#V: The fire witch (The owl house AU)

[dancing-embers]

Tag dump: Verses

[wildborn-witch]

“There are tales spoken in hushed whispers, beyond the ears of the Emperor’s Coven, about a tribe of witches who were bonded to spirits—mystical beings born of wild magic. An ancient race they were, said to have been the first children of the Titan when it fell. Taking the form of beasts, they had the ability to heal and speak to the Isles, calling upon its natural power. These gifts they shared with the witches, who took their name in gratitude, and together, they and their descendants settled near the Heart, wishing to live in harmony with the wilderness and their ancestor.’ 

“Centuries passed, and eventually their neighbors came to wield magic of their own, sparking a new age of discovery. In this time, the original covens were formed, each following one of nine disciplines, yet they all recognized the ancient tribe as the first masters. On their part, the tribe stayed distant from the others, though anyone willing to learn from them was welcomed among their ranks.’

“Everything changed, however, with the coming of the Savage Ages. Chaos reigned, and conflict and unrest divided the land until a new figure arose: a mysterious witch who called himself Belos. Claiming to be an emissary of the Titan, he vowed to bring unity to the Isles, insisting that unbound magic only brought disorder. One by one, the nine covens bowed to his teachings, but the ancient tribe resisted—they saw him for what he truly was, and would not give up the old ways. Their defiance led to their destruction, as Belos and his coven hunted them all down until, at last, only their chief remained. Accused of high treason, he was sentenced to petrification, frozen in stone as Belos took the title of Emperor over the Boiling Isles.’

“It has been thirty years since the tribe’s extinction, and the spirits have fallen silent, fading into myth and legend. But nothing lasts forever, for a new awakening has begun. The old ways will be found once more, and in time, the Isles will see the return of…’

To those who have followed me already on both this blog and my main account, I want to thank you all so much for your patience and continued interest as this has taken shape. To those who are here for the first time, my name is Drekasál, and I’m proud to announce the official master post and FAQ for the Wildborn AU!

I intend to update this as often as possible as I continue to work on new pieces—both artistic and literary—as well as answer whatever questions that may come up in the future, but for now, I figure the basics would be good to start with, first and foremost being…

What is the Wildborn AU?

The Wildborn AU is my personal contribution to The Owl House fandom, centering around my witchsona Tristan O’Connor who is its main protagonist. Taking place after the events of Season 1, it explores my own take on the history of magic on the Isles by introducing the Wildborn—a tribe of ancient witches bonded to powerful spirits of the same name.

Lore

Originating from days long before the Savage Ages, the Wildborn came into being when the Titan first fell, and hold great power over the Isles’ primordial forces. Reflecting their wild natures, their spiritual forms take on the form of beasts, both mythical and mundane.

In the past, the spirits had a rocky relationship with the early witches, whom had not evolved bile-sacs yet and thus relied on harnessing the wild magic of the Isles through glyphs. At some point in history, however, a young witch from an ancient tribe formed a Bond with the Thunderbird, the first of the spirits and their guardian. After that, the two groups grew closer, with more witches and spirits  forming Bonds with each other, eventually becoming the Wildborn tribe. Harnessing the power of their spirits, the Wildborn witches did not need to rely on glyphs, and those pairs who developed strong Bonds could Merge to become a new being, a reflection of the spirit’s beast form combined with the traits of their witch.

Regarded as the first masters of wild magic, the tribe was well-respected for centuries, even as other witches eventually evolved bile-sacs and formed the original covens. Tragically, that came to an end during the Savage Ages, which saw the appearance of Emperor Belos and his enforcement of the coven system. Seeing the Wildborn as untamable and a threat to his teachings, he ordered for their persecution, hunting them down and forbidding any mention of them, until at last it seemed they had been wiped out. But the tales still persist, and the spirits live on, waiting for the day their Guardian will return, and restore balance to the Isles...

Inspiration

This AU draws inspiration from both Wolfwalkers and Brother Bear, both of which are beautifully animated movies, but the latter especially I consider a criminally underrated Disney movie. Wolfwalkers mainly inspired the Hellhounds, the secondary group of characters in the AU, but both movies played a part in developing the Wildborn themselves, particularly their powers and portrayal as animal spirits.

The Characters

Tristan O’Connor - Protagonist in the Wildborn AU. He is a faun witchling enrolled in the Beast Keeping tract at Hexside School of Magic and Demonics. Shy yet kind, he has a deep love of nature and the wild, though it is a passion he has been forced to curb up until now due to the rigidity of the coven system. It is revealed later on that he is Bonded to the spirit Anam, making him the first living Wildborn to exist in thirty years.

Aedh - Deuteragonist in the Wildborn AU. He is a member of the Hellhounds, a pack of wolf-like fire elementals who live hidden beneath the Titan’s skull. Daring and adventurous, he doesn’t have the same bitterness against witches like his elders, having not been born during the time of their persecution, and he welcomes Tristan warmly as a friend. He proves vital in helping the witchling adjust to his Wildborn powers, teaching him how to be a Hellhound when he is Merged with Anam.

Anam - Tritagonist in the Wildborn AU. He is Tristan’s Wildborn spirit, originally being the soul of a Hellhound pup born with “too little fire”. As the AU progresses, it is discovered that he is Aedh’s younger brother and littermate, thus making Tristan, through his Bond with Anam, Aedh’s spiritual brother and and a member of the pack.

Tuft - Supporting character in the Wildborn AU. He is Tristan’s pet griffin, getting his name from his tufted ears uncommon to his kind. A frequent companion of the witchling, he is fiercely loyal and protective, accompanying him on his adventures in the wilderness.

Eleri O’Connor - Supporting character in the Wildborn AU. She is Tristan’s mother and a member of Bard Coven, stated to be well-respected as a master of her craft. She is shown to be a caring and loving parent, though she constantly worries about her son, partly due to her frequent absence in the household, as well as her fear that Tristan might never fit in and suffer for it. Although she is Adar’s daughter, she is not Wildborn herself, having never Bonded with a spirit.

Adar O’Connor/The Thunderbird - Supporting character(s) in the Wildborn AU. Adar O’Connor is Eleri’s father and Tristan’s grandfather, and was the last great chief Bonded to the Thunderbird before the extinction of the Wildborn tribe. When Adar was sentenced to petrification, the Thunderbird permanently Merged with him to save his life, and they act as guides to Tristan and his allies as the AU unfolds.

Arduinna “Rina” Ward - TBA

Arwain the Seeress - TBA

This list will be updated as new characters are developed and added!

Are the main cast of The Owl House involved?

Yes, actually! Their roles are still being developed, but I do intend for Luz to play an important part in this AU, given her rediscovery and usage of glyph magic, and she becomes one of Tristan’s close allies. Eleri herself has had interactions/relationships with Eda and Lilith in the past, when they were attending Hexside together as teenagers.

Is this an open AU? (Can anyone participate/make connections?)

I definitely wish for the Wildborn AU to be as open-ended as possible, as I love making potential connections with the stories/characters of other creators in the fandom. Fair warning, however, that this AU is still in constant development, so things are liable to change! Don’t be afraid to reach out if you have ideas you want to run by me!

Is fanart/fan fiction allowed?

Y E S. Fanworks are 1001% allowed and would honestly make me the happiest person ever ;;V;;

Master List

Eye of the Storm - Lore of the Thunderbird.

No Mercy - Hellhound lore

Reassurance - Aedh welcomes Tristan

Locked or Free - 100+ follower Instagram DTIYS

One Being - Tristan describes the Merge

Dumb Animal - Tristan and Aedh encounter Boscha’s gang at the Knee

Tristan’s Beast Form - Reference sheet

Forces of Nature - Wildborn lore

The Thunderbird - Official model sheet

Adar Concept Art

Hellhound Reference

The Last Wildborn - Official banner

Healing - Gift art/animation for @sobsinfrench​

«—•—»

If you have any more questions for me, don’t be afraid to submit an ask, and my inbox is open if you want to reach out to me directly! I also post artwork and occasional updates to my main blog @drekasal​, so be sure to follow me there as well! Thank you all so much for reading through this, and have a wonderful day!

[mrsjihyunkim]

Witch AU

Part 1      Part 2     Part 3      Reii’s art         The weeks turned into months and soon a year had passed. It was now starting to warm back up and spring had finally arrived. The twins had almost perfected their basic magic skills and now MC debated teaching them more.  She wanted them to be able to protect themselves when she couldn’t be there. Ever since Saeran had gotten sick and MC went to their house to help she had no doubts about their situation. Saeyoung tried to tell her that it was just a bad cold, but MC knew starvation when she saw it.  She wanted nothing more than to bring the twins to live with her but she knew better than to pry. So instead she made them charms so that they could tell her if they ever needed her help.  Over the months Saeran had wanted nothing more than to ask MC for help but Saeyoung kept asking him to be strong. Their mother’s abuse gotten much worse lately and it was getting harder for the twins to sneak away from her.  Lately they had been caught coming home every time and she held nothing back. One night she had locked Saeran in a closet for two days. Then a day came when she found a spell book that MC had let them bring home. Saeyoung thought he had hidden it so well but she still found it.  Their mother became more enragged than they had ever seen her. She threw the book into the fire and MC instantly felt it. All of her books had been written by her and she had poured pieces of her into them. When she felt that the book had been destroyed she feared for the twins safety. MC threw on a disguise and raced toward the boy’s home. At the house the boys had been cornered by their mother who held a knife. “I knew you two were demons. I should of killed you both the day you were born!” She went to bring the knife down but the twins used a spell to knock it out of her hands.

“Run Saeran!” Saeyoung grabbed his brothers hand and headed towards the door.  The door seemed so far to Saeran and his legs were numb with fear. He stumbled and his mother grabbed his hair.

“Die you fucking demon!” She tried dragging Saeran back to the knife but Sayoung used a spell to make her let go. He ran over to his brother and helped him up. They had almost made it to the door when it flung open. MC stood there almost breathless. She saw the broken glass everywhere and the twins looked beaten and were crying. There was an adult woman with red hair and she had glass in her hand and hate in her eyes. MC reached out her hands to the twins and they ran to her. They hid in the skirt of her dress as she pointed her wand at their mother. When she showed no signs of stopping MC waved her wand and cast a spell.

“Forget them.” She commanded as she disappeared with the twins. They were now in the woods not far from MC’s cottage.  Once they realized it was over the twins began to cry and MC felt her heart sink. She bent and did her best to comfort them as they cried. She knew their home life was bad but she never imagined their mother would actually try to kill them.  “Saeyoung, Saeran.” The twins wiped their eyes and sniffled. “Would you two like to come live with me? I can’t promise it will be a glamorous life but I can promise that I’ll love you as if you were my own children.” The twins stared at her with wide eyes and began to cry again. The boys flung their arms around her and continued to cry. They had been so worried about causing her trouble but all along she had wanted them. Saeran felt like his heart could burst but he could feel his brothers hesitation. Saeyoung still had questions and he really wanted to stay with her, but he didn’t know if it was safe. They may be safe from their mother but he was still worried about their father. Saeyoung pulled back from the hug and looked at the ground.

“MC, I think,” She placed a hand on his shoulder and he stopped mid sentence.

“I know it’s a lot to think about. So at least think about it over the night. For now let’s go back to the cottage and have some hot chocolate. You boys have been through a lot.” She smiled at them and Saeyoung nodded. They all held hands as they walked to the cottage. The whole time Saeran was on cloud nine, while Saeyoung felt nothing but guilt. He had met a man named V who said that he could hide him from his father and protect Saeran. He had been thinking about V’s offer for two weeks and was supposed to give him an answer tomorrow. Now he was even more confused on what to do.  MC could see the confusion on his face and knew he was thinking of some kind of plan. “Hey Saeran. Can you go start the hot chocolate? I want to ask your brother something.” Saeran looked concerned but MC’s smile comforted him and he headed inside. Once he was inside MC turned to Saeyoung and smiled at him. “If something is bothering you could tell me. I know you’re scared but I just want you and Saeran to be happy. I think we could all be really happy together.” She paused as he stared at her with wide eyes. “However, if you really think it’s better to leave Saeran then I promise to always protect him, but just think about it before you make a choice.” Saeyoung was not only surprised that she saw through him but just at her overall kindness. She was risking so much if she took both of them but she didn’t know any of that. Saeyoung couldn’t help but wonder if she would still be so kind if she knew about their father. He hoped so but he didn’t want to think about that right now.

“We should head inside. Saeran is waiting for us.” He tried to smile at her but it felt fake. MC hope that Saeyoung would stay but she would never force him too. The twins had faced many adversities and MC was worried that they would struggle for stability. They were both anxious but it all disappeared when they walked inside and saw the smile on Saeran’s face. Saeran had set the table and while piling his hot chocolate with whipped cream and other sweets.

“Saeyoung look!” His eyes shined as he put some sprinkles on top. MC and Saeyoung joined him at the table with smiles on their faces.

“It looks delicious little brother. Can you show me how you did it?” He scooted his chair close to Saeran and paid close attention to his instructions. MC was glad to see them so happy. They spent the rest of the day playing games, reading books, and tending to the garden.  Before they even noticed the sun had set and the twins were feeling sleepy. MC prepared a spare bedroom for them using her magic and was tucking them into beds and saying good night to them. She closed the door behind her and sat down at her desk. Her heart hadn’t been this full in a long time and she forgot how good it felt. Using her magic she cleaned up the cottage while she pulled out a piece of paper and began to write. There was a tapping from the window. MC looked and saw her pet owl. She let him in and he flew around before landing on his perch by the desk.

“Hello Alonzo. I know you just woke up but I have an errand for you to run. I need you to gather everything on this list by tomorrow. It’s not much but it is urgent. “ The owl ruffled his feathers and hooted at her. “You can lecture me all you want but I’m still doing it. You didn’t see the hate in that woman’s eyes. She was going to kill them and I couldn’t let that happen. I love them too much.” The owl hooted at her again and took the list before flying out the window.

“MC, do you really love us?” Saeyoung’s voice had surprised her and she jumped a little. It was easy to see that Saeyoung was worried about their future.

“Of course I do. It was impossible to not love you two boys. You’re both so gifted and spirited. I think that the fates wanted us all to meet because they knew that we would love each other. “ She smile warmly at him and Saeyoung smiled a bit too.

“We love you too but,”

“You’re worried about exposing me, right?” Saeyoung was shocked  that she knew but he nodded his head. “You don’t have to worry about that.  I’ve been alive for a very long time and I know how to stay hidden.” Saeyoung still looked unsure so she got up and kneeled down in front of him. She placed a hand on his heart and smiled. “Don’t think about anything. Just listen to your heart and say what you want. No logic, no think, just say it.” Saeyoung’s eyes went wide and he wore a cheeky smile after she finished talking.

“I want to stay with you and Saeran.” He said it without hesitation and it made him so happy to say the words. MC smiled at him and Saeyoung felt so warm when she smiled. “But there are somethings you need to know first.” Saeyoung’s face was now serious and MC understood. She knew that there was more to these boys than an abusive mother.

“Alright, but it’s late and you need sleep. We can talk in the morning.” She ruffled his hair and he smiled. Saeyoung was still nervous but talking to MC had helped him a bit. He turned around and headed back towards the bedroom. Saeyoung felt the events of the day finally wear on him and now that he wasn’t dreading tomorrow he felt like he could sleep.

“Good night MC. I love you.” He said before going into the bedroom

“I love you too Saeyoung. Sweet dreams.” She said from her desk as she watched him close the door behind him.