Shadowchasers: The Eldritch
is a Shadowchasers Series fanfic written by Digidramon.
Set in the Shadowchasers' original homeland of Great Britain, the fic centres on a lone Shadowchaser in comparison to the teams featured in other works, specifically, veteran Shadowchaser Alyssa Daniels. When a strange assault in the city of Bath leads police inspector Alex Cox to call the Shadowchasers for help, Alyssa is assigned to the case. But things are not as straightforward or easy as they seem...
Shadowchasers: The Eldritch contains examples of the following tropes:
- Badass Normal: Given that two thirds of the fic's mains aren't Shadowchasers, this was fairly inevitable. 8
- Continuity Nod: In Chapter 4, Alyssa references the events of the Dark Signers arc of 5D's.
- In the same chapter, she mentions scrolls which can create Shadow Games. A scroll like this appeared in Risen Nemesis
- Dark Is Not Evil: Despite his Ghostrick deck, Ryan is a sweet and kind young man.
- Declaration of Protection: Given by Cox about Ryan in Chapter 4.
- Deconstruction: In some ways, of the premise Shadowchasers itself. Cox's entire character shows the tension and stress living with the Masquerade would cause, and it is clear that he is deeply uncomfortable with the world of Shadow.
- Green Thumb: Alyssa uses a Sylvan deck based around Plant-Type monsters.
- Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: Chapters are referred to as 'Duels', and each is named after a card.
- Masquerade: Deconstructed by Cox. The entire premise of his character is that he is an Aware who consistently wants nothing to do with Shadowkind, to the point of refusing multiple offers to join the Shadowchasers, in part because he recognises that the world the Shadowchasers inhabit and protect is a dangerous one. Because his wife and daughter are both Mundane, he finds himself having to lie to them constantly, which he explicitly hates himself for.
- Nothing Exciting Ever Happens Here: Cox's sum-up of Bath.
- People Puppets: In grand YGO tradition, Bennett gets possessed in Duel 3 and used against Ryan.
- Police Are Useless: Played with. Alex Cox serves as an intermediary between the police and the Shadowchasers, making him useful in this respect, but by his own admission there are problems the police just can't handle (hence the need for the Shadowchasers).
- Shout-Out: Cox advising a rookie officer on the importance of his notebook is straight from sergeant Angel doing the same in Hot Fuzz.
- The Tainted Veins the possessed get are very reminiscent of those possessed by Remnants in Skulduggery Pleasant.
- Smug Snake: Even through People Puppets, the sheer arrogance of the antagonist is pretty clear.
- Tainted Veins: While possessed, Bennett has black veins and black eyes. Leanne gets the same while poisoned.
- You Have to Believe Me!: Subverted, Cox does believe Ryan's account of the assault, despite the odd details.
