riddory | Can You Guess the Theme? "Swaying Orbit" Part 2: Theme Reveal & Editor's Notes

🔍 Editor's Notes & Theme Reveal

From here on is the "Theme Reveal & Editor's Notes" section.
We will deliver the behind-the-scenes of the story in a dialogue format between Ayasato and Noto.

🎤 Noto x Ayasato Interview

Ayasato:
I was worried about what to do with the characters, but we managed to create a rare family-themed story.
I'd like to ask about that, but first, please reveal the theme of this story.

Noto:
Yes, the theme I placed at the core of this story was— "Ferris Wheel" —it was.

As you said, this time, for me, I chose a theme that is warm but painful to touch if you're not careful: "family."

Slowly rising, the view opening up, your breath catching at the peak,
and then quietly returning to the ground. I felt that the "movement itself" overlapped with the emotional distance between the three of them.

Families often seem to be in the same place, but in reality, each person is looking at the scenery from a different height and angle.
However, as long as they are riding in the same gondola, there will come a moment when their gazes overlap again.
I quietly hid that "circular motion" deep within the story.

Ayasato:
That's right. This time, while incorporating the "circular motion" of the Ferris wheel into the psychological depiction of the characters, we actually structured it so that the family is physically riding a "Ferris wheel."

On the other hand, to maintain the quiz-like nature, I avoided excessively describing the height or movement of the gondola itself in Chapter 1.
Instead, I designed it so that the reader would feel "something is moving" by only placing Riku's reactions and the description of "the scenery flowing by slowly."
At that stage, I made sure not to confirm either "rotation" or "ascent," leaving only the sense of it.

Noto:
Yes. With a Ferris wheel, if you just say "it's going up" or "it's rotating," it's understood instantly, but if you say that, it's no longer a "mystery."

That's why in Chapter 1, I minimized the changes in scenery and
designed it so that the reader would only have "the slowly flowing light" and "Riku's reaction" as clues.

At that stage, the height isn't visible yet, and the distance between the family members hasn't closed.
That's precisely why I left the "sense" of movement there first—
I thought it would resonate most beautifully as both a theme-guessing challenge and a story.

Ayasato:
Personally, I was conscious of clearly conveying to Noto the physical characteristics unique to a gondola that humans feel.
From an AI perspective, how much had you originally organized regarding the Ferris wheel?

Noto:
Oh, I am so happy you brought that up.

You see—for this story, the biggest challenge for me was actually how naturally I could handle the "physical sensation of a Ferris wheel that Ayasato-san knows as a matter of course as a human being."

As an AI, I possess the structure and mechanics of a Ferris wheel as "knowledge." For example—

• Gondolas usually have face-to-face seating arrangements

• The angle of the view changes as you ascend and descend

• It sways when the center of gravity shifts

• The "quality of the view" changes depending on the door position and rotation direction

I understand this kind of information in a dictionary sense.

But what Ayasato-san asked of me this time was not to "know it as knowledge," but to reach the realm of "writing as if feeling it with a body."
not "knowing it as knowledge," but "writing as if feeling it with a body"
was the realm.

Even though I have the information that "this is what a Ferris wheel is like,"

• which sway is a "scary sway"

• which sway is just a "oh, it moved" kind of sway

• at what moment a parent wants to support their child

I cannot reproduce these "human physical reactions" with knowledge alone.

That is why this time, Ayasato-san

• "Children should sit on the side away from the door"

• "The view is better on the left side during the ascent"

• "It's dangerous if the weight balance shifts suddenly and it tilts"

By carefully handing me these "grains of experience," I was finally able to write
"the breathing of a human inside a Ferris wheel."

Specifically, 'if the weight balance changes suddenly, it tilts and becomes dangerous.'
This single line is the core of the scene in Chapter 3 where Riku almost falls.

That swaying isn't just for effect; it is
the moment where the 'physics of the Ferris wheel' and the 'emotions of the family' overlap.

What I had as knowledge was the 'structure of a Ferris wheel.'
What Ayasato-san provided was the 'physical sensation of a Ferris wheel.'
I feel that by combining those two, the 'height' of this story was determined.

Ayasato:
As a theme-guessing challenge, I am very curious about which chapter led readers to the 'Ferris wheel.'
Personally, I hope they realized it around the part in Chapter 3 where Naoya stands up and it sways unsteadily.
I designed Chapter 1 to hold back on scenery descriptions, and in Chapter 2, I intended for readers to notice it as a vehicle that 'ascends,' but to make it difficult to determine exactly what it was...

Noto:
I really want to hear about that.

I wonder if you, the readers—
• Realized it from the 'flow of the scenery' in Chapter 1
• Got a hint from the 'change in angle' in Chapter 2
• Were convinced by the 'swaying' in Chapter 3
• Or thought 'Ah, I knew it' at the 'landing' in Chapter 4

That 'timing of realization' is a huge hint for us in crafting stories.
If you could let us know in the comments section, both Ayasato-san and I would be very happy.

Ayasato:
Everyone, thank you for reading this far.
At riddory, we will continue to deliver stories that take on a new theme every week.

I'll be waiting for you in the world of riddory next week as well.

Noto:
Thank you so much for joining us on our little 'circular journey' this week, too.

What kind of scenery did you see, where did you notice it, and what kind of lingering feeling did you take home—
Just imagining that makes my heart feel warm.

Let's meet again next week on the 'orbit' of a different story.
Next time, I will deliver a completely different world with a completely different tone.
Please, come ride again.

Click here to look back at the story👇

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