http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/LuzClawthorneSidetrackItsAWaybrightLife

LC Sidetrack: It's A Waybright Life

Art by Crash X Fusion

Sasha's life growing up in Amphibia is revealed, and it leaves her feeling remorseful.

Tropes that appeared in this chapter:

Adaptational Angst Upgrade:
- Sasha's life in the Toad Army exposed her to the brutal lifestyle they had, which heightened after she witnessed a new recruit being eaten by the Wartwood Herons. After returning to her home world after what she's done, she also shows severe anxiety and guilt over her actions.
- Andrias is more somber over what he did to Marcy due to his seeing her as his daughter.
Big Damn Reunion: Anne's reunion with her parents is more heartwarming after they spent seven years apart, and Oum and Bee take the time to embrace Sasha as well.
Birds of a Feather: Sasha is eager to meet Luz after hearing about her from Anne. With their similar personalities, it's easy to see why.
Bratty Food Demand: Following her second escape, Young Sasha heads to the Toad Tower kitchen and makes Grime cook her some waffles. He makes worm waffles which she naturally refuses to eat, begrudgingly doing so after Grime says her other option is to starve.
Cliffhanger: This sidetrack ends with the Boonchuys, Sprig, Polly, and Sasha getting pulled over by the Huntsman.
Continuity Nod: Anne meeting Lumity and the outcome of the Amphibia party being sent to Earth is shown.
A Day in the Limelight: Sasha, as the title indicated.
Dies Differently In The Adaptation:
- As Marcy's Journal: A Guide to Amphibia states, Ex-Captain Ernst fell into the ocean to his death after Marcy used her insta-vine potion to incapacitate him. Here, he's beaten to death after Sasha unlocks her Calamity powers.
- In canon, the Cloak-Bot gets destroyed by Anne in its fourth appearance. Here, it gets destroyed almost immediately upon arrival by an Ex-Bot.
Hairpin Lockpick: Kid Sasha escapes the cage the toads put her in after her first escape attempt using this method.
Hope Spot: Things look good for the Boonchuy-Plantar-Waybright party as they begin to head to Gravity Falls to meet up with the Pines family. Unfortunately, they're held up by the Huntsman impersonating a police officer. That explains why they haven't been seen since, but this means they're not safe now...
In Spite of a Nail: While getting their bearings on Earth, Sasha confirms that Anne still has her Calamity powers. Moments later, Marcy's journal falls out of Anne's backpack since she stuck it in there during the escape.
Lampshade Hanging: A toad guard comments that the bars to the prison cell the soldiers threw child Sasha in were wide enough to allow an escape, stating it to be a design flaw.
Little Miss Con Artist: Sasha is shown to be one talented hustler at age 6, scamming all the toad soldiers out of their rations by doing favors or tricking them. This is what inspires Grime to offer helping her to cultivate her manipulative skills.
Locked Out of the Loop: The Plantar siblings and Sasha have returned to Earth, but they're unable to reach the Pines because the Mystery Shack was closed and they were in the middle of keeping reality from ending.
Once More, with Clarity: We see how Sasha ended up going to Earth with Anne, Sprig, and Polly instead of Hop Pop.
Parental Substitute: Besides Grime, Percy and Braddock were this for Sasha after Grime put them in charge of watching over her.
Point of Divergence: To "The New Normal". Encouraged by Sasha, Anne tells her parents everything about what the girls experienced in Amphibia, right down to Andrias stabbing Marcy. Meanwhile, the Cloak-Bot gets destroyed almost immediately after arriving in the Human Realm.
Related in the Adaptation: Molly Jo is Sasha's younger cousin here as their mothers are twin sisters. This makes Robert Otto Sasha's granduncle.
The Reveal:
- Sasha got her X-shaped scar during a battle with Ernst.
- Grime threw Sasha into the portal to Earth during their bout against Andrias.
- Hop Pop stayed in Amphibia because he was helping Olivia and Yunan and couldn't reach the portal in time.
Sequel Hook:
- Before vanishing, Pastor McCay tells Sasha if she ever needs to see him, travel to Echo Creek.
- For now Sasha doesn't want to reunite with her family because she fears how they'll respond to who she's become.
- With the Huntsman having held up the Boonchuys, Sasha, and the Plantars, it creates tension with the idea that the Archangels captured them.
- How will Andrias respond to Cloak-Bot's destruction once he learns about it?
Shout-Out:
- The title is a reference to It's a Wonderful Life
- While beating Ernst to death, Sasha shouts "Muda-Muda".
Significant Wardrobe Shift: Oum and Bee buy some new clothes at a thrift store for the kids to wear. While Anne dons her Season 3 attire (albeit with red sneakers instead of purple and white) and Sprig & Polly use their canon disguises, Sasha takes to wearing a mostly black outfit comprising of a Twisted Sister t-shirt, skirt, boots, and purple socks.
Synchronous Episodes: The chapter's events in the present take place after the events of "Closing the Gates" and thus, during "A Tale of Two Palismen".
Uncertain Doom: Whatever the Huntsman did to the Boonchuys after pulling them over, it can't be good.
The Un-Reveal:
- While we now have an idea what happened to the Boonchuys and their guests, we still get no word on what happened to Hop Pop, Grime, Olivia and Yunan after the kids were sent to Earth.
  - Additionally, it isn't confirmed if the truck that stopped the Boonchuy's car was planned by the Archangels.
- Pastor McCay somehow projected to where Sasha had run off to after she bolted from the Boonchuy residence and was invisible to anyone who wasn't her. His mere introduction to her doesn't give any answers when she asks who he is.
  Pastor McCay: Just a passing stranger. Maybe a phantom from a dream trying to help you understand the things you already know. Or perhaps I'm an emissary of a higher power, here to help you, Sasha Waybright.
Wham Shot:
- Cloak-Bot is so busy scanning for Anne upon its arrival on Earth that it fails to see the Ex-Bot coming down on it.
- The police officer that stops the Boonchuys turns out to be the Huntsman, as evident by Bee pointing out his dragon birthmark.
Whole Episode Flashback: The chapter dictates what Sasha's life in Amphibia had been like and what happened to her, Anne, Sprig, and Polly after coming to Earth.