#travis goldman

[arkhelios-gameplay]

Travis was used to coming home to screaming. This time was different, however. It was Edana Darktide doing it rather than his mother. And there was a naked man in the kitchen looking confused.

"This resurrection was a scam!" Edana shouted into a telephone. "I demand to speak with your manager!"

Travis decided he would rather not know what was going on, and went upstairs to his room.

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

"We really need to bring this cottage into the new era. We don't need pictures of war criminals on our walls for 'history's' sake. Respect the past, but focus on the future. Yes. Yes, I like that. When I get a free moment, I'll mention it to the palace art team."

Maura murmured to herself as her eyes took in everything in the cottage that she wanted to change. It was her reign, and the cottage should reflect that. While she did love the historical photos and would probably face an intense battle to move them with her relatives, times had changed. Photos of King Ben, the national hero who had saved the islands from Pleasantview, but had murdered several of his children as well as some of their spouses, the Red Queen, who had no business being on any wall because of her crimes, and Queen Celeste, who tried to overthrow the grim reaper while enslaving her zombified mother, disgraced the warm feeling Maura wanted the Siew family cottage to have. Maybe if she put all their pictures upstairs in what had once been King Ben's office, she could balance honouring the past while still creating a better future.

"I can shove that picture in my attic if you'd like. You're glaring at it like it kicked a puppy."

Maura turned to see her cousin Claudia walking up to her, her usual confident smirk on full display.

"You're welcome to it," Maura offered, smiling despite her frustration. Claudia often had that effect on her. "I'm making a list of photos that may need to be retired."

Claudia scoffed.

"Just imagine living with the portraits of terrible people whose blood runs in my veins every single day. Pleasantview would fall before it gave up worshipping the ghosts of its past."

"Well, I guess you don't have to worry about being lost to history someday," Maura teased. "Give it a century or two and you'll probably be promoted to a demi god."

"I would make an excellent demi god," Claudia agreed. "But you can't be inventorying every picture here. Some of our relatives were good people. Not many, but some. Besides, don't you have a royal archivist? I just email mine and the pictures are rotated within a day. They deal with all the safety procedures needed to store the pictures for the next hundred years and I get something new to look at. I know this cottage is for all Siews, but the monarch of Twikkii Island owns it, so it should fall within your archivist's obligations."

"I'd prefer to deal with them myself. They can store them for me, but I'll be making the choices of which picture to display. It's probably the thing I like most about this job. If my mother had lived, I'd imagine that I might have been a royal curator for her. There'd be more pictures of Trent and Callista than I'd like, but no job is perfect."

"Very noble of you," Claudia remarked dryly. "They are your half-siblings, I'd imagine your mother would want pictures of them around. Honestly, with your complexion, jealousy's not flattering. You're the queen, and Trent is an orphan. Have some compassion for your little brother or are you getting rid of those pictures because the people in them are starting to look just like you?"

"Not all of us come from the two happiest dead people in existence. I'm an orphan too. My father was murdered by my grandmother. Mom shouldn't have remarried. She just forgot about him, like he didn't even exist."

Claudia raised a skeptical eyebrow, baffled at her cousin's behavior.

"Are you okay? Usually your daddy issues aren't this obvious. Added to a pregnancy that is obviously not your wife's, you're starting to look a little unhinged. Is something happening? I can help, unless you've got some insane grudge against me too."

"It's nothing," Maura snapped, turning away from her cousin. "It's just pregnancy hormones. Everything is great. I love my life. Everyone is jealous of my good fortune, so I should love my life. And I do."

"You could always step down if you hate your life," Claudia teased. "I'd be happy to claim my inheritance from my mother and add Twikkii Island to my realm."

Maura shot Claudia a nasty look, but after a moment to think, the nastiness faded into a weak smile.

"Do you have days like this? Days when you just want to fake your death and flee somewhere you've never been? That makes me a bad person, right? I feel like a bad person."

Claudia wrapped her cousin in bone crushing hug.

"All the time. I think about what my life would have been if Dad had never found out his true parentage. Would I be happier? What job would I have? It's only natural when you're in a position like ours. It doesn't make you a bad person to have doubts about your life. It makes you human. Look, why don't you come visit me more? Or I can stop by your place and we can go to that wonderful spa we went to before your wedding. You need someone to talk to, and I'm probably the only one who understands what you're feeling. Unless you want to ask the old, boring kings of Strangetown or Crystal Cove."

Maura laughed, despite her mood. Claudia always had been good at getting under her skin.

"Okay. I promise to spend more time with you to stop from being a complete bitch all the time. Ulyssa would probably love to have me out of the palace for an afternoon anyway. For now, help me log which paintings I should store. You know our history probably better than even I do."

Claudia craned her neck, looking for a certain portrait that had always creeped her out.

"I'd vote for that one," she said, pointing across the room. "Every time I'm here, one of the dogs is always barking at it. It has to be cursed or something. Something is off about it."

"Ah. You have a good eye. It creeps me out too. It's King Ben, after all. The man was a monster. No wonder the dogs can sense his evil."

"Oh, there's a million pictures of him all around this place," Claudia scoffed. "He was a fine king. He saved your country from becoming a part of mine under my psychotic grandfather. The heroism and the murders kinda cancel each other out, I think. No, he's not the problem. She is."

"Who? Is that his cousin or something? The names aren't engraved on the frame."

"His sister, Winter," Claudia replied. "She was a hell of a witch. I have some of her books in my library. Talented, but like you, a little unhinged."

"Ha, ha. I'll add it to the list."

"Are we supposed to be doing something? I feel like we should be doing something."

Adam looked nervously around the cottage, looking for guidance. It wasn't often that they were invited to the Siew cottage and just standing in it made Adam paranoid that he might accidentally break something expensive. He'd been there before, of course, but he never truly felt welcome.

The Siew family was gathered for a family barbecue, and even those at the far ends of the family tree were invited to celebrate. Adam and Remy got their invitation because their half-siblings were Siews. Elowen and Bronwen weren't just going to leave Adam and Remy out of a royal feast just because only their mother had married into the Siew family.

"Don't start cleaning something just because we don't have titles," Remy groaned. "We're invited guests, not the help. We're not doing anything to set up. Period. Our earned coven titles are more than good enough."

"Apprentice is a better title than princess or Duke?"

Remy punched her twin on the arm.

"Yes. Yes, it is. Now let's go find our sisters. They probably know where the booze is."

"Dad! You made it! I thought you, Dad, and Vrai were going away this weekend."

Ewan Traver embraced his father, Travis Traver, surprised at his presence. Ewan had inherited the title Travis had never wanted, and took care of the Goldman estate and all the responsibilities that went with it. His father, despite being born in Twikkii Island to two of its citizens, disliked spending any time on the island. He had been raised in Pleasantview and Crystal Cove. However tropical the island was, it held no allure for Travis, so his presence there was somewhat surprising.

"Your father and Vrai went ahead. I might join them later, but I wanted to be here. The anniversary is coming up and it's good to be with family. This was where she grew up. I wanted to see it the way she once did."

Ewan paused, unsure of what to say. His Aunt Celeste, better known as Queen Celeste of Crystal Cove, had practically raised his father after their father died giving birth to their half-brother, Ewan, and their mothers were murdered. The two siblings had been unsettlingly close until Celeste's death, due to the stranglehold she had on Travis' life. She blocked his mother's family from contacting him and insisted that he name his oldest son after their father. Aside from eloping with Ewan's father, Leonid, Travis' entire life had been carefully planned by his controlling sister. But Celeste had been gone for over a decade now and Travis was free to chart his own path forward. He hadn't recognized Celeste in the year or so proceeding her death, and he couldn't forgive her for telling his biological family that he didn't want anything to do with them. Or co-running a cult obsessed with killing the Grim Reaper. Or naming the child she created to sacrifice after him. Or murdering their half-brother, Ewan, as a child.

There were many things Travis hated about his sister, but every year near the anniversary of her death, he spent time in Twikkii Island, trying to understand the little girl who had been born there and where she had gone so wrong. He hadn't had any insight on how to forgive her yet, but every year, he was hopeful.

"So, are you going to help plan the memorial ball this year? Edana has been pretty busy and I've got some of the vendors lined up, but I could use some help."

Travis smiled tightly. The queen had provided a grant to the Goldman estate to celebrate Travis' parents after it had been revealed that their deaths were caused both directly and indirectly by the crown. Unhappily, the deaths of his parents and the death of his sister fell within the same month, so every time he left to grieve for his sister, he was expected to also celebrate the lives of the parents he'd never known. The anniversary of the day that his daughter, Tristianne, had been taken from him was only a few months later. It seemed fitting that he was in a polycule with the Grim Reaper; death seemed to follow him wherever he went.

"We'll see," he said at last. "The hospital still might call me in for a few consults. A retired doctor still has his obligations to old colleagues."

Ewan mirrored his father's tight smile. That was a no. It would hurt less if his father would just tell him upfront that he wanted nothing to do with whatever Ewan or the queen planned. It would be far more honest.

"Sure, just let me know your schedule when you can. No worries if you're busy."

"Isn't there supposed to be food at a barbecue? I'm starving."

Elowen set up the pool table while Victoriana waited.

"The food won't be ready for another hour at least. Mom said we have to wait for Grandma and Grandpa to come and they're at work. Grandpa refuses to let someone else touch the barbecue when it's his 'passion'. They'll be here soon enough though."

"Very soon," Adrienne agreed. She was too young to play pool, but she enjoyed watching the game. It was the closest she got to socializing with her extended family.

"Fine, I guess I can wait. There were chips in the kitchen though, right? We could steal some of those."

"Do you like my dress? I got it last weekend in the Pleasantview mall. It was on sale and I couldn't possibly say no to it."

Bronwen spun around dramatically to show off her dress to Fiolett. The younger girl clapped enthusiastically, wishing that she had a dress that pretty. She had a lot of dresses, sure, but they were all picked out by her dads. Fiolett couldn't wait until she was a teen and could pick out dresses for herself. That was a long way off though, so she admired other people's dresses for now.

"Be sure to congratulate Roman and Abe for me. That's wonderful that they renewed their vows. If I could find it in myself to forgive Trent if he cheated on me, I'd want to renew our vows too. It's a fresh start. Good for them."

"It's not entirely like that, it's...." Adrian trailed off, trying to find the words to explain a demon wedding. Truthfully, he wasn't entirely sure himself what Abe and Roman had volunteered for, but he didn't want Cindra to know that. "Well, maybe it is a bit of a vow renewal. Theo officiated it, so I guess it's like a magical, demonic vow renewal. You couldn't talk me into one."

"That would mean walking down the aisle again," Cindra teased. "We all know you're terrified of weddings. Otherwise, Evren would have a ring on his finger by now. Are you ever going to make an honest man out of him?"

Adrian frowned, not liking the direction their conversation had turned.

"Maybe. Not that it's any of your or Trent's business. It would make the legal process of passing my title to my legitimate daughter from another marriage harder. It's just easier this way."

"It does not," Cindra laughed. "Everyone knows that Luciana is going to become a duchess one day, the queen more than anyone. She'd have the legalities all sorted out in an afternoon. You're just chicken."

"I am not! Evren doesn't want to get married either."

"That's not what Trent said after he went bowling with Evren last week. Evren told him that he's just waiting for you to make a move. You'd say no if he proposed, so he's waiting for you to do it."

"He would never say something like that to my cousin," Adrian insisted. "You're just hoping to plan another wedding, no matter who it's for."

"Who can blame me for wanting to celebrate love? Planning my own wedding went amazingly and I want to plan another one!"

"Wasn't your little sister, Lauren, around here somewhere? Plan her wedding!"

Travis Maricourt was as far as he could get from the noisy group of people as he could be. His parents weren't coming until later, so most of the afternoon was his to sneak off and enjoy. Claudia wouldn't force him to socialize and Oliver hadn't bothered to leave college for a family event since their mother's birthday. Their father's birthday was coming up, and that was probably the last Travis would see of Oliver until the next family birthday. Travis couldn't wait to start college and finally get some time to himself without his parents "encouraging" him to talk to people he had no interest in talking to.

He didn't trust his annoying relatives not to read his journal if he brought it with him, so instead, Travis brought his magical theory workbook. Theory didn't feel like homework to him, like it did to his classmates. It was fascinating to map out the bones that held up the living world, to see how the pieces of an existential puzzle clicked together. His parents talked a lot about how the worlds of life and death overlapped, and Travis simply had to know how it all worked. Not that he would change existence or anything if he learned how. He just had so many questions.

"You were right."

"I usually am. Today, I wish I wasn't, though. I don't know what this means. There's definitely a current running through here, but why?"

Izanami bowed his head, contemplating the situation.

"I don't like this," he finally decided. "This feeling...it feels old. Demonic, probably."

"It feels like it did over a decade ago," Lukas insisted. "Like when Leo was attacked...but also different. There's this sense of...nothingness. Can you feel it too?"

Izanami nodded his agreement.

"I'll contact Gee and let him know how he should do my job. You can't intervene here."

"I know that. I'll go to the school and make sure that the children are safe. I'm not taking any chances with their safety. But this will probably blow over and be fine, right? Oh! Arterius! Call him and tell him to meet me at the school. Just because he's an adult doesn't mean he's exempt from family meetings."

"Of course, dearest. I'll join you in a moment."

Lukas vanished into a shower of sparkling light. As soon as they were out of sight, Izanami closed his eyes and tried to listen to the hum of existence. Screams echoed over loud waves crashing against jagged rocks. A hurricane roared as it churned into existence. A royal ship cracked in two as it sank beneath the wild waves.

Lukas lifelessly lying encased in a glass tomb. A howl of wind that swept away the souls of the dead. The cold truth that sometimes even the dead could die.

It had all happened before, and now it was happening again despite Izanami's best efforts. A shiver ran down his spine as he felt several names engrave themselves on the list in his son's office. The deaths had been finalized. There was no hope of changing them now. It was beginning.

[vivianbernadetteaurora]

Very very violent death s!!!!some pictures with their killer

[book--brackets]

Suggestions for fantasy books:

In Other Lands - Sarah Rees Brennan

Beauty - Robin McKinley

Uprooted - Naomi Novik

The Broken Earth (series) - N.K. Jemisin

The Princess Bride - William Goldman

The Deep - River Solomon

Poison - Chris Wooding

Inkeeper Chronicles (series) - Ilona Andrews

The Witcher (series) - Andrzej Sapkowski

The Poppy War (series) - R. F. Kuang

The Live Ship Traders (series) - Robin Hobb

Sorceror Royal (series) - Zen Cho

The New Moon's Arms - Nalo Hopkinson

The Curse Workers (series) - Holly Black

Alice (duology) & Lost Boy - Christina Henry

Ring Shout - P. Djèli Clark

Kingkiller Chronicle (series) - Patrick Rothfuss

Legends & Lattes - Travis Baldree

Iron Widow - Jay Zhao

Coraline - Neil Gaiman

Pet - Akwaeke Emezi

Thursday Next (series) - Jasper Fforde

A Monster Calls - Patrick Ness

The Bloody Chamber - Angela Carter

The Dark is Rising (series) - Susan Cooper

Wicked - Gregory Maguire

East - Edith Pattou

Knights of Liofwende (series) & The Welkin Weasels (series) - Garry Kilworth

Old Magic - Marianne Curley

Book of the Crow (series) - Catherine Fisher

Mongrels - Stephen Graham Jones

The Last Binding (series) - Freya Marske

Sorry, I know that's a lot! Anyway, thank you for running these polls and breaking my heart again and again, lol.

What a list! You've got a lot of great ones in here (I love you, Poppy War, Uprooted, and Iron Widow). I've added them all, though some of the names changed due to series vs book titles

[cosmicgrapevine]

They stopped at school first; every teacher except Miss Vernon had loaded them down with spring break homework, and Melanie wanted to plead her case to Mr. Hansen. It was past 4:30 and the halls were nearly empty. Just as she was ready to knock on the dean’s door, someone inside smashed their fist against it, hard enough to rattle the handle. Melanie flinched and stepped back, staying away from the windows.

“Fuckin’ hell, Gary, what’s gonna change your mind, huh?” It was Travis. Goddammit. “Dead body? Is that what’ll sway ya? ‘Cause it’s comin’, believe me.”

“Mm…nah.” That was Mr. Hansen, who sounded utterly unworried. “Sure, I had my doubts at first. But he’s been a perfect student, and practically gone native already.” They were talking about Lynd. “All he needs is to make a few friends outside the LKPC. I gave Nate Goldman a nudge; said he should teach Lynd some ball. We do need an infielder.”

“Friends? He’s a Markstepper, Gary, a born and bred killer. They don’t have ‘friends’. And he’s the second one to turn up here this year, in the heart of Warden territory, and rumors are flyin’ about Equinox too. The Marksteppers are plottin’ something, and that boy’s a part of it, and y’all are buyin’ his ‘Oh, I just want a hooome’ bullshit like he’s your long-lost son. Just gimme a chance to prove it—”

“I said no.” Mr. Hansen’s voice had changed, now simmering with contempt. “You’ve always been an asshole, Travis. When you were fifteen, I thought hey, he’ll grow out of it. But now you’re twenty-four and even worse, ‘cause the old man spoiled you rotten all those years. Now you’re on his bad side for once, after that stunt you pulled with the mirror, and you can’t handle it.”

“So in you crawl, trying to get me to go behind Mr. C’s back with you, and you think the best way to do that is threatening one of my students?” He chuckled. “Tell you what, if I hear you went through with it anyway, I will personally flash-fry all the fat out of your vicious little brain, and you know that’s not a metaphor, pal. Now get lost.”

Melanie didn’t have time to react before Travis slammed the door open. He did a double-take upon seeing her, and for a second Melanie flinched, worried that she’d be the literal punching bag for Travis’ frustration, but instead he simply snapped “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“I j-just had a question for Mr. Hansen…”

“You didn’t hear a fuckin’ thing, got it? Not a fuckin’ thing."

Melanie eagerly nodded. She just wanted him to go away. And he did, his stomps echoing down the stairwell.

Mr. Hansen approached her, shaking his head. “I’m sorry you had to hear that, Melanie,” he said.

“What’s he want with Lynd?”

“Oh…” Mr. Hansen shook his head. “Just the usual Warden chest-thumping. Can’t handle being shown up by a Markstepper. But I promise you, he won’t hurt anyone. I’ll see to that.”

“Why do you guys keep that psycho around?” She said bitterly. “How can you trust him?”

Mr. Hansen leaned in. “If it was up to me, he’d be out on his ass, for exactly that reason. But it’s not up to me, and I think you know who’s calling the shots here. Travis and the old man, they have a history. I’m sorry, but that’s all I can say. Now, what did you need?”

“I’ll ask later,” Melanie said. She just wanted to get out. When she was in fifth grade, and her dad was neck-deep in chasing down mobsters, she’d learned about made men. Mafiosos who had the blessing of the boss to do whatever they pleased, who answered only to him. That was Travis. He could do anything, hurt anyone, and Florentino would cover for him. He was in Florentino’s doghouse now, apparently, but who knew how long that would last?

No, there was no justice in Warden-land. There was only power. Mr. Hansen could lie to her—and himself—but he knew it too. He knew Travis wouldn’t respond to reason, only violence, and he knew he could deliver that violence, in the form of some horrific literal-brain-melting magic, if he had to. She didn’t trust him either. She didn’t trust any of them deep down. Not even her parents.

Of course, in her dad’s mafia tales, there was one level between the boss and his made men: his actual family. Like her. She wondered what Travis would have done otherwise.

[sarkos]

After weeks of local speculation, the purchasers of 55,000 acres of northern California land have been revealed. The group Flannery Associates – backed by a cohort of Silicon Valley investors – has quietly purchased $800m worth of agricultural and empty land, the New York Times has reported. Their goal is to build a utopian new town that will offer its thousands of residents reliable public transportation and urban living, all of which would operate using clean energy. The project was spearheaded by Jan Sramek, a 36-year-old former trader for the investment banking firm Goldman Sachs, and is backed by prominent Silicon Valley investors including Michael Moritz, a venture capitalist; Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of Linkedin; Laurene Powell Jobs, the founder of the philanthropic group Emerson Collective and wife of Steve Jobs; Marc Andreessen, an investor and software developer; Patrick and John Collison, the sibling co-founders of the payment processor Stripe; and the entrepreneurs Daniel Gross and Nat Friedman, the Times reported. Though Flannery has been purchasing farmland and empty plots over the past five years it has only recently started interacting with local officials and residents, according to the Times and local reports. Flannery has purchased land from farmers for several times more than the market value and become the biggest landowners in Solano county, an area 60 miles north-west of San Francisco. The land bought by the firm encircles Travis air force base in Fairfield, a city of about 120,000 residents and home to the Anheuser-Busch Co brewery and the Jelly Belly jelly bean factory.

Silicon Valley elites revealed as buyers of $800m of land to build utopian city | California | The Guardian

[thevoyagein]

Should I disguise myself as a somber old-fashioned girl, gawky Mlle Humbert, and put up my tent on the outskirts of Camp Q, in the hope that its russet nymphets would clamor: "Let us adopt that deep-voiced D.P.," and drag the sad, shyly smiling Berthe au Grand Pied to their rustic hearth. Berthe will sleep with Dolores Haze!

—Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita

#Andrew Miller #Jeffrey Willsea #Ronald Jensen #Adam Laboucan #Nathan O'Brien #Mark Childers #Laverne Travis Waskahat #William McClain #Kendall Stephens #Randy Emillion Goodreau #Aaron Blaze Clark #Harvey Marcelin #David Griffiths #Danielle Edney #Joseph Matthew Smith #Rachel Queen Burton #Synthia China Blast #Ross Florida #Synthia Koopman #Allison Woolbert #Tanner Young #Paula Witherspoon #Lennea Elizabeth Stevens #Ronny Edward Darnell #David Megarry Jr #Osareen Omoruyi #Dominic Risden #William Nicholas Horner #Matthew Harks #Samantha Norris #Alberto Garza #Joshua Cooper #Dwight Evan Chisholm #Lennon Dolatowski #Adam Hetke #Solomon Galligan #Janiel Verainer #Robert William Perry II #Clayton William Solberg #Vanessa Emma Goldman #Michelle Blessent #Jukka Torsten Lindholm #Kris Tyson #Patipat Naknoi #Supalak Chumphan #Pierre John Parsons #Andrew Easton #Owen May #Alex Ray Scott #Elijah Thomas Berryman #Sean Windingland #Robert Maurice Herzing #Joshua Freyermuth #Sasha Yates #Julie Marshall #Krystel Lauzon #Anthony Peers #Daniel Patrick Benz #Christopher Scott Williams #Autumn Tulip Harper

[jxrm]

book log - 2023

the librarianist by patrick dewitt

same time next year by tessa bailey

did you hear about kitty karr? by crystal smith paul

lore olympus: volume one by rachel smythe

a court if thorns and roses by sarah j. mass

summer sisters by judy blume

the demigod files by rick riordan

mistletoe and mayhem by carly winter

you shouldn’t have come here by jeneva rose

a house with good bones by t. kingfisher

christmas presents by lisa unger

z: a novel of zelda fitzgerald

the storm runner by j.c. cervantes

just another missing person by gillian mcallister

take me home by beth moran

blood sugar by sascha rothchild

a court of mist and fury by sarah j. mass

the christmas orphans club by becca freeman

under her care by lucinda berry

paris: the memoir by paris hilton

our wives under the sea by julie armfield

the celebrants by steven rowley

keep it in the family by john marrs

housemoms by jen lancaster

the woman in me by britney spears

just like home by sarah gailey

trespasses by louise kennedy

silence for the dead by simone st. james

a good family by matt goldman

the fire keeper by j.c. cervantes

dead silence by s.a. barnes

sunshine nails by mai nguyen

lore olympus: volume one by rachel smythe

the mystery guest by nita prose

her little flowers by shannon morgan

woke up like this by amy lea

legendary children by tom fitzgerald

midnight is the darkest hour by ashley winstead

the leftover women by jean kwok

everyone here is lying by shari lapena

mother-daughter murder night by nina simon

you may now kill the bride by r.l. stone

the man i never met by elle cook

hold my girl by charlene carr

legends & lattes by travis baldree

the golden spoon by jessa maxwell

bright young women by jessica kroll

suddenly a murder by lauren munoz

the only one left by riley sager

zero days by ruth ware

good bad girl by alice feeney

the christmas wager by holly cassidy

fortune by elle won steil

theme music by t. marie vandelly

close to home by cara hunter

the true love experiment by christina lauren

penelope in retrograde by brooke abrams

everyone in my family has killed someone by benjamin stevenson

the modern girl’s guide to magic by lindsay hall

i feed her to the beast and the beast is me by jamison shea

hello stranger by katherine center

the unlikely pilgrimage of harold fry by rachel joyce

gone tonight by sarah pekkanen

the library of the dead by t.l. huchu

what never happened by rachel howzell hall

look out for the little guy by scott lang

the christmas mourner by marian mccarthy

every little breath by keri beevis

this might hurt by stephanie wrobel

the last word by taylor adams

a court of wings and ruin by sarah j. mass

forth wing by rebecca yaros

hello beautiful by ann napolitano

summer rental by rektok ross

the house across the lake by riley sager

a cursed covenant by leigh ferguson

her rebel highness by diana ma

stone heart by katee robert

the perfect match by dandy smith

camp zero by michelle min sterling

one by one by frieda mcfadden

the wishing game by meg shaffer

a court of frost and starlight by sarah j. mass

that summer feeling by bridget morissey

to die for by lisa grey

the wrong family by tarryn fisher

heiress apparently by diana ma

the school for good mothers by jessamine chin

tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow by gabrielle zevin

she started it by sian gilbert

best friends forever by shannon hollinger

the housekeepers by alex hay

secluded cabin sleeps six by lisa unger

lore olympus: volume two by rachel smythe

of women and salt by gabriela garcia

kismet by amina akhtar

the devil wears scrubs by frieda mcfadden

girl, forgotten by karin slaughter

come closer by sara gran

the exorcist’s house by nick roberts

august blue by deborah levy

hang the moon by jeannette walls

the thursday murder club by richard osman

a whole new world by liz braswell

run on red by noelle w. ihli

the last thing he told me by laura dave

lore olympus: volume three by rachel smythe

how to sell a haunted house by grady hendrix

the dead romantics by ashley poston

cassandra in reverse by holly smale

i used to be fun by melanie summers

the showrunner by kim moritsugu

runaway groomsman by meghan quinn

i want to die but i want to eat tteokpokki by baek she-hee

the whispers by ashley audrain

e. aster bunnymund and the warrior eggs at the earth’s core! by william joyce

allergies: poems on grieving and loving by maggie bowyer

hermione granger and the philosopher’s stone by sara baines-miller

the summer house by keri beevis

exiles by jane harper

just the nicest couple by mary kubica

the very secret society of irregular witches by sangu mandanna

have you seen her by catherine mckenzie

the shallows by holly craig

a love letter to whiskey by kandi steiner

hermione granger and the chamber of secrets by sara baines-miller

the coworker by frieda mcfadden

tiny beautiful things by cheryl strayed

you’re not supposed to die tonight by kalynn bayron

the little old lady who broke all the rules by catharina ingelman-sundberg

hermione granger and the prisoner of azkaban by sara baines-miller

the blonde identity by ally carter

nicolas st. north and the battle of the nightmare king by william joyce

women in white coats by olivia campbell

the ex talk by rachel lynn solomon

hermione granger and the goblet of fire by sara baines-miller

the wife before by shanora williams

gone again by minka kent

know my name by chanel miller

in the lives of puppets by t.j. klune

the homewreckers by mary kay andrews

going dark by melissa de la cruz

all the dangerous things by stacy willingham

counterfit by kirsten chen

the rewind by allison winn scotch

have i told you this already? by lauren graham

beyond the wand by tom felton

jana goes wild by farah heron

the perfect son by frieda mcfadden

america’s next reality star by laura heffernan

the new mother by nora murphy

georgie, all along by kate clayborn

the storied life of a.j. fikry by gabrielle zevin

a flicker in the dark by stacy willingham

the villa by rachel hawkins

device free weekend by sean doolittle

what the neighbors saw by melissa adelman

the library of lost and found by phaedra patrick

motherthing by ainslie hogarth

the block party by jamie day

tanqueray by stephanie johnston

the ex hex by erin sterling

rock paper scissors by alice feeney

the kiss curse by erin sterling

it ends with us - colleen hoover

the summer of broken rules by k.l. walther

the wife stalker by liv constantine

in my dreams i hold a knife by ashley winstead

the family remains by lisa jewell

my secret sister by lauren westwood

the engagement by samantha hayes

if we were villains by m.l. rio

the sleepover by keri beevis

twenty years later by charlie donlea

the doctor’s wife by daniel hurst

[news4usonline]

SB LVIII: A tight end master class

Tight ends are some of the most unique players on a football field, and having top-tier talent at the position creates matchup nightmares for a defense. Super Bowl LVIII features two of the best tight ends in the NFL. What makes these talented pass-catchers unique is that they value their team’s success far more than their own. Travis Kelce and George Kittle have 11 combined All-Pro team appearances, but both players will tell you that they would rather see their team win trophies instead of individual awards.

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) caught 65 passes for 1,020 yards and six touchdowns during the 2023 NFL regular season. Photo credit: Mark Hammond/News4usonline “I used to lose sleep over the lack of success I had early on,” said Kelce. “I used to have the desire to say I want to be the best; I want to be known as the one who had the most yards, the one that had the most catches, the most touchdowns, and the most Super Bowls.” “I have rechanneled that to just being the best teammate I possibly can be day in and day out, and at the end of the year, let the chips fall where they may and see who is the best team out there. I enjoy having team success a lot more than I enjoy having my individual success week to week,” the tight end went on to say. Kelce has put up numbers that have allowed him to be labeled one of the best, but sitting out the last game of the season for the betterment of the team and missing out on an eighth consecutive 1000-yard season by 16 yards shows his maturity as a player. While Kittle does not get the same amount of attention from the media or fans as his counterpart in this game, he is equally as important to winning. Kittle is a ferocious blocker in the run game and is one of the toughest players in the league. Taking him down to the ground is no easy task. “I think that what I am asked to do in my offense, I do at a very high level," said Kittle. “All I really care about is that the eye in the sky doesn’t lie; that is the film. It doesn’t matter what anyone else says about you; all that matters is that tape, your effort, your attitude, your play style, and the respect of your peers around the league.”

BALTIMORE, MD - JANUARY 28: Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) celebrates the win following the Kansas City Chiefs game versus the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game on January 28, 2024 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, MD. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire) Kittle does a little bit of everything for his team on the field and is one of the most important leaders in the locker room. When the best players are also the best leaders, it allows the rest of the team to follow suit. With both embracing their roles the way they do, it makes sense that the 49ers and Chiefs are in the Super Bowl. The position has become even more important with the passing game being what it is now, and these teams have two of the elite at the position. “I think teams have seen that the last six or seven years if you have a really good tight end, you have a higher chance of being in the Super Bowl. If you look back at all of the Super Bowls, there are really talented tight ends playing in all of them. So, invest in a tight end, feed your tight end, and you have an opportunity to win games,” said Kittle. Top Photo: Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce on Super Bowl LVIII Opening Night Kickoff ceremony on Feb. 5, 2024. Photo credit: Dennis J. Freeman/News4usonline Read the full article

[jay-in-the-notebook]

Found my new reading list

From the site:

J.R.R. Tolkien: The Hobbit, Smith of Wootton Major, Farmer Giles of Ham

Brian Jacques: the Redwall series

Diana Wynne Jones: Howl’s Moving Castle, Dark Lord of Derkholm, Year of the Griffin

Neil Gaiman: Stardust

William Goldman: The Princess Bride (the good parts)

J.K. Rowling: the Harry Potter series (mainly the first three books)

Travis Baldree: Legends & Lattes

Phyllis Ann Karr: At Amberleaf Fair

Katherine Arden: The Bear and the Nightingale

T.J. Klune: The House in the Cerulean Sea

Naomi Novak: Uprooted

Katherine Addison: The Goblin Emperor

Peter S. Beagle: The Last Unicorn

T. Kingfisher: Swordheart

Lois McMaster Bujold: the Sharing Knife series

Jody Lynn Nye: An Unexpected Apprentice

Travis Biddle: Balam, Spring

Nathan Lowell: the Tanyth Fairport Adventures series

Julie E. Czerneda: A Turn of Light

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

"Maura? Can you hear me?"

Queen regent Ulyssa watched her wife's still body as her chest rose and fell with her breath. Maura was breathing, which meant she was alive. After the disastrous past few days, just watching Maura breathe seemed like a miracle.

The past few days had been a blur for Ulyssa. Maura was sent home from the hospital to see if she would recover in a quieter, familiar setting. Ulyssa's father had assured her that this was good news, and it meant that they had faith that Maura would pull through. Maura’s child had to be removed from her for both of them to have a fighting chance to survive. The infant seemed to be doing well, or so Ulyssa was told. She didn't have the energy to deal with her wife's affair child. Not when her own family was failling apart.

"I hope you can hear me, Maur. You can't die on me, not when I need you the most. Our people are scared, our children are traumatized, and it hurts so bad to even think of you dying. I've loved you since I was a teenager. You were my high school sweetheart. I can't lead this family without you."

Ulyssa closed her eyes, and the only things she could see were two of her children's empty rooms and two little coffins she had picked out three hours earlier. The royal physician had given her something to help her relax, but it was barely touching her pain.

Maura couldn't die. Ulyssa didn't give her permission to die while they were still at each other's throats. She needed Maura to wake up so that she could hold her as tight as she could and tell Maura that she loved her with everything she had. The past didn't matter. The affairs didn't matter. Becoming both queen and a mother too soon didn't matter. Ulyssa had loved only one person after Zane and she wouldn't let Maura die too.

"The funerals are next week. I delayed them as long as I could just in case you woke up. I know how pissed you'd be if you missed our children's...if you...." Ulyssa trailed off, unable to finish her sentence. "Lauren's funeral is this Friday. Cindra is going, but Trent and I have to stay here in case something else happens. I can't believe that I have to miss my little sister's funeral. I can't believe she's dead in the first place. You would know what to do if you were here. You've always known just what to do. I love you, Maura. Please, please wake up."

"Mommy?"

Ulyssa turned over to find her oldest son staring fearfully at her.

"I had a bad dream," Adrion whimpered. "I-I saw Alysiara and-and she...her face was-"

"Hey, it's okay," Ulyssa said soothingly, running to her son's side. "You're safe now. I won't let anyone hurt you, I promise."

"It's not okay. Mommy's going to die, isn't she? I don't want her to die! I want my brother and sister back!"

"Come with me. I want to show you something," Ulyssa replied, guiding her reluctant son towards his unconscious mother. "Mommy's right there. She's not going to die. She's a fighter just like you. I miss Alysiara and Spencer too. I miss them so much, it feels like my chest is going explode from all my sadness. I bet you probably feel the same way."

Adrion nodded, his eyes glued to Maura on the bed.

She didn't look scary or connected to the scary machines she'd been hooked into at the hospital. People weren't yelling orders or preparing her for surgery. She was just there. Sleeping. At least he hoped she was sleeping.

"I just want everything to be normal again!" Adrion cried, clinging to his mother tightly. Ulyssa wrapped her arms around her son as he began to cry.

"I know. I know you do. I want things to be normal too. But we have to be strong. One day, you're going to be the king, and you'll need to lead this country like Mommy does. When bad people try to hurt us, you will tell your children the same thing I'm telling you now." Ulyssa paused, trying to remember the words her father had once told her after losing her mother. "We are strong and brave, and no one is ever going to love you more than me and Mommy. I'll protect you and your siblings with my life if I have to. If anyone tries to hurt you, they'll have to go through me and Mommy and Uncle Trent and Uncle Adrian and the queen of Pleasantview and all her witches. This attack won't happen again, I promise you. You're descended from warrior kings and queens on Mommy's side and the biggest, toughest survivors on mine. We're going to get through this."

"She looks sad. She needs someone to keep her company. Can I stay with her?"

Ulyssa looked at her son kindly, smiling softly at his kindness, even if she couldn't allow the request.

"Honey, she needs to rest. There will be lots of doctors coming to check up on her, don't worry. You need to be a big older brother and help your siblings. I'm keeping the country safe until your mom can again, and we need someone to protect your siblings, to be a leader. I want you to watch what I do and what Mommy will do when she's better very closely. One day, this will be your job. Can I count on you to practice being king and protecting your siblings?"

Adrion nodded tearfully. Some of the clouds of grief disappeared from his face now that he had a mission and something to focus on.

"I'll be right back!"

Ulyssa watched as her son bolted down the hall towards the children's bedrooms. At first, she worried that Adrion was running into Alysiara or Spencer’s rooms, but minutes later, her son returned, carrying a familiar large stuffed fox toy in his arms.

"Mr. Fox can take care of Mommy while we're gone," Adrion declared. Mr. Fox was easily his favourite toy in the world. He had been a gift from Claudia, who had inherited the descendants of King Mordred's fox breeding program to her displeasure. She had handed care of the domesticated foxes over to a highly qualified candidate, but the farm they lived on was a popular place for young royals to visit. Adrion vowed that one day he'd have one of Aunt Claudia's foxes as a pet to his parents' frustration. Trusting Mr. Fox to care for his mother was an important gift from her young son and it made Ulyssa want to cry just looking at the toy nestled in her wife's arms.

"That's a very nice thing you did," Ulyssa said, trying not to cry. "Mr. Fox will take great care of your mother. I'm sure that when Mommy wakes up, she'll be very thankful to have had his company."

Please wake up. Please, please wake up.

"With Mr. Fox on duty, it's time for us to do our part, too. I'm going to be meeting a bunch of important grown-ups downstairs, and you're going to stay with your siblings upstairs where the guards will protect you. If you need anything, ask them for help. I'll be back upstairs with you guys in a few hours. I love you. Remember that."

"I love you, too."

Ulyssa took a deep breath and then released it. She wasn't used to sitting in this chair. Hers was the seat next to it. The throne for the consort. Sitting in Maura’s place didn't sit well with her. Ulyssa had never wanted Maura’s thone, and it felt wrong just sitting in it without a guard yelling at her for trespassing.

Still. Maura needed her to do this. Ulyssa would do this for the woman she loved and the country she loved and then sob about how awful it felt to sit in the throne room alone.

"Welcome Lord Goldman and...Prince Goldman was it?"

Ulyssa paused, unsure of what titles she was supposed to be using. She knew both men but, Ewan, Duke Goldman, was closer to her own age. His father barely came to royal events if he could get out of them, so Ulyssa tried not to beat herself up about confusing his title. Maybe even Maura forgot about him sometimes.

"It's Dr. Travers," the older man replied stiffly. "Prince Goldman was my father, and Duke Goldman is my son. I don't need a fancy title in my life, trouble usually finds me easily enough without one."

Ewan scowled beside his father, hoping that Ulyssa didn't pick up on Travis' rude words. She was a grieving mother, for God's sake! All those years listening to his older sister had made Travis wary of titles, roles, and ceremonies. It was an attitude adopted by his maternal family as well. They had welcomed Prince Ewan Goldman into their family as Ewan, master of the grill and the man in possession of their daughter's heart. Duke Ewan didn't see things quite that way, which often caused friction between father and son. Grumbling about the monarchy to family was one thing, openly being hostile to the queen's appointed successor was another entirely.

"We've come here to renew the pledge of our family's loyalty to Her Majesty," Ewan said politely. "There has been talk of a war since the attack. This is the second attack on the throne in a decade, and we want to make sure that our families will be safe going forward. That the country will be safe going forward."

"A war?" Ulyssa repeated. She hadn't been briefed on declaring war on anyone yet, and it was probably a burning question in many of her subject's minds. "I appreciate your concern and loyalty. I'm not ready to declare war quite yet, but unlike the last attack on our beloved Queen Cherry, I vow to find the person responsible for the deaths of my children and soon. When the time comes, I'll be sure to inform you."

"Are we done?" Travis whispered to his son, at a volume that Ulyssa could clearly hear him. "Medora wanted me to take her shopping for a dress for the Goldman Memorial Ball. I promised not to be late."

Ulyssa could see Ewan grind his teeth, trying to ignore his father.

"You're dismissed," Ulyssa declared before father and son could start an argument consisting entirely of glares. "Thank you for your kind thoughts for my family."

Ewan smiled at Ulyssa as his father sped through the building like he was allergic to it.

"He doesn't mean to be disrespectful," he replied. "It's a fight to get him to the island at all these days. Too many 'bad memories'. But he's working on it. So he says."

Ulyssa watched as Ewan chased after his father with envy. Holding court in Maura’s place was confusing and unnatural to her. She wished that she could escape it as easily as Ewan had.

"Your Majesty, you're holding court. I wasn't sure if I'd find you here. Shouldn't you be at Maura’s bedside like a proper wife?"

Ulyssa could recognize that voice anywhere. It was the voice of the nightmare that Maura could never see her as, as Claudia was always nice to her cousin. Maybe it had been Ulyssa's trying to dig up dirt on Claudia by visiting her parents that had started the permanent glower Claudia gave her, but honestly, Ulyssa had always felt it in some way. Even when they were engaged, Claudia made no secret of her dislike for Ulyssa to anyone who would listen.

Of course, Claudia would show up here at the moment Ulyssa felt weakest.

"Hello, Claudia."

"Hello, Your Majesty," Claudia corrected. "I'm a queen, and you're a stand-in. Maura is my equal and cousin. You can address me as Your Majesty while holding court."

Ulyssa gritted her teeth, but vowed not to show weakness to Claudia. Maura always said that Claudia was just trying to test people for weakness with her words. She never truly threatened people, she just listened to what they revealed about themselves.

"Hello, Your Majesty," Ulyssa replied, trying not to fall for Claudia's tricks. "What do I have to thank for your presence here?"

"Well, I came to check on Maura’s condition personally," the queen replied, sitting casually in a nearby seat that didn't belong to people outside of the immediate royal family. "Of course, I've already been informed about her, but I wanted to visit with her personally. I've also come to pass along my sorrow for the loss of your children. No parent should have to go through what you're going through."

Ulyssa couldn't judge if that comment was sincere or another trap to avoid. She decided to believe the best of the queen, like Maura would.

"I appreciate you saying that. It hasn't been easy. Truthfully, a part of me wished that I'd died with them. I don't what I'll do if Maura doesn't make it. I...I can't lose her too."

Claudia's intense gold eyes searched Ulyssa's face, looking carefully for lies. Eventually, she appeared satisfied with her results and seemed to relax slightly.

"You do seem earnest. After your fling with Roman, I've always wondered what you would do if something were to happen to Maura."

A million angry words sprung to Ulyssa's mind, but she tried as best as she could to silence them. This was clearly another test.

"Roman Bellamy is a man we are both fond of, even though he can't possibly measure up to our spouses," Ulyssa said as charitably as she could manage. "Truthfully, I haven't thought of him in years. I'm sure he sends his condolences for the tragedy that has consumed my family, but I have no interest in hearing it from him personally."

"Hmmm. You're getting better at lying, but like so many other aspects of your life, it's still a bit lacking. An admirable attempt though." Claudia paused, watching as Ulyssa struggled not to react to her words. Maura had had a poker face mastered by the time they were teens. Clearly, she hadn't instructed her wife on how to do the same. "Look, Queen Regent, I'll be blunt to save you the trouble of trying to discern my intentions yourself. I've come to talk about how our countries will need to operate going forward from this tragedy."

"How they need to operate? I wasn't aware that you had any influence on how the monarch of this sovereign country chooses to 'operate'. Maura can make her own choices and I will make them in her place."

"My children died, Claudia," Ulyssa hissed, finally reaching her breaking point. "Everything you fear actually happened to me. I don't give a fuck about your fears or threats. My children are gone. I hope that never happens to you, but I couldn't care less about your opinions about my family. I'm sure Princess Victoriana is perfectly safe with your 'forces' to watch over her."

"Your family was attacked, Regent. Only your family. The Durant family was targeted, and my daughter could have been killed just for sharing a cottage with them. I don't intend to let that happen again. I can easily defend myself, but I will not tolerate anyone who puts my daughter in danger. If the heir to the Pleasantview throne is harmed in any way, there will be consequences. Not just from me, either. Forces with power beyond your imagining will make their displeasure known, and you don't want that, trust me."

"Oh, she is well protected," Claudia replied, ignoring Ulyssa's outburst. "But there is always the danger of being caught unaware. My security didn't recognize the danger here until it was too late. I trusted Maura’s team when I should have relied on my own. Twikkii Island seems to be unsettled when Pleasantview security personnel are seen in the streets. Making the public feel secure isn't my responsibility, and in the future, I will have my security team here with me. They're here right now and so far, no one has noticed."

Ulyssa nodded curtly. She had never seen Maura disagree about Claudia's security team. If anything, having them around might benefit Twikkii Island security. Claudia had a much larger budget to work with and a loyal coven of powerful magic users.

"As long as they are discreet and willing to inform our security of their findings. I see no issue with that."

"I'm going to need ownership of a piece of the cottage," Claudia continued. "Not the entire lot, just a fraction of it. Legally. Let's say the room that is already reserved for my use. This is nonnegotiable."

Ulyssa's blood ran cold despite Claudia's pleasant smile. What would Maura say? She was always worried that Claudia might come for her throne someday. Claudia did have the stronger claim legally as the daughter of Queen Spencer’s oldest daughter. If she was going to pursue that claim, she would probably also be targeting the Strangetown throne as well, seeing as her mother had been the oldest heir of their oldest heir. Was this what was happening? Was Claudia finally making a move to conquer while Maura was fighting for her life?

Ulyssa didn't think so. She had watched Claudia and Maura together over the years and Claudia seemed to earnestly care about Maura. Besides, if this really was a coup on Claudia's part, it was far too clumsy and ineffective. If Claudia really was planning to take over the throne, Ulyssa had always imagined such an attack to be more aggressive, striking fear into the hearts of everyone in her path.

"What do you need with a small ownership on land belonging to the crown?" Ulyssa asked, trying not to show weakness. She had no idea how successful she was.

"For your protection. For my protection. I'll explain it to Maura when she's back in charge. For now, you can get the paperwork started. I'll have one of my lawyers meet with your representative tomorrow. After everything I've done for Twikkii Island over the years, I'd expect it as a gift, but unfortunately, money needs to be exchanged. A single simoleon will do to make the transfer legal."

"You want to buy part of the land owned by the crown for a simoleon?" Ulyssa repeated, blown away by the sheer audacity of the Pleasantview queen. "Maura would never agree to that! No one would!"

Claudia smiled.

"Maura will. It's such a small ask after all I've done for her. For all I'm going to do in the future."

"Think on it," Claudia said, rising from her seat. "I'll have my lawyer visit tomorrow around noon. Give Maura my best. I think she's going to like my special project. Oh, and congratulations on your new daughter. Be sure to let me know what her name is, and I'll send a gift."

Ulyssa struggled to keep her composure. It would be so rewarding to flip Claudia off, but Ulyssa was half convinced that the woman had eyes in the back of her head. Claudia was the last person Ulyssa needed to piss off at the moment, so her hands remained firmly in her lap.

When she was confident that Claudia had left, Ulyssa rose from her throne and signaled to a royal guard that she was ending court early. This merited some deeper thoughts on the matter. Snuggling with her children while reading what little the Twikkii Island monarchy had on Claudia was probably much closer to what Maura would want than thanking wellwishers for their sympathy. Twikkii Island wasn't going to fall for Claudia's scheme on Ulyssa's watch.

[dertaglichedan]

Billionaire-backed tech group says it’s bought all the land it needs for utopian city

A Silicon Valley group backed by billionaires said it’s acquired all the land it needs to build a utopian city in Northern California, after quietly buying more properties in the past month.

Flannery Associates LLC, the company behind the California Forever project, acquired at least seven more land parcels totaling about 814 acres in Solano County in October, according to county records. The company now owns more than 53,000 acres in the area — after some parcels traded hands — where it plans to create a walkable, green community they say would generate thousands of jobs.

“With regards to future purchases, except for a few remaining properties that Flannery has under contract and will close on in the coming weeks, Flannery has assembled all the land it needs and does not anticipate making any additional purchases,” the company said in a statement.

The investor group is led by Jan Sramek, a former Goldman Sachs trader, and backed by tech moguls like former Sequoia Capital Chairman Mike Moritz, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen.

They’ve spent more than $800 million scooping up land for the project, a buying spree done extremely discreetly over several years which was first revealed in late August by the media. The project has since faced criticism from local officials and residents who fear the impact of their plans on the environment, local agricultural economy and for the security of the nearby Travis Air Force Base.

Adding to the tensions, Flannery is suing a group of Solano landowners for allegedly colluding to inflate the values of their property by $170 million. Flannery is seeking at least $510 million in damages, or triple the amount allegedly inflated by price fixing. The landowners deny the claim and are seeking to dismiss the suit.

Some of the parcels that Flannery bought in the last month were owned by Barnes Family Ranch Associates, Lambie Ranch Associates and Kirby Hill Associates, three of the defendants named in the lawsuit that the company filed in May in Sacramento federal court.

[msclaritea]

Turmoil At Location Ventures’ Coral Gables Condo Project

Flannery Associates, the mystery company behind $800 million in farmland purchases around Travis Air Force Base, is backed by a who’s who of billionaires from Silicon Valley.

The Folsom-based company with plans to construct a utopian city with “tens of thousands of new homes” in Solano County is spearheaded by Jan Sramek, 36, a former Goldman Sachs trader who has quietly courted some of the tech industry’s biggest names, the New York Times reported, citing unidentified sources.

The company’s pitch: Take a patch of brown hills split by a two-lane road between farms and suburbs, then turn it into a city with tens of thousands of residents, clean energy, public transportation and dense urban life.

The pitch, whose five-year, stealth campaign was unveiled during a recent poll of residents 60 miles northeast of San Francisco, was swallowed by some of Silicon Valley’s richest residents.

Each had become enraptured enough with the idea of building a new city atop former cow pastures to fork out millions to buy up 140 properties spanning “tens of thousands of acres,” according to Catherine Moy, mayor of nearby Fairfield.

They include Michael Moritz, the billionaire venture capitalist, who scribbled a note to one potential investor asking, “Let me know if this tickles your fancy.”

They include Reid Hoffman, the LinkedIn co-founder, venture capitalist and Democratic donor. Marc Andreessen and Chris Dixon, investors at the Andreessen Horowitz venture capital firm. Patrick and John Collison, the sibling co-founders of the payment technology company Stripe.

They include Laurene Powell Jobs, the billionaire widow of Steve Jobs, co-founder and former CEO of Apple.

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And they include Nat Friedman and Daniel Gross, entrepreneurs-turned-investors, according to the Times. Andreessen Horowitz is also a backer. It’s not clear how much each has invested.

Rep. John Garamendi, D-California, who along with Rep. Mike Thompson represents the surrounding region in Congress, said he’s been trying to figure out the company’s identity for four years.

“I couldn’t find out anything,” he said.

Brian Brokaw, a representative for the investor group, said in a statement that the group was made up of “Californians who believe that Solano County’s and California’s best days are ahead.” 

He said Flannery planned to start working with Solano County residents and elected officials, as well as with Travis Air Force Base, next week.

Flannery AssociatesFlannery HoldingsChris DixonJan SramekLaurene Powell JobsMarc AndreessenMichael MoritzNat Friedman and Daniel GrossPatrick and John CollisonReid Hoffman

Turmoil hits Location Ventures’ Coral Gables condo project

Contractors claim $7M in unpaid work at Villa Valencia, while officials scramble for certificate of occupancy

AUG 25, 2023, 5:30 PM

A year after completing Villa Valencia in Coral Gables, Location Ventures failed to secure a final certificate of occupancy for the 13-story boutique condominium. And since last month, 10 contractors, including project manager Winmar Construction, have filed 23 construction liens totaling nearly $7 million against the building’s development entity, records show.

It’s the latest batch of trouble for the beleaguered Coral Gables-based development firm previously led by Rishi Kapoor, a once rising star in South Florida’s real estate scene who’s now a target of local and federal investigations examining his management of Location Ventures.

Kapoor resigned last month as CEO and former Miami-Dade Judge Alan Fine took over as the company’s manager. Investors who bankrolled Location Ventures gave Fine a mandate to liquidate the firm’s assets to pay back creditors without having to file for bankruptcy protection. 

The city of Coral Gables recently extended a temporary certificate of occupancy for Villa Valencia, a 39-unit mid-rise that generated more than $100 million in closings. The developer hasn’t completed minor punch list items and some public infrastructure components, such as a new drain, pedestrian traffic signals and underground electrical lines, according to city manager Peter Iglesias.

Villa Valencia owners raise concerns

On Tuesday, Iglesias briefed the Coral Gables City Commission about the Villa Valencia situation during the elected body’s regular meeting. The discussion was brought up by Coral Gables Commissioner Ariel Fernandez, who told The Real Deal he received calls from Villa Valencia unit owners who are concerned the building still doesn’t have a final certificate of occupancy. 

“It’s really an unfortunate situation,” Fernandez said. “The developer is nowhere in sight to take care of this. It puts the city in a tough spot to get this done.” 

Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago abstained from the discussion and walked off the dais. Lago explained that he could not participate since a Location Ventures entity leases a storefront inside a building in the city that he partially owns, according to video of the city commission meeting.

“I have to recuse myself,” Lago told his colleagues. “The owner of this project is a tenant of mine.” 

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Unit owners can still reside at Villa Valencia during the extension of the temporary certificate of occupancy, and the city can use funds from a construction bond posted by Location Ventures to pay for the unfinished work, Iglesias informed city commissioners. He also said contractors are willing to complete the punch list items and public infrastructure components. 

“We will not release the funds until those are done,” Iglesias said. “These are not building safety issues.” 

City Attorney Christina Suárez told city commissioners that she and her staff met with Fine, who relayed Location Ventures has a “cash flow issue,” and that he is onboard with the city utilizing the construction bond to pay for the uncompleted work. Fine did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Contractors claim nonpayment for work

Meanwhile, between July 3 and Aug. 2, 10 companies that performed construction work at Villa Valencia filed 23 liens claiming nonpayment of a combined $6.9 million. 

Winmar Construction, the Miami-based general contractor managing Villa Valencia’s construction, represented the largest claim; filing three liens totalling $5.6 million, records show. 

Miami-based millwork manufacturer AWM Group had the second biggest claim, filing two liens for a combined $730,189. 

The smallest claim was filed by Pronto Waste Services, a Miami-based construction dumpster provider. Pronto’s lien is for $5,904. 

On other fronts, lenders are suing Location Ventures entities for allegedly not paying back a combined $17 million in mortgages tied to co-living projects in Coral Gables and Miami Beach. The firm is also being sued by investors of a Coconut Grove co-living project, as well as a married couple that placed $45 million in Location Ventures and two projects. 

This sounds like a really bad idea. Laurene Powell Jobs is involved.

[beirarowling]

#Samantha Norris #Alberto Garza #Joshua Cooper #Dwight Evan Chisholm #Lennon Dolatowski #Adam Hetke #Solomon Galligan #Janiel Verainer #Robert William Perry II #Clayton William Solberg #Vanessa Emma Goldman #Michelle Blessent

#Andrew Miller#Jeffrey Willsea#Ronald Jensen#Adam Laboucan#Nathan O'Brien#Mark Childers#Laverne Travis Waskahat#William McClain#Kendall Stephens#Randy Emillion Goodreau#Aaron Blaze Clark#Harvey Marcelin#David Griffiths#Danielle Edney#Joseph Matthew Smith#Rachel Queen Burton#Synthia China Blast#Ross Florida#Synthia Koopman#Allison Woolbert#Tanner Young#Paula Witherspoon#Lennea Elizabeth Stevens#Ronny Edward Darnell#David Megarry Jr#Osareen Omoruyi#Dominic Risden#William Nicholas Horner#Matthew Harks

She is right. Rapists are rapists.

Did J.K. Rowling Fail the Lolita Test?

The functionally illiterate youth are canceling her for praising the classic novel.

By Kat Rosenfield

July 2, 2024

Like so many other digital-age absurdities, this one originates with a millennial who is mad at J.K. Rowling. Here’s what happened: in the year 2000, in an interview with BBC Radio 4, Rowling praised the novel, saying, “[A] plot that could have been the most worthless pornography becomes, in Nabokov’s hands, a great and tragic love story.” Rowling’s sentiments about Lolita are not unique; Stanley Kubrick and Dorothy Parker famously felt the same, and my own copy even has a blurb on it from Vanity Fair, calling it “the only convincing love story of our century.”

Aaron Gwyn, a professor in the English department at UNC Charlotte, was mystified by the surge of moralizing discourse surrounding Lolita: “It’s absurd. Nabokov would be horrified by the idea of his art as any kind of a moral test,” he said to me. “He didn’t need a 400-page novel to tell us that a pedophile is bad. But he saw very clearly America’s worship of youth, and America’s lust after the girl—the nymphet—as an archetype, and he turns that inside out. Humbert is a monster, but he’s also seductive, in the prose, the humor. . . if the reader wasn’t on some level charmed, in the witchcraft sense, it wouldn’t be effective.”

I don’t like to engage in youth-bashing (some of my best friends are youths, and rumor has it I used to be one myself), but this seems to be a particular problem for members of the under-40 set—people who, like Kempner, appear utterly confounded not just by the difference between depiction and endorsement but by the expression of any thought that contains two or more moving parts. At the risk of stating the obvious, Rowling’s praise for the transformative power of Nabokov’s writing does not amount to an assertion that she found the plot of Lolita literally romantic.

[starkiddreamcasting]

Starkid Footloose

Sorry for this being late and leaving you all holding out for a hero, but here is the Starkid dreamcast for Footloose. sorry for this being a little late (and future things might be a little late as a production of Children of Eden I’m in currently is entering tech week) but here is a dreamcast I first began due to a certain Jeff Blim having been in it’s national tour (learn something new everyday)!

1. Curt Mega as Ren McCormick 2. Kim Whalen as Ariel Moore 3. Dylan Saunders as Rev. Shaw Moore 4. Jamie Burns as Vi Moore 5. Brian Holden as Wilard Hewitt 6. Britney Coleman as Rusty 7. Jeff Blim as Chuck Cranston 8. Meredith Stepien as Ethel McCormick 9. Rachael Soglin as Betty Blast/Irene 10. Mariah Rose Faith as Wendy Jo 11. Lily Marks as Lulu Warnicker 12. Angela Giarratana as Urleen 13. Joe Walker as Principal Clark/Saloon Keeper 14. Corey Dorris as Coach Dunbar 15. Chris Allen as Wes Warnicker 16. Julia Albain as Ensemble 17. Clark Baxtresser as Ensemble 18. Jaime Lyn Beatty as Eleanor Dunbar/Doreen/Ensemble 19. Tyler Brunsman as Garvin/Ensemble 20. Richard Campbell as Ensemble 21. Bryce Charles as Ensemble 22. Brant Cox as Ensemble 23. Denise Donovan as Ensemble 24. Nick Gage as Cop/Country Fiddler/Ensemble 25. Ali Gordon as Ensemble 26. Jae Hughes as Ensemble 27. Lauren Lopez as Ensemble 28. Robert Manion as Bickle/Ensemble 29. Jon Matteson as Ensemble 30. Alle-Faye Monka as Ensemble 31. Joey Richter as Jeter/Cowboy Bob/Ensemble 32. Brian Rosenthal as Tarvis/Ensemble 33. James Tolbert as Lyle/Ensemble 34. Tiffany Williams as Ensemble

Swings: Nico Ager, Janaya Mahealani Jones, Nick Lang, Alex Paul, Sango Tajima

Understudies: Nico Ager (Lyle, Travis), Jaime Lyn Beatty (Vi Moore, Betty Blast/Irene), Tyler Brunsman (Wilard Hewitt), Bryce Charles (Rusty), Brant Cox (Lyle, Travis), Corey Dorris (Rev. Shaw Moore), Nick Gage (Principal Clark/Saloon Keeper, Wes Warnicker), Arielle Goldman (Vi Moore, Ethel McCormick, Lulu Warnicker, Eleanor Dunbar/Doreen), Ali Gordon (Ariel Moore, Urleen), Janaya Mahealani Jones (Rusty, Betty Blast/Irene, Wendy Jo), Nick Lang (Cop/Country Fiddler), Robert Manion (Ren McCormick, Chuck Cranston, Coch Dunbar), Alle-Faye Monka (Wendy Jo), Alex Paul (Ariel Moore, Ethel McCormick, Lulu Warnicker, Urleen, Eleanor Dunbar/Doreen), Jim Povolo (Rev. Shaw Moore, Principal Clark/Saloon Keeper, Coach Dunbar, Wes Warnicker, Cop/Country Fiddler), Joey Richter (Wilard Hewitt), James Tolbert (Ren McCormick, Chuck Cranston)

Make sure to leave any show suggestions or any questions on my casting choices so I can explain them.