The story of this story.
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PART ONE:
It all started when Cesperanza had this idea to write a series of short-short stories called "101 Ways To End Up In A Canadian Shack." She told this to resonant, who suggested the following themes:
resonant: Kidnapping ... amnesia ...
resonant: A really bad sense of direction ...
resonant: Runaway cab driver ...
resonant: "It was the only way I could quit smoking ..." Famous last words: "It seemed like an interesting idea."
PART TWO:
Meanwhile, Ces had been hoping to get AnnaS to write some TS. With her DS idea in mind, she suggested to Anna that they collaborate on some short-short TS stories. In other words, she proposed a similar idea. Note the word similar. Not the same. But, alas, it all went horribly awry.
Cesca: Anna
Cesca: I'll make you a dare.
anna: yo?
anna: yeah?
Seah waits to see this dare
Terri eyes all of you warily. Except Seah.
Cesca: I had this idea in DS that I might actually do a story called 101 To End Up In A Canadian Shack—but do it actually as a series of short stories.
Cesca: However
Cesca: it occurs to me
anna: 101 Ways—?
Cesca: that you and I might attempt something similar in TS.
Cesca: 100 words
Cesca: on a stupid premise.
Cesca: A series of short-shorts
anna: Hey, cool.
Cesca: What do you think?
anna: So what was that again—
Cesca: minimum risk
anna: 101 Ways? ??
anna: Repeat the title.
Cesca: Well—not for Jim and Blair
Cesca: I don't see why they'd go to a Canadian shack
Cesca: but something along those lines for TS.
anna: It could be funny, though.
anna: J&B—Canadian Shack.
anna: Just offbeat enough to be sustainable
anna: Let's do it.
Cesca: No! wait—
Terri: The Ubiquitous Canadian Shack — every fandom should have one.
anna: Let's do it now.
Cesca: I want the shack for DS
anna: I want the shack for TS!
Terri: TS has the Loft!
anna hrhs.
Terri: And the Peruvian Jungle!
Cesca: No, the loft is banal beyond belief
anna: Harhrh.
anna: Not the jungle!
anna: Dear god.
Cesca: Not the jungle, agreed
Terri: Not?
anna: I like the shack.
anna pouts.
Cesca: It doesn't have to be a place
Terri: Hmph.
Cesca: it could be a premise
anna: That *was* the premise.
anna: You hooked me.
anna: Now you're losing me.
Cesca: 20 ways to end up with ice cream on your head, whatever, anything
anna: Sorry.
Cesca: No but
Cesca sighs
anna makes the sign of the hand.
anna grins.
Cesca: That's my DS story
anna: Shack.
anna chants.
Cesca: lol
anna: Shack. Shack. Shack.
Terri carefully disengages the hook from anna's mouth (or wherever it ended up).
Cesca: I—all right, all right!
Cesca: That'll REALLY confuse the Francesca Speranza thing, thanks a lot!
Cesca: What the fuck are Jim and Blair doing in a canadian shack for god's sake?!!
anna: That's the beauty of it.
Cesca: But
anna: I feel inspired.
Terri: I'm not sure you can get there in 100 words.
anna: No. I work well with foreign objects. Like eggbeaters.
anna: And mandolins
Cesca: Okay, fine, 20 Ways to Annoy a Sentinel With A Mandolin
anna: Ew.
Terri: Child's play.
anna shakes head.
Cesca: Terri, fine, YOU suggest something!
anna: You have no concept of my psychology do you?
anna: After all this time.
anna: You say shack.
anna: I want shack.
Cesca deflates
anna: Anything else is just...er, fish.
Terri: I suspect on some level that the mere existance of mandolins is enough to annoy a Sentinel. :-)
Cesca: Okay, shack but somewhere other than canada?
anna sighs.
Cesca: Oh all right all right sheesh!
Cesca: Fucking remind me never to...bhlre;wrjkaeksfj ;laj;
Cesca: Do the shack!
Cesca: Take the pen!
anna: If the shack is in Washington, though, it's, like, mundane.
Cesca thrusts pen!
anna: My imagination stalls.
Cesca: Okay
Cesca: do it!
Cesca: put them into a Canadian shack in 100 words
Cesca: I'll do the same
Cesca: Race ya
anna: But I'm broiling steak.
anna: You'll have to wait until I'm back here with my Meat.
Cesca: I'm eating meatloaf as we speak
Cesca: The odds are utterly even
Cesca glares
Cesca: Beef to beef
anna: Hmm. You may be right about that shack thing.
anna ducks.
anna: I was just thinking, in the kitchen.
anna: heh.
anna ducks again.
anna is an evil, evil girl, but can't help it. Psychology.
anna points to her head, winks, nods.
Cesca is laughing
Cesca: no, no
Cesca: now we have to
anna: heh.
anna: damn you!
Cesca: This is the GREAT SHACK CHALLENGE, you stupid cow
Cesca: so get to it!!!
anna: Okay.
anna: Fine.
Cesca: You bet!
anna laughs, loving you.
Cesca: I want fucking 100 words about a canadian shack before you leave this channel PART THREE: Having had her DS story stolen and changed into a TS story, Cesperanza then proceeded to compound her mistake by complaining about Anna to some friends. Note to self: do not complain about Anna to your friends. They are as evil as she is.
Julad: I *love* the idea of a TS canadian shack challenge.
Julad: of a fandom-wide canadian shack challenge. Ces groans
Ces: You are evil. Like her.
Julad: Buffy and Willow in a canadian shack!
Ces: We've got four already
Ces: lol Ces holds head
Julad: Tom and Harry in a canadian shack!
Julad: Danny and Casey in a canadian shack Ces is howling
Julad: Oh, do it.
Julad: do it do it do it
Julad: or I will
Ces: Oh god *** Mia (Mia@14fd58ce.322bbfaa.alphalink.com.au) has joined channel
Ces: oh, fine, fine fine!
Ces: EVIL COWS
Ces: Wait
Mia: what?
Julad: and I'll post the challenge in nsync fandom and you'll have a *thousand and one nsync canadian shack stories*.
Ces: In fact
Mia: lolol
Ces: NO!!!!!
Ces: NO!
Mia: wait, can I drag linda in?
Ces: NO *** resonant (resonant@362b7f89.16b4fba6.dial-access.att.net) has joined channel
Ces: oh god
Ces: yes
Julad: LOLOL
Ces: god
Ces: this is turning into
Ces: FINE
Ces: this is ridiculous
Ces: Hi res
resonant: Hey! *** linbot (linbot@2803ef39.f4f1334.optusnet.com.au) has joined channel
resonant: Ces is talking in caps!
Julad: Don't worry, I wouldn't do it.
linbot: hey, I'm here for the anarchy.
resonant: Hi, Lin. I just got here.
resonant: Hi, all.
Mia: Hi res!
Julad: Ces discovers that you can't tame a cool challenge.
Ces: Okay, look
Mia: ahahahahahahahaha
Ces: Here are the rules
Mia: ahahahahahahahahaha
Ces: And if you want to—look—it's 500 words resonant laughs
Ces groans
Ces: Criminy linbot is laughing.
Ces: oh, why not...
resonant: Is Julad doing Methos and Duncan in a Canadian shack?
Julad: ahahaha
resonant: Round about 1815?
Julad: Stuart and Vince in a canadian shack!
resonant: Or, barring that, 2050?
Mia: yes!
Mia: stuart and vince!!
Julad: oh, fuck me.
Ces is crying
Ces: res
Ces: Okay
Ces: look
Ces: look
linbot: Joe and Billy in a canadian shack?
Julad: calming down now.
Mia: ahahahaha
resonant: God, Lin.
Ces can barely type
Julad: It's out of control, baby.
Julad: Rein it in, quick.
Ces: I was complaining about Anna and—man, they're WORSE than anna
Mia: the bunny is bleeding
Ces: Alright loo
Ces: look
Ces: If you want to do the fandom of your choice in a canadian shack
Ces: it's 500 words
Ces: and it gets sent to em
Ces: mne
Ces: me
Ces: and I'll compile them
Mia:
Cesca: Well—not for Jim and Blair
Mia:
Cesca: I don't see why they'd go to a Canadian shack
Mia: ahahahahaha
Ces: and I'll write an ending one where
Ces: they're all there and fighting over whose weekend it was
Julad: LOLOL
Ces is half-laughing, half-crying
resonant: It's actually funnier in other fandoms, Ces.
resonant: In DS,
resonant: it would be funnier to do
resonant: "101 ways to end up in the Peruvian jungle."
Ces: I never got the chance to prove otherwise, did I?! Ces sighs
resonant: Or, you know, on a ferry to Victoria Island.
Ces: though
Ces: oh dear
Ces sighs
resonant: Or, you know, taking clown classes in night school.
Julad: No, no, it's funny with DS
Ces: Look
Julad: and then funnier that everyone else starts showing up at the shack.
Ces: I AM IN CHARGE OF THIS BUS!
Ces: SHOW YOUR PASSES!
Ces sighs
Ces: it's resonant sets up a cash bar in the back of the bus
linbot: see the good thing about a bus is that it doesn't even *start* on the rails.
Ces: and it wasn't supposed to be funny!
Ces: It's now—oh, man
Ces: No, it did it did!
Ces: I'm just —it's like SPEED here
Julad: No, the stories themselves aren't funny.
resonant: Ces.
resonant: Ces.
Ces: you bombed my bus
resonant: Guess what.
Ces: What?
resonant: You are now TPTB.
Ces: I—oh god
resonant: Now you know how Alliance feels.
Julad: LOLOL
Mia: ahahahaha
resonant: "Whoa! That's not what we MEANT!"
Ces: My shack challenge!
Ces sobs
Ces: My beautiful shack thing
linbot: hahahaha. You're doing it wrong! You're all doing it wrong! 8)
Julad: It's okay, honey. You're the boss of the challenge.
Julad: You make the big money.
Ces: Joe and Billy...
Ces: in the shack Ces wipes tear
Ces: Dan and Casey
resonant: WITH Fraser and Ray?
resonant: "Wait. Maybe I picked the wrong shack?"
Ces: I don't know, ask them! Ces hoots!
resonant: "Yeah, man, you totally did."
Ces: "Sorry, your shack is up the road, there."
Ces: And they've trashed their shack
resonant: "Go, like, right over that ridge and ..."
Ces: lolol
Julad: LOLOL
Ces is laughing
Julad: nsync wander into Billy and Joe's shack. that ain't gonna be pretty. resonant pictures about fifty miles of Canadian wilderness with a shack every half-mile
Ces: Am I supposed to—I mean, is this the same shack story? a different shack story?
Ces: Is this "The Great Canadian Shack Free-For-All"
resonant: Jim sends Blair over to the Joe/Billy shack to ask them to "turn down the goddamned music."
Julad: You want *proper* stories, right? Serious stories in which they seriously end up in a canadian shack.
Ces: What I want appears to be immaterial. <G>
Julad: and then the punchline is kind of the repetition.
resonant: "Fucker can hear us half a mile away? Riiiiiight."
Ces wanders around mumbling to herself
linbot: shacking up in diverse fandoms.
Julad: Okay, tell me what the requirements are.
Julad: shacking up!
Ces: I like the shacking up Julad dies
resonant: Ooh. Good title.
resonant: Harry Potter and the Canadian Shack.
Julad: LOLOLOL
linbot: hahahahaha. Shine: SNERK
resonant: "You Apparated us *where*?" Shine: hee!! Julad dies
linbot: or floo powder into the pot bellied stove.
resonant: "Well, undo it!" "It's not that simple!"
Ces: I love the idea of
Ces: Canadian Wizards.
Ces is laughing
Julad: Oh, god. They'd be all polite. And say, "Expelliariumus, eh," Shine: hee!
Ces dies