Zen Master: Blog

It's been 5 years since Shaddoth gave us his masterpiece "Axeman". He last blogged about working on "Axeman 2", but he had personal problems, medical problems, financial problems... and we haven't heard from him in a while. That story was so popular that several (that I know of) others have written follow-on stories set in that universe. I've cranked out a few myself, all short stories about one of the 15yo kids that get caught up in the trouble.

Well, I must have said something stupid somewhere, because every so often some stranger will email me about when I'm setting up an 'Axeman Universe' to collect all those stories. Uh, I really can't. I mean, I can using my own account, but only Shaddoth can add his story to it if it's my universe. And, what would be the point if his story wasn't in it?

So, I've been hassling the site administrator about it for a while. If I create an Axeman universe, will he put Shaddoth's original story in it? If/when he comes back, we'll transfer the damn thing to his account. Naturally, he's always refused. Only the writer should be able to add his stories to another universe.

Well, a few days ago it happened again, so I promptly sent LJ (the admin here) another whine. "Yet another writer is on me to create an Axeman universe!" I guess he got tired of it, because _he_ did it, putting it under Shaddoth's account as an open universe. I can't mess with it, but that's certainly good enough! Although, I couldn't find it. I had to bother LJ again, and he told me that a new universe isn't visible to readers until it has at least TWO stories in it. Someone posting a new story can see it on the list of available universes, but people just reading don't see it.

Oh, okay, sure. Well, here, add this 'Writer's Guide" essay to it. While you're at it, throw in Morningfrost's "Warhammer" story, and I'll go ahead and start posting my first "Missile" story there as well.

And I told James Girvan, who has added all his "Beer League" stories, too. Frankly, his stories should all be listed before mine, but I don't have access to fix that. Only Shaddoth and LJ can do that, and I've bothered LJ enough for this week.

Anyway, it's here: https://storiesonline.net/universe/1426/axeman-universe

I just finished uploading the rest of the chapters for "Basketball Terror 2". They are all queued to be released every other day. The final chapter should come out on 3/31.
BBT-2 was a continuation of an old Paladin story. I'm disappointed in the reception, but that's what I get for sticking my nose into someone else's story, right? Maybe I should just write my own stuff.
-ZM

I've started posting "Basketball Terror 2", which is a sequel to a Paladin story from the 1980's. Don't worry, it's all explained in the Author's Foreword which all sane people will skip anyway. When you get confused, you'll go back and read it and it will start to make sense. I'll try to post a new chapter every two days. There are 41 chapters, so it's gonna take a while. -ZM

It's early morning and I'm trying to be quiet so my wife can sleep. We're "entertaining" today and she's stressed because everything must be perfect. Because...family, you know.
So. I'm wandering aimlessly through the forums and some really old discussions. I mean, here's a comment from Ernest Bywater/Edwards, who left this vale of tears a year or more ago.
One of our still-living writers AJ posted a link to a.PDF that contains a will for writers. As the writer who posted that article says, when you're gone you don't care who gets your old jeans and matching plaid shirts and socks. If you're a writer, though, do you really want your unfinished/unpublished stories to get tossed like your underwear? I know my own wife will happily toss it all the first chance she gets, since she doesn't approve of my smut.
If you're a writer and you think your writing has value, it might be prudent to put something like this article by Neil Gaiman in your own will:
http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2006/10/important-and-pass-it-on.html
(Sorry, but the "blog" software doesn't allow links)
Okay, I've done my good deed for the day. I can go back to being a cranky old man.
-ZM

...I want to do something that's not allowed here. SOL, because of where it is hosted, has rules that prohibit some possible content. The one that gets most people is "no sex in your story before age 14". On the one hand, I gotta agree. Children shouldn't be doing adult things.
On the other hand, here's a pair of examples. The second story I ever posted on ASSTR, back in the 1980s, was "Johnny's Girls", about a young woman who has changed owners. Yeah, she's an adult NOW, but flashbacks include being sexually abused as a child. That story was well-received because it's about adults dealing with life, but it has forced pedo/rape underaged sex in it. I hate it, but I agree with the webmaster. That story should absolutely NOT be on a site that prohibits stories that include underaged sex.
For the last several years I've been working on a 'do-over' story about being sent back to my childhood to live my life over again. My _mind_ is 60. My _body_ is 10. There is plot and struggle and all that, but I used to be a adult and I want sex. Believe me, as soon as my willy starts to work, I'm gonna get some use out of it.
That story has turned into a four-volume set with each part about 1 MB. Parts 1 & 2 are complete and ready for posting, but I can't post them here. Me and my girlfriend don't turn 14 until the middle of volume 2. ASSTR would have taken them, but that site is dead. I can put volumes 3 & 4 here once they are done, but what's the sense in that?
I have hosting set up on Dreamhost for several vanity domains (like the "Tampa After Dark" domain I use for my real email address @TampaAD.net), but they don't want anything to do with porn. Literotica wants all characters to be at least 18.
Anybody got any ideas?
-ZM