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#theyre both hearing aids AND limiters
hypesline · 2 years
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some deaf!saiki sketches from @akirameta84′s posts!!1
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Hamilton!firstprince au
(cross posted from twitter with a couple of edits b/c i couldn’t make them there)
in which i loosely follow the plot of hamilton except its firstprince and alex and henry get a happy ending. inspired by the striking similarities i noted between our favorite first son and his namesake hamilton in the broadway musical
the similarities:
both have/will have a political career
both often talk too much/don't mind their words
both began as lawyers
both extremely motivated but overwork themselves (“nonstop” +  “you have a fire under ur ass for no good goddamn reason)
both had some sort of sex scandal that impacted their career plans
hamilton speculated to be bi
the story
the setup of the colonized country alex lives in is similar to the usa vs england but fictional bc alexs race would have limited his opportunities in america's early years
idk names for either of these countries so its now the colony and the motherland
alex + his mom live alone in the poorer southern part of the colony
but his dad + june live elsewhere + they dont rly contact e/o (tho they do know of e/o’s existence)
june becomes a journalist who writes important pieces abt independence
when alex comes of age his mom reveals she used to be part of the rebellion
thats actually why his dad left to raise june bc it was too dangerous
his parents met in the rebellion but oscar left first for june while ellen stayed until she realized she was pregnant w alex
ellen still has some rebel contacts but she mostly sheltered alex to keep him safe
now tho alex decides to join too + the rebellion sends him up north to the capital for an education bc he's smart + they need people like that
he attends uni + meets like-minded people there
tension grows btwn the colony in the motherland, and alex + his friends write/speak out often and this goes on throughout their schooling
they’re also troublemakers in general too, much to the annoyance of the motherland soldiers stationed in the capital to prevent rebellion
henry is one of those soldiers
he's from a noble family in the motherland but was sent overseas as the sort of black sheep of the family due to his sexuality
the idea was to let him be in charge in the colony + reestablish a reputation there w/o embarrassing the main family back home
henry hates his job + feels bad for the colonists but still does what he's told anyway
alex + fhis riends like to bug motherland soldiers for fun
nothing  enough to put their lives in danger too much (although yes that too esp when drunk)
henry becomes a favorite target of alex's bc he's awfully stoic + statue like + on the way to uni - overall fun to antagonize 
there's also the fact that alex is angry at all the soldiers for oppressing the colony + holding up the motherland monarchs tyranny (but also alex just is the type to fight literally everything and anything) 
it becomes almost a daily ritual for them to argue 
henry wonders why this colonist keeps on picking a fight w him but soon almost looks forward to it
many of the other soldiers know or speculate why henry is in the colony but none make the effort to get to know him; some even call him arrogant or undeserving of his position
alex doesn't 
of course alex also doesn't know him
and alex hates him
but he doesn't whisper behind henry's back
henry comes to read some of the essays alex publishes speaking out against the monarchy + also hears alex speak to crowd in the square
alex is a talented + charismatic public speaker
henry finds himself growing increasingly sympathetic to the colonists cause
at the same time he and the other soldiers are order to be stricter and dole out more punishments
the others gleefully do so which makes henry concerned about alex's safety bc alex often seems to have no self-preservation skills
henry asks alex for a word when he's alone 
“am I in trouble?” “no but you bloody will be if u keep going on like this” 
“this is serious” “so am I” “you can't go around saying things so openly you'll get yourself killed”
alex tries to leave at this point “I think I'll be ok” but henry shoves him against the nearest wall 
“listen to me! stop acting like this is a game! ur putting ur sodding life in danger! I dont bloody care what ur opinions r but why must u declare them around enemy soldiers? how is this helpful 2 ur cause? u cant fight if ur dead” 
“you'd b surprised how effective martyrs are” 
cue enraged henry noises 
alexs gaze turns hard “listen i  appreciate/the advice” he says sarcastically “but I dont need an enemy telling me what to do. I can take care of myself” 
there's a stirring in alexs chest after he removes henry's hand and stalks off that he's pretty sure is anger
like it can't be anything else 
while alex is trying to convince himself of that, the tensions boil over + soon the two sides are on the brink of war then the fighting starts
henry + alex don't talk much for a while bc they're both busy on their sides preparing
school is on hold during the war so alex + his friends are looking to serve + bring glory to their names 
alex esp is recognized for his intelligence + becomes the recognized general rafael lunas secretary
luna is the george washington figure in this case who is impressed by alex wants him as his right-hand man
alex is disappointed his role is not on the battlefield bc he knows he has a good tactical mind + he could change the tide of a losing war + gain honor and status thru it, which would put him in a good position to be elected in the future
as secretary, alex is in charge of a lot of important correspondence eg for more supplies + men, so the motherland soldiers figure ambushing him off the battlefield would make things hard for the colonists
henry overhears this plan + immediately worries for alex's safety but he's cornered by another soldier to talk strategy + misses the chance to take out the men then
henry manages to catch that they're going to attack alex at night when he leaves + henry arrives just in time to kill them in a panic
alex hears the gunshot + yells “drop ur weapon”, drawing his own gun
henry obviously does + alex inspects the scene he keeps a gun fixed on henry
“what's going on?” he asks, eyeing henry w/ suspicion
henry explains everything + looks positively terrified bc he just betrayed his side even tho the motherland and his family has treated him like shit since he came out but still. 
becoming an outright traitor is not something henry ever planned + leaving behind everything he's ever known w no hope of ever going back is terrifying
but he also doesn't regret protecting alex
alex questions henry but can quickly tell henry is sincere + is telling the truth
henry explains his change of heart + they have a heartfelt moment in/just outside luna's office.
alex almost died + henry just switched sides, emotions are running high and they escalate into a kiss. the moon is out + it's all very romantic but they don't admit their feelings yet
soon after they go to luna, explain the situation + talk w the other generals/people in charge
henry is sent away on an assignment + is watched closely at first but he proves his loyalty quickly
henry and alex write letters back + forth that turn into love letters 
besides managing correspondence for luna, some of alexs ideas of sneak attacks/stealing supplies help turn the tide of the war andhe also writes to other countries for foreign aid
eventually the colonists win in this huge up start that no one anticipated bc the motherland is known as the most powerful country in the world
he + henry reunite in the capital of once the war is over
alex finishes up his studies + practices law + soon is chosen to be part of the new lawmaking body
things are going pretty well for alex w his legal + political success and his relationship with henry
they dont live together but theyre dating tho no one else knows
alex pretends to be single instead + says he doesn't want to be tied down
it works while he's still in his early 20s but as he gets closer to 30, people start to find it strange + tell him he needs to settle
being married to his work is also not a valid excuse anymore
it turns out alex made quite a few political enemies due to his strong opinions that he always vocalises + can be unwilling to compromise on
they don't like his ideas or more often hate him and hence his ideas too
they look for some dirt on him bc atm he has lunas support which has a lot of sway + decide they need to find out why he hasn't married
they manage to find out about henry + threaten to tell the public
alex is obviously distraught re the consequences personally + politically
so alex and henry discuss what to do 
henry is willing to put alexs political career 1st but firmly explains their relationship can't continue if that's the case
henry gave up his whole life + any possibility of going back to his family so he's not willing to be someone's dirty little secret  
alex doesn't know what to do so he goes to consult luna who he's become very close with over the years
luna is not quite old enough to be his father but he's like an uncle + he always calls alex “kid”, much to alex's annoyance
but alex knows he'll have some good advice
alex + luna end up having a long conversation
like washington luna has always been very vocal abt his regrets re his naivety + desire for glory back in his youth
hes always said that this was his greatest regret in life. but then he tells alex like he had another great regret in life- letting go of the love of his life
alex is surprised bc luna's never mentioned anyone special
“who is she?” 
“he” luna corrects “he was my best friend. we had something a relationship but it was short-lived bc I decided I wanted to join the military + attain glory. i thought thats what i wanted in life. turns out that stuff is meaningless w/o anyone to share it w. nor did I even achieve it. perhaps i did accomplish some things but now in my retirement I have no one by my side. i have found that life is meaningless without love and family.  
“i tried to find my friend to reconnect after all these years even as simply friends but he died in the war. alex, I see many similarities between us. don't make the same mistake that I did, alexander. glory + lasting legacy mean nothing if you're alone in the end
“if you make choices that are motivated by love and family you will be a lot happier”
alex takes his advice even though he kind of hates sort of giving up to his enemies
he decides to choose henry and his own happiness over politics bc in the end he's done a lot of good work and that much is enough
also his enemies probably would try to blackmail him throughout his career if he was doing something against their interests
so he + henry leave the capital and move uptown and the two of them have a quiet retirement + engage in philanthropy for the rest of their lives
separately they've amassed a decent amount of money - henry kept a portion of his inheritance despite being unofficially disowned and alex made a lot of money as a lawyer and then politician
as it turns out alex still has a tangential role in politics when some of his former allies go to him for advice
all in all, alex happy with his final decision to be with henry and step away from politics
the two of them live happy and full lives together
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1gm · 4 years
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ok so ive been watching the corona numbers on this website on and off for the past month almost every day and like. seeing the numbers go up so much recently has just been insane. i remember when there was only china above 1k. the exponential growth is fearsome to see
looking at the us having 35k numbers wise now and knowing with the shortage and denial of tests left and right in this shit healthcare system, along with the inhumane working conditions of many companies... just fills me with unease... and i agree with everyone else and am pissed off as fuck that asymptomatic famous people can get tests just like that! i cant do that even though i literally just travelled home from the uk during the travel ban (and limiting the tests to international travellers for so long already capped the us response anyways)
i checked my local news and saw they ran out of tests the day i got home, after doing drive thru testing for only two days. and they are rationing them, giving them only to people above 60 with two or more symptoms now (were already doing that before kind of). emailed my doctor and she confirmed it for me too that i would not receive a test as i am now (not that i have any symptoms anyways but like this thing is everywhere and i care about my family). i wish the us would accept world health organization aid in regards to the tests
my family is in 14 day quarantine with me. preferably longer if i have anything to say about it, given how fast its spreading everywhere and how cavalier americans are about endangering other peoples health. my family cant return to their jobs anyways (which is an impending headache, ageism means my parents might have trouble when the economy is recovering, not to mention collecting unemployment can only go on so long. assuming they dont get corona and have their lungs permanently fucked up to where theyre disabled and cant work). im also nervous about my own job prospects in the next year, and am wondering if im going to be able to get a job outside of this country like ive dreamed of since i was in high school (at least my graduation looks like itll be fine).
so many other people are going through rough times spawned by the freefalling economy that the virus created... its fucking tragic, this mass uncertainty and suffering. besides seeing the videos of lines and lines of coffins in italy and all the videos coming out of swamped hospitals of rows and rows of people on respirators, you also hear of support phone lines being swamped. ,ore people feeling suicidal due to losing their jobs and not being able to pay their bills/provide for their family, domestic violence cases going up with people trapped in their homes with their families who are also facing these extreme stressors. a world in crisis
everyone having all the things they care about cancelled puts a major gloom over everything... and i do personally believe it is important to find happiness in what you can during these times (given the limited state of society) so that your mental state doesnt implode, but that happiness shouldnt be selfish, shouldnt doom other people. people flouting safety regulations and going out enjoying themselves as if this were a healthy vacation is frustrating because the underlying fabric of society (medical and funeral services, the supply chain) being unable to cope with increased death rates is the whole reason we are all being told to limit interactions as much as possible... my heart goes out to all the essential services workers right now. them getting infected and having to quarantine etc as they get infected by the ever increasing number of cases (both symptomatic and asymptomatic) just means that the jobs that hold together human society as we know it currently will struggle further as people take time to recover or straight up die due to lack of medical services. seriously, i wish people being irresponsible would understand the gravity of this whole thing and understand that each and every person has a role to play in saving lives (and that it is literally in their own self interest to do so so that their own life and the lives of those they value arent fucked over because this thing is so far reaching)
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zeravmeta · 5 years
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Give me your absolute best YGO x Fate headcanons
Ah gee since ya asked so nicely heres my convoluted crossover AU. Also this got hella long so I'll add a readmore
-the protags would all wind up at Chaldea due to being summoned by the godly powers within their own universes (Egyptian Gods, Crimson Dragon, etc.) and are tasked with helping them. Yugi is pre Ceremonial Duel (for Atem), the rest are from post series
-Gudas just so used to all the weirdness surrounding them so they take it in stride. Holmes on the other hand is losing it because he fears they may have been some type of dimensional collapse. He freaks out further when some of the kids say "oh yeah that happens all the time". Da Vinci sets them up to assist Guda since they can use magic (at least half of them use magic and the other half literally fuse with duel monsters) without needing magic circuits (which interests her GREATLY) so she introduces them as a set of new masters to help.
-their decks are still with them but now instead of being confined to the game they can actually summon them as Familiars/Phantasmals, though they can only support a few at a time.
-most, if not all servants are suspicious of these new masters (guda is my favorite master i dont need another one), but its only initial waryness since these are actual kids like Guda and they default to Parent Mode. Theyre even more surprised to learn about the exploits within their own worlds.
Now onto some of the dynamics:
-Yugi would just be happy to meet all these heroes from history. He understands the seriousness of the situation and despite his initial kickback he'd be onboard to help. Atem would take this opportunity to ask around to see if any of these ancient heroes would know him (since pre ceremonial duel he'd know who he is from Mem World). The Pharaohs (Ozy, Nito, Cleo) would be surprised about a Pharoah they've never met before, and especially his divinity since he could summon three Egyptian Gods to aid him. He was from 3000 years in the past so Egypt was beginning in its decline, so such a modern (relatively) Pharoah holding such power would shock them, though in the end Ozymandias would still declare him one of his friends and theyd get along. Yugi would leave the Puzzle with the Pharoahs so they could speak while he went around meeting a bunch of the heroes. He'd love to play with some of the kids though he has earned his fair share of ire since the King of Games never loses on Game Night, Poker Night, or any other type of games. Yugi has more supportive abilities in his skillset for the ourposes of battle, while Atem can more freely use his shadow magic since he's being supplied.
-Judai is more nonplussed than anything. He was already wandering the world so for him this is just another checkpoint. He finds the ability to summon his monsters as familiars more convebiant than anything since he could already speak to them. Many of the magic users are particularly interested in his ability to talk to spirits since its a rare ability in general and usually limited to one type of phantasmal, not to mention empathetic abilities on their own are somewhat unheard of in Nasuverse. Yubel is a protective force around him and for combat training scenarios shes extremely hard to get around since her deflection ability, while hard to maintain when Yubel uses her final form, is pretty much on par with Lord Camelot in terms of defense. He's generally friendly but comes off as rude sometimes due to his general nonchalance. Gets along especially well with some of the more volatile servants like Berserkers and Avengers since his empathetic abilities are soothing to them.
-Yusei is cautious and guarded here. He has responsibilities in his own world he'd want to get back too, but doesn't have it in him to just leave. His D-Wheel somehow came along (Yuya shivers in the distance) with him, so Da Vinci did the only reasonable thing upon seeing a miniature perpetual motion machine and tried to impound it immediately for study. Yusei was happy to share his info and skills on Momentum and implementing it into Chaldeas energy systems, something that had Tesla and Edison proud since one so young was already (but only barely) supassing AC and DC. Holmes was also extremely interested in Clear Mind and the Crimson Dragin, since Yusei managed to consolidate his own concentration into pure evolutionary energy and may have accidentally interacted with an elder god in the process (kinda like Holmes). Yusei assures him the Crimson Dragon isn't evil and that its called Quetzalcoatl, which has Fate Quetz coming in and asking about herself, further complicating Yusei's confusion on the Crimson Dragon. For combat, he starts off supportive by swarming his field with low power monsters before suddenly summoning a more powerful one. With Over Top Clear Mind they become even more powerful and evolve on their own, so Stardust can become Shooting, but summoning Quasar is very dangerous since its extremely powerful but taxxing.
-Yuma is absolutely excited. Astral not so much. "Astral these are literal HEROES how can you not be excited!?" "Idk probably the part where they'll kill us if we take a wrong step?". Yuma loves to hang around servants like Drake, Shiki and Beowulf, and loves swapping stories of their adventures. Abigail heard about aliens and wonders if Yog Soghoth is an alien, but Yuma tells her that the Astrals and Barians are not like Yog Soggoth, even if Don Thousand as described kinda sounds like him. Astral can be seen since since Heroic Spirits are consolidations of magic while Astral was basically an energy being of the same type, and does float through the halls, occasionally scaring someone by mistake. He does get along with a mysterious woman in a kimono who seems to appear in the twilight hours, but he cant ever really remember her face. In combat Astral and Yuma can do their usual combination form which causes their Numbers to automatically Rank Up upon summoning, the higher the form the further they can rank.
-Yuya has it a bit rough at first. He just got out of a war and now he was being dragged into another? Thankfully he gets his bearings quickly but is still somewhat shaken. Some of the servants are wary around him because they can feel the distortion that exists within his soul, his three other versions, and the power that could trun him into the Supreme King once again still exists there even if Zarc has passed on. He gets along with Siegfried well enough, and they swap stories about how the expectations of others can lead you to ruin. The Alter Egos feel a kinship to him since he's also a consolidated personality rather than a full person, though he gets along best with the Celts. Cu, Scathach and Fergus all love to see his performances, but to them that just meant that they can put him through warrior training especially after they hear about the war he went through. Scathach insists that him running for his life while she chases is good training, while Cu agrees while running alongside him. In battle he uses his acrobatic prowess enhanced with a little bit of fortification/protection magic, and can summon all four of his dragons to help him. Since the other Yu Boys are stuck within Yuya, they occasionally trade places:
Yuto gets along with Archer and occasionally helps him out. Archer is sympathetic to the struggles he unerwent in his own world and makes sure to keep his spirits up while also trying to ignore the irony.Yugo and David have struck up a strange friendship since they both have the issue of mistaking people for their so. David sees Yugo talk about how even if his life was hard it was worth it for the people he loved and remembers his son fondly.Yuri is generally avoided since even after the merge he's still something of a wildcard, but he gets along well with Hans and Kiara of all people. Sometimes he'd share the stories of the training he underwent in Academia, how the Professor trained him to see people as toys and all the people he's hurt, how his dragon was his only friend and how itd protect him, and Hans couldn't help but hate his pessimistic attitude in expecting this while Kiara wouldn't really care too much but also wouldn't insult him by offering condolences. He knows he's become a monster and he won't deny or forget his mistakes, he'll simply try to do better.
-[note: Vrains suddenly had its ending announced for Sept.25 (i believe it may have been cancelled) so based on the episode title of 120 Yusaku and Ai will reunite and thats what im following here] Yusaku is skittish at best, downright invisible at worst. He doesn't want to be found, and even some of the Assassin Class servants have trouble tracking him down when needed. Ai managed to bring along a spare SOLtis body with him so he can walk around and physically interact with Yusaku. Even if they still had some tension between them they still cared about each other so they would keep each other company. It got real awkward when BB first showed up talking about being a sentient AI, so Ai immediatelt tried to befriend her, only to learn about her inhuman nature. While Ai may dislike that aspect of her, he knows from what happened with Roboppy that you cant forcibly change what you are, so he does his best to try and get along, which infuriates BB to no end since she feels like she's being talked down to. Yusaku as a programmer helps with most of Chaldeas regular workforce and he accomplishes hiding in plain sight by being the only master to interact more with the regular work staff than their servants. That being said, it doesn't change how some like Tamamo or Suzuka try to drag him out so he can meet some of the other servants. He gets along well with Kerry. Likely because they barely speak and share E Rank Luck.
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writsgrimmyblog · 5 years
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Rec List #1 Theme: 2018 Favourites
One of my fandom resolutions is to rec more in 2019. I’m going to post rec lists for some of my favourite Nick fics divided up by theme/content/ship or whatever I fancy throughout the year. It seems fitting that my first rec post of 2019 should be my favourite Nick Fics of 2018. If you’re interested in my Harry Potter themed recs, you can find them over on my other blog @writcraft under the tag #writ recs where I’m undertaking the same initiative.
This is by no means an exhaustive list - I’m limiting myself to ten recs per list and it is very difficult, I could have recced many more. I’ve read and enjoyed a whole raft of terrific stories and this rec list is simply based on my personal tastes which may not be everybody else’s cuppa. Please heed the content warnings the author has flagged on AO3 in each case, none of my recs include the content tags.
#1. Ten Track Sophomore Album by @junkshop-disco​ 
Nick Grimshaw/Harry Styles | 4,228
Nick has always lived in noise, been the cause of a lot of it, but one day a boy writes him into a pop song and the whole world dissolves into static.
It doesn’t happen like that, not that easy, not that linear, but that’s the heart of it, the soul, if these things have such a thing.
My Rec: The Nick fic of 2018 is undoubtedly the final installment of junkshop-disco’s incredible Doodle of a Surface Life but that has quite rightly garnered so many recs by now if any Gryles reader hasn’t yet indulged, run, quick, what are you waiting for? I love DOASL with all of my heart, but I’m also a sucker for angst and I wanted to highlight this equally terrific fic in my rec list. The structure of this story, in which Nick loses his ability to hear music, is so cleverly done. It’s a very skilled writer that can create an entire fic around sound and make it come alive, and junkshop-disco manages it brilliantly. The fic reads like music, even as it describes the absence of it and it’s a stunning piece of writing. If you like your Gryles contemplative and angsty with confident, lyrical prose, this is the one for you. Junkshop-disco has such a terrific way with words I highly recommend reading all the works by this author. Every single one. But when you do make sure you take a moment to stop by this beautiful story and leave it all the love it deserves.
#2. Tell Me It’s The Strongest Shape by @louandhazaf
Nick Grimshaw/Elgar Johnson/Louis Tomlinson | 73,224
Nick and Elgar have it all. They’re famous, successful, and engaged to be married—and sometimes they play with others.
When uni student Louis gets street cast by Elgar for a GQ photoshoot, he's drawn into Nick and Elgar’s complicated relationship.
They've always invited mates into their bed. It doesn’t ever mean anything. Until… it does.
My Rec: This is such a great exploration of polyamory and the complexities of open relationships, and the author took a great deal of time developing the relationships between the characters and really working on highlighting some of those difficulties. I tend to gravitate towards fanfic where I care deeply about the characters, and although Elgar seems terrific I don’t have the same fannish relationship to him as I do to Nick and Louis so I was curious to know how I would respond to this fic. Basically, the author killed it. I felt such a deep investment in Elgar, Nick and Louis throughout and everything just flew by as I was reading. It’s also really fucking hot. Like, REALLY. Brilliantly done. I loved it. 
#3. Let The Boys All Sing And The Boys All Shout For Tomorrow by @lunarrua​
Nick Grimshaw/Harry Styles | 18,429
It's February 1988. Thatcher is in power. There's a new drug sweeping through the clubbing scene. In Manchester, it's the eve of a major protest and a new musical movement. And when Nick finds Harry looking lost outside his favourite chip shop, it's the start of a weekend that will leave an indelible mark on both their lives.
My Rec: I saw the summary for this fic and actually yelled at my screen when it popped into my inbox. Gryles, set in Manchester in the 80s? Hell yes. The fic itself certainly didn’t disappoint, it’s absolutely beautiful. The author writes a well-researched, confident piece and the result is stunning. The atmosphere of the whole story is captivating and you can feel yourself transported to the heady days before the Manchester music scene shifted, the anxieties of the AIDS crisis and the fragility of the relationships formed during that period. The Harry of this fic has a transient quality which evokes the nostalgic reflection on a different time in our not so distant past. A real triumph. I loved this story with my whole heart. 
#4. Séjour by @silveredsound
Nick Grimshaw/Louis Tomlinson | 6,288
It is so quiet, which should be conducive to concentration, but Nick is bored and listless and lonely. He’s been there for two days and wants to know where the helpful lady is who’ll deliver him a gamine but takes-no-shit housekeeper who he can fall in love with without words. Words are not his friend.
“Where is my Love Actually moment?” he asks the ceramic kitchen sink as he pokes holes in the cover of one of the M&S ready meals he brought over with him.
«≠»
Nick’s got writer's block. Louis is a master of distraction.
My Rec: I’ve loved a number of stories by Silv this year and I was swinging back and forth between this and others, but there’s something about this little fic that has wormed its way into my heart and has taken hold so this is the one I’m choosing. As I said in my earlier reblog rec, this has such lush, evocative prose it perfectly captures the sense of a fleeting summer. There’s a seductive quietness to it, and a lovely unfolding of the story through snippets of tasting notes left by Louis on bottles of wine and Nick feeling a little bit lost and searching for words as he struggles with writer’s block. Two boys find one another in the warmth of a sleepy French town and it’s beautiful. Really wonderfully done.
#5. Fists & Flowers ‘Verse by @jiksax
Nick Grimshaw/Harry Styles | 1,613 (Make It Worse) and 2,322 (I’ll Do What You Like (If You Stay The Night)
He’s looking at Nick with that soft, terrible look in his eyes, the look that tells Nick the two of them are probably something.
My Rec: If anyone other than Jiksa had told me they were planning an angsty fisting fic series I would have been like umm really? But of course, it’s Jiksa, so naturally I found myself sobbing at the raw, devastating intensity of the story. Jiksa deftly weaves the intensity of the physical act itself into the emotional tumult of Harry and Nick’s relationship in a way that’s incredibly beautiful. A bold, brave, superb piece of hot, confident writing, rich with emotional complexity. Gorgeous.
#6. Constantly on the Cusp by @shiftylinguini
Nick Grimshaw/Louis Tomlinson | 6169
It’s 5 in the morning, and Nick’s got an alarm going off, an unexpected bed full of pop star, and a nation to wake up.
It’s far too fucking early for this.
My Rec: UNFFFFF. I love Shifty’s writing. Like, an obsessive amount. I was so thrilled when Shifty started writing Tomlinshaw I didn’t know quite what to do with myself. It’s actually hard to believe this was Shifty’s first Tomlinshaw, because everything about the fic felt like they have been writing them for years. Louis is sleepy, horny and pissed off, Nick is awake, horny and wondering what it all means, and together they have this scorching hot, sexy moment. Nick’s internal monologue  gives us so much insight into their relationship and the fic offers a lovely, warm, hopeful moment at the end. Fantastically written and a sexy delight from start to finish. Loved it!
#7. this cookie’s baking by @disgruntledkittenface 
Nick Grimshaw/Harry Styles (Genderswap Femslash) | 8,148
Harry’s eyes flicker between Nick’s eyes and lips. “I just want to be your–”
“Baby,” Nick says softly, cupping Harry’s jaw, “you already are.”
Nick and Harry have a long-overdue conversation.
My Rec: This was the first genderswap Gryles fic I have read and I absolutely loved it. The relationship between Nick and Harry feels so perfectly them and there’s a lovely warmth to the whole story. It’s light and funny but also contains moments of real emotional depth and those first time explorations and the hesitancy of admitting to being something more than friends is handled in such a terrific way. It’s a gorgeous story with wonderful writing and I loved every minute of reading it.
#8. let’s make some new rules by @camiii 
Nick Grimshaw/Louis Tomlinson | 12,743
A coffee shop, a Christmas party & a fake date to make sure no one gets laid at the end of the night.
My Rec: This was such an enjoyable read. I love camiii’s Tomlinshaw, and seeing this pop up was a wonderful surprise. Barista Louis agrees to be Nick’s fake boyfriend as he pines over an ex that definitely isn’t worth his time, and they become closer in the process. The pace of the story is wonderful, the flirting is brilliant and despite some misunderstandings and Nick’s no good ex trying to fuck things up, the ending is warm and hopeful. A lovely story, full of festive cheer. Thoroughly enjoyable.
#9. I’ll be seeing you by @daretomarvel​ / renlyne
Nick Grimshaw/Harry Styles | 11,481
It’s 2028, and Nick’s bought a house.
My Rec: I love Ren’s writing and this Notebook inspired Gryles is a beautiful treat of a story, in which Nick starts buying little bits for his dream house. It’s hard to believe this story is just over 11,000 words because the world the author creates is so rich, detailed, layered and complex. The relationship between Nick and Harry has all of these gorgeous details and nuggets of history as it grows and develops, seedling-like, into something that might just be everything they’ve both been searching for. It’s a warm, hopeful, beautiful story but as it’s Ren, it manages to still tug at the heartstrings in the best kind of way. I read this again as I was putting my rec list together and did so with a lump in my throat, full of feels for the Nick and Harry of Ren’s universe. Gorgeous writing with bags of emotional intensity. I loved it.
#10. All I’ve ever had are love songs by @candybarrnerd / icarusinflight
Nick Grimshaw/Louis Tomlinson | 21,688
Things are finally coming together for Nick.
Nick is the DJ of his uni's radio stations, and he passively aggressively dedicates a song to Louis.
My Rec: Icarusinflight is another author who was already on my periphery from Harry Potter fandom who wrote their first Tomlinshaw fic this year and I was so thrilled to see them writing in this fandom and I’m very excited about their upcoming 2019 projects which also includes fics featuring the 1D boys in various ship combos. I love uni AUs and I hadn't read one for a while, so this was such a treat. I loved how Louis is sharp, sassy and confident but with niggling insecurities. Harry was so affectionately humorous in this story and Nick’s voice is wonderful. This is a really well-paced, enjoyable story with a hot af first kiss that deserves a mention all of its own. The music references, the tea and the cameos from various 1D members are all terrific and the writing is brilliant. Can’t wait for more from this author this year.
Bonus Rec: I was meant to limit this to just 10 recs but I also wanted to give a quick shout out to @nightwideopen. I’ve said this in previous rec lists before, but I am constantly impressed by the quality of @nightwideopen‘s writing and the way they explore things such as asexuality and gender dysphoria which can be harder to find in a relatively small fandom. I’d particularly rec so far (it’s alright) and i’ve been thinking lots about your mouth from this year, both Tomlinshaw.
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buoyantsaturn · 7 years
Note
Solangelo au where one of them are deaf?
oh boy oh boy i wanna do both so im gonna do both ok (like i’ll do a list where nico is deaf and then i’ll do a list where will is deaf not like one list where theyre both deaf) its gonna be p long so its getting a cut
 also im not 100% on like the specifics of being deaf so if i get something wrong or something here isn’t logical im not trying to offend
nico is deaf
he goes deaf when he’s around 13 but thankfully he finds the roman camp pretty soon after and they teach him some basic sign language and try to fit him with hearing aids but it turns out that his ears are just like, too far gone and he’s just not going to get his hearing back ever so it looks like he’s going to have to learn how to deal without
so he picks up on sign language pretty quick bc he realizes his life kind of depends on it and he also does his best to learn how to read lips but it still kind of iffy on that 
he manages well enough at least that sometimes people don’t realize that he can’t hear them, he’s responding to what he’s reading on their lips just well enough that they don’t think anything’s wrong, and if he happens to not respond to them, they just think that he’s ignoring them (he’s not, ofc, he’s just not looking at them while they’re talking and doesn’t know what’s going on)
so basically none of the seven realize that he’s deaf while they’re on the argo, but reyna already knew about it from when nico had first arrived in new rome and tbh hedge got kind of lost when reyna broke out the sign language 
also?? will totally notices like immediately (but didn’t say anything for a while bc he knew it wasn’t the time u know) like he sees nico staring at his lips when he talks and hesitating for a few seconds before responding to anything will says
so when nico and will get a moment of privacy (in the infirmary, probably) will, as carefully as possible, asks nico if he can hear him and nico hesitates for a moment before saying “no” and hes totally not sure of what’s happening so will breaks out the sign language and nico’s visibly embarrassed but will, using all the limited sign language he knows, tries to reassure nico that it’s ok
also will totally learns more sign language for nico specifically, but will 100% denies that fact
will is deaf 
will was born with a hearing impairment and can only hear with the help of hearing aids, even then things can be tough. if there’s too much sound then it’s difficult to pick out the specific sound he wants to focus on - head counsellor meetings are one of his least favorite things
however, when he gets irritated with something, he just takes his hearing aids out so he doesnt have to listen to it
–that one fanart of will staring someone dead in the eyes while taking out his hearing aids–
also sometimes he just takes his hearing aids out bc hes,,,,, tired,,,, hes done,,,,, he just needs a minute or an hour or two
he’s offered to teach sign language classes at camp to anyone that wants to learn and when he and nico get together nico practically demands that will teach him sign language
will appreciates nico’s eagerness, especially since nico tends to talk pretty quiet and a lot of the time even his hearing aids can’t pick up nico’s voice
sometimes nico will tell will to read his lips and then mouth somewhat inappropriate things to see if he can get will flustered
thanks for the suggestion!! 
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leeoliver · 7 years
Note
5, 8, 14, 19, 39 iunia and/or ezra
(char dev)
5. how do they dress? what styles, colors, accessories, and other possessions do they favor? why?
tbh itd be much more interesting to talk abt how iunia used to dress bcos now shes either wearing armor or her pharasma robes (which are like fancy funeral wear) she and wesviz were honestly like. fashion icons who wore an embarrassing amount of matching couples outfits. she really likes wearing like coral and salmon and peach bcos she feels like her skins too pale but those sort of warm pink and orangish tones bring color back into it. and shed do like dramatic bright makeup, especially eyes (lips were usually a solid tone bcos she and wesviz would match their lip colors to each others shirts) but stopped wearing makeup when she got pregnant bcos she remembered hearing like 10 years ago that wearing makeup when pregnant was bad for the kid. also her hair used to be really long like almost waist length and she cut it really short after wesviz died and kept it short while she was looking for cens and is only just now starting to grow it out again.
(human) ezras got like. a meticulous aesthetic going on that probs takes way more effort than they care to admit in the wasteland. they keep their clothes really really clean, though that starts to get hard after a while, and know enough basic sewing to mend any rips that occur moderately well. anyway its generally like cream/beige/brown/sometimes like yellow or like burnt orange turtlenecks and then prewar dress slacks and loafers. occasionally they wear like a white button down and like dark yellow sweater vest and bowtie, but thats for like special occasions. they definitely shine their shoes. as a ghoul the kind of start to let themself go, wearing this really big cloak w a hood so they can hide their face and stuff but it turns out that a six and a half ft tall figure of ambiguous species in a long menacing cloak and hood draws more attention than a six and a half ft tall ghoul in a tan prewar suit, so theyre doing better now.
8. where and when do they seem most and least at ease? why? how can you tell?
iunia knows a delivery table like the back of her hand. she can get like kind of intense when shes in the birthing zone, really barking orders but you definitely get the sense she knows what shes doing and is in total control of the situation. like shes super deep in her element. its pretty impressive. def uncomfortable in like wilderness or survival areas, prior to the events of coct shes never in her life been outside city limits. constantly looking around her and over her shoulder, holds her gear really tight if shes carrying any.
ezras really good in really pristine, regulated places like the vault. a lot of ppl would consider something that like regulated and controlled dystopian or monotonous but they fit really well into the machine. ezra as a person can get into fanatical territory really really quickly so like all hail the overseer and that sort of thing is something they really get into. so they of course like really have no idea how to act in a lot of more like rough and tumble sort of rugged wasteland towns. it was the first time theyd sort of been in a situation where a lethal fight or something breaking out was an actual possibility, and it scared them half to death.
14. What do they care deeply about? What kind of loyalties, commitments, moral codes, life philosophies, passions, callings, or spirituality and faith do they have? How do these tend to be expressed?
mm iunias really conflicted here bcos she always feels like the temple and stuff should be her number one priority, that her past life is exactly that–in the past. but at the same time i feel like if theres a situation where she has to choose between her goddess and her son (and knowing how devious avery is, im fully expecting there will be) shed go with the latter. no matter what. in terms of more like general talk on faith and spirituality, shes definitely very devout and she can absolutely come off as like im blanking on the word like pushing OH proselytizing she can come off as proselytizing but i feel like so much of it is unconscious? like even if shes not actively trying to like convert someone her faith is such a huge part of her identity and it bleeds into a lot of how she interacts w the world.
lmao iunia and ezra just happen to be like my two most religious characters so good question. ezra is like unbearably classic lawful good they just really want to help people like definitely in terms of humanitarian aid but also smaller stuff like being really nice to people, making themself available as a shoulder to cry on, things like that. wrt religion ezras definitely very devout but they feel. super uncomfortable discussing faith w anyone other than their dad (and i havent finished fo3 but if theres another character whos very into like faith and stuff them too) so for them its more below the surface, esp compared w iunia
19. how do they behave within a group? what role(s) do they take? does this differ if they know and trust the group, versus finding themselves in a group of strangers? why?
iunia is definitely really like cold professional, but the best way to work w her is to give her a job and then just dont interfere w however she does it. i dont think id consider her a leader, but shes good at like timetables and organization so its definitely helpful to have her in a position where she can keep everyone on track in some capacity. i think the only change were the group to go from strangers to friends is that shes a little more flexible and willing to get input from friends whereas if a stranger (who often times would be 15~ yrs younger than her) did anything to imply that she wasnt competent shed be like. like you shouldnt do that. iunias so many things but incompetent is so incredibly not one of them.
ezras definitely gonna work better in a small group where theres not a lot of variation in goals and morals (theyre pretty flexible on specific means and stuff of getting a job done, with some hard rules on violence and stuff) and a lot of the time w/o a definite leader. if there is a leader theyve gotta play into that like zealous god-worshipping side of ezra and be like larger than life if they want unwavering support.
39. what sort of questions or thoughts recur in their lives, either specifically or as a theme? why are these never answered, or answered permanently to their satisfaction?
iunia wants to know why everyone leaves her. and given that her ongoing story is yet to start, i cant quite answer the second part of that question.
ezra deals a lot i guess w sense of self and identity? they definitely struggle w navigating life w/o their dad, both when he leaves the vault and after he dies. they define them self a lot thru how other ppl view them, and their dad is pretty much like. idk if i want to use like medical terms but id call him their fp. and so w/o him to sort of reassure them and tell them who they are, they have no idea.
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themoneybuff-blog · 5 years
Text
Exploring the Connections Between Your Intellectual Life and Your Financial Life
This is the third entry in an eight part series exploring the connections between your finances and other areas of your life. A few weeks ago, I started a series exploring the connections between personal finance and the other spheres of my life. The first entry covered the connections between ones physical life and financial life, the second entry covered the connections between ones mental and spiritual life and financial life, and today were looking at ones intellectual life and financial life. As noted in the first entry, I tend to view life as a bunch of spheres, or areas of focus. I really like Michael Hyatts list of nine such spheres: physical, mental/spiritual, intellectual, social, marital, parental, avocational (hobbies), vocational, and financial they cover much of what life is all about. Ive come to view these spheres as deeply interconnected, in that success in one sphere is usually linked in some significant ways to success in other spheres (and failures are similarly connected) and that knowing the connections can help people figure out how to succeed in both areas at once. Today, were going to look at the intellectual sphere. What Is the Intellectual Life? Intellectual life refers to the thoughts, knowledge, ideas, and problem solving that run through your mind. Much of the time, our intellectual life is shallow were thinking about our appointment later today or the game we watched last night. However, when we actually engage with difficult topics and difficult problems that really challenge and push us, we deepen our intellectual life and achieve a better understanding of the world and of ourselves. The benefits of a robust intellectual life are many. The world seems less mysterious. You understand your own viewpoints better and can explain them better. Its easier to hold down conversations on all kinds of topics. Its much easier to solve problems of all kinds. Youre less afraid to tackle projects that you might not fully understand at the start. Not only are those things true, but I find that really stretching ones intellect leads to a flow state where you lose track of time and place and, for me, that is one of the most profound sources of happiness in life. In the modern information economy, a robust intellectual life often helps a person with their career, so there is some overlap with ones professional life. However, our thoughts and ideas stretch far beyond what we do in our careers, so there is only an overlap between ones professional life and ones intellectual life. For me, ones intellectual life comes down to a positive answer to one key question: do I have a robust understanding of the world around me which I can use to solve problems and relate to others? Having a robust intellectual life offers a bunch of financial benefits. First, youre much more likely to be able to find work and to be flexible enough in their work to always find employment. A person with a wide knowledge base and a strong ability to solve problems is generally going to be a valuable asset in most workplaces (provided its combined with reasonable interpersonal skills). Such people are typically able to find high paying jobs, retain them, and easily move to new ones should their situation change. Second, youre more open to taking on intellectually challenging tasks, which can help both professionally and at home. This is why a person with a robust intellectual life usually finds employment with ease theyre able to solve problems and take on challenging tasks. This is also true at home, where the ability to take on difficult tasks (such as home repairs) generally saves quite a lot of money. Third, you have a much wider field of topics to converse about, which makes building professional (and personal) relationships much easier. A person with a healthy intellectual life can carry on a conversation with anyone, finding some sort of common ground for meaningful and worthwhile conversation. This aids greatly in the building of professional and personal relationships. Finally, you have a much greater capacity for analyzing your own financial situation and developing your own solutions and plans. A person who is adept at self-learning and problem solving can typically figure out almost any personal finance situation on their own, come up with a strong solution, and implement that solution. Here are five low cost strategies I use for maintaining and improving my own intellectual life. Strategy #1 Read Genuinely Challenging Things and Work to Understand Them I make it a point to devote at least one solid hour a day to reading something that challenges my mind and forces me to think. This usually forces me to read slowly and consider new ideas carefully. I often take notes as Im reading so I have a track of thoughts to take up later on. I often choose reading that is at least professionally adjacent, meaning that theres at least some connection to the topics I write about, but many of the books I choose have no seeming connection at all to personal finance or personal development. The purpose is to read about something that I dont understand well and to improve my understanding of that topic. This is hard. Its much easier to read a page-turning novel or more material on topics that are very familiar to me. Reading something difficult is mentally taxing and forces me to think in new ways, but thats part of the value of it. Reading is my primary way of absorbing information, but everyone learns in different ways. The key thing is to find an avenue of learning that works for you, then use that avenue to take on things that are difficult for you to understand, but that you can work through if you take it slowly. If you find that watching videos is best for you, dont be afraid to pause videos to look up words or to work out something for yourself. The same is true with audiobooks pause them and think about the material as you go. What topics should you dig into? Dig into ones that youre personally curious about. Dig into topics that people you associate with might know about, so you can converse with them about it. Dig into topics that relate to your career in some fashion. Those three areas alone should provide a wealth of ideas. How do you know what to read? Try reading something thats difficult but not impossible to understand. You should be stopping regularly to consider new ideas or to look up words, but it shouldnt be overwhelming. If youre completely lost, look for a simpler book or video or other material to start with; theres nothing wrong with starting with a very introductory book. Strategy #2 Explain Things You Think You Understand to a Novice When you think you understand an idea thoroughly, try explaining it to an eight year old. This might seem like a strange way to enhance your intellectual life, but hear me out. If you can explain an idea to an eight year old, it likely means that you have a thorough understanding of the topic. If you cant explain it well without relying on shorthand concepts or ideas or words that an eight year old wouldnt understand, your own understanding is probably somewhat limited. The approach I like to use is this: after I read a chapter or a section in a hard book, I let that section float around in my head for a while, then I try to summarize it out of my head in my own words in the simplest language I can while still making it clear. If I find that I cant do this well, then I know I need to back up (and backing up to read something again is fine). This actual process is hard, and doing this makes me appreciate the task that elementary school teachers have when theyre explaining a new idea to an elementary aged student. You simply have to know an idea very well to be able to explain it to a child. Strategy #3 Engage in Difficult Puzzles and Games Games and puzzles are powerful ways to encourage intellectual growth. They help with logic. They help with interpreting situations. They help with coming up with strategies and plans. They help you deal with plans that are undone. They can help with skills like negotiation and trading. Plus, they can often be purely fun. There are an infinite variety of games and puzzles out there. Puzzles dont begin and end with mazes and crossword puzzles and word finds and Sudoku. Games dont begin and end with Fortnite and chess. There are an infinite variety of both and theyre well worth exploring, because they scratch all kinds of different intellectual and thematic itches. If you want to try out a variety of puzzles, look at acrostic puzzles, logic puzzles, or cryptic crosswords. Try taking on chess problems or go problems. If you want to try out a variety of games, dont just turn to your smartphone or a computer or video game console; look for a community board game night and go with an open mind, or check out a chess club. The goal is to find something that makes you think in a pleasurable way, where youre figuring out a solution or evaluating odds and coming up with strategies and plans, but having fun doing it. Any game or puzzle that does that is well worth incorporating into your regular life. Strategy #4 Take on Think-y Projects and Challenges That Are Just Beyond What You Think You Can Do One of the best things you can do to stimulate your intellectual life is to take on a challenge thats just a little bit beyond what you think you can handle. Often, you dont know exactly how to get to the end product you want, but you feel like the steps should be something you can figure out. This usually requires a burst of self-learning followed by trying out different techniques youve never done before (and often an alternation between the two), coupled with some careful thought and planning about how to proceed. Often, such a project results in going into a flow state, which is a state in which youre so engaged with a project that you lose track of time and place and are simply absorbed into the task. For me, this is one of lifes peak experiences, and I most frequently attain it when I engage with a challenging project that demands my full thinking and focus. Want some examples? Home repair projects are often like this, especially when the project is complex enough that youre not quite sure how to do it. Computer programming tasks are often like this. Really complex meal preparation can be like this. So, if you want to try this, take on a home improvement project that seems simple but you dont know how to do it. Figure out how to do it by watching videos. Make a meal or a food item that you dont immediately know how to make. Figure out how to do it, then do it. Push yourself a little bit beyond what you think you can do. Strategy #5 Have a Deep Conversation with Someone Where Youre Willing To Have Your Ideas Challenged and Changed This is another powerful way to really stretch your thinking capacity in a fun way, but it requires a few things to be true. First, everyone participating has to be willing to not hold onto a particular viewpoint with emotion, because when emotion gets involved, youre no longer trying to understand, but trying to win by any means necessary. Second, you need to be discussing an issue with someone who has at least somewhat different knowledge and understanding of an issue than you, although you are bringing some knowledge and understanding of your own. Third, everyone involved must be willing and able to keep their emotions in check. Finally, everyone involved must be willing to question their own viewpoints seriously. If you have all of those elements in place, sit down with those people and simply talk through whatever it is youre curious about. Try to understand all sides, and do that by giving a good faith argument on behalf of that viewpoint, even if none of you agree with it. Be willing to hear criticism of the ideas you support without getting angry or defensive about it. Remember, the goal is for everyone to understand all sides better. Again, this is often very challenging. It forces you to look at a complex matter from a lot of angles, with people sharing perspectives and often introducing angles you havent thought of before. It absolutely requires respect and a lack of defensiveness about ideas, but if you can get past that, such conversations can be deeply enlightening. I usually find that when I have conversations like this, I end up with more respect for the other viewpoints on an issue or an idea than I had before I started. Furthermore, doing it once makes it easier to do in the future, and youll often reach a point where you start trying to understand other sides of issues in a genuine way even without having such conversations. The key is to put forth genuine effort to understand other perspectives without just locking down and being defensive. As a further benefit, I often find that this is a great way to build a social bond with someone. If you can have this kind of conversation successfully with someone, you end up bonding with them. Final Thoughts Making room in your life for deep stimulation of your mind plays a powerful role in improving your problem solving skills, which applies powerfully to your professional and financial spheres, as well as to many other areas of your life. If I can suggest one single thing, its that you take some time each day to either read a book or watch a video or listen to an audiobook on a topic you dont understand well but you wish to, and focus on that material with intensity. Block off that time and make it a scheduled event that cant be broken unless absolutely necessary. Youll find that the benefits from doing this go far beyond just understanding a new idea or two. Good luck! https://www.thesimpledollar.com/exploring-the-connections-between-your-intellectual-life-and-your-financial-life/
0 notes
themoneybuff-blog · 5 years
Text
Exploring the Connections Between Your Intellectual Life and Your Financial Life
This is the third entry in an eight part series exploring the connections between your finances and other areas of your life. A few weeks ago, I started a series exploring the connections between personal finance and the other spheres of my life. The first entry covered the connections between ones physical life and financial life, the second entry covered the connections between ones mental and spiritual life and financial life, and today were looking at ones intellectual life and financial life. As noted in the first entry, I tend to view life as a bunch of spheres, or areas of focus. I really like Michael Hyatts list of nine such spheres: physical, mental/spiritual, intellectual, social, marital, parental, avocational (hobbies), vocational, and financial they cover much of what life is all about. Ive come to view these spheres as deeply interconnected, in that success in one sphere is usually linked in some significant ways to success in other spheres (and failures are similarly connected) and that knowing the connections can help people figure out how to succeed in both areas at once. Today, were going to look at the intellectual sphere. What Is the Intellectual Life? Intellectual life refers to the thoughts, knowledge, ideas, and problem solving that run through your mind. Much of the time, our intellectual life is shallow were thinking about our appointment later today or the game we watched last night. However, when we actually engage with difficult topics and difficult problems that really challenge and push us, we deepen our intellectual life and achieve a better understanding of the world and of ourselves. The benefits of a robust intellectual life are many. The world seems less mysterious. You understand your own viewpoints better and can explain them better. Its easier to hold down conversations on all kinds of topics. Its much easier to solve problems of all kinds. Youre less afraid to tackle projects that you might not fully understand at the start. Not only are those things true, but I find that really stretching ones intellect leads to a flow state where you lose track of time and place and, for me, that is one of the most profound sources of happiness in life. In the modern information economy, a robust intellectual life often helps a person with their career, so there is some overlap with ones professional life. However, our thoughts and ideas stretch far beyond what we do in our careers, so there is only an overlap between ones professional life and ones intellectual life. For me, ones intellectual life comes down to a positive answer to one key question: do I have a robust understanding of the world around me which I can use to solve problems and relate to others? Having a robust intellectual life offers a bunch of financial benefits. First, youre much more likely to be able to find work and to be flexible enough in their work to always find employment. A person with a wide knowledge base and a strong ability to solve problems is generally going to be a valuable asset in most workplaces (provided its combined with reasonable interpersonal skills). Such people are typically able to find high paying jobs, retain them, and easily move to new ones should their situation change. Second, youre more open to taking on intellectually challenging tasks, which can help both professionally and at home. This is why a person with a robust intellectual life usually finds employment with ease theyre able to solve problems and take on challenging tasks. This is also true at home, where the ability to take on difficult tasks (such as home repairs) generally saves quite a lot of money. Third, you have a much wider field of topics to converse about, which makes building professional (and personal) relationships much easier. A person with a healthy intellectual life can carry on a conversation with anyone, finding some sort of common ground for meaningful and worthwhile conversation. This aids greatly in the building of professional and personal relationships. Finally, you have a much greater capacity for analyzing your own financial situation and developing your own solutions and plans. A person who is adept at self-learning and problem solving can typically figure out almost any personal finance situation on their own, come up with a strong solution, and implement that solution. Here are five low cost strategies I use for maintaining and improving my own intellectual life. Strategy #1 Read Genuinely Challenging Things and Work to Understand Them I make it a point to devote at least one solid hour a day to reading something that challenges my mind and forces me to think. This usually forces me to read slowly and consider new ideas carefully. I often take notes as Im reading so I have a track of thoughts to take up later on. I often choose reading that is at least professionally adjacent, meaning that theres at least some connection to the topics I write about, but many of the books I choose have no seeming connection at all to personal finance or personal development. The purpose is to read about something that I dont understand well and to improve my understanding of that topic. This is hard. Its much easier to read a page-turning novel or more material on topics that are very familiar to me. Reading something difficult is mentally taxing and forces me to think in new ways, but thats part of the value of it. Reading is my primary way of absorbing information, but everyone learns in different ways. The key thing is to find an avenue of learning that works for you, then use that avenue to take on things that are difficult for you to understand, but that you can work through if you take it slowly. If you find that watching videos is best for you, dont be afraid to pause videos to look up words or to work out something for yourself. The same is true with audiobooks pause them and think about the material as you go. What topics should you dig into? Dig into ones that youre personally curious about. Dig into topics that people you associate with might know about, so you can converse with them about it. Dig into topics that relate to your career in some fashion. Those three areas alone should provide a wealth of ideas. How do you know what to read? Try reading something thats difficult but not impossible to understand. You should be stopping regularly to consider new ideas or to look up words, but it shouldnt be overwhelming. If youre completely lost, look for a simpler book or video or other material to start with; theres nothing wrong with starting with a very introductory book. Strategy #2 Explain Things You Think You Understand to a Novice When you think you understand an idea thoroughly, try explaining it to an eight year old. This might seem like a strange way to enhance your intellectual life, but hear me out. If you can explain an idea to an eight year old, it likely means that you have a thorough understanding of the topic. If you cant explain it well without relying on shorthand concepts or ideas or words that an eight year old wouldnt understand, your own understanding is probably somewhat limited. The approach I like to use is this: after I read a chapter or a section in a hard book, I let that section float around in my head for a while, then I try to summarize it out of my head in my own words in the simplest language I can while still making it clear. If I find that I cant do this well, then I know I need to back up (and backing up to read something again is fine). This actual process is hard, and doing this makes me appreciate the task that elementary school teachers have when theyre explaining a new idea to an elementary aged student. You simply have to know an idea very well to be able to explain it to a child. Strategy #3 Engage in Difficult Puzzles and Games Games and puzzles are powerful ways to encourage intellectual growth. They help with logic. They help with interpreting situations. They help with coming up with strategies and plans. They help you deal with plans that are undone. They can help with skills like negotiation and trading. Plus, they can often be purely fun. There are an infinite variety of games and puzzles out there. Puzzles dont begin and end with mazes and crossword puzzles and word finds and Sudoku. Games dont begin and end with Fortnite and chess. There are an infinite variety of both and theyre well worth exploring, because they scratch all kinds of different intellectual and thematic itches. If you want to try out a variety of puzzles, look at acrostic puzzles, logic puzzles, or cryptic crosswords. Try taking on chess problems or go problems. If you want to try out a variety of games, dont just turn to your smartphone or a computer or video game console; look for a community board game night and go with an open mind, or check out a chess club. The goal is to find something that makes you think in a pleasurable way, where youre figuring out a solution or evaluating odds and coming up with strategies and plans, but having fun doing it. Any game or puzzle that does that is well worth incorporating into your regular life. Strategy #4 Take on Think-y Projects and Challenges That Are Just Beyond What You Think You Can Do One of the best things you can do to stimulate your intellectual life is to take on a challenge thats just a little bit beyond what you think you can handle. Often, you dont know exactly how to get to the end product you want, but you feel like the steps should be something you can figure out. This usually requires a burst of self-learning followed by trying out different techniques youve never done before (and often an alternation between the two), coupled with some careful thought and planning about how to proceed. Often, such a project results in going into a flow state, which is a state in which youre so engaged with a project that you lose track of time and place and are simply absorbed into the task. For me, this is one of lifes peak experiences, and I most frequently attain it when I engage with a challenging project that demands my full thinking and focus. Want some examples? Home repair projects are often like this, especially when the project is complex enough that youre not quite sure how to do it. Computer programming tasks are often like this. Really complex meal preparation can be like this. So, if you want to try this, take on a home improvement project that seems simple but you dont know how to do it. Figure out how to do it by watching videos. Make a meal or a food item that you dont immediately know how to make. Figure out how to do it, then do it. Push yourself a little bit beyond what you think you can do. Strategy #5 Have a Deep Conversation with Someone Where Youre Willing To Have Your Ideas Challenged and Changed This is another powerful way to really stretch your thinking capacity in a fun way, but it requires a few things to be true. First, everyone participating has to be willing to not hold onto a particular viewpoint with emotion, because when emotion gets involved, youre no longer trying to understand, but trying to win by any means necessary. Second, you need to be discussing an issue with someone who has at least somewhat different knowledge and understanding of an issue than you, although you are bringing some knowledge and understanding of your own. Third, everyone involved must be willing and able to keep their emotions in check. Finally, everyone involved must be willing to question their own viewpoints seriously. If you have all of those elements in place, sit down with those people and simply talk through whatever it is youre curious about. Try to understand all sides, and do that by giving a good faith argument on behalf of that viewpoint, even if none of you agree with it. Be willing to hear criticism of the ideas you support without getting angry or defensive about it. Remember, the goal is for everyone to understand all sides better. Again, this is often very challenging. It forces you to look at a complex matter from a lot of angles, with people sharing perspectives and often introducing angles you havent thought of before. It absolutely requires respect and a lack of defensiveness about ideas, but if you can get past that, such conversations can be deeply enlightening. I usually find that when I have conversations like this, I end up with more respect for the other viewpoints on an issue or an idea than I had before I started. Furthermore, doing it once makes it easier to do in the future, and youll often reach a point where you start trying to understand other sides of issues in a genuine way even without having such conversations. The key is to put forth genuine effort to understand other perspectives without just locking down and being defensive. As a further benefit, I often find that this is a great way to build a social bond with someone. If you can have this kind of conversation successfully with someone, you end up bonding with them. Final Thoughts Making room in your life for deep stimulation of your mind plays a powerful role in improving your problem solving skills, which applies powerfully to your professional and financial spheres, as well as to many other areas of your life. If I can suggest one single thing, its that you take some time each day to either read a book or watch a video or listen to an audiobook on a topic you dont understand well but you wish to, and focus on that material with intensity. Block off that time and make it a scheduled event that cant be broken unless absolutely necessary. Youll find that the benefits from doing this go far beyond just understanding a new idea or two. Good luck! https://www.thesimpledollar.com/exploring-the-connections-between-your-intellectual-life-and-your-financial-life/
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