#caleb's backstory

[anona1-mous]

The Elk House swap AU chapter 1 SNEAK PEAK, just 2 bros roleplaying

y'all actually motivated me to make the damn webcomic about this au, so here's the first page

[anglerflsh]

Me and the girls on the discord sever discussing how Philip's death would have been more impactful if instead of being pelted we got a shot of Caleb and Evelyn and the grimwalkers looking down at him behind Luz:

[shrugsinchinese]

Someone called Jester falls down and pops up in Professor Widogast’s class! 

...what was the reason for her visit again?

[aeoris4lovers]

holding mollymauk “i don’t care what terrible things any of you have done, you’re here now” tealeaf and caleb “i believe in second starts and that’s enough for me” widogast like barbies and smushing their faces together to make them kiss

[asherisawkward]

My reaction to the below post

Hello! Fan of Philip here. (I do NOT think he did nothing wrong. He did quite a bit wrong.)

I can’t help but notice that despite your claim of attempting to see things in an unbiased manner, you clearly have made no effort to step outside your favorite character’s side and look at things objectively.

So, I will list the facts:

Fact one: The Wittebane brothers were orphaned at a young age. This resulted in Caleb becoming entirely responsible for his little brother, who was dependent on him physically, financially, and emotionally. Especially when it is strongly implied that they had difficulties fitting in, as referenced by Masha, “They tried to fit in with this town, and its unsavory practices.”

Fact Two: Caleb participated in and even supported Philip with the witch hunting culture. Masha said, “They became witch hunters.” They, not he. Additionally, Caleb is seen in Hollow Mind making the mask that Philip uses when he plays “witch hunt” with his brother and interacts with the witch hunting community. There are also scenes of them witch hunting together.

Fact Three:Caleb met a witch named Evelyn and began to communicate with her. It’s never specifically stated how they met or when, but the memory painting below indicates that it was during a witch hunt. Take note of the pitchfork in Caleb’s hand.

Fact Four: Caleb and Evelyn kept their interactions regarding the Boiling Isles a secret, as noted by the rebus, Marsha’s statement of “They used a secret code to travel between worlds,” and the buried Titan Blood. They took great care to ensure that nobody would be able to find them out, including Philip.

Fact Five: Caleb is never mentioned detailing his change of heart and opinion to Philip, nor does he make any apparent interest in introducing the pair to each other until the scene depicted below, which is after years of Philip struggling to survive in the demon realm and thinking his brother was kidnapped. This leads Philip to having no reference for his brother’s growth and thinking that such an extreme change could only happen because of witchcraft.

Fact Six: Caleb and Evelyn had a constant method of transportation between the realms. This is supported by Masha’s previous statements, the buried vial of Titan’s Blood, the abundance of the aforementioned liquid and knowledge of how to get it, and the designated arch they used to travel between the realms.

Fact Seven: Caleb canonically abandoned Philip. This is not an opinion or a take, it is fact. One day, Caleb stopped coming back to the Human Realm and decided to live in the Boiling Isles with Evelyn. Not only did he ignore the fact that his brother was still clearly a child who seems to be closer to Gus’ age than any other members of the cast, but there is no proof that he even left a note behind to is brother or tried to take him along. Instead, Philip witnessed his brother seeming happy and free with a witch, something his entire society and even Caleb had taught him to hate, and he never comes back again.

Unless this portrait is just make believe?

If Caleb really didn’t intend to get stuck on the Boiling Isles, then why didn’t he try harder to get back to his brother? Philip has shown from his time on the Isles that it takes some dedication and knowledge of the dangers of Fool’s Blood, but it is entirely possible to get access to Titan’s Blood again. Caleb either was not nearly as motivated at getting back to his orphaned brother or he was not nearly as intelligent as we were led to believe through Hunter.

Fact Eight: Evelyn is in the late stages of her pregnancy when Philip finds them, implying Caleb was there for at minimum 8-9 months, which could play a factor in him not wanting to leave the isles and return to Philip. When Philip first arrives in the Isles, he is in his late teens or early twenties, as seen by his appearance below.

When Philip finally sees Caleb again for the first time, he has a beard and his face has matured to resemble his thirties. That is about ten years that Philip believed his brother to be kidnapped and brainwashed, if we believe both the math and Philip’s diary.

Credit to Teasnap on Duscord for fact eight.

Fact Nine: When Caleb and Philip finally do reunite, the former takes no consideration for Philip’s struggles to survive the Isles, the fact that he grew into adulthood with the same people reinforcing his biases as when he was a child, the terror and confusion he must have experienced at losing his only connection/parental figure, or any of the other trauma and issues that happened because of his choice. What does he do instead? He hugs Philip and introduces him to the woman he abandoned him for.

None of this is to say that Caleb is an inherently bad person or that he deserves to die in the manner he did, but he made some serious mistakes by choosing to leave his family behind for the Demon Realm, much in the same way that Luz does to Camila. What it does characterize him as is selfish and thoughtless.

I could go on a tangent about how with the way Philip was conditioned, he would have considered any kindness coming from a witch or demon to be a falsehood made to ensnare him and steal his soul, or I could do a lengthy analysis on how Philip desperately needs Evelyn to be evil or else the only person who ever mattered to him chose to willingly abandon him to a town that likely hates him. I could even do or link some explanations of the Boiling isles policies on magically weak or magicless beings are considered inferior and tormented (including Philip) (also note Hunter and Willow as victims of this).

The point is that Philip grew up in a place that taught him everything different, including himself (note his use of his left hand), was bad and needed to be destroyed. These assumptions were never challenged by anyone who could get through to him, and eventually he became a victim of the Sunk-Cost Fallacy.

Sunk-Cost Fallacy: the phenomenon whereby a person is reluctant to abandon a strategy or course of action because they have invested heavily in it, even when it is clear that abandonment would be more beneficial. (cited: Oxford dictionary).

Philip mutilated himself physically and corrupted his very being and humanity in order to save humanity and atone for his brother’s sin of loving a witch. It’s even implied that he doesn’t have any real plans for living beyond completing his goals, at the end of “Elsewhere and Elsewhen,” he says, “It doesn’t matter. I just need to live long enough to see this through.” None of this is indicators of someone who only wants to play the hero and be lauded with applause and praise.

All of this indicates that he is genuine and serious about his beliefs regarding witches, demons, and humanity. The change from a scared child to a horrific abuser planning genocide that is shown through the evidence I’ve detailed proves that Philip is anything but a one dimensional caricature of a villain, and that to say such is an insult to all the hard work that was put into making him.

[theeflowerofcarnage]

the way her face card never declines

[thebramblewood]

The Vatores Present... A Decennial Vampire Bash: Part VII

Featuring Nami by @sims4thehoes.

Previous / Next

Lilith: Oh, Helena! Probably best to steer clear of her. [in faux whisper] She's not exactly what some might call stable.

Helena: Okay, there's definitely a story I need to hear there.

Lilith: Maybe later. First, I wanted to introduce you to my brother, Caleb.

Helena: Uh, hi [nervous laugh] I didn't expect to be meeting the family already.

Lilith: We share the distinct misfortune of living in the same house. I kid. I kid. Mostly. But we are a sort of package deal.

Caleb: It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Helena.

Helena: [blushing furiously] Oh, wow. I can't say anyone's ever greeted me like that before.

Caleb: Well, you must not be meeting the right people. My sister, charming as she is, can be rather brusque.

Lilith: I'm positively dying of thirst. Let's find some refreshments.

Caleb: Don't overdo it, Lil.

Lilith: Can you believe he's the younger sibling and thinks he knows better? He's always looking out for me, which would be cute if it wasn't so annoying.

[celestialscribbler]

Chapter 1: Charming Caleb Part 1 Reblog don’t Repost please!

Start: Here!     Next

Archive    Chronological

A fateful encounter with a witch changes the Wittebane brothers lives forever. Can a twist of fate improve their ending or are they doomed from the start? An Owl House AU comic.

If anybody wants me to @ them when I release new pages send a reply or ask or something ^-^

I’ve been milling around this idea for awhile and finally have enough planned i’m confident i will actually finish so might as well start posting. It starts with my interpretation of Caleb and Evelyn meeting but then take a hard left turn into a young Phillip centered AU with him and Caleb stuck in the modern boiling isles during season 2. Did i need to start with Caleb and Evelyn? Probably not, but look at them!

[supernaturalcharlie11]

„Careful, Frumpkin, these are real sparks!“

„Miau!“

„Exactly! It’s amazing! I’m doing real magic!“

[theprinceandthewitch]

Fans: Can we please learn about the Philip and Caleb/Evelyn drama because it contextualizes Philip's actions and it is honestly the most interesting part of this show.

TOH: Mm, nah, we're gonna meander around for the majority of the first season. We're not even gonna have Belos interact with Luz until the season one finale LOL.

[dent-de-leon]

Caleb out here with the Charisma stat of 16 and all the Honeypot training, I firmly believe in his ability to rizz.

Oh I do think I remember Liam alluding to Caleb's high Charisma being used in his Volstrucker training, and that just breaks my heart.

I do think that's part of why I find the thought of Caleb charming Molly/King so sweet, because we know it's genuine. Molly already saw Caleb when he was at his lowest, when he was at his most closed off and haunted. So it's little things, like the Nein telling Caleb to bathe, and Molly just smiling and saying, "I'm not bothered." And "Let a man be eccentric," when the others try to convince Caleb to buy new clothes.

It's so easy I think, to fall for Caleb when he's using his Charisma to its full extent--when he wants something from somebody, or has some ulterior motive. So it's very sweet to me, that Molly cared for Caleb from the start, when he tried so hard to push people away, deliberately tried to make himself as distant and defeated as possible. "How do you stay dirty all of the time?" "Most of the time I'm trying to. People don't pay attention to beggars so much."

So the thought that Molly has already seen Caleb when he was still on the run and in hiding, too terrified to let anyone get close--the fact that Caleb has nothing to gain by using his Charisma to try and maniplate Molly--"I should go right now...Look at this one. He's like a walking rainbow, what is this? Why are you with him? It makes no sense. He's a circus performer, he's not going to help you." It makes the way Molly falls for him so easily just feel so sweet and genuine. Molly looking at someone who believes he's beyond salvation, yet Mollymauk sees, "Caleb. Softness and light--"

So I do think it would maybe take Molly by surprise--but be a very pleasant one--if Caleb let himself be more forward, used that high Charisma to its full effect. It feels like we get a glimpse of that at the end of C2, and it's so sweet and silly and playful, I just love it. Something about Caleb being open enough to let others into his heart again, seeing Tealeaf's unabashed teasing and warmth and happily respond in kind. The way Liam literally describes King's flirting as, "Perfect," when the Circus Man and Magic Man say goodbye.

Just...Caleb knowing exactly what to say to get King/Molly wrapped around his finger, and absolutely reveling in the attention. The two of them trusting each other enough to know it's not just a game--

[letssofia3006]

Okay, I have a blast with these. Don't have a context other than being a little sleep-deprived and drawing with no sense of perfectionist.

Also, the wittebane brothers with Anna and Elsa's clothes look pretty much the same as Anna and Elsa's gender swap version.

[callowyn]

cr live show gave me the urge to rewatch campaign 2 (as one does) and I'm thinking about how for years caleb's disguise was just. dirt. being too filthy for anyone to look at closely. and how at the same time he's very meticulous with where he keeps his spell components and he counts things out loud to himself and do you think bren was a bit of a neat freak? the one who never showed up to class without washing his face first? did astrid and eadwulf make fun of him for being fussy and then smashcut to ten years later he looks at a pile of horse manure and thinks the bren they knew would never and dives into it? I bet the first few times of feeling the mud dry made his skin want to crawl off. I bet sometimes he was glad not to find a bath house because being dirty all over was easier than washing his body but not his head. but hey, if his outside is disgusting, at least it matches his insides. at least no one looks at him anymore.

[wolfofartblock]

[astrid-beck]

The thing about trent ikithon is that he's not just their boss or their mentor. In a pretty real way, he is their father—linguistically, caleb calls the other volstrucker his brothers and sisters, present tense, trent calls their dinner a family reunion, he talks about being proud of caleb and hurt by having to hurt him like he is reconciling a wayward son. But they were also literally taken from their families, stripped of those connections, made into dependent wards of the state, with one man to raise them and give them their livelihoods and their discipline and their home. The whole bren/astrid/eadwulf story is so uncomfortable and fraught with the understanding that they love each other, but they have also been forced to seek support and affection and love in the only connections they are allowed to have, with the only people they know will understand. Like astrid is so clearly in a cycle of abuse, she resents trent but she stays and she can only imagine overcoming it by being stronger than him. It's almost a king lear story, a succession story, it's about generational trauma. Leaving the fold is not just leaving a career it is abandoning your family.

[cherrymoonvol6]

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