âThere are tales spoken in hushed whispers, beyond the ears of the Emperorâs Coven, about a tribe of witches who were bonded to spiritsâmystical 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.âÂ
âCenturies 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.â
âEverything 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 resistedâthey 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.â
âIt has been thirty years since the tribeâs 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 ofâŚâ
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 DrekasaĚl, and Iâm 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 piecesâboth artistic and literaryâas 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 beingâŚ
What is the Wildborn AU?
The Wildborn AU is my personal contribution to The Owl House fandom, centering around my witchsona Tristan OâConnor 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 Wildbornâa 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 Islesâ 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 spiritâs 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 OâConnor - 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 Titanâs skull. Daring and adventurous, he doesnât 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 Tristanâs Wildborn spirit, originally being the soul of a Hellhound pup born with âtoo little fireâ. As the AU progresses, it is discovered that he is Aedhâs younger brother and littermate, thus making Tristan, through his Bond with Anam, Aedhâs spiritual brother and and a member of the pack.
Tuft - Supporting character in the Wildborn AU. He is Tristanâs 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 OâConnor - Supporting character in the Wildborn AU. She is Tristanâs 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 Adarâs daughter, she is not Wildborn herself, having never Bonded with a spirit.
Adar OâConnor/The Thunderbird -Â Supporting character(s) in the Wildborn AU. Adar OâConnor is Eleriâs father and Tristanâs 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 âRinaâ 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 Tristanâs 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! Donât 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 Boschaâs gang at the Knee
Tristanâs 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 @sobsinfrenchâ
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If you have any more questions for me, donât 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 @drekasalâ, so be sure to follow me there as well! Thank you all so much for reading through this, and have a wonderful day!
Youâve heard of âHunter dyes his hair red to match Flapjackâ now get ready for âHunter TRIES to dye his hair red but the sibling hair-dying ritual goes horribly wrong and now it is pinkâ
And as promised, the villain squad! (See main protag squad here)
Decided to make Kiki absolutely TINY bc I love how she reaches, like, Hunter's thigh in the S2 poster as opposed to his chest in canon (at least one extremely clear screenshot from it)
Which also makes sense considering that with these proportions, their heads don't take up, like, 30% of their bodies (well-- Hunter's doesn't, Kiki's still kinda does đ). Kiki would have to be scaled WAAAY UP to reach Hunter's chest.
OK SO it has DEFINITELY been a hot minute since I was last in here, and I deeply apologize. School has been kicking my butt, and my focus has been getting through that hell as well another fandom AU Iâve been working, but I have been doing some thinking for TOH on the side! Now that fall semester is over, I think I can start to brain vomit again!
So just as a refresher, letâs take it from the top.
What is the Wildborn AU?
â Originally set to take place after Season 1, Wildborn follows the story of my kiddo Tristan as follows in the footsteps of the titular spirits, and his ancestors that followed them
â The Wildborn are animal spirits, beings of pure wild magic, coming into being when the Titan first fell
â Early witches prior to the evolution of bile sacs came to bond with these spirits, eventually able to harness magic through them, and even forming Mergesâfusion of witch and spirit into a single entity.
â As of the showâs current timeline, the Wildborn are almost completely extinct, having been hunted by Belos during his rise to power, leaving Tristan the last living descendant.
With that out of the way, letâs take a look at what weâve learned about in Season 2:
â Titanâs Blood.The most powerful form of magic in the Isles, capable of forming rifts between the Demon and human realms. Itâs how Philip Wittebane got to the demon realm, and what is used to power the key that opens the portal door.
â Belosâ Curse. Supposedly inflicted upon him due to âwild magicâ, causing him to turn into what I can only call an antlered mud monster. Bears some resemblance to a creature depicted in a mural fighting Kingâs father?
â Day of Unity. Building off of the above, Belosâ plan to eradicate wild magic entirely, by siphoning enough of the stolen magic from witches to unite the human and demon realms. In the context of Wildborn, this would have catastrophic consequences.
â Hunter/The Golden Guard. The Emperorâs right hand/nephew, a âbad yet sad boyâ, a bit younger than I was anticipating this was before Danaâs AMA/the first reveals, mind you, and quite possibly a Grimwalker, but that last oneâs a whole different can of worms. What I really find interesting is his desire to learn more about wild magic, partly out of a desire to aid his uncle, but there is this strong sense that he is a bird in a cage. I really want to explore some potential interactions between him and Tristan, though I may have to do some thinking on how to properly write that plot.
â Powerless witches. Hunter is one of these, and kinda seems like a trivial detail, but the fact that there is a history of them, plus the knowledge we have that many assumed Willow was one as well for a time, gives me some thoughts on how to potentially rewrite aspects of Tristanâs character. It would be a good method of foreshadowing/emphasizing his difference in that he can still cast magic, even though he technically shouldnât be able to because he doesnât have a bile sac. This is a rough thought, however, thatâll require some more brainstorming.
These are the main points that Iâve been musing on so far, and Iâll add more in here as they come up! Long story short, howeverâŚ
Honestly, I actually prefer that Gus got to solve this on his own. This was his fight, not Luz' or anyone else.
(I assume this isn't meant to be a deep character analysis, but I have thoughts, so I'll put everything under the cut.)
I doubt Luz would actually do anything about Bria if/when she hears Gus whole story for two reasons:
1. Gus doesn't need her to throw hands for him. He is perfectly capable and willing to do so himself (as we see in both S2E05 and S1E09). When he sees Luz next, he has already retaliated against Bria with his nightmare illusions.
2. Luz wouldn't start a fight unless Bria continues to antagonize her friends. That's what she did with Amity, where she tried to make a truce, only for Amity to squish King's cupcake and insult Luz. That's what she did with Boscha, where she endured a whole school day of bullying before finally challenging her. Yes, Luz will stand up for her friends. But she always prefers to solve things peacefully first.
With Bria not even living in the same city, she's unlikely to run into Gus again - and even then there's the question if Bria would want to antagonize Gus at this point.
