Fakeminsk TG Fiction: Constant in All Other Things

Sneak Peek: Hotel Pick-up

This sneak peek is from near the end of chapter four. A bit late posting today; apologies!

*** 

           We weren’t the only ones in the elevator: a few older businessmen in suits, and a young woman with tired eyes who might’ve been an assistant, dressed like Cindy on a working day. There was also a family of four crowded in with us, suitcases, two young children under the age of ten and their parents. I felt the da...

Writing Update: 02/08/24

Start of Week: 3,037

End of Week: 5,620

Change: +2,583

Year to Date: 161,164

Hmm. Well, it's been the worst week for writing in some time. I attribute this to a few things. I was ill for much of the weekend and start of the week. The heatwave also certainly didn't help. And I finished reading "Normal People," which was such a fantastically-written book that it left me staring at my own prose with--well, if not disgust, at least disappointment.

Anyway, I rallied b...

Fan Art by Fraylim: The Funeral of David Saunders

A slightly more subdued image for today, Cindy dressed for the funeral of David Saunders. This was one of the first pieces of fan art that Fraylim shared with me, capturing the moment below, from the opening of Book 3. Returning to this opening reminds me that I need to revisit and revise it--we've covered a lot of ground from chapter 1 to the current chapter, and some of this needs to bleed back into the opening of the third book. It's an appropriate image to post this week, I feel, as I bri...

Constant 3, Chapter 4-5

This is the nearly-complete draft of Chapter 4-5. It may undergo another revision or two, just to tighten it up a bit, before publishing. If you spot any errors, feel free to let me know, or if anything seems oddly out of characters or inconsistent. Otherwise, enjoy!

***

Five: Fake It to Make It

I must be cruel only to be kind: Hamlet’s idiom captured Julia’s intentions well.

            The final week o...

Rambles: Poll Result on AI Art

As of 8:43am, 35 people have cast their vote, expressing their views on the use of AI Art:

20% "despise"

26% "tolerate"

9% ambivalent

31% "like"

11% "love"

And one complex opinion expressed; thank you Zebelle for the detailed response!

Poll/quiz design is a fine art, and a little more thought should have gone into the option formulation, but the above results read (to me) as a 46% negative, 44% positive response, with those who dislike AI Art more lik...

Sneak Peek: Icarus

This sneak peek is from near the end of Chapter 4. Julia has taken David out to Icarus. an expensive if somewhat dull hotel bar, and set him up for a one night stand. On his way to the bar, he has serious doubts.

Enjoy!

***

           Nearing the bar, I hesitated. My body thrummed, murmur of need beneath the flesh, and my brain ached. Half naked, I felt hot. Eying the entrance, I glanced over my shoulder at Julia. In the...

On Digital Art

Digital Art, or rather AI Art, is a divisive medium. Last week I posted a piece of AI-created fan art, and there were some strong responses. Consequently, I'm curious as to peoples' thoughts on the medium and the best way to collect responses seems to be via a poll.

I have very conflicted feelings myself, and your vote will help me decide whether this Patreon uses or avoids AI-assisted content. Even as an amateur writer, I'm very much aware of the impact of AI-assisted tools. I've play...

Writing Update: 26/07/24

Start of Week: 46,853 / 0

End of Week: 48,363 / 3,037

Change: +4545

Year to Date: 158, 581

Writing count excludes today's writing. I think going forward I'll report the change for Sunday to Thurday, since I generally push out the weekly update before getting the actual writing for the day done.

Word count also conceals the conclusion of chapter 4. I reached the end of the chapter on Monday, ...

Fan Art by Fraylim: Femme Fatale

Obviously, I'm a big fan of Fraylim's art. But this one's definitely up there amongst my favourites. This is from the very beginning--or is that the ending?--of the story: Cindy with a gun, out for vengence. I love the Noir styling of the image; she could've stepped out of classic 50s femme fatale film, or a Raymond Chandler novel.

Fun fact: the silver dress was inspired by a passage in the Leonard Cohen novel Beautiful Losers.

In any case, here's the relevant passage. Th...

Constant 3, Chapter 4-4

I don't know if I can overstate how difficult this scene was to write. I don't know why, but it was very slow going and a real effort to complete. It's an important scene--there are important plot elements introduced here that will come to fruition later in the story. In any case, Enjoy! I reckon this scene is pretty much done; and future edits are likely to be minor. But if you notice anything that stands out or have any feedback--well, comments are always appreciated!

...

2024-07-24 00:00:02 +0000 UTC View Post

Fan AI Art:

Constant seems to have caught some readers' imaginations, especially Cindy. Back in December of last year, members of this patreon might remember some experimentation with AI art. Patron 'Bobbi' kindly sent in some images they'd generated of some key scenes from the story, and I had a go at it, too. Though fun, I gave up on the AI art--they always seemed to come out with a couple too many fingers, or not quite as I wanted them.

Meanwhile, some other readers sent me their (...

Sneak Peek: An Encounter

It''s not always easy to pick a sneak peek: there's a lot of content to choose from, but I want to pick something that tempts readers at all tier levels, but I also don't want to spoil the story. But what do people want to read? Salacious moments, or bits of character development, or hints at new characters or past events?

For this week, I went for a random encounter in the street that sets up some later events, also hinting at some important backstory for our protagonist. This is from...

A Song of Silk and Shadows: Chapter 02

A Song of Silk and Shadows

By Fakeminsk

A Song of Silk and Shadows: Chapter One

Chapter One

One: The Old King’s Death

Writing Update: 19/07/24

Start of week: 40,204

End of week: 46,853

Change: +6,649

Year to Date: 154,036

Finished Reading: Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, by Olga Tokarczuk  

Currently Reading: Normal People, by Sally Rooney; Show Girl, by Alyson Greaves.

Drive Your Plow... was a recommend off of social media platf...

Poll Result: Are You Not Entertained

With 27 votes, it's not necessarily indicative the whole membership's views--but then again, I guess that's democracy! Results as of 19/07 are:

Carry on: 44%

More Art: 33%

Interactive Fiction: 11%

Non-Constant Fiction: 7%

Rambling: 4%

So, I'll be taking this on board and have a think about what I can do with these results. Thank you, everyone, who took the time to respond!

Fan Art by Fraylim: Icarus Dress

Another wonderful gift by Fraylim, a dress perfect for clubbing at Tartatus, but wholly inapropriate for a bar like Icarus. This is from chapter 4, scenes 5 and 6. As part of Cindy's "training", Julia brings her to the hotel bar for what may prove a life-alterating encounter. Here's an extract:

***

            “We’re celebrating,” Julia said.

           &n...

Constant 3, Chapter 4-3

The final (?) draft of chapter 3, scene 3. As always, feel free to leave comments and criticism! This will undergo a final revision before the whole chapter is published.

Three: Mirage Under Moonlight (7,773)

The second week of living under Julia’s control ended with a visit to Juno. It was Saturday morning and the mall thronged with early shoppers eager to escape the heat.

            “What are we do...

Constant in All Other Things: Chapter 01

Constant in All Other Things

Chapter 1

by

Fakeminsk (fakeminsk@gmail.com ; https://www.patreon.com/fakeminsk)  

“Friendship is constant in all other things

Save in the office and affairs of love:

Therefore all hearts in love use their own tongues;

Let every eye negotia...

Sneak Peek: Workplace Harassment

As David slips further under Julia's control, they have increasingly different visions of who Cindy really is. An unpleasant encounter at work highlights this for our feminised protagonist. This exerpt is from chapter 4.

***

            Tuesday played out similarly, but already I could feel her adjustments creeping over me. It’s difficult to precisely define what changed. It’s not like I performed some limp-wristed ca...

Constant in All Other Things: Chapter 02

Constant in All Other Things

Ch