Hello! And welcome to The Titan’s Tomes Zine - a fan created project featuring the writers of The Owl House fandom. More info linked below. Interest Check opens March 1st!
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I mean, you could make arguments for/explain away all of those (Insert character got away with having no identification when that really should've been a problem for them) situations.
Principal Bump allowed Luz to enroll at Hexside in-exchange for Eda doing that laundry list of tasks for him.
King seemed to dismissed as Eda's pet by most people, plus he was never really placed in a situation where a lack of identification presented a problem. (He was never enrolled in school/got a library card/etc.)
As for how he got his paws on those adoption papers... Eh, I'm sure Eda knows a guy who could forge that kind of stuff. King being her son, he would probably be aware of that kind of criminal contact. Hell, Lilith is a former government official! She probably knows a guy who would rubber stamp adoption papers, no questions asked. King could've asked her for help.
Eda's library card could stem from when she was a child.
Hunter not having any official documents despite being the Golden Guard can be handwaved away as Belos wanting to isolate him from the outside world/make it hard for him to leave him.
The GG get up is distinct enough to serve as an ID to Coven Scouts and other Coven officials, he only ran into problems once he was out of uniform. His Coven sigil was only dismissed as a fake because of his young age. Hell, later on, he is recognized out of uniform by layperson Coven Scouts and he was actually trying to be in disguise there.
During Hunter's "infiltration" of Hexside, he seemed to fly under the radar because it was some sort of club day. The only adult he encountered then was Willow’s old Abomination Magic teacher, who seemed preoccupied with besting Willow/Emerald Entrails, not wondering where one of their players (Who was seemingly from a Magic Track that he played no role in teaching) came from.
It just strikes me as a bit... odd that Belos wouldn't insist on there being official records for every citizen of the Boiling Isles. He's trying to kill everyone, surely it would be helpful to know who every person is IMHO.
And I have used similar arguments and explanations to explain away why Caleb and Evelyn have library cards, titan bless <3
There probably ARE birth certificates. I won't deny that it's SOMEWHAT tracked; it most likely is! But it's probably not failproof and I think, whatever it is BELOS wants, the actual citizenry of the Isles, who are the ones keeping the records and giving out library cards, may be more lax.
The Empire's only been there fifty years. People are alive that remember a time BEFORE the Empire, and they may or may not have identification themselves because they were born before the system was in place (so no birth certificate). If they hadn't gotten to registering somewhere or were comfortable/established where they were, registration might not have been forced because it would cause unrest (and is that really a battle you want to pick anyway? They might be DEAD by the time the DoU rolls around).
The system itself definitely still has bugs that need to be ironed out at this point; it's still a baby government. Between grandfathering people in and a general lack of total control all over the isles (Eda says they don't have much influence outside the cities), I'm willing to bet that while there may be some form of identification/population tracking, it's not super set in stone and you can get by without "proper" registration relatively easily because people will make allowances without much fuss.
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Donated to the Bonesborough Library, courtesy of Phillip Wittebane, the second human ever documented in the Boiling Isles.
𝓜𝔂 𝓳𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓷𝓮𝔂 𝓽𝓱𝓻𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓓𝓮𝓶𝓸𝓷 𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓵𝓶 𝓲𝓼 𝓯𝓪𝓻 𝓯𝓻𝓸𝓶 𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓻. 𝓑𝓾𝓽 𝓽𝓸𝓭𝓪𝔂 𝓘 𝓱𝓾𝓶𝓫𝓵𝔂 𝓭𝓸𝓷𝓪𝓽𝓮 𝓶𝔂 𝓳𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓷𝓪𝓵 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓪𝓰𝓮𝓼.
- 𝒫𝒽𝒾𝓁𝓁𝒾𝓅 𝒲𝒾𝓉𝓉𝑒𝒷𝒶𝓃𝑒
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It only just now clicked with me that the reason Amity is so shocked here is because in the Bonesborough library, the book index is alive. She thinks this girl just pulled a living being's head right out of its body.
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Is the book Hunter found in that latest Axe AU piece one of Philip's journals, or does Phil contribute to textbooks in this AU? I think it'd be funny if, in addition to the one at the Bonesborough library, Philip has just been losing his diaries all over the Isles.
Witch historians would love to know what happened to the crazy human who left a paper trail all over and then disappeared without a trace haaaaaa
Answered by @lasymit
He tried not to lose his diaries in the wrong places - after all, they are personal. Witches have heard enough about him from other sources, for example, crime news and "wanted" ads. But in addition to diaries, Philip had a lot of creative work over 400 years. For example, he wrote scientific papers on a variety of topics. Since Philip himself, I remind you, is not only a criminal but also a human, and neither one nor the other is encouraged on the Isles, he published his works most often under pseudonyms. And under different ones. Sometimes he argued with himself from ten or twenty years ago, refuting the results and observations or supplementing and improving them. For example, the works of William Phitane and Bane Witte are considered classic works, pastulating the fundamental laws of magic. Witches are argue which of these two described the magical laws better. And there are a lot of such books, because Philip's life was long, as was his creative path.
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Before Hunter's Palisman Observations...
Before Lilith's Letter...
Before Luz's Diary Entry...
A witch's quill scratches on paper, her eyebrows furrowing in thought as she fills a well-worn book with her thoughts and desires and fears.
She smiles at the yellow bird who is fast asleep on her extra pillow, and with a snap of her fingers extinguishes the light spells that had been illuminating her cozy bedroom.
She sleeps.
She dreams…
She dreams of a strange world. A world without magic. A harsh world of rules, and penance, and fear.
A man stands in front of a bonfire, the glow of the firelight dancing on his wild blond hair. He is surrounded by a screaming crowd, torches and pitchforks and fists waving in the air.
"No," she begs. "No, no, no, no."
She calls his name over the cacophony of violent chanting, her voice muffled by the roar of the growing conflagration.
He turns.
She screams.
Blood. Smoke. Fire. The flash of a knife. It all happens too fast.
He is gone.
...and she wakes up.
Welcome to Evelyn's Journal.
Credits:
-The phenomenal cover art was drawn by the absolute legend @bananadramaaa. Thank you so much for your help!
-The script and Evelyn's voice were written and recorded by Birdie (that's me!)
-It's probably pretty obvious, but this project was directly inspired by the audio recordings a few of TOH's VAs did for one of Dana's charity livestreams. Look them up if you have never heard them. They are fantastic!
The audio and script will also be available at AO3 on (or some time after) Sunday, March 26th. You may find it at litfeathers if you would like to give this project some love over there too!
The complete script can be found under the read more, so you may follow along if you wish.
Grab a snack and get comfy. We have an almost 15 minute runtime!
Enjoy! 🔥🪶
Scaburary 10th
I had to cover for Bileadona at work. She never showed up for her shift, and so Goldie and I were forced to make an unexpected trip to Bonesborough.
Extra disappointing, since I was planning to spend the afternoon in the garden with my sketchbook. I wanted to redo my blue jay drawing, as I am not quite satisfied with it.
Ah, well. I’ll draw in the garden tomorrow.
Scaburary 11th
UUUGHHH DAMN RAIN!
Goldie has been moping and staring out the window at the sizzling forest all morning, desperately wishing she could have her early morning flight through the trees. I have given her a handful of seeds to help her feel better. She seems pouty still, but has cheered up slightly. She is currently ordering the seeds from most to least appealing. Heh. This should take her a while.
Only two days are left!
Scaburary 13th
Work, work, work. I couldn’t stop watching the sunlight and shadows slowly move across the library floor and sighing impatiently. Bileadona happened by my cart as I was shelving books, and asked why the calendar at my desk is so strange. I told her it was an old-fashioned solar calendar from the bloodievil period. She didn’t seem to buy it, but didn’t push the subject.
I also made a quick…detour before I went home. Just to say hello to some dear friends. Some very special friends who are going to severely regret their actions from last week.
*evil witch cackle*
As an added bonus, I finally managed to nab one of their…creative drawings of me. It is now proudly displayed on my living room wall, just above the couch. Truly, it is a work of art, and I am humbled by their kindness.
I just hope they find my return offering just as humbling ehehehehe.
I have been getting more and more excited for every visit to the Human Realm. Not that I have been there recently. I most definitely have not. Don’t be absurd.
But anyway. This week has dragged endlessly! I cannot wait for tomorrow.
It’s nice to have a friend.
Scaburary 14th, Human Realm year 1623
Today was nice.
It was a Friday in Human reckoning, so Caleb and I enjoyed the usual supper on a blanket in the snowy woods. I made sure to include dragon bacon sandwiches and deviled griffin stew in the spread, as they are his favorites. And of course, a thermos of hot apple blood to warm us up. It was a marvelous feast!
He looks a bit better lately. His skin is less pale, and the shadows under his eyes are less prominent.
The moment I landed at at our spot, Caleb immediately asked me if I had anything to do with the recent vandalism of the Gravesfield meetinghouse. I plead innocent. He grimly informed me that someone had scribbled all over the siding, and that one of the drawings bore a striking resemblance to Goldie. I expressed my deepest sympathies for the poor soul who would have to clean it up. He further informed me that the words “Evie was here” were scrawled over the front door. I told him that since my given name isn’t Evie, it’s Evelyn, he was clearly looking for another culprit. He grabbed me by the shoulders, looked me dead in the eye, and told me, in the most fed-up of tones, that the drawings could move.
“Huh,” I said. “In that case, it sounds like you might have a witch on your hands. I hear they are pretty tricky to deal with, but seeing as you are such an expert witch hunter, you surely won’t have a problem rooting her out!”
At that he made such a ridiculously frustrated face, I could no longer hold in my laughter. It was the look he gets where his cheeks flush and his nose flares. The red even reached his ears this time! Fantastic.
He gave up at that point. He just sighed deeply and shook his head. But I could tell he was desperately trying to hold back a smile.
While we enjoyed our meal, we got on the topic of weather. After my previous deception, he didn’t quite believe me when I told him that rain boils in the Demon Realm. When I cast an illusion to show him a typical Boiling Isles thunderstorm, his eyes lit up brighter than the sun.
As fun as it is to tease and banter with him, I think I vastly prefer those quiet moments between us. When the storm clouds lift from his eyes.
*trails off*
I can tell he’s lonely.
Last week, while we were on our owl watch, he mentioned offhandedly that he hasn’t received a proper hug in years.
I was about to feign ignorance and pretend to not know what a hug is, until I realized that…err. Well, we are two galdorpeas in a pod in that regard, aren’t we?
And no, I did not offer myself up. Because some walls are built for a reason.
Caleb is surrounded by pitchforks and torches and prying eyes.
His village is dangerous.
His brother has been asking more and more…questions.
I know I shouldn’t keep doing this. I know I can’t keep doing this. There is a line, and I am terrified that I am gleefully dancing towards it, and one day I am going to be unable to stop myself from crossing into something…
*deep sigh*
…something I cannot come back from.
I am unwilling to admit this anywhere but here. And this is difficult to write, even if my eyes are the only ones that will ever read it. But…
He scares me.
Hah! How silly is that? We’re the closest of friends. I am a powerful adult witch. And I am scared of him?
It makes no sense. Witch hunter my butt! I trust him completely. He is kind. Sweet, even. No matter how much sass and grumpiness he sprinkles into his words, it is abundantly clear that his heart is made of pure gold. His smile could melt snow. His soft words could tame the wildest slitherbeast. His laugh is pure music.
*embarrassed cough*
So, then. Why the fear? Why have I been finding myself so on edge around him lately? It’s incredibly frustrating.
Words are difficult to get out. My pulse quickens when he sits too close. I can no longer look him in the eye without my face heating up. What else could cause this but fear? It is clearly my body warning me that what I am doing is incredibly foolish.
Or perhaps it’s just the apple blood.
*sighs in frustration, then there is a long moment of silence*
No. I’m not that naive. I know it’s not the apple blood. It’s just that…I’m…
I’m not ready.
I don’t have much more I would like to say on this topic, so I suppose I shall end this entry and tuck myself into bed with a good book. Perhaps Goldie would like for me to read her another story.
Here’s hoping for some nice dreams. Titan willing.
Goodnight.
Scaburary 15th
I had the day off from work. I tried to draw in the garden, but my redo of the blue jay sketch came out even worse than the original. I ended up spending most of my day on the couch, half paying attention to a book I could barely focus on enough to read.
I had dreams last night. Dreams I absolutely refuse to relive by writing them down.
Please. Please, please, please let tonight be better.
Scaburary 16th
Oh, Titan. I hate this.
I have made a decision. A decision I am absolutely miserable to be making.
It’s something I can absolutely not back out on. Something I should have done ages ago.
Something I should have done before I got…attached.
No matter what, this will end in pain. But it must end. Before he is harmed.
Or worse.
I know what I must do. But it hurts.
I have to protect him.
This week will be rough. Please wish me luck and courage.
Scaburary 17th
My chest hurts. My eyes are sore.
Everyone has been giving me space at work. I am sure they can tell something is very wrong, but no one has pried. At least I managed to keep it together until I was halfway home. Be proud of my fortitude.
After I was done being sorry for myself, I got an idea.
I am unsure if I will be able to follow through with my plan. But if I can find my courage, perhaps I can at least try.
When we say our goodbyes, I can at least ensure Caleb still has a friend.
I haven’t carved a palisman in years. Not since I made Goldie with Mother and Father. And not since they…
*chokes up for a second*
I don’t even know if I remember how. But there is a grove of healthy palistrom trees in the backyard. And I still have my knife.
I even know what he would want.
Fine. Tomorrow I will start carving.
Scaburary 18th
I opened my journal to write, but I have nothing substantial to say.
This week has been miserable.
I wish it were Friday so I could get this over with.
Goldie keeps offering me seeds to cheer me up. I’m sorry, Goldie. I appreciate the gesture, but not everything can be fixed with a tasty seed.
Scaburary 19th
I sent Goldie to deliver my final rebus message. I got such an excited response back, I nearly lost it again.
He has heard a saw-whet owl in the woods by the fields. He wants to take me out there to listen for it.
Sounds lovely.
I suppose it’s nice to look forward to one last owl watch.
What should I do with the remaining Titan’s blood? Dispose of it? Donate it to a researcher?
All I know is that I cannot keep the vials. Lest I be…tempted.
I’ll miss the birds.
Caleb’s gift is drying on the kitchen table.
I wonder what wish he will make.
Scaburary 20th
I am surprisingly calm.
There is something to be said for allowing yourself to…feel. To let your emotions exist, acknowledge them, let them out.
That isn’t typically how I operate, but perhaps it can be advantageous to…sometimes…occasionally…not bury everything? As much as I hate to admit it.
I was even able to laugh at Goldie’s antics. She brought home a rattle worm and pretended to feed it to our new scarlet friend. She even feigned offense when he refused her gift by remaining silent and wooden. Silly bird!
I don’t know what I would ever do without her.
I think I will be fine. Once the dust settles.
We will all be fine.
Scaburary 22nd
I do not know where to start.
It is late evening. I am sitting here in bed, journal in lap, as usual.
But Goldie is perched on my shoulder instead of her usual spot on my extra pillow.
Because my extra pillow is occupied.
It is occupied by a blond human and a small red bird.
Oh.
He just reached out in his sleep to hug my waist. I suppose I’m trapped now.
I’ve never been so happy.
I’ve never been so happy, and yet so anxious?
I can’t stop smiling.
I don’t think I’ve stopped smiling or swooning or giggling since last night!
How embarrassing. How completely and utterly embarrassing!
...Goldie, I know you are reading this. I can hear you laughing! Quit it!
I think I’m still in a bit of shock-GOLDIE THIS IS PRIVATE. I haven’t quite processed any of this-I KNOW YOU CAN FEEL MY EMOTIONS AND HEAR MY THOUGHTS! I DON’T CARE! YOU’RE STILL BEING NOSY. WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE WERE BOTH SO OBVIOUS? I SAID STOP LAUGHING!!! Fine. You were right. Is that what you wished to hear? Are you happy now, you smug little feather brain? Good.
Anyway. Where was I?
Everything happened so…fast. The last 24 hours have been absolutely wild. And terrifying. And…intense.
But I think I can finally admit something important, even if it’s only here for now. Let’s see if I can manage to actually write it. Goodness, my hand is shaking. Alright. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. Here goes…
*swoons a little*
I’m in love.
Goodnight, everyone. Sweet dreams.
*snaps fingers, and light spells are extinguished*
Sung:
You are not alone
No matter how far you have flown
Together we feel we’re at home
In darkness light shines in your bones
*As she hums the song fades out*
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theres a new manga/light novel section at the Bonesborough Library
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Owl House Hidden Detail
Currently rewatching The Owl House and I noticed/realized a detail that I don't think many people talked about after everything was revealed.
In season 2 Episode 4, Eda's mum reveals to Luz that there was a human who came to the Boiling Isles originally setting off Luz's main mission for season two.
BUT
Her exacts words were "You're not the only Human to have lived in Bonesborough. [...] My great grandmother told me about a human who once lived here. But one day he just vanished."
We all know that the person who left the 'thing' in the library but I strongly think that the human she referred to wasn't Phillip but Caleb! Yea Phillip wrote the book but he was still an outcast compared to Caleb who was loved and had been around for longer compared to Phillip.
Also since it is very heavily suggested (confirmed now her name is Evelyn) that the wild witch who Caleb fell in love was the great grandmother (aka related to Eda)....
THIS MEANS that not only did Caleb die but Evelyn (the grandmother) HAD NO FUCKING CLUE.....she could literally have thought he abandoned her!!!!!
The heartbreak that she must have been feeling....
It also supports why no one in her family knew that she married and had a child with a human! She may have been too hurt to admit that she had a kid with Caleb and that he left her shortly afterward, not knowing he was actually murdered by Phillip.
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biiiiig huntlow dump because i had a moment!!! i just!! think they're neat!!! that first photo is half a conversation bc i'm not very good at dialogue. the rest is just silly doodles to make up for the angst,,, of course captions are underneath!
Page 1
Willow: It was really hard to see you lie so still, I'll admit that. But your pain is what's most important here, Hunter. I want to be here for you, if you'll let me.
Hunter: ...
Willow: I know its not a consolation to you and I'm being so selfish right now, but I'm so glad you're alive, Hunter. I'm so so glad.
Willow: I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. -Sob-
Hunter: B-but I don't d-deserv-
Willow: Don't. You do. You absolutely do.
Page 2
(Pointing to Hunter) Trying horned-rimmed glasses
Willow: You know, there's that Cosmic Frontier movie in theaters! You wanna go to a showing?
Hunter: Yeah! Sounds great! <3
--
Cheese!
--
Willow: C'mon! Let's go check it out!
Hunter: It says no trespassing!
Willow: A quick look won't hurt!
--
(Pointing to Willow) Carrying him over puddles :)
Willow: You good?
Hunter: Haha yeah!
--
Willow: THANK YOU HUNTER! I missed aloe juice since we came back home! I really appreciate you going back to Camila's to get me some!
Hunter: Ha ha it's no trouble!
Willow: THANK YOU! (Squeaky toy noise)
Hunter: Oh! Haha! Wow! Yippee!!
Page 3
(Pointing to Hunter) Addicted to sweets and treats
(Pointing to Mote) Mote :)
(Pointing to Willow) Holds said treats for him.
Willow: Oh! The Bonesborough Brawlers won 5 to 3!
Amity: Why... why didn't she make him change...
Gus: Let him live Amity.
Luz: Look! Claire's is this way!
Matt: I thought we were going to Hot Topic?!
--
Willow: Oh! Hunter's here!
Willow: (Loudly) HIIIII HUNTER!! Omg this is a library Willow
Willow Vision: Pointing to all of the hearts surrounding Willows view of Hunter; he is poked by an arrow labelled "Easily embarrassed"
Willow: (Whispering) Sorry! Hiiiii Hunter!
Luz: omg You have it so bad. C'mon or we'll be late to class! Hee hee You can stare at him later!
Page 4
Oh how time flies...
Willow: Oh! Is that your fursona? Looks cool!
Hunter: ... I have feelings for you.
--
Very small doodles of Lumity, Gustholomule, and Huntlow
Willow: Wait for us!!
Page 5
A more canonical moment of stress
Hunter: And so Chief Engineer O'Bailey went to Captain Avery and demanded for him to beam him back to the planet to save the blah blah blah blah Wow! Sounds crazy!
Hunter: Do you want to watch the episode with me after school?
Willow: Sure! <3
--
Darius: You staying for dinner, Park?
Willow: If that's okay!
Hunter: Yeah! We can watch the latest episode after!
Willow: Thanks for having me!
Hunter: ♡ O-Oh! No problem! ♡
SIIIIIIGH ♡♡♡
Darius: Time to do your homework, Romeo. You'll see her tomorrow.
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Philip’s Witches before Wizards
Anyone remember these ruins from Witches before Wizards? I think this town was where Caleb and Evelyn originally lived (or frequented, being closer to their home than Bonesborough).
After all, we know these ruins are beyond Bonesborough, in a wooded area; As is Caleb and Evelyn’s archway, not too far from the Clawthorne household. During the Coven Day parade, an illusion of Belos is flanked by a cat statue, which we’ve seen only one other time…
…As a fake resident of this very town. Which leads me to believe that Adegast didn’t entirely make up the details he was filling in; There might’ve actually been a little cat demon that Philip saw there and remembered. How fitting; Shortly after discovering the Demon Realm, Philip and Luz encounter this town, before entering a secluded area where they make a crucial choice that influences how the rest of their journey goes; Philip decides to double down on his fantasy by sacrificing his own brother to his hero complex, whereas Luz chooses not to succumb to the fantasy.
I think Evelyn frequented this community, just as Eda visits Bonesborough frequently in the present day; And when Philip killed Caleb, she might’ve warned the people there of this murderer running around, which contributed to Philip having to skip towns. And the closest place to skedaddle was none other than Bonesborough…!
Presumably, the Boiling Isles doesn’t have social media at this point, nor a unified government; This would make it easier for Philip to avoid consequences by simply evading the local authorities and settling in a new place, as he explains to Luz. Kind of like the older days, when information didn’t travel as easily, so you didn’t have to worry as much about news of your notoriety following you.
At which point, Philip must’ve immediately enlisted Blue Fang for his failed expedition to the Titan’s skull, hence why the people of Bonesborough aren’t familiar with him; He’s only just arrived, and hasn’t made himself too acquainted with the local populace just yet. Red Fang and Green Fang hold a grudge over their brother’s death, but don’t seem to be aware Philip was possibly more than just callously careless.
And we see what a clever, charismatic liar Philip is; So he would’ve brushed over any rumors of misdeeds (painting the gruff Fang brothers as bullies, with himself as a meek victim) and appealed to the rest of Bonesborough, enough for them to accept his diary as a donation to their library. Afterwards, Philip may have left; Either because his victims got together and connected the dots, and/or he had missions elsewhere. Possibly the latter, since Luz doesn’t find any articles indicating Philip was ousted as a pariah, but for all we know Belos erased some history. He might’ve figured out that Luz and Lilith were time travelers during the Deadwardian Era, and set his journal up for them to find as a result.
But, back to the ruined town; There’s a good chance Philip remembered this place and went back to destroy it as Belos, probably as part of a staged false flag attack. A reminder of the worst day of his life, the realization that the Boiling Isles was NOT the adventure he expected or wanted... The specific place where Caleb was corrupted, where Evelyn regularly visited and lived… And by destroying this place, Philip sets up Adegast to exploit what’s left over, all for Luz to go through the same challenge there as Philip did, and emerge victorious. As for the Clawthornes, they ended up visiting what was the second-closest town, Bonesborough.
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How many people on the Boiling Isles are related to Caleb? And are Dell and/or Gwendolyn related?
In The Owl House, there is strong evidence the Clawthornes are related to Caleb Wittebane and Evelyn (Clawthorne?). Many fans point to a connection through Gwendolyn, via the ‘lyn family suffix shared by Gwendolyn, Edalyn, and Evelyn. There is also Gwendolyn’s family knowledge of a human previously living in Bonesborough:
“My great-grandmother told me about a human who once lived here. But one day he just vanished. Rumor has it he left something in the library, and if you can find out more about him...”
A Gwendolyn connection is very plausible. We’ll get into family resemblances later.
But a connection through Dell has merit as well, given his palisman’s striking resemblance to Flapjack. We’ll call our yellow cardinal Biscuit for now. (Biscuits were ship rations in the late 1500s onward, and absolutely have been eaten for breakfast. They work in any meal. Every meal. Caleb was poor and hungry, okay?)
The visual clues we get are intermingled between Dell, Caleb, Biscuit, and Flapjack. When Dell is first injured by the Owl Beast, the red blood over his closed eye makes the same shape as Flapjack’s scar. Both Dell and Flapjack are wounded in the same eye, their left. These wounds share symbolic similarities, as they were both from family members: Dell’s injury was caused unintentionally by Eda when she was startled and turned into in Owl Beast form, and Flapjack’s injury likely occurred during Philip’s failed attempt to murder his sister-in-law Evelyn and Philip’s (also unintentional?) murder of his brother Caleb.
(As for physical appearance, note the similar nose shape between middle-aged Dell and teenage Hunter in the screenshots below.)
Looking at older Dell, the scar’s color and shape greatly resembles Flapjack’s head. Both Flapjack and Biscuit have two-peaks of feathers crowning their heads, similar shaped face and chest feather patterns, bicolor wings of light and dark from their respective color pallets, and identically shaped feet. These birds were clearly a matched set, Biscuit likely being carved by Caleb to complement Evelyn’s Flapjack. Sometime after Evelyn’s death, Flapjack presumably left for the Bat Queen, and Biscuit stayed on with the family (I strongly believe Biscuit was Caleb’s palisman, and bonded with his young daughter to relay the love of the father she was deprived of). Biscuit continues to stay with the family to this day, adopting a young witch every 3 to 4 generations. She now belongs with Dell.
It’s also telling that all the Clawthorne family palismen are birds.
If you’re wondering why Biscuit is a she, check out the Northern Cardinal, which is quite common in Connecticut. I took pictures from this lovely bird website: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Cardinal/id
Male Northern Cardinals are red, and females are supposedly “brown,” but if you told me that bird looked yellow, I’d agree with you.
What about family appearance? We’ve compared Dell to Caleb/Hunter. So let’s take a look at Evelyn. We’ve got a lot less to go on here. Just a few memory photos from Philip’s mindscape. But from what we can see, Evelyn has impressively full hair very similar to Gwendolyn and Eda. The washed out colors of the photo make it difficult to determine an exact hair color, but brown to reddish-brown seems plausible.
Looking at the Clawthornes, we see various shades of brown, red, and orange (yeah… I know they’re still called redheads, but that’s because the word ‘orange’ wasn’t in the language when redheads first showed up.) These are all plausible hair colors for the descendants of Caleb and Evelyn.
Am I saying that both Gwendolyn and Dell are related to Caleb and Evelyn?
Yes!
Yes, I am.
‘But isn’t that gross?’ you may wonder.
Eh, not really. They’re around 13 generations away from their shared common ancestor, Caleb and Evelyn’s daughter. We’ll call her Caylyn for convenience. With each generation, the percentage of DNA from a relative goes down by half. Example: You share 50% of your DNA with your mom, but only 25% of your DNA with your grandpa. The calculation is 1/(2^generation) x 100%, where that little ^ character means “to the power of.” So by the time we get to Dell and Gwendolyn, each would only have 1/(2^13) x 100% = 0.012% shared DNA. That’s very low risk for hereditary birth defects. You probably don’t have your own family tree documented well enough to avoid hooking up with your 13th cousin.
‘But what are the odds of two Caylyn relatives hooking up?’
After 13+ generations on an island? It’s more likely than you think!
Now that you’ve been lured in with screenshots and pretty birds, it’s time to get to my favorite part: MATH!
I mean, EVEN MORE MATH!
And dates. Yeah. They’re important too.
From Masha’s account, in 1613, the orphans Philip and Caleb Wittebane arrive in Gravesfield. Based on how small the boys are compared to a butter churner meant for adults, it’s safe to assume Caleb is 10 or younger. Philip is likely 7 or younger.
Now fast-forward to Evelyn’s pregnancy. Philip has a full beard in this photo, which means he’s at least 18, more likely in his early-to-mid 20s (most white males can’t grow a full beard until their 20s). That would put the date sometime between 1625 and 1630 for Caylyn’s birth.
To simplify our generational model, we’re going to assume that Caylyn was born in 1625 and that she and her descendants had 2 surviving children each when they were approximately 25 years old. That means in 1650, Caylyn had 2 children, and Evelyn became a grandmother.
If you’re wondering about my assumptions, the birthrate didn’t fall below 2 children in the USA until the 1970s. And before 1800, the birthrate was over 7 children! But when we look back at the 1600s-1800s, 40-50% of children died before adulthood, leaving only 3.5-4 children surviving to have kids of their own. I went with the assumption of 2 children per generation to account for additional factors such as people deciding not to have kids or cultural differences in family sizes that may have existed in the Boiling Isles. In all likelihood, Caleb’s descendants had a higher birthrate than 2. But we’ll stick with 2 to be conservative, and to make the math easy to see the effects of doubling!
Let’s finish the century out with 4 great-grandchildren (2 x 2, or 2^2) in 1675 and 8 great-great-grandchildren (2 x 2 x 2, or 2^3) by 1700. We get another 4 generations of descendants every century after this. So, by 1800, we have 128 (2^7). By 1900, we have 2,048 (2^11). And by the year 2000, we have 32,768 (2^15) new babies born related to a human! That’s a lot of people! And if we add together the most recent 3 generations, there’s even more living relations to Caleb on the Isles. At least 57,344 people!
Dell and Gwendolyn are 13 generations away from Caylyn, with birthdays approximately in 1950. I get this date based on Eda being in her mid to late 40s at the start of The Owl House (2020) according to Dana Terrance (so Eda’s birthday is ~1975). Her parents would be ~25 years older than her. So, when Dell and Gwendolyn meet, our number is around 8,192 (2^13) descendants of Caleb in their generation. And in all likelihood, Caleb’s descendants are more concentrated on the forearm where Evelyn originally lived. This makes it extremely likely that at least some of Caleb’s descendants marry each other.
How likely? First we need to know the approximate population of the Boiling Isles in the 1950s. Dana Terrance said the BI is roughly the size of Vermont in this interview. And in 1950, Vermont had a population of 377,700. We’ll use this as our rough population number for the 1950s BI. For the group born in 1950 (8,192 of which are descendants of Caleb), they make up 2.17% of the total population. But if we think about the number of people in that generation who would marry someone of similar age, we’re looking at the 20-30 year-old bracket, which is about 10% of the total population, or 37,770 people. And 8,192 is 21.7% of the people in Dell and Gwendolyn’s generation (gen 13). It isn’t a question of if two Caleb descendants got married, it’s a question of how many marriages!
(If you’re curious: [chance of person 1 being a Caleb descendant] x [chance of person 2 being a descendant] x [half of gen 13 population], because we’re looking at pairs of people, not individuals. So 21.7% of 21.7% = 4.7% of marriages in gen 13, times half the gen 13 population (18,885) is 887 marriages!)
Dell and Gwendolyn both being descendants of Caleb isn’t even that rare! The Clawthornes are one of multiple families where both sides of the family can claim human ancestry. It’s amazing how far one person’s genetics can spread in 400 years of breeding!
Alright, let’s get back to the main question: How many people on the Boiling Isles are related to Caleb?
By the Day of Unity (2022), we’re close enough to generation 16 (2025), which is 65,536 (2^16) babies, that we can look at a range between 2020 and 2025. In 2020, the 3 generations alive are 8,192 (2^13), 16,384 (2^14), and 32,768 (2^15), or 57,344 total living descendants. In 2025, the 3 generations alive are 16,384 (2^14), 32,768 (2^15), and 65,536 (2^16), or 114,688 total living descendants. In 2022, Vermont had a total population of 647,064 people, and we’re assuming the Boiling Isles population grew similarly. So we have between 8.9% and 17.8% of the BI population related to Caleb on the Day of Unity.
Belos wasn’t only attempting genocide against witches. Philip Wittebane was trying to kill thousands of his own relatives.
Food for thought.
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Philip DEFINITELY wrote a lot more in his diary than he shows. His hatred of witches, his longing to go back to the human realm, and allll his feelings towards Caleb. I'm not convinced someone like him wouldn't have scribbled on it for days on end while he was all by himself. That thing was his only companion at the time after all (mostly because he himself refused to talk to any demon or witch).
I like to think he ripped a lot of it out when he donated his diary to the bonesborough library and the ripped pages are still somewhere in the castle. Maybe destroyed during the events of s3 (probably), maybe not. Maybe someone could even find them some day.
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Denisa Ashenorth •
Denisa or Known better locally as The Fiery Library Witch of the boiling isles who reside in a quiet relaxed settlement in the woods near bonesborough in which her independent library reside with her welcoming any witch or demon folk quiet enough to not cause a disturbance and willing enough to follow her rules.
Despite her menacing title, Denisa is a sweetheart and a bookworm nerd at heart having a great fascination with written tellings of heroes or badass hags and when the fall of belos came she open up her own library with her several abominations she call her own "children" (shhhh, her favorite is blobby don’t tell the others) her heartwarming and sweet demeanor gave her enough recognition among the fellow bookworms community to make her library rocket in popularity (and also her cute silly abomination)
Also, there’s blobby.
He’s just there to support his mom despite having no thoughts behind those blank eyes
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Fic request: After kid Philip meets kid Amelie Blight in the bonesborough library, he talks to Caleb and Evelyn about her.
The Kitty Princess Finds Her Prince (Part 2 to "Philip... That's A Cute Name" Amelie [art of her here and here] belongs to @dannystarsstuff / @starishome)
After story time had concluded at the Kid's Corner, Philip and Amelie were both seated at a table together with books.
Philip's smile couldn't be contained as Amity presented her book to him.
It was a picture book with a cute hard cover titled, "The Kitty Princess Finds Her Prince".
"It's one of my favorite books here," Amelie would admit with a small smile followed by a soft giggle as she flipped to the glossy title page.
"I always borrow it every time I come here."
Philip's eyes grew wide as they sparkled.
"Ooo, cool!" The brunette would comment enthusiastically.
"What's it about?" He asked his friend with his listening ears on.
He was really interested in what Amelie had to say.
After another giggle, Amelie spoke again as she turned to the first page, which depicted a round pink kitten standing on her two stubby legs with a crown on her head in a castle.
Being a cat, she had a cute cat-like smile on her face.
"It's about a kitty princess...," She began as she flips to the next page, which illustrates the kitten leaving her castle with a travel backpack on her back. "... Who ventures from her castle to find a prince."
The next couple of pages that Amelia turns show the cute kitty princess on her travels.
"She travels far and wide in her search for him. Her efforts to find him involve walking on land, taking a boat, going into the woods, trudging through snow, and even going inside the mouth of a monster."
The next page makes Amelie and Philip laugh.
It shows the kitty taking a cat nap. "She then takes a brief break."
Amelie then turns to the next page, which reveals that the kitten has found her prince, who's a witch.
Both the witch prince and the pink kitten princess are thrilled to see each other. "But then, she finally finds him!"
Amelie turns to the next page, which shows a pastel illustration of the prince giving the kitten a gentle hug as she snuggles into his loving embrace as small red hearts form a big heart around them.
Amelie flips to the last and final page of the story.
It shows the prince and kitten happily sharing a bowl of milk together in her castle, with the prince on his hands and knees.
"And they live happily ever after."
She closes the book and smiles.
"The end."
"Wow!" Philip beams, his eyes big with excitement. "That story was so good! I really liked it a lot! Can I show you my book?"
Amelie nods.
Philip picks up his book, a hardback with only three pages, titled "The Ant", which shows a stock image of an ant on the cover.
He then presents Amelie with the first page, which depicts the same realistic ant from the cover using its mandibles to nibble on a single leaf.
When the next page is turned, the ant is now gigantic.
On the final page, the giant ant is terrorizing a small village that is on fire.
The witches in the story scream and run away as a meteor falls in the background.
Philip closes the book with a cheery smile. "The end!"
Amelie giggles before placing a small, sweet kiss on Philip's cheek, causing the boy to blush.
He had such a silly and peculiar taste in books.
She liked it.
She liked him.
A lot.
"Amelie!" A loud, voice called out Amelie and Philip looked to see a woman standing in the middle of the room with the same minty hair as Amelie's.
She was dressed in business attire.
Some library visitors gave her a glare, while others pressed a finger to their lips, but she simply ignored them.
"Say goodbye to your friend, darling. It's time for us to leave."
"Who's she?" Philip asked Amelie as she stood up from her seat.
"My mom," Amelie replied, pushing her chair in.
It was apparent that she was sad to be departing from Philip.
"I have to go now." Her mouth corners slowly move up in a small smile. "But hey, maybe we can see each other again next Saturday. Are you planning on coming back?"
Philip nodded. "Mm-hmm! If my brother brings me!" The brunette was certain that Caleb would if he asked really nicely.
Amelie gave a gentle giggle. "Nice! You know, I really liked your ant book. Would it be alright if I checked it out at the front desk and took it home with me?"
She picked up her kitten book. "I'll let you borrow this," She playfully bargained with a hum.
"Deal!" Philip said with happy a grin as the two exchanged books.
"Thank you! Goodbye Philip, see you next time!" Amelie told him with a wink, his book in her hand as she took off to her mother.
"Bye, Amelie!" As Philip watched her leave, a hand went to hold the cheek that she had kissed.
He smiled softly.
...
"... And so she let me borrow this book! It's her favorite!"
Philip happily explained to Caleb and Evelyn as they walked home at sunset after the Bonesborough Library had closed.
"Aww!" Evelyn gushed, holding her cheeks. Young love is so adorable, she thought.
"I see!" Caleb was intrigued by what his brother had told him. "This Amelie girl seems very kind based on what you told us."
Philip nodded in agreement. "She is!" He said with a smile. "Can we come to the library next Saturday so I can see her again?"
Caleb gently ruffled Philip's hair and chuckled. "Of course we can, Pip."
His baby brother making a new friend made the elder very happy.
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Here’s Hunter, and he’s become a palisman carver, that’s so neat! He’s just handing one over to Braxas, who’s there with his father, the former Warden Wrath… I guess he just goes by Wrath these days? Based on Braxas school uniform, he attends Hexside and he studies healing and beast keeping.
Hunter has a new palisman too! A blue bird. Kinda similar to Flapjack (who I think was a cardinal?), but blue! And blue is like the opposite of red, so it’s like the same, but also different. It’s very cool that Hunter, whose life was changed so much thanks to a palisman now gets to make familiars for other witches.
In this shot we see Dell taking care of a young palistrom tree, and Gwendolyn hanging out with Bat-Queen’s kids.
Oh, and Bat-Queen’s there too, I guess. I was wondering if she might show up.
D’awwww… they’re cute together.
Also, I’ve been spelling Dell wrong this entire time.
Also also, that’s Arin Hanson as Papa Titan. Arin Hanson is perhaps known better online as Egoraptor, of Game Grumps fame. Though the only reason I recognize his name is because I got an ask about it.
OH! Oh! And I completely forgot! The tattoo! Willow has one as well, same as Luz. Right here it’s easier to tell what it is; Flapjack!
They even gave the little rascal his own grave. You did well, little buddy.
Over in Bonesborough, rebuilding has gone well it seems. Here we see the potion maker Morten with cool sunglasses. tHought you have to be careful with those round sunglasses, they have a 15% chance to turn you into a villain.
Boscha’s here too, selling grudgby gear. Looks like the dream of making it big didn’t come to fruition. Keep working on it, I’m sure you’ll get there one day, you upstart triclops bitch.
(tfs reference!)
Mattholomule went into the building business after all, and he also started to grow a real mustache. It looks awful, but I guess that’s common at this early stage. I'll give him some time. All of... how much is left of this episode. O-oh...
Kikimora’s working construction too, attempting to hoist that giant wooden beam all by herself. Not so tough without her abomatron.
They’re working on the library, and did I spy with my little eye…?
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So Eda has some kind of control over the curse now. It seems like she's going to explore that avenue and be a beast to be reckoned with.
Lily's still getting there, but she hasn't spent as much time with the curse and Eda had. So, it's kind of expected.
There was 1 other human who was known to have made it to Bonesborough. I'm thinking he found his was there using the briefcase. But then, the question is, who created the briefcase?
And this human possibly left something in the library. I have a feeling it might be in Amity's little hideout. But it genuinely could be elsewhere in the library that we've seen, and just missed it.
And the Luz back in the human world.
I'm not sure if someone is impersonating her or is it's an astral projection of Luz or something. I need a bit more info on that before I make a decision.
Alright, I was going to shoot for 2 episodes tonight, but getting home late kinda ruined that. RIP. I'll try for 2 tomorrow. So, until then!
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