#both because of the ghost of his own past affection for his unborn child and because he's the son of the woman he loves

[bidokja]

i want to slap ye zimu's father but he absolutely fascinates me as a character.

here you have a man who's own upbringing was some of the strictest and most impersonal bullshit, and who views the years where he even slightly broke out of that mold as the brightest, most colorful, most joyous years of his life. and yet here is a man who subjects his own son to the same strict and impersonal upbringing, even after kneeling in front of his wife's grave and saying that he understood her wish. that he understood that she wanted their child to be whoever he wants to be.

why? was he lying? did he give up? did his bitterness overcome his determination? is that why he raised their son like that? is that why he was so strict? so hurtful and cold and neglectful? why did he do that, when he said he "understood"?

multiple reasons. complicated reasons. simple reasons. even if he can no longer bring himself to love his own son, even if ye zimu only reminds him of his wife's death...ye zimu will always be the son loved by the woman he loves. and he wants nothing more than to fulfill her wish for their child. so why? it boils down to this: raising ye zimu that way was the only way he knew how to make zimu into a person strong enough to do whatever he wants in life. raising him like that was the only method he knew of to grant her wish for their son.

if you understand that, then you can understand everything about ye zimu's father.

does that make him right, or justified, or good? no. it makes him human. and the fact of the matter is that his efforts alone weren't enough. the fact is that his efforts tied ye zimu down more than anything. and just like he needed his wife to help him realize he was strong enough to break his mold, ye zimu needed ling chen and their friends. in the end ye zimu did choose his own path. once his father saw him doing that, and finally standing up to him, that's when he felt ye zimu could be whoever he wanted to be. and that's when he cut ye zimu off. his wife's last wish was fulfilled. his job was done.

[prorevenge]

Found my girlfriend was cheating on me with a close friend, so I had him arrested and ghosted her.

TL:DR will be at the bottom but hold onto your hats, this is going to be a long one.

Backstory (incoming sadness)

My wife Rachel and I grew up in a largish town of close to 30,000 people. We knew each other at an early age (roughly 6 or 7, can’t specifically remember). We were practically inseparable. At 16, we started dating each other. When we turned 18, we moved away for work in a city just a few hours drive away. By 20, we were married and had bought our first house. At 22, we discovered that she was pregnant with a boy. It was then disaster struck.

About 5 weeks before she was due to go on maternity leave, a large shelving unit collapsed and crushed her. I was told that both her and our child were killed instantly. Two of her colleagues had also been injured in the accident, one left paralyzed, the other loosing his leg after it had to be amputated. The company she was working for, had in a cost cutting measure, decided to continue using old shelving that had been written off as unsafe instead of replacing it. I still haven’t quiet forgiven those executives and management personnel that made that decision, because they cut short the love of my life as well as killing our unborn child.

It wasn’t long after I was told I had a ‘choice’ on how to proceed with what her company called “compensation”, but I called it blood money. They wanted to settle out of court to avoid a lawsuit. I, on the other hand, was out for their blood. [Just to clarify here, this is not the revenge, this is still backstory]. Fortunately, due to the coverage that it got, and involving several politicians, the case was settled quickly in court (roughly 3 years) in which the payout for all parties was close to 10 times the amount that they had initially offered. A lot of fines were given to them for breaches on work, health and safety, executives were sacked, others were jailed, etc. [A story for another time maybe, when I feel comfortable sharing.]

In this time, I was still working my job in telecommunications. My mother, bless her soul, had moved in while all this was happening to help me. I think I would have fallen apart if she hadn’t been as involved as she was. It was around this time, I was offered a promotion, but it involved a lot of travel around the state. I made a request to have an office in my home towns branch, as I wanted to not only take care of businesses in the state, but in my home town also as there was no business representative located there to which they agreed. After a few months, we settled into a routine of one to two weeks in the city office, one week in my hometown and one to two weeks visiting the rest of the state. After a year, I decided to buy a house in my hometown, so I wasn’t having to stay at my parent’s place every week or so that I was home and that I could come and go as I pleased. This is important for later in the story.

It is about 4 years later that our story begins. (Sorry if the backstory was a bit long)

I had just returned from one of my trips on Friday, and was checking in some stuff at my office when Harry, the branch’s managing director, walked in. We had grown up together also, but had gone to different schools but since coming back had developed a very close friendship. He asked how things were, and then asked me if I wanted to come to a house party that he was having that evening. Short notice and all, but I said yes. I felt like a few drinks with friends were in order. It was there that Harry introduced me to Katherine. She was a new hire at the branch where my hometowns office was located and was getting to know everyone being new in town. We hit it off immediately. As much of a cliché as it sounds, it was almost as if Rachel was in front of me, instead of Katherine.

I won’t bore you too much with the details, but after 2 years of dating, we decided to take the next step and she moved into my hometowns house. Everything up to this point had been going really well. Katherine and my parent’s got along and Rachel’s parents also approved and were happy that someone could make me just as happy as Rachel had done. All was going well for close to a year when things began to change. Skype sessions were cut short suddenly, neighbours would tell me about how a car, described to me like it was Harry’s, was always seen parked in the back alley near my house whenever I was away, some clothes that weren’t mine were in my wardrobe. All signs pointed to her cheating, but she said that nothing was happening. She said that Harry would come over occasionally to discuss business, etc, but never stayed the night. I chalked it up to me being paranoid and continued on as if nothing was wrong, but there was always this feeling that something wasn’t right.

It was close to 6 months after that I discovered that she had been lying to me. I had just finished closing a rather large contract with a new company and negotiations had wrapped up earlier than I had anticipated. So instead of sticking around for the next few days, I decided to pay for an early flight home and surprise everyone. Fast forward a few hours and I drive into my hometown and down the alley behind my house so that I could get into the house without being seen and surprise Katherine. Some part of me was curious however as to whether this mystery car was there.

Sure enough, there was a car that was blocking the back entrance gate. I was confused for a moment wondering if it had just been a neglectful neighbor parking only to realize that it was indeed Harry’s car. If it hadn’t been for the high hedge line that I had put in a few years back for privacy, I may have well driven past my own place. Pulling up behind his car, I got out and thought it was strange that he was there so late. As she claimed that he always had left by now. As I approached the back of the house I saw something that stomach drop. In my kitchen, Katherine and Harry were going at it hammer and tong. I froze. Time stopped. There was my close friend, having sex on my kitchen bench with my girlfriend.

I didn’t know what to do. So many questions where running through my head. Was this real or was I dreaming? Why were they having sex in my house? Feeling defeated, I turned and left without them seeing me. I sat in my car for what felt like an eternity. I was crying. Hard. But the sadness quickly turned into anger. The same kind of anger I felt towards those that were responsible for Rachel’s death. I wanted to hurt them. Badly. As a pacifist, I don’t believe in violence. It was then I knew I was going to punish them and destroy their lives. And what better time to start than now.

I moved my car back up the alley, far enough away from my driveway that I could still see Harry’s car, and then walked back to the gate where I could see into the house, and called her phone. They were still going for it when it rang. They both looked at the Caller ID and did a double take when my name came up. I could see that she was considering answering it and they let it ring out. After a few moments they were back into it again and I dialed once again. This time she did answered. As she was answering I hung up and made my way back to my car. As soon as I did, she called me back. She asked why I was calling as late as I was, and I told her that I was about 10 minutes from home and didn’t want to scare her coming in. She, obviously, was shocked and acted happy that I was coming and the call ended very quickly after she said she was going to get up and get changed into something. I said bye and hung up.

A few moments later, Harry came peeling through the gate and still half naked, jumped into his car took off like a bat out of hell. I smiled a little, knowing the fear that both of them would be feeling from being so close to being caught. I waited a few moments before turning my car into the same place Harry had been moments earlier. The night was fairly uneventful afterwards and It wasn’t until after she was asleep, that I got up and went to my office down the hall. I couldn’t sleep. I needed to plan. And plan I did.

The Revenge

My mother always taught me to be a pacifist and to allow cosmic karma to take its course. But on this occasion, I decided that karma could use a helping hand. I decided to punish them separately but destroy both of them. I knew that Harry had a drug habit. Nothing major, but he kept it very private. I only knew about it accidently after seeing some coke and weed left out in his place but pretended I hadn’t seen it when he had made attempts to cover it up. I began calling some of my more unsavoury clientele and made a few discreet enquiries into obtaining some samples that they were willing to part with. A few days later, I had a decent enough stash for my plan to work. About a month later, I had friends, including Harry around for a barbeque night. After making sure that I sufficiently liquored up Harry, I told him to stay the night and sleep it off.

In the early hours of that morning, I took the drugs, and an assortment of my personal belongings, and placed them at various places around his car, with the biggest stash in his tyre well. Confident that he wouldn’t find them over the few months as the rest of my plan took affect, I locked the car up and went inside to sleep. I also placed some more drugs and personal items in his house after driving him home because he was still to drunk to drive. A few days later, I staged a break in, by smashing the back pane of my back door into my kitchen and leaving it open before heading back to the city for a flight. I had several messages the moment I landed. One from my clearly panicked mum, who had found the back door smashed open and had called the police, one from Katherine in tears, and one from the local police asking me to call. After returning all the calls, I informed the police I was away on business, and that I would be back the following week to talk with them.

While away, I got Katherine to stay with my parents until after I got back, and asked my Dad to organize one of the local security companies to install cameras and an alarm system after getting the go ahead from the police as to not ruin the scene of the crime. After getting home, I did the usual ‘my God I can’t believe this has happened’ and ‘why would anyone do this?’ routine. After doing a thorough check of everywhere, ‘finding’ that the items I had taken were ‘missing’ and filing a police report, I had the security companies rep talk Katherine and I through how the cameras and alarm system worked.

Then came the question I had been waiting for. The question of what happens if we are doing some business and don’t want it recorded. She acted a bit shy asking this question. But I knew exactly the reason she was asking. He assured us that this was a question he got asked a lot, and we were shown on the home computer, if we wanted to be doing things without it being recorded, how to stop the recording for certain camera’s, so that we could protect her modesty. As I was walking him out, I asked him if camera’s were turned off, could a notification be sent out, just as a security precaution. He came back in and helped me through how to set up email notifications and left shortly after. Fantastic. All I had to do was wait.

At this stage, I approached r/legaladvice for some help in relation to couples law in my country. I needed to make sure that my upcoming plan could legally be done and that I would not be forced to pay out any money or equity to Katherine as I didn’t know if we were classified as a De Facto couple or not. Being the sole benefactor of Rachel’s estate, I didn’t want to be left with any nasty surprises where Katherine could take any of the estate away from me. Shout out to those guys and gals there as they helped me get in contact with a great lawyer who assured me, due to the fact that although we had been dating for close to 4 years, we had not been living together long enough to be classified as De Facto, and because I was paying all the utilities on the property that she was living in and didn’t pay rent, showed that she had no legal standing to make a financial claim against me. Just to be sure though, he drew up what I felt was a pretty ironclad document just in case there was any legal trouble.

The following week, my work had approached me, and offered me a promotion to move back to the city and run the team that I was a part of, meaning I wouldn’t need to travel as often and be in the one location and due to the success of being located in my hometown, that they were considering having 3 to 5 representatives spend one to two weeks in the larger surrounding towns including my hometown as a part of my team. I said yes, and began the process of beginning my transfer, which would take about 6 weeks. Perfect. More than enough time to gather all my evidence.

Upon getting back to my hometown the following week, I began to start in motion the rest of my plan. I asked Harry to approve one weeks worth of vacation for Katherine for two weeks time. I wanted to send her and a friend or two away on a retreat before I made the biggest decision of my life for a second time. He jumped up and gave me a huge hug, congratulating me on being prepared to take the leap again. I hugged him back tight, but not the way I think he imagined it at the time. He agreed and blocked out the week for me. I asked him not to say anything to anyone, as I wanted to make it as big a surprise as I could. I knew, that it would spread like wildfire around the office regardless, but that was my plan.

That night, I told Katherine that I had booked her and two friends to go to a tropical spa resort, all expenses paid for a week. No questions asked, pick two friends, and come back to the biggest surprise of her life. She screamed like a kid who had just been told that all the candy in the shop was hers to have.

I then told her that the following week, I was going to spend it in the city, preparing for a large client who was one of my biggest accounts, and needed some people in my team to help before flying out the following week and I wouldn’t be home until the Monday that she was leaving, so I wouldn’t be able to see her, which seemed to disappoint her, but I told her it would be worth it when she returned. What I failed to tell her, was that I had decided to take 2 weeks vacation on the other side of the country, mentally preparing myself for the shit storm that was about to erupt the moment she stepped foot on the plane as well as enjoying my first stage of freedom.

On Sunday two weeks later, I flew back and began driving home. Once getting there I done a quick pass by my house and sure enough, Harry’s car was there. Like the first night I had caught them, I parked a little way’s back, and checked the cameras. Asleep, in my bed. No surprise honestly as I had recorded them constantly do this over the 2 weeks I had been away. I then made my first call to the police blocking my caller id. I told them that I was one of my neighbours and saw someone hanging around in their car in the alley behind my house and occasionally passing something through windows to passing cars while also looking into my yard and I was concerned that they were dealing drugs and or going to break into someone’s property. I gave them his license plate and description. They said they would have someone there in a few minutes so I thanked them and hung up.

I then called Katherine and told her I was about 10 minutes from home, and that I knew she was flying out tomorrow, but desperately wanted to surprise her. Looking back at the footage now, I laugh at the commotion that I am surprised I didn’t hear. In a few short seconds, Harry was half dressed and flying out the back door to his car. At that point, I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect scene. As Harry was peeling away, one of the police cars rounded the corner behind me, saw Harry driving away fast, and gave chase.

After pulling in, greeting an excited Katherine, and doing all the couple things, she fell asleep again. I, on the other hand, couldn’t sleep a wink. The next day, her and her friends were bundled into a car. After they drove away, I had to wait a few hours, but I began to execute my plan. I called my friend who was a removalist, and apologized for the late notice but needed my place packed and moved on Friday. After agreeing on a time I told him that he would need to take certain boxes to a storage facility, which he said wasn’t and issue. Then I began packing Katherine’s belongings.

Later that day, I got a call from the police for me to come and identify some property that they had apprehended from a suspect the previous night that fit the description of property I had reported stolen. I grinned to myself, happy that my plan for Harry had grown to fruition and replied that I would be there shortly to collect it. Of course, when I got there, some of the items where still unaccounted for, due to the fact that they must have still been in his house and they hadn’t searched there yet. By this stage, the town was buzzing with news. Events in my hometown don’t stay secret for long. Harry was disgraced and promptly fired for his possession of drugs and stolen property, and our respective bosses on behalf of the company had extended a formal apology towards me during the week.

That night I went to my parents house and told both mine and Rachel’s parents what had happened, omitting certain details, and that I was moving back to the city after being promoted, but Katherine wouldn’t be a part of it. They were pretty upset initially that I hadn’t let them know what was going on, but were happy that I was handling everything maturely and hadn’t sunk to their level, thought they didn’t agree with ghosting Katherine. But after some drinks, laughs and tears, I went home.

On Friday afternoon, after a busy week of organizing cleaners for the following week, the real estate to put my house on the rental market, and various other tasks at my hometowns office, I packed some things into my car, and drove to my parents place and said goodbye before the drive. Before leaving, I went to Becky’s house. Becky had been one of Rachel’s closest friends growing up. She was the only other person who knew that knew what was happening, minus the details about Harry. Without her help, I wouldn’t have been able to organize everything as quickly as I had. I gave Becky a large manila folder with my gathered evidence of her cheating, as well as the letter and a few other legal documents from my attorney stating that she was ordered not to contact me, and the details of how to access her belongings located at the storage unit I had rented out. After a quick goodbye, I left and drove back to the city.

On Sunday, I woke up to several missed calls, voice messages and text messages. Turns out, Katherine had come home early after being alerted to something being afoot in town, only to find an empty house and a for rent sign out the front. Freaking out, she had gone to my parent’s, who closed the door on her the moment that they answered, forcing her to call everyone until she managed to somehow be contacted by Becky and told that she had a package for her. I was told that she didn’t take to well to that, as I fully well knew at that point from the numerous angry texts and voice messages from her accusing me of setting up Harry, of being deceitful, etc. I was worried that she might show up at my front door, but nothing ever happened.

Five weeks later after leaving and been promoted, I write this out for you dear reader. Granted its long, and it took a few rewrites to shorten it down from my initial 14 pages (double what this story is now), but I feel that most of what I said was important enough for the story.

TL:DR, After my pregnant wife was killed in a workplace accident, I moved to back to my hometown and connected with a woman who after moving in with me, cheated on me with a close friend. I set him up to take the fall for drug possession and after sending her away on a spa retreat, rented out my house and left town for a promotion while exposing her as a cheater.

(source) story by (/u/ceolsean)

[unlikely-allies]

4.5/5

**SPOILERS**

Ghosts of the Shadow Market is a collection of short stories that provide a glimpse at new and old characters within the Shadowhunters universe. The ten stories included serve to follow Jem’s journey (as Brother Zachariah and then again as James Carstairs) to find the last of the Lost Herondales. The story goes that in the 1820’s, Tobias Herondale was sent with a group of Shadowhunters to deal with some rogue warlocks, but fled when the warlocks summoned a greater demon. Tobias was sentenced to death for treason, but when he could not be located his pregnant wife was killed instead. In reality, Tobias ran from the battle because one of the warlocks enchanted him to believe that his wife and unborn child were in danger and he wished to save them. Unfortunately, Tobias Herondale went mad and was unable to be saved, but the warlock Catarina Loss was able to save Tobias’ child. Before Tobias’ wife was put to death, Catarina helped her deliver the child and escaped with him, keeping him hidden from the Clave. Catarina named the child Ephraim, and he went on to have a family of his own, thus beginning the lineage of the Lost Herondales.

Cast Long Shadows Matthew Fairchild knows that he is different from his brother Charles. Matthew is flamboyant, while Charles is reserved. Matthew values fashion and the writings of Oscar Wilde, while Charles has political aspirations and shadows their mother the Consul. Bully Alastair tries to play on these differences and convinces Matthew that Gideon Lightwood is actually his father, not Henry Branwell. On an outing to the London Shadow Market, Matthew purchases a truth potion from a faerie booth. Brother Zachariah has taken to visiting Shadow Markets in hopes of helping Tessa discover the identity of her demon father. At the London Shadow Market, Brother Zachariah runs into Matthew and the two discuss their mutual affection for the Herondales. Brother Zachariah and Matthew meet again all too soon when Matthew doses his mother’s scones with the truth potion, causing her to collapse and fall ill. Brother Zachariah is able to save Charlotte from the brink of death, but he is not able to save her unborn child. Matthew does not tell Brother Zachariah about the truth potion, though the Silent Brother knows that Matthew is keeping something from him. Matthew mourns for the little sibling he has robbed of a chance at life, and his grief weighs on him heavily long after.

Every Exquisite Thing Anna Lightwood dreams of going out on the town in divine suits with beautiful girls on her arms, but for now she must settle for stolen late night outings in her brother Christopher’s too-large clothes. At a dinner with Inquisitor Bridgestock’s family, Anna meets the Bridgestock’s adopted daughter Ariadne and becomes quite taken with her. The two agree to train together and even end up sneaking out and fighting demons side by side with the help of Brother Zachariah. After the fight, Anna and Ariadne enjoy each other’s company and find comfort in each other’s kisses. When Anna goes to bring Ariadne flowers the next day, she finds Charles Fairchild saying his good byes and promising to see Ariadne again in no more than a year. Ariadne admits to Anna that she and Charles are to be married, but that she and Anna can be together in the mean time. Anna is devastated and retreats home. Anna’s mother understands her heartbreak and uses the moment to ensure that Anna knows that Cecily and Gabriel love and accept her the way that she is. Cecily gifts Anna with her very own suit and with the ruby necklace that will one day find its way to Isabelle Lightwood.

Learn About Loss The Shadow Market has been disguised as a Carnival, luring in mundanes and Downworlders alike. Dangers are passed off as fun and games, and somehow adamas has fallen into the wrong hands. Brother Zachariah and Iron Sister Emilia are tasked with retrieving the adamas, and fill the time with friendly banter and jokes. Emilia helps Brother Zachariah to feel some of the humanity he has been missing. When the two finally discover the being in possession of the adamas, they are less than thrilled to discover that the culprit is Belial, a prince of Hell. Belial is indepted to Brother Zachariah so he returns the adamas and offers the Silent Brother a hint about Tessa’s father, who is also a prince of Hell. Belial hints at the line of Lost Herondales, and this is what sparks Brother Zachariah’s search. Through their friendly banter, Emilia discovers that Brother Zachariah’s old parabatai Will is dying. Emilia gets Belial to create an illusion in which both Jem and Will and young Shadowhunters again, and allows them to have one last adventure together.

A Deeper Love Brother Zachariah visits the London Shadow Market in his quest to find the Lost Herondale, but is attacked by a faerie for his inquiries. The blade that the faerie stabs Brother Zachariah with is poisoned, and he holds out just long enough to get help. London is being bombed by the Germans and Tessa and Catarina are working as nurses at the hospital. Brother Zachariah manages to get himself to the hospital and Tessa and Catarina rush to his aide. The Silent Brother’s condition is very touch-and-go, but Catarina is able to save him. This close call brings Jem and Tessa closer than they have been in a long time, and both admit their hope that one day they will be together. This is also when Catarina tells Jem about her role in the story of the Lost Herondales. Roland, a descendant of Ephraim Herondale, married a faerie woman who was the daughter of the Seelie Queen and Unseelie King. Her life was in danger so she fled faerie and now she and Roland are on the run. This explains when the faerie attacked brother Zachariah.

The Wicked Ones Celine Montclaire, Stephen Herondale, and Robert Lightwood are at the Paris Shadow Market on a mission for the Circle. Celine has fallen hard for Stephen, but he is married to Amatis. Celine’s job is to play lookout, and this is when she encounters Brother Zachariah who is at the Shadow Market searching for a connection to the Lost Herondales. Seeking solace in an unbiased third party, Celine admits her feelings for Stephen to Brother Zachariah, and almost admits other horrors from her past that have led her into Valentine’s Circle. Before Brother Zachariah can soothe Celine, she is called back to Stephen and Robert. During the mission, Stephen is enchanted to be in love with Celine, and when finds humor in it when Robert tells him later. Celine overhears the two boys laughing about it and making jokes about Celine. Heartbroken, Celine flees to Valentine only to find him discussing their mission, and how it is actually a ruse to setup two Shadowhunters. Valentine offers Stephen’s heart to Celine in exchange for her silence and loyalty. Celine accepts.

Son of the Dawn Brother Zachariah is approached by Raphael Santiago and Lily Chen for help in preventing a shipment of yin fen from reaching New York City. The vampires have approached him and not the Lightwoods who run the Institute because of bad blood from when the Lightwoods were aligned with Valentine. Brother Zachariah helps to get Robert Lightwood to agree to the mission, and the five of them join the voyage of the boat containing the drug. The boat also happens to be transporting Jace Herondale, who is coming to live with the Lightwoods. The vampires and the Shadowhunters secure the yin fen, and Brother Zachariah gets the chance to help another Herondale.

The Land I Lost Jem, now mortal again, and Tessa are on the trail of the Lost Herondales and need Alec’s help to gain entrance to the Buenos Aires Shadow Market. Alec and Lily Chen arrive in Buenos Aires to find an Institute very bias against Downworlders, and a Shadow Market closed off to Shadowhunters. The only Shadowhunter permitted inside is Alec because of his history with the werewolf who runs the Market. The werewolf, Juliette, tells Alec about the mistreatment of Downworlders at the hands of the Institute, and about how dozens of werewolf women have gone missing. At the Market, Alec finds an orphaned Shadowhunter child named Rafael who begrudgingly allows Alec to care for him. Rafael knows where the werewolf women are and he leads Alec and Lily to the warlock who is keeping them captive. They discover that the women are being captured and delivered by the Buenos Aires Shadowhunters who are selling themselves as mercenaries. Jem, Alec, Lily, Tessa, and the Downworlders of the Shadow Market team up to rescue the women and punish the rogue Shadowhunters. Alec decides to bring Rafael back to New York with him, and he and Magnus decide to officially adopt Rafael.

Through Blood Through Fire Rosemary Herondale reaches out to Jem and Tessa for help, but they arrive too late. Rosemary was killed by one of the Rider that serve the Unseelie King, and Jem and Tessa must ensure that Rosemary’s child does not meet the same fate. Tessa uses her shape shifting abilities to locate the child, and they arrive to find a familiar face. The house is a wreck, Rosemary’s husband is dead, their son Christopher is safe, but Emma Carstairs is fighting off a horde of demons. This story overlaps with part of Lady Midnight and the events that lead to Jem and Tessa finally finding the Lost Herondale.

The Lost World Ty Blackthorn and the ghost of his sister Livy are attending the Scholomance. It has been 6 months since Livy has returned as a ghost, and she and Ty still don’t understand he details of her current state. In testing her ghost abilities, Livy is able to gather information about the Cohort and its supporters, who are locked within Idris. Traveling away from Ty is not something Livy has done often, and the more she does it the stranger she feels. When Livy travels to tell Magnus about the information she has collected, she begins to lose herself to her more ghostly-inclinations and has a full-on poltergeist episode. Livy returns to Ty to find that her distance form him has caused him to collapse. The thread binding them together is stretched when they are apart, causing him physical distress. For better or worse Livy and Ty are bound to one another in a way that exceeds their twin bond, and they must try to do all they can to understand it.

Forever Fallen The Jace Herondale from Thule and Ash have come back to Ash’s time. Jace is consumed with taking the place of the real Jace so that he can once again be with Clary. To prepare to take his place, Thule Jace spends his time following Jace’s friends so that he can gain the necessary information that will allow him to take Jace’s place. In following them, Thule Jace runs into Clary and he realizes that passing himself off as her Jace would be impossible. Instead, Thule Jace plans to help Ash take over this world so that he can then take Clary for his own. Thule Jace vows to protect Ash from the one danger to his rule, the descendent of the First Heir. Jem and Tessa have embraced Kit and he seems to be thriving in their home. Kit helps to soothe Jem and Tessa’s baby girl Mina when she cries, takes part in story time, and is trying to make a place for himself in their family. Jem and Tessa tell Kit about his mother Rosemary and how important the Herondales are to them. Kit not only wants to belong in their family, but he also wants to belong in the world of the Shadowhunters, so Jem offers to help with his training. This story sets the stage for The Wicked Powers series.

Ghosts of the Shadow Market provides details that serve to tie together the series that take place within the Shadowhunters universe. The novel also fills in Jem’s time as a Silent Brother and shows his return to his humanity and his love. I highly recommend Ghosts of the Shadow Market to avid readers of Cassandra Clare’s books and lovers of the Shadowhunters universe. My personal favorite of the stories is The Land I Lost, but Ghosts of the Shadow Market really has a story for everyone.

[mrmichaelchadler]

#340 October 30, 2018

Matt writes: Just because you're stuck at home answering the door for trick-or-treaters on Halloween doesn't mean you can't have a delightfully spooky evening yourself. Two ten-hour programs ripe for seasonal binging recently premiered on Netflix and received enthusiastic reviews at RogerEbert.com. Mike Flanagan's limited series "The Haunting of Hill House," reviewed here by Brian Tallerico, is a genuinely unnerving, often brilliant reimagining of Shirley Jackson's classic novel about ominous ghosts, mental illness and frayed familial bonds. The other must-see show is "Riverdale" creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina," a marvelously acted, richly provocative new vehicle for the supernaturally inclined Archie Comics heroine, played by a perfectly cast Kiernan Shipka. In my review of the first season, I explore how Osgood Perkins' masterful debut feature, "The Blackcoat's Daughter" (starring Shipka), served as a major influence on Aguirre-Sacasa, and could serve as ideal Halloween programming itself (check out the trailer embedded below...)

Trailers

The Prodigy (2019). Directed by Nicholas McCarthy. Written by Jeff Buhler. Starring Taylor Schilling, Brittany Allen, Colm Feore. Synopsis: A mother concerned about her young son's disturbing behavior thinks something supernatural may be affecting him. Opens in US theaters on February 8th, 2019.

The Curse of La Llorona (2019). Directed by Michael Chaves. Written by Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis. Starring Linda Cardellini, Patricia Velasquez, Raymond Cruz. Synopsis: Ignoring the eerie warning of a troubled mother suspected of child endangerment, a social worker and her own small kids are soon drawn into a frightening supernatural realm. Opens in US theaters on April 19th, 2019.

The Possession of Hannah Grace (2018). Directed by Diederik Van Rooijen. Written by Brian Sieve. Starring Stana Katic, Shay Mitchell, Grey Damon. Synopsis: When a cop who is just out of rehab takes the graveyard shift in a city hospital morgue, she faces a series of bizarre, violent events caused by an evil entity in one of the corpses. Opens in US theaters on November 30th, 2018.

The Clovehitch Killer (2018). Directed by Duncan Skiles. Written by Christopher Ford. Starring Charlie Plummer, Dylan McDermott, Samantha Mathis. Synopsis: A picture-perfect family is shattered when the work of a serial killer hits too close to home. Dylan McDermott stars in this chilling portrait of all-American evil. Opens in US theaters on November 16th, 2018.

Vice (2018). Written and directed by Adam McKay. Starring Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Steve Carell. Synopsis: A bureaucratic Washington insider quietly becomes the most powerful man in the world as Vice-President to George W. Bush, reshaping the country and the globe in ways still felt today. Opens in US theaters on December 25th, 2019.

Destroyer (2018). Directed by Karyn Kusama. Written by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi. Starring Nicole Kidman, Toby Kebbell, Tatiana Maslany. Synopsis: A police detective reconnects with people from an undercover assignment in her distant past in order to make peace. Opens in US theaters on December 25th, 2018.

Vox Lux (2018). Written and directed by Brady Corbet. Starring Natalie Portman, Jude Law, Christopher Abbott. Synopsis: An unusual set of circumstances brings unexpected success to a pop star. Opens in US theaters on December 7th, 2018.

Bird Box (2018). Directed by Susanne Bier. Written by Eric Heisserer (based on the novel by Josh Malerman). Starring Sandra Bullock, Sarah Paulson, Rosa Salazar. Synopsis: A woman and a pair of children are blindfolded and make their way through a dystopian setting along a river. Debuts on Netflix on December 21st, 2018.

All Creatures Here Below (2018). Directed by Collin Schiffli. Written by David Dastmalchian. Starring David Dastmalchian, Karen Gillan, Jennifer Morrison. Synopsis: A desperate young couple on the run seek refuge in Kansas City. US release date is TBA.

The Aftermath (2019). Directed by James Kent. Written by Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse (based on the novel by Rhidian Brook). Starring Alexander Skarsgård, Keira Knightley, Jason Clarke. Synopsis: Post World War II, a British colonel and his wife are assigned to live in Hamburg during the post-war reconstruction, but tensions arise with the German who previously owned the house. Opens in US theaters on April 29th, 2019.

Unlovable (2018). Directed by Suzi Yoonessi. Written by Charlene deGuzman, Sarah Adina Smith and Mark Duplass. Starring Charlene deGuzman, John Hawkes, Melissa Leo. Synopsis: A sex and love addicted woman learns what real intimacy is when she starts making music with a reclusive man. Opens in US theaters on November 2nd, 2018.

Speed Kills (2018). Directed by John Luessenhop and Jodi Scurfield. Written by David Aaron Cohen and John Luessenhop (based on the book by Arthur Jay Harris). Starring John Travolta, Katheryn Winnick, Jennifer Esposito. Synopsis: Speedboat racing champion and multimillionaire, Ben Aronoff, leads a double life that lands him in trouble with the law and drug lords. US release date is TBA.

The World Before Your Feet (2018). Directed by Jeremy Workman. Synopsis: For over six years, and for reasons he can't explain, Matt Green, 37, has been walking every block of every street in New York City, a journey of more than 8,000 miles. This documentary follows the story of one man's unusual personal quest and the unexpected journey of discovery, humanity, and wonder that ensues. Opens in US theaters on November 21st, 2018.

Cold Pursuit (2019). Directed by Hans Petter Moland. Written by Frank Baldwin (based on the movie written by Kim Fupz Aakeson). Starring Liam Neeson, Tom Bateman, Emmy Rossum. Synopsis: A snowplow driver seeks revenge against the drug dealers he thinks killed his son. Opens in US theaters on February 8th, 2019.

The Front Runner��(2018). Directed by Jason Reitman. Written by Matt Bai, Jay Carson and Jason Reitman (based on the book by Matt Bai). Starring Hugh Jackman, Vera Farmiga, J.K. Simmons. Synopsis: American Senator Gary Hart's presidential campaign in 1988 is derailed when he's caught in a scandalous love affair. Opens in US theaters on November 21st, 2018.

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019). Written and directed by Dean DeBlois (based on the book series by Cressida Cowell). Written by Billy Ray and Mark L. Smith. Starring Jonah Hill, Cate Blanchett, Kristen Wiig. Synopsis: As Hiccup fulfills his dream of creating a peaceful dragon utopia, Toothless' discovery of an untamed, elusive mate draws the Night Fury away. When danger mounts at home and Hiccup's reign as village chief is tested, both dragon and rider must make impossible decisions to save their kind. Opens in US theaters on February 22nd, 2019.

Escape Room (2019). Directed by Adam Robitel. Written by Bragi F. Schut and Maria Melnik. Starring Deborah Ann Woll, Tyler Labine, Taylor Russell. Synopsis: Six strangers find themselves in circumstances beyond their control, and must use their wits to survive. Opens in US theaters on January 4th, 2019.

Rosemary's Baby (1968), 50th anniversary edition. Written and directed by Roman Polanski (based on the novel by Ira Levin). Starring Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon. Synopsis: A young couple moves in to an apartment only to be surrounded by peculiar neighbors and occurrences. When the wife becomes mysteriously pregnant, paranoia over the safety of her unborn child begins to control her life. US release date is TBA.

Disability Employment Awareness Month

Matt writes: Chaz Ebert's latest special edition of Thumbnails celebrates National Disability Employment Awareness Month, which ran through the entirety of October. Out writer Scott Jordan Harris assembled a superb list of articles detailing the lack of inclusivity in media and why it must be changed. Click here for the full round-up, which includes Jordan's review of Jenni Gold's documentary, "CinemAbility: The Art of Inclusion."

Peter Bogdanovich on Buster Keaton

Matt writes: The great filmmaker and cinema historian Peter Bogdanovich recently spoke with our Editor-at-Large Matt Zoller Seitz about his new documentary, "The Great Buster: A Celebration." Click here to read their full conversation.

Free Movies

The Return of Dracula (1958). Directed by Paul Landres. Written by Pat Fielder. Starring Francis Lederer, Norma Eberhardt, Ray Stricklyn. Synopsis: After a vampire leaves his native Balkans, he murders a Czech artist, assumes his identity, and moves in with the dead man's American cousins.

Watch "The Return of Dracula"

Blood for Dracula (1974). Written and directed by Paul Morrissey. Starring Udo Kier, Vittorio De Sica, Joe Dallesandro. Synopsis: An ailing vampire count travels to Italy with his servant to find a bride.

Watch "Blood for Dracula"

Count Dracula (1977). Directed by Philip Saville. Written by Gerald Savory (based on the novel by Bram Stoker). Starring Louis Jourdan, Frank Finlay, Susan Penhaligon. Synopsis: The vampire count leaves his Transylvanian home to wreak havoc across the world.

Watch "Count Dracula"

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[scoutshonor56]

Mission Accomplished

“I went to war to avenge my brother’s death. But the only person I truly wanted to kill died 17 years ago.”

 Well, here it is, another 9/11 anniversary… I’ve got to admit I had a hard time accepting that it has been seventeen years now; doesn’t feel that long.  I see both the History and NatGeo channels have a World Trade Center marathon going tonight, or so it seems.  I guess so we can all relive the horror: running crowds of terrified pedestrians, huge columns of smoke coming from the upper floors of the Towers so large they were seen by the crew members of the International Space Station; trapped office workers choosing a long plummet to the sidewalk below over the smoke and fire.

 The surreal cumulus clouds of dust rolling down the streets of Manhattan making everything in its path and perimeter an empty ghost of its former self, covered under the chalky remains of what once was an iconic symbol of American wealth and power built of steel and concrete…

 I could have gone a lot of ways with today’s blog, wondering where I wanted my focus, what was going to be my point - but it ends out I was moved by an op-ed from this morning’s Times more than anything else I read today about America’s welcoming into the age of international terrorism.  

 Because there was another grisly horror show waiting off stage, waiting for an angry and outraged America to bring down vengeance upon those responsible.  So without further rambling, I bring you the words of Joe Quinn, a United States Army veteran, and someone as intimately acquainted with the 9/11 tragedy and its emotional aftermath as anyone.

 It has taken me a while to realize something.  Seventeen years ago, I saw a picture of Mohamed Atta  for the first time,  and my blood boiled from the sound of his voice emanating from the television, as he said over the airplane’s intercom system: “We have some planes, just stay quiet and you’ll be O.K. We are returning to the airport.” Instead, he crashed it between the 93rd and 99th floors of the World Trade Center’s north tower.

 My 23-year-old brother, James, was on the 102nd floor.

Staring at that picture of Atta, I would have visions of what my brother’s final moments were like. I would envision my asthmatic brother slowly succumbing to smoke inhalation on the flat, gray corporate rug of his Cantor Fitzgerald office — trapped, climbing upward and afraid for the entire 102 minutes before the tower’s collapse. Glaring at Atta’s photo, I’d imagine my brother’s body buckling, falling, crumpling, burning, melting, and in that moment of imagination, my entire being wanted revenge against the people who did this.

So I joined the Army.

I joined the war. I deployed twice to Iraq and once to Afghanistan.

I learned many things but realized just one.

I learned that deploying for the second time was easier than the first, but each time it’s harder to fully come home.

I learned that I love soldiers. Nothing builds bonds more than living with a group of people in a war zone, getting shot at, not showering for months, roasting our own excrement in burn pits, cracking inappropriate jokes and serving something greater than ourselves.

I also learned how that love turns to heartache when one of those soldiers gets killed, and you pack his gear up in duffel bags to be shipped home to his wife and unborn child. I learned that another family’s losing a brother doesn’t bring my brother back.

But that wasn’t the thing I realized.

In Afghanistan, after an Afghan police officer demanded money from me at gunpoint to get through a checkpoint, I learned of the Kabul government’s widespread corruption. I learned that spending $68 billion on Afghan forces doesn’t buy the essential ingredients of a fighting force: loyalty, courage and integrity. I learned that most generals would always ask for more money, more troops, more time — and more war. It’s like asking Tom Brady what he wants to do on Sunday.

I learned that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. For the past 17 years in Afghanistan, we’ve tried everything: a light footprint, a big footprint, conventional war, counterinsurgency, counter-corruption, surges, drawdowns.

But that wasn’t the thing I realized.

I also learned that those who made the ultimate sacrifice are the very best of America.  

I learned to try to live a life worthy of their sacrifice, but perhaps this is a false platitude. We’ll say, “Until Valhalla,” after hearing the news of another brother killed, but perhaps preventing more brothers from dying is just as worthy of their sacrifice.

I also learned to be a father. As I hold my son Graham James in my arms tonight, I feel selfish because there are thousands of fathers who never came home to hold their children. I feel selfish because there was a father who came home from war 17 years ago to hold his child in his arms and now that child is going off to fight in the same war.

A hard lesson, but it’s still not the thing I realized.

I learned that Osama bin Laden’s strategic logic was to embroil the United States in a never-ending conflict to ultimately bankrupt the country. “All that we have to do is send two mujahedeen to the furthest point east to raise a piece of cloth on which is written ‘Al Qaeda,’” he said in 2004, “in order to make generals race there to cause America to suffer human, economic and political losses without their achieving for it anything of note ….” Why are we continuing to do what Bin Laden wanted all along?

But that, ultimately, was not the thing I realized.

I learned that every part of me wanted to just stay quiet with my feelings about the war because I was afraid of what people might say. It’s easier to bask in the warm embrace of “Thank you for your service” without questioning what that service was for. One way or another, we were all affected by Sept. 11, which has caused us to view the war through a distorted lens. This is why most of us won’t comment or share or at least have a dialogue about the war.

But the main reason I wanted to stay quiet is because it has embarrassingly taken me 17 years to realize something, and what I realized was this: Seventeen years ago, staring at that picture of Mohammad Atta, I wanted revenge against the people who killed my brother. But what I finally realized was that the people who killed my brother died the same day he did.

I refuse to take Atta’s orders, or Bin Laden’s. I will not “stay quiet.” End the war.