#julian can i see your degree in medicine

[ofhouseadama]

Obsessed with the “Kira knows what a Cardassian man who is interested acts like” and the hospital staff watching the situation unfold like “yes okay he’s saying all his lines when will the hero swoop in” 😂😂

we get so many strong examples of Hallmark Cardassian Possessiveness in DS9, both good and bad. we see Natima Lang and her fierce loyalty and devotion to her students, we see the way that Tekeny Ghemor is so full of love for his daughter even after so many years separated from her, that he can't stop from it brimming and spilling over into paternal love for Kira. we get Dukat and his possessiveness and deep creepy emotions for... well, almost every woman he comes into contact with, and his children. we see it manifest in Tain in the way he treats Garak and Mila, and the rest of the Obsidian Order to a lesser degree, as things that he quite literally owns and possesses.

as for Garak himself... I've always associated the Frankenstein quote -- "I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely imagine and rage the likes of which you would not believe. if I cannot satisfy the one, I will indulge the other" -- with him very strongly. Garak has never been allowed to satisfy the amount of love within him, or even truly explore his capacity for love. his entire existence has been shaped by Tain, and the necessity to be loyal and subservient and unquestioningly obedient to Tain. he's only ever gotten to indulge the rage. sentiment is a weakness. there's something that happens within you when your father looks you in the eye and tells you that he could never love you, that love is the greatest weakness a man can have. Garak's spent his entire life denying his nature and stunting himself in order to survive Tain.

this is a very long way of saying that Garak has an immense capacity for love and loyalty and devotion and protection and after Tain and Mila die, has nowhere to put it. and yes, yes he will point it at rebuilding Cardassia and joining whatever efforts are put forth in the creation of a progressive party and creating a new form of government, but the State can't love you back. Garak, at the end of DS9, is a Cardassian without a family. he is a Cardassian alone. more so than he ever has been -- his association with the Obsidian Order and with Tain has isolated him his entire life, and the stain follows him in this Brand New Cardassia. he has to decide who and what he is going to be. Garak has never before been afforded this luxury. I don't think he knows how

enter: Julian Bashir, Federation Disaster Relief Aid Worker

the only person who has ever truly chosen Garak. I think once Garak gets over the fear and the anxiety and lifelong training to avoid emotional entanglements and sentiment in a real way (not just by occasionally acting through impulse like letting Julian stay in the room for Tain's shri-tal and death among other things

like there's no going back, right? this is it. either he figures this out, figures out how to be in this relationship in a real, figures out that it's not fair for either of them for Julian to love him but never really know him, that this won't bury him, won't drown him, won't suffocate him in his sleep or slip poison in his tea, leave him open for attack -- Garak would be really, really good at the Husband Shit (TM)

like, Garak is the guy who's always going to come for you. those that would harm you will die screaming. he will follow you into hell and unlike Orpheus, he's never gonna look back.

and I think there's a moment when he gets the call from the hospital's chief of medicine that he hears Tain's voice in his head -- that this is it, this is Garak's one true weakness. his desire to be the hero for someone, to lovingly and willingly put his head on the chopping block for all to see. to declare openly that the way to get him to act, is to threaten this human. as if Tain hadn't made it abundantly clear that before Julian, the way to get to Garak and to get him to willingly put himself in mortal danger was to threaten Tain. as if it wasn't Tain himself, willingly dragging his son into that very mortal danger

but here's the thing, and when you get it, you finally get it

when someone loves you back, when someone really loves you in a way that is good and whole and true and the way that you love them

it makes you stronger

and so you have Garak, the fourth ranking member of the Cardassian Unionist Party and Minister of State and Senior Counselor to the Castellan, a man who is feared and whispered about and rumored to be soulless and cold and maybe guilty, but not remorseful for his actions in the old regime, the Son of Tain

walking into the Corat Damar Memorial Hospital with a dozen members of his military guard, armed to the teeth, and if he cannot satisfy the love inside him he will indulge the rage and he doesn't care who knows it. he will make sure that the Federation and Starfleet and Section 31 and whoever in the Admiralty thinks Julian is an asset and a weapon to be deployed or hurt lockered knows that

because he's been the thing that goes bump in the night. he's been the thing that has disappeared men and women and boyfriends and girlfriends and handed them over to the deep dark hole that they never crawled out of. this is not a ghost story or tale told to frighten children for him. he knows what happens after men like him get their hands on someone. he knows what comes next

it's bluster and it's not and it's a gambit and it's not when he tells the agent in charge that they have no jurisdiction here, arresting a Federation citizen on Cardassian soil without permission from the provisional Cardassian government -- and that very soon, in minutes actually, they will be committing an act of war if they try to remove Julian Bashir from these premises. it feels a bit like he's looking into a mirror when he says it, or through some kind of distortion. he's been on the other side. he knows the agent sees himself as a hero. he knows these agents see Julian as a threat to be contained for the safety of the Federation and its citizens, that it's only a matter of time before he commits a crime. that perhaps his association with Cardassia and Garak himself is evidence enough

Garak knows how this story goes, from the other point of view

and the Federation agent probably makes the mistake of thinking that this is a negotiation. to which Garak responds, "The only reason you're alive now is Dr. Bashir was untouched when we arrived. But if I am correct, that is more due the competency of the administration of this hospital than it does the way you wished to conduct this mission. Here's how this is going to go."

and anyway, yes, every member of the hospital staff within earshot and some outside of it are being very very quiet trying to make sure they don't miss anything. because they know that the moment that the people doing the disappearing get their hands on the person they're disappearing, that's it. game over. everyone go home. you're never seeing that person again.

but this shit? right out of a romance novel.

Garak's gonna have the (second, maybe third) worst adrenaline crash in his life afterwards, though

#ask #anonymous #otp: there's hope for you yet #emily watches ds9

[beanswrites]

The Arcana Scribbles, Pt. 3

Julian: *walks in with his plague mask and a jar of leeches*

Julian: Don't worry everyone, I'm a doctor!

Me:

#the arcana game #the arcana #the arcana julian #julian devorak #the arcana visual novel #julian #julian can i see your degree in medicine #i'm asking for a friend #the arcana scribbles series

[westallenfun]

Before the Hood - 1/6

For @jade4813 from @backtothestart02​ -I’m not going to lie. This gets pretty angsty pretty quickly and ends on a bittersweet note. But it’s meant to be the prequel to my Robin Hood westallen AU that I plan to write eventually (yes, this is a Robin Hood AU, you got me), and that fic will end very happily, so if you’d like, you can consider that your fic too. I hope you’re able to enjoy this fic though!

I so appreciate you as a person and a shipper and a writer. I am always so inspired by you and your talent and appreciate so much how kind you are. So I was unbelievably excited when I received your name as my giftee (you write such incredible AUs!). Hopefully you will enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it and be hopeful about what comes after instead of in a puddle of tears. I hope I can do your masterpieces some justice and that you have an amazing Christmas and holiday season!!

Merry Christmas!

…

(All of these chapters have been lightly proofread, so feel free to do a re-read once I post them to AO3 & FFnet, b/c I’m sure they’ll be in much better condition then.)

Fun Fact: I did some medieval research for this story that I did try to incorporate. (1) People were not meant to be educated unless they were upperclass/royalty/clergymen. (2) Women were rarely educated period, unless upperclass and then very little. They were expected to marry and raise children. (3) The Crusades and everything according to the Robin Hood legend that I googled I tried to incorporate to some degree, since I did keep the story set in the Middle Ages. (There’s prob more, but I can’t think of what at the moment.)

…

Chapter 1 -

Collin Woods.

A place thick with trees, alive with wildlife, and far from any central city on the map, two hundred miles away from the literal Central City. Within the woods contained the small town of the same name, the only structure cresting above the trees being the stone castle of the royals. Previously residing there was King Richard – a loyal, good king who took care of his people and flourished the town with bountiful riches and a thriving population. But within the past several months he had left the town and its people to embark on the noble quest of fighting in the Crusades. In his place, he left his younger brother, Prince John, a selfish, spoiled, adolescent fool who little by little drained the small town of its resources until the only thing rich and satisfying to the eye could be found within the castle grounds.

Many of the young men of the town had gone off to fight in the Crusades with their King. Not all could go, because work needed to be done that could not only be sustained by older men, women, and children. But some left not only for the cause itself but to escape the death trap that had become their once thriving homeland. War with all its drudgery, pain, and rate of death on the battlefield was still a welcome reprieve. To those that survived, they only hoped their king would return with them and so sustain the lands they used to call home and create a small paradise once again for themselves and those they loved.

Beside Prince John was his wise and yet often taken for granted advisor, Sir Hiss – not his actual name of course, but his natural born lisp that often affected his speech had granted him the title. The superficial prince did nothing to correct it. Since he relished as well as mocked his only true friend – if he could be called that – the name suited him in the latter case. Trained guards were at Prince John’s disposal, as well as the particularly greedy Sheriff of Collin Woods, Clifford Devoe.

Amongst the townspeople was the West family, but with the father, Joseph, and the son, Wallace, off to fight in the Crusades, and the mother, Francine, passed many years ago, the daughter, Maid Iris, was ordered by Prince John to live under the care of Sheriff DeVoe and his wife, Marlise. Iris was rarely seen after that, except for at festivals hosted by Prince John. And by one other, who she risked everything to see night after night by moonlight, hidden amongst the trees lining Silver Lake.

Barry Allen.

Bartholomew was his given name, but hardly rolling off the tongue, his best friend, Cisco – who’d also shortened his name – decided on a nick name for the young Allen. To those around him, it had stuck.

Barry was the only child of Henry and Nora Allen. The former was the only doctor in the town. He had taken a young pupil under his wing, a girl – which was most unheard of, Caitlin Snow. He’d tried to lure his son into the teachings of medicine. There were few things greater than the ability to heal, he would say. But young Barry would have none of it. And being a friend of Caitlin himself, Barry encouraged the union. There should be more than two doctors in one town, should one fall ill, heaven forbid. But it wasn’t going to be him. Most of the time when he wasn’t home, he traveled into town to offer his skills – that of repairing homes and entertaining children – as proof of his servitude. His mother, Nora, who was a seamstress to nearly everyone found this to be a great addition to the work force. And since she needed to do little to win over her husband, most of the time he relented.

But Barry didn’t spend all of his time tending to the needs of the townsfolk. His favorite pastimes were narrowed down to three: fishing with his best friend, Cisco, practicing archery from his handmade bow and arrows, and visiting Maid Iris by moonlight.

One late afternoon in June, finished with his tasks for today, Barry idly leaned against a tree and carved himself some new arrows, preparing to get some practice in. For the Crusades he would tell his father if the subject ever arose. But it hadn’t yet. Only his friends knew of his hobby, and it was kept amongst them. It was no secret Barry didn’t want to go to war.

“Hey!”

The disgruntled voice pulled Barry out of his reverie, and he saw an unamused Cisco standing inches beneath where his arrow had landed, a hole piercing his new hat as it stay pinned against the tree behind him.

Barry had the decency to blush.

“Sorry, Cisco.”

Cisco carefully pulled the arrow free and his hat with it and placed it back on his head.

“Watch it. My mother made that.”

Cisco’s mother was not the greatest seamstress – as was evidenced by the seams falling apart of the hats she made for her son, even without arrows being shot through them. But his parents looked down upon the Allen’s for Henry’s audacity to train a young girl in medicine, to educate a peasant girl whose duty it was to marry and raise children, not attempt to heal people. And also, because Barry’s parents were not stricter with him. As a result, they forbid their son from being friends with Barry – an order he ignored fervently.

“My mother could make you a new one,” Barry offered, not for the first time, as he turned his full attention to his friend.

Cisco snorted. “My mother would know. She knows she can’t sew. It has never been her talent. And if she saw how neatly the seams were sewn, she’d know where I had been.”

Barry nodded. He knew. He just couldn’t help but offer.

“Did you see Caitlin today?” Cisco asked casually, leaning against the tree beside Barry.

Barry shook his head. “I left early this morning. Ralph was off with Sue again, so he wasn’t around to watch his younger brothers and sisters. I offered my services.”

Cisco’s lips turned up in a smirk. “Of course you did.”

“It is my contribution,” Barry said, picking up another arrow and shaving down the sides so it would fly more smoothly.

“You don’t sound happy about it.”

He shrugged.

“Maybe you’re just jealous Ralph can spend time with Sue in broad daylight when you have to sneak around with Iris by moonlight.”

Barry froze, his eyes wide as he turned to look at his friend.

“What? You thought I didn’t know?”

Barry turned his body fully.

“I’m your best friend,” Cisco said, offended.

“You’re not- You didn’t- Does anyone else-”

He rolled his eyes. “Of course no one else knows. At least not because of me. I won’t tell a soul.” He paused. “At least not until you do.”

Barry snorted and returned to his arrows.

“I’ll never be able to do that,” he muttered under his breath.

“You never know,” Cisco said, softening.

Barry picked up his bow and arrow and aimed for a farther tree.

“As long as King Richard is fighting in the Crusades and Iris is cooped up with that awful Sheriff DeVoe, there’s no way we can be together openly. She’ll probably marry that awful knight Julian,” Barry said, scowling.

“I thought he’s planning to leave for the Crusades,” Cisco said, his brows fusing together.

“Not before obtaining a marriage proposal, I bet.”

“And why would the Sheriff say yes to him? He gains too much by keeping Iris locked up. He feeds off her inheritance.”

Barry lowered his bow. “Because Julian is a knight, and his father is in Prince John’s royal guard. He probably thinks Julian won’t return from the Crusades and he won’t have to worry about it.”

“But if he does return…”

“He’ll have to own up to the promise. And Maid Iris will have no choice in the matter.”

Cisco shoulders slumped, and then he gathered himself together, determined to let them not both be burdened down by this possibility.

“It might not happen,” he offered. “Julian’s thirst for war might overcome his desire for Iris.”

Barry looked at him. “It does.”

Cisco’s brows furrowed again.

“Julian wants her because I have her. It’s his petty jealousy for everything I have that is greater than his thirst for war. All the medals and glory in the world would mean nothing to him if they didn’t also crush me into the ground in the process.”

He shot off another arrow, this one recklessly into the air at a distance. Someone could trace it, find him, discover his hobby and somehow use it against him. But he didn’t care. Few things stifled his hatred for Julian Albert, son of the guard, knight in training, who gloated about all that he would receive on his return from the Crusades. More than once Barry had wanted to retort bitterly, ‘If you return.’ But he’d held his breath. He wouldn’t sink to his level.

“And what do you have that he doesn’t?” Cisco asked, though he knew at least some of what his answer would be.

“Both parents, friends, the right to choose what I want to do, and a father who is willing to bend the rules for the sake of the people.”

“And the love of Iris,” Cisco added, which made Barry’s anger finally fizzle out.

“Yes. And that.”

…

In the quiet cottage just off the edge of town, Nora Allen sat in her rocking chair and picking up a new color of yarn to add to her nearest quilt. She hummed quietly to herself, a melody to harmonize with the blue birds chirping outside the window. The sun shone through it, warming her face, and with the scent of biscuits wafting out of the oven, she knew dinner would soon be at hand. The chicken was ready, and the corn. With the prepared food would come her husband, her son, and the young girl Henry had taken under his wing, Caitlin Snow.

Caitlin was a quiet one. With long brown locks and the same purple, cotton dress she wore day after day, only changing the ribbons in her hair on occasion, Nora had taken to mothering her. She’d never had a daughter, and there was much about Caitlin that appealed to her. From her determination to chase after her dreams to her polite refusal of anything that might inconvenience anyone, Nora welcomed having her in their home and at their table. A few times she had studied her son’s interactions with her to see if there was any spark. She certainly wouldn’t mind having Caitlin officially part of their family.

But Caitlin, it seemed, was in love with a slightly older boy, Ronnie Raymond, who had gone off to fight in the Crusades. And Nora’s boy, Barry, she had begun to suspect, still fancied Maid Iris.

It was a star-crossed romance she’d hoped her son could avoid. Not because she held anything against Iris or her family, but because it would be nearly impossible for them to find happiness together in a practical sense with Iris being elevated in her father’s and brother’s absence. In addition, she knew the feelings had not been one-sided before Joseph and Wallace had left for Crusades. That made the young romance even more devastating.

But Iris lived with Sheriff DeVoe now, who was snide and arrogant and in line with that terrible Prince John who was constantly raising the taxes. She hoped Marlise DeVoe, who while loyal to her husband, didn’t appreciate his tactics, had taken Iris under her wing and protected her. Heaven only knows what kind of atmosphere existed in that house if she hadn’t.

With Prince John’s almost constant raising of taxes – and demand in paying them being more frequent – Nora worried that soon Henry would allow appointments without pay. He tried to be firm and decisive on the outside, but on the inside his love for her and his son and the townspeople had turned him to mush. After all, once Barry had made it clear he would not be following in his footsteps, Henry had sought out a pupil and had no qualms whatsoever about taking on Caitlin Snow.

The sound of the heavy wooden door being opened interrupted her thoughts, and the sound of her husband’s warm voice made the sadness of her thoughts all but disappear.

“Something smells good,” Henry said, walking through the door. “You smell that, Caitlin?” The young girl nodded beside him. “It smells wonderful.”

Nora smiled to herself, set aside her tools and yarn and walked into the entryway adjoining the kitchen.

“You’re home,” she said, to which her husband crossed the distance between them and placed a kiss on her cheek. “It smells so good.” He pulled back. “Is it biscuits?”

She nodded. “Yes. And chicken and potatoes.”

Caitlin’s eyes lit up. “You have potatoes?”

“Yes. And I’m going to mash them. Would you like to help?”

Caitlin nearly bounced up on her toes. It never ceased to amazing Nora how this girl could go from being shy to eager and excited when new opportunities presented themselves. She wondered what that meant about her home life but decided not to think on it.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” she chuckled. “Come on.” She nodded her head towards the hot pot over the fire and grabbed some pot warmers so as not to burn herself. “Grab a bowl from the bottom shelf. We’ll put them in there first.”

Caitlin did as she was told and used the large spoon to transfer the vegetable. Nora looked over her shoulder at her husband as she did so.

“Have you seen Barry today?”

“Not this morning,” he said on a sigh. “But the Dibny’s informed me he spent all morning with their rambunctious children, so he must’ve done some good today.”

“Henry.” Her voice lowered, and he reined himself in.

“I’m sorry. I know it’s a good thing what he’s doing. It’s better than just lying around this place all day. I’m glad he’s getting work in and that he’ll help out with the harvest in the fall.”

“Oh!” Caitlin interjected, spying the individual in question walking passed the distant window. “I think I see him.”

Moments later, the door opened and Barry walked in, a basket of freshly pulled carrots in his arms.

“Carrots,” Caitlin said, awe-struck by yet another delicious food being added to the menu.

“What a brilliant idea, Barry. Thank you for thinking of it,” his mother said.

He forced a smile that matched his father’s until Henry felt the glare his wife was delivering to the back of his head.

“I thought it might…add something,” Barry added lamely, avoiding his father’s gaze.

“I talked to the Dibny’s earlier today,” Henry said, pushing bitter feelings behind him for the sake of the meal and the company. “It sounds like you were very helpful to them this morning.”

Barry looked at him, then glanced at his mother and Caitlin and knew he had to do something to release the tension.

“Well, someone had to be, what with Ralph running off with Sue just as his brothers and sisters were waking up.”

Henry softened, a proud smile gracing his features.

“I’m glad you stepped up, son.” He gripped his shoulder. “It’s good to know what’s important in life and not go running after a lass before you’ve found your place.”

He glanced over at Caitlin.

“Nothing against you, of course, Caitlin.”

She grinned sardonically.

“Of course not. I’m special.”

Barry shook his head at the comment, but it had the whole family laughing, and so the tension was broken.

…

Night descended over Collin Woods about an hour after dinner. Caitlin had returned home, promising to meet Henry at his clinic the next day as early as she could. He promised to bring food with him and Nora insisted she come home with Henry for dinner again. Caitlin was reluctant to make that promise, so she just smiled as a goodbye and waved her hand on the way out. Barry watched her from the front window and thought about the impact she made on their home. He was glad to have her in his life, and glad even more so that she’d provided an escape for him from his father’s profession. But he worried some about her home life. Whenever he saw her about in town, there was no light in her eyes. She looked sullen, almost like a young child. And he saw the tight grip her mother always had on her even though she was three years into adulthood at age fifteen. It just made him more aware of the destruction Prince John had brought upon their little town.

Barry lay in bed until he could hear his parents’ snores drifting down the hall. Deeming it safe to slip out, he pushed open his window and carefully climbed over the ledge to the other side. He closed it after he’d landed in the grass, keeping it open a crack so he wouldn’t have difficulty going in, and then slinked away from his home, taking off as fast as one of his arrows as soon as he’d reached the cluster of trees thickening like a swarm of flies on the way to Central Pond.

He got to the edge of the water, looked up and saw some hazy clouds crossing over the moon. He worried for a moment that she wouldn’t come. They had always said that if it was a cloudy night, maybe it was a sign they shouldn’t meet up that night, that there was somehow a better likelihood of them being caught, even if logically that didn’t make sense. They should be harder to see with no grand moonlight making figures known amongst the trees.

But he didn’t have to worry long. Because mere moments later, a tap came on his shoulder, and he nearly fell into the water because of it.

“Barry!” she quietly shrieked, pulling him back by the fabric of his shirt, and then dissolving into a fit of giggles when she did. Putting a hand over her mouth, she tried to compose herself. “I’m sorry.”

He was flushed, breathing heavily for a few moments, but then a silly grin stretched across his face.

“No apology needed,” he said, then took her hand and led her away from the water into the woods. “I was afraid you wouldn’t come.”

“So was I,” she said. “The clouds were so much thicker from my bedroom window.” She came to a stop and held both of her hands in his, swinging a little on the balls of her feet. “But I thought I’d make a try for it. It’s been so long since I’ve seen you.”

In truth it had been two days, and the only reason they hadn’t met up was because of storms, rain that poured hard and for hours. But it still felt like an eternity. Every moment apart felt like a lifetime.

“I know,” he said, intertwining their fingers together. “It’s been forever.”

He couldn’t wait any longer. He pulled on her hands with his own, instantly bringing her closer, and met her lips with a sudden kiss. She melted into it, and so did he. His arms moved to settle on her waist as hers wrapped around his neck. And for a while they stood there in the filtered moonlight, just ignoring the world around them.

“Oh, Barry,” she murmured, eventually pulling back enough to lay her head on his chest. He swayed them gently. “I wish it could be like this forever.”

He rested his cheek on the top of her head and shut his eyes, listening to the sway of her long dress in the night breeze.

“So do I.”

“I dream at night about us, you know.”

He smiled to himself. “You do?”

“Well, don’t you?” She lifted her head to look up at him.

“Of course, Iris. I dream about you even when I’m not sleeping. I almost shot Cisco with an arrow today because I was so distracted dreaming of you.”

Her eyes sparkled. “You wouldn’t have hit him.”

“I don’t know…I was pretty distracted.”

“You never miss,” she said. “Not even when you’re distracted.”

“I might’ve made an exception for Julian,” he joked lightly.

She smirked. “I might’ve let you.”

He didn’t know if her not liking Julian any more than he did made their situation even more tragic, but he decided he liked it. Better the knight not be his competition when it came to Iris’ heart. In any other way, he could deal, even if he didn’t want to, but if he was unsure about where her heart lie, he was sure he would die.

“Come on,” he said, stepping back enough to just hold her hand. “I want to show you something.”

Iris bit her bottom lip and ran with him through the woods until they came to a large tree. She stopped before he did and looked up at the spectacle before them.

“It’s amazing,” she said, awestruck.

“It’s old,” he responded. “And probably shouldn’t be climbed on.” He bent down to pick something off the grass just around the old oak. “But it’s unlike any other tree in the whole forest, and I think we should make it our own.”

He came back to her and handed her a rock, sharp and narrow at the end. She looked at it strangely and met his eyes with a quizzical expression.

“What are you thinking, Barry?”

He grinned and pulled her to the large, oak tree. Then she watched as he used his own rock to painstakingly carve his initials into the wood. He made a small cross beneath it and stepped back. He glanced at her when she didn’t move.

“Your turn,” he said.

Excitedly, though she tried to contain herself, Iris stepped forward and carved her own initials in. Then, without any prodding, she drew a large heart around their letters and stepped back, looking at their masterpiece proudly.

“I love you, Iris,” he said, softly, and she turned to find him staring at her, so much love in his eyes. She didn’t doubt his declaration for a second.

“I love you, too, Barry,” she returned, taking both his hands in hers as they’d been before.

“I don’t know how long we can be like this,” he admitted. “But I’m going to treasure every moment.” He brought their clasped hands to his heart and held them there. “You’re my home, Iris. And that’s one thing that will never change.”

Her heart aflutter, and all words fallen away from her memory, she smiled softly in response. Then she tilted her face up, closed her eyes, and waited for him to kiss her.

#the flash #westallen secret santa #westallen #barry allen #iris westallen #iris west #backtothestart02 #fanfic #fanfiction #the flash fanfiction #submission

[nflfanpointii]

40 is the new 35 when it comes to NFL quarterbacks like Tom Brady and Drew Brees

Back in the day, it was less common for quarterbacks to excel past their mid 30’s. Sure, there was Warren Moon, Vinny Testaverde, Brett Favre, Kurt Warner, and John Elway. But that short list is dwarfed by a painfully longer one filled with Hall of Fame quarterbacks who seemed to crap out well short the 40 year marker.

Even these all time greats experienced precipitous drop offs in their mid to late 30’s. For Roger Staubach, Steve Young and Fran Tarkenton, it came at 37. For Bart Starr, Jim Kelly, Dan Marino and Dan Fouts, 36. For Johnny Unitas, George Blanda, Bob Griese, Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw, 35. For Otto Graham, Joe Namath, and Troy Aikman, 34.

This makes it all the more amazing that so many older quarterbacks are still playing at an elite level in today’s NFL. There might very well be five to seven future Hall of Famers starting in the league right now. Tom Brady and Drew Brees are officially in their 40’s. Philip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger are both 36. Aaron Rodgers is 34 and Matt Ryan is 33; and both signed extensions in the past couple years at times in their careers when former quarterbacks usually retired.

It’s true, quarterbacks are more protected by the rules of the NFL than ever before, and this certainly has played a part in their new found longevity. In 1978, the league restricted contact between defensive backs and receivers to within five yards of the line of scrimmage. This resulted in a dramatic increase in passing attempts per game, which in turn suddenly made the quarterback position more valuable.

Since 1993, quarterbacks could simply escape the pocket and throw a pass out of bounds without incurring an intentional grounding penalty. This made it harder for pass rushers to get to them before they got rid of the ball, therefore avoiding a sack or quarterback hit.

Roughing the passer penalties have become more and more common as the definition has broadened to include late hits, forcible hits below the knee, hitting the helmet, and landing on the quarterback with one’s own body weight.

Last year, former Packers linebacker Clay Matthews was flagged twice for roughing the passer while making what seemed to be perfectly executed sacks. Ironically, it was probably a hit on Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers the previous season that may have led to the rule change that cost the Packers two victories a season later.

One would think that with these modern day quarterbacks dropping back more times throughout a game than ever before, their careers would be shorter, not longer. That’s why I think there’s more to it than the implementation of more rules that inherently protect the quarterback.

Because they played before GMO’s and modern day fast food chains, many old school players of the past had access to better food. But that doesn’t mean they took full advantage of their timely access to healthier lives. Joe Namath smoked cigarettes on the sidelines for god’s sake.

I doubt they were paying attention to the pH of their foods like Tom Brady or paying upwards of $200K a year like James Harrison did on therapy treatments like massage and acupuncture. The modern day athlete has to be almost obsessive in their quest for success. Talent alone won’t cut it anymore if you want to stick around in today’s NFL.

Extremely strict diets, fitness, and recovery programs have taken the place of binge eating like Babe Ruth, snorting cocaine like Diego Maradona, and binge drinking like Lawrence Taylor. The two oldest current quarterbacks in the NFL also happen to keep two of the strictest diet and fitness regimens across all sports.

Drew Brees has been working with Todd Durkin in San Diego, CA since his days with the Chargers. Brees loves working with Durkin every offseason. “Whenever I come back for the summertime to get in the best shape of my life for training camp, he’s always got something new or a few new things that make me feel like we’re way ahead of everybody else.”

What’s interesting to me, however, is that even though Brees isn’t Durkin’s biggest, fastest, or most agile athlete, he may have benefited the most simply because he’s willing to work harder than everyone else. And that’s saying a lot considering Durkin’s vast client list also includes Carson Palmer, Aaron Rodgers, Darren Sproles, LaDainian Tomlinson, Mark Sanchez, Alex Smith, Brandon Cooks, Reggie Bush, Charles Tillman, Zach Ertz, John Brown, Dontrelle Inman, Malcom Floyd, Ryan Griffin, Chase Daniel, Sean Canfield, Josh Freeman, and my fellow Saints Ignatius College Prep alumnus, Igor Olshansky.

”Drew Brees, first and foremost, is a special person. I will probably not have the opportunity to work with a guy like that in the next 20 years. His concentration and focus are amazing, and he works extremely hard. He’s not the biggest guy or the fastest guy, but he’s going to beat you with his athleticism, his smarts and because he’s such a competitor. I don’t care what it is, the dude wants to win at anything. He’s always restless and never satisfied,” said Durkin.

Brees is absolutely methodical in his training and game preparation. “I know where I’m going to be at a specific time,” he says. “I know what I’m going to be doing; I know what needs to be accomplished for me to feel confident and go out there and play at the highest level.”

His focus has shifted from the archaic meathead approach to training he learned in college at Purdue to a more functional and efficient approach. “I think maybe those [exercises] served the purpose at the time.” Drew says. “But now I’ve wised up to the things that I need to do in a position-specific and functional fitness kind of way to benefit me as a quarterback.”

If you have 30 minutes to kill, watch this video of Brees’ workouts with Durkin.

I’ve been a fitness trainer and instructor for 12 years and I’m telling you, Durkin is the real deal. I love his approach to fitness. I stopped lifting heavy weights years ago and have focused more on agility ladder work, TRX training, yoga, and generally maximizing my strength and endurance gains while also minimizing sheering forces on my joints, tendons, and ligaments.

Tom Brady takes his fitness protocol in an even more holistic, and dare I say, Eastern direction. He and his trainer/business partner Alex Guerrero founded the TB12 training facility next to Gillette Stadium in 2013. Guerrero, though highly controversial, isn’t a total quack in my opinion.

Of course claiming his supplements could curemultiple sclerosis, AIDS, concussions, and other diseases with no shred of testing or evidence based proof was incredibly disingenuous and downright dangerous. Settling with multiple investors out of court for defrauding them is no better either.

But I have to hand it to him: he has kept Tom Brady in phenomenal shape to survive and thrive in the NFL past the age of 40. Guerrero earned a Masters Degree in traditional Chinese medicine from a school in LA that closed after losing its’ accreditation. He is not a physical therapist and does not hold any Western degrees that would qualify him to do a lot of the work he does with his clients.

Yet, Guerrero is highly respected and retained by many professional athletes including Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, Wes Welker, Danny Amendola, Willie McGinest, Jimmy Garoppolo, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Chris Hogan. Instead of focusing on lifting huge weights and tearing muscle fibers, Guerrero prescribes more body weight moves and exercises with resistance bands that are designed to increase the muscles’ “pliability.”

Brady often sees Guerrero twice daily and receives intensely specific massages in which he tenses the muscles while Guerrero massages them. The goal is to lengthen the muscles and increase their flexibility so that Brady can withstand the weekly car crash that is an NFL football game.

The other main focus is to reduce inflammation in the body by maintaining a strict diet. Brady does not eat white flour, white sugar, MSG, iodized salt, coffee, caffeine, alcohol, fungus, dairy, nightshade vegetables and most types of fruit. This diet may sound strange, but it’s most likely derived from the Ayurvedic tradition which is over 5,000 years old and trusted throughout Asia as much as we trust Western medicine.

The part where Brady and Guerrero lose me is by making sweeping statements like everyone should drink 25 glasses of water a day, or eat this exact diet, or that everyone needs to consume TB12 branded electrolytes or wear TB12 branded muscle recovery pajamas.

I’m not 6’4” and 230lbs; I’m 5’6” and 130lbs, so I don’t need more than 65 ounces of water a day, unless Tom wants me to get hyponatremia and die of brain damage. Don’t just replicate a professional athlete’s diet and fitness regimen. These have been specially tailored to them. If you work for Google and sit at a desk for eight hours a day, you probably shouldn’t eat and drink exactly what Tom Brady does.

It’s okay to be skeptical too. Brees isn’t much more trust-worthy with his shameful peddling of Advocare products. It’s important to rely on evidence-based research conducted by independent bodies without a financial stake in the products they test. Even more important, think for yourself and do your own research before listening to athletes that have a financial stake in the health philosophies they are sharing with the public.

If you aren’t hip to eating according to your Ayurvedic dosha (My dosha is roughly 70% Pitta, 20% Vata, 10% Kapha) like Brady seems to, you can go the Western route and still learn something about how to function at a higher level, no matter what your lifestyle is. Drew and Brittney Brees got food sensitivity blood tests done back in 2004. That’s when Brees found he had significant sensitivities to gluten, dairy, and certain nuts.

“As you can imagine, I was shocked because I was consuming most of these things every day. And just to think how long I’ve had these sensitivities and had continued to feed them. Guys coming in fresh out of college are used to going to the training table and eating and drinking whatever they’re given.”

“In many cases, I see myself as a veteran player – pulling those young guys aside and, as part of teaching young players how to be a pro, talking to them about their diet, their sleep habits and their recovery. They’ll start to ask questions like, ‘Hey Drew, what do you do?’ That’s when I explain to them that I use coconut milk and almond milk products.”

It’s not just Brees’ direct teammates like Reggie Bush, Sean Canfield, Chase Daniel, Brandin Cooks, and Ryan Griffin who have followed his lead when it comes to diet and fitness. “It took the fourth or fifth time hearing, ‘You need to do this,’ and then reading about Drew Brees and Tom Brady and others who are your peers doing it,” Kirk Cousins said. “I realized, ‘If I want to hang with these guys, then it’s time to stop playing around.’”

18 of the 32 quarterbacks starting in the NFL are over 30 years old, and by September that list will grow to 21 with the 30th birthdays of Cam Newton, Tyrod Taylor, and Andrew Luck. Even though five quarterbacks were drafted in the first round last year, there’s a good chance less than a third of the starting quarterbacks in the league will be younger than 30 years old.

40 might be the new 35, and it’s not just because of some changes in the rules. Players are spending highly on optimizing their health and performance through a multitude of practices both new and incredibly old. Cousins is right, it’s time to stop playing around.

#saints #new orleans saints #nfl #nola no call #mission miami #csc.com

[theautumnarchive]

Dysphoria can suck it

This past week, I've been really struggling with dysphoria. A huge part of transitioning, at least for me, has been dealing with this constant nagging voice in the back of my head that tells me I'm lying or that I'll never really be a man. It's one of those things that you can say is a result of society's views of the trans community or something like that, but having some rational explanation for it doesn't make that voice any quieter. On Thursday, I came out to everyone at work. I posted a big thing on Facebook the week prior - which was really nerve-wracking, but turned out overwhelmingly positive - so a lot of my co-workers already knew, but there are a handful of older guys who are decidedly not Facebook friends of mine. My boss and I decided that the best way to get this over with was to have a nonmandatory meeting at the end of the day. All day long, I'm freaking out about this meeting. There's only one person who I think will react badly - he's a Vietnam vet, a proud trump supporter, known to be very anti-lgbtqa+ - and I am dreading it. It turns out, though, that I never needed to worry about him. Instead, it was friendly fire that destroyed me. The maintenance man is an older dude who looks a touch like Red Green and has a proud dad vibe every time I finish a carpentry project at work. I love this guy; he's absolutely one of my favorite people at work. When I see him on Thursday, he says that he's heard I'd like to be called something else now and asks what it is. The other maintenance man asks why I'm changing it and Red says, "because that's what he wants to be called." Hell yeah, right? I'm elated. Brian is with me and he's amazed and thrilled for me. I almost forget about the meeting later because, if Red is unquestionably on-board, then that's pretty damn good. But, I felt too safe. A friendly debate about whether men can have vaginal bacteriosis went south pretty quickly when I tried to explain that some men can, indeed, because having a vagina doesn't necessarily make you a woman. I'm living proof, right there in front of him, and he's acknowledged my pronouns and defended them to his co-worker. Evidently, though, his support of me and his approval of the concept in blunt terms are not a package deal. What started as an amusing story from Brian quickly devolved into Red telling us that, "it doesn't matter what you think you feel like. If you have a vagina, you are not a man." Ladies and gentlemen, having people that I care about feel their heart of hearts that I am not and will never be a man has been my utmost fear with this process. Having someone I care about say that they support me and then adamantly telling me to my face that "what I think I feel like" is wrong because I don't have the requisite parts is soul-crushing. This situation was made all the more devastating by the presence of Brian - sweet, supportive, wonderful Brian - who doesn't know how to react and whom I have been afraid to tell that I am stupid in love with because I'm worried he will say the exact thing that Red just said. Unfortunately, on our way to the fort to find Red, I did tell him (a half-truth, because I couldn't get the word love out), and he doesn't feel the same. That would have been alright, honestly, but now I am just hearing Red say that over and over and my brain jumps into overdrive and tells me, "hey, you know why he doesn't like you back... He doesn't think you're a man, either." Cue panic. Brian and I took our lunch breaks because we'd put in a lot of work ripping out the walkway to the fort already and it's over a hundred degrees outside with the humidity and all the while I'm trying to regulate my breathing and not cry in front of these people. When we got to the building where our lunch breaks usually are, my brain just shut down. I held that panic down for as long as I could, but walking into the Messer House was like running out of batteries. I had just enough energy to get an ice pack for my neck, and then I walked into the ballroom and laid down on the floor in the corner and cried. I cried and cried and cried and my breath was choppy and my muscles were tensing and I couldn't stop thinking and that's how Brian found me. You guys, I appreciate this guy so much for sitting there with me and trying to distract me and calm me down and eventually just laying there next to me so people wouldn't ask what I was doing, but my panic brain wasn't having it. Eventually all I could hear was Red's words coming out of Brian's mouth. I just shattered, right there on the floor at work, dressed like a 1700s carpenter, dehydrated and covered in sweat and dirt and tears and snot, laying next to my best friend who is doing his absolute best to keep me safe and sane. I eventually told him why Red's choice of words was so especially upsetting. I know he felt awful, but I'm not upset with him if he feels that way. He's entitled to be attracted to whatever he likes, and that's fine, but, again, rational logic doesn't quiet the little voice. Brian stayed with me all day at work after that. We went to see Marlena in the Spanish House so I could get my phone and text Julian, which helped, because Julian knows everything and has been there before. Brian sat next to me at the meeting at the end of the day and made eye contact every time I looked in his direction so I could stay calm. When Red walked in, I tapped Brian's elbow and he pushed it out so I could drum my fingers on it until I calmed down again. The meeting was fine, all told, but I was so on edge that my voice wavered at the end and I almost cried. The rest of the day was a weird haze. We played through this epic battle in the D&D group, but it was so hard to focus and I just wanted to sleep. The next day was the real kicker, though. I woke up from a nightmare where I killed my brother's baby (thank you, cymbalta) and my body was so sore from tensing up that I could barely move my arms. I sat around useless for a few hours until I got the energy to shower, which actually helped. But then I had to get dressed. I didn't want to wear a binder because my chest was sore, but having to wear a sports bra was upsetting, so I put a tank top over it, but my chest is too big, and I saw myself in the mirror and got so frustrated with my reflection that I broke down. I threw on a bunch of layers and drove to town to call my mom and find Julian, because he told me that if I was still feeling terrible that he'd come over and we could watch a movie. Mom helped a little - although she had a lot of family news that made me sad, but it didn't trigger my panic - but I should've just stayed on the phone with her. I finally got in touch with J only to have him say that he wasn't up to hang out. Y'all, I was a mess that day, and I needed him, and I couldn't handle that text. Hating yourself for what you look like and what parts you have is awful, but adding in that one of your best friends can't be bothered to be there for you is devastating. I'm not sure if it's sadder to break down on the floor of the Messer House or in my car in the parking lot of Publix, but neither of them are experiences I'd like to repeat. But, y'all, there is always a light in the darkness. I don't know what higher power is responsible for putting Brian on this earth and in my life, but holy crap, thank you. This poor guy babysat me for an entire day after that conversation with Red only to have me text him the next day, right when he's getting off work, asking him to "please talk me off the ledge." I dumped out everything messing me up and he sat there in the grass next to me in the Waffle House parking lot getting roasted by the sun and eaten my mosquitos until I calmed down. Pecan waffles are pretty good medicine, too. After that, I went home and resolved to be better. Dysphoria sucks and eats at you, but you have to move past it. You have to find something to do or someone to talk to so you aren't thinking about it or so that you can address it in a constructive way. Brian is my guardian angel, but he's also a person with his own problems and stress and needs, and the best way I can show him how much I appreciate his support is by getting better. There will be people for the rest of my life who tell me that I'm not a man. Maybe Brian will be one of those people, although he would never tell me that or say it out loud. Maybe. But it doesn't matter. I know what I am. I know who I was always supposed to be and who I am becoming. This journey is long and arduous and stressful, but it is worth it. For every person who wants to tear me down, there are two who are proud and excited for me. My mother loves me, my brothers are happy for me and weren't surprised. My friends back home in Louisiana and in Kansas were all excited and supportive. My undergrad professors sent me really sweet messages of encouragement. The people I love here have been amazing from the start. Who cares about the people who don't want to learn or who spew hate or try to tear you down? The people who matter have my back.

#dysphoria #long post #Oh boy my bad #coming out #I don't know #I hope if people are reading this that it helps some of you #if y'all are struggling I am here for you

[forevermagik]

Worldbuilding June Day 16

Magic! Oh man can I talk about magic all day! Like... really... I can... so buckle your seatbelts and prepare for this ride!

Magic used to be intrinsic on Tyrysius, and even now, though magic is not nearly as prevalent, it’s still a very real deal on Tyrysius and everything somehow manages to relate back to magic. 

Population of the planet: ~300,000,000

Percentage of fully-fledged mages: 1 in 1000. So about 300,000 on the whole planet.

Of the remaining ~299,700,000 people on the planet: probably only 1 in 10,000 of them have not a single drop of magic at all. 

Everyone else has some degree of magic. Even if it’s only enough to produce a really clear image on a telestone, or they can light candles but that’s it, or they have faster-than-average reflexes. 

You’ll see lots of small time mages that are good at one or two particular things. Say they happen to be really good at making shields, or their telekinesis is unrivaled. Something.

Magic is hard on Tyrysius. It requires a massive amount of energy to come from the caster, or for some sort of material to share the cost. Magic is gritty. Even healing isn’t nice and clean. 

A mage’s power level is pretty set, not counting power fluctuations during puberty. Children might seem to have more power, but it’s usually a lack of control, they meant to light the candle, but instead lit the curtains. Divine intervention can, of course, change this. Regardless of the amount of juice a mage has, the longer they live, the more control they get in the areas they can and do practice. Fully-fledged elf mages over 500 years old are scary. Fully-fledged elf mages over 1000 years old are scarier. 

Mages can always tell if another mage is nearby if they bother to look. However, lesser presences can go unnoticed in the presence of other magics nearby. The ability to sense magical auras is an art worth refining. With enough looking, mages can sense magical workings, pinpoint magical constructs, and other similar conventions.

[For example, Rinnie can see the shield over Berthingtonn with only a little extra effort. When she starts actively searching for magical auras in general, the shield is a constant thing around her.]

Elemental magic is one of the most obvious manifestations of magic. Pyromancy is the magic of fire. Hydromancy is the magic of water. Aeromancy is the magic of air. Tyrnamancy (named after Tyrysius) is the magic of the earth. Cryomancy is the magic of cold and freezing. Thermomancy is the magic specifically of heat and warmth. Though the term cryomancy is used when ice is involved, thermomancy is disappearing in favor of simple pyromancy. Astrapimancy is the magic of electricity. Some people can only tap into one element. Among those people, some mages are stronger than others. Other people can utilize multiple elements, to varying degrees of intensity. 

[Rinnie is really good at pyromancy. She’s also good at hydromancy and is working on her astrapimancy. Julian is purely a pyromancer.] 

There are also magics like fosimancy-the magic of light, skotamancy-the magic of darkness (this one isn’t very common anymore actually), dynamancy-the magic of force. These magics in general are less common because people don’t put practice into them due to them being highly specialized and therefore other types of magic (and thus expenses of energy) can be used to make close approximations. 

Backing up a little though, elementals inherently can use some of their element’s magic. Or something really close to it anyway. A lot of elementals are mages, but some aren’t. Some are actually really powerful mages and can achieve spells and types of magic well beyond things that relate to their element. 

[Zeh’ave, for example, though she is very good at spells involving air and lightning (a permutation of air and fire), can also do strict pyromancy as well as other spells like telekinesis and object-summoning.]

Healing magic is called theramancy. Theramancers aren’t terribly common. Only fully-fledged mages can be theramancers (though not all choose to.) But there are enough of them to create a “There’s Always a Healer” mentality. People are thus much less concerned about small injuries. I’ll get more into this tomorrow with medicine. Interestingly, Berthingtonn only has half a dozen theramancers and they are highly aware of their own shortage. The University of Himmelmauer has the highest-ranked theramancers in the world. All theramancers in Edanshe have to go to medical school through the military, so the doctors can be called upon at any point for wartime. Like I was saying earlier, healing is gritty. Theramancy forces the body to go through the healing process much faster than it was prepared to do. Things like bullets can get sealed inside if they’re not removed before the theramancer closes the wound. Oftentimes, it’s best if a theramancer works alongside a non-magical doctor so mistakes like this don’t get made.

Necromancy is not generally practiced in most civilizations. That said, no one’s going to stop a battle mage from inflicting a pain spell or using a spell that functions like a knife wound. Raising corpses on the battlefield is really hard and impractical.

Psychomancy is a complicated area. Telepathy is common practice among mages. Mage couples and families will often have entire conversations in their heads for an extra degree of privacy and it takes as much effort as talking, so why not? Legally speaking, telepathic conversations are treated as private conversation and cannot be brought into court as evidence as anything more than hearsay. Mind-reading is generally frowned upon, though that doesn’t stop psychologists from doing it in certain situations anyway. Forcibly going into someone’s mind and changing the way they think is illegal in most countries--but not Perinathia and Eswaisil. 

Illusions and glamours happen. I wouldn’t consider it common, but making something appear as something it’s not does indeed happen. There’s not really a true invisibility spell, more like a blending-in spell. The thing about illusions is that all it takes is a stronger mage to see through it and break it down if they so choose. 

Personal shields are common. Most mages if they have the juice will learn how to make one just as a matter of personal safety. Shields can be anything from a small quarter-dome of solidified air and magic to a fully anchored-to-the-ground globe surrounding the caster and others surrounding them if they choose. The shields can be used to repel magical and/or physical attacks. In order for it to stop all sorts of attacks, the shield has to have an elemental component, and a spiritual component. 

A shield to cover a whole battalion, or even something as small as a squadron is nearly impossible. Once they start getting that big, they require large amounts of mages with crystals and whatnot for augmentation. 

On a larger scale, we have the shields around entire towns in Schmiedland, Perinathia, the Yurels, etc. To include the giant shields over cities like Himmelmauer, Shaddrach, and Haedleign. And then there’s Berthingtonn’s legendary shield...

There’s also circles and wards. Circles can be created to keep some sort of energy or physical mass in, or the same things out. Wards can let the caster know when someone’s crossed it, prevent the person from crossing a threshold to begin with, and similar manners of things. Additionally, there are spells to muffle conversations or make it seem like the conversation is something else (such spells use a bit of illusory magic.) 

Telekinesis is the magic of moving things with your mind. Mages can use telekinesis to carry heavy things or make backpacks seem lighter. Ironically, however, if the backpack is on their own back, the spell will take more energy than it would to just lug the weight of a backpack. Mages in the military have been known to put up a telekinesis spell to lighten others’ packs in exchange for not carrying one of their own, however. 

[Rinnie uses telekinesis frequently. Not the bit about backpacks, but having suitcases trail behind her with a mixture of telekinesis and maybe aeromancy for additional steering and control. Whenever she does her gunsmithing, she has the tools hover in front of her face so she never has to touch anything hot.] 

Teleportation is illegal in most societies. It’s also highly dangerous and that’s why it’s illegal. If not careful, the teleporting mage can splice themself into a building, or another person--instantly killing all involved. Civilized countries have realized this and put laws in place. Granted, it’s hard to catch someone teleporting and often the punishment for teleporting is miscalculating where they’re going and they end up dead anyway.  

A loophole to this, however, is if a mage has the juice and the inclination, they may summon small belongings of theirs to them on a whim over short distances. This spell must be highly refined and practiced frequently, however. Powerful enough elementals will do this to keep their belongings intact after they’ve dissipated. 

Stasis spells are useful for keeping flowers “blooming” for longer periods of time, or keeping evidence in it’s current state before examination, etc. They’re incredibly useful. Certain medically-induced comas involve stasis so that the body doesn’t deteriorate before it can be seen. However, it requires a lot of theramancy to achieve. 

Time travelling is not achievable. Time slowing and hastening is, but after seeing what it can do when compounded over many years and people (generally soldiers) are dying faster because they spent so much time on the battlefield being hastened, the practice fell out of vogue. 

Summoning magic is something that many mages can do, but most fully-fledged or otherwise powerful mages choose not to because there are other things they could be using the energy for. Mages who are strictly summoners are in high demand to summon spirits to power spiritech. 

Oracles aren’t very common at all. Within the 300,000 fully-fledged mages, ~30 of those are oracles. ~10 of them will be fully functional people with little issues. Oracles are very likely to go bonkers. Often they will die in infancy. Even more will die during teenage suicide. If they make it past that, they’re either going to be bonkers in a good way or a bad way. The older an oracle gets, the better coping mechanisms they have. Countries like to track and horde their oracles. Oftentimes, oracles will end up working for the military or the government. 

Though the combustion engine has been created, airplanes are still powered entirely by magic. Fighter aircraft are usually controlled by an astrapimancer or two. When Killian was a pilot in the military, he flew the aircraft while two astrapimancers powered it. Aircraft powerers are generally mages who didn’t have the juice to be a full battle mage or a battle mage pilot. They usually specialize in astrapimancy because that’s where the quick aircraft are. Mages who can’t specialize in astrapimancy, but instead say, pyromancy, end up working on bigger ships with bigger engines. 

Battle Mages are terrifying beings. They are fully-fledged mages or at least something close. They learn all they can about of the art of destructive magic and also the art of supporting magic. There is specific training dedicated to “this is how you kill, and if you see a mage on the other side, you better make that mofo a target.” Mages will go for the other mages and entire battles can be lost or won depending on what went down between the mages. A lot of what combat mages do is cancel each other out. Spells, counterspells, and things like that. Battle mages have to be able to think really quickly and have fast reflexes. They have to protect the troops while also get past the mage who’s doing the exact same thing on the other side. Full-fledged mages tend to be officers. One element people can show up everywhere.

Battle Mage Pilots are worse than terrifying. These guys are the guys who can power their engines, cast spells while travelling 600kts in the air, and still do everything else in the plane. They’re utilizing communication and conventional weapons, too. They’re the most dangerous guys on the battlefield. As soon as one notices that something is wrong with another mage’s shields, that weakness is getting attacked by whatever can be thrown at them. 

[The Queen of Schmiedland has enough juice to have become a Battle Mage Pilot, but her airsickness case prevented her from becoming an effective pilot. She moved to a “ground” job on the big battleships in the ocean as a Battle Mage/Commander there.]

Most magitech is created in a way that allows everyone, even the people who don’t have an ounce of juice in their blood, to use. Most runes to enhance weapons enhance the weapon and not the person, so they’re usable. (Though there are some personalization runes that do require the user to have some magic.) 

Runes in general aren’t really magitech. They’re simply enhancing enchantments that has a physical object as a focus and a driver. Runes can be for protection, for small enchantments like making a gun keep from overheating, or keeping a coat from staining. 

Telestones are created to be used by everyone. People with less magic have fuzzy images in greys and sepias. People with more magic can refine the size of the projection, make it clearer, make it in full color, etc. If one person in a conversation is a powerful mage, they can enhance the connection on the other end if they think about it. 

City shields are managed by engineers magical and not. 

Targeting systems in aircraft and military vehicles will have the standard sights, but then mages will have the option of projecting a holosight in front/around them, if they choose to expend the energy. 

Alchemists are an in-between sort of mage. They have juice, but their “magic” is best expressed in the enchanting and imbuing of potions, serums, medicines, poisons, and bombs. Most countries require you have an “Alchemists Licence” to practice their craft and sell their wares since there are so many things that can go into alchemy. Mica’s family takes great pride in the tried and trueness of their recipes. 

Alchemy works alongside other magic. In medicine, alchemists are able to make personalized prescriptions for patients at the doctor’s request. Alchemists in the military are good at whipping things together quickly. Sometimes their creations are sanctioned, other times they’re squashed. Many merchant families with alchemists (including several Dwarf Trading Clans) will sell alchemical creations alongside more conventional ones. Mica’s family in particular has several alchemists and thus they have a lot more alchemy than the average merchant. 

Alchemy isn’t as gritty as magic in some regards. It can produce pretty miraculous results and much of true alchemy does have an actual affect on the body. Of course, many “alchemists” will sell placebo wares and make a lot of money off it. Barring that, alchemy is a great bridge when there isn’t a mage nearby. Alchemy can also be achieved with less energy expended because there are so many ingredients to share the cost. 

Divine magic is the one type of magic that seems effortless to the various beings on the planet. That’s because the gods have vastly more amounts of magic than the average person. Still, many gods will feel large expenses of power. Divine magic is magic on the large scale. Berthingtonn’s Wall and Shield were Divine in nature. Portal bags were achieved through divine magic, because an interdimensional bag that can move around but hold way more than it should is not something that the average wizard could create today. 

Divine intervention is generally believed to be something that happens infrequently these days. However, there are several instances of it on Tyrysius if you know where to look.

Astrals, every one of them from the kid who’s great-great-great-great-great-great-great-granddad was someone’s angel and she’s just so happened to spout a couple of traits, to the halfsie who’s mom is literally a demon and he’s got a lot of demonic traits roaring around in him. These are the people that others look to for answers about the gods. Even the ones who do eventually ascend to full angels or demons don’t have the answers. Or if they get them they don’t share. All astrals can utilize some sort of divine or extraplanar magic--sometimes they just don’t know how they do it. Some astrals end up being very powerful mages, some are just assholes who can do a lot of little things with no effort expended, and some are low-time mages whose magic only works the way they want it to sometimes. 

I also want to mention that sometimes mages can do magic where instead of pulling from their energy reserves, they bet the spell on their life force. Utilizing one’s life force in the spell makes it a lot more powerful and infinitely more likely to succeed. It’s not something mages want to do frequently, because they’ll kill themselves doing this. Elves are more likely to do it than humans because elves have more life to live. 

#magik writes #wbj2017 #worldbuildingjune #rinnie #killian #mica #zeh'ave #the queen of schmiedland

[delwray-blog]

MEN ARE RADICALLY CORRUPT

A favorite hymn of many Christians is Amazing Grace by John Newton. While this hymn is a favorite of many Christians, there are few Christians in the present evangelical community who know or understand the profound theology set forth in this hymn. The hymn proclaims the tremendous truth of God’s divine initiative in our salvation. John Newton had been a slave trader who had been miraculously saved and became a minister. Because of his past, he understood well what he was writing when he penned the words: “Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see. T’was grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved; How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.” The words of the hymn emphasize that it is by God’s grace that our hearts have an understanding of God, have a fear of God’s justice and an awareness of our need, and that we are enabled to believe. In a study of the doctrines of salvation, an understanding of the doctrine of man’s radical corruption in sin is an essential starting point. Understanding man’s condition in sin and his need before God is the foundation for understanding and appreciating the grace of God in our salvation. Today, most Christians realize that it is by God’s grace that they are saved, but they do not comprehend the depth of their sin and the extent of grace that has been given them in their salvation. It is only when we realize the degree of our fallenness in sin that we realize the degree of grace that has been given to us in our salvation. This doctrine is not only crucial for understanding the grace of God in our salvation, but also for understanding almost every doctrine associated with our salvation. In historical theology, man’s condition in sin has been called “Total Depravity.” This terminology, however, is easily misunderstood. It does not mean that every human being is a bad as they could possibly be; that would be “utter depravity.” The phrase “total depravity” is attempting to communicate that sin affects every aspect of man’s being. Sin dominates every aspect of a person’s thoughts, actions, attitudes, and desires. Because of the misunderstanding associated with the term “Total Depravity,” many theologians prefer the term radical corruption. The term radical is derived from the Latin radix, which means “root.” Therefore, this term is saying that sin permeates the very core or root of man’s being. FALLEN MAN IS DEAD IN SIN Ephesians 2:1-3 strongly sets forth the degree of man’s radical corruption in sin. It states: And you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. This passage states that fallen man is “dead in sin,” that he has no spiritual life whatsoever. It is important to note that the Apostle Paul did not say that man is sick in sin or simply influenced by sin; he declared that fallen man has no spiritual life. I’ve often heard the illustration given concerning man’s condition in sin that he is sick in sin like a man deathly ill in a hospital bed. The man is near death, struggling for every breath, but he is still alive. A nurse comes in with a bottle of medicine that will cure him and restore him to perfect health. The medicine represents the gospel which is offered to the sinner who is sick in sin. She pours the dose of medicine into a spoon and holds it to the man’s mouth. Here is the offer of the gospel in evangelism. Now it is up to him to take the medicine and live or refuse it and die. In other words, it is up to the man to receive Jesus and live or refuse him and die. The main problem with this illustration is that the man is still alive. He is affected by sin; he is sick in sin, but he is not dead in sin. In order to make this illustration fit Ephesians 2:1-3, it would be necessary to put the man in the hospital morgue. He is in one of the little refrigeration units with a toe tag. The nurse comes in with medicine (the gospel) and stands by the dead man all day, but he doesn’t take the medicine because he is not alive. What he needs is a spiritual resurrection. He must move from a condition of being spiritually dead to being spiritually alive before he will be able to receive the medicine. This is exactly the pattern set forth in Ephesians 2:1-5. After stating that man is spiritually dead and exhibits that lack of spiritual life in his sinful disposition and actions, verses 4 and 5 proclaim: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved). . . .” Scripture declares that we were dead in sin and God acts first to bring about a spiritual resurrection making us alive in Christ. Colossians 2:13 reiterates the same idea. J. Gresham Machen, the great theologian of the early 20th century said, “Man, according to the Bible, is not merely sick in trespasses and sins; he is not merely in a weakened condition so that he needs divine help: but he is dead in trespasses and sins. He can do absolutely nothing to save himself. . . .” Charles Spurgeon in commenting on man’s condition in sin said, “What a dreadful inability sin brings with it! That simple command of the gospel, ‘Believe,’ the sinner cannot obey in himself. He can no more repent and believe without the Holy Spirit’s aid than he can create a world.” FALLEN MAN REPRESSES THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD AND BECOMES AN IDOL FACTORY Another important passage dealing with man’s corruption in sin is Romans 1:18-23: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth of God in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power, and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.” This passage declares that fallen man universally suppresses or represses the truth of God (verse 18). Verses 19-21 state that all men know there is a God, that creation bears a witness to God’s existence and that witness is understood by every person. However, even though the witness gets through to everyone, everyone represses that witness. Why is that? Fallen man is hostile toward God. He does not want to acknowledge or honor God Rom. 8:7. Besides this basic disposition of the heart of fallen man, another factor is involved in this repression of the truth. People tend to repress or push out of conscious thought those things which are painful or unpleasant to them. The most unpleasant truth that anyone can face is that they are guilty before a holy God who will render to them perfect justice for their deeds. Therefore, fallen man represses the reality of God, does not honor God as God, and does not render proper gratitude to God. Julian Huxley wrote, “For my own part, the sense of spiritual relief that comes from rejecting the idea of God as a supernatural being is enormous.” An old story tells of a desert nomad who awakened hungry in the middle of the night. He lit a candle and began eating dates from a bowl beside his bed. He took a bite from one end and saw a worm in it, so he threw it out of the tent. He bit into the second date, found another worm, and threw it away also. Reasoning that he wouldn’t have any dates left to eat if he continued, he blew out the candle and quickly ate all the dates. Romans 1:18 proclaims that sinful man is just like the nomad; he prefers darkness and denial to the light of reality. Because the reality of being under the judgment of God is too difficult to face, fallen man represses the reality of God, does not honor God as God, nor render proper gratitude to God (verse 21). This passage goes on to say that after sinful man represses the knowledge of the true God, he sets up his own idea of God; he creates an idol. This could be an idol of wood, stone, or metal or it could simply be a false concept of God. Sometimes the repression of God is so profound that men make themselves the sum of all things and declare that there is no deity at all; they declare themselves to be atheists. John Calvin, in commenting on this propensity of the sinful human heart wrote: . . . but we are all alike in this, that we substitute monstrous fictions for the one living and true God. . . . almost every man has had his own god. To the darkness of ignorance have been added presumption and wantonness, and hence there is scarcely an individual to be found without some idol or phantom as a substitute for Deity. Like water gushing forth from a large and copious spring, immense crowds of gods have issued from the human mind, every man giving himself full license, and devising some peculiar form of divinity, to meet his own views. Calvin said that fallen man is an idol factory (fabricum idolarum). This repression of the true God and the creation of idols is a normative pattern for the heart that is radically corrupt in sin. Man, being dead in sin, exchanges the truth of God for a lie and worships and serves an idol. NO ONE DOES GOOD AND NO ONE SEEKS GOD Romans 3:10-12 also speaks of man’s dire condition in sin: “. . . as it is written, there is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one.” In this passage, Paul puts together a series of Old Testament quotations that show the radical corruption of the fallen human heart. This section states that “none is righteous, not even one” and that “there is none who does good, there is not even one.” Some may object and say, “What do you mean there is none who does good? I know people who do all kinds of good deeds.” What is the answer to this objection? It is important to define the term good in the same way that Scripture defines it. For an act to be good, it must not only be something God has commanded, but it must be done perfectly with perfect motives. An act may appear to be good from an external perspective, but if it is not done from pure motives, motives that seek to glorify God, it does not conform perfectly to God’s law. Jonathan Edwards said that we tend to do good things from enlightened self-interest. We understand that sometimes it pays to do good things. We are on time for work and do a good job because, in so doing, we don’t get fired and we may get a raise in pay. In this regard, we have a tendency to look at good works from an external perspective. We do not have the ability to evaluate the attitude and motives of the heart. God, however, does and he declares that no one does well according to his standard. R. C. Sproul illustrates this by the use of the term good with regard to dogs. We call a dog a good dog when it meets certain standards for dogs. It is a good dog when it doesn’t wet the carpet when it comes when you call it, when it doesn’t chew up your shoes, and when it brings you your paper in its mouth. We do not use that same standard of good for people. We do not say that Joe is a good man because he is housebroken, comes when you call him, doesn’t chew up your shoes, and brings you your paper in his mouth. The standards are different for dogs than for men. In the same way, God’s standards of good are different from our external standards. According to God’s standards, no one does good, not even one.4 When we understand the requirements of the Law of God, we are stripped of any sense of self-righteousness Romans 3:19-20. Many people are like Snoopy in a Peanuts cartoon. The cartoon shows Snoopy walking toward his dog house and thinking, “This has been a really good day.” In the next panel, Snoopy is sitting on his house and thinking, “I did everything right.” In the final panel Snoopy adds, “In my opinion.” People do everything right or they think they are good “in their opinion.” God’s Law takes the definition of good and the evaluation of our performance out of our subjective and relative perspective and places all our actions and motives under the scrutiny of God’s standard. This passage also states that “there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God.” I’ve often heard ministers and evangelists talk about the occult or new age movement and reflectively say, “The rise of the occult in our culture demonstrates the universal desire of man to seek God.” As we have just observed in Romans 1:18-25, the opposite is true. The rise of the occult and other false religious activities stem from man’s universal desire to repress the knowledge of the true God and create an idol. Closely related to this idea is the statement in Romans 3:10-12 that fallen man does not understand the things of God and he does not seek God. I’ve also heard Christians say, “So and so is not a Christian, but he’s searching.” The assumption is that a non-Christian is seeking after the true God of the Bible. The Apostle Paul, however, bluntly states that “no one seeks for God.” Michael Horton commented on this and wrote, “We cannot find God for the same reason that a thief can’t find a police officer.” How do we account for those people, who apart from God’s grace in Christ, seem to be seeking for God. First, it is possible that when we see this happening we are witnessing a work of the Holy Spirit effectually bringing the person to faith in Christ. There are those, however, who are seeking all types of religious experiences and have no interest in the God of the Bible. How do we explain this so-called “seeking for God?” As Christians, we know there are certain benefits that only come from a relationship with God through Christ. We have the assurance of forgiveness, an absence of the fear of death, the sure hope of an eternity with God, the promise of God’s care and fatherly love, and numerous other benefits that come from our relationship with God. When we see unbelievers seeking those benefits, we assume they are seeking salvation through Jesus Christ through whom those benefits come. However, the nature of man’s sin is such that he seeks after the benefits of a relationship with God while at the same time he flees from God himself. He wants the benefits, but he doesn’t want God. Therefore, he represses the knowledge of God, becomes an idol factory, and flees from the presence of the true and living God. R. C. Sproul writes concerning this idea: The Bible tells us repeatedly to seek after God. The Old Testament cries, “Seek the Lord while He may be found” Isa. 55:6. Jesus said, “Seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” Matt. 7:7. The conclusion we draw from these texts is that since we are called to seek after God it must mean that we, even in our fallen state, have the moral capacity to do that seeking. But who is being addressed in these texts? In the case of the Old Testament, it is the people of Israel who are called to seek the Lord. In the New Testament, it is believers who are called to seek the kingdom. . . . So what? The point is that seeking is something that unbelievers do not do on their own steam. The unbeliever will not seek. The unbeliever will not knock. Seeking is the business of believers. Edwards said, ‘The seeking of the kingdom of God is the chief business of the Christian life.’ Seeking is the result of faith, not the cause of it.” FALLEN MAN IS HOSTILE TOWARD GOD AND CANNOT PLEASE GOD Another important passage on man’s radical corruption in sin is Romans 8:7-8: “because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” In the context of this passage, those who are “according to the flesh” are unregenerate and those who are “according to the Spirit” are regenerate. Romans 8:9, shows this principle clearly: “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” Those who belong to Christ have the Spirit and are not in the flesh. Paul says that unregenerate people who are in the flesh are hostile toward God and are not subject to the law of God. He adds an important statement at the end of verse 7: “for it is not even able to do so.” Not only is the unregenerate, fleshly mind hostile toward God and his law, it also lacks the ability to subject itself to the law of God. Romans 8:8 states: “and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” Apart from God’s divine initiative, the unregenerate cannot do anything that is pleasing to God. He cannot obey his holy law nor can he repent and believe in Christ, acts which are certainly pleasing to God. James White writes: Paul does not say “those who are in the flesh at times do things that are displeasing to God, but at other times do things that are pleasing to Him.” He does not teach that “men are free to believe in Christ at any time” for obviously, such an action is well-pleasing to God. How can a person in the flesh do such things as repent, believe, turn from sin, embrace holiness, etc., when they are still in the flesh? The unregenerate man lacks the ability to please God. Something must happen first: he has to be translated from the realm of the flesh to that of the spirit. He must be raised to spiritual life so that he can do what is pleasing to God: repent and believe in Christ.” In 1736, in Northampton, Mass., Jonathan Edwards preached a sermon titled, Men Are Naturally God’s Enemies. This was a lengthy exposition of Romans 5:10. The basic thesis of the sermon was that man hated God. He said, They are enemies in the natural relish of their souls. They have an inbred distaste and disrelish of God’s perfections. God is not such a sort of being as they would have. Though they are ignorant of God, yet from what they hear of Him, and from what is manifest by the light of nature of God, they do not like Him. By His being endowed with such attributes as He is, they have an aversion to Him. They hear God is an infinitely holy, pure, and righteous Being, and they do not like Him upon this account; they have no relish of such kind of qualifications; they take no delight in contemplating them. It would be a mere task, a bondage to a natural man, to be obliged to set himself to contemplate these attributes of God. They see no manner of beauty or loveliness nor taste any sweetness in them. And upon the account of their distaste of these perfections, they dislike all the other of His attributes. They have a greater aversion to Him because He is omniscient and knows all things; because His omniscience is a holy omniscience. They are not pleased that He is omnipotent, and can do whatever He pleases; because it is a holy omnipotence. They are enemies even to His mercy because it is a holy mercy. They do not like His immutability, because by this He never will be otherwise than He is, an infinitely holy God.” Since fallen man is dead in sin, represses the knowledge of God and creates idols, is not righteous, does no good works, does not understand and does not seek for God, is hostile toward God and cannot submit to the law of God, and cannot please God, the grace of God is absolutely essential for a person to come to Christ. Sinful man left to himself and his own desires will never desire Christ. This is why in Ephesians 2 after the declaration is made that man is dead in sin, verses 4 and 5 proclaim that God is the divine initiator of our salvation: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).” Notice that it does not say, “But you, because you were smarter than your neighbor, or more righteous than your neighbor had the good sense to come to Christ.” God takes the first step in our salvation; God initiates our salvation and makes us alive in Christ. It is only after God makes us alive in Christ that we desire salvation, have faith and repentance and have a genuine love for the true God who is revealed in Scripture. Charles Spurgeon said it this way: “I take it that the highest proof of Christ’s power is not that he offers salvation, not that he bids you take it if you will, but that when you reject it, when you hate it, when you despise it, he has a power whereby he can change your mind, make you think differently from your former thoughts, and turn you from the error of your ways.” FALLEN MAN DOES NOT NATURALLY HAVE THE MORAL ABILITY TO COME TO CHRIST: In John 6:44-45, Jesus proclaimed man’s inability to come to him apart from God’s initiative: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught of God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to me.” This statement begins with a universal negative, “No one can come to Me. . . .” It is universal because the phrase, “No one” refers to all people. The word, can in this phrase refers to ability. I remember early grammar lessons that taught the difference between can and may. Can refers to ability while may refers to permission. Perhaps you had the experience in the first grade of asking your teacher, “Can I sharpen my pencil.” The standard reply was, “I’m sure you can and you may.” Jesus said that no one has the ability to come to Him on their own. Jonathan Edwards made a distinction that is helpful in thinking about this issue. He distinguished between natural ability and moral ability. God provides certain natural abilities to members of his creation. For example, he provides the birds with the ability to fly. Fish have the ability to live underwater and extract oxygen from the water through their gills. God provides the fish with fins and gills and the birds with feathers and wings. Human beings do not naturally have that equipment. Human beings, however, are given the natural ability to make choices. God gave people minds that can receive and analyze information. Man’s corruption in sin does not strip from him the ability to choose what he wants. In the fall, however, man did lose his desire for God and his inclination toward the good. In this regard, a person can intellectually understand the law of God and its obligations and he can understand the content of the gospel. The unregenerate person, however, does not want to obey God or to come to Christ. He could choose Christ and the things of God if he wanted them, but he has no desire for them. This is where Edwards made the distinction between natural and moral ability. Man has the natural ability to choose God, but he does not have the moral ability to do it. The things of God and the gospel are foolishness to him 1 Cor. 2:14 and he has no desire for Christ. R. C. Sproul writes concerning this moral inability: The ability to make righteous moral choices requires righteous desires and inclinations. Without a righteous inclination to the good, no one can choose the good. Our choices follow our inclinations. For man to be able to choose the things of God, he must first be inclined to choose them. Since the flesh makes no provision for the things of God, grace is required for us to be able to choose them. The unregenerate person must be regenerated before he has any desire for God. This is what Jesus was addressing when He said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. . . .” Fallen man may look at Jesus and be impressed with his moral teaching; he may think that Jesus is interesting, but, apart from God’s divine initiative, he will never come to Christ for salvation. He has no desire to submit to God or to believe the gospel; he lacks the moral ability to come to Christ. After Jesus said that no one has the ability to come to him, he gave an exception clause, “unless the Father draws him.” What does the word “draw” mean? Some have proposed that it simply means “to woo” or “to entice.” Using this meaning, Jesus would have been saying that God’s action in salvation is merely that he encourages a person to come to Christ. This is a necessary encouragement for a person to come, but it is not an effectual action; it does not guarantee that a person will come. This explanation is incorrect. First of all, in John 6:45, Jesus said, “Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to me.” Jesus saw this drawing of the Father as not only a necessary condition for someone to come to salvation but also as a sufficient condition. Everyone that is drawn by the Father will come. It was not merely an enticement or encouragement to come. Second, the Greek word translated as draw is elko. Gerhard Kittel’s Theological Dictionary of the New Testament defines elko as “to compel by irresistible superiority.” The linguistic and lexicographical meaning of elko is “to compel.” Therefore, elko is a forceful verb. To see the force of this verb, let’s consider two other passages in the New Testament where the word is used. In Acts 16:19, Paul and Silas are attacked by the owners of a slave girl after Paul cast a demon out of her: “But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities.” In this verse, elkois translated as dragged. Certainly, Paul and Silas were not enticed or wooed into the marketplace. They were forcibly seized and compelled to come. Another passage where elko is used is James 2:6. James is addressing the problem of favoritism in the church. He is rebuking his readers for honoring the wealthy and disparaging the poor. He writes in verse 6: “But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court?” Again, elko is translated as drag. In both of these verses, the linguistic meaning of elko as “to compel” is reflected in the translation and the context of the verse. Jesus was not saying that the Father merely woos or entices a person to come, but that there is an effectual action that compels a person to come. This same idea is set forth just a few verses later in John 6:63-65: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him. And He was saying, “For this reason, I have said to you, that no one can come to me unless it has been granted him from the Father.” Jesus said that the Spirit gives life and the flesh profits nothing. Martin Luther commented that when Jesus said that the flesh profits nothing that doesn’t mean a little a little something. Jesus emphasized that it is the Holy Spirit that brings spiritual life to a person. In verse 65, he again speaks of man’s moral inability to come to Him unless it has been granted by the Father. For a person to come to Christ, the ability to come must be granted or given by the Father. No one can come to Christ in the flesh. Without God’s divine initiative, no one can come. John Murray writes concerning John 6:44-45, 65: In John 6:37 Jesus says, “Everything that (pan ho) that the Father gives to me shall come to me, and him that cometh unto me I will no wise cast out.” Jesus is here speaking of coming to him which consists in faith and which has its issue in the salvation that reaches its apex in the resurrection at the last day. The former is shown by vs. 40 and the latter by vss. 39, 40. It is therefore of the faith in Jesus unto salvation that he speaks in vss. 44, 45, 65. Now, obviously, as men are confronted with the gospel the most elementary demand, the demand that is the only avenue to the fulfillment of all other demands, is to believe in Christ. But of that Jesus says man is incapable. It is a psychological, moral, and spiritual impossibility apart from an efficacious drawing which is of the nature of a gift from the Father. It is therefore of that faith in Christ that Jesus says, “No one can come unto me except the Father who sent me draw him” . . . and “On this account, I said to you that no one can come unto me except it was given him of my Father.” Nothing, therefore, can be plainer than this, that the act of true and simple faith in Christ is impossible apart from the drawing and gracious gift of the Father. FALLEN MAN IS SPIRITUALLY BLIND: 1 Corinthians 2:14 states: “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned”. This verse declares that a person who is unregenerate does not have the ability to understand or accept of the things of God. Again, the Scriptures confront us with something that fallen man does not have the ability to do in himself. Not only can the person without the Holy Spirit not accept or understand the things that come from the Spirit of God, but they are foolishness to him. Simon Kistemaker comments on this verse: The spiritual things relate to sin, guilt, forgiveness, redemption, salvation, righteousness, and eternal life. To the unspiritual person, these things are meaningless, irrelevant, and even foolish. They have no place in a life that is limited to the present world. . . . “And he is unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” Paul speaks about an inability that is caused by the absence of the Holy Spirit in the life of an unbeliever. Granted the unbeliever can excel the Christian in various ways: Intellectually, educationally, philosophically, or even morally. He may be a worthy citizen and a leader in society who shuns the sensuous excesses that characterize other people. Yet, the non-Christian is unable to understand spiritual matters. He lacks the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit to enlight his understanding. Apart from a divine action of God, the unregenerate person considers the message of the gospel foolish and has no desire to accept the things that come from the Spirit of God; he is spiritually blind to the things of God. Summarizes these points: “Man, by his fall into a state of sin, hath wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation: so as, a natural man, being altogether averse from that good, and dead in sin, is not able, by his own strength, to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto.” This is the same pattern we observed earlier in Ephesians 2:1-5. Verses 1-3 declare that man is dead in sin and lives out that sinful condition. Verses 4 and 5 declare: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved). . . .” Paul said the same thing in Ephesians that Jesus declared: Man does not have the moral ability to come to Christ in his flesh; a divine initiative is the necessary first condition for salvation. Fallen man is spiritually dead, spiritually hostile, and spiritually blind. He does not have the moral ability to come to Christ, unless the Father draws him. The action of being drawn to Christ is coupled closely with the Holy Spirit’s work of making a person alive in Christ or regenerating him. Once a person is made alive in Christ, he has the desire for Christ and he comes to Jesus. That moral ability to come to Christ, however, is the result of the Spirit giving life. The Westminster Confession declares: When God converts a sinner, and translates him into the state of grace, He freeth him from his natural bondage under sin; and, by His grace alone, enables him freely to will and to do that which is spiritually good; yet so, that by reason of his remaining corruption, he doth not perfectly, nor only, will that which is good, but doth also will that which is evil. The will of man is made perfectly and immutably free to do good alone in the state of glory only. Understanding this strips all boasting and claims of self-righteousness from man. If you are in Christ, it is because God has shown you mercy and initiated your salvation. Charles Spurgeon, said, “If God requires of the sinner, dead in sin, that he should take the first step, then he requires just that which renders salvation as impossible under the gospel as it was under the law, since man is as unable to believe as he is to obey.” The result is that God alone gets all the glory and praise for one’s salvation. The second stanza of the hymn Amazing Grace reflects these points: “‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved; How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed!” When you see real faith in your life, you are seeing a manifestation of God’s grace operating in your life. This truth is described in a poem that was discovered in the pocket of Major John Andre after his execution during the Revolutionary War. It was written in his death cell, so these words are literally a dying man’s testimony: Hail, Sovereign Love, which first began the scheme to rescue fallen man! Hail, matchless, free, eternal grace, which gave my soul a Hiding Place! Against the God who built the sky I fought with hands uplifted high– Despite the mention of His grace– too proud to seek a Hiding Place Enrapt in thick Egyptian night, and fond of darkness more than light, I madly ran the sinful race, secure, I thought, without God’s grace. But the eternal counsel ran: “Almighty Love, arrest that man!” I felt the arrows of distress, and found I had no Hiding Place. Indignant Justice stood in view; to Sinai’s fiery mount I flew; But Justice cried with frowning face, “This mountain is no Hiding Place!” Ere long a heavenly voice I heard, and mercy’s angel soon appeared; He led me, with a beaming face, to Jesus as my Hiding Place! On Him almighty vengeance fell, which would have sunk a world to Hell; He bore it for a sinful race, and thus became their Hiding Place! If you are in Christ now, it is because God has taken the first step in your salvation and drawn you to Jesus. This eliminates all claims of self-righteousness, boasting, or spiritual pride. It is only as we understand our desperate need that we realize the mercy and grace we have been shown in our salvation. Understanding these truths should move our hearts to give God all glory and honor for the work he has performed in our lives and the mercy we have received. In fact, the more you understand the biblical teaching concerning man’s condition in sin, the more you will bow in worship and sing, “Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!”