diff --git a/src/brush_paint.rs b/src/brush_paint.rs
index 04c2662b..4acb607e 100644
--- a/src/brush_paint.rs
+++ b/src/brush_paint.rs
@@ -1590,6 +1590,12 @@ pub const SINGLE_STROKE_LETTERS: &str = "CGIJLMNOSUVWZcejilosvwz";
 /// penalty applies when stroke count ≠ 2.
 pub const TWO_STROKE_LETTERS: &str = "TtXxKkYyFfHh";
 
+/// Letters made entirely of straight strokes — the curvature penalty
+/// fires only on these. Curvy letters (O/S/G/c/e/...) need to bend, so
+/// applying a uniform curvature cost there penalised the natural form.
+/// Excludes ambiguous cases (lowercase k/t/f) where fonts may curve.
+pub const STRAIGHT_STROKE_LETTERS: &str = "AEFHIKLMNTVWXYZilvwxz";
+
 pub fn is_single_stroke_letter(ch: char) -> bool {
     SINGLE_STROKE_LETTERS.contains(ch)
 }
@@ -1598,6 +1604,36 @@ pub fn is_two_stroke_letter(ch: char) -> bool {
     TWO_STROKE_LETTERS.contains(ch)
 }
 
+pub fn is_straight_letter(ch: char) -> bool {
+    STRAIGHT_STROKE_LETTERS.contains(ch)
+}
+
+/// Exponential rate for the unpainted-cluster penalty. Per-cluster
+/// cost is `(exp(α × size / brush_area) − 1) × brush_area`. The shape
+/// is scale-invariant in the brush. At α=2.0:
+///   - 1-px cluster ≈ 2 units
+///   - cluster = brush_area  → ~6.4 × brush_area
+///   - cluster = 2 × brush_area → ~53 × brush_area
+///   - cluster = 3 × brush_area → ~400 × brush_area
+/// So one missing tail-leg (a multi-brush blob) outweighs hundreds
+/// of single-pixel slop edges, which matches the eye's response.
+pub const UNPAINTED_CLUSTER_ALPHA: f32 = 2.0;
+
+/// Density penalty across one letter's cluster sizes. Same shape used
+/// in `score_weighted` and in `CorpusReport`'s tier-2 aggregate, so the
+/// inner optimiser and the outer lex comparator agree on what "bad
+/// unpainted distribution" means.
+pub fn unpainted_density_score(clusters: &[u32], brush_radius: f32) -> f32 {
+    let brush_area = std::f32::consts::PI * brush_radius * brush_radius;
+    if brush_area <= 0.0 { return 0.0; }
+    clusters.iter().map(|&n| {
+        // Clamp the exponent so a runaway cluster doesn't overflow f32
+        // (exp(20) ≈ 4.85e8; multiplied by brush_area still finite).
+        let exponent = (UNPAINTED_CLUSTER_ALPHA * n as f32 / brush_area).min(20.0);
+        (exponent.exp() - 1.0) * brush_area
+    }).sum()
+}
+
 /// Letter-aware score: applies the default score plus hard constraint
 /// failures. A config that trips ANY hard ceiling returns f32::MAX so
 /// the optimizer rejects it outright. Soft knobs (brush_size bonus,
@@ -1613,7 +1649,13 @@ pub fn is_two_stroke_letter(ch: char) -> bool {
 ///   - 0 strokes  →  +200k    (refuse "paint nothing")
 ///   - SINGLE_STROKE_LETTERS with strokes ≠ 1  →  +50k per extra stroke
 pub fn score_for_letter(ch: char, m: &PaintMetrics) -> f32 {
-    let mut s = default_score(m);
+    // Curvature penalty fires only on straight-stroke letters. For
+    // curvy letters (O/S/G/c/e/...) bending IS the natural form, so
+    // penalising it pushes the optimizer toward zigzag approximations.
+    // The length-excess term still keeps wandering paths in check.
+    let mut w = ScoreWeights::default();
+    if !is_straight_letter(ch) { w.curvature = 0.0; }
+    let mut s = score_weighted(m, w);
 
     // Hard-ceiling barriers. They're "soft" in the sense that they're
     // finite (not f32::MAX) so the optimizer can still gradient-descend
@@ -1744,9 +1786,7 @@ impl Default for ScoreWeights {
 pub fn score_weighted(m: &PaintMetrics, w: ScoreWeights) -> f32 {
     let budget = 1.5 * m.skeleton_length as f32;
     let excess = (m.total_length - budget).max(0.0);
-    let density: f32 = m.unpainted_clusters.iter()
-        .map(|&n| (n as f32).powf(1.5))
-        .sum();
+    let density = unpainted_density_score(&m.unpainted_clusters, m.brush_radius);
     w.stroke            * m.strokes as f32
   + w.length            * m.total_length
   + w.bg                * m.bg_painted as f32
diff --git a/src/brush_paint_opt.rs b/src/brush_paint_opt.rs
index 2190c293..777fbebb 100644
--- a/src/brush_paint_opt.rs
+++ b/src/brush_paint_opt.rs
@@ -18,7 +18,8 @@ use serde::{Serialize, Deserialize};
 use crate::brush_paint::{
     PaintParams, PaintMetrics, ScoreWeights,
     score_for_letter, metrics_for, rasterize_test_letter,
-    is_single_stroke_letter, is_two_stroke_letter,
+    is_single_stroke_letter, is_two_stroke_letter, is_straight_letter,
+    unpainted_density_score,
 };
 use crate::hulls::Hull;
 
@@ -306,9 +307,12 @@ impl CorpusReport {
             r.total_strokes     += m.strokes as u64;
             r.total_repaint     += m.repaint as u64;
             r.total_length      += m.total_length as f64;
-            for &cz in &m.unpainted_clusters {
-                r.total_unpainted_density += (cz as f64).powf(1.5);
-            }
+            // Same exponential shape used in `score_weighted` so the
+            // inner soft signal and the outer lex ranking agree on what
+            // "bad unpainted distribution" means.
+            r.total_unpainted_density += unpainted_density_score(
+                &m.unpainted_clusters, m.brush_radius
+            ) as f64;
         }
         r
     }
@@ -469,7 +473,11 @@ pub fn evaluate_score_weights(
 /// can degenerate to "paint nothing" under low coverage weight).
 fn score_for_letter_with_weights(ch: char, m: &PaintMetrics, w: &ScoreWeights) -> f32 {
     use crate::brush_paint::score_weighted;
-    let mut s = score_weighted(m, *w);
+    // Curvature is letter-conditional: only straight-stroke glyphs
+    // (AEFHIKLMNTVWXYZilvwxz) pay it. Mirror of `score_for_letter`.
+    let mut w_local = *w;
+    if !is_straight_letter(ch) { w_local.curvature = 0.0; }
+    let mut s = score_weighted(m, w_local);
     if m.strokes == 0 { s += 200_000.0; }
     if is_single_stroke_letter(ch) && m.strokes != 1 {
         s += 50_000.0 * ((m.strokes as i64 - 1).abs() as f32);