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reallifesultanas · 4 years

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Non real life sultanas

A little Christmas surprise post comes. One of my most popular videos on Youtube was the one, where I gathered non-historical characters, explaining how fictional or how historical they were, and if there was a real historical person behind them as an inspirer. Now, for Christmas, I would like to summarize for you the main fictional characters of the Muhteşem Yüzyil series.

Several fictional characters were present in the Muhteşem Yüzyil series, many from the very first minutes. The presence of some fictional characters was forgivable, as we were left with very little detailed information about the harem of Sultan Suleiman I. Thus, for example, the characters of Sümbül Agha, Gül Agha, Mercan Agha, and other eunuchs, although not portraying historical characters, were necessary for the dramaturgy of the series. Sümbül's character was the most important among the eunuchs and perhaps this is why many of us may think that Hürrem actually had such a close friend in the person of the chief eunuch. However, this is not true. During Suleiman's reign, many chief eunuchs took turns, and none of them were known to be particularly close to Hürrem. Of Hürrem's close servants, only one is known by name, a woman named Nevbahar. The characters of Nigar Kalfa, Gülsah Hatun, Fidan Hatun, Daye Hatun, Fahriye Kalfa were similar to Sümbül. None of them were historical, but surely every sultana had their own trusted servants, as they showed in the series. Like the eunuchs and kalfas, the concubines of Prince Mustafa and Prince Bayezid, Ayşe, Rana, Defne or Rumeysa Hatun, can also be considered forgivable fictional characters. We do not know anything about the harem of the two princes as neither of them had a major consort and as their children were born from different women.

However, there were also characters who were written into the story just for the sake of the drama. Which of these characters was acceptable is up to everyone and feel free to write your opinion about them in a comment here or on another platform! So here's the long-awaited list:

Sadika Hatun

Sadika was a Hungarian woman in the series whose husband was killed by Sultan Suleiman on the day of their wedding. Sadika then became the spy of the Hungarian king, Lajos II and she traveled to Istanbul to personally avenge her husband’s death. Matrakci Nasuh Efendi then, by chance, meets the girl and helps her get into the harem, where she immediately joins Ayşe Hafsa Valide Sultan's service and then becomes Hatice Sultan’s chief servant. During her job, of course, she gets close to Suleiman's bed several times, and then she had the opportunity to attack the sultan. However, she does not succeed, Suleiman survives, and Sadika is thrown in the Bosphorus.

In reality, this story would not be possible at all. Even if we assumed that Sadika really existed and Suleiman actually killed her husband, she would not have been able to get into the Sultan's harem and take revenge. On the one hand, Sadika was already a married woman, an adult woman. Such women could not enter the harem, only virgin, child girls could become the sultan's later concubines. However, even if Sadika had somehow been able to get in the harem, a long education would have awaited her before she could join the Valide Sultan's service. While there may have been some exceptional cases where older or non-virgin women wanted to be gifted to the Sultan, these are special cases. Such was the case, for example, when Hayreddin Barbarossa wanted to kidnap the beautiful Giulia Gonzaga, a widowed Italian noblewoman known far and wide, to send her to the Sultan's harem as a gift. In the end, he didn’t succeed, but even if he did, we don’t know if the sultan would had ever taken the woman to his bed.

Leo

In the series, he was the love of Hürrem from their youth. Leo came to Istanbul with the goal of finding her former sweetheart. Leo is a talented artist who, with the help of Nasuh Efendi (ahh Nasuh brought all the good people near to the Sultan…) will become the painter of Sultan Suleiman and Pargali Ibrahim. His former relationship with Hürrem will soon be revealed to Pargali Ibrahim, who is thus trying to blackmail Hürrem. Hürrem repeatedly begs Leo to leave the capital, but the man remains, which eventually leads to his death.

In reality, Hürrem - and all the other concubines - were taken into Ottoman captivity as little girls, so it is out of the question that they would have had a love or a fiance. And even if they had, they could never have found them. Nasuh Efendi, though one of the greatest suckers in the series - yet the dearest character - was not like that in reality at all, but he was a wonderful scholar who, by the way, was not so closely friends with either Sultan Suleiman or Pargali Ibrahim.

Princess Isabella

Princess Isabella Fortuna was a Spanish noble lady in the series who was on a ship to her future husband, the Austrian prince, when she was captured by Ottoman pirates and was taken to Istanbul to Sultan Suleiman. At first, Suleiman was only interested in the princess for political reasons, but later he fell in love. Princess Isabella initially resisted Suleiman's approach with all her cartilage, but over time she fell in love with the sultan and became his lover. This, of course, Hürrem could not stand and did everything she could to get rid of the princess who was eventually sent home by Suleiman himself.

In reality, of course, such a situation would have been unthinkable. Even assuming that Isabella existed and was captured by pirates, no princess raised in the Catholic faith would have voluntarily become the concubine of a Muslim sultan, she would have committed suicide instead. Let us not forget that Suleiman was loyal to Hürrem from the 1520s onwards, so in reality there was not a single woman who could make hard time for Hürrem during her decades-long relationship with Suleiman. Isabella Fortuna, on the other hand, never existed. Surprisingly, however, they could have patterned her from a real character. There was an Isabella of Castile in this period who was born in 1518 as the child of the widowed Queen of Aragon, Germaine of Foix and Charles V, but she was never captured by Ottoman pirates and was never the bride of the Austrian prince. Isabella's existence was kept secret by her parents all her life, only her mother's testament revealed that she ever existed. It is also known from there that Isabella died young in 1537.

Aybige Hatun

In the series, Aybige was the niece of Ayşe Hafsa, and so the daughter of the Crimean Sahib Giray khan. Aybige originally only came to visit her aunt in Istanbul, but later Hafsa Sultan wanted to see her as the wife of her favorite grandson, Prince Mustafa. However, Aybige was in love with Bali Bey and Mustafa longed for someone else aksi. Bali Bey was eventually almost executed for their love, and Aybige returned to Crimea with her father in the end.

Aybige’s storyline makes mistakes at almost every point. First, Ayşe Hafsa was never the sister of the Crimean khan, so the daughter of the Crimean khan could not have been her niece either. In addition, although Sahib Giray Khan had several daughters, none were called Aybige and none of his daughters ever traveled to Istanbul. The only true point in the whole storyline is that Sahib Giray Khan really collaborated with Sultan Suleiman in his Moldovan war. It is also important to mention Bali Bey at this point. Although Bali Bey was a real historical figure, there is not the slightest match between historical Bali Bey and the series Bali Bey. The real Bali Bey was not a romantic guy who fell in love with every second woman. Bali Bey was a cruel warlord. And if it comes to Bali Bey, let’s say a few words about Prince Mustafa as well. The idea of wanting to marry Mustafa to a khan’s daughter is completely absurd! Since the reign of Sultan Mehmed II, princes have been forbidden to marry anyone, so Prince Mustafa has not been allowed to marry anyone either. And the fact that Suleiman would have supported the idea - even if such a marriage had been able to occurre at all - is an even greater absurdity. Suleiman did not want Mustafa as his heir, so he would never have given him as much power as the support of the Crimean khan.

Firuze Hatun

In the series, Firuze was a Persian spy who, with her amazing abilities, was able to heal the pains of the sick Prince Cihangir, earning the love of Hürrem Sultan. Firuze, however, thanked Hürrem kindness in a disgusting way, and became Suleiman's secret lover, whom the sultan fell in love with. In the end, Hürrem was only able to overcome Firuzen with a little, Firuze was eventually exiled from the palace so she could return to Persia.

In reality, Suleiman was loyal to Hürrem, living in a monogamous relationship with her. Even if there was an occasional one-night-stands, Suleiman never fell in love with another woman, only Hürrem. Thus, the Firuze storyline has already failed here. The fact that there was a Persian spy in the harem would have been an interesting suggestion though. There were certainly spies in the royal court of every empire, but they were probably not hiding among the concubines. Eunuchs, for example, moved with much greater freedom, were much better candidates for being a spy…

Huricihan Sultan

In the series, Huricihan was the daughter of Ibrahim Pasha and Hatice Sultan, who grew up in the palace of Beyhan Sultan after the death of her parents. From there she returned to Istanbul, where she fell in love with her first cousin, Prince Bayezid. Their love became a relationship and then marriage without the Sultan’s permission. Huricihan became the head of Bayezid's harem and soon her relationship with Hürrem and Suleiman slowly became better. Huricihan's end eventually was brought by Prince Selim's concubine, Nurbanu, who knocked her out in the heat of a dispute, killing her.

In reality, Hatice and Ibrahim Pasha were never married, so they didn't have children either together, so Huricihan never existed. If she had existed, for the reasons already mentioned, it would have been utterly inconceivable for Bayezid to marry her, either secretly or openly. Especially knowing that Bayezid had never had a favourite singled out concubine, as all of his children were born to different women. With a background like this, it’s unlikely he’d ever wanted to marry anyone. Although Hatice Sultan did indeed have a daughter, she was born between 1510 and 1515, so she was well ahead of Bayezid in age, and of course she had nothing to do with the prince and was not even called Huricihan.

Mihrünissa Hatun

In the series, Mihrünissa was the daughter of Hayreddin Barbarossa the Head of the Fleet, whom her father sent to Prince Mustafa as a consultant. Later, the two young person fell in love with each other and married without the Sultan's knowledge. In time, Mihrünissa also gave birth to Mustafa's son Mehmed. After Prince Mustafa and his son Mehmed were executed, Mihrünissa went to the capital and cut her own throat before Hürrem's eyes.

In reality, for the reasons already detailed several times above, no prince could marry anyone, so Mustafa also never married. In addition, Barbarossa never had a daughter named Mihrünissa and Hayreddin Pasha was never a supporter of Prince Mustafa. However, even assuming that Mihrünissa existed, there is no chance that she could have committed suicide before Hürrem's eyes. Prince Mustafa's harem retired to Bursa, so that no member of the harem could travel to the capital, especially not to the palace and kill herself in front of Hürrem. So, in fact, the Mihrünissa storyline was just 100% fiction.

Nazenin Hatun

In the series, Nazenin arrived in Istanbul with Nurbanu, where Hürrem, who was struggling with menopause, sent her to the sultan herself. Nazenin thus became the sultan's concubine and soon gave birth to a daughter, Raziye Sultan. Eventually, on Hürrem's instructions, she was killed by Nurbanu.

In reality, as I have said many times, Suleiman was loyal to Hürrem. In addition, after the birth of Prince Cihangir in 1531/2, Suleiman had no more children, neither to Hürrem nor to anyone else. It is true that he had a daughter named Raziye, however, the child died in 1520 at the age of a few years as a result of an epidemic.

Surprising realities

After many fictional characters, one would think that all eunuchs and kalfas were fictional characters, as we know quite a bit about the harem. However, this is not true! There were some historically inspired characters, such as Gazanfer Agha, who, although existed and was one of the most influential eunuchs ever, was not a loyal man of Nurbanu, but Sultan Selim II. Gazanfer reached the peak of his career, by the way, during the reign of Safiye Sultan.

Similarly historical was Canfeda Hatun, who was Nurbanu’s most loyal servant and one of the most influential kalfas of her era. True, Canfeda’s character in the series was a fusion of two loyal servants of historic Nurbanu. In her young age, in the princely harem of Selim, Nurbanu became acquainted not with Canfeda but with another kalfa, who remained her faithful servant for the rest of her life. Canfeda only became Nurbanu’s main supporter during Selim’s reign.

Like them, Afife Hatun’s character was partly real also. Sultan Suleiman's wetnurse was really called Afife and the sultan always kept in touch with the woman. However, Afife Hatun never moved to Istanbul to rule the Sultan’s harem, but lived a simple life.

Gracia Mendes Nasi was introduced last season as a wealthy Portuguese Jewish woman who helped Portuguese refugees get to Istanbul. Later, Gracia became the lover of Grand Vizier Rüstem Pasha, which made her an enemy of Mihrimah Sultan. In reality, Gracia Mendes was a very benevolent soul who was committed to Jewish traditions and her Jewish brothers. She was never a lover of Rustem and an enemy of Mihrimah. However, like the series, Gracia actually enjoyed the Sultan’s support and, with his help, she made great improvements in Istanbul’s Jewish Quarter and helped many refugees start a new life in the Ottoman Empire.

One of the most interesting guest actors of the last season of the series was Anna Jagello, the daughter of the former King of Poland, the sister of the new King of Poland. Although the woman was a real historical figure, the historical Anna never traveled to Istanbul and never corresponded with Hürrem Sultan. However, Hürrem exchanged letters several times with Anna's mother Bona Sforza, Anna's father, King Sigismund I of Poland, and Anna's brother, the later Zsigmond Ágost II king of Poland, and even Anna's sisterm Isabella, the Hungarian queen. Thanks to the intercession of Hürrem, the relationship between the Kingdom of Poland and the Ottoman Empire was quite good and almost friendly during Suleiman's reign.

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Egy kis karácsonyi meglepetés poszt következik. Youtube-on az egyik legnépszerűbb videóm az volt, amelyben a nem történelmi karaktereket gyűjtöttem össze, elmagyarázva, mennyire voltak kitaláltak, mennyire volt mögöttük egy-egy valós történelmi személy, mint ihlető. Most karácsony alkalmából szeretném nektek összefoglalni a Muhteşem Yüzyil sorozat főbb kitalált karaktereit és történetüket.

A Muhteşem Yüzyil sorozatban több kitalált karakter is jelen volt, sokan már az első percektől kezdve. Egyes kitalált karakterek jelenléte megbocsátható volt, hiszen nagyon kevés részlet maradt ránk a Szulejmán háremében jelenlévő személyekről. Így például Sümbül Aga, Gül Aga, Mercan Aga és más eunuchok karakterei bár nem valódi személyeket keltenek életre, szükségesek voltak a sorozat dramaturgiája szempontjából. Sümbül karaktere volt a legfontosabb az eunuchok között és talán emiatt sokan gondolhatjuk úgy, hogy Hürremnek a valóságban is volt egy ilyen közeli barátja a fő eunuch személyében. Azonban ez nem igaz. Szulejmán uralkodása alatt rengeteg főeunuch váltotta egymást és egyikről sem ismert, hogy különösebben közel álltak volna Hürremhez. Hürrem közeli szolgálói közül csupán egy ismert név szerint, egy Nevbahar nevű nő. Sümbülhöz hasonló volt Nigar Kalfa, Gülsah Hatun, Fidan Hatun, Daye Hatun, Fahriye Kalfa karaktere is. Egyikük sem valós személy volt, ám bizonyosan minden szultánának megvoltak a saját megbízható szolgálói, ahogy ezt a sorozatban is mutatták. Hasonlóan az eunuchokhoz és kalfákhoz megbocsátható füllentésnek tekinthetőek Musztafa herceg és Bayezid herceg ágyasai is, Ayşe, Rana, Defne vagy Rumeysa Hatun. A két herceg asszonyairól ugyanis semmit sem tudunk, egyiküknek sem volt kiemelt jelentőségű főágyasa, gyermekeik más-más nőktől születtek.

Voltak azonban olyan karakterek is, akiket csupán a dráma kedvéért írtak bele a történetbe. Az, hogy ezek közül melyik karakter mennyire volt elfogadható, azt mindenki maga döntse el és nyugodtan írja meg kommentben itt vagy más platformon, hogy mit gondol róluk! Következzék hát a várva várt lista:

Sadika Hatun

Sadika a sorozatban egy magyar nő volt, akinek férjét az esküvőjük napján megölte Szulejmán szultán. Sadika ezek után a magyar király, II. Lajos parancsára Isztambulba utazott, hogy ott személyesen bosszulja meg férje halálát. Matrakci Nasuh Efendi aztán egy véletlen folytán megismerkedik a lánnyal és segít neki bekerülni a hárembe, ahol azonnal Ayşe Hafsa Valide Sultan szolgálatába áll, majd Hatice Sultan főszolgálója lesz. Menetközben természetesen többször is Szulejmán ágyának közelébe kerül, majd lehetősége nyílik a szultánra támadni. Azonban nem jár sikerrel, Szulejmán életben marad, Sadikát pedig a Boszporuszba fojtják.

A valóságban ez a történetszál egyáltalán nem lenne lehetséges. Ha feltételeznénk is azt, hogy Sadika valóban létezett és Szulejmán valóban megölte a férjét, akkor sem állt volna módjába bejutni a szultáni hárembe és bosszút állni. Egyrészt Sadika férjezett asszony volt már, felnőtt nő. A hárembe nem kerülhettek be ilyen nők, csupán szűz, gyermeklányokból válhattak a szultán ágyasai. Mindazonáltal ha Sadika valahogy mégis bekerült volna a hárembe hosszadalmas oktatás várt volna rá, mielőtt a Valide Sultan szolgálatába állhatott volna. Előfordulhatott ugyan néhány kivételes eset, amikor idősebb vagy nem szűz nőket akartak volna a szultánnak ajándékozni, azonban ezek különleges esetek. Ilyen volt például, amikor Hayreddin Barbarossa el akarta rabolni a messze földön ismert, gyönyörű Giulia Gonzagát, megözvegyült itáliai nemesasszonyt, hogy a szultán háremébe küldje ajándéknak. Végül nem járt sikerrel, ám ha sikerrel járt volna is, nem tudni, hogy a szultán valaha is ágyba vitte volna-e a nőt.

Leo

A sorozatban Leo Hürrem fiatalkori szerelme volt, aki azzal a céllal érkezett Isztambulba, hogy megtalálja egykori kedvesét. Leo tehetséges művész, aki Nasuh Efendi segítségével (ahh Nasuh csupa jó embert juttatott a szultán közelébe…) Szulejmán szultán és Pargali Ibrahim festője lesz. Egykori viszonya Hürremmel hamarosan kiderül Pargali Ibrahim számára, aki ezzel próbálja zsarolni Hürremet. Hürrem többször könyörög Leonak, hogy hagyja el a fővárost, de a szerelmes férfi marad, ami végül halálához vezet.

A valóságban Hürrem – és minden más ágyas – még kislányként került oszmán fogságba, tehát kizárt, hogy szerelmük vagy vőlegényük lett volna, ha pedig mégis, az sosem tudott volna rájuk találni. Nasuh Efendi, pedig aki a sorozat egyik legnagyobb baleke – ugyanakkor legkedvesebb karaktere – a valóságban egyáltalán nem ilyen volt, hanem egy csodálatos tudós, aki egyébként nem állt ilyen közeli barátságban sem Szulejmán szultánnal, sem Pargali Ibrahimmal.

Izabella Hercegnő

Izabella Fortuna hercegnő a sorozatban egy spanyol nemes hölgy volt, aki éppen jövendőbeli férjéhez, az osztrák herceghez tartott hajón, mikor az oszmán kalózok elragadták és Isztambulba vitték Szulejmán szultán elé. Először Szulejmán politikai okokból érdeklődött csupán a hercegnő iránt, később azonban beleszeretett. Izabella hercegnő eleinte minden porcikájával ellenállt Szulejmán közeledésének, idővel azonban beleszeretett a szultánba és a szeretője lett. Ezt természetesen Hürrem szultána nem állhatta és mindent megtett, hogy megszabaduljon a hercegnőtől, akit végül Szulejmán küldött el.

A valóságban természetesen elképzelhetetlen lett volna egy ilyen szituáció. Ha feltételezzük is, hogy Izabella létezett és a kalózok fogságába esett, egyetlen katolikus hitben nevelt hercegnő sem vált volna szabad akaratából a szultán ágyasává, előbb lett volna öngyilkos. Azt se felejtsük el, hogy Szulejmán az 1520-as évektől kezdve hűséges volt Hürremhez, a valóságban nem volt egyetlen nő sem, aki éket verhetett volna közéjük több évtizedes kapcsolatuk alatt. Másrészről pedig Izabella Fortuna sosem létezett. Meglepő azonban, hogy valós karakterről mintázhatták. Létezett egy Kasztíliai Izabella ebben a korban, aki 1518-ban született az özvegy aragóniai királyné Germaine Foix és V. Károly gyermekeként, azonban sosem esett oszmán kalózok csapdájába és sosem volt az osztrák herceg menyasszonya. Izabella létezését egész életében titokban tartották szülei, csupán édesanyja végrendeletéből derült fény arra, hogy valaha is létezett. Innen tudni azt is, hogy Izabella fiatalon elhunyt 1537-ben.

Aybige Hatun

A sorozatban Aybige Ayşe Hafsa Sultan unokahúga volt, a krími Sahib Giray kán lánya. Aybige eredetileg csak látogatóba érkezett Isztambulba, később azonban nagynénje szerette volna őt kedvenc unokája, Musztafa herceg feleségeként látni. Aybige azonban Bali Bégbe volt szerelmes és Musztafa is más után vágyakozott. Bali Béget végül majdnem kivégezték a szerelmük miatt, Aybige pedig apjával visszatért a Krímre.

Aybige történetszála szinte minden létező ponton hibádzik. Először is, Ayşe Hafsa sosem volt a Krími kán testvére, tehát a krími kán lánya sem lehetett az unokahúga. Emellett Sahib Giray kánnak bár több lánya volt, egyiket sem hívták Aybigének és egyik lánya sem utazott sosem Isztambulba. Az egész történetszál egyetlen igaz pontja, hogy Sahib Giray kán tényleg együttműködött Szulejmán szultánnal annak moldáv háborújában. Fontos megemlíteni ezen a ponton Bali Béget is. Bali Bég bár valós történelmi személy volt, de a legkisebb egyezés sincs a történelmi Bali Bég és a sorozat Bali Bége között. A valódi Bali Bég nem egy romantikus fickó volt, aki minden második nőbe beleszeretett, és akiért bolondultak a nők. Bali Bég egy kegyetlen hadvezér volt. És ha már Bali Bég szóba jött, ejtsünk néhány szót Musztafa hercegről is. Az ötlet, hogy Musztafát egy kán lányához akarják adni teljesen abszurd! II. Mehmed szultán uralkodása óta tilos volt a hercegeknek házasságot kötni, így Musztafa herceg sem köthetett senkivel házasságot. Az pedig, hogy Szulejmán támogatta volna az ötletet, már ha egyáltalán felmerült volna egy ilyen házasság, még nagyobb abszurdum. Szulejmán nem Musztafát akarta örökösének, így sosem adott volna a kezébe akkora hatalmat, mint a krími kán támogatása.

Firuze Hatun

A sorozatban Firuze egy perzsa kém volt, aki csodálatos képességeivel gyógyítani tudta a beteges Cihangir herceg fájdalmait, amivel kiérdemelte Hürrem szeretetét. Firuze azonban rút módon hálálta meg Hürrem kedvességét, ugyanis Szulejmán titkos szeretője lett, akibe a szultán halálosan beleszeretett. Végül Hürrem csak egy hajszállal volt képes felülkerekedni Firuzén, akit végül száműztek a palotából, így visszatérhetett Perzsiába.

A valóságban Szulejmán hűséges volt Hürremhez, monogám kapcsolatban éltek. Ha előfordult is alkalomadtán egy-egy egyéjszakás kaland, Szulejmán soha nem szeretett bele más nőbe, csak Hürremet szerette. Így a Firuze történetszál már itt el is bukott. A tény, hogy Firuze perzsa kém lett volna érdekes felvetés, bizonyára akadtak kémek minden birodalom királyi udvarába, azonban ők valószínűleg nem az ágyasok között rejtőztek. Az eunuchok például, sokkal nagyobb szabadsággal mozogtak, sokkal könnyebben lefizethetők voltak…

Huricihan Sultan

A sorozatban Huricihan Ibrahim Pasa és Hatice Sultan lánya volt, aki szülei halála után Beyhan Sultan palotájában nevelkedett. Onnan tért vissza Isztambulba, ahol beleszeretett elsőunokatestvérébe, Bayezid hercegbe. Szerelmükből kapcsolat, majd házasság lett a szultán engedélye nélkül. Huricihan Bayezid háremének feje lett és kapcsolata lassanként rendbejött Hürremmel és a szultánnal is. Huricihan végzete végül Szelim herceg ágyasa, Nurbanu lett, aki egy vita hevében leütötte őt, ezzel megölve.

A valóságban Hatice és Ibrahim Pasa sosem voltak házasok, így gyermekük sem született, tehát Huricihan sosem létezett. Ha létezett volna is, a már korábban említett okokból teljesen elképzelhetetlen lett volna, hogy Bayezid feleségül vegye őt akár titokban, akár nyíltan. Különösen tudva, hogy Bayezidnek nem volt sosem kiemelt ágyasa, minden gyermeke más nőtől született. Ilyen háttérrel nem valószínű, hogy valaha is feleségül akart volna venni bárkit. Hatice Sultannak bár valóban volt egy lánya, az 1510-1515 között született, így korban jóval megelőzte Bayezidet, és természetesen sosem volt semmi köze a herceghez és nem is Huricihannak hívták.

Mihrünissa Hatun

A sorozatban Mihrünissa Hayreddin Barbarossa flotta parancsnok lánya volt, akit édesapja küldött Musztafa herceg mellé tanácsadónak. Később a két fiatal egymásba szeretett és a szultán tudta nélkül egybe keltek. Idővel Mihrünissa életet adott Musztafa fiának, Mehmednek is. Miután Musztafa herceget és vele együtt fiát, Mehmedet is kivégezték, Mihrünissa a fővárosba ment és Hürrem szeme láttára elvágta a saját torkát.

A valóságban a már fent többszörösen részletezett okok miatt egy herceg sem köthetett házasságot, így Musztafa sem nősült meg soha. Emellett Barbarossának sosem volt Mihrünissa nevű lánya és Hayreddin Pasa sohasem volt Musztafa herceg támogatója. Ha azonban feltételeznénk is, hogy Mihrünissa létezett, nincs arra esély, hogy Hürrem szeme láttára lehetett volna öngyilkos. Musztafa herceg háreme Bursába vonult vissza, így a hárem egyik tagja sem utazhatott egyetlen percre sem a fővárosba, nemhogy a palotába, Hürrem elé. Így tulajdonképpen a Mihrünissa történet-szál 100%-ban kitaláció volt.

Nazenin Hatun

A sorozatban Nazenin Nurbanuval együtt érkezett Isztambulba, ahol aztán a menopauzával küszködő Hürrem maga küldte őt a szultán elé. Nazenin így a szultán ágyasa lett és hamarosan egy lánygyermeknek, Raziye Sultannak adott életet. Végül Hürrem utasítására Nurbanu ölte meg.

A valóságban, mint már sokszor mondtam, Szulejmán hűséges volt Hürremhez. Emellett Cihangir herceg 1531/2-es születése után Szulejmán nem nemzett több gyermeket, sem Hürremnek sem másnak. Az igaz, hogy volt egy Raziye nevű kislánya, azonban a gyermek 1520-ban néhány éves korában elhunyt egy járvány következtében.

Meglepő valóságok

A sok kitalált karakter után azt gondolhatnánk, hogy az összes eunuch és kalfa kitalált karakter volt, hiszen meglehetősen keveset tudunk a háremről. Azonban ez nem igaz! Volt néhány történelmi ihletésű karakter, mint például Gazanfer Aga, aki bár létezett, és a valaha volt egyik legbefolyásosabb eunuch volt, nem Nurbanu hű embere volt, hanem II. Szelim szultáné. Gazanfer pályája csúcsát egyébként Safiye Sultan uralkodása alatt érte el.

Hasonlóan valós volt Canfeda Hatun is, aki Nurbanu leghűségesebb szolgálója volt és az egyik legbefolyásosabb kalfája korának. Igaz, Canfeda sorozatbeli karaktere, a történelmi Nurbanu két hűséges szolgálójának ötvözéseként született meg. Nurbanu fiatal korában, Szelim hercegi háremében nem Canfedával, hanem egy másik kalfával ismerkedett meg, aki élete végéig hűséges szolgálója maradt. Canfeda csak Szelim uralkodása alatt került képbe és vált Nurbanu fő segítőjévé.

Hozzájuk hasonlóan Afife Hatun karaktere is részben valós volt. Szulejmán szultán szoptatósdajkáját tényleg Afifének hívták és a szultán mindig tartotta a kapcsolatot az asszonnyal. Azonban Afife Hatun sosem költözött Isztambulba, hogy irányítsa a szultáni háremet, hanem egyszerű életet élt.

Gracia Mendes Nasi az utolsó évadban került bemutatásra, mint gazdag portugál zsidóasszony, aki portugál menekülteknek segített Isztambulba jutni. Később Gracia a nagyvezír Rüsztem Pasa szeretője lett, aminek köszönhetően szembe került Mihrimah szultánával. A valóságban Gracia Mendes igen jótét lélek volt, aki elkötelezett volt a zsidó hagyományok és zsidó testvérei iránt. Sosem volt Rüsztem szeretője és Mihrimah ellensége. Azonban a sorozathoz hasonlóan, Gracia a valóságban is élvezte a szultán támogatását és segítségével nagy fejlesztéseket vitt véghez Isztambul zsidó negyedében és nagyon sok menekültnek segített új életet kezdeni az Oszmán Birodalomban.

A sorozat utolsó évadának egyik legérdekesebb vendégszereplője Jagelló Anna volt, az egykori lengyel király lánya, az új lengyel király testvére. Bár az asszony valós történelmi személy volt, a történelmi Anna sosem utazott Isztambulba és sosem levelezett Hürrem szultánával. Azonban Hürrem többször is váltott levelet Anna édesanyjával Bona Sforzával, Anna édesapjával, I. Zsigmond lengyel királlyal, valamint Anna testvérével, a későbbi II. Zsigmond Ágost lengyel királlyal, sőt Anna másik testvérével Izabella, magyar királynővel is. Hürrem közbenjárásának köszönhetően Szulejmán uralkodása alatt meglehetősen jó, szinte baráti volt a viszony a Lengyel Királyság és az Oszmán Birodalom között.

#selim ii #gazanfer agha #gazanfer #suleiman the magnificent #safiye sultan #suleiman i #suleyman i #haseki hürrem sultan #hürrem sultan #nurbanu sultan #aybige hatun #ayse hafsa #ayse hafsa sultan #princess isabella #firuze #firuze hatun

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mc-critical · 4 years

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Pertaining to MYK2, it’s an observation of mine that as Kösem got older she grew more bitter, more angry, and felt overall more resentment towards the overall Ottoman lifestyle and dynasty which was a mere glorified prison for her. I would even go as far to say that her actions toward her children later in life were possibly due to her seeing them as an extension of her trauma and imprisonment in a way? I believe she only clung to power and titles the way she did because she truly believed it would be all she could have going for her and the only thing that could get her to be afforded basic human decency on some level in the enviornment she was trapped in. I especially see it towards the end when she has plans to dethrone her grandson and remarks “when one grandson goes the other comes” and you can see how she’s just..gone. There’s no longer a shred of resemblance to the innocent and life-loving Anastasia. She completely internalized the hatred and the death that surrounded her and became it..I’d even call it a cinematic parallel to Saifye. What do you think?

Overall, I think you hit the nail right on the head.

The loss of innocence is the central theme of the show: we consistently see how it begins to flourish, all the little hints, all the big actions, and Kösem, being the protagonist, will of course be the epitome of it all. It's a given that everything she has experienced would lead to trauma sooner or later, a trauma that really brings hatred, bitterness and then again, misery, because when you look at it, she couldn't take a break even for a second. To me, Safiye killing her father, was namely where it began - Kösem, just like Hürrem, had to completely let go of her past to begin this new life, but unlike her, this character arc was quick and rushed and harder, and she didn't get the fullest time necessary to do it in narrative, for her to actually get used to it. Her past is quite a part of her innocence, of her previous being, and when people (like Safiye and Raihan Aga) tell her to forget about it, she resists so much more, because there is hope that things would be just like before. Say, Hürrem adapted so quickly and so efficiently, because there was a lot to win, but nothing to lose - everyone she knew was perceived as dead, she had nowhere to go, it was lost and it was gone and she had to move forward. (Nigar's advice and the dream with her parents highlight that.) And when Leo appeared, Hürrem had already adapted, already planted seeds in this empire and had found the man she truly loved. Anastasia not only didn't have this chance, she still had nothing to do out there, knowing she could return to her family once again (they didn't kill anyone when they kidnapped her, remember?), was fond of Ahmet, but that was it, and didn't have any heirs yet. What would she do there, why would she forget her home, especially when there was a person just as eager as her to return to his roots (Iskender), and we had someone who was the narrative culmination of her hope to put everything back to normal (her father)? I feel that her refusal to Iskender to escape with him was only an intentionally forced tool for her and Iskender's character arcs, she stayed only out of necessity back then and one could say that, she probably never truly adapted. When her father died, was just when she realized there is no turning back now.

When she symbolically became Kösem, she had fought many fights in her life: she fought because she wanted justice (her exposing Fahriye and Dervish/Handan), because she wanted revenge (against Safiye), she fought for her life. (post-E25 and season 2.) But she did it out of necessity, all the roles she had to take she took out of necessity, she represented the country, acted as a regent even when Murat took that away from her.. only out of sheer necessity. That's what she did in episode 7, she stood up to all these people in need, and when she did that, she was suddenly regarded as a hero, as this blessed angel who saved everyone and could do no wrong, but she obviously couldn't stay so. She perhaps could've gained some kind of a savior complex, to have something to protect out of obligation. And that something had to be connected with her "first act" and with her whole arc in season 1 - that is, the country. She took her whole life to represent the country and protect it. ("The country you talk about wouldn't exist, if it weren't for me!") It turned into the very meaning of her life, she merged herself with it and she had to fight for it. The fights she had throughout the entire show were very exhausting, draining everything out of her, because there were countless times where it was all about to be over. She had to face enemies much stronger, much sneakier and much more experienced than she herself was, and she knew very well that they wouldn't hesitate even for a moment to do what they had to do. They were brutal and they were ruthless, all of them. And they were against this very thing she cherished, the very power she equated to the country. She spent her whole life to fight and protect it, turning her heart into iron and stone, automatically realizing every threat and striving to remove it, no matter what it takes. That goes into her conflict with Murat and into the rest of her children (by that I mean Ibrahim), as well, once she feels they are a threat, she began removing them. But this isn't a facade that can be kept so easily, this isn't some worthy life, so it all bottles up inside of her eventually and she has no time to let it out, because this period, her life, is just so dynamic. All her enemies were tough and persistent, making something happen almost every other day, the revolts, the parental conflicts, the attempts, the traps, the intrigues, the backstabbing... All that including her daily duties and all the meetings she has to attend to to keep things running smoothly. It all takes a toll on her, and it's understandable why when everything falls apart, she just doesn't care. She took the very last strip of her innocence, her humanity, with sealing the pact to kill Ibrahim. And guess what? She did this only for the country, she did this because someone pushed that weakness, that pressure point of hers. All she fought for was doomed the second Murat took things into his own hands, and she realized it. By Murat's death, it was now or never, because the harder she fights for this position of hers, she loses what made her so remarkably human in the first place. It's going hand to hand, really.

There is a point to be made about the parallels S02 Kösem had with Safiye, because while their arcs hit many of the same notes, they divert from one another in quite a bit of ways. Safiye was everything Kösem fought against - she made the darker side of S01 Kösem what it was, because taking revenge on Safiye, what she took away from her, was the primary "shadier" motivator of her character then. Azis Mahmud Hüdai (I hope I'm writing his name right) even warned her to the dangers of power and the similarities with Safiye that slowly grew in her. And there is some irony in this, because Safiye also played her part in the tragic Osman storyline by manipulating him from the get-go that Kösem could act against him because she wasn't his real mother. And the guy she sent to manipulate him was there for a long time. What I mean to say is, Kösem and Safiye had that fight going until the very end, and Safiye openly gave her the thematic ring (тм), perhaps due to the similarities they share. Safiye had this desire for neverending power, she never gave up, even when all odds were against her. She became used to it after so many years and it as well became what defined her. On the surface, the same could be said for Kösem, as well. Both of them did the unthinkable to keep this prestige and these titles. Both loved their power, but in different ways: Safiye wanted power for the sake of power, she loved the very concept of it, to wake up in the castle, to prepare for the day, to issue orders and to eclipse everyone, for Safiye it wasn't something morally right, it was about her and her only. She would lose her life, but never her power. It was already something she had always had and losing it would mean they took something that was rightfully hers, without debate. Kösem had this power for the country she felt obliged to protect, to the point power and country became synonymous to her, whatever she did was for the country, but in her eyes, it was the right thing, for the state to live, for the people to be safe and sound, for everyone to have a tranquil life without imbalance. (in E47 we had this parallel act to E07, where she once again, stood up in front of the people, to calm them down after Murat's unexpected disappearance; we have her show Kasım to the people in E53? etc.) And she would lose her life, as well as her power. (the narrative delivered its own symbolic meaning with her death.) She thought it should be all hers for a long time, but not by right, rather through all she had achieved in her life. At the end, she realized this loss, and accepted it, symbolically giving the thematic ring to nobody, while Safiye did in her death after all, thematically continuing the cycle herself. She no longer gave a damn about the world and all she wanted was to die in piece.

There is also another key difference between Safiye and Kösem - Safiye kept her power through cunning and manipulation from the very beggining, while Kösem consistently reached out: to the people, to the Janissary, to Murat even. Safiye thought they misunderstood her, that you couldn't win this war by peace, while Kösem often tried to find the optimal, peaceable solution - she killed only as a last resort, only when she found out nothing else worked, it took her a whole season-long arc to realize that Murat wasn't worth it (and even in E60, it was hard for her to kill Ibrahim and it all had to come to Turhan's manipulation). Safiye, just like Gülbahar, who was the main enemy to S02 Kösem for a reason, had buried her conscience deep within, while Kösem, even with all she's done, still had the reflection of Anastasia in the mirror and in her head, no matter how much she tried to shut her up. ("Admit it, you liked having power!" - quoting by pure memory here.)

Thing is, what Kösem experienced, truly shaped up who she was, and just like so many, internalized that toxic way of living to a huge extent. And no matter how hard she tried to fight with it, she let it sink in and fully embraced it. And when she finally got out of it, what was done was done, and destruction ensued. But she probably found piece in her death, getting rid of this burden, plaguing her whole life.

#magnificent century kosem #magnificent century kösem #kosem sultan #ask #stuffandthangs #magnificent century

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warnerxferrars · 4 years

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Aaron & Juliette reunion in IMAGINE ME

Ella Juliette

Run, Juliette run, faster, run until your bones break and your shins split and your muscles atrophy Run run run until you can’t hear their feet behind you Run until you drop dead. Make sure your heart stops before they ever reach you. Before they ever touch you. Run, I said. The words appear, unbidden, in my mind. I don’t know where they come from and I don’t know why I know them, but I say them to myself as I go, my boots pounding the ground, my head a strangled mess of chaos. I don’t understand what just happened. I don’t understand what’s happening to me. I don’t understand anything anymore. The boy is close. He moves more swiftly than I anticipated, and I’m surprised. I didn’t expect him to be able to meet my blows. I didn’t expect him to face me so easily. Mostly, I’m stunned he’s somehow immune to my power. I didn't even know that was possible. I don’t understand. I’m racking my brain, trying desperately to comprehend how such a thing might’ve happened--and whether I might’ve been responsible for the anomaly--but nothing makes sense. Not his presence. Not his attitude. Not even the way he fights. Which is to say: he doesn’t. He doesn’t even want to fight. He seems to have no interest in beating me, despite the ample evidence that we are well matched. He only fends me off, making only the most basic effort to protect himself, and I still haven’t killed him. There’s something strange about him. Something about him that is getting under my skin. Unsettling me. But he dashed out of sight when I threw another table at him, and he’s been running ever since. It feels like a trap. I know it, and yet, I feel compelled to find him. Face him, Destroy him.

I spot him, suddenly, at the far end of the laboratory and he meets my eyes with an insouciance that enrages me. I charge forward, but he moves quickly, disappearing through an adjoining door. This is a trap, I remind myself. Then again, I’m not sure it matters whether this is a trap. I am under orders to find him. Kill him. I just have to be better. Smarter. So I follow. From the time I met this boy--from the first moment we began exchanging blows--I’ve ignored the dizzying sensations coursing through my body. I try to deny my sudden, feverish skin, my trembling hands. But when a fresh wave of nausea nearly sends me reeling, I can no longer deny my fear: There’s something wrong with me. I catch another glimpse of his golden hair and my vision blurs, clears, my heart slows. For a moment, my muscles seem to spasm. There is a creeping, tremulous terror clenching its fist around my lungs and I don’t understand it. I keep hoping the feeling will change. Clear. Disappear. But as the minutes pass and the symptoms show no sign of abating, I begin to panic. I’m not tired, no. My body is too strong. I can feel it--can feel my muscles, their strength, their steadiness--and I can tell that I could keep fighting like this for hours. Days. I’m not worried about giving up, I’m not worried about breaking down. I’m worried about my head. My confusion. The uncertainty seeping through me, spreading like a poison. Ibrahim is dead. Anderson, nearly so. Will he recover? Will he die? Who would I be without him? What was it Ibrahim wanted to do to me? From what was Anderson trying to protect me? Who are these children I’m meant to kill? Why did Ibrahim call them my friends? My questions are endless. I kill them. I shove aside a series of steel desks and catch a glimpse of the boy before he darts around a corner. Anger punches through me, shooting a jolt of adrenaline to my brain, and I start running again, renewed determination focusing my mind. I charge through the dimly lit room, shoving my way through an endless sea of medical paraphernalia. When I stop moving, silence descends. Silence so pure, it’s deafening. I spin around, searching. The boy is gone. I blink, confused, scanning the room as my pulse races with renewed fear. Seconds pass, gathering into moments that feel like minutes, hours. This is a trap. The laboratory is perfectly still--the lights so perfectly dim--that as the silence drags I begin to wonder if I’m caught in a dream. I feel suddenly paranoid, uncertain. Like maybe that boy was a figment of my imagination. Like maybe all of this is some strange nightmare, and maybe I’ll wake up soon and Anderson will be back in his office, and Ibrahim will be a man I never met, and tomorrow I’ll wake up in my pod by the water. Maybe, I think, this is all just another test. A simulation. Maybe Anderson is challenging my loyalty one last time. Maybe it’s my job to stay put, to keep myself safe like he asked me to, and to destroy anyone who tries to stand in my way. Or maybe-- Stop. I sense movement. Movement so fine it’s nearly imperceptible. Movement so gentle it could've been a breeze, except for one thing: I hear a heart beating. Someone is here, someone motionless, someone sly. I straighten, my senses heightened, my heart racing in my chest. Someone is here someone is here someone is here-- Where? There. He appears, as if out of a dream, standing before me like a statue, still as cooling steel. He stares at me, green eyes the color of sea glass, the color of celadon. I never really had a chance to see his face. Not like this. My heart races as I assess him, his white shirt, green jacket, gold hair. Skin like porcelain. He does not slouch or fidget and, for a moment, I’m certain I was right, that perhaps he’s nothing more than a mirage. A program. Another hologram. I reach out, uncertain, the tips of my fingers grazing the exposed skin at his throat and he takes a sharp, shaky breath. Real, then. I flatten my hand against his chest, just to be sure, and I feel his heart racing under my palm. Fast, lighting fast. I glance up, surprised. He’s nervous. Another unsteady breath escapes him and this time, takes with it a measure of control. He steps back, shakes his head, stares up at the ceiling. Not nervous. He’s distraught. I should kill him now, I think. Kill him now. A wave of nausea hits me so hard it nearly knocks me off my feet. I take a few unsteady steps backward, catching myself against a steel table. My fingers grip the cold metal edge and I hang on, teeth clenched, willing my mind to clear. Heat floods my body. Heat, torturous heat, presses against my lungs, fills my blood. My lips part. I feel parched. I look up and he’s right in front of me and I do nothing. I do nothing as I watch his throat move. I do nothing as my eyes devour him. I feel faint. I study the sharp line of his jaw, the gentle slope where his neck meets shoulder. His lips look soft. His cheekbones high, his nose sharp, his brows heavy, gold. He is finely made. Beautiful, strong hands. Short, clean nails. I notice he wears a jade ring on his left pinkie finger. He sighs. He shakes off his jacket, carefully folding it over the back of a nearby chair. Underneath he wears only a simple white T-shirt, the sculpted contours of his bare arms catching the attention of the dim lights. He moves slowly, his motions unhurried. When he begins to pace I watch him, study the shape of him. I am not surprised to discover that he moves beautifully. I am fascinated by him, by his form, his measured strides, the muscles honed under skin. He seems like he might be my age, maybe a little older, but there’s something about the way he looks at me that makes him seem older than our years combined. Whatever it is, I like it. I wonder what I’m supposed to do with this, all of this. Is it truly a test? If so, why send someone like him? Why a face so refined? Why a body so perfectly honed? Was I meant to enjoy this? A strange, delirious feeling stirs inside of me at the thought. Something ancient. Something wonderful. It is almost too bad, I think, that I will have to kill him. And it is the heat, the dullness, the inexplicable numbness in my mind that compels me to say-- “Where did they make you?” He startles. I didn't think he would startle. But when he turns to look at me, he seems confused. I explain: “You are unusually beautiful.” His eyes widen. His lips part, press together, tremble into a curve that surprises me. Surprises him. He smiles. He smiles and I stare--two dimples, straight teeth, shining eyes. A sudden, incomprehensible heat rushes across my skin, sets me aflame. I feel violently hot. Sick with fever. Finally, he says: “So you are in there.” “Who?” “Ella,” he says, but he’s speaking softly now. “Juliette. They said you’d be gone.” “I’m not gone,” I say, my hands shaking as I pull myself together. “I am Juliette Ferrars, supreme soldier to our North American commander. Who are you?” He moves closer. His eyes darken as he stares at me, but there’s no true darkness there. I try to stand taller, straighter. I remind myself that I have a task, that this is my moment to attack, to fulfill my orders. Perhaps I sho-- “Love,” he whispers. Heat flashes across my skin. Pain presses against my mind, a vague realization that I’ve left something overlooked. Dusty emotion trembles inside of me, and I kill it. He steps forward, takes my face in his hands. I think about breaking his fingers. Snapping his wrists. My heart is racing. I cannot move. “You shouldn’t touch me,” I say, gasping the words. “Why not?” “Because I will kill you.” Gently, he titles my head back, his hands possessive, persuasive. An ache seizes my muscles, holds me in place. My eyes close reflexively. I breathe him in and my mouth fills with flavor--fresh air, fragrant flowers, heat, happiness--and I’m struck by the strangest idea that we’ve been here before, that I’ve lived this before, that I’ve known him before and then I feel, I feel his breath on my skin and the sensation, the sensation is-- heady, disorienting. I’m losing track of my mind, trying desperately to locate my purpose, to focus on my thought, when he moves the earth tilts, his lips graze my jaw and I make a sound, a desperate, unconscious sound that stuns me. My skin is frenzied, burning. That familiar warmth contaminates my blood, my temperature spiking, my face flushing. “Do I--” I try to speak but he kisses my neck and I gasp, his hands still caught around my face. I’m breathless, heart pounding, pulse pounding, head pounding. He touches me like he knows me, knows what I want, knows what I need. I feel insane. I don’t even recognize the sounds of my own voice when I finally mange to say, “Do I know you?” “Yes.” My heart leaps. The simplicity of his answer strangles my mind, digs for truth. It feels true. Feels true that I’ve known these hands, this mouth, those eyes. Feels real. “Yes,” he says again, his own voice rough with feeling. His hands leave my face and I’m lost in the loss, searching for warmth. I press closer to him without even meaning to, asking him for something I don’t understand. But then his hands slide under my shirt, his palms pressing against my back, and the magnitude of the sudden, skin-to-skin contact sets my body on fire. I feel explosive. I feel dangerously close to something that might kill me, and I still lean into him, blinded by instinct, deaf to everything but the ferocious beat of my own heart. He pulls back, just an inch. His hands are still caught under my shirt, his bare arms wrapped around my bare skin and his mouth lingers above mine, the heat between us threatening to ignite. He pulls me closer and I bite back a moan, losing my head as the hard lines of his body sink into me. He is everywhere, his scent, his skin, his breath. I see nothing but him, sense nothing but him, his hands spreading across my torso, my lungs compressing under his careful, searing exploration. I lean into the sensations, his fingers grazing my stomach, the small of my back. He touches his forehead to mine and I press up, onto my toes, asking for something, begging for something-- “What,” I gasp, “what is happening--” He kisses me. Soft lips, waves of sensation. Feeling overflows the vacancies in my mind. My hands begin to shake. My heart beats so hard I can hardly keep still when he nudges my mouth open, takes me in. He tastes like heat and peppermint, like summer, like the sun. I want more. I take his face in my hands and pull him closer and he makes a soft, desperate sound in the back of his throat that sends a spike of pleasure directly to my brain. Pure, electric heat lifts me up, outside of myself. I seem to be floating here, surrendered to this strange moment, held in place by an ancient mold that fits my body perfectly. I feel frantic, seized by a need to know more, a need I don’t even understand. When we break apart his chest is heaving and his face is flushed and he says-- “Come back to me, love. Come back.” I’m still struggling to breathe, desperately searching his eyes for answers. Explanations. “Where?” “Here,” he whispers, pressing my hands to his heart. “Home.” “But I don’t--” Flashes of light streak across my vision. I stumble backward, half-blind, like I’m dreaming, reliving the caress of a forgotten memory, and it’s like an ache looking to be soothed, it’s a steaming pan thrown in ice water, it’s a flushed cheek pressed to a cool pillow on a hot hot night and heat gathers, collects behind my eyes, distorting sights, dimming sounds. Here. This. My bones against his bones. This is my home. I return to my skin with a sudden, violent shudder and feel wild, unstable. I stare at him, my heart seizing, my lungs fighting for air. He stares back, his eyes such a pale green in the light that, for a moment, he doesn’t even seem human. Something is happening to my head. Pain is collecting in my blood, calcifying around my heart. I feel at war with myself, lost and wounded, my mind spinning with uncertainty. “What is your name?” I ask. He steps forward, so close our lips touch. Part. His breath whispers across my skin and my nerves hum, spark. “You know my name,” he says quietly. I try to shake my head. He catches my chin. This time, he’s not careful. This time, he’s desperate. This time, when he kisses me he breaks me open, heat coming off him in waves. He tastes like springwater and something sweet, something searing. I feel dazed. Delirious. When he breaks away I’m shaking, my lungs shaking, my breaths shaking, my heart shaking. I watch, as if in a dream, as he pulls off his shirt, tosses it to the ground. And then he’s here again, he’s back again, he’s caught me in his arms and he’s kissing me so deeply my knees give out. He picks me up, bracing my body as he sets me down on the long, steel table. The cool metal seeps through the fabric of my pants, sending goose bumps along my heated skin and I gasp, my eyes closing as he straddles my legs, claims my mouth. He presses my hands to his chest, drags my fingers down his naked torso and I make a desperate, broken sound, pleasure and pain stunning me, paralyzing me. He unbuttons my shirt, his deft hands moving quickly even as he kisses my neck, my cheeks, my mouth, my throat. I cry out when he moves, his kisses shifting down my body, searching, exploring. He pushes aside the two halves of my shirt, his mouth still hot against my skin, and then he closes the gap between us, pressing his bare chest to mine, and my heart explodes. Something snaps inside of me. Severs. A sudden, fractured sob escapes my throat. Unbidden tears sting my eyes, startling me as they fall down my face. Unknown emotion soars through me, expanding my heart, confusing my head. He pulls me impossibly closer, our bodies soldered together. And then he presses his forehead to my collarbone, his body trembling with emotion when he says-- “Come back.” My head is full of sand, sound, sensations spinning in my mind. I don’t understand what’s happening to me, I don’t understand this pain, this unbelievable pleasure. I’m staining his skin with my tears and he only pulls me tighter, pressing our hearts together until the feeling sinks its teeth into my bones, splits open my lungs. I want to bury myself in this moment, I want to pull him into me, I want to drag myself out of myself but there’s something wrong, something blocked, something stopped-- Something broken. Realization arrives in gentle waves, theories lapping and overlapping at the shores of my consciousness until I’m drenched in confusion. Awareness. Terror. “You know my name,” he says softly. “You’ve always known me, love. I’ve always known you. And I’m so--I’m so desperately in love with you--” The pain begins in my ears. It collects, expanding, pressure building to a peak so acute it transforms, sharpening into a torture that stops my heart. First I go deaf, stiff. Second I go blind, slack. Third, my heart restarts. I come back to life with a sudden, terrifying inhalation that nearly chokes me, blood rushing to my ears, my eyes, leaking from my nose. I taste it, taste my own blood in my mouth as I begin to understand: there is something inside of me. A poison. A violence. Something wrong something wrong something wrong And then, as if from miles away, I hear myself scream. There’s cold tile under my knees, rough grout pressing into my knuckles. I scream into the silence, power building power, electricity charging my blood. My mind is separating from itself, trying to identify the poison, the parasite residing inside of me. I have to kill it. I scream, forcing my own energy inward, screaming until the explosive energy building inside of me ruptures my eardrums. I scream until I feel the blood drip from my ears and down my neck, I scream until the lights in the laboratory begin to pop and break. I scream until my teeth bleed, until the floor fissures beneath my feet, until the skin at my knees begins to crack. I scream until the monster inside of me begins to die. And only then-- Only when I’m certain I’ve killed some small part of my own self do I finally collapse. I’m choking, coughing up blood, my chest heaving from the effort expended. The room swims. Swings around. I press my forehead to the cold floor and fight back a wave of nausea. And then I feel a familiar, heavy hand against my back. With excruciating slowness, I manage to lift my head. A blur of gold appears, disappears before me. I blink once, twice, and try to push up with my arms but a sharp, searing pain in my wrist nearly blinds me. I look down, examining the strange, hazy sight. I blink again. Ten times more. Finally, my eyes focus. The skin inside of my right arm has split open. Blood is smeared across my skin, dripping on the floor. From within the fresh wound, a single blue light pulses from a steel, circular body, the edges of which push up against my torn flesh. With one final effort, I rip the flashing mechanism from my arm, the last vestige of this monster. It drops from my shaking fingers, clatters to the floor. And this time, when I look up, I see his face. “Aaron,” I gasp. He drops to his knees. He pulls my bleeding body into his arms and I break, I break apart, sobs cracking open my chest. I cry until the pain spirals and peaks, I cry until my head throbs and my eyes swell. I cry, pressing my face against his neck, my fingers digging into his back, desperate for purchase. Proof. He holds me, silent and steady, gathering my blood and bones against his body even as the tears recede, even when I begin to tremble. He holds me tight as my body shakes, holds me close when the tears start anew, holds me in his arms and strokes my hair and tells me that everything, everything is going to be okay.

#aaron warner #juliette ferrars #warner x juliette #warnette #warnella #imagine me #shatter me series #imagine me spoilers #imagine me quotes

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yourartmatters-itswhatgotmehere · 4 years

Text

This is everything.

“ The fight seems to have left his body. I can’t even see him right now, but I can feel it. Something about his movements, his quiet sighs. His mind is on Juliette. Juliette, who looks the same. Better, in fact. She looks healthy, her eyes bright, her skin glowing. Her hair is down—long, heavy, dark—the way it was the first time I ever saw her. But she’s not the same. Even I can see that. And it’s devastating.

(……)

Finally, I give up. “All right, get it out,” I whisper. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

Warner lets out a long breath. “This doesn’t make sense.”

I nod, even though he can’t see me. “I get that. Nothing makes sense in situations like these. I always feel like it’s unfair, you know, like the worl—”

“I’m not being philosophical,” Warner says, cutting me off. “I mean it literally doesn’t make sense. Nouria and Sam said that Operation Synthesis would turn Ella into a super soldier—and that once the program went into effect, the result would be irreversible. But this is not Operation Synthesis. Operation Synthesis is literally about synthesizing Ella’s and Emmaline’s powers, and right now, there’s no—”

“Synthesis,” I say. “I get it.”

“This doesn’t feel right. They did things out of order.”

(……..)

“Honestly”—I shrug—“it feels to me like they’re just getting lazy. I think they’re sick and tired of J always breaking out and fighting back. This is literally the path of least resistance.”

“Yes,” Warner says slowly. “Exactly.”

“Wait— Exactly what?”

“Whatever they did to her—prematurely initiating this phase—was done hastily. It was a patch job.”

A lightbulb flickers to life in my head. “Which means their work was sloppy.”

“And if their work was sloppy—”

“—there are definitely holes in it.”

“Stop finishing my sentences,” he says, irritated.

“Stop being so predictable.”

“Stop acting like a child.”

“You stop acting like a child.”

“You are being ridicu—” Warner goes suddenly silent as Ibrahim’s shaking, angry voice booms across the laboratory.

“I said, get out of the way.”

“I can’t let you do this,” Anderson says, his voice growing louder. “Did you not just hear that alarm? Santiago is out. They took out yet another supreme commander. How much longer are we going to let this go on?”

“Juliette,” Ibrahim says sharply. “You’re coming with me.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Juliette, stop,” Anderson demands.

“Yes, sir.”

What the hell is happening?

Warner and I dart forward to get a better look, but it doesn’t matter how close we get; I still can’t believe my eyes. The scene is surreal. Anderson is guarding Juliette. The same Anderson who’s spent so much of his energy trying to murder her—is now standing in front of her with his arms out, guarding her with his life. What the hell happened while she was here? Did Anderson get a new brain? A new heart? A parasite?

And I know I’m not alone in my confusion when I hear Warner mutter, “What on earth?” under his breath.

(……)

“ Don’t force my hand, Paris. Don’t make me do this.”

J steps forward, about to say something, and Anderson pushes her body behind him. “I ordered you to remain silent,” he says, glancing back at her. “And I am now ordering you to remain safe, at all costs. Do you hear me, Juliette? Do y—” When the shot rings out, I don’t believe it. I think my mind is playing tricks on me. I think this is some kind of weird interlude—a strange dream, a moment of confusion—I keep waiting for the scene to change. Clear. Reset. It doesn’t. No one thought it would happen like this. No one thought the supreme commanders would destroy themselves. No one thought we’d see Anderson felled by one his own, no one thought he’d clutch his bleeding chest and use his last gasp of breath to say: “Run, Juliette. Run—” Ibrahim shoots again, and this time, Anderson goes silent.

“Juliette,” Ibrahim says, “you’re coming with me.” J doesn’t move.

“Juliette,” Ibrahim says sharply. “You will answer to me now. And I am ordering you to follow me.”

J looks up at him. Her face is blank. Her eyes are blank. “Yes, sir,” she says.

And that’s when I know. That’s when I know exactly what’s going to happen next. I can feel it, can feel some strange electricity in the air before he makes his move. Before he blows our cover. Warner pulls back his invisibility. He stands there motionless for only a moment, for just long enough for Ibrahim to register his presence, to cry out, to reach for his gun. But he’s not fast enough. Warner is standing ten feet away when Ibrahim goes suddenly slack, when he chokes and the gun slips from his hand, when his eyes bulge. A thin red line appears in the middle of Ibrahim’s forehead, a terrifying trickle of blood that precipitates the sudden, soft sound of his skull breaking open. It’s the sound of tearing flesh, an innocuous sound that reminds me of ripping open an orange. And it doesn’t take long before Ibrahim’s knees hit the floor. He falls without grace, his body collapsing into itself.

I know he’s dead because I can see directly into his skull. Clumps of his fleshy brain matter leak out onto the floor. This, I think, is the kind of horrifying shit J is capable of. This is what she’s always been capable of. She’s just always been too good a person to use it. Warner, on the other hand— He doesn’t even seem bothered by the fact that he just ripped open a man’s skull. He seems totally calm about the brain matter dripping on the floor. No, he’s only got eyes for J, who’s staring back at him, confused. She glances from Ibrahim’s limp body to Anderson’s limp body and she throws her arms forward with a sudden, desperate cry— And nothing happens. Robo J has no idea that Warner can absorb her powers.

(……….. )

I hear someone groan. I peek through the legs of a table just in time to see Anderson begin to move. This time, I actually gasp. The whole world seems to pause. Anderson struggles up, to his feet. He doesn’t look okay. He looks sick, pale—an imitation of his former self. Something is wrong with his healing power, because he looks only half-alive, blood oozing from two places on his torso. He sways as he gets to his feet, coughing up blood. His skin goes gray. He uses his sleeve to wipe blood from his mouth. J goes rushing toward him, but Anderson lifts a hand in her direction, and she halts. His bleak face registers a moment of surprise as he gazes at Ibrahim’s dead body. He laughs. Coughs. Wipes away more blood. “Did you do this?” he says, his eyes locked on his own kid. “You did me a favor.”

“What have you done to her?” Warner demands.

Anderson smiles. “Why don’t I show you?” He glances at J. “Juliette?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Kill them.”

“Yes, sir.” J moves forward just as Anderson pulls something from his pocket, aiming its sharp, blue light in Warner’s direction. This time, when J throws her arm out, Warner goes flying, his body slamming hard against the stone wall. He falls to the floor with a gasp, the wind knocked from his lungs, and I take advantage of the moment to rush forward, pulling my invisibility around us both. He shoves me away.

“Come on, bro, we have to get out of here— This isn’t a fair fight—”

“You go,” he says, clutching his side. “Go find Nazeera, and then find the other kids. I’ll be fine.”

“You’re not going to be fine,” I hiss. “She’s going to kill you.”

“That’s fine, too.”

“Don’t be stupid—”The metal tables providing us our only bit of cover go flying, crashing hard against the opposite wall. I take one last glance at Warner and make a split-second decision.

I throw myself into the fight.

I know I only have a second before my brain matter joins Ibrahim’s on the floor, so I make it count. I pull my gun from its holster and shoot three, four times.

Five.

Six.

I bury lead in Anderson’s body until he’s knocked back by the force of it, sagging to the floor with a hacking, bloody cough. J rushes forward but I disappear, darting behind a table, and once the weapon in Anderson’s hand clatters to the floor, I shoot that, too. It pops and cracks, briefly catching fire as the tech explodes. J cries out, falling to her knees beside him.- “Kill them,” Anderson gasps, blood staining the edges of his lips. “Kill them all. Kill anyone who stands in your way.”

“Yes, sir,” Juliette says. Anderson coughs. Fresh blood seeps from his wounds. J gets to her feet and turns around, scanning the room for us, but I’m already rushing over to Warner, throwing my invisibility over us both. Warner seems a little stunned, but he’s miraculously uninjured. I try to help him to his feet, and for the first time, he doesn’t push away my arm. I hear him inhale. Exhale. Never mind, he’s a little injured. I wait for him to do something, say something, but he just stands there, staring at J. And then— He pulls back his invisibility. I nearly scream. J pivots when she spots him, and immediately runs forward. She picks up a table, throws it at us.

“What the hell were you thinking? You just blew our chance to get out of here!”

Warner shifts, glass crunching beneath him. He’s breathing hard. “I was serious about what I said, Kishimoto. You should go. Find Nazeera. But this is where I need to be.”

“You mean you need to be getting killed right now? That’s where you need to be? Do you even hear yourself ?”

“Something is wrong,” Warner says, dragging himself to his feet. “Her mind is trapped, trapped inside of something. A program. A virus. Whatever it is, she needs help.” J screams, sending another earthquake through the room. I slam into a table and stumble backward. A sharp pain shoots through my gut and I suck in my breath. Swear. Warner has one arm out against the wall, steadying himself. I can tell he’s about to step forward, directly into the fight, and I grab his arm, pull him back.

“I’m not saying we give up on her, okay? I’m saying that there has to be another way. We need to get out of here, regroup. Come up with a better plan.”

“No.”

“Bro, I don’t think you understand.” I glance at J, who’s stalking forward, eyes burning, the ground fissuring before her. “She’s really going to kill you.”

“Then I will die.”

That’s it.

Warner’s last words before he leaves.

(……) And I’m just standing here like an idiot, racking my brain for a clue, trying to figure out what to do, how to help—

“Holy shit,” Nazeera says. “What the hell is going on?” Relief floods through me fast and hot. I have to resist the impulse to pull her invisible body into my arms. To tuck her close to my chest and keep her from leaving again. Instead, I pretend to be cool.

“How’d you get here?” I ask. “How’d you find us?”

“I was hacking the systems, remember? I saw you on the cameras. You guys aren’t exactly being quiet up here.”

“Right. Good point.”

“Hey, I have news, by the way, I foun—” She cuts herself off abruptly, her words fading to nothing. And then, after a beat, she says quietly: “Who killed my dad?”

My stomach turns to stone.

I take a sharp breath before I say, “Warner did that.”

“Oh.”

“You okay?”

I hear her exhale. “I don’t know.” “

#Imagine Me #Kenji Kishimoto #aaron warner #aaron warner anderson #kenji and warner #warner and kenji #kenji x nazeera #nazeera ibrahim #juliette ferrars #shatter me #shatter me series

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wish4youff · 6 years

Text

Chapter 12: Progress

Kingston

I shouldn’t be here and honestly if Stephen ever found out, my credentials and rights would be stripped of me in the matter of seconds and the board wouldn’t give a second thought of following his plan of action. Half of my soul wouldn’t let me worry about the traces, but half of me knew better. Chrissie played nice, the attraction and love was still there, but it flakes because she knows how to master her emotions. Ironically.

Stepping inside, an automatic friendly smile met me. The blonde behind the brown desk nodded in a polite stance before grabbing the visitor sign in sheet.

“Your name, Sir?”

“Vitale. I’m here for Miss. Smith.”

A line of confusion touched her forehead before she started at the phone next to her computer. Quickly I showed her the fake confirmation notice from Chrissie. Of course, I wasn’t on no damn list. If I had went through the correct channels me and Chrissie wouldn’t be seeing eye to eye with one another today.

“It was done privately.” I said, taking away my phone. Dropping it in my pants pocket. I straighten my favorite black tie not once diverting my attention from her eyes. I screamed confidence and soon she stood, showing me the way to Chrissie’s office.

I understood the need to be careful of company in this facility. I’m sure there was a safe of cash or cash value somewhere in order for the company to stay afloat with helping the children they see here. Chrissie has always been the one to help one another, hence why we are even in this situation right now. Her heart was bigger than her body and as great as it may be, eventually Chrissie will break, and nothing will fix her beside God himself. I just hope it’s not because of me again.

“Ms. Smith, a Vitale is here to see you.”

I stood on the opposite side of the door my fingers rolling over the piece of plastic wrapper from my peppermint. I never heard anything in response but eventually my easier opponent stepped aside, allowing me to pass her in the process.

“Jay let me talk to my guest. Don’t leave this building.”

The young man before her, looked at me. His facial expression curious but never did he ask. Instead he rose, grabbing his bag before mumbling a low “Yes ma’am,” and allowing the door to close behind him.

Taking a seat, I dropped my keys on the desk in between us, my eyes strictly on her. I hadn’t spoken or seen her since the dinner we had. Quite frankly, it was becoming old. Ibrahim was on my ass every thirty minutes of reminders for this wedding and I knew it had to be the same for her with Vicky. The new three weeks we would be in each other presence and I wasn’t walking on egg shells. Dinner was great, but there was still something boiling.

Besides, Dr. Singh’s invitation was still on the table.

“I would ask how. But I’m afraid of the answer. So, I’ll just ask why?” She said, I was half surprised because I expected a fight, for her to say something along the lines, “Why the hell you in my office,” but I guess, this wasn’t the time.

“I want another shot.”

“At what, King? If we are being frank, you didn’t have a first.”

Shrugging, I thought about her response in depth. She was right. We never were supposed to be this in “situation” with one another. It was supposed to be simple. Something to carry over the time. Instead we inbreeded ourselves in one other and now we wondered why we can’t move on.

“First, I didn’t but more importantly I think I know how to help you. For once.”

“Does it involve you?”

Taken back by her question, I couldn’t do anything but stare at her. Wondering how I should answer her, but eventually I simply nodded my head

“I’m all ears I suppose.”

“For the past couple weeks, I’ve been seeing this counselor. I’ve told you this. What I haven’t mentioned is, I want you to see him too.”

“Well, excuse me.”

“Chrissie don’t do that.”

“No, Kingston. Don’t come tell me about some damn counselor. How about you leave me the hell alone again? I’ll be fine.”

“That’s the damn problem right now.” My voice on edge as I looked at her. She’s taking ten steps back because of one statement.

“Do you honestly think this is the best place? At my job?”

“Where else?”

Half of me knew it was a logical question. Chrissie knew me better, still I knew it was logical and was worth the fight of making my point.

“Tell me something, King. How did you find out where my job was?”

My silence defeated the both of us and soon her laughter filled my ears. Again, she knows this. It doesn’t take rocket science and even if, so she would fight until then end for an answer.

“So, it’s safe to say you know where I live. And even what kind of cars I own. You know my income and even whatever else I presume as private.”

“I just thought it’ll be better,”

“No, you didn’t.” She interrupted. Her hands clamped down on the desk before pushing away her body moving to stand in front of me. My eyes trailed the dress pants she wore, the hugging material giving me just enough to focus on and still lacking. Her button-down shirt was tucked in and when her frame stopped in front of me I noticed the matching scandal heels she wore.

“You want to help me. You want me to welcome you back in my life and honestly Kingston I’m tired of fighting you. I’m tired of saying no, because no, only fascinates your ass more,” I couldn’t help the grinning that flowed from me. The fighting enhanced it. Made it worth the chase. But like she said, it was too getting old.

“I’ll take the offer under one condition though.” Chrissie finally said.

“What?”

“You go with me to one of them.”

“On one condition.” I shot back. We would do this and do it my way or no way.

“I already agreed, King.”

“Agree to sex too.”

Huffing Chrissie walked to the other side of her desk but never sat. She wasn’t a bit confused, not even surprised. As if the thought as gone through her mind too.

A sexual relationship is the only concept we haven’t tackled and honestly, it’s what made us “single” all those years and not official. It’s the one thing that kept us going crazy yet so damn sane. Crossing that line was tricky especially back then. Now? Not so much. Sex will open the door. That way I don’t have to kick it down anymore. Chrissie is an emotional person and loves hard. Once we have taken it to the next level of this emotional roller coaster friendship, the opportunities for more will flow in. Naturally.

At least, that’s my plan and if it flops, I’m fucked.

“Kingston,”

“The fact you haven’t said no is going to dangerously defeat this argument you’re about to bring up.”

“Who said I’ll say no?”

Standing I unbutton the front of my jacket, shrugging a shoulder in partial response to her. “What’s the other option? Because you know what you want. It can’t be I don’t know.”

“Why now? I mean, I don’t know.”

“I’m here and I’ll be here until this wedding and case blow over. So, we’ll see each other and I’m sure of it,”

“Because you plan to stalk me?” Chrissie interrupted, her attention on me again.

“So, when we do. I don’t want to walk around on eggshells and I don’t need to. Nobody, nobody walking this planet knows as much as you do. Don’t play with it Chrissie, I’ll always watch you.”

“Because I know your secrets?”

“Because falling for you and trusting you with my secrets brought out a new emotion. One I can’t shake.”

Chrissie

Dr. Singh is one of the most peculiar men I’ve ever met, well maybe the second, yet still very curious to what was going on. What has “made me the way I am” as he says throughout the past two hours I’ve been here. Of course, with his title, his career, I expect him to be nothing less than wonder, this is what Kingston pays him for, but his curiosity has achieved another level since I first opened my mouth. Maybe it’s another way to let his patients know he actual care, either way, it put a piece of fear into me.

I didn’t know what to do when someone who I barely knew, shows so much interest into my pains.

“Do you ever visit your parents grave, Chrissie? I know that could help, you could at least get the chance to speak against your worries of life, even if it’s in the air. Letting it out, is the major help in that insist.”

Nodding, I knew this speech all too well. Olivia, even being a little girl when the tragic accident occurred, still tells me about visiting our parents grave from time to time. The first few times it happened I was away in college, and she was just entering high school, I didn’t know how to accept that. My aunts and Grandmother, from my mother’s side of the family, is the only reason my parents had a proper “going-away”; I couldn’t last for two hours into the process. Kingston even tells me about visiting his mother’s grave and while, I respect it, the thought of me going through with such an act is emotional.

“No, Dr. Singh, I actually keep away from Beth Olam, if I can. My parents didn’t have the most peaceful death if I may say so myself.”

“So, you don’t visit from memories?”

“Memories of me last seeing them, Dr. Singh. I was called out of school on the day, my aunt came to get me, and we went the hospital that they were transported to. My mother had suffered from some form of a burn on her face and there was a long cut from her neck,” Shaking my head, I sat back.

No.

“I don’t even like talking about them. How could I visit their graves?”

That and my childish fear of the dead. My parents knew, and my mother always joked that she knew I hated ghosts, so she’ll stay away from me when the time comes. Visiting their burials would be a different story in my mind nonetheless. I just know she wouldn’t be able to hold back and I’m not ready for neither.

“Talking about it is the only way it’ll help.”

“Does King talk about his mother?”

A surprised expression crossed Dr. Singh face before he mastered it. Typical act of a counselor.

“You know I can’t talk to you about Kingston.”

“That’s who set this up though, right?” I ejected, fighting this fight would get my mind back together.

“Kingston says he’s looking out for your best interest, and now that I know more about you, Chrissie, I understand why. We both want you to be happy and healthy. You’re leading yourself down a dark path. When was your last romantic relationship?”

Arching an eyebrow, I was back on my defenses. “You’re asking when the last time is I had sex?”

“Partially,”

“A year along, Doc. We were together for about seven months and I was honestly happy.”

I noted him writing that down and almost regretted saying anything when he opened his mouth again. “What happened, Chrissie?”

Here’s where I want to crawl under a rock and forget about even knowing Dr. Singh and go back a year ago when Kingston was nothing more than a distant memory, instead, I’m stuck and the man in front of me is casting me a look of impatience as I sit silently. The story behind this is long, yet so brief that there’s no need to even say it to someone who knows me well enough.

“I called out someone’s else name and he didn’t believe me when I told him it wasn’t nothing more than a thought.”

Dr. Singh didn’t need me to elaborate, he knew when it happened. And knew exactly who name I called out. We didn’t need to go into deep discussions about this. But I knew his questioning for today wasn’t up just yet.

“Tell me what caused this......quarrel between you and Kingston.”

Huffing, I didn’t know how to start, because I honestly didn’t know. It’s not a “quarrel” however, maybe an unpleasant predicament, but no quarrel because there was never a fight on my end and maybe that’s what Dr. Singh needs to know.

“You’ll have to talk to Kingston, Dr. Singh. I was on the blindside of things, I don’t know what occurred for this distance to take place,” I watched him sit up and he was ready to ask again how, but I stopped him this time. “One day my sister asked me the same question. What happened Chrissie? And Dr. Singh, I can’t pinpoint any reason, besides one. I know Kingston well, we spend two whole years together and two semesters together during my freshmen year. After freshmen year he and I both decided we’ll work something out and we quietly became each other’s support system. If I went home, I brought him. And even vice versa on the holidays his father would be on vacation. I learned that man in rapid timing, so fast, it’s scary almost. For that, I’m no good for him and Kingston knows this. We’re trouble for each other because once Kingston knows you’re on to him, he’ll never let you figure out his next move. You’re a threat to him and his need for control. Answer this, why did he stop seeking your help?”

Of course, no response. Good.

“Because the more you talk to a therapist, the more they know. You can’t know too much about Kingston Vitale and expect him to let it live. I survived it, but it’s damn sure hard. Because I want to help him, I do, but I can’t,”

“You have to help yourself first, Chrissie.”

“With what, my parents’ car accident that killed them?” I couldn’t shake the anger in my voice if I tried. “Not to sound, bitchy, but that shit happens every day. If everyone whose parents have died in car accidents sat around and became depressed and suicidal, who know how many people would’ve been dead by now? Kingston watched his mother take her own life.”

I watched his swallow hard, his hands tighten on the pen and pad in his possession. Yeah, I was going there.

“His mother didn’t just.... die. She killed herself, there’s a reason for it. His father couldn’t give two fucks for his wife if you paid him to. He saw something horrific and you’re both worried about me? Knowing Kingston, how I know him, he hasn’t dealt with that death yet. Maybe swept it under the rug. Forgot about it for the day, but it still hurts. Still has late night nightmares and is still terrified to walk into his father’s home, because that the same home his mother killed herself in. I’m moving on with my life find. I’m not your issue here, but if you let him figure out, you know that. Which you have, you’ll never see him again until God himself puts y’all back together.”

He found enough courage to speak after a few silent seconds, the words still low. Fuck, I had shaken the doctor up too. “You think that’s how you two found each other again?”

“Doc, don’t play yourself. God had nothing to do with this. Kingston is bad for me and we both know that, yet I like the game and wish for it sometimes. King just wants me to know he still remembers and we’ll see how it plays out this time for me.”

#J. Cole FF #whew #ohhh I'm scared of this #i don't even know if people are still reading #Lauren London FF

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betweenthepage · 7 years

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Unbecoming Recap

It’s officially September which means, we’ve finished The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and are starting The Evolution of Mara Dyer! Yay!!

Under the cut, I’ll be giving a brief recap of the happenings of Unbecoming (mainly for those who can’t/don’t have time to re read before The Becoming of Noah Shaw comes out. I got you)

IF YOU’D LIKE TO JOIN @iliveinbooks AND I IN RE-READING, YOU CAN CLICK HEEREEEE.

Some spoilers below. And maybe some things to discuss?

We start Unbecoming with one of my favorite openings of any book; a letter written by “Mara Dyer” on a disclosed date in New York. Later on it’s important

Mara was in an accident where a building collapsed and her friends, Claire, Rachel, and Jude (at the time boyfriend) died

Mara has PTSD, among other things, due to the accident

Mara’s mom, Indi, keeps a close eye on her

Mara and her older brother Daniel start school at Croyden high

Anna and Aiden are bullies and assholes and they will eventually be important in a small way

Mara meets Noah briefly

Mara eventually makes a friend in Jamie Roth

Mara has hallucinations and sees Jude around campus and Claire in the mirror

It comes to Mara’s attention that her father--a lawyer-- took on a high profile case and that’s one of the main reasons her family moved to Florida.

After coming home from a party, Mara burns herself with the bath water after “seeing” that her mother’s earrings had fallen in, resulting in second-degree burns.

Mara encounters an abused dog and when confronted by the owner, imagines a crude death for him. She calls animal control, and later when she goes to check on the dog, finds the owner dead in the exact way she imaged (WHICH HE DESERVED, FUCKING ASSHOLE STARVING POOR MABLE)

Noah helps Mara get the dog--Mable--some help with his step-mom, who is a vet.

Anna steals Mara’s sketch pad and shows it to everyone, where it’s found that she draws Noah. Instead being the dick in the movies who laughs, Noah turns around and says that he knows about it.

Noah asks Mara on a date. She agrees

Noah meets Mara’s family, and Joseph--Mara’s younger brother-- asks for Noah’s number.

On their first date, Mara and Noah talk in the car and he holds her hand (WHICH IS A THING LATER, I’M NOT WEIRD)

Mara passes out after a hallucination and mildly confesses to Noah about why her family moved

Mara has an oral exam in Spanish where things get out of hand and Mara is kicked out

Ms. Morales--the Spanish teacher--fails Mara, and she tries to remedy her grade. Later in the story, Mara imagines her dead and finds her dead in the same way she imagined it. It’s said that Morales had an allergic reaction to fire ants, which caused her death.

Jamie confesses to Mara that Noah used Jamie’s sister, Stephanie, to get back at Jamie for being in a relationship with Katie (Noah’s sister) PAY ATTENTION TO THIS.

Jamie gets expelled from school after Aiden said he threatened him and he and Anna planted a knife to frame him. Thus, leaving Mara virtually friendless.

Later, Daniel takes Mara for a check-up on her burn, where the doctor finds that it is 100% healed. She writes it off as a mistake on the part of the DR’s in ER.

One night, Noah comes to Mara, saying that Joseph has been kidnapped. They find him in a swamp, where he is unconscious but unhurt. While getting Joseph back to the car, Mara imagines the alligators in the swamp dead, in order to save her brother, Noah, and her self.

Noah takes Mara to a spiritual meeting on her birthday, after she insists, and they find Mr. Lukumi, a Santeria specialist, who helps her remember what happened to her, using a weird mix of things that may or may not contain fresh chicken blood.

Mara wakes up in Noah’s room where eventually they kiss and Noah stops breathing. Noah “wakes up” and tells Mara that it was a dream and never actually happened.

Mara eventually remembers what happened in the accident, where she realizes that Jude almost raped her. She realizes that, in her terror, SHE made the building collapse, and killed her friends and Jude. She also concludes that she indeed killed Mabel’s owner and Morales, as well as the animals in the everglade. This eventually leads Mara to a depressive state.

Noah eventually breaks Mara out of her depressive episode and she confesses to him about what is going on and how she believes she is the cause of it. Noah also confesses that he may have something similar going on, stating that he sometimes has visions of people--including Mara and Joseph. He continues on, saying that he can “hear” many things in people, including when they lie, when their hearts start racing, and when they’re hurt. He also confesses to being able to heal himself and others, revealing that he healed Mara’s burn, among other things.

After not being able to find Lukumi again, Noah takes Mara to a zoo where he has access to animals and insects to test their powers. Mara ends up killing all the animals from the terror of them. She also finds that fish and alligators in the swamp where they found Joseph, have died too.

Thinking that her father’s client was the one who kidnapped Joseph, Noah and Mara race to the courthouse where Mara decides to kill Lassiter if he is found not guilty for the murder of Jordana Palmer. Noah tries to convince Mara that it’s not worth it, and while she continues on with her plan, she finds that Lassiter AND her father were shot by Jordana’s mother. (This event, I believe is important later on)

In a flurry of guilt, Mara decides to “turn herself in” to the police. While at the station, she sees Jude, alive, and with hands.

So I think that’s pretty much the main parts of the story.

To talk about the second to last point, in the book Mara recounts all the deaths she’s caused and how she decides 100% that she wants Lassiter to die for taking Joseph. I think this is the real moment where she starts to become the anti-hero that most of us know from the later book (and for those people just starting the serious, you’ll see what I mean later). This is the first moment where she consciously decides to kill someone, not out of self-defense, or even on accident, but on pure, unadulterated hatred. It’s honestly such a great turning point for her character. And the one person who really knows about this, does not see it happening.

SO I’M JUST GONNA PUT SOME OF MY FAVORITE QUOTES ON HERE. SOME. CAUSE THERE’S A LOT AND I’M TIRED.

We were so different. I had none of her exquisite Indian features; not her perfect oval face or her lacquer-black hair. Instead, my father’s patrician nose and jaw were reflected in my own.

I threatened him with Ebola

One little joke involving hemorrhagic fever and they brand you ‘unstable.’

I’d figure out how to break the news to my parents that--surprise!--we have a dog. They had to take pity on their screwed-up daughter and her pathetic companion. I was not above milking my tragedy for a high purpose. (I will forever be sad that Mara in fact did not get a companion)

That’s my girl.

“You like me,” he finally said. “You like me, like me.” He was trying not to smile. “No. I hate you.”

You crotch-pheasant (honestly, the amount of colorful names is my favorite. LET’S NOT FORGET EVERYONE’S FAVORITE, ASSCROWN)

“Death cab?” I asked. “Really?”

His touch felt like home

The Ebola kid?

“Ibrahim Hassin?” Noah nodded. I died.

“Joseph actually,” Noah said, texting something back. “And to offer a stock tip.” I have the strangest family.

But none of this matters, because you’re not going to listen to your token black Jewish bi friend, are you? (LOOK AT THIS. READ THIS LINE OVER. I LOVE THE DIVERSITY IN JUST THIS LINE)

Noah fights dirty.

Don’t let the man keep you down.

I should haul back and smack him, strike a blow for feminism or something....

You ought to go to NYU. More diversity. It’s not healthy to have too many geniuses packed into one campus. (COUGH COUGH)

Yeah. Nothing like hearing the girl you just started dating is on anti psychotics

Hookers and blow aren’t cheap, but I suppose animal sacrifice will have to do. Happy birthday.

“What,” I asked slowly, as I eyed the animal crackers strewn all over it, “the hell?” “You were convinced they were your pets,” Noah said, not even trying to suppress his laughter. “You wouldn’t let me touch them.”

The husk of a girl not-named Mara stared back at me. I wondered how I would kill her. (COUGH)

The necklace he always wore had slipped out during the night. I looked closely at it for the first time; the pendant was just a slim line of silver--half hammered into the shape of a feather, the other half a dagger.

I would have been afraid if I didn’t know better. the scariest thing in the room was me.

I was made for you, Mara.

And that’s it for this round. So far on Mara’s hitlist, we have five people dead (six if you count Lassiter who is basically a vegetable and will not wake up), and numerous animals and insects. I count Lassiter, SO SIX PEOPLE DEAD, LOOK AT MY GIRL GO. WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO MARA? IS JUDE REALLY THERE OR IS THIS JUST ANOTHER HALLUCINATION? FIND OUT NEXT TIME AS WE READ THE EVOLUTION OF MARA DYER.

#The unbecoming of Mara dyer #mara dyer #michelle hodkin #noah shaw #madness reread #rose speaks #recap #reference

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islamic-connection · 5 years

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Reconnecting with Islam - Mental illness

Recently someone sent me an article which outlined things that you should not say to a muslim person suffering from a mental illness. They include things like “You don’t read enough salah” or “You’re a lazy muslim” or “It’s just Shaytaan” or “Here’s a good thikr to read, because Verily in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.” The person who wrote that article was way too kind to the people offering these responses. To me they all seem like cop-outs from people who don’t want to be actively involved in the healing of their loved ones. Some people offer these golden nuggets of advice without their advice being solicited in the first place.

There is no basis in Islam or the sunnah for these falsehoods. Understand that there is a fundamental difference between having an off day and suffering from mental illness. Maybe the mind of a sane person can understand the soothing properties of reciting the quran or listening to beautiful Qira’at. However, mental illness is another species of monster altogether.

If the soul is the source of one’s Imaan, then the brain is the spirit’s way of physically expressing that Imaan, through speech and actions. If the brain can interpret and understand the soul’s expression of faith, then it will cause every cell in a person’s body to vibrate with the frequency of the Shahaadah. Every beat of the heart will reverberate with the sound of the word “Allah”, the eyes will see past the observable qualities of things and see the Divinity in them, the ears will hear the Athaan and feel excitement to head to salah. But, my dear people, this is normalcy. The mind of a person with mental illness is a dark cave, a thousand km from the light, where demons dwell in the shadows. It is a place where the spirit is shackled and bound, and unable to express itself. A human being with a shackled spirit is an empty shell, or a glass with a crack in it, out of which seeps all the benefit of the things it does or says. Existence is replaced with survival for such people. In the Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, people with mental illness are still trying to fulfill their rudimentary needs, while the rest of humanity is aspiring to greater things like self-actualization or a greater connection with God. A clear mind will find it easy to worship Allah, but the mind of a mentally ill person is an endless maze of tangled and confused neuron pathways, in which any form of Ibaadah can easily get lost before it reaches the lips or the limbs. My desire to wake up for Tahajjud comes second to the synthesized coma that has been induced by my sleeping pills. My desire to turn the other cheek is drowned out by the memories of my traumas.

Do not tell me that I do not pray enough, because I invoke Yaa Muhaymin (Oh Protector) at least 100 times a day, because everything and everyone frightens me. Do not tell me that my mental illness is Shaytaan taking control of my mind, because the demons in my head would send Shaytaan running for the hills. Do not tell me that I am too lazy to be a good muslim, because my soul is full to the brim with my love for Allah, but my body has no desire for it.

Do not only pray for Allah to grant Shifaa to the mentally ill but be the conduit for His healing. If you love someone enough, then be active in their recovery. If you don’t love the person enough, then be silent on their suffering. When the Prophet (Peace be upon him) lost his infant son Ibrahim, he was overwhelmed with grief. When one of the Ansar pointed out to the Nabi (Peace be upon him) that he was overcome by grief when he was the one who told the believers to restrain their grief, he (Peace be upon him) said: "Dear Ibrahim! We can't do anything for you. Divine Will can't be changed. Your father's eyes shed tears, and his heart is sad and grieved for your death. However, I will not say anything which may invite the wrath of Allah. If there had not been the true and certain promise of Allah that we too shall come after you, I would have wept more and become more grieved at the separation from you". The Nabi (Peace be upon him) went through a year of grief upon losing his beloved wife and uncle in succession. This proves that even the best of creation is not safe from mental illness. This shows that even the Beloved of Allah had to go through a long process to find healing. Yes, his healing was probably strengthened by a direct relationship with Allah. When he felt abandoned by Allah, Allah sent him direct revelation saying that his Lord had not abandoned nor forsaken him. The average person does not have that reassurance.

If you are suffering from a mental illness and feel as though your religiosity is at an all-time low, please be kind to yourself. Huddle around that tiny flame of Imaan that remains kindled in the dark parts of your brain. Keep it alive with whatever you can find around you. Burn the demons if you must, because if the flame dies then I’m afraid that Imaan might be irretrievably lost, in questions of “Why me?” and “Where were You when I needed You?” I was admitted to a psychiatric clinic during Ramadhaan and advised by my psychiatrist not to fast because hypoglycemia related to fasting can have a negative effect on the medications’ ability to work. I spoke to my religious guide, who is a doctor and he confirmed this. He told me that a muslim needs to be healthy in body and mind. Remember that the brain is an organ like any other; it overheats, it breaks, it gets diseased, it gets imbalanced all by no fault of your own. If your kidneys broke down, nobody would tell you that you just need to take walks in the forest instead of medication. If your kidneys were broken, nobody would tell you it’s because you’re a lazy muslim or that Shaytaan was possessing your kidney. The Nabi (Peace be upon him) said "There is no disease that Allah has created, except that He also has created its treatment." (Al-Bukhari). The cure lies in anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medication. The cure lies in therapy. Allah has made these cures for you. Go out and seek them. As I once mentioned, don’t make duaa for doctors to cure you, but rather make du’aa for Allah’s shifaa to come through your doctor/therapist.

All the notions that anti-depressants numb your senses and ability to worship Allah are false. All the notions that anti-depressants affect your fertility are not scientifically proven. If anybody tries to use Islam to prevent you from taking them then they are in the wrong. The Nabi (Peace be upon him) did not qualify the hadeeth above by saying that it doesn’t apply to mental illness. There is no evidence in the Quraan and hadith that negate the existence of mental illness as actual physical ailments. Trust your instincts, trust the process. I have been on anti-depressants for years now, and they are the only reason that I am able to wake up in the morning. They have helped me get in touch with my creative side again. They have helped to untangle the chaotic neuron pathways in my mind, which has unclogged the congestion, and have allowed my spirit to break free of its shackles. My imaan is flourishing now more than any other time in my life. The demons are still there in dark corners of my mind, but my flame is burning brighter, and they are too afraid to come near it. Thikr, reading the quraan and praying are very soothing to the soul, and can bring contentment when done in the right way, but when none of it seems to work, then your tired and fraught mind needs help. Once you’ve started on your road to recovery, your reconnection to Islam will be a gradual one. Start by reading however many salahs you have energy for. Build yourself up to a level where 5 prayers a day becomes sustainable. Fajr can be difficult when you’re on sleeping pills, but Allah understands your struggles. Allah knows the difference between Shaytaan’s whisperings and mental illness. Most importantly Allah knows your intentions and hopes. He knows that you intend to reach a point of spiritual strength again, and are trying with all your might to get back to those heights. He loves you and is with you during this journey. He never left you, because you kept the flame alive. Tell yourself that He loves you.

To those who have loved ones that are suffering from any mental illness, know that Allah created the family unit, or community at a broader level, so that we may take care of one another. He didn’t create us in isolation. You have to ask yourself how crucial that loved one is to your existence or happiness. Try to picture your life without that person, because suicide is not the only thing that kills the mentally ill. Sometimes their disease can be the death of the person they used to be. Think of the lengths you would go to for that person if they had an ailment of any other body part. Why should this be any different? The research is out there, the professionals are out there. Mental illness is a thing. It’s real. There is no more room left for “denialism”. Do not force down anyone’s throat, the idea that in your day you just sucked it up and carried on. I sympathise with you for your troubles and traumas, and may Allah reward you for your perseverance, but this is not useful advice. Do you want to know how you can help? Listen, get to the root of the problem, ask what tangible help you can give (picking up groceries, cooking a meal for the person who is ill, be physically present). Telling a mentally ill person to turn to Allah with their problems, while true, is basically a nice way of washing your hands of your responsibility as a parent, child, sibling, family-member, friend. That person will automatically never turn to you for help again. Most importantly, remember that you do not have the right to an opinion on somebody’s struggles. You do not have the right to withhold medical treatment from them, if that is what they seek. Turn to Allah and the sunnah for guidance on how to help, but then show up! Nobody is forcing you to show up, but just know that if you don’t, then you’ll lose not only the person that they were, but also the person that they will become.

As a post script, reflect on this hadeeth below:

Narrated Abu Huraira narrayed that Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said, “The example of a believer is that of a fresh tender plant; from whatever direction the wind comes, it bends it, but when the wind becomes quiet, it becomes straight again. Similarly, a believer is afflicted with calamities (but he remains patient till Allah removes his difficulties.) And an impious wicked person is like a pine tree which keeps hard and straight till Allah cuts (breaks) it down when He wishes.” (Sahih al- Bukhari 5644).

You do not have to remain upright. You will bend and break, your petals will disperse, but as long as your roots are strong you will rise again and regrow.

I wish for you strength, mental fortitude and the ability to feel Allah’s Love in your life.

Please forgive me for any offence this post might have caused. Any good that comes from it is from Allah, and any badness in it is from myself.

#mental illness #islam #Muslim #Imaan

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fatchiness · 7 years

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The flood took them by surprise.

Lacking foresight, they used to mock him as he worked on his unfinished ship. But because he knew what was coming, he'd simply look up & reply: {"If you mock me, I likewise mock you."} (11:38)

In the end, {"only a few believed with him."} (11:40) Even his wife turned on him, destined to drown with everyone else. Humanity survives today descended entirely from him.

Prophet Nuh was a one-man ummah.

But there were others, as {"indeed, Ibrahim was an ummah..."} (16:120) Ibrahim symbolized the dawn of a new era in the history of Tawhid. He propagated it with an aggression unmatched by any before him: {"And that was My hujjah which I gave Ibrahim. I elevate the ranks of whom I wish..."} (6:83) A hujjah is "that by which one rebuts an adversary in a litigation, dispute, or altercation; an argument; a proof; an evidence." Each time he confronted someone with a hujjah, they hated him for it. In fact, besides his wife & nephew, Ibrahim for years remained the sole Muslim on the planet. He further shocked & offended Babylonian society by physically smashing their idols to bits - knowing full well that they'd try to kill him for it.

What Ibrahim did was bigger than himself. Tawhid survives today descended entirely from him.

Thousands of years later, with again nearly no Muslims left on the planet, a man leaned against the Ka'bah Ibrahim had built and evoked the memory of Ibrahim's stand while making his own: "O Quraysh! I swear by Allah that none of you follows the din of Ibrahim except me." Zayd bin 'Amr bin Nufayl continued: "O Allah, if I knew how You want to be worshipped, I'd worship You that way. But I don't," and he then prostrated on his hands. They expelled him from Makkah. He decided to travel to Mawsil, where he'd dreamed of meeting others who rejected the tawaghit of the times and chose to follow Ibrahim. Instead, he was advised to return to Makkah to await the appearance of the final Prophet (sall Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam). Zayd complied, only to be subsequently attacked & killed upon his return. Just as Ibrahim was an ummah, the Prophet likewise said that Zayd "will be resurrected as an ummah unto himself."

Ibn Rajab wrote that "if one worships & obeys Allah and pursues His pleasure in life through an act whose effects are naturally detested, he should know that such effects aren't detested by Allah. Rather, He loves them because they result from His obedience & the pursuit of His pleasure. He informed us of this to soothe our hearts so that we don't detest what we experience in this life."

He also informed us of exactly what it is He wants: {"Allah wants to affirm the truth through His words..."} (8:7)

And He informed us that He does this perpetually: {"He affirms the truth through His words..."} (10:82) As al-Qurtubi explained, this means that "He makes it clear."

And He informed us that this clarity sometimes emerges through brief confrontations in which nearly every Muslim protagonist is wiped out by the antagonist. {"The truth became manifest"} (7:118) in the split second it took Musa to overcome the magicians, leading them to convert before Fir'awn captured them all, amputated their hands & legs, and crucified them on tree trunks (20:71). On another tree trunk, in another time & place, the truth become manifest in the split second it took an arrow to pierce a young boy's skull, leading every onlooker to convert before their king had them shoved into flaming pits to be burned alive. That we're even aware of these true stories & others proves that not even death can contain the power of a hujjah, as Yusuf al-'Uyayri wrote that "victory can take the form of a hujjah & clear proof... A victorious concept doesn't stop with the person upholding it. Rather, it transcends to others, even if he himself dies. What matters is that the hujjah is conveyed & convinces others, even if its original upholder is physically helpless."

The Prophet himself learned while helpless in Makkah that whether he lived to personally witness victory was irrelevant because his job was to convey the hujjah: {"Whether I show you some of what I promised them or cause you to die, your duty is only to convey..."} (13:40) He lived long enough to establish a state, but he died when it was still confined to limited territory. He set the mawaqit for pilgrims, but they were future pilgrims who weren't yet Muslims. Why? Ibn 'Abd al-Barr wrote that "it was Allah's Messenger who set the miqat for the people of 'Iraq as Dhat 'Irq & 'Aqiq, just as he set Juhfah for the people of Sham. At the time, both Sham & 'Iraq were lands of kufr. But he set the mawaqit for their peoples because he knew that Allah would eventually open Sham, 'Iraq, and other territories to his ummah. Neither Sham nor 'Iraq were conquered in their entirety until the rule of 'Umar."

In another book, Ibn 'Abd al-Barr related that Allah's Messenger once asked Suraqah bin Malik: "How would you feel wearing the bracelets of Kisra?" Years later, after both the Prophet & Abu Bakr had died and 'Iraq was conquered, Kisra's bracelets & treasures were brought to 'Umar. He called Suraqah over and placed the treasures on his head. Suraqah had long hair at the time. He then told him: "Raise your hands," and placed bracelets on each one. 'Umar then said: "Allahu Akbar. Praise be to Allah Who snatched these from Kisra bin Hurmuz, who used to tell people "I am your lord," and instead granted them to a bedouin named Suraqah bin Malik..."

So not even Abu Bakr lived to see this dream fulfilled. But he was the one who made the dream possible, as 'Abdullah 'Azzam said that "the Ummah can sometimes consist of a single person who makes a stand by which Allah saves this din - just as Abu Bakr made a stand in the days of Riddah, and Ahmad bin Hambal made a stand the day the Earth shook from the innovated belief that the Qur'an is created, thereby saving the entire Ummah."

He then said that "history informs us that twenty Muslims from Spain - the Muslims of Andalusia - departed Barcelona for a small piece of territory on the peak of a mountain called Frakshia, close to the French coast. Twenty individuals! They established a fortress atop this mountain, grew in number to a hundred, and gained control over the major ports between France & northern Italy, especially the well-known port of Bernar. They penetrated deep into the lands of the Bayamun, and all the Franks who crossed these ports paid them jizyah. They penetrated into Switzerland until they arrived at the province of Konstanz (which today lies near the Swiss-German border), and ruled over this territory for ninety years - ninety years!"

Finally, "all of this began with just twenty Muslims, ruling central Europe and controlling its major trading ports for nearly a century. Eventually, all of Europe coalesced against this emirate until it fell after ninety years, as I said. On the day they suffered their final defeat, they numbered no more than 1,500 men!"

It was this same number of men estimated to have made a stand in Mawsil - men who found what Zayd had sought when he set foot in the city over fourteen centuries earlier. Yusuf al-'Uyayri wrote that "though victory can materialize in the form of physical authority & a state, the least that can be said about the Ta'ifah al-Mansurah is that its victory is one of hujjah & clear proof. So it's always victorious in one way or another despite the Ummah abandoning it and its enemies coalescing against it."

Indeed, Allah described the ta'ifah of Bani Isra'il which believed in 'Isa bin Maryam as being {"victorious"} (61:14) even though, as Qatadah explained, this victory took the form of "hujjah & clear proof." But even this victory can be attained only after you meet a demanding set of conditions, as {"I made some of them leaders guiding by My command when they had patience and were certain in My ayat."} (32:24) This is because, as Ibn al-Qayyim wrote, "yaqin totally illuminates the heart and cleanses it of all doubt, resentment, sadness, and worry."

How do you attain yaqin? You attain it when you form an emotional attachment to the Shar'i texts, as as-Sa'di wrote that "they attained the rank of yaqin because they gained proper knowledge rooted in decisive proof. They persistently studied various matters & their many supporting proofs until they finally reached this rank."

Seven centuries after 'Isa's ascent, an elderly Abu Hurayrah was sitting in a masjid in Kufah when a man approached him and asked: "You're the one who says that he'll pray with 'Isa bin Maryam?"

He replied: "O people of 'Iraq, I knew that you wouldn't believe me. But this won't stop me from conveying what I heard from Allah's Messenger. Allah's Messenger, the truthful & believed one, told me that "the Dajjal will emerge from the East at a time when people are divided. He'll reach everywhere on Earth in forty days. During this time, the believers will suffer immensely. Then 'Isa bin Maryam will descend & lead them in salah. When he raises his head from ruku', Allah will destroy the Dajjal & those with him."

As for my saying that it's the truth, then Allah's Messenger said: "And it's the truth."

As for my saying that I wish to be there, then perhaps I'll be there despite my white hair, delicate skin, and old age. Perhaps Allah will have mercy on me and I'll be there to pray with him. Go tell your family what Abu Hurayrah told you."

Reflect over Abu Hurayrah's incessant yaqin even in old age. And reflect over the fact that the best men had their yaqin exposed through mere tests of compliance, after which nothing materialized for them - just as those who helped prepare for Tabuk were promised Jannah despite having arrived to find no Romans there, and those who partook in Bay'at ar-Ridwan were "the best people on Earth" and "will never enter the Fire" despite the rumors of 'Uthman's death turning out to have been false, and Lut ended up with not a single convert, and Ibrahim's {"great test"} (37:106) ended at the last second without him slaughtering his son, and Nuh spent nearly a millennium confronting the world with his hujjah with the result that {"only a few believed with him."} (11:40)

So life is but a brief window of time testing your yaqin, as Allah only {"created death and life to show which of you acts best..."} (67:2) Even if you don't live long enough to witness its results in this life, and even if those lacking foresight mock you for working on an unfinished ship, they will materialize. One way they'll materialize is you, as the Prophet said that Allah will ask Nuh on the Day of Resurrection: "Did you convey My message?"

He'll reply: "Yes, my Lord."

Allah will then ask Nuh's people: "Did he convey My message?"

They'll lie: "No! No Prophet ever came to us."

Allah will then ask Nuh: "Who will vouch for you?"

Nuh will reply: "Muhammad & his ummah."

The Prophet continued: "So we'll then testify that Nuh conveyed the message..."

Written by: Tariq Mehanna Monday, the 27th of Dhu al-Hijjah 1438 (18th of September 2017)

#hujjah #tawheed #yaqeen #victory #ummah #truth #tarekMehana

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Check out New Post published on Ọmọ Oòduà

New Post has been published on http://ooduarere.com/news-from-nigeria/local-news/sars-officer-accused-of-raping-suspects-wife/

Scandal: SARS Officer Accused Of Raping Suspect’s Wife In Abeokuta.

SourceTHE NATION Wife of a suspect being investigated by SARS operatives alleged that one of of the officers took advantage of the investigation to rape her twice in her home at gunpoint.

Alleged sex scandal rocks Police unit in Ogun State. A special police outfit, the Zonal Intervention Squad (ZIS), an arm of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) based in Abeokuta, Ogun State, is enmeshed in controversy of Sexual Assault.

According to THE NATION, a sergeant attached to the squad of special police outfit is fingered in the rape of the wife of a suspect the squad was investigating for alleged inter-state robbery and fraudulent practices.

The Police Sergeant (names withheld), a special detective in charge of tracking criminals and their accomplices, is accused by the suspect’s wife, Oluwakemi (surname withheld), of raping her twice at gunpoint in her home in Abeokuta.

The woman, who said she was compelled to flee the country shortly after the police sergeant allegedly raped her the second time, said she decided to open up, following alleged threats by the errant policeman to deal with her if she spills the bean on their encounters.

The 39-year-old woman said she was yet to overcome the trauma she went through at the hands of the Police Sergeant.

Reliving her ordeal in a conversation with our correspondent, Oluwakemi, the victim of the alleged rape, opted to speak in Yoruba “so that my explanation will be clear to you.”

She said: “In 2015, I started working (as sales supervisor) at a lounge inside the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta. By

early 2016, I started receiving calls from a stranger, and I told my husband about it.

“I told my husband that the caller identified himself to me and said that he wanted to find out some things about him (husband). My husband does not live with me because he has other wives, but he visits regularly. My husband said I should ask him to come to my place of work if he needed any information. The policeman called me again and I told him to come over to where I was working if he had anything to ask me about my husband.

“When he showed up, he identified himself as an operative of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) attached to ZIS. He started saying that he would have disgraced and brutalised me if I was not a woman. He said he had been trailing one Ibrahim and found my GSM number on his mobile telephone.

“I responded by telling him that the person he had just mentioned is my husband. Then he said my husband was a robber and he was trying to track him. I told him that my husband is not a robber but a printer and businessman whose printing press is located in Ago Iwoye area of Ogun State, where he also has another wife that operates a big shop. He said he would need my cooperation to get to my husband, but I told him that my husband was not a criminal and that he should not be disturbing me.

”The people around us did not know what was going on because the conversation was just between us. He tried to intimidate me by saying that I was once arrested when my husband was being trailed by the police. But I told him that the case he was talking about was about a disagreement my husband had with his business partners over money and that I was eventually released. After that, he left.”

Oluwakemi said he thought the matter had ended only to realise later that she was gravely mistaken, as the Police Sergeant, according to her, showed up again a few weeks later. This time, however, he was not there to ask Oluwakemi about her husband’s whereabouts. He and some friends he came with, she alleged, simply enjoyed themselves at the lounge and asked her to pick the bill.

She said: “He returned a few weeks later with some of his friends and bought a lot of drinks and refreshments without paying a dime. He simply dropped the bill on me. I could not refuse it because he is a policeman.

“A few months later, I left the employ of the lounge to concentrate on my small business at Ijemo in Abeokuta. I guess he went to my former place of work but he was told that I had resigned. He called me on my mobile phone and accused me of running away, saying that he had information on my shop and residence.

“I was shocked the day he showed up at my shop. He took some drinks and other provisions without paying a dime. He also visited my shop at other times, taking items away without paying a dime. I could not prevent him from taking the items away because I was hapless and there was no one I could call to fight for me since he is a policeman.’’

Fresh ordeal

Oluwakemi alleged that her ordeal at the hand of the Police Sergeant assumed a different dimension when he allegedly visited her residence when her children had gone to school and other neighbours had gone out, and raped her at gunpoint.

She said: ”I was at home in my residence at Oke Ejigbo area of Abeokuta in October 2017 when I was told that someone was looking for me. My children had just left for school and I was not expecting any visitor. I was shocked when I opened the door to our apartment only to find the policeman standing at my door.

“I asked him why he had to trail me to my residence when I was not a criminal. I also reminded him that I had told him where my husband lived. He asked me to cooperate with him to arrest my husband, promising to share the money he would extort from him with me.

”I told him that if my husband was that rich, there would have been no need for me to work as hard as I was doing or obtain a loan from a micro-credit organisation called LAPO for my business. He then explained that his team had located my husband’s printing press and residence in Ago Iwoye but had not been able to apprehend him. He said the only thing that could make him leave me and my husband alone was for him to sleep with me, but I declined.

“I could not accede to his demand for sex because I am a decent and hardworking housewife. I told him that since he had found my husband’s business address and residence, he did not need to come to me again, not to talk of demanding an affair with me. But he pulled up his shirt to show me his pistol and forcibly slept with me.

“I told my husband about what the policeman had done to me and he was very angry. In early February 2018, he again visited my residence. He came in an ash coloured Camry car at about 11 am and raped me at gunpoint. I could not raise the alarm because he was usually armed with a pistol.”

Realising that she was allegedly being turned into a sex machine by the policeman, Oluwakemi said she was left with no choice but to move out of the house a few days after she was allegedly raped the second time.

”He raped me because he was armed and the house I lived in then was usually deserted in the morning. The only person around was our landlady, who is physically challenged. It was for this reason that I moved out of the building a few days later before I left for Saudi Arabia in June, 2018, courtesy of my husband.

”I came to Saudi Arabia on June 8, 2018 and he arrested my husband a few days later and started threatening me with messages on IMO (a phone application), warning that I risked arrest if I ventured to return to the country. I had to ask my boss in Saudi Arabia to get me a new mobile phone in order to prevent him from sending me further threats.

”My husband was hard up at the time he was being hunted by the police simply because he stood surety for someone that later jumped bail. He actually stood surety for one of his friends, who was remanded in prison pending the perfection of his bail. It was from there that the police started their problem with him, saying that he is a robber.

“My husband is not a robber. He has receipts for all the items in his possession, including his vehicles. He would buy cars, use and resell them, and none of those who bought cars from him has ever complained that he sold stolen cars to them or that someone complained to the police that my husband stole their car.”

Our correspondent contacted the spokesperson of Zone 2 Police Headquarters, Ms Dolapo Badmus, but she said she was unaware of a petition Oluwakemi’s husband claimed to have submitte

d to the zonal police headquarters over the matter and sundry allegations. On her request, a detailed enquiry was forwarded to her whatsApp platform and short message service, but she has since not reverted to our correspondent, and did not also answer the calls our correspondent placed to her mobile phone penultimate Saturday.

Allegations baseless, contrived, says Police Sergeant

Our correspondent sought the reaction of the Police Sergeant at the centre of the controversy, but he denied the rape allegation, saying that it was contrived by the woman and her husband in their bid to escape justice.

He said: ”Actually, I should not be the one to respond (to the allegations). A petition had been submitted at the Force Headquarters regarding this matter, and it is currently being investigated. Even our Zonal Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ms Badmus, is in the know of the case and she has reverted to your office on this matter.”

Told by our correspondent that Ms Badmus was yet to respond to our enquiries on the matter, the Police Sergeant asked: ”Did the woman (Oluwakemi) speak with you directly?”

“Yes, she spoke to me directly from her base in Saudi Arabia,” said our correspondent.

Then the Police Sergeant said: ”The woman in question (Oluwakemi) was out of the country before her husband was arrested. What really happened was that we had been looking for a man called Dele, who specialised in using master keys to steal cars from where they were parked.

“Along the line, we arrested one Godwin in Ughelli, Delta State, during which more than 30 vehicles were recovered in the operation. It was discovered that some of the vehicles were allegedly given to Ibrahim (Oluwakemi’s husband).

“But we could not arrest him, so we tracked his (mobile) phone and got his wife’s number, through which we tried to get her husband. That was why I trailed her to where she was working.

“She admitted that Ibrahim was her husband but that they were no longer together because he had abandoned her. Even the woman admitted that she was arrested and detained at the state police headquarters in Eleweran, Abeokuta, and subsequently charged to a court when her husband was accused of hijacking a truck.

“She also said that she was prosecuted because her husband transferred part of the proceeds of the loot to her bank account. Hence, she agreed to cooperate with us because she said that she didn’t want to suffer again for a crime she didn’t commit. So, I said if she wanted us to help her, she should also help us, and we started calling her.

“I remember that there was one particular Sunday when she said Ibrahim would be in Ijebu, and we even trailed their first daughter to the house she claimed to be her husband’s residence. But along the line, I guess they reconciled and she stopped cooperating with us.

“When I could not reach the woman any longer, we started using our informant in Ijebu to get him(her husband). Then her husband called me after we arrested his second wife and one of his aides who was working with him to operate a wonder bank, saying that all my discussion with his first wife had been relayed to him. He then told me that his wife was no longer in the country.

“In fact, three days after we arrested Ibrahim, his wife (Oluwakemi) called me on the phone with an international number, saying that her husband was not a robber but a businessman. But I asked her not to call my phone number anymore.

”Before we arrested Ibrahim, he had written a petition against us, and the matter was referred to the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Alagbon, Lagos. I am not the one investigating the case. There is an IPO, but my responsibility is to track suspects.

”Let her bring out the proof that I raped her, if it is by word of mouth or messages. You are free to carry out checks whether I carry pistol around as official rifle. Where did she make a report when I allegedly raped her? The reason she travelled abroad is because her husband knew that we could only get him through the woman.

“She complained that her husband was no longer visiting her and took my team to Ago Iwoye where her husband was living with his second wife. She took us to the shop her husband was using (as printing press) and the second wife’s shop. May be she made up with her husband or probably he gave her some money and she decided to change her mind.

“Nobody forced her when we discovered that we could no longer get her husband through her. Instead, we explored other options to arrest her husband. We tracked her husband to Ibadan through one of his employees that ran his wonder bank in Ibadan where I think he has another wife.

”I never visited her residence at Oke Ejigbo in Abeokuta. She is not my taste. Why would I rape someone at gunpoint? I am a professional and trained police officer. I wouldn’t do that. My visits to her were to get her husband through her; nothing more.

”After we arrested the said Godwin at Ughelli, Delta State, he mentioned Rasheed and one Dele. Ask Ibrahim how he got his cars. It was through Dele. He claimed he didn’t follow the suspects to the scene of robbery, but he got his cars from robbers.

“He wrote a statement to that effect. Even though he claimed he was not at the scene of the robbery, he bought the stolen cars and was asked to produce the said Dele; Dele had been arrested several times for robbery.”

Informed about the Police Sergeant’s response to her allegations, Oluwakemi said she was more than ready to confront him face to face, if the latter insisted that he never came to her residence at Oke Ejigbo to rape her.

She said: ”I am crying out now to reveal what he did to me. If I had reported the matter to the police, there was the tendency that it would not see the light of day. You know he is a SARS operative, and with the way they usually terrify people, I fear for my life because of the way they might harass me. He cannot say it in my presence that he did not visit my residence or rape me twice.

”As to whether I took them to Ago Iwoye to arrest my husband, that is not true. I only told him where my husband lives. I did not take him to my husband’s residence, neither did I accompany him to Ago Iwoye to arrest my husband. It was even he who told me on the phone that he had visited my husband’s residence. I even sent some of the messages he sent to me to my husband.’’

Ibrahim’s petition to the police

Ibrahim (Oluwakemi’s husband), in a petition to the Police Zone 2 Headquarters in Lagos, among others, accused the Police Sergeant of unnecessary intimidation, harassment and raping his wife at gunpoint.

He said his trouble began the moment he stood surety for one Dele, who had been freed on bail by a court but could not perfect his bail one year after.

In the petition addressed to the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 2 Headquarters, Lagos, Ibrahim alleged threat to his life and illegal confiscation of his property by men of the Zonal Intervention Squad, Obada-Oko Police Unit, Ogun State.

Ibrahim also accused a member of the police special squad of raping his wife.

In the petition dated March 18, 2019, Ibrahim’s lawyer, Tunji Busari of Cognate Solicitors and Zita Agwunobi Chambers,

said his client stood surety to one Oladele who was charged to court on a trump up allegation of armed robbery, and was freed following a suit (No. MSH/6C/2015) challenging the arrest.

He said Oladele had been freed by the court but the police refused to release his cars and his ATM card with which the sum of N5,000,000.00 was withdrawn from his bank account, among other alleged forcible confiscation of his household items by the men of the Zonal Intervention Squad at Obada Oko Police Unit, Ogun State.

Busari said immediately Oladele was released, men of ZIS started trailing one of his sureties “in person of our client, Mr. Ibrahim, for acting as a saviour and for sponsoring a petition dated 11th June, 2018 against the aforementioned men of the unit, reporting their illegal operations to the Inspector General of Police, F.C.T Abuja for targeting and arresting an innocent Nigerian who was pursuing his legitimate business by hanging a pent-up charge of armed robbery on his neck and thereby confiscated the victim’s properties like cars, cash and household items and raped the victim’s wife to negotiate the victim’s release.

“Our client was being trailed for quite a long time, but when he could not be hounded by these dark angels, one of our client’s staff was arrested in order to get to our client in person of Mr. Abolaji, who was eventually released to one surety who happened to be our client’s friend, in person of one Mr. Shina”.

The said Mr. Shina, according to the petition, was allegedly cajoled into believing that “our client’s staff had some interview at the unit office situated at Obada-Oko, Ogun State, at a time in the month of June, 2018. When Mr. Shina got to the ZIS office, they prevailed on him by threatening to sniff life out of him if he failed to co-operate with them in order to get our client arrested at all cost.

”That was how our client was arrested at Sango-Ota and whisked away to their office at Obada-Oko without any complaint against him and neither has he ever robbed in his life, let alone being armed.”

The petition further reads that “his illegal arrest was made on the 22nd day of June, 2018 with severe torture and inhuman treatment for almost two months to confess to their prepared in-office allegations that never existed anywhere. While in custody, our client’s address and details about his various homes and Business offices were obtained from him.

“One of our client’s wives, who was in a friend’s naming ceremony party at Oru Ijebu, Ogun State, was trailed and traced upon collecting her number from our client, who was in their detention cell. Our client’s wife was arrested with some of his friends at the party, obtained some cash from them and illegally confiscated a Lexus Jeep belonging to one of the well-wishers at the party that day.”

The solicitor to the petitioner stated that the purpose of arresting Mr. Ibrahim’s wife was to trace all his properties and their locations by manipulating his wife.

“In the course of releasing our client in one of the various, ultimate searches for his properties scattered within Ibadan, Oyo State, and Ijebu in Ogun State, one of the Police Sergeants in the unit raped Mrs. Oluwakemi, boasting to snatch her from our client at gunpoint by threatening to terminate her life should she fail to co-operate with him.

“In the course of this police pressure, torture and unprofessional activities running contrary to the law of the land, particularly the Police Act which conditions the method of operation of policemen in discharging their duty of criminal prevention, investigation, prosecution of offenders in court and general administration of criminal justice and constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as altered), the aforementioned men of the unit wildly swung into action and seized 18 assorted Toyota and Honda CRV brand of cars from the office of our client at his car shop where he sells cars.”

Busari noted that to his client’s chagrin, “the aforementioned bad eggs of the Police went ahead to confiscate our client’s company documents as they threatened to render him poor on earth before sending him to the great beyond if he should try to expose them. Our client’s cell phones, electronic household furniture and foodstuffs were even not left out of their seizures.

“Our client was not in any criminal picture or wanted list before he stood surety for Mr. Oladele, who was discharged and acquitted but they (men of ZIS) still converted his cars to their own personal use fraudulently”.

Busari said in the petition that two policemen, identified as Abel and Saheed, attached to the fiery squad, visited Ibrahim where he was remanded and warned him not to make any attempt to recover his seized cars.

“Our client received the dreadful visit of two of the Police Sergeants in the case while in prison pending perfection of our client’s judicial bail from court, with severe threats that they knew he would be freed by the courts, but if he valued his life, he must not make any attempt to recover the seized vehicles, among other items. Otherwise, our client would not be lucky to have escaped being killed in cold blood as his friend was lucky to escape overseas. This threat was issued on him on the 6th of November while he was released by the court shortly after.

“Our client has been hiding himself in his fatherland because of the fear of being killed together with his family while his business empire had collapsed as all the cars confiscated at the pleasure of the men of the above mentioned unit have eaten deep into his finances and therefore left him into financial virus… while those customers to whom he sold those cars …had been troubling him with legal actions to take over their property through phantom allegations.

He said: ”Dele was arrested on trumped up charges by ZIS operatives. They claimed he was involved in car theft, using master keys, so they took all his cars and other valuables. Dele was granted bail but was unable to perfect the bail as there was nobody to stand for him for over one year, and the case had no headway because it was contrived by the police to keep him shut after hugely extorting him.

”When I learnt about what he was going through, I carried out checks and got to know that he was truly being caged by the policemen in a bid to corner his cars and valuables. I then decided to stand as surety for him and he was released from remand and subsequently freed from the case.

“The ZIS operatives felt their misdeed would be uncovered since Dele must have briefed me about his travails in their hands, hence, they decided to come for me too after finding out about me.

“Dele has since relocated to Europe after he was released from prison, while his vehicles are still with the police squad. He said he did not want to fight to reclaim his vehicles because of what he went through in the hands of ZIS operatives.

“They really dealt with me while I was in their custody. I was slapped many times and didn’t believe I could still hear clearly. They also inhumanly treated my other wife, Adejoke, several times, even in my presence.

”Throughout my two-month detention without trial, none of those they claimed were my victims came there to confront me or showed up. I also did not see the person or persons who purportedly wrote a petition against me. Moreover, I told them where I bought some of my vehicles, but they did not go there to find out at all.

”Yet, one of them had the effrontery to rape my wife at gunpoint. I am crying out now to the world and I am prepared to ask my wife to return to the country to confront him (the policeman). If he hadn’t raped my wife at gunpoint, I would not have said so.

“The sexual molestation of my wife, Oluwakemi, is very painful, because she was not the one the police were looking for. The first time and second time were devastating to me emotionally, and the more reason why I decided to relocate her abroad after the Police Sergeant raped her the second time at gunpoint. I believe her because she forwarded some of the messages he sent to her phone to me.

”I did not do any wonder bank business and I am not an armed robber, contrary to what they want you (reporter) to believe. The only reason why they arrested me was to silence me permanently, so I would not have my cars and other property they took away back, like they did to Dele. When they failed to realise their intention, they quickly arraigned me before an Ifo Magistrate Court and alleged that I robbed someone of his car at Papalanto.

”As God would have it, a High Court sitting in Abeokuta, presided over by Justice P.F. Oduniyi, freed me on bail, but operatives of ZIS continued to threaten my life and subject me to undue harassment. If they have any evidence or proof that I have robbed anyone, let them bring out such evidence. If there are people they claimed I defrauded in several parts of the country, let them bring those victims out.’’

She can’t substantiate her claims, says ZIS Commander

Contacted, the Commander of ZIS, Mr Gbenga Megbope, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), faulted Ibrahim’s allegations, saying his petition to police authorities was meant to divert attention from his crimes and pervert justice.

”The matter is in court, but we are looking for him now because we learnt that he has been released on bail. He has jumped bail several times and lied against one of my men, saying he raped his wife. The question is: where was she raped? In her house or a hotel? At which police station was the incident reported? He said terrible things in a petition to the police and we are making efforts to re-arrest him now.

”We were not aware that he was freed on bail. But we later got to know that he had been freed. He had also defrauded many people in Abuja where he operated a wonder bank and his victims are looking for him. I don’t know why he should be freed while the court is still awaiting a legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP). But if the court has released him, we cannot query the right of the court on that. But he has many other cases to answer and we are looking for him. I have given the statements he wrote to the Zonal Police Public Relations Officer (Ms Dolapo Badmus).

”We are also looking for Dele, who he got his cars from, and the only way we can get the man is by arresting Ibrahim. He would be arrested and paraded soon. If his wife was raped, is it the media that she should go to or the police? The fact of the matter is that while we were trailing him, we tacked all his contacts and zeroed in on his wife in order to get him but all our efforts failed.

”Initially, the woman cooperated with us and she was ready to help us. He has other wives, one of whom was operating a wonder bank, and we arrested that one too.

“The woman (Oluwakemi) should substantiate her allegations. Otherwise, she should be very careful, as she could be charged for giving wrong information. Ask her the facts in her possession to prove her case. Where was she raped? Did she report the matter to the police? Which hospital certified her to be a rape victim? Was there any mark of violence on her body? Are there eyewitnesses?

”Many of her husband’s victims in Abuja have been to our office (in Abeokuta) and we are looking for him. A case of armed robbery is usually first charged before a magistrate court, but most times, the suspects would file another suit in High Court arguing that their fundamental human rights have been violated, and they are sometimes released on bail. That must have been what the suspect did to secure his freedom.”

Megbope’s explanation was, however, disputed by Ibrahim, who said that the police subjected him to torture and brutality to make him endorse prepared statements the minions of law claimed were his.

#local news from Nigeria

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gillespialfredoe01806ld · 6 years

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Adore the Outdoors? 10 Hidden Meccas Filled With Hikers, Bikers, and Bargain Homes, 2018 Edition

Virginia Beach: Hisham Ibrahim/Getty Images

When realtor.com® published its ranking of America’s top outdoor cities last year, it caused a bit of an uproar. Why was Boulder left off, some indignantly asked. What happened to Taos? No Honolulu, no Denver, no Salt Lake City?

No indeed. Because our focus then and now is on the nation’s most affordable cities for outdoor lovers. And that, my friends, is a whole different walk in the woods.

Fact is, while “The poetry of the earth is never dead,” as Keats wrote, these days it can be pretty darn expensive to enjoy. Homes in the places famously synonymous with the great outdoors are often too pricey for mere mortals. But hold on, nature lovers! Our hardy, windburned data team set out to find the top affordable housing markets for those who want to live the outdoor life. Adventure and open-air serenity can be yours, just minutes from your backyard deck.

So what defines an outdoor town, anyway?

“If you see a lot of rugged vehicles with bike racks and hauling kayaks, that’s a telltale sign at the ground level that you’re in one of these places,” says Chris Chesak, a travel consultant based in Cincinnati. “In a conventional city, if you run into someone you haven’t seen in a long time, they’ll say, ‘let’s grab a beer.’ In an outdoors city, they’ll meet up for a hike. The primary focus isn’t sitting around—it’s being outside.”

To pinpoint the best places for al fresco enthusiasts, we started with the 150 largest metropolitan areas with median home prices below $300,000. (A metropolitan statistical area is a designation that includes the urban core of a city and surrounding areas measured by a high commuting rate into the city.) Then we factored in the following criteria:

Share of homes with outdoor patios, outdoor kitchens, and decks

Bicycle-friendliness rating

Per capita kayaking, rafting, and outdoor gear stores

Number of campgrounds

Share of restaurants with outdoor seating

Per capita of conservation scientists and foresters (sign of heavy park presence)

Number of national parks in the state

Percentage of residents who live within a 10-minute walk of a park

So ditch Netflix and power down the iPhone X. Let’s hit the trails to find America’s hidden outdoor meccas.

1. Spokane, WA

Median home list price: $295,100

The Upper Spokane River

csfotoimages/iStock

Northern California native Gina Erigero, 19, fell in love with Spokane, and its outdoorsy culture, on a high school volleyball tournament trip. Now she’s a sophomore at Gonzaga University in the city, about four hours inland from Seattle, and is taking full advantage of the outdoor fun.

“When you go in a bar, you’ll see fliers up for rock climbing, camping trips, and running groups” instead of for shows, Erigero says.

When she’s not running along the Spokane River or camping with friends, she’s hitting the slopes. Growing up, she’d visit Lake Tahoe where a day pass can cost over $200. In Spokane she usually pays $45 for a day of skiing. The area also has a big climbing scene at Mount Spokane.

The more adventurously inclined can go rafting on the river or zip lining over mountain streams about a half-hour outside the city.

The housing market in Spokane is packed with single-family homes with one- and two-car garages and with some trees on the property, including this three-bedroom Craftsman priced at $249,900. The home has a one-car garage, raised garden beds, and a deck.

2. Bakersfield, CA

Median home list price: $260,000

Angler fishing at Kern River near Bakersfield

Witold Skrypczak/Getty Images

California has Redwood forests, cliff-lined beaches along the Pacific, and picturesque, vineyard-laced landscapes. But what ordinary humans can afford to buy homes in most of those achingly beautiful locales? That’s where suburban, inland Bakersfield—about two hours north of Los Angeles—comes in.

Skeptical? Just hear us out.

It’s all about proximity here. The world-renowned Sierra Nevada Mountains, a must-see for mountain climbers and hikers alike, starts just north of Bakersfield. Sequoia National Forest, with the greatest concentration of giant sequoia groves in the world, is just shy of a two-hour drive north of the city. And the beaches at Morro Bay along the coast are also reachable.

And Bakersfield’s own Kern River Parkway Trail, used by pedestrians and cyclists, runs along the Kern River for more than 20 miles.

“We have Buena Vista Lake that’s only about 30 minutes outside of town. That’s where a lot of people like to wakeboard and water-ski,” says William Gordon, a real estate agent at Gordon Team Realty in Bakersfield. “You can drive an hour and be in the mountains and be hiking.”

Bakersfield homes come with a relatively modest price tag, listed for about half of the median for the rest of the state. Buyers who enjoy the great outdoors often choose the City in the Hills area on the edge of town, which boasts killer mountain views, Gordon says.

Note: Bakersfield would have made the No. 1 spot due to affordability and proximity, but poor air quality bumped it down to No. 2.

3. Tallahassee, FL

Median home list price: $225,000

Tallahassee, Florida

RiverNorthPhotography/iStock

The Florida Panhandle is a hiker’s paradise, where trailgoers will spot everything from coastal dune lakes to swamps packed with exotic wildlife. The biggest city in the panhandle is Tallahassee, just minutes from the start of the Apalachicola National Forest, a 630,000-acre retreat covered in pine trees and a local favorite for hiking, off-road biking, and riding four-wheelers. Spotting red-cockaded woodpeckers is an everyday occurrence here.

Folks in Florida’s capital appreciate the outdoors. One-story abodes in suburban communities with backyard patios and decks for their owners to relax on are common. They include this three-bedroom Craftsman with a screened porch and a fenced backyard for $229,900.

For those who want to take in the natural beauty of the Florida Panhandle (and don’t mind heights), there is the Tracer Hot Air Balloons, a hot air balloon company that offers morning and afternoon rides in Tallahassee.

4. Kalamazoo, MI

Median home list price: $269,500

Downtown Kalamazoo

DenisTangneyJr/iStock

Kalamazoo has the kind of outdoor fun and natural beauty that some might be surprised to find in a major Michigan city—and it’s perfect for campers. Folks enjoy setting up their recreational vehicles and tents at the Kalamazoo RV Park and Campground. It boasts a number of ponds, lakes, and creeks nearby that are perfect for fishing. And residents here can kayak or canoe on the Kalamazoo River, which cuts through downtown. Afterward they can buy some fresh fruit and vegetables at the excellent Kalamazoo Farmers Market.

The homes you’ll find in Kalamazoo are typically modest one- and two-story properties on 1 to 5 acres. This provides homeowners with both the privacy and room to host rocking parties around the fire pit.

5. Tucson, AZ

Median home list price: $279,800

Downtown Tucson, AZ

benedek/iStock

While jogging through Tucson neighborhoods, runners pass territorial-style (Greek Revival and Gothic details added to pueblo-style buildings) and Spanish-style homes dotted with mesquite trees and cacti. There are the staggering views of the nearby mountains to take in.

And you can’t have the great outdoors without the wildlife.

“One home buyer [who moved here] from Chicago saw a bobcat in their yard one morning,” says John Harings, an associate broker at Excelsior Associates Real Estate in Tucson. You don’t see a lot of those in Chicago! That’s in addition to bats, rattlesnakes, and Gila monsters. Yep, Gila monsters.

Just west of the city is Saguaro National Park, which is full with giant saguaro cacti and a common spot where locals go to hike and mountain bike. Sentinel Peak Park, which has an “A” painted at its peak in honor of Tucson-based University of Arizona, is near downtown and another popular hiking go-to spot.

6. Columbus, OH

Median home list price: $250,000

Columbus, OH

styxclick/iStock

Columbus is a great place for folks who want to get outside—to drink craft beer or hear live music. In fact, there are free outdoor concerts every Sunday evening in about a half-dozen locations throughout the city.

And there are also walkable neighborhoods like Short North, which is lined with new restaurants and beer gardens and hosts the annual Columbus Pride Parade. This area has become Columbus’ ground zero for hipsters.

The state capital is the fastest-growing metro in the Buckeye State and has a booming housing market. In fact, Columbus scored the second spot on realtor.com’s hottest market list in June. Outdoor lovers in the Columbus metro who don’t want to live in downtown can head just north to suburban Delaware County, where two-story homes range from $199,000 to above $400,000.

7. Virginia Beach, VA

Median home list price: $285,100

Virginia Beach, VI

Richard Cummins/Getty Images

The 15 million people who visit here each year come for the beach, parasailing, and boating—something that folks who live in Virginia Beach get to enjoy year-round.

Of course the ocean is a big part of Virginia Beach’s culture. But there’s also a number of great parks just outside the city, including the cheerily-named Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, a 100,000-plus-acre marsh-filled park.

“I’ve seen a bald eagle at the swamp, and black snakes and herons. It’s quiet except for the sound of birds and frogs,” says Carol Norris, an owner of an ad agency in the region, who moved here two decades ago from Toronto. She came for the work, but fell in love with the outdoors. She frequently takes hikes and weekend kayaking trips in the wildlife refuge. “It has the name ‘Dismal,’ but it’s anything but dismal.”

Homes right on the water can easily go for north of $500,000—you gotta pay dearly for those ocean breezes. But buyers can get substantial price breaks if they buy a littler farther back from the beach in neighborhoods such as Ocean View and Northside, and still be close to the action. They’re within walking distance to the beach for under $250,000, including this three-bedroom Cape Cod priced at $199,900, with an outdoor shed that is great for storing all your beach toys. Most of them, anyway.

8. Winston-Salem, NC

Median home list price: $214,600

Reynolda Gardens in Winston-Salem.

BSPollard/iStock

Winston-Salem is a not-too-big, not-too-small North Carolina city that comes with a healthy dose of Southern charm, with homes to match (see this cute Craftsman bungalow for $259,900). Despite a population of nearly a quarter-million, the downtown is dotted with classic, three-bedroom bungalows with porches that make getting to know the neighbors easy. The best part? Buyers can still find them in good shape for under $200,000.

“There is a lot of outdoor entertaining here,” says Samuel Collins, a broker at Pro Realty Group in Winston-Salem. “It’s really got that great Southern tradition of spending quality time on the porch.”

Local hikers enjoy packing their coolers with sandwiches and beer and heading to Pilot Mountain State Park or Hanging Rock State Park—both around a 40-minute drive from the city. And in recent years, community members here have pushed to expand public greenway space for bikers and runners, including a 1.7-mile Long Branch Trail that opened in April.

9. Fayetteville, AR

Median home list price: $289,100

Located in the Ozarks’ Boston Mountains, Fayetteville is surrounded by pine and red oak trees that cover the range. As a result, homes in this college town are packed with mountain bikes, climbing gear, and hiking boots. Around 15 minutes from downtown is Mount Sequoyah Woods Trail, which has a mountain bike trail that loops through its wooded terrain.

What really brings the outdoorsy type here is the 1.2 million-acre Ozark National Forest, which starts around a half-hour drive south of downtown, highlighted by the 200-plus-mile Ozark Highlands Trail. Of the places that ranked in our top 10, Fayetteville had the highest concentration of campsites.

“[These days, buyers] don’t care about having a big backyard. They care about being near parks, walking trails, biking trails,” says Don McNaughton, a real estate broker at McNaughton Real Estate based in Fayetteville. Most of his clients are young singles, couples, and families purchasing their first homes. Buyers can snag three-bedroom, two-bathroom houses in new subdivisions starting around $175,000. Existing homes are a little cheaper, including this traditional-style one-story home priced at $143,000.

10. Louisville, KY

Median home list price: $250,000

Louisville, KY

Kirkikis/iStock

The Ohio River starts in Pittsburgh and moves south past Cincinnati, but only when it makes it to Louisville does it hit its widest point, topping 1 mile. So it shouldn’t surprise anyone that recreational life here revolves around the river, including everything from grilling, to boating, to attending concerts at Louisville Waterfront Park.

When the Ohio River flooded this spring, causing around $4 million in damages, Tre Mills and friends grabbed their kayaks and headed down to the river. The 20-year-old operations manager wasn’t alone—he found 60 other kayakers who also didn’t let the high river water stop them from enjoying the outdoors. It’s that kind of place.

Home buyers can snag historical two-story homes near its walkable downtown for $125,000 to $350,000, including this renovated Smoketown home built in 1900 for $170,000. The two-story home is just a short walk to Louisville nightlife and shopping.

Louisville is home to the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs and lots of horse lovers. One go-to for horseback riding is the 35 miles of woodland trails in Jefferson Memorial Forest.

“We have a big camping and climbing community, too,” Mills says. “The outdoors are everything here.”

Sources: Realtor.com; League of American Bicyclists; Trust for Public Land (ParkServe tool); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; and Yelp.com

Clare Trapasso contributed to this report.

The post Adore the Outdoors? 10 Hidden Meccas Filled With Hikers, Bikers, and Bargain Homes, 2018 Edition appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

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pearlmcarney-blog · 6 years

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Adore the Outdoors? 10 Hidden Meccas Filled With Hikers, Bikers, and Bargain Homes, 2018 Edition

Virginia Beach: Hisham Ibrahim/Getty Images

When realtor.com® published its ranking of America's top outdoor cities last year, it caused a bit of an uproar. Why was Boulder left off, some indignantly asked. What happened to Taos? No Honolulu, no Denver, no Salt Lake City?

No indeed. Because our focus then and now is on the nation's most affordable cities for outdoor lovers. And that, my friends, is a whole different walk in the woods.

So what defines an outdoor town, anyway?

“If you see a lot of rugged vehicles with bike racks and hauling kayaks, that's a telltale sign at the ground level that you're in one of these places,” says Chris Chesak, a travel consultant based in Cincinnati. “In a conventional city, if you run into someone you haven't seen in a long time, they'll say, 'let's grab a beer.' In an outdoors city, they'll meet up for a hike. The primary focus isn't sitting around-it's being outside.”

Share of homes with outdoor patios, outdoor kitchens, and decks

Bicycle-friendliness rating

Per capita kayaking, rafting, and outdoor gear stores

Number of campgrounds

Share of restaurants with outdoor seating

Per capita of conservation scientists and foresters (sign of heavy park presence)

Number of national parks in the state

Percentage of residents who live within a 10-minute walk of a park

So ditch Netflix and power down the iPhone X. Let's hit the trails to find America's hidden outdoor meccas.

1. Spokane, WA

Median home list price: $295,100

The Upper Spokane River

csfotoimages/iStock

Northern California native Gina Erigero, 19, fell in love with Spokane, and its outdoorsy culture, on a high school volleyball tournament trip. Now she's a sophomore at Gonzaga University in the city, about four hours inland from Seattle, and is taking full advantage of the outdoor fun.

“When you go in a bar, you'll see fliers up for rock climbing, camping trips, and running groups” instead of for shows, Erigero says.

When she's not running along the Spokane River or camping with friends, she's hitting the slopes. Growing up, she'd visit Lake Tahoe where a day pass can cost over $200. In Spokane she usually pays $45 for a day of skiing. The area also has a big climbing scene at Mount Spokane.

The more adventurously inclined can go rafting on the river or zip lining over mountain streams about a half-hour outside the city.

2. Bakersfield, CA

Median home list price: $260,000

Angler fishing at Kern River near Bakersfield

Witold Skrypczak/Getty Images

California has Redwood forests, cliff-lined beaches along the Pacific, and picturesque, vineyard-laced landscapes. But what ordinary humans can afford to buy homes in most of those achingly beautiful locales? That's where suburban, inland Bakersfield-about two hours north of Los Angeles-comes in.

Skeptical? Just hear us out.

It's all about proximity here. The world-renowned Sierra Nevada Mountains, a must-see for mountain climbers and hikers alike, starts just north of Bakersfield. Sequoia National Forest, with the greatest concentration of giant sequoia groves in the world, is just shy of a two-hour drive north of the city. And the beaches at Morro Bay along the coast are also reachable.

And Bakersfield's own Kern River Parkway Trail, used by pedestrians and cyclists, runs along the Kern River for more than 20 miles.

“We have Buena Vista Lake that's only about 30 minutes outside of town. That's where a lot of people like to wakeboard and water-ski,” says William Gordon, a real estate agent at Gordon Team Realty in Bakersfield. “You can drive an hour and be in the mountains and be hiking.”

Note: Bakersfield would have made the No. 1 spot due to affordability and proximity, but poor air quality bumped it down to No. 2.

3. Tallahassee, FL

Median home list price: $225,000

Tallahassee, Florida

RiverNorthPhotography/iStock

The Florida Panhandle is a hiker's paradise, where trailgoers will spot everything from coastal dune lakes to swamps packed with exotic wildlife. The biggest city in the panhandle is Tallahassee, just minutes from the start of the Apalachicola National Forest, a 630,000-acre retreat covered in pine trees and a local favorite for hiking, off-road biking, and riding four-wheelers. Spotting red-cockaded woodpeckers is an everyday occurrence here.

Folks in Florida's capital appreciate the outdoors. One-story abodes in suburban communities with backyard patios and decks for their owners to relax on are common. They include this three-bedroom Craftsman with a screened porch and a fenced backyard for $229,900.

For those who want to take in the natural beauty of the Florida Panhandle (and don't mind heights), there is the Tracer Hot Air Balloons, a hot air balloon company that offers morning and afternoon rides in Tallahassee.

4. Kalamazoo, MI

Median home list price: $269,500

Downtown Kalamazoo

DenisTangneyJr/iStock

Kalamazoo has the kind of outdoor fun and natural beauty that some might be surprised to find in a major Michigan city-and it's perfect for campers. Folks enjoy setting up their recreational vehicles and tents at the Kalamazoo RV Park and Campground. It boasts a number of ponds, lakes, and creeks nearby that are perfect for fishing. And residents here can kayak or canoe on the Kalamazoo River, which cuts through downtown. Afterward they can buy some fresh fruit and vegetables at the excellent Kalamazoo Farmers Market.

The homes you'll find in Kalamazoo are typically modest one- and two-story properties on 1 to 5 acres. This provides homeowners with both the privacy and room to host rocking parties around the fire pit.

5. Tucson, AZ

Median home list price: $279,800

Downtown Tucson, AZ

benedek/iStock

And you can't have the great outdoors without the wildlife.

“One home buyer [who moved here] from Chicago saw a bobcat in their yard one morning,” says John Harings, an associate broker at Excelsior Associates Real Estate in Tucson. You don't see a lot of those in Chicago! That's in addition to bats, rattlesnakes, and Gila monsters. Yep, Gila monsters.

6. Columbus, OH

Median home list price: $250,000

Columbus, OH

styxclick/iStock

Columbus is a great place for folks who want to get outside-to drink craft beer or hear live music. In fact, there are free outdoor concerts every Sunday evening in about a half-dozen locations throughout the city.

The state capital is the fastest-growing metro in the Buckeye State and has a booming housing market. In fact, Columbus scored the second spot on realtor.com's hottest market list in June. Outdoor lovers in the Columbus metro who don't want to live in downtown can head just north to suburban Delaware County, where two-story homes range from $199,000 to above $400,000.

7. Virginia Beach, VA

Median home list price: $285,100

Virginia Beach, VI

Richard Cummins/Getty Images

The 15 million people who visit here each year come for the beach, parasailing, and boating-something that folks who live in Virginia Beach get to enjoy year-round.

Of course the ocean is a big part of Virginia Beach's culture. But there's also a number of great parks just outside the city, including the cheerily-named Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, a 100,000-plus-acre marsh-filled park.

“I've seen a bald eagle at the swamp, and black snakes and herons. It's quiet except for the sound of birds and frogs,” says Carol Norris, an owner of an ad agency in the region, who moved here two decades ago from Toronto. She came for the work, but fell in love with the outdoors. She frequently takes hikes and weekend kayaking trips in the wildlife refuge. “It has the name 'Dismal,' but it's anything but dismal.”

Homes right on the water can easily go for north of $500,000-you gotta pay dearly for those ocean breezes. But buyers can get substantial price breaks if they buy a littler farther back from the beach in neighborhoods such as Ocean View and Northside, and still be close to the action. They're within walking distance to the beach for under $250,000, including this three-bedroom Cape Cod priced at $199,900, with an outdoor shed that is great for storing all your beach toys. Most of them, anyway.

8. Winston-Salem, NC

Median home list price: $214,600

Reynolda Gardens in Winston-Salem.

BSPollard/iStock

“There is a lot of outdoor entertaining here,” says Samuel Collins, a broker at Pro Realty Group in Winston-Salem. “It's really got that great Southern tradition of spending quality time on the porch.”

Local hikers enjoy packing their coolers with sandwiches and beer and heading to Pilot Mountain State Park or Hanging Rock State Park-both around a 40-minute drive from the city. And in recent years, community members here have pushed to expand public greenway space for bikers and runners, including a 1.7-mile Long Branch Trail that opened in April.

9. Fayetteville, AR

Median home list price: $289,100

Located in the Ozarks' Boston Mountains, Fayetteville is surrounded by pine and red oak trees that cover the range. As a result, homes in this college town are packed with mountain bikes, climbing gear, and hiking boots. Around 15 minutes from downtown is Mount Sequoyah Woods Trail, which has a mountain bike trail that loops through its wooded terrain.

“[These days, buyers] don't care about having a big backyard. They care about being near parks, walking trails, biking trails,” says Don McNaughton, a real estate broker at McNaughton Real Estate based in Fayetteville. Most of his clients are young singles, couples, and families purchasing their first homes. Buyers can snag three-bedroom, two-bathroom houses in new subdivisions starting around $175,000. Existing homes are a little cheaper, including this traditional-style one-story home priced at $143,000.

10. Louisville, KY

Median home list price: $250,000

Louisville, KY

Kirkikis/iStock

The Ohio River starts in Pittsburgh and moves south past Cincinnati, but only when it makes it to Louisville does it hit its widest point, topping 1 mile. So it shouldn't surprise anyone that recreational life here revolves around the river, including everything from grilling, to boating, to attending concerts at Louisville Waterfront Park.

When the Ohio River flooded this spring, causing around $4 million in damages, Tre Mills and friends grabbed their kayaks and headed down to the river. The 20-year-old operations manager wasn't alone-he found 60 other kayakers who also didn't let the high river water stop them from enjoying the outdoors. It's that kind of place.

Louisville is home to the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs and lots of horse lovers. One go-to for horseback riding is the 35 miles of woodland trails in Jefferson Memorial Forest.

“We have a big camping and climbing community, too,” Mills says. “The outdoors are everything here.”

Sources: Realtor.com; League of American Bicyclists; Trust for Public Land (ParkServe tool); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; and Yelp.com

Clare Trapasso contributed to this report.

The post Adore the Outdoors? 10 Hidden Meccas Filled With Hikers, Bikers, and Bargain Homes, 2018 Edition appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

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walkonwalkonwithhopeinyourheart · 7 years

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Mohamed Salah has not forgotten where he came from via /r/LiverpoolFC

Mohamed Salah has not forgotten where he came from

By Dominic King.

Down a dusty path that splits a field of jasmine, the scent of which lingers in the air, nine little boys are playing football.

The pitch, scorched and bobbly, is squashed in between a row of flats — some are in disrepair, others have been left half-built — the local mosque and a community centre.

This is where the local children come to enjoy themselves and be free. Nagrig might be economically challenged but its people are friendly and happy and, today, they have never been more proud.

It is from these humble beginnings, after all, that world football's latest star emerged. This is the home of Mohamed Salah.

To walk around these quiet streets, you would not think it possible for someone to embark on such a thrilling journey but Salah, the eldest of four children, played on that same pitch, a two-minute walk from his family apartment, believing he could emulate his idols Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane and Francesco Totti.

Now this generation believe they can emulate him.

Salah has given many things to Nagrig. He bought gym equipment for the community centre that now bears his name and paid for an all-weather football pitch to be built at Mohamed Ayyad Al-Tantawy school, where he studied.

He gives money to help couples get married and frequently contributes to charity. More than anything, he has given hope.

'He still comes back to Nagrig, every Ramadan, to present prizes to local kids,' says Mohamed Bassyouni, a childhood friend.

'He comes here, he plays table tennis and pool. When he comes back, he signs every autograph, stands for every picture. He hasn't changed.'

'Here' is the cafe that Bassyouni owns but 'cafe' will not give you the right image.

Think of a big garage with a wall missing, next to a football court, that has a large TV to show games from Europe. But it is charming and is still one of Salah's favourite places.

'He was always going to go far,' Bassyouni continues. 'Why? The left foot! Always left foot! He was so quick, so clever.

'We all used to play together. His brother, Nasr, would join us but we couldn't get the ball from Mohamed. We knew he could get to the top.'

The question Salah faced was how he would get there. It is hard enough getting down the pot-holed bumpy roads from Nagrig to Tanta, the nearest big town, but how would he fulfil his aim?

The answer arrived in the form of the Pepsi League, a competition organised by the drinks company for schools. Arab Contractors FC (El Mokawloon) have scouts and subsidiary clubs all over Egypt and they spotted him playing in Tanta when he was 14. He was invited to train with them in Cairo.

Some days his father would take him on the five-hour, 200-mile round trip. Other days he had to get five buses.

The long days and tiring journey would not deter him and soon enough he was invited to stay. Zamalek and Al-Ahly are Egypt's biggest clubs but Arab Contractors believe in youth.

They have lodgings built into the main stand of their Osman Ahmed Osman stadium to motivate those with aspirations of playing at the top and we are given a tour of the facility. Salah's simple room, 510, overlooked the pitch.

They recall him being 'hadi' (the Arabic word for 'quiet', which crops up frequently), someone who would do his work and then retreat for the evening after having his favourite meal of soup, barbecued chicken and green salad.

On Merseyside Liverpool's players are well aware that a perfect day for him is spending time with his wife, Magi, and daughter Makka.

'Mohamed was willing to sacrifice everything,' says Hamdi Nooh, a former Egypt international who was Salah's first coach at El Mokawloon.

'When he came, it was too much left foot. I looked at him and said, 'You have to use your right'. He replied, 'OK, sir!' Always the same answer, always polite.

'The next morning, he is there: practise, practise. I told him how to change from being an amateur to a professional and to get to the top level.

'The more you practise, the more you will become famous, the more you'll earn. But you have to carry on when you're not here.

'I called his father when he used to go home. I told him to keep a timetable: no staying up late to watch TV. No getting out of bed late. He didn't.

'He lived as he should. He would pray and then go to sleep early. I am not the man who made him but I know he listened to me. He listened to everyone.'

Yet the journey from Egypt to Europe owed something to another key figure at the club.

Before becoming Egypt's Prime Minister, Ibrahim Mahlab was El Mokawloon chairman.

It has been reported Salah turned down a move to Zamalek in 2011, but what is not known is that both Zamalek and Al-Ahly returned with offers for Salah a year later. Mahlab wouldn't consider doing business.

'Mahlab felt he belonged at a club in Europe,' says Alaa Nabil, El Mokawloon's academy director and a former assistant coach of Egypt. 'He was convinced he would succeed.

'Salah was anxious about leaving Egypt, but Mahlab knew he would do it. Now he is a megastar.'

His arrival at Basle in Switzerland would prick the attention of Liverpool scouts in 2013. They watched him in all the important games, particularly in the Europa League against Tottenham and Chelsea.

There were missions to watch him in training camps.

Then Chelsea signed him in 2014, but Liverpool continued to follow Salah, through spells at Fiorentina and Roma, chief scout Barry Hunter, Dave Fallows, the head of recruitment and sporting director Michael Edwards were adamant Liverpool should act if the chance arose.

It was discovered Salah felt he had 'unfinished business' in the Premier League after difficulties at Stamford Bridge and when it was put to Jurgen Klopp — who had also long been a Salah fan — at the end of 2016 that Liverpool should pounce, the verdict was unanimous.

What has happened since his arrival in June has been beyond all expectations, but there is more to it than just 20 goals from 26 games.

Salah is becoming the hero the Kop had craved and, back in Egypt, his popularity has gone off the scale. He carries the hopes of a nation, the bond between player and fans cemented when he scored a last-minute penalty against Congo in October to send Egypt to a first World Cup since 1990.

'Salah had a hand in all seven goals that took us to Russia — two assists, scoring five of his own,' Mahmoud Fayez, Egypt's assistant manager, explains.

'The penalty? It was one of the most unforgettable moments in my life. But we all trusted him. The day before we played Congo, I called him.

'I told him, "You are the one for the penalty kick if we get one". The first thing he did was practise. Three or four penalties. When he did it for real, it was amazing. The emotion was incredible.'

Salah was offered a villa as a reward by Mamdouh Abbas, a former president of Zamalek. But the player asked that a donation be made to Nagrig instead. And there is another tale that has not been told.

While Salah was playing in Alexandria, his family were robbed. The thief was caught a couple of days later and it was the intention of Salah's father to press charges.

When his son heard what happened, however, he asked him to drop the case. What happened next gives you the biggest insight of all into his character, as Salah gave the thief some money to get his life up and running and tried to help him find a job.

Salah wants everyone to have a chance to better themselves and that it is why the Egyptian is uniting a nation.

'He is doing an extraordinary job,' Fayez says. 'The secret of his brilliance? It is his modesty.

'He is a superstar but he lives as a simple person. He uses his abilities to serve his country and you can see what it means to him when he sings the national anthem.

'He fights every second, every moment, every sprint, every tackle, every shot. He fights. This is Salah. This is why he is the hero of every Egyptian.'

Submitted December 22, 2017 at 02:01AM by GameOfThrowInsMate via reddit http://ift.tt/2BO8aEl

#IFTTT #reddit #liverpoolfc #liverpool fc #lfc #ynwa

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njawaidofficial · 7 years

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How DC Is Betting on Tomorrow's Comic Book Talent

http://styleveryday.com/2017/08/10/how-dc-is-betting-on-tomorrows-comic-book-talent/

How DC Is Betting on Tomorrow's Comic Book Talent

With high-profile comic book projects like Dark Nights: Metal and Doomsday Clock waiting in the wings, it might come as a surprise that DC Entertainment is looking even further into the future. Wednesday sees the announcement of its Class of 2017 Writers Workshop, featuring six writers taking part in the company’s initiative to promote new talent inside its line-up, and to the industry beyond.

Heat Vision can exclusively reveal that the writers participating in this year’s Writers Workshop program are Magdalene Visaggio (Kim & Kim, Quantum Teens Are Go), Sanya Anwar (1001), Joey Esposito (Pawn Shop, Captain Ultimate), Phillip Kennedy Johnson (Last Sons of America, Warlords of Appalachia), Robert Jeffrey (Route 3, Radio Free Amerika), and Ryan Cady (Big Moose).

The Writers Workshop is one of two parallel programs making up the larger DC Talent Development Workshop initiative (the other being, perhaps obviously, an Artists Workshop program). 2017 is the second year the initiative is in full-swing, with last year’s launch following a 2015 pilot program.

“It was like going to Hogwarts,” 2016 alum Ibrahim Moustafa told Heat Vision about his experience of the Artist Workshop program, which relocates all participants to DC’s Burbank offices for three weeks of classes and seminars led by DKIII‘s Andy Kubert and Klaus Janson, as well as DC Entertainment co-publisher Jim Lee. “I’ve been drawing comics for quite some time now — several years — and I learned things that I never knew in the class. It was incredible.”

Moustafa, whose work can currently be seen in the DC/Vertigo series Savage Things, said that the daily tutorials didn’t just help sharpen up the skills he already had — “I would liken it to being fluent in a different language and then learning better vocabulary,” he explained — but it offered important lessons in the theory and business of comics, as well.

“We had some really fruitful time talking to editors, talking about what they’re looking for from artists, what kind of things are required — scheduling, things that go along with production — a very well-rounded experience,” the artist says.

Being midway through a project (he was one issue into his Savage Things run when he started the course last November), the practical lessons proved invaluable, he says. “It was the type of thing that, right away, I could start working into my thought process … I think I can see a marked improvement in my work from that time forward. I’m much more thoughtful in how I draw a page now. I think the experience overall made me a better storyteller in general, and it’s something that I do every day all day, so it’s going to be there with me going forward.”

Tony Patrick, an alumnus of the 2016 Writers Workshop — and co-writer on the new Batman and the Signal mini-series — described the Writers Workshop as “an instant game changer” for his career, and for comics in general, due to the new voices it supports.

“I really didn’t think I was going to get in. It’s not something I really conceived of, it just felt like something I had to do,” he remembers. “Vita Ayala was in the [2015 pilot program], and I know her from [independent publisher] Black Mask Studios. She spoke highly of the program. From talking with her, I wasn’t exactly sure what was possible, but I asked her if I should do it, and she said absolutely. I really had no expectations — it was inconceivable that I would actually get into it. Then I did. It’s still yielding results for me in a lot of different ways.”

Unlike the Artist Workshop, the Writers Workshop is a virtual class that runs across three months, according to All-Star Batman and Dark Nights: Metal writer Scott Snyder, who leads the group.

“It’s 13 weeks, and we meet for two, two-and-a-half hours online in a Brady Bunch-style box of windows. I teach it in such a way that it’s all superhero writing for DC. I try and make each week a lesson about a particular technique,” he explains. “My job is not to teach you how to write by formula for DC. It’s for you to come in and write the stuff you’re passionate about in your own way. I don’t care if that’s funny political, light-hearted, dark, whatever. Your job is to come in and have something to say. My job is to help you fit it into the rubric of superhero calculus and to help you maximize that story: look at where you should beef things up, slow it down, be aware of pacing. You need to come here and have something to say.”

Patrick agrees. “The aim is for us to contribute something new to the DC Universe and, also, become part of this extended family,” he says. “The workshop gives you the space to look behind the curtains when it comes to the DC Universe, and the process, but there’s an equal opportunity to write in your voice — and to fine-tune and find your voice.”

As part of the program, each participant submits “two or three” scripts for group critique, which Patrick describes as a bonding exercise as much as a chance to improve individual writing chops. “Once you’ve turned your script in, a significant section of the class is dedicated to feedback,” he says. “I was working with very talented, intelligent, kind human beings who would take apart your script — just rip it apart — and the very next moment, give you feedback that would help you improve, give you inspiration and keep you going.”

Moustafa says the same was true of the Artists group, adding that he’s still in touch with his fellow graduates months later. “It’s nice to have somebody there to share work with, hold each other accountable if we’re starting to slip on any of the stuff we learned — somebody there to reinforce the good stuff that we learned, and just talk about our journey into comics together and discuss our growth. Having another eye that you trust is very, very valuable, especially someone who’s been through the same process, so they know what to look for.”

For Snyder — who jokes that “I have no business teaching just because of the workload I have,” despite having almost a decade of teaching experience outside comics — the chance to bring new voices to DC is what drew him to the program. “You always hope to leave things on the shelf, and I do hope to do that, but knowing that you’ve helped get some people in that make things that inspire you is really a point of pride … It’s making our bench, and the DC universe, much more robust and diverse, just in terms of the diversity of voices and the kinds of stories they want to tell. It’s inspiring.”

The Talent Development Workshop program doesn’t actually end when the workshops are finished. Bobbie Chase, DC’s vp and executive editor of young reader and talent development, and leader of the initiative, leads a team — including Sara Miller and Andrea Shea — that works with alumni to place them on projects after the classes are finished, with work from the 2016 group having already appeared in issues of Superman, Nightwing, Suicide Squad Most Wanted and other DC titles. (Patrick’s co-writer on the Batman and the Signal series is none other than Scott Snyder, who said that he enjoyed “putting my money where my mouth is” with that kind of collaboration.)

Additionally, Nov. 29 will see the release of New Talent Showcase 2017 No. 1, a special issue featuring short stories created by the collected alumni of both the Writers and Artists Workshops groups from 2016, behind a cover from Jim Lee. The solicitation text for the issue reads as follows:

NEW TALENT SHOWCASE 2017 #1 Written by ERICA HARRELL, DESIRÉE PROCTOR, DAVE ACCAMPO, AARON GILLESPIE, AL LETSON, TONY PATRICK and OWL GOINGBACK Art by SAM LOTFI, MINKYU JUNG, LYNNE YOSHII, SIYA OUM, MATT MERHOFF, LALIT SHARMA and JAGDISH KUMAR Cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS That latest graduates from the DC Talent Development Workshops show off their skills in stories starring some of DC’s greatest characters. In these tales, Poison Ivy fights an ancient demon, Doctor Fate is confronted by the cost of magic, Red Hood and Duke Thomas face off in a training day simulation and so much more!

More information on DC’s Talent Development Workshop program — including updates on graduates — can be found here.

#Betting #Book #Comic #DC #Talent #Tomorrows

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flauntpage · 7 years

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Tidjan Keita Is an Intriguing Project Who's More Raw Than Bruno Caboclo

This article originally appeared on VICE Sports Canada.

Three years and change after being selected with the No. 20 overall pick in the draft, Bruno Caboclo remains as much of a "what if" as he did on draft night. What if that length portends real defensive potential? What if a nice looking shooting stroke starts to fall regularly? What if the development plan for a hyper-raw teenager, one with little professional basketball experience, was better served under the eye of an NBA team rather than a college program or international outfit?

Even as Caboclo enters his fourth season, the "what ifs" remain. What if the Raptors had done things differently? What if they had been able to develop him in the G-League initially, without burning time off of his rookie-scale deal because they didn't have their own affiliate yet? And, of course, what if it all falls into place as Caboclo inches closer to contributing, his defense nearly NBA-ready and his body looking more the part of a power forward every day?

That there are still questions can be frustrating for the impatient, to be sure. It's easy to second-guess things as Caboclo approaches his 22nd birthday, though there's still plenty of time for things to click (like his defense last season suggests they might). Even the Raptors seem to wonder if the path taken was the right one.

"I want to almost blame myself for bringing him too soon to our team," president Masai Ujiri said Tuesday. "But we wanted to see his development, and it's the price we paid. It's the price I paid. I said I wanted to see his development. It's almost like he's gone through college on our team."

Caboclo did not participate in Las Vegas Summer League this year. Still, the Raptors' roster contained a pair of interesting Caboclo-adjacent what ifs: What if there were a player even more raw than Caboclo at draft time, and what if the Raptors could do things differently with him this time around?

Enter Tidjan Keita, the almost entirely unknown 20-year-old who saw eight minutes of action with the Vegas Raptors.

To call Keita an unknown is perhaps an understatement. After entering the 2017 draft, no service other than DraftExpress had him ranked in the top-100 prospects. Even DraftExpress' player page had next to no information on him, and their internal database was just as bare. One independent scout told VICE Sports he had been told not to bother digging too deeply, because there was nothing to find beyond a couple of YouTube workout videos, anyway.

The scarcity of information is due to Keita's relative infancy as a basketball player. It was only in 2014 that he even started playing in his home of Paris, France, and after a year there, he transferred to Thetford Academy in Quebec (the same prep school Chris Boucher, now a Golden State Warrior, played at). Thetford's coaches, Igor Rwigema and Ibrahim Appiah, saw only one practice and one game while recruiting Keita, deciding that glimpse was enough to gamble on. Keita's statistics from Thetford aren't readily available, as his two years at the prep school came on a strong team focused more on bringing along his development than anything else.

In the time since, he's been living and training in Toronto with fellow Raptors summer leaguer Troy Caupain (an interesting prospect in his own right, a former three-sport track athlete with great size for the point guard position). The two have bonded quickly despite the language barrier—Keita is still learning English—spending the bulk of their time together and even attending workouts around the country together, hitting the road with their shared agent, Gary Durrant. Caupain and Keita are on drastically different points on the development curve, but they've forged a quick bond in an attempt to help make each other better.

"I never really had a brother, I'm an only child. As soon as I met him, I knew it was gonna be tough, me being English and him being French," Caupain says. "I was more in a teaching standpoint when I first got around him. I know that he is shy. You gotta get around him, get to know him more. And as I got to know him, once we got to Toronto, it was like it clicked."

Caupain understandably had more interest entering the draft as a four-year point guard who's still just 21. But at 6'10" with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, Keita's measurements alone are enough to intrigue, and so five different teams brought him in for a pre-draft workout, too. That included the Raptors, who called Keita in on short notice as an injury replacement.

His performance in that setting was enough to warrant a longer look, and the Raptors moved to bring him in for Vegas.

Keita jacking shots at Las Vegas Summer League. Photo by Blake Murphy

"You know, for him, he's an amazing story," says Raptors assistant Jama Mahlalela, who usually runs the pre-draft workouts. "He's someone who was a replacement player for one of our draft workouts. We didn't even have him tagged at that level and someone got injured or whatever it was, and he sort of shows up, and he just played with a tenacity and a ferocity that sparks your interest. His size, his length, is really impressive.

"He's super raw, but as he learns the game, there's an excitement of what he could potentially do. Because you see his ability to jump, to block shots, his length, that's special. Finding those special things is a coach's dream. And then working with it over time to develop it into a basketball player is the next step."

Catching the attention of the Raptors was step one. While he didn't get to show a ton in limited minutes, his length is obvious, and he glides effortlessly in the air. In practices and shootarounds, he shows consistent range out to the corners, has a nice one-step-in short-corner push shot, and Caupain says behind closed doors, he's coming along as a pick-and-pop threat above the break. Keita played primarily at the five even though he prefers playing the stretch-four role, but his size dictates he'll probably be a center in the modern NBA, and banging with bodies like Jalen Reynolds and Kennedy Meeks was a quick lesson in how far his body will have to come. Coaches (and one-man orientation committee Lucas Nogueira) were impressed with how Keita picked things up over the course of the two weeks, and he spent the bulk of the time with a smile on his face, embracing the challenge.

"I think it's just fun for him," Mahlalela said. "We had a practice and DeMar [DeRozan] practiced with us and played a little bit. And Tidjan got matched up with DeMar for a second. To me, that's magical, that's incredible. That's an experience that he's gonna walk away with, and that's really good."

In Keita's first action in Vegas, Caupain fed him for a dunk, a fitting nod to their relationship. He missed his only other field-goal attempt in the tournament, a three, and picked up a pair of fouls.

"I learned a lot of the game," Keita said in Vegas. "It feels good. First dunk in the NBA."

There's still a long ways to go for Keita, which is why the situation is so interesting. The comparison between he and Caboclo is perhaps unfair given that they are somewhat dissimilar players stylistically at this point, but it's an easy one to draw given the attributes that make them attractive prospects, some of the roadblocks they face at the same point, and because Caboclo is sort of the benchmark for rawness in a prospect.

"He's a guy, he's been playing basketball for three years. Like, literally. He makes Bruno look like he was far along in the process when we got Bruno," Raptors assistant general manager Dan Tolzman says. "That's not in a negative way, it's just that it's gonna take work. It's, who knows where it goes from here? He's shown enough flashes that it's kind of like, wow, for a guy who's playing for three years to get to this point in NBA summer league, it's pretty impressive."

Where Keita goes from here is an intriguing question. Normally a player this inexperienced coming out of prep school would be headed to college or an international pro team, either playing small minutes or landing in a lower division. Keita's camp wants him in North America, though, where he can continue picking up the language and learning the NBA system, and they're hopeful he can land in a situation where a team wants to continue to track his progress from up close. (There was second-round interest in Keita as a draft-and-stash pick, but Durrant was forthright that they didn't want Keita overseas.)

Where the Raptors kept Caboclo on the NBA roster for lack of a G-League affiliate at the time, Keita would seem to be a fit for development at that level, off the NBA books (the a risk of another team plucking him on a two-way contract would be minimal given his distance from the NBA at this stage). If the Raptors are interested after that extended look, they could invite him to Raptors camp and make him a G-League Affiliate Player, select him in the G-League draft, or hope he goes undrafted and add him as a local tryout player.

There are options, and it sounds as if the Raptors are at least intrigued by Quebec's latest mysterious basketball export.

"He has all the athletic tools, he's long, he's athletic. He's young, he just needs to continue to work fundamentally, learning the game, because he has all the skills," head coach Dwane Casey says. "I don't know that he's ready to be an NBA player right today, but he has all the physical skills. That jumping ability, running the floor. Most young players have to learn how to play without the ball, play with four other guys on the court, spacing, defensive rotations. All of those things will come, and he has all the tools, the size, the length to play at a high level."

Given that it's taken Caboclo three seasons to get to the precipice of potential NBA minutes, the timeline for Keita will probably be a longer one. They're not the same player, but the message will be similar: Keita will need to add plenty of size, to learn the game, the language, how to translate skills and tools into actual production, to, above all else, get minutes. If that's with Raptors 905, he'll be free from the pressures of an NBA contract, of "two years away from being two years away," and, eventually, of comparisons to Caboclo.

He's his own prospect, a unique blend of length and touch and eagerness, and as the NBA puts more and more of an emphasis on long-term player development, he might be the next big "what if."

Tidjan Keita Is an Intriguing Project Who's More Raw Than Bruno Caboclo published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

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