Before you pack for Raye, you need to choose the home you want to settle in and have the Office get it ready. If you choose land, you may bring and set up your temporary quarters* on it, then start building your home from scratch. Either way, as a community member you need to have your own, permanent place to live. Unless you have someone willing and able to buy one for you, you could get started with a mortgage from the Common Fund and buy a home property from the stock available in Raye's common real assets (see Funds). The choices are:
For more samples, you can also visit the currently open homes in the Home>"Residential" districts.
It is your choice whether to become a listed resident (see "Listed", below) and get/show your actual homepage, or to remain a private resident.
Both property types can accommodate families and, other than your maintenance costs, dues are the same, as they are designated per person. Type B requires that you or your partners have building skills (html) and it may allow for backyard farming to offset food expenses, if you can save your own rainwater. The mortgage includes u200/person to cover 2 months of food and utilities, as Raye assumes you would've become contributory by then. Per Funds, the Common Fund mortgage doesn't carry interest or time terms. Private realty listings (see in Home › Economy) and private financing could also be available (see Private Banking, in Funds).
    *If necessary, you may live in a tent or trailer on your type "B" lot for up to 2 years, after which time the community generally expects you to have substantially completed your home building and to put the temporary facility away or conceal it in enclosure at the rear of your lot.
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We use English, but we may easily adopt words of other Germanic or wider European languages, dependind on community's tendencies. Feel free to communicate (post) accordingly.
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Raye offers work opportunities in all areas of everyday life, thus you're likely to do whatever you enjoy doing, along with being inspired by contributing to your special community, too. That's not to say that we don't have our chores, should they feel that way. In order of priority, your work pays for:
1. Necessities (food and dues/utilities, see Expenses, below);
2. Mortgage(s) from the Common Fund, if any;
3. Deposit into your personal fund, if you don't have a mortgage balance and other deficits.
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Your work can provide content in your areas of interest, or it can provide development where this is called for by Raye or where you want to venture privately. Refer to Office › Content for the broad guidelines, and also see Office › Development.
The typical compensation is u10 per 100 words, with a 300-word text content as a minimum. Filler-writing is discarded. Enhancements, such as relevant pictures and graphics, add or multiply value. For example, a 1000-word travel review would pay you u100 and cover 1-month of living expenses, and so could do a 500-word article with imagery, or a standalone informative graphic.
The community compensates members' work only toward paying for their necessities and for their mortgages from the Common Fund, if any. If accepted, the work content becomes part of the common assets and, barring community opinions, it may be posted, recycled, or archived as deemed suitable by the Office. If you're a listed resident, building your home (i.e. the content from your residential page) does not constitute work to be compensated for by the community (also see Listed Residents, below).
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Rayeans who paid off their mortgage and don't have a negative balance in their private funds may not, generally, be further compensated by the community, but can be paid directly by other members who may find the work (content) useful. Along with other sources of revenue such as development and commerce, members can build upon positive balances in their personal funds (see Funds › Glossary).
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Food averages u90/person monthly if sourced from Raye Foods, which is community-owned and run with volunteers. It may also be obtained from private stores or farms (i.e. paying those entities directly for any useful content), usually at a higher cost. If you own land allowing for backyard farming, and have (show) your rainwater collection or greywater filtering design, you may decrease your sourced food cost to u30/person/month.
Community dues are minimal at u20/person monthly and, besides the territorial fee (see Funds › Assets), they include water, sewage (village drain or rural cleanout), and power utilities, as well as fares on public buses, wellness primary care, and daycare through higher education. All these are basic facilities, at this time. They are community-owned and run with task-qualified volunteers. The dues cover ordinary costs and maintenance. Any larger, structural expenses would need community approval and additional contributions. For wellness, beyond basic care, donations are always welcomed, according to your means. Contracting private services does not eliminate the dues.
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The cost of the necessities from above (unless food is sourced privately) is withdrawn monthly from your private fund to go into the common fund.
For transportation, we only have a few paved roads and several buses so far, along with 3 copters. Much is to be done. Fuels are in short supply till we can build a better external trade, while charging costs are not included in your utility dues and they're still rationed (see more in Power Plant). Tricycles are popular!
Discretionary living expenses would be tailored to your lifestyle and for you to figure. Expect large cost variations as our commerce avenues are few, although no Rayean is going to profit from your wants.
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Unless being on welfare (see below), members who would not cover their living necessities for longer than 6 months, would need to part ways with the community. Specifically, that means reaching a 6-month worth deficit against the cost of such necessities, which would trigger a 1-month notice and grace period to reduce or eliminate the deficit (also see Funds › Parting).
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As a listed resident you may choose to showcase (part of) your dwelling and get a public presence, that meaning to get your personal page on Raye, according to the home type you bought into (see Arrival, above). You keep your name, whether an alias or your actual name. While your home content is also subject to light moderation (refer to Office › Content for the broad guidelines), the content would show and remain on your page the way and for as long as you want it. To get listed, unless you've been invited to do it, you need to have been a member for at least 1 month and to have produced 4 or more work items. Get in touch to apply.
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It is unlikely that you’ll ever see avenues lined with stores in Raye, but neither a utilitarian society. It's pretty bare in this early stage, however, where we mostly resort to reviewing and purchasing from external sources. If you plan to set up a store, the opportunity is there, while that may also help your people (see Office › Development). Otherwise, there’s the street market, open to all. Transactions are in RCU, only, and the goods, or services, need to be deliverable electronically or privately arranged for (also see Monetary, RCU in Funds).
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All administrative matters are handled by the Office.
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Foremost, our community relies on the integrity of all of its people. We all seek our better selves and to live happily together. Should human error or an accident occur, we draw from our Elements to reach a resolution. It could be an informal process handled by the parties involved, or one mediated by volunteers or by the Office. More serious cases may be brought up to the Council. Either way, something you won’t see here is vengeful retribution.
Nonconformance with the course of mediation brings increased dues and exclusions. Be reminded that many of our utilities and facilities are community-run. While we neither expect, nor are prepared for incidents to occur often, we do have a small force of on-call volunteers, as well as a wellness facility with a ward. After 2 major offences, one who is otherwise fit and able, is on watch for possibly having to part ways with the community (also see Funds › Parting).
Raye allows ownership of non-lethal weapons and deterrents.
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To settle in Raye, one needs to be contributory. Raye cannot be, otherwise. We feel for all of you from elsewhere who may be unable to contribute with your work, despite meeting our remaining criteria. We hope you have the resources to visit and to hang out here often. If a Rayean becomes unfit for work, the community will cover her or his living necessities (food and dues). To be eligible, the individual needs to have been a resident (i.e. member) for longer than 6 months, and to have, at a minimum, paid for living necessities to date, and to have not committed significant offences. Be reminded that there are no interest or time terms on community-issued home mortgages. Raye may curtail development in order to provide welfare to its impaired members, if necessary.
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We seek the friendship of all peoples and we believe that resources are plentiful for all to reach and utilize in peace - we say (Elements). Yet, some would rather live off others in the world. When you join, you state having an extensive knowledge of that, and so you would understand why Raye may not have an actual defense system, should our host country even allow it.
Our 3 border patrols are teams of volunteers doing just that: monitoring the border for trespassing individuals, or trying to pacify any disinformed groups being steered our way.
For anything else, our only self-defense is the strength of our consciousness. Remain collected, untainted, and ready to rebuild. One day we might be able to also defend our homes but, other than keeping the harm at bay, we shall never seek but to continue our meaningful life pursuits.
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We cherish our small country and are adamant to keep it free of any straying piece of debris. Other than that, Raye is for us, the people, and not for wild quadrupeds to roam our yards or for ideology-blown windmills to shred our skies. We do maintain a wildlife habitat in the large Copperline Preserve park, too (and we do know endangered species!). Take a look at the lake project, also - another great place for hikes, as well as rowing, and, dare we say... beach, one day?
Household water, sewage, and the waste station are all run clean by the community, and so is the power plant (SMR). You do what you want on your land, subject to the few zoning provisions, and any complaints are taken case by case. Again, we're all caring for one another, here.
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Celebrate or commemorate these days with your friends and family. The community will also organize festivities, and will have reduced services, otherwise.
New Year – Dec.14-23
Remembrance – Feb 13
Eostre – March 21-23
Sol – June 19-23
Raye Day – Sep. 1
Harvest – Oct.15
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