Happy Henry Kissinger Death Day To All Who Celebrate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Home - MandoCreator

We are going to need the ball, aren't we?

Things that are going to happen in 2024 according to Star Trek:

1) the absolutely giant homeless-population of the USA (or was is just New York? Idk, I‘m from Europe) is going to start a civil-war fighting against the upper class and police.

2) Ireland is going to get united

I just found Milanote and whipped this up for Irmenu

Geography

Giant oceans with bigger and smaller islands, and one continent that is the size of Australia. Running from the equator of the planet up into the far north, there is that continent (Khacor).

On the east side, there are the islands the bigger ones are closer to the continent, the sea is calmer on this side most people sail on these parts. As you go farther and farther to the east, more pirate civilizations live.

On the other side of the planet, where the western and eastern seas meet there is a giant ship graveyard where the pirate captains and the draa discuss and share information.

On the western side, the sea is harsh and unforgiving, but if you go far west you will find a bigger island, where draa and their families can live together. This is draakhirs. To get there without a draa or a half draa you need to survive a dangerous and deathly storm. This storm was created by the followers of the old draa gods followers: the children of Mahina (Hawaiian for moon) and the children of Kaia (Hawaiian for sea). The myth says that the three sisters (Mahina, Kaia, and Fusis (Greek for nature) created this island for the draa so they can pray for the three of them together.

And I really like @clonewarslover55's description of the islands, So I would like to use her ideas of the lush forests and giant cliffs

Okay so if you are on tiktok you probably seen atleast one comment with this "Zepotha" trend and i've seen people call it the next Goncharov.

I have followed the artist on tiktok before this, and i think the music is very cool, and if i'm being honest this is would be very interesting marketing, if it had a cohesive lore. (And the fact that the artist basically asking for free marketing, and only paying 500 dollars is a little bit meh...) When Goncharov was around at first I really thought it was a real movie, but Zepotha just doesn't feel like it. It is on my fyp soo i will try to gather information on the lore, because it could be verry interesting.

So here are the things i gathered:

- It is marketing for an artist called emilyjeffri (just crediting)

- It does not have a consistent genra (dont know how you write it) but the og creator promotes it as 80's slasher (ive seen distopyan horror and eldritch horror to it. This is why its a problem that it doesnt have a consistent lore)

- The characters that the artist seams to accept as canon are from a filter and a comment (i know not much, but the artist just thrusted people of making oc's and i can't list all of them, and i am still doing research on the charas that are accepted by the fandom), and give a brief description from what i gathered:

Danny and Cole: seams like thay are the main murderers,

Rita: the first? One to die,

Maxine and Alain: probs the main charas, they are the main ship or are a couple.

These are the charas that i found anything on, next are the ones from the filter or a comment left by the OGC

Ann

Vince

Alex

Michael

Robbie

Neil

Kalani

Jasmine

But wait it gets better. Somebody saing that MAXINE AND ALAIN ARE SISTERS AND THEY ARE DATING DANNY AND COLE. I'M GETTING AN ANEURYSM (This is not a real movie its a massive joke, no hate to anybody, but i want to make sense to it. Pls send help)

Okay i'm having way too much fun with this

THIS IS AMAZING OH MY GOD

This is one of my artworks, here i have decided to depict substance abuse. Throughout the painting you can see many metaphors and a clash between realism and fantasy, for example at the bottom there’s scenery of a “forest” and mountains right under a face. i used the forest to symbolise feeling lost and as if everything’s the same, through the mountains i used a contrast of one dark and one light to show negative and positive and between them the sun rising to symbolise surging another day through the bad and good.throughout the painting you will see many faces that are either melting or have more features than the average human has, this is to symbolise how when under the influence of substances you can’t see what real and what isn’t and it feels like you are slipping away and it’s getting harder to hold on. On the top you will see a palm with the milky way on it,this symbolises how the universe is at their palm but yet it feels like too much hence the tree above which is empty to symbolise the darkness and emptiness of feeling too much how you’ve given your all and yet you have nothing left to give. You will see 2 “gold fishes” with eyes, these symbolise how in the water you feel free especially with the zero gravity effect it has and it just lets you float however the eye shows however free they might feel they always feel like they’re being watched and can’t feel as free as they are supposed to.On the bottom left there’s a palm with a desperate face looking up towards one of the gold fishes, this symbolises the pity of other people watching you fall through a rabbit hole of a constant cycle where it feels impossible to escape and you know they are there and you want to stop but you can’t and it haunts you.Right in the middle you will see a huge sun looking circle, this is a sun, this symbolises the every day cycle of substance abuse and how every morning the same cycle begins. I’ve used realism and fantasy to show how you can’t tell reality from fantasy and how everything morphs into one big picture.

if you have gotten this far thank you and i hope you enjoyed reading it, i personally haven’t experienced substance abuse but i think this is what it feels like.

Star Wars fans. Do you think the Jedi Order functioned as a galactical Red Cross/Red Crescend? That would make very much sense.

THESE SOUND AMAZING. LETS GOOOOOO

My Favorites of Jedi Appreciation

So, I've been thinking about Jedi positivity a lot lately. So, I decided to make a masterpost. Someone's definitely done this before and better, but I feel like I should throw my hat in the ring.

Fics

These fics might not be completely focused on the Jedi Order but they are portrayed positively, or they expand on their culture. Either way, I love them.

Knightrise by deviantaccumulation: In which a new Jedi Order is founded on Mandalore after Order 66.

not the place i was born in (doesn't mean it's not the place where I belong) by ghostwriterofthemachine: Jedi worldbuilding and Young Anakin and Obi-Wan being sweet.

How a Handful of Droid Poppers Save the Galaxy by Zarz: In which Appo is the hero the galaxy needs and Anakin meets consequences.

Yeet or be Yeeted by virdant: In which the Jedi tendency to jump off tall places becomes a competitive sport.

THE FORCE WILLS DOCUMENTARY by js71: Told as a documentary about the Jedi Order, there's a lot of worldbuilding and other things that make my heart happy.

Pragmatics of the Jedi by aroacejoot, ghostwriterofthemachine, loosingletters: A series that created a language for the Jedi, Dai Bendu, which is absolutely fascinating.

On Meditation by virdant: A short fic about meditation. It makes me happy.

Interviews by BloodyDevil: Interviews with members of the Jedi Order.

In which we burn bodies as bridges by GraceEliz: Jedi mourning in a bittersweet fic.

Anakin Skywalker's Guide to Jedi Traditions by loosingletters: A young Anakin's journal about his new life in the Jedi Order.

The Droid Wars by Crystalshard: R2 learns about the future and drags 3PO along with him to stop it.

Why We Did Nothing by BairnSidhe: Do you like the Mandalorians as well as the Jedi? In which the Mandalorians learn about the Jedi Order's perspective on things and Jaster gets rightfully mad. Warning: It has dark themes (among them, discussions of the murder of children, generational trauma, and Montross-related fuckery).

spilled red wine by scrapheap_redux: I was debating whether or not to add this one, but I really liked the portrayal of the Jedi when they show up. However, it has the aftermath and results of rape (not onscreen) as the inciting incident, which is why I was wondering if I should add it; I want this list to be enjoyable and I don't want to upset anyone.

Unsolicited PR From A Pirate by Everything_or_Anything, lastbattlecry, RogueLadyVader (LaylaYuy), TessaDoesThings, wanderingjedihistorian (RangerJedi67): Hondo is a menace. Also, action figures.

Stolen Choices by softmoonlight: Cal, Fox, and the possibility of a happy ending.

free to find my calling by Papook: Jocasta Nu gets a squad of clones.

Always in Motion by virdant: I never knew I needed a Chewbacca time-travel fic so much.

remember me, fondly by ace_din_djarin: Crafts, Jedi, and bittersweetness.

The Bust Busting by virdant: Yoda is a troll. Dooku is done.

Proper Attire by LacieFuyu: Why Jedi don't wear armor.

Out with Lanterns by SkyeBean: Ahsoka is Mace's Padawan.

Lessons of Peace by virdant: Cody embracing Jedi culture and making dumplings.

Memories of Peace by Margan: Obi-Wan teaches the clones to make dumplings.

Home-onym by virdant: Wordplay and Jedi younglings.

In the Shadows (of Taxes) by virdant: Quinlan Vos specializes in tax law. If that one sentence doesn't make your heart jump a little, I weep for you.

hi, i'm with public relations by lastbattlecry: The Jedi need better PR. Bail Organa knows somebody.

In Which Boba Fett Becomes the Jedi Order's Feral Tooka by Zarz: The title explains the beautiful, beautiful plot.

May the Force be Taxed by ReconstructWriter: Palpatine and the IRS do not respect Jedi culture.

aphelion by Kemmasandi: Plo Koon dies, wakes up decades prior, and fixes things.

Protect That Which You Love by certifiedspacewitch: Mace takes one look at the weird old man asking for private access to a young Padawan and gets his hackles up.

jedi shaming by braigwen_s, evaceratops: Short but hilarious.

The Chess Match Begins by SilverWingedWolf: The relationships between Jedi and clones.

Five Jedi Who Signed the Wall on Mapuzo, and Two that Honored Them by TheSecondBatgirl: The title explains the premise in the best way.

You're Not Flawed Darling (You're just a Little Under Rehearsed) by CombatBootsandDreams: To quote the tags, the Jedi diplomatic corps is intense.

Blogs

There are only so many times I can say "I love this so much, it makes me happy, please know you have filled my head with knowledge and my heart with joy" before it gets repetitive.

gffa: FILLED WITH WONDERFUL THINGS. I would marry this blog if I could. (I'm joking...mostly.)

projediagenda: All kinds of thought-provoking stuff that makes me happy.

ensomniaa: As they put it, nothing but love for the Jedi.

the-jedi-love: Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

⭐ So you want to learn pixel art? ⭐

🔹 Part 1 of ??? - The Basics!

Hello, my name is Tofu and I'm a professional pixel artist. I have been supporting myself with freelance pixel art since 2020, when I was let go from my job during the pandemic.

My progress, from 2017 to 2024. IMO the only thing that really matters is time and effort, not some kind of natural talent for art.

This guide will not be comprehensive, as nobody should be expected to read allat. Instead I will lean heavily on my own experience, and share what worked for me, so take everything with a grain of salt. This is a guide, not a tutorial. Cheers!

🔹 Do I need money?

NO!!! Pixel art is one of the most accessible mediums out there.

I still use a mouse because I prefer it to a tablet! You won't be at any disadvantage here if you can't afford the best hardware or software.

Because our canvases are typically very small, you don't need a good PC to run a good brush engine or anything like that.

✨Did you know? One of the most skilled and beloved pixel artists uses MS PAINT! Wow!!

🔹 What software should I use?

Here are some of the most popular programs I see my friends and peers using. Stars show how much I recommend the software for beginners! ⭐

💰 Paid options:

⭐⭐⭐ Aseprite (for PC) - $19.99

This is what I and many other pixel artists use. You may find when applying to jobs that they require some knowledge of Aseprite. Since it has become so popular, companies like that you can swap raw files between artists.

Aseprite is amazingly customizable, with custom skins, scripts and extensions on Itch.io, both free and paid.

If you have ever used any art software before, it has most of the same features and should feel fairly familiar to use. It features a robust animation suite and a tilemap feature, which have saved me thousands of hours of labour in my work. The software is also being updated all the time, and the developers listen to the users. I really recommend Aseprite!

⭐ Photoshop (for PC) - Monthly $$

A decent option for those who already are used to the PS interface. Requires some setup to get it ready for pixel-perfect art, but there are plenty of tutorials for doing so.

Animation is also much more tedious on PS which you may want to consider before investing time!

⭐⭐ ProMotion NG (for PC) - $19.00

An advanced and powerful software which has many features Aseprite does not, including Colour Cycling and animated tiles.

⭐⭐⭐ Pixquare (for iOS) - $7.99 - $19.99

Probably the best app available for iPad users, in active development, with new features added all the time.

Look! My buddy Jon recommends it highly, and uses it often.

One cool thing about Pixquare is that it takes Aseprite raw files! Many of my friends use it to work on the same project, both in their office and on the go.

⭐ Procreate (for iOS) - $12.99

If you have access to Procreate already, it's a decent option to get used to doing pixel art. It does however require some setup. Artist Pixebo is famously using Procreate, and they have tutorials of their own if you want to learn.

🆓 Free options:

⭐⭐⭐ Libresprite (for PC)

Libresprite is an alternative to Aseprite. It is very, very similar, to the point where documentation for Aseprite will be helpful to Libresprite users.

⭐⭐ Pixilart (for PC and mobile)

A free in-browser app, and also a mobile app! It is tied to the website Pixilart, where artists upload and share their work. A good option for those also looking to get involved in a community.

⭐⭐ Dotpict (for mobile)

Dotpict is similar to Pixilart, with a mobile app tied to a website, but it's a Japanese service. Did you know that in Japanese, pixel art is called 'Dot Art'? Dotpict can be a great way to connect with a different community of pixel artists! They also have prompts and challenges often.

🔹 So I got my software, now what?

◽Nice! Now it's time for the basics of pixel art.

❗ WAIT ❗ Before this section, I want to add a little disclaimer. All of these rules/guidelines can be broken at will, and some 'no-nos' can look amazing when done intentionally.

The pixel-art fundamentals can be exceedingly helpful to new artists, who may feel lost or overwhelmed by choice. But if you feel they restrict you too harshly, don't force yourself! At the end of the day it's your art, and you shouldn't try to contort yourself into what people think a pixel artist 'should be'. What matters is your own artistic expression. 💕👍

◽Phew! With that out of the way...

🔸"The Rules"

There are few hard 'rules' of pixel art, mostly about scaling and exporting. Some of these things will frequently trip up newbies if they aren't aware, and are easy to overlook.

🔹Scaling method

There are a couple ways of scaling your art. The default in most art programs, and the entire internet, is Bi-linear scaling, which usually works out fine for most purposes. But as pixel artists, we need a different method.

Both are scaled up x10. See the difference?

On the left is scaled using Bilinear, and on the right is using Nearest-Neighbor. We love seeing those pixels stay crisp and clean, so we use nearest-neighbor. 

(Most pixel-art programs have nearest-neighbor enabled by default! So this may not apply to you, but it's important to know.)

🔹Mixels

Mixels are when there are different (mixed) pixel sizes in the same image.

Here I have scaled up my art- the left is 200%, and the right is 150%. Yuck!

As we can see, the "pixel" sizes end up different. We generally try to scale our work by multiples of 100 - 200%, 300% etc. rather than 150%. At larger scales however, the minute differences in pixel sizes are hardly noticeable!

Mixels are also sometimes seen when an artist scales up their work, then continues drawing on it with a 1 pixel brush.

Many would say that this is not great looking! This type of pixels can be indicative of a beginner artist. But there are plenty of creative pixel artists out there who mixels intentionally, making something modern and cool.

🔹Saving Your Files

We usually save our still images as .PNGs as they don’t create any JPEG artifacts or loss of quality. It's a little hard to see here, but there are some artifacts, and it looks a little blurry. It also makes the art very hard to work with if we are importing a JPEG.

For animations .GIF is good, but be careful of the 256 colour limit. Try to avoid using too many blending mode layers or gradients when working with animations. If you aren’t careful, your animation could flash afterwards, as the .GIF tries to reduce colours wherever it can. It doesn’t look great!

Here's an old piece from 2021 where I experienced .GIF lossiness, because I used gradients and transparency, resulting in way too many colours.

🔹Pixel Art Fundamentals - Techniques and Jargon

❗❗Confused about Jaggies? Anti-Aliasing? Banding? Dithering? THIS THREAD is for you❗❗

As far as I'm concerned, this is THE tutorial of all time for understanding pixel art. These are techniques created and named by the community of people who actually put the list together, some of the best pixel artists alive currently. Please read it!!

🔸How To Learn

Okay, so you have your software, and you're all ready to start. But maybe you need some more guidance? Try these tutorials and resources! It can be helpful to work along with a tutorial until you build your confidence up.

⭐⭐ Pixel Logic (A Digital Book) - $10 A very comprehensive visual guide book by a very skilled and established artist in the industry. I own a copy myself.

⭐⭐⭐ StudioMiniBoss - free A collection of visual tutorials, by the artist that worked on Celeste! When starting out, if I got stuck, I would go and scour his tutorials and see how he did it.

⭐ Lospec Tutorials - free A very large collection of various tutorials from all over the internet. There is a lot to sift through here if you have the time.

⭐⭐⭐ Cyangmou's Tutorials - free (tipping optional) Cyangmou is one of the most respected and accomplished modern pixel artists, and he has amassed a HUGE collection of free and incredibly well-educated visual tutorials. He also hosts an educational stream every week on Twitch called 'pixelart for beginners'.

⭐⭐⭐ Youtube Tutorials - free There are hundreds, if not thousands of tutorials on YouTube, but it can be tricky to find the good ones. My personal recommendations are MortMort, Brandon, and AdamCYounis- these guys really know what they're talking about!

🔸Where To Post

Outside of just regular socials, Twitter, Tumblr, Deviantart, Instagram etc, there are a few places that lean more towards pixel art that you might not have heard of.

⭐ Lospec Lospec is a low-res focused art website. Some pieces get given a 'monthly masterpiece' award. Not incredibly active, but I believe there are more features being added often.

⭐⭐ Pixilart Pixilart is a very popular pixel art community, with an app tied to it. The community tends to lean on the young side, so this is a low-pressure place to post with an relaxed vibe.

⭐⭐ Pixeljoint Pixeljoint is one of the big, old-school pixel art websites. You can only upload your art unscaled (1x) because there is a built-in zoom viewer. It has a bit of a reputation for being elitist (back in the 00s it was), but in my experience it's not like that any more. This is a fine place for a pixel artist to post if they are really interested in learning, and the history. The Hall of Fame has some of the most famous / impressive pixel art pieces that paved the way for the work we are doing today.

⭐⭐⭐ Cafe Dot Cafe Dot is my art server so I'm a little biased here. 🍵 It was created during the recent social media turbulence. We wanted a place to post art with no algorithms, and no NFT or AI chuds. We have a heavy no-self-promotion rule, and are more interested in community than skill or exclusivity. The other thing is that we have some kind of verification system- you must apply to be a Creator before you can post in the Art feed, or use voice. This helps combat the people who just want to self-promo and dip, or cause trouble, as well as weed out AI/NFT people. Until then, you are still welcome to post in any of the threads or channels. There is a lot to do in Cafe Dot. I host events weekly, so check the threads!

⭐⭐/r/pixelart The pixel art subreddit is pretty active! I've also heard some of my friends found work through posting here, so it's worth a try if you're looking. However, it is still Reddit- so if you're sensitive to rude people, or criticism you didn't ask for, you may want to avoid this one. Lol

🔸 Where To Find Work

You need money? I got you! As someone who mostly gets scouted on social media, I can share a few tips with you:

Put your email / portfolio in your bio Recruiters don't have all that much time to find artists, make it as easy as possible for someone to find your important information!

Clean up your profile If your profile feed is all full of memes, most people will just tab out rather than sift through. Doesn't apply as much to Tumblr if you have an art tag people can look at.

Post regularly, and repost Activity beats everything in the social media game. It's like rolling the dice, and the more you post the more chances you have. You have to have no shame, it's all business baby

Outside of just posting regularly and hoping people reach out to you, it can be hard to know where to look. Here are a few places you can sign up to and post around on.

/r/INAT INAT (I Need A Team) is a subreddit for finding a team to work with. You can post your portfolio here, or browse for people who need artists.

/r/GameDevClassifieds Same as above, but specifically for game-related projects.

Remote Game Jobs / Work With Indies Like Indeed but for game jobs. Browse them often, or get email notifications.

VGen VGen is a website specifically for commissions. You need a code from another verified artist before you can upgrade your account and sell, so ask around on social media or ask your friends. Once your account is upgraded, you can make a 'menu' of services people can purchase, and they send you an offer which you are able to accept, decline, or counter.

The evil websites of doom: Fiverr and Upwork I don't recommend them!! They take a big cut of your profit, and the sites are teeming with NFT and AI people hoping to make a quick buck. The site is also extremely oversaturated and competitive, resulting in a race to the bottom (the cheapest, the fastest, doing the most for the least). Imagine the kind of clients who go to these websites, looking for the cheapest option. But if you're really desperate...

🔸 Community

I do really recommend getting involved in a community. Finding like-minded friends can help you stay motivated to keep drawing. One day, those friends you met when you were just starting out may become your peers in the industry. Making friends is a game changer!

Discord servers Nowadays, the forums of old are mostly abandoned, and people split off into many different servers. Cafe Dot, Pixel Art Discord (PAD), and if you can stomach scrolling past all the AI slop, you can browse Discord servers here.

Twitch Streams Twitch has kind of a bad reputation for being home to some of the more edgy gamers online, but the pixel art community is extremely welcoming and inclusive. Some of the people I met on Twitch are my friends to this day, and we've even worked together on different projects! Browse pixel art streams here, or follow some I recommend: NickWoz, JDZombi, CupOhJoe, GrayLure, LumpyTouch, FrankiePixelShow, MortMort, Sodor, NateyCakes, NyuraKim, ShinySeabass, I could go on for ever really... There are a lot of good eggs on Pixel Art Twitch.

🔸 Other Helpful Websites

Palettes Lospec has a huge collection of user-made palettes, for any artist who has trouble choosing their colours, or just wants to try something fun. Rejected Palettes is full of palettes that didn't quite make it onto Lospec, ran by people who believe there are no bad colours.

The Spriters Resource TSR is an incredible website where users can upload spritesheets and tilesets from games. You can browse for your favourite childhood game, and see how they made it! This website has helped me so much in understanding how game assets come together in a scene.

VGMaps Similar to the above, except there are entire maps laid out how they would be played. This is incredible if you have to do level design, or for mocking up a scene for fun.

Game UI Database Not pixel-art specific, but UI is a very challenging part of graphics, so this site can be a game-changer for finding good references!

Retronator A digital newspaper for pixel-art lovers! New game releases, tutorials, and artworks!

Itch.io A website where people can upload, games, assets, tools... An amazing hub for game devs and game fans alike. A few of my favourite tools: Tiled, PICO-8, Pixel Composer, Juice FX, Magic Pencil for Aseprite

🔸 The End?

This is just part 1 for now, so please drop me a follow to see any more guides I release in the future. I plan on doing some writeups on how I choose colours, how to practise, and more!

I'm not an expert by any means, but everything I did to get to where I am is outlined in this guide. Pixel art is my passion, my job and my hobby! I want pixel art to be recognized everywhere as an art-form, a medium of its own outside of game-art or computer graphics!

This guide took me a long time, and took a lot of research and experience. Consider following me or supporting me if you are feeling generous.

And good luck to all the fledgling pixel artists, I hope you'll continue and have fun. I hope my guide helped you, and don't hesitate to send me an ask if you have any questions! 💕

I already love this fic!♥️

Voices Carry

After all of the tricks and threats, your mysterious caller tries something different: conversation.

Eventual Mereel Skirata x fem!reader pairing.

Rating: G

Word Count: 1,100

Warnings: None

Previous | Next | Masterlist

---

Part Six

There had been a pile of credits on your desk when you had come into work that morning. 

Sadly, you already knew it wasn’t a bonus or even a fun mystery you could unravel between your other duties. No, that was Julgum’s charming way of letting you know that he had been invited to a fundraiser and that he needed you to accompany him. 

The first time it had happened, you had been confused, then wary. Any concerns that Julgum had unprofessional designs on you were quieted when he gave you a list of tasks for the event. He wasn’t inviting you as a date. No, he needed you to help him network, keep track of information, and usher him into a transport when he had too much to drink. 

It wasn’t a favorite part of your job, but you didn’t mind it as much as you had expected to. You were still so relieved that Julgum wasn’t hitting on you that anything else seemed fine by comparison.

Besides, you only used some of the credits to purchase clothing. You kept the rest and refused to feel guilty about it. 

That morning had been remarkably quiet, and you were using your personal datapad to browse some formal clothing that was on clearance at a local store. You had added several possibilities to your cart when the office comlink beeped. 

“Senator Julgum’s office. How may I help you?” 

The greeting rolled so naturally from your lips that you scarcely had to think about it anymore. You had scrolled to look at another option before the person on the other side of the line made any noise at all. 

“Hello.”

“Hello,” you replied, just as automatically as your first greeting. “How may I help you?”

There was the sound of a sigh, one that turned into a slight chuckle as it trailed off. Something in the voice was familiar, and you set the datapad down on your desk. There was nothing to see, of course, but you still wanted to pay attention to the call. 

“Why are you always there when I comm?” the voice asked. “Doesn’t Julgum give you a day off?”

“I’m sorry,” you apologized. “To whom am I speaking?” 

The silence stretched an uncomfortable length of time, filled with a vague sense of horror. You made a valiant effort, but you finally broke and chuckled aloud. 

The tutting on the other end of the link made you smile even wider. Julgum’s mysterious caller clearly had some sense of humor. It was late in your acquaintance - such as it was - for that humor to make an appearance, but you would take it over tricks and anger.

“That was mean,” he told you. “I’m many things, but forgettable isn’t one of them. Unless the pressure of working such long hours for the good senator is making you crack?”

Even with the censure, his voice was playful. He seemed utterly delighted that you had messed with him. Of course, you could claim to be in earnest and insist that you didn’t know who he was, but your laughter may have made that less believable.

…Besides, with everything that Julgum put you through, didn’t you deserve the chance to connect with someone?

“I don’t think I’m the only one working long hours,” you countered. “You’ve called for three days in a row trying to speak with the senator. Maybe it’s best to tell your boss to make an appointment.”

“Whatever do you mean? This is only the second time we’ve spoken.”

You believed your snort was permissible, given the overly innocent tone he had used. “Yes, we always get calls from the aides to prominent senators pretending to be the senator themselves, or Trade Federation representatives who make threats.”

“Those Federation types can be dangerous,” he told you. “I hope you gave him what he asked for.”

“Unfortunately, I couldn’t help the first one, but the second one was happier with the results of our conversation.”

“A second Trade Federation rep? What did they want?”

“If you don’t know anything about the first one, I don’t see why you should care about the second,” you said, audibly grinning.

“Clever thing, aren’t you?” His voice was amused again. “You’re right, I don’t know anything about any Trade Federation calls.”

“I thought as much,” you assured him. 

Apparently, he wasn’t finished. “But I hate to hear that you’re getting so much strange comms traffic. Tell you what: I know a few people who can set up a system to screen callers who don’t have any real business with the senator. Patch me through to him and I’ll pitch the idea. I can even throw in a discounted estimate.”

“I would be happy to let you speak with Senator Julgum. Just give me your name and your appointment time.”

His laugh was clear this time, transmitting rich and loud over the line. “You don’t miss a thing, do you? I hope Julgum knows how closely his assistant watches his back.”

“He doesn’t,” you replied without thinking. And as you were biting your lip, the man laughed again. Hastily, you added, “But it’s fine. This is a job. I get paid in credits, not in gratitude.”

“Still, he should be careful. Someone might steal you away.” You didn’t know how to respond to that, but the mystery caller didn’t seem to need any input from you for his current train of thought. “What do you look like?” 

“What?” you asked reflexively. After a beat to collect yourself, you said, “Surely you can understand why, given our current conversation about stealing people, I don’t want to answer that question.”

“Did you know you get overly formal when you’re flustered?” he asked. “I bet you’re pretty.”

The conversational whiplash was sudden and overwhelming. You shook your head, uncaring that he couldn’t see it. “I’m not. And I’m also starting to think you don’t have an appointment to speak with the senator. Do you?”

“I do not.” 

You sighed and pressed the button to sever the connection. This wasn’t a great job, but you still needed to do work that wasn’t centered on flirtatious comlink conversations.

It would just take a moment to stifle the twinge of regret you felt at having not asked his name.

---

Author's Note - I know, this chapter is slow. This story is slow. But I'm trying to flesh out their relationship at a pace that feels steady and natural. Maybe our reader is just a little hesitant to trust a stranger and Mereel could use a little slow in the breakneck pace of a Null trooper. Thank you for reading anyway!

As a quick reminder, my taglist is now defunct. You are more than welcome to follow my writing sideblog at @wanderinginksplot-writes. I tag all of my fics with the name of the fic itself, so you can see what you want and not have to deal with the rest!

Soap. As bread