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SPOILER WARNING: Plot details follow. Caution is advised!

Being what I am puts me between two worlds. I belong here and yet I don't. Sometimes I can glimpse other things that do not quite belong.

–Jesse to Lucie, Chain of Gold

Jesse Blackthorn is the son of Tatiana and Rupert Blackthorn, and the adoptive older brother of Grace Blackthorn. He died at a young age like his father and returned as a ghost.

History[]

Early life[]

As a baby, Jesse required the protection spells placed on Nephilim shortly after birth; however Tatiana had grown distrustful of Shadowhunters and would not allow the Silent Brothers to perform the spells. Instead she put word out in Downworld seeking someone willing to do it. Emmanuel Gast was the only warlock who responded and so Tatiana hired him. Prior to his arrival, the Prince of Hell Belial threatened Gast into placing a small piece of Belial's essence into Jesse's body while he did the spells so that Belial could later possess him to carry out his plans.

Despite his mother's attempts to convince him that Shadowhunters were monsters and that he was one in name only, Jesse felt the call of his blood. At the age of 8, he found a stash of old training manuals and weapons in the attic and began training himself in secret in the old training rooms of the manor.

When he was about 14, his mother adopted Grace. He was seemingly excited to have a sister, spending time playing with and reading to her. Eventually, Jesse began to train her and they became co-conspirators in their sneaking about. They became inseparable and loved each other deeply, understanding they were each other's only true allies and all the other had. They remained close even after his death.[2]

Death[]

As a result of Jesse being a weak and sickly child growing up, Tatiana told the Silent Brothers he could not be Marked. However, Jesse desperately wished to be a Shadowhunter like all the others so he continually begged and pleaded with his mother to let him be runed. Finally, when he was 17, she relented after he threatened to run away to Alicante and have them done himself if she did not let him.

The rune ceremony went well at first, but when he returned to his room he collapsed. He woke up feverish and screaming, blood welling from his skin as the runes of the Gray Book reacted badly with the demonic essence in his body. Grace stayed with him and even held him in his final moments. Just as he realized he was dying, his mother came in and held the Blackthorn family locket to his lips to capture his last breath.

After his death, Tatiana refused to give the Silent Brothers his body. Instead, she called upon her patron Belial who ordered Gast to preserve and safeguard his body. He had him cut his soul from his body to keep him in a twilight state so that he was asleep in his coffin during the day and at night he was a ghost. While he was not able to crossover, he was free to wander both the real world and the spirit world.[3][2]

Afterlife[]

Over the years, Jesse spent his nights either with Grace or wandering in Brocelind Forest and reading books or his grandfather's papers. One night in 1897, while wandering the forest, he came across a small girl who had fallen into a faerie trap. He was surprised when she saw him as, prior to that night, no one had been able to see him aside from his family. He was even more surprised by his ability to lift her out of the hole. Jesse attributed this to her youth.[3]

Though he was unaware of it at the time, his mother made alliances with numerous demons and practiced dark magic in an effort to keep him preserved. Because she wanted to him raised in a way that made him allied and obedient to her, she had to wait for her patron's help, but he continued to put her off.[2] In 1903, seven years after his death, his mother called on Magnus Bane asking that he kill five Shadowhunters for her, that she might use the death energy towards Jesse; a job Magnus refused to do.[4] Despite these setbacks, Tatiana still hoped that his last breath could be used to bring him back properly.

Later that year, Jesse re-encountered the girl from the forest at a party in the London Institute. When he realized she could still see him, he dragged her away from the party and explained to her who he was. He and Lucie spent time together and talked often after this. The two became close and Jesse began confiding in her, even asking for her help when he believed his sister to be in trouble. When Lucie's brother James was dying, Jesse gave his last breath to him in order to save his life. By giving this up, he lost his strength to be a solid entity, though he was able to remain a ghost. While Lucie was visiting his grave to thank him for his sacrifice, he thanked her for allowing him to be a hero but asked that she not try to save him; a request she did not accept.[3]

Resurrection[]

Over the next four months, his sister and Lucie worked to find a way to bring him back to life. Meanwhile, Jesse felt their attempts were futile as he could feel himself beginning to fade. Though he was able to feel things like the weather for the first time around Lucie, other times he found himself forgetting where he had just been or what he'd been doing—confirming his feelings that whatever tethered him to this world seemed to have gone.

Unbeknownst to him, Belial was using his corpse during the morning hours for his own purposes. Belial began murdering mundanes and then Shadowhunters to absorb their death energy and steal runes in order to make his body strong; an unbeatable warrior to go up against Cordelia Carstairs and Cortana. Lucie eventually figured out what was happening and rushed to save him. She convinced James and Cordelia to spare Jesse's body and commanded Jesse to cast Belial out of it, which he managed to do.

Afterwards, his body was brought back to the Institute Sanctuary to be inspected and then laid to rest in the Silent City. Lucie, however, had plans that night to take his body to Malcolm Fade's cottage in Cornwall to try proper necromancy. Before Malcolm arrived, she decided to try to use her power to resurrect him now that the anchor was gone. When Jesse woke he found Lucie collapsing to the floor. Upon Malcolm's appearance, he carried Lucie to Malcolm's carriage before anyone could discover what she had done.[2]

Personality and traits[]

Jesse cares deeply about those important to him. To others he is somewhat mysterious; though he is willing to be more open and share stories about his life with Lucie. Jesse can be playful at times but also holds a sense of propriety with societal expectations, despite his ghostly state.

Physical description[]

Jesse greatly resembles his father with his straight black hair and eerie green eyes. He is tall, like his mother, and slender with shockingly pale skin. He has a lovely melancholy face with the handsome, angular features of his uncle, Gabriel.

In his ghost form, he is always dressed in white shirtsleeves and black trousers. He has a scar on his right hand from his Voyance rune. Jesse also wears a silver Blackthorn ring on his right hand and a gold locket with a circle of thorns etched on its surface.[3]

Skills and abilities[]

  • Nephilim physiology: Being Nephilim, Jesse possesses a myriad of enhanced physical and mental abilities granted to him by the blood of Raziel in his veins and also by the angelic Marks of the Gray Book. This includes enhanced strength, agility, stamina, coordination, and many others which improve over time and practice.
    • Runic magic: Due to the angel Raziel's blood in their veins, all Shadowhunters are able to apply runes on their skin without any real danger. These Marks, in turn, give varied effects that serve to benefit the wearer.
    • The Sight: As a Shadowhunter, Jesse is able to easily see through most magical illusions and layers of glamour over reality.
    • Use of heavenly weapons: As a Nephilim, Jesse is also able to handle heavenly weapons with effect, since this would normally not work for other species. In particular, these are weapons made of adamas and forged by Iron Sisters, such as seraph blades.
  • Swordsmanship: He is a skilled sword fighter and prefers the Blackthorn sword as his weapon of choice.[1]
  • Marksmanship: Jesse is particularly adept in this area with throwing knives and was even able to teach Grace archery.
  • Ghostly attributes: While he was a ghost, he was able to sense the presence of other beings that do not belong among the living. He was also able to travel the way ghosts do and control his solidity for the most part.

Possessions[]

  • Blackthorn family locket: Jesse briefly owned a golden locket with his family symbol—a circlet of thorns—etched on the front that has passed through his lineage since. During the time he had it, it contained his last breath, captured by his mother and saved for his resurrection. After years of waiting, he gave it and the breath it contained to Lucie.
  • Blackthorn sword: This steel longsword has belonged to his family for generations and is his weapon of choice.
  • Belial's anchor: For almost 24 years, Jesse possessed a piece of the Prince of Hell's essence so that he could possess him freely. This anchor resulted in his death upon it's reaction to his first rune. It was eventually removed when he managed to cast the demon from his body on Lucie's command.

Relationships[]

I think my mother might have been a whole person once, a—an ordinary person, maybe even a happy person—and I do not know how much of that life was taken away from her by bitterness, and how much was because she lost herself to this sort of shadowy magic and necromancy...

–Jesse to Lucie about Tatiana, Chain of Iron

Tatiana is Jesse's mother. Growing up, she refused to allow him to have his rune ceremony because of his illness. When Jesse turned 17, he threatened to run away to Alicante and have it done himself if she did not allow the Silent Brothers to perform the ceremony. She relented but the success was short-lived as he began convulsing and crying out in pain. Tatiana didn't come to see him while he died until he took his last breath, which she captured in the Blackthorn family locket.

Jesse soon came back as a ghost and learned that his mother had invoked a warlock's help to get him to his current state. Over the years, he spent time with his mother but was oblivious to the details of her plans. Eventually, Jesse realized his mother had gone too far with dark magic and made plans with Grace to get her the help she needed. Still, he feared what happened to her would befall Grace and Lucie when they began trying to resurrect him.

Tarot Runes Queen
I was all Grace had. Sometimes I think that's why I came back as I did. I do not remember death itself, but I do remember waking out of it. I had heard Grace crying in her sleep and knew I must go to her. I have always been all she has.

–Jesse to Lucie about Grace, Chain of Iron

Grace is Jesse's adoptive sister. The two are extremely close and confide in one another. He spent most of his time with her reading and playing, and eventually training her to be a Shadowhunter. When Jesse was dying after his rune ceremony, Grace held him in her arms till he took his last breath.

When he returned as a ghost, he believed it was because Grace was his unfinished business and that he had to be there for her. In turn, Grace felt she had to protect him from from knowing all the dark dealings Tatiana had taken in an effort to resurrect him. Jesse inevitably learned the truth after killing the demon Namtar when it attacked Grace. He and Grace then made plans to get their mother help, as her madness was clearly not harmless as he had believed.

Grace then dedicated herself to finding a way to finally raise him from the dead. He worried that she would come to harm like his mother but as time wore on, his concern changed; Jesse realized he was beginning to fade but did not know how to tell her as he knew he was all she had.

LBH Jesse & Lucie 01
When I am with you, I imagine that my heart is beating, though it has not beaten for seven years. You give me so much, and I can give you nothing at all.

–Jesse to Lucie, Chain of Iron

Jesse and Lucie first met in Brocelind Forest in 1897 when he saved her from a faerie trap. It was the first time anyone besides his mother and sister had been able to see him and as such, the memory stayed with him for a long time.

The two met again in 1903 at a party in the London Institute. He was shocked that she could still see him and dragged her away to explain to her who he was. They became close afterward; they spoke often and Jesse began telling her the story of his death and afterlife. He was also able to help Lucie understand the nature of her power.

Later, knowing how much he meant to her, Jesse saved her brother's life by giving him his last breath. While Lucie was visiting his grave to thank him for his sacrifice, he ended up thanking her for allowing him to be a Shadowhunter. When she began promising to repay him by bringing him back from the dead or properly laying him to rest, he asked that she not try to save him. Lucie, however, did not agree to this and worked with his sister to try to raise him.

Over the next four months, the pair grew closer, seeing each other practically every night. Jesse grew feelings for Lucie but never imagined she would reciprocate those feelings until he read her manuscript. At first he was angry and believed it to be a joke as he felt they could have no future, but he came to accept it.

At some point, Jesse realized that he was fading; though he also noticed he could feel the elements when with Lucie. When he felt that he may be going permanently, he asked Lucie for a kiss as his final memory. She obliged but was determined not to give up. She eventually figured out that Belial was using his body and was able to cast him from it by commanding Jesse. With the anchor gone, she was able to use her ability to resurrect him at last.

Appearances[]

Gallery[]

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Trivia[]

  • In The Midnight Heir, Tatiana lies to Magnus Bane about Jesse's death—claiming he died when he was 16 due to sickness, years after his supposed rune ceremony.
  • A "found" family tree states that Jesse died at the age of 59. This may be because of his mother's plans to resurrect him.[4][3]
    • Also according to the found family tree, Jesse apparently went on to marry Lucie and had children with her.
  • Jesse is set to be a pianist.[5]
  • He doesn't know much about his father as Tatiana has created a whole false narrative of her life.[6]
  • Jesse's favorite book is A History of Notable Shadowhunters.[1]
  • His favorite animal is the red fox.[1]
  • He taught Grace to speak and read French.[2]
  • Despite Rupert's ghost being trapped in Chiswick House, Jesse never saw his father in the afterlife. The reason for this will be explained.[7]

References[]

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