this post was submitted on 03 Jul 2024
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You have 3 wishes (lemmy.world)
submitted 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 235 points 4 months ago (6 children)

Doesn't work, since they are fulfilled sequentially.

Do the opposite of my next wish. -> Fulfilled, he is set to do the opposite next.

Don't fulfill my 3rd wish. -> Fulfilled, the wish does effectively nothing and he's got one left that will be fulfilled. All instructions from the first wish are done with and discarded.

Ignore my first wish. -> Fulfilled, there is nothing left to be ignored about his first wish anymore since it's already done. The wish does nothing and he successfully wasted all 3 by trying to be a smart ass.

[–] [email protected] 39 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I wonder if genies are subject to numerical integer underflow.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 4 months ago (1 children)

They can be. If you wish for it.

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[–] [email protected] 21 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Also if the genie is a thinking agent or even just capable of detecting an infinite loop this falls apart.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 4 months ago (4 children)

Imagine trying to ward off a genie by yelling: "THIS STATEMENT IS FALSE!"

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

POV you're about to encounter a little ol' Fate Worse Than Death

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (3 children)

You are now stuck in an infinite loop with a rabbit and turtle.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

I am a strange loop

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

I love your username. Is it meant to be a naughty bilingual pun?

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Yup, the genie just did that last bit to make him feel like he actually outsmarted him or something. In reality he's just glad he doesn't have to be around him any more.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago

I feel like this guy plays mtg

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

Weird too, cus you could destroy the universe with 2 or even just 1 wish maybe?.

2 wishes: Repeat wish 2, repeat wish 1. Universe ends in magical overload.

1 wish: Don't fulfill this wish. I feel like that's less magical end of the universe and just death of the genie I guess?

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[–] [email protected] 56 points 4 months ago (3 children)

You could have had fame, riches or beauty but instead you chose to be a dick.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Do you think I asked for a 10 inch pianist?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 4 months ago (1 children)

My smartass genie response would be to summon a severed 10 inch penis in their hands.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago

I would send them a jar from an animal in the Icelandic Phallological Museum. They never specified the species.

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[–] [email protected] 52 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (2 children)

First rule: don't fuck with djinn, hags, or fae. Demons maybe, at least you know what they want.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 months ago

When the demon tries to trip you up by asking for tea and cookies to be left out at night:

[–] [email protected] 38 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Gratz, you played yourself and get no wishes.

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[–] [email protected] 30 points 4 months ago

Then on the third wish he just says "nah, that won't work" and you've just burned 2 and confused yourself.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

Again, from the last time this was reposted, none of these are wishes.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Why not? If I wish that someone ignores something, that's a valid wish IMO.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Because they never say "wish", they just issue commands.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I dunno. If he told the djinn 'Give me a nice car' or 'Make Trump eat a pile of dog poop' in response to the offering of 3 wishes, that qualifies as a wish to me even though it doesn't contain the word.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 4 months ago (3 children)

Those aren't wishes, just commands.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Ever heard of "your wish is my command?"

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago

Yeah... That presumes you made a wish and not a command.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

And yet... Monkey paw curls

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

This is also assuming the Genie isn't a spiteful PoS that will just kill the Asker. There's no rule against that.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

Yeah, genies typically aren't in the wish-granting business. The only reason why people associate genies with wish-granting is because of the story of Aladdin.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 4 months ago (1 children)

That oughta teach him a lesson

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago

How dare he try to grant my wishes

[–] [email protected] 11 points 4 months ago

Wish 1 cancels out wish 2, leaving us with the default state of granting the third wish. The genie grants the third wish by biting his tongue and ignoring how stupid the first wish was.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 4 months ago

Genies hate computer software developers

[–] [email protected] 10 points 4 months ago (3 children)

Does everyone not understand this yet? The only winning move with a genie is to not play.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 4 months ago

Wrong, and geniephobic.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 months ago (1 children)
  1. I wish to know the true name of the genie who is granting me wishes.

  2. I wish [genie's true name] to be freed, mortal and without magical powers, now and henceforth.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 months ago

You are now trapped in a bottle.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago (2 children)

I think I saw a video once explaining how the only winning move is to make your wish be to let the genie grant you what you desire most.

Because only the genie as the wish granter has access to all possibilities a wish good grant, but you don't, so your wish could always be misinterpreted, while the genies knowledge cannot be.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 months ago

Even if any of the three wishes are deemed valid or invalid the net result will be nothing happens, no?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 months ago (1 children)
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[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Wish one, genie give me a copy of your private key for the wish granting API

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago

Genies hate this one trick.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago

I liked the one from that classic twilight zone episode better wherte the (i believe mathematician) told the genie to "get lost"

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

There's often a rule about not wishing about wishing, either directly or indirectly. This rule's not in the story of Aladdin (at least, not Disney's version) because that would prevent what happens with Jafar at the end.

It's also not a rule in Douglas Hofstadter's book Gödel, Escher, Bach..., where Achilles and the Tortoise - characters Hofstadter frequently borrows as protagonists; his Tortoise is sapient and can talk - contrive to wish that a wish not be granted, or something like that.

And if that last paragraph (with its nested asides) gave you a headache, you'll love the book.

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