Fanfic / The Owl Sanctum

The Owl Sanctum is a crossover between The Owl House and Doctor Strange (2016) by Epiclot214. In this story, Stephen Strange is Luz's foster brother, and when she travels to the Boiling Isles, he ends up coming along for the ride.

---

This fanfic provides examples of:

• Abhorrent Admirer: Boscha becomes this to Stephen.
• Adaptational Origin Connection: Instead of Willow, it's Clea who Bosha bullies mercilessly during the Grudgby season. But it's soon revealed that Mordo pitted them against each other all along, as Stephen deduces, leaving both girls in total shock and confusion.
  • Man-Thing takes the place of the selkiedomus.
  • After the Blight Industries showcase, it's Baron Mordo who tells the Blights that the Emperor will buy all the abomatons instead of the Golden Guard.
  • Kaecilius is the one who sent Bria and her cronies of Glandus students after the Galdorstones, being their principal.
• Adaptational Nice Guy: ZigZagged. Stephen hasn't become a surgeon and didn't get Acquired Situational Narcissism like in canon. And while this version of Stephen is probably the kindest of them all, he is still a Jerk (albeit with a heart of gold). His kindness grows more as the fic goes on to the point that he grows out of that.
  • Clea and Wong are also MUCH kinder and selfless than their other versions (also probably THE kindest and most selfless of them all).
• Adaptational Backstory Change: A number of characters brought in from Marvel have changes made to their backstories to fit the setting.
  • Man-Thing, aka, Dr. Ted Sallis, is now Professor Ted Sallis. In Marvel, he was a scientist trying to recreate the super soldier serum used in Captain America's origins. His girlfriend, an undercover A.I.M agent betrayed him and he wound up crashing into a nearby swamp trying to get away. The formula he injected himself with beforehand mixed with mystic forces in the swamp mutating him into Man-Thing. Here, Sallis was the former plant track professor at Hexside when Eda was a student. A classmate named Gene botched a plant spell and the resulting magic feedback turned Sallis into what he is now.
  • Kaecilius is now the principal of Glandus, and the one that sent Bria, Gavin, and Agmar after the Galdorstones.
• Adaptational Species Change: Several human magic users from Doctor Strange become Boiling Isles Witches. Including Stephen who discovers he literally has the heart of a witch. In the past, doctors found a strange growth on his heart but they declared it harmless since it seemed to have no ill effects on his health. It turns out, that growth is the same kind of bile sac that gives Boiling Isles Witches their magic powers.
• Adaptational Sympathy: In canon, Tibbles is an owner of Honest John's Dealership whose entire motive is just get quick money and/or revenge and is just another Villain of the Week. Here, Tibbles is forced to steal King or he'll be banisheded to the Dark Dimension forever.
  • Boscha is a Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy who bullies the Hexsquad, particularly Willow and Luz, for her own cruel pleasure. But here, while she still bullies the Hexsquad, her main target is Clea, and it stems from a misunderstanding, that was orchestrated by Mordo. Once the two realize this, they rekindled their friendship.
• Adaptational Wimp: Wong is meeker in this story compared to previous incarnations. This makes sense given how just like Stephen, Wong here is still a teenager going through training and thus, lacks the magic and martial arts expertise of his adult counterpart.
• Age Lift: Stephen Strange, among others, is a teenager in this story, in contrast to his usual depiction as an adult.
• Ascended Extra: In-Universe and Meta Example. Stan is just One Shot Cameo in Marvel films who doesn't do anything to the plot but here he appears regularly and helps the heroes.
• Astonishingly Appropriate Interruption:
  • In chapter 2:
  Eda: If you really want to go there, you'll find it on the east side of Bonesborough. Once you're there, you'll have to ask to speak to the apprentice, who's name is ...
  Luz & King: Eda!
  Luz: Hi, bro.
  Stephen: You two have literally the worst timing.
  • In chapter 8:
  Stephen: ... I'm trying to be an Earth surgeon, not a Boiling Isles spellcaster.
  Luz: But surgeons are boring.
  Stephen: Maybe to you. But we can see the inner ailments of other people and work to fix them. For example (Stephen seeing that Eda's curse is starting to show up again)... There are feathers coming out of Eda's arms.
• Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Despite how much she drives him nuts with her antics, Stephen does genuinely love Luz as his sister and always has her back.
• Big Bad Ensemble: Besides Emperor Belos presumably planning to enact his canon plans, there's also Nightmare who wishes to take control of the Owl Beast to use it to destroy the seal keeping him away from the Boiling Isles to regain free reign over the inhabitants' dreams, Mephisto, who wishes to take King for unknown reasons, and Baron Mordo, who is trying to bring Dormammu to the Boiling Isles.
• Big Damn Kiss: Steven and Clea have this at the end of chapter 24. And much to Stephen's ire, Luz had witnessed the whole thing.
• But for Me, It Was Tuesday: Agatha Harkness went to school with Eda, but the latter doesn't recognize the former. Even when Agatha says that Eda pulled a lot of pranks on her, Eda points out that really doesn't narrow it down much, given what Eda was like back then.
• Call-Forward: In Mirror Scroll, Gus explains about his failed attempt to send his miniature illusions to cheer up Willow in a way that makes Clea comment that he sounds like the head of the Illusion Coven and warns Gus not to be like him.
• Career-Ending Injury: Just like before, Stephen was in the car accident and the nerves in his hands were shattered. Except in this case, it’s seemingly dashed his surgical career before he could even get started on it.
• Chekhov's Gun: Gus teaches Stephen an illusion magic in chapter 11. He uses it later in the same chapter to escape punishment (and reveal Mattholomule for his Frame-Up).
• Character Development: Stephen starts off as being very cold, critical, and distant towards Luz and her antics. But during the course of the series, he slowly becomes more nicer, respectful, and closer toward his step sister and starts trusting her ideas rather than oppose them.
• The Chessmaster: Baron Mordo's manipulation skill rivals that of Belos. In his mission to free Dormammu, Mordo orchestrated all the fights between the Clawthorn Sisters, such as accidentally exposing Lilith's cheating in Covention Chaos as well as giving her the idea in the first place, provoking Eda in Get the Axe, and bluntly revealing that Lilith was the one who cursed Eda during their drawbridge duel in Eda's Fall and suggested the duel in the first place. Not only that, he also drove a wedge between Clea and Boscha by spreading rumors and pinning the blame on the other.
• Composite Character: Grom is known as the Dweller-In-Darkness, which was the name of an evil creature in the Shang-Chi comics and movie.
• The Complainer Is Always Wrong: Inverted. Steven is criticizing others' decisions all the time and is always right! He stops doing this in the season 2 based chapters, however.
• Cool Old Guy: Stan helps Luz and others to escape from prison and talks to Luz when she was depressed at Covention after she made a deal with Amity and advises her to talk with Amity as the best solution.
• Daddy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You: Whenever Stephen asked about his father, all his mother would tell him is that he left when Stephen was a baby to make things better for him, and that he loved them very much.
• Didn't Think This Through: Stephen regularly tells the main cast that they never think through the (especially long-term) consequences of their actions (so it's practically their Fatal Flaw) (for example, when Luz decided to pretend to be an abomination for Willow, she didn't think that she'd has to pretend every day so the lie wouldn't reveal). The reason the long-term consequences is never brought up in the canon (and never happened in this fic) is because Contrived Coincidence and/or other factors (such as Amity's rage, supernatural forces and/or plans, etc.) make the plan busted immediately so the heroes get off with a slap on the wrist.
• Disappeared Dad: Stephen doesn't know who his father, let alone met him. Its heavily implied by Belos that Stephen's father is a witch from the Boiling Isles, making him a Half-Human Hybrid.
• Enraged by Idiocy: Stephen doesn't hold his thoughts, emotions, etcetera on main cast's shenanigans and is pretty vocal about situations and the stupidity of it.
• Everyone Has Standards: Eda is a prone to Get-Rich-Quick Schemes and very irresponsible to her actions but even she knows that artifacts hidden by the Ancient One only can used in emergency situations and no one must know about them and/or about their quest or they're toast.
• Expecting Someone Taller: The Caretaker of the Looking Glass Graveyard notes that he was expecting the Ancient One's chosen one to be a bit older than Stephen is, but that he's not exactly one to judge someone by their age.
• Excellent Judge of Character: One of this Stephen's talents is that he can identify the person and their mindset and morality code only knowing them a little. The only exception is Mordo but it's only because he's such a good actor.
• False Flag Operation: The canon B-plot to Luz and King's book misadventures is a hoax organized by Baron Mordo. The hoaxer is working for Mordo from the beginning, the failure of Lilith and Mordo, etcetera. All to ensure that Stephen can get it out of the sword so he can get it later.
• Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Stephen is The Only Sane Man while Luz is a Cloudcuckoolander.
• Fusion Fic: In addition to Stephen himself, the story has numerous characters from Doctor Strange present as natives of the Boiling Isles. Along with other elements such as how the Owl House is now called the Owl Sanctum and the title of Sorcerer Supreme is held by the strongest magic wielder on the Boiling Isles.
• Genius Ditz: In the chapter She Put the Grudge in Grudgby, Stephen comes to see that, while Luz's plans may be idiotic, half-cocked, and poorly thought out, they have a strange way of working out in some form or another, or as he puts it, a "method to her madness". From then on out, he becomes more trusting towards her and willing to go along with her crazy plans.
• Genre Savvy: Unlike Luz who is Wrong Genre Savvy, Stephen is absolutely correct about his situation (mostly because he's not naïve, closer to Earth, smarter and loves not only sport films and Good Witch Azura Books).
• Half-Human Hybrid: It's hinted that Stephen's biological father is a Boiling Isles witch somehow.
• Happily Adopted: When Stephen's mother died in the car accident that damaged his hands, Camilla, being his godmother, took him in.
  • Lilith adopts Clea.
• Instant Expert: Stephen learns magic on the spot (for example, Stephen learns and even upgrade basic fire spell just seeing it once while Amity is still working on it after many tries).
• Invincible Boogeymen: Black Knight is completely immune to magic and can be destroyed only by physical force. But because he's q twenty feet tall steel golem with Enchanced Strength and Enchanced Durabitily the only thing the Stephen and gang can do is run.
• Irony: In the first chapters, Stephen not wanting to learn magic beyond healing his hands but he has the bile sac giving him natural powers is an Instant Expert. By contrast, Luz always wanting to learn magic but has no natural magic and is often seen by her peers as an Inept Mage in comparison. Despite admitting to be jealous of him, Luz is supportive of her step brothers abilities and doesn't hold resentment towards him.
• Jerkass Has a Point: Stephen's criticism about The Owl House characters is always rude but is also right every time.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Stephen may not always be the nicest person, but he always has the back of his sister, girlfriend and friends.
• Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: Mattholomule told Stephen and Gus that he tried to take Gus' place because he wanted to have friends. But in reality, it was an act to put both of them in trouble. He get's better though, like in canon.
• MacGuffin: The artifacts hidden by the Ancient One. Her journal contains clues where to find them and it falls onto Stephen to locate them before the forces of evil. These artifacts include all sorts of famous items used by Doctor Strange in past media: The Book of Vishanti, the Wand of Watomb, his iconic Cloak of Levitation, a box set of sling rings, and even items belonging to other Marvel characters like Juggernaut's Crimson Gem of Cyttorak.
• Matchmaker Failure: At one point Luz tried to help Stephen get together with his crush Christine by writing a note and slipping it into her locker, but failed to write his name, just that it was from the person whose locker was next to hers... so of course she assumed it was the guy on the other side of her.
• Mundane Utility: Gas uses illusion magic to skip some of his classes by creating a copy of himself (although it doesn't do what he wants all the time).
• Mythology Gag: Stan's wish is write comic books one day.
  • After Agatha is defeated and the heroes tie her up, Eda leaves a note saying how the magic drainer was Agatha all along on her before calling the cops on her.
• Only Sane Man / Cloudcuckoolander's Minder: Stephen is this to a main cast (because he's closer to earth than even Luz). Lampshaded by Stephen himself:
  Stephen: I swear, sometimes I fell like I'm the Bat Queen trying to take care of all you crackpots.
• Point of Divergence: In Chapter 20, instead of Bosha, it's Stephen who catches the rusty smidge which makes Luz, Clea, Amity, and his team are made the automatic winners instead of the Banshees. Though Luz still voices that it's a stupid rule.
• Positive Friend Influence: Stephen's influence on Luz and Boiling Isles' citizens. Stephen is the one who make others act rationally and morally right.
  • Likewise, Camilla, Luz, and other characters have this reaction to Stephen. Their influence is the reason why this version of Stephen is probably the kindest and selfless of them all (Everyone who's read Marvel comics and has seen other versions of Stephen knows, that, despite being a superhero, Stephen is (or can be) a Narcissist, self-absorbed, hedonistic and straight-up Jerkass (even with a heart of jerk)).
• Power Parasite: Agatha Harkness, having seen the Draining spell in Philip Wittebane's journal, has created a modified version that allows her to absorb the power from witches she drains, planning to use it to become powerful enough to overthrow Belos.
• Properly Paranoid: Stephen is perfectly aware that main cast's shenanigans and Boiling Isles are a recipe for disaster. He's also perfectly aware that Luz has a talent to get in trouble. He's always right!
• Recurring Extra: Stan. But unlike most examples, he's actually important to the plot and helps heroes.
• Running Gag: The Cameo King Stan.
• Skewed Priorities: Averted with Stephen, who's perfectly aware that Boscha and her posses are the least of his problems.
• Special Person, Normal Name: Eda laughed at the fact that Baron Mordo's first name is "Karl". Of course if you know about him, you'll realize that he's Tom the Dark Lord actually.
• Shout-Out: With Mordo's help, Odalia drops a huge bombshell on Clea.
  Clea: Are you saying I can't prove Mordo adopted me?
  Odalia: I'm saying you can't even prove you exist.
• Surrounded by Idiots: While Stephen is a good guy and lives the main cast, he (albeit rightfully) thinks himself to be the keeper of others and must keep them on the tight leash. He slowly drops this mindset as the series goes on.
• Suspiciously Specific Denial: Exploited. Mattholomule says that Stephen's pass is fake (he took the real one) while he wasn't supposed to know that. Stephen told Director Bump that it's true because he knew that the principal would have questions and that Mattholomule took his pass. As a result, Mattholomule put his foot in his mouth when he realized what he said after Stepthen asked this little question:
  Stephen: Mattholomule, how did you instantly know I had a fake?
• This Is Gonna Suck: Steven's usual reaction to main cast's antics. He's right every time.
• Time Skip: The story starts when Stephen is ten to showcase how he hurt his hands and ended up with the Nocedas. It then jumps to four years later, at the same point that the canon show starts.
• Tragic Dream: Subverted. Stephen gives up on becoming a surgeon after his hands are injured in the accident that orphans him. By the time he arrives at the Boiling Isles with Luz, he’s gone through every treatment imaginable and even gone through college-level texts for any hope of fixing his hands. Like he confides in Clea, magic is his last chance to restore his hands and make his late mother proud.
• Wham Episode: In chapter 28, Clea finally learns the truth about herself from Mordo. She's the daughter to the evil witch Umar, who was planning to use her for a secret agenda during the Day of Unity, before she was supposedly killed by Mordo. Towards the end, it's revealed that Umar is alive and is working with Mordo.
• Wham Shot: Eda spots something peculiar on Clea. The Mark of the Dark Dimension.
  • When Steven uses the Book of Vashati to unpetrify Eda, his hurt hands cause him to fire the spell at a petrified witch, freeing her. The witch's name? Wanda Maximof.

---