OKAY it’s been over half a damn year since I last updated Losing Marbles and I STILL haven’t quite finished chapter 6, so thought I could give y’all a sneak peak XD
First off, here’s ch1-5 on AO3 (if you haven’t seen it, at least check the tags before reading this. But it is a continuous story so I suggest starting from the first chapter :P)
And ofc thank @froggythesculptor for like half of the ideas in this cuz she’s a genius HGVJFTVHYBJY
ANYWAYS!!! Enjoy the first 747 words of chapter 6 lol (btw it’s definitely a long [+ relatively heavy] one for me so far… this isn’t even half of the WIP lmao)
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Not long after returning to the castle, Darcy sat in her chambers, rolling a purple twenty-sided die between her fingers as she impatiently watched the loading screen. Should be almost there, she thought just before the words “download complete” appeared on the monitor.
Tossing her D20 aside, she stood up and went over to the coral chair where a new helmet was plugged in. She ripped off the wires, picked it up, then seated herself, avoiding the armrests. After taking a breath and steeling herself, she hesitantly placed the helmet over her head.
Darcy grunted, fiery pain seizing her every nerve as The Core made itself comfortable in her body once more. She wanted to scream but bit the inside of her cheek to stop any pathetic noises from coming out. At least it wasn’t as bad as the first time.
When the agony finally subsided, she slowly opened her ten artificial eyes then heard, “Ah, well done.”
Darcy leaned back and, though they were still somewhat dazed, smiled at the praise. The Core must have already gone through their memories to see how it went.
“Looks like we’re behind schedule, though. We were supposed to be meeting with Andrias in the throne room half an hour ago,” it told them.
“Oh, shoot!” Darcy hissed as they sprang from the chair and dashed up the stairs.
Being late to their own meeting will not be good for their meticulous and calculated villain reputation.
Despite their anxiety, they slowed down once they made it to the main hallway. Running through the castle as a troubled mess would only make problems worse, so they walked with slow but powerful steps.
As she went, Darcy passed frobots putting up mass amounts of entangled cables along the walls and collared newts installing eye-shaped surveillance devices all over the castle. She noticed it earlier, but the rate at which it was getting done seemed to have multiplied as the day of the invasion grew closer.
Wow, you guys must’ve been busy, huh? she thought to The Core. What’s all this for?
“These renovations are to aid us in the invasion,” it stated. “The new additions will allow us to be omnipresent in mechanical tendrils across the castle, even when disconnected from you.”
Her lips pulled up into a wicked smirk. So, basically, you’ll, she mused delightedly, have an eye on everything?
A large, exasperated sigh echoed from most of The Core, but one of the voices let out a muffled howl of laughter, instead. Darcy grinned ear to ear, immediately deciding that the newt who appreciated her pun was objectively the best of the collection.
As she approached the throne room, she straightened her face before a couple robots on either side of the entrance swung the doors open for her. She strode in and Andrias swiftly lifted his head to see who had entered, tensing once he saw it was Darcy. Olivia and Yunan noticed his reaction then spun around and let out twin gasps of surprise.
Wait a second, Darcy thought as she stopped walking about halfway between the doors and the newts. Olivia’s and Yunan’s eyes were normal.
Tearing her gaze from the lady and the general, she stared at Andrias with narrowed eyes and asked, “What happened to their collars?” Though, it sounded more like an accusation than a question.
The giant newt seemed to prepare himself before stepping in front of Olivia and Yunan. He then said, “If I may, could you remove the helmet? I wish to speak to you directly.”
She scoffed and crossed her arms, already fed up with the conversation. “You will address all of The Core when speaking to me. Now, what are you up to? And where’s your little tiara? You know very well that we can’t monitor your thoughts without it.”
“Marcy-“
“Darcy,” she growled. Andrias knew that. He was trying to appeal to her old self, wasn’t he?
Andrias furrowed his brows but his eyes still held a little too much warmth. “Marcy, this isn’t you. I know how… persuasive The Core can be… but I also know you don’t want to hurt people.”
Darcy grit their teeth while listening, but stopped by the time he was done. Then they suddenly threw their head back in a fit of laughter. They soon finished with a sigh and went, “Oh, is that what you think, big guy? That I’m still the innocent little girl I was a year ago?”
(in a hopefully reasonable amount of time… Idk my motivation is way too unpredictable for me to give any sort of guess hhhh)
Smartass brat I love him
I wanted to draw something related to my recent fanfic (this), so I decided to do the scene where he was being s a s s y even while hanging upside-down since it was so fun to write XD Not a fan of how the arms and hands turned out but whatever lol
But it’s all Marcy/Darcy and Sasha for some reason lmao
Drew an emoji for a Discord server I’m in :P
The shot of Darcy at the end of the s3 intro plus Matt’s art made me wonder why 8 of Darcy’s eyes were a dim red instead of bright orange like we see in Olivia & Yunan.
I’m calling it: all ten of Darcy’s eyes glow when The Core is in control, but only the main two do when Marcy is.
So I’m a big evil Marcy manisfest-er… and when I say “evil Marcy” I don’t mean The Core forcing Marcy’s body into doing evil deeds. No no no I want evil Marcy. I want The Core to convince Marcy to join the dark side willingly. Not even by blackmailing her or threatening her friends, just by having a little pep talk. It might not even need to lie to her tbh.
But, it’d take more than a few seconds to have that talk, so The Core may need to take the wheel for a bit until Marcy’s ready. So at first Darcy would have all ten eyes glowing (like in Olivia & Yunan), but soon enough only two eyes would be orange, the rest being a dim red (like towards the end of the s3 intro).
As far as proof for why I believe in evil Marcy… why would an ancient entity made up of like 8 dead geniuses name itself “Darcy”?!? Like it literally just took its new host’s name and added a “D” to make it sound kinda like “dark” XD. That’s not something The Core would do, that’s something Marcy would do. Our favorite RPG nerd would be all for having a big red cape and a name straight out of a video game lmao.
Excuse the crappy title XD Description: Hunter runs into Lilith while on a mission for Emperor Belos.
Ao3
"Find me more palismen" seemed to be a simple enough order. At least for the Golden Guard; teen prodigy and head of the Emperor's Coven. The only problem was: how, exactly? The captains have been searching tirelessly for any clue as to where they could find unused palistrom wood or abandoned palismen for over a month, but they've uncovered nothing. Well, not nothing. He found out that there was a palisman pairing day at Hexside and had what he needed but Kikimora and that human just had to ruin it. Whatever. He was finally being sent on missions again thanks to getting the portal key and earning back Belos's trust. He wasn't messing up again.
***
Lilith flew above the reddish forest on her staff, scanning the ground below. It should be right under her by now. Her mother mentioned discovering an interesting ruin when she was on a quest for "Master Wartlop" (who turned out to be three tiny scammers in a wizard cloak), with structures dating back to the savage ages. Since Gwendolyn didn't exactly have too much at home that let her tap into her knowledge as a scholar, Lilith had been growing bored. Back in the coven her work constantly tested her intelligence and skills, bringing a thrill she didn't know she'd miss. Not that she wanted to go back. Anything was better than that constant fear and struggle for power.
She shook herself out of her thoughts and noticed a few ragged buildings nestled in the base of a cliff, she almost flew over it since it was so well hidden by the rocks and leaves.
Lilith pointed her raven palisman downwards and landed just in the trees nearby, hopping off her staff and looking around. Her mother got snared by a trap when she discovered the place, so she watched her step as she approached the ruins.
She pushed through the last few branches and before her was a rather grim sight. The walls, probably once a beautiful display, were scorched and crumbled, intricate but now faded patterns scattered across the stone. Lilith walked around the first structure until she was in the center of the three buildings and just inside a ring of teal-grey rocks. She kneeled down to look closer and noticed that there were faint carvings on them but were so worn and cracked that she couldn't really tell what they were. She used her hand to brush away some vines. Seemed circular, though.
Her ears twitched as she heard a faint warping sound coming from the trees. Wait a second… she recognized that noise. The next moment there were footsteps crunching through the leaf litter and Lilith jumped to her feet and hid behind the nearest wall. She listened they grew closer then peeked out to see none other than the Golden Guard.
He was looking at the disturbed vines and leaves, probably figuring out that there must've been someone nearby. Of course the emperor's golden boy was still after her. Should've checked if I was being followed, she thought to herself. She's been getting sloppy since she left the coven. No matter. If he wants me, he'll get me.
***
Hunter treaded carefully, watching where he stepped after the last ruin where he activated a trap and nearly fell into a pit of toxic land eels. As he got near the middle of the area it was hard to not try to take in every detail of the place. But, he had a job to do and couldn't get distracted again.
As he got near the middle of the area, he narrowed his eyes at a patch of disturbed foliage from behind the mask. Had someone been there recently? He took a step closer then was sent flying backwards by an orange blast. He shouted as he hit the ground then took a second to catch the breath that had been knocked out of him. He then propped himself up on his elbows with a groan. Hunter hadn't even seen his attacker yet when another potion bottle shot towards him. He teleported a few feet away, just in time to escape the explosion when it hit the ground.
He stood up and got into a fighting stance, pointing his staff at… Lilith? He paused for a moment, surprised. A moment too long, apparently, since she took the chance to shoot a blue blast from her staff. The Golden Guard tried to dodge it but his reaction was delayed so it still grazed his arm. He bit his tongue to stop any pained noises from coming out as he returned Lilith's attack with a red blast. She ducked out of the way and threw another potion at him. He dodged it with a teleport, ending up right behind her and kicking her to the ground. She rolled onto her back and looked up at him, trying to mask her fear as he twirled his staff confidently.
"You're an interesting surprise, Lilith" the guard stated as he stopped spinning his staff and let the bottom of it rest on the ground.
“Don’t pretend you weren’t following me” she scoffed.
Hunter raised an eyebrow, despite it being hidden behind his mask. “I was-“ he started to say but was cut off when he was shoved backwards by a field of magic. He stumbled a few steps once it released him and a rope tightened itself around his ankle. He yelped as it yanked him upward until he was dangling by his foot from a beam above.
Lilith smiled and got to her feet while the emperor’s Golden Guard thrashed around uselessly. He soon stopped to watch her as she approached him, initially looking proud of herself but soon seeming confused. "Why aren't you… teleporting away?" she questioned softly.
Hunter glanced at his staff that he must've dropped then back at her. Crap.
Lilith followed his gaze then turned to him again, looking shocked. "Are you powerless?" "No!" he lied and wiggled a bit more, almost losing his helmet as he did. He needed to come up with a strap for that thing. Hunter attempted to reach his ankle and loosen the snare but Lilith grabbed him by his hood and pulled him back down. Once he was vertical again, his helmet fell off and tumbled to the ground below, revealing the shaken teenager beneath. Lilith has seen him without his mask before, being the head of the coven since before he was born and all, but she noticed his dark eyebags. Were those there earlier?
"What?" the blond spat, trying to hide how uncomfortable he felt without his mask. "Still a brat, I see" she said bitterly then grabbed the front of his cloak, bringing him closer to her face. "How'd you find me?" She actually thinks I followed her? "I used data gathered by the invisible camera demons that've been following you ever since you left the coven" he deadpanned. Lilith dropped him in shock, letting him fall back with a "woah!"
"Really?!" she asked anxiously, looking around her.
"Pffft" Hunter went and let out a laugh. "Of course not! I had no idea you were here, you paranoid priss!" he sneered as he started to spin.
She let out a furious huff. "I swear to the titan, one day I'll kill you for that mouth of yours."
"Wouldn't be the first to try" he told her with a taunting smile.
"Wait, what?" He shuffled his foot a little, which was starting to go numb. "Kikimora's been after my head ever since you left. Better than having to deal with you, though" he said, which was a lie. Even Lilith was better than that psychotic hand-haired gremlin. She furrowed her eyebrows at the remark but some titan-forsaken part of her was concerned. He was just a kid. Sure, an infuriating one, but he still shouldn't have to deal with assassination attempts. She pinched the bridge of her nose. This brainwashed brat's wellbeing should've been the last thing she was concerned about. He could very well be lying to her right now. "Uh… Lilith?" "What?" she snapped and stared at him. Hunter lifted one of his dangling arms to carefully point behind her. Lilith turned around to see a winged stag emerging from the trees. It flicked its ear and lowered its head as they noticed it.
It seemed innocent enough. She took a step forward. "Wh- wait! Lilith! That's a peryton!!" Hunter whisper-shouted.
Lilith looked at him. "A what?" Fear spread across Hunter's face as a low growl could be heard. She looked back to the creature and it opened its mouth unnaturally wide, its jaw going so far back she wondered if it went into its neck. A snarl escaped its fangs before it charged, talons and hooves pounding on the forest floor. Lilith yelped and raised her staff to blast it, hitting the demon. It shrieked and slowed to a trot as it circled her. She tried to catch her breath and reached for a potion in her bag. "Lilith! Let me go!" Hunter hissed.
She ignored him, knowing that, even though he'd probably help fight the beast (out of self-preservation of course), he'd just betray her the moment he had the chance. She threw the potion and the peryton dodged it, then taking the chance to pounce. It pinned Lilith down with its birdlike talons and tried to use its jaws to make killing blow, but she shoved her staff into its mouth to stop it. It bit and growled at the shaft as its claws ripped through the shoulder of her shirt. Hunter panicked and tried to tug at the noose with his hands but to no avail. "Come on! Lilith!" She grunted as she attempted to shove off the beast but it didn't budge, only hissing in annoyance. They were both going to die there if she didn't get him out of that snare. She finally angled her staff and fired at the rope holding Hunter. He thudded against the ground, drawing the peryton's attention. It let go of Lilith and ran at Hunter, who gasped and scurried for his staff. He wrapped his fingers around it and teleported to the side just in time to escape. "Hey!" he shouted as the beast fixed its gaze on him again and charged for a second time. Hunter swallowed and let it get closer and closer until he was trapped under its talons. He copied what Lilith did with her staff to keep it at bay but, its mouth may have been busy, but its claws tore up his cloak and scratched his armor. He saw Lilith running over to him then yelled, "Stop!"
She hesitantly listened, stressfully gripping her staff.
"Above me!" he shouted as he struggled to keep the peryton from getting too close, hoping he could hold it off long enough.
Lilith looked up, seeing the beam and immediately knowing what she needed to do. She took a potion from her bag and threw it at the stone above. It exploded on impact, shattering the beam and sending the rubble down towards Hunter and the peryton. He teleported away in a red flash but left the demon roaring in pain as it got trapped under the rock. He reappeared near Lilith and took a second to catch his breath.
"We should… probably go…" Hunter eventually told her, not taking his eyes off of the struggling creature. "Perytons tend to live in groups." "Ah" Lilith said while doing the same.
A couple moments passed before she turned to him. "I-" she started but cut herself of as she realized he was nowhere to be seen. She glanced around some more. Did he just… let her go? "Alright..." she muttered then mounted her staff. This'll be an interesting story to tell mom.
Greetings, frog Tumblr! Welcome to my impulsive, salt-induced Amphibia rant!!
This where I’m gonna ramble about Anne’s nonchalance and near indifference towards Marcy’s whole situation despite, not only supposedly wielding the “heart” gem (which embodies empathy, selflessness, and responsibility), but also the fact that she has been friends with Marcy since before kindergarten and has previously been very protective of her.
So STRAP IN, frogs, newts, toads, and hummuses alike cuz HERE WE GO
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[in TV announcer voice] Brought to you by unhinged screaming in a discord server with @froggythesculptor.
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Alrighty, we’ll start with Anne’s relationship with Marcy in “Marcy at the Gates”!!
When Marcy is about to jump in and save Sprig from the barbariant queen, Anne stops her and says she can do it herself. Marcy argues and asks about why she won’t let her go before Anne shouts, “Because I just got you back, okay?!” She then adds:
So worried and sensitive, right? Well, let’s move onto “True Colors” :)
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When Sprig is dropped by Andrias, Anne is so overcome by grief and rage that she actually activates her powers for the first time. She didn’t even see him hit the ground, yet still seems broken by the perceived loss.
However, when Marcy, her life-long friend, gets a giant flaming sword through the chest, uses what she thought would be her last breath to apologize, and collapses lifelessly to the floor, Anne simply shouts her name then basically goes, “Oh, I’m home now. Anyways-”
She has the shiny eyes here but doesn’t shed even a single tear until “All In” after Marcy is freed. Like, girl, you watched the friend that you’ve probably know longer than anyone except your own parents get brutally murdered 5 feet in front of you. How are you fine???
Of course it’s understandable for Anne to feel betrayed by Marcy after her truth is revealed. After all, she’s been trapped away from her home and family for 5 months and near-death experiences have become a worryingly routine thing for her in Amphibia.
The thing is that, with Sasha, despite her trying to knowingly and intentionally kill Hop Pop (and at one point Sprig), Anne still later said that “Sasha and I might be going through a rough patch, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about her” (S2 E6). Plus, after Sasha showed a little remorse then let go of her hand at Toad Tower, letting herself plummet so her friend could get away, Anne was sobbing just a minute later. She even saw Grime catch her so she knew Sasha was going to be okay.
The most logical conclusion Anne should’ve come to after going through that portal was that Marcy was dead. Yet, we’ve seen her get far more worked up about someone that, not only also betrayed her, but was clearly saved and alive. And, in earlier episodes, Anne seemed so much closer to and more protective of Marcy than Sasha… So I’m honestly confused.
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As far as season 3 episodes 1-15, I wanna believe that Anne was simply in denial and didn’t want to bring it up, but it’s stuff like her being “stabbed” by the toy flame sword (in “Escape to Amphibia”) and simply laughing that make it hard for me to genuinely think that. When I just saw that happen through a screen I froze and stopped breathing for a second and it took me a bit to compose myself after. But Anne lived through both the actual event and the reminder yet didn’t react?
Also when Sasha passingly mentioned that Marcy was still alive, just captured, Anne simply sighed and said “thank goodness” before changing the topic. Like????
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Now for “The Beginning of the End” :D
When first faced with Darcy, Anne (and Sasha kinda, but her reaction is more expected/normal for her tbh and imma not focus on her here anyway) was initially confused but, once she knew the jist of what was happening, she was just angry. She didn’t take a second to mourn or feel bad for her friend and skipped straight to getting mad. I was expecting some sort of guilt for not getting there earlier and maybe even an attempt at an “I know you’re in there!” speech (I wouldn’t want it to work but I feel like Anne would’ve been one to try that), but guess not.
Insert text “Yeah, we gay. Keep scrolling.”
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BUT THERE IS HOPE!! Marcy’s Journal is gonna have a section written by S3 Anne, so we might get some Annegst >:3. I doubt they can entirely salvage this with just a book (the show is the great majority of the story, after all), but something is better than nothing lol.
LOSING MARBLES CH7 IS FINALLY OUT
Compliments to the chef @froggythesculptor
I’ve only seen this template used once so I decided to make some memes for myself >:3
Ohmygod. Guys. The name Marcy means “war”, right? Well her middle name, Regina, means “Queen”.
THIS GRIL WAS FUCKING BORN TO SIT ON THE DARK THRONE!!! ME AND MY FELLOW EVIL MARCY TRUTHISTS JUST GOT SO MUCH MORE VALID-
But it’s also fucking hilarious cuz like….
Behold: the War Queen
Heyo!! My pronouns are she/they and I like to write and shitpost :Pxenia12.carrd.co
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