#interactions ( lamon. )

[stillresolved]

“you’re allowed to need help sometimes.” - Wenzhe @ Lam 👀 (btw if this doesn't make sense, that would be in character for Wenzhe as well FKDLGJF)

@mythvoiced / more random dialogue prompts.

HE USED TO PRIDE HIMSELF on just that– being self-sufficient to the point that if he, of all the students in class, were asking for assistance, then the assignment at hand must truly be difficult. This mindset could easily be applied to other parts of his life. 

Why else would it sting still, needing Wenzhe’s help in this mess. Lamon huffs and rolls his eyes. “You think I don’t know that?” His right arm hangs limply like a rag doll. This time, the collateral in this sudden malfunctioning is a beaker with active yeast. Not exactly the kind of mess that they can leave lying around for an hour or two.

He squats down next to Wenzhe, who for all the energy the latter wastes like cars on exhaust fumes (in chemistry terms Lamon would liken him more to electrons repeatedly colliding and clashing off of one another), has taken to diligently sweeping the glass up into the dustpan. “You just wanted another reason to bug me, didn’t you? The janitor would’ve done it just fine. It’s his job.”

But at this point, they both know it wouldn’t have sat well with Lamon to leave it to the janitor. As the one who made said mess, it would only be fair that he cleans it up, wouldn’t it?

He has a feeling Wenzhe would probably have felt the same way, were he in Lamon’s shoes.

It’s funny, the way disability makes so called self-sufficiency seem like a pipe dream. What used to an aspect he lived and breathed in a mantra, is now a finish line that eludes him more often than not. These days, that feels more like an inconvenience than a dent on his pride.  

A very annoying inconvenience, considering the kind of help it seems to summon these days.

( But then again, isn’t PRIDE considered a sin too? )

“That’s enough,” Lamon says finally though. With his good arm, he lifts the dust pan, careful not to let the glass shard slip off the edge. The stench lingers as he gives Wenzhe a look– for all the cheeriness the other exudes, Lamon has a suspicion they’re probably not that much better at accepting assistance. It takes one to know one.

That, and anyone who gives advice usually struggles to follow said wisdom.

“What? It’s like you said, there’s nothing wrong with needing help.” Which means not letting Wenzhe do all the work. “It just means this is a two-person job then.”

#( answered. ) #answered ( lamon. ) #mythvoiced #mythvoiced ( wenzhe. ) #resurgam ( lamon. ) #( verse: cull the shame. ) #annnnnd here i am for u lenlen <3 #ooof i hope this works?? #it might be a bit of jump in logic of lam #seeing that maybe wenzhe isn't great at accepting help either.... just based on this interaction #i guess i would just think lam has seen wenzhe in previous interactions...so maybe that's where the assumption comes from #but if you'd like me to change anything here lmk <3 #CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THESE TWO MORE IN ACTION THO :DDDD

[fatewoven]

"i  know  i’m  sounding  crazy ."  @ofgentleresolve​  /  prompt.

"It doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” she amends. Surrounded by tall buildings and even taller lights, the view from the balcony isn’t at all bad either. Perched on the railing, hands busy with a can of something alcoholic and vaguely fruity, Iara takes another sip and stares out at the city from his apartment. “I think humans are meant to make lots of noise, Lamon. Yelling at the world doesn’t make you crazy... I’d say it’s more like you’re outspoken about your feelings that way.” Is she teasing? A little, but it’s rare to see Lamon relaxed enough to talk in this manner; casual and a few degrees more open about personal matters. “Wolves howl. You could do an impression of one.” Her grin flashes bright, feet swinging through the air. “It’s more fun than you think. And it makes you feel like you’re part of the world when things react to you. Like you’re not a ghost just letting life pass you by.” No number of gestures could get the point across, but she tries; fingers flying through vague shapes in hopes of articulating the feeling before she laughs at herself, loud and honest. “I’ll demonstrate, alright?” Cupping one hand over her mouth, Iara leans even further from the railing — and inhaling deep, vocals reverberating with the instinctual urge, she howls. Loud like her mirth, the notes ring through the streets before fading to the cacophony of cars and industry. Then, looking back at him, her grin turns goading, expectant. Give it a go, she implies — snorting into her drink when some pedestrians howl as well.

#ofgentleresolve #ofgentleresolve / lamon. #iara / interactions. #/ she's here to encourage fun habits #/ and letting go #/ i just think their friendship is neat and has lots of potential <3

[iosmoved]

SC   | | @ofgentleresolve​​. 

Haunting residences. What else is a cursed ghost supposed to do? Teo can't move on to the afterlife he has heard so much of ( mostly from the christian side of his family when his cheeks were still pink ) and continuing his life, going to school, interacting with his family and friends is off the table as well. They have buried him, for god's sake. Well, his vessel, anyway.

So he haunts. The brand-new victim being Lamon. Sliding cups and plates of a table, flashing lights on and off, letting water tap, opening fridge for no reason and keeping it open, relocating Lamon's necessary stuff all over the place. Just a small mischievous actions that full Teo's empty heart. Conjure up a smile or two.

At first, he has kept his form hidden. Invisible. Posing as a real ghost ( he is, though, is he not? Teo doesn't know certainly) then few days passed and there is not a bother to do that anymore. Very well visible, lounging on Lamon's couch as garbage is spread around him. Lamon's presence fully ignored. Is Lamon the ghost?

#ofgentleresolve #( teo interaction. ) #( im already laughing at lamon reading teo biology stuff pls #hope this is okay! )

[pararennial-archived]

🙌 🙌 🙌

you wanna have the super softest oc appraisal?

I love the cast of @ofgentleresolve, even though I know 2 of all the characters on that blog, I love the interactions between them and Roxy. Ferre has incredibly well written characters, and the ones that I got to write with are Yoojin and Lamon. I love Yoojin's character as a whole and the interesting lore behind his immortality. I'd love to explore his origin and backstory a little more. And I cannot forget about Lamon and Roxy, I love how he is both level-headed and bone-headed at the same time. He has a very compelling story to back it up, and I admire Ferre's ability to create dynamic characters that are so vibrant, but at the same time, honours subtlety in ways that it can still pack a punch at the right moments.

Another mutual whose OC I am also enamoured with is @shamsgoddess... we have yet to interact but I love Aurora as a character, and I am so intrigued with her backstory and the original lore behind her. There are so many themes to explore regarding her current circumstances, and I just love the sublime atmosphere in Rose's writing. And the way Aurora is written, she feels like a real person regardless of her divinity and otherworldly attributes.

And you, @destinybitten, admittedly we rarely cross paths on the dashboard but I had the pleasure of interacting with Ula. She is the only OC I could form an opinion around due to the aforementioned, but I find her story along with her sister's story to be truly compelling. There is a lot of depth to be explored with their family, and it's interesting being able to position Roxy as an outside observer. I would like to plot more with you, because Ula has so much potential for growth and I would love to see it!

#‵ *.: ⚘ :.*・❨ 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 ❩・ ⏤ until i wake ‚ i dine on old encounters. ′ #destinybitten #ofgentleresolve #shamsgoddess

[dvarapala]

CONNECTION ME ( uhhhh maybe with lam or patrick?? or really anyone you would want to interact with )

verses, plots, connections & hcs // @ofgentleresolve (lamon and patrick)

lamon:

CONNECTION ME      :        lamon and udyati talking about buddhism. lamon and udyati having an honest conversation about the school system and how much it sucks for people who don't fit, nice and neat, into all the little boxes. lamon and udyati talking about their respective scars.

patrick:

CONNECTION ME      :       talks about what makes a gentleman, or a polite young lady. "are you a detective? could you figure out why my dad left my amma and broke her heart? 'cause i can't seem to figure it out on my own."

mana:

CONNECTION ME      :        udyati knows aurora didi and tida jiju and doesn't mana know tida too? ;P i think that could be a fun thing to write out. i don't know where it would go, but i just think the shenanigans that would ensue could be really fun! :D

raphael:

CONNECTION ME      :        knives! he likes knives and (video and mobile) games! and, also, he's dutch. udyati is dutch too. finally someone who (potentially) understands the fact that writing and speaking the dutch language can be like pulling teeth! also, udyati does love food, does cook herself, and would love to be a taste-tester of sorts!

yoojin:

CONNECTION ME      :        a former brat who could hear the voices of the gods and who is now immortal, and a half alien who recently discovered she's immortal and are both people of faith? with similar interests? (cough games and mythology cough) i can very much see them become friends (even though yoojin is older than udyati by a lot!)

#ofgentleresolve #outofdoors

[notsobabblespace]

Tagged by @jungcinema! I think this may be the first time I've been tagged for a tag game. 😅

list the four songs you've been listening to the most lately

I actually haven't been listening to music recently (other than the nameless piano track loops in the black screen videos I pull up on YouTube to sleep to), so the last 4 songs I deliberately searched up or selected from options presented to listen to:

Imagine Dragons - Believer

sweetbox - REAL EMOTION

sweetbox - 1000 Words

Rise Against - The Numbers

Bonus! Song currently stuck in my head out of absolutely freakin' nowhere:

Lila McCann - I Wanna Fall in Love

list 10 songs that come on shuffle 🌸💕

First 5 songs from shuffle play of Liked Songs in Spotify plus first 5 from a radio playlist based on my Downloads playlist:

Rise Against - Lanterns

Stone Sour - Freeze Dry Seal

Linkin Park - POWERLESS (Enferno Mix)

Rammstein - Alter Mann

Linkin Park - Mark the Graves (Acapella)

Seether - Broken

Art Of Dying - Best I Can

Nothing More - Jenny

Sixx:A.M. - This Is Gonna Hurt

Black Veil Brides - Goodbye Agony

Bonus! First 5 songs in a shuffle of my Apple library, since many aren't (or weren't 🤔) on Spotify (preponderance of Gackt not really a surprise due to my purchase binge after realizing his entire back catalog, including songs not available on Spotify at the time, was there):

U2 - Sleep Like a Baby Tonight

GACKT - Lapis

GACKT - Farewell

Greg Bates - Did It for the Girl

GACKT - Blue (Piano Solo)

Figured I do my Amazon and Google libraries while I was at it, because why not?

Amazon:

Budapest Strings - Ave Maria

Jason Aldean - Any Ol' Barstool

Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra (Jeanne Lamon) - Arrival of the Queen of Sheba (from Solomon)

Rise Against - Awake Too Long

Kajiura Yuki - Awakening

Google:

Conway Twitty - I'd Just Love To Lay You Down

Eukaryotic Fury - What Came Before

Taylor Swift - Love Story

Chesterfield 4 - Phudz

Ted Nugent - Dog Eat Dog

Can't find the Eukaryotic Fury or Chesterfield 4 songs anywhere now for stream or purchase since the Google Music shutdown, but I guess they're basically techno instrumental? I might have downloaded copies before that transition, though, and I can look if there's interest.

personal soundtrack tagrules: open your spotify on-repeat and the first five songs are the soundtrack to your personal rom-com

Seether - Broken (feat. Amy Lee)

Theory of a Deadman - Angel

Breaking Benjamin - The Diary of Jane (Single Version)

Alter Bridge - Addicted To Pain

Sam Tinnesz - Man or a Monster (feat. Zayde Wølfe)

Not a lot of com in that rom-com! 🤣

Don't really have anyone to tag, so just tagging people I've had (somewhat) recent interactions with (absolutely no pressure!): @mojoflower @gladnisfangamer @rosethornewrites @sweetlittlevampire

(Song in my head has changed to BoA - Every Heart.)

#music #song stuck in my head #tag game #spotify

[allhallowsreid]

just lots and lots of very long-winded, random thoughts about last night’s finale and the show itself...

so obvs no one has to agree with me on any of this, i just feel like there likely ARE ppl who feel like this and it’s easy to get shut down on tumblr for having different opinions, and i mostly just need to gather my feelings and thoughts in one place.

-ive seen a handful of ppl upset that the last ep centered around reid, but if you were to take 10 fans of this show, it’s a pretty good chance that 8 or 9 of them would say reid is their fave character. that isn’t me trying to insult any of the other characters, that’s just the way it is. whether it’s bc of his looks (and my lord was he gorgeous in this finale ep), or that he’s your typical cute white boi, or more organic reasons like he’s been there since day 1 and we were able to watch him change and grow, and he’s the opposite of the typical male characters we often see, especially on cop shows.. whatever the reason, he is a VERY popular tv character. and if it weren’t for that character, for better or worse, this show would have ended a long time ago.

-the ending itself.. i just feel like i don’t know what ppl were expecting?? this is not a show like supernatural or dexter or a show that has had a fluent overarching story to tell from start to finish. the story continues without us watching it. it’s another day at the office for them. was it a great ending? no, but it was fine. we see where all of them are headed. endings are so difficult, i’m just glad they didn’t kill anyone off or some garbage like that.

-so damn happy they hooked up luke and garcia. i have had such issues with garcia’s character since morgan left, i feel like she became a caricature, where she just overacts and i recently read an article with kirsten where she actually admitted that when shemar left she really didn’t know what to do with her character anymore. honestly? it showed. the obnoxiousness to luke was cute at first bc she obviously had a crush on him, but then it just became mean and out of character. this season i was happy to see her get a little bit more back to herself. all this being said, they were very clearly headed towards getting luke and garcia together this season with the overt flirting and one on one convo’s, i’m so glad they went through with it instead of leaving it open ended. and i will admit that of all the characters, i didn’t think garcia would be the one to leave, but it made sense. garcia is tough as hell, much tougher than she gives herself credit for, but like luke said, she can do this other job without the gore that she cringes over in literally every single episode of the show. also loved jj saying garcia was the glue of the team. so true, so well said. and side note, kirsten does a hell of a job writing these characters that she knows all too well, the other writers should’ve just let her take over in later seasons.

-prentiss... i love my emily so dang much, but man they give her the absolute worst dialogue. she gets stuck with all these long sentences that just.. they just don’t flow?? and it takes me out of the show so often. this has been since s12 when she became unit chief. there has been a handful of times since she became the boss that we have had flashes of old school smartass goth girl emily, and i cherished each moment, but it wasn’t enough. somewhere along the way they forgot how to write into the show that their characters had PERSONALITY. just as an example of the stupid dialogue she gets.. the end of the ep where it’s intended to look like rossi’s retirement party. then, idk who it was, emilys boyfriend maybe(?) says some dumb comment about oh gee i thought this was dave’s retirement! and then emily starts some awkwardly long line that could’ve been summed up in “dave decided not to retire afterall” and it was just soooo... weird?!!? if we are agreeing that A MONTH has gone by.. you are to tell me that it never once came up that dave said he was gonna retire and then changed his mind!??! that night, one month later, is the first that this discussion occurred!!?!?! and all of these dumb lines come out sounding so robotic, and i can’t blame paget, bc the lines are boring as hell. also unless i missed something i can’t rule emily out of being the next director, especially since their profile ended up being correct, lynch and the mom didn’t kill themselves, so i’m sure when that all came out, the next hurdle emily would have to clear is how they just blew up their very expensive jet right after having a budget meeting 2 episodes ago!!

- i’m gonna lump the newer characters together.. and just say that it was all too little, too late. they tried to give matt and luke more this season, and the ep’s centered on them were great, but it all felt forced to me. all this character development should’ve started as soon as they came onto the show. the relationships between the new and original characters also feels forced a lot of times, barring relationships like rossi and his boys, luke and garcia, tara and emily.. i mean that’s kind of all, right? we never saw much off-the-job, personal interactions between them and the rest of the characters, did we? and the way tara was treated on this show is inexcusable. aisha’s talents were so underused on this show it was criminal (pun intended). and actually, the above stuff i said about emily getting nonsense dialogue, you can throw matt in there too. his dialogue was friggin god awful at times on this show. in the words of early seasons reid, maybe try to be more conversational, writers!!

-man oh man was jj a badass and a half in this finale. tbh i always enjoyed liaison jj more than ssa jj, but when badass jj comes out i get all excited. i do feel like she would be the best fit to take over if emily left, she’d stepped into that role before and excelled. but she is another character that at times i think the writers just forgot how to write her personality somewhere along the way. i understand that the reality is that people change over time, but there were times that she was written like a typical high school mean girl, and that was just an insult to the character they created. the whole jeid thing was severely overblown and unnecessary. i don’t hate the idea of them being together, but why wait til s14-15 to deal with this? in the end i thought it was handled okay, i personally didn’t feel like it ruined their friendship or stayed awkward, which i appreciated, it was just a storyline that wasn’t needed and wasted time. also, ppl griping about “oh but she clearly loves will, if she loves spencer then she can’t love will!” i mean, actually, ppl are capable of loving more than one person at a time, hate to burst that bubble for ya.

-this seems like a good moment though to pause and just get this out about will lamon-fuckin-tagne jr... this guy is too good for jj lol, i am sorry but he is such a great guy. and can we review some things about will and his wife’s bestest friend, godfather to his children, spencer reid?? when will and spencer first met, it was during an unbelievably personal case to will, i mean his father died sending him a message about this case that the fbi was called in on. and his first intro with reid?? let’s see, reid spent that ep strung out on drugs, and full on abandoning the case to go hang out with his friend at a club/bar/lounge/whatever. ok, so that’s will’s first impression of jj’s bestie, and will STILL okay’d him being the godfather of his kids. not to mention, can you imagine your wife has been gone in the damn middle east for who even knows how long, then when she finally gets back and you think you’re gonna have her to yourself, but oh no, here comes jj’s friggin bestie again to come cry on the couch every night for several weeks!!!! and he gives zero indication of not liking spencer, in fact he seems rather fond of him. will is the most patient man ever, i swear.

-ok that was an unexpected side track. moving onto rossi. not sure why they were all like oh pfft this guy will never retire. the dude literally retired before the show started lol. if he retired once, when he was fairly young, why is the idea of it happening again so impossible? again, dumb dialogue. i loved the stuff with him and young gideon (i may be biased tho bc i’m just so damn proud of ben savage), i loved that rossi knew more about the jet than the others, however that was an inconsistency bc when rossi came back from retirement, he couldn’t believe the bau had its own jet. unless i just misunderstood what emily meant when she said it all started with rossi and gideon. i felt like lynch was a very underwhelming villain. super forgettable. there was no charisma like foyet or cat adams, there was no creep factor like mr scratch, there was no mystery like the replicator or the fisher king. his whole story just fell flat, and if there were anything interesting about him whatsoever, it’s bc of what rossi brought to the table, not the “chameleon”.

-my boy reid. he has several lifetimes of baggage to unpack, and i think of all the characters on this show, no one hates unpacking their trauma more than reid. i feel like it was so relatable that he could barely speak in this ep without sounding on the verge of tears, like every sentence was painful to even get out bc of how much hurt is stored up inside him. his trauma has defined him for years now, and if they had ended the show without addressing even some of it, the show would’ve been incomplete. i understand that actors schedules just don’t work out sometimes, but idk what the point was of having strauss and foyet be his devil and angel. and foyet’s long explanation of how bc he changed hotch, he changed the team was so convoluted that he may as well have just said “they couldn’t get james van der beek or the dude who played mr scratch, so im here instead”. i liked what they did with reid and maeve, and i actually don’t mind that there was no mention of max. they’re still very early in their relationship, and i feel like him coming out with some “wait i think i love max!” revelation would just be too fast and ooc. we already know that the relationship between them is growing, it doesn’t need to be said. and can i get an amen that maeve and reid didn’t kiss bc god that would’ve been weird as hell.

- i hate that we couldn’t have hotch or morgan or blake or elle or any of the main characters that helped make this show what it was, but i’m still grateful for the crumbs they gave us if the actors just couldn’t be booked for whatever reason. i’ve seen many shows at their end just try to pretend their previous characters never existed, so that we got some flashbacks with them was appreciated.

- RIP bau jet. i wiiiill reMEMber youuuuuuu.

-the song choice of david bowie’s Heroes was perfection. strangely, when i was driving home from work yesterday that song came on my playlist and i blasted it on repeat and performed a car concert for my fellow drivers on the road, and thought to myself that this song would be great for cm to end on. never thought they would actually do it since they had previously used the song in penelope’s ep. but what a great scene of all them dancing and singing and laughing like the bunch of nerdy idiots they are.

-i came late into the game with this show. ppl have been telling me for years to watch it and i only picked up watching in s13, after i read a spn/cm crossover fic and became super curious about who all these awesome characters were. with that said, i’m aware that since i haven’t invested years of my life in this show, that my feelings and thoughts about the ending will be different than those who have been hooked on this show for over a decade. i’m still just so thankful for the family portrayed by this show, and these characters i fell in love with, and episodes i’ll never forget.

#text posts #series finale #thx for reading if u took the time to do so :-) #criminal minds

[aion-rsa]

All American Season 3 Episode 1 Review: Seasons Pass

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This All American review contains spoilers.

All American Season 3, Episode 1

It’s senior year for our Beverly Hills and Crenshaw friends and that means the summer before senior year, something always has to happen to spice up the new school year. Right? After that All American Season 2 cliffhanger, my mind is going to the most obvious guess of what could have happened over the summer between Spencer (Daniel Ezra) and Olivia (Samantha Logan). But, we’ll get back to that in a bit…

When we pick back up with him in Season 3, Spencer is no longer a student at Beverly because he wants to give back to the school and community that built him, even if it means having to leave behind his team at Beverly, taking Billy (Taye Diggs)  with him. The dynamic is reminiscent of the first season when Spencer was the new kid in town, Jordan (Michael Evans Behling) feels like Spencer stole his dad.. This time, however, it’s totally different as Billy chose to resign and to follow Spencer to Crenshaw.

How will Spencer’s return to his original school (and its football team) affect the show? Is the rivalry between Crenshaw High and Beverly going to get more intense? We shall see what’s in store, but it’s a smart narrative choice to send Spencer back to Creshaw and, as a viewer, it’s hard not to support the teenager in wanting to return and wanting his coach there with him for the transition. That first punch Jordan threw at him was so uncalled for and I hate seeing them get into altercations. Spencer mentions how after all they have been through, “not once did they put their hands on each other” and was disappointed that it had to happen now. I really hope another fight between them doesn’t happen again.

Meanwhile, at Crenshaw High, we see Billy and Grace (Karimah Westbrook) in the hallways, at their own stomping ground and seeing their interactions have always felt gentle and kind, with a lot of history behind it as well. Hopefully, their kindred friendship stays platonic and heads nowhere to romance because they are perfectly fine as is and at least this viewer wouldn’t want to see that relationship become a potential roadblock to Olivia and Spencer (if they were to finally explore them as a couple). I’m just sayin.

During their time on campus, Billy and Grace run into the Superintendent D’Angelo Carter (Lamon Archey), aka the person behind the plan to turn Crenshaw into a magnet school. We not only realize that Carter has ties to the school, but that he used to be bullied by Billy and his teammates when they were teens and had to transfer freshman year. Yikes. The moment when the kid you used to bully comes back at a higher position than you and won’t forget it is an awkward encounter. He has every right to have resentment. D’Angelo is already intent on not making the football team be a thing at Crenshaw and to make things harder for Billy and his new team, he reveals that he raised the GPA requirement of all athletic participation to make the school become a strong magnet school rather than an athletic-focused one. Now that’s what you call revenge.

Speaking of revenge, who thought Tyrone’s sister was out to seek it once she made her presence known in the Season 2 finale? I know I did and I was not looking forward to what would come of that and how she’d go after Coop (Bre-Z), even though she wasn’t the one that actually killed Tyrone. She’s a fancy lawyer now but I hope she knew he got what was coming for him eventually. She can’t really be mad about that. I mean, yeah she can be, because that’s her brother, but he was a guy that terrorized the community and had Shawn killed. She got Preach (Kareem J. Grimes) out of prison to make amends. I hope she stays on her word and wants to make amends. I got my eye on her, though. It seems unlikely that the show would introduce us to her so easily and have her disappear just like that without causing some drama.

On the other side of town, Simone (Geffri Maya) finally had her baby and gave it up for adoption really quick. That takes quite the strength and resilience to do, especially when she decides not to look at her child before giving it away. It also makes sense, because in a way it helps them make the separation slightly easier. I am impressed by the way Jordan has been with her this whole time. Loving her and loving her baby all this time. I still find it hard to connect with Simone and I can’t seem to see the chemistry between those two.

Also, can we talk about Simone’s dad? He was chatting it up with the adoptive father and figured out they named him “Shay.” My initial guess once he found out that baby was Simone’s was that he was going to find a way to sabotage the adoption, but my guess was wrong. Maybe after learning his name and her dad showing her a picture of him that he snagged, she might even have second thoughts? That leaves a lot on the table. Her character is in the works of a getting a spin-off show!

But anyway, let’s get back to Olivia and Spencer. What happened?! We know Spencer and Layla (Greta Onieogou) hooked up in Vegas and shared a kiss in this premiere. I thought we wrapped things up with those two. Call me a restless shipper, but the chemistry and tension between Olivia and Spencer in this premiere was off the chain. It always has been, but now it’s just intensified. Something went down that summer and that something looks intense and I want more. You could tell the slight jealousy coming out of Olivia when she saw Spencer and Layla together at the cafe.  All I know is that the angst is real.

Additional thoughts.

Patience (Chelsea Tavares) has something to spill and I wanna know what it is!

That flashback of Billy and his mother when he was a kid tugged at the heartstrings.

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I’m here for Layla and Coop’s friendship

The post All American Season 3 Episode 1 Review: Seasons Pass appeared first on Den of Geek.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

[schwinns2ndlaw]

listening through a new brain (2015)

prologue: frogs have so much spring:

homeless lady/grace singing in the prologue reminds me about how she, being homeless and really having nothing, ties together this theme of mortality, and life’s strangeness, and being grateful for what you have despite the circumstances.

gordon hasn’t “finish[ed] one song,” so i wonder how long he’s been employed with mr bungee

rhoda and gordon’s bickering/conversation feels really familiar between them. i wonder how long they’ve been friends; i hope since college,,, i have a lot of love for rhoda being the pillar of Work Ethic and advice and support and being a little bit bossy

prologue: 911 emergency/i have so many songs:

from the second song bill finn sets up a picture of normal gay culture (ex: the reality of having to worry about hiv, “mr bungee’s homophobic”) and i have so much love for how candid and unapologetic he is about telling lgbt stories. he is gay and jewish and goddamn his work is gay and jewish and that’s beautiful

heart and music:

i love what they did with the transition from i have so many songs to heart and music with the pulse ox.

also i gotta love the classic bill finn rhyme of horses & divorces. fucking iconic

one thing here that distinguishes anb from his other works, is, i think, how the songs are structured as an album. though falsettos and a new brain are both sung through, a new brain’s core songs are much more apparent, the first of which being heart and music. also bc they’re the only ones on the obc album but still. it’s interesting to see how he handles transition songs in a new brain. imo, the transitions in anb are weaker than his other shows: falsettos is more continuous, and 25th annual putnam county spelling bee has a different format (there’s dialogue), plus has transitions for comedic purposes (the goodbye songs)

mother’s gonna make things fine:

mother’s gonna make things fine has a manic comedic quality to it and ana gasteyer pulls it off really well. i esp like her blocking for that part

trouble in his brain:

“the invincibility of gordon michael schwinn” is a really interesting line to me. mimi and rhoda both say it — it’s a well known thing among those who know gordon. i wonder if this ties into gordon’s well-known desire to have a [musical] legacy or if it’s applied to other parts of his life?

be polite to everyone:

be polite to everyone is kind of a jam for a hallucination. i like jonathan groff’s acting choices in it (in the boot) that further clarify that he’s hallucinating because im dumb and found anb at like 1am a while back and didn’t get things at first. i just… accepted that mr bungee was there tbh

i’d rather be sailing:

the instrumentals in i’d rather be sailing are so soothing. it’s 11pm and aaron lazar is singing me a lullaby and all is right in the world. god, what charming, gorgeous voice, and what stellar execution. i have such a soft spot for aaron lazar after his performance in a new brain; it’s a charming role and he pulls it off with such decorum and sincerity. also i just fucking love roger. okay i was going to analyze this bit but it’s just a really sweet love song and i sometimes think about how this is the closest thing that william finn has written to a love song for his partner, and like,,, Y’all I Love This Song

(also. the piano [though it’s not marked as a specific dynamic in the sheet music] high note he sings at the end is stellar.)

family history:

family history is honestly really funny. that’s all

gordo’s law of genetics:

i love the slight changes to this arrangement in the revival recording but i will not rest until “why is the smart son always the gay son?” “schwinn’s second law” is put back in the recording. i wonder why they cut that?

also the blocking in this part is super cute i love the rolling chair and jonathan’s conducting and “air drums”

and they’re off:

i binge listened to and they’re off and then set it as my alarm and now I’m a little tired of it and that makes me sad :’(

STILL it’s a BOP and  i love the rhyming in it and everyone sounds so good. this song is overlooked in its exposition of mimi; it gives insight to the circumstances that shaped her as a person. and they’re off gives an explanation behind her anger at gordon’s fatalistic behavior

last note for and they’re off: groff’s vocals are great here - i can feel the love he has for this song and this score

roger arrives:

i love roger arrives for all of the character dynamics it brings

roger is: -loved by all (“hallelujah” - mimi, which, like, same) -looking fit -damned appropriate -a strong emotional pillar -a dreamboat, and that’s the tea!

roger and gordon’s first irl interaction is so comical and quirky and real. i’m a little peeved they omitted rogers “no” (and a few other phrases from the performance) in response to gordon asking if he left after he found out. the first time i listened through i thought roger might’ve actual left afterwards and was ready to throw hands

roger rolls with gordon’s insanity with such stride and :’)

the whole “he looks good”/“he looks pale”/“he looks better” showcases everyone’s different outlooks on the situation and god knows i live for characterization through song

ROGER’S LITTLE STINT/IMPLICATION IN “GO GET DINNER. ROGER HAS ARRIVED” IS FUNNY HONESTLY. there was a youtube performance i watched where the roger - idr which video - emphasized this joke more. it was hilarious and i wish aaron lazar had leaned into that a bit

just go:

i love how unique roger and gordon’s dynamic is. it feels quirky and unique and real and honestly. also the two get some gorgeous melodic lines and harmonies

“sometimes when you talk, i feel so damn woozy” roger wins at romance

tl;dr gordon: you will get these hands if you stay roger: love you too

mri tomorrow:

LET ME JUST TALK ABOUT “time to go to sleep. you’ll be brave as zorro” I HAVE NO IDEA WHETHER BILL FINN USED ZORRO AS A DESPERATE RHYME (PROBABLY) BUT I LOVE THE IDEA THAT ROGER IS AN OLD SCHOOL COMICS NERD

also in the boot, gordon just gives roger a /look/ after saying this and i love it. he probably uses outdated phrases of speech too

poor, unsuccessful, and fat:

JOSH LAMON IS A COMEDIC FORCE

“my sister is a receptionist” bill finn. where is gordon’s sister? what is she doing (besides being a receiptionist)? her brother’s in the hospital c’mon

“thank you for coming/ thank you for going” another example of this sort of underhanded humor. i like the sort of theme around Visitors in the hospital room and the people you surround yourself with in crisis

sitting becalmed in the lee of cuttyhunk:

sitting becalmed in the lee in the lee in the lee in the lee in the lee in the lee in the lee in the lee in the lee in the lee in the lee in the lee in the lee in 

i desperately need someone to make an edit where “in the lee” never ends it’d be so unsatisfying and i’d love it

“oh yeah fuck it i hate the sun” jonathan groff does a really good job of portraying sarcastic characters,, this role suits him so well

HOW MUCH COMPLAINING DO YOU THINK ROGER HEARS ON THE DAILY THOUGH

“we got the picture” “i get the picture!/that wasn’t bad at all” i actually like this though??? like the first inklings of gordon’s epiphany at the end & him valuing life for what it is

this cast all has such great voices

crainiotomy:

I LOVE THAT FUN HOME WAS THE SHOW THE DOCTOR WENT TO IN THE REVIVAL. MY LESBIAN ASS IS SO HAPPY ALSO HOW OLD ARE THE DOCTOR’S KIDS IF THEY’RE SEEING CHICAGO

an invitation to sleep in my arms:

one of my favorite songs on the album.

the orchestrations behind it are really soothing and there are the most gorgeous harmonies at 2:27. desperately need someone to duet this with

whenever “mr music” is mentioned i think of like some 7 year old running around in a magician’s hat using a magic wand as a conductor’s stick

rhoda means so well

“i get distracted so damn easily” cut to gordon not being able to write a note of a song as soon as roger walks in. also cut to gordon forgetting what he was supposed to be writing also imo gordon probably has adhd 

give roger and gordon more duets, or at least treasure the ones they get… that’s all i ask

ALSO I LOVE HOW FAMILY ORIENTED MIMI IS, like she is such an advocate for the belief that life is worth living and worth treasuring the important people in your life

also, the interactions between rhoda and mimi are some of my favorite

change:

such a good solo for high voices??? super fun and belty

i love that bill finn writes women just as dimensional as his other characters (though i wish he wrote more female-headed works i suppose. that’s just a hope of mine in general though)

the yes song:

the yes song takes me on like 7 different emotional arcs

“or when someone says “would you like to lose  your virginity”/someone with whom you have no affinity” sondheim is SHAKING

“yes i will go to my grandparents to israel” is a line that can only really be appreciated by watching it goddamn

WHERE IS HIS SON??????

in the middle of the room (part i):

sometimes i think about how jonathan groff got into a car accident during the lyric “and i’m waiting for a car to come along and kill me”…. like how ICONIC???

ana sounds so concerned and on the border of falling apart in the recording i love talent

throw it out:

throw it out is a really versatile song,, like the tenderness at the beginning, the later comedic aspect of mimi desperately trying to find something to blame for gordon’s illness.

“‘HOW TO MEET A SAILOR’ GOOD SON” IM GENUINELY CRYING WITH LAUGHTER IG WE ALL KNOW HOW ROGER AND GORDON MET I LOVE A LYRIC

in the middle of the room (part ii)

this bit is so frantic. also it scared the shit out of me in the production when they brought out that drill oh my god

a really lousy day in the universe:

HEY THIS IS ILLEGAL ESP IN THE BOOT HE LOOKS LIKE HE’S ABOUT TO CRY 

that aside, it’s a very pretty song

also, the fact that a new brain is partially autobiographical is wild??? like, bill finn’s partner had a therapy session with a homeless lady. what a wild conversation to relay back to him tbh

brain dead:

more commonly known as the resident banger of the anb ost

i don’t have a ton to say about this but lesbians (myself) do love a song that slaps

jonathan groff NAILS the phrase “what i am” it’s Gorgeous

the music still plays on:

mimi is such an incredible character don’t sleep on her wtfff

i think that the music still plays on gives a really interesting perspective both into mimi’s life, especially with the lines, “i was brash; i was bold,” and “married too young, and divorced far too old”

“the music still plays on… as my men depart” i think this line is interesting in that it emphasizes that mimi doesn’t want to be left alone. her divorce really affected her — it’s mentioned several times and she’s regretful. and right after it she feels stupid for feeling vulnerable. we see that later in the song, and the theme shifts into moving on, as the music (& life) still plays on

don’t give in:

hey so don’t give in is so fucking cursed both because of the beginning and jonathan groff mumbling “spaghetti”

you boys are gonna get me in such trouble:

RICH IS UHHH UNDERRATED

love the sound effects

title is Too Fucking Long

i’d rather be sailing (reprise):

“i choose to live” is such a powerful statement. it actually reminds me of the foreward to one of our choral pieces, named after the poem “invictus”

the lyrics “i am the master of my fate. i am the captain of my soul" from “invictus”, and the remark “just as death is inevitable, so is life” remind me so strongly of this reprise

the homeless lady’s revenge:

“i feel about eight”/ “don’t hyperventilate out on the street, normal, lively, and sweet” i love A Dynamic

“the life is wonderful”s are so nice… their voices blend so nicely

“half these books with my name on the cover”/“some with the name of your lover” i can’t believe mimi threw out ROGER’s books too oh my god. also a shared library…. sweet

roger’s attempt to persuade grace is very charming and her reaction is priceless and i love it so much. grace is such a chaotic force (insert prayer hands emoji x100)

also gordon’s “what!?”

the vocal arrangements in this is really nice in that everyone has in character, funny reactions, but the song still has lovely melodies and still feels like a song, not a filler. william finn really out here writing conversational theater at its peak. i definitely like these songs of his (like roger arrives, an invitation) because they don’t really get old and are so full of character

time:

“i give you time to value what you’ve found”

also let roger say “my love” not “my friend” oh my godddd

time and music:

yet again, a new brain showcases the beauty that is jonathan groff’s and aaron lazar’s vocal blend

and wow the vocal arrangements during the last half of time and music! holy shit! and it doesn’t even let up during the end of i feel so much spring!

i love the end of this show; its message is so hopeful honest

tl;dr listen to a new brain and talk to me about anb i have so many thoughts

#a new brain #william finn #musicals #jonathan groff #anb #mine #nobody asked for this but here i am.... desperate for anb content so im making it myself

[stillresolved]

continued from here. / @wellfell

There are always regrets to be carried. Look the past in the eye for long enough, the pile of regrets will not only grow, but most surely like a cup filled to the brim, it will overflow. And Lamon, although he seldom admits it, is overflowing with regrets. If it is not the person who now sleeps comatose in a hospital tucked into one corner of the world, then it is Robin who tells him it’s his fault, it’s his fault, everything has always been and will always be his fault– there are so many that at a certain point, he becomes numb to it all. 

Perhaps it is heartless on his end. It’s his fault anyways so how he feels about it is irrelevant.

This one, however, it stings like a bee sting, even if it’s not meant to be accusatory. If Akina wanted to accuse him of something, she would have done so already. Refreshing isn’t the only taste asperity can bring in.

He tears his eyes away from the sea, looking at her. “I didn’t realize you felt that way back then.” I wish you told me, he should say. No, I wish I realized sooner. No point in taking on or shoving off the weight of the past, is there? “I didn’t hate them either; going to them was my best chance at finding you.” Seeing her, to be exact, without hackling on Robin’s hair tightening nerves. No one would think twice about him almost exclusively hanging out with Akina or about Akina not getting in on the action for once if everyone else was already hooking up with someone else or drunk out of their minds. In Robin’s case it was both.

Her hair, long, black and always shining whether it’s immaculately placed or tousled,  makes a curtain as both the sea and her confession roars between them. Was this what she’s been thinking about the whole time? Is this what Akina thought about this entire time when she looks at him? No this shouldn’t be surprising in the least. If anything, it’s what he’s known this entire time– what his younger self was too cowardly to confirm himself.

But he’s not that person anymore. And the Lamon of now doesn’t try to shy away from the guilt that accompanies the truth either. 

“You’re wrong about that– me not liking to spend time with you.” He says, quietly, unsurely too. Maybe the sea should drown out his voice. It sounds like a bunch of excuses coming from him. “I liked being around you back then, more so than anyone else. I still do. But back then, I just…Robin, she–” He stops himself. No, this isn’t about Robin. Or about what she made him do because at the end of the day, he did it. He lets go of Akina’s hand and tucks the thick matte of her hair behind her ear. “I wasn’t able to decide for myself what I wanted and who I wanted to be around. Robin knew that and made the decision for me. You ended up hurt because of that– my indecision. I ended up hurting you.” 

He bows his head. The sea breeze blows between them. His stomach sinks, an anchor dropped into the bottomless waters. “I’m sorry, Akina.”

#wellfell #resurgam ( lamon. ) #( interactions. ) #interactions ( lamon. ) #( verse: cull the shame. ) #HAHAHAHAHA *cries* #is this a...confession 👀👀👀 #also nassy i know ur birthday was this week #so uh...HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!!! #i hope it was a good one <3

[werisetolegalize]

The NY Medical Marijuana Industry is a creature of institutional racism. Sign the petition at http://WeRise420.org Forbes article: Will New York Fix Medical Marijuana Before Rushing To Legalization?  https://www.forbes.com/sites/chrisroberts/2020/05/29/will-new-york-fix-medical-marijuana-before-rushing-to-legalization-maybe-not/#7f92849f4e5c NYS Gov. Cuomo, We can’t breathe and it ain’t from smoking weed! - We Rise to Legalize "The NY Medical Marijuana Industry is a creature of institutional racism. In 2014 NYS birthed a sick program where vulnerable New Yorkers living in areas impacted by the War on Drugs were given an ultimatum: (1) pay exorbitant prices for medicine; (2) use deadly substitutes like opioids; or (3) go to the black market & risk unwanted interactions with the police that historically brutalize us for possession. Recent decriminalization laws and prosecutors claiming they won’t prosecute is meaningless. NYPD has arrested more people per capita for marijuana than any where else in the world. NYPD just made national headlines for brutally subduing negroes for smoking marijuana. NYGovCuomo we can’t breath and ain’t from smoking weed!" - Lamon Bland, We Rise to Legalize Interested in learning more about the We Rise to Legalize movement? Go here to learn more our fight for to ensure legalization is fair, equitable, and undo the some of the damage the WOD has inflicted on Brown and Black communities throughout the country. http://WeRisetoLegalize.org Let's take the relationship further and be friends on social. Connect with We Rise to Legalize: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/werisetolegalize Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/werisetolegalize Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/risetolegalize "Cannabis Legalization is an important step in undoing unjust and racist policies. But it has to be done right." - Maya Templer (at The White House) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBDlT1wBZLL/?igshid=njnhkns7b5yn

#7f92849f4e5c

[ofgentleresolve-a]

@fatewoven​ liked for a oneliner short starter with lam!

“Before you ask, yes, I’ve been taking my pain meds. And the other ones too.” He has it all written out in his planner, which is conveniently also tucked into his bag right now. And then he sighs. “...I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have started with that. You’re just here to admire the artwork, right?”

#fatewoven #( verse: not that person anymore. ) #( threads: lamon. ) #worlds that are drawn to each other ( interactions. ) #hello!! i went with iara if that's okay with you? #also pls tell me if this works for you if not i'm more than happy to change it!! #thank you so much for liking!! #i went with maybe iara is his doctor??

[pmacblog]

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[pararennial-archived]

I follow you because you’re like a breath of fresh air on my dashboard. You’re upfront about your opinions and about who are you are- thats not something I see a lot here. But also!! Roxy is wonderful to read and interact with- she’s a balanced character with a well-thought out character arc and world around her ☺️ please keep writing her for as long as she brings you happiness chilla 💕

baby, tell me now how you love me noooooooow!~

AAAAH, FERRE!

Thank you so much, Roxy is literally my magnum opus and the child who is permitted to live rent-free in my head. This really means a lot to hear all of this, because lately I have been getting sick of myself and I've been wondering if people are feeling the same I honestly don't blame them if they do dfndkjsafnjksadnfj

I'm glad I met you a while back and got to interact with you and some of your characters! They are so fantastic and your writing is top notch! And I just love how you have range with your muses, I'd love Roxy to meet all of them if that's possible! I'm looking forward to Yoojin and Lamon bonding with Roxy because right now, I can tell their future interactions are gonna be so entertaining down the road!

@ofgentleresolve

#ofgentleresolve #‵ *.: ⚘ :.*・❨ 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 ❩・ ⏤ until i wake ‚ i dine on old encounters. ′

[maxwellyjordan]

Empirical SCOTUS: Don’t cite me like that

An interesting debate was reignited by Chief Justice John Roberts’ majority opinion in Minnesota Voter’s Alliance v. Mansky. This debate surrounds the effect, if any, of oral argument on the justices’ decisions. Here is one of the sections from Roberts’ majority opinion in that case that refers to the oral argument.

In this example, as with many of the instances in which justices cite oral-argument transcripts, the authoring justice used the interaction to expose a weakness in a party’s argument. Roberts refers to the portion of the proceedings when several of the justices, most notably Justice Samuel Alito, engaged the respondents’ attorney Daniel Rogan about the extent of the apparel ban under the statute.

Looking back at the oral-argument transcript, Alito seemingly caught the attorney in a trap in which an affirmative response, although appropriate, could lead the court to conclude that the state statute was too broad to pass constitutional muster. This raises the question of whether the oral argument led to the petitioners’ victory in the case (I looked at a related question in separate post.). Without information on the justices’ deliberations, such as a justice’s personal papers, it is nearly impossible to answer this question with any degree of certainty. Still, both the specifics of this case and Supreme Court cases generally say a lot about the importance of oral argument.

Although not conclusive, the justices’ decisions about when and how much to speak at oral argument are often indicative of their voting positions. In Mansky, the order and amount of speaking looked like this during the petitioners’ turn:

Click graph to enlarge.

And like this during the respondents’ turn:

Click graph to enlarge.

By breaking these figures down to their composite numbers, it becomes clear that Alito, Roberts and Justices Neil Gorsuch and Stephen Breyer spoke more during the respondents’ turn. Speaking more to one side is often correlated with voting against that side, and although Justice Clarence Thomas did not speak at oral argument, he generally agrees with coalitions that include Roberts, Alito and Gorsuch. This leads to the question of whether the oral argument in Mansky helped move Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Anthony Kennedy and Elena Kagan to the majority. I will return to this question toward the end of the post.

The justices cited oral-argument transcripts in 69 distinct instances in opinions this term (Multiple citations in one place were treated as one instance.). The case breakdown of where these cites appeared is as follows:

Click graph to enlarge.

Roberts’ opinion in Mansky, the case with the most cites to the oral argument, mainly used the transcript to oppose the position of the party/attorney involved in the cited segment of the argument. When grouped together into themes, other reasons for citations to oral-argument transcripts this term aside from opposing a particular position include describing when a party conceded a position, explaining the government’s stance on an issue, explaining the relevant law, detailing a party’s position and explaining or illustrating the justice’s point.

Each of these types is easily identifiable. Here is an example of a citation to a concession from Alito’s dissent in Collins v. Virginia:

In this instance, Alito merely cited the oral-argument transcript to show that neither party disputed his assertion. Although the justices may use these kinds of points to support their views in a case, such citations have the initial appearance of neutrality.

Arguments were also cited to explain the government’s positions, as in Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s opinion in Jesner v. Arab Bank, PLC:

The federal government’s position on issues is generally shown deference even if is not adopted by the Supreme Court. The regard the justices tend to pay to statements from the federal government’s attorneys shows that their arguments are at least cursorily examined, as they were here.

Oral arguments may also be used as a tool to explain the law. The following is an example from Justice Elena Kagan’s majority opinion in Sessions v. Dimaya:

The oral-argument transcript in this instance is used as a tool of statutory interpretation. In such a situation, oral arguments may have a neutral application or they may be used to show why a particular view of a law’s meaning is superior to another.

Oral arguments may also be used to lay out specific facts. When this is the purpose of the citation, the justices may look for facts that are particularly favorable to their positions. Below is an example from Kennedy’s majority opinion in Lozman v. Riviera Beach.

The scenario as Kennedy described it included specific details, like the number of times Fane Lozman attended the city-council sessions. In this way, Kennedy set the stage for various interpretations of what Lozman’s regular attendance implies or, conversely, of the importance of the arrest on that particular occasion.

One final way that the justices cited oral arguments in opinions this term was to highlight a party’s positions that may or may not be adopted by the Supreme Court. The following example is from Kagan’s majority opinion in Sveen v. Melin.

The party’s position may be articulated to create a straw-man argument that the authoring justice later deconstructs. This is the trajectory followed by Kagan in the above instance. By citing a party’s own views on an issue, justices have the opportunity to engage in a secondary dialogue, not directly with the party’s attorney, but rather with the transcripts that expose the attorney’s positions.

These six types of oral-argument citations are employed purposefully. With the benefit of a party’s assessments, the justices interpret particular arguments, often in order to explain why they are invalid or incorrect.

The justices’ individual uses of the types of citations so far this term is shown next.

Click graph to enlarge.

The most frequent purpose of oral-argument citations so far this term has been to convey a party’s position. Within this area Roberts is the most frequent citing justice, followed by Kagan and Sotomayor. The rationale for this type of citation is often to develop an argument against the party’s position.

Justices may oppose a party’s position more directly, as Roberts did in Mansky by citing examples from oral argument of miscalculated or erroneous answers. Rather than merely restating a party’s position, these citations often come up in hypothetical applications that the justices use to test the soundness of a particular argument. Kagan and Thomas are the two justices who followed this approach the most in their opinions. (Thomas did not ask any questions during oral arguments this term.)

Oral arguments most likely affect the justices on the margins. We may never know about all the instances when justices’ votes were swayed by the proceedings, but we can make educated guesses, as I did in Mansky, by comparing the justices’ likely and actual votes (The likely votes may be at different points in time, such as before and after oral argument.). Comparisons like these over time may shed additional light on both the justices’ uses for oral arguments and the effect these arguments have on case outcomes.

On an unrelated note: The justices have punted in multiple high-profile cases that were argued this term. These include Benisek v. Lamone and Gill v. Whitford, but also much of Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. The Supreme Court has not been shy about remanding gerrymandering cases in the past without much substantive guidance. It even did so last term with North Carolina v. Covington. What if Roberts, the master tactician on the court, has learned the importance of cooperation from the eight-justice Scalia-less court of 2015 and 2016? For all of the court’s politically charged decisions under Roberts, the chief justice now seems to shy away from 5-4 ideologically divided decisions in politicized cases. Without a ninth justice, the court managed to avoid big decisions in highly charged cases such as Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, Zubik v. Burwell and United States v. Texas. If Roberts prefers this outcome to ideological polarization, maybe he and to a lesser extent the other justices are choosing such compromises over highly fractured decisions. In any case, just a thought.

This post was originally published at Empirical SCOTUS.

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