#does this look synthwave enough?

[deco-noir]

Hope for our future is now a stillborn dream - TechNoir

[bengiyo]

Get to Know Me Tag :)

I was tagged by @telomeke and shaded by @lurkingshan.

do you make your bed?

Not usually, but I don't have a partner right now. I find that I'm actually really good at cleanliness when I have people in my space regularly. I am better about taking care of things when I'm doing them for the ease of others.

what's your favourite number?

14, but I couldn't tell you why. I think it has something to do with a girl named Ciara who I sat behind in elementary school.

what is your job?

I fix things for a government agency.

if you could go back to school, would you?

Probably. I didn't really know what I wanted to do when I went to college, and was far too much a mess at the time to study what I really should have. If I could do it and maintain my expenses, I'd retrain for my preferred profession.

can you parallel park?

Yes. I am the gay who drives.

a job you had that would surprise people?

I was paid for over two years to be really good at D&D.

do you think aliens are real?

So... I gotta be honest... I hate this question. This feels as loaded as the "Do you believe in God?" question. We are not aware of the existence of life on other planets, let alone sentient life. There is nothing for me to believe in. Do I hope that there are other intelligent beings out there? Yes. I think it would be really cool to engage in communication with a species that also crawled their way out of the muck and made it to space. I think there's much we could learn from each other about life and the universe itself. But belief is such a loaded term for me as a lapsed Catholic. I do not believe in aliens, but I hope that we'll get to meet some in the future.

can you drive a manual car?

Nope! Never needed to learn.

what's your guilty pleasure?

Hmm... Nothing really anymore?

tattoos?

Nah, I've always worked in the public sector in a way that hasn't made it an advisable choice, and I've rarely cared enough about something to mark my body with it.

favorite color?

Purple most of the time, but my wardrobe would say I'm in my green era.

favorite type of music?

I'm a soft rock 90s kid who embraced a lot of 2000s and later alternative. I've been on a huge synthwave kick lately. However, because I grew up in the 90s and remember the era of radio, I have a deep affection for Soul and R&B, classic rock, and pop.

do you like puzzles?

Yes? But not in a way that makes me yearn for them.

any phobias?

Probably falling, but that seems like a normal one for survival purposes.

favorite childhood sport?

Baseball! I was a shortstop.

do you talk to yourself?

Not often. I don't actually have an internal monologue, so I don't need to talk to myself often to get through it.

what movies do you adore?

This is...so difficult. I'm just going to name a ton of films: Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin, Pacific Rim, Ghost Dog, Master and Commander, The Man From Earth, The Sum of Us, Big Eden, Kill Bill 1 and 2, Knives Out, Muppet Treasure Island, Gattaca, C.R.A.Z.Y., Weekend, First Blood, Robocop, Starship Troopers, Drive My Car, Nine Days, Really Love, Set it Off, Make the Yuletide Gay, Shelter, Pig, Kiki's Delivery Service, The Digimon Movie, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Star Wars IV and V, Isa Pa With Feelings, The Way He Looks... and probably many more.

coffee or tea?

Coffee. Tea does so little for me.

first thing you wanted to be growing up?

A train conductor or an astronaut! Trains are so cool, and space is the final frontier! We have to boldly go where no one has gone before!

I'll tag @shortpplfedup, @negrowhat, @chicademartinica, @so-much-yet-to-learn and @happypotato48

[delta-orionis]

Tuesday Again No Problem 2/13/24

My friend @girlfriendsofthegalaxy has a weekly post series summing up things she listened to/watched/made/etc that week, and I'd like to give it a try myself. I tried to do something similar with my Synthwave Sunday posts, but those ended up being unsustainable for me in the long run. I think something in the middle of the week might be a bit easier for me to maintain, but I'm not going to hold myself to a strict standard or anything.

Without further ado:

listening

Mostly the Rain World soundtrack. It’s good to put on when I’m focusing on something else.

That said, I also listened to Tangerine Dream’s album Hyperborea in its entirely the other day, and I ended up liking it quite a bit. I might have to look into more of their stuff. It’s full of good retro synths.

reading

I finally started reading Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie earlier this week, after the poor book had been sitting on my bookshelf, unread, for nearly two years. Good friends of mine have been telling me I’d enjoy it that entire time, but I just never got around to starting it until now. I’m not very far into the book, but I like what I’ve read so far.

I made a post a few days ago about why I think I have trouble reading books these days. Because of the way my brain works, I have a really hard time keeping characters from a piece of media straight in my head if it’s not a visual medium. I already know this book is going to throw a lot of characters at me, so I’ve been doing my best to write down a list of characters and their basic attributes as I read. I’m hoping it will make this book easier for me to parse, because I really do want to give it an honest shot.

I’ve been mostly reading during my downtime at work, which is few and far between these days, so I expect this book will take a long time for me to finish. Time will tell, I suppose.

watching

Fallow week. Unless Rain World memes and Canopener Bridge videos count.

playing

Still playing Rain World. I’m very close to beating Artificer’s campaign, but at this point I’m kind of just milling around getting passage tokens and finding pearls for Five Pebbles to read. I’m not going to be a completionist about it, I mostly just want to see how many pearls I can find before I start to get bored.

(I’ve brought him seven so far.)

making

I’m continuing to work on my Five Pebbles amigurumi.

I still need to finish and attach his arms, and then make his cloak. But he should be finished soon! Then I’ll start working on Looks to the Moon.

He ended up being much bigger than any amigurumi I’ve made before, but I’m fine with that. It’s an interesting challenge.

I’m also going to count my recent post about my Rain World iterator headcanons in the ��making” section too, because fuck it, media analysis is a hobby too.

Rain World in particular has been a pretty good chew toy for my brain recently. The lore is kind of vague and confusing, but there’s enough there for you to begin to piece together the bigger picture. I recall reading in a devlog, “Some mysteries in Rain World aren’t meant to be solved”, but that doesn’t mean people aren’t going to try! And try I will, even if it does make me feel like that one scene from It’s Always Sunny sometimes.

[ooskfjdixid]

In a city made of neon lights,

Where the sky’s always dark and the stars are too far,

A boy named Keiran walks the streets,

His boots scuffing along cracked pavements

That shimmer with the glow of hovercars,

Flying past him like comets in a forgotten galaxy.

His hands, rough and calloused from endless work,

Grip a small chip tucked into his pocket—

The savings of years, hard-earned and stored.

It’s not enough yet, but he’s getting there.

Every day he gets a little closer to his dream.

He wasn’t born into wealth, not like the ones who cruise

In their sleek ships that light up the night,

Their engines humming with the pulse of distant worlds.

No, Keiran was born in the Lower Rings,

Where the sky never clears and the machines never sleep.

Down here, the air’s thick with fumes

And the glow from the screens

Barely reaches the ground.

But Keiran—he’s always had his eyes on the stars.

Even though the towers block out the sky,

He can feel them calling to him.

Every day after his shift at the scrap yard,

Where he pulls apart broken drones and ancient tech,

He walks by the shipyards,

Where the greatest vessels sit in silence,

Like beasts waiting to be tamed.

His favourite is an old rusted starship,

The Orion’s Dream, a relic from the days

When the galaxy was wide open,

Before the corporations fenced it in with rules

And checkpoints and spaceports

That charge more than a lifetime’s wage.

The Orion’s Dream isn’t the fastest,

And its hull has seen better days—

But to Keiran, it’s the greatest ship in the universe.

It’s got scars from battles long forgotten,

Laser burns etched into its metal like memories.

And when he looks at it,

He can see himself there, in the cockpit,

The stars racing by,

His hand on the throttle, pushing past light speed,

Past everything that ever tried to hold him down.

But ships like that don’t come cheap.

And so, Keiran works.

He works in the scrap yard by day,

Wading through piles of broken machinery,

The hum of old engines singing their dying songs.

By night, he picks up jobs wherever he can—

Fixing broken bots in alleyways lit by flickering neon,

Running deliveries for shady clients

Who pay in untraceable credits.

He saves every coin, every credit,

Every promise of a better future,

All for that ship.

Sometimes, when the grind feels too much,

When his muscles ache and the world feels too small,

He slips into a dive bar called The Cosmo Drift,

Where the holograms dance in slow-motion

And the air hums with synthwave beats

That echo like the heartbeat of the stars.

He sits at the bar, sipping something cheap,

Watching the pilots tell their tales of adventure,

Their voices carrying over the music,

Talking about worlds he’s only seen in dreams.

He listens, absorbing every word,

His mind painting pictures of asteroid fields

And planets with skies like liquid gold.

One day, he tells himself.

One day, I’ll have my own stories to tell.

There’s a girl who works at the bar,

Her name’s Rei—

She’s got eyes that glow with the light of distant galaxies

And a smile that could melt the frost

Off the coldest moon.

Sometimes, she asks him why he’s always sitting alone,

Staring into his drink like it holds the answers

To questions he hasn’t asked yet.

He tells her about the Orion’s Dream,

About how he’s going to buy it one day

And take off into the stars,

Leave this world behind.

She laughs, not in a cruel way,

But like she’s heard a million dreams like his before.

“Why wait for someday?” she says,

Her voice soft, like the hum of an engine at idle.

“The stars will always be there, but you—you won’t.”

But Keiran’s not one to take risks.

Not with something this big.

He’s seen too many people crash and burn,

Too many lives snuffed out in the vacuum of space,

And he’s not about to be another name

On a list of the forgotten.

So he works.

And he saves.

And the days turn into months,

The months into years.

His body wears down before his spirit does,

The long hours taking their toll,

But every time he feels like giving up,

He looks up at the sky,

At the tiny pinpricks of light

That manage to break through the smog.

They remind him that there’s something out there,

Something bigger than this city,

Something waiting for him beyond the clouds.

One night, as the neon lights flicker like dying stars,

He walks to the shipyard with his bag full of credits,

The ones he’s been collecting for as long as he can remember.

He’s got enough now.

Barely, but enough.

The shipyard is quiet, except for the hum of the machines

That keep the ships in stasis,

Their engines sleeping, waiting for someone to wake them.

Keiran walks up to the Orion’s Dream,

Its hull still rusted, still battered,

But to him, it’s the most beautiful thing in the universe.

He runs his hand along the side of the ship,

Feeling the cold metal beneath his fingers,

And for the first time in his life,

He feels like he’s exactly where he’s supposed to be.

He hands over the credits to the shipyard manager,

A grizzled old man with cybernetic eyes

That glow like burning coals.

The man nods, takes the money,

And hands Keiran the key to the ship.

It’s small, almost insignificant,

But in Keiran’s hand, it feels like the universe.

He steps inside the cockpit,

The controls old and worn,

But still functional.

He sits in the pilot’s seat,

His heart racing as he powers up the engines.

The hum of the ship fills the air,

A low, steady vibration

That feels like the heartbeat of the stars.

He grips the throttle,

His fingers trembling,

And with a deep breath,

He pushes it forward.

The Orion’s Dream lifts off the ground,

Slow at first, like it’s waking up after a long sleep.

But then it picks up speed,

Rising higher and higher,

The city shrinking beneath him

As the ship breaks through the smog,

Through the clouds,

And into the open sky.

For the first time in his life,

Keiran sees the stars—

Not through the haze of the city,

Not through the glow of neon lights,

But real, bright, and burning

In the endless expanse of space.

And as the Orion’s Dream

Shoots forward, faster than he ever imagined,

He knows that this is just the beginning.

The universe is wide open now,

And he’s ready to explore every corner of it.

No more working in the scrap yard,

No more saving up for a dream.

Because now, the dream is real.

And the stars—they’re his to conquer.

As the ship races into the darkness,

Keiran looks back one last time

At the city that used to be his world.

It’s nothing but a speck now,

A tiny dot of light in the distance.

And as he turns his gaze forward,

Toward the endless possibilities ahead,

He smiles.

Because this is what he was meant for.

Not the grime and the grind,

Not the struggle and the waiting.

But the stars.

The adventure.

The infinite unknown.

And with that, Keiran pushes the throttle harder,

The stars stretching out before him,

The universe waiting for his mark.

This is his time now.

This is his story.

[beevean]

Some covers of tracks for Curse of Darkness because the OST is magnificent and so are the fans cherishing it <3

Only 10 of them sadly, but for now it's enough.

Abandoned Castle

You'll see this person a lot. They covered many CV tracks, and many CoD tracks in particular, and he knows exactly how to convey their raw power. This one is just a classic <3

The completely opposite style, a soft piano rendition: if the guitar cover emphasized the track's (and Hector's) badassness, this one emphasizes its sorrow. I love how you can tell that the player really is into this performance, especially at 2:39 <3

Garibaldi Courtyard

An underrated track, and yet one of my absolute favorites in the franchise. This cover goes from replicating the original's softness with a piano, chimes and strings, to adding a guitar that somehow doesn't ruin it. Oh, and did you catch the musical nod halfway through? :)

The Legendary Belmont

Favorite boss theme, peak badass. It goes without saying that even he covers slay :) admittedly I prefer how the original included strings and synths, but in terms of raw power this one gets it.

The conversation at the beginning <3 this cover simply feels like the original but cranked up to eleven. It has the strings and synths that scream "you're in great danger", but also that guitar!!!

I actually just found this one, and I'm glad I did. Nothing much to say different from the previous ones, it's another one where the guitar does all the work. Apparently it goes for a more pregressive rock approach, and gives more emphasis to the strings. "Slayer of Darkness", what a title.

Forest of Jigramunt

why isn't this track more beloved D: well, anyway, this one sounds straight from the OST, and not a cover. Now I don't know which version I prefer, they're both so beautiful. Also love how it was edited!

Cordova Town

Not much different from the original, but I very much like the inclusion of chimes.

(and to cheat a little, I first included this interesting synthwave remix lol)

Insane Aristocracy

let's gooooooo 💖 this track doesn't get covered nearly enough for how epic it is lmao. To be fair, it looks insane (hehe) to play. For this cover, the weird chanting at the beginning are sacrificed for an awesome sounding guitar, much better than the one played in the original.

Toccata in Blood Soaked Darkness

the absolute madman played a string/organ track on a guitar. And it works. Personally, I'm just glad to see love for this beautiful final boss theme.

[dustedmagazine]

Nate Patrin — The Needle and the Lens: Pop Goes to the Movies From Rock ’n’ Roll to Synthwave (University of Minnesota Press)

For all that we tend to think of the early years of cinema as “silent” films, the movies has always had a close relationship to sound and music (right down to bringing live performers in). The disciplines of scoring and sound design are integral to the vast majority of most modern film, but here critic Nate Patrin singles out another, related practice: the needle drop. His focus in The Needle and the Lens is specifically on those cases where movies have used (and sometimes tried to ride the coattails of, in various ways) pre-existing songs, rather than anything composed specifically for them. This leaves out some of the truly great soundtrack songs that might spring to mind (“Fight the Power” was written for a movie!) but allows Patrin to tell the more specific story of the ways both movies and music over the years have looked to the other medium for elements they could take for themselves (whether that’s cultural prominence, marketing tips, or aesthetic gambits).

Arranged in a series of movie/song pairs covering the 1960s to the 2000s in the main chapters (and in a highly enjoyable bonus round of 24 more picks, going all the way to 2020), Patrin starts each chapter by vividly describing the way the film in question uses the song he’s chosen. He then proceeds through a history of the creation of both parts of the equation, and how they wound up together (ranging from serendipitous to torturous). Along the way he includes enough thought provoking context to continually throw up interesting questions without getting in the way of the overall narrative of the book. Ones like, did Kenneth Anger make the first modern music video? Does Quentin Tarantino understand the relationship between nostalgia and camp? Is David Lynch somehow responsible for the Traveling Wilburys?

While each chapter is as distinct as its source material, Patrin also skillfully crafts a throughline that ties them together. He shows that, while any individual director, producer, music supervisor, etc. may have been making idiosyncratic choices when it comes to picking songs for their movies, there is an overarching story to tell about how Hollywood as a whole came to understand the value of using existing songs, music that the audience already brought a level of personal and emotional association to. And while in some ways we may be past the golden age of the needle drop (when was the last time a soundtrack album that wasn’t a score or other new material was a big deal, culturally?), The Needle and the Lens makes a case for why so many of us have fond memories of them, and continue to react so strongly to good ones. Maybe the most compelling point in the book’s favour is just how many of Patrin’s chosen moments and his writing on them make you want to watch (or rewatch) them.

Ian Mathers

[table-cat-games]

Where I Got Low(er) Cost Art for My Indie TTRPG Setting

So I thought I'd make a small post about where I sourced art for Street Wolves and maybe it could help you.

1. Stock art

What I mean here is art you can just purchase and use. Unfortunately there wasn't a lot of art that I personally could use, because my setting, Street Wolves, doesn't fit the most common genres of ttrpg (fantasy or horror). I did find some pieces on Shutterstock that I could use, but Shutterstock is a bit more expensive than buying a piece or two on Drive Thru RPG. You usually have to buy a subscription to Shutterstock and you might not need that many images.

I managed to find a coupon online that actually worked when I subbed, so if you go that route be sure to Google for deals first.

2. Photo/Art Bashing

I'm not the worlds best at Photoshop or Illustrator, but I do have some skills. Lots of times I could take a piece of stock art I found and alter it to fit my needs. Or take a photo, run it through Illustrator's live trace, throw some filters on it, and it's good enough.

Yes, this does take time and skills if you want to do this. Start working on them now. Look up tutorials and follow along. If you can't afford Adobe products, which are ridiculously overpriced, there are far cheaper alternatives out there now!

3. Commissions

While searching for artists to commission, I found a couple that were really reasonable and within my budget. Just look at their prices, ask for their commercial rates and see what you can find. It may take a lot of searching, but you might find someone out there that matches your small budget that has a style you like.

4. Artist Pals

This might be the most controversial one here, but a couple of my friends offered me a deal on their art. Note: I did not ask for this. I also attempted to refuse. But they are kind and generous people. And I still try to give them things in trade or cut them in on merch sales, or whatever.

It's entirely possible that if you're networking, being a genuine human being, helping others, and being a friend that talented people may want to help you out if they really like your ideas. I'd never *ask* them for a favor or a discount though, and I believe that is key.

5. Decorative Accents

Art doesn't have to be illustrations. It can be little symbols, decorations, and other accents that help make the work more "art full" than it is. In my case, I combined a lot lot of stock elements to create synthwave flavored bits to toss around the book, to help fill it out a bit more.

And there you have it. Hope this helps you in some way. Oh yeah, notice I didn't mention AI art. Because it is poopy.

[cursedvibes]

If you don't mind me asking but what is your advice on writing stuff? (plus: I love your depiction of Jin's and Kenny's relationship)

Hm, that's hard to say. Generally, I would say to look at different stories, see how they're structured, find what you like about them and try to replicate that. It doesn't necessarily have to be books or other written media, although that helps the most with grammar and stylistic devices. Movies or games can be just as helpful in this case. For me, I take a lot of inspiration from indie horror games, especially for writing oneshots. It helps me capture a tense atmosphere in a short amount of time and often also puts me in the right mood for writing.

Taking from other media and stories is one thing, but then you have to find the thing that works for you. Just play around with what you like and see what works best for you and feels most comfortable. Like, I personally tend to focus a lot on emotions and sensations and usually create a very narrow perspective from one character, but other people are really good at wordbuilding, character interactions/dialogue, action (quick and complex movement is so difficult to convey in written form), erotica (writing smut is hard, it shouldn't be underestimated. I struggle a lot with it) etc. That's what you have to find out for yourself. Lean into what you are good at and what you like to write about and explore that. It gets said a lot, but practising and just keeping at it really does help a lot. With experience this gets much easier and more fun. Not everything is a masterpiece, but it will always help you, even if it's just by realizing what you are not good at.

As for the actual writing process, everyone has their own little rituals. Just make sure you're as comfortable as possible and somewhere or in a mindset where you can get immersed. For example, I write best in the evening or at night and I like to listen to music during it because it keeps me in the mood I want to capture. What kind of music depends a lot on what I'm writing, but generally it's ambient and/or synthwave. I have a whole playlist for it. But everyone is different. A friend of mine writes at work or on the bus and also always first writes by hand in notebooks before typing it in a Word document for publishing. I could never do that, but that just shows how this can vary a lot.

Lastly, I would say start small. You don't have to create gigantic world-shattering events from the get-go (although go for it if you want to), just start with a conversation or one scene you have stuck in your head and that can be enough. I also always try to tell myself that as long as you like what you write and you have even one person who likes it as well, that's already a massive success.

[synthwavemorty]

👾 The Looks Of Synthwave Morty;

-He has regular Morty brown hair - somewhat long and puffy. Long enough to tuck behind his ear/enough to hide an earpod. There's a strand of dark purple in the font, he matches with his Rick/The rest of his family.

-He holds a CRT TV like his Rick, but his often shows screenshots/clips of video games from the '80s. Like the original Mario Bros or Pacman.

-Clunky sunglasses like his Rick; but the lenses are yellow, orange and red. The arms are dark blue. He wears them pretty much ALL the time

(Descriptions of his eyes and eyebrows are left out on purpose wink wink)

-Purple t-shirt with a design that takes up most of the clothing piece. The bulk of it is a sun, a small part having black palm tree leaves - example below.

-Teal pants

-Orange socks and black shoes

-Painted, well looked after fingernails. They're purple, yellow, orange, red and black

-His ears are pierced, but they're simple black studs.

👾The Looks and Personalities of the Synth Family;

Synthwave Beth ~ Light purple vest, orange pants. Purple lipstick. Her hair is the usual length and blonde, with the purple streak in the front. Her multi-colour clunky glasses are hanging from the neck of her vest. She's a loving Mom, always hugging and kissing her kids goodbye or goodnight. She'd often there to see Morty off when he and Rick goes on an adventure. She enjoyed baking; so the house often smells like baked goods. Cupcakes, cookies. You name it. Christmas time is amazing, and you bet their house is a hit on Halloween.

Synthwave Jerry ~ Purple polo with orange and red stripes. Yellow pants. Usual short brown hair wirh the purple streak in the front. His clunky glasses are often hung from his right pant pocket. He has the usual Jerry anxiety, but he's over all a better person and a better dad. He tries, even if sometimes he comes off as weird or misunderstood. He WANTS to be in his kids lives like all Jerrys, but misses the mark sometimes.

Synthwave Summer ~ Her whole hair is the same purple as the family's streak. Every day she has a different hair style, but her glasses are always atop of her head. Light purple tanktop, dark purple shorts. She's an amazing older sister - always being the one to check over Morty when he comes back from an adventure. She's the one that got him started on painting his nails. She's also the one that does all the hair dying in the house; it's a monthly family thing. She's kind in general, sometimes snappy just like Rick; like grandfather like granddaughter. She isn't afraid to stand up for herself or her family.

Synthwave Rick ~ His Pocket Mortys design, but a little different! His headphones are usually around his neck. His hair is longer, like Memory Rick's hair with the purple streak in the front. His glasses swap between over this eyes and atop or his head often. His portal gun is clunky and square looking; covered in stickers.The portal itself is purple in colour. Incidentally do anything different; it's just an aesthetic change. He's really kind for a Rick - Being around to see Beth and hie grandkids grow up. He cares, even if his Rickness doesn't allow him to show it. "Buddy", "Junebug" are nicknames for Morty, and of course he calls Summer "Sum-Sum". He's obviously upset about Diane passing away, but he has a new family that he can cherish.

Synthwave Snuffles ~ the same small, white dog. The end of his tail had been dyed purple with dog safe dye. He acts as a kind've...support animal for the family. Unlike other versions of the dog, he wasn't given the device that made him hyperaware. Therefore, he's still around.

Synthwave Birdperson ~ He's actually a parrot. But parrots are birds too, right? Either way, Synth Birdperson is a parrot. A classic red one, wings multiple colours. He's close friends with Synth Rick; the duo meeting atleast once a week for a catch-up. He's the one that helped Synth Rick out of his depression when Diane had passed away. In alot of ways, Synth Birdperson is the reason why Synth Rick is still around for his family.

[bylightofdawn]

This does not shock me at all. I've listened to Dust + Stars for DAYS on repeat while writing Seeds for the Future.

I also did not join Spotify until midway through this year. I was pretty much exclusively listing on YT but their stupid amount of ads finally drove me to Spotify. I'm seriously debating doing premium because I am definitely using the service enough to warrant it.

I definitely love synthwave for writing music and it shows in my spotify wrapped for sure. Pffft. I'm shocked my emo emotional playlist didn't get much recognition. Tedy is where that's coming from, I love that man's music so much and he's definitely been a repeat listen this year. Otherwise, these all look to be mostly synthwave songs.

I'm interested to see what next year will be since I've kinda branched out in the past few months to other things.

[deco-noir]

Puerto Rican Nights 1984

[irismono]

Aight, now to cover my original works that I'm working on.

I've got two main projects, one sci-fi and the other fantasy, I have other projects as well, but none developed enough that I'm willing to share.

No art yet for either of these btw, I can't draw the broad side of a barn, let alone a spaceship or a mounted warrior.

Project 1: Mechamlet

Very much a working title, the original pitch was "Hamlet, in Space, with Giant Robots." It very much is still that to some degree, though elements of Macbeth and a few other works have contributed to turning the plot into its own unique beast. It's now got two protagonists, a reasonably sized (read: not ludicrous) cast of side characters, and a more or less defined trajectory that should fit nicely as a quadrilogy.

Here's the current pitch:

Cynwrig "Rig" Cosmas is the second prince of a noble house that once held the crown of the galactic empire. Theophania "Tio" Verdandi is the last princess of a lost kingdom. Both are on the run from Imperial authorities, though for very different reasons. Lacking a kingdom, Tio lives as a Smuggler, while Rig... Rig may have just accidentally killed his own brother.

These two fugitive nobles will meet when Tio's guardian takes the runaway prince under his wing and brings him aboard the smuggling vessel Phlegethon. Hijinks ensue and heads clash as both royals are eager to keep their lineages secret, but are unwilling to act as anything but the other's superior. Meanwhile, enemies old and new threaten the outlaw crew's livelihood, and the jump drive has been acting a little too jumpy as of late.

Drama, action, excitement, and perhaps even romance unfold across the pages of [ack! Title!]. Will Rig and Tio come to understand each other? Will the Imperial Revenue Service catch on to the blatant tax evasion? Will the author think of a better question to put here? Will something explode?

Needs work, and more importantly needs to be actually written, but it's something I'm passionate about so I trust it will come together in time.

Aesthetically I've been looking at a lot of 80s and 90s stuff, particularly synthwave and Eurobeat. Anime is my main source for the Giant Robots. Vision of Escaflowne has some beautiful Mecha designs, as does Code Geass. I want to avoid the supermassive robot scale I think. It's cool, but I've never really felt comfortable with Gundam or Pacific Rim, and I'm definitely not writing Gurren Lagaan.

Project 2: Bullhelm

This title feels final imo. Though I might change it to "Bullhelm the Barbarian" or "Bullhelm the Brave" or something along those lines.

Bullhelm is the name of the protagonist of my resurrection of the Pulp Fantasy genre, an archaic artform that carried fantasy and even sci-fi in the era of magazine serials. Related most closely to the "Sword and Sorcery" genre of today, but perhaps better compared to Japanese series like "Vampire Hunter D", or the Redwall series, where each story can stand by itself, but together they form a detailed and vibrant illustration of a vast far away world.

Bullhelm will feature, alongside various, often changing companions, in a series of adventures set all across my fantasy world that I've put together. He'll smite evil, win great treasures, take a wound or two along the way, and learn much about whatever land he happens to be passing through.

But ye, that's my original stuff. Might toss out a poll in the next few days to figure out which of my fanfic projects to work on first.

[darkpurpledawn]

I’m reading every batjokes fic on Ao3 in ascending word count order. Here are my personal favorites and recs from 2k-5k!

Batch Brew by stuckoncloud9

This hysterical coffee shop AU is also Bruce/Riddler, Bruce/Scarecrow, and Bruce/Two-Face in addition to Bruce/Joker, but no matter who you ship Bats with it’s astonishingly delightful. One of my favorite characterizations of Bruce in all of fanfic.

contact high by venetianAnarchist

This fic is much loved for a reason, as it’s more or less the perfect porn-with-just-enough-plot. Extremely funny and manages to up the ante every paragraph.

The Bitterest Joke by Dracze

If your heart is too intact, you can find no better way to rip it to shreds than with this fic set in the Mother Panic Gotham AD comics. A grieving Joker endlessly bargains with an absent Batman, and it’s unforgettable. Pairs well with This Knife, Like Silence

Exactly What It Seems by Dracze

Lex Luthor and Joker hook up and Lex reveals as much to a mortified Batman, and the results are filled with laugh-aloud lines and a very entertaining Luthor POV.

green, the color of greed by distortopia

If the tag “Clownfucking Syndrome by Proxy” doesn’t lure you in I don’t know what will. A wonderful look at Bruce’s repressed desire that manages to have so much batjokes flavor even while Joker is technically absent.

high caliber by mitzvahmelting

Established relationship between characters who are always at each other’s throats can be difficult to pull off, but this fic imagining Joker bringing a gun to their bedroom really manages it with aplomb.

how glad i am you could not resist by harlequintessential

Incredible unfinished fic set during Arkham Knight in which a greiving, angry Bruce Wayne is tormented by the Joker he hears in his head. The writing is fantastic and the sense of unravelling is compellingly vivid.

More Than Enough by Dracze

A very sweet Christmas fic that still feels completely in-character, featuring a wacky and wonderful Joker POV and all the warm fuzziness you could want on a winter night.

The Neighborhood on the Other Side by DesdemonaKaylose

When Bruce gets hit with fear toxin, he and Joker share an intimate moment out of time. Really gorgeous writing and fantastic characterization.

Primal Cut by Vampowerment

An eerie and unsettling Joker story taking place after the end of Batman Endgame in which Joker lives a normal life as a butcher but still finds himself preoccupied with Batman. Creepy and captivating.

The Proposal by stuckoncloud9

THE batjokes happy ending, read it and shriek in glee

That Which Is Not Dead Can Eternal Lie by messageredacted

The Batman/Cthulhu mythos crossover you didn’t know you needed. Somehow, it works spectacularly.

this knife, like silence by distortopia

A kind of flipside to The Bitterest Joke mentioned above, this fic follows a Bruce whose Joker has simply disappeared without a trace...it will eviscerate your emotions. Have a pack of tissues on hand.

Wayne, Bruce Wayne by Naphorism

A James Bond AU for the Telltale verse that’s ridiculously fun and campy and true to character

You’re My Excuse to Travel by synthwave

Conveys what is possibly the most potent sense of longing ever put to page in fanfic, and does so with an exquisite blend of melancholy and gentle humor. It’s not overtly sad but it will make your heart ache.

[nyotasaimiri]

Arc Two (redux) 56

Hadley kept to the shadows of the debris, using the hollowed hulking behemoths as her shield as she went deeper into the asteroid field. If Dr. Akaggy’s test room was one of her brother’s shooter games, this was a stealth mission, she guessed. She didn’t have to shoot any targets this time, just get to her goal. She checked the radar again. Still too many meters away.

And there were more red dots on her radar.

“Hadley, you have two trifangles coming in from in front of you,” Nyota told her; she must have noticed the radar blips too. “They are fast, but they will hold still a moment before they fire. Be ready to move out of the way.”

“I got it, Captain.” Hadley relaxed and adjusted her hands on the controls. She had her crew watching out for her. She could do this. Maybe this was why her Captain never seemed afraid.

As she spotted the two small blue machines gliding toward her out of the debris field, Hadley considered asking Arjun if he could wire up some speakers and a music player in here. Some good synthwave tracks wouldn’t be half bad for this. She held the mech in place as the two enemies stopped, and waited until she saw the glow before they opened fire. Light shot toward her. She shot forward, just under the blasts, turned and swung an arm. Blue smashed on blue, one trifangle twisting away and crashing on debris in a ball of flame. The other spiraled and spun off into the asteroid field again. Hadley smirked. Much better.

*

Nyota let out a breath she hadn’t acknowledged she’d been holding. Good.

*

“I’m getting pretty close, Captain.” Hadley drifted carefully past another small cluster of debris, eyes scanning the field for that trifangle that had escaped. She didn’t know if it might come back for more. “Think I can set the beacon out here?”

“Get in a little closer,” came the reply, but not from her Captain. “Don’t try it until that mech’s feet are on solid ground.”

Hadley grinned. “Hey, is that the old man’s voice? We finally lured you out of the engine room? I bet you couldn’t resist seeing your handywork in action. This thing flies nice.”

“Save your flattery,” Arjun told her, but she knew he was pleased. “We’ll see how much a mess you made of my work when you get back. Not too shabby on the shooting there.”

A compliment? “Who are you and what have you done with Arjun?” Hadley asked. “Did Sonny put extra sugar in your coffee?”

His snort staticked through the speaker. “She did. You should try it. Eyes on the screen. There’s a clear shot ahead of you.”

Hadley looked up and sure enough, he was right. Nothing on the radar. Nothing in her way. The stone gateway towered over her, eerily familiar, all too like the one at the bottom of the Ark. Hadley shook her head. Not the time for that. She hit the thrusters and glided down toward the solid rock face below. As she reached it, the whole mech shuddered and she felt the legs lower a moment before the impact rattled through the core.

“Well, that landing was smoother than Dr. Akaggy’s original, but it still needs work,” she said, rubbing her back. “Captain? There’s some kind of artificial gravity field around here when you get really close. We could walk on this just fine.” To prove the point, she switched on her EPP to provide a breathable air field and opened the cockpit.

“SAIL has visual of you,” Nyota’s voice confirmed a few moment later. “Plant the beacon and we’ll bring you back in.”

Hadley waved dismissively at the distant ship. “In a minute. Damn, I wish I’d brought my camera along. This view’s amazing.” She stood at the edge of the rock and looked out into space at the distant twinkling blue that marked the core of the Muhlifain system, then up at all the stars beyond. It really does go on forever, she thought. She remembered, so dimly, her brother sitting beside her and saying that, a very long time ago. Different system, same stars.

“You can go back with your camera once the beacon is up,” Nyota reminded her, pulling her back into the moment. “We’ll watch for incoming space monsters while you plant it.”

“I got it, Captain.” Hadley tore her eyes away from the sight and walked back over to her mech. The beacon was a small tripod sort of thing, hard to really guess at what it was unless you opened it up. Hadley knew better than to try that, though. Arjun would have her hide if she broke it. She walked toward the gate to find a good flat bit of ground to plant it in. The sheer size of the structure made her fight hard against the instinct to stop and stare in awe. She’d have to get a picture of that too.

Voices registered dimly through her headset. Oldarva’s, maybe? “Captain? Something’s moving out there…”

Three seconds of silence.

“Hadley! Get in the mech!” Nyota all but roared. Hadley could hear the fear, even through the static and sudden electronic drone that filled the area. “There’s something huge on the radar!”

[a-land-of-shadow-and-substance]

Fun with AI Generated... Mission Breakouts?!?

So, I recently found out about the Wombo Dream AI art generator, and after playing around with it a bit, I was curious how specific it could be.  I also couldn’t help but be curious about how many images it was “trained” on, which would lead to more specific results.  To try and test its specificity, I decided to try a subject that looks like a nightmarishly jumbled AI generated image anyway: that horror of architecture, Mission Breakout!

I tested the prompt “Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout” on each of the available filters.  Here’s the results, ranked from best to worst in my opinion, and some of the things I think I gleaned from each one:

First of all, here’s “No Filter”.  And... wow, yeah, that’s just straight up Mission Breakout.  Right shape, right color scheme... this is basically just an impressionist painting of the actual building.  Great job, AI.  I think this shows that the developers trained this on some very wide ranging and specific data, since it recognized this very specific building, rather than going for something more generic about, say, galaxies.  10/10 Looks better than the real thing

Second, here’s the “HD” filter.  It feels more zoomed in, but it’s certainly got the right feel to it.  Interestingly, some of the interior parts of the building made their way into this one; I think I see an elevator door and the generator room among the jumbles.  This feels like someone made a photo collage of various pics of Mission Breakout, but I feel the AI still understood the assignment well enough.

Third, here’s the one under the “Psychic” filter.  I kept going back and forth between this and the previous one as the second best.  This one looks less like the actual building, but feels very much in the style of Disney’s concept paintings.  Still definitely recognizable, and I’m still impressed.

So, the AI has a good track record so far... yeah, that falls apart after this.

In fourth place is the one from the “Vibrant” filter.  It’s got the right colors, and the right amount of gratuitous pipes... but overall I get more of a Star Wars vibe from this, or maybe another location from GOTG.  It’s definitely not the iconic ugly warehouse.

Fifth place goes to the “Dark Fantasy” filter.  Getting even further away from recognizable now, but that bit at the bottom does seem reminiscent of the lobby exhibits at least.

6th Place is the “Fantasy” filter. I feel like some pictures of Tower of Terror fell in to the data set for this one, given the tamer color scheme and vague art deco feel.  If anything, this feels like a futuristic take on Union Station in Los Angeles.  At least it has *some* elements right, though.

7th Place goes to the “Ukiyo-e” filter.  At least it’s a junky looking tower, but nothing else is especially right.  Yes, it manages to get less accurate from here.

In 8th place, I tried the “Synthwave” filter twice.  This filter didn’t seem to have any reference for the ride at all; instead it seems entirely focused on the keywords “Guardian” and “Galaxy”.  Still gets points for being in space, and looking rad.

9th Place is the “Pastel” filter.  For some reason, this generated some kind of cliff city under the Midgar Plate rather than anything vaguely accurate.  Looks cool, but has nothing to do with my prompt.  In general, any prompt I tried with this filter ended up as this sort of cliff structure.  Maybe this filter just does its own thing?

And here it is! 10th place and the farthest removed from accuracy!  The “steampunk” filter decided to give me... Hollow Bastion from Kingdom Hearts.  Really, I don’t see Mission Breakout in this at all.  Much like Synthwave and Pastel, the Steampunk filter seems bent on doing its own thing rather than following your keywords.

So, there it is, 11 AI generated takes on Mission Breakout!  So Wombo AI *is* aware of something so specific as one Disney ride, but its filters all seem to work very differently from the same prompt.  I think I’ll do this with Tower of Terror too, for some extra fun!

[worldsover]

Fermata ft. Chuu

length ✦ 5651

genres ✧ Dal Segno sequel; dirty talk; oral; makeup fetish; more subby!Chuu

✦✧✦✧✦✧

You write to keep your concentration and disconnect you from your ever-changing concerns. For all your ideas, the true crux of putting a piece together is actually making something concrete. The self-control you require to be consistent, and consistently creative, is what makes music so hard to stay focused on. This album must be finished. This year. No written promises but you have to do right by her after all you've invested. You fucked Jiwoo in the mouth yesterday. Real right of you to do.

“Coming!” Jiwoo must be far from the front door with how her holler resounds the apartment. Where do you put your hands? Pockets are natural though they don't feel like it. Many but not enough footsteps grow in loudness but you expect a stampede anyway when the door opens. Instead, only Yerim and Sooyoung manifest in the opening hallway.

“Hello, oppa! Jiwoo unnie is just… Umm. Taking care of business.” Yerim playfully elbows you when she pulls you in but you stop her to take your shoes off. Sooyoung sends a brusque wave your way and not much else as she collects assorted effects and clothing around the living room. There isn’t nearly as much noise as you expect.

Look around in confusion. “Did I miss something? Is today a holiday?”

“Jiwoo isn’t the only one who’s got schedules, PD-nim,” Sooyoung says.

Yerim turns around. She also has some nicer pants on, and a loose-fitting red top. “Unnie, you’re just visiting your family.”

“And that’s a schedule.”

“Well oppa, I have a CF to film so, ha!” Yerim raises a hand, victorious she just won the conversation. High five. She’s satisfied but Sooyoung gives no regard, clearly looking for something.

“What about the other girls?” you ask.

“I’m not a manager. Just count yourself lucky the dorm is so empty.” Yerim says.

“Damn, we can even record some demos too. Good thing I brought the mic. Hold on, before you guys go, wanna listen to some of our songs?” you say.

“Finally!” Yerim says.

“Just play it out loud, I can hear it,” Sooyoung says. You offer your help with whatever she’s searching for though she brushes you off and insists she can do it herself.

Yerim brings out a bluetooth speaker from underneath the living room couch and coughs because of whatever dust she just procured.

Pull out your Macbook from your backpack and connect it to the speaker. You think about which track to play and pick the one that shows off Jiwoo’s voice the best so far, Jiwoo - Deeper.

Yerim immediately gets into the beat, bobbing her head and dancing. However, when the chorus hits, her ears perk up and she starts cheering at the notes that Jiwoo belts. Sooyoung also turns an ear towards the speaker in curiosity.

A vacuum interrupts the music. Jiwoo swoops in with the machine, scurrying her shapely legs with no heed to their bareness. She pushes up her fake circle glasses and says over the commotion, “I knew you needed this! Oppa, hello!”

“I’m trying to listen to the music here!” Yerim covers her ears.

Sooyoung looks down and pauses at the edge of the couch. “Oh hey, there’s my bracelet! Really nice music by the way!”

“Wow, you guys are so kind.” Jiwoo says, her voice piercing the screaming vacuum without effort. She turns it off realizing she's the only one can really do so. “You still like the music now?”

“No unnie, I mean it,” Yerim says.

“Why are you wearing just that big tracksuit sweater? Do you even have shorts on?” you interrupt the gushing. Jiwoo turns around and hugs herself as if she dropped a towel, even though her immodesty comes from her lower body. Good thing no one notices her sweater ride up for a moment to reveal white panties. Sooyoung looks at you confused while Yerim smirks to match yours. She wasn't even looking at Jiwoo but she could probably tell from your face. Damn, she’s too perceptive.

“Well, it looks like that’s my cue to go,” Yerim says.

“I’m so confused,” Sooyoung looks back and forth at you and the other two girls in the room. You shrug your shoulders, pretending to take solace in her ignorance of the situation.

“Come on unnie, we’ll go together. I’ll go out to get money and you go out to get your kisses from mommy and daddy.” Somehow that didn’t sound too offensive but Sooyoung punches Yerim anyway.

“Oppa, can you finish vacuuming for me?” You’re about to make a retort about labor laws but Jiwoo runs to the bathroom and immediately you hear Jiwoo practicing melodic runs. They’re definitely not the ones you taught her, unless moaning was part of the routine.

“So she has to get her vocal cords ready too huh? I’m suuure that’s all she’s doing in there.” Yerim keeps poking at your bicep with two fingers. You turn on the vacuum to try and hide her overt naughtiness but Yerim’s devilish look tells enough. For full measure, she winks at you as she drags Sooyoung out of the dorm. Mental note to deal with that can of worms for later.

Head to the big bedroom where Jiwoo’s still doing vocal exercises. Three bunk beds line the walls while pillows, blankets and bean bags litter the floor. As the centrepiece of the room sits a simple wooden table, short enough to rest on the polystyrene filled chairs while adequately comfortable to get work done. She stands proud on top of the table as she practices the actual runs you tell her to do.

“Oh, oh, ohhhhh, oh, ohhhhppa!” She jumps down from the table and nearly tackles you when she locks her legs around you in a hug. Take a second to balance yourself while holding her as tightly as possible.

“Jiwoo, you’re eager today.”

“Of course I am, oppa. I’m soooo excited to. Record. Of course.”

“Well if you are, please get off of me.”

“Oppa! You don’t like my hugs?” she says nearly falsetto. Her aegyo throws you off, so you throw her off. Onto a bean bag. “I guess that’s a no.”

“No, not no. I mean. We have to be focused, Jiwoo. Is there any rope or anything?”

“You just said we have to be focused, oppa.”

You wave your hands in denial. “What’d I say about acoustics?”

“Ohhh, like the foam at the studio?”

“Exactly. Especially with how big this room is, we’re going to have to need all the insulation we can get. Ahhh!” Your random shout rumbles throughout the room and startles the relaxing Jiwoo. 

She stands up. “I get it! Geez.”

“Oh yeah, I need a pop filter too.”

“A thin fabric right? For all the p-p-plosives.”

“Mhm.”

Inevitable. Jiwoo takes off her panties and you shake your head laughing in disapproval.

“Come on now, that’s just not sanitary,” you say.

“So you’re saying you don’t want them?”

“No, I’ll just confiscate them for your stupidity. Tsk. Find some pantyhose.“ She gets up. “Ahem. Not used.”

The panties have a tiny wet spot, and your nose takes a quick bask in its musk but Jiwoo immediately catches you.

“And I’m too horny,” Jiwoo says with characteristic sass. You put it in your pocket as she gets pantyhose from her drawer. After fashioning a stand for the pantyhose for her to sing into, you both get to work hanging up blankets from the bunk beds while clotheslines become pillow-lines. A makeshift room within a room, still centered by the table but now surrounding you with cushioning cloth instead of acoustically reflective drywall.

Barely enough space for jumping jacks but you start doing them anyway and it flummoxes Jiwoo for a moment. You don’t need to tell her to join in. Sit down to play an instrumental from the laptop and she pauses the exercise before you motion for her to continue. 

“I need you with the right energy for the beat.”

“Yeah, I figured. Synthwave is really popular now, huh?” Her bouncing to the rhythm rides her hoodie up again but now her cute slit and bare legs are plain to see. Your tongue dries your lips. She catches her breath before stretching one last time. Keep it together. “So are we recording?” 

You nod. Take out the microphone and two pairs of in ear monitors for listening, and connect all the devices to the computer. After setting everything up, Jiwoo gets up and you hold the microphone and filter for her.

Click. “Aaand, recording.”

Click. “One more.”

But that’s it. Two takes. You could not get a better sounding Jiwoo than that. Not a quick demo but the actual release vocal track, since even in such an imperfect recording environment, it sounds perfect to your ears. A little frustration since where was this Jiwoo in all the previous sessions? Maybe you’ll have to consider more visits for recording though you’re not sure if you could make another miracle happen to have everyone else out of the dorm at the same time.

“Jiwoo, that was a- Dammit, that was perfect,” you say.

“Of course, it was!” Not that there’s much room in the improvised recording studio but she ensures you feel even less of it when she gets closer. “Sooo. Wanna fuck my face?”

“That’s not the arrangement! You didn’t mess up.” 

“You definitely sound disappointed I did a good job,” Jiwoo says.

”Of course I’m not disappointed.” You sigh. Are we doing this again? A single flitter of her brows. “I’m not going to fuck your face this time, okay? You have to be able to take that dick all the way down yourself.”

No protests. She lowers her head once in gratitude. 

"Thank you for the meal!" Jiwoo says as she shows off her pearly whites in a big smile. She turns her head up to look at you lovingly as she cups your balls with her hands before she lowers her head again for a precursory smooch onto your cock. This time, she gives the same slow care to your shaft with her lips as she is to your balls with her hands. As if she wasn't going to ruin her makeup.

Restraining your panting and cries of ecstasy is arduous enough with Jiwoo engulfing you when-

“Kim Jiwoo!” Sooyoung’s voice reverberates from maybe the living room or the foyer.

Jiwoo side-eyes the study door. Her head does not stop its seesaw. Is this girl so entranced by your cock that she feels not an ounce of dread?

Sooyoung yells, “I forgot something! Just wanted to let you know I’ll be back later with dinner!”

“Okay! Thanks! We’re busy,” you choke on your words as Jiwoo does the same on your dick, “Uh, listening to the mix!”

Sooyoung, still shouting, but attempting to say lower, “Sorry! I’ll go now. Bye.”

Wait a few minutes before getting up, and of course Jiwoo’s lips are still wrapped around your cock as you walk towards the door. Dorm is empty. She must have performed magic taking off her shirt and underwear to play with herself because you can't remember if she's ever stopped sucking you off. The kinematics don't add up. More likely, you’re slightly faint from her perilous suction, making left and right difficult directions to parse from each other.

"Fuck you're already so good, Jiwoo." 

Pull her up and carry her to deposit onto the bottom bunk of the bed by the window.  She ends up belly diving onto the mattress’ surface and her buttcheeks recoil just the slightest bit.  Jiwoo notices and starts giggling when she plays around with her perky cheeks.

"You like my ass, oppa?" Nod.

“I said I wasn’t going to fuck your face today. Fuck. Maybe I’ll fuck you there instead,” you say in a low bass.

Her eyes turn into full moons at your suggestion. You laugh. 

”Naughty fucking girl. Next time, when you’re a good girl. Such a fun ass though.” Follow through with the compliment as you line up your cock to the prone girl’s mouth, arcing down to fondle her round buns. It's a miracle and also a bit embarrassing that your erection is soft after all that. Best guess is that it's had so much stimulation, but all of the masturbation after recalling your previous facefuck probably didn't help. Jiwoo takes her index and middle digits and raps them on your cock to a freeform beat.

“Aww oppa, your cock. I need to make it big and meaty again,” Jiwoo whines and her pout confesses that she's a little disheartened, however her eyes are more determined.

“Tell me all the ways you want me to use you." She raises her vivid eyebrows and lists her head a little forward. “Okay, miss ‘I won’t let go of this cock even when there’s others in the house’. Don’t worry, we have plenty of time. Just relax and go on.”

“Hmph. Fine. Well, your dick is right here, sooo after I lick it up,” which she begins doing by inspecting your shaft with intent, before finding a spot she deems scrumptious enough to lap up. “You fuck this dirty mouth pussy clean while I play myself on my tummy just like this.”

Jiwoo sounds ridiculous talking with her tongue out but at the same time, her cheeky lisp fortifies your cock. Her hands wander underneath herself and she reels back, titillated by her own words. You watch the small woman fondling herself with both hands while your erection at half-mast presses against her face in suspense.

“I could flip myself over and I’d never let go of oppa’s cock, I promise, then you could see your bulge in my fuck hole.”

How could this girl talk so filthy? Her face doesn’t even look like it should utter the word darn, yet here she is giving a study of her throat’s distension from your dick.

Jiwoo continues, one hand rubbing her clit fervently, “Then, maybe. Maybe oppa could get on top of me and pretty please eat my little pussy out while he shoves his cock into me?”

You couldn’t just stand idly by, though it wouldn’t be the worst with how her mouth vibrates your cock harder as her tone gets more gravelly and hungry. When you reach down, you see her wet slit preoccupied with two fingers from her other hand. It doesn’t stop you from slipping one in the increasingly creamy hole.

“Then oppa, if you still wanna at least?” her voice shrinks, but then returns in volume as she crescendos, “You keep your mouth on my slit as you lift up my legs and your silly slut is upside down and she’s choking on your cock and Jiwoo can’t breath and all the blood rushing to her head and you cum and Jiwoo doesn’t let any of spill out cuz Jiwoo is a good slut for oppa, and oppa, oppa, please!”

You join in stroking and rubbing her squishy soaking pussy lips and she looks up from her haze.

“Kim Jiwoo.” Your voice is stern and it seems more than any physical stimulation that your deep beckon is what sends her past the edge. Her pussy swallows whole your finger still inside her, wetness replacing all sensation that the digit once had. She accompanies her whole body’s spasms with loud visceral moans. It takes more than a mere moment to close her eyes and restore her breathing. The bedroom smells a little salty from all the fluids leaking her mouth and slit.

“How much porn have you been watching?” you say.

“As much as you oppa.”

Swallow down a bit of spit. “Huh?”

“Remember our very first recording session, you forgot your laptop and I returned it to you?”

“Fuck,” you say. Jiwoo stretches and lay spread-eagle on the bed, a gooey strand connecting between her two thighs. She licks her fingers.

“You're lucky I found it. Oppa, it’s all your fault I’m like this. Plus all those fancams of me in the same folder. I wanted to confess sooner but I needed more opportunities to be with you.” She sucks her hand more earnestly.

“I didn’t think sucking dick counted as confessing.”

“Hey, I did say I like you. Did you already forget? Tsk. Typical boy.”

“Look at this dick.” You didn’t have to say that because she’s already drilling holes into it with her eyes. “Remember how I said I was basically recording for free? Make your own inferences.” The round shape of her mouth in understanding is perfect.  "Now, open wide."

"Yes! Mm..."

 It’s hard to say which position is your favorite.

Fucking her face is straightforward but you pay closer attention. You’re certainly not down that deep, as you can still feel her uvula recoil on your tip and react with thick gagged out spit. Nothing like your cum but she sucks and spits the liquid in and out anyway. She definitely enjoys playing around with fluids in her mouth.

Jiwoo pulls away when she upturns herself, as she coughs with whatever throat muscles you hit. Her head hanging upside down off the mattress would be the perfect perspective to see your cock’s imprint on her neck but she still can’t manage the depth. The angle certainly makes your pistoning easier as your balls slap against your nose in more forceful pushes, playing vulgar slapping noises that mix with her gagging.

Afterwards, you lean over and move her head to get the mattress’s support instead of dangling. Hunch down to her wetness and the taste of her nectar more than makes up for the difficulty of thrusting while on top of her. Already having difficulty breathing with a cock in her airways, you don’t want to crush her under your weight. Still, you spend the most time between her thighs, taking in the muskiness of her pussy and all that it releases. It explains Jiwoo’s long drawn breath through her nose if you have a similarly alluring scent. There’s also the possibility your length steals too much air from her wet, gagging mouth but in this position, it’s her choice to hold your shaft in her throat for that much time.

Pick her up by the ass and cup the top of Jiwoo’s cheeks. Well, now they’re the bottom as she’s upside down in this piledriver sixty-nine position, both of you sucking and licking as closely as possible. She’s definitely enjoying the scents and tastes. You could drop her on her head and she'd thank you if you kept your cock in her mouth. Maybe you heard her mumble something like “yummy”, but anything resembling consonants are far past the point of physiology and linguistics. If anything, holding Jiwoo upside down makes her look more like a used sex doll than the cute girl that she is. 

A whole lot of mess to clean up later. Cans of Febreeze, maybe some rags and a mop. New sheets, soaked with nearly every bodily fluid mouthfucking can provide. However, all that work pales to the pure torture you’ve put upon yourself to not cum.  It helps with how often you pull out of her mouth as for all her prodigal gagging, she also looks thankful when you give her moments to rest her jaw and lips. Somehow you're in control the entire time yet you have not an ounce of it, avoiding your inevitable fate. Finally, you can rest. Now you’re thankful you jerked off many times before this to last as long as you have. 

Of course, resting did mean you were on an office chair and she was on her knees, but still. It’s a break from all the exercise.

“You know oppa,” she says with a smile on her face.

“I was waiting for you to ask,” mumbling as she often does on your erection.

“Jiwoo-ah! Wear lip gloss.” How she manages to get that out so adorably with a cock in her mouth, you will never know.

“But I figured,” bobbing down, “I was sucking you off so sloppily,” and up, “It’d be such a waste of makeup.”

The girl made a point though you say, “I’d still like to see it one time. Alright? I don’t wanna have to ask either.”

“Okayyyy.” She says as she purrs on your dick. The little devil knows how weak you are when she talks with a full mouth. You still aren’t going to succumb this time. Pulling out of her mouth is as difficult as last time but you snap your head back and you snap your head away. 

"Nooo." A familiar cry. What if she didn't even like the taste of cum? No time for questions as your body falls apart in the clashing brass and woodwinds. The obnoxious dissonance making you pulse and pulse. You aim below her neck to allow the cum to drip down her collarbones and petite tits. Rub her nipples, sticky with your load and she lets out a little squeal when you tweak them.

"Pwetty pwease oppa. Your cumdump Chuu-ah really wants your cum." She puts her pointer on her swollen cheek. God, she's too much for one man but that’s the situation you put yourself in. 

Plop. 

Plop.

"Jiwoo, please. It's so sensitive," you whimper as she keeps sucking the tip.

"You get to do whatever you want oppa."

"Fuck.” Pull Jiwoo off of you. “Maybe I will."

You collect your load from her tits as an impressive volume drips down.

"Ahh," Jiwoo says but you push her down one last time with your unstained hand and your other uses a finger to penetrate her little pussy, providing it with the semen that she desperately wants.

"I hope this is good enough for now." Her squeaks in time with each finger on your sticky hand exploring her insides confirm that it is indeed.

A step closer and your rehardening cock finds her labia, small but inviting. She gasps and shudders as you tease her pussy lips in a familiar way. It’s just as sensitive for her as it is for you with how much she sweats and writhes from the shaft The friction of the pussyjob is unbearable and instead of juices dripping from within her, a heavy volume of watery liquid squirts out. 

“I’m so, I’m so sorry oppa.”

“It’s okay, Jiwoo.” You put the tip in. “Doesn’t that feel so good.”

“Yes! Thank you. Awwww,” She says when you pop it out. In another world, that tip pushes past and you ravage her. But at this point, you have standards to uphold.

“Be a good girl for me and you can have more, okay?” Give her a rainbow dildo to practice with.

"Oh I already have one, oppa. This looks like it fits better though. Well I guess worse considering how much bigger it is. Just like. Yours. Fuck."

Despite all her orgasms, she looks ready to masturbate yet another time.

"We can't just cum all day Jiwoo," you say. She sighs and nods in understanding.

“Where am I gonna hide this? It really stands out.”

“Just keep it inside you.” Her eyes light up. “No wait.”

Jiwoo giggles. “C’mon oppa, they should be back any time soon.”

You finish up some final touches in your recording. There’s definitely more hitches when it comes to dealing with vocal recordings in such an improvised setting but it’s certainly not as much of a problem as looking at any of the other members in the eyes as you stay for dinner.

✦✧✦✧✦✧

tYou tend to get in a rush when you procrastinate as much as you do. It’s her first album, there’s no reason to rush her first album. Besides, the strength of any artist’s work is in their sophomore album, since they’ve had forever to work on that first one and now people are expecting the second. In either case, you really have time, but you don’t let yourself feel that. Instead, mixing and recording, once a job you enjoyed doing, has turned into a series of stressors in your life.

Jiwoo’s in a rush too. Why is she in such a rush?

“Hello. Oppa. I. Uh. Heard you got into a fender bender.” Every word sounds laborious as she opens the door to the studio. You step out into the hallway then look left and right. Nothing out of place.

“Yeah, just some scratches. You okay, Jiwoo?”

Her lips tuck in when she walks forward even a step. “Yep, doing juust fine. We gonna get to recording or what?”

“I mean if you say so.”

Each step towards the booth has her hitch her breath just a little, but she looks focused as ever so you waste no time and hit record. Should you text another member and ask if anything's off about Jiwoo today? Her singing is fine, maybe a little more vocal fry in her voice than usual, but it fits the sultry ballad.

You text Chaewon as Jiwoo keeps trying out different intonations for the pre-chorus.

Chaewon: "she was all flirty and weird today"

You: "lmao aight, tell something idk"

"yeah yeah, but this is different" 

"different how? she's always like that"

Jiwoo sees you typing and stops her singing to ask if anything's wrong. You shake your head and wave your free hand, gesturing for her to continue.

"i guess less wordy and more touchy today? good luck, lmk if you figure it out"

"i will. see ya later" 

Curious. You set your phone down and inspect Jiwoo's eyes and her crinkled nose. Hmm. 

A few hours later, you’re still recording. For how well the session at the dorm went, it feels like you’re back to square one with all of her mistakes today. She had such a good first takes too but her vocal quality is definitely receding, and in a different way than usual.

“I need to go to the restroom. I’ll be back,” you say into the microphone.

You go quickly to relieve yourself. A lot of water today. Needed it looking at Jiwoo in whatever weird state she's in. For some godforsaken reason you have an urge to take her mouth right now and completely ruin her. This album is never coming out.

Slowly creak the door to the studio open. No need for surprise anymore. Jiwoo pulls out a dildo from her sobbing vagina in the vocal booth and drags it up her body. Her eyes are closed, her focus clearly on the sensation of the dildo finally removed for her. She really went through with your suggestion. Must've been in there for a while considering Chaewon noticed something off earlier today. The dildo meets Jiwoo's lips, both wet from her desire and she shoves it in as deep as she can in the first try. 

Walk towards the Macbook and notice that it's recording. Shit, how much space did you have left on it? Hopefully, not going to have to clean it up later.

Finally, her eyes open and she smiles looking at you while she touches herself with one hand and deepthroats herself with the other using the toy you gave her.  She pauses her masturbation for a moment, tapping her ear. A new audio clip in Ableton, so put on your headphones.

“Come here oppa. I did a bad job today, didn’t I?”

The only words she needs for you to drop everything and walk into the booth. 

“You did,” you say as you unbuckle.

In a single stroke, she swallows your cock, matching the reinsertion of the dildo into her pussy. Jiwoo makes a tight vacuum seal with her luscious lips and shows off how well she manages her breath. Air squeezes through in her nose as you rarely unfastened yourself from her suction, and as she rarely allowed you to. Her lips are a good cock ring, her mouth a fleshlight. At the very least, this gave you much patience with her recording, knowing you were allowed to use your frustrations to turn the talented young lady into an object to use.

It’s incredible how little she has to touch herself to achieve orgasm when your cock is in her mouth. To be fair, keeping the dildo as long as she has inside of her must be a feat of its own.

“Jiwoo. Did you have this in you all day? I bet you’d prefer it were the real thing, huh?”

“Mmmhm. Mmmm!" She convulses at once. The toy squeezes in and out of her while she moans and spills saliva all over your cock. “Fuck, I wanted to cum all day but I had to wait. It’s your turn now, right?”

Jiwoo pulls out the soaked dildo and with her little fingers teases the skin of your dick before maintaining a tight grip. Her hand’s perfect rhythm and all the sucking she’s done so far today gets you right there and over the edge as quickly as she did. You unload all over the colorful sex toy and Jiwoo doesn’t let you have time to think as she puts the cum-covered toy back inside her.

You suck in some air. ”Who said you could have that cum? Lie down on the couch.” No pretense. Is there love between you two? Pull down her spotted top before mounting her modest but perky tits. It’s been barely a minute yet you’re already ready and solid once again. She tries to lean her head forward to retrieve her oral punishment-

“Thank you!”

Reward. Now that you think about it, maybe this isn’t working. The supine girl beneath you flitters her lashes, curious as to why you haven’t yet thrust into her mouth.

“You know much I love to see you work for it. Go on.”

As your cock is standing upwards at attention, she struggles raising her head to match yours, gently poking her tongue out to lick the frenulum.

“Ahh. No fair! I can’t reach. Ppfh.” She spits on it in frustration. “Ppptt. Let me have it.”

Her tongue wiggles around fruitlessly. Spit on her face in retort and you both laugh looking at the mess you’ve made. Yet at last, after playing with her food for what feels like an eternity, Jiwoo manages to wrangle your head with her tongue, guiding it to her eager lips.

“Now I better not feel that barrier, okay? Track 1.” And slowly force your way into her throat. You feigned frustration with her inability to fully take you down, but this was heaven. Regardless, stopped by her cursed reflex, you say: 

“Not good enough.” You’d almost feel bad about this.

“Again.” If it didn’t feel so good.

“One more.” Another submersion into her sopping mouth, the friction of her soft lips and tongue opposes all the lubricating slop from her throat. 

Unsheathe. “Oppa, oppa wait. Let me get something. You’ll like it.” You concede, getting off of her, and she pulls from her purse bright red lip gloss. “Watch me stain your cock!”

In a rush, Jiwoo vandalizes her lips red. Her makeup artist would be embarrassed. Of course, that makeup artist would be outright scandalized if they could see the precious idol with her back hunched over the arm of the couch, her upside down face inviting you.

You walk up and give her a good view of your balls. Tickle her neck and she leans forward to plant a pure kiss. On your cock head. “You know we haven’t kissed once yet? You haven’t even said anything about how you feel about me!”

“Neither did you.” Move your hands from Jiwoo’s neck to her bare chest and play with her stiffening nipples.

“Well, let me show you.” She plants another smooch on your shaft. And another. Yet another, until it’s turned into a full-on makeout session with your penis. The upended Jiwoo has to twist herself to leave the entirety of your flesh marked with lipstick stains. However, her best work is her french kiss where takes your dick in and plays around with her tongue, as if the mindless beast could kiss back. She leans her head back out one more time to receive you.

A sharp push and her tiny tits respond with the subtlest jiggle. 

All but an inch of your shaft covered red. “I’m so close,” she pouts.

“Well, so am I.” You keep thrusting and feel your orgasm get closer. You’re on the edge.

“Mwah.” Her lips’ release leaves your blank head even emptier.  “Mwah mwah, mwah.” She fixes her top back and wipes around her lips.

She takes wet wipes then a mask from her purse while you stand dumbfounded. There are four walls in the room. Wires spill from your laptop. One, two, three, four. You are one beat away from orgasm.

Her voice snaps your focus back. “Oppa, that was a good recording session, but you know. Ha Rin unnie has to pick me up. Bye!” Jiwoo scampers away, wiping at her face.

You might actually explode next time, in more ways than one. Guess you deserve this one though.

✦✧✦✧✦✧

AFF, AO3

Just wanted to get one more thing done before the new year so I chose this since like I said, this was originally written as one part. In fact, this is actually the very first smut I wrote. However, I kept getting stuck and adding more, so a trilogy it is then. That’s right, one last one coming up!