#freelance music producer

[carryatunestudio12]

In India, there are several online mixing and mastering services available that offer professional solutions for musicians, producers, and artists. Here are some reasons why you should consider investing in these services:

[berserkbat]

For a friend's YouTube channel! He'll be making his debut soon..

[itsjustjag]

BACKGROUND TRACKS 

--- 

Background Track By: JAG 

Cover Art By: JAG 

Pic By: JAG 

Video By: JAG 

@ItsJustJAG_ 

 --- @Bandlab: https://bandlab.com/itsjustjag ---

[infinati]

Been freelancing and one of my favorite trap artists sent me a leak so I can master the track, and edit a lyric video.

Wish I could say who but I’m so excited and I’ll post it when it’s done.

Gonna nerd out on it, but also watched a video on how to make one in 5 minutes.

It’s good learning but I’m not gonna wip up trash. I always do my best.

Building a portfolio so I’m cutting him a deal.

I’ve been healing. I’ve been broke for so long. Glad my adhd is doing fine for the first time in 5 years. I work over 8 hours a day on art, or learning, etc.

Open for the homie hookup if you need anything. I got all the pro software and will take my time to make sure it’s perfect.

I don’t just do AI obviously. I played around with photoshop earlier and made this.

[aashwarr]

Keeping Up with the Joneses is a rotational let's play series that follows the lives of four Sims in their mid-twenties. Although named after the Jones twins, the title is coined from the popular idiom in which one compares themself to others, from their financial status & careers to their material goods. Coming soon to my YouTube channel this September.

More information about the series below.

Cameron & Chasity Jones in Del Sol Valley The newlyweds moved to The Valley with their dog, Ruby, to further advance in their careers as a music producer & a model/fashion journalist. The two have recently gained fame on the internet from their respective careers, but is their newfound celebrity lifestyle too much for this couple to handle?

Camille Jones in San Sequoia After years of searching on the market, Camille has finally found the perfect home in San Sequoia. A new city not only means a fresh start for Camille as a freelance painter, but also a new social circle & new love interests for her to explore. However, her old habits & past flames may have followed her to San Sequoia as well...

Matthew Whitmore in Brindleton Bay Matthew moved back to Brindleton Bay after securing a tech consultant position at Rainy Day Entertainment. He returned to The Bay to not only be closer to his family, but to also start a family of his own with his girlfriend, Jordyn, who is expecting their first child. As he prepares for fatherhood, Matthew must learn to balance his career with the responsibilities of raising a child of his own.

[hotvintagepoll]

Do you have any opinions on modern (post-1970s) movies that you feel capture the essence (in a good way) of Old Movies?

No, unfortunately. That doesn't mean I don't like modern movies or that modern movies aren't good, but modern movies—and here I'm really using modern to mean post-2010, so contemporary movies—have different standards for pacing, characterization, budget, and production that make it harder (or impossible) to capture some of the magic of old movies. Even when modern movies clearly try to emulate that old-movie feeling—I'm thinking of La La Land, The Artist, The Shape of Water, In the Heights—they play the homage too broadly, or they ignore crucial components that make the original films work.

There's kind of too much to go into here without writing a full essay, but essentially, the Old Hollywood system—ugly, failed beast as she was—made some movies simply more accessible to make, due to the ongoing storage of props, sets, master craftsmen, crew, and onscreen talent that could move from one movie to the next without pause. If you needed a dancer, he was already on staff. If you needed a fancy bed, it was already in the warehouse. That kind of longterm storage is invaluable if you want to crank out movies quickly and cheaply because it saves so much time on individual negotiation and sourcing. Modern production companies have to work out individual contracts for every actor on every film; crew members have to negotiate rental contracts and source pieces from scratch; if you need someone with specialist skills, you have to contract them specially at a high rate, which a lot of small companies can't (or won't) budget to do. There's sand in the wheels where there needn't be any. It's wasteful, and costly, but that's the system modern movies are made with.

Which all means that even if the modern movie system wanted to make a classic movie musical just like the old ones, they couldn't, because the talent isn't already there—it hasn't been trained up enough, and there's not that breadth of knowledge you can only get from people who have been allowed to work in the same department in the same place for decades. Movies like La La Land fail, for me, because they present themselves as descendants of Fred Astaire or Busby Berkley movies, while missing the bit where Fred Astaire was a master of his craft. When you watch Fred Astaire dance—or Moira Shearer, or the Nicholas Brothers, or Ann Miller—you are watching a true artist at work, purposely showcased by the studios because they already have them on contract. Modern movies, on the other hand, tend to take people who already have star talent (as actors) and try to convert them into dancers/singers—or they pull dancers/singers off of Broadway, but then they don't have the star power built in. You end up with lackluster musicals where no one truly knows what they're doing, or they do but they're not built up enough by the studios to sell. And that's me discussing just on-screen talent for musicals—there is a huge loss behind the scenes, as well, for all kinds of movies, where roles that would have been filled by union crew who moved continuously from one job to the next have been swapped for freelance labor who live with immense turnover, financial insecurity, and knowledge loss. You could hand me the budget and I could try to make an old movie, but the industry itself has changed so much it's impossible to recapture that charm of steady, niche talent, the amazing possibilities of bonkers set design, and the ability to take a risk on a smaller movie because the other films being produced by the same studio can help balance the budget.

I've talked way, way too much about all of this! Sorry, I just have a lot of thoughts—and the one above is just one of them; the talent loss and storage issues are only facets of a much bigger problem that extends to how we watch movies today, how we market them, what we expect of them, and what's allowed in them. It's a crying shame because the talent is still there, but times change and so does the industry, for better or for worse. (And, just again to clarify, I don't think modern movies are bad—they're just missing a lot of the juice old movies got to play with, even if there's more talent available than ever before.)

[felassan]

Game Informer:

"Dragon Age Cover Story And Shadow of the Erdtree Review | GI Show by Alex Van Aken on Jun 27, 2024 at 01:57 PM In this week's episode of The Game Informer Show, the crew discusses our recent trip to Bioware for our Dragon Age: The Veilguard cover story, our Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree review, PS5-bound multiplayer shooter, Concord, a new battle royale from former League of Legends developers, atmospheric horror title Still Wakes the Deep, Dustborn, Luigi's Mansion 2 HD and even more! It's a packed show, y'all.  Watch the Video Version: [embedded link to Game Informer video titled 'Dragon Age Cover Story And Shadow of the Erdtree Review | GI Show']"

(On YouTube, the description box for this video looked like this:)

[Article continues] "Follow us on social media: Alex Van Aken (@itsVanAken), Kyle Hilliard (@KyleMHilliard), Marcus Stewart (@MarcusStewart7), Wesley LeBlanc (@LeBlancWes) The Game Informer Show is a weekly gaming podcast covering the latest video game news, industry topics, exclusive reveals, and reviews. Join us every Thursday to chat about your favorite games – past and present – with Game Informer staff, developers, and special guests from around the industry. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. Matt Storm, the freelance audio editor for The Game Informer Show, edited this episode. Matt is an experienced podcast host and producer who's been speaking into a microphone for over a decade. You should listen to Matt's shows like the "Fun" And Games Podcast and Reignite, a BioWare-focused podcast."

"The Game Informer Show – Podcast Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:42 - Cover Story: Dragon Age: The Veilguard 00:21:48 - Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Review 00:42:20 - Concord Preview 00:59:04 - Supervive Preview 01:11:59 - The Plucky Squire 01:24:37 - Magic: The Gathering – Assassin's Creed 01:35:01 - Still Wakes the Deep 01:45:52 - Dustborn Preview 01:55:06 - Luigi's Mansion 2 HD Review 01:58:26 - Housekeeping"

"The GI Show podcast is a weekly recap of exciting releases, exclusive details on upcoming games, and in-depth interviews with developers. Watch or listen to a new episode every Thursday!"

[source]

----

Felassan's notes section of this post -

In this episode of the Game Informer show, Game Informer talk some more about their trip to BioWare's studio for the DA:TV cover story, when BioWare showed them hours of DA:TV content while playing it live.

Some notes from this and from what they said:

Wesley LeBlanc wasn't a huge DA fan and he went in with no expectations. The job to go to BW for this just landed on his plate due to other peoples' schedules. After seeing the game, it's probably his most anticipated game for the rest of the year and the one he's most looking forwards to

The game really wowed him and stuck with him, he said he is thrilled about it and is engrossed in the fantasy it's bringing

The visuals and world finally feel like what BioWare has maybe always wanted to make

This is the game where the team said, yeah, we feel fully in command of the Frostbite engine, and it shows

The world is more like Fable-type whimsy than prior DA games. It has a high fantasy feel

BW want new people to play the game. They're very aware that it's been 10 years since the last game and the game does a good job of catching people up

Rook as the PC really has no idea what's going on with Solas and all the other lore-specific stuff that's happening in the game, so they kind of act as the stand-in for newer players or people who have not caught up on the lore

But it's not just a game for newcomers, there is still a lot to chew on in the game for hardcore DA fans. BioWare were saying that they know their community, what it wants and what it's looking for out of these characters

Wesley enjoyed the music, visual design, and voice acting

Nothing that they saw about the game stood out as worrisome to him

Wesley has quite a lot of further stories to add to Game Informer's DA:TV hub

Wesley: "On the topic of the [Dragon Age] fanbase, I just wanna give a shoutout to that community, because, wow, I did not, I knew people would be stoked about this cover, but people are really stoked about this cover. And it’s really funny, the day that we announced it, I got like hundreds of new followers. Anytime, if I tweet about Erdtree or Destiny 2, I get like my normal amount of likes, like, a dozen maybe, y’know, whatever. If I tweet about Dragon Age, it’s like. Today I tweeted, ‘my next feature is coming at 3pm’ and it’s at 1000 likes, it’s so funny, like, this community is like rabid for information, which makes sense if you haven’t gotten a game in 10 years. But yeah, so like, shoutout to y’all, I’m loving you guys reading the articles and telling me what you wanna hear about. So if you have any questions or anything, get at me on Twitter for sure, and I will see what I can cook up with some writing for you. But yeah, shoutout to the BioWare community, y’all crazy.”

[source]

[makeitmingi]

Cause Baby You’re My Muse [Masterlist]

Genre: Romance, Idol!AU, Music, Slight angst

Pairing: Mingi x Reader (y/n)

Characters: Producer!Reader, IdolLyricist!Mingi, IdolProducer!Hongjoong, Idol!Seonghwa, Idol!Yunho, Idol!Wooyoung, Idol!San, Idol!Yeosang, Idol!Jongho, cameo(s) by other celebrities

Summary: You always preferred producing underground, having an unknown face and governed by your own rules. But when you start freelancing for idol groups, you say goodbye to your lone wolf lifestyle as you learn to work with idol producers and lyricists. 

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

Chapter 56

Chapter 57

Chapter 58

Chapter 59

Chapter 60

FIN

Bonus chapter 

[astroismypassion]

✨PART OF FORTUNE IN SIGNS AND HOUSES SERIES: 12TH HOUSE✨

Credit: astrology blog @astroismypassion

Today we are finishing strong with Part of Fortune series in signs and houses, finishing off with the 12th house! Enjoy😊

ARIES PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 12TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Aries and Pisces Sun people in your life. You can earn money via engaging in research related to psychology, spirituality, consciousness, via dream analysis, meditation and study of the unconscious mind, via work in roles that involve creating content behind the scenes, such as film production, editing, writing, via exploring and tapping into niche market that focus on spiritual, esoteric or unconventional interests. You feel abundant when you innovate in hidden or esoteric fields and work behind the scenes.

TAURUS PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 12TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Taurus and Pisces Sun people in your life. You can earn money via music, dance or art therapy, via message therapy, aromatherapy, acupuncture, via managing or operating spiritual retreat centres that offer meditation, yoga or other wellness programs, via work in production roles for media projects, spiritual organizations or arts communities. You feel abundant when you combine beauty with purpose, embrace solitude and reflection and focus on healing and comfort.

GEMINI PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 12TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Gemini and Pisces Sun people in your life. You can earn money via writing scripts or produce media connected with spiritual or psychological themes, when you create podcasts or videos that explore spiritual topics, esoteric subjects or personal development, via work as a freelance writer or journalist, especially on topics related to spirituality, mental health and societal issues. You feel abundant when consider freelance or remote opportunities, balance solitude and social interaction and use your adaptability.

CANCER PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 12TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Cancer and Pisces Sun people in your life. You can earn money via managing or operating spiritual or wellness retreat centres that offer a comforting and healing environment, via caregiving for the elderly, via running a daycare centre, engaging in charitable work, particularly with groups such as the elderly, homeless or those dealing with addiction. You feel abundant when you focus on emotional and spiritual healing, when you balance solitude with compassionate outreach, when you work behind the scenes and when you provide emotional and practical support.

LEO PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 12TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Leo and Pisces Sun people in your life. You can earn money via leading spiritual groups, retreats or workshops that focus on personal growth, self-expression and spiritual awakening. You could take on leadership roles in non-profit organizations, focused on arts, spirituality or support for marginalized communities. You could produce films, documentaries or other media content that explores deep, often hidden aspects of life, spirituality or human condition. You feel the most abundant when you lead with compassion and charisma, when you embrace your creative and expressive nature.

VIRGO PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 12TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Virgo and Pisces Sun people in your life. You can earn money via studying and writing about spiritual practices, work in holistic or alternative medicine fields (acupuncture, herbalism, naturopathy), via teaching mindfulness, meditation or other spiritual practices. You feel abundant when you are precise and focus on details, when you operate quietly and efficiently.

LIBRA PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 12TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Libra and Pisces Sun people in your life. You can earn money via set design, costume design, holistic counselling, relationship counselling, meditation, work in music, dance, through non-profit work in organizations that advocate for justice, equality, work with law in connection to human right and social justice or advocating for marginalized groups. You feel abundant when you use your natural inclination towards beauty and harmony in your work.

SCORPIO PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 12TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Scorpio and Pisces Sun people in your life. You can earn money via psychotherapy, counselling, holistic and alternative healing, spiritual guidance and mentorship, mysticism and esoteric studies, psychological and medical research, investigative work, private counselling, non-profit or charitable work, writing on deep topics, content creation for healing or via art with emotional depth. You feel abundant when you balance intensity with compassion or when you explore hidden or unconventional paths.

SAGITTARIUS PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 12TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Sagittarius and Pisces Sun people in your life. You can earn money via teaching courses or workshops in philosophical, spiritual or holistic subjects, via motivational speaking, writing and multimedia projects that explore thems of personal growth and spirituality. You feel abundant when you create transformational and inspirational content, when you combine travel with purpose and when you use your expansive nature to guide you through teaching, writing and spiritual guidance.

CAPRICORN PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 12TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Capricorn and Pisces Sun people in your life. You can earn money via strategic planning, psychotherapy, counselling, writing books, articles or guide on topics related to personal development, spirituality or practical strategies for achieving goals. You feel abundant when you pursue research and development, work behind the scenes and when you focus on structured healing work.

AQUARIUS PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 12TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Aquarius and Pisces Sun people in your life. You can earn money via social issues, mental health and spiritual development, via developing or managing community programs that address societal needs, via teaching, mentoring, artistic expression, innovative creative content and research in social sciences, work on projects or in organizations focused on social reform, human rights or global issues. You feel abundant when you create inspirational and impactful content, when you work behind the scenes and when you focus on humanitarian and spiritual goals.

PISCES PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 12TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Pisces Sun people in your life. You can earn money via coordinating or managing programs that provide support and services to marginalized or underserved communities, via study of mystical, esoteric or spiritual subjects, teaching workshops or courses on spiritual growth, creativity or healing arts. You feel abundant when you integrate spiritual and holistic practices, when you pursue creative or artistic projects that allow you to express your unique vision and contribute to the well-being of others.

Credit: astrology blog @astroismypassion

[righteous-r0de0]

i saw a bunch of other people doing this so

random redacted headcanons!

- vincent can’t handle spicy food very well, even post-turning

- ivan hates fishing

- david loves egg salad sandwiches with hot sauce (it’s his favorite comfort food)

- caelum has never had cotton candy and freelancer is pretty sure if he ever did, he would implode

- gavin doesn’t like snow

- lasko on the other hand LOVES spicy food and testing his tolerance to certain things

- damien doesn’t drink coffee or tea or energy drinks, this man is just out here raw-dogging life

- kody still tries to look at all the damn crew’s socials, even though they all have him blocked

- huxley (opposite of damien) gets his caffeine anyway he can but his favorite are the caffeine pouches (similar to zyns (these are also my favorite))

- asher loves watching mma fights and tries (gently) to recreate the moves on babe (“i could have dropped you just then! you gotta keep your guard up!”)

- james “i’m exploding you with my mind” redacted

- marcus begged his mom for a mohawk in middle school but he didn’t have the right texture hair for it and she refused to buy him all the hair gel necessary to make it a real mohawk so they just had to shave his head (kids thought he had lice)

- anton loves sending and receiving physical mail. he knows it’s impractical in comparison to texting or calling, but he loves it

- ollie has a favorite blanket, pillow, and set of sheets. he’s very particular about his bedtime routine

- elliot however could drop anywhere at anytime. and that’s nothing to do with him being a dreamwalker. he’s just a fantastic sleeper

- brachium has never had candy, but he’s curious about it

- avior really really likes classical music and it’s brought him to tears multiple times (especially jupiter comp. by gustav holst iykyk)

- milo holds the door open for everyone whenever he can. sweetheart once thought he was following them for like fifteen minutes but he was still stuck at the door

- cam loves fresh produce and is a frequenter of any local farmers market

- blake had a phase in middle school and early high school where he was super patriotic and right-wing leaning and he hates when people bring it up

- aaron actually knows most of the shaw pack boys. he tried to hire them for an event before realizing they were an empowered company. david thought he knew

- sam showed pigs and sheep when he was younger. he kinda misses it but he doesn’t have the room for livestock anymore

- vega in all his years of existing both in aria and on earth has never been truly hugged

- before falling, regulus lived on earth with his charge. they had two cats

- xavier used to travel ridiculous amounts of miles to go to food festivals around the country. he took the team with him once or twice

- geordi never deleted any pictures of him and cutie. he’s still hopeful that things will work out and he doesn’t want to get rid of older memories with them

- guy was friends with a lot of the unempowered boys in school, but lost touch with them in college

- morgan is very into hair-care. his shower looks like an apothecary shop full of mystery vials and oils. he knows what everything is and how to use it though.

- porter loves classic literature and translating latin to english. it’s one of the few hobbies he allows himself to have

- hush once traipsed into doc’s apartment, mud up to his knees and all over his face and hands, holding a bull frog. he only came to ask what it was.

[carryatunestudio12]

Creating Timeless Melodies: The Art of Song Composition in India

Song composition is an art form that requires a unique combination of technical skill and creative inspiration. In India, there are many talented music composers who have created timeless melodies that continue to captivate audience’s decades after their release.

India's best music composer has contributed immensely to the country's rich musical heritage, with each one bringing their own distinct style and flavor to the table. From classical maestros like Ravi Shankar and Lata Mangeshkar to modern-day icons like A.R. Rahman and Amit Trivedi, Indian music has been blessed with some truly exceptional talent.

The process of song composition involves several stages such as melody creation, arrangement, instrumentation etc., which require artistic sensibility coupled with technical know-how. Here are some ways these top music composers in India approach their craft:

Embracing Diverse Influences

Many great music composers of India have drawn inspiration from diverse sources such as folk traditions or Western classical styles - which showcase how they push boundaries while still maintaining Indian roots! They may also incorporate elements from other genres into their work creating sounds never heard before!

Experimenting with New Technologies

Technology advancements have revolutionized the way we create songs today making it easier than ever before for people without formal training/backgrounds in music production get involved by using software tools specifically designed for this purpose! Top Music Composers use latest tech trends/production techniques/tools/software available at present time resulting in high quality output!

Collaborating with Other Artists

Collaboration can bring out new ideas making it possible for artists/composers discover new dimensions within themselves leading towards innovative solutions during any stage where someone might feel stuck otherwise.

In conclusion,

The art of song composition is alive and well in India thanks to its many great music composers who continue to inspire us through their work! Whether you're a fan of classical, folk, or contemporary music there's something for everyone. With diverse influences, embracing new technologies and collaborations with other artists Indian Music Composers are constantly evolving their craft giving us timeless melodies that we'll cherish forever!

[berserkbat]

Dashie Freestyle type beat

[ssivinee]

✧The Dancer to the Music✧

BEBE! Kim Taeyoung, aka Tatter x Composer! Producer! F Reader: After not seeing each other for so long, you surprised your best friend at her studio. Work had been rough the past few days so you assumed seeing your friend could fix that, but it was someone else that does.

Word Count: 3.5k

Note: Ahhhhh, my first Tatter fic. Tatter simps rise😌. My other gf needs some love, too. I've done my civil duties and will now go to bed🙃

Character Vision Board

Being a composer in the music scene was always a dream of yours. While growing up, your parents surrounded you with the beauty of instruments and melodies. So it was evident for you to pick up your talents due to your parent's infatuation with music. Yet you never wanted the fame of being a singer, so you stuck to staying behind the scenes, writing music for several artists.

You sat in your cold studio, sipping on the hard hitting energy drink as you stared at the computer screen. Eyes never wavering at the sight of several color-codded melodies. The song felt bare and not up to your standards, causing a groan of frustration to emerge.

I need a break, was all you thought before leaving your room. You walked around the current building you were working at, the famous SM Entertainment. 2 years ago, you were merely a freelance composer, taking any project handed your way.

An SM representative then got ahold of you, saying they've been keeping an eye on you for a while and had a proposition for you. Before you knew it, a week later, you were signing a contract under the entertainment, becoming an in-house composer and producer, even gaining your first big shot project.

Better by BoA.

After the release, more and more tasks were flowing your way, SM making sure you had work to do 24/7. So now you were here, trying to piece together something for NCT's Ten.

As much as you loved your job, you couldn't deny hitting a stump. Truth be told, this happened quite often, but you usually got over it after a day or two. Yet it had been a week, and you had nothing but a simple chord progression and bass that was spaced out.

You make your way over to the hallway full of dance studios, trying to clear your mind, and you think of the perfect people to do so. Entering the room, you hear the soft volume of a song and see some of your favorite friends in the company.

"Oh shoot, nice to see you out of your cave," Jeno jokes at the sight of you after being trapped in the studio for 7 hours straight. "Dude, leave her alone," Bada says, approaching you to encase you in a warm hug.

"Seriously though, you didn't leave that room since you got here this morning," Taeyong points out, voicing his worry for the younger girl.

Ten sighs at you, "I know you're a perfectionist, Y/n, but don't stress too much over my song. Okay?" The Thai member knew how stuck you've been the past week, as he spoke to you almost every day about your progress. "I can't help it, oppa. This is your first release after Paint Me Naked, so it has to be amazing."

Bada rubs your arm in consolidation, "Maybe you need a new change of pace for now? How about the lyrics for the song? Got anything?"

You keep your head down, silence answering Bada's questions, and she sighs. "It's probably an inspiration issue," Jeno says, and your head whips up quickly. "That might actually be the problem."

"You need a change of scenery for sure. Been staring at your computer screen for almost a month straight," Taeyong says with some pats on your back. Your eyes finally had a glimmer of hope after the past weeks, with the long days tiring you out.

A light bulb then flickers in your head, "Unnie, do you have a class coming soon?" You ask the tall woman, who answers perplexed, "Uh, yeah. Tomorrow, I'm at JustJerk. Why?"

"Never mind that. What time?" Your voice evidently becomes eager.

"At 5 p.m.?"

"I'll see you then."

You took an off day, resting your mental for the day, and it was currently 4:30 p.m. as you got ready to head out for the day.

In the JustJerk studio, Bada, Lusher, and Tatter marked their dance as they waited for time. They took a water break as people were making their way into the studio.

"By the way, you have a surprise later," Bada nudges the brunette, who looks at her with a questionable gaze. "What is it?" She simply asks, but Tatter cuts her off, "That defeats the purpose of the surprise dummy."

"Do you know what it is?" Lusher asks, but the blonde shrugs at her. "Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you," she says, teasing the older. "Oh, come on, you two were about to get started." Bada breaks them up as the class begins.

You walked into the building about 20 minutes into the class and asked the receptionist for a visitor's pass that you hung around your neck. Peeking your head in, you see Bada teaching steps already, and the two of you make eye contact. She gives a small wave, and you reciprocate with a smile hiding behind your mask.

You made your way over to the side of the room, sitting on the bench where you put your tote bag beside you. Your eyes scan the room, falling onto your best friend, Lusher. That's what everyone calls her nowadays, but you only called her by her real name.

Then you see the woman next to her, and you pause.

Your eyes widen at the blonde beauty who stood beside your childhood friend, taking in her existence. She wore a simple crop top, black baggy sweets, and a denim jacket. You basically had found an angel whose body flowed fluidly at every step demonstrated to her. Her aura brightened the room's atmosphere whenever she smiled at Bada's antics. She played around with your best friend often, and you saw the two' precious bond.

Well, Jeno was definitely right about finding some inspiration.

Thoughts overflow your brain, and you take the notepad from your bag, writing down everything you can.

Baby, dance, dance, dance Wrap me up with your devotion It's a bad romance Got my body rockin' in slow motion But I can't cope walkin' on a tightrope Hangin' on the tension Let me down, down, down with you Let me give you my attention

After an hour, the class takes a break, and you shy your way behind Lusher. Your hands covered her eyes, and she flinched at the touch, "Who the hell?"

"Did you miss me, Seoyoung-ah?" You ask, and the girl instantly recognizes who it is. You were the only person who called her by her real name and had a husky, rough voice. She almost rips your hands off, wrapping her arms tighter around your neck. "Y/n? What the hell are you doing here?"

"I needed to get away from work," You mumble into her shoulder and slip the mask under your chin, revealing your face. Bada smiles at the two while Tatter wonders who you are. She was marveled by your slender eyes and relationship with the brunette. "Is this my surprise, unnie?" Lusher asks the tall dancer. She nods, proud of herself for keeping your arrival secret.

"The girl has been struggling the last few days and figured you could brighten her mood."

"Is that right?" Your best friend questions you, and you only show a bright smile.

Tatter's heart fastens at the sight of your grin. She didn't even know who you were, yet she couldn't help the feeling creeping up on her. "Ah, Y/n, let me introduce you. Tatter, this is my best friend Y/n, and Y/n, this is Tatter." Your eyes meet the blonde dancer, and she gives you a friendly smile.

"It's nice to meet you, Tatter."

"Likewise. Glad to meet one of Lusher unnie's long-time friends." Your face shows a look of shock. "Unnie?"

You thought she was at least the same age as you and Lusher, but you learn she was born in 2001. "I hope I haven't been replaced as your best friend," you joke, and Lusher punches your arm lightly. "Tatter is my dance duo. You and I will always be forever," she tells you as your arm wraps around her shoulder, you leaning your head on hers.

"Let's wrap up this class soon so we can all hang out?" Bada suggests, and Lusher nods excitingly, leaving your side. You and Tatter giggle at the girl as she tries to dance quickly. "You two must be close if she's acting like this," Tatter spoke calmly. "Well, she's always like that with me. This isn't anything out of the ordinary."

"True," she says, and you laugh at her bluntness. You went back to your seat as you appreciated the view of all the dancers and even watched the filming process. When the class finally ended, and all the students were out the door, you were left with the three dancers who sat on the floor, a bit tired from the dancing.

"So how do you know Bada-unnie?" The blonde asks you out of nowhere. "Uh, I'm a producer and composer at SM, so I see her at the building almost daily."

Tatter becomes fascinated at the thought of your profession, not knowing anyone in that field of work. "You make music?"

"Yeah. It's something I always loved doing since I was a kid."

"So that means you play instruments?" She looks at you, super interested, and you can't help but grow flustered with her eyes on you. It felt intense, and you weren't used to feeling this intimidation. "Um, of course. I started playing multiple instruments at the age of 11."

Her face goes into amazement at your words. "11? That's amazing. You must be really good then."

"I'd say I'm decent," you say teasingly. "She's more than decent. She created the melody Better by BoA," Lusher points out, and Bada nods in agreement. "Better? By BoA? That's one of my favorite songs."

You look at the blonde happily, "I also part-took in writing some of the lyrics."

Tatter gets up and begins bowing at you, causing you to frantically wave your arms at her gesture. "Please get up and never do that ever again." You chuckle as she gets up.

"Her unreleased stuff is fire, though," Bada says, exposing you, and your eyes widen. "Unnie~" You whined at the older woman, who chuckled, "What, it's true. The stuff you don't release are some of your best works."

"She's not wrong," your best friend added.

"Would you mind showing me some?" Tatter asks innocently, and you nod, looking away. Every time you made proper eye contact, your hands got clammy, and breathing felt ten times harder. What in the world was happening to you.

You then pull out your work phone, where you keep all your projects and private songs. Your hands lend her the wired headphones you used only specifically for this, and you connect it to the phone.

"What vibe are you looking for right now, Tatter-nim?" You joke with the question, and she responds, "Hmmm, some RnB would be nice right now." You then scroll and click the song called "Clueless Mystery."

As Tatter listened, everyone watched her eyes go soft at the sound of your voice. "Holy shit, you sound beautiful." Your ears go red at the compliment, and give her a slight bow as she keeps listening. Her upper body begins to sway at the beat, and your focus on her becomes sincere. She looked like she genuinely enjoyed the song's melody, almost freestyling as she stayed seated. You smile at her movements, and Lusher can only watch you two curiously.

That look you gave the blonde was something Lusher knew all too well... you were falling for her and falling quick.

When the song ends, Tatter can't help but applaud your work, and you bow jokingly, "Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all night, folks."

“Would you mind sending me those songs?" She asks you seriously, and you nod, happily switching numbers so you can send her some tracks when you get home. "You sure you gonna listen to them?"

"Of course. That one also seemed nice to dance to, so I might make some choreography."

That was unexpected. You nod slowly, realizing her words, "Sure, I'll pick some of my best work out."

Your visits at the JustJerk Academy became frequent as you got excited to see the blonde. The past few weeks, you had slowly but surely finished Ten's solo song, the NCT member, deciding to call the sensual song "Birthday." A piece usually took less time to make, but if you made it, you made sure to take your time, ensuring you put every single thought, sweat, and tear into it. Now, you were only missing a few lyrics and decided to keep seeing your newfound friend as she secretly became your muse for this piece.

The two agreed to meet at YGX today as Tatter was working on some new choreography for the studio. When you go to the dance studio, you see the blonde dancing through the window. This time, she wore black leggings, plain Converse, and a sheer white long-sleeve. You were fucked. Tatter looked immaculate in her simplistic outfit, the white top emphasizing her heavenly beauty.

Your brain goes crazy at the sight before you, and your breath becomes terribly shaky. Your hands move on their own, opening the door ever so slightly, and you hear one of your slow songs. You bow, coming in, letting her do her own thing until the song ends.

You watch as her body moves elegantly to the song, the jazz training being prominent in her dancing. Moving fluidly, as usual, you were in a trance, not even realizing your track had ended and she was approaching you. "Was it good?" She asks you breathlessly.

"Of course it was. What else could I expect from you?"

She smiles, taking a seat beside you. "So, you have a new song for me?"

"Wanna find out?" She nods, and you give her the phone. This time, she unlocks the phone with ease and connects the phone to the speaker. After hanging around the dancers for a while, you and Tatter became close to the point where her face could unlock the phone, and she knew her way well around the phone. You even called her by her real name.

You trusted her with it as she hasn't given you a reason not to. She clicks the unfamiliar name "Drowned Happiness." A slow-paced pop-synth beat could be heard, and Tatter's body automatically grooves away. She does a rope-pulling movement in your direction, and you roll your eyes. She was well aware you didn't dance, but here she was trying to entice you.

"Taeyoung-ah, you know damn well I have two left feet," She doesn't respond to you, just grabbing your arm and pulling you to the center of the room. She circles your body as she dances, and you can only watch her in astonishment. The distance between you is minuscule, and you stand there, frozen. "Are you scared of me, Kang Y/n?" She asks in a whisper, the smaller girl making sure you kept your eyes on her the entire time. "You know I don't bite."

Your breath hitches at her words.

She takes your arms and wraps them around her own waist, and you try swaying your body to follow her movement. Finding the right pace, you two go in sync, and Tatter smiles at your awkward figure, finding you adorable. Your hands fondle with her hips as she leans your body closer to you.

"You know, no one has ever had this effect on me." You just listened to her, still sticking to the momentum the two of you had. "The first time I saw you in the studio, god. You did something to me. The stupid smile you have, the little head bobs you did while listening to music, your deep voice, everything about you was captivating."

That stupid smile she calls out takes shape on your face. "You're so beautiful, angel," was all you could say, giving her a new nickname. You couldn't even find the right words, making you nervous. It was literally part of your job, but Tatter made it overly difficult for you. The song ends, and you pull away quickly, feeling your face heat up at the exchange.

You cough before trying to redeem yourself, "Wanna head out for lunch?"

"Sure. What do you have in mind?" She asked, picking up her bag and phone. "There's a small Italian place near by if you want." She nods, and you drive to the restaurant. While driving, you felt Tatter's eyes on you occasionally, and you tried to shake away the anxiousness you felt bubbling inside you.

You guys make it and open the cae door for the girl. Entering the establishment, you were met with the smell of pasta and baked goods.

The two of you ate pasta as you chatted away, "I'm telling you, Seoyoung would get her hands stuck in her hoodie." You told her stories about you and Lusher's childhood, and Tatter always laughed. "How does that even happen?"

You shrug, "I don't know. All I know is she always cried about it, and I'd have to help her out every single time."

The two of you were about to continue but noticed the heavy rain outside. "Shit," Tatter said softly, looking out the window. "I'll drop you home. It's no big deal."

When finishing up, you two argued over paying the bill. "Let me, I've literally been using your music for my own fun."

"Taeyoung, that has nothing to do with paying the bill, like, at all."

"I wanna pay, please~" She pleaded, but you shook your head, handing your card to the water, "No, and that's final." Tatter quiets down at your stern voice, never hearing it before. You sounded so sexy, making her feel vulnerable in front of you.

When existing, you guys stood under the store's overhead, and you began taking off your letterman jacket. Placing it over the blonde's head, she mopes. "You're gonna get sick, unnie," she tried taking it off, but you stopped her, just pulling her waist close as you run to your car, ensuring she didn't slip. You open the passenger door and let her enter before running to the driver's side.

Safe to say, as soon as you sat in the car, you sighed at yourself. You were literally soaking wet. Tatter looks at you in silence, taking in your appearance. Your usual straight long black hair turned a little wavy, and your plain white shirt was now see-through, enabling her to see the black sports bra you wore underneath. When you look at her in a fit of laughter, she looks away, trying to hide the shades of pink on her face.

You drove her home, and as you sat in the front of her apartment, she sighed, "Can I at least give you some clothes? Before you get sick?" You just nod, saying, "Sure, this shirt isn't feeling too comfortable right now anyways." Not wanting to argue with her. She wasn't wrong, as you felt the heavy weight of your shirt tiring your body.

She lets you in, and your nose is filled with the scent of Vanilla. Of course, her house would smell like this. The girl herself smelled sweet all the time.

"Let me get you a towel with some clothes so you can shower."

She marches off somewhere with a mission in mind, and you wait at the entrance, not wanting to wet her place too much. Tatter comes back, handing you a soft sage green towel. "The bathroom is in the hallway, the door to the left, and I have some clothes in there for you."

You nod and take a quick hot shower, and as Tatter waits for you, she changes into a silk pink pajama set, getting comfortable in her humble abode. She sat in her living room, watching TV, and you came out in grey sweatpants and a baggy light blue shirt. Your hair was now in a ponytail, and Tatter couldn't help but stare at you lovingly. You looked adorable and comfy in her clothes.

Making your way over to her, you sat on her couch, making yourself feel at home as you were tired. "You good?" She asks you softly. "Yeah, just a bit tired from all the food we ate."

"Stay for a while. Let the rain die down, and we can watch a movie."

"Let's do it then," You put one of her throw pillows in your lap, and she smiles fondly at you. The two of you agreed to watch Mamma Mia. As the movie goes on, the two of you move closer to each other as you play around every now and then. Tatter then rests her head in the crook of your neck, and you smile at this. Finding some courage as you two watched the movie, you asked her in a gentle voice, "Hey?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you wanna go on a date tomorrow?"

She peeks at you, leaning her head up, "Is this not a little date right now?" You grin, feeling your heart swell up at the view of her beautiful face. "A proper date, angel."

With her new name rolling off your tongue, she gives you a quick peck on the cheek, "I'd love to go on a proper date with you, unnie."

A/n: This took so long to write, but it was defo worth it!

-sivine

[estellardreams]

Introducing the two bands for the @triple-starsss' AU that I made! Moon Blossom and Nature's Essence.

Moon Blossom is a start-up indie band run by the duo Sakura and Selena. Sakura is at least 16 meanwhile Selena is 15.

They mainly specialize in Acapella or Pop music, and oftentimes offer to be vocalists for songs that might need them, giving them some extra freelance work and cash.

They're also both still in school so uh... They're a bit pre-occupied with that too.

Nature's Essence is run by probably the oddest little oddballs in existence: A mythical fish shapeshifter, a kitsune, and the most normal hamster ever.

Azarael, Sylvia, and Naomi all decided to form their own band because they wanted to and from their unique friendship. They mainly specialize in Alternative Rock and Indie Pop music.

Azarael is their lead vocalist but can also play the Keytar. Sylvia is normally on the EDM and drums, and Naomi is the best at guitar and bass.

Azarael is 20. Naomi is 21. And Sylvia is 27.

Bonus

Seperate Renders + Video of audio samples for music they might/do produce:

Extra thing: Vocal Tones

Sakura: Mezzo Soprano

Selena: Contralto

Sylvia: Alto

Azarael: Mezzo Soprano

Naomi: Soprano

[mariacallous]

Several of the most prominent alt-weekly newspapers in the United States are running search-engine-optimized listicles about porn performers, which appear to be AI-generated, alongside their editorial content.

If you pull up the homepage for the Village Voice on your phone, for example, you’ll see reporting from freelancers—longtime columnist Michael Musto still files occasionally—as well as archival work from big-name former writers such as Greg Tate, the Pulitzer Prize–winning music critic. You’ll also see a tab on its drop-down menu labeled “OnlyFans.” Clicking on it pulls up a catalog of listicles ranking different types of pornographic performers by demographic, from “Turkish” to “incest” to “granny.” These blog posts link out to hundreds of different OnlyFans accounts and are presented as editorial work, without labels indicating they are advertisements or sponsored.

Similar content appears on the websites of LA Weekly, which is owned by Street Media, the same parent company as the Village Voice, as well as the St. Louis–based alt-weekly the Riverfront Times. Although there is a chance some of these posts could be written by human freelancers, the writing bears markers of AI slop.

According to AI detection startup Reality Defender, which scanned a sampling of these posts, the content in the articles registers as having a “high probability” of containing AI-generated text. One scanned example, a Riverfront Times story titled “19 Best Free Asian OnlyFans Featuring OnlyFans Asian Free in 2024,” concludes with the following sentence, exemplary in its generic horny platitudes: “You explore, savor, and discover your next favorite addiction, and we’ll be back with more insane talent in the future!”

“We’re seeing an ever-increasing part of old media be reborn as AI-generated new media,” says Reality Defender cofounder and CTO Ali Shahriyari. “Unfortunately, this means way less informational and newsworthy content and more SEO-focused ‘slop’ that really just wastes people’s time and attention. Tracking these kinds of publications isn’t even part of our day to day, yet we’re seeing them pop up more and more.”

LA Weekly laid off or offered buyouts to the majority of its staff in March 2024, while the Riverfront Times laid off its entire staff in May 2024 after it was sold by parent company Big Lou Media to an unnamed buyer.

The Village Voice’s sole remaining editorial staffer, R.C. Baker, says he is not involved with the OnlyFans posts, although it appears on the site as editorial content. “I handle only news and cultural reporting out of New York City. I have nothing to do with OnlyFans. That content is handled by a separate team that is based, I believe, in LA,” he told WIRED.

Likewise, former LA Weekly editor in chief Darrick Rainey says he, too, had nothing to do with the OnlyFans listicles when he worked there. Neither did his colleagues in editorial. “We weren’t happy about it at all, and we were absolutely not involved in putting it up,” he says.

Former employees are disturbed to see their archival work comingling with SEO porn slop. “It’s wrenching in so many ways,” says former Riverfront Times writer Danny Wicentowski. “Like watching a loved home get devoured by vines, or left to rot.”

This is a new twist in the grim growing world of AI slop. WIRED has reported on a variety of defunct news and media outlets that have been resurrected by new owners and stuffed with AI-generated clickbait, from a small-town Iowa newspaper to the beloved feminist blog the Hairpin. In the case of the alt-weeklies and OnlyFans listicles, the clickbait is appearing alongside actual editorial content, both archival and new.

It is unclear how this effort has been coordinated between the sites, or whether there are several parallel efforts ongoing to produce OnlyFans-centric listicles. LA Weekly and the Village Voice are both owned by the same parent company, Street Media, and some of their OnlyFans content is identical. Meanwhile, the Riverfront Times publishes its OnlyFans blogs under the byline “RFT staff.”

Street Media owner Brian Calle did not respond to WIRED’s requests for comment. Chris Keating, the Riverfront Times’ former owner, says he is bound by a confidentiality agreement and cannot name the new buyer, but that he “does not believe” Calle is part of the purchasing company controlling the new Riverfront Times.

Daniela LaFave, an Austin-based SEO expert who is bylined on the majority of the Village Voice OnlyFans blog posts as well as some of the LA Weekly posts, confirmed to WIRED that she is the same person named as the author. She declined to answer whether she used AI tools to create the posts.

Another frequent byline on the Village Voice and LA Weekly posts, “Jasmine Ramer,” has published 910 articles primarily for these two outlets in the past year, according to the public relations platform Muck Rack. (Sample headlines: “Top OnlyFans Sluts 2024” and “Top 10 Finnish OnlyFans & Hottest Finnish OnlyFans 2023.”) There is a profile on LinkedIn listed as a senior staff writer at LA Weekly for an Austria-based woman named Jasmine Ramer, but there is little other digital footprint for the writer. When Reality Defender analyzed the profile photo on Ramer’s LinkedIn account, it found it was likely AI-generated. There is also at least one other account using the same photo claiming to be a digital marketing executive in the UK. (WIRED did not receive a response when it asked Ramer for comment via LinkedIn.)

OnlyFans is an online porn behemoth, one which has spawned numerous cottage industries, like professional proxy chatters who impersonate the platform’s stars. There are marketing agencies devoted to promoting OnlyFans creators, and many social platforms from Reddit to X are swarmed with bots trying to entice potential customers. These efforts are known as “OnlyFans funnels.”

Risqué sex ads have played a major role in the rise and fall of some alt-weeklies. The founders of Village Voice Media, which once owned the Village Voice, LA Weekly, and the Riverfront Times as well as other US-based alt-weeklies, created the classified website Backpage.com in 2004 to compete with Craigslist. It created a lucrative revenue stream, buoying many titles for years, but ginned up major controversy for hosting sex ads.

Vice President Kamala Harris, serving as California attorney general at the time, dubbed the company “the world’s top online brothel” in 2016 and arrested its founders and CEO for facilitating prostitution. With this recent history in mind, the decision to lean into sexual advertorial is especially brash.

It may be that these alt-weeklies are creating these blog posts in an effort to drum up web traffic to their sites, which could in turn help boost digital ad sales. They may also be accepting money from the accounts or from representatives of the accounts promoted, which would mean the posts were unlabeled advertorial. “Online ads, print ads, they all dried up,” Rainey says. “But this OnlyFans stuff is there.”

“OnlyFans has no financial arrangement with these outlets,” an OnlyFans spokesperson who identified herself only as “Brixie” told WIRED via email.

“I think the creators are paying,” says Luka Sek, SEO manager for an OnlyFans promotion company called SocialRise. “An agency that handles multiple models, or someone doing the marketing for such agencies.”

Whatever the reason, it marks a grim new pit stop for declining media publications, one in which blatant SEO bait sits side by side with culturally valuable archival journalistic work and, in the case of the Village Voice, ongoing contemporary reportage.

Tricia Romano, a former Village Voice writer who recently published an oral history of the newspaper, The Freaks Came Out to Write, sees the arrival of AI slop as keeping with the recent deterioration of alt-weeklies. “This is the logical dystopian conclusion,” she says. “But who’s reading it?”

[makeitmingi]

Cause Baby You’re My Muse [Chapter 1]

Genre: Romance, Idol!AU, Music, Slight angst

Pairing: Mingi x Reader (y/n)

Characters: Producer!Reader, IdolLyricist!Mingi, IdolProducer!Hongjoong, Idol!Seonghwa, Idol!Yunho, Idol!Wooyoung, Idol!San, Idol!Yeosang, Idol!Jongho, cameo(s) by other celebrities

Summary: You always preferred producing underground, having an unknown face and governed by your own rules. But when you start freelancing for idol groups, you say goodbye to your lone wolf lifestyle as you learn to work with idol producers and lyricists.

Word count: 3.2K

Your phone vibrating against your desk was what caught your attention. Otherwise, with your headphones on, you wouldn’t have heard it. You reached over to turn it off, eyes widening when you saw the time.

“Shoot! I’m gonna be late!” You shot out of your chair and went to the bathroom. Honestly, you did not plan on pulling an all-nighter. But after you were finally able to get some beats to work, you wanted to ride that high and continue working. 

“What to wear? What to wear?” You knew you should have planned your outfit last night. In the end, you wore a hoodie, some wide jeans and a beanie, plain and simple.

“Ah... What do I need?” You stood in front of your desk, mind blanking out due to the unexpected rush to leave the house.

“Laptop, keyboard, iPad, headphones... Notebook, pen...” You swiped off whatever you could carry and dumped them into your duffel bag. There was no time to neatly arrange everything. 

“Which bus was it again?” Scratching your head, you tried to find the instructions on your phone. Thankfully, when you finally found out the route, the bus came rather quickly. You sat down and pulled a mask on.

‘Eden! Sorry, I might be a bit late. Got a little lost and was working all night... - Indigo’

‘No worries. We’ll be in studio 1. - Eden’

You sighed as you read the message. This was not the image you wanted to give on your first day at work. You wanted to maintain a professional image, not one that is tardy and not put together. 

KQ Entertainment

Looking up at the sign, you gulped and adjusted your mask before going in. The security guy at the counter looked at you. He raised an eyebrow, taking in your appearance. You wouldn’t blame him for being suspicious. You looked ordinary, not like someone who would work at an entertainment company. Slowly, you slid your pass over to him. 

“Go ahead.” He nodded to the lifts after approving of your comapny pass. Luckily you had all the access things you needed, collected the day you signed the contract two weeks ago. 

“Studio... 1!” You found the door you were looking for. Before entering, you took a deep breath, gulping as you raised a hand to knock. 

“Indigo?” 

“Eden. Hey.” You smiled behind your mask and wrapped your arms around him. Eden chuckled, reciprocating the hug and even lifting you up slightly. He pulled away and patted your head, leading you into the studio 

“Sorry, I’m late. I didn’t even know the sun had risen while I was working.” You rubbed the back of your neck. 

“Don’t worry about it. It happens to the best of us.” Eden laughed. 

As you stood there, Eden introduced you to the 6 others in the room, also known as members of ‘Edenary’. All producers of different calibre brought in by Eden himself. 

“Nice to meet you, you can call me Indigo.” You bowed and introduced yourself to them after they told you their names. Eden had briefed everyone prior, about your want for personal privacy. So you go by your producer name ‘Indigo’ and you wear a mask to hide the lower half of your face.

“We all know who you are. The famous ghost producer.” Maddox reaches out to shake your hand. 

“Yeah, honestly when Eden said he invited you to join us, we thought he was joking...” Jangmoon scoffed, making Eden roll his eyes. 

“Please, I still have a lot to learn. I look forward to working with all of you and learning new things to improve.” You shyly bowed to them. You’ve only ever exclusively worked underground.

“I heard you only recently started working with idols though. Are you leaving the underground scene?” Oliv asked.

“No, not leaving. I just wanted more exposure. My recent works with idols is all through a ghost network so no one really know me.” You explained. 

“But your name is famous, Indigo. We’re happy to have you onboard.” 

“Like I said, Indigo isn’t going to join Edenary. She is here as a freelancer, to add some new creativity and difference to our music sound. But we’re still a team that works and collaborates together, okay? I’ve already told Hongjoong to come later to meet her after his schedule.” Eden said.

“Yes, boss.” The 6 saluted jokingly and you followed suit with a small giggle. Eden scoffed, already used to the antics of the 6. You waved to them and bowed again as you followed Eden out of the big studio. 

“So studio 1 is where all the big recordings and main meetings happen. I’ll take you to your private studio.” He informed.

“Oh, right. Thank you.” You followed him down the hallway, past a lot of doors.

“So this is the producers’ floor. After you settle in, I’ll give you a tour of the rest of the building.” Eden smiled. 

“This is yours. It has the basic equipment from the brand you told me you use. I got what I could get within the budget. Feel free to add your own stuff to the set up and customise the studio to your liking.” He opened the door.

“Wow.” You were in awe. You were grateful there was some equipment so you wouldn’t have to ferry equipment back and forth.

“So the couch is a pullout like you’ve requested for. The other furniture like table, chairs, cabinets will be paid for by the company. Just put together a list and send it over to me.” 

“Thank you so much, Eden.” You bowed. 

“No need to keep thanking me. I think you have a lot of talent to offer, Indigo. One of the members of the idol group we mainly produce for, Ateez, will come introduce himself to you later. He is the leader or captain actually, name is Hongjoong. He works with us during production a lot so it’s good to meet him and get a feel for his style.” Eden said. 

“Captain?” You tilted your head in confusion. 

“It’s their concept. Pirate ship plus not wanting to follow other groups and have a leader. So they call him captain.” Eden explained with a laugh.

“Got it. Captain, not leader. I’ll be here until then.” You said. 

“If you need anything, I am in Studio 2. Oh and don’t forget to password lock your door.” He informed and left you to give you some time to settle down and set up. 

“Can’t believe I’m actually here.” You shook your head in disbelief. Never would you have expected yourself to be here, working with other people. 

Unzipping your duffel bag, you placed all the equipment you brought on the desk, in a set up that was similar to the one you had at home. It was how you worked the best and comfortably. 

“Monitors, here and here. Speakers will have to be pushed back.” You roughly sketched how you would want you full set up to look like.

“I’ll bring my equiliser... Sound mixer...” Also, you made a list on what extra equipment you would want to bring in. 

“Let’s see... What was I working on?” Putting your headphones on, you started working. Since it was getting a bit hard to breathe and you were alone, you pulled your mask down to your chin as you worked. 

Indigo, the alias name you had chosen for yourself from the time you started working. You worked with rappers and singers that mainly operated underground. Only recently you’ve been giving your works to idol groups but no one has actually met you before. You were known as the ‘ghost producer’.

But Eden reached out, giving you a shot at producing “above ground” for idol groups, where you can learn and earn a lot more. All while maintaining your privacy. So you accepted. 

*DING DONG*

“Huh? Coming!” You pulled your mask up and went to the door. Eden stood there with a very good looking male. 

Besides his handsome face, it was like looking in a mirror. He had blue hair, the colour matching your peekaboo dyed hair. He also had multiple piercings on his ears like yours.

“Indigo, this is Hongjoong. He is the captain of Ateez. Hongjoong, this is Indigo. Our new producer.” Eden introduced.

“Hi, nice to meet you. I’m Hongjoong. I am a big fan and look forward to working with you.” He seemed to hesitate reaching out to shake your hand so he opted to bow politely instead. 

“Hi, Hongjoong. Likewise. You can call me Indigo.” You held your hand out to him and he smiled before slipping his hand into yours to shake it.

“Please, come in. I only have a couch so I apologise.” You invited them in. 

“I need to go meet the big boss. Hongjoong, you stay and get to know our new producer, okay? Take care of her. Actually, you guys kind of look alike now that I look at it.” Eden noted. You scoffed playfully and rolled your eyes as Eden left. Hongjoong’s eyes widened as he cleared his throat. You still invited him in, closing the door behind him. 

“Your blue is like mine.” You said, lifting the upper layer of your hair up to reveal the bright blue underneath that matched Hongjoong. He nodded his head with a smile, fingers going to touch the ends of his blue hair. 

“So, Eden says you produce too?” You asked.

“Yes. I’m usually part of the producing team for my group but I still have much to learn.” He explained, taking a seat on the couch while you wheeled your chair over to sit. 

“Does your entire group produce? Sorry if I’m asking a lot. I just want to know what to expect.” You rubbed the back of your neck.

“No worries at all. Hmm, they don’t really produce. But they do partake in lyric writing. I’ll introduce you to them the next time we have group practice.” 

“Alright. And you can ask me questions too, by the way...” You chuckled.

“Do you always wear a mask?” He outrightly asked. You had expected it, a lot of people ask why you wear a mask and why you want to keep your identity a secret when you could gain fame. 

“Yes, it’s more a security thing. I appreciate the privacy, helps to separate my private and personal life. Maybe one day you’ll know what I look like.” You joked.

“Why did you want to work with Eden hyung or an entertainment company? The underground would be perfect for privacy.” 

“Exposure and experience. I’ve never really worked with a team, I’ve never worked outside of my underground studio. It’s usually me sending my works to others to use; whether it is lyrics or beats or melodies. And working with idols is different compared to the underground scene.” You explained.

“That makes sense. I noticed your name in the credits for a lot of recent songs. I would say expectations are also different. There is a lot more... creative freedom and liberty underground.” He stated.

“You’ve worked underground before?”

“A little... When I was still in school. It was how I met most of Edenary. But it was mainly to learn before I signed to KQ.” He said.

“That’s cool. It would be interesting to work with a team. I can’t be a lone wolf forever, right?” There was some bitterness to the part of your statement. Hongjoong nodded his head with a comforting smile. 

As you and Hongjoong talked, you surprisingly grew comfortable around him quickly, letting your guard down a little. He reminded you of a protective older brother, kind and patient.

“Well, I hope I am able to creatively add to the process, rather than burden the team.” You chuckled.

“Nonsense, I think you’re very talented.” He smiled kindly. 

“I’m looking forward to meet the other members of your team. So I can get to know all your individual styles, as well as the cohesive style of Ateez.” You smiled, wheeling yourself back to your desk to grab your phone.

“Am I not enough for you? That you need to meet my other members.” He feigned hurt, putting a hand over his heart. You shook your hands in quick denial to the point where you actually dropped your device. But Hongjoong was quick, bending down to pick it up for you. He brushed the screen to inspect it for any damage. 

“I was kidding.” He laughed as he held out the device.

“Thank you.” You received it with a small bow of your head. Hongjoong couldn’t help but reach out to pat your head, eyes full of adoration. Only when he realised what he was doing then he pulled away.

“I am so sorry. That was way out of line. I just... never had a sister before and... I don’t even know what I’m saying.” He stuttered.

“Don’t worry about it. I don’t have any brothers but it’s weird that I kind of feel like you are one.” You blushed. 

“It’s instinctive for me. Once you get to know my group, you will understand why I have to play to role of older brother, mother and father.” He joked.  

“Are they that chaotic?” 

“I always tell people that when you look at them as 5 year olds, you won’t feel so overwhelmed...” He rubbed the back of his neck, his ears turning slightly red at the tips. You laughed along with him. 

Speaking to Hongjoong was like speaking to a friend, not a celebrity. He was humble, down to earth and relaxed. There wasn’t a point where he made you feel awkward or uncomfortable. Even when talking about producing, he never showed off his knowledge or experience. 

“Once I get more equipment here, it’ll be an easier space for me to work in. But I ran a little later this morning when coming here so I grabbed what I could.” You told him.

“You work at night?” 

“I find it more productive to work at night. Lesser distractions and night is when underground performances usually happen.” You explained.

“What genre do you usually work on?” Hongjoong asked. You thought about it for a while before wheeling yourself over to your desk. You waved him over and he stood up, walking to stand beside you.

“This is what I was working on last night. The reason I was late.” You told him, playing the recording for him. 

“I’m trying different genres now, try to cater to the style of the artist I’m working with. So this is a softer R&B melody.” You explained to him, hiding your nerves.

“I like it. The flow is really nice.” Hongjoong bopped his head to the beat, fingers lightly drumming against the desk. You let out a mental sigh of relief, glad that he liked it considering he was one of the main people you would be working with from now on. But you kept all your emotions and reactions internal, maintaining a stoic face.

“Our style so far has been mainly EDM trap with dark hip hop... with dance-style anthemic songs from time to time. We try to dabble in multiple genres to show our range.” Hongjoong said.

“I’m looking forward to seeing that.” You nodded.

“Here, I’ll give you my number.” Hongjoong said. You handed him your phone and he typed your number, dropping himself a missed call to have your number.

“I have to go now but I’ll see you around.” He waved. You walked him to the door, waving to him as he left. 

You checked your phone and realised that you had been talking to Hongjoong for close to 4 hours. You went to use the washroom and when you came back, you saw a paper bag right at the doorstep.

‘Eden hyung said you hadn’t eaten since you were speaking with me. Make sure to eat. And welcome to KQ! - Captain Hongjoong’

Inside the bag, there was street food like tteokbokki, two kinds of kimbap and some fried snacks. You sent him a thank you text before breaking your chopsticks to begin eating. You ate at your desk since it was the only table you had at the moment. 

“Let’s see... Ateez music video.” You searched for something to watch while eating. You were probably the most unprepared newbie ever, not even doing research on the group that you’re going to work with. 

“Hyung, where are yo- OH MY GOSH!” You were startled by someone just opening the door, turning around in shock. Seeing someone there, you scrambled for your mask but it had dropped to the ground.

“Oh my! I’m so sorry! I didn’t know anyone was in here!” The male was flustered, bowing repeatedly.

“It’s fine. Please close the door.” You waved him off behind you. You heard the door close and you bent down to pick up your mask, putting it on. After that, you stood up and poked your head out to see if the guy was still there.

“Hello?” You called out but he must have ran off after the shock. 

“Everything alright, Indigo? I heard a shout.” Maddox also emerged from his studio, a concerned look on his face.

“Oh, yes. Sorry for disturbing. Someone just entered my studio, we scared each other and he must have ran off. I think he wasn’t expecting someone to be in the studio.” You smiled.

“Ah, we thought everyone already knew that you were going to be working in studio 8. Sorry about that.” He apologised. You shook your head.

“I guess this just means I should be introducing myself to everyone.” You giggled. He laughed and nodded his head. Since he made sure you were fine and safe, he went back to his studio. You did the same, making sure to lock the door now as you returned to your food. Now at least people would have to ring the doorbell before coming in. 

You huffed, chewing on the tip of your chopstick. Maybe it was one of Hongjoong’s group members, you didn’t really see his face clearly. You hoped that at the same time, he didn’t see your face. 

"Well, it can’t be helped.” You sighed and finished up your food, wanting to get back to work right away. 

As you continued to work on the same melody, you couldn’t help but hear Hongjoong’s fingers drumming against your desk. 

“Maybe...” You opened up the composition page and tested out adding a light drum to the background, similar to the rhythm that Hongjoong had when he tapped on your table. 

“No, this wasn’t it. What was it?” You clicked your tongue in annoyance, trying different variations of it. After some experimentation, you played it back. 

“Finally!” You threw your head back with a big, victorious smile. It sounded like a nice remix version. Maybe this was a sign that things were going to work out well for you here. 

~

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