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.

For those that are going to miss the eclipse on Monday, I have created a simulation of what the eclipse will look like along the path of totality

i want 60 thousand votes by next thursday

It makes me happy when they listen

No sleep. Only draw.

At the local lake, this is around the time of year when they do the fish stocking. It's artificial, but it happens to the real lakes, too. Right now, the water is finally thawed out just enough that the park supervisor can roll up a big ol' truck full of fish and dump them into the water. They'll live happy, contented lives in the lake, unless they bite a hook, are abducted by clever seagulls, or someone finds the drain plug at the bottom again like they did back in August of '88 and lets all the water out.

Because the park is really cheap, the community association was looking for someone to pick up the truck, fill it with fish, and drive it to the lake. Since I had no real job at the moment, and needed something to check off the "community service" section of my parole documents, I decided to volunteer. Long-time readers may recall that I also have a small amount of affection for the operation of internal-combustion automobiles, which is a bonus.

Everything went great at the pickup. It turns out that my buddy Halvin was working in the town motor pool and made sure to give me the oldest, shittiest GMC Kodiak in the lot because it would make me more comfortable. What a guy. I was so overjoyed that I didn't even tell him it was me who backed over his mailbox last Christmas. Why ruin the moment?

After some hot twin-stick action to get across town, I was at the fish hatchery. You might not be familiar with one of these things, if you live a boring life. Me, I'm here at least once a year, mostly because their dumpster always has a lot of only-slightly-expired silicone sealants thrown away in it. It was here that I encountered my primary obstacle in completing Mission: Fish Flow.

As for what happened next, the exact details are still being worked out by my attorney. In my defence, however, I have been authorized to state that having over one thousand fish in the back of your 1970s cargo truck should qualify you for the car-pool lane, even if you do ram a state trooper, who – by the way – was riding in the car all by himself, the fucking hypocrite.

I think it would be really funny if every time Dick and Jason joined missions they kind of failed upwards, even if they goofed off, or dredged up extremely personal shit, it helped with their secret identities or got them to think outside the box. There's always a disagreement on methods, someone gets kicked through a door but it's the right door and they stumble on all the evidence and the bad guys. Something that got set on fire was actually a secret message that only appeared upon heating, or they found evidence of the crime while trying to delete embarrassing CCTV footage.

I was thinking of a piece of dialogue I put in the early chapters of my main Jason Todd fic on Ao3(Anapausis) and rolling it around in the context of "would he fucking say that in this situation?"

For context when I was trying to build the scaffolding of my AU where some things in Bat continuity happen, some don't and others go down VERY differently than what happens in the comics but still HAPPEN.

And I got deep into the concept of Jason's side of the conflict being not only a result of his own hurt and compassion, but that his actions and the underlying reasoning on the Non-Bruce/Joker side where arrived at after Thought was input.

He IS hurt and lashing out, and in denial about the hopeful kid that still exists under the layers of hurt. But in his head he is addressing the Roots Where They Are for him, in his home, in Crime Alley. And, Ala the UTRH comic, it works. Becoming the Bad, becoming the Control, that works despite how unpleasant he personally finds it. That he will Never see killing or hurting people as a thing that brings personal joy, but as a chore and action as necessary as cleaning the grout out of the bathroom floor.

In this universe, Bruce DOES put his money where his mouth is in regards to rehabilitative justice/punishment. It was a position refined SPECIFICALLY by the insight he obtained after he adopted Jason(not that he was Completely Callous before...but like, in this universe, neither him or Dick ever personally experienced the kind of crushing inner city poverty Jason did). But it is still slightly restrained by his own prejudice and where he has chosen to allocate his attentions(Rogues, JLA, etc.), and the improvements in Gotham are Extremely Slow to take hold, because despite his efforts, Bruce cannot completely overhaul the Curses in the City+Court of Owls(which is less secret society than a bunch of out and out WASPs with a personal paramilitary that barely pay lip service to the concept of secrecy, which idk, might be canon those storyline never really caught my focus)+general political corruption.(not that Bruce puts much faith in politicians, re:Batman and his control issues).

So for his argument to not move Jason and maintain my preferred dynamic, which involves enormous love but an inability to align on belief(NOT MISUNDERSTANDINGS), then Jason MUST have put much thought and READ like the little nerd he is, while making his plans to take over Gotham. Reaching for an alternate solution to not only show up Bruce(Petty King behavior ily), but to also align himself with his own morals regarding the issues important to him.

The Victims suffering Now, being the person making hard decisions(control issues like Bruce? Never heard of her/s), but at the same time being able to do things like delegate, to cover for his Outside Gotham Adventures I decided to keep as well as make his takeover Function Effectively, because organized Crime REQUIRES Organization and is not all just dockside meetings and duffel bags full of heads.

So yeah, in my AU and fanfic, Jason is the kind of person to keep abreast of things like prison recidivism and rehabilitation programs. Someone who DOESNT trust government interference and is deeply involved in community organizing and building reliance on other people within a community, not that he thinks he deserves to be included, because he has trouble seeing himself in a positive light BECAUSE he sees ALL of his actions as necessary Evil.

Note, he thinks what he does is EVIL but necessary. anyway idk, I was thinking of changing the dialogue because it sticks out like a sore thumb to me without any internal scaffolding from Jason in the fic to support it. But then again, it's my fanfic...

Jason and Tim fighting about something

Jason: Yeah? Well YOU'RE adopted!

Tim more or less about to lose his shit: We're ALL ADOPTED

Damian in the background about to speak up

Tim: You're not a part of this

Damian: >:[

Jason is trying his best to make him look vicious ; )'

Poison Ivy is hired to revive an extinct flower. It's good money and the flower has no adverse effects on the environment so she's more than happy to take the job.

She thinks everything is good and continues to grow these flowers for her client. Until a child shows up in her greenhouse and informs her that the flowers she's been providing are actually going to a branch of the government and are being used to destroy the a different realm.

The government has been tricking her into destroying the environment, earthly or not. Soon they'd learn exactly why Poison Ivy is feared.

could you do a thyme meadow? It's a plant that stays low enough on the ground and green enough that most people could mistake it as grass from a distance. Plus, the little thyme flowers could help out pollinators more then grass would.

"I thought you wanted to become a brain surgeon." Danny squawked into the phone.

Jazz sighed, "After everything Mom and Dad put us through growing up, the last thing I want is to have anything to do with biology. Let alone a career."

"What about studying psychology?"

"That's more of a side hobby."

"So.... a pharmacist.... Is it bad the first thing that came to mind is that there's a high chance for pharmacists to become a drugged addict or dealer."

"Danny!"

"What its statically true, and it's normally painkillers."

Jazz groaned in a way that had Danny picturing her rubbing her temples in annoyance. "Danny do you really think that'll happen."

"No, but I also never thought I'd be cloned or you'd move to Gotham and, welp, anything can happen."

"Thats not going to happen. Speaking of, one of my colleagues-"

"Is a druggie!"

"No! They have a relative whose a dealer and something happened last night."

Its Danny's nightmare

I swallowed a toaster and gained toaster powers which gave me the ability to make toast by putting slices of bread in my mouth.

Dp x Dc prompt 3

(probs Eldritch and or Ghost King! Danny. whatever suits your taste)

Danny goes on vacation to the dc universe, only to vibe and do nothing else. He'll let the heroes in this universe deal with whatever. He doesn't plan on doing any hero work or getting involved in any of their nonsense. Every magic user however is scrambling and panicking over the overwhelming amount of death magic that just entered their universe and is just sitting there menacingly.