“Gently blows the east wind with yin and with rain…Heavy lies the dew, nothing but yang can dry it.” -The Shijing
I’ve been thinking alot about why of all the pairings Gladstone has been shown to have this one works. It’s not about shipping for the sake of shipping. It’s about the sincere merging of their energies of who they are as “people” that makes me believe in both the potential they bring within the context of the story and a certain emotional satisfaction outside of that context.And it’s beyond the trope we’ve seen in his other relationships where he’s paired with a lucky or unlucky lady and must sacrifice his luck in some way in order for the relationship to progress. On the contrary with Magica, he never has to change a thing. And he likewise compliments her well.
Here we have to two most powerful characters in the Disney Duckverse and it’s funny that their power comes from a supernatural source. Both Donald (in the case of Gladstone) and Scrooge (in the case of Magica) are characters who’s will is so strong that the antagonist where external must almost always start with an uphill battle. So it’s no wonder these two were imbued with magical abilities. Where Magica is concerned her power is about discipline, learned skill. Control. Order. Gladdy has a different battle. Thrive in chaos. He never knows when, he doesn’t know how, he only knows his luck will provide. 20 to 1 that’s why he enters all those damn giveaways & sweepstakes. To try to create some order out of it.
Because of this intensely mystical trait in both characters, they do things to one another that other characters they interact with can’t really do giving the same effort. He could enhance or hinder her. Make her efforts great or see to her failure, depending on the whimsy of the umbrella theory and his own emotional investment. She could take the core of his identity, his luck, shock his narrative and completely emasculate him. Or she could help him form a stronger sense of self by simply exposing him to the magical world and planting the concept that you are not the sum of your magic.
But if exposed to his vulnerability, she’d probably gaslight him. Let’s be real.
And that’s the other thing I like about them. They can. But they don’t and they probably wont. Suspending myself and other observers in this gelatinous potential of Magicstone. I live for that sort of inspiration.