So, I've been in the process of developing a Shadowhunters AU fic for my Thai BL Crossover Bingo card...
...and it occurred to me, that while there exists some overlap between the fandoms, there are probably a few Thai QL fans who've never read the book series or seen the tv show--if they've even heard of Shadowhunters at all.
So... MAY I PRESENT TO YOU HALLOWPEN'S:
What are 'shadowhunters'?
Shadowhunters, or "Nephilim", are the angels' chosen warriors who have been granted 'heavenly' gifts in order to maintain balance in the shadow world. In short, they have been designated to protect normal humans (known as "mundanes") from demonic creatures.
Runes: Shadowhunters gain their power from angelic markings called "runes", each having their own designated ability (i.e stamina, courage in combat, agility, precision, etc.). These marks can be applied to their bodies or physical objects/weapons by using a "stele" (steh-lay). A stele can also re-activate a rune that was already previously inscribed. It's essentially a shadowhunter's magic wand.
Adamas: The Iron Sisters are a group of specialized shadowhunters who use the holy metal known as "adamas" to forge the nephilim's tools and weapons. The standard weapon for all shadowhunters is called a "seraph blade" which can be activated once it's name is called. Shadowhunters name their blades after the various angels.
Other than seraph blades, each shadowhunter might have a different preferred weapon of choice.
What are "downworlders'?
Any species of a known demonic origin, that are not considered to be fully 'demon', are called downworlders. They include: werewolves and vampires who are labeled as victims of 'demonic' infections, faeries who are a varied mix of angel and demon, and warlocks who are the offspring of demons and mundanes (warlocks can be identified by their unique warlock marks). Downworlders are often negatively stereotyped by shadowhunters given their demonic bloodlines, regardless to the fact that they are not considered inherently evil.
Institute- Institutes serve as the power base for all local shadowhunters. They exist worldwide and house Nephilim forces in the city in which they reside. Those in charge, often the Head of the Institute, oversee all tactical missions.
Parabatai- Shadowhunters who have taken an oath to fight together as lifelong partners are called "parabatai". A shadowhunter can have only one parabatai in their lifetime, as the sacred ritual cannot be performed more than once. Parabatai are bonded through their shared parabatai runes, and that bond can only be broken in death (at which point, the runes painfully fade away).
The Clave- When Shadowhunters reach the age of adulthood (18), they declare their allegiance and become full members of the Clave. It is the collective name for the political body made up of all active Nephilim. The Clave is governed by an elected body of representatives known as "The Council". The Council is presided over by the Clave's highest appointed official: the Consul (who holds little to no executive power but is the leading authority in interpreting the Law).
The Mortal Cup- The Mortal Cup is the means by which new Nephilim are created. The Cup has transformative properties that are imbued with angelic power. Drinking from it will transform a mundane into a shadowhunter, though the process can have fatal risks and does not always work. Those in direct possession of the Cup are afforded protection from demons and gain some authority over them.
Idris- The shadowhunters’ secret home country, Idris, is hidden in Central Europe by powerful glamours and wards. It’s capital, and only city, is Alicante. The Council resides there, and it is where Clave meetings are held.
'Need-to-Know' Shadowhunter History:
A shadowhunter named Valentine Morgenstern once led an uprising against the Clave in order to wipe out all species of downworlders. In case of his failure, his contingency plan was to experiment on his children in order to create the perfect 'shadowhunter' weapon to carry on his legacy. He injected his son, Jonathan, with the blood of the mother of all demons: Lilith. His daughter, Clary Fairchild, was injected with the blood of the angel Ithuriel. Valentine's initial uprising does, indeed, fail and he fakes his and Jonathan's deaths. Clary stays with her mother and eventually winds up at the New York Institute.
At a point where Valentine reveals himself to be alive, he uses Jonathan to set his new plan (to rid the world of the "tainted" shadowhunters and replace them with a new army) into motion. Jonathan kills and takes over the identity of a shadowhunter named Sebastian Verlac. He infiltrates the ranks of the New York shadowhunters by befriending his sister, Clary. While pretending to be one of the 'good guys', his demon-laced blood was instrumental in allowing Valentine's demon hordes to infiltrate and terrorize the city of Alicante. At the end of what would be known as "The Mortal War", Sebastian is defeated and killed.
He is eventually resurrected by his "surrogate mother", Lilith. Completely corrupted by his demon blood and void of any humanity, Sebastian is mad with power. He becomes obsessed with creating his own army to rule over the entire shadow world. Sebastian is successful in the creation of a demonic equivalent to the Mortal Cup. The Infernal Cup, imbued by Lilith's demonic magic, can be used to change a shandowhunter's angelic allegiance to a demonic one. Once transformed, these new 'endarkened' shadowhunters can be controlled by whoever is in possession of the cup. In this case: Sebastian Morgenstern.
I think that's all you should need to know before diving in. The rest should explain itself. A link to the fic will be posted soon!!!
