I Keep Seeing People Making Fun Of Using Growled, Hissed, Roared, Snarled Etc In Writing And It’s Like.

Years and years ago, I read a book on cryptography that I picked up because it looked interesting--and it was!

But there was a side anecdote in there that stayed with me for more general purposes.

The author was describing a cryptography class that they had taken back in college where the professor was demonstrating the process of "reversibility", which is a principle that most codes depend on. Specifically, it should be easy to encode, and very hard to decode without the key--it is hard to reverse the process.

So he had an example code that he used for his class to demonstrate this, a variation on the Book Code, where the encoded text would be a series of phone numbers.

The key to the code was that phone books are sorted alphabetically, so you could encode the text easily--picking phone numbers from the appropriate alphabetical sections to use ahead of time would be easy. But since phone books were sorted alphabetically, not numerically, it would be nearly impossible to reverse the code without exhaustively searching the phone book for each string of numbers and seeing what name it was tied to.

Nowadays, defeating this would be child's play, given computerized databases, but back in the 80s and 90s, this would have been a good code... at least, until one of the students raised their hand and asked, "Why not just call the phone numbers and ask who lives there?"

The professor apparently was dumbfounded.

He had never considered that question. As a result, his cipher, which seemed to be nearly unbreakable to him, had such an obvious flaw, because he was the sort of person who could never coldcall someone to ask that sort of thing!

In the crypto book, the author went on to use this story as an example of why security systems should not be tested by the designer (because of course the security system is ready for everything they thought of, by definition), but for me, as a writer, it stuck with me for a different reason.

It's worth talking out your story plot with other people just to see if there's a "Why not just call the phone numbers?" obvious plot hole that you've missed, because of your singular perspective as a person. Especially if you're writing the sort of plot where you have people trying to outsmart each other.

Fanfic writers are like crows. If you give them treats (comments) they will bring you shiny things (fanfic)

New Fic Announcement!

I present y'all some analogical fluff in these trying times with wolf shifter virgil & unaware human Logan

https://archiveofourown.org/works/47343466/chapters/119295535

This.

The inherent homoeroticism of killing your enemy and immediately regretting it

New Fic Announcement!

I finished some family fluff with Logan and Virgil having fun together, set in the Damocle's Universe:

Books just shouldn't be banned. Fullstop.

"But you hate-" so?

"But it sends terrible messages-" yes. That's why media criticism is important. It doesn't mean a book should be banned.

"But this classic contains truly despicable things" correct! Now use your brain to consider whether it is condoning, encouraging, or commenting upon them, and then use those skills in your day to day interactions with people! Is it outdated? Could that be why your grandparent has some Truly Weird Ideas that you might have more context to understand and/or discuss? Or are the ideas of your family member not even Of Their Time and they're just bigots? You now have some tools to figure it out.

Bad books are bad, but sometimes they are important to learn from. And sometimes they're outdated, but it gives you food for thought. And sometimes somebody else gets something important from a book that you don't need, hut you never know the difference.

But also and probably most importantly, as utah learned by fucking around and finding out, if you ban one kind of media it becomes incredibly easy to ban another.

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💗 (apologies for sending chain letters but i'll be honest: i DO find myself wanting to know which of an author's works they're most excited about at any given moment.)

Ayeee thank you for the neat ask game! I do wonder too what's someone's favorite works and why! Everyone who sees this feel free o do it too cause imma send this along on anon <3

Summer Wine In Verdant Winters

The last longer fantasy AU I've written about Virgil running a tavern to hide from his traumatic past. Naturally it comes back to haunt him. It has a cottagecore setting with some high fantasy elements on top of the found family and I've salviated writing all the food descriptions

Damocles' Gambit

Admittedly, I'm cheating here a bit by linking the entire series. But this has arranged marriage turned found family with some delicious hurt/comfort where King Thomas gets to be the best dad we all wished we had

Burning Fireflies

It's the best Roceit I've ever written where Roman is the loyal knight going after the runaway thief Janus - I'm just a sucker for tales about loyality and the tragedy that comes with it when it's mistrusted

Noblesse Oblige

Stemming from my Bridgerton obsession I just had to make it gay. So then we have some fake dating turned real feelings Loceit with a little mystery twist for spice. I cried while writing it but it's also the most beautiful imagery I've managed to this day

A Tad(pole) Tied Up At The Moment

The first Baldur's Gate 3 fanfic I've ever written (and am currently writing) where Astarion gets whumped properly before he gets the comfort from Halsin he deserves

devotion that corrupts is my favorite btw there's nothing wrong with it ever & it should be encouraged

Big Bang Announcement!

Here's the promised fantasy hurt/comfort with Virgil and his found family. It's my big bang for the year from @tss-storytime with art from the amazing @pizza-box-raccoon here!