ethics of writing illustrative fiction. So far I’m coming out on the net positive side, especially after Robin’s post on Near versus Far thinking. But it does seem to put more of a strain on how much you trust the author—both their honesty and their intelligence.
PS: Anna and Steve, Shulman, Vassar, and Marcello, please don’t post the solution if you get it—I want to leave the field at least a little open here...
You’ll get the same next three installments regardless of whether someone comes up with the Alternative Solution before Ending 1 is posted. But only if someone suggests the Alternative Solution will Ending 2 become the True Ending—the one that, as ’twere, actually happened in that ficton.
This is based on the visual novel format where a given storyline often has two endings, the True Ending and the Good Ending, or the Normal Ending and the True Ending (depending on which of the two is sadder).
To make the second ending the True Ending, someone has to suggest the alternative thing for the Impossible to do in this situation—it’s not enough to guess who the Confessor goes after.
Well, I’m glad the story wasn’t ruined by the alternative being too obvious. If no one’s thought of it yet in the comments, then it’s at least plausible that the people on the ship didn’t think of it earlier.
Anonymous—yes, I keep wondering myself about the ethics of writing illustrative fiction. So far I’m coming out on the net positive side, especially after Robin’s post on Near versus Far thinking. But it does seem to put more of a strain on how much you trust the author—both their honesty and their intelligence.
PS: Anna and Steve, Shulman, Vassar, and Marcello, please don’t post the solution if you get it—I want to leave the field at least a little open here...