Fanfic / A Moth to a Flame

"I gave you this, and I can take it all away."

When King Andrias approached Marcy, instead of a proposition, he asked her to follow him. There was something important he had to show her.

What she saw led her down a path that would change her forever.

Marcy gazed into the abyss.

And the abyss gazed back with all thirteen of its eyes.

A Moth to a Flame (also known as the Quisling!Marcy AU) is an Alternate Universe Fic for Amphibia by MagicMan001 and TheAllTimeGreatest where lovable nerd Marcy Wu doesn't just betray her friends but sells out all of humanity. Where in canon she was kept in the dark about King Andrias's true plans, here she reveals a much darker side as her ancestors' past as conquerors are revealed, her obsession with being a hero and fear of abandonment consume her, and she descends down the path of madness.

The fic can be read here on Archive of Our Own and here on FanFiction.Net (It should be noted that the latter hasn't been updated since July 14th, 2021).

The original proposal can be found here and here on DeviantArt and here and here on Tumblr.

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This fanfic contains examples of the following:

A-I

• Abusive Parents: Grace Wu mentions to Anne that her mother used to beat her with a slipper when she was a child.
• Abusive Precursors:
  • Not only were King Andrias' ancestors Multiversal Conquerors, so were Marcy's too. Hell, even before they came to Amphibia, they were usurpers, directly worked for dictators, Chinese warlords, witches, politicians and assassins of other emperors.
  • The Core also contains some of Marcy's direct ancestors as well as the Newts. Although they present themselves as Benevolent Precursors during their time in Marcy's subconsciousness while she's in a coma, they are ultimately grooming the young teen to be their new vessel.
• Accidental Public Confession: After reaching her breaking point after they get caught in King Andrias' trap, Sasha shouts the horrible truth about Marcy... forgetting that some of the Wartwoodians next to her in the cage who were Locked Out of the Loop.
  Sasha: [Marcy] and her ancestors have been screwing things up for hundreds of centuries, and now Andrias is gearing up for a MASSIVE INVASION! ALL BECAUSE I COULDN'T SEE THAT MARCY WAS A LITTLE SLIMY TRAITOR!
• Adaptational Angst Upgrade:
  • Sprig has a massive example of this after arriving on Earth, due to Sasha and Marcy's betrayals giving him massive trust issues with the Boonchuys unlike in canon. Marcy trying to kill him resulted in recurring nightmares of his death. One version has the Boonchuys kill the Plantars for dinner. Discovering the Chili Curry Frog dish in the menu when working that Thai Go didn't help at all and he nearly breaks off with Anne as well.
  • Anne has a much harder time maintaining her secret keeping because of Marcy's betrayal. Her constant mental episodes eventually results in her being periodically tormented by a hallucination of Marcy.
• Adaptational Attractiveness: In the show, the Core's avatar form is Aldrich, King Andrias' father, an elder, giant newt. Here in story, the Core takes the form of a gorgeous woman of Chinese descent in a white dress (presumably one of Marcy's direct ancestors from Newtopia) in Marcy's Mental World.
• Adaptational Badass: The Core is able to enter Marcy's subconsciousness while she's in a coma. A power it didn't display in the show in its Mechanical Abomination form.
• Adaptational Context Change:
  • Marcy calls out King Andrias for blowing up Toad Tower as in canon. Since here she was in on his plan, instead of answering with I Lied, he responds with pointing out their plan won't work if her friends stand in their way, not believing they would join them in their Evil Plan.
  Marcy: Andrias, this isn't what we agreed! You said no one would get hurt!
  King Andrias: No, I said no one had to get hurt if they came willingly, Marcy. Do you expect our vision to become a reality if they choose to stand in our way? Pfft! C'mon kiddo, use your head.
  • Marcy's confession like in "True Colors" mostly follows the reasoning and background of canon. Her famous desperate statement comes at the end of a confession that she knew what the music box was capable of beforehand. While that is still the case in the fanfic, but while there it was the desperate, guilty plea about how she didn't want to lose her 2 best friends, here it comes at the end of the added delusional, self-centered ramblings where she's trying to convince Anne that they can join together and conquer Earth, and that coming to Amphibia was destiny.
  Marcy: I gave you this! I GAVE YOU EVERYTHING!
  • King Andrias still stabs Marcy, but instead of doing it intentionally like in canon, here it was an accident. He tried to stab Sasha, who was right next to Marcy, only for her to dodge out of the way.
• Adaptation Deviation:
  • According to Marcy's Journal: A Guide to Amphibia, Valeriana the Bizarre Bazaar vendor was the one that created the Calamity Box to unite the races of Amphibia. Here, the box was created by the Wu Clan, Marcy's ancestors, over many generations to perfect. Originally sought to assert their influence over other worlds; however, with the collapse of their influence on Earth, it became their last-ditch attempt at starting over from scratch, helping the Leviathan family, King Andrias' ancestors, build Newtopia.
  • Marcy is the one who drops Sprig when Anne calls him her best friend, out of jealousy rather than King Andrias' petty spite like in canon.
• Adaptational Expansion: There is a section in Chapter 11 devoted to Anne's parents, particularly her mother, when they found out about their daughter's disappearance along with the subsequent weeks of them coping with her gone missing.
• Adaptational Intelligence: The Core has a better understanding of Marcy's psyche than in canon, likely due to interacting for a month. It also understands the need to adapt with times of change to suit its goals.
• Adaptational Jerkass: Even before getting Mind Raped by the Core, flashbacks reveal that Marcy was already worse than in canon, such as when she framed another student for bringing alcohol to school because she was jealous of her relationship with Anne.
• Adaptational Nice Guy:
  • The Core treats Marcy much better than in canon. However, the Core is acting as The Corrupter to Marcy, twisting her so that she wants to join them in their dimensional conquest. At the very least, they consider her smart enough to join them and is a direct descendant of some of the Mind Hive.
  • Instead of grabbing her by the face as in canon, the Core takes her by the waist and cradles her gently into the seat. It goes so far as to pet her on the head afterwards.
  • Downplayed for King Andrias. Many of his Kick the Dog moments, e.g. destroying Frobo and attempted murder of Sprig are given for Marcy to do instead, albeit on his orders. His stabbing of Marcy here was a genuine accident than deliberate, due to being on the same side. His concern for Marcy's merge with the Core due to being Unfinished, Untested, Used Anyway is both their sakes, not just his master's, only backing down Marcy tells him she's up for it.
• Adaptation Relationship Overhaul:
  • Unlike canon, the Core includes some of Marcy's direct ancestors. It's because of this change, that sets up the whole plot of King Andrias and the Core taking a route in wrapping Marcy around their fingers, by turning her into their Dragon and bringing her in on their Evil Plan instead of merely an Unwitting Pawn via 'Proposition'.
  • Instead of treating her as an expendable Unwitting Pawn, King Andrias treats Marcy as The Dragon to his Big Bad now that she's accepted his We Can Rule Together deal with the Core and in support of becoming a Multiversal Conqueror.
• Adaptational Villainy:
  • Marcy is much more callous and antagonistic here, with her outright joining King Andrias' quest as his Dragon rather than remaining an Unwitting Pawn who repents the second King Andrias exposes the truth. Interestingly enough, her motivations don't actually change, but it's her moral compass that's much less stronger in this story. Though it's partly implied to be the result of the borderline Mind Rape that she goes through at the Core's hand.
  • Mrs. Wu, despite only being fleshed out a bit in Marcy's Journal and being shown to actually care for her daughter, is portrayed here as being just as violent and destructive as her daughter in this fic, attacking the Boonchuys when running into them at the store. A confrontation that also reveals and adds her being a racist bitch to them on top of that.
• Admiring the Abomination: When Marcy first meets the Core after being being initially terrified, she describes them as beautiful through Tears of Awe, though this is heavily implied to be due the Core's brainwashing 'making' her admire them. In chapter 14, when Marcy sees the Mechanical Abomination again, she practically bows down to them begging to be their host through more Tears of Joy with a Broken Smile included.
  Marcy: (Broken Tears) You're beautiful.
• Affably Evil: The Core and King Andrias appear to be this to Marcy and vice versa to them.
• Affectionate Gesture to the Head: The Core does this a lot in their human avatar form to Marcy in the form of actual head pats and stroking her face. They also do this in their machine form too before they merge. Marcy, who Desperately Craves Affection, appreciates this.
• The Alcoholic: Marcy's mother has become this since her daughter ran away from home.
• All According to Plan: King Andrias's smirk at the end of chapter 5 as Marcy attacks Anne, implies he purposely acted as a Card-Carrying Villain beforehand to manipulate Marcy into a position where any attempt to justify her actions to her friends would fall flat to prevent Conflicting Loyalty and keep her on his side.
• Allegorical Character: Marcy's corruption by the Core can be seen as this for impressionable youth disatisfied with their lives that have been Brainwashed by Cults or extremist groups.
• Amicable Exes: Sasha's parents appear to be this, at the very least are able to be civil with each other.
• Ancestor Veneration: Marcy does this with her ancestors in the Wu Clan after learning about their exploits in Newtopia, and practically treats the Core (which contains several of them in its Mind Hive) as her god, literally bowing down to it.
• Ancestral Weapon: Marcy views the Calamity Box as this, being a direct descendant of its creators.
• Ancient Conspiracy: The Core reveals that the Wu clan has been shaping human history for over a thousand years. Their reach extended from Europe to Asia, where they influenced Ancient China and the Roman Empire from the shadows. Formed by King Wu of Chu in 704 B.C., the Wu Clan was able to remain in power even when the Qin Dynasty rolled around and annexed Chu, working behind the scenes of subsequent major players until the collapse of the Jin Dynasty in 420 A.D. Meanwhile in Rome, they started the Ides of March when Gaius Julius Caesar became an obstacle to them, framed their assassination of Mark Antony and Cleopatra as a suicide and installed the Emperors of Rome as their puppets until the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 A.D. Even after all this, the Wus simply moved to their next plan 200 years later, which is the creation of the Calamity Box which even made some of them join the Core itself, effectively hijacking it from the newts.
• Angry Animalistic Growl: Marcy has been shown to do this when enraged, most notably when she holds Sprig out of the window and pulls a Go Through Me on Yunan when she threats to attack the Core.
• Annoying Arrows: Averted. Marcy destroys Frobot by firing an arrow from her crossbow with a Boomshroom attached to it.
• Apocalyptic Log: To a certain extent, Marcy's journal acts as this when we get a look at in Chapter 17, and witness her descent into corruption and madness in her own words.
• Armor-Piercing Question: When Grace asks Anne if she intends to save and fix Marcy from the Core's brainwashing or kill her former childhood friend instead, the girl is left stunned and unable to answer. While Anne doesn't want to kill Marcy, despite everything she's done, she can't rule out the option that her Evil Former Friend may have to be put down permanently for good for the sake of The Multiverse.
• Ascended Extra: In the show, Marcy's parents are heard once but not seen and Sasha's parents don't make an appearance at all. Here in the story, they're named, given A Day in the Limelight and act as Hero Antagonists towards the Boonchuys and the Plantars as try to find their missing daughters.
• Asian and Nerdy: The Wu Clan were this, just like their descendants, albeit they're of Chinese ethnicity, instead of Taiwanese. Many were deemed smart enough to join the Core's Mind Hive.
• Attention Whore: The Core accuses Marcy of being this, with her clumsy nature that puts her in harm's way is her subconscious desire for people to notice and care about her wellbeing. Marcy initially denies but ultimately relents that the Core is right about her.
• Ax-Crazy: Thanks to the Core, Marcy reveals an incredibly warped, violent, and sadistic streak in the throne room fight, and being with the Core in her Mental World has only worsened her insanity and violent tendencies.
• Backing Away Slowly: A disturbed Sprig does this when Marcy points to him as one of the good things that came of her stranding her friends in Amphibia during her Motive Rant.
• Bad Liar: When interrogated by Detective Waybright on how Anne got the Music Box, the girl awkwardly tells her that Sasha bought it her as a birthday present. The policewoman bluntly tells her that she doesn't buy it for a single second, as she knows her daughter doesn't have that kind of cash and isn't known for saving money either, causing Anne to crack and admit to her shoplifting.
• Badass Family: Marcy views her ancestors, the Wu Clan, as this, which include: gladiators, warlords, sorcerers, nobles, conquerors, and the creators of the Calamity Box. She intends to live up to their legacy.
• Bait the Dog: When Lady Olivia grabs her arm and tries to get Marcy to pull a Heel–Face Turn, Marcy notes she could easily slap her hand away, but Subverts this by gently brushing her hand off out of remaining fondness for her Newt friend... Then it gets Double Subverted when she spitefully tells her and Yunan that the Marcy they knew is dead, rendering her rescue attempt which put their lives on the line All for Nothing.
• Because Destiny Says So: Marcy believes this trope is the case for her finding the Calamity Box and the trio coming to Amphibia to work with King Andrias to become Multiversal Conquerors together forever, due to her own ancestral connection to the Core (which was created by her ancestors in the Wu Clan) and her obsession with their friendship. It's an Understatement to say Anne and Sasha aren't too keen on the idea.
  Marcy: (Broken Smile) We were meant to find the Box, we were meant for this moment, right here, right now! This is our destiny! It always has been!
• Been There, Shaped History: Marcy's ancestors, The Wu Clan, did this for centuries, pulling the strings of civilizations from Ancient China to the Roman Empire, before moving on to Amphibia to help build up its conquest-based society in partnership with the Newts, even helping to create the Core, with some of them joining its Mind Hive as a result.
• Benevolent Boss: The Core is this to Marcy, giving her a Cooldown Hug when she's upset, explaining her heritage to her, teaching her new skills in her mindscape, even apologizing after losing their temper with her when they showed her a bad memory and at the end of Chapter 13 deeming her great enough to not only offer her to become one with them but allow her to be in control when they merge, even though they don't have to. Of course, this is all manipulation to keep her trust and make her a willing vessel.
• Berserker Tears: Marcy does this when emotionally worked up after being shown her bad memories in her Mental World by the Core.
• Beyond Redemption: After Marcy declares that "The Marcy you knew... is dead", Yunan takes her at her word, swearing that she'll stop her former friend. Anne similarly feels that Marcy can't be saved, only stopped.
• Big Bad Friend: Marcy is this to the heroes. Especially after she willingly merged with the Core.
• Big "NO!":
  • Just like in the show, Grime shouts this as he witnesses King Andrias blow up Toad Tower. Unlike canon, there's no indication that any occupants got out in time.
  • Marcy gives one when she sees Sasha using the Calamity Box to open a portal for the heroes to escape to Earth with.
• Both Sides Have a Point: Anne's parents call the Waybrights and Wus out for their borderline Police Brutality when arresting them and their daughter (including Mrs. Wu strangling the teen). However, the other parents aren't wrong in calling them out for knowing about the whereabouts of their missing daughters for months and didn't tell them, letting them fear the worst, and should be interrogated on why.
• Brain Uploading: The greatest minds of Amphibia (both newt and human) and past monarchs learned to cheat death by managing to upload their consciousness to the Core. They then transfer them them all into Marcy's mind, who is more than happy to go along with it.
• Break-Up Bonfire: A platonic example. After Anne returns home, she burns everything remotely connected to Marcy (sans the tennis racket) because they kept reminding Anne of her and giving her mental episodes. Sasha did pretty much the same without a fire back in Wartwood with the exception of a single hairpin, which she uses to escape a trap.
• Broken Pedestal: Marcy has become this to her former friends after her Face–Heel Turn is revealed to them.
  Ivy: Marcy's... evil?
• Broken Smile: Marcy has one of these as she desperately tries to convince Anne and Sasha that it was destiny that brought them to Amphibia, and that the three of them were meant to join King Andrias and become Multiversal Conquerors together.
• Broken Tears: Marcy does this with a Broken Smile when she first meets the Core, during her Motive Rant after The Reveal and just before merging with the Core. These all showcase how unstable she has become.
• Brutal Honesty: The Core can be this sometimes with Marcy under the guise of Tough Love to guide her. They do not sugar-coat Marcy's flaws after showing the girl her Wounded Gazelle Gambit memory that she needs to overcome for their plan to succeed.
  Marcy: I'm a baby, aren't I?
  The Core: Yes, you are Marcy.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: This is Amanda Waybright's opinion on Mr. X: a weirdo who happens to be a really good FBI agent. She is willing to work with him to find her out where her daughter is from the Boonchuys.
• Butterfly of Death and Rebirth: Or rather "Moth of Death and Rebirth" best describes Marcy here as she becomes progressively worse and considers her old self to be dead as she embraces the Core's vision.
• Call-Back: When Sasha tries to warn Anne that Marcy can't be trusted, Anne doesn't believe her, hitting her with a blistering "The Reason You Suck" Speech which concludes with an Ironic Echo of Sasha's last words to her in "Reunion":
  Anne: You were right; I am better off without you. We both are.
• Cape Snag: Sprig and Polly do this on Marcy in the throne room fight. She's forced to tear it apart to break free from their attack.
• Cargo Cult: Downplayed. Marcy doesn't worship the Calamity Box itself but she holds it in high regard, like an irreplaceable family heirloom, due to being descended from the humans that created it.
  Marcy savoured the moment. She caressed the Box, her birthright, allowing her bloodied fingers to trace the outlines of the intricate designs that decorated the exterior. The power that radiated from it was intoxicating. This must have only been a fraction of what her ancestors felt.
• Cassandra Truth:
  • After discovering the mentions of the Wu Clan in King Andrias' mural, Sasha tries to tell Anne that something is wrong with Marcy. This just makes Anne angrier. Justified as Sasha's credibility was shot thanks to all the previous betrayals (including her most recent one just hours ago) and Anne couldn't fathom Marcy of all people being a traitor.
  • When Bee tries to explain to the Wus where their daughters have been for the past several months, Marcy's mother is convinced he's lying.
• Chekhov's Gun:
  • In Chapter 2, during her and Grime's brief takeover of Newtopia, Sasha is noted to have bonded with Joe Sparrow, having learned how to tame him from Marcy on the way from Wartwood. This comes in handy in Chapter 7, when it's Sasha who flies Joe to save Sprig after Marcy throws him out of the flying castle.
  • Another case that spans those same chapters — in Chapter 2, Sasha has several of her toad soldiers bring her all of Marcy's notes on the Calamity Box so that she can learn how to use it, which comes in handy in Chapter 7 when she's the one who opens a portal to Earth for Anne and the Plantars.
  Sasha: Copied your homework, Marcy! Just like old times, amiright?
  • Chapter 13 has Sasha note the hairpin that Marcy once gifted her, which is the one thing related to her that Sasha hasn't gotten rid of. At the climax of the chapter, she has Ivy use it as a projectile to set off some boomshrooms in order to enable the captured Resistance fighters to escape.
• The Chooser of the One: Like in canon, the Core chose Marcy as its human host. Unlike canon, Marcy is all for it.
  King Andrias: Our lord has craved [a host] for so long, and it wanted the best, the smartest... and then you, a Wu, arrived in Amphibia. When you beat me in Flipwart, that sealed the deal.
• The Chosen One: King Andrias and the Core have convinced Marcy she is this, and is destined to restore Newtopia to its former glory.
• The Clan: The Wu Clan, Marcy's distant ancestors.
• Clingy Jealous Girl: Marcy does not take it well when Anne refers to Sprig as her best friend "in this or any other world". She drops Sprig to his intended death for it and later tries to kill the whole Planter family out of jealousy. Chapter 12 reveals that Marcy started a rumor about someone selling alcohol at her school and framed another friend of Anne's for the crime to keep her to herself.
• Co-Dragons: As far as the heroes are aware of, Marcy is The Dragon to King Andrias's Big Bad. In reality, they are both working together for the Core.
• Contrived Coincidence: Not only did Marcy happen to find the Calamity Box at a thrift store by chance and recognize it from a library book when she ran away from home after learning that her family was moving out-of-state, she just so happens to be a direct descendant of the humans who created it and lived in Newtopia. King Andrias and Marcy believe this was fate, and it only fuels Marcy's obsessive belief that she's destined to use the Box for greatness.
  Anne: Cuz it turns out, Mar-Mar's ancestors were super evil, interdimensional warlords! Who'd a thunk, right?!
• Corrupt the Cutie: Marcy goes through a brutal corruption arc and descending into madness due to the Core's influence. By the time of "True Colors", she has become a willing accomplice to King Andrias and intends to sell out her own planet in order to stay with her friends and rule it with them. Even willing to fight and hurt them to achieve it, putting her on the side of evil. Marcy gets even worse as she and the Core have one-to-one "therapy sessions" while she's recovering to make her more corrupted and brutal to become a more ideal vessel, something she happily agrees to once the Core switches its plans for her from Demonic Possession to acting as The Symbiote.
• The Corrupter: Not only is the Core responsible for molding King Andrias into the person he's become, it very successfully does this to Marcy, encouraging her issues of egomania and delusion, to make her an even worse version of herself, while making her believe they're helping her become a stronger person for the greatness that her ancestors began. It gets to the point of Marcy willingly becoming its host.
  Anne:I don't know what it was that Marcy saw in the castle basement, but whatever it was... it changed her.
• The Corruptible: Marcy is this under the Core's sway.
• "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: Oum briefly ponders if they could have avoided the events in Chapter 16 if she had worked up the courage to call the Wus or Waybrights on their daughters' whereabouts during the months she knew the truth.
• Cry into Chest:
  • Marcy does this to the Core's avatar form after her fight with her former friends. The Core encourages this as Cathartic Crying to gain a stronger hold on the teen.
  The Core: It's ok, little one. It's ok to grieve. It is important that you process your emotions.
  • Anne does this in her parents' embrace after explaining her traumatising experience during the events of "True Colors" at the end of Chapter 14.
• Cute and Psycho: Marcy has turned into this thanks to the Core's brainwashing.
• Dark Action Girl: While not as physically adept as Anne or Sasha, Marcy manages to hold her own in a fight with both of her former friends (especially Anne in her Calamity form), even managing to get some solid hits in on them.
• Darker and Edgier: Since the fanfic's version of Marcy is not just an Unwitting Pawn, but a willing collaborator of King Andrias, a lot of the more Tear Jerker moments are made much scarier and darker. Not to mention that Marcy's descent into villainous insanity makes her do things that even Sasha at her worst wouldn't have done in canon.
• Dark Fic: This fanfiction goes in depth about the darker parts of Marcy's personality and really plays up her possessiveness and desperation.
• A Day in the Limelight:
  • Chapter 13 focuses on Sasha and on how she processed Marcy's betrayal.
  • Chapter 15 focuses on the Waybrights and Wus receiving Anne's letter after the events of "Froggy Little Christmas". They intend to work with Mr. X to find out what happened to their daughters, by interrogating Anne and her parents.
• Deadly Dodging: His fight with Anne having made his vision double, King Andrias attempts to stab Sasha, only for her to dodge and accidently stab Marcy instead. This wasn't intentional on Sasha's part either.
• Deal with the Devil: Marcy gets on board with the Take Over the World plan which involves King Andrias and the Core promising to take Marcy and her friends to "spread the glory of Newtopia" to other worlds so they can have infinite adventures. Unlike canon, King Andrias plans to hold his part of the bargain in sharing the conquest with her, but didn't honestly expect the heroes to be convinced to join them, in contrast to Marcy.
• Deer in the Headlights:
  • Marcy momentarily becomes this when she realizes that she has to reveal her deception to her friends in less than ideal circumstances.
  • When Marcy's mom confronts Anne at the supermarket, the poor girl becomes (at first) too terrified to flee.
• Delayed Reaction: Anne does this in her fight with Sasha in Chapter 3, when the latter claims that not only is King Andrias Evil All Along but that Marcy is working for him.
  Sasha: I think Marcy's in on it.
  Anne: Yeah, yeah! Blah blah bla—what?
• Desperately Craves Affection: Marcy admits she always felt touch starved. The Core takes advantage of this by giving her Affectionate Gesture to the Head plenty of times.
• Didn't Think This Through:
  • When Sasha tries to warn Anne that King Andrias is Evil All Along with Marcy pulling a potential Face–Heel Turn, Anne points out that she has no reason to believe her for Chronic Back Stabbing Disorder with her latest one just over an hour ago. Sasha scolds herself for not taking a picture of the murals on her phone as proof.
  • When Anne sent the Christmas letters to Sasha and Marcy's parents, she didn't expect Sasha's mother, who is a policewoman, to figure out she sent them via handwriting.
• Disappointed in You: King Andrias feels legitimately let-down when he learns that Lady Olivia and Yunan were never onboard with his plans for multi-dimensional conquest and tried to "rescue" Marcy from him. The young teen shares this sentiment.
  King Andrias: What a pity, Olivia. It's one thing to lose one of my best generals, but a pillar of my court? Such a shame. I could've used your assistance in the new order.
  Marcy: (Disapproving Look) Yeah, what a shame.
• Dissonant Serenity: Marcy calmly reassures a panicked Olivia with a sincere smile that everything was going to be okay [[spoiler:as she's about to willingly become the Core's host.

]].

• Divine Right of Kings: Just like King Andrias, Marcy has been brainwashed to believe that because of her ancestors, she has the right to use the Calamity Box to become a Multiversal Conqueror.
• Dramatic Irony: Grace Wu is convinced that Anne kidnapped her daughter, completely unaware that Marcy was the one that essentially kidnapped Anne and Sasha.
• The Dreaded: The Wu Clan was this a thousand years ago.
  King Andrias: Where they were from, they were a truly terrifying force. Others trembled at the mere mention, nay, the mere thought, of their name. Everyone feared the Clan of Wu.
• Drowning My Sorrows:
  • Chapter 11 reveals that Anne's mother took to drinking to help cope with her disappearance, until one day she had a total breakdown and her husband convinced her to see a therapist.
  • Chapter 15 shows that Marcy's mom has similarly turned to alcohol to handle things.
• Drunk on the Dark Side: Marcy tumbles headlong into this, especially when she starts Laughing Mad after she wipes out an entire army in her Mental World and Gaining the Will to Kill and when she accepts the Core's merge into the Mind Hive with Tears of Joy in her eyes.
• Dude, Where's My Respect?: Marcy couldn't help but notice that the Core is bitter about the fact that very few people on Amphibia or Earth remember the Wu Clan and what they had done throughout both worlds' histories. Just like in canon, it hates being irrelevant.
• Dying Declaration of Hate: Marcy gives one after King Andrias accidentally stabs her before passing out.
  Marcy: (to Anne) I... hate you.
• Easily Forgiven: Marcy doesn't hold any ill will towards King Andrias for accidently stabbing her, which allowed Anne and the Plantars to escape to Earth. Instead, she blames Anne and Sasha for rejecting her We Can Rule Together offer and sees them as Ungrateful Bastards.
• Empty Eyes: Marcy gains these after coming out of the Healing Vat, symbolizing her complete Innocence Lost after Gaining the Will to Kill.
• Entitled to Have You: Marcy has this attitude towards Anne and Sasha by Chapter 5, especially Anne. She completely disregards their wants and needs in favor of what she wants for them, to rule The Multiverse by her side and considers them Ungrateful Bastards when they reject her.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones:
  • Even after all the stuff that happened, Marcy's ideal fantasy still has Anne and Sasha rule alongside her.
  • Given that she is all-in on his plan, King Andrias has a Villainous Friendship with Marcy, praising the girl for her role in getting the Calamity Box to him and finishing what her ancestors started. After coming out of her coma, he is more patient and compassionate towards her, wanting to make amends as her mortal injury was his fault. Marcy in turn doesn't hold any ill will at all towards him.
  • Even the Core itself seems fond of Marcy, being the great-great-something-something granddaughter of some of the Mind Hive, acting as a parental figure and teacher to her. Whether this is a sincere case of Affably Evil or Faux Affably Evil mixed with Pragmatic Villainy to control her has yet to be confirmed. Though, considering that they're allowing to be in control as Darcy, when don't seem to need to, it seems to be more than just manipulation.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Marcy calls out Andrias for blowing up Toad Tower, potentially killing its occupants, as she believed that they could have been convinced to join them peacefully.
• Everyone Has Standards: Marcus Wu is shocked and aghast by his wife violently assaulting Anne, a 13-year-old girl, and then her parents. He points out that her actions aren't helping them find out the truth of their daughter's whereabouts from them either.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Marcy simply can't understand why Anne and Sasha see 'fulfilling their destinies' to Take Over the World with her and Andrias as a bad thing, thanks to her brainwashing.
• Evil Colonialist: The Wu Clan are a rare non-white, Zig-Zagged Trope of this. While they appear to get along with the native Amphibians for the most part, even helping them build Newtopia, they did ultimately use them to become Multiversal Conquerors alongside the Leviathan dynasty and helped create the Core.
• Evil Former Friend: Marcy has become this to Anne and Sasha.
• Evil Gloating: King Andrias does this when he gets his hands on the Calamity Box and when it's revealed to the heroes Marcy has been working with him for the past month.
• Evil Has a Bad Sense of Humor: Despite having Marcy as The Dragon on his side, King Andrias takes pleasure in watching her tell her friends she got them Trapped in Another World on purpose to see their reactions of their former friend's betrayal.
  King Andrias: Now, was that so hard? You humans make things soooo hard for yourselves! (Evil Laugh)
• Evil Is Petty: Marcy dropping Sprig out of the castle's window after Anne called him her best friend certainly counts as this.
• Evil Mentor: The Core acts as this to Marcy, being essentially the Palpatine to her Anakin Skywalker. They encourage her to have a darker mentality that consists of It's All About Me, Never My Fault, Entitled to Have You, That Man Is Dead, and finally A God Am I, turning her into a devout follower who is utterly dedicated to them and willingly joins the Mind Hive.
• Evil Sorcerer: Some of Marcy's ancestors are these. It's unknown if they joined the Core.
• Eyes Always Averted:
  • In Chapter 5, while Andrias is doing his The Reveal of their big secret, Marcy spends a good portion of it looking at her shoes and rubbing her forearm with anxiety. And it's not just because she hated feeling the gaze of everyone on her.
  • Andrias does an "I Can't Look!" Gesture twice out of shame to Marcy in Chapter 14, due to having a Villainous Friendship: First, when the teen remembers that he accidentally stabbed her and second was when Marcy realizes he had planned for her to be the Core's host from the beginning.
• Face–Heel Turn: Marcy goes from a nice, if horribly misguided friend of Anne to an outright villain willing to do what it takes to keep her friends with herself on Amphibia whether they like it or not, all implied to be a result of the Core's More than Mind Control.
• Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon:
  • The Core's human avatar takes the form of an innocent-looking, dainty woman that one could mistake for Marcy's loving mother. Make no mistake readers they're the Big Bad that wants to conquer Earth and are responsible for centuries worth of of war crimes.
  • Anne now views Marcy as this after she learns of her betrayal, having an innocent-looking face who happens to be a possessive psycho.
• Face Palm: In Chapter 14, Andrias does this while taking a deep, calming breath when he realizes, Marcy was too out of it to hear what he was saying and had start again from the beginning.
  King Andrias: Patience, Andrias, she's been in a coma for weeks.
• Fallen Hero: Thanks to More than Mind Control by Andrias and the Core, Marcy is fully onboard with their plans to conquer the Multiverse, and is even willing to go as far to violently attack her friends when they defy those plans.
• False Friend: It's revealed in Marcy's journal that she never considered the Plantars or the Wartwoodians her friends, and only put with them for Anne's sake.
• Familial Body Snatcher: The Core contains some of Marcy's Amphibia ancestors and originally intended to assimilate her mind into their Mind Hive when they merge. Subverted when they change their minds to become The Symbiote for her instead.
• Famous Ancestor: Marcy has a Jaw Drop moment when the Core reveals she's a direct descendant of King Wu of Chu from Imperial China.
• Fantastic Racism: Thanks to the Core's manipulation, her poor treatment by the Wartwoodians and jealously of the Plantars, Marcy has developed a very low opinion of Amphibia's frogs.
• Fighting Your Friend: In Chapter 5, Marcy chooses to fight the heroes to ensure her and King Andrias's plan doesn't fail cementing her Face–Heel Turn in the story.
• Founder of the Kingdom: Not only did King Andrias's ancestors, the Leviathan family, found Newtopia, but so did Marcy's ancestors, the Wu Clan.
• Freudian Excuse: Chapter 11 does reveal Marcy's clinginess to Anne and Sasha stems from Parental Neglect from her parents whom were such Workaholics that they only really noticed her either if she demonstrated academic excellence or was injured (which would also lead to her subconsciously using her clumsiness as a way to gain love and attention from her parents) with the two girls being a Living Emotional Crutch to her as the only ones on Earth who would give her the love and attention she needed. One time, Marcy even resorted to taunting another girl who was abandoned by her own mother just for the sole purpose of getting her own ass kicked by her posse, as getting injured was able to get her parents to pay attention to her.
• A Form You Are Comfortable With:
  • In Marcy's subconsciousness, the Core takes the form of a beautiful Asian woman in a white dress (presumably one of Marcy's direct ancestors from Newtopia) to put her at ease. They note that the girl would have freaked out if they started things with all thirteen eyes.
  • When Marcy rages at the Core for making her go through one of her worst memories and refuses to hear them out, their human avatar temporarily takes the form of a tar monster resembling their Mechanical Abomination form to silence her.
  The Core: Do not forget who you are talking to, girl.
• Fury-Fueled Foolishness: Grace Wu's confrontation with Anne and her parents is definitely a case of this. The woman was so infuriated at Anne and the Boonchuys that she outright assaults them, while revealing that she'd never considered Anne "good enough" to be a worthy friend for her daughter.
• Gaining the Will to Kill: The Core's final test for Marcy in the climax of Chapter 13 involves setting up an army to destroy her simulated "perfect world", and tasking Marcy with defeating it. She destroys the army with little to no hesitation, ending with an Evil Laugh.
• Giggling Villain: Marcy has become this at some points of the story.
• Giving Someone the Pointer Finger: Bee does this to Amanda Waybright while he's calling her out for setting up an operation to apprehend him and his family that resulted in them all getting hurt. He goes as far as to go up to her face and angrily poke her in in the chest. One poke too many gets him arrested.
• A God I Am: Just like in canon, the Core sees itself as a living god. Now, it's convinced Marcy she's this too after becoming its host.
• Going Native: Marcy is a dark version of this, rejecting her Earth origins for Newtopia.
  Anne: It's over, Marcy! We're going home!
  Marcy: (Eyes bloodshot with rage) I am home!
• Greater-Scope Villain:
  • As far as the heroes are aware, it's apparent that King Andrias is the Big Bad, having convinced Marcy to be The Dragon on his side, and are unaware that they are both Co-Dragons to the Core. After the throne room fight, it takes the role of Evil Mentor to Marcy until she becomes Brainwashed to the point she becomes a host for the Mind Hive, signaling that the Core is the true overall villain of the story and responsible for Marcy's Face–Heel Turn.
  • The Wu Clan, Marcy's ancestors, were the ones that set up Newtopia's conquest society and helped create the Core with some members joining it over a thousand. Even before all that they had been manipulating populations in Eurasia for their own benefit.
• Groin Attack: When Bee tries to defuse the situation by explaining to Marcy's parents where their daughter is and what she's done, Marcy's mother gives him this for his trouble.
• Happily Married:
  • Bee and Oum Boonchuy love each other very much. Even while dealing with their daughter's 5-month disappearance, their marriage remained strong supporting each other.
  • This is becoming subverted with Marcus and Grace Wu, as the latter believes their marriage is on its last legs as she becomes more and more resentful towards her husband as him taking a new job out of state caused their daughter to runaway from home.
• Hates Being Alone: The reason why Marcy trapped herself with her friends in Amphibia in the first place, which she tearfully admits to the Core. Now that she's a willing part of the Mind Hive she never will be.
• Headbutt of Love: The Core, of all people, does a platonic version of this to Marcy at the end of Chapter 13 in their human avatar form after wiping out an entire army by herself for her final test, telling their apprentice before she wakes up from her coma that she's ready to carry out their vision.
• Healing Vat: Marcy spends several chapters in one recovering from her stab wound, with the Core visiting her mind to mold her into the perfect vessel. When she comes out of the coma, Andrias explains to Marcy it was originally created by their ancestors (the Leviathans and the Wus) to bring back warriors wounded in combat from the brink of death.
• Hearing Voices: After Marcy merges with the Core, she can the various voices of the Mind Hive almost immediately. She doesn't dislike it.
• Hell Is That Noise: The Core's screech as it makes itself present to Andrias, Olivia, Yunan and Marcy in chapter 14. Only Marcy doesn't flinch from it.
• Hero Antagonist: The Wus and the Waybrights aren't villains, they're just desperate parents trying to find their daughters. However, the way they went about it does not endear them to Anne or her family.
• Heroic BSoD: Sasha hits this in Chapter 13 when she and her team are caught in Andrias' trap, believing that there's no way out and they've lost the war.
• Hidden Disdain Reveal:
  • When strangling Sasha while in the midst of a Villainous Breakdown, Marcy admits to enjoying it, mentally reflecting on how she's always hated playing second fiddle to her for Anne's friendship. She also tries to outright kill the Plantars for "stealing" Anne from her feeling sick to her stomach as they have a Group Hug. And finally, with what she thought to be her last words, after Andrias accidentally stabs her, Marcy tells Anne she hates her, before passing out.
  Marcy: (To The Core) I hate them. I hate them all.
  • Later on, while fleeing from Marcy's mother as she's swearing up a storm at her, Oum remarks to herself that she honestly never cared for the woman very much.
  • When Grace Wu confronts Anne about how she was Locked Out of the Loop on her daughter's whereabouts, she declares that she always thought Anne wasn't "good enough" to be Marcy's friend (and makes a racist remark about her Thai heritage as well).
  • In Marcy's journal, it's revealed the girl greatly resented and despised the Plantars and the people of Wartwood for not only "stealing" Anne from her for their (initial) disrespect towards her for being an outsider respectively, believing they should be worshipping her for her heritage alone.
• Horrifying the Horror:
  • Despite pressuring her to do so in the first place, King Andrias admits that he found Marcy's erratic Motive Rant hard to watch.
  • After Marcy is out of her coma, Andrias is cautious around the girl's shaky and unhinged demeanor.
• How the Mighty Have Fallen: Marcy's ancestors, the Wu Clan, were an Ancient Conspiracy of royalty, conquerors, and sorcerers who controlled Eurasia from the shadows for thousands of years, as well help build Newtopia. She finds her lineage going all that to being reduced to a struggling middle-class family in 21st-century Los Angeles a bitter pill to swallow.
• Hypocrite: Despite his low opinion on friendship, King Andrias all but considers Marcy his Only Friend. He also thinks humans have a Complexity Addiction, despite he himself planning the Long Game for a thousand years.
• Hypocrite Has a Point: When Marcy reveals that she's willingly joined King Andrias, Sasha calls her out on how she ripped them away from their families and lives back on Earth and has thrown her lot in with a bad guy in the name of conquest. The fact that Sasha herself joined Grime to take over Newtopia doesn't undermine the rest of her point.
• I Just Want to Be Special: Part of how Andrias and the Core brainwashed Marcy into joining was appealing to this and her fear of having a boring, normal life.
  The Core: You are far more special than Andrias initially led you to believe.
  Marcy: I really am... aren't I?
• "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: Lady Olivia tries this on Marcy in Chapter 14. It doesn't work.
• If Only You Knew: Marcy's father made sure she read about the history of Ancient China to ensure his daughter was aware and educated of her proud heritage. What Mr. Wu doesn't know is that their ancestors not only were running Eurasia over thousands of years, but invented the means to travel between worlds.
  [Her] Old man had no idea just how right he was.
• If You Won't, I Will: After revealing his intentions, Andrias implies to Marcy that if she doesn't tell her friends why she conspired with him to ensure the Calamity Trio never returned to Earth, he'll tell them himself like he does in canon. Unlike in "True Colors", he gives Marcy the chance to reveal the truth herself... but even he gets uncomfortable as the girl becomes increasingly erratic and unhinged during her Motive Rant.
• Ignored Epiphany: While she was in a coma going through her memories, Marcy realizes that Anne is never going to take her back as her friend after everything she's done... so she decides she's not going to give her childhood friend a choice in the matter, as she becomes a Multiversal Conqueror.
• Imperial China: Where Marcy's Wu Clan ancestors originated from.
• Innocently Insensitive:
  • While Anne was more than happy to not shut up about Marcy's betrayal, she forgot about Sprig's near death experience at the hands of the latter, which he didn't take well due to painting herself as Marcy's only victim.
  • Though she has no idea about it, Mrs. Boonchuy accidentally re-creates the scene of Andrias accidently stabbing Marcy In the Back, during a play-fight that occurs between the Boonchuys in the shopping mall as they enact a Star Wars-esque battle. Her plastic light-saber is even yellow to drive the comparison home. However, unlike canon, this triggers Anne's PTSD causing her to have a panic attack, run away in terror and almost Stress Vomits.
• Insult Backfire: Unlike a devastated Marcy who falls into a Villainous BSoD after Anne calls her evil, King Andrias merely expresses mild annoyance just like in the show.
• Intergenerational Friendship: Andrias is well over a thousand years older than Marcy, having personally met her ancestors. Unlike canon, he doesn't see her as a pawn and they have a Villainous Friendship, they have basically become an Only Friend to each other after "True Colors", having genuine fondness for each other.
• Internal Reveal:
  • Chapter 13 has Sasha find out about Marcy's survival and rejuvenation. She also reveals Marcy's villainy to Wartwood in one of her rants by accident.
  • In Chapter 14, Anne reveals to her parents what happened during the throne room fight.
  • In Chapter 17, the Wus and Amanda Waybright, and by extension her superiors at the LAPD, learn about Amphibia, what happened to Marcy, and the impending invasion. The heroes are also aware of the Core's existence and its role in Marcy's Fac Heel Turn, thanks to the girl's journal.
• Ironic Echo: Sasha's yell of "END! OF! DISCUSSION!" to Anne in Chapter 7 to let her fight Marcy alone, which came from a place of genuine protection instead of manipulation.
• Irony:
  • When presented with her ideal fantasy, Marcy embraces the soulless puppets of Anne and Sasha here instead of thinking how wrong it is like in canon.
  • When it is time to become Darcy, Marcy willingly joins the Core, even being in control rather than just a puppet for the Mind Hive.
• I Told You So: Sasha gives this look to Anne when Andrias reveals he's Evil All Along.
• It's All About Me: Marcy has been developing this attitude under the Core's influence.
• It's Personal with the Dragon: With Marcy voluntarily working with Andrias and the Core, Anne and the others all understandably take her betrayal much worse than King Andrias being revealed as Evil All Along.
• It Runs in the Family: Mrs. Wu turns out to be just as mentally unstable and violent as her daughter.

J-R

• Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: Marcy spectacularly does this during her fight with her former friends.
• Jurisdiction Friction: Sasha's mother Amanda is the Commander of the LAPD and very reluctantly works with Mr. X during his investigation into the Boonchuys and Plantars, nearly coming into conflict with him over custody once they've been captured before coming to an agreement.
• Just Between You and Me: Once he has the fully-charged Calamity Box, Andrias then drops his façade of The Good King and gives a Motive Rant explaining his true motivations and Marcy's legacy to Anne and the others rather than sending them home and preparing his invasion once they'd left. It's implied to be Invoked however, as Andrias only tells the heroes information that will demoralize them and cut ties with Marcy after her own confession on that he can keep the Fallen Hero to himself to rule with by his side, as evident by his smirk at seeing her attack Anne when the fight starts.
• Kick the Dog:
  • On Andrias' orders, Marcy is the one that destroys Frobo with a Boomshroom attached to an arrow fired from her crossbow for protecting Polly from Andrias without any hesitation or remorse. And this is after Andrias calls Frobo a defect.
  • Marcy is left enraged hearing Anne call Sprig her 'best friend'. Seeing this as an opportunity, Andrias gives her the go ahead to kill the young frog rather than spare him when the heroes have surrendered to him, so as to not only force them to experience the same pain of losing his friends, but to further burn bridges with Marcy in order to monopolize her loyalty further.
  • Marcy ends her fight with Sasha by viciously stabbing her in the leg causing her to collapse, screaming in agonizing pain, after refusing to stand down. She then proceeds to kick her aside with a Slasher Smile and not giving so much as a second thought, despite seeing her as one of her best friends.
• The Kingslayer: The Wu Clan sometimes had rulers of countries assassinated when they refused to play ball with them as their Puppet Kings.
• Knight Templar: Marcy has become this as of Chapter 5 thanks to King Andrias and the Core's brainwashing, being utterly convinced that their plans of multiversal conquest are for the greater good. What Marcy's motives boil down to is bettering the worlds, including Earth, they conquer by giving them technology, end wars and food for the starving. What Marcy doesn't see is that humanity wouldn't be keen on enslavement as apposed to being free with their current problems.
• Lancer vs. Dragon: Sasha and Marcy briefly fight each other in the throne room.
• Laser Blade: Not only does King Andrias has his BFS like in canon, Marcy has a fiery, lightsaber-like Cool Sword scaled to her size and a knife too. These were presumably given to her by Andrias for her loyalty.
• Laughing Mad: Marcy does this in Chapter 13 after she wipes out an entire army by herself in her mindscape.
• Legacy of Service: Marcy learns that her ancestors, the Wu Clan, served the Leviathan dynasty in Amphibia for centuries, along with Lady Olivia's family. Before this, the Wu Clan also served various lines of emperors across Eurasia, including Imperial China and The Roman Empire. Though in these cases the monarchs were all Puppet Kings to The Clan.
• Literal-Minded: Downplayed. When Marcus claims that his mother would be rolling in her grave if she found out there was an alcohol peddler at Marcy's school, Grace reminds her husband she was cremated instead. He remarks he was speaking figuratively.
• Little "No": Anne whispers this right before Marcy drops Sprig out of the castle window.
• Living Distant Ancestor: Marcy views the Core as this as the Mind Hive contains some of her ancestors.
• Long-Lost Relative: Marcy and the Core are technically this to each other, as the latter's Mind Hive contains the minds of several of Marcy's ancestors.
• Love Makes You Evil: Played with. It's not love that turns Marcy evil, but rather friendship, being desperate to keep her friends only to be rejected by them by her actions. Completely devastated by the loss of the 2 people she could trust most, she ultimately decided to follow through with Andrias' plans to take over the Earth. Andrias having experienced something similar with Leif and Barrel is also this.
  King Andrias: That's the thing about friends, isn't it? The more you love them, the more it hurts when they go. Allow me to demonstrate. (Gives Marcy the go ahead to drop Sprig out of the window)
• Machine Worship: As part of her More than Mind Control, Marcy reveres the Core like a deity. Most notable in Chapter 14 where she bows down in awe of it and takes a protective stance for it against Yunan.
• Madness Makeover:
  • By the time she gets her hands on the Music Box in the climax of Chapter 7 to stop the others from escaping, Marcy, suffering from a total Villainous Breakdown, has Messy Hair, bloodshot eyes, her cape torn apart, smashed armor, bruised face and a Slasher Smile, while Laughing Mad, and being Limp and Livid, showing how far she's fallen into villainous insanity.
  Marcy: You're not going anywhere...
  • She has another case of this in Chapter 14. When Yunan tries to attack the Core, an angry Marcy goes to its defense, Suddenly Shouting at her to get away from her master. Her appearance involves discolored skin and sunken cheeks and eyes, along with an Angry Animalistic Growl and a Death Glare. Backing off, Yunan calls it a sight more haunting than the Core, and it drives Olivia to tears.
  • Like Mother, Like Daughter, Grace Wu has this in Chapter 16. She is Limp and Livid, has Messy Hair that curtains half her face, with the side showing dripped with sweat, making her makeup run slightly down her pale cheeks and has bloodshot eyes. The effect downright terrifies Anne as she is truly the spitting image of her insane daughter, except she towers over the teen.
  Grace Wu: (Quizzical Tilt) Hello Anne.
• Major Injury Underreaction: During the big fight in King Andrias' castle in Chapter 7, Sasha bashes Marcy in the face with the Calamity Box several times, eventually doing enough damage that she spits out two of her molars. Marcy's only reaction is to quip that her parents know a good dentist.
• Mama Didn't Raise No Criminal: Marcy's mother Grace violently denies any suggestion that her daughter might have done anything wrong, completely unaware of Marcy's Face–Heel Turn, pinning the blame for everything on her friends and that they are the problem — insisting that Anne and Sasha were NEVER good enough for Marcy! After she is given proof in the following chapter, she breaks down into tears, trying to deny it.
• The Man Behind the Man: The Core, the true Big Bad of the story, is this to King Andrias as in canon. Marcy's ancestors were these to the emperors of Ancient China and Rome, using them as Puppet Kings. This makes it all the more fitting that some of them joined the aforementioned Mind Hive.
• Man Bites Man: Marcy does this to Anne to break out of her No-Holds-Barred Beatdown.
• Manipulative Bastard:
  • Andrias and the Core take full advantage of Marcy's desperation to not be separated from her friends and her I Just Want to Be Special wish in order to get her into delivering them a charged Calamity Box. This is even more effective than canon as they not only eliminate the Trio's powers, which are some of the few things capable of stopping them, but bring one of them on their side. Andrias also encourages a livid Marcy to drop Sprig to his death once he notices her anger.
  • Anne and Sasha view Marcy as this with the latter seeing her as even more deceitful than herself.
• Mask of Sanity: Lady Olivia views Marcy having this come off in the throne room fight. Chapter 17 reveals, she's not exactly wrong as those who have read her journal have discovered she went off the deep end long before Andrias revealed their true intentions.
• Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: It's unknown how the Core was able to turn Marcy from being terrified of it one second to calling it beautiful the next. Whether it's due to dark magic, technology or some mundane brainwashing techniques, it has yet be confirmed how it got Marcy to loosen her moral code and pull a Face–Heel Turn.
• Mental World: Marcy spends a good portion of the story in one of these while she's recovering in the Healing Vat with the Core to interact with. One of the things the Mind Hive teaches her is how to be a Virtual-Reality Warper here as they try to groom her to be a more ideal host.
• The Millstone: Mrs. Wu is this in Chapter 16 to the LAPD led by Mrs. Waybright, making the Boonchuys' arrest way more complicated and violent than anyone else wanted it to be.
• Mind Rape: This seems to happen to Marcy in the first chapter, kick-starting her turn to villainy.
• Mirthless Laughter:
  • Marcy reacts this way upon finding out Andrias and the Core planned for her to be the latter's host since the beginning... regardless of whether or not they were able to convince her to go along with it. Despite that, she's still eager to go through it.
  Marcy: Guess you weren't exaggerating when you said you weren't being entirely honest with me, huh? [] So was that the plan for me all along? To be y... our master's vessel?
  King Andrias: (Looks away in shame.)
  • Anne also does this when explaining the events of "True Colors" to her parents to try and calm herself down as she explains the Awful Truth about Marcy.
  • Marcus laughs in disbelief after witnessing his wife having sunken to beating up Anne, a teenager.
• Misdirected Outburst: Marcy's mother, Grace Wu, does not take the news of Anne's reappearance well, taking out her anger and frustration over her daughter's disappearance on her and the Boonchuys (especially since Anne's been back for a month and they haven't told her where Marcy is). As Oum points out to Mr. Wu, Grace doesn't actually want to find Marcy; she just wants to take her anger out upon others.
• Mistaken for Gay: Implied. The Core tells Marcy her feelings towards Anne seem more than just friendship. The girl clarifies that she views Anne as a sister to her, not noticing their implications.
• Money Dumb: According to Sasha's mother, her daughter isn't known for conserving her allowance money instead spending it as soon as she gets it. Which why she doesn't believe for a second of Anne's story that Sasha bought the music box.
• More than Mind Control: It's implied that the Core did this in order to get Marcy to cooperate in its plans. They play on her obsessive desires for a special life and to give her a chance to keep her best friends Anne and Sasha with herself forever. Using those feelings, they manipulate her into being their willing ally in the conquest of Earth and beyond, while encouraging her worst traits into bigger levels while she is healing. It succeeds as of Chapter 13, where Marcy's final test is to get rid of her hesitation and mercy by wiping out an entire army by herself, in which she gleefully does.
  Anne: I don't know if this... thing she calls her 'master' brainwashed her, or it just made her worse, but all I know is that the Marcy we knew... it isn't her anymore.
• Motive Rant: Marcy gives one in Chapter 5 when her and King Andrias' deception is exposed, trying to justify everything by detailing why she sees their plans of conquest as a good thing. She becomes progressively more unhinged as she speaks until she goes off the deep end.
• Multiversal Conqueror: Not only were King Andrias' ancestors ruthless conquerors, Marcy's ancestors helped them do so, and the King of Newtopia plans to carry their legacy with the teen girl he helped brainwash to be by his side on ruling all dimensions with the Calamity Box — starting with Earth.
• Mundane Utility: King Andrias' Frobots may have been built to be war machines, but are also shown to be capable of non-combative tasks too. Such as medical examinations, clothing people, drying them off, and brushing hair, as they do for Marcy when she gets out of the Healing Vat.
• My God, What Have I Done?: King Andrias has this reaction after he stabs Marcy. Unlike in canon, this was an honest to god accident on his part.
  Andrias: ...Oops.
• Named by the Adaptation: Unlike the show, Marcy and Sasha's parents are all given first names in the story.
• Nasal Trauma: Marcy's mother punches Oum's nose so hard the poor woman ends up bleeding profusely.
• Never My Fault: Marcy has gained this attitude thanks to the Core's corruption of her.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Anne sends anonymous Christmas letters to the Waybrights and the Wus, assuring them that their daughters are safe, just like in the show. However, she didn't count on Sasha's mother, a commander of the LAPD, to deduce that she sent them via recognizing her handwriting. This results in her and her parents being taken into police custody for questioning and the Plantars being handed over to Mr. X and the FBI.
• Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: At the climax of the throne room fight, Marcy has Anne and the Plantars dead to rights as she has the Calamity Box in her hands and is about to deactivate the portal back to Earth... until a half-blinded King Andrias accidentally impales Marcy In the Back while trying to attack Sasha, giving the heroes the chance to escape the castle. "Oops" indeed.
• Noodle Incident: When he catches Polly and Sprig about to help Anne burn everything Marcy ever gave her, Hop Pop reminds Polly that she's legally banned from handling fire after she apparently once burned down an orphanage. Anne decides she doesn't want more details than that.
• Not the Intended Use: The Core explains to Marcy that the Calamity Box was originally created by the Wu Clan to assert their influence over to other worlds to control; however, with the collapse of their influence on Earth, it became their last ditch attempt at starting over from scratch.
• Not So Invincible After All: Despite being The Dreaded throughout Eurasia due to controlling most of it from the shadows for centuries, the Core bitterly explains to Marcy that the Wu Clan's influence didn't last forever. The outside forces that the Wus couldn't control eroded away their influence, such as the barbarian tribes causing the fall of The Roman Empire and even their stronghold in Imperial China faltering to a steady decline after the assassination of Emperor Gong. The split of the Northern and Southern Chinese dynasties would break their power irreparably and over the course of the next 200 years, all they worked for had eroded to nothing, causing some of them to pull a Screw This, I'm Outta Here and use the Calamity Box to move to Amphibia to start a new life there instead.
  The Core: Dear Marcy. No one empire, no one clan, can ever truly withstand the test of time, not even the Wus. That is the folly of being made of mere flesh, blood, and bone. Like those before them, they fell victim to a changing world.
• Obliviously Evil: Marcy knows about the Core and is helping it and King Andrias's plans, even knowing it will involve Taking Over The World. However, the fact the Core and its plan are evil is not something she realizes, and believes it is benevolent and trying to take over The Multiverse for the greater good. Otherwise, Marcy can be as the friendly and Lovable Nerd as she is in the show.
• Oh, Crap!:
  • Sasha and Grime when they unveil the murals of King Andrias' true nature and Marcy's ancestors.
  • Anne and the rest of the heroes when King Andrias reveals his and Marcy's ancestry before them.
  • Frobo has this just before Marcy blows him up.
  • Sprig has this after seeing how livid Marcy got when she heard Anne call him her best friend while she's holding her outside the window.
  • Marcy and King Andrias when they realize Anne still has her powers right after Marcy drops Sprig out the window and start getting the crap beaten out of them.
  • Anne has this reaction when Marcy's mother, with a Madness Makeover that resembles her daughter, confronts her in the supermarket about the Christmas letter she sent her.
• Only Sane Man: With Marcy's and her mother's Sanity Slippage, Marcus Wu has become this in his family. He calls his wife out for assaulting the Boonchuys, pointing out that's not going to help them find their daughter.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Anne knows Marcy to be the type of person where a surprise of the caliber that King Andrias revealing humans came to Amphibia before them just pulled would respond with Comical Overreacting. Her quiet, subdued response makes Anne start to realize Sasha was telling the truth.
• The Only One I Can Trust: King Andrias all but says this about Marcy to Lady Olvia, before she merges with the Core willingly.
  King Andrias: Madness was allowing myself to put my trust in the wrong people! A mistake I will never make again, and to ensure this, my master will finally receive its host.
• Opportunistic Bastard: While it's not known if Andrias was going to let Sprig live after Polly compiled with his demand on putting back the stolen Calamity Box, seeing Marcy's reaction to Anne calling Sprig her best friend, he decides to give her the green light to drop him out of the window to make the heroes suffer a loss.
  He truly relished these rare moments when things lined up just perfectly.
• Parental Substitute: In Chapter 2, Sasha catches herself mentally referring to Grime as "her old man", having a brief train of thought that indicates she's much closer to him than her own parents.
• Percussive Therapy: Marcy does this more than once in her mindscape, including destroying replica of her home in the human world.
• Pet the Dog: After being impressed at seeing Marcy pass the final test they gave her, the Core decides to let Marcy be at the "helm" of the Mind Hive when they merge, acting as The Symbiote, with no indication of any strings attached or ulterior motive.
• Pose of Supplication: Marcy does for the Core as if it were her God.
• Possessive Wrist Grab: Marcy does this to Anne in Chapter 5, during her Motive Rant. Unlike most examples, this isn't a display power or dominance but an act of erratic desperation trying to get her on board in her We Can Rule Together pitch with the Calamity Box and not lose her, too.
• Post-Support Regret: Anne feels this about trusting Marcy. Particularly as Marcy is not an Unwitting Pawn here, but willingly pulled a Face–Heel Turn, even dropping Sprig out the window due to being jealous of the Plantars' bond with Anne.
• The Power of Hate: The Core manipulates Marcy in utilizing this in her mindscape.
• Pragmatic Villainy: When Sasha and her rebel team are caught in his trap, King Andrias lets them know he doesn't plan to kill them. This isn't out of kindness but to instead parade them around in cages to Make an Example of Them to reduce the rebellions' morale. He also intends to deliver Sasha to Marcy when she wakes up her as an apology for stabbing her by accident, as well as to curry favor with the Core for his error.
• Precursor Worship: Marcy does this with her ancestors, the Wu Clan, some of whom have joined the Core. As a result, she reveres the Core as a god.
• Predecessor Villain: The Wu Clan are this to Marcy and the Core, being the ancestors to the former that created the Calamity Box and having created the latter while creating Newtopia's conquest-based society.
• Protagonist Journey to Villain: This story is pretty much this for Marcy.
• Psycho Knife Nut: Marcy was given a Laser Blade knife likely by King Andrias and during her Villainous Breakdown stabs Sasha in the leg with it with a Slasher Smile.
• Psycho Psychologist: The Core acts as a surprisingly benevolent version of this to Marcy, although this is to mold her into a more ideal vessel than actually solve her legitimate psychological issues, many of which it's responsible for in the first place.
• Psycho Supporter: Marcy has become this for the Core. Praising them like a deity and all but begging to merge with the Mind Hive.
• Psychotic Smirk: The Core's human form does this once Marcy falls deeper into their clutches. Marcy also shares and exchanges this with them too.
• Punctuated Pounding:
  • Anne does this while repeatedly punching Marcy in the face, blaming her former friend for sending her to a Death World for 5 months.
  Anne: YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A LIAR! A FILTHY! STINKIN'! STUPID! BACKSTABBING!! LIAR!
  • Marcy later returns the favor when Anne tells her she didn't deserve to have her or Sasha as friends, hitting her Hates Being Alone Berserk Button, and repeatedly smashes her face into the stone floor.
  Marcy: TAKE THAT BACK!! TAKE IT BACK!!! I SAID TAKE IT BAAACK!!!
• Puppet King: King Andrias may appear to be the sole ruler of Newtopia to the heroes, but unknown to everyone (sans Marcy) we see him taking orders from the Core. It's entirely possible that the whole Leviathan dynasty was this to the Wu Clan when they came to Amphibia as they did this on Earth, before the Core was created.
• The Quisling: The entire premise of the story is, rather than being an Unwitting Pawn of King Andrias and the Core, Marcy is manipulated through More than Mind Control into an accomplice to view their plans for Multiversal conquest as a good thing, with them specifically promising her control of Earth afterwards, essentially sells out her entire planet in order to keep her friends to herself.
• Rage Against the Mentor: Marcy does this to the Core for making her relive one of her worst memories.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Anne gives one to Sasha in Chapter 3 about why she doesn't believe her claim that Marcy has pulled a Face–Heel Turn.
  Sasha: Anne. Please.
  Anne: ...How dare you. (Pushes Sasha away) I cannot believe I almost fell for that again! I mean, wow! Seriously, Sasha?! You're gonna try and save your skin by throwing Marcy under the bus?! HOW DARE YOU!! (Pushes her again) Let me tell ya something, Sash! (Pushes her a third time) Marcy's been more of a friend to me than you ever have! Marcy hasn't lied to me! She hasn't pushed me around! And she definitely hasn't tried to kill my family! Unlike YOU! (Death Glare) She's not only a real friend, she's my best friend! And so help me, if you ever talk about her like that again, I will personally stick this thing right in your— (Notices Toad Army approaching) You were right; I am better off without you. We both are.
• Redemption Rejection: In Chapter 14, Lady Olivia tries to convince Marcy to pull a Heel–Face Turn, pleading to the teen that her actions in the throne room fight wasn't the real her. Marcy instead coldly tells her the Marcy she knew is gone and she has fully embraced the Core's vision for Amphibia's future.
• "Rediscovering Roots" Trip: After finding out she's a descendant of the original humans that lived in Amphibia, Marcy sees her herself going through this with the Core guiding her.
• Reforged into a Minion: The Core and King Andrias have implied to have done this to Marcy, albeit making her their Dragon instead of another one of the Mooks.
• Resurgent Empire: Marcy and King Andrias plan to turn Newtopia into this by being Multiversal Conquerors.
• The Reveal: King Andrias reveals that Marcy's ancestors were the first humans to arrive on Amphibia over a thousand years ago and they were the ones who created and gave the Calamity Box to the Newts, working together with them to build Newtopia together.
• Rich in Dollars, Poor in Sense: Sasha is this according to her mother.
• Right for the Wrong Reasons: Yunan and Lady Olivia intend to rescue Marcy because the latter believes the girl was only acting the the way she is has is because she's been Brainwashed by King Andrias. While it's heavily implied the Core did this to the young teen in the 1st chapter with further More than Mind Control while Marcy was in the Healing Vat, King Andrias possesses no such ability or technology to do that. To be fair she had never heard of or met the Core until not long afterwards.
• Rightful King Returns: King Andrias and the Core convince Marcy, a descendant of the Wu Clan, she is this after she helps get them back the Calamity Box after it was stolen a thousand years ago.
  King Andrias: And with its power, Newtopia shall finally return to its former glory! And who better to make this all possible than a daughter of Wu herself.
• Royal Favorite: It's quite clear from their interactions that King Andrias is particularly fond of Marcy, holding her in higher regard than anyone else in his court. He heavily implies to Lady Olivia that he considers her to be the only one he can trust (sans his master), even going so far as to introduce her directly to the Core and explain their intentions, successfully bringing her in on their Evil Plan. This is due to her being a direct descendant of the original humans that lived in Amphibia and genuinely liking her.
• Rule of Symbolism: Marcy has had her hairclip given to her by Sasha as a birthday present, that was destroyed by said girl in the throne room fight, replaced with a Newtopian one, symbolizing her embracing her Wu Clan heritage.

S-Z

• Sanity Has Advantages: Had Grace Wu shown the same mental restraint as her husband and Mrs. Waybright, apprehending Anne and her family would have gone a lot smoother, and possibly getting to be more co-operative in telling them where their daughters are.
• Sanity Slippage:
  • When the truth is revealed, Marcy doesn't slip into this trope so much as swan dive into it. Those who read her journal find out she was in the process this long before the throne room fight.
  • Anne suffers from sporadic mental episodes due to Marcy's betrayal. After a severe lack of sleep from trying to find a way back' to Amphibia, she regularly hallucinates Marcy taunting her and threatening her family. This results in her having imaginary fights in her head which results in very real injuries.
  • Mrs. Wu's mental health has seriously declined over the months due to worry for Marcy's disappearance. When she learns that Anne is back, she jumps to the conclusion that she kidnapped Marcy, and after cornering her at SpendCo brutally assaults her when she doesn't "confess". Oum points out to Marcy's father that Grace doesn't just want to find her daughter, she also wants to lash out and take her anger out on other people.
• Satanic Archetype: The Core can described as this with how it corrupts Marcy throughout the story, acting as the devil on her shoulder.
• Secret Test: Before King Andrias first introduces Marcy to the Core, he admits that he was testing her the whole time they met: The games of Flipwart, the missions he sent her on, the "secret library" with her friends, even going as far as luring the Barbari-ant colony to the city for her to drive off. He proudly states she excelled all his expectations and is truly worthy of the name 'Wu'.
• Shout-Out:
  • In the first chapter, Marcy imagined if she were a powerful sorceress, she would like to communicate with the spirits, raise the dead, and shuffle the orifices on her enemies' faces, the last part like a certain one-eyed demon did.
  • When Marcy tries to convince her friends to join her and King Andrias in their We Can Rule Together offer, she tries to pitch conquering worlds (specifically Earth) as a way to end conflict and poverty, like what Omni Man said to Mark in Invincible (2021). Just like in the show, their response to that is You're Insane!.
  • When Sasha tells Marcy to stand down in their fight, she responds with "I can do this all day."
  • In Chapter 13, Sasha gets Ivy to use Sprig's slingshot to rip open a bag of Boomshrooms and destroy the Frobots, similar to Katniss destroying the careers' supplies.
• Skilled, but Naive: Marcy may be a Teen Genius but The Core notes she lacks wisdom and maturity.
• Slasher Smile: Marcy sometimes displays this during her fight with heroes, showing just how disturbed she has become. Most notably when she stabs Sasha in the leg and has the Music Box in her hands.
• The Smart One Turns Traitor: Again, Marcy is this.
• Smug Smiler: King Andrias does this quite a bit when Marcy crosses more lines. Marcy adopts this trait after she comes out of her coma.
• So Proud of You: A dark, villainous example. The Core has this reaction when Marcy gains the will to kill saying she's ready before giving her a Headbutt of Love.
• Spanner in the Works: Amanda Waybright's plan to corner the Boonchuys and Plantars and peacefully take them into custody spirals into chaos when an unhinged Grace Wu decides to storm in and violently confront Anne about Marcy's whereabouts, causing Anne's family to fight back.
• Spotting the Thread: Rick Waybright receives Anne's Christmas letter letting him know Sasha is safe, his ex-wife, Amanda, compares it to one of Anne's old letters and notices they have the same handwriting. Needless to say, they aren't happy to realize that the Boonchuys got their daughter back, lied about knowing their daughter's whereabouts, and didn't tell them for months, fully intending to confront them.
• Static Stun Gun: Mrs. Waybright is forced to taser Mrs. Wu to stop her strangling Anne in Chapter 16.
• Stealth Hi/Bye: The Core's avatar form does this to Marcy more than once in her Mental World. This stops surprising her in Chapter 13.
• Stunned Silence: Everyone present, including Marcy and King Andrias, has this when the former accidentally gets stabbed by the latter's sword.
• Suddenly Shouting: When Yunan tries to attack the Core, Marcy angrily screams at her to get away from her master so abruptly that the Newt jumps back, being more disturbed by the 13-year old human girl than the Mechanical Abomination.
• Suddenly Speaking: In the first chapter, the Core is (somehow) capable of speaking to Marcy in its spherical body, whereas it could only speak through King Andrias' crown and Darcy's body in the original series.
• The Symbiote: Instead of the Grand Theft Me it pulls in canon as originally intended, the Core decides to take this approach with Marcy, since she became a more willing partner. Rather than take over her body and assimilate her mind, it instead merges with her in a more equal way, allowing her to be at the "helm", as King Andrias puts it.
• Teens Are Monsters: Marcy, of all people, has become this.
• That Man Is Dead: In Chapter 14, Marcy fully embraces the Core's, vision having fallen so far under its sway that she declares to a shocked Olivia and disappointed Yunan that the Marcy that they knew is dead, rejecting their attempted rescue. Anne later comes to this conclusion about her as well.
  Lady Olivia: Marcy, whatever he's done to you, it isn't too late! (Tearing up) This isn't the girl I know!
  Marcy: Oh, Olivia. Don't you get it? (Gives a malicious scowl) The Marcy you knew... is dead.
• Then Let Me Be Evil: Marcy seems to have this attitude in Chapter 14.
  Marcy: If they won't see the light... I'll make them feel the heat.
• There Are No Coincidences: King Andrias believes it was fate that Marcy, a direct descendant of the first humans that lived in Amphibia found the Music Box and came to Newtopia.
  King Andrias: Can't you see, Marcy? You didn't find the box by accident. You were always meant to.
• Thousand-Yard Stare: Anne has this at the end of Marcy's Motive Rant.
• The Tooth Hurts: Sasha knocks out 2 of Marcy's molars after repeatedly bashing her in the face with the Calamity Box, Marcy just quips she knows a good dentist after she spits them out. She regrows new ones after her stay in the Healing Vat following her accidental stabbing by King Andrias.
• Through the Eyes of Madness: Reading through Marcy's Journal is pretty much this, seeing her descent into villainy.
• Toxic Friend Influence:
  • King Andrias and the Core are this to Marcy, being much worse than Sasha could ever be.
  • Bee has this opinion on Sasha, saying he's not surprised at all to hear that she tried to lead a coup back in Newtopia.
• Tragic Villain: Marcy can be seen as this, especially as she breaks down crying in the Core's arms after failing to convince her friends Wecan Rule Together and instead see her as the enemy.
• Transhuman Abomination: Just like in the show, the Core's bizarre mechanical body is the shell for the minds of the geniuses of Amphibia's lost civilization, including the previous monarchs before King Andrias. Extra bonus points in this story for having actual humans in its Mind Hive.
• Trauma Button: Anything that reminds her of her Evil Former Friend Marcy is this for Anne.
• Troll: The Core admits to Marcy that they continue to pull Stealth Hi/Bye on the girl because they're amused by her Comical Overreacting every time. Guess even a Big Bad Mind Hive is Not So Above It All.
• Two Lines, No Waiting: After this fic's version of "The New Normal", the story shifts between Anne on Earth (barely) coping with what just happened and Marcy in the rejuvenation tank conversing with the Core in her subconscious until the end of Chapter 13.
• Unfinished, Untested, Used Anyway: King Andrias tries to tell Marcy that the Brain Upload device to transfer the Core's Mind Hive into Marcy hasn't been tested, so they'd be flying blind on it, which was why he'd been pushing for them to delay the process. To his surprise, Marcy insists on going through with it immediately. It works.
• Ungrateful Bastard: Marcy sees her friends as this.
• Un-person: By the story's beginning, the only one that knew of the Wu Clan's exploits on Earth and Amphibia was King Andrias and the Core until they brought Marcy in on their Evil Plan. They aren't happy about the fact their reputation was lost to the sands of time, with seemly their only proof existing in Amphibia were a mural hidden away and pictures of them in some old books.
  Marcy: They'd lost everything they had on Earth... And when they finally came back, the whole world was so different, no one remembered who they were. Like they never even existed.
• Unwanted Rescue: Lady Olivia and Yunan plan to rescue Marcy from King Andrias, believing her to be brainwashed. Marcy all but states that she doesn't want or need saving and wants to be by his side.
• Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Bee finds it difficult to believe the same Marcy that introduced him to her favorite video games, could be capable of selling out her planet and attempted murder.
• Ultimate Final Exam: In the climax of Chapter 13, the Core seemingly presents one to Marcy before she wakes up. After summoning an army to wipe out her ideal world, they get the girl to get rid of her hesitation and mercy by wiping out an entire army by herself, in which she gleefully does in a Curb-Stomp Battle in her favor ending with her Laughing Mad, much to the Core's approval.
  Marcy looked down at the village, seeing the army draw closer and closer. It was clear now that this was a test. The final test given to her by The Core. Everything that she had been thrown into, taught, and subjected to. It had all led to this very moment. Marcy knew that The Core, no longer the woman, wanted her to make a decision; to do whatever it took to protect her perfect world. And Marcy did just that.
• The Usurper: The founder of the Wu Clan, King Wu of Chu, was crowned after he took the throne as Viscount of Chu from his brother Fenmao, as he did in real life.
• Utopia Justifies the Means: Marcy believes that Newtopia Taking Over The World would be a good thing.
• Villain Protagonist: Marcy is this, as she is still a major POV character in the story who happens to be evil and increasingly insane due to the Core's manipulations.
• Villain Has a Point: While her actions in Chapter 16 towards Anne and her parents are inexcusable, Grace Wu points out that the Boonchuys knew about her daughter's whereabouts for months and never informed her or her husband when they had every right to know. She also points out that for all they know Marcy could be dead for the past year. Oum and Bee have no counter-argument for this and can only look away in shame.
• Villain Takes an Interest: The Core takes more of an interest in Marcy than in canon, due to her being a direct descendant of some of the Mind Hive. They are much more invested in turning her into their host and succeeding in getting her to join willingly.
• Villainous Breakdown: The whole throne room scene is a prolonged one for Marcy, as Anne and Sasha's rejection of her manipulations and plans causes her to snap into a berserker rage and attack them. By the end of the fight, she has had a Madness Makeover, is willing to grievously harm her human friends to prevent them from leaving her, tries to kill her former non-human friends for "stealing" Anne from her and the last thing she says to Anne before she escapes to Earth is that she hates her before passing out from her injuries.
• Villainous BSoD: Marcy has a brief one shortly before the above-mentioned Villainous Breakdown when Anne calls her evil for joining forces with King Andrias in being a Multiversal Conqueror, collapsing to her knees crying. When the heroes take on King Andrias, Marcy screams like a banshee and attacks Anne with her Laser Blade sword.
  Those two words that came forth from Anne's lips. They destroyed her. They ruined her. They gave way to the monster they'd made her out to be.
• Villainous Friendship: Marcy and King Andrias are pretty much Only Friend to each other at this point.
• Villainous Legacy: Despite being forgotten to the sands of time, the Wu Clan shaped the course of human and amphibian history. Only King Andrias knew this until he told Marcy she was descended from them preventing them from being an Unperson, which she views as a Secret Legacy.
• Villainous Lineage: It's discovered in the story that Marcy is descended from the Wu Clan, an Ancient Conspiracy that ruled Eurasia from the shadows for thousands of years, and also aided the Newts in their rule of Amphibia and Multiversal Conquests after they created the Calamity Box. Anne and Sasha view Marcy's ancestors as evil inter-dimensional warlords that have been manipulating history to suit them. Marcy, on the other hand, thanks to King Andrias and the Core's emotional and psychological manipulation, sees it as a Heroic Lineage and she intends to live up to it.
  Sasha: I told you, Anne! She’s in on it!
  Grime: Her whole family's been in on it!
• Visionary Villain: Marcy shows shades of this during her Motive Rant, as she sees conquering worlds (specifically Earth) as a way to end conflict and poverty.
• We Can Rule Together: King Andrias and the Core successfully get Marcy in on this. Marcy also tries this on Anne and Sasha. But of course, Anne and the others are not interested and are even more creeped out and aghast by Marcy's actions than in canon. So when the battle breaks out, Marcy is forced to fight against them.
• We Used to Be Friends: Obviously, learning the true extent of Marcy's betrayal destroys her friendships with Anne and Sasha. She also terminates her bond with Olivia after the latter tries to "rescue" her from King Andrias. As of now, King Andrias is her Only Friend and vice versa.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Marcy genuinely believes that aiding King Andrias and the Core in becoming a Multiversal Conqueror is for the greater good of The Multiverse.
• Wham Line: King Andrias gives 2 more to the heroes than in canon in quick succession.
  • He reveals who created the Calamity Box.
  King Andrias: And these strangers made it all possible with this. (Gestured to the Box in his hand.) Honestly, it is truly amazing to discover what humans are capable of.
  • He gives another one letting them know he knew more than he let on.
  King Andrias: Tell me, Anne, did you and your friends truly believe that you were the first humans to visit Amphibia?
• What the Hell, Hero?:
  • Both Anne and Sasha are infuriated and horrified at discovering that Marcy's the reason why they were trapped in Amphibia and is selling out their planet to King Andrias; even when she tries to explain her motivations to them, they have none of it. Unlike canon, Marcy doubles down and fights them.
  • Marcy's parents call out the Boonchuys for leaving them in the dark on their missing daughter's whereabouts for months. Oum notes they're not exactly wrong to be mad at them.
• Why Did You Make Me Hit You?: Marcy has this attitude towards Anne for rejecting her We Can Rule Together pitch and getting into a fight to stop her.
  Marcy: You think I wanted any of this, Anne? You think I want to do this to you?! You think I want to see you in so much pain?!
• Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: When she and her team are captured in King Andrias's trap, she asks why he doesn't just kill them all. King Andrias explains her he plans to Make an Example of Them instead, while handing Sasha over to Marcy as an apology for accidently stabbing her. This gives them enough time for an escape plan.
• Wide-Eyed Idealist: Marcy is a darker, twisted version of this, believing that the Core's vision is for the greater good of The Multiverse.
• Worshipped for Great Deeds: Marcy looks up to her Villainous Lineage, seeing her ancestors in the Wu Clan having taken down warlords like Gaius Julius Caesar, formed entire empires, including Newtopia and Imperial China, and shaped the course of human history for centuries all as magnificent things that she needs to emulate to become a Multiversal Conqueror.
• Would Hurt a Child:
  • Marcy threatens to drop Sprig out of the window of the floating castle if Polly doesn't put down the Music Box. After Anne calls Sprig her best friend, Marcy follows through with it anyway.
  • When Marcy goes into Rage Against the Mentor mode after showing her Your Worst Memory, the Core resorts to grabbing her by the throat to get her to shut up and listen. To be fair, it did genuinely apologize after that.
  • Grace, Marcy's mother shows herself just as brutal as Marcy, brutally assaulting Anne when she doesn't believe her story about where Marcy is. When she meets Anne again in cuffs, she admits she wants to punch her in the face.
  Marcus: You attacked a child.
• Wrecked Weapon: When Anne goes Super Mode, she destroys Marcy's trademark wrist-mounted crossbow before she has a chance to fire it again.
• Yandere: Marcy is a platonic version of this, willing to do what it takes to keep Anne and Sasha to herself.
• Yellow Eyes of Sneakiness: The Core briefly shows an orange version of this trope as they manipulate Marcy further down the path of darkness.
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are: The Core, of all people, says this to Marcy in her subconsciousness.
• You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Mr. X has this reaction when he hears from Mrs. Waybright that Mrs. Wu is screwing up the whole operation to apprehend the Boonchuys.
• You Monster!:
  • A tearful Polly angrily calls King Andrias and Marcy this after the former orders the latter to destroy Frobo with a Boomshroom.
  • Anne goes as far as to call King Andrias and Marcy evil for what they're trying to do with their Evil Plan.
• You're Insane!:
  • Anne says this to Marcy after the latter reveals that she's voluntarily helping King Andrias in his plans of conquest and expects her friends to eagerly join her.
  • Lady Olivia calls King Andrias mad for allowing the Core to merge with Marcy and let her willingly become a part of the Mind Hive.
• Young Conqueror: Marcy aims to be this on a multi-dimensional level, alongside King Andrias.

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