#and now I'm having all the feelings

[thursdayinspace]

I'm lost in the truth kiss again. Just in case you want to write some beautiful words about it that help me see the light. Like about how he just saunters up and grab her face. There's no holding back there, no hesitation. I can't stop watching it lol

Oh man, I’m always so excited to be asked for words I will never say no. I don’t know if I have beautiful ones in me, but I love that kiss in The Truth, so here is my take.

There is no hesitation, there is no doubt. He’d been gone for so long – was it easier this time, knowing that he was alive? Or had it been easier when he was dead, when there had been an end, when the challenge had been moving on instead of constant longing, endless nights of knowing he could be there with her if things were different? Are the two even comparable? Does someone’s absence sit in a different part of your soul when they’re gone completely?

He didn’t want to be away from her. He didn’t want to be away from her and their son. After all that time with the barriers finally fallen and their hearts exposed to each other at last, happiness so close, all they wanted was a future, but again the world had other plans for them. Knowing she was missing him, knowing she was loving him from so far away – how did he cope? Loving her from so far away, knowing now what it felt like to kiss her, to hold her, to share a life not just Monday to Friday but always? And then coming back and still being apart from her, being kept in that prison, being brainwashed, facing the threat of death once again; he wants to be with her but he already knows it’s not that simple.

She walks into his cell not sure what to expect, and . . . of course he makes a joke. He wouldn’t be Mulder if he didn’t. It’s not funny no matter what he says, she is right about that, but nothing about any of it is funny. And Mulder makes jokes when it’s all too overwhelming. Mulder comes back from the dead and asks “Who are you?” and her face falls. He asks “Anybody miss me?” and she laughs. She doesn’t laugh this time. Because he’s not back from the dead. There is, in fact, a good chance he might join the dead again soon. He’s not in that prison for stealing someone’s wallet. Things are serious. Really fucking serious. So no, his joke is not funny. But he’s Mulder. And he’s been through hell. So let’s forgive him, okay? She has been through hell too though. She has no reason to laugh. But he doesn’t know what else to say. And she isn’t sure either. He tries to explain – “What’s not funny is what they do to you in here if you don’t put on that act,” – but he knows and she knows too that all of it is too much for words. There are no words they could say. But touch? Touch is something they can do.

From the beginning, from their first case together, touch is something they can do: They barely know each other when she seeks comfort in his hug in a motel room in Oregon. After Donnie Pfaster, she finally lets herself break in his arms. At his mother’s hospital bed, she reaches for him and he cries into her shoulder. He escapes from a Russian prison camp and returns to put his arms around her – both of them. Scully in the hospital, deciding to keep fighting, and they hold each other so tight; his lips against her forehead an “I love you more than anything” that has no words yet. She tells him she’s only ever held him back, she tries to leave, he tells her she’s saved him – what else is there but to hold each other, to lean in for a kiss when all the words are spoken but the love is bigger than everything words can contain? Scully clinging to him in Milagro, Mulder wrapped around her as he teaches her about baseball, a lingering forehead kiss in Amor Fati, Mulder holding her on that bed when she’s feeling sick, no idea yet that she’s pregnant. Touch is something they can do when words fail.

And they have missed each other so much, so much. It doesn’t matter that Skinner is standing right there. It doesn’t matter that they have no idea what’s going to happen. They’re in love. They love each other. And he needs her, and she needs him. So no, there is no hesitation. There is only one thing to do. He cups her face in his hands and kisses her, and she kisses him back, and there’s relief and love and desperation and the lingering pain of separation and the looming fear of being separated again. All they want is each other, and here they are, together, but not really, not yet, maybe not ever. It’s a few seconds of complete closeness that hold so much past and only a possible future, but all of the present. Anything else doesn’t matter for those few seconds. They let themselves want and they let themselves have, everything they haven’t had for all this time. They hold each other, just exist together, just for the little time it lasts, and the relief of being close mixes with the grief of having been apart.

They don’t know what will happen, they don’t know how and when they’ll be together again, just the two of them, home, happy. But they have touch. He doesn’t let go of her hand even afterwards, kisses it, holds it to his chest. Not able to let go. Never able to let go. There is love, there will always be love, no matter what happens. That is one immutable fact. One thing they promise each other, without words, because there are none for a truth of that magnitude. But they know. They know. A kiss without any hesitation, without any doubt. Just this pull between them, a connection that transcends language and conscious decision. They’ve gone too long without touch. And in that moment, it’s the best way they have to say “I’ve loved you all this time, I love you now, and I always will.”

[qiinamii]

new guy in the Express

bonus:

adding more to the whimsy

[aur0raaura]

Yknow what- you're so right...

[pokimoko]

I can't keep being fundamentally changed as a person by animated movies, it's just not sustainable.

[brainrotcharacters]

the easy grip on the knife. the leg over the seat. the hand over the other seat. the sassy "come get it" move. you know the bitch is smiling behind that mask even as he said the line.

[pangur-and-grim]

Pangur is THRILLED that I have mono! her favourite thing in the world is napping with me

[lizzybeeee]

When you spend 20 years attempting to bring down the child slavery, murdering, human trafficking exploitation ring that stole your childhood, murdered your friends, and killed countless innocents only to have them rebrand as 'Noble Freedom Fighters™' off-screen.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

...Turns out gay sex actually was the solution.

(This is basically a redraw, come read the real deal over at Tiger Tiger)

[thatdiabolicalfeminist]

just to be completely clear, the amount of military power and political influence Israel has has NOTHING to do with its settlers being Jewish. Israel is a force for American & European interests in the region and they're just doing what America does and allows/encourages its close allies to do.

war crimes aren't considered war crimes when someone America finds useful is doing them. european and american pushback against anyone criticizing Israeli apartheid & genocide is 100% because these crimes are useful to American & European hegemony.

Governments that are deeply antisemitic, like France, aren't suddenly caring about Jewish people. Jewish people, persecuted the world over, don't hold some kind of hegemonic power outside of Israel.

The state of Israel and its attendant brutal treatment of the locals are both incredibly useful to the US, and American hegemony means we're expected to celebrate both.

not bc they're Jewish. this isn't a break in the pattern of western antisemitism and it's not evidence that antisemitism doesn't exist.

it's just like how you could get fired for saying shit against the US war in Afghanistan when i was growing up. it is 100% about US military and political interests (ok slightly western europe too but lbr)

[vaguely-concerned]

the strength it must have taken for illario to not immediately go full 'lmao since when have you even had a kiss hello lucanis' sibling violence mode during the café talk. inspirational. rook and lucanis really were doing all that right in front of his salad huh

[dragondawdles]

the beastie <3

[lazylittledragon]

what could go wrong

bonus:

[snarkspawn]

I really enjoy playing through tnp again like hi it's been a while

[laurellala-comics]

Fun fact! This was the real tipping point that made Edgeworth run away after AA1, they just couldn't show it on screen because they didn't have the rights to Chappell Roan's music <3

(A spiritual successor to my "Hot to Go" joke from this post. Image description under the cut below)

[Image ID: a four page black and white comic of characters from ace attorney.

The Judge stands solemnly at his podium holding a gavel "Mr. Miles Edgeworth, you are on trial for the murder of blah blah blah..."

A cheerful Maya Fey leans over to Miles Edgeworth, who is staring straight ahead and looking very concerned

Maya: "Psst! Mr. Edgeworth! If you win your trial, can I show you Chappell Roan?

Miles: "What the hell, sure." Internally he thinks "Oh God I am going to jail"

A box saying "later" in the top corner of the next panel marks the passage of time.

The Judge smiles as he says "I declare you... Not Guilty!"

We see a full body shot of Maya dancing excitedly while Miles looks on, emotionless

Maya: YIPPEE omg you're going to LOVE this

Miles internally thinks "oh no, the consequences of my actions.

We see Miles standing in between Phoenix Wright and Maya looking apprehensive. Maya beams in excitement, while Nick puts a reassuring hand on Miles' shoulder

Miles: Alright, so what is this exactly?

Nick: She's a pop musician Maya really likes

Maya: You promised you'd let me show you, and it's legally binding because you said it in a court room!

Miles: That is not how the law works Ms. Fey

Maya: Shh just listen!

We see a panel of Miles' pensive face concentrating as he listens to "Hot to Go". He thinks to himself "hm".

Another panel zoomed in more. His pensive expression has grown more tense/confused as he listens to "Red Wine Supernova". he again thinks to himself "Hm" in a larger thought bubble.

We zoom out again to see Nick, Miles, and Maya standing together again. Miles stares forward blankly, eyebrows raised. Maya excitedly leans in.

Maya: Ok, that's her whole discography. So! What did you think?

Nick looks at him, waiting for his response

We get a panel of Miles, looking bewildered. He starts to speak "I..."

We cut again to see the three of them standing together.

Miles: I... don't think I like women?

Miles looks shocked and confused. Nick is bent over laughing, using a hand on Miles's shoulder to support himself. Maya looks outraged and appalled!

Maya: MR. EDGEWORTH! Just because you don' like her musi it doesn't give you an excuse to be sexist!

We see a panel of Miles looking stressed and confused. He leans his head on one of his hands, which messes up his hair, showing how he isn't his normal put together self.

Miles: I should rephrase that. What I mean is, Ms. Roan is clearly VERY assured in her feelings towards women. I was... unaware that anyone felt that strongly. I thought we all viewed these things with a vague sense of distaste and unease but collectively ignored it. Like how we do with climate change.

We zoom out again to see the three of them. Miles stands in the middle looking deeply uncomfortable and lost in thought, vibrating with unease. Nick and Maya exchange deeply concerned glances across from him.

With lingering unease, Miles begins to walk away.

Miles: Well, I should be going then. Goodnight.

Nick hesitantly raises a finger to point out an inaccuracy in that statement

Nick: It's four in the afternoon-

he gets interrupted by Miles who repeats firmly: I said Goodnight

Nick looks in the direction Miles walked off in.

Nick: ...He'll be ok, right?

Maya reassures him: Of cours Nick! I mean, what's the worst that can happen?

Jump cut to a closeup of Nick's hand holding Miles' letter which reads Miles Edgeworth chooses death in all caps. Then, below in smaller font, it says Also femininomenon was really good, thanks.

We see a panel of Nick glaring wordlessly at Maya as he holds the letter in his hand. Maya leans against the wall and looks away, whistling, trying to look innocent to avoid blame.

As a bonus, we also have a page that takes place a year later. Miles and Nick stand talking. Miles looks calmer now, and Nick smiles encouragingly.

Miles: In my time in Europe, I've been examining myself and my approach to law. Ultimately, the most important focus must be justice. We owe it to ourselves and to the people we serve

Nick: Wow, that's really inspiring Edgeworth. And, uh, hows the... the other thing going?

We get a zoomed in panel of Miles glaring menacingly at a suddenly nervous Nick

Jumping out again, Miles turns his back to Nick as he continues to talk

Miles: So as I was saying, justice is truly so important...

Nick nervously rubs the back of his neck wearing an awkward expression as he sweats nervously. He thinks to himself internally "Ooookay then, clearly still working through some things there"

/.End ID]

[wardingshout]

Travelling for Day 4 of SpeSilverWeek! going to Mt. Silver to visit "the extended family"...

[daily-odile]

various heavypaint odiles