Tag: dailyprompt-2105

A return to wishes

Taylor BurianLeave a comment
Daily writing prompt
You have three magic genie wishes, what are you asking for?
View all responses

The last time I answered this prompt was almost a year ago and I think I still stand by those three wishes.

However, between then and now I watched a funny video on YouTube about trying to craft the perfect wish with no loopholes. Seriously, you should give it a watch. It might make you rethink how you word your genie wishes, just in case.

I really liked the way they handled the first wish to help determine the ramifications and loopholes that a sneaky genie might manipulate to mess with the person making the wishes.

Personally, having that kind of foreknowledge would be crucial in that exact case, but since we’re still dealing with a fictitious situation I wouldn’t worry about it. I might still go over my original three wishes with a fine tooth comb just in case there are unintended slip ups that aren’t intentional on the genie’s part.

For instance, the first wish, originally worded as such: I wish I could safely hop in and out of the stories I read so I can experience them as if I were really there.

I have a better idea of how I could wordsmith this one, especially after also having watched a TTRPG Live Play from Dropout and Dimension 20 called Never Stop Blowing Up which reminded me of the big premises of the anime Sword Art Online. Reworded, my first wish might go something like this: I wish I could safely choose to hop in and out of the stories I read, whenever I want, so I can experience them firsthand, choosing which character perspective I take, and never risking actual death due to the event of a character death because I would be safely ejected from the story so that I can choose to re-enter in the perspective of another character.

I think I’ll the other two wishes from the original post alone. Not because I think they’re perfect and have no loopholes, but because trying to work those ones out could be messy and I don’t want to spend the time trying to “Rules Lawyer” them to death.

I wish for …

Taylor Burian1 Comment

You have three magic genie wishes, what are you asking for?

I have so many ideas for what kinds of things I could wish for, some in groups because their impacts are contingent on one another. I’m not going to share those, since some of them could be Earth shatteringly important to the balance of the Cosmos.

Instead, here are some fun ones!

  • I wish I could safely hop in and out of the stories I read so I can experience them as if I were really there.
  • I wish I could consume any form of media and choose to consume it again without losing the sense of wonder and magic I felt the first time around. So that every time is like the first. I’d make sure it isn’t as simple as “forget the first time so the next one feels like the first all over again.” I would want to remember those previous iterations so I could explore a new direction each time and not feel dwindling returns of excitement or joy. I would be able to play through games like Elden Ring or The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom multiple times and not feel bored or burned out. I’d probably set some rules on this wish so I don’t get stuck in a loop.
    • The previous wish could be modified for any activity that someone enjoys should they want to feel that same first time thrill all over again, though I would recommend serious consideration of self-imposed rules or restrictions to prevent overconsumption. We are only human after all.
  • Sometimes I also wish I could live a greatly extended life just so I could read every book, play every game, etc. I have a fascination with wonder where technology is going and I want to be able to see what is made a hundred or more years from now. This one wish I’ve put some thought into and kept in my pocket because depending on how long you choose to live (if you don’t wish to live forever) you will inevitably watch all your friends and family expire. What kind of impact would that have on the human mind? To live so long that you could basically lose your attachment to the world? For myself, I think I could handle it for a couple of generations, but I’d not want to live longer than that.

Anyways, there you go. Did I spark any ideas for you?