Riddles

[ceasetoexist]

Hey, you know what I love? Being droned for a week and a half for absolutely no friggin' reason. No. That's just great.

Anyway, I'm bored, so lets play a game. Got a riddle for you. Well, I guess it's more like a logic puzzle then a riddle, but they're close enough to be the same thing. Whatever. So here it is:

Three duelists are standing off against one another. Technically, everything about each duelist seems similar: each has a gun and is the same distance apart from the others. Despite this, each duelist has a different possibility of hitting his opponents. Duelist A has a 90% chance of firing and hitting either oppoennt. Duelist B, however, only has a 60% chance of firing and hitting an opponent.

You are Duelist C. You have a 30% chance of firing and hitting either opponent. You can't run; running will have both of them automatically draw their guns on you. So you have to stay and do something. So, the question is who do you fire at in order to survive?

Comments

[off-beet.livejournal.com]

I see.

Well then, I suppose I would shoot the light.

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

Alright. Let me rectify this.

The duel is happening outside. Usually in a field, but occasionally in a town square or something.

Though, alright, if it was happening indoors, that'd be a good plan. Most won't though.

[off-beet.livejournal.com]

Duels must be very different here...

I think it'd be best to just set the gun down then.

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

You're in a duel to the death. The time to try and walk away from it has kind of passed.

[off-beet.livejournal.com]

Oh, no, I wouldn't walk.

It would seem rather silly, wouldn't it? To shoot someone without a gun? Especially with someone else standing nearby who has one.

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

Yeah? What would you do then? Just stand there?

True. However, you're expecting people to immediately react rationally in a duel. You may end up getting shot down at first when trying to put the gun down not because you're putting the gun down, but because you're making a movement. And that could be trouble.

borked html sorry DX

[off-beet.livejournal.com]

I think I would sit.

...then I suppose it doesn't matter what I do with the gun if I'm to be shot for moving.


[to herself] I have to wonder what I would do to get into this sort of mess in the first place...

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

What? You would just sit there and stare at them or something?

[You know what? Fuck the actual riddle. You have just caught his curiosity with this Luna.]

[off-beet.livejournal.com]

Possibly. If I had my wand I would disarm them, but I'm assuming that isn't part of the riddle.

[on second thought...] Maybe I would take a nap...

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

Your wand.

...Well. Alright, I suppose if you acted like a completely uncaring goon, they wouldn't take notice of you.

[off-beet.livejournal.com]

Yes. [a sad sigh] Though I have seemed to have misplaced it...and my favorite jumper...

That and I will get a very nice nap in.

...I might have shot something poorly, but with 30% accurracy, I could have accidentally hurt someone when I'm attempting not to.

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

You didn't misplace them, they were taken away from you when you enter here. Anything you have and any natural abilities you possess are stripped upon entering.

...Actually, the answer would've been to fire to miss, but yeah. Alright. Whatever.

Sure. You'd get a nice nap as two people proceed to shoot each other.

[off-beet.livejournal.com]

...well, so long as I didn't lose them. Hopefully they return after a while, it is very strange not being able to use magic or see the wrackspurts.

Not necessarily. People sometimes stop doing something pointless once it's been brought to their attention.

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

...Wrackspurts?

The key word there is sometimes. It's never a guarantee.

[off-beet.livejournal.com]

Invisible creatures that float and infest people's heads. Rather poor tempered.

Yes, you're quite right.

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

I've heard of stupider things, so I can believe it. How do you get rid of them?

[off-beet.livejournal.com]

They are actually alarmingly intelligent.

Raddishes, though turnips will work as well if they are particularly discolored.

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

..What? Like you force feed them those things, or what?

[off-beet.livejournal.com]

I think they are turned off by the smell of them, personally.
Though I am working on discovering the magical properties of beets.

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

The magical property of beets...

[He just says that slowly as possible, as if it was the most foreign thing he's ever heard.]

[off-beet.livejournal.com]

Yes. I'm sure they have at least seven uses.

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

...Okay.

Other then "eat them", what uses do they have?

[off-beet.livejournal.com]

I believe they may be used in calming draughts for certain types of bandersnatches.