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elusivemellifluence · 3 years

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Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag

Stolen from @ninja-muse

How many books have you read so far?

81, including 5 rereads, and currently reading 2.

What genres have you read?

Fantasy (38), science fiction (15), historical (9), contemporary (8), nonfiction (6), mystery (5), horror (4), thriller (3) and magic realism (1)

Best books you’ve read so far in 2021:

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (lesbian necromancers in space, pov fuckery, memory wiping, self-styled God-Emperor quoting memes)

Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland (bisexual and aroace Black girls fighting zombies, becoming outlaws and adopting kids in the Old West)

Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston (12 year old recruited by Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, has delightful adventures, searches for missing brother)

The Route of Ice and Salt by José Luis Zárate (the tragic gay story of a background character from Dracula)

All the Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe (unputdownable thriller, reformed teenage conartist channels all her skills to save girlfriend and ex-boyfriend from bank robbery gone wrong)

Space Opera by Catherine M. Valente (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy shaken vigorously, drenched in body glitter and shoved on stage for intergalactic Eurovision)

A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine (mind-sharing friends, first contact with aliens, learning/inventing a whole new form of communication in order to ask said aliens ‘please stop killing us’ before the military starts blowing up planets, political intrigue in space empire, cute lesbian romance with ‘will she ever really, truly see me as fully human and equal’ angst)

When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo (story about stories, clan of tiger shapeshifters are pissed off that humans are telling the story of the lady scholar who married the tiger queen all wrong, damn it)

The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells (grumpy, anxious cyborg learns what it means to have free will and be cared for)

Warrior Moon by K. Arsenault Rivera (third in trilogy about epic sapphic love reshaping the world in fantasy China/Japan/Mongolia)

I’m 2/3 through The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal but I’m already pretty sure it belongs on this list

Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2021:

A lot of the ones of my previous list - Harrow the Ninth, Deathless Divide, A Desolation Called Peace, When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain and Warrior Moon are sequels. Out of those, I think probably A Desolation Called Peace was the best book (it’s beautiful, though-provoking science fiction that I can’t wait to vote for in next year’s Hugo awards) and Harrow the Ninth was the best sequel (the way it interacts with the previous book, adshfk).

New release you haven’t read yet, but want to:

So many!

The River Has Teeth by Erica Waters (Southern gothic, angry sapphic witches, the mystery of a missing sister)

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan (queer fantasy about the founding of the Ming dynasty, described as “Mulan meets The Song of Achilles”)

Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim (retelling of The Swan Princes with a Chinese twist)

Eat Your Heart Out by Kelly deVos (zombies attack a weight loss camp, pissed off teens fight back, has snark, horror and body positivity)

A War of Swallowed Stars by Sangu Mandanna (third in a series about the Mahabarata in space)

The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison (sequel to the lovely The Goblin Emperor, kindness and decency and solving murders)

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri (princess and handmaiden/priestess holding knives to each other’s ribs, kissing under a waterfall and reshaping an empire)

The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian (former highwayman teaches a nobleman how to do a heist, with sexy results)

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston (sapphic time travel romance)

Most anticipated release for the second half of the year:

The Sisters of Reckoning by Charlotte Nicole Davis (sequel to the story of indentured sex workers escaping the ‘welcome house’ and striking out across the desert to make a new life, I’m told the rivals-to-friends dynamic I adored is gonna add -to-lovers)

Redemptor by Jordan Ifueko (sequel to epic African fantasy about empires and free will and telepathic harems)

No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull (monsters reveal themselves to the world, chaos and hate crimes ensue)

The All Consuming World by Cassandra Khaw (all girl team of broken, bitter former criminals get back together for one last mission)

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao (giant robots, mind melds and polyamory)

Noor by Nnedi Okorafor (disability, biotechnology, Nigerian science fiction)

Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen (The Little Mermaid story with West African mythology)

The Nobleman’s Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks by Mackenzi Lee (much-anticipated third in a trilogy about queer disaster siblings in slightly magical 18th century Europe)

Biggest disappointment:

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. A supposed classic that disgusted and infuriated me. I tried to read it for book club but rage quit 120 pages in, and reading up on the rest of the story made me so very glad I did.

Biggest surprise:

Daughters of Frankenstein: Lesbian Mad Scientists! by Steve Berman. A fantastic array of sapphic science fiction that gave me surprise after surprise as I encountered a Scooby Doo parody, a Jeeves and Wooster parody, a Pgymalion and Galatea love story between a scientist and her robot wife, psychological horror about wildly unethical experiments, lesbian outlaws building armoured getaway vehicles to rob banks, middle-aged wives fightng ice weasels and adopting a kid, chaotic genius invents hot new drug and accidentally starts the zombie apocalypse ...

Favorite new author (debut or new to you):

Martha Wells - I read the first five Murderbot books and fell head over heels in love

Underrated gems:

The Myriad Carnival by Matthew Bright (dark and delightful anthology of queer stories revolving around a magical carnival, has only 12 ratings on goodreads) and Stone and Steel by Eboni J. Dunbar (African fantasy novella with sapphic soldiers and queens that manages to feel both epic and satisfying despite being only 92 pages long, has only 100 ratings on goodreads)

Newest fictional crush:

Guet Imm from The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho - a female Chirrut Imwe type who leaves her nunnery and cheerfully forces her way into a group of bandits. Sunnily chaotic weirdos are most definitely my type. Though considering the way she responded to a guy hitting on her with a pleasant “Oh, sure, we could sleep together, but I’m very religious so I’d have to make sacrifice after” (Tet Sang translates: “She’s not agreeing, you fool, she’s threatening you, when she says ‘make sacrifice’ she means ‘cut your dick off’”), perhaps it’s best to just Look Respectfully.

And perhaps also Iktan from Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse. Xe’s the spymaster, protector and ex-lover of one of the protagonists. Sure, xe may be ruthless, amoral and more than a little terrifying, but it’s in a really hot way.

Newest favorite characters:

Murderbot and all its friends

Book that made you cry:

None have actually made me cry (my tears are difficult to provoke, I can only name like five books that have ever had me actually crying), but the closest I came was probably The Old Lie by Claire G. Coleman. It’s science fiction where Earth gets caught up in a war between alien powers, and humans join the army to fight in a horrific war for a Federation that doesn’t even consider them citizens, get their children kidnapped to become servants and pets for wealthy alien families, and have their homes destroyed in weapons testing. All these things echo the real history of how white people have treated Indigenous Australians, and it both is and is not a metaphor, since the protagonists are all Aboriginal and very aware of the paralells.

Book that made you happy:

Amari and the Night Brothers is a warmhearted delight.

Most beautiful book cover of a book you’ve read so far this year:

Either The Winter Duke by Claire Eliza Bartlett or The Citadel of Weeping Pearls by Aliette de Bodard

How are you doing with your year’s goals?

81/100 books

going strong with ‘two authors of colour for each white author’

doing good with ‘read from a wider variety of contries’ (so far I’ve read authors from 20 different countries)

doing good with ‘I don’t want straight protagonists to be the majority’ (41 queer or indeterminate protagonists versus 31 straight ones)

doing OK with ‘include some translated books’ (6 books originally written in other languages)

could do better with ‘read some books that aren’t from the last two decades’ (I’ve read one from the 1990s, one from the 1970s and one from the 1960s, but that’s not a lot - I used to read books from centuries ago)

could do better with ‘more trans authors’ too - I’ve read three nonbinary authors and no binary trans folks so far, but I do have several on my to-read list

What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter and Love and Other Thought Experiments by Sophie Ward, because they’re my book club’s picks for August and September

Not tagging anyone because I wasn’t officially tagged myself, but if you see this and want to do it, go ahead, and tag me!

#books #erica's life

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thexfalcon-archive · 6 years

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blogroll !

anyway i figured i’d make one of these so y’all know where u can catch me around

sam wilson // high activity

amari mitchell-mendoza // marvel oc // medium activity

marvel multimuse // medium activity

franklin webb // low activity

#[ blogroll ]#[ hi i have no self-control so now i have four blogs lmao ]#[ also i say high activity bc sam's where i'm at the most but even then i'm slow af :') ]#[ also ignore my mismatched icons lmao ]

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deadcactuswalking · 3 years

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REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 29/05/2021 (Eurovision, BTS, Olivia Rodrigo, Galantis/David Guetta/Little Mix, Anne-Marie & Niall Horan)

What better way to celebrate the end of a week in which I have been consistently ill and surprisingly busy? Sixteen new arrivals, of course! Shoot me, but first, congratulate Olivia Rodrigo for her second #1 as “good 4 u” gets the album boost to overthrow “Body” this week. I can safely say I think it’ll be there for a while. Let’s just start REVIEWING THE CHARTS.

Rundown

Sixteen new arrivals and therefore, kind of a bloodbath. Why are there sixteen new arrivals? We’ll get to it. Other than six new arrivals from last week, we have a couple other drop-outs, the notable of which being those that spent five or more weeks in the UK Top 75 – which I cover – or those that peaked in the top 40. Therefore, those include, rather ironically on Olivia Rodrigo’s album week, former #1 “drivers license” (only dropping out because of a silly UK chart rule that only allows three songs per lead artist on the chart), as well as “Don’t Play” by Anne-Marie, KSI and Digital Farm Animals, “Another Love” by Tom Odell, “Calling My Phone” by Lil Tjay and 6LACK, “Heartbreak Anniversary” by Giveon, “Tonight” by Ghost Killer Track and D-Block Europe featuring OBOY and “Miss the Rage” by Trippie Redd and Playboi Carti. I’m not complaining about most of this, sorry, Giveon.

We have no returning entries – thankfully – so instead we can just focus on notable falls and climbers. I guess we’ll start with notable losses, songs that dropped five or more spots from their placement last week, and of course we do have a few of them at least as a result of, say it with me, sixteen new arrivals. The first few of these are all harsh drops because of ACR, which happened to coincide with the rest of the chaos, including “Little Bit of Love” by Tom Grennan at #24, “BED” by Joel Corry, David Guetta and RAYE at #25, “Friday” (Dopamine Re-Edit) by Riton and Nightcrawlers featuring Musafa & Hypeman at #26, “Peaches” by Justin Bieber featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon at #29 and “Let’s Go Home Together” by Ella Henderson and Tom Grennan at #33. We also have the losses for J. Cole staying surprisingly slim with “My Life” featuring 21 Savage and Morray at #27, “Pride is the Devil” featuring Lil Baby at #28 and “Amari” at #35. The rest are mostly just expected continuous fallers, like “Wellerman” by Nathan Evans and remixed by 220 KID and Billen Ted at #44, “Nice to Meet Ya” by Wes Nelson and Yxng Bane at #46, “Your Love (9PM)” by ATB, Topic and A7S at #50, “Marea (We’ve Lost Dancing)” by Fred again.. and the Blessed Madonna at #51, “Ferrari Horses” by D-Block Europe featuring RAYE at #53, “Heat Waves” by Glass Animals at #57, “Seeing Green” by Nicki Minaj, Drake and Lil Wayne at #58 off of the debut, “All You Ever Wanted” by Rag’n’Bone Man at #61, “Martin & Gina” by Polo G at #63, “Leave the Door Open” by Silk Sonic at #64, “My Head & My Heart” by Ava Max at #65, Travis Scott’s remix of HVME’s remix of Travis Scott’s “Goosebumps” at #67, “Addicted” by Jorja Smith at #68, “Beautiful Mistakes” by Maroon 5 and Megan Thee Stallion at #70, “Sunshine (The Light)” by Fat Joe, DJ Khaled and Amorphous at #73, “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi at #74 and finally “Believe Me” by Navos at #75. Phew.

Now what’s interesting is that we have nearly just as many gains, and they’re pretty unique, big surges in most cases, starting with “Cover Me in Sunshine” by P!nk and Willow Sage Heart at #52 thanks to the album boost that also prompted P!nk’s “All I Know So Far” to creep into the top 40 at #39, “Build a Bitch” by Bella Poarch at #32 off of the debut, “Starstruck” by Years & Years at #31 thanks to a bizarrely uncredited Kylie Minogue remix, “Little More Love” by AJ Tracey at #21, “Didn’t Know” by Tom Zanetti at #20, “Higher Power” by Coldplay at #19, “Black Hole” by Griff at #18, Majestic’s remix of Boney M.’s “Rasputin” at #16, “Good Without” by Mimi Webb soaring into the top 10 and hence becoming her first at #10, and Olivia Rodrigo getting her third thanks to the album boost as “deja vu” is at #4. I think that’s more than enough that needs to be said about music that was already on the chart last week, so welcome back to the part of this series where I get either increasingly frustrated or exhausted every time I have to list another song.

NEW ARRIVALS

#72 – “Life Goes On” – PS1 featuring Alex Hosking

Produced by PS1 and Mark Alston

So, what better way to start sixteen new arrivals? A generic piano-house club track, of course. PS1 is a New York DJ and for this track with a 90s-esque piano and synth melody, bassy drop and tight, bland percussion as well as oddly-mixed anonymous female vocals made to sound robotic regardless of genuine emotive performance, he’s enlisted Australian singer Alex Hosking as well as co-songwriting from hit-makers GOODBOYS, both of which make remarkably little difference to the fact that despite being a faux-inspirational club track, this song is incredibly joyless and flailing in as pathetic and one-note of a fashion as possible. Yes, that is one exhaustive sentence chugging on as long as possible, but there’s no better way to parallel this disposable garbage than that.

#71 – “What a Time” – Julia Michaels featuring Niall Horan

Produced by Ian Kirkpatrick and RKCB

Niall Horan coincidentally has two unrelated female-male duets debuting with him in this week. Thankfully, Julia Michaels only has the one track debuting, and for the love of God, I can’t even figure out why she has the one, as this is a track from a 2019 EP that flew massively under every radar except seemingly mine as whilst I have listened to this EP, I cannot remember for the life of me liking any of it besides “Anxiety”, which makes sense since Michaels is at best an uninteresting songwriter and at worst an insufferable vocal presence. Regardless, I’m going to assume the surge is due to TikTok or some kind of residual Niall Horan hype, whatever there is of that, and look at this song two years after the fact. Well, for what it’s worth, I appreciate the vaguely folkish guitar riff, even if it’s going to be drowned out immensely by Michaels’ approach to vocal takes, which is to put as little effort into that first take and then multi-track enough for it to sound listenable, particularly on that bizarrely unfitting chorus in which reminiscing on a wonderful, intimate time with your partner is demonstrated by rote piano chords, an awkward string swell and distant, reverb-drenched incoherency on the vocals. I guess I do like the switch in the final chorus as she changes “what a time” to “what a lie” to emphasise the bitterness of that break-up, but I don’t think that bitterness has to soak the entire master because this song is dripping in apathy that I just don’t have any time for personally in my pop power ballads. Wait, Niall Horan was on this song?

Eurovision Song Contest 2021

Whilst I may not do a special episode on this blog for the Eurovision Song Contest, I’d be lying if I didn’t confess to watching and enjoying it every year. This year’s, the first since 2019 for obvious reasons, was hosted in Rotterdam in the Netherlands and was won by an Italian rock band, with the United Kingdom infamously receiving zero points yet somehow more applause than Israel’s performance. Telling. It’s not all politics though, obviously: the reason songs win is not just the lighting, stage presence, vocal performance or grandiosity, but rather the songs themselves, or at least ostensibly so. The winner this year didn’t have the best of any of those factors in my opinion – no, not even the politics – so it’s clearly about a mixture of this success criteria. This year had some particularly good songs and the most consistency out of Eurovision in a while, naturally leading to quite a few new arrivals, also factored in by the charts being weak, so we essentially get an album bomb. Let’s pile up every new arrival related to Eurovision and talk somewhat more briefly about each song, starting with...

#66 – “Dark Side” – Blind Channel

Representing: FINLAND

The Finnish entry this year is one of two heavy rock entries, both of which charted, and this is a genre represented by about one country annually. There’s always a Gothic-influenced or industrial-esque band in the shortlist or national finals if not the semis and international final, but it doesn’t stop them from being some of the most interesting Eurovision contesters. It’s in English and came sixth with 301 points. Is it any good? Well, it’s far from bad with that pumping electronic groove before it’s crushed by metallic, distorted and rather ugly guitars that remind me of, if anything, scene-era nu metal and crunkcore, especially due to the clean and growling vocal dynamic. The song is still anthemic as all hell and if we ignore the dog barking and stuttering vocals, as well as the fact that these vocalists don’t have that much grit to their performance, we can appreciate the clamouring rock track this is, and I’d be lying if I said that final chorus isn’t pretty epic. Next!

#62 – “Voilá” – Barbara Pravi

Representing: FRANCE

The French entry this year is one my staunchly Italian nationalist online friend immediately had a distaste for, and as someone with British citizenship, I am also legally obliged to give this Worst of the Week. Sorry, Barbara but traditions are traditions. It’s in her native French and came second overall with 499 points. Is it any good? Well, like many French entries and French pop songs in general, it’s in a chanson style that adapts very well to the modern western art-pop sound, as Pravi’s cooing vocals are at full focus in the mix as they skate around more subtle pianos, wonderfully elegant strings and this wistful tone that may or may not make sense for the content. What? I’m not learning a word of French past what was grained into me during primary school. Overall, I think this is a pretty great song with a lot of that almost Bjork-esque swell especially in Pravi’s vocal performance that I think makes for a pretty excellent listen, especially by the time that abrupt finish hits. I’d probably prefer it being a bit less minimal and scattered so the hook hits harder but overall this is one of the best Eurovision entries this year. However, she is French so, next!

#59 – “SHUM” – Go_A

Representing: UKRAINE

The Ukrainian entry, always successful enough to get to the finals, was particularly hyped up prior due to its... eccentricity and ended up in fifth place with 364 points. It’s in their native Ukrainian so they might as well be garbling acid both verbally and as a written text, so I guess I have to judge it on the fact that this is pretty bonkers, with a charismatic and energetic vocal performance that yells over triumphant bassy horns perfectly blended with the 80s bass synths but not so much with those chirping flutes that, whilst cool on paper, kind of just give me a headache when faced against this thumping dance beat that remains decidedly strained for most of its runtime, and annoyingly so as it means the song never has that cathartic of a release, at least to me, but what drop it has ends up deconstructed and janky in something that might fit on PC Music but I’m not sure it does on Ukrainian Eurovision. This has something there, but I’m not into it. Sorry.

#47 – “Embers” – James Newman

REPRESENTING: United Kingdom

A catastrophic loss is British culture at Eurovision, and it’s not the first time in this century that we’ve gotten the infamous null points. James happens to be related to the more noteworthy John Newman, but that didn’t avoid a “nil points catastrophe”, coined by Jochan Embley, who reviewed the song for the Evening Standard and is now set in stone as an utter fool as his quote predicting that not to be the case this year is now forever preserved on the Wikipedia page for this very song. Nice one, Embley. We finished at twenty-sixth and Newman should honestly be glad this embarrassment is charting. The worst part of this whole ordeal is that the song’s actually fine and definitely representative of British pop music with its 90s-esque piano, bassy drop and anonymous vocal performance – if any of that sounds familiar – and I do love the plastic brass added here for the sake of bombast. It’s nothing interesting, and a tad too long considering how little it does with its musical premise, but it’s not worse than half of any given Eurovision. Maybe next year we submit a UK drill song, I’m sure that’ll get the people going. Tion Wayne, do you want to take a flight to Italy in 2022? Maybe bring Young Adz here while you’re at it; that could truly be a fascinatingly out of place Eurovision entry but at least one of these countries – probably Russia – would vote for it. As for now, at least this was funny to see absolutely bomb, and Graham Norton become increasingly hopeless for its success as the night went on.

#43 – “10 Years” – Daoi Freyr

REPRESENTING: Iceland

One part of this guy’s backing band tested positive for COVID-19 so they had to isolate and just show the dress rehearsal again but it didn’t stop them from charting and delivering a pretty damn unique entry, as Iceland is known for doing nowadays. It’s all in English and finished in fourth place with 378 points, and is it any good? Well, for one of the whitest concepts in television, this is the whitest song of this year’s entries, starting with some gentle violins before abruptly careening straight into this Daoi Freyr guy monotonously droning over bass-heavy nu-disco straight out of the 2000s with a level of irony balancing out whatever sincerity there is in the quasi-R&B breakdown, and, you know, it’s fun, at least? I do think the stage performance is remarkably more interesting than this funktronica mess in the studio, but this is catchy and inoffensive, two good ways to get people to care about your song in Eurovision, so it makes sense. Also, that chiptune synth-solo borderline saves this song, even in all its brevity.

#17 – “ZITTI E BUONI” – Maneskin

REPRESENTING: Italy

So third place didn’t chart – sorry, Switzerland – but we do obviously get the winner charting as high as the top 20. The chart’s weak and the lead singer’s hot and probably does cocaine – it’s a recipe for success, especially when they probably have mafia connections and can threaten or buy their way into the charts. Unrealistic and possibly xenophobic stereotypes aside, this is the Italian entry and whilst I was personally gunning for Portugal, who came twelfth, I can see how this gathered 524 points, even if they had to censor the lyrics for the sake of the contest, not that I can tell because I do not know a lick of Italian. Sorry, Ignacio. Anyway, this song kicks ass and rather disrespectfully at that, as the lead singer breathily sings over garage rock-esque guitar licks and some pretty manic drumming that delivers not only a catchy hook but an undeniable groove, assisted by some slick rapping that comes out of the blue in the second verse and honestly fits the song – and the singer – a lot better than it has any right to. Congratulations, Italy – you’ll be paying out the ass for the next contest. Ciao!

Back to your regularly scheduled programming...

Well, that got a lot out of the way. Not all of it, though.

#60 – “Topshottas Freestyle” – Potter Payper

Produced by Chucks

Potter Payper is basically some guy from Barking, East London, and that’s all you need to sign a record deal with the same label that has Stormzy on payroll so that’s why he’s here. With that said, there’s something deeper here, or at least in the first few lines of this singular verse – without a chorus – in which Potter Payper narrates a street lifestyle, far too common for young working-class British men, retelling what is probably his truth about the consequences of ignoring motherly advices and finding yourself in a situation surrounded by gang violence, drug trafficking and all the paranoia that comes with it. Of course, he then brags about his wordplay, gunplay and fashion, and the rest of the verse just feels aimless with nothing exactly restraining the meandering checklist of clichés, and zilch returning it back to what I thought was going to be the point of the song. I guess this trap beat is okay but this same acoustic guitar and oddly-mastered bass is so common and uninteresting that I find it hard to care. I don’t have an issue with British music being Americanised as that’s just the result of musical evolution and the sharing of culture, but when the only way you can tell this isn’t from the States is the accent does make me question why this is charting amongst Dave and AJ Tracey instead of Lil Baby and Gunna.

#56 – “GANG GANG” – Polo G and Lil Wayne

Produced by Angelo Ferraro

Polo G, after just having the biggest hit of his career with the US #1 hit “RAPSTAR”, follows it up with a Lil Wayne collaboration and thanks to a busy and just misguided release date and timing, it makes a lot less noise than it should. It absolutely deserves that level of attention too, with its chopped-up borderline ambient melody that creates a perfect foundation for this high-energy bass-heavy trap beat as well as Polo G delivering a lot more energy than on “RAPSTAR” (to the point where I think that’s the reason why his actually interesting songs don’t do as well). The chorus has a pretty great melodic switch-up by the end and whilst the flows are pretty rote, it’s hard to say they aren’t smoothly delivering all of the flexing and gunplay pretty typical of Polo G, and if anything that’s what it’s missing: an extra layer of depth, not that I care of course, because Lil Wayne’s on it. Wayne has been astonishingly great on features recently and this is one of his most impressive features to the point where I could barely write about it on first listen, with some of his slickest flow switches ever and whilst the content doesn’t get any more interesting than pouring his heart out for his lean, his pure charisma outshines anyone who could have been on this track and this means this ends up pretty excellent in terms of 2020s trap-rap. I don’t know when that Polo G album is coming but I hope it has more of this. Also, for the love of God, Wayne, keep this energy up for the next album. I’m begging you.

#42 – “SUN GOES DOWN” – Lil Nas X

Produced by Roy Lenzo, Omar Fedi and Take a Daytrip

As his follow up to “MONTERO”, we have a new, decidedly less sexual Lil Nas X hit debuting again surprisingly low on the chart considering the last single’s success, finally delivering in the musical department as for me, there’s a constant conflict between wanting to like Lil Nas as a character, performer and personality rather than actually enjoying any of the guy’s music. Last time I talked about Lil Nas, I did bring up the Pitchfork album review that questioned if he really liked music and whilst it’s funny, I do see how Lil Nas could have perhaps taken Pitchfork to heart as a result as he practically explains his love of popular music as a way for him to feel like he belonged in a community, which is especially meaningful for a man constantly left alienated because of his own mental health issues as a teenager and struggling to come to terms with his homosexuality, to the point of suicidal thoughts. I just love how the verse ends on a happy note where makes the leap of faith to come out and how now he’s proud of himself, he wants to make sure his fans are proud of him since they’re the people who got him there. For me, those last lines recontextualise the chorus as becoming less about contemplating death but more about ascending to a happier place and rejecting all your struggles that you’ve overcome. It helps that this is all sang pretty soulfully over an almost emo guitar melody with some basic flows but gorgeous multi-tracked vocal melodies accentuated by strings that elevate this song even higher, even if it seems underdeveloped. Sure, it doesn’t have that second verse, but does a victory lap need a re-over?

#38 – “Mask” – Dream

Produced by Perish Beats and Banrisk

Nope.

#22 – “Our Song” – Anne-Marie and Niall Horan

Produced by TMS

Okay, so this is a duet where two ex-lovers – only in the song – attempt to get over each other but end up hearing a song they held special to their relationship and all of the memories and pain comes flooding back. Without the youthful exuberance of Taylor Swift’s song of the same name, this duet should carry some bitterness and resentment but mostly capture a hesitant nostalgia... and despite being oddly Niall Horan-dominated, I guess it does that pretty effectively, or at least would if Niall wasn’t crushed by a misshapen trap beat that drowns this pathetically fluttering guitar loop into a mush that not even Anne-Marie can over-sell. Everything here is so utterly basic that it kind of screws itself over by trying for any energy or passion, and therefore kind of just doesn’t. I’m glad.

#9 – “Heartbreak Anthem” – Galantis, David Guetta and Little Mix

Produced by Bloodshy, Henrik Jonback, David Saint Fleur, Thom Bridges, David Guetta, Mike Hawkins, SONDR and Johnny Goldstein

It really speaks to the power of Little Mix that even with only three members and only one of them not expecting a child, they can bring Galantis back of all people. Although given that Galantis is already a duo, I fail to see why David Guetta needs to be here, and the same can go for any of the other seven credited producers of this song, which actually only includes one half of Galantis! I question if a song ever needs that many, despite the fact that in reality they probably contributed zilch to the song each, just enough to get a pay check. None of that should matter, however, if the song isn’t good and I’ll admit this is far from the worst that any of these guys have delivered, with a string melody and swell not unlike 2015-era house Galantis themselves made, and vocal deliveries from the girls that sound like they were located in vastly different locations from each other (to the point where anyone harmonising with Perrie sounds really awkward regardless of how many vocal manipulation effects you can put on them). For seven producers, that’s inexcusable, but as a song, it’s just a shallow post-break-up song that kind of feels like a dig towards Jesy if anything (although I hope it isn’t). I’m not a fan – I never was going to be – but it works for what it is as this colourful house jam, and not much else. This is Galantis’ first top 10 since 2016, by the way. Yeah, Little Mix are that big.

#7 – “traitor” – Olivia Rodrigo

Produced by Dan Nigro

It couldn’t have been “brutal”? Or “hope ur ok”? Okay, well, if we’re going to have the dullest track on the album bar one I guess we’ll go with the one that follows the “drivers license” formula to a T but without as much passion in the vocals, without as much interesting songwriting quirks and with a whole lot of rote fluff removed far from any indie-girl influence that undercuts what is essentially a teen-pop product. I’m not going to pretend I cannot get caught up in melodrama and embrace that, but this is a slog of a ballad with an almost sing-song, condescending vocal melody in that chorus, multi-tracked and studio-produced to rid her of any of that natural rasp she has when singing live. The song is about being annoyed by an ex finding someone new and the more toxic thoughts that come with being the ex-girlfriend in that situation, but with decidedly low stakes this time around that just make her more unlikeable than relatable. I’m sorry, I didn’t think that album was half-bad at all, but please don’t make this the post-release hit.

#3 – “Butter” – BTS

Produced by Ron Perry, Rob Grimaldi and Stephen Kirk

See, I value my personal information, and I don’t know about you but I’m as scared of these guys as I am Nicki Minaj stans, or Minecraft YouTuber stans, or serial killers, so whilst I doubt my platform is extensive enough to reach that level, I also know that these people are so online that they could easily find me somehow somewhere. With that said, just to clarify, when I say I wish I could “Nope” myself out of this one like I did with Dream because I have consistently little to say about this band, it’s not because I in any way dislike BTS or the band members within, or their record label that manages them and many other K-pop bands which I also do not dislike, or, because I’ve seen this happen, East Asians in general. Is that enough stalling to just say I don’t care about this basic pop fluff? When BTS are in Korean, their lyrics aren’t embarrassing and their production tends to be more experimental or at least catchier, more interesting. I like a fair few Korean BTS songs as a result but I just do not see the appeal in making another stiff, cleanly-produced 80s-esque funk-pop song with some chiptune synths that are admittedly kinda cool other than getting on US radio. There’s some interplay between the boys here but it just leads to a pretty homogenised track where none of them have enough personality to shine through, not even SUGA and RM on the tacked-on rap verse that so awkwardly ends. The synth solo sounds perfectly out of an era of dated 80s synths that I’m not sure anyone other than Bruno Mars actually had nostalgia for, and not even some pretty vocoder can save it. The writing is too clumsy, the production’s not equipped to handle it and there’s not much to speak of in terms of performance. I fear for my life when I say it but I think this is actually pretty bad.

Conclusion

Okay, so, we’re finally finished with this week and God, I’m glad, as there’s not that much quality here to speak of, although what is here is here in droves, so Best of the Week gladly goes to Polo G and Lil Wayne for “GANG GANG”, with “Sun Goes Down” by Lil Nas X following closely behind as an Honourable Mention. In terms of Worst of the Week, it doesn’t actually go to they who shall not or he who should not be named, instead going to the pathetic “Your Song” by Anne-Marie and Niall Horan, with a Dishonourable Mention going to BTS for “Butter”. It’s just “Dynamite” again but with considerably less reason to exist. Here’s this week’s top 10:

If I make it to next week, who knows what’s coming? This is a slower week – hopefully – and I don’t think black midi will chart, though it’d be comical, so I’ll hold off on predictions and just thank you for reading. See you next week!

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bigyack-com · 5 years

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Travelport Appoints John Elieson as COO

Travelport has appointed John Elieson as Chief Operating Officer. Based in Travelport’s global headquarters in Berkshire, England, John will have strategic oversight of Travelport’s growth strategy, sales organization and M&A agenda.

Before joining Travelport, John was President and CEO of Radixx International, a company that provides technology solutions to the airline industry. Radixx was recently acquired by Sabre. Before that, John enjoyed a distinguished 30-year career with Sabre and its former parent company American Airlines, including roles as the leader of global sales for Sabre Airline Solutions and Sabre Travel Network’s leader of Global Accounts and Traveler Experience. Greg Webb, CEO of Travelport, said, “John has a consistent history of driving growth and building highly effective teams. He delivered transformational expansion of the Radixx business and I expect to see a similar impact at Travelport. He brings a wealth of industry and transactional experience to my leadership team and we look forward to welcoming him to Travelport.” John has an MBA from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University and has served on boards for businesses, universities, municipalities and non-profit organizations. John and his wife will relocate to the UK later this year. See latest Travel News, Interviews, Podcasts and other news regarding: Travelport, NDC, COO. Headlines: Mövenpick Resort Opens in Cam Ranh, Vietnam Sky Bridge Delivered to Final Position at HKIA Airbus Performs First Fully Automatic Vision-Based Take-Off Manchester Signs Tourism Collaboration Agreement with New York City CWT Appoints Scott Hace as Vice President - Enterprise Strategy United to Launch CRJ550 Shuttle Service Between Washington and New York Perth Airport to Upgrade T1's Aerobridges Thomas Krooswijk Appointed GM of Four Seasons Marrakech American Appoints Brian Znotins as VP of Network and Schedule Planning Pools - World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series in Chile 15-16 February British Airways to Refresh First and Club Lounges at Chicago O'Hare Airport Malaysia Airlines and Qatar Airways Expand Codeshare Onyx Signs Second Amari Hotel in China Air Canada's First Airbus A220-300 Enters Commercial Service Hyatt Signs Regency Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Bangkok to Host 30th Global Summit of Women in April One Championship Appoints Jonathan Anastas as CMO IHG Signs Deal for 1,200+ Rooms in Thailand; First Hotel in Chiang Mai HK's Airport Authority Appoints Ricky Leung as Executive Director Trenchard Makes Donation to Aerobility - The British Flying Charity Chu Yuet Hung Joins Four Seasons Hangzhou as Director of F&B Hong Kong Visitor Arrivals Down 14.2% in 2019 Hotel Ritz Madrid to be Rebranded by Mandarin Oriental Sabre Appoints Karl Peterson as Chairman Muralilal Armugum Joins Aloft KL Sentral as Director of F&B Traxof to Automate Talent Acquisition of Airbus' IM Organisations Vie Hotel Bangkok Selects Organika Products for Renovated Spa Europ Assistance Opens Office in Bangkok, Thailand Gulf Air Partners Etihad Guest Team GB Selects British Airways as Official Airline for Tokyo 2020 Emirates Targets Chinese Travellers with Trip.com MOU Thailand: Did Strength of Thai Baht Affect Number of Arrivals from UK in 2019? AirAsia to Launch Flights Between Penang and Chengdu, China Marriott Appoints Bart Buiring as Chief Sales and Marketing Officer APAC Airbus' BelugaXL Enters Service Vietjet Launches Flights from Can Tho to Taipei and Seoul Air New Zealand's Chief People Officer Resigns Whitbread Installs Defibrillators in 800 Premier Inn Hotels Air France Invites Customers to Vote for Preferred Carbon Offsetting Project Calhoun Becomes President and CEO of Boeing Accor to Take Over 581-Room Hotel in Rayong, Thailand Travelport Appoints John Elieson as COO Full Roll-Out of myCWT China to Commence in Q2 2020 Terry Kavieris Returns to Bali as RM of InterContinental Bali Eaton Hotel in Hong Kong Earns EarthCheck Gold Status Mandarin Oriental Launches Tea Roasting Experience in Taipei Chubb Partners Grab to Launch In-App Travel Insurance in Singapore Steady Growth Forecast for Mainland China Hotel Markets in 2020 Artyzen Hospitality Signs Habitat Hotel in Yubei, China Pictures from Ascot United vs Colliers Wood United on 11 January What Does TAT Have Planned for Thailand Travel Mart (TTM+) 2020? Exclusive Interview Aviation: Stable Passenger Demand Growth in November CWT Appoints Dale Eastlund as VP Supply Chain Partners Dassault Falcon to Hold M&O Seminars in 8 Cities Around the World Expat in Phuket Donates Two SV14 Dinghies to Disabled Sailing Thailand Bangkok to Host Asia Destination Film Forum on 30 January Wizz Air Becomes First in Europe to Deploy SITAOnAir's ACARS Over IP Service Airbus to Increase Aircraft Production in USA Sanlorenzo Appoints Simpson Marine as Distributor for Bluegame Yachts in Asia Global Air Freight Demand Down 1.1% in November 2019; APAC Down 3.7% IHG Expands Thailand Portfolio with Holiday Inn and Suites Siracha Laemchabang Asia Pacific Airlines Flew 30.3 Million Int. Passengers in November 2019 SilkAir to Cease Flights to Kolkata, India Biman Bangladesh Airlines Launches Flights to Manchester, England EmbraerX and Elroy Air to Collaborate on Unmanned Air Cargo FCM Strengthens Innovation Programme with Shep Investment Artotel Appoints Yulia Maria as Group Director of Marketing Communications Japan, Singapore, S. Korea and Germany Have World's Most Powerful Passports Yangon Int. Airport Implements SITA's Airport Management Solution Air France to Launch Twice-Daily Flights Between Paris-Orly and Munich, Germany ANA to Enhance Service at Airports in Japan with Portable Translators Yvette Thomas-Henry Appointed GM of Four Seasons Resort Nevis Hahn Air Enters 2020 with 40 New Partner Airlines CWTSatoTravel Partners US Military's Spouse Employment Programme My Emirates Pass Gives Passengers Special Discounts in UAE Visitors to Singapore Must Now Register Unmanned Aircraft India's Vistara Airline Appoints APG as Online GSA in France BOC Aviation Orders 20 Airbus A320neos China Airlines to Launch Direct Flights to Chiang Mai, Thailand Green Light for Vietnam Airlines to Expand Codeshare Agreement with Delta All Hi Fly Flights Now Single-Use Plastic Free Air India Renews Distribution Agreement with Amadeus Mandy Goh Joins St. Regis Langkawi as Executive Chef Spirit Airlines Signs Purchase Agreement for 100 Airbus A320neo Aircraft Hamad Int. Airport Served Record 38,786,422 Pax in 2019 British Airways Starts Offsetting Carbon Emissions on All Flights Within UK Marriott Opens Second JW on Hainan Island, China Airbus Partners Aston Martin for Special Edition Helicopter Dassault Aviation Appoints Charles Wemaëre as VP Worldwide Spares Boeing Appoints Niel Golightly as SVP of Communications Jayson Goldstein Joins Four Seasons Boston as F&B Director Vietjet Takes Delivery of Two More Airbus Aircraft Two Executive Appointments at Bombardier Aviation Air India No Longer Available on Sabre GDS Thailand Targets Tourism Revenue of 3.18 Trillion Baht in 2020 Pictures from Ascot United vs Banstead Athletic on 4 Jan 2020 Gen Z - Airbnb's Fastest Growing Market for Experiences in Asia Pacific Air Canada Takes Delivery of First Airbus A220-300 AirAsia Launches Flights Between Kuala Lumpur and Dalat, Vietnam Cebu Pacific Orders 15 Airbus Aircraft, Including Up To 10 A321XLRs American Airlines and Royal Air Maroc to Codeshare New Immigration Requirements to Help Solomon Islands Fight Measles Vietjet Launches Danang - 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KLM Group Malaysia Airlines Launches Shuttle Fares on Flights Between KL and Singapore Accor to Open 125-Room Mercure Hotel in Canberra in January Openings Push Australia's Hotel Inventory to Over 300,000 Rooms Alban Dutemple Appointed Cluster GM of Two Hotels in Bahrain Air New Zealand Trials Edible Coffee Cups Manchester Airport Unveils Details of £1 Billion Transformation South Africa Beat New Zealand to Win Dubai Sevens Aviation: RPKs Up 3.4% in October 2019 China Airlines to Launch Flights Between Taipei and Cebu, Philippines Seaplanes in Thailand? Interview with Dennis Keller, CBO of Siam Seaplane Seven HD Videos from IATA Airline Industry Retailing Symposium 2019 in Bangkok Vietnam Airlines Signs EngineWise Service Agreement with Pratt & Whitney Future of Airline Distribution and NDC - Interview with Yanik Hoyles, IATA Cambodia Airways Interview with Lucian Hsing, Commercial Director HD Videos and Interviews Podcasts from HD Video Interviews Travel Trade Shows in 2019, 2020 and 2021 High-Res Picture Galleries Travel News Asia - Latest Travel Industry News Read the full article

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redwoodhollows · 3 months

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Cat

626 words ; Amari and Pluto

A really really old little starhoney thing, Hearty if you recognise this no you don't we don't talk about where my ocs originated...

Warm sunshine greeted Pluto in the morning, the kind of sun that lands on your face and makes the world feel soft and cozy and like maybe it won’t be that hard to get out of bed.

The next thing that greeted him was scratching at his door, which was very annoying and immediately destroyed any good graces the sun gave him.

But once Pluto pulled back his blinds on his door the last greeting was the face of a very cute, very small, black cat.

“Well would you look at that,” he murmured, opening the glass door, The cat looked at him nervously for a second and ran away from the door, but returned to sniff at him after a moment. “Are you a stray? Lost?” The cat had no collar and based on it’s slightly raggety fur it seemed a stray, definitely not feral with how it immediately made it’s friendliness known.

"I'm Pluto, hi, I'm a stray too." Pluto kneeled down and held out his arm to let the cat sniff his fingers, then immediately the cat brushed it's cheeks against his tan skin, tickling him with it's soft black fur.

“I think I have some leftover chicken you could eat..." Pluto pondered, standing and beginning to walk back into the kitchen. The cat followed him and got underfoot, seemingly trying to trip him in his sleepiness.

“You made a friend?” A familiar warm voice asked. She was already sat at Pluto's table without any announcement of her presence beforehand.

“Hello honeybee,” Pluto sighed lovingly, going to the fridge and pulling out the leftover roast chicken.

“Hey Pluto,” Amari smiled. “Who’s this?”

“I don’t have a name for it, I just met it.”

“Hm, what’s it’s gender?”

Pluto kneeled down while the cat was eating, it’s tail in the air happily.

“Girl, I think.”

“Randy.”

“Randy is a terrible cat name."

"Then something celestial to match you, like Neptune."

"Hmm, seems tacky."

"It's good to have branding," Amari protested.

"That's like if you named all your pets bug names"

"All my pets names are bug names cause all my pets are bugs."

“I could name her Honeybee."

“I thought I was your Honeybee!” Amari gasped.

“Yeah, you are, but breaking and entering is grounds to be disowned.”

“I can’t believe you’re divorcing me at 9 am.”

“It’s not you it’s me,” Pluto laughed, petting the cat gently.

“What about our daughter?”

“At what point in this conversation did we become married with a kid?”

“Right now, our daughter Cat!”

“I am not naming her Cat.”

“Our daughter Cat! If you divorce me you’re tearing this family apart.”

“I am not naming our daughter Cat."

“Too late her name is Cat.”

“I want a divorce even more now.”

“Too bad, til death do us part,” Amari laughed, grabbing a bowl and cereal.

“When did I say you could have my cereal?”

“When we got married."

“I want a divorce.” Pluto sat down next to Amari with his own bowl, two spoons, and the milk, giving it to her wordlessly.

“What on earth did I walk into?” Frances asked, staring at them.

Amari grinned innocently, “Hi Frances! Want some cereal?"

“We are not married and this is my cereal,” Pluto grumbled.

“Sure I’ll have some cereal, since when are you two dating?” Frances asked, sitting down.

“Not dating, Married,” Amari corrected.

“We’re not dating or married, she’s just causing problems on purpose,” Pluto sighed, grabbing Frances a bowl and spoon.

“Well congratulations on your happy marriage- Hey since when do you have a cat?”

“5 minutes ago.”

“Her name is Cat." Amari added.

“Her name is not Cat.”

“Hi Cat!” Frances greeted excitedly with a wave at the feline.

Pluto sighed, “I hate this family.”

#2024 #pluto king #amari webb #writing #eunji hammond-young

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shapesweets83-blog · 5 years

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NFL offseason agendas: Barnwell's to-do lists for all 16 NFC teams

No NFL team manages to fill all of its holes during the offseason. Each has a weak point or two that gets revealed by injuries or disappointing play over the course of a season. Even the most successful offseasons of 2018 prove that point. The Bears surrounded Mitchell Trubisky with talent, acquired a dominant pass-rusher in Khalil Mack and won the NFC North, only for the kicker who signed a four-year extension to sputter out over the course of the year and collapse at the worst possible moment. The Colts needed to turn to midseason acquisition Dontrelle Inman when their wideouts were struggling to stay healthy.

Every NFL team still has some work to do. In some cases, that's filling a roster spot or supplementing a positional group. In others, it's locking up a player who is about to hit free agency. Some teams have much more to do over the next few months than others.

Over the next two days, I'll run team-by-team and try to identify the key things each has to accomplish before the calendar turns to September:

JUMP TO A TEAM: NFC East: DAL | NYG | PHI | WSH NFC North: CHI | DET | GB | MIN NFC South: ATL | CAR | NO | TB NFC West: ARI | LAR | SF | SEA

NFC East

Re-sign Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper. Early negotiations with the cornerstones of Dallas' passing attack haven't yielded much. Executive vice president Stephen Jones suggested that Prescott's deal needs to be "team-friendly," which is his own coded way of asking Prescott to give up his leverage and take a discount. It's probably not going to work in an organization with a long track record of handing its drafted-and-developed talent market-setting deals.

Russell Wilson's four-year, $140 million extension set a new annual average record at $35 million per season. As I wrote in April, the Cowboys' predilection for longer deals with their stars means that Prescott is likely to approach a record for total contract value as opposed to topping Wilson's average. This deal is going to get done unless the Cowboys want to trust the same instincts that led them to pursue Paxton Lynch and Connor Cook before settling for Prescott during the 2016 draft, and they're not that dumb. Prescott is likely to get a five- or six-year deal in the range of $32 million per season.

ESPN.com Illustration

With Prescott, the Cowboys at least have the leverage of knowing that their star quarterback is making about 6 percent of his actual market value. They have no such leverage with Cooper, who is making $13.9 million as part of his fifth-year option and reportedly has made "shockingly high demands" in extension talks with the Cowboys.

There's some gamesmanship and negotiating in public going on here, but what could the Cowboys have expected? Dallas traded a first-round pick for Cooper in a desperate attempt to kick-start its passing attack, and it worked. Cooper caught 66 passes for 896 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 games with the Cowboys, who started 3-4 without him and then went 8-3 after the wideout arrived from Oakland. Cooper is still just 24 and plays at a position in which drafts haven't delivered much talent, so the Cowboys wouldn't have many possible replacements if they did decide to let Cooper leave.

2 Related

They could franchise Cooper twice and pay the Alabama product about $53 million over the next three seasons. That's right around what Odell Beckham Jr. ($52.7 million) and Mike Evans ($55 million) got from their extensions as fifth-year stars last August. The Cowboys probably will have to pay Cooper $58 million over the next three years as part of his extension to get this deal done. It's a lot of money, but once they traded for Cooper and he succeeded, they were basically handing his agent a blank check.

If the Joneses really think Cooper isn't worth the money for which he's asking -- and to be clear, I don't think this is what they actually believe -- they should trade Cooper now in lieu of letting him play out this fifth-year option and walking for a third-round compensatory pick. Cooper's value might never be higher after last season, and there are a handful of teams that should be willing to offer significant draft compensation for a rejuvenated Cooper. The Patriots, Jaguars, Seahawks and Packers all come to mind as teams that could use receiving help, although they might not be enthused about giving up a first-round pick and making Cooper the highest-paid wideout in football. As the Cowboys showed last year, though, it takes only one interested party to make a market.

Establish a succession plan for Daniel Jones. The first time the Giants tried to move on from Eli Manning went about as disastrously as any benching in recent memory. The fans already had turned on then-coach Ben McAdoo in the middle of a disastrous 2017 campaign, but the move to bench Manning for unloved former Jets backup Geno Smith attracted universal scorn. Ownership quickly backtracked from the decision, fired McAdoo and general manager Jerry Reese, and promoted Manning back into the starting role.

This will be different, in part because there's a more significant candidate looming behind Manning in the No. 6 overall pick, Jones. Opinions are split on the Duke quarterback, but the vast majority of Giants fans want to see him suit up and start getting NFL reps. There was no such groundswell for 2017 third-round pick Davis Webb, who never ended up playing for the organization.

Barnwell and friends discuss sports -- usually. • Podcast: Josh Weinfuss and Courtney Cronin » • More: Brady Henderson and Mike Clay » • Archive: Every podcast from Barnwell »

If ownership remains concerned about letting Manning save face on the way out, it should establish a transition plan before the season even begins. Make it public that this will be Manning's last season in a Giants uniform, given that he is in the final year of his deal. (This would go against GM Dave Gettleman's suggestions that the Giants could sit Jones for three years, but it's hardly as if Gettleman's news conferences should be treated as gospel after the OBJ trade.) Admit that the team will turn to Jones if the Giants fall out of playoff contention. Induct Manning into the team's ring of honor for the home finale against the Eagles in Week 17.

In short, get ahead of the Manning transition instead of springing it with a moment's notice or daring the fans to chant for Eli's head every time he throws an interception during September. The Giants screwed things up last time, but this is their chance to get it right.

Add an edge rusher. The Giants were already thin on the edge before trading Olivier Vernon; though they took a flier on Markus Golden and spent a third-round pick on Oshane Ximines, defensive coordinator James Bettcher could still use at least one more meaningful contributor to rotate in at outside linebacker. Nick Perry is still available as a free agent, and though the Packers grew frustrated with their former first-round pick, he is only two seasons removed from an 11-sack campaign.

Talk to the Steelers about Artie Burns. The Eagles, in their own way, hold a unique position of power over their in-state rivals. Philadelphia signed Steelers linebacker L.J. Fort to a three-year, $5.5 million deal with $1.9 million guaranteed this offseason, presumably to serve as a backup linebacker and special-teamer. In doing so, the Eagles impacted the Steelers' compensatory pick formula. The Eagles would stand to gain a fourth-round pick by cutting Fort, who is canceling out the loss of Jordan Hicks to the Cardinals. The Eagles were eventually able to sign Zach Brown to help replace Hicks, squeezing their roster spots further at linebacker.

Fort holds an even more interesting spot in the compensatory universe for his old team. As expected, the Steelers netted a third-round compensatory pick for Le'Veon Bell when their star back signed with the Jets. In a rare foray into unrestricted free agency, though, Pittsburgh signed Chiefs cornerback Steven Nelson and Jags wideout Donte Moncrief to deals. At the moment, the Steelers are still in line to net that third-rounder for Bell, but if the Eagles cut Fort, Pittsburgh would lose a third-rounder and the only compensation it has to show for Bell.

The Eagles making a trade for former Steelers first-round pick Artie Burns could make sense for both sides. Roy K. Miller/Icon Sportswire

The Steelers could then cut Moncrief to keep Bell's pick alive, but they paid the 25-year-old $3.5 million in guarantees as part of a two-year, $9 million pact, nearly twice as much as Fort's guarantee. They are really hoping that Fort does well in his new home. The Eagles could cut Andrew Sendejo to free up that fourth-round pick, but Howie Roseman is one of the most creative general managers in the league. He also loves trades and taking shots on cheap cornerbacks with upside.

The Steelers have one of those in the former first-round pick Burns, who took a massive downturn in his third season and was benched for the second half of 2018. Pittsburgh declined Burns' fifth-year option and replaced him with Nelson, so he's not long for the roster. The Eagles, on the other hand, might very well want to take a flier on a player who looked like a starting-caliber cornerback in 2017. Could the Eagles and Steelers work out a deal whereby Burns heads to Philadelphia for a sixth-round pick and the Eagles (make a gentleman's) promise to keep Fort on their roster all year, therefore locking in the Bell compensatory pick?

Lock up Brandon Scherff. The only concern Washington could have with its 2015 first-round pick is health; Scherff has missed 10 games over the past two years, eight of which came as a result of a torn pectoral last season. The injury shouldn't give the team any pause in re-signing the star guard, who made the Pro Bowl in 2016 and 2017.

The former fourth overall pick is set to play out his fifth-year option at $12.5 million, and Washington should have been more aggressive about re-signing him in January to create cap space, but that's in the past now. There's no reason to wait any longer to lock up the Iowa product. It's going to cost Washington a lot of money, but putting it off will just make Scherff even more expensive to retain.

The number to watch here is $15 million per season. No guard has ever hit that average annual salary on an extension, with Zack Martin atop the market at a $14 million average figure on his deal with the Cowboys. Scherff has a large cap hold, two Pro Bowls in his back pocket, and the ability to attract possible interest as a tackle candidate in free agency, which would drive his market value up even further. A five-year, $75 million extension is likely where this ends, and that would make sense for both parties.

Could Washington move on from longtime backup Colt McCoy this offseason? Mark Tenally/AP Photo

Move on from a quarterback, but not yet. I can't recall a season in which a team carried four quarterbacks on meaningful salaries throughout an entire campaign, and even given that Alex Smith is extremely unlikely to play in 2019, I wouldn't count on Washington to be the first. The team is locked into Dwayne Haskins and Smith, which would leave coach Jay Gruden to pick between Colt McCoy and Case Keenum, both of whom are free agents after the season.

Barring some stunning injury, there aren't any starting quarterback spots left open. A handful of teams could consider upgrading their backup, including the Jaguars, Cowboys, Eagles, Packers, Vikings and Seahawks. Washington's job is to stir enough fear into one of those front offices to get a fifth-round pick and save a minimum of $3 million.

Explore the wide receiver market. Gruden doesn't have much to show for his investments at wideout. The organization just turned down the fifth-year option for Josh Doctson, who hasn't posted a 100-yard game as a pro. Paul Richardson, who signed a five-year, $40 million deal last offseason, has a history of injuries and played just seven games last season.

Richardson will start on one side, but Washington is otherwise looking at rotating between Doctson, third-round pick Terry McLaurin, and the likes of Brian Quick and sixth-rounder Kelvin Harmon on the other. It didn't find a replacement for departed slot wideout Jamison Crowder, and though Trey Quinn should get first crack at that role, Washington should be monitoring the market to try to add help over the summer. Jermaine Kearse could make sense.

NFC North

Find a kicker. The Bears are generally set with the majority of their roster. Their one obvious point of weakness, of course, is at kicker. Cody Parkey is gone, and though Bears fans saw Robbie Gould's trade request and started to pull mothballs out of their old jerseys, it doesn't appear that the 49ers are going to acquiesce and deal Gould back to the Midwest. It's also fair to note that Gould's two excellent seasons in San Francisco have seen the 36-year-old convert 96 percent of his field goals, but Gould was down at 82.3 percent over his final two seasons in Chicago.

I don't think the Bears should trade serious draft capital to the 49ers to acquire their former kicker, but Gould would be better than the kickers the Bears have on the roster, a list that includes the likes of Chris Blewitt, Elliott Fry and Eddy Pineiro. A more realistic option would be going after former Falcons kicker Matt Bryant, who -- admittedly while playing his home games indoors -- hit 95.2 percent of his field goals last season and has been at 88.2 percent over the past decade with the Falcons.

Add defensive line depth. The Lions essentially swapped out Ezekiel Ansah for Trey Flowers this offseason, and though that's an upgrade, the Lions could still use more to work with their core of Flowers and Damon Harrison. Someone to rotate on the inside and serve as a pass-rusher would make sense. The highest-profile option left on the market would represent a homecoming in Ndamukong Suh, but it's unclear whether Detroit would be interested in a reunion after Suh left in free agency for the Dolphins years ago. More feasible options are Muhammad Wilkerson and Corey Liuget.

Resolve Mike Daniels' future. As the Packers transition away from the Clay Matthews era on defense, they're about to hit a crossroads with another defensive stalwart. Daniels has arguably been the Packers' best defender when healthy over the past few seasons, but the 2017 Pro Bowler just turned 30 and is entering the final year of his deal.

The Packers also appeared to signal a different direction with their moves this offseason. General manager Brian Gutekunst targeted height and arm length with his defensive line additions this spring. The Packers signed 6-foot-4 Za'Darius Smith and 6-foot-5 Preston Smith to play on the edge, and then supplemented those selections by drafting 6-foot-5 Rashan Gary in the first round. Gutekunst also drafted 6-foot-3 Kingsley Keke to play on the interior, where he would be backing up the likes of 6-foot-3 star Kenny Clark and 6-foot-5 Dean Lowry.

Daniels, who could figure as a defensive end or a tackle depending on the situation, is an even 6-foot. The Packers also structured their offseason deals to hand significant raises to the two Smiths and fellow free-agent additions Adrian Amos and Billy Turner in 2020; the four signings will combine for a cap hit of $23.4 million this year, but that figure rises to $47.8 million next season. Green Bay has players such as Bryan Bulaga and Mason Crosby coming off the books in 2020, but the significant investments at defensive line suggest that it might not intend to keep Daniels after this season.

Mike Daniels has 29 career sacks since being picked by the Packers in the fourth round of the 2012 draft. Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via USA TODAY Sports

If that's the case, should the Packers think about trading Daniels? There's no guarantee they will get a compensatory pick for Daniels next offseason given Gutekunst's interest in free agency, and they could still bring back Muhammad Wilkerson as a rotational piece after his 2018 season with the team was cut short by an ankle injury. A trade also would allow the Packers to save $7.6 million in cash and roll over $8.3 million onto their 2020 cap.

On the other hand, if the Packers just want to load up on defensive line depth and emulate the Eagles, they should work on re-signing Daniels now.

Add a veteran wide receiver. One position the Packers failed to address altogether this offseason was wideout, where they'll return Davante Adams and his trio of spectacularly named sidekicks in Geronimo Allison, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Equanimeous St. Brown. The latter two are entering only their second season and still have plenty of time to develop, of course, but it seems like the Packers could do more to give Aaron Rodgers options. This is the same guy who turned James Jones into a valuable wideout out of thin air in 2015, at least in name.

It surprised me that the Packers didn't take a shot at one of the veterans whose markets didn't materialize, and I still wonder if they might look toward one of the few remaining receivers left in Pierre Garcon. The former Colts draftee was cut after two seasons in San Francisco, where he missed 16 of 32 games with injuries, but the 32-year-old was reasonably productive over an eight-game stretch with C.J. Beathard or Brian Hoyer as his quarterback in 2017. Garcon also has played under Kyle Shanahan, who has a long-standing relationship with new Packers coach Matt LaFleur, so the playbook shouldn't be an issue. Green Bay shouldn't give up on their young wideouts, but mixing in Garcon early in the year and seeing if there's anything left in the tank would make a lot of sense.

Replace Laquon Treadwell. The fifth-year option pickups for players such as Jared Goff and Carson Wentz were about as certain as any NFL decision worthy of a press release. On the other end of the spectrum, the Vikings' decision to decline Treadwell's fifth-year option after three disappointing seasons was similarly obvious. The former Ole Miss star is hardly a lock to make the 53-man roster in Minnesota.

The Vikings, of course, don't need a starting wideout. They have the best one-two punch in football with Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen, each of whom are locked in for the long term. After those two, well, things get scary. There's Chad Beebe, who could take some slot targets in 2019. The Vikings used seventh-round picks on Dillon Mitchell and Olabisi Johnson, but there's nothing more than hope in the cupboard. It's also worth noting that Diggs hasn't completed a single 16-game season as a pro, even if you figure that the Vikings will use more 12 personnel after drafting Irv Smith Jr. in the second round.

Minnesota could very well look toward Pierre Garcon or someone like Michael Crabtree in free agency. Trade candidates also could make sense. Bennie Fowler is buried on the Giants' depth chart and played under Vikings offensive adviser Gary Kubiak in Denver, although Fowler might not be much of an upgrade over Treadwell. A post-hype option like Keelan Cole, who impressed in his rookie season before struggling and losing his starting job with the Jaguars last season, also could make sense for a sixth- or seventh-round pick.

NFC South

Work out an extension with Grady Jarrett. The Falcons didn't add anyone more significant than Adrian Clayborn to their disappointing defensive line this offseason, so they're clearly counting on holdovers such as Vic Beasley Jr. and Jarrett to play up to their potential in 2019.

Beasley, entering the final year of his deal, is the definition of a wait-and-see contract candidate, but the Falcons clearly see Jarrett as a cornerstone of their defense. They franchised him this offseason, giving the 26-year-old a raise from $1.9 million to $15.2 million for 2019. Jarrett signed his tender in April, but the Falcons have until July 15 to work on an extension with their defensive tackle.

The Falcons gave the franchise tag to Grady Jarrett, but the two sides could reach a long-term agreement by July 15. Dale Zanine/USA Today Sports

Jarrett doesn't have the sort of pass-rushing production we've seen from interior disruptors like Aaron Donald, so he can't expect to get that sort of deal. The closest comparison might be someone like Kawann Short, who signed a five-year, $80 million deal after being franchised by the Panthers in 2017. The cap has risen by 12.7 percent since then, so Jarrett might very well ask for five years and a hair over $90 million for his own deal.

Lock up Deion Jones. The Falcons haven't fielded a great defense by advanced metrics over any of the past three regular seasons, but when they have looked good, it's been with Jones on the field. He was a regular in 2016 and 2017 before missing most of 2018 with a foot injury, and the Falcons felt the difference. Over the past three years, they've been competent with Jones on the field and a sieve without him:

StatWith JonesWithout JonesPasser Rating88.0109.2Total QBR57.874.2Yds/Carry4.44.8Run First Down%25.0%28.1%

Re-signing Jones is a must, but the team can't love what happened at middle/inside linebacker this offseason. The top of the market for off-ball linebackers had been at an average annual salary of $12.5 million, but three different players topped that mark. Anthony Barr and Kwon Alexander came in at $13.5 million per year, although Alexander's deal is really a one-year, $14.3 million pact. The Jets then blew up the market by giving C.J. Mosley a five-year, $85 million deal, good for $17 million per season.

Jones might very well ask for a Mosley-sized deal, but it's hard to believe Jones would get that sort of contract in free agency. He just doesn't have Mosley's résumé. More plausibly, Jones could end up somewhere around the old top of the market with a four-year, $54 million deal.

Re-sign Julio Jones. I covered the particulars of a Julio extension in February, and the top of the wideout market hasn't changed. Jones is still likely to come away with a five-year deal between $95 million and $100 million.

Lock up James Bradberry. As the cornerback former general manager Dave Gettleman drafted to replace Josh Norman, Bradberry has been pushed into the starting lineup since Week 1 of his rookie year. The returns have generally been good. The 25-year-old Bradberry has played like an above-average cornerback for three years running, although the entire defense collapsed during a disastrous second half last season.

The only thing missing from Bradberry's game has been takeaways. He has forced two fumbles and picked off five passes in 45 games, which is part of why Panthers fans took to Donte Jackson when the rookie picked off four passes in the first half of 2018. Interceptions are a poor way to judge defensive backs and less sticky from year to year than just about any other individual statistic. Bradberry could play just as well in 2019 as he has in previous years and piece together a five-interception campaign on sheer randomness.

In an NFC South in which the Panthers could face Julio Jones, Michael Thomas and Mike Evans six times if everyone stays healthy, good cornerback play is critical. Even if Jackson continues to develop, the Panthers need to keep Bradberry. He won't be able to command the $15 million annual average Xavien Howard got in a relatively team-friendly deal from the Dolphins, but Bradberry's new contract should come in between $12 million and $13 million per campaign.

Sign a rotation defensive end. I have to admit: It was difficult to find something for the Saints to do in this exercise. They don't have any obvious holes in the starting lineup, and they have depth at just about every key position. You really have to nitpick to find a place where the Saints might look to use the $8.3 million in cap space they have left for 2019.

The one place I'd like to see the Saints add a piece is on the edge. Cameron Jordan is a Defensive Player of the Year candidate at one spot. On the other side, the Saints have two first-round picks invested in Marcus Davenport, but the Texas-San Antonio product was slowed by a toe injury during his rookie season. Last year's starter at that position, Alex Okafor, left for the Chiefs, leaving Trey Hendrickson -- who has played just 17 games over his first two seasons and recorded two sacks -- as the primary backup at defensive end.

The Saints need more depth behind first-round pick Marcus Davenport. Derick E. Hingle/USA TODAY Sports

Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen could use another piece to fill in off the edge and take snaps as an interior pass-rusher, especially given that Sheldon Rankins is recovering from a torn Achilles and might not be ready for an every-down role in September. Finding someone who can do that at a high level who hasn't already taken an offer somewhere else will be difficult.

This would have been a perfect landing spot for Chris Long, but the Eagles defensive end retired on Saturday. As it is, the Saints likely will end up needing to monitor the training camp cuts to see if a useful veteran hits the market. If Gerald McCoy is willing to take a one-year deal in the $5 million range, that would work great.

Lock up Michael Thomas. The Saints might prefer to wait until after the season to re-sign their stud wide receiver, but the 26-year-old Thomas -- who has 33 more receptions through his first three seasons than any other player in NFL history -- is only going to get more expensive if the Saints wait. There's a good chance Thomas is the first $20 million-per-year wide receiver in NFL history if the organization waits for A.J. Green and Julio Jones to sign their deals and pushes the Thomas extension out until 2020.

Plan for a season without Jason Pierre-Paul. Regardless of whether JPP ends up getting neck surgery or not, it's clear that the former Giants star is going to be out for a long time while he recovers from a serious car accident. Coach Bruce Arians suggested that the best-case scenario for Pierre-Paul would involve a five-month recuperation period, which would bring him back during mid-October. Even if that were to happen, JPP would need to get into playing shape, which would mean a part-time role at best for several weeks.

An early glimpse at the 2020 class' talent: • McShay's way-too-early mock draft » • Kiper's Big Board: The top 25 prospects » • Meet the QBs » | Watch: The QB class » • Every Top 25 team's best prospect » • Tagovailoa early favorite to be No. 1 »

The Bucs can't count on getting anything close to the JPP who racked up 12.5 sacks and 20 knockdowns a year ago. They'll have to adapt. For one, it should encourage Tampa to bring back Gerald McCoy, who immediately returns to his prior spot as the Bucs' most imposing pass-rusher. I get that Tampa has Carl Nassib and saw the Browns castoff impress last season, but McCoy is simply a different caliber of player. Without McCoy, the Bucs would be rotating through guys such as Nassib, William Gholston, Noah Spence and fourth-round pick Anthony Harris on the edge. They need more. (Editor's note: The Bucs are releasing McCoy on Monday, according to ESPN sources.)

This would have been an ideal landing spot for Ziggy Ansah before the former Lions standout signed a deal with the Seahawks. As is, the Bucs are likely stuck going after someone like Nick Perry and hoping for the best. Arians and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles were able to coax successful late-career seasons from pass-rushers John Abraham and Dwight Freeney in Arizona, so it wouldn't be shocking if the Bucs generated a useful campaign from a veteran edge rusher.

NFC West

Add a backup for Kyler Murray. Though the Cardinals needed to trade away Josh Rosen after drafting Murray with the first overall pick, the deal left the Cardinals without a recognizable backup for their new signal-caller. Arizona's sub-Murray depth chart at quarterback includes Brett Hundley, Chad Kanoff and Drew Anderson. Not ideal. I doubt coach Kliff Kingsbury wants to suit up himself behind Murray, so let's hope the Cards find a solution. The most obvious move would be to acquire Case Keenum from Washington if the former Houston product doesn't make it ahead of Colt McCoy, given Keenum's comfort with the Air Raid offense.

play

1:11

Louis Riddick breaks down how Patrick Peterson's suspension negatively affects both Peterson and the Cardinals this season.

Sign a replacement for Patrick Peterson. With their star cornerback down for the first six games of 2019 after being popped for a PED suspension, the Cardinals are going to be a mess in the defensive backfield. They've made additions this offseason by signing Robert Alford and drafting Byron Murphy in the second round, but Alford was torched in Atlanta last season, and even good cornerbacks tend to struggle as rookies.

The Cardinals shouldn't plan on moving on from Peterson; if anything, this should help drive down his upcoming contract extension. Adding a veteran to help shoulder the load while Peterson is out would be a good idea. There are still options left on the market, most notably former Jets starter Morris Claiborne. He would be an upgrade over veterans such as Tramaine Brock and David Amerson, who might otherwise be in line to play meaningful snaps in September and October.

Add a defensive lineman. The Rams will theoretically hand some of Ndamukong Suh's snaps to the likes of Tanzel Smart on the inside and Clay Matthews on the edge, but they could still justify adding one more defensive lineman to supplement one of the league's best units. That lineman could very well be Suh, who is still a free agent, but the Rams realistically might not have the cap flexibility to give Suh another one-year deal north of $10 million. They have only $6.6 million in space, and though they could restructure the deals of Aaron Donald or Brandin Cooks to create more room, general manager Les Snead also intends to lock up Marcus Peters with an extension this summer.

The Rams will need to shop for lower-cost options with some upside. Muhammad Wilkerson would make a lot of sense here. Snead is no stranger to a trade, of course, and shopping for a young player with untapped upside would also seem logical. Could the Rams hope Wade Phillips coaxes an impressive campaign out of a former first-rounder like Shaq Lawson or Robert Nkemdiche? Both likely will be on the trade market this summer.

Extend Peters. The former Chiefs star had an uneven first season in Los Angeles, but it's clear that the Rams see the ball hawk as a building block for their defense. Given the deals they've handed to players such as Cooks and Todd Gurley II in recent years, it's also clear that the Rams have no qualms about paying over the norm for one of those young stars. It wouldn't be shocking if Peters ended up challenging the likes of Trumaine Johnson and Josh Norman for the richest active cornerback deal. Xavien Howard topped Norman's five-year, $75 million contract with a five-year, $75.3 million pact, but the structure of the deal isn't generous. Peters could very well come away with a five-year, $80 million extension and be guaranteed to see most of that money.

Solve the running back logjam. The 49ers could call on as many as four viable halfbacks next season in Jerick McKinnon, Tevin Coleman, Matt Breida and Raheem Mostert. McKinnon signed a four-year, $30 million deal with the club last offseason, then tore an ACL and missed the entire campaign. The 49ers paid him $12.5 million for that one season, but he's under contract at a $3.7 million base for 2019.

Matt Breida, who averaged 5.3 yards per carry last season, could be a long shot to make the 49ers' roster. Joe Nicholson/USA TODAY Sports

Keeping four backs doesn't make a lot of sense, especially when you want at least one of them to regularly play special teams. Coleman is virtually guaranteed a roster spot and doesn't play special teams. McKinnon was only a regular special-teamer for the Vikings in 2015. Breida was a regular in 2017, but he moved off special teams as he took over the starting role and struggled with a high ankle sprain last season.

Mostert was productive in a limited role last season, and though he bounced around the league before ending up in San Francisco, the 49ers gave him a three-year, $8.7 million deal this offseason. He's going to figure in the lineup, likely as a special-teamer and occasional back off the bench. The 49ers guaranteed Mostert only $1 million, so they could still move on, but it seems likely that he and Coleman are on the 53-man roster.

Draft Academy documents the journey of six prospects: Nick Bosa, Marquise Brown, Drew Lock, Tyree Jackson, Jarrett Stidham and Josh Jacobs. Watch on ESPN+

That leaves Breida and McKinnon to compete. The 49ers could probably carry them both, but is it really an effective use of their roster spots and playing time? McKinnon offers more as a receiver and allows the 49ers to disguise their intentions pre-snap, which has been key for Shanahan, but Breida has been better between the tackles and might be a better contrast to Coleman. He has been more efficient than McKinnon on a carry-by-carry basis, although Breida's 5.3 yards-per-carry figure from a year ago is a bit inflated, given that he was 30th in success rate.

Would the 49ers rather pay $3.7 million for McKinnon or $645,000 for Breida? Given that the free-agent deal clearly suggests that the 49ers see McKinnon as a game-changing back, my guess is that they'll lean toward McKinnon. If that's the case, they should see whether anyone would be interested in trading for Breida, who will be a restricted free agent after the season.

Look into wideouts. The Seahawks released Doug Baldwin earlier this month, and though they drafted DK Metcalf in the second round and Gary Jennings Jr. in the fourth, the only guys on this depth chart guaranteed a roster spot are Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. The Seahawks could head to September with Lockett, Metcalf, Jennings, David Moore and Jaron Brown as their five wideouts, but it would be foolish to pretend that the Seahawks couldn't upgrade by giving at least one veteran a shot in camp.

The usual suspects figure here. Michael Crabtree and Pierre Garcon are still free. Rishard Matthews was a starting wide receiver in the NFL in 2017 before a bizarre 2018 campaign. Jermaine Kearse, who was involved in some of the biggest plays in franchise history, is also still available. A reunion with Kearse, at least for a training camp tryout, would seem to make sense.

2 Related

Lock up Bobby Wagner. I didn't agree with the arguments people made for moving on from Earl Thomas, but those same arguments don't apply to Wagner. The biggest worry about Thomas was injury, and Wagner has missed just two games over the past four seasons. He hasn't been the same sort of publicly disruptive force Thomas was in asking for a new deal. The Seahawks also don't have the same sort of cap constraints in 2020, given that they stand to have nearly $69 million in room.

If anybody stood to be furious about the C.J. Mosley deal besides the Ravens, though, it was the Seahawks. The Jets' paying an astronomical sum for Mosley means that the Seahawks will have to do the same for their star linebacker. One NFL team's projection for Mosley heading into free agency saw the Ravens standout coming away with a five-year deal between $70 million and $75 million with $35 million guaranteed at signing. Mosley instead signed a five-year, $85 million deal with $43 million guaranteed at signing and $51 million in practical guarantees.

Wagner could very well ask the Seahawks to top that deal. I don't think the Seahawks really have a choice after letting Thomas leave, either. Wagner could very well be looking at a four-year, $72 million extension to stay in his NFL home.

Source: https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/26781838/nfl-offseason-agendas-barnwell-do-lists-all-16-nfc-teams

#read more #see more #check it out #interesting #learn more

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whileiamdying · 5 years

Video

vimeo

This is the story of Lamar, a 12-year old vampire with a dark secret. https://www.fightbloodcancer.net CAST (in order of appearance) Lamar – Jeremiah Waysome Karissa – Ethosheia Hylton Jeremy – Selorm Adonus Aaron – Amari Webb-Martin Lucas – Ashley Stewart Noah – Lance Bremmer Ben – Cameron Douglas bus victim – Dayne Waysome nurse – Verdet Kessler doctor – Luca Armato CREW director – Eugen Merher script – Eugen Merher, Mortimer Hochberg, Philip Chrobot dop – Mortimer Hochberg producer – Philip Chrobot, Gerrit Klein production manager UK – Tatenda Jamera casting – Jeremy Zimmermann editor – David Gesslbauer color grading – Marina Starke VFX – ACHT Hamburg GmbH production design – Maike Kiefer production design assistants – Christina Anna Sophie Mammes, Jake Parker music composition – Alexander Wolf David sound design – Robin Harff sound recordist – Robert Chen, Hubert Adam Wieckowski costume designer – Lena Peifer-Weiß make up / SFX – Olivia Henderson 1st AC – Leo Sikstel 2nd AC – Harry Milton production company – Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg FILM SCHOOL senior lecturers – Bernd T. Hoefflin, Zoran Bihac, Martin Schmid, Florian Sigl project coordinator – Olivia Marten line producer Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg – Thomas Lechner SPECIAL THANKS Maike Hornberg@DSD - Deutsche Stammzellspenderdatei, Caligari Förderpreis, Esther Kurle@BITE Management, Maik Siering@Sterntag Film GmbH, Max Krumbe@ACHT Hamburg GmbH, Vantage Film GmbH, Lisa Dee@Film LBBD London, Danny O’sullivan & Suraya Khanom@City Wood Services, Lukas Hoffmann@Kaiser Showtechnik, Andreas Niemann@Look Solutions, Felix Lang@UFO Filmgerät GmbH, Arda Yücel, Manuel Schlösser@Universitätsklinikum Tübingen Special thanks to all parents! A production by Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg ©2019

#IFTTT #Vimeo

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artwalktv · 5 years

Video

vimeo

This is the story of Lamar, a 12-year old vampire with a dark secret. http://bit.ly/2QHLZXK CAST (in order of appearance) Lamar – Jeremiah Waysome Karissa – Ethosheia Hylton Jeremy – Selorm Adonus Aaron – Amari Webb-Martin Lucas – Ashley Stewart Noah – Lance Bremmer Ben – Cameron Douglas bus victim – Dayne Waysome nurse – Verdet Kessler doctor – Luca Armato CREW director – Eugen Merher script – Eugen Merher, Mortimer Hochberg, Philip Chrobot dop – Mortimer Hochberg producer – Philip Chrobot, Gerrit Klein production manager UK – Tatenda Jamera casting – Jeremy Zimmermann editor – David Gesslbauer color grading – Marina Starke VFX – ACHT Hamburg GmbH production design – Maike Kiefer production design assistants – Christina Anna Sophie Mammes, Jake Parker music composition – Alexander Wolf David sound design – Robin Harff sound recordist – Robert Chen, Hubert Adam Wieckowski costume designer – Lena Peifer-Weiß make up / SFX – Olivia Henderson 1st AC – Leo Sikstel 2nd AC – Harry Milton production company – Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg FILM SCHOOL senior lecturers – Bernd T. Hoefflin, Zoran Bihac, Martin Schmid, Florian Sigl project coordinator – Olivia Marten line producer Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg – Thomas Lechner SPECIAL THANKS Maike Hornberg@DSD - Deutsche Stammzellspenderdatei, Caligari Förderpreis, Esther Kurle@BITE Management, Maik Siering@Sterntag Film GmbH, Max Krumbe@ACHT Hamburg GmbH, Vantage Film GmbH, Lisa Dee@Film LBBD London, Danny O’sullivan & Suraya Khanom@City Wood Services, Lukas Hoffmann@Kaiser Showtechnik, Andreas Niemann@Look Solutions, Felix Lang@UFO Filmgerät GmbH, Arda Yücel, Manuel Schlösser@Universitätsklinikum Tübingen Special thanks to all parents! A production by Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg ©2019

#Videos & Films

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albertoromano · 6 years

Text

Necesidades de los equipos de la división NFC Este.

La NFC Este, finalizo con dos equipos que accedieron a postemporada, los campeones divisionales, los Dallas Cowboys y Philadelphia Eagles, que fueron el segundo comodín en la conferencia nacional, Washington Redskins se cayo a pedazos en la segunda mitad de la temporada y los New York Giants, volvieron a ser el peor equipo en la división.

Estas son las 3 principales necesidades de cada equipo y como podrían solucionarlas:

Dallas Cowboys.

Record 2018: 10-6, eliminados en ronda de ronda divisional

Cap Space: $45,711,666 – 11o en la liga.

Selecciones en Draft 2019: 6.

Mayores necesidades: 1) Defensive End, 2) Defensive Tackle, 3) Tight End.

Todos los esfuerzos de los Cowboys, deben centrarse en retener al mejor jugador que será agente libre para la temporada siguiente, el DE Demarcus Lawrence, si pierden al jugador en la agencia libre, perderán una contribución de 25 capturas de QB en las ultimas dos temporadas. David Irving, se perdió casi todo el año por lesión y será agente libre y ni Antwaun Woods ni Mailik Collins son excelentes jugadores. Los Cowboys, notaron la ausencia de Jason Witten y su mejor ala cerrada esta temporada fue Blake Jarwin, quien termino con 307 yardas y 3 TD aéreos en 2018.

Como podrían solucionarlo: Su prioridad numeró 1, debe de ser retener a Demarcus Lawrence y ofrecerle el contrato o que se merece. Los Dallas Cowboys no tienen selección de primera ronda, después de adquirir a Amari Cooper de los Raiders y tendrán que usar sus selecciones para solucionar las posiciones de DT y TE en el segundo día del draft y algunos nombres que podrían ayudarlos son: TE Irv Smith Jr. (Alabama) y DT Terry Beckner Jr. (Missouri).

New York Giants.

Record 2018: 5-11.

Cap Space: $27,428,944 - 19a en la liga

Selecciones en Draft 2019: 10

Mayores necesidades: 1) Quarterback, 2) Offensive Tackle, 3) Cornerback.

Las únicas personas que creen que la mayor necesidad del equipo no es la posición de QB parecen ser los mismos Giants, pero Eli Manning ya no es el mismo de antes y se necesita un cambio. Una de las razones por las que Eli ha sufrido tanto es la constante presión recibida en las trincheras, el mariscal, fue el sexto con mas capturas con 47 la temporada pasada. La secundaria de los gigantes no tuvo un buen desempeño, B.W. Webb, no debería de ser un CB titular en la liga y Janoris Jenkins, no ha justificado su jugoso contrato y quizás sea cortado para el próximo año.

Como podrían solucionarlo: Si deciden hacer el cambio de mariscal de campo en este draft con la sexta selección global, tendrían opciones para realizarlo y podrían jalar el gatillo con el QB Drew Lock (Missouri). En caso de que los New York Giants, decidan darle un año mas a Eli, su primera selección deberá de ser el OT Jonah Williams (Alabama), es el mejor prospecto para este draft en su posición. Debido a que la clase de esquineros no es la mejor, la posición deberá de ser corregida vía agencia libre y algunos nombres que suenan son: Bryce Callahan (Chicago Bears) o Ronald Darby (Phiadelphia Eagles).

Philadelphia Eagles.

Record 2018: 9-7 eliminados en ronda divisional.

Cap Space: $-1,702,816 – 31o en la liga.

Selecciones en Draft 2019: 7.

Mayores necesidades: 1)Cornerback 2) Offensive Tackle 3) Linebacker.

La defensiva por aire fue un pase libre para los equipos rivales, la defensiva por pase fue la numero 30 en yardas permitidas, con 271.2 yardas promedio por partido y el único esquinero que jugo bien en la temporada fue Ronald Darby pero se rompió el ACL a mitad de temporada y probara la agencia libre. Jason Peters es uno de los mejores linieros ofensivos de la NFL, pero esta podría ser su ultima temporada como profesional y se necesita un recambio para el futuro. El LB Jordan Hicks, es uno de los mejores jugadores en su posición, tuvo 152 tacleadas en solo 12 juegos, pero probablemente se marche a otro equipo y perderían a una pieza fundamental en su defensiva.

Como podrían solucionarlo: Philadelphia, tendrá que hacer varios cortes de sus veteranos, para tener mas cap space ya que están en números negativos en ese rubro, sus necesidades deberán de ser resueltas vía el draft y hay varias opciones para poder mejorar su roster y solucionar los huecos existentes, algunos nombres podrían ser: CB Byron Murphy (Washington) en el primer día del draft, OT Greg Little (Ole Miss) y LB Devin Bush (Michigan), estos dos últimos en rondas posteriores del draft.

Washington Redskins.

Record 2018: 7-9.

Cap Space: $20,588,330 – 21o en la liga.

Selecciones en Draft 2019: 5.

Mayores necesidades: 1) Quarterback, 2) Wide Receiver, 3) Safety.

Después de iniciar con record de 6-3, los Redskisns, el equipo se cayo a pedazos después de la lesión de Alex Smith y en sus últimos 7 juegos perdieron 6 de ellos, la lesión de Smith es de muy seria gravedad y su carrera esta en riesgo de terminar, así que tendrán que encontrar un reemplazo, ya que no podrán afrontar la temporada 2019 con mariscales como Mark Sánchez, Colt McCoy o Josh Johnson. El cuerpo de receptores de Washington quizás es el peor de la liga, ya que su mejor receptor fue Josh Doctson con 572 yardas recibidas. Ha-Ha Clinton Dix podría decantarse por la agencia libre y D.J. Swearinger fue cortado la temporada pasada, se necesitaran dos profundos nuevos para cubrir esas vacantes.

Como pueden solucionarlo: Debido a que su primera selección es la numero 15 global, no habrá excelentes opciones para cubrir la posición de mariscal, pero deberán de intentar hacer un canje para ser competitivos el año que viene, algunos nombres serian: Jacoby Brissett (Indianapolis Colts) o CJ Beathard (San Francisco 49ers). Necesitan encontrar un receptor numero 1 en este draft y con su primera selección hay nombres que podrían estar disponibles ahí como: D.K. Metcalf (Ole Miss) o Kelvin Harmon (NC State). En rondas posteriores deberán de adquirir un Safety y habría excelentes opciones debido a la profundidad de la clase en esta posición para 2019 tales como: Amani Hooker (Iowa) o Jaquan Johnson (Miami).

#nfceast #dallascowboys #new york giants #philadelphia eagles #washingtonredskins

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karoltabis · 5 years

Video

vimeo

This is the story of Lamar, a 12-year old vampire with a dark secret. https://ift.tt/2KSg07d CREW director – Eugen Merher script – Eugen Merher, Mortimer Hochberg, Philip Chrobot cinematography – Mortimer Hochberg producer – Philip Chrobot, Gerrit Klein production manager UK – Tatenda Jamera music composition – Alexander Wolf David editor – David Gesslbauer color grading – Marina Starke VFX – ACHT Hamburg GmbH production design – Maike Kiefer production design assistants – Christina Anna Sophie Mammes, Jake Parker sound design – Robin Harff sound recordist – Robert Chen, Hubert Adam Wieckowski costume designer – Lena Peifer-Weiß make up / SFX – Olivia Henderson casting – Jeremy Zimmermann 1st AC – Leo Sikstel 2nd AC – Harry Milton production company – Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg CAST (in order of appearance) Lamar – Jeremiah Waysome Karissa – Ethosheia Hylton Jeremy – Selorm Adonus Aaron – Amari Webb-Martin Lucas – Ashley Stewart Noah – Lance Bremmer Ben – Cameron Douglas bus victim – Dayne Waysome nurse – Verdet Kessler doctor – Luca Armato FILM SCHOOL senior lecturers – Bernd T. Hoefflin, Zoran Bihac, Martin Schmid, Florian Sigl project coordinator – Olivia Marten line producer Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg – Thomas Lechner SPECIAL THANKS Maike Hornberg@DSD - Deutsche Stammzellspenderdatei, Caligari Förderpreis, Esther Kurle@BITE Management, Maik Siering@Sterntag Film GmbH, Max Krumbe@ACHT Hamburg GmbH, Vantage Film GmbH, Lisa Dee@Film LBBD London, Danny O’sullivan & Suraya Khanom@City Wood Services, Lukas Hoffmann@Kaiser Showtechnik, Andreas Niemann@Look Solutions, Felix Lang@UFO Filmgerät GmbH, Arda Yücel, Manuel Schlösser@Universitätsklinikum Tübingen Special thanks to all parents! A production by Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg ©2019

#IFTTT #Vimeo

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realquoff · 5 years

Video

vimeo

Dark Red from Eugen Merher on Vimeo.

This is the story of Lamar, a 12-year old vampire with a dark secret.

fightbloodcancer.net

CREW director – Eugen Merher script – Eugen Merher, Mortimer Hochberg, Philip Chrobot cinematography – Mortimer Hochberg producer – Philip Chrobot, Gerrit Klein production manager UK – Tatenda Jamera music composition – Alexander Wolf David editor – David Gesslbauer color grading – Marina Starke VFX – ACHT Hamburg GmbH production design – Maike Kiefer production design assistants – Christina Anna Sophie Mammes, Jake Parker sound design – Robin Harff sound recordist – Robert Chen, Hubert Adam Wieckowski costume designer – Lena Peifer-Weiß make up / SFX – Olivia Henderson casting – Jeremy Zimmermann 1st AC – Leo Sikstel 2nd AC – Harry Milton production company – Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg

CAST (in order of appearance) Lamar – Jeremiah Waysome Karissa – Ethosheia Hylton

Jeremy – Selorm Adonus Aaron – Amari Webb-Martin Lucas – Ashley Stewart Noah – Lance Bremmer Ben – Cameron Douglas

bus victim – Dayne Waysome nurse – Verdet Kessler doctor – Luca Armato

FILM SCHOOL senior lecturers – Bernd T. Hoefflin, Zoran Bihac, Martin Schmid, Florian Sigl project coordinator – Olivia Marten line producer Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg – Thomas Lechner

SPECIAL THANKS Maike Hornberg@DSD - Deutsche Stammzellspenderdatei, Caligari Förderpreis, Esther Kurle@BITE Management, Maik Siering@Sterntag Film GmbH, Max Krumbe@ACHT Hamburg GmbH, Vantage Film GmbH, Lisa Dee@Film LBBD London, Danny O’sullivan & Suraya Khanom@City Wood Services, Lukas Hoffmann@Kaiser Showtechnik, Andreas Niemann@Look Solutions, Felix Lang@UFO Filmgerät GmbH, Arda Yücel, Manuel Schlösser@Universitätsklinikum Tübingen

Special thanks to all parents!

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nsula · 5 years

Text

Spring 2019 President’s List

NATCHITOCHES – Five hundred and sixty-four students were named to the Spring 2019 President’s List at Northwestern State University. Students on the list earned a grade point average of 4.0. Those named to the President’s List listed by hometown are as follows.

Abbeville -- Kayla Marceaux;

Alexandria -- Lili Bedoya, Leslie Bordelon, Destiny Dotson, Selena Elmore, Claudia Gauthier, Ian Grant, Martha Hopewell, Jordan Johnson, Allison, McCloud, Madalyn Mayer, Madeline Mitchell, LaShanda Moss, Madeline Pharis, Jennifer Prevot, Sailor Reed, Zachary Roberts, Elaina Williams, Samantha Wynn;

Amite – Sidney Polezcek;

Anacoco – Kinsley Blakeway, Karington Hood, Cassandra Osborne, Seth Ponthieux, Kayla Stephens, Casey Williams;

Arlington, Texas – Samantha Bell;

Arnaudville -- Zachary Leboeuf;

Atlanta –Deanna Guidry, Alexis Hanson;

Austin, Texas – Skylar Besch, Anuj Patel;

Baker – Katelyn Kennedy;

Ball – Joseph Reynolds;

Bastrop – Anna Akins, Taylor Gabell, Haleigh Vollmar;

Baton Rouge – Meagan Barbay , Jasmine Davis, Hannah Knoff, Elizabeth Ledet, Bethany Lee, Henrietta Mercer, Madalyn Mullins, Mary Pourciau, Sarah Talbot;

Baytown, Texas – Norma Trejo;

Belcher – Victoria Hebert;

Belle Chasse -- Annie Wright;

Belle Rose – Thomas Daigle;

Benton – Victoria Berry, Bridget Miller, Jessica O’Neal, Finnley Plaster, Megan Rainwater, Ty Whatley;

Bossier City – Christian Baker, Brittant Batchelor, Katie Briggs, Courtney Brooks, DeMontre Evans, Hannah Gates, Candace Guillory, Peyton Harville, Cayin Head, Ashanti Hill, Jodi Hill, Nicholas Hopkins, Brandon Larkin, Chelsea Laverdiere, Arielle Martignetti, Katherine Parson, Taylor Powell, Melissa Raley, Jenna Rambin, Jami Rivers, Jalyn Robertson, Winnifred Robinson, Tori Spraggins, Savannah Stevens, Courtney Wilson, Eric Zheng;

Boyce – Bo Bowers, Katelyn Brister, Dylan Frazier, Jodie Martin;

Branch – Elizabeth Sonnier;

Breaux Bridge – Shayla James;

Broken Arrow, Oklahoma – Madeline Drake;

Brookeland, Texas – Paige West;

Brussels, Belgium – Leyla Fettweis;

Bunkie – Emily Arnaud, Brett Baker;

Burleson, Texas -- Addison Pellegrino;

Calhoun – Grace Cummings, Robert Mccandlish;

Calvin – Erin Price;

Campti – Alisha Bedgood;

Carencro – Jasmin Thibodeaux;

Cartagena, Colombia -- Valeria Correa Meza, Veronica Perez Espinosa, Hassik Vasquez Narvaez;

Carthage, Illinois – Nicole Clark;

Castor – Brittany Sampey;

Center, Texas – Chelsea Henderson;

Church Point – Meghan Bearb;

Clifton – Brittany Shackleford;

Colfax – Alyssa Coleman, Elizabeth Slayter,

Colorado Springs, Colorado – Morgan Linson;

Columbia -- Melissa Robinson;

Converse -- Haleigh Sharrow;

Cottonport – Rayne Canoe, Zachary Gauthier;

Coushatta – Sydney Anderson, Kaylee Antilley, Mary James, Sidney Jones, William Lee, Carmie Williams;

Covington -- Justin Brogdon, Andrea Mier;

Custer, South Dakota – China Whitwer;

Cut Off – Allie Soudelier;

Cypress, Texas – Alexis Warren;

Dallas, Texas – Natalie Robledo;

Denham Springs – Jenson Wall;

De Ridder -- Delia Amadiz, Tabitha Deer, Ashleigh Fedderman, Rebekah Frantz, Shydae Hammond, Nickolas Lane, Briana March, Jessica Mullican, Rebecca Richmond, Shynikia Roberson, Mikalyn Russell, Summer Thomas, Jessica Wheeler, Tracy Wilson;

Des Allemands – Emily Blanchard, Claire Schouest;

Destrehan – Hannah Boquet, Stephanie Webre;

Deville –Allison Deglandon, Alyssa Kline, Aubree Lampert, Maci Mayeux;

Diamondhead, Mississippi – Melissa Boyanton;

Dry Prong -- Jared Boydstun, Ashlee Elliott, Christy Gough;

El Paso – Christopher Barron;

Elizabeth – Amanda Cloud;

Elmer – Halston Rachal, Joseph Rachal;

Endicott, New York – Tonya Rackett;

Fairmount, Georgia – Amanda Stephenson;

Florien --Connor Arthur, Ashley Carter, Shayla Duhon, Noah Parker, Ashley Ross;

Forney, Texas -- Jayden Wheeler;

Fort Myers, Florida – Andrea Smarsh;

Fort Polk -- Amanda Dhondt, Shaunda Gordon, Pierce Matthews, Maria Neumann, Christian Wood;

Fort Sill, Oklahoma -- Iryana Burrus;

Fort Valley, Georgia – Pittard Chapman;

Fort Worth, Texas – Corban James;

Franklin -- Alison Guidroz;

Freeland, Washington – Paul Aune;

Frierson -- Brittany Furrow;

Frisco – Caroline Shepherd, Adam Trupp, Kalee Williams;

Garland, Texas – Sierra Stone;

Geismar -- Kristi Contreary;

Gheens -- Samantha Clark;

Glenmora -- Precious Goins, Tiara Baker;

Gloster -- Emmaleigh Cleary;

Goldonna -- Harley Godwin;

Gonzales – Addison Adams, Kristina Gipson, Ryan Gremillion, Legand Lilly, Rebecca Marchand, Molly Moran, Bailee Ramey, Zoe Tapp;

Grand Prairie, Texas -- Clayton Casner;

Grapevine, Texas – Margaret Black;

Gray – Cassie Becnel, Tevyn Johnson;

Greenwell Springs – Cheramie Kravitz;

Greenwood -- Char'Tarian Wilson;

Gretna – Chloe Johnson;

Hammond – Andrea Hidalgo;

Harvey -- Christiana Johnson;

Haughton – Brittony Cole, Bethanie Couch, Alexis Hoeltje, Victoria Lodrini, Jamie Phillips, Amber Simmons, Logan Turner, Morgan Webb;

Heath – Megan Lohmiller;

Heflin -- Haley Garrison;

Henderson, Texas -- John Floyd;

Hermon, Maine -- Allessa Ingraham-Albert;

Hessmer -- Lacee-Beth Cazelot;

Hineston -- Tylee Stokes;

Hornbeck -- Emma DuBose Rogers, Joshua Hughes;

Houma – Sarah Lajaunie;

Houston, Texas – Oai Lee Huynh;

Iowa – Matthew Phillips, Marvette Williams;

Irving, Texas – Darria Williams;

Jefferson --Jaleia Parker;

Jena – Christian Aymond, Teacy Kendrick;

Jennings – Aimee Boothe, Alyson Brown, Janee Charles, Rachelle Edwards, Wesley Simien, Lydia Williams;

Jonesboro – Jordan Winston;

Jonesville – James White;

Keatchie – Susan Laws;

Keithville – Cora Procell, Janae Richardson;

Kenner – Brooke Petkovich;

Kentwood – Jenna Morris;

Kerens, Texas – Brandon Brumbelow;

Killeen, Texas – Arlyn Johnson, Nathalohn Nanai;

Kinder -- Jonathon Villareal;

Lacombe – William Simpson;

Lafayette – Natalye Bradley, Abbey Broussard, Rachael Bryant, Amari Carmouche, Madison Duplechine, Ashley Guidry, John Irion, Joy Newman, Jordan Redd, Brittany Robinson, Andrea Saelios, Dante Saelios, Chynna Theriot;

Lake Arthur – Nicole Andrews;

Lake Charles – Shawn Becton, Derek Fields, Ashtyn Hare, Rebekah Nicholas, Sarah Sargent;

Lake Providence -- Brandy Chapman;

Lantana, Florida -- Christopher Mccormac;

Las Vegas -- April Ficarrotta;

League City, Texas – Kennedi Carter, Emily Ornelas;

Lecompte -- Allison Williams;

Leesville -- Victoria Carbaugh, Carter Coriell, Brittany French, Geoffrey Goins, Kimberly Henley, Leigha Jackson, Kelsea Mckinney, Joseph Orchi, Heather Snell, Alicia Stanford, Jessica Tebbetts, Kristin Whistine;

Lena – Juan Gonzalez;

Little Elm, Texas -- Hunter Gagnon;

Lockport -- Courtney Cedotal;

Longview, Texas -- Samantha Morris;

Loreauville – Tiffany Trahan;

Lumberton, Texas -- Joshua Terry;

Mabank, Texas – Dustin Huffman,

Madisonville – Alyce Lis;

Mandeville – Shannon Roussell, Sheridan Smith;

Manito, Illinois – Sarah Picken;

Mansfield – Samantha Powell;

Many – Skyler Ezernack, Alison Garcia, Emily Holcomb, Heidi Knight, Jaleah Lee, Shelbie Martinez, Toni Mitcham, Samantha Simmons;

Marble Falls, Texas -- Sarah Lewis;

Marksville – Zachary Moreau, Madeleine Morrow;

Marthaville – Dillon Hagan, Frank Lester, Emeri Manasco, Hanna Pardee,

Maurice – Adam Courville, Jenna-Clair Courville, Adele Vincent, Elise Vincent,

Merryville – Courtney Jennings;

Metairie -- Sadye Treadway;

Minden -- Aubry Dennis, Abigail Reynolds, Kirsten Sibley, Heather White;

Mississauga, Ontario, Canada -- Kayla Bomben;

Mobile, Alabama -- Sarah Dempsey;

Monroe -- Caleb Horton, Aaron Hunt, Ashley Jackson Franklin, Jameelah Sanaany;

Monroe -- Kristin Hutchins;

Morgan City -- Jeremy Orgeron;

Morrow -- Kiante Mouton;

Morse -- Kierra Linden;

Murphy, Texas – Bronte Rhoden;

Natchez – Patricia Wise;

Navarre, Florida -- Alexandria Morales;

Napoleonville -- Elizabeth Coleman;

Natchitoches -- Sarah Aviles, Brock Barrios, Dylan Bennett, Gracie Bennett, Keaton Booker, Keyana Brown, Deasia Burrell, Savannah Bynog, Maria Carmona-Ruiz, Gilda Chan, Leanna Coy, Whitney Crooks, Haley Dahlhoff, Jacob Dahlhoff, Elliot Davis, Jordan Durio, Abbie Gandy, Kara Gandy, Laura Guzman Rodriguez, Hannah Haigh, Dylan Hale, Kaitlin Hatten, Aura Hernandez Canedo, Ashlyn Hogan, Anthony Jones, Kelsey Jordan, Mary Keran, Lyndon Knueppel, Clayton Larimer, Lindsay Lee, LiZhang Matuschka, Jordan Mitchell, Jorgia Nevers, Brooklyn Noe, Kevin Nutt, Anthony Pastorello, Abigail Poe, Kevin Price, Melissa Remo, Maria Rushing, Madison Shade, Madeline Taylor, David Thibodaux, Shayna Tilley, Kaleb Usleton, Madysen Watts, Sarah Kay Whitehead;

New Iberia -- Tara Bonvillain, Madison Castille, Emily Neuville, Madison Romero;

New Llano -- Reaz Khan, Collar Wilson;

New Orleans – Faith Burke;

Oakdale – Adrian Brown, Alyssa Cole, Katelyn Johnson, James Obrien;

Olla – Brianna Corley, Cierra Evans, Kaycie Posey, Kristen Smith;

Opelousas – Lauren Hebert, Keshayla Jackson, Alexia Rubin, Jaylen St. Romain;

Pelican – Mary Myers;

Pflugerville, Texas -- Zoe Richardson

Pineville – Malak Abdelhadi, Raegan Brocato, Amber Edmisson, Katlin Ernst, Sarah Flue, Brooke Gongre, Connor Littleton, Cade Mitchell, Johnna Odom, Cinnamon Player, Wendi Powell, Peyton Spurgeon, Wesley Williams;

Pitkin – Mattie Stewart, Grace White-Rainger;

Pollock – Tanner Brazil, Hannah Gaubert, Jadynn Giles, Megan Gypin, Samantha Wilber;

Port Allen – Makayla Lacy;

Port Arthur, Texas -- Eryn Sandwell;

Port Barre – Skylar Guidroz;

Prairieville. – Roy Cobb, Chloe Lambert, Sarah Makin;

Princeton – Micah Larkins;

Provencal – Rachel Head, Bailey Scarbrough;

Quitman – Cassie Tucker;

Raceland -- Megan Parks, Paige Parks, DQuincy McGuire;

Ragley -- Elizabeth Jaycox, Cole Spooner;

Reeves – Kayla Rider;

Reno, Nevada – Olivia Marazzo

Roanoke, Virginia – Tessa Burse;

Robeline – Jessica Clark, Hunter Dubois, Cody Hamous, Alyssa Maley, Lillian Rachal, Caleb Wester;

Rowlett, Texas -- Daniel Miner.

St. Amant -- Kylie Nix;

St. Francisville – Jordan Bringedahl, Ryan Reed;

St. Martinville -- Alli Douet;

St. Rose -- Alexis Mancuso;

Salado, Texas -- Reagan Rogers;

Saline – Madelyn Cheatwood;

San Antonio, Texas – Hayden Brown;

Scott -- Sydni Larriviere, Kristie Leger, Kristen Prejean;

Seattle, Washington – Zeynab Inaimi;

Shreveport – Maria Awwad, Erin Batts, Maddison Benge, Hallie Bloxom, Jessica Bourne, Erin Brown, Rakeisha Brown, Kaysie Burgess, Kaylan Campbell, Kathryn Carroll, Kristen Ciconte, Abigail Davis, Jackson Driggers, Caleb Elkins, Jenna Fielder, David Fitzwater, Peyton Gamble, JaSae Gatlin, Leah Gould, Elaina Guerrero, Madyson Istre, Carly Johnson, Damion Johnson, Brett Kessel, Elysia Lanier, Alaina McMillian, Katherine Mckay, Maxey McSwain, Alexis Mason, Mary Murray, Kelly Moody, Aaron Navarre, Hannah Nicholls, Annabelle Parker, Michael Phelps, Taylor Poleman, Christopher Schimberg, Mary Sibley, Shelby Sowers, DeAndre Stevenson, Tim Whatley, Cara Wineinger;

Sibley -- Julianna Schober;

Simpson – David Marquis, Christina Snider;

Slidell -- Jacqueline Coleman, Shakera Dixon, Ayrianna Edwards, Parker Gwaltney, Kha Nguyen, Theresa Sharp, Olivia Warren;

Spring, Texas – Rebekah Wilson;

Springhill – Raegan Ferland;

Stinnett, Texas – Dalin Williams;

Stonewall -- Brooke Meade;

Sulphur – Tiffany Lyons, Bryttani MacNamara, Elisabeth Perez;

Sunset -- Lindsay Thibodeaux;

Texarkana, Texas – Sydney Cowgill;

The Woodlands, Texas -- Tyler Rapp;

Thibodaux – Sheridan Duet;

Tickfaw -- Colten Addison;

Trout – Zachary Long, Deanna Poole, Devon Smith;

Ventress – Racheal Gaude;

Vidalia – Charles Johnson;

Ville Platte – Alex Gautreaux;

Vinton – Kelsie Rayon, Madison Zaunbrecher;

Vivian -- Hannah Campbell, Steven McRae;

Winnsboro – Samantha Browning;

Walker – Johnny Brister, David Kolb, Brittany Marten;

Washington -- Madelyn Dupont;

West Monroe – Julianne Roan, Candyce Steele;

Westport, Kentucky -- Sara MinkTaylor;

White Castle – Cassidy Blanchard;

Whitehouse, Texas -- Jackson Allen;

Winnfield -- Tamierrea Alexander, Jermesia Anderson, John Collins, Simona Curry, Joshua Goins, Kayla Jones, Maggie Womack;

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada – Tyra Duma;

Winter Springs, Florida -- Justin Garretson;

Woodworth -- Christian Jeansonne;

Wylie, Texas -- Alexis Perry;

Youngsville -- Brandon Granger;

Zakopane, Poland -- Patrycja Polanska;

Zachary – Lydia Johnson;

Zwolle – Holly Laroux, Courtney McDaniel, Chyna Sepulvado.

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