The Sanctuary Tree is a Disney Ducks Comic Universe story, made by Charlie Martin (writer), Paul Halas (argument) and Ignasi Calvet Estéban (artist) and published in 1996.
After an incident involving fishing in a forbidden lake and a very angry female guard, Donald is late for a date with Daisy, who ends the relationship. Donald gets a love potion and decides to use it to win back Daisy...
... but Donald is unlucky enough to meet the guard again just as he is about to use the potion on Daisy.
Tropes used in The Sanctuary Tree:
- Abhorrent Admirer: The fat female guard becomes this to Donald in the end, after taking the love potion... to his sheer horror. She hugs him tightly, trying to kiss him nonstop, and ignoring everyone around her (Daisy shouts and the guard doesn't even seem to notice her).
- All Women Are Lustful: The fat female guard immediately embraces Donald when she falls in love with him and thinks only of kissing him, completely ignoring the presence of Daisy and the fact that Donald himself does not show any interest in her. Even when Donald runs away in a panic, the guard believes it is a "game" and runs after him.
- Amusing Injuries: Donald falls from a tree at a gigantic height, but his fall is completely dampened by falling upon the fat female guard. She also doesn't seem to get seriously hurt.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Donald planned to recover Daisy with a love potion. The love potion works, but to Donald's misfortune, it's the wrong woman who falls in love with him.
- Berserk Button:
- The female guard breaks Donald's fishing rod in half when he calls her "fat", and everything gets worse when he falls on her and then he calls her "whale".
- Donald arriving late and filthy for the date makes Daisy furious.
- Betty and Veronica: In this story, Donald is Archie, Daisy is Betty and the female guard is Veronica.
- Big Bad: The female fat guard. Accidentally. First when she chases Donald for fishing in a forbidden lake, causing him to lose his date with Daisy, who ends their relationship. And in the end, when the love potion accidentally makes her fall in love with Donald, making Daisy believe they are lovers.
- Book Ends: The story begins with Donald in a tree, and a fat guard below, furious, making threats. The story ends with Donald once again in the same tree, trapped by the same guard, but this time, with her madly in love with him and making promises of love.
- Butt-Monkey: Even by his standards, Donald has a horrible day in this story. He is chased by an angry fat guard, Daisy breaks up with him, he gets beaten by a strong man, and in the end, he is once again chased by the fat guard, only this time she is madly in love with him.
- The Chase: The story begins and ends with Donald being chased by the female guard into a lake. The first time, she pursues him for fishing in a forbidden lake. The second time, she chases after him for being in love with him.
- Chubby Chaser: Daisy believes that Donald is this when she catches him hugging the fat guard at the end of the story. The fact that she's kissing him nonstop doesn't help.
- Cloudcuckoolander: The victims of the love potion seem to get this as a side effect. The man in love with the gypsy completely ignores Donald and just kisses her, while the fat female guard completely ignores Daisy's screams, trying only to kiss Donald, and believes that him trying to get away from her is just a romantic game.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: A comical example, where the fat female guard, who was angry and rude throughout the story, shows her tender and romantic side in the end when falling in love with Donald... although this only happens because of the love potion.
- Downer Ending: The fat female guard of the beginning of the story ends up taking the love potion. She ends up falling madly in love with him and the two are caught hugging and kissing by Daisy. She believes he is cheating on her with another woman and ends their relationship once and for all. The story ends with the horrified Donald running away from the guard and trapped in the same tree of the beginning of the plot, with no chance of escape.
- The Dreaded: The fat female guard. Donald runs away terrified of her when she wants to hit him for fishing in a forbidden lake (and calling her a "whale"), and at the end of the story, when she falls madly in love with him. Even the animals run away in horror as she walks past them after Donald.
- Epic Fail: Donald swims in circles, and consequently ends up in the fat female guard's boat instead of Daisy's, and it is the guard who ends up drinking the love potion and falling in love with Donald.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: After taking the love potion, the angry female guard falls madly in love with Donald, hugging him tightly and kissing him endlessly.
- Evil Redhead: "Evil" is perhaps a bit exaggerated, but the fact is that the female guard is a redhead and the antagonist of the plot.
- Fat Bastard: In-Universe to Donald. Donald blames the fat female guard for being late to the date with Daisy, causing the end of their relationship. And it is true that the guard threatened to hit him while chasing him ... but that does not erase the fact that Donald started it all by fishing in a forbidden lake (something he knew) and insulting the look of the guard. She was absolutely right to be angry with him.
- Fiery Redhead: The female guard is red-haired and filled with rage from the very first page of the story. The situation only gets worse towards the end.
- Forceful Kiss: The fat female guard tries to do this with Donald, in front of Daisy. He hates it.
- Gag Lips: When the fat female guard falls in love with Donald at the end of the story, she tries to kiss him, with the design emphasizing her huge red lips.
- Humiliation Conga: Nothing goes right for Donald in this story from start to finish. It starts with him being cornered in a tree by an angry female guard, as he was fishing in a forbidden lake. He has to run away to avoid being hit by the guard, being chased by her and getting dirty in the process. When he finally arrives on his date with Daisy, Donald is filthy from head to toe, and Daisy is so humiliated that she not only breaks up with him, but also slaps Donald hard. Afterwards, Donald tries to use the love potion to win back Daisy's love, only to fail on the first attempt and end up getting beaten up by a strong oarsman. On the second attempt, Donald fails again, and this time the one who ends up falling in love with him is the same female guard from the beginning of the story, who is fat and unattractive. She hugs him tightly and tries to kiss him, and to make the situation worse, Daisy catches Donald and assumes the worst. Daisy walks away screaming that she never wants to see Donald again, and Donald finally manages to break free and runs away in desperation, only to end the story being cornered in the same tree where he was at the beginning of the story. As Donald himself admits in the final scene: "I shouldn't have gotten out of bed today."
- Hypocrite: Donald blames the female guard for being late to the date with Daisy, causing the end of their relationship, but he started it all fishing in a forbidden lake.
- Jerkass: The fat female guard breaks Donald's fishing rod in half and threatens to hit him. Later, she is happy to see him back in the lake, and goes after him to take revenge. But the fact is that Donald gave every reason in the world to justify her behavior, fishing in a forbidding lake and insulting her appearance.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: What the fat guard becomes after taking the love potion and falling madly in love with Donald, demonstrating a romantic behavior that no one would guess exists within her after all we have seen before in this story.
- Kick the Dog: A lot.
- The fat guard breaking Donald's fishing rod in the middle as he refuses to get off the tree. He was fishing in a forbidden lake, but this is exaggerated and intimidating.
- Donald calling the guard "whale".
- Daisy breaking up with Donald when he arrives late and dirty on a date, even beating him without even wanting to hear an explanation.
- Love Triangle: Donald, Daisy and the fat female guard at the end of the story.
- Mistaken for Cheating: Daisy catches Donald hugging the fat female police officer, who is trying to kiss him, and assumes the worst.
- Moral Myopia:
- Donald and the Gypsy seem to have no remorse about using a love potion to force their victims to fall in love with them.
- Daisy is shocked and furious to see Donald hugging and kissing the fat female guard (at least that's what she thinks is happening), accuses him of treason and says she never wants to see him again. But wait a moment... hadn't she broken up with him at the beginning of the plot? Why is she furious then to see him (apparently) with another woman now that he's single?
- Never My Fault: Donald refuses to accept that the end of his relationship with Daisy is his fault, blaming the fat female guard who delayed him (and was just doing her job).
- Oh, Crap!:
- Donald realizing he missed the boat, and the fat female guard has drunk the love potion and is looking at him in a weird way...
- Donald again when he realizes that Daisy has caught him (apparently) hugging and kissing another woman.
- Pet the Dog: Knowing that Donald is having trouble dating, the gypsy gives him a love potion.
- Running Gag: Donald being chased by the fat female guard.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Realizing that his plan has failed and the one who has fallen madly in love with him is the fat guard, Donald runs away in horror.
- Stout Strength: The fat female guard is absurdly strong. She breaks Donald's fishing rod in half, runs quickly after him, hugs him up in the air, and even manages to row the boat quickly in seconds.
- This Cannot Be!: Donald when he realizes that he missed the boat and who fell madly in love with him was precisely the fat female guard.
- This Is Gonna Suck: Donald when he realizes that the fat female guard has drunk the love potion.
- Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: Donald and the fat female guard at the end of the story.
- Villainous Crush: The female guard, who is the story's antagonist, falls in love with Donald at the end, because of the effects of the accidental love potion. Donald is not happy about this at all.
- Wicked Witch: The old gypsy woman, that sells love potions, has a witchy aesthetic and threatens to cast spells on people who get in her way.
