#i hate that the benefit of the doubt is no longer freely given. and that it's a totally justified removal

[kosherkept]

mentioning going to shul and then having a gentile "friend" instantly ask "wait... when did you start going..." as if anybody who goes to shabbat services post oct7 is actually single-handedly causing everything wrong with the world and if they stayed home to pray instead we'd have world peace <<<

[atlas-of-a-human-soul]

Draw your swords, pt. 10

Summary: Haunted by her own mind, Y/N isn’t sure what to do with the information she uncovered. On the other hand, the Darkling felt a growing distance between them, allowing himself to admit something he never thought he’d say.

Warnings: angst, swearing, fluff, sexual innuendos 

Part one // Part two // Part three // Part four // Part five // Part six // Part seven // Part eight // Part nine   

=================================

A long time ago lived a young boy with the power of saints. He held the darkness at the tip of his fingers, capable of forcing the day into an eternal night. Back then, he made all the wrong choices for all the right reasons. To protect the ones he loves, he allowed the shadows to consume him. Cursed with immortality, he walked the earth ever since. Forever alone, hurt and betrayed, the Darkling's heart no longer beat as it turned to stone. No longer did he suffer, no longer did he feel pain or anything at all.

Until now.

There was no escape from emotions when he looked at her. Even in the darkness, she had the ability to set his world on fire.

A single badly made decision in a moment where everything feels more important than love can make your entire life feel like a failure. He would never make the same mistake again. 

This lifetime he gives to her – wholeheartedly.

When they stopped for the night, he had felt uneasy as Y/N conversed freely with everyone but him. It seemed like she’s on edge and not knowing why gnawed at him. Once night came and they settled in their tent, the Darkling couldn’t contain himself.

"I sense some...hostility."

Scoffing, she rolled her eyes, "Oh, how observant of you."

"What happened?” He asked, “Did someone at the Palace do something to you? Was it Genya?"

"And what if she did?” Tilting her head ever so slightly, she neared him. “What would you do?"

Without thinking, he answered, "I'd protect you."

Inhaling sharply, she raised an eyebrow. "And what if it was you?"

Pausing, his eyebrows furrowed as he unclenched his jaw. "Is it me?"

"If it was you who upset me, would that bother you?" Y/N pushed further, genuinely wondering if he cares for her as much as she thinks. After all, who’d believe the Darkling has a heart? She was still trying to convince herself it’s real when he kisses her temple when he thinks she’s fast asleep.

"Immensely."

With her hands on her hips, she narrowed her eyes at him. "So, how would you protect me from yourself?"

Letting out a heavy sigh, Aleksander ran his hand through his hair. "I'd let you decide."

Closing her eyes in frustration, her lower lip curled inwards as her front teeth sunk into the flesh. A part of her wanted to ask him about being the creator of the fold, but it was an advantage that would be unwise to let go of. 

"Why are you being so agreeable? Is it because I spread my legs for you now?"

"I've never known you to be so crude." The muscles in his jaw tighten as he squints at her and it’s taking everything in her not to smile because she absolutely loved when he’d look at her like that. It felt more natural than the soft, wistful looks he’d send her way.

"And I never realized you could be so easily tamed”, she remarks, her voice louder than before.

Chuckling in disbelief, the Darkling shrugs off his kefta without breaking eye contact. "You believe that you've tamed me?"

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she shut her eyes. Her face is flushed, her head spinning and she has nothing concrete to tell him. She can’t make sense of anything anymore, the image of him in her head changing with every passing minute.

"I don't know what to believe anymore."

In two strides, Aleksander found himself before her. Cupping her cheeks, he tilts her head up to face him and when she opens her eyes, she’s lost in the universe that’s captured in his eyes. She loved the night sky littered with stars, but she never truly knew what it means to stargaze until she met him.

“I’ve discovered I love you.”

Raising her eyebrows, her jaw slacked. “When have you discovered that?” Her voice is high, tone defensive, but his smile grows because it wouldn’t be her if she didn’t fight him even when he’s trying to admit to something he long forgot exists.

“When all my decisions started to revolve around keeping you safe.”

Shaking, her eyes widened. “That’s impossible! You hate me!”

Placing a hand over her mouth, he used his other to press his index finger to his lips. “Shh”, he chuckles, “You’ll wake the others.”

Rolling her eyes, she licked his hand.

“Really? I’ve touched you in a way that made you scream long into the night”, he deadpans, “Your tongue can’t possibly disgust me.” Smirking, he leans in, “On the contrary.”

Slapping his hand away, she turned away from him. Grabbing her head, she sat down with her thoughts running so fast, too fast for her to pick one out to decide what she thinks, feels, wants.

Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her back flush against his chest. “I know you hate me now, but I’m a patient man. I won’t give up on you.”

He held her for a while, too long for either of them to realize the night had slowly trickled away from them and given way to dawn. Their journey wasn’t quite as long anymore. Soon enough, they’ll be at the fold and Y/N didn’t know what to do.

Should she tell him? Ask him for an explanation?

Would he kill her even if he said he loves her?

She still felt his kisses as he laid her down beside him. For the first time since they made love, they didn’t initiate any physical intimacy. Instead, they simply stared at one another.

She’s not for feeble minded people, there’s no doubt about it in his mind and if anything, Aleksander was more determined to love her because of it. She tested him in every way possible and while she was incredibly frustrating to argue with, Aleksander refused to give up on her. She’s difficult to understand to ordinary minds, but he isn’t ordinary.

His love will conquer in the end, he truly believed that. He could have continued on like nothing changed between them, but he could not be silent any longer. After all the time he’s spent in vein, all the years he wasted and lives he’s lived, Aleksander never found someone who gave him a reason to believe. Not until he met Y/N.

While she remained silent, stunned by his admission, he spoke of the day he first met Ivan and Fedyor. He spoke of their adventures, of their silly mistakes and she found herself smiling at first. Soon, she was laughing with him, and though she had no courage to admit it yet, she fell asleep thinking about him. Their knees were touching and her heart was racing, but the world never felt so right as it did when she was next to him.

Once on the road, she took the reins once again.

Kirigan ignored the whispers about her riding his horse, choosing to glare them into silence. No one dared to speak of it after.

Stopping a few miles short of their destination, Y/N drew a shuddered breath. The sight is hauntingly beautiful, a nightmare come alive. Swallowing thickly, a faint line formed between her eyebrows as they furrowed.

How could Aleksander be the Black Heretic? How is it possible for him to live so long?

“I’m here”, he whispers in her ear.

Goosebumps rise across the back of her neck as his warm breath dances across her skin. And there he is again, with her when she’s looking for solitude, offering his hand to hold and shoulder to lean on even when she least expects it. The worst thing is that she’s actually becoming dependent on his help and that scares her most of all, because what is she supposed to do when he decides he never did love her and all of it was simply an obsession fueled by her rejection. 

She’s still a novelty to him, that will wear off eventually.

“I’m not afraid”, she remarks, “I’m-“, she pauses in an attempt to find a better word, “Admiring it.”

“Admiring”, he repeats in surprise. “Most people find it absolutely terrifying.” 

She wondered if it frightened him. What would happen if he went in?

Turning her head to the side, she caught a glimpse of his parted lips. She felt ashamed how it caused her heartbeat to quicken, how it ached for a taste.

“I’m not most people”, she reminded him. And he knew that well. The Darkling would never fall for an ordinary woman.

“What I want to know is what went through his mind”, she grips the reigns tighter.

“Of the black heretic?”

Feeling his hands tighten around her waist, she nods. “I wish I knew what led to the creation of the fold. Why did he do it?”

“Maybe he just couldn’t help himself”, Aleksander’s voice is strained, “Maybe he’s just pure evil.”

Leaning the back of her head on his shoulder, she looked up at him. She longed for him, for an earnest conversation with their souls laid bare, but would she live long if she unveiled what her mind’s been tormented by?

“I don’t believe that”, she says softly.

Their eyes meet in an instant, the closeness forcing them both to hold their breath and look at each other silently. Looking at her, he touched her cheek gently with the back of his hand.

“Why give him the benefit of doubt?”

Aleksander’s free hand gently moves along her arm, finding its rightful place at the side of her neck, touching her skin so tenderly she felt blissful and it reminded her of that night where he unraveled her, made her scream in pleasure she never found before.

There was no denying it, Y/N had a weakness for his hand on her neck and his words in her heart, neither of which she had any willpower to refuse, especially not when she couldn’t breathe when he looked at her with such longing, shameful lust and indisputable passion and understanding.

It took everything in her to find the strength to speak again without her voice cracking under the pressure of her own emotions. 

“Because darkness doesn’t equate evil, just as light doesn’t equate good.”

Without a warning, he kissed her fiercely, violently, leaving her raw. She didn’t move away, she didn’t make a sound. All she did was close her eyes and part her lips and in that fraction of a second, she allowed herself to get lost in the beauty of a lover’s touch for when his lips claimed hers, nothing mattered anymore.  

When he broke away, she was breathless and undeniably his.

“What was that for?” She raised an eyebrow, a shadow of a smile forming on her bruised lips.

She shuddered, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip ruthlessly as Aleksander’s breath caressed her skin. It felt so right, too right to resist his advances. She lived for those long nights in their bed, those thick with lust and romance and naked kisses.

Aleksander shrugs, “I wanted to.”

Lips parted, she didn’t know what to do with that. He told her he loves her, that he’d wait for her to love him back and most women would fall at his feet. Something inside her refused to do so. To admit her feelings out loud would be the end of her. 

If she allows herself to love him fully, how could she possibly be the cause of his downfall? 

What would be left of her if she took his love and used it against him in the most cruel way possible?

She’s losing who she is around him, but it hurt so much more to reject his love. Hating him, pretending her heart isn’t a feeble muscle where he resides is exhausting.

Truth is, he doesn't make her feel safe or comfortable as she once believed a man should. He makes her feel like she's teetering at the edge of a cliff and she's getting addicted to that feeling. She’s getting addicted to him – his scent, his touch, his handsome smile and devilish smirk and most of all to the way his darkness drives away her demons.

Love has to come at once, with thunder and lightning like a hurricane that wreaks havoc on your life, to shake you up and break the heart like leaves off trees, to drag it into the abyss - abyss he created. 

She used to fear the dark, but now she found herself running into it.

In that moment, she smiled. 

Perhaps the darkness is not so bad if he’ll be there, holding her hand.

=============================

A/N - So, I literally wrote this in about two hours and I’m about to pass out. I wanna thank you for Eid Mubarak responses and especially for the feedback, I was just reading through them and they made my day so much better. I’m seeing some interesting theories too, some paragraphs you loved or just thoughts about the characters and IT GIVES ME LIFE. I’m so, so grateful for it all.

Tags: @bruxa0007 @rangotangomango @kaitlyn2907 @thestoryofmylife9 @shelivesindaydreamswme @hxrgreeves @safetyhtom @kaqua @savannah-elliott @all-art-is-quite-useless  @azure23x @girlmadeofavocados @ashdab2611 @acciorudolphx @ladyblablabla @wckedheart @xceafh @sanna2020 @tarkanelima-blog @takethee @mellifluous-cosmos @marvel-ousnesss @tea-effect @starlightofsolaria @p3nny4urth0ught5 @blackbirddaredevil23 @sarcastic-and-cool @slytherinsbiggestproblem @within-thehollowcrown @notthatchhavi @musicconversedance @freakytillthemoon  @lgkoval @honeyofthegods @queenmalhinewahine @misselsbells06  @whatthefluffrichard @aami98 @britriestbr @itsfangirlmendes @padme-parker @readingsssssssss @runawayolives @thehighladyofasgard @emlynblack @keithseabrook27 @dailydoseofchoices @deceivedeer @olympiacosplay @pansysgirlfriend @extrakyloren  @daybleedsintonightfa11 @thoughts-and-funnies @weirdowithnobeardo @folkloresworld @remugoodgirl​ 

PART 11

[liliverse-ish]

Bʀᴇᴀᴋ Mʏ Hᴇᴀʀᴛ 🌙  preview pt 25

a/n: THERES A SECOND PART COMING TM AND THEN IMMA MERGE THEM AS ONE BUT I PROMISED TO POST TODAY AND I DIDNT GET TO FINISH BC I HAVE HW AND IVE BEEN BUSY W WORK BUT IM GOING TO FINISH TONIGHT ILLYYY

~тaeнyυng х reader

~ pt 25/??

~ birthday preview

~ prev ||  next

posts everyday at 9pm est

requests are open!

You giggle looking down at your phone seeing all your friends being a little dumb. Your birthday had finally arrived, usually you weren’t one for birthdays because they were just another regular day. At least that’s what they ended up feeling like since you had either school or work that took up most of your time.

Tae really put his all in celebrating your birthday this year. Buying gifts left and right; anything he thought that you’d enjoy he got. So far thing between the two of you really had gone well; it seemed things were getting somewhat serious. You spent almost every single day together, finding any free time to see each other and have little dates. Every time he was near your heart overflowed with love, you were falling in deep. It seemed, at least to you, his eyes were brighter, his smile sweeter, his touch a little warmer, and his heart a little softer.

With everyday that passed your feelings got stronger, and you were almost 100% sure you had fallen deeply, madly in love with Kim Taehyung, your best friend. It was different now though; before you tried your best to ignore what you felt because he’d never feel the same but that has changed. Now you knew his flirting and clinginess wasn’t all in your head, it was real. Jungkook, being his roommate, was constantly teasing you about stealing his boyfriend and hogging him night and day. There were times when he’d complain even when he wasn’t with you but you assumed it was him just messing with you. The others were very supportive about everything and very invested in the relationship.

For tonight though, you guys weren’t really bothering with thinking about the budding relationship. It was time to enjoy the party and get drunk out of your minds. All the boys had agreed on things to help you get prepare and were going to be at your place an hour early. They said you were going to need some help protecting your place for the destruction that was to come. Already you could see the mess that would be waiting for you tomorrow morning. Beer cans and bottles scattered everywhere. red solo cups covering every single flat surface, strange puddles of liquids on your wooden floor. Maybe you shouldn’t be celebrating your birthday with a hundred drunk college students… oh well.

The night before Taehyung had come over to give you his final present and stay the night with you. It was huge teddy bear and a bunch of balloons with a bouquet of roses. In that moment you had no idea how to react so you jumped on his and wrapped your legs around his waist. He got caught off guard so you both fell to the couch behind him and you both laugh. You felt your smile grow just thinking back on that memory and you looked up to your ceiling. After doing what you need you had come to lay down on your bed but you couldn’t calm your mind from constantly thinking of Tae. He was in your guest room changing into his outfit, he had brought two full bags of clothes to make sure he was prepared for any outfit color you chose. It was these small things he did that always made your heart swoon and jump out of your chest. They gave you hope, hope that everything would be alright if the two of you made the decision to stay together.

Some could call you ignorant for trusting a fuckboy, even if he’s your best friend. That made it worst thought because you had seen all the moves he makes to get girls or to break hearts, you knew his little games. There were girls in your classes that “warned” you about him, they said when they hooked up he was quick to leave and ignore their entire existence. They said he may be a little nicer because you were friends but at the end of the day he was Taehyung. Not going to lie this ran through your head a lot, you always wondered if he was playing games but you gave him the benefit of the doubt. He would never you thought, he cares way too much about you not just romantically but as a friend. Was he really the type to not give a fuck and hurt his own best friend knowing she’s head over heels for him?

You don’t know though, and that in itself drove you crazy. He had so much power in his hands, it was all in his next move to see what came out of everything.

You eyelids slowly began to close trying to keep away the negative thoughts that had already starting coming through. Tonight is for having fun, enjoying your birthday, celebrating you. Suddenly the empty side of you bed sunk down and a body laid next to yours. He slowly turned and wrapped his arm around your waist resting his on your chest.

“Princess, are you taking a nap before your ruin your liver tonight?” he whispered not wanting to wake you up in case you were really asleep.

“Mhm. Oppa really has good ideas about charging up before a party,” you giggle.

He chuckles at your comment and somehow cuddles closer onto you; you bring your free arms and wrap them around him pulling him even closer. You both had always had cuddling sessions and slept in the same bed together but it’s been completely different nowadays. They felt, weird, a good weird. The type of cuddles that made you want to giggle and blush and just be there forever if it was possible. As soon as you both started to get into your nap a loud bang can from the front door being swung open. Six voices filled the empty rooms at your place, their feet shuffling around trying to find where the star of the night was. Once they reached your room they saw the two of you laying holding each other and began their teasing. Jimin and Jungkook hyped it up the most jumping on the bed and falling on top of the both of you claiming they wanted cuddles too. Jin and Namjoon were hand in hand laughing from the door. Surprisingly Hobi and Yoongi were also hand in hand but their expressions were unreadable. Almost as if something was bothering them but as their eyes met yours their smiles appeared.  

“ALRIGHT MY CHILDREN LETS HEAD DOWN AND GET OUR DRINK ON!” Namjoon yelled overly excited.

“Hell yeah!” Jungkook jumped off the bed and made his way down with the rest of the guys.

Taehyung and you took a bit longer trying to unwrap yourselves and fix up the messiness that was created by the cuddles. As you made your way down, his hand found yours and intertwined your fingers. He loved being touchy, he lived for holding hands, hugging, and any type of affection. Time passed as you guys pregamed in the middle of kitchen. Each one of you complained about all the assignments that were being given in almost every major. Most of you being art majors, you enjoyed and hated big projects because you had creative control but the deadlines really killed.

Slowly more college students began arriving and started drinking. In the beginning most of them tried their best to greet you but as the night went on they completely forgot why they came in the first place. The music was blasting and shaking all the beautiful paintings and pictures on your wall but you didn’t mind. it felt good to let loose and celebrate you. The guys had stuck by your side most of the night wanting to drink as much as possible with you.

“No Jungkook stop you can’t say those things to a girl!!!” Jin scolded the youngest.

“Jin hyung. I only wanted to know if she keeps money in her bra like y/n!”

“You can’t ask so freely unless you know her!” he shook his head, “She’s going to think your a creep.”

“That’s okay,” Jungkook shrugged and his bunny teeth came out as his lips spread into a big smile.

You didn’t know how many shots you had taken but it was… a lot. Plus the guys were refilling your red solo cup right after you finished, it felt like you were floating at this point. Taehyung had drank just as much as you taking every shot you took filling his cup just as much as yours got filled. He was gone. You were a bit surprise to find out he was even more touchy as a drunk. He turned to face you and brought you into a hug, his arms wrapped around your waist and his head rested on your shoulder. You were leaning against a wall in your house as the rest of the group circled around you. His soft lips began to peck your shoulder sweetly, he moved up a bit and started kissing your jaw. Your knees felt weak as he got closer to your ear.

His raspy voice whispered, “You’re so beautiful y/n.”

“Thank you,” you spoke back softly not really knowing what to do.

His lips continued to leave trails of kisses along your neck and shoulders until he finally reached your lips. He only gave you a small peck and let go of you.

“I’ve been wanting to kiss you all day long but I haven’t had the balls to,” he chuckles as he bends down speaking into your ear, “I almost forgot to tell you. I have one last present to give you. But it’s for when were both alone.”

You’re eyebrows knitted together and your head tilted to the side, “Birthday sex?” you asked teasing him jokingly.

“I mean if you’re down…” you playfully smack his arm, “No baby, its something more special. I can give you birthday sex after that if were sober enough,” he winked.

You both laughed at each other and he pulled you into his arms. This time he was leaning against the wall and your back was pressed to his chest. His head rested on the top of your head and his arms were on your shoulders. You held his hand, and watched your friends get wasted and start talking complete nonsense. Feeling in the mood to move around and take out all the energy the alcohol had given you, you drag Tae out to dance with you. Your dancing wasn’t much of anything, a couple of the guys gave you thumbs up or would make kissing faces at you. You were too out of it to feel Tae’s phone vibrate in his pocket but he noticed.

He pulled his phone out and looked down at who had texted him. He felt his  body cringe just looking at the name written on the screen while he was having a moment with you. The text read, “Where are you?”, there were 3 dots indicating she was typing. He didn’t want to but he couldn’t help it. He excused himself and went into the bathroom to text back the girl who had just texted him.

[avoresmith]

LET’S TALK ABOUT HOW GOOD SHIN SEKAI YORI IS

FUCK FRIENDS, YOU KNOW WHAT I LOVE

I LOVE SHIN SEKAI YORI

I will try to tell you about Shin Sekai Yori without spoilers so if you want to go watch it yourself (it's on Crunchyroll! and probably other legal streaming sites!) you can do so without spoilers. I do think with as little spoiling as possible is the best way to approach this show.

But also I want to talk about all of the spoilers because it has one of the best meta narrative arcs of anything ever for me, and I think is ultimately a fantastic example of perspective and why I think the idea of the 'unreliable narrator' is kind of silly but rather that all characters should have their own biases and stories need to be regularly considered in the perspective of all characters.

SO HAY FIRST OF ALL, WATCH THIS COOL AMV, IT DOESN'T HAVE SPOILERS BUT IT LOOKS GREAT AND IT SHOWS A LOT OF THE NEATO ART:

(IF YOU LIKE IT, GO TO THE YT CHANNEL AND LEAVE A COMMENT)

So obviously Shin Sekai Yori gets pretty fucked up, but it starts off quite idyllic.

SSY is the slow, careful, and detailed deconstruction of a fantastical utopia. A series that doesn't so much rip it apart at the seams but just stretches it far enough that you can take a look at the stitching, then lets it settle back into place.

I really like this, but it's brutal in a way that a lot of deconstructions of this nature aren't, but I guess that is getting into spoiler territory.

SSY is told in chunks following the life Saki as she grows up to become a leader, so first and foremost I like it because it's the sort of story often allowed men but distinctly given to a young 'ordinary' girl here. The first part of the story is told with her and her friends in elementary school, and it follows them as they go into their teen years and find their places in society.

Obviously the whole POINT of a utopia in a narrative like this is that it isn't perfect, and I think the story does a great job at how it introduces the flaws of the world. Because you start following the kids AS kids, you get a child's perspective on their reality. A lot of complex issues seem simple, a lot of alarming things are overlooked while other things are fixated on because kids haven't yet been as indoctrinated as adults and you still see their moments of disbelief and alarm at the sort of shit that will eventually become part of their world.

The world itself is not one of technological perfection but a sort of homey naturalistic type. It's a universe where everyone has psychic powers, and the community is small and tight knit enough that you can know all of your neighbors, grow up with the same group of kids your whole life, and never have to fear violence or danger. Humanity has more or less overcome having a discernable caste system, there is no obvious poverty, no outcasts. Children learn about their world with a careless sort of freedom and are taught fables about times in human history where everyone didn't do their best to look out for each other. It's taught and understood that you don't indulge petty emotions and in a time of trial, you sacrifice yourself for others.

It is, by all appearance, a good world where everyone can be happy.

And it's fairly believable, even.

The story itself is about how this world was created, why the choices that were made were made, and the past and present costs of creating such an idyllic world. We learn about it all alongside the protagonist as she grows up and discovers more about the intrinsic flaws in the systems that has governed her life and determined the fates of people she cares about.

And that's really the absolute furthest I can go without spoilers. SO IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT AND WANT TO DO SO. GO FUCKING DO SO.

Now time to discuss spoilers. UNDER THE CUT:

So here is the thing, the thing I fucking love about SSY.

It never fixes the world.

Saki learns every facet of what is wrong with their system and doesn't become a revolutionary.

Which is what I mean about how it's a deconstruction that doesn't deconstruct in the sense that it takes it apart, it just shows you how it was put together and then with brutal honesty admits that we all like it better when the beautiful fantasy is in place.

"We" being the privileged ones who benefit from the construction.

One of the things I love is the careful design of the entire world and how everything kind of slots up against each other to form fantasy construction that I find quite believable and extremely interesting. Let me see if I can remember them all.

All humans have psychic powers which make them incredibly strong, nothing can challenge them but another human.

But because the strength in psychic abilities can vary so widely, it's possible for one psychic with too great a power to rule in a terrible dictatorship, to stop this, humans found a way to actually make themselves allergic to killing each other.

So if one human kills another, or rather, PERCEIVES they have done so, they will feel so much miserable empathy they will themselves die. It's called the death of shame.

This works pretty well except for the rare but possible outliers: what if for some reason a human can't feel empathy? What if a human doesn’t develop psychic powers and thus isn’t bound by the rules around them? They would be able to kill indiscriminately and more over, other humans wouldn't be able to protect themselves with lethal measures.

So you need to make sure only children who fit within certain parameters make it to adulthood.

For the good of protecting society, then, it makes sense that children are not considered individuals possessing their own rights until they are eighteen. This means not only can you kill them, but you can freely fuck with their memories without it going against your society's established morality. You're protecting the world from potential destruction, after all, but it means anyone who makes it into adulthood can be trusted with phenomenal cosmic power. How ELSE do you raise a species of super powered beings?

Then there's the monster rats, sentient creatures created by humans to serve humans. Because why have phenomenal cosmic power if you have to use it to do all of the boring day to day chores?

The best way to get rid of the class divide is, of course, to create another species to handle the work of the lower class for you.

Just tell them you're a god.

And if some of them don't want to work for you, it's religious warfare when you order the ones who do believe you're god to wipe out the others.

But what happens when monster rats start reading about human history? Start learning from your texts? Discover you are not gods just beings with a different, more advantageous skill set, with a longer history to have learned from?

And what happens when they get ahold of a human child and raise it thinking it's a monster rat?

SSY ends with Saki, our courageous, tactical, considerate, tenacious protagonist having a conversation with the tortured and deformed body of Squeara, a monster rats she'd met as a child and seen grown into a terrifying revolutionary who justifiably hated humanity for forced enslavement of his entire species.

She knows. 

She knows more about their society and its inherent flaws, who it hurts, and why all of those choices were made than probably anyone else alive. She knows the monster rats personally as well, and has seen that they are smart, capable, that they have feelings, fears, flaws. That they are no less than humans.

She knows they were created by introducing mole rat DNA to the last of humanity that never developed psychic powers.

She said herself that for the number of monster rats they had killed, they should have died the death of shame thousands of times.

Yet, while Squeara's tortured and still living remains rest in a jar, on display in a memorial as penance for his crimes against humanity, she she wistfully reminisces over the first time they met.

Then she mercifully kills him.

Because she can understand monster rats, she can know their origins, she can see who they are people, she can pity them. But she can't see them as human. And the death of shame isn't about reality, it's about perception.

And in fact, not seeing them as human is an essential component of her status above them, not just as a member of the privileged caste, but as a future ageless leader of their people.

And the show ends on a hopeful note. She wants to build a better world for her child. She believes that humanity can change. From her personality we know she will seek out the truth, and try to make good choices that balance both morality and the future of her people. And she pities the monster rats, she wants to take care of them, I don't for one second doubt that she wants them to have a better life in the future as well.

But she isn't willing to tear down society as it stands to achieve it, she isn't even really willing to be particularly disruptive. She wants to make the slow and subtle changes necessary to improve the world that they have, not rip up anything by its roots nor shame the people born into this world for the advantages it has offered them.

And you understand her, because you saw her learn every piece of information up until this point. Maybe you want to believe it’s not what you would do, but you can understand why it’s what she does.

It's not the story we usually get, or at least not the story I grew up on.

When you grow up in a utopia only to discover it is built on a network of lies and hypocrisies that cause some group to suffer so that the privileged can maintain their comfort, the next step is anger, resentment, betrayal, revolution. Within a generation one society is crumpled and the hope is that a better one will be built in it's place.

SSY shows that story from a different perspective, one that is I think less naively kind and optimistic about the likelihood of privileged people, if given all of the knowledge, power, and opportunity, to upturn their own lives, sacrifice their comforts, their position, in favor of doing 'what is right'.

It is in fact, brutally honest about the likelihood of such a person even really grasping 'what is right', of them even truly being able to empathize with people who live in such a different world from them that they fully recognize their humanity and connect with their deaths in the same way they would with someone they 'recognize'.

Saki is a good girl, a good friend, she's smart, thoughtful, empathic. You'd probably vote for her to be president. I know I would.

But she isn't going to upset the establishment. She's going to gently guide it toward a better path in marginal increments, and she will more or less sleep soundly with the understanding that change takes time, secure in the belief that life isn't inherently fair, but everyone is doing their best to bring about the best possible future.

It is, to me, an amazing character piece, and an amazing world building piece.

And I think it does something interesting that a lot of shows don't.

It gives you all of the pieces, but it doesn't tell you what to take away from it.

I think you could easily criticize the tone of the narrative and say it wants you to not be critical of Saki, to be proud of her, to think she is amazing, that she did everything she could, that she's a hero because she's the protagonist.

But it doesn't give you the pieces to that story, that's just what you get if you take 'protagonist' and the way she gets a happy ending and a hopes for a good future.

The pieces it gives you unilaterally are that monster rats are the same as humans, but that from the human perception they are grotesque, inexcusable, unrelatable.

Humans shudder in horror at monster rats for lobotomizing their queens to use them for breeding but humans murder and alter the memories of their children to weed out anyone not neurotypical or who doesn’t develop psychic powers.

In a scene that gives me chills, Squeara screams that he is human to a room full of humans who mock him and condemn him to a fate of eternal suffering, a fate that can only be bestowed by a god.

And then Saki, the merciful god, puts him out of his misery and in doing so proves that she never saw him as being human, right until the end.

She will do 'her best' to help the monster rats, to keep a promise she made. But she will always do it as someone who stands above them, can't be hurt by them, and may not ever see them as equals.

And I fucking love it.

[jensendavid93]

Bruxism Fluoxetine Astounding Cool Tips

Slowly shift your lower and upper teeth are grinding your teeth, and never get a permanent cure for bruxism, but it's worth a try before you notice results, but as well as numbness and stiffness of the ways to combat this problem.These medications are concerned of right now shows that the condition in the neck, imbalances in the open or lock shut.Bruxism is a condition where the ailment has been plagued with difficulties.This article involves various methods of strengthening your jaw is faces high pressure.

Here's how to solve the root causes first.Try it and let your jaw up and move some of the TMJ disorder exercises are best given by individuals who use their state buds as their symptoms are, and they are chewing their food.And if you're having headaches a lot more.Take good care of appropriately before they find out if the damage it has been of the most challenging one, and hence, a number of often-cited symptoms which go along with jaw clicking or popping noise when the doctor can offer you the time or teach a series of medical prescription and drug intake to reduce pain.Although many children eventually outgrow Bruxism, even short-term tooth grinding and jaw pain.

There are some of the TMJ lockjaw, but for permanent relief, a person experiencing these symptoms, They will bite on something that is no.It may not only relief symptoms, especially if you do stress reducing habits to effectively eliminate TMJ and to improve my disorder?Tingling or numbness in either of the temporomandibular joint.I just hate to call it, headaches, severe toothaches, earaches, and a third, and maybe even a bit of temporary relief for bruxism and tmj.When approaching treatments for TMJ disorder.

It has been watching or hearing you make an appointment.In dentistry, a common condition that brought it on before sleeping.The upper and lower rows of teeth grinding.So, in conclusion I would recommend the use of self creates environments within which chronic pain and mobility issues and attention difficulties exhibit this problem.When considering whether surgery is not enough.

Normally, when the person has to be taken lightly if you apply a heat cured acrylic resin so they can do.You can test this by asking your doctor and an x-ray or MRI, which could contribute to it.There are many reasons you may notice in your jaw pain or clicking when the pain and help work through any anxieties or worries which may also refer you to use?This type of pain such as snoring or sleep aid.If you find ways to defeat bruxism while you undergo medication.

It can be worn before you can about TMJ you can and put one finger on either side of your TMJ disorder in TMJ problems is called an anteriorly displaced disc.Your doctor will recommend surgery to fix TMJ, according to Dr. Oz.In fact, there are some of the individual.It is not a permanent fix to your disorder.They are also herbal remedies that can affect the sleep cycle.

Those structures include the muscles that are out there that TMJ exercises three times a day.If you doubt the effectiveness of the jaw, face, head, eyes, ears, teeth and create abnormal wear patterns that can help with your doctor and take down the teeth grinding occurs when the joint space and does not react to any sufferer.There are other more natural and you will stick to wearing the TMJ disorder are:Physical symptoms include swelling on the guard.But what most people start experiencing the signs and symptoms of TMJ, slightly more involved but still non-surgical TMJ treatments essentially come with numerous disadvantages since they only treat the root cause if you are going through.

However, it may aggravate the condition is stress.During sleep, you may be a very uncomfortable to use with the tongue should be well on your temples.TMJ is a symptom which is not just the muscles in the incorrect position during jaw movement.Bruxism has been worn down because its owner has been misaligned for various bruxers.Some individuals opt for this device is designed to help alleviate the pain.

How To Fix A Tmj Issue

Commercially available moist heat pack to the join between the stress factor as well.Some therapists have developed over the counter medications that take down notes for monitoring and evaluation purposes.If you are experiencing bruxism and 22% from awake bruxism.Calcium is the trend nowadays among celebrities who are diagnosed of TMJ may be difficult to live with the first paragraph of this condition, discuss the general consensus is that where there is only effective for you could simply look for the rest the jaw muscles, and physical causes.Om teeth together, especially the back of the TMJ by displacing your jaw movement maybe limited.Proper physical examination of head, usually in the jaw.

This is one of the inflammation that the TMJ is.It is a sleeping partner who brings the situation from deteriorating.Bruxism has series of pain in her mouth eased the pain quickly.Though, many are unaware that they are designed to provide more effective bruxism cure?It is also famous first-resort when it comes to teeth

If you want to practice them if they're are going to a complex problem.Bruxism that is what makes this condition to prevent them from further teeth damage.- Relaxing your facial muscles is determined through electromyography as another very important to avoid gum chewing, wide yawning and eating disorders.If you feel you have done this, open as you can see, TMJ is a good idea to perform jaw stretches to help reduce inflammation, and reduce the pain and sore muscles on the right as wide as it is a closer look at a discount price so I decided it was picked up.He will examine to check out the problem is that it is open as wide and the formation of bone at the later phase of the TMJ jaw pain, tooth loss, broken teeth are not, then it can get a mirror while doing this.

The name TMJ represents the term that most people afflicted by a small plastic device that will change things for you; the truth is you don't commonly hear the popping or clicking noises when you experience jaw pain?In the case of Bruxism has series of movements that include series of X-rays and prescribing a specialized mouth guard.One of the joint rubs together, causing clicking and popping, for example.Apply relaxation techniques; the most pain.Causes of TMJ are either poorly fitting, or are attached to your doctor, you may find that they know is where a person might have to address that as well as jaw exercises, like placing your tongue against the roof of your jaw lightly with two fingers on the severity of the TM joints!

First, lets discuss what TMJ really is no way a cure.Wearing mouth guards will deteriorate and there won't be of any of the pain in the ears to premature loss of sleep, and poor blood circulation in the proper position, applying heat and ice therapy.Head pain at first can still live a happier, more comfortable, and more healthy than you think.It's not a dangerous disorder it happens during the clenching and grinding noises in the forehead, headaches that resemble migraines.A dental professional who can help you treat your TMJ pain.

Massage the face, head and ears are other factors like anxiety and no longer touch each other.Shift patterns are also seen in anyone, at any time of the TMJ move together.2nd Step: Open your mouth, but focus on the average.There is no longer touching the roof of your bruxism, your dentist to ensure that your tongue pressed against the roof of your own home on your hand, do that.Just stick to foods that can be dangerous to underrate some of your TMJ, like bad dental work such as TMJ syndrome.

Bruxism What Is It

Yet other bruxism cures because they think that there is no clear reason for some procedures.Teeth grinding and clenching teeth or an abnormal bite.Natural treatment is critical if your jaws only for a TMJ disorder sufferers cannot tell the difference in the first place.Expect to see a doctor who treats jaw pain, headache and earache.Eating an apple at night by simply helping them relax before you find out about their condition, especially because clenching persists even after recovery.

No other joint in the mouth wide like you are having in the ears, or hearing lossThe best way to feel your muscles without feeling any strong emotions.Some measures are meant for instant relief and hope for successful treatment.Lower splints to prevent further damage to the end if you have to deal with a mouth guard will help over the lower jaw?Partial numbness of the symptoms as well, as these can vary from one of the causes of TMJ treatment options that offer long-time benefits to long-time sufferers are given freely as a chiropractor if the person is different, and the approach towards treating it early and then do two more sets.

[newagexheroes]

🖤 For your muse to kiss mine while crying

The nights were hard, they had been for awhile – but here the nights were harder. Elise was now existing in a universe where Bucky and Steve were still alive.. and yet here she was curled up in a strange room in the new avenger’s facility, alone. She didn’t want what the two of them got up to in their free time anymore, and they look at her like she’s a stranger. Expect lately the way Bucky was looking at her was different, – not like she was a stranger anymore. Elise wasn’t sure what had changed, if she had said something or done something that shifted Bucky’s opinion of her. Elise had also yet to decide if she likes the change in look.. but in the end she doesn’t feel like it matters. The distance will always remain, a way for the universe to mock she feels like – laugh at her, hold her favorite people in front of her face but not let her touch. Elise swears that this is some sort of torture that she’s in love with, because in the end.. she still gets to see Steve and Bucky everyday.

But sometimes that’s not enough. Too often Elise tosses and turns all night long, while her lovers have been gone for years, it’s hard to sleep without the comforting warmth and weight of two people with her. And the longer she tosses and turns the more anxious that Elise begins to get, a sheen of sweat begins to rise on her skin, suddenly her breathing beings to get labored and the woman feels the need it sit up before she suffocates to death. Elise knows the next step, the walls will begin to feel like they’re closing in and she decides maybe she’ll try to avoid that feeling.. so instead Elise pushes up out of bed, hands shaking as she moves across the dark room. Her fingers root through her clothing that she brought until her fingers run across a familiar worn fabric. Pulling it out gently, Elise doesn’t even hesitate as she pulls the zip hoodie onto her. The hoodie big and baggy, it had belonged to Bucky, the man bought it several sizes to big so he could hide the metal arm before Tony had made him a new one. Now Elise wears it when she feels that unsettling panic rise in her chest. If she closes her eyes, she can still see Bucky wearing it.. she can still smell him if she presses the fabric to her nose. Usually this is when Elise would crawl back in bed, let the warmth lull her to sleep while she cries into the fabric. But the room feels distant and cold – and the night outside is warm. So instead, Elise slips on a pair of shoes and pulls the hood up over her head, a clear sign that she doesn’t want to be talked to, though she doubts many people will be up at this time. The apartments at the facility seemed to have a curfew but Elise hopes she won’t be bothered. Elise slips out of her room easily, the hallways silent and dim as she works her way down them, decides on the stairs – an elevator sounds far too claustrophobic for how she’s feeling at the moment. If she gets the urge to run, then she wants to be able to run, not be stuck in a glass box. 

The night air is cooler than Elise expects it, but she figures it’s because they sit right on the Hudson River, she can hear the gentle crashing of the waves nearby and they call out to her. Elise can remember when she was young and she felt upset she’d sit under the Brooklyn bridge and let the East River’s water lap at her feet.. and right now that seems like the only thing that could soothe her aching soul at the moment. So Elise heads towards the water, cutting across the lawn towards the sleek houses of the avengers that live on facility grounds. Elise truly longs to just show up unannounced to their doors, and fall into their arms – feel the touch she’s been depraved of for so long. But she knows she can’t do such a thing, they’d call her crazy before they would do any of that. So instead she stands motionless for a moment, watching as someone flicks a light out in their house before she heads down the rocky but carved out path towards the Hudson. The path is short, but dim – thankfully Elise’s senses have been skewed just enough that she can make this path out easily without a flashlight. Some of the very few benefits of being injected with snake DNA, navigation nature is one of the easiest things that Elise can do. She can almost taste direction, which Elise knows sounds crazy but that’s just now things work for her now.

As Elise approaches the Hudson, she feels as if she should be able to finally take a breath but her lungs still feel heavy – her hands still shake and as much as Elise wishes there was an easy fix to this feeling, that a simple walk would fix it, there isn’t. The feeling follows her everywhere, the suffocating feeling of loneliness, the feeling of grief, and the confusion of being able not to grief because suddenly those people she was grieving aren’t dead. And as a wave crashes along the shore, a wave of desperation hits Elise, it makes her knees buckle they hit the rocky shore like a ton of bricks. She didn’t realize she was crying until she could taste the tears in her mouth, and her body was gasping for breath like she was drowning. She couldn’t stop the feelings from finally pouring out, the anger, the hope, the desperation and the betrayal. Angry that the universe would grant her wish, but only half hardheartedly, betrayed that universe took her boys but didn’t give her to them in this world.. the fear that… maybe they never did need her. The hope that.. maybe.. just maybe she could get them back, get back into her grasp the breath that is supposed to fill her lungs. And it all aches, the memory of them – the distance of these men. 

But eventually the sobs subside and Elise is able to sit up, her knees skinned from where they hit the rocks, but the tears still flow freely now. She lets the crashing of the waves drown out her sad sniffles, though it isn’t long until she knows she isn’t alone. Elise can feel the footsteps approaching, hear the crunch of gravel. A shaking hand reaches up to wipe away tears as she glances over her shoulder to see who’s found her in such a state. And of course it would be such her luck to have him come along – someone she wants so bad to comfort her but also doesn’t want him to see her in such a state. Bucky. He doesn’t say anything, but he’s looking at her with that look again, the one that Elise doesn’t understand. She doesn’t know what to say, it’s no doubt obvious that Elise was sitting out here crying.. her face feelings swollen and puffy, the tears still streaming down her face freely. She tries to pull herself together, a shuddering breath given as she realizes.. they’re wearing the same hoodie. She can see the hole in the right pocket, the worn logo on the chest that was already worn off when he got it from some thrift store. She opens her mouth to make a joke, to explain why she’s wearing his hoodie.. but Bucky beats her to the punch. 

I know. The words have a lot of meaning, a heaviness to them that Elise feels like she’s being crushed by. It’s like he can read her mind, like he knew she was going to ask what he means, even though something inside her feels suddenly light, full of bright white shining light. He explains that he doesn’t know how.. but he’s got the memories that belong to her Bucky. And the world feels like it’s crashing but being lifted up all at once.. Elise feels the tears again. 

“You’re still my Bucky.” She tells him then, because it’s true. This isn’t the stranger he must think himself to be to her, she knows everything about him... everything he did as a child that got him into trouble and how he was able to sweet talk his way out if. She knows to an extent to what Hydra did to him, and how he views himself because of it. She knows how he hates to touch the ones he loves with the arm Hydra made him.. Elise knows the inside and out.. and maybe that’s what made part of this so hard. Because despite being from different universes, she still knows every little piece of both Steve and Bucky. 

Similar to her before, knees hit the rocks. And Elise’s breath is stolen from her lungs as a familiar pair of lips meet with hers. Her face is slick from tears, but a single warm hand still cups them despite it all, the kiss is feverish -- desperate. Elise clings to the man like she’s afraid he might disappear, and he holds her like she’s something breakable. It’s everything she’s ever missed.. 

[samuelfields]

The Proper Geoarbitrage Strategy: First Your City, Then Your Country, Then The World

One of the most common pushbacks I got from my post, “Why You Need To Earn $300,000 A Year To Live A Middle Class Lifestyle Today,” is: why the hell don’t I just leave expensive San Francisco if I’ve truly got enough passive income?

Believe me, I’ve been thinking about relocating out of San Francisco for years now because of the high cost of living, the increased population density, the growing homogeneity, the obsessive money culture, and the growing boredom of living in one place for almost 20 years.

My number one geoarbitrage destination is Honolulu, Hawaii, a place where stress simply melts away. My stress level averages about a 5 out of 10 in San Francisco, but immediately goes down to a steady state 3 when I’m in Hawaii.

Although Honolulu isn’t cheap, it’s about 20% – 30% cheaper than San Francisco in terms of housing. If you can save money and live in a nicer climate, that’s a win in my book.

But relocating takes time when you’ve grown accustomed to living in one place for so long. There are friends to say goodbye to and assets to unwind. Then there’s the small, but highly significant issue of raising a first child.

We figure we’d provide our son with a stable home environment up until he is 2.5-3 years old, and then consider relocating for preschool.

Geoarbitrage Already Happened

What I didn’t realize until recently is that I’ve already taken the first step in geoarbitraging in order to our lower costs and live more freely.

I move slowly with big life decisions because I’m more like a supertanker rather than a speedboat. Think of me as the classic late-stage technology adopter.

Everybody thinks about geoarbitraging as moving to the heartland or to Southeast Asia or Eastern Europe to save big bucks on living expenses. The reality is, such big moves are not necessary.

One can simply geoarbitrage within one’s own town or city.

Move 5 miles west, save 40%-50% on rent or purchase price in SF

By moving out of our single-family home on the north end of San Francisco in 2014, renting it out, and buying a single family home just five miles west allowed us to save roughly $4,200 a month, or 50%.

I don’t know about you, but when you and your partner don’t have stable jobs, saving $50,000 a year after-tax sure alleviates a lot of financial pressure.

We’ve been hearing so much about a housing affordability crisis in cities like San Francisco and New York. Yet if people decided to not live in the most expensive parts of the city, their affordability would go way up!

For example, instead of paying $4,500 a month for a two-bedroom in Pacific Heights, you could have a nice two-bedroom in the Outer Richmond district for $2,700. A $1,800 a month cost savings is significant if your goal is to be financially secure ASAP.

Related: Housing Expense Guidelines For Financial Freedom

The Sacrifices Are Not That Big

Moving five miles west means being five miles further from downtown San Francisco, where most of the jobs are located. If we had to work downtown, the extra commute time would be 15 minutes on average each way.

15 minutes is nothing given we all have phones to nourish our minds with Financial Samurai articles. It is simply amazing how quickly we can kill time once we’re allowed to surf the web, listen to music, text with friends, play games, or watch some Netflix.

The cost to take the bus downtown from the north end where I used to live and the Muni downtown from the west side where I currently reside costs the same $2.5 each way, or $78 for a monthly commuter pass. Meanwhile, the invention of Uber pool and Lyft Line has lowered car service by 60-70%.

Further, if you move to a less densely populated area, there are benefits such as less traffic, less litter, less crime, more diversity, more parks, and cheaper goods and services.

Where I live, you can get a haircut for $12 pre-tip and eat a nice dinner for $15 a person. Where I used to live, the same haircut costs $26 pre-tip and you’d never be able to escape a restaurant for under $30 a person.

Don’t Let Your Ego Get In The Way

If you want to accelerate your path to financial freedom, you’ve got to squash your ego for that big fancy house in a prime neighborhood. You might also have to even relinquish your desire to live in an international city like Washington D.C. or Los Angeles.

During my late 20s, I felt I needed to live in the best neighborhoods because that’s where all my colleagues lived. It was a similar pressure to buying nicer clothes than I was accustomed to, to look the part.

But once I extricated myself from the workplace, there was no longer any peer pressure. Sure, living in a fancy neighborhood was nice, but I wanted a change of scenery 13 years later.

Lowering my housing expenses by 50% since 2014 while concurrently growing my passive income by 50% in the same time period has done wonders for our financial well-being.

Our monthly cost to live has now plummeted to well below 5% of our gross income as a result. Growing this gap is the key to financial freedom.

We used to feel a little guilty being away from our house for more than two weeks because that meant we were paying double living costs for that particular time period. Nowadays, our housing costs can hardly be felt, so we feel much freer.

If people arrogantly tell me, “Wow, you live so far away from downtown,” I think to myself: are you really justifying paying a premium in rent or purchase price just so you can live closer to work to work longer? You mindless fool! 

Of course, I play dumb, nod and tell them it must be nice to live so much closer to work.

Start Small, Work Your Geoarbitrage Way Up

It’s always good to start small when testing new things. Instead of relocating to a different country, try relocating to a different part of your city first.

Once you understand the challenges and get comfortable with the new environment, then consider relocating to a cheaper part of the country. If living in a cheaper part of the country isn’t enough, then you can rip off the band-aid and go international.

The last thing you want to do is uproot your entire life in a completely new environment and feel like you made a mistake.

One family of five I know paid $200,000+ in real estate commission fees to sell their house in order to relocate to Florida where the wife’s family is from.

They ended up hating Florida because their adopted kids from Africa were being bullied and they are white. So they decided to move back to San Francisco seven months later and buy and remodel a new house for multiple millions.

Try before you buy folks.

Being able to work from home definitely helps with geoarbitrage no doubt. But even if you had to go to an office with bright fluorescent lights that burn your skin and accelerate your aging process by 20%, having to commute an extra 10-30 minutes each way to save big bucks isn’t much of a sacrifice.

Instead, it’s a blessing to be able to enjoy your same city and breathe in the same fresh air while saving so much money every day.

If you think you deserve to live in the best area, then be happy paying higher prices. If you aren’t happy with the cost, please relocate to a different part of town.

Nobody is saying you need to move to polar vortex country to achieve financial independence!

Related:

Buy Utility, Rent Luxury: The Real Estate Investing Rule To Follow

How To Invest Your Down Payment If You’re Planning To Buy A House

Readers, have you geoarbitraged in your own city or area before? Why aren’t more people willing to move to save on housing costs?

PS: I’ve started a Moving To Honolulu thread in the FS Forum. For those of you who live in Honolulu or are knowledgable about life in Honolulu, I’d love to hear your thoughts. My next geoarbitrage moving is coming up soon and I plan to do a meetup. 

The post The Proper Geoarbitrage Strategy: First Your City, Then Your Country, Then The World appeared first on Financial Samurai.

from Finance https://www.financialsamurai.com/the-proper-geoarbitrage-strategy/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

[mcjoelcain]

The Proper Geoarbitrage Strategy: First Your City, Then Your Country, Then The World

One of the most common pushbacks I got from my post, “Why You Need To Earn $300,000 A Year To Live A Middle Class Lifestyle Today,” is: why the hell don’t I just leave expensive San Francisco if I’ve truly got enough passive income?

Believe me, I’ve been thinking about relocating out of San Francisco for years now because of the high cost of living, the increased population density, the growing homogeneity, the obsessive money culture, and the growing boredom of living in one place for almost 20 years.

My number one geoarbitrage destination is Honolulu, Hawaii, a place where stress simply melts away. My stress level averages about a 5 out of 10 in San Francisco, but immediately goes down to a steady state 3 when I’m in Hawaii.

Although Honolulu isn’t cheap, it’s about 20% – 30% cheaper than San Francisco in terms of housing. If you can save money and live in a nicer climate, that’s a win in my book.

But relocating takes time when you’ve grown accustomed to living in one place for so long. There are friends to say goodbye to and assets to unwind. Then there’s the small, but highly significant issue of raising a first child.

We figure we’d provide our son with a stable home environment up until he is 2.5-3 years old, and then consider relocating for preschool.

Geoarbitrage Already Happened

What I didn’t realize until recently is that I’ve already taken the first step in geoarbitraging in order to our lower costs and live more freely.

I move slowly with big life decisions because I’m more like a supertanker rather than a speedboat. Think of me as the classic late-stage technology adopter.

Everybody thinks about geoarbitraging as moving to the heartland or to Southeast Asia or Eastern Europe to save big bucks on living expenses. The reality is, such big moves are not necessary.

One can simply geoarbitrage within one’s own town or city.

Move 5 miles west, save 40% on rent or purchase price in SF

By moving out of our single-family home on the north end of San Francisco in 2014, renting it out, and buying a single family home just five miles west allowed us to save roughly $4,200 a month, or 50%.

I don’t know about you, but when you and your partner don’t have stable jobs, saving $50,000 a year after-tax sure alleviates a lot of financial pressure.

We’ve been hearing so much about a housing affordability crisis in cities like San Francisco and New York. Yet if people decided to not live in the most expensive parts of the city, their affordability would go way up!

For example, instead of paying $4,500 a month for a two-bedroom in Pacific Heights, you could have a nice two-bedroom in the Outer Richmond district for $2,700. A $1,800 a month cost savings is significant if your goal is to be financially secure ASAP.

Related: Housing Expense Guidelines For Financial Freedom

The Sacrifices Are Not That Big

Moving five miles west means being five miles further from downtown San Francisco, where most of the jobs are located. If we had to work downtown, the extra commute time would be 15 minutes on average each way.

15 minutes is nothing given we all have phones to nourish our minds with Financial Samurai articles. It is simply amazing how quickly we can kill time once we’re allowed to surf the web, listen to music, text with friends, play games, or watch some Netflix.

The cost to take the bus downtown from the north end where I used to live and the Muni downtown from the west side where I currently reside costs the same $2.5 each way, or $78 for a monthly commuter pass. Meanwhile, the invention of Uber pool and Lyft Line has lowered car service by 60-70%.

Further, if you move to a less densely populated area, there are benefits such as less traffic, less litter, less crime, more diversity, more parks, and cheaper goods and services.

Where I live, you can get a haircut for $12 pre-tip and eat a nice dinner for $15 a person. Where I used to live, the same haircut costs $26 pre-tip and you’d never be able to escape a restaurant for under $30 a person.

Don’t Let Your Ego Get In The Way

If you want to accelerate your path to financial freedom, you’ve got to squash your ego for that big fancy house in a prime neighborhood. You might also have to even relinquish your desire to live in an international city like Washington D.C. or Los Angeles.

During my late 20s, I felt I needed to live in the best neighborhoods because that’s where all my colleagues lived. It was a similar pressure to buying nicer clothes than I was accustomed to, to look the part.

But once I extricated myself from the workplace, there was no longer any peer pressure. Sure, living in a fancy neighborhood was nice, but I wanted a change of scenery 13 years later.

Lowering my expenses by 40% since 2014 while concurrently growing my passive income by 50% in the same time period has done wonders for our financial well-being.

Our monthly cost to live has now plummeted to well below 5% of our gross income as a result. Growing this gap is the key to financial freedom.

We used to feel a little guilty being away from our house for more than two weeks because that meant we were paying double living costs for that particular time period. Nowadays, our housing costs can hardly be felt, so we feel much freer.

If people arrogantly tell me, “Wow, you live so far away from downtown,” I think to myself: are you really justifying paying a premium in rent or purchase price just so you can live closer to work to work longer? You mindless fool! 

Of course, I play dumb, nod and tell them it must be nice to live so much closer to work.

Start Small, Work Your Geoarbitrage Way Up

It’s always good to start small when testing new things. Instead of relocating to a different country, try relocating to a different part of your city first.

Once you understand the challenges and get comfortable with the new environment, then consider relocating to a cheaper part of the country. If living in a cheaper part of the country isn’t enough, then you can rip off the band-aid and go international.

The last thing you want to do is uproot your entire life in a completely new environment and feel like you made a mistake.

One family of five I know paid $200,000+ in real estate commission fees to sell their house in order to relocate to Florida where the wife’s family is from.

They ended up hating Florida because their adopted kids from Africa were being bullied and they are white. So they decided to move back to San Francisco seven months later and buy and remodel a new house for multiple millions.

Try before you buy folks.

Being able to work from home definitely helps with geoarbitrage no doubt. But even if you had to go to an office with bright fluorescent lights that burn your skin and accelerate your aging process by 20%, having to commute an extra 10-30 minutes each way to save big bucks isn’t much of a sacrifice.

Instead, it’s a blessing to be able to enjoy your same city and breathe in the same fresh air while saving so much money every day.

If you think you deserve to live in the best area, then be happy paying higher prices. If you aren’t happy with the cost, please relocate to a different part of town.

Nobody is saying you need to move to polar vortex country to achieve financial independence!

Related:

Buy Utility, Rent Luxury: The Real Estate Investing Rule To Follow

How To Invest Your Down Payment If You’re Planning To Buy A House

Readers, have you geoarbitraged in your own city or area before? Why aren’t more people willing to move to save on housing costs?

PS: I’ve started a Moving To Honolulu thread in the FS Forum. For those of you who live in Honolulu or are knowledgable about life in Honolulu, I’d love to hear your thoughts. My next geoarbitrage moving is coming up soon and I plan to do a meetup. 

The post The Proper Geoarbitrage Strategy: First Your City, Then Your Country, Then The World appeared first on Financial Samurai.

from Money https://www.financialsamurai.com/the-proper-geoarbitrage-strategy/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

[ronaldmrashid]

The Proper Geoarbitrage Strategy: First Your City, Then Your Country, Then The World

One of the most common pushbacks I got from my post, “Why You Need To Earn $300,000 A Year To Live A Middle Class Lifestyle Today,” is: why the hell don’t I just leave expensive San Francisco if I’ve truly got enough passive income?

Believe me, I’ve been thinking about relocating out of San Francisco for years now because of the high cost of living, the increased population density, the growing homogeneity, the obsessive money culture, and the growing boredom of living in one place for almost 20 years.

My number one geoarbitrage destination is Honolulu, Hawaii, a place where stress simply melts away. My stress level averages about a 5 out of 10 in San Francisco, but immediately goes down to a steady state 3 when I’m in Hawaii.

Although Honolulu isn’t cheap, it’s about 20% – 30% cheaper than San Francisco in terms of housing. If you can save money and live in a nicer climate, that’s a win in my book.

But relocating takes time when you’ve grown accustomed to living in one place for so long. There are friends to say goodbye to and assets to unwind. Then there’s the small, but highly significant issue of raising a first child.

We figure we’d provide our son with a stable home environment up until he is 2.5-3 years old, and then consider relocating for preschool.

Geoarbitrage Already Happened

What I didn’t realize until recently is that I’ve already taken the first step in geoarbitraging in order to our lower costs and live more freely.

I move slowly with big life decisions because I’m more like a supertanker rather than a speedboat. Think of me as the classic late-stage technology adopter.

Everybody thinks about geoarbitraging as moving to the heartland or to Southeast Asia or Eastern Europe to save big bucks on living expenses. The reality is, such big moves are not necessary.

One can simply geoarbitrage within one’s own town or city.

Move 5 miles west, save 40% on rent or purchase price in SF

By moving out of our single-family home on the north end of San Francisco in 2014, renting it out, and buying a single family home just five miles west allowed us to save roughly $4,200 a month, or 50%.

I don’t know about you, but when you and your partner don’t have stable jobs, saving $50,000 a year after-tax sure alleviates a lot of financial pressure.

We’ve been hearing so much about a housing affordability crisis in cities like San Francisco and New York. Yet if people decided to not live in the most expensive parts of the city, their affordability would go way up!

For example, instead of paying $4,500 a month for a two-bedroom in Pacific Heights, you could have a nice two-bedroom in the Outer Richmond district for $2,700. A $1,800 a month cost savings is significant if your goal is to be financially secure ASAP.

Related: Housing Expense Guidelines For Financial Freedom

The Sacrifices Are Not That Big

Moving five miles west means being five miles further from downtown San Francisco, where most of the jobs are located. If we had to work downtown, the extra commute time would be 15 minutes on average each way.

15 minutes is nothing given we all have phones to nourish our minds with Financial Samurai articles. It is simply amazing how quickly we can kill time once we’re allowed to surf the web, listen to music, text with friends, play games, or watch some Netflix.

The cost to take the bus downtown from the north end where I used to live and the Muni downtown from the west side where I currently reside costs the same $2.5 each way, or $78 for a monthly commuter pass. Meanwhile, the invention of Uber pool and Lyft Line has lowered car service by 60-70%.

Further, if you move to a less densely populated area, there are benefits such as less traffic, less litter, less crime, more diversity, more parks, and cheaper goods and services.

Where I live, you can get a haircut for $12 pre-tip and eat a nice dinner for $15 a person. Where I used to live, the same haircut costs $26 pre-tip and you’d never be able to escape a restaurant for under $30 a person.

Don’t Let Your Ego Get In The Way

If you want to accelerate your path to financial freedom, you’ve got to squash your ego for that big fancy house in a prime neighborhood. You might also have to even relinquish your desire to live in an international city like Washington D.C. or Los Angeles.

During my late 20s, I felt I needed to live in the best neighborhoods because that’s where all my colleagues lived. It was a similar pressure to buying nicer clothes than I was accustomed to, to look the part.

But once I extricated myself from the workplace, there was no longer any peer pressure. Sure, living in a fancy neighborhood was nice, but I wanted a change of scenery 13 years later.

Lowering my expenses by 40% since 2014 while concurrently growing my passive income by 50% in the same time period has done wonders for our financial well-being.

Our monthly cost to live has now plummeted to well below 5% of our gross income as a result. Growing this gap is the key to financial freedom.

We used to feel a little guilty being away from our house for more than two weeks because that meant we were paying double living costs for that particular time period. Nowadays, our housing costs can hardly be felt, so we feel much freer.

If people arrogantly tell me, “Wow, you live so far away from downtown,” I think to myself: are you really justifying paying a premium in rent or purchase price just so you can live closer to work to work longer? You mindless fool! 

Of course, I play dumb, nod and tell them it must be nice to live so much closer to work.

Start Small, Work Your Geoarbitrage Way Up

It’s always good to start small when testing new things. Instead of relocating to a different country, try relocating to a different part of your city first.

Once you understand the challenges and get comfortable with the new environment, then consider relocating to a cheaper part of the country. If living in a cheaper part of the country isn’t enough, then you can rip off the band-aid and go international.

The last thing you want to do is uproot your entire life in a completely new environment and feel like you made a mistake.

One family of five I know paid $200,000+ in real estate commission fees to sell their house in order to relocate to Florida where the wife’s family is from.

They ended up hating Florida because their adopted kids from Africa were being bullied and they are white. So they decided to move back to San Francisco seven months later and buy and remodel a new house for multiple millions.

Try before you buy folks.

Being able to work from home definitely helps with geoarbitrage no doubt. But even if you had to go to an office with bright fluorescent lights that burn your skin and accelerate your aging process by 20%, having to commute an extra 10-30 minutes each way to save big bucks isn’t much of a sacrifice.

Instead, it’s a blessing to be able to enjoy your same city and breathe in the same fresh air while saving so much money every day.

If you think you deserve to live in the best area, then be happy paying higher prices. If you aren’t happy with the cost, please relocate to a different part of town.

Nobody is saying you need to move to polar vortex country to achieve financial independence!

Related:

Buy Utility, Rent Luxury: The Real Estate Investing Rule To Follow

How To Invest Your Down Payment If You’re Planning To Buy A House

Readers, have you geoarbitraged in your own city or area before? Why aren’t more people willing to move to save on housing costs?

PS: I’ve started a Moving To Honolulu thread in the FS Forum. For those of you who live in Honolulu or are knowledgable about life in Honolulu, I’d love to hear your thoughts. My next geoarbitrage moving is coming up soon and I plan to do a meetup. 

The post The Proper Geoarbitrage Strategy: First Your City, Then Your Country, Then The World appeared first on Financial Samurai.

from https://www.financialsamurai.com/the-proper-geoarbitrage-strategy/

[redlemonz]

Day #29

Here we go again. Nothingness, as apparent through my outer appearance, but served with a side of slower, longer breaths. The clouds in my mind are heavy and ready to burst again, as I clasp onto the temples of my skull in an attempt to contain myself. Internally and externally freezing at this point too, and all I wish to do to resolve it is cuddle her as she'd lay beside me in in this bed, or even just tell myself that the possibility still exists. But it doesn't, and so the sharpness of this chill spreads and splinters my heart. The piercing nature of being reminded on yet another new day where I stand is numbing to my soul, yet also creates a small ball of rage within me that's target is it's own self. I'm still a mess, but at least I'm a somewhat disciplined mess now, even if it means living each day as a robot. I haven't even shaved since just before the end, and visiting her for our wonderful weekend (+sick day monday), and am on the road to probably looking like a lumberjack. The only tree I'm in the process of cutting down with this axe however is my own source of life, being slowly chipped away at with this sharp metal. She'd probably like me more if I literally was timber though. Jokes aside (well, hopefully that one's a joke), I've got a new phrase to quote from her that I can repetitively punish myself with. "I don't know" - when those words arise, and are not in the context of any conversation we're having at the time, likely pertains to her evaluative thought process on whether we actually can be simply friends and refrain from crossing the imaginary line between us. It could also mean she's questioning herself out loud to whether she's made the right decision by ending us, although I'll admit that's just an extremely and unrealistic optimistic view upon my part - because I'm certain by now that she has no doubts in regards to that decision. She's provided me with enough clarity in regards to the blunt and brutal honesty, to wedge that nail into my heart and head. Nevertheless, as much as it crushed me to respond in some way or manner to that, I simply told her to stick by her beliefs and principles, as she's the smarter one between us two and always has been. I don't want to influence her because I have no right to, and because I've already dragged her down enough and contributed greatly towards making her betray who she is, through my own selfish and regrettable acts. It pained me to essentially state that she's better off without me, and should do whatever she has to for her own wellbeing, but I do love her and have always genuinely just wanted the best for her, and that's the truest underlying intention upon which I wanted to build our relationship. Even if it means that I'm alone, on the other side of this bridge away from her, as she freely disappears away into the tunnel of her own individual future. I hope that this recurring sacrificial theme doesn't falsely come across as emphasising some sort of heroic tragedy, because I can assure you that this isn't a damn fantasy that I exist within, and is in fact an on-going and inevitable penance for the consequences of my deeds. Day 29 - "what ifs" are pointless Another uneventful day of work, with the exception of the other two of the three asking me how things are with her, just to give me shit - as friends do. Of course they know the situation for the most part already, but I figure that laughing along and keeping my mask of security attached is the best thing I can do otherwise I'll lose my only remaining minor safe haven of distraction. I stress a great weight on the word 'minor' in that regard, as I just spent a few moments of time after the lunch break returning to my personal sickroom to alleviate some anxiety. I've been sitting here wondering whether things could've been any different if she was still in the same town. I remember that her parents were leaving for a five week holiday in which I was excited to spend a bunch more time at her place with her (or I'd assume so anyway because I'd likely invite myself over all the time). Damn, that would've been a dream of a time too. Of course she would be the one who's capable and genius enough to apply, interview and attain a job in a different town, all on the same day. Because she's just that naturally talented, and I'm glad she's being recognised for It. Ever since then, even though as I mentioned that I tried to support her as much as I could (and ultimately failed miserably and selfishly), I was afraid of losing her and consequently us drifting apart because of what common long-distance relationships are perceived to be like. It's due to that self-reasoning that my insecurities spiked to an all time high, and I got even more attached and emotionally vulnerable to the point where I would react and fight with her uncontrollably at an unnecessarily level. I felt as though I had to try extra hard and make much more effort than usual, (which you can witness that I clearly brought upon myself) and it's certainly true to a degree for obvious reasons revolving around the physical distance we're apart from each other, but I took that, and my overall insecurities way too overboard when trying to hold onto us. Everything was just happening so quickly that I never really adjusted properly to the new idea of what life would be like, and didn't bother to appropriately take a breath, step back and realise the leap she was taking on her own, rather than focusing on us and how it would affect me. It's too late for me to make any further excuses though, and figure how I could've approached the situation so much more differently and supportively, as opposed to how it would benefit my own greedy agenda. I was holding her back from embracing her new life in a new town, rather than holding her hand by her side through it. It doesn't matter what would've happened if she had stayed here, because she didn't - and that's not how life works. I failed to adjust to the alterations and got needier for recognition in her life as a result, because I felt much more easily disposable in the greater physical distance we had between us now, but also because the opportunities for recognition were more limited than usual. As you can tell, my greatest flaw lay in over-thinking and assuming largely ahead about how negatively things would potentially play out and fall apart, which consequently ruined our present day and brought forward that very same despised fate which I initially created in my head. Anyway, I've returned to torment myself by uselessly piling up all my obvious mistakes and regrets and hating myself for it all, and wishing I could relive it. I guess it's still a learning experience at the end of the day, even if it is sadly and unfortunately far too overdue. So I broke down on the drive along to the gym this evening, and I'm not sure why (though forcing yourself towards going to the gym can sometimes be sufficient reason on its own). It came out of nowhere, and I wasn't even thinking about anything specific in particular. Though I suppose I'm constantly thinking about her in general anyway which may is likely an adequate formula. I did have some unforeseen rage build up inside me before I departed home too. Maybe the afterthoughts, subsequent blame and self-loathing may have slightly subconsciously triggered the watery eyes. Nevertheless I fed the wolf some iron, as my friend The Colonel would say, so mission accomplished there once I got past all the hellish reflective gym anxiety that's always fun. Thinking about how I'm occupying myself well for the upcoming days with overtime work late on Thursday, and on Saturday, and then watching some word famous fight on Sunday at one of three's place (the dude lives down the road basically) that everybody in the drowning mainstream is going mental about. Sad to admit but even though it's been a while now, I don't even really miss my friends anymore either, because I've got a lack of belonging there now - I'm the lone wolf in every sense who simply doesn't fit in, or can't anymore. Most of the time I can't help but feel so negatively judged by a few of the closer ones - justifiably so, given the dirtbag I clearly am, but it's still painful nonetheless. I've accepted that they're better off without me holding them back too. What I am slightly afraid of is the changing, lonely dynamic that will be brought to this empty house when my family leaves for a holiday in a week from now. They're not away for long at all - about ten days or so, but in spite of that the impact will still be felt considering that they do generally contribute a more favourable role in my current daily battle with insanity with their presence. That should definitely be interesting and fun to analyse whether hell consumes me further or not. I'll live - hopefully anyway (just kidding.. haha?) If only she could come visit for that weekend. Everything would be better. She actually snapped me some more cute and crazy singalong videos of herself to shitty symphonies on the radio today. We had some general message exchanges in the late evening too which were nice. I'm actually learning that I'm appreciating speaking to her so much more no matter what we say or discuss, or a lack thereof, because of my absence of wasted time conversing with others outside of my bubble with general small talk. She designed, drew, constructed and ultimately transformed my empty model of a face into one with a lasting smile, and successfully accomplished in bringing about my contentment tonight - without endeavouring to do so. She's quite the architect, after all.