#king dagda

[magically-strange]

Dagda: “Marianne, I just don’t understand what you see in him.”

Marianne: “I can’t help it, dad. Bog is just insanely attractive.”

Bog: *cracks neck*

Marianne: “See? Now I’m pregnant!”

Dagda: “What?!”

[frxm-the-ashes]

Remember that expression sheet! Well, we’re at it again!

We have The Bog King requested in H9! I assume he and Marianne were in some sort of altercation and she managed to remove the threat to his person in a very slicey way. He’s, as usual, terribly impressed. X3 “Well, hello there, tough girl~”

And we have another Bog King requested in J10!

This would be a variant of Bog as depicted in the fan fiction Life for a Life written by Lynn_Nexus on Ao3! He’s been pushed a little too far, and he’s ready to do something about it. But isn’t he always? XD

Requests welcome!

[artinclined-jointheartside]

Lines from today’s stream! Characters from my Strange Magic fanfic, The Difference in Similarities. 

We have Roland, who’s life has changed drastically from the events in the movie, and a newfound friend Chae. Yes, she smokes.

[wegog]

So, Dawn and Sunny ...

I know initially they were supposed to remain just friends at the end, and that was very important for George Lucas. And, to be honest, I think it would be much more interesting. It could be something unique to Disney story. I really like to analyze a plot of unappreciated things and I don’t like when people say that “Strange magic” is just “a lot of fun”, but nothing else. So I decided to reflect on the most controversial part of the “Strange Magic” script - Dawn and her real love for Sunny

I want to note that I find this couple very cute, but I don’t ship them. This’s funny because when I first saw them together, I thought that they were secretly dating and therefore they were hiding from Marianne. And when Dawn said, “So my first dance,” I was sure that she meant their first dance with Sunny.

(Actually, they had one)

However, everything turned out to be more trivial. Dawn and Sunny are friends, but the elf loves her. Sunny’s manipulated by the bad guy, makes a mistake and gets a love potion for Dawn. All this leads to the craziest night in the history of fairies, elves and goblins. We understand very well that Sunny loves the younger princess and he’s trying to correct everything he has done. However, in the end it turns out that Dawn also loves the elf. And this complicates everything.  

Marianne is my favorite character, and of course I find her more interesting than Dawn. However, the younger sister plays an important role in the story. I don’t agree with people who say that Dawn is more a decoration than a character. It seems to me they get such an impression because, for a very long time (if we’re talking about the movie), Dawn was under the influence of a love potion. And more about this. The only antidote is a real love. The princess sees Sunny, but still remains bewitched. It’s the song that makes Dawn realize that she loves the elf. I used the word “realize,” because it was obvious she couldn't immediately fall in love with Sunny (especially as he already sang this song to her). Well, it’s clearly that Dawn and Sunny have been friends for a long time (the elf said that the princess is his best friend). Therefore, it’s not surprising that Dawn could love Sunny, but just didn’t understand it. But if she already loved Sunny, then why did the potion work?

Actually, the fact that "Strange Magic" is a fairytale about fairies, goblins and elves gives us the opportunity to make many assumptions about their culture, traditions and life in general. Also, we cannot know about all the properties of a love potion. I suppose that a potion can work if a creature is not confident in his/her love or never analyzed his/her feelings for another one. For example, it’s clearly the “death” of Bog caused Marianne’s feelings to become much stronger and deeper. So, the potion had no chance. Now it's time to talk about Dawn. She is a very unusual character. Typically, filmmakers try to set against such princesses with a different type of girl, yes, Marianne.The sisters are really different, but they never stop caring for each other.

If Marianne is seen by the fairies as a strange princess, then Dawn is a typical representative of their culture.  We can observe this at the very beginning, when Dawn gives too much importance to the appearance of Marianne.

(then it happens again)

Also, the younger sister replaces the traditionally "ugly" boutonniere with an ordinary flower. I want to add I really like the scene where Dawn asked her sister what happened.

The youngest princess seems frivolous, but in fact she is very sensitive to the pain of others. Dawn is constantly looking for "the most perfect boy". Although, on the other hand, it seems she really needs sincere feelings (she sings “I wanna dance with somebody who loves me”). She doesn’t know that Roland cheated on Marianne. But the fairy understands that something "really bad" has happened.

It’s curious that all this doesn’t prevent the girl from dancing with him.

Thus, we understand that Dawn is a typical representative of the Fairy Kingdom. And how does a typical representative of the Fairy Kingdom perceive the love of an elf and a fairy? Roland doesn’t accidentally provoke Sunny to recognition to the crowd. And the elf understands that for others it’s very funny.

And of course, the reaction of Dagda

(I love it)

In my opinion, that's why Dawn never thought about the possibility for her and Sunny to be a couple. But what has changed? Why did the fairy finally realize her feelings at the end? The answer is

(and Marianne, of course) 

I already mentioned that we don’t know the exact nature of a love potion. However, I noticed something. When everyone thought the King was dead, Dawn came to comfort Marianne. Then it was the younger sister who began to instigate the elder to tell Bog about her feelings. Why? If Bog is the evil goblin king who kidnapped her?

Obviously, Dawn, being dusted by a potion, perfectly understood what was happening around. In truth, it’s terrible when you cannot control your body. The poor girl perceived what was happening, but there was nothing she could do about it. But of course Bog’s personality makes this situation truly ludicrous, sweet and funny. We can observe how this goblin respects Dawn’s feelings, although he understands that this love is a just potion

He really doesn’t want to harm her. 

Yes, this moment is perfect. The good king is trying to seem like an evil and calculating king. Dawn realizes that all her prejudices about goblins were a wrong thing. Perhaps she understands Bog is very similar to her sister.  And later, when Roland arrives, she sees that Marianne and King have fallen in love with each other.

More precisely, she hears it

Watches it

Understands that Roland is an asshole

And of course she sees the goblin taking care of Marianne     

That is how the little princess realizes that all this time her ideas about love, beauty, and even good and evil were erroneous. We like Bog and Marianne because they are “different”. Dawn, it seems, is not at all unique, but actually she is. Dawn, like many of us, is subject to certain delusions. However, your magnificent brain and big heart can help you figure it out. As we see, Dawn was originally a very sensitive fairy. However, she lives in a very frivolous world (as we are).  As soon as she is outside this place and sees a full picture, the princess becomes a more complex character. Thus, when Sunny begins to sing “Three little birds”, the fairy recalls their time together, but she looks at it differently, without prejudices, taking into account only her true feelings.  

It turns out that Dawn is much more interesting than it seems at first glance. And her affair with Sunny helps us to understand how the princess has changed

[shivae]

Misdirection

Got an idea that won’t leave me alone... however, I need to watch the movie again to get the sequence done correctly, although I think I have it from memory. I may have forgotten some details. :D  This occurs immediately AFTER Bog’s ‘Mistreated’ performance.  I think I need to double-check Marianne’s positioning off the stage and rewrite a bit of that before posting it.  I won’t post it until it’s complete though. NOT EDITED AT ALL! Forgive the errors!

So what if that potion hit Bog... I’m sure it’s been done. How could it not have been?

    So many things happened at once that Marianne couldn't keep track of them. Her priority was rescuing her sister before the goblins got to her. Marianne flew into her sister, grabbing her around the waist. Dawn yelped and at that moment, the goblin king broke out of his song, looking in their direction. "No!" Sunny screeched as the love potion flew through the air, the lid in his hands. Glittering pink potion erupted from the opening, completely dousing the Bog King in a cloud of pink. He sneezed violently, whirring his wings to dissipate the dust. The empty bottle clattered to the ground and rolled, disintegrating into a cloud of white sparkles now that it no longer contained any potion. The music died as the goblins stared at their king. Everyone's eyes were fixed on him as he stood frozen, his own eyes open wide as he gazed at the two princesses with a perplexed expression. A moment before, his blue eyes were cold glinting pieces of ice beneath a dark brow, now they were open wide, gleaming with an intense brightness. Then, he began singing again, the same song, but it changed. "I've been mistreated…" Bog gazed at both princesses, his voice beginning low and rising with intensity. "I've been abused. I've been struck downhearted, baby, I've been confused." Marianne made a face at him as he came closer, moving protectively in front of her sister, who wrapped her arms around her and attempted to hide behind her wings. "I've been lonely, I've been cold, I've been looking for a woman to have and hold." The words came out in a pleading tone as Bog stopped before them, bowing and holding out his hand, his eyes meeting Marianne's. "Get back." Marianne growled in response, moving a step away. "I've been mistreated, I've been abused." Bog's voice came out soulfully sad, his hand still held out as he lowered himself further. His eyes. Marianne's anger suddenly fell away, realizing the Bog King was under the full effect of the love potion. Up close, his eyes were dilated, gleaming such a shade of blue that it was disarming. "Okay, now, just back away, Bog King." She glanced around for her sword and Bog followed her eyes, seeing it at the same time. Without hesitation, he flew to her sword, withdrew it from the wood and returned to her, bowing to present it to her across both palms. "Uh." Marianne knit her eyebrows together, realizing in his current condition, the danger had passed, however, now they had a new problem. "Thank you." She took her sword and he rose up proudly, smiling at the acknowledgement. "What is going on?" Dagda huffed, joining them. "Bog King, you need to leave and take your goblins with you. You have no right to be here." "Everyone, leave!" Bog turned and shouted to his goblins, who stared at him for a moment, then slowly retreated into the shadows. "Return to the castle!" "Dad, he was hit by the love potion," groaned Marianne. Dawn nodded from behind her. Bog turned to Dagda, bowing low, something which stunned the old king. He had encountered the Bog King before and while the goblin king was normally formal, he was typically curt and didn't waste words. "King Dagda, I request permission to court yer daughters." Bog asked the question quickly, without any signs of reserve. "What?" Dagda gaped at Bog. "Dawn is too young for marriage and Marianne has a suitor." "Dad, I do not," groaned Marianne. "And I don't want one either!" "Oh." Bog hung his head sadly, then he lifted it quickly with a smile. "Then I will watch them and keep them safe." "You can't do that, you're the King of the Dark Forest, Bog." Dagda pointed out. "I love them." Bog sighed heavily, a wistful look on his face. "I can not leave them." "Okay, the Sugar Plum Fairy makes love potions. She's his captive, so we just need to go back with him to his castle to get her to make an antidote." Marianne began formulating a plan, glancing around the stage, where she saw various elves and fairies gathered, staring at the Bog King. Sunny stood with them, looking extremely nervous. "Antidote? I am not poisoned," stated Bog. "You might as well be," groaned Marianne. Bog smiled at her, gazing through half lidded eyes. "What is yer name, goddess of the evening?" Bog bowed again. Marianne groaned even loader. "Marianne." "And yours, morning flower?" Bog motioned to Dawn, who giggled in response, stepping out from behind her sister. "I'm Dawn!" She stepped forward, fluttering her wings and taking Bog's hand. He lifted it to politely kiss it. "A lovely name for a beautiful woman." Bog smiled and Dawn giggled more. Both Dagda and Marianne groaned in response, with Marianne coming up behind her sister and grabbing her by the shoulders. "He's not so scary," whispered Dawn, still tittering. "Stay away from him," growled Marianne protectively. "Is there anything I can do for ye, Marianne?" Bog bowed once again, making an offer. Marianne smiled, spotting a bit of gleaming green armor hidden behind a leaf near the stage. Roland was watching them. "You know what, there is something you can do for me, Bog King." "What is it?" "Marianne." Dagda followed Marianne's gaze to Roland's hiding place. "See that fairy in the green armor." Marianne stepped forward, taking Bog's hand, making him turn with her. She pointed, grinning. "That is my ex-suitor." Marianne whispered as Bog leaned in close. "I do not want him anywhere near me. Can you take care of him?" "Marianne!" Dagda gasped, overhearing the conversation. "Don't kill him." Marianne rolled her eyes and gave Bog a gentle push in Roland's direction, hoping to get rid of both of them with that action.

[moonlitwing]

His Majesty the Fairy King - never officially named in the movie, but sometimes called ‘Dagda’ in the fandom based on an interview with the cast and crew.

[incorrectstrangemagic]

King Dagda: Love is in the air!

Marianne, spraying a can of Febreeze and holding her shirt over her nose: Not anymore. 

[magic-and-moonlit-wings]

Chapter 10: Filling the Blanks

Fair Maid

“I went to the Sugar Plum Fairy for a potion,” Marianne explained yet again, “and it turned me into a goblin for a month. I left a note! You weren’t supposed to worry!” 

“I wasn’t supposed to worry that my youngest daughter disappeared for weeks?” said Dagda. “I – you – I had no way of knowing you were safe. You – you are grounded, young lady, until I can trust you not to disappear again the moment I look away!” 

“You might not have meant to scare us, Marianne, but you really did,” said Dawn. 

“Okay, so nothing in the note said I was in the Dark Forest, but then why did you invade it?” 

“I’d like to state for the record that I also said that,” said Sunny. “But everyone knows you’ve always wanted to go there.” 

“But wasn’t assuming I’d been imprisoned without notice kind of – paranoid? And if you were searching for me everywhere in the kingdom, did no one think to ask the Sugar Plum Fairy, our most powerful sorceress, if she had some way of knowing where I was?” 

Roland had been hoping, when he returned in triumph from the Dark Forest with Princess Marianne at his side, that King Dagda would agree to the need to vanquish the goblins. 

He’d even indulged in a fantasy of the rescued princess being so grateful to him that they’d been wed, and since he was clearly better suited to be future king than Dawn’s husband, Dagda would decide to pass the Crown to his second child. 

He had not expected to be investigated for warmongering and paranoia. He managed to avoid complete disgrace, since the Royal Family had gone along with his plan of their own free will, but he lost a good deal of his status in Court. 

The Bog King sent a message to the Fairy Kingdom, requesting an audience with Princess Marianne and an explanation for recent events. 

The request was accepted. They met at the border rather than in either of their castles. The princess and king each had a small retinue of guards, stationed far enough away not to hear a quiet conversation but close enough that either could call for help. 

Her story was … ludicrous, to be frank, but Bog couldn’t doubt her when his mother had confessed about the Sugar Plum Fairy contacting her to warn that the younger fairy princess was disguised as a goblin and wandering their domain. 

He also found it easier to look at Marsha … Marianne, now that she no longer so strongly resembled his first love. 

“When you kept coming back after that first time my mother introduced you,” Bog admitted, once Marianne finished explaining, “I rather suspected you had ambitions of becoming Queen.” 

Marianne snorted and let out a huff of laughter; the same way she’d laughed in her goblin guise. Her golden eyes had also stayed the same. “If all I wanted was a pampered life of royal luxury, I could’ve just stayed home.” 

“You could … come back, you know. As yourself. You can – you should – feel free to visit the Dark Forest whenever you like.” 

It came as a surprise to absolutely no one when the Fairy Princess Marianne and the Bog King fell in love after all. 

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I've gotten a few comments to this effect on AO3, so I suppose I ought to address it: Yes, the ending might seem a little abrupt ... but this was an aesthetic choice, to mirror the first line of the story, and to match the intended 'fairy tale' tone where the story often ends right after the main characters' relationship begins.