Chapter 53: Whatever Happened to Anu Bist?
Art by Crash X Fusion: He just had to mess with fate. Now he's getting punished for it.
The secret origins of Anu Bist are revealed; the three ex-detention trackers help out other people.Tropes that appear in this Chapter:
- Affectionate Nickname: Viney's mom, Betty, calls her daughter "scarshine".
- Ambiguously Related: There isn't any confirmation but given how Madame Izanami acts towards Kitsuni, it's possible they're mother and daughter.
- Ambiguous Situation: It isn't clear what exactly happened to Mr. Potts, just that he's no longer around.
- An Aesop:
- Be the bigger person when someone wrongs you, no matter how badly they do so. It isn't worth getting worked up just to get even.
- Never tell secrets about other people, especially if they're true.
- Barred from the Afterlife: Camila explains that upon death, spirits stayed in a waiting room (which represents limbo) where souls end up if they're either unable to move on to the "good place" or they choose not to move on due to Unfinished Business, unavenged deaths or if they still had someone back in the mortal realms. She stayed there until the séance, and ended up right back there until her resurrection.
- Big Damn Reunion: Anu Bist/Jack, now fully-recovered from his battle against Emperor Belos, reunites with Luz and the troublemakers. Sadly, it's a brief reunion as he's come to say goodbye before officially becoming a genie again.
- Big Sister Instinct: Emira vents to Viney that she's mostly worrying about Amity despite everything else happening to her; Viney assures her it's a good thing she's so concerned for her sister.
- Blackmail: Jerbo's little brother Porco agrees to keep Amity being nameless a secret if Jerbo gives him a plant abomination to use.
- But Now I Must Go: Now that Jack's a genie again, he has to go help other mortals so he says goodbye to his students before he leaves the demon realm.
- Call-Back:
- The group call held in "A Surprising Visitor" is brought up by Porco. Luz follows through on asking Kitsuni about the Baron resurrecting Camila, which she vowed to do in said chapter.
- Dusty is shown to have been patched up and recovering from his battle against Nina Fangs.
- The Secret Room of Shortcuts reappears, since the multi-trackers have rarely used it since the "Prof. Blanc fiasco".
- Amity brings up her magic acting up and being unable to make full abominations since returning to Hexside in "Stranger Danger" while talking with Jerbo. They also discuss him saving Puck in "The Forest of Fear".
- Luz shouts "Owl pellets!" when Felicia outs Amity as nameless, something she hasn't said since the very first chapter. Both times were when things were about to get really suckish, back then being because Principal Bump was about to punish her for injuring Boscha.
- The Cameo:
- Eda only appears briefly when Larry gives her her payment for tipping the Golden Guard off to an illegal potions operation.
- All the troublemakers' families are seen as they each head off for school.
- Puffer appears during Felicia's Establishing Character Moment.
- Prof. Redback and Jane get to be seen teaching now that Luz and Skara are their students.
- Prof. Snope oversees Amity trying to make another abomination before allowing a free period for her and Jerbo.
- Madame Izanami and the Sun God Ra are seen when Anu Bist is busted for messing with Moses' destiny.
- Bo, Mattholomule, and Simon are seen when Gus apologizes to the H.A.S., Matt being the only one who doesn't have one line.
- Edric only makes a silent one when he's shown talking to Emira and Viney before Skata asks Viney to tutor her.
- Vanz Ator is seen when Kitsuni visits his shop to see Anu Bist.
- Continuity Nod:
- Pleasure Island is still on parents' minds, with Mrs. Jeepers wanting to put Jerbo in therapy to help him get over it. Luz mentions her and Amity meeting the Baron there to Kitsuni.
- Newt Burger is mentioned again.
- Jerbo's still working on perfecting the Abomi-Fungus, which was last seen in "Back to Hexside".
- Once again, Luz teaches a witch how to fist bump to symbolise their officially being friends.
- Amity mentions hearing a voice after leaving the Oracle track while Barcus said goodbye.
- While looking at the Wall of Troublemakers, Amity recalls Luz having terrible handwriting before finding Puck's signature.
- Eda is shown working as an anonymous source.
- Eve is studying notes she made about Philip's diary, which she obtained in the last chapter.
- Crazy-Prepared: Every morning, Barcus makes predictions to see what disasters he can prevent throughout the day. It really comes in handy for saving Eve's neck without her even knowing it.
- Day in the Life: A good chunk of the chapter is dedicated to showing the lives of each of the troublemakers during the school day.
- A Day in the Limelight: Anu Bist/Jack the Genie is granted ample focus. Each of the original troublemakers (Viney, Jerbo and Barcus) are also given a role to play.
- Disappeared Dad: Viney's father is implied to be one.
- Distant Prologue: The chapter begins in Ancient Egypt, where a teenage Anu Bist and Kitsuni are hanging out.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: The way everyone acts to Felicia revealing Amity's nameless on her vlog, you'd think she just outed Amity, their shock really selling it.
- Dramatic Irony: We all know from canon that Eda is Lord Calamity, and Luz had hoped it was her because it makes sense. However, Luz only believed this because she saw them as the witch she wanted to be, which was Eda. Plus, she never even bothered to ask her mom if she was them.
- Epileptic Trees: In-Universe. Amity theorizes that The Voice she's been hearing lately is Barcus, that she's possibly started to understand him after seeing him off in the Oracle track.
- Establishing Character Moment: Felicia Fox shows herself to be as much of a gossip hound as her mother, prefering scandalous stories over any with actual facts.
- Exact Eavesdropping: Felicia sends out multiple spirits to look for newsworthy stories to publish. One of them overhears Amity explaining her being nameless to Jerbo while they're in the Secret Room of Shortcuts.
- Figure It Out Yourself: It seems that the trickster demons and gods uphold this creed regarding mortals, because interferring with their lives otherwise creates prophecies they must help them see through.
- Filler Villain: Felicia only serves as an antagonist for this chapter.
- Flashback B-Plot: The chapter's flashbacks go into detail about Anu Bist's past and how he became who he is today.
- Foreshadowing: The lesson on controlling one's inner beast mentions that transforming can lead to giving into primal instinct. Hearing about making peace with an inner beast makes Luz wonder if Eda and Lilith could control their own beasts, and she also wonders if her cambion form could take over her mind.
- The Ghost:
- King is said to be watching cartoons during the scene at the Owl House.
- Anu Bist mentions his sister Kebechet and Loki in the Distant Prologue.
- Lucifer Morningstar is brought up, Jerbo saying he'll drag Porco down to Hell if he ever reveals any secrets Jerbo tells him.
- Emira mentions Hunter's been visiting her brother after they moved in with Geist.
- During Beast Keeping class, Luz thinks of the Demon Hunters when she hears about Beast Hunting. Eberwolf is mentioned as being a master of Beast Transformation, with Nina being noted as another user.
- Given Name Reveal: Viney's mom is revealed to be named Betty.
- Glowing Eyes: Barcus' eyes glow white while he makes his morning predictions.
- History Repeats: Someone exposes one of Amity's personal secrets and all of her friends react with outrage, not wanting her to be hurt by it again. Unlike last time however, she doesn't care.
- Humans Through Alien Eyes: Now that Gus is back in the H.A.S., Simon asks him to explain the rugby stick he has, which he calls a "human warhammer".
- Hypocritical Humor: Mrs. Barkowski chastises Mewstic for doing a podcast on dead bodies and tells her to talk about "how to recover from turning inside out".
- If Only You Knew: Luz couldn't be more right regarding who she believed Lord Calamity could be.
- Internal Reveal:
- Willow has learned about Gus' mom.
- Porco overheard Jerbo's mirror chat, specifically about Amity being nameless. Thanks to Felicia, it becomes public knowledge.
- Viney has been informed of the twins staying with Geist, as has Hunter.
- Kitsuni learns Luz encountered the Baron, with Luz concluding he was responsible for Camila's resurrection. Luz also realizes Anu Bist knew what she was becoming and why he couldn't tell her.
- Upon seeing Puck signed the troublemaker wall, Jerbo realizes that Puck was a Fae after Amity learns Jerbo saved Puck from the Greater Basilisk. Jerbo also learns of Puck's role in saving Luz's family.
- It Was a Gift: The silver skull hairpin that Viney uses in this chapter was a gift from Emira.
- I Warned You: Luz gives Felicia just one warning not to mess with Gus while he's working for her or drag Amity through the mud trying to get a story out of her. Felicia ignores both warnings and Luz follows through on making her pay for it.
- Jerkass Has a Point: The only thing Felicia's right about is that the truth always comes out. Even if everyone could keep Amity being nameless to themselves, it had to become known sooner or later.
- Laser-Guided Karma: For outing Amity as nameless and threatening to have Gus' father fired from his job, Felicia is attacked by Luz and left duct-taped to the ceiling.
- Loophole Abuse: Felicia knows she'll get in trouble if she reveals Amity's nameless in the school's paper, so she does it on her Penstagram vlog instead. Still doesn't save her from Luz's fury, though.
- Mass "Oh, Crap!": Every one of Luz and Amity's friends, along with the girls, has this when they see Felicia outed Amity as nameless on her vlog.
- Meaningful Rename:
- Upon becoming a certified genie, Anu Bist takes the name Jack. Though no reason for his choosing this is actually given In-Universe, it may be due to his resemblance to an anthropomorphic jackal and "Jack" is a common name for trickster and rebel archetypes in fairy tales and folklore.
- By the end of the school day, Amity decides to take the surname "Goodfellow" in honor of Puck.
- Monster of the Week: Felicia Fox, who's turned the Hexside school paper into a gossip rag, serves as a Bad Boss, and decides to target Amity for a scoop.
- Must Make Amends: Besides Luz and Amity, Gus is advised to apologize to everyone he antagonized with his recent behavior, doing so with the Human Appreciation Society when he rejoins.
- Named by the Adaptation: The centaur with the face on his chest is dubbed Atkin.
- Nothing Is the Same Anymore: Jack leaves to begin his genie life anew, so Kitsuni's here to stay as a Hexside teacher. At the same time, Luz and Skara have now become multi-trackers in both the Bard and Beast Keeping tracks.
- Oh, Crap!:
- Gus is not happy to see that the daughter of his father's new boss is running the paper he wants to join.
- Anu Bist has a moment when he realize that his father wanted Ms. Traveler (Mary) to help punish him for his actions.
- Through her Aura Vision, Felicia quickly realizes she's dead where she stands when Luz is about to attack her for messing with Amity and Gus.
- Out of Focus: King is only mentioned while Hooty and Boscha aren't referenced at all.
- Purgatory and Limbo: Camila describes herself as being stuck in limbo ever since she died and returning to it after the séance.
- Pyromaniac: A kid named Josh is mentioned to have burned his house down.
- Reasonable Authority Figure:
- Prof. Snope lets Jerbo help Amity destress by taking her to vent.
- A. Nubist has accepted his son's desire to help mortals long ago and has come to see him as his own deity with his own path to follow.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Gus dishes one to Felicia for turning the Hexside paper into a tabloid and revealing Amity to be nameless, basically calling her a joke of a journalist.You call yourself a reporter? Where's your integrity? First you turned this place into a gossip tabloid, then you decide to invade the privacy of other people and spread conspiracy theories while not caring about how this hurts them! You're nothing but a self-centered, exploitative bitch who gives journalism a bad name!
- The Reveal:
- Trickster demons can't interfere with mortals' lives because doing so creates prophecies they have to fulfill, which takes the mortal's destiny out of their hands.
- Anu Bist got in trouble for creating Moses' destiny to free the Hebrew slaves from Pharaoh. After being punished by working as a death god, Ms. Traveler gave him the idea to become a genie.
- Viney's dad was in the Emperor's Coven and isn't around anymore. Her mother Betty is seeing the face-chested centaur, Atkin.
- Felicity Fox has become the head of the Boiling Isles media following Webstor's arrest. Her daughter, Felicia, was a student at St. Epiderm before she transfered to Hexside and she's taken over its newspaper.
- Anu Bist has a sister named Kebechet. His father also refers to him as "Junior".
- Luz and Skara (who officially returns to school) have been enrolled in the multi-track program and start taking Beast Keeping.
- Nina Fangs didn't use a beast in her battle against Dusty; she transformed into one.
- Eve was cursed when a black cat demon crossed her path when she was seven. Barcus has saved her from misfortune 54 times.
- On a lesser note, Cat has rejoined the Human Appreciation Society while Amelia is now a member.
- The ending implies that Genie exists in this continuity.
- Jerbo's brother Roden works as a vice-floor manager for Newt Burger, which is part of the Fast Food Coven.
- Puffer works on Hexside's newspaper, the Hexside Free Press.
- Trickster demons can't interfere with mortals' lives because doing so creates prophecies they have to fulfill, which takes the mortal's destiny out of their hands.
- School News Paper Newshound: Felicia would rather write about exciting scandals than truthful stories on account of the Blight twins and the library's house elves being the only people who read the paper.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: After taking Gus' "Reason You Suck" Speech, Felicia threatens to call her mom and have Perry fired since Felicity's his boss now.
- Secret-Keeper: Jerbo has to swear Porco to secrecy regarding Amity being nameless. He mentions that to make sure his little brother keeps secrets, he told him if he tells anyone, he'll be dragged to hell by Lucifer himself.
- Shout-Out:
- Eve being cursed with bad luck brings to mind how Daphne is always called "danger-prone".
- Camila describes the afterlife as a waiting room.
- The ending shows Jack being found by a kid named Adrian and singing "Never Had a Friend Like Me" to explain who he is. It's obvious Genie made that mandatory.
- Significant Wardrobe Shift: Luz's uniform sleeves and Skara's leggings have been changed from red to orange, showing they're now studying Beast Keeping.
- Status Quo Is God: Subverted. While Anu Bist finally recovers from his injuries, he becomes a born-again genie so he must leave the Isles, with Kitsuni remaining the detention track teacher.
- Take That, Audience!: Anyone who's ever played on a Playstation Portable during its 10-year lifespan is ribbed when Gus proclaims it an "ancient artifact"; however, it's zig-zagged by the later confirmation that the series takes place in 2012, during which the PSP would still be in use.
- Taking It Well: Instead of getting angry with Felicia for exposing her as nameless, Amity decides she's not worth it and that she's finally done caring about what other people think of her. Subverted for her closest friends, who would've attacked Felicia on sight had Amity given the word (and she did with Luz.)
- Tempting Fate: Amity warns Gus to be wary of the new editor-in-chief for the school newspaper. Gus asks "how bad can she be?", and an Answer Cut shows him saying "No" to seeing Felicia.
- There Are No Therapists: Averted like always. Besides Gus starting his sessions with Ms. Traveler, Jerbo's mother considers signing him up for Oracle group therapy for any lingering trauma over Pleasure Island. Later, Jerbo himself listens to Amity venting her problems to help her get over her mental block stopping her from making abominations.
- Trailers Always Spoil: The Book 2 trailer features the scene where Anu Bist meets with his father in Vanz's Dealership.
- True Companions:
- Skara is genuinely surprised when Luz calls them friends, with the human explaining it's because of how much Skara helped her and Amity, how she's a good girlfriend to Willow and that they're now the Bard Beast Girls, capped by a fist bump.
- With everything Amity's gone through, Luz, Viney, Jerbo, and Barcus officially declare her a troublemaker and have her sign the wall around Lord Calamity's portrait.
- Unfinished Business: At first, Camila thought her spirit couldn't rest until she made sure Luz was taken care of. Following the séance, however, she realizes something else is stopping her.
- The Unreveal: Invoked in-universe. While the former troublemakers could look into who Lord Calamity is, they choose not to since they prefer the mystery and what they represent to each of them.
- Unseen No More: A. Nubist, Jack's father, is seen after being mentioned back in the ninth chapter of Book 1.
- We Will Meet Again: Jack assures his former students, especially Luz, that there's a chance their paths could cross again one day.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Eileen is the only member of the H.A.S. who doesn't appear at the club meeting. Her absence is explained in the next chapter.
