• greenskye@lemmy.zip
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    25
    ·
    4 days ago

    The Disney genie was also just a scam. Aladdin explicitly wished to be a prince. Not look like a prince or be as rich as a prince or have a parade like a prince. But actually be one.

    Instead he’s revealed to be a ‘fake prince’ because the genie half assed his wish.

    • Signtist@bookwyr.me
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      3 days ago

      I always thought he was a “fake prince” because he was the prince of a country that didn’t exist. Like, sure, you’re the prince of this nonexistent country, see how far that gets you I guess. Otherwise Genie would either have to make new land out of nowhere somehow, or displace people who already lived/ruled in a location, which seems somewhat against the rules.

      • greenskye@lemmy.zip
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        3 days ago

        If it was impossible he shouldn’t have accepted the wish. Aladdin already gets a wish rejected for not being possible. Fulfilling a wish with something different than what was wished for shouldn’t be a thing.

        And what does being a prince of a non-existent country even mean? That’s still not a prince in any capacity (as confirmed by the story). It’s just a scam.

        Plus an easy way to accomplish this is just to make Aladdin the lost son of someone. It’s a pretty common trope for royal kids to end up missing and raised as commoners, especially in Disney stories.

        • Signtist@bookwyr.me
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          3 days ago

          That’s a fair point. I was thinking it was kinda like being the technical prince of the Ottoman empire or some other country that no longer exists - a neat factoid to talk about, but otherwise not really relevant.

          • greenskye@lemmy.zip
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            3 days ago

            Oh good point. For a non-benevolent genie story, I suppose being made a prince of a defunct country would work. He would be a prince, but it wouldn’t be good enough for what he wants to be a prince for (a good match for the princess). Yeah I see your angle now and that makes sense.

        • Signtist@bookwyr.me
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          3 days ago

          I mean, if killing a person or making them fall in love with you are against the rules, it seems that you’re not meant to use wishes to fuck with people. Sure, Jafar does, but he’s the villain - given Genie’s good nature, I’d imagine he wouldn’t let his wishes do that unless the wisher specifically forced it, which Aladdin wouldn’t do.

          Fucking with people by making them suddenly be a citizen of a completely new country, or suddenly not be the ruler of the country they previously ruled would probably be something Genie would avoid, and Aladdin wouldn’t press him on it, even if it’s not specifically covered under the quick list of rules Genie gave.