Linking to a past Trope Repair Shop thread that dealt with this page: too many duplicated examples
, started by Frank75 on Jan 18th 2011 at 4:28:08 PM
Previous Trope Repair Shop thread: Ambiguous Name, started by ShorinBJ on Aug 22nd 2018 at 3:03:56 PM
An earlier edit seemingly tried to correct an outdated piece of information (about Zimbabwe's dollar being worth less than one U.S. cent, when in fact Zimbabwe had abandoned its old currency and simply switched to the U.S. Dollar), but the edit they changed it to made little to no sense. I changed it back, but updated it to keep the information contemporaneous.
One (sub)version of the trope I'm not eager to add to the main page because I've so far seen only one instance of it (in an Interactive Fiction game): the case where the wish-granter is benevolent but is actually unable to make wishes come out exactly as the wishers would expect, and doesn't have the option of refusing the wish or fully explaining the problem. The idea is that the mechanics of making the wish happen aren't simple reality warping but are complex and full of things the uninformed would see as side effects and unintended consequences - to the point where apparent jackassery is actually the good outcome.
89 years old!?
Could I suggest an alternate name of "Djerk" (a play on djinn and jerk)?
Umm... so, personally... this is the first time this has happened, so I'm a bit surprised. Only a centimetre away...
I have the ultimate solution to Jackass Genie problems: "I wish that any wish I will ever make shal go exactly as I intended them to, including this one."
Removed natter:
- Tomb Of Horrors features a cursed gem that purports to grant wishes; when the wish is made, it will do an exact opposite or otherwise turn the wish against you (given example: when asked to bring somebody back from the dead, it'll instead destroy his remains, or even kill somebody else), AND then it explodes, burning everybody in the vicinity to death.
- So what happens if you say, "I wish this gem would explode and kill everyone here?"
- I imagine it would first remain intact and not kill anyone. Then it would explode and kill everyone there.
- Or it would teleport everybody someplace else, then explode and kill everyone there instead.
- So what happens if you say, "I wish this gem would explode and kill everyone here?"
For the record, the simplest answer would be: "You're making it really easy for me. Wish granted! [Boom!]"
And for the record: the real question this item begs is: what's the point of a mis-fulfilled wish if the gem's going to blow you up anyway? (A gem that explodes when touched is a nice trap. A malicious genie that purports to grant wishes only to turn them against you as badly as possible is a fine plot device, too. But why combine the two?)
And the genie should follow the rules, too: first, he should actually [technically] grant the wish, and not arbitrarily decide to do the opposite (as in the given example - why not just raise him as a powerful undead?); second, killing the wisher [unless he is asking for it] is just cheap (if asked for a magical sword, don't just stab him with it - give him a magical sword with a NASTY side effect).
Long live Marxism-Lennonism!
Perky Goth
Butterscotch: I will refrain from re-adding my deleted post, as I don't have good reason to, but I'm the one who started that Natter exchange, so I can damn well "ruin" it if I want.
"That's ridiculous. What would a walrus do with a magic bag?" Pokeamida
Removed the following examples from the description, because they're basically all "Jackass Genie and a worse Jackass Genie" rather than the first being literal. Or possibly "Brainlessly Stupid Genie" and Jackass Genie. Anyway, it's not that the first ones are more logical than the second ones. Both are contrived to be bad, the second ones are just worse.
Wish for a hot girlfriend? The Literal Genie will give her a fever (or maybe hook you up with a fire demon). The Jackass Genie will set her on fire. Try to head it off and wish for an attractive girlfriend? The Literal Genie will make her magnetic. The Jackass Genie will make her attract tigers. Wish for a beautiful girlfriend? The Literal Genie will give you a Brainless Beauty. The Jackass Genie will give you a beautiful Ax-Crazy girlfriend who has killed all her previous lovers horribly. Wish for some long overdue social reform? The Literal Genie will create a stagnant society that lacks the conflict necessary for growth, while the Jackass will always opt for an oppressive dystopia where the fanatics who make your side look bad have won out. Wish for a million dollars? The Literal Genie will give you a million dollars from Zimbabwe's pre-2009 failing economy Note or a million Monopoly dollars, because you never specified what kind of dollar. The Jackass Genie will just give you a million copies of the same dollar, and call the police on you for counterfeiting.
Edited by VVK