Northerner

Haha, careful around Austin. Troy might out Travis as revenge. Just saying. I like how Will and Jeremy are trying to paint Will as not interested in the fashion world, thus cementing him as the one who got away forever. Loved the chapter, tension is rising!

It’s interesting to read an account of what prince Oscar did, as he went on to modernize and reform Sweden to a sizeable extent. Returning to our count, he seems to have a knack for interesting peccadillos no matter where he travels. Good on him to codify this with Rutger too.

It’s really not that complicated - by the sound of it our young count doesn’t seem to overanalyze his escapades. It seems the matter with Rutger is getting settled, by Stefan remains the wildcard. The little family is growing, it reads like a state of domestic happiness. Good on Nils to settle down with his own family. Today there’s a walking path around the lakes described above, back then nature was a bit more untamed. Were I there, I’d visit the small island in the lake. It’s about 8 trees and looks quite charming. Perfect for rowing out to. Alas, grew up a bit further north than that, so it’s all places you drive past on the way to Örebro, or further towards Gothenburg.

The Schluter boys are famous, but not famous enough to be made fun of by South Park. Speaking of a certain actor. I’d love to read about JJ branching off with his own company. He’d out histrionic John Galliano in no time.

Stefan is erratic and Göran is jealous. Green doesn’t suit him.

Wow, we suddenly get clarity on how the real situation is. The odds are high, everything is riding on the success of the antimatter collector. Our hero’s journey is now tougher. Meanwhile, the AI in a basement backstory is expanded on. I’m curious to see how it intersects with the main storyline. Thank you for sharing this new chapter. Now on to some re-reading.

A vignette from our young count serving the king and living the high life in the learned city of Uppsala. At the end he yearned for his home and family. Kudos to him. Imagine defending a dissertation on miasmic theory! The cool thing is that before Lavoisier and oxygen, it was assumed that the substance Flogiston was responsible for fire. A mostly student populated part of Uppsala is named Flogsta after Flogiston - imagine that! Miasma however is most real - you can feel it. Measuring it is harder…

8 years for the disgraced ex-captain exiled to Mexico until the civil war starts. I hope that George’s command won’t feel like it’s lasting that long. Still, adventure at sea lies ahead. Thank you for this Easter surprise!

So, it’s Will’s gap year, and then we dive into his personal challenges. Challenges most people would be happy to face, luxury problems they are. The supporting characters are definitely talented, but the main focus is on Will’s journey. Still, Claire and Marie were great at keeping the wolves under control. Kudos to them! I wonder how and when the supposed straight bubble surrounding Travis will pop? Better tune in next week! Thanks as always for the chapter.

Fatherhood becomes our young count. The Lång estate survived until 1850 when it got replaced with a wooden castle. That in turn got torn down in 1944 and used for firewood in Stockholm. The winters during WW2 were grim. I’ve been told this by older relatives who hid Norwegian resistance fighters in northern Dalarna so they could recuperate and keep on fighting. The jealousy lingers, Göran is trapped by his station. I wonder who will catch his fancy next?

Our young count did well! The actual church in Ramnäs is lovely - it’s a typical countryside church with light interior. Its current layout goes back to 1792, so you can picture the wedding inside. I wonder how the old feuds in the wider family will play out?

It’s wistful to read about a time when clubs were still alive and kicking; post c19 with social media personalities always broadcasting it’s grim. That said, what a breezy chapter, thank you! Nice to read that Stef had a great time out and about! I miss his antics, as well as those of Brad, Matt and Wade sometimes. That said, the young whippersnappers keep me thoroughly entertained. I’m looking forward to get more of Marie’s viewpoint as well. She’s the secret siren that holds the younger dudes in check.

I wonder how many schemes our George will be involved in, or uncover before the clepsydra runs dry? Will he be forced to hastily regroup, or will he leave Spain in honor?

George, hoping for a heroes welcome, has really set his foot in a hornet’s nest. With Cardona’s disgraced wife out of the picture one would think that he’d be free to play the field, but discretion is as always the better part of valor. Eagerly awaiting to read how the wheels will come of this particular wagon.

What a triumphant romp of chapter, thank you! Will and Austin hamming it up reminds me of how fun sports can be in the right company. I bet that Halloween will be a spectacle for the ages. Were I in Will’s shoes I’d drive up to Ogonquit with Travis for a cosy weekend of lobsters, cider and getaway, but I’m not in my 20s.

It’s interesting to read an account of the breaking point between the old guard and the Bernadotte family coming into power. Napoleon sure did redraw and reshape much of Europe during his reign. As we enter the modern era, people start to become more relatable due to societal familiarity. Imagine being called to Stockholm to work at the court. My few days on guard duty at the royal palace during a bitter cold January pops back to mind. Göran is becoming a hot commodity for marriage. He’d better be careful.

Haha, our young count is certainly playing the field! He should at least have gone and discreetly pulled his future bride to be aside for conversation as to not arouse suspicion. Still, good going! If you don’t get any during Midsummer you’re not trying at all.

There are so many tech companies that would have been solid buys back then - Nvidia, AMD, Intel, Synopsys, Cadence, Amazon. Not just FAANG, beverages like Monster, enterprise software like Salesforce. Or, something like Aurora Cannabis hasn’t made a poor showing. Diversify your holdings if you can. That said, I like that player Will is getting his Slutzilla on. Guys in college are always on the prowl. I wonder if Will or Travis has the biggest buffet, and who will end up being the pick of the pack?

Oh Nils, you are a godsend helping Göran to navigate these treacherous waters.

And you think the world is chaotic today? It’s always been a powder keg, just waiting for the chips to fall just so. Fingers crossed for George and Daventry successfully navigating the waters of the Spanish court.

Our young count needs to come into his own fast now. Fingers crossed he’s got someone who can help with sage advice. Wonder how he will land romantically after fumbling? Times are perilous, better lay low.

Katrina did a bad number on New Orleans. I was there in the spring of 2007 and could still see FEMA roofs on some buildings. That devastation and later the pandemic wrecked that lovely city I’ve had so much fun in. It’s heartbreaking, but New Orleans always manages to rise again thanks to the joi de vivre and lively spirit of the community. I keep holding out hope for my next visit - hopefully sooner rather than later. Good on Will and the gang to help and being humanitarians and each of them being a real mensch. Haha, imagine a 42” TV being large, those were the days! Looking at my 77” 4K OLED, technology has made great strides. The classic Japanese giants are restructured; Sony TVs are made by a JV with TCL of China, Panasonic just offloaded their TVs to Skyworth, Sharp to Hisense and Vestel. It’s like looking back in the rear view mirror to the very different, yet familiar world I grew up in.

Haha, the secret life of public schoolboys. Saucy! It sounds like Nils is about to stray…

It’s all about the subterfuge, isn’t it? Underspace has a very Lovecraftian ring to it. Exciting times ahead!

Lovely to see that Jeremy’s redemption arc is an ongoing concern. All these cats are gray tabbies - you have to take the good with the bad. Except Rosa and Maria - they’re wholesome. So far… The skating this Olympics was awesome, some real drama was had. Though for me nothing beat Johannes Høsflot Klæbo running uphill on skis at the end of his race at a very respectable clip. My jaw was picked up from the floor while cheering for my Norwegian neighbors. 9 Olympic gold medals - how is that humanly possible? So, JJ remodeling John Lautner houses? I’m all for that! Fingers crossed Travis will have it easier, but we all know some diabolical twist of fate is lurking. Looking forward to read what it is.