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truly-morgan · 1 year

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[Transmigrator!JC, no core transfer]

ChangXian | Mo Dao Zu Shi 27-03-2021

[#jiangcheng #chengxian - transmigrator]

A reader transmigrates into jc after they died in an accident. He's in a child version of him and doesn't remember the detail of mdzs, the system won't let him remember yet, but he does know that he's not the original jc. No one noticed because jc doesn't have another choice but to follow jc canon personality, as he cannot be ooc. He does win some ooc pass, but he decides to keep them for more strategic moments of the story. He wants to fix some parts that could have been /so easily/ avoided if everyone had decided that communication was a useful thing to do.

So, everything goes rather well and follows canon until the dreaded moment of losing his golden core. This is something he knew would happen but still ended up being painful as hell, even seeing his parent dead was seriously upsetting (having gotten attached to them despite himself).

Yet he his rather calm when wwx and WN saved him from the wens, because jc isn't og!jc, not being able to cultivate anymore (especially since he knew it would happen) is something he had already somewhat made peace with even before it happened. He already knew.

wwx is really worried, because /how/ can his jc be /this calm/ at the idea of not having a core anymore?!? He still tries to reassure him with false promise, terrified by this calm shidi of his, even more when he has a smile showing he know wwx doesn't know what to do either and that he’s just spilling bullshit to reassure the both of them.

Jc won't even let the it of transferring golden core bloom in wwx mind and politely thanks wq for hiding them and healing his other wounds. This also surprised wwx, because he would never have expected for his shidi to act like this with a wen after what happened, or maybe was it just because they helped?

Then they started travelling around, obviously unable to go back to lp. wwx tries to find way to build back a golden core, even though it is impossible. After some time of finding nothing, while jc does know how he could, but still isn’t sure if he wants to try.

He has to take back lp and rebuilt it, but he cannot do this very well without any way to cultivate it. Then one day when they are staying in a cave far from the town filled with wens, wwx calls out to him. “Do you think using... never mind, you won’t agree” he started, before mumbling the end of it.

“Were you talking about your idea of using demonic cultivation?” he asks, a little smile on his face at how surprised wwx was. Maybe he had not expected for jc to both remember and even seem alright with using it.

jc ends up convincing to go to the burial mounds, trying to “just guess” where they could start better. wwx isn’t so sure about it, but with how confident jc seems to be about this, he helps him fly there.

They are here for months of wwx wrecking his brain to help jc, motivated by the idea that he would be able to cultivate again, in a way. He even creates the Stygian Tiger Seal, although he makes jc promise that he will use it only in desperate times, because he cannot tell how powerful this weapon is exactly. Jc agrees, but mostly because he knows what this can do and doesn’t want to use it carelessly.

They suddenly make both their appearance, ready to help in the sunshot campaign, in which jc prove himself to be really powerful with his new way of cultivating, wwc close behind to protect him from criticism. They don’t tell anyone about his missing golden core, as this is not something he wants to be known and tries ignoring what people say about his new way of cultivating.

“Let them talk” had once said jc as wwx was getting worked up about what one of the sect leaders had said about him, “Their words mean nothing, it won’t stop me from rebuilding Lotus Pier and pulling back up the sect”.

Once the sunshot campaign is won, and his sister married (which jzx better take good care of her, otherwise he better expect one angry sect leader at the step of Koi Tower), he does just that, rebuilding the whole of lp with the help of wwx.

After the campaign was over jc also slowed down on how much he was using demonic cultivation. One canon dead wwx was enough to know what could happen, he didn’t believe himself to be better. Yet it was still clearly taking a toll on him, wwx starting to regret letting him do this.

He agreed on letting lwj play Song of Clarity for him, which was something the lan had been insisting on doing for a long time, clearly not approving of the new path he was taking. Lwj visits were frequent, jc looking from the side wwx getting friendlier with him, making him ach a bit despite being happy to see them finally getting closer.

Yet after sometimes it is a bit hard for lwj to come often, as cr is also being rebuilt, lxc needing his brother’s help. It’s when they are visiting cr to give a hand and talk with the new sect leader that wwx suddenly asked if he can learn song of clarity. Even jc is surprised by the sudden request his shixiong makes, as this wasn’t something one should request, yet he doesn’t look anywhere near teasing, a serious look on his face.

He wants to help jc and he will find a way to help him not deteriorate with the demonic cultivation he was doing. Lqr clearly wants to refuse directly, yet it’s lwj who asks why he wants to learn it. It takes some time for wwx to explain he wants to be able to play it for jc. They back and forth a lot, mainly because they don’t understand why jc /won’t give up/ using demonic cultivation.

“It is the only way I can cultivate now, I do not have a golden core anymore” jc finally says as wwx and lqr were getting more heated by the second. This makes a heavy silence fall in the room, every lans looking shocked by the news, while wwx gives him a “is it alright to tell?” look.

They check to make sure, though they doubt anyone would lie about such a serious matter, and realise that /it is/ the only way he can cultivate. They by no means agree with it, but they can’t find it to force him to not cultivate anymore, especially as a sect leader. They reluctantly agreed, mostly because lwj had decided to side with wwx at some point, on the condition that wwx had to follow cr rules for the time he was here studying song of Clarity.

Jc sometimes barely believed it when he was told that /wwx/ was actually following rules, mostly too occupied with learning and practising. The first times he plays Song of Clarity, lwj is always near, just to make sure he does it right, until it is sure his good the intention wouldn’t cause for jc condition to get worst.

Soon he was able to play it alone for jc, probably more often than needed, but they both enjoyed the alone time it would give them. Something in jc was really happy to have these moments, where wwx thoughts were only on him. Yet when he realised, he had such thoughts, he tried pushing them away. He couldn’t start feeling things for him if it was only to have his heart broken later on.

The rescue of the wens finally came, something he had been wondering if it would still happen. At this point, he couldn’t tell what should stay canon and what would have been fully altered by him and his choices. He was surprised by the ooc moment he could have, only able to guess the system was allowing for a new type of character growth. After all, it had never /actually/ pushed for following the canon religiously. wwx was the one to be found by wq first, asked if he could help her to get back her family that had been taken captive by the Lanling Jin clan. As the discussion gets a bit more tense, wwx not really wanting to cause trouble by disrupting the llj clan. Jc suddenly appear, wondering what had kept wwx out for so long.

Wq is quick to ask him, unsure if seeking the sect leader's help would do anything, yet to both their surprise jc accept without much debate. Jc had always had a little soft spot for wn when he was reading and hoped they still had time to save him, as he couldn’t remember exactly how long after the campaign the rescue had been.

Jc and wwx then ague for a while, wq taking some rest in one of their room. “The other sect leaders are already wary of you because of your cultivation?! Why do you want to give them more reason to distrust you?” wwx ask, something twisting in jc’s guts because of how worried he sounded, as if this action alone was going to cause him to die or something.

“wq and her brother saved us when they could have simply let the wen find us again” he points out at some point, wwx unable to argue that. “Plus not every wen are horrible monster, do you think the old and the children are the one who burned down lotus pier?” he asked, playing on his knowledge of who exactly was wq family. Not anyone who had done anything wrong, other maybe than her to keep them safe.

“I will bring them back here and we will deal with the aftermath later”.

It was extremely reckless of him to do such a thing. Sure, jyl was married to the llj sect, but it didn’t mean he could just take away people they had decided to detain. Just thinking back to how they were most likely being treated was enough to want and help.

And they did, getting in without much care in the world, jc following wq as she looked around for wn, his guts twisting more and more as time passed and they couldn’t find him. Wwx was close by, glaring back at the cultivator trying to hide what they had done.

They were digging their hole, yet jc had to stay calm, knowing that killing them would do no good, stealing away prisoners was already too much. He was going to argue back at the bullshit they were saying, clearly not seeing these people as human, when a wail made him freeze. Oh. They were too late.

Jc was the first one to start running, follow closely behind by wwx, finding quite easily wq who was clutching her brother close to her, the scene making his heart cry. He clenched his fists, his breathing heavy.

Of course, they would be late.

He startles a bit when a hand grabbed his, wwx looking back at him worried. He tries to look calmer to reassure him, giving a small pat to his hand before joining wq, asking her if she could find the rest of her family, taking in his arms wn body.

The rest of their little visit went a bit less smoothly, the guard clearly understanding now what he was trying to do, which was not merely looking around. He /did/ ends up fighting with them, but to be fair, they were the one who started it, and he didn’t kill anyone.

Soon they were out with everyone and he was taking them back to lp, where he would have full control. He'd be curious to see who was ready to barge into his home to get them back. When they arrived, every disciple in lp was surprised by what their sect leader had just brought back, yet no one really dared to argue against it. If he was doing it there had to be a good reason, he wouldn’t be bringing in people from a clan that had burned down lp and killed many of their disciples if he didn’t have a reason.

Some of the wens were also clearly on edge, unsure why they were being brought here. Yet, if wq had sought their help, then they could most likely relax. They were led to some of the guest rooms to be able to rest, asking one of the healers to go and check on everyone’s wounds to help wq, she had to be tired too.

They took wn back to the study, both cultivators looking at him. “What do we do now?” wwx asked him, looking a bit worried at how tired his shidi was from all the travelling and the fight from earlier, not helping that he had to order everyone around to make sure things were going smoothly here too.

“Tomorrow we will most likely receive news from sect leader jgs” he points out, the idea already tiring him, “but that’s for tomorrow, right now our mind should be put on finding how to settle the wen in and what to do with... wn” he says, hesitating about the last part.

Could they manage to revive him the same way wwx had done it before? Would it work if it was here at lp and not the burial mounds? Wwx wanted to ask what he wanted to do with wn, but wq joined them before, making her presence known at the door. Jc let her in, making place so she can come and join them.

Wn looked a bit better, as he had been cleaned up from the mud a little bit, just enough for him not to look impossible to deal with. He could see the tears welling up at the corner of her eyes, making him look back at wn. He had used him as a fierce corps by accident, mostly because only fighting with a sword and no core wouldn't do go against more than one cultivator.

“I think we can do something for him," e said, hearing his name loudly whispered to his right. He decided to carefully explain is plan, acting as if it was an idea that had just bloomed in his mind and was not something he simply had known since forever that they could do that.

Then he saw the helpfulness in her eyes, feeling like this was enough for him not to give up. They talk some more before he just told her to go and sleep, he would make sure everyone was alright.

“jc! How do you plan on doing this?! By controlling him like a puppet" finally asked wwx when wq was gone, making him look back at him. “We will find a way, I just… know we can do it, we already managed to make so much with this, there is surely a way we can do it l". He couldn't tell /how/ they would do it, as the novel had never explicitly said it, but they had been experimenting and this would most likely end up working.

Wwx got closer to him, reaching for his hand “I don't want you overworking yourself, with your cultivation path it-

could be…” he had said worried, not daring to say what could happen.

Jc squeezed his hands reassuringly, offering a smile. “I won't overwork myself" he simply promised.

A promise that was a bit hard to follow when first thing happening the next day was a couple a llj cultivators at the door of lp demanding that he surrender the wens. He stays firm on his position and refuse, saying he will be taking them in due to debt needing to be paid to wq. He doesn't explain more on that, but it's clearly not pleasing.

The following days are tiring and messy, jc having to take care of anything coming from the other sect leader, looking over the small house that is being constructed for the wens, which is close enough to the centre of lp to not exclude them. All this while also working with wwx to see what they can do about wn.

It's not long before it is visibly all affecting him, wwx only growing more concerned about him because he wasn't trying to be more careful. At some point, jc is invited at kt with the other great clan leaders, to discuss the matter and see if they could settle everything with some talking. Jc knows it probably all to try and force him to give back the wens, but he won’t let jgs believe he can just make him do whatever he wants simply because he’s still rebuilding the ymj sect and because he’s young compared to all of them.

Wwx insists on coming with him, although he said he would prefer for his right-hand man to stay and makes sure everything is alright. “But who will play the song of clarity for you? And what if they are luring you in for a fight? If you use your cultivation, they will only use it against you”

Jc really wants to refuse, yet upon looking at his shixiong he cannot, the worry in his eyes too much. He has truly fallen too much for him and he doesn’t know what he’ll do about this. So, he accepts to let him come with him, asking some of his older disciples to make sure everything is going alright. Of course, he makes it really clear that the wens have to be treated correctly, just in case anyone was still unsure.

The first meeting is tense, jc sitting with his back straight, head high, wwx just the same slightly behind him. Nothing in his stance shows he will give even /one/ wen to them. Yet they try, but word will clearly not reach him. “But didn’t the wen destroy lotus pier?” jgs, whispers and nods coming soon after. “So you believe the olds and the sick were the one who burned down lotus pier? As if I haven’t already found back /who/ actually did it and taken care of that?”.

This statement sent a shiver down some of the leader's back, not sure what to think about the possibility of what jc might have done to these cultivators. “But can they be trusted?”.

“Are you perhaps implying I cannot make a judgement for myself? I have my reason to take them in and do not need to disclose them”

The meeting ends up on a rather tense note, everyone going back to their room to calm down a bit as things were clearly not going anywhere. This repeats itself many times, until jc finally suggests that he keeps them under close watch, not allowed to put a foot outside of lp and that they can even send someone to come of to verify that he’s not lying and that none of them are complotting against them.

“This sounds fair to me” comments lxc who hadn’t said much since this all had started, making wwx and jc a bit surprised, although it was good to have someone else seemingly on their sides. Soon it’s turn for nmj to accept the suggestion, following the step of his sworn brother despite his hatred of the wens., leaving jgs nearly no room to actually refuse. They go back to lp with lwj and jzx so take a first look at how things are doing. A weight does lift from jc shoulders when everything seems to be doing good, everyone working well together. It clearly is still a bit awkward between the jiang and the wens, but it is better than it was at first.

And this is how thing goes for the following months. Things settle down, the rebuilding of lp is coming to an end and the wens are fully settled in, some even helping around to do task with the disciple. The one to come the most is lwj, which jc doesn’t mind as he can push wwx a bit more towards him, so they can get closer.

Their friendship does seem to grow, but something seems to simply block at that and jc wonders if the story had changed for that. Was wangxian not the main couple anymore? This couldn’t be possible, could it?

He tries asking wwx about it, yet his shixiong only seems to get a bit tense at how insistent he had been in the last months to see them growing closer. “Why do you keep asking how things are doing between me and lwj?” he finally asked as he was putting away his guqin.

“Well, you’re been around him a lot lately, I was simply wondering”

“But you are the one always asking me to be with him!”. Jc doesn’t argue that, he might have often found reason to let wwx takes care of lwj because he had other things to do. Really lwj didn’t seem bothered by these decisions. “Do you hate being around lwj?” he asked, unsure if he might have read it wrong all this time.

“Well, no... he’s a good friend and more fun to be with than I thought, but... why does it seem like you are pushing me away?” he ask, something jc couldn’t decipher in his voice.

“I am not pushing you away” he tries, only to realise he might have been doing it despite himself. He wanted for wwx to be happy and his growing love would only get in the way eventually. “I just thought you might enjoy some time with someone else than me”.

“But I am good with you! I don’t need you to push me on someone else when I like being with you”.

Jc is a bit stunned by this, a little something in him swelling with hope he knew he shouldn’t have. Jc then took in a breath, a bit shakier than he wanted it to be, trying to argue that wwx wouldn’t be able to always be by his side one day.

“Are you planning on throwing me away one day?” he heard ask as he reopened his eyes after rubbing the tiredness out of them, surprised to see wwx so close to him now. He looks so pained at the idea of being pushed away, either now or in the future.

“of course not, it just... complicated,” he says, a hand suddenly grabbing his gently, something he found wwx had been doing a lot lately. “I can help you if it’s complicated” he hears, a reassuring smile on his shixiong lips, making jc want to be selfish a little bit and /actually/ confess right here and there, despite not being sure wwx would even reciprocate it.

“I want it to still be only the two of us like this forever” he finally hears whispered, wwx getting dangerously closer to him, “isn’t it what you also want to do?”.

He can feel wwx breath against his skin, his lips ô so close to his, he would barely need to move to close the gap. “Are you sure this is really what you want” manages to whisper jc, looking back into wwx eyes, feeling unsure if he was understanding it correctly. “As been for a long time” The closeness doesn’t really-

let him see the smile, but he can hear it and see it in his eyes.

Then jc decide to say ‘fuck it’ and simply closed the gap, receiving a delighted humming as wwx quickly replied. It’s a bit awkward at first, since jc has never done this before, but he quickly finds how it all works and just enjoys the kisses they are sharing.

“For how long as a-cheng felt like this?” he hears against his ear, his grip on wwx robe tightening a bit. “Sometimes” he answers, unsure exactly when he might have fallen in love with wwx, only to dismiss it as some kind of really close friendship he had with him. He knew he had started to notice around the sunshot campaign, when lwj had started to be a bit more around wwx.

“I am happy to hear it, I have love a-cheng for some time now” he hears, taking him aback as he had never realised, yet feeling really happy about it.

Oh well, jc wouldn’t mind if this new version of mdzs had him as the protagonist's new love interest, it could make for something more exciting.

====

(I think I'll finish it here, it has gotten really long and word is telling me it has already it 4k. At this point I might as well just make a fanfiction of something like that. + I wasn’t sure how I would play the whole jgy plan now, might retouch it later on)

Original

#my writing #tweet archive #short story #mo dao zu shi #changxian #xiancheng #wei wuxian #jiang cheng #transmigrator!Jiang Cheng #no core transfer #transmigrator tries to change the story #4k - 5k words

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influencermagazineuk · 9 days

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artvinyl · 2 years

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Uncovered: Richard Dawson - The Ruby Cord

As one of the shortlisted album artworks up for Best Art Vinyl 2022, we were lucky enough to catch up with Jake Blanchard, the artist behind the beautifully intricate artwork of The Ruby Cord - the conclusion of a trilogy of LPs that began with the pre-medieval world of Peasant, was brought back to the present day with 2020 and concluded in the somewhat fantastical and sinister future with this, Dawson’s seventh studio album.

Jake told us, “It was really exciting to be asked by Richard to work on the artwork for The Ruby Cord, I’ve known him for a number of years and been a fan for even longer. I’d booked him to come and play in Todmorden a few times and we’d discussed one day working together on a couple of occasions.”

“I worked very closely with Richard throughout the whole design process, he had strong ideas about the kind of imagery he wanted but was very open to my suggestions too. Initially Richard sent me the album to listen to. For the front cover it seemed obvious that the focus should be on the epic 41 minute opening track ‘The Hermit’. The song is full of great imagery and the idea of a character wandering this ‘post-apocalyptic’ landscape burdened by the supplies they’d gathered was initially suggested by Richard.”

“It quickly spiralled from a person carrying a few tools and supplies to a back-and-forth with us each suggesting more and more items for The Hermit to carry. We added in references to other tracks too, the three-faced hare, a bow and arrows etc etc. We were both really keen for it to be an image you could get lost in, finding something new every time you look at it.”

“The album itself tackles a kind of future where things have, in part, reverted to an almost medieval lifestyle, at least that’s how I’ve interpreted it. There are aspects of futuristic technology scattered throughout, so it was also important to express that through the cover design. I liked the idea of this character weighing themselves down, burdening themselves with things that would maybe one day be useful or valuable, something I can relate to as I hang on to certain things for years that never find a use. I was also able to add in a few objects that are meaningful and personal to me, if you’ve got a keen eye, you might notice there’s one thing that appears twice, there’s a personal reason behind that but I’m not going to talk about that now. My main goal throughout was to try and capture the characters and world that Richard has created within his lyrics.”

“Once the sketch was finalised, I did the line work with pen and ink and then scanned and coloured digitally. A few elements were changed or added with a graphics tablet and then I made and added textures including the background watercolour. The final thing was to draw the titles and add them in.”

“I was also lucky enough to also work on the back cover and two inner sleeves. For the back cover we wanted to incorporate more of the sci-fi elements from the album, so we went with a mysterious portal, something slightly surreal and unknowable. I tried to incorporate a sense of something organic but also some jarring angular elements and some crystalline structures infecting the local environment. I wanted it to appear intriguing but also slightly threatening.”

“For the inner sleeves we wanted to capture more of the environment in the world of ‘The Ruby Cord’ a harbour, with some sense of life and community, a small patch of society that survived, remains or was rebuilt. For the second inner sleeve we wanted a contrast, so we went with a city in ruins, a place that would normally be bustling with human life, now desolate, not even plants and animals exist here aside from a few specks of moss. An obelisk floats in the sky, what is it? Where did it come from? The album is full of mystery, with a sense of not really knowing what’s real, what happened and why and that’s what I tried to capture within the artwork.”

Ruby Cord by Richard Dawson on Domino Records is nominated for Best Art Vinyl 2022 Artwork by Jake Blanchard. VOTING OPEN UNTIL 12 DEC 2022

#BestArtVinyl2022

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winepresswrath · 3 years

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Jiang Cheng's flaws are many and varied and yet people keep going after him for the flaws he doesn't even have, and at times actually has the exact opposite traits! I love dunking on him but takes are absolutely WILD and like, purposefully obtuse? Like I recently saw one that said it wasn't impressive that he rebuilt Lotus Pier because of his privilieged bloodline and education and just.. if he didn't have that he wouldnt be a Jiang and rebuilding LP would be some other poor fucker's job

At some point I compiled a list of things Jiang Cheng has done wrong in his life and I stand by it but you can also just hate him because you don't like his vibes and he was mean to your preferred flavour of precious little darling boy who has never done anything wrong in his life. That's why Lan Wangji doesn't like him. If it's good enough for Hanguang-Jun it should be good enough for you.

#Jiang Cheng #pro tip if you've decided Yanli is bad because she loves Jiang Cheng and doesn't think he's an abusive monster #you've made a wrong turn somewhere #and if you're having fun with that go wild but maybe acknowledge to yourself it's a niche interest #and tag accordingly

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crossdressingdeath · 3 years

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Is the excuse "JC is rebuilding LP and thus, can't be asked for help regarding the Wen remnants since the sect is in a precarious situation" a valid one? Because that's commonly used in fix-it fics, that's why they (WWX+Wens) turn to the Lans and sometimes, Nies.

It is really, very, extremely not valid. Because uh. Here's the thing. Lotus Pier was already rebuilt by the time WWX left. JC didn't have to slowly make money from nothing, because a) everything the Wens took from Yunmeng would've been returned on WRH's defeat and b) reparations are in fact a thing. What, do the people writing these fics think the Wen sect's coffers just evaporated? Or that JC didn't get any of the Wens' money, and yet the Jiangs are somehow still considered a great sect even though he didn't have the power or respect required to get money after a member of the Jiang sect pretty much singlehandedly turned the tide of the war? Literally all he had to do was hire some people to fix up any damage done to the buildings. Which I'm pretty sure was minimal anyway, because the Wens were living there and presumably not living in a burned-down wreck. Hell, the Lans would've had considerably more rebuilding to do because the Cloud Recesses were actually burned down. And yet apparently the Lans do have the resources to help WWX but JC doesn't? Even though the Lans are in pretty much the exact same position as the Jiangs (sect attacked by the Wens, serious casualties and damage done, extremely new sect leader with all support scattered or dead) with just fewer casualties. Sure, okay. And he'd have to get more disciples, but just WWX's presence would've done a lot for that before he left and the sect seems to be doing fine in terms of people before WWX goes. The Jiang sect was doing perfectly well before WWX left.

And uh... here's the other thing, that people forget. If JC didn't have the resources to not ACTIVELY LIE AND BETRAY WWX then he didn't have the resources to lead a siege against him. If JC could gather the men to lead an army against the Burial Mounds, he could gather the men to offer WWX protection. If he had the respect from the other sects to be named leader of the siege, he had the respect from the other sects to demand an investigation. These people never question the assumption that apparently JC couldn't so much as not actively make WWX's situation worse, but he had the power and authority to lead an army to kill him. At best that suggests that he must have all but begged to lead the siege and the other sects took pity on him, but more likely... yeah, he could've interceded on WWX's behalf at any point and deliberately chose not to. Also, once again! If JC wanted to help WWX but couldn't, he would not have done everything in his power to convince the sects that WWX was a traitor raising an army of Wens to attack them, and he would have explicitly stated that these Wens are the only reason his sect survived. He just wanted WWX dead, guys! It's not that deep!

#mdzs #grapehate

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vrishchikawrites · 3 years

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Is JC in any way a much better sect leader than his father? Also where did the “he rebuild LP from the ashes” come from? It was not said like that in the novel right? Also saying that takes away WY’s contributions to the sect. It makes it sound as if JWY alone did all of the work while WY lazed his time away 🙄

The 'he rebuilt LP from the ashes' comes from Jin Guangshan, who was stroking his ego and minimizing WWX's role in everything, as far as I remember. Everyone in the novel certainly wanted to dismiss WWX's contributions, including JC. But the novel has several scenes where people say many disciples flocked towards YMJ because of WWX and his power.

WWX definitely didn't laze around.

#reader asks

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blackswaneuroparedux · 5 years

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Jacques Jaujard: the man who saved France’s art

Hitler and the inner circle of his Nazi regime had a wish list of works they planned to plunder from the countries they invaded once World War Two got underway, and Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, the most famous painting in the world then and now, was at the top of the list.

It was Jacques Jaujard, director of France's National Museums, who thwarted Hitler's scheme, pulled the wool over the eyes of the collaborationist tools of the Vichy government, and kept the Louvre's contents, including the Mona Lisa, safe for the duration of the war.

After Germany annexed Austria in March of 1938, Jaujard, then deputy director of the National Museums, lost whatever small hope he had that war might be avoided. He knew Britain's policy of appeasement wasn't going to keep the Nazi wolf from the door, and an invasion of France was sure to bring destruction of cultural treasures via bombings, looting, and wholesale theft. So, together with the Louvre's curator of paintings René Huyghe, Jaujard crafted a secret plan to evacuate almost all of the Louvre's art, which included 3600 paintings alone.

Aside from modestly sized works like the Mona Lisa, the pieces they were rescuing included delicate artifacts such as the 4000-year-old Seated Scribe, monumental paintings such as Théodore Géricault's 16-by-24-foot The Raft of the Medusa, and massive statues such as the Winged Victory of Samothrace - which weighs 3 metric tons.

On August 25, 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union announced their Non-Aggression Pact and Jaujard made his move. That day, he closed the Louvre for three days (ostensibly "for repairs") and his meticulous plan went into action. The Louvre staff, students from the École du Louvre, and workers from the Grands Magasins du Louvre department store took paintings out of their frames (when possible) and moved statues and other objects from their displays into wooden crates. All works were labeled with marks indicating their evacuation priority—yellow dots for most of the collection, green dots for the works of major significance, and red dots for the greatest treasures of global patrimony. The Mona Lisa was placed in a custom poplar case cushioned with red velvet. The box was crated up and the crate marked with three red dots, the only work in the entire collection with that rating.

On August 28, 1939, hundreds of trucks organized into convoys carried 1000 crates of ancient artifacts and 268 crates of paintings and more to the Loire Valley, where the splendid châteaux had room to host the art far from likely bombing targets. In just three days, 200 people packed 3600 paintings—plus many more drawings, sculptures, objets d'art, and antiquities—into crates. Giant paintings like The Raft of the Medusa that were too fragile to be removed from their frames and rolled up had to be transported vertically, for which Jaujard secured scenery trailers from the Comédie-Française. The Mona Lisa was transported in an ambulance, on a stretcher with elastic suspension to keep it as safe as possible from jostling.

To keep the Mona Lisa safe from interception, Jaujard made sure there was no indication on the crate of its contents. He gave the painting a code instead, writing the letters "MN" in black, without the department letters or the red number that was the standard packing notation on other crates. Later, he wrote to the curator newly in charge of the piece to let him know which crate the masterpiece was in, and to add "L.P.0" in red to the code on the crate ("LP" stood for "Louvre Paintings"). The Mona Lisa arrived safely at the Château de Chambord, the largest château in the Loire Valley, along with the rest of the Louvre's collection. There, the works would be triaged and split up for transport to other rural châteaux, museums, and abbeys.

Four days later, on September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. On September 3, France declared war on Germany, triggering the evacuation of the final work: the Winged Victory of Samothrace, which by the grace of some higher power and the dedication of the Louvre curators and staff, made it down the steps and into a truck to safety.

In November of 1939, the Mona Lisa was transported from Chambord to the château of Louvigny, the northernmost art depot where the large-format paintings were stored, to keep it out of reach of the advancing German army. The crate was on an ambulance stretcher again, this time in an armored van that was sealed shut to keep the humidity constant. A curator sat next to it in a state of cat-like readiness for the entire trip, and later reported the lack of air circulation almost suffocated him.

Safety was a tenuous concept in wartime France. Jaujard and other officials would juggle logistics and arrange additional moves at great personal risk for the duration of the war to keep France's cultural treasures out of Nazi hands, out of Vichy hands and, working directly with the French Resistance, out of range of Allied bombs. The Mona Lisa would be moved five more times to stay ahead of the maelstrom.

In June of 1940, with the surrender of France imminent and floods of refugees from Belgium, Holland, and northern France clogging the roads south, many of the Louvre's works were moved out of the German-occupied north into what would soon become the southern "free zone" of the puppet Vichy government. The Mona Lisa was sent to the former Cistercian Abbey of Loc-Dieu. It had burned down in 1409 during the Hundred Years' War, and when it was rebuilt in 1470, it was fortified against any such future eventualities.

A fortified abbey in the south of France seemed like a solid choice to protect the Mona Lisa and other masterpieces, but within months, conservators became concerned that the humid environment would damage the paintings. Mona Lisa and friends were moved again, this time even further south to the Musée Ingres in Montauban, 35 miles north of Toulouse. There the Mona Lisa arrived on October 3, 1940, and stayed for just over two years in the former residence of the bishops of Montauban. Calamity almost struck twice: once in December of 1941, when a ceiling beam came loose in the room where the Louvre's works were being stored, and once in August of 1942, when a violent thunderstorm caused massive flooding that penetrated the museum and dampened 69 paintings. The Mona Lisa was not one of them.

But by early 1943, Jaujard feared that the Musée Ingres was no longer safe. Germany had invaded the free zone in November of 1942, and the museum was close to a bridge over the Tarn River that Jaujard knew might make an attractive bombing target. In February 1943, the Mona Lisa was moved again to its final wartime hiding space, the Château de Montal in southwestern France.

Paris was liberated by the Allies on August 25, 1944. On May 8, 1945, Germany unconditionally surrendered and the war in Europe was over. Finally, the Louvre's works began to come back home. The museum had seen some rough treatment during the war: The Germans had kept it open, its galleries mainly empty except for some lesser pieces fished out of storage and boxes of looted artworks from Jewish private collections that were stashed in the museum before transport to Germany. The Louvre was extensively renovated between 1945 and 1946, its galleries opened piecemeal as they were completed. The Mona Lisa returned on June 16, 1945.

Or did it? Between the chaos of war and Jaujard's probable use of period copies of the Mona Lisa as decoys, there remain to this day conflicting reports about where exactly she went and how she made it back. One Austrian museum near the Altaussee salt mine claimed that "the Mona Lisa from Paris" was among "80 wagons of art and cultural objects from across Europe" the Nazis stored in the mine. But the one that returned to the Louvre is far more likely to be real thing, and the one in Altaussee a high-quality copy.

Many people worked very hard for six years to keep the painting in France, and today there's little doubt that the Mona Lisa hanging in the Louvre, encased by bullet-proof glass, is the one painted by Leonardo da Vinci 500 years ago.

As for Jacques Jaujard he was awarded France’s highest civilian honour, the Légion d'honneur and Médaille de la Résistance for his actions during World War II. He carried on his role as a senior government civil servant and died in June 1967. To this day the main entrance of the École du Louvre is also named after him.

#mona lisa #da vinci #art #history #art history #world war two #hitler #nazi #france #louvre #stolen art #jaujard #germany #allies

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ariellegobook-blog · 4 years

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Lego - A Background Of these Building Blocks Of Creativity

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disney lego books

Lego bricks. Creative imagination. Childhood. They go collectively like Mickey Mouse and Disney, wizards and Harry Potter. Lego has actually been part of childhood for more than 3 generations. Approximately every person under 50 has played using these setting up blocks of creativeness. There is absolutely no telling the amount of engineers and experts were being spawned by these plastic building blocks.

disney lego books

Lego is synonymous with plastic toy bricks which can be easily transformed into structures, space ships, autos, boats, trains along with a myriad of other toys. The hot button is that the little one receives to assemble the toy in the essential developing blocks. Every toy is usually assembled, disassembled and reassembled in ample new styles and varieties to tickle the creativity and extend the youngster's creativity.

These days, Lego is far a lot more the basic blocks invented in 1949. It truly is toys, topic parks, motion pictures, and CDs. Lego setting up blocks and various items are dispersed worldwide. These very small plastic bricks along with the company they have got constructed, absolutely are a phenomenon that has a results as extraordinary as Mickey Mouse.

Lego Bricks Turn out to be The Setting up Blocks Of Fantasy

Exactly where did Lego come from and just how did it reach be such a vital tool for childhood creativity?

Our tale starts in Billund, Denmark. It can be 1932. Learn carpenter and joiner Ole Kirk Kristiansen opened a new organization. His little firm makes stepladders, ironing boards and wood toys. He has just 6 workforce. No person might have imagined, but Lego along with the small creating blocks of creativeness had just been born.

Two many years afterwards, Kristiansen adopted the identify Lego as being a brand name name for his toys. The title is derived in the Danish words "leg godt," which necessarily mean "play well." Ironically, he later on found that Lego in Latin suggests "I place with each other." Lego has really come to signify "put together" and "play well" in virtually every language. At this time, all the firm's toys had been becoming produced from wooden.

In 1942, the Lego factory burned into the ground. Kristiansen rebuilt.

In 1947, the Lego Business grew to become the initial corporation in Denmark to buy an injection-molding equipment. It began producing plastic toy dolls together with other toys. The popular bricks had been yet being invented.

It was not until 1949 that the Lego business launched the automated Binding Brick, just a little plastic brick, some with four studs and many with eight. At this time, the company was manufacturing about 200 different plastic toys. The automatic Binding Brick was bought solely in Denmark.

By 1950, plastic toys became half on the firm's business enterprise. Ole Kirk's son, Godtfred Kirk, who experienced labored within the firm because age twelve, was appointed junior vp at age thirty.

In 1954, Godtfred Kirk built a trip to England to satisfy by using a purchasing agent. The paying for agent told Kristiansen that he imagined the automated Binding Bricks lacked an notion and system. Godtfred returned to Denmark. The Lego Technique was created. The following 12 months, Godtfred launched the Lego Technique at a toy honest in Germany. It was the main time it was released outside of Denmark. The outcomes had been disappointing. Kristiansen did not surrender. Later that year, the Lego System Engage in was formulated. It absolutely was an improved system for the Lego bricks. The Lego Technique Participate in was exported to Sweden, exactly where it bought well.

In 1959, Lego bricks as well as the Lego Technique have been introduced in Wonderful Britain, France, and Belgium.

It was not till 1961 that Lego bricks were being first marketed inside the U.S. and Canada. They were being a direct strike and distribution all over the world continued. From the close of that 10 years, 843 men and women in Billund worked to the Lego organization. The primary Legoland movie was made. In 1969, the DUPLO system for kids under age 5 was introduced.

By 1970, there were nearly one,000 staff members on the plant in Billund.

In 1980, the academic Goods Section was recognized. The DUPLO Rabbit logo was launched in addition to a study showed that 70 p.c of all Western European families with young children underneath age fourteen had Lego in their household.

As 1990 unfolded, the Lego Group experienced come to be one of the world's ten biggest toy manufacturers along with the only toy firm of that dimensions in Europe. The other people were in Japan as well as the U.S. Far more than just one million persons frequented the LEGOLAND topic park and Godtfred Kirk Kristiansen celebrated his seventieth birthday. Lego Publishing was renamed Lego Licensing and also the LEGOLAND Band issued an LP.

Along with the starting with the new century, LEGO carries on to expand. It's also ongoing to remain a loved ones owned enterprise. As of late, Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, the grandson of Ole Kirk, runs the company.

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a-shrieking-cloud-of-bats · 6 years

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can I just say by the way La Mulana 2 really feels like it cranked up the "good luck figuring out where to go and what to do", once you finish the first area a whole lot opens up at the same time

I noticed that the LP Guy (Isocitration if anyone’s curious, sort’ve in the vein of raocow, more “positive” if you’re into that) managed to unlock, I believe, two areas from the first area and he’s already spent like three 30 minute to an hour long episodes in just the second area (that he went to), and it looked a lot more tame/was easier to get to then the other one, I’m lookin forward to exactly how convoluted la mulana 2 gets!also while I’m here they did a great job making the game sorta feel nostalgiac, it’s cool to see the ruins being rebuilt and all the old characters kicking around, hohoho

#xelpud being notable obviously #the game has a great sense of humor really #bats replies #ralphrius

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pinkrabit · 4 months

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Hi I saw another post basically saying "how can you stand jiang cheng" and there are literally so many reasons in my humble opinion but I'm gonna attach ss of other people reasoning why (aka I can't be bothered to rewrite it when someone else already did it right)

He was a fucking boy thrown into politics and was hurt. If he hated wwx sm and was so selfish why didn't he land the final blow to wwx. Either at the BM or on the edge???

He had multiple chances to kill wwx after reincarnation too. Mo Xuanyu's body wouldn't have been able to defend well against Jiang Cheng.

As far as just killing demonic cultivators, I'm pretty sure we lack direct characterization with that claim. It's hearsay at beat, if I remember correctly.

Yeah he was an asshole for taking anger out on other people. But it's also not like he found a random person and went "you're the current whipping boy tysm"

Some people are just assholes, I can't really defend him here.

Of course, there are reasons. Despite how flimsy wwx's status was, Jiang cheng was given an inferiority complex because of his parents comparing him to wwx. He went through a fucking war. Where he, at one point, was ready to die because he trusted wwx to take care of jyl. (Special mention of the core transfer and then wwx making the wen brat eat his own skin. That was fucked, but creative. WWX would definitely be a theatre kid)

If he was so awful, how could JL defend him so readily and earnestly?? Why would he spend so long w/o assistance to get wwx out of the cave, knowing he might have been dead???

Thank you for coming to my random tedtalk about how even though JC did some kinda shit things from wwx pov, he wasn't free to do what he wanted. (I wish I had the ao3 comment name) (sorry for not tagging the tumblr users, but you did get credit)

#jiang cheng #hes an asshole #but credit where credits due #HE ALSO REBUILT LP #RIGHT AFTER A WAR AND DID SO FUCKING WELL THAT JL COULD THROW MONEY AT SPIRITUAL NETS #hes a hard man #made from hard times #(and wen qing)#(and/or lxc and/or nhs)#hes a brat #(affectionate)

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desertislandcloud · 4 years

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All of life is a journey and the best journeys are those taken with friends. For the 5 members of The Mowgli’s that road has seen their friendship tested and rebuilt numerous times. From their earliest Venice, California days as a 10+ revolving cast of characters to their current line-up, the core members have evolved from playing midnight warehouse parties to the stages of the largest festivals.

While there have been many highlights - appearances on late night TV shows, incredibly rewarding collaborations with charities and electrifying performances in legendary venues among them - there have also been tests: Losing band members, battling with the stress of constant touring and maintaining their friendship, trying to remain both grounded and optimistic when things go amazingly well and when they don’t. But there have been benefits of creating deep bonds and close relationships, not least the marriage of singers Katie Jayne Earl and Josh Hogan in 2017. “Being in a touring band is hard work,” says Katie, “but inspiring. It only works because people care about the band and we have a core who support us, people who have both been there since the beginning and joined along the way. Those supporters keep us motivated.”

The release of The Mowgli’s first major-label LP Waiting For The Dawn in 2013 saw immediate success with the hit single San Francisco. The record - which focused on the joy of bringing people together - immediately connected in a cynical world. The band quickly found themselves playing to sold out crowds in clubs around the US and inundated by requests for press, sponsorships and partnerships. Appearances at Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Firefly, Osheaga, Bottlerock and many other festivals followed as did performances on The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Conan and a stint as the SXSW House band for Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live (Bravo)

The follow up LP, 2015’s Kids in Love (which spawned the feel-good single I’m Good) saw the band explore personal relationships including their own inter-band ones, and their third LP Where’d Your Weekend Go? which came in the Fall of 2016, often found the band working on songs together from their very inception - giving much of the record a relaxed and communal feeling.

Parting ways with their original label in 2017, The Mowgli’s released a pair of EPs: I Was Starting To Wonder (2018) and American Feelings (2019), each backed by national US tours and both exploring the “band experience” to a large extent. The first EP focused on travelling, missing home, looking for excitement in the daily churn of a tour, finding it in the back alleys and on the rooftops of America. The more recent EP American Feelings turned more towards relationships and connections, noticeable in Talk About It and Mr. Telephone which both harken to the lack of discourse and engagement prevalent in society today, especially with technology serving as both a facilitator and barrier. Says singer/guitarist Josh Hogan, “Communication is a very powerful tool. If we could learn to communicate in a healthy way, this place would be much less divided.”

Katie adds: “Talk About It started out being a song about communicating your way through difficult situations, but as it evolved, it became a song not only about having hard conversations, but about forgiveness. And it’s really special to me.” Whereas those songs look outwards, Hard To Love and Norman Rockwell focus inwards, taking a critical look at emotional failings in the former, and attempting to create a new reality to escape to in the latter.

“…Wonder” was supported by a deliberately small club tour. “It was exciting to get back out on the road, up close and personal with our fans who have stuck with us from the beginning,” says Katie. “We took a really needed break after [Where’d Your Weekend Go?] - after years of almost non-stop touring.”

“It was a relief to get back on the road and do something a little different for that tour,” adds Josh.

The band also travelled to Honduras and Guantanamo Bay last year, entertaining the Armed Forces during the week of July 4th. Truly an eye-opening experience, the two shows rank as unforgettable for the band. “You get that sense that people are really grateful to just have a connection with back-home - especially in Honduras,” says Josh. “It was so cool to feel that energy and look around when you’re playing and realize where we were and what it meant to everyone.”

Additionally The Mowgli’s are seeing visibility with the theme song to “Big City Greens”, Disney TV’s #1 animated show for which they were asked to write and record the title song. A chance conversation between a Disney TV music executive and a mutual friend of the band’s as to how he was “looking for a band with a vibe like The Mowgli’s” saw the band back in the studio immediately, and the raucous and frenetic track was delivered shortly afterwards. “We’ve all been raised on Disney” says drummer Andy Warren. “So, having them ask for a classic, vintage Mowgli’s song was kind of a dream come true. It was amazing how fast it came together and how well it fits with the opening montage!”

For The Mowgli’s, as for any band, this whole experience is a journey - and not always an easy one. It tests your self-belief, your stamina, your relationships and your mental and emotional health. “Since this band started we’ve been through a lot of changes: gained members, lost members, been shuffled around labels and learned a lot about the music industry,” says Andy. “Now it feels like we’re really independent again, refocused on curating our live show, more in touch with the business of being this band.” He adds “Our sound has evolved but we always circle back to the basic themes: love, feeling good, excited for life no matter what the day delivers.”

Always with a mission to bring hope and positivity into the world, The Mowgli’s have been involved with numerous charities including The IRC, Heal The Bay, Happy Bottoms and many food banks and homeless shelters.

The band is: Joshua Hogan - vocals/guitar Katie Jayne Earl - vocals Matthew Di Panni - bass David Appelbaum - keys Andy Warren - drums

Links http://www.themowglis.net https://www.instagram.com/themowglis https://twitter.com/Themowglis

#newmusic #pop #spotify #usa #westcoast

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un-enfant-immature · 5 years

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Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin’s B Capital makes $406M first close of new fund

B Capital, the VC firm from Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin, has made the first close of its second fund.

The firm has closed out $406 million in initial capital, according to a filing lodged with the FCC last month. The document doesn’t include details of a target raise or which LPs have committed. Saverin came to prominence as a co-founder of Facebook, but he has rebuilt himself as an investor with a particular focus on Asia.

B Capital is a relatively new entrant but already this new fund represents an upsized raise, even without the final close. B Capital’s first fund closed $360 million last February with consulting firm BCG a major backer from the get-go. The firm pitches itself as a bridge between the corporate world and quality startups, an area where its BCG alliance no doubt carries significant weight.

The firm is based out of Southeast Asia — where Saverin has lived since renouncing his U.S. citizenship in 2011 — but it investors globally and has a San Francisco office. Its focus covers financial services, insurance, health, industrial, transportation and “consumer enablement.” To date, B Capital has invested in 19 startups, according to its website, and those include scooter startup Bird, insurance-focused CXA — which raised $25 million last month — Indian fintech startup Mswipe — which announced a $30 million round last week — and logistics firm NinjaVan.

Saverin has also made investments via his family fund, Velos, but its involvement has tapered down since B Capital launched.

#TechCrunch

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workfromhom · 5 years

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Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin’s B Capital makes $406M first close of new fund

B Capital, the VC firm from Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin, has made the first close of its second fund.

Saverin has also made investments via his family fund, Velos, but its involvement has tapered down since B Capital launched.

from Facebook – TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/2UmbGSX via IFTTT

#IFTTT #Facebook – TechCrunch

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mikemortgage · 5 years

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College kids living like kings in Vancouver’s empty mansions: Stories from a real estate market in upheaval

Isaiah Boodhoo, 22, thought it was a “complete hoax” when he saw a rental listing on Facebook for a bedroom in a Vancouver mansion for only $1,100 (US$825) a month.

It turned out the glass chandeliers, luxurious blue drapes, steam room and billiards table were for real. The nine-bedroom home, dubbed “The Castle” by the 14 students who share the property, is apparently owned by an Afghani pop artist, according to Boodhoo.

“Honestly, I would stay here for as long as I could,” he said, sitting on a white couch while sipping from a Slurpee cup. “$1,000 bucks for all this?”

Canadian home sales fall for sixth month in first March decline since the recession

There’s a full-fledged housing chill in Vancouver, but it hasn’t reached Toronto, data shows

Home sales drop by a third in Vancouver — where the average price is still over a million

Others may also soon find themselves as lucky as more mansion owners in the city turn to renting to avoid a new tax on empty homes. In the new world of Vancouver’s housing market, where Chinese investors are decamping and low-ball offers are the norm, students can find themselves living in the lap of luxury.

It’s a far cry from the frenzy of a few years ago when the city was at the centre of a global property boom. Prices more than doubled in the decade through 2016, outpacing gains in New York and London. But government policies to tame the market — from new taxes to stricter mortgage regulations — have fuelled a plunge in sales to the weakest since the global financial crisis. Prices are down 8.5 per cent from their peak in June, according to the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver.

The city boasts a thriving tech and tourism scene and sits in the province with the lowest unemployment rate in the country. But the sense of unease in the real estate market is palpable.

Here are some stories from a property market in upheaval:

The Lucky Renters

With taxes on an empty Vancouver home potentially adding up to 3 per cent in annual levies, homeowners are rushing to lease their homes, according to real estate agents. That’s leading to bargains in a city where the vacancy rate has been near zero per cent.

“You have houses that are worth $4 million renting for $4,500,” said Steve Saretsky, a Vancouver realtor whose popular real estate blog was pointing out cracks in the market even as benchmark prices peaked last year.

A nine-bedroom rental property shared by 14 students in Vancouver.

Prospective tenants are getting bold, said Kevin Wang, who runs a sales and rental real estate team with his twin brother Jerry. They’ve received calls from people offering to help with gardening or maintenance in exchange for free rent in a luxury home.

The owner of “The Castle” and the rental agency didn’t respond to requests for comment.

For his part, Boodhoo, not only has he scored luxury digs, he’s cut his commute time to his classes in music production to about 18 minutes from two hours.

“Everyday I come home from school and I see just the tips of the castle, and I’m just like, that’s my house,” said Boodhoo, who’s looking forward to the pool in the backyard. It should be filled by June.

The Chinese Seller

Lisa Sun paces around the Vancouver mansion she’s been hired to sell by its wealthy Chinese-Canadian owner. The family’s had it with the new taxes and what it sees as increasing hostility to Asian capital. Sun reckons that early last year the home would have easily sold for about $8.5 million — holes in the wall and all.

Today, the 28-year-old realtor isn’t sure she’ll get a credible offer for the 8,343 square-foot mansion. These days a pool, wine cellar, and home theatre on a prime lot aren’t enough to clinch a deal, even in West Vancouver, where opulent homes carved out of steep slopes overlook the ocean. Sun needs a “stager” to empty the house and brighten it up with new furniture, a modern chandelier, and lick of paint.

Realtor Lisa Sun, left, surveys the kitchen with an electrician inside a mansion for sale in West Vancouver.

“I’ve been through only the peak, never the low,” said Sun as she schedules a makeover of the property. Pink tags indicate to the four cleaners what needs to be dumped. The Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce in the garage, relatively unused for three years, also need to be dealt with.

The house is listed at $10.9 million, but after receiving mostly low-ball offers closer to its tax-assessed value of $6.2 million, she’s planning on dropping the asking price closer to $8.3 million.

That’s a hefty cut but holding on to the home would mean paying potentially more than $140,000 in extra taxes annually for the Canadian owner who splits her time between Vancouver and Beijing. Canadian taxes are not the only measures weighing on the market. China’s capital controls are also limiting spending on global real estate.

Realtor Lisa Sun stands in the entrance of a mansion for sale.

Sun doesn’t think Vancouver’s market is going to come back to its highs, especially at the top end. “Why would they come here and pay all that tax and feel like a criminal?”

The Bargain Hunters

Buying a house seemed an impossible dream for Brandon Chapman.

The 28-year-old financial planner first started looking at one-bedroom condos in 2016, around the peak of the market. “It was just bananas so I took a step back,” he said, in an interview at his Vancouver office.

He’s glad he waited. He now figures he might even be able to afford a detached home and is viewing properties at around the $1.1 million mark in East Vancouver. To make it affordable, he’s teaming up with his best friend to purchase the property — and offering way under asking. It hasn’t quite worked out yet. One offer for about $200,000 less than the listing price was rejected.

“We haven’t closed on anything but the market in my opinion is still trending down so why would I rush into buying something if I don’t need it this second?” he said.

Then there’s Robin Rickards, who happened to be looking for a temporary home at a serendipitous time. The 64-year-old orthopedic surgeon needed a place to stay while his current home was being rebuilt into an oceanside oasis. He ended up making an offer on three different homes and got one for almost $1 million less than the original asking price.

“It’s like a candy store for buyers right now,” Clara Hartree, the realtor working with Rickards, said by email.

Robin Rickards stands on his deck in Lion’s Bay, overlooking the Straight of Georgia.

The Frustrated Flippers

The twisty, cantilevered glass tower is one of Vancouver’s most hotly anticipated developments. It starts as a triangle at its base — wedged awkwardly between the on and off ramps of a downtown highway — before swivelling into a square at the top.

That iconic silhouette helped developer Westbank Corp. rapidly sell out some 400 ultra-luxe units when presales began in 2014, thanks in part to avid interest from Asian buyers. As it nears completion, investors are seeking to offload rights to more than two dozen units, according to listings cropping up on realtor websites.

The Vancouver House building stands under construction past cherry blossoms in Vancouver.

One flyer offers a 368-square-foot unit at $515,000. “Transfer at original price,” it reads in Chinese. Last year, it would’ve fetched as much as $800,000, says Jerry Huang, a realtor with Nu Stream Realty Inc., which specializes in presale developments.

“That’s an insane deal,” he said. Presales were once seen as a slam dunk — put down a 20 per cent deposit, flip the contract at a premium before completion, and pocket the gains.

Westbank said in an email that in the five years since some investors purchased, values have appreciated from 25 per cent to 100 per cent depending on the unit. The number of so-called assignment sales is less than 10 per cent of total units in the building and “in-line with expectation.”

But the broader downturn is beginning to catch some out across various developments.

Those who bought at the peak need to find a buyer fast or come up with the full amount to pay the developer. With banks in some cases assessing units lower than the contract price, buyers hoping for a loan may face a shortfall. “There are no assurances right now,” says Adil Dinani, a realtor with Royal LePage — some sellers may be lucky just to break even.

There have always been buyers who overextended and needed to sell quickly.

“But the difference is earlier, we were able to help them because the market was going up,” says Sonny Bhinder, a realtor who’s received calls from half a dozen clients seeking to sell assignments since the start of the year. “The job of the real estate agent has become much tougher now.”

–With assistance from Feifei Shen, Paul Panckhurst and Erik Hertzberg.

Bloomberg.com

from Financial Post http://bit.ly/2UirGQY via IFTTT Blogger Mortgage Tumblr Mortgage Evernote Mortgage Wordpress Mortgage href="https://www.diigo.com/user/gelsi11">Diigo Mortgage

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