Afterword

This is gonna sound totally cliché, but I never could have imagined that my Second Season trilogy would become as massive a success as it was. I mean, after only two very poorly-written, minimally-reviewed oneshots for the Sly Cooper fandom, I was desperately trying to find something that would catch on. And almost 5 years ago, I honestly didn't think this would be it.

And of course, you can only imagine my pure excitement when I came back to my page in less than a day after posting my second chapter, and seeing not just one, not just two, but three new reviews posted for my story. That already was more than all the reviews for both of my oneshots combined. And all were positive and, of course, contained a vote for a contestant as expected. I'll never forget how short and simple, but well-written and positive, the very first review was, by Penman288:

"Interesting story, the characters are solid and I think this story has potential. Oh and I'll vote off Lauren for obvious reasons."

And just a few years later, and over 100 reviews for both of the first two installments, culminating in nearly 200 for my very first full-length story, it truly is a classic Internet success story. I like to think that this story would've also had over 100 reviews by its end if either:

A) The traffic on the Total Drama fandom hadn't died since the end of the real third season.

B) Perhaps if I had chosen to continue the tradition of readers voting off the contestants.

But perhaps if it really is because of option A), then maybe it is for the better that I did it all on my own, because I'd hate for most eliminations to be decided by only one vote, or, God forbid, if no one reviewed…then my story would be stuck in limbo.

But ironically, the one and only story in the trilogy where I had full, complete creative control took the longest amount of time to finish. I don't know how I managed with my first two stories, where I literally had to write it as I went along, due to having no idea who would be eliminated each episode. Yet the very first story, shockingly enough, only took roughly 4 1/2 months. The second story took a year and 2 months. This one clocks in at the longest, with 3 years and 1 month.

When I decided that I would finally choose the eliminations in this go-around, I originally resolved that I would write the full story, from start to finish, and then post chapters weekly like episodes of the real show, in order to avoid writer's block creating extremely long hiatuses. But the writing process was taking so long, and the premiere of the real TDWT was drawing closer, so I decided to just post the first chapter to coincide with the actual show's release, so I wouldn't have to keep you all waiting. And perhaps that was for the better. If I had written it all out in private, then that means I would be posting the first chapter now, all these years later, and after the fourth season of the real show had ended. THAT would have been insane. I could never do that to you guys.

And with that being said, I want to thank all of you who took the time to read, review, follow, and favorite my stories in the trilogy. Sadly, those of you who stuck around from the very beginning are very few and far between, with several loyal readers from the first two stories who disappeared in the third, or who appeared in the second story and the third, but not the first. Several major names that come to mind are Cam and HSprisoner, who both reviewed under a semi-anonymous status with those names rather than actual accounts (though I do believe both have gone on to get real accounts since then).

But one friend stuck with me practically from the very beginning. I simply cannot end this without wrapping up the major loose end of giving a great big shout-out to the one and only…

Scalec. This guy reviewed my very first story as early as Chapter 10. And since then, he truly has stuck with me up to the very bitter end, loyally reviewing all three stories. And, of course, he is the submitter of the single best character application I received out of them all, when I announced the four new slots for TDWT. Most of the applications, as evident in the reviews for TDA, were mediocre at best, whether in description or originality. But man, oh man, when I saw the application for Louis, I KNEW that I had to include him. It was well-written, original, and interesting from the beginning. He's original enough, but still the kind of character you'd expect in Total Drama…especially in a season like World Tour. The only other application that was nearly as good, stood out from the rest, and is worth an honorable mention, is Anna's. And I swear, I originally had zero intention of letting a newcomer into the final two, but Louis was such a strong, powerful, and promising character that I just had to do something special with him…outside of giving him a girlfriend, of course. ;) Even if he didn't win, I still consider him the single greatest character in the entire trilogy. No joke.

And beyond that, Scalec's been an amazing friend and is also, of course, a very talented writer. If you haven't already, go check out his page and his stories. Thank you, Scalec, for everything you've done for me over the last 5 years.

Might as well wrap up a few loose ends with some more tidbits about the writing process that I would've given out had I continued "Trivia of the Week."

1: I knew for quite a while (if not from the very beginning) that Rachael would go to the final two, but the only question was who would join her in the final two. I'm not sure when exactly I decided on Louis, but it was probably sometime around Episode 6.

2: My original plan for Jessica's elimination was for her to quit out of guilt for helping Ethan with all his evil plans. However, I decided to make her a stronger character by essentially trying to benefit from her betrayal of Ethan, showing that she had still learned a thing or two from Ethan. Plus, I decided that Ethan causing Jessica's irregular elimination would solidify the confusion behind their relationship. I specifically provided no closure to that storyline because, truth be told, I have no idea what they are. Reluctant friends? Secret enemies? Strictly allies? Or even…yes…lovers? You decide.

3: I mentioned earlier that Louis is by far my favorite character in the series, but if I had to choose one of my own characters as my favorite…I'd probably pick John. He started out as a fairly dull/unlikeable guy, but I managed to slowly and smoothly transition him into a solid protagonist, ultimately more likeable than his girlfriend, but still not exactly a godplayer. And while throwing that word out there, I might as well add my biggest regret with the series in Part 4.

4: My biggest regret with the series is making Matthew such an obvious hero in TDI. Yes, he's a nice, decent guy. Yes, he's somewhat based off of me (or perhaps the person I'd like to be, and although I put quite a few of my own traits into a handful of the characters), but it was almost too obvious that he was supposed to go to the end, and I wanted him there. I swear, when he almost got voted off in the final four of TDI, I didn't know what the heck I was gonna do if he was, because I had planned for him to win. Thus, I made him the perfect nice guy, the perfect godplayer, and the perfect protagonist. That's partially the reason for his major arc in TDWT, with him essentially doing a perfect 180 and becoming his total opposite, but with good reason. I hope this somewhat remedied his perfectness in TDI.

5: Yes, a majority of the characters have Biblical names.

6: Yes, Violet is named after Violet Baudelaire from A Series of Unfortunate Events. And since Matthew was mostly a representation of me, I paired him with Violet because she is most definitely one of VERY few fictional girls I would want to date if she existed.

7: I honestly have no regrets about foolishly accepting Terminator101's suggestion of making him a character, in the form of Jay, in TDA. Again, as a young, naïve author, I truly didn't know what to think of his suggestion. So I figured, "Eh, why not?" I continued further with his suggestion to make Jay a mob boss. But when he continued making suggestions that became flat-out impossible, like having a real Terminator appear or a nuclear war start, I just decided to stop listening to him and do with Jay as I pleased. Basically, it was trying to put a derailed train BACK on the tracks…and I feel that I succeeded in doing so with the way Jay's storyline turned out, intertwined with Chef's, and ultimately ended. Ironically, it was that very first comment of his that inspired me to take new characters submitted by you guys for TDWT, rather than create my own. So thank Terminator101 for that!

8: In deciding the four new characters for TDWT, I picked Louis and Anna because, as I already said, their applications were the two best by far. I really only chose Ethan because he was the only villain who was submitted, and although his application wasn't much, I think I improved on it the best I could. I had already resolved that, despite being just like the original show, I wanted for this season's main villain to be one of the newbies. Mainly because I didn't want to suddenly turn anymore of my original characters evil for the sake of having an antagonist, when I could instead take a character who was already supposed to be evil. For the crucial fourth slot, it was a tie between Eryn and Brit London, submitted by musicstar5. Both Eryn and Brit were pretty much the same exact stereotype of the psycho girl, so I knew both would be equally entertaining. I'm not sure exactly what the deciding factor was that led me to choose Eryn...maybe because it was the very first application I received? I honestly don't know.

8.5: While on this subject, my biggest regret with the new characters is that I restricted myself into an even-gender scenario like the original show would have. I resolved that I would keep it strictly to two guys and two girls. But looking back now, I honestly really wish that I hadn't fallen into that cliche, because, for one, I HATE that cliche on the original show. The number of guys and girls in the show, on the teams, and in general, somehow ALWAYS managed to stay perfectly even? Pathetic. But honestly, if I had broken free of that gender restriction and done my own thing as I should've, I probably would've replaced Eryn with either Zane, submitted by ultimateTORINOR, or R.J. Ryan, submitted by Cam. Both seemed like solid characters with great potential, and their applications were well-written as well. So consider this my honorable mention to you guys. But truth be told, I genuinely intended to use ALL of the remaining submitted characters eventually...in what would've been Total Drama Reloaded: Second Season. That's right; even back when I started this story, three years ago, when the news of a fourth season was very faint, but confirmed, I had every intention of doing that story. Incorporating the four unused applications alongside other new characters by me, it would've been a great addition to the series. However, when it became apparent that finishing this story would be tough enough, and with college looming nearer and the real series still going strong, I decided that it would be better to just end the series with the original trilogy. Because, frankly, season 3 is where the first generation ends. All three seasons focus on the same 22, plus some new additions. That's it. With season 4, it's a whole new cast...with season 5 (as we know now), it's a mix of both...with season 6 (really?), it's another whole new cast...you get the point. So, basically, my first season could have basically been Total Drama Reloaded, because it's a whole new cast going back to the same, original island. So it would basically be an endless loop if I were to do another season that would introduce a whole new cast, most likely on the same island as well...no thanks. I want to end it where I personally feel the series would've ended best.

And that's pretty much all I can think of. I guess I'm just stalling now, because truth be told, this is a sad day for me. It's a great accomplishment, but still sad. The story, and the trilogy, ending? That's just the beginning. It's sad because when I post this final chapter, it will be the final thing I ever post here on this website. That's right, readers. For those of you who don't know yet, I'm officially, permanently, forever retiring from fanfiction in general after this. It's been a long, interesting, demanding, and fun journey, but I wanted to finish this all now before I leave for college. Ironically timed, I should add. At a time when a lot in my life is ending, namely high school, another major aspect of my teenage life is ending with it. 10 stories, 3 fandoms, and 5 years of work all culminating in this moment, as I close out one of my two magnum opus stories, the other being my Sly Cooper story Operation: The Third Day.

I hate ending on a sad, sappy note (hence why I used the Total Drama theme song as the closing song for the story itself), but I must express my true thoughts at this story ending. I listened to this song numerous (and by numerous, I mean HUNDREDS OF) times while breaking out these last few chapters. It's a short and simple, but sad and powerful, song by the one and only Randy Newman.

"When I'm Gone."

The song that played at the very end of the series finale of the hit TV series Monk, which I watched with my entire family when it premiered. It's not on iTunes, but you can find it anywhere on YouTube. But if you choose to listen to it, be warned: It will more than likely elicit tears from your eyes, especially if you think about the end of this series and the end of my time here while listening to it.

But nonetheless, it perfectly defines my sentiments as I leave this website and this hobby with such sadness and such finality.

Still stalling here, dangit. So I guess this is it, readers.

Normally I end all my messages – responses to reviews, PMs, etc. – with "Until next time!"

But I guess, this time, there is no next time.

So…

Goodbye.

"Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened." – Dr. Seuss