Line #3 Recap/LuzClawthorneTwoWorldsOneFamilyChapter53


1	!Chapter 93: Nina on the Couch
2	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/93_7.png]]
3	[[caption-width-right:350:Art by Crash X Fusion: ''[[WesternAnimation/HeyArnold The point isn't to punish you. The point is to discuss the anti-social tendencies and examine possible strategies for improvement.]]'']]
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5	Nina has her first counseling session with Ms. Traveler, and lays out the lowest low points of her life.
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7	----
8	!!Tropes that appear in this Chapter:
9	* AbusiveParents: Leo and Pam Fangs are the emotionally abusive variety, never bothering to discipline Nina or comfort her about her problems themselves and instead pawning her off on other people.
10	* TheAce: For the Glandus top students:
11	** Before Nina, the top student of the Beast Keeping track was a [[SnakesAreSinister snake]] biped demon named Silas Hissenger.
12	** A girl named Cana was the previous queen before Emily.
13	** Barty Grumbles was the top Construction student until Cain overthrew him on his first day.
14	* ActorAllusion: Nina ends up singing a song to help calm her down in order to deal with her emotional trauma and pain, just as [[WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse Stevonnie]] [[Recap/StevenUniverseS4E4MindfulEducation did]].
15	* AnchoredShip: Donna and Nina's romance gets landlocked after Donna rejects Nina due to confirming her bullying record from Glandus.
16	* TheAtoner: After everything that's she been through, all Nina wants now is to make the most of her second chance, to become a better person than she used to be before getting paroled.
17	* BitchInSheepsClothing: Leo and Pam Fangs, Nina's parents, are officially this. This can also apply to Sonya, who was very friendly toward Nina in order to gain her trust and groom her.
18	* BittersweetEnding: Nina discovers she's infertile, loses her friendship with Donna along with having her feelings for her rejected, discovers her old friend Casey has disappeared, and comes to see her parents don't want her around. On the bright side, Nina becomes friends with Dusty and Tyler, she bonds with Slasher and helps put Sonya closer to getting arrested, receives her own palisman from Ms. Traveler, and to get some experience in dating, she asks Lambi out.
19	* BrokenTears:
20	** Nina's response every time she gets bad news or feels screwed over.
21	** Sunny is shown to have dried tears on her face; [[AmbiguousSituation it's not stated why she was crying]], but it may have to do with what happened to Steve.
22	* BrutalHonesty: Mao puts it bluntly that she is disappointed in Nina for giving werecats a bad name. What makes it more heart-wrenching is that Nina knows she's right.
23	* TheBusCameBack: While it's simply in flashbacks, Tito makes his first reappearance since "What is it Good For?"
24	* CallBack:
25	** We see a flashback of Nina waking up to find herself impaling Boscha.
26	** Batters is still mad at Nina for throwing him across a hallway.
27	** Gus mentions making peace with Nina kidnapping him and forgave her for it: him sticking up for her to his classmates earns her appreciation.
28	** Tyler mentioned that he gets hit in the head a lot back in "Swap or Not". After almost 80 chapters, he explains that there are repercussions to it, namely memory issues.
29	* CallingTheOldManOut: Towards the end of the dinner between the Brookes and Fang Tribe, Nina gives her parents a piece of her mind about how they handled her.
30	* TheCameo:
31	** Veronica, Tina, Beocrow, and Tyrone are seen hanging out with Donna when Nina went to visit her after her win against Silas.
32	** Glinda has a silent one when Nina went to her home in an attempt to apologize to her.
33	** Nina spots Boscha with her friends before trying to avoid her.
34	** Amity is only seen in two scenes, both times having a makeout session with Luz.
35	** Willow, Viney, Cat, Bo, and Matt are seen helping Nina, Skara, and Dusty set up missing posters of Casey.
36	* CassandraTruth: Sonya tries to tell Nina that the Tarot Guild didn't kidnap Amity, Willow, Gus, and Eve when accused of it during their meeting, but Nina (having learned that Sonya's behavior toward her was inappropriate) won't hear it.
37	* ContentWarning: The chapter comes with a trigger warning regarding the topic of grooming.
38	* ContinuityNod:
39	** Following Sonya's first experimental procedure, Nina gained cheetah legs, which she used in her debut.
40	** Nina continues to show guilt over hurting Boscha, as well as Gus, Amelia, Dusty, and Glinda.
41	** Nina recounts her duel with Luz to Tyler, and later mentions showing off her drumming skills to the human, both of which occurred two weeks ago.
42	** Tyler and Eve being on the cheer squad is mentioned again.
43	** Nina says to Sonya the same thing that Mattholomule said to Bria in "No Dancing Around": "Something I should've done a long time ago".
44	* CurbStompBattle: Nina went through two of these against Silas, the second time after a quick loss in a witch's duel she issued the challenge to. Thanks to Sonya, she turned it around and gave him ATasteOfHisOwnMedicine.
45	* ADayInTheLimelight: For the first time, Nina is the main protagonist as her backstory is revealed via counseling session with Ms. Traveler. The Brooke family also gets a lot of focus as a result of this as well as the Fang Tribe.
46	* DisappointedInYou: Mao says this to Nina when she calls her out for making werecats look bad.
47	* {{Expy}}:
48	** Silas is one of Tung Lashor, a villain from ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower''.
49	** Cana and Bela are based off of Amy and Sammy/Samey from ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama''.
50	** The green bloodhound demon who hung out with Silas is one of Muttley from ''WesternAnimation/WackyRaces''.
51	** Casey Whiskabee is based off of Casey Hartley from ''VideoGame/NightInTheWoods''.
52	** Banshees cheerleader Andrea Pinkjoy is a witch version of [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Pinkie Pie]].
53	** Jageera Kipling is a mix of Bahgeera, Pantho from Thundercats, and T'Challa. His last name is a shout out to Rudyard Kipling, the writer of ''Literature/TheJungleBook''. Clockwork Cab is a parody of Jaga, Lion-O's mentor.
54	* EyeScream: Nina accidentally mauled Cally in her youth, scratching out her left eye which left a scar.
55	* {{Familiar}}: Ms. Traveler gifts Nina with a red shishi palisman, which she names Tugs when she bonds with him.
56	* {{Foreshadowing}}: When Calypso mentions the Tarot Guild during dinner with Nina's family, she and Nina share a look. This hints at Nina having already told Calypso about Sonya, which is revealed later in the chapter.
57	* FramingDevice: Nina's counseling session with Ms. Traveler acts as such for the flashbacks, as Nina recalls all the events.
58	* GetARoom: Nina says this the first time she catches [[MakeOutKids Luz and Amity making out]].
59	* GivenNameReveal:
60	** Nina's parents are named Leo and Pam Fangs.
61	** Sonya's last name is Mera.
62	** Tyler's last name is Skullovitch.
63	** Nina's previously unnamed siblings are named Itchy, Max, and Cally.
64	** Raine's mother is known as Dr. Hail Whispers.
65	* GoalInLife:
66	** Some of the former top students expressed these to Nina; Tito wanted to be a great musician like Raine and Scooter Crane, Stella didn't have a clear goal but wanted to decide it with Emily, who had hoped to succeed Lilith as head of the Emperor's Coven.
67	** Nina changes her goal from being the first lycan head witch to becoming a better person and striving to gain her independence.
68	* HateSink:
69	** Leo and Pam Fangs treat their daughter horribly, never trying to be supportive of Nina for the sake of upholding their images and continuously passing her off to other people rather than confronting her themselves. They also planted in Nina's head insecurities that she wasn't good enough for Donna, telling the healer to stay away from their daughter for her own safety.
70	** Emily sinks further into this as her actions during the war left Nina with permanent injuries, and her telling Donna what she knows about her past leads to Donna cutting all ties with Nina.
71	** Silas, the previous Glandus top student in Beast Keeping, made Nina's early days there a living hell. Seeing him get defeated by her is a sight to behold.
72	* IncompatibleOrientation: Nina's old friend Casey Whiskabee had feelings for her but when he tries to express them, Nina had to turn him down on account of her being a lesbian.
73	* JustAKid
74	* KickTheDog: Donna rejects Nina and cuts all ties with her after learning about her history of bullying, shattering the werecat's heart in the process. And this was after Nina asked her to meet not long after learning she was infertile.
75	* LaserGuidedAmnesia: Tyler says he has trouble remembering certain things, on account of getting brained on the head often.
76	* LaserGuidedKarma:
77	** Silas harassed Nina frequently, beating her up including when she challenged him to a witch's duel. After receiving enhancements from Sonya, Nina kicked his ass without taking a hit, replacing him as top student.
78	** Cana, the previous queen of Glandus, mistreated her sister Bela, mocked Nina and her friends, and electrocuted the werecat for talking back to her. At some point, [[TheDogBitesBack Bela cursed her with the plague as retribution]].
79	** Defied and zigzagged for Sonya. Nina sets her up for a sting operation as revenge for her illegal experimentation on the werecat and when she tries to get away, Luz restrains her. Unfortunately, Lupe breaks her out of her convoy, so Sonya remains at large, but is now recognizable by the Emperor's Coven and must lay low once more.
80	* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Hail is unaware of her child's whereabouts, but believes Raine will turn up soon.
81	* LuminescentBlush:
82	** Emily actually gives one off when Glinda told her friends she wanted to decide their future together.
83	** Lambi blushes when Nina calls her date outfit pretty.
84	* LuredIntoATrap: Nina gets Sonya to meet with her for an interrogation about what happened to Casey. It soon become clear Nina's overall plan was to get her arrested by Calypso for experimenting on her.
85	* MakeOutKids: To Nina's vexation, she catches Luz locking lips with Amity twice. The first time she tells them to GetARoom The second she warns them that making out in school will get Faust's attention, but they pay her no mind.
86	* MeaningfulName: Nina names her new palisman Tugs, likely to honor her deceased neighbor, Mr. Tuggers.
87	* MinimalistCast: While several characters appear in the flashbacks, Nina, Ms. Traveler, Lambi and Tugs are the only characters seen in present time.
88	* MultiPartEpisode: This marks the beginning of a multi-part chapter leading into the events of "[[Recap/TheOwlHouseS2E14ReachingOut Reaching Out]]".
89	* MyGreatestFailure: Nina acknowledges how she acted in the past just painted her and all the lycans of Torso Villa in a bad light...
90	* MyGreatestSecondChance: ...so she becomes determined to now make the most of her being granted parole to make up for those mistakes, with her GoalInLife going from being the Beast Keeping coven head to gaining her independence.
91	* MythologyGag: The beginning mirrors the ''[[Webcomic/MoringMarkTOHComics Moringmark]]'' comic "[[https://www.reddit.com/r/TheOwlHouse/comments/yk60u3/some_dreams/ Some Dreams]]": like Luz, Nina explained her dream for the future as a class report and was heckled by her classmates who thought little of it. Like Camila with Luz, Mao gave Nina her condolences and encouraged her to make her dream a reality.
92	* NotAfraidOfYouAnymore: Because of the shock collar, Nina's old classmates no longer fear her.
93	* OddFriendship: Nina forms one with Dusty and Tyler each, the former bonding with her and opening up with a very personal secret and the latter inviting her to join the Hexside cheer squad.
94	* OnceMoreWithClarity: The early flashbacks show when Nina stopped believing in the Titan (as mentioned in "Fairly God-Witches") and fought her sister (as mentioned in the previous chapter).
95	* OutOfFocus: Nina is given the entire chapter to develop with Skara providing emotional support, so the rest of the main cast is shafted. Luz and Gus at least have three lines, while Amity, Willow, Viney, and Boscha have non-speaking cameos.
96	* PetTheDog: Tamme Wishbone, captain of the cheer squad, is willing to give Nina a chance because Tyler vouches for her. She also lets Eve stay on the cheer squad despite her being "a walking disaster".
97	* TheReveal:
98	** The original Beast-Keeping Head Witch was Scourge the Viking Witch. After his death, he was succeeded by Oso and after him was another Head Witch named Fara Craft who was replaced by Eberwolf after she vanished.
99	** Werecats can't assume a non-lycan witch form because of a witch named Hotep Koff who trapped them in their lycan bodies so that they were unable to disguise themselves as normal witches. His mummified body in kept in a temple at the Torso Villa.
100	** Cain became the top student of Construction on his first day attending Glandus.
101	** Dusty is immortal, which is how he appears in the past.
102	** Nina met Eve when the SSE solved a case in Torso Villa and once kidnapped her.
103	** Louis is on the cheer squad.
104	** Mao Purrsian is in the Healing Coven.
105	** When Emily stabbed Nina, she got her right in the womb and by extension, the uterus. Because of the damage, Nina is infertile, so she can't have children.
106	** Emily told Donna about Nina's entire criminal history when she interviewed her.
107	** After Bo was rescued, Nina told Calypso about Sonya.
108	** When Sonya performed her first experiment on Nina, the werecat was able to transform so she could have tentacles, gorilla arms, and horse legs.
109	* SequelHook: Nina asks Lambi out on a date to the Bonesborough Brawl, the chapter ending with the two of them leaving for the event.
110	* ShippingTorpedo: Emily officially gets branded as one, as telling Donna about Nina's past leads to Donna coldly rejecting her upon receiving confirmation.
111	* ShockAndAwe: Cana used lightning spells on Nina to keep her from standing up to her.
112	* ShoutOut:
113	** This chapter's title is one to the ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' episode, "Helga on the Couch".
114	** Dusty being immortal jabs at the fact that Ash remained 10 years old for his entire 25-year run as the protagonist of the ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' anime.
115	** Mao's calling out to Nina uses lines from ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol2''.
116	** Nina and Slasher sing "[[WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse Here Comes a Thought]]". It also counts as ActorAllusion on Nina's part.
117	** After the dinner, Nina asks why her parents don't want her, a nod to the same heartbreaking scene from ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'' episode, "[[Recap/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAirS4E24PapasGotABrandNewExcuse Papa's Got a Brand New Excuse]]".
118	* SnakesAreSinister: Silas repeatedly harrassed Nina when she started out at Glandus, regularly using a whip on her and beating her up.
119	* SorryImGay: Nina ends up rejecting Casey by telling him this.
120	* StepfordSmiler: Leo and Pam embody this on a permanent basis, but it's an easy tell when they show contempt.
121	* SynchronousEpisodes: This is the first of a set of chapters that overlap with each other.
122	* ThrowTheDogABone: When Gus spots some of his classmates about to prank Nina, he tells them to back off. When one of them questions why he'd defend his kidnapper, he tells them he's made peace with her and her actions: this boosts Nina's opinion of him.
123	* TraumaCongaLine
124	* TheUnFavorite: Turns out that Nina is this to her parents.
125	* UnseenNoMore: Mao Purrsian, mentioned in "A Coven Day Disaster", appears in the flesh.
126	* WhamEpisode: Nina has her first counseling session with Ms. Traveler, where she lists all the progress she's made to better herself after all the recent low points in her life. To help Nina along, Ms. Traveler gives her a shishi palisman while Skara motivates her into asking Lambi out to help her get over Donna, taking her to the Bonesborough Brawl.
127	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: It wasn't revealed what happened to Silas after Nina defeated him, and Bela is rumored to have gone to the Forest of Fear after taking her revenge on her twin.
128	* WhipOfDominance: Silas often used a whip against Nina to emphasize his ranking above her as the top Beast Keeper.
129	* WingdingEyes: When Nina fantasizes about going into cheerleading, she imagines Donna looking at her with heart-shaped eyes.
130	* WholeEpisodeFlashback: This chapter is told in a series of flashbacks, with Nina's appointment with Ms. Traveler as a FramingDevice.
131	* WombHorror: After Nina's checkup, Hail sadly reveals to her that her impalement wound had left her infertile. This sends Nina spiraling into a breakdown and sometime later, she's fallen into depression.
132	----
133	-->[-Website/ArchiveOfOurOwn: [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/35043157/chapters/114498475 HERE]]-]

Context Recap / LuzClawthorneTwoWorldsOneFamilyChapter53