Years And Years Ago, I Read A Book On Cryptography That I Picked Up Because It Looked Interesting--and

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.

New Fic Announcement!

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

archiveofourown.org

New Session | Archive of Our Own

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

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fanfic writing found family thomas sanders sanders sides the pie writes damocles gambit

3 notes View Post

the-princey-pie

1 year ago

I think there's something that needs to be said about encouraging readers to leave feedback.

For me it's not about "tell me my writing is amazing and stroke my ego"

It's more about "please engage with me so that I can experience your joy secondhand and foster a connection with you"

I understand that not everyone wants this in their reading experience, some people are shy and a million other reasons why maybe someone wouldn't want to engage and that's perfectly fine!

But what I'm trying to steer away from is being a passive content creator with passive consumers. What I want to steer toward is fostering a community that is essential to fandom. I want to see your reactions because it makes me feel like I'm a part of something.

On encouraging reblogs —

I understand that not everyone is comfortable reblogging, especially explicit content. This is ok!

But just consider that the only reason you were able to enjoy a fic or fanart is because someone else shared it, and by not sharing it yourself you are potentially robbing someone else of the opportunity to enjoy it as much as you did.

As OPs our reach only goes so far and this website relies on reblogs in order for anything to truly get seen by a wider audience.

So that's really it! That's why I encourage these two things at the end of every story I post. Not because I'm trying to be demanding and "make people feel bad" if they don't do it.

I know most other social media sites encourage mindless content consumption and that's just the way of the world nowadays, but I am from a time when community was at the heart of fandom and I just don't want to lose that.

31K notes View Post

the-princey-pie

11 months ago

newbie fic authors, shooting themselves in the foot: This fic is bad haha I suck at writing lol I am being mean to myself in the hopes that you will be nice to me but actually am dissuading anyone from even clicking on my fic because all I have done to advertise it is tell you why you shouldn't read it

me: I am King Big Dick of Fanfic Mountain and I have arrived in your fandom with the Express Intention of writing my Very Favorite Fics, which I will generously allow you to read. You're welcome.

37K notes View Post

the-princey-pie

1 year ago

Top-Tier Villain Motivations

They will be safe. It doesn't matter who else or what else burns as long as They will be safe.

I will be safe. The hunger and the cold will never touch me again.

Fuck any bitch who's prettier(/cooler/better-liked/better at making dumplings) than me.

Yes, Master

Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. LOVE ME!

I know the terrible things these so-called "heroes" will do if I don't stop them (<- is absolutely wrong)

I don't want a better future, I want a better past!

No other way to get performance art funded these days

80K notes View Post

the-princey-pie

1 month ago

no no no you dont GET it. It's not about romance it's not about sex it's about DEVOTION. it's about LOVE. It's about chasing your other half to the ends of the earth to protect them from themselves. It's about wanting them to be happy. It's about stopping their self-destructive ways. It's about saving them from darkness, because you know they're capable of love. Because you've FELT that love and so you know it's there. It's about having faith until your dying breath. again it's about utter and true devotion and selfless love. Hello?? are you listening?? True, selfless love is about restoring their faith in humanity by being the example

7K notes View Post

the-princey-pie

11 months ago

This.

Tags

tagging incorrectly is why i block people on ao3 or report their stuff if it's a huge mistag it's so frustrating just use the damn instructions learn how to tag or get out

99K notes View Post

the-princey-pie

1 year ago

Hey y'all why are writers always cold?

117K notes View Post

the-princey-pie

1 year ago

Aaaaaahhhhh!!!! Ahhhh?? AAAAAAHHH!!!

More coherent thoughts under the cut cause DAMN

I already told you but you will hear it again: your art looks excatly like a high fantasy trilogy feels like. It got those adventure where you find friendship along the way vibes and I'm digging them so so hard.

This is so much amazing art and you even colored some pieces like ??? How did i deserve you. You captured the feel lf the story and the personality of the characters perfectly like look at that variety. Virgil ks big and strong but still looks so huggable, no idea how you managed it. Remus has the perfect amount of mishief and Janus is small and angry and just !!!! I'll cherish them forever. Thank you so so much

Also side note: that is one sexy tree and i'm not growing tired of repeating and you drew the best round chicken and for that alone you can have a kidney if you ever need one