• MinnesotaGoddam@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    This assumes that all the wishes are executed at once.

    Assume that there are two important points in a wish. The points of utterance and the point of execution. Wishes are executed as soon as possible. As soon as a wish is executed, it is no longer a wish. It simply is.

    Consider this sequence:

    Wish one is uttered but does not execute until wish two is uttered.

    Wish one executes as soon as wish two is uttered and wish two is modified.

    The modified wish two is executed as soon as wish three is uttered and modifies wish three.

    The modified wish three executes immediately, and wish one may be safely ignored as it has already been executed.

    See, it all depends on the assumptions around the mechanics of wishing. It’s pretty important to know the rules before you get started.

    • Wolf314159@startrek.website
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      3 hours ago

      The punchline implies that assumption or parallel processing. It must because it’s inconsistent with the common rules of the myth. Wishes are commonly executed in series, not in parallel, which is impicit in the syntax of the first, second, and third wish. So that assumption of parallel wish processing isn’t even consistent with most of the language of the comic or with the final panel.

      • MinnesotaGoddam@lemmy.world
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        3 hours ago

        So you know how they say a joke is like a toad: it dies when you dissect it but you learn a lot in the process? Sometimes those toads fart dude.

    • iamthetot@piefed.ca
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      2 days ago

      My explanation does not at all assume all wishes are executed at once. It does assume that a magical genie with reality altering powers can change the past.