This!
A large schooner, wooden and patched to an unnerving extent, floats through the lagoon. There is a hole in the sail barely taped up by silver duct tape in a clean X mark, and a tall gray man in russet brown battle armor looks closely at it, simply raising an eyebrow. Further down from him, a young man with a red cap holds a piece of wood chipped from the boat in his hands, gulping.
Is Crocodile Isle!
A towering island looms ahead, the ruins of a castle atop it. Broken busts of a sneering crocodile surround the remnants, large enough to be visible from the coast nary a mile off. Towards the front of the boat, a large bipedal ape clad in little more than khaki shorts looks up knowingly, smiling. Not too far away, a blue bipedal bird, clad in full outdoor gear with a flare gun in his pocket, whistles loudly, clearly impressed.
Home of some of the known universe's most notorious wildlife, both primitive and complex!
Large, vulture-like birds with orange heads caw as they surround the boat. As they swoop down, they nearly hit the already-weathered sail. A blonde woman clad in a short pink shirt and blouse leaps up in surprise, maintaining a second's worth of airtime before landing near a small pink ball with a bow, who gives her a brief derisive glare through giant blue eyes.
This untamed island was once home to a nefarious reptilian tyrant, Kaptain K. Rool, who took over this untouched land and made it home to himself and his minions, the brutal, bloodthirsty pirates known as Kremlings.
Having read up studiously on the location beforehand, the smallest human, a small woman clad in a yellow tank top and green shorts from the nation of Yellow Comet finds her surroundings to be just as she imagined. In contrast, another young woman just a couple of inches higher than her digs her fingers into her pink parka, grinning with both excitement and fear.
In the remnants of his lost kingdom, amidst the chaos and the destruction, eighteen legendary figures from different backgrounds will compete together in the ultimate competition!
A small teenage human with blond hair and a striped shirt peers over the water, gulping anxiously. Behind him, chin rested on the boat's edge, is a woman of Yoshi descent, her bright red hair sticking straight up, almost as tall as the person next to her. She sticks her tongue in the water thoughtfully, before spitting it out, deciding it to be no good even for her.
They must learn how to survive with people of various species, social background, lifestyles and backgrounds!
A blue-haired man with a face so elegant his royal birth is almost implied stands at the helm of the boat, running his hand through the wind and beaming. Finding it better to sit on the floor of the boat and close his eyes to find some peace before the battle is a soldier, clad in gray clothes that (perhaps unnecessarily, perhaps aptly) are completely bulletproof.
They must find a way to create a new society within their tribes, and work with them for thirty-nine days to survive before turning against them to be the last man standing!
Perhaps the most excited one on the boat is an older human with a white button-up shirt, who leans over the front of the boat, gripping the edge and enjoying the ride. When he hears others react sharply, he laughs, relishing the adventure. Far more stoic is a woman clad in a loose purple shirt and long pink skirt, tucking her chestnut brown hair behind her pointed ear.
Each week, they will have to compete to avoid Tribal Council, where one of their own will be voted off the island. When only two remain, some of those past defeated members will vote to determine one Survivor!
Already showing signs of kinship are two people: a woman with long green hair, dressed in light battle armor that conforms to her skin, who holds hands with a woman with straw-like blonde hair dressed in sturdy leather clothes, the shirt adorned with the red symbol of her people, a large red eye. They look over the ocean away from the islands, talking about the different-yet-similar lands they left behind.
This is their adventure. One of these eighteen people will have what it takes to outlast the rest!
Standing far away from anyone else is a blond woman in blue, coolly staring down the shattered statues atop the castle, daring them to scare her. In the crowd is perhaps the most immediately well-known member of the cast, a blue hedgehog with red-and-white tennis shoes, who will talk to anyone who is welcome to a conversation.
Two tribes! Eighteen people! One Survivor!
~MoD~
When the boat hit the shore, it hit hard, enough to jolt the majority of the people aboard. The blonde in the back and the man in battle armor were the only ones not to move or show surprise. The soldier snapped his eyes open from his impromptu meditation, almost surprised as he remembered his surroundings. The blonde in pink noticed him and helps him up, to which he responded with a curt nod.
The pilot of the boat, almost entirely forgotten, turned around as he assessed the state of the cast of the competition he was hosting. "Sorry for the rough landing!" he called back, face almost concealed by a brown safari hat.
"Of course it would take me until he crashes the freaking boat that this may have been a really stupid idea after all!" The first confessional is given to the Yoshi woman, Melanthe, who laughs with a voice low and scratchy as she recalls the event.
Amid the groans and sounds of annoyance, it is the small pink ball with the shoes that speaks first, pointing with a stubby hand at a sight next to him. "Look!"
The others reacted with immediate gasps at the visceral sight.
"And, of course, if that weren't enough," the confessional with Melanthe continues, "there's always the giant rotted pirate shipwreck not even twenty feet away from us." She laughs again, this time more nervous than humored.
The pirate ship wreck was a sight to behold, breaking through the sand with wood partially rotted away and overcome by algae. The boat is cleanly broken in half, the other half tipped sideways in the lagoon.
"They were really trying to drive the point home," the soldier, David, is next to earn a confessional, his voice rich with noticeable wear. "This is not going to be a camping trip. This is a land where many people have been killed trying to stay alive. Of course," he sighs, "that's just another day at work for me. So I'll be fine." He cracks a smile, a tight-lipped smile that doesn't quite reach.
The host was a redheaded human in a black leather jacket and dark jeans. He leaped off the end of the boat into the sand and shouted, "come on down, guys! The sand won't bite! Hell, it's probably the only thing that won't bite you around here!"
He laughed quietly as he heard the kid in the red hat yell, "kiss my ass, I'm staying here!" The jittery laughs of the others drowned him out. Slowly, however, the others found their way into the sand and slowly lined up, one by one.
The host observed them get into an orderly fashion. "Well, hello, all. As you know, I'm Ezekiel Brennan. I'll be your host for the competition. Your goal is to see as little of me as possible," he adds with a wry grin, earning more nervous laughter.
He raised a sharp eyebrow, aware of their unease. "Alright, you guys look a little worse for wear. Maybe a little seasick."
"You piloted us here on a piece of driftwood," the blue birdman pointed out without missing a beat. "Forgive us for being a little queasy."
Ezekiel grinned. "Well, I figured you should get a taste of survival life right off the bat, so I piloted you here in style. I never said this was going to be easy, and I meant it. I hope you are all hyped up and ready to get started, because you might end up wishing that you could pilot that bad boy out of here."
"Never!" the azure-haired young man declared jovially. "It's gonna take a lot more to scare me than that, my good sir!"
Ezekiel nodded, smirking. "No worries, Marth. We'll get to that! Anyway, how about a little icebreaker? One at a time, why don't each of you introduce yourselves to the others? Say your name, your occupation and anything else you'd like!" He pointed to the cast member on the far left, the brown ape in the khakis. "Why don't you start us off?"
The ape grinned wide enough to fit Ezekiel's head in, yet his smile was full of mirth and his voice just as boisterous. "Gladly. I'm Donkey Kong, but y'all can call me DK. I'm 41 years way too old. And..." he thought about it with a whistle before adding, "what haven't I been? Adventurer, musician, traveler, anything and everything to get from one day to the next."
The blonde woman in pink was next. "I'm Peach," she said in a squeaky voice. "Please withhold your comments. I've heard them all. I'm the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, and I swear that some good has come out of it. Anyway, I'm excited to be here!"
Behind her, the older man in white patted her on the shoulder. "No shame here, ma'am," he assured her, his voice bearing the hint of an Italian accent. "We're glad to have ya."
"Thanks, Finn," she sighed, decompressing. She was glad that at least he was here. She only knew of him as a distant relative to her long-time lover, but she was lucky to have a familiar face that others did not have.
Finn spoke next. "I'm Doctor Finnegan Mario, and I'm much older than I'd like to admit! I'm currently a doctor in a small town outside of Junction City. Once upon a time, though, I used to be one hell of an adventurer. But those can wait until a night over a campfire, what say you?"
More than half of the group cheered in an affirmative. Ezekiel noted that was more than anyone who would possibly be on a tribe with this man and remarked, "Finn already seems to be popular around here. This what it's always like for you?"
"Ohoho!" the doctor laughed. "Give them time; I'll reassume my position as the old fart that talks too much."
The fellow castaways laughed with him, finally genuine rather than anxious. Even then, one or two others, especially the pink female puff, gave him an analyzing glare. Ezekiel grinned. "Well, I'll let you have your fun later. But for now, let's continue."
"I am not a very nice person," the pink puffball would disclose later, fiddling with a silver bracelet with a green dot on her stubby arm, "and I don't do well with people that are. I don't plan on letting him stay long enough for him to get cozy."
The blonde in blue took that as her cue, her words rolling off her tongue in a voice as smooth as a stone. "Samus Aran. 26. Bounty hunter. Charmed to meet all of you." If her lack of discernible emotion was unconvincing, she offered a small smile that one could possible construe as sincere.
"The name's David," the soldier spoke calmly. "I'm known as Solid Snake. I'm a stealth agent. Nice to be out here." He finished with a nod, aiming not to make any further of a deal out of his intro.
Behind David was the woman in the pink parka. As she noticed it was her cue, she smiled, blushing slightly beneath her shoulder-length brown hair. "Oh! Hi!" she started, her voice as melodic as a piano. "My name's Natalia. I'm twenty-two years old, and I'm an ice climber back home. We harvest native food around our home up in the peaks way off the edge of the world. It's a fun life, I'll tell ya, but... I told myself that I needed to go on more adventures, so..." she blushed deeper. "Here I am." Awkwardly, she raised her fist. "Yaaaaay."
A few others smiled, some amused, some endeared, some comforting. Natalia noticed and gave an awkward half-laugh. "Sorry! Not many people where I come from. Anyway!"
Noticing that the blonde boy to her left was quiet, she softly tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to jolt. "Oh!" he gasped. "Sorry. Uh, my name's Lucas. Pardon me for being nervous. So, I'm from Tazmily Village a long ways away. I have PSI powers, but I promise I'll try and keep it on the level. I've... done things. Nothing bad, of course, but... yeah."
A few of the others cooed sympathetically, most notably Peach from down the line. "No need to be nervous, honey," she assured him. "We're not going to hurt you."
"I know," the boy replied, cracking a small smile. "I'm just nervous is all. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." He ran his hand through his hair and mumbled "Go ahead."
Falco took his turn. "Well! I'm decidedly less 'aww' worthy," the bluebird cracked, "but I'll do. Mah name's Falco. Falco Lombardi. Professional fighter pilot in any galaxy you can sketch up on a map. The wisecrackin' is freelance. Ready for some action!" As he finished, he rubbed his hands together.
The woman behind him nodded slowly. "Hello. My name is Zelda," she spoke deliberately, as if measuring even the simplest words. "I am now the current reigning leader of the Hyrule Kingdom, although... I am sure others would like to contest that."
"I wasn't even going to say anything," was heard in a cracked voice from the man in russet armor, whose expression changed into dry amusement.
"It was simply a matter of fact," she dismissed him. "I still have managed to stay in power, thanks to forces of nature and fate that are on my side. I have not often ventured out on my own, however, I must admit. I look forward to changing that."
Her conversant remained silent.
Zelda would address the matter in a confessional later. "Ganondorf is, essentially, the bane of my existence. He and I have been enemies throughout this lifetime and possibly several previous. He is a brute, a liar and, above all, a thief."
Ganon's confessional in a separate instance? He simply shrugs, admitting, "I have not been very fair nor very nice in my battles with her. Yet, they always say that all is fair in love and war. I plan on taking that mantra seriously, but on a personal level, I refuse to give her the special treatment she demands of me."
"Sonic's the name, speed's my game!" The next speaker took the metaphorical stage, leaping up in the air and spinning swiftly. "Looking forward to a kickass adventure with all of y'all. Here to play the game!"
The others responded with their own variants of a welcome, having already conversed with him on the boat, but out of the corner of his mouth, Falco could be heard mumbling to Samus from across the sand, "Jesus, I thought I was a showoff." Samus nodded, cracking a slight smile.
The woman in the jumpsuit with the red eye smiled as she spoke, her voice at once small yet low in tone. "Hello. My name is Jin. I belong to the tribe of Sheikah. It is a pleasure to be here with all of you." She brushed her hair out of her visage, revealing the iris of her eye to be as red as the one on her jumpsuit. A few others gasped despite themselves, taken aback by the unique sight. She shrugged, blushing. "It's okay. That's usually how everyone reacts. Unusual, I know."
"Nah, nah," Falco shook his head. "It's cool. I like. Ain't it cool, guys?" He was thankful to hear others reply in the affirmative, whether mechanically or genuinely he couldn't say; regardless, he saw no problem. After all, he was a walking, talking bird- what room did he have to talk? He noticed Jin nod at him. He just waved in response.
"Falco is... he's alright," Jin would say in a confessional. "That's a guy I can trust. I came into this game knowing that there aren't going to be many people I can trust, and yet, I've already found two. I don't know whether I should be..." she thinks for a moment. "...relieved, or even further nervous, because it can't be that easy, can it?"
Jin's friend from the boat with the green hair, hand already on her far shoulder, pulled her a little tighter to her; whether protectively or affectionately was to be determined. "They like you already," she assured her, her voice strong and sharp. "Anyway, my name is Lyndis, but I prefer Lyn. I'm a swordfighter from the Sacean plains. It's been awhile since I've been on the battlefield, thankfully, but my blade has dulled with time. I look forward to starting an adventure that I have chosen for myself, that will end..." she smiled tightly. "...better than most." This time it was Jin's turn to squeeze the hand of her friend.
Finally, the stage was set for the gray man with the ornate armor. "I, unfortunately, cannot attest to having earned such poetic words. My name is Ganondorf. I represent the Gerudo tribe. I am not a very nice or remorseful person, but I acknowledge that I am entering an equal field. Where the game is not concerned, I mean you no harm. That is the only promise I will make."
Ezekiel whistled to fill the silence caused by his words. "Damn. Those are big words. Not often ones you'd hear from someone starting the game."
The beach was still rather quiet, only small murmurings from person to person filling the void. "I am not known for my honesty, Ezekiel," Ganondorf admitted. "I may as well start now."
The pink puffball gets another confessional. "Ganondorf and I, however..." she smiles, her large, glossy eyes illuminating a devious grin. "We are going to get along."
In real time, it was in fact her turn to speak. Acknowledging her stature as the shortest contestant, she jumped up to reveal herself. It took several jumps, causing her immediately surrounding cast members to notice her in surprise.
Unsure of what to say, the blue-haired prince looked down and asked her, "do you... need any ?"
"No thanks, hon," she replied sweetly as she floated. These words much more fitting to her voice than her confessionals, so high in pitch that it surpassed even Peach's, rendering her words almost childlike. "I could use your shoulder, though."
"Well, of course," was the response. She smiled as she took a perch on his shoulder, turning to face the crowd that had all turned their heads to observe.
"Well, hey there. I'm Purin. I'm a Pokemon Fighter. I'm one of the few Pokemon to work independently. I've kind of helped to pioneer it, honestly." She pointed to her silver bracelet proudly. "This here is a little memento from my first independent victory. Not many Pokemon do fight competitively on their own, but I've managed. I'm glad I'm here, though, because I'd like to brush up on my teamwork skills." Upon finishing, she smiled and asked, "can I keep the shoulder?"
The owner of the the shoulder nodded before taking his turn. "Greetings, everyone. I am Marth, the prince of Altea, a land that I am very proud of. It is an honor to fight both alongside and against you in a competitive sport like this. I wish you all the best of luck."
"Good God!" Natalia threw her hands up in a confessional. "Where did they get all of these royals? And for that matter, how did they all get six weeks off in the first place?" She sighed, decompressing before offering a small smile. "I guess... it's a bit overwhelming, you know? Intimidating, too, being a peasant among royalty. I guess it means that I have something to prove."
Next to him was the woman from the distant shores of Yellow Comet, running her black ponytail through her fingers. "Hello, my friends," she spoke quietly, her voice low on emotion or distinct tone. "My name is Sonja. I hail from Yellow Comet. I was recruited to be the youngest Military Strategist in our nation's history. They call me a prodigy." She raised an eyebrow and added dryly, "I guess they haven't seen me with a romance novel." The comment earned her a few laughs, even from Zelda, whose countenance shifted from stoicism for a brief moment.
"I suppose I shouldn't even mention my luxury item," the princess admitted. Sonja offered a dry chuckle before sighing in embarrassment, finished with her introduction. She had said all of what she wanted to say, save for her confessional later.
"I tried to oversimplify things," she confessed. "I left out a few bits, including being the daughter of the emperor of the Yellow Comet nation, or being one of the Chief Commanding Officers of their army. I find it odd how others are willing to brag of their achievements. Sometimes, the best advantage one has is to be underestimated."
Back in reality, the boy with the red cap took his turn. "What's up, everyone, my name's Red. Least, that's what you can call me. I'm a Pokemon Trainer, and I'll admit to have done pretty well for myself. But at heart I'm a city boy who people would peg as being unable to survive a week away from an internet connection. They're probably right, but what the hell. May as well give it a shot. Kick a little ass."
"Good luck, little boy." Samus replied with a smirk, earning a few surprised ooooohs, overshadowed by Finn's laugh of "Ohoho!"
"Thank you, young missy," Red replied with a smirk of his own. "I'll look forward to taking you down."
The continued reactions of surprise had no effect on Samus' countenance. "You talk a big talk for a little boy. I'll be seeing you."
"Flossa henna, the sexual tension could drown this island," Melanthe mumbled not nearly as quiet as she thought she had, stunning the others into surprised laughter with her audacity, including another "Ohoho!" Her eyes widened as she realized her words, and she blushed almost as red as the man in question was, although again Samus seemed none too affected beyond a wry smile.
"Well!" she shouted. "That's about as great a start as any. I'm Melanthe. I'm the tribal leader of the Yoshis on their native island. Seeing as I'm already completely knowledgeable about tribe pride and living among psychopathic wildlife, I figured this was a perfect fit for me." With that, she looked around, noticing she was at the end of the line. "So, is that it?"
"That it is," Ezekiel confirmed, very satisfied with this cast. "Alright, guys, I hope you enjoyed getting to know each other, because this little group session is about to become very important. The game has just begun."
"Oh, shitfire," Melanthe gasped, effectively summarizing the surprised reactions of the surrounding contestants.
"Indeed, Mel. The game has begun, and the first challenge starts now," Ezekiel added, relishing everyone else's surprise. "On my go, you are going to venture into the jungle just beyond the beach shores. Within the jungle, there are two necklaces. I won't describe how they look, but they are large enough to be noticed within the intricate surroundings. As to where they are, well, that's anyone's guess.
"This is for reward. The two who gain these necklaces will gain a huge advantage that will determine what happens in this game right off of the bat. However," he added, pausing for dramatic emphasis. "If one person finds both necklaces, they may keep both necklaces and be the only one to gain the advantage. I will reveal this advantage to you after the challenge, so it's up to you to determine just how much energy you want to put into winning this mystery reward."
He finished with a grin and "worth playing for?"
"I thought we established that we didn't know what this was," Falco quipped; nevertheless, he was on his knees, making sure his combat shoes were tied.
"That's the idea," Ezekiel laughed. Observing the crowd, who was busy making preparations anywhere between fixing their clothes, stretching their muscles or simply getting their game face on. "But from the looks of it, it seems that everyone finds this worth playing for."
"Amen!" Red shouted.
Ezekiel grinned. Truth be told, he was anticipating the game as much as anyone else. He was all too glad to face the eager contestants and shout the words that would start a whirlwind of a game.
"Survivors ready... Go!"
A/N So hey guys. This is somewhat of a trial run for my Survivor fanfic. I am mostly looking for criticism to take with me as I go. Tell me what you think, and be merciless about it! This is a very new avenue of writing for me, but I am a severely hardcore Survivor fan. Like, a jury-trusting UTR-loving Lanza-studying Fiji-appreciating Survivor freak. I have a pretty solid grasp of how the game works, and I have experience writing, but I don't have much experience writing Survivor. The two fics I've studied the most are Mindblower's Royal Survivor: Stars in the Mario section and Mario Lanza's All Star Stories off-site, which include portrayals of actual old-school Survivor contestants (approved by the contestants themselves!) Now it's just a matter of writing it.
Here's a cast list, in order of appearance on the boat.
Ganondorf: Villain of The Legend of Zelda, leader of the Gerudos.
Red: The Pokemon Trainer from Brawl. Same occupation in this universe.
Donkey Kong: Generally a complete badass. Taken from the later Donkey Kong games, plus a bit of my own spice.
Falco Lombardi: Star Fox pilot. Fox McCloud's second in command.
Peach: The oft-periled princess in the Mario world. Added less because of her heroics and more because of her stature as a princess.
Purin: A Jigglypuff. Taking a cue from her status as a fighter in SSB, I translated that here by making her an independent fighter. And, yes, Pokemon have the ability to talk in this universe hush you it was either this or a shitty deus ex machina.
Sonja: The only one of these to not be involved with SSB at all; I just needed a ninth female slot. She is one of the COs of Yellow Comet in three of the Advance Wars games, as well as being the Emperor's Daughter.
Natalia: Also known as Nana of the Ice Climbers. I wanted to separate the two for the purposes of this fic.
Lucas: Protagonist of Mother 3. I don't know much about him, so please bear with me. He replaced Kirby because it was too confusing to have two pink blobs in the same story.
Melanthe: Now here's where it gets a bit funny. Melanthe has, for years now, been my bipedal sentient interpretation of the Yoshi we know and love from the Mario games. I have expanded on elements of the characteristics Yoshi has and given it a fleshed-out character. Like an OC, but not quite. This particular Yoshi is the leader of the Yoshi Tribe.
Also, flossa henna translates to fucking hell in their native tongue I am totally making up on the fly.
Marth: The swordfighter prince of Altea. Majestic as hell. A Fire Emblem star.
David: Also known as Solid Snake. Legendary stealth agent. My knowledge on him is also a bit funky, but I'll do my best because he has been written so well in the past. Well, by some, in stories where he's not the evil pervert generalization with a jugular that Natalie Bolton would floss her teeth with. Gotta do him justice.
Finnegan: Doctor Mario. Distant cousin of the legendary Mario family. I have a hell of a backstory for this guy.
Zelda: Princess of Hyrule. A favorite of mine to write.
Lyn: Fighter from Fire Emblem. Picked above others for being an Assist Trophy. I wanted an Assist Trophy rep but I knew that getting Kat or Ana on the show would be tricky because they're, like, six. Even Lucas is pushing it.
Jin: A representative of the Sheikah from LoZ, although not the one who is Zelda's disguise.
Samus: Legendary bounty hunter, star of Metroid, perennial loner. Possibly the one character who has appeared in the most fanfics of mine.
Sonic: Sonic, duh. Super fast blue hedgehog. He is gonna be fun to write.
So yes, here starts an adventure. Wish me luck and forgive me of my transgressions! Also, please take a vote on my poll on my profile and disclose who your early favorite is!
~MoD