#love when matthew undersells himself

[fannyyann]

"I actually did three years of school in two, and I'm no brainiac, but that was pretty tough."

[thatsamericano]

Vinny seems like someone who'd get angry at Alfred spending so much on him, too - like he'd get flustered and be really appreciative but would ask him not to make such a big purchase on him. Him putting thought into getting something Vinny could use towards his education is really sweet, though. Like he already knows Vinny might not want something that's just pretty to look at (except Alfred himself) and asks for help to make sure what he gets is something Vinny's gift can be used day to day

At the time Alfred buys the gift, Savino has no idea about this purchase. The only one who does are his dads, and Alfred told them it was for his brother because he didn't want them to get weird about him spending so much money on his crush, which he's trying to keep secret from them because he thinks they'd be grossed out by him being in love with his stepbrother. FrUK think it's a bigger than usual present but that it's sweet that Alfred was thinking of his brother's Christmas present in early September. They weren't planning to discuss the Christmas budget with him before they expected him to go Christmas shopping in November and December, so they chalk it up to Alfred being impulsive and a bit careless with his money. All the online statement says is that Alfred spent x amount from Z University Bookstore, so unless they saw the books they wouldn't know it wasn't for Matthew, and Matthew's interests in this fic (studying wildlife in Canada) could lead to some expensive as hell text books. For dramatic purposes, FrUK will only see the books going to Savino on Christmas morning and Matthew getting a nice, but much less expensive, non-textbook present.

I honestly think Alfred is vulnerable to financial exploitation because he wants to give so much when he loves someone, but Savino would never think of doing that to him. It doesn't help that he comes from a wealthy background, so he hasn't had to learn just how dangerous spending too much on people can be like I think Nonno Vargas might have. (My plan for him is that he was fairly poor when he married Sofia but eventually got an advanced education, became a professor on Ancient Roman history, and eventually did very well for himself.) If Savino knows about Alfred's spending on him, he does try to help him keep it more within reason. And he would never consider making Alfred dip into a savings account that he isn't supposed to touch until he's 18, like he does to help pay for Marcello's blackmail Vespa. (At first, Alfred might just offer to completely pay for the Vespa himself so Vinny won't get in trouble with his dad and Savino makes it clear they are in this shit together and thus splitting the cost of a stupid Vespa Savino doesn't even want at this point.) For the Christmas present, it's not like Savino has much room to talk since he spent pretty much the same amount on a high quality telescope for Alfred after knowing what the Christmas budget was. At that point, they might not have been together because I'm not sure if it could have been shipped to the house in time for him to wrap it and get it on a plane. But his heart was telling him Alfred needed a good telescope, so he did some shopping around and read a lot about this before deciding that this was the best he felt he could get him while not completely blowing the budget for everyone else.

From his POV, I don't even know if Alfred thinks of himself as just something pretty to look at (because he's like OMG Savino is so pretty constantly, so he'd think his boyfriend is the prettier one). He is occasionally really dumb in regards to people because he thinks they have the kind of good intentions he does and can be incredibly silly about his boyfriend. But Alfred does really well in school, especially his math and science classes, and getting into MIT and working for NASA is not an unrealistic goal for him even if it makes Alfred feel arrogant to say "hey, I think I can be a rocket scientist someday." He consistently undersells his talents in the same way Savino does, and Savino does think Alfred is one of the smartest people he knows because Alfred's space nerd stuff is so far from his wheelhouse.

[ambitionsource]

Hi, everybody! Hope you’re having a nice Friday. I’m around all day if you decide you want to chat! :)

Riley’s playlist

Introduce yourself.

Riley Matthews, senior A class, compulsive fixer

What are your biggest talents?

I would say that my biggest talent is bringing people together. When there’s unity, when we can work together and support one another, things are always better. And believe me, it’s not always easy, but it’s always been worth it in the end. I may not be the shiniest star or the strongest stage presence, but I know there is something meaningful I contribute to the team.

What has your experience at AAA been like the last three years?

Well, only two years for me, ha ha. If I’m being candid, I’d say it’s been full of highs and lows (lots of fixing to do). But in my heart, I want to say it’s been wonderful. When I came to Adams I was escaping and looking for a place to belong, and in spite of all the drama, I found it. The people I’ve met here have become my best friends, my biggest supporters, and who I love more than anything. I wouldn’t trade that, even if it took a lot of stumbles to get here.

What from the previous school year are you most proud of?

So much happened, it feels overwhelming just thinking about it. But probably when I brought everyone together to rally behind a good cause in fighting the Bradford case against Lucas. It didn’t completely pay off -- still have to see Missy every day now -- but it prevented something far worse. And the other thing that came out of it… yeah. That was the highlight of the year.

What about the previous school year would you like to improve upon or change?

More than anything, I want this year to be about friendship and camaraderie. It’s time, we’ve earned it. The A class is full of so many lovely people, and I’m ready for us to be on the same page for a whole year. As Dylan and I kept saying all summer, this year is about friendship!

What are you most excited about as a senior? Events, performances?

There’s so much coming to be excited about. But, boringly, I’ll say just being together. It’s our last year all in the same place where our time together is guaranteed, and I’m not going to waste that even for a second.

Who are you most excited to see when school is back in session?

Isadora and Zay. Isadora has been going through a lot because of her mom, so I’ve been trying to give her space. Maya and Farkle are her chosen exceptions to the rule, and I’m totally fine with that. When she needs me, she knows I will be there. But it’ll be nice to see her again more consistently. Then for Zay, it’s not his fault since he’s been so busy being amazing and talented this summer, but I’m very excited to get time just being his friend again without all the commitments and work. We have time to stress about responsibilities when we’re old and in college -- I can’t wait to spend time just doing what we love!

Also, I’m going to make a concerted effort to see Charlie as often as I can, or at least talk to him. I know he can handle himself and he made this choice, but I’m worried about him. I feel like he’s just going to let himself fade out of our world, and I wish he would realize none of us want that. He’s a good friend, important to a lot of us, and none of us want him to go away. So I’m gonna fight tooth and nail to make sure he can’t, at least not easily. That’s another talent I have, being annoyingly persistent!

Who do you see as your biggest ally? Your biggest rival?

I don’t have rivals. I just want to get that out of the way first. Although if Missy causes any more trouble, I might have to strategize again, but I’m hoping that her presence will be annoying at worst and unnoticeable at best. Choosing to remain optimistic. Biggest allies, the usual crew, but I’m also admittedly geekily excited about being better friends with the techies this year. I feel like I’ve wanted to be in their circle since sophomore year. I’m not a techie, but I’m kind of like… techie-in-law. That’s how Dylan joked about it. And you know, that’s an even more specific answer -- I’m so happy to be good friends with Asher and Dylan now. I understand why Lucas loves them so much.

What are your college plans?

I don’t know exactly, but I’m trying to view that with optimism rather than intimidation. More like… there’s so many opportunities to consider, rather than nothing at all. And I haven’t decided what I want to study, I don’t feel as drawn to the arts as a career as my classmates do. But I don’t know if that’s actually how I feel, or if I’m just underselling myself by my natural ability to sell myself short. But then, why am I second guessing my own feelings? You know? So... I’m trying to work through those thoughts, but thankfully I have time to figure it out.

[boomcrsh]

HARPER BAYWOOD, who strongly resembles MATTHEW NOSZKA, has made Ceres Centropolis their home. They are a 24 year old MUTANT and have been in the city for 7 YEARS. They have been known to have THE ABILITY TO MAKE EXPLOSIONS. They are known to be DETAILED & CONFIDENT and SHORT-TEMPER & EASILY ANNOYED.  If you’re lucky, you may catch them working at INNER SANCTUM as an AGENT.  

Okay, here’s Harper, my 2nd son. I lovingly call him Explodey McSplodey-face. Lol, jk. In the five years outside of the dome, he’s matured greatly. Don’t worry, he’s still got a foul mouth on him and a very short-temper, but he’s generally a good guy. Mostly. Yes.

B O O M . C R A S H .

>> Harper is a 2nd generation mutant - both of his parents are mutants with their own respective mutant genes. Mother Baywood has the ability to use her sweat to secrete glycerin; Father Baywood has the ability to oxidize sweat in order to create explosions. Their abilities merged together to help create Harper’s own mutation.  

Harper’s ability is a combination of his parents. He is able to secrete nitroglycerin through his palms (as a result from his mother’s mutation) and can oxidize the nitroglycerin at will to create mass explosions (as a result of his father’s mutation). Though this could easily be considered a danger to most, Harper has a strong grasp of control in his abilities and is able to apply it in more ways than just creating explosions. His favorite is to utilize it for mobility; when he throws his hands backward, he can shoot out explosions and use the recoil to launch himself through the air. Additionally, Harper is able to control the level of explosion - he can make them weaker or stronger, depending on how much sweat accumulates. One of the things that Harper has developed over time is to put the sweat he secretes into canisters that are similar to grenades, with blast impacts can differ depending on how much he decides to use.

The more he uses this, the more his limbs start to throb; if he overexerts himself, he knows he will not be able to be at the level that he wants to be. Harper is very careful not to overuse his ability - when he was a child, he experienced the consequences of overusing his ability. The result left him with burn marks around his hands and his parents were left with the bill from the city that they originally lived in. He is incredibly weak during cold weather; his ability relies on his sweat, after all. During the winter, he knows he has to try to make better clothing that allow him to sweat more.

>> Harper is a studious person. He knows that just because he has a powerful mutation does not mean he should rely only on it. The teenager tends to watch footage of heroes (and villains) to understand their techniques and abilities; he wants to be the strongest and in order to do so, he knows he needs to understand those that came before him. He tends to hyper-analyze fights and makes notes of details that most people don’t. He always has a notebook with him to jot down these details for each person, just in case.  

Harper has poor short-term memory. This is the reason why he takes notes on everything he sees. Writing down these notes reinforces the memorization in his mind. After he writes these down, he rereads and rechecks his work multiple times. Sometimes, he’s constantly repeating what he has written down so that he can work on his recall ability. There are times when he is so focused on repeating his thoughts that he forgets he’s muttering in person.

Harper constantly checks the hero/villain fan website, “Zero to Hero’. Of all the websites out there, he thinks that they have the most accurate data and footage on their website. Plus, he thinks the admins/mods are the nicest of all.

>> Harper is a naturally athletic and continues to train to reach ultra levels of fitness. He is aware that heroes must always been at peak fitness in order to be the best that they can be. He wants to become the best hero in the world.

Harper’s parents enrolled him various form of martial arts. Initially, it was because it was difficult for them to get him a babysitter. However, the more classes he was enrolled in, the more they realized that Harper had a lot more potential than they thought. He was quick to grasp the martial arts lessons - too quick grasp them that he thought himself to be superior to everyone.

>> As a child, Harper had been known to have a bad attitude. Well, that’s underselling it. Harper was a very unpleasant person and had developed a superiority complex due to his constant praise as a child. He was quick to master his abilities at a young age and even quicker to accept all of the praises that came for him; he is naturally talented at everything he touches and continually let those compliments get to his head. 

Every time Harper loses, he takes much harder than necessary. He will shout insults at someone but in the private, he will criticize himself to the point of punishment. Once he lost a race against someone and took it upon himself to train at night to be better. The only reason he was unable to continue was because his father literally knocked him out and had to forcefully restrain him in bed. Of course, there were a lot of angry conversations between Harper, Mother Baywood and Father Baywood after that. It resulted in Harper being muzzled for a full day. Literal muzzle. 

>> Harper’s parents had initially decided to enroll him in Altimira Academy. Not to grasp a better control of his abilities (he’s already good at that), but to fix his piss poor attitude. They hoped that having Harper around these good people would help him become a better person - it didn’t work. If anything, it made Harper more drive to be better and stronger than they were. Harper had enrolled in Altimira Academy the same year he started Ceres Centropolis. He lived in Ceres Centropolis on his own. Harper studied law at Ceres Centropolis, specifically Mutant/Powers Law.

Harper had actually left the city when the dome came up. It was his mother’s birthday during that time. He may have had a nasty attitude, but he loves his mother, dearly. This actually saved him from vanishing into nothing the way the city did.

>> After the most well-known Heroes of Ceres Centropolis vanished, Harper knew he had to step up. People needed saving and even if he wasn’t the kindest person around, he wouldn’t let these dumbass people get hurt.

Harper was recruited into the Inner Sanctum by Aurora Clarke. He has been helping both Rory and Elvira in whatever missions he could assist them with. During this time, he decided that this was his calling and if this was his calling, he was going to be the best at this. He needed to work harder and be stronger for the heroes that had been missing.

[thejoydaily-blog]

DECEMBER 24, 2017 

The Arrival of Great Joy

Article by David Mathis

Executive Editor, desiringGod.org

For years, our three stocking holders each brandished a letter: J O Y. It’s common Christmas decor. Joy in Christmas lights. Joy on banners. Joy in frames.

This year, as we unpacked our Christmas boxes, and did our annual purge, the JOY stocking holders wound up in the pile for the thrift store. The immediate cause was the advent of baby Mercy, born in April. Three letters are inadequate to hold four stockings. But perhaps we have a theological reason as well to let the JOY holders go.

Plain old joy undersells the glory of Christmas. Matthew and Luke accent different aspects of the birth story, but they sing this note in unison: Christ’s coming is not simply an occasion for joy, but great joy.

God’s World of Joys

In the beginning, the God of joy made a world of joys — a creation full of good, altogether “very good,” and primed to delight his creatures (Genesis 1:31; 2:9). As the work of his hands, we know joy. We have tasted his goodness in his world, even on this side of sin’s curse. We have experienced, however meagerly or infrequently, the blessed emotional surges of God-made delight — in a kind word, in a friend’s hug, in our team’s victory, in a cool breeze, in good food and drink. We know normal joy.

But Christmas is not normal joy. Christmas, the Gospels say, is great joy. Christmas is not natural joy, but supernatural. God set Christmas apart. He himself has come down in the person of his Son. The Word has become flesh. The long-awaited Savior is born. When the angel heralds his arrival, he says, “I bring you good news of great joy” (Luke 2:10). And when pagan astrologers traverse far and find him, “they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy” (Matthew 2:10).

God gave us a world of joys to get us ready for this moment when announcing “joy” no longer would be enough. God gave us joy for Christmas joy to surpass it.

God’s Words of Joy

But not only did God fill his world with joy, but also his word. The Bible is replete with “joy” — more than two hundred times in an English translation — but “great joy” appears in single digits. “Great joy” is rare and climactic. At the anointing of David’s own son as his successor, at the height of Israel’s kingdom — “great joy” (1 Kings 1:40). At the restoration of the Passover after generations of neglect — “great joy” (2 Chronicles 30:26). At the dedication of Nehemiah’s rebuilt walls after the return from exile — “great joy” (Nehemiah 12:43). Joy is the stuff of every day; “great joy” is kept for the highest of moments.

Other than Matthew’s and Luke’s mention of “great joy” at Jesus’s birth, both Gospels celebrate “great joy” at his resurrection and ascension (Matthew 28:8; Luke 24:52). Acts 15:3 mentions “great joy” at the surprising and wonderful inclusion of the Gentiles in God’s new-covenant people, and how else could Jude 24 describe our coming into God’s own presence without the experience of “great joy”?

Then Came (Great) Joy

“Great joy” at Christmas tells us something profound about God and how he works in our world. God gave us a garden in the beginning to prepare us for a garden-city in the end. God made the world to remake it one day. God gave a first covenant to surpass it with a second. God gave John the Baptist to point forward to Jesus. God made a world of joys to surpass them all with the treasure hidden in a field, the pearl of great price, and the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord.

God gave us joy to accentuate and deepen the experience of great joy. There must be joy before there can be great joy. We must know good before we can know better. God designed his world of joys to prepare us for great joy in his Son.

How, then, is the joy of Christmas not just normal but great? Do Matthew and Luke give us any hints as to how Christmas joy is set apart from the joys we know and love every day, even in our struggles and pain?

Great Heights

Hark! The angel who heralds “great joy” in Luke 2:10 is not alone. “Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!’” (Luke 2:13–14).

Note the great heights of this joy — from the face of earth all the way up to the heights of heaven. Such news captures not only lowly shepherds, but even the hosts of heaven, who long to look into these things (1 Peter 1:12). And as God’s glory rises to the highest places, so does our joy. Because we are most satisfied in God when he is most glorified. In both Matthew 2 and Luke 2, “great joy” comes together with worship and praise. “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen” (Luke 2:20). The magi “fell down and worshiped him” (Matthew 2:11).

Great Lengths

Christmas joy also goes to great lengths. This is “good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10). All the people. Not just kings and high-ranking officials, but blue-collar shepherds. Not just Jews, but Gentiles — even pagan astrologers like the magi. Black and white. Women and men. Laymen and clergy. Plumbers and dentists. This is no tribal joy, but for all kinds of people, in every place, at every time.

This is not a small joy quarantined in Jerusalem, but a great joy extended and offered to all the nations.

Great Depths

And Christmas joy also goes to great depths. Here is a joy deeper than every fear and grief, deeper than every sorrow and pain.

Before the angel announces “great joy,” the shepherds are filled with “great fear” (Luke 2:9). This great joy comes into a world of great sin, great fear, great sorrow, great suffering. In fact, this child, who is Joy Incarnate, will be a Man of Sorrows, acquainted with grief, and it will be his great suffering that secures for us the great joy (Isaiah 53:3–6).

From his birth in Bethlehem to his death on a cross, this Joy was great enough to be born in obscurity, be laid in a manger, and have no place to lay his head. He would be rejected by his own people, delivered over by their authorities, and betrayed by his own friend.

But this Great Joy could not be extinguished. It cannot. It is too high, too long, too deep — even for death itself. And our Great Joy is now with us to the end of the age, strengthening us in every fear, cheering us in every grief, holding us in all our suffering. Until the day he unseats every sorrow, he promises, “No one will take your joy from you” (John 16:22).