Discussion Thread -- September 2018 75-word Writing Challenge

[Parson]

@Victoria Silverwolf ..... Thanks for the kind words. I'm pleased to provide "social commentary."

 

[Starbeast]

@Victoria Silverwolf - I decoded the cipher.

For Your Eyes Only: Thank you for the fun. Stay awesome.

 

[RJM Corbet]

@RJM Corbet .... Interestingly I can translate Virginia's cryptogram, but your's I cannot. I wonder if you got it right?

@nixie .... solved with a computer no pens or papers ruined.

Edit: After pen and paper and 20 minutes I understand what RJM did. But I can't see that Victoria made any spelling mistake.

Sorry. You're correct. Victoria made no mistake. It's 'everybody' not 'everyone', lol. I was happy just to get the drift, so I was a bit careless with state secrets. I'll have to keep alert for lurking assassins.

 

[RJM Corbet]

Is there another way to solve them without pen paper?

I don't know. I think it's some sort of code with a cypher key. But I just did it like a puzzle.

Starting with the first word being 'THIS' -- after someone here suggested that? Was it you? If so, thanks. It got me on my way.

That give me four letters. Then a letter standing alone was obviously 'A'. Then find 'THE' to get the 'E' because I already had 'TH' etc. Then some reasonable guesswork. Fun actually.

But it didn't give me the whole alphabet, just the letters used. And the code appears to be different for every member?

I think knowing the computer 'key' would enable someone to read them all?

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Peter V: NRQB EZWKHWPNWA NSQBN LZ NRW NTEW ZFNETW LJ F DWOWZAFTU PRFTFPNWT BRLSB EB NRFN QN CFU ZLN VW HLBBQVDW NL NTEBN FZULZW.

 

[Peter V]

Peter V: NRQB EZWKHWPNWA NSQBN LZ NRW NTEW ZFNETW LJ F DWOWZAFTU PRFTFPNWT BRLSB EB NRFN QN CFU ZLN VW HLBBQVDW NL NTEBN FZULZW.

Thank you.

I think

 

[Shyrka]

I don't know. I think it's some sort of code with a cypher key. But I just did it like a puzzle.

Starting with the first word being 'THIS' -- after someone here suggested that? Was it you? If so, thanks. It got me on my way.

That give me four letters. Then a letter standing alone was obviously 'A'. Then find 'THE' to get the 'E' because I already had 'TH' etc. Then some reasonable guesswork. Fun actually.

But it didn't give me the whole alphabet, just the letters used. And the code appears to be different for every member?

I think knowing the computer 'key' would enable someone to read them all?

So far, everyone has had a different cipher "alphabet" and I haven't spotted any particular pattern in them. Knowing Victoria there's probably some irritatingly-clever pattern that would make them incredibly easy to decode if we knew it.

Shyrka's tips for decoding:

1) Write out the whole phrase like you would if you were playing Hangman which each letter as a "_" (or use a computer). Once you think you've got a letter from a word, fill it in everywhere that letter appears.
2) Look for the most common letter. This is probably E, but check other vowels too. Once you've got one vowel sorted, try the others for the next most-common, etc.
3) Look for single-letter words. These can only be 'A' or 'I', unless someone's gone properly off-piste.
4) Next, look for two-letter words. There aren't too many options here: 'on, 'of', 'as', 'if', etc. Try them and see what sticks.
5) Look for double letters (i.e. two letters the same together). These are probably one of 'TT', 'SS', 'LL', 'FF', etc. If they're in the middle of a word, they're probably vowels ('oo' or 'ee').
6) So far, all of them have begun with 'THIS', so that's a bunch of letters right away (but now the secret's out, who knows?)
7) Once you have a few letters from a word, you should be able to guess what it might be. This will help to fill out the rest of the letters too.

 

[Shyrka]

...with my little eye, @scarpelius – This unusual story of war time espionage brings a new twist to the tactic of having an “eye in the sky”.

Calibre, @Graymalkin – A human cannonball is an unusual way to launch a spy. Maybe they just wanted to get shot of him?

Operation: Hoop Codes, @D.A. Xiaolin Spires – I’ve heard of spy games but this story of interplanetary interlopers takes things to a new level. Being a super-spy takes balls, it would seem.

On a Whim (Stupid, Stupid, Guns), @Cat’s Cradle – A cold, calculating sniper takes the chance to get a little practice in. If killing is so easy, why not live a little?

Directive 401: Insubordinate Agents Will be Shot, @Ragandar – It’s a case of “kill or be killed” in this tale of a killer with a conscience.

They seek him here… @dannymcg – The old switcheroo gets a master of disguise out of a sticky situation. Turns out there was a Major flaw in the enemies’ security…

The Spy Who Caught a Cold, @johnnyjet – A sick spy is tasked with spreading his disease to the enemy. I’ve heard of the cold war but this is ridiculous.

 

[RJM Corbet]

So far, everyone has had a different cipher "alphabet" and I haven't spotted any particular pattern in them. Knowing Victoria there's probably some irritatingly-clever pattern that would make them incredibly easy to decode if we knew it.

Shyrka's tips for decoding:

1) Write out the whole phrase like you would if you were playing Hangman which each letter as a "_" (or use a computer). Once you think you've got a letter from a word, fill it in everywhere that letter appears.
2) Look for the most common letter. This is probably E, but check other vowels too. Once you've got one vowel sorted, try the others for the next most-common, etc.
3) Look for single-letter words. These can only be 'A' or 'I', unless someone's gone properly off-piste.
4) Next, look for two-letter words. There aren't too many options here: 'on, 'of', 'as', 'if', etc. Try them and see what sticks.
5) Look for double letters (i.e. two letters the same together). These are probably one of 'TT', 'SS', 'LL', 'FF', etc. If they're in the middle of a word, they're probably vowels ('oo' or 'ee').
6) So far, all of them have begun with 'THIS', so that's a bunch of letters right away (but now the secret's out, who knows?)
7) Once you have a few letters from a word, you should be able to guess what it might be. This will help to fill out the rest of the letters too.

'zactly so

 

[nixie]

So far, everyone has had a different cipher "alphabet" and I haven't spotted any particular pattern in them. Knowing Victoria there's probably some irritatingly-clever pattern that would make them incredibly easy to decode if we knew it.

Shyrka's tips for decoding:

1) Write out the whole phrase like you would if you were playing Hangman which each letter as a "_" (or use a computer). Once you think you've got a letter from a word, fill it in everywhere that letter appears.
2) Look for the most common letter. This is probably E, but check other vowels too. Once you've got one vowel sorted, try the others for the next most-common, etc.
3) Look for single-letter words. These can only be 'A' or 'I', unless someone's gone properly off-piste.
4) Next, look for two-letter words. There aren't too many options here: 'on, 'of', 'as', 'if', etc. Try them and see what sticks.
5) Look for double letters (i.e. two letters the same together). These are probably one of 'TT', 'SS', 'LL', 'FF', etc. If they're in the middle of a word, they're probably vowels ('oo' or 'ee').
6) So far, all of them have begun with 'THIS', so that's a bunch of letters right away (but now the secret's out, who knows?)
7) Once you have a few letters from a word, you should be able to guess what it might be. This will help to fill out the rest of the letters too.

How long have you had the spy camera watching me ?

 

[Shyrka]

How long have you had the spy camera watching me ?

Since you started talking about red tablecloths and how the weather being unusually mild for this time of year.

 

[Shyrka]

Old Spies never die or fade away, @nixie – A aged spy is called out of retirement for one final job. Let’s hope they have a good memory.

All’s Fair, @Victoria Silverwolf – A tale of jealousy and betrayal amongst immortals that shows how the fate of one of the Great War’s most notorious spies was always in the lap of the gods.

Cutting room floor, @chrispenycate – The camera may never lie but the film hides the truth in this futuristic story of industrial espionage.

A View to a Kitchen, @Plucky Novice – The industrial espionage continues in this high-tech story of cake-based competition. You’ve gateaux be kidding me!

 

[Shyrka]

You’ve gateaux be kidding me!

I'm not sorry.

 

[Plucky Novice]

I'm not sorry.

I do hope not.

 

[Plucky Novice]

Also many thanks for the entertaining review.

 

[Parson]

4) Next, look for two-letter words. There aren't too many options here: 'on, 'of', 'as', 'if', etc. Try them and see what sticks.

For a time I did a LOT of Scrabble. One of the most powerful tools for winning at Scrabble is using two letter words.* Once I had them all memorized, there are in fact 107 two letter words recognized by Scrabble.

Scrabble 2 letter words.

* Most people think of scrabble as using intersecting words: think a cross. Actually the most powerful plays are those with one word directly underneath several of the letters of another word. That way you not only get to count all the letters laid but also all of the letters in the 2 letter words. You can see how this would work if you someone had played knock and and played ox under it
knock
--ox

Now imagine the x on a double letter score. You would score 36 points with a 2 letter play, and x could be on a triple letter space.

 

[Parson]

@Peter V .... Sleeper .... Pete turns a terrible twist on my favorite spy of all time. (For Shame!)

@D3athw4lker .... untitled? .... Sound effects and a resolved Mexican Standoff. What's not to like about this story? Nothing.

 

[Peter V]

@Peter V .... Sleeper .... Pete turns a terrible twist on my favorite spy of all time. (For Shame!)

Sorry Parson. Please forgive me

 

[D3athw4lker]

Thanks @Parson, much appreciated! Also highlighted that I forgot to add the title. Doh!! I take it it's too late to add this...?

 

[Shyrka]

Shot and Stabbed, @M. Robert Gibson – A story of two aptly-named spies sent to kill one another. Whoever gives out the codenames at their agency really needs a thesaurus.

Dirty, @Abernovo – A cunning spy gradually works their way up the hierarchy. It’s not a cuckoo in the nest but a chameleon.

Straight Shot, @RJM Corbet – A familiar face takes a break from shooting the bad guys to shoot the breeze instead.

Of Cyborgs and Samurai, @Parson –Ironically, having destroyed those that yearned for the past, the subject of this near-future tale of old-meets-new ends up yearning for it themselves.

Sleeper, @Peter V – A dark twist on a classic hero from pop culture. He always was something of a lady killer...

Pop! @D3athw4lker – The hero risks everything in this gritty re-imagining of a quintet of amateur sleuths. Some people will do anything to be famous!

Reality Bites, @Pedro Del Mar – A would-be executioner contemplates how they have missed their aims even as they take aim themselves.