Prologue III: "All Aboard"
Written by: Mr. Ruff
Edited by: Phoenix Writer GPH, MikeOyster, Littleredline, and lillaptop.
"Why can't we just pick the final twelve by ourselves this time?" The Stone whined.
"Because the network is huffing down our necks, Stone! We really like some of your picks, but the network says they don't want any more fighters. Pence might think you're going into competition with him!" the male producer argued. "We're trying to avoid any type of possible lawsuits."
"Which is money that the network isn't going to pay out," the second producer added.
"The Stone says that we need more beef. Look at these jabronis! The Stone doesn't think they can lift a pebble!"
"Aye, there isn't a brazen swashbuckler amongst this lot!" our inebriated sailor exclaimed.
"That may be the case, guys, but this can't be about what you guys want," Pamela spoke up, "The network is trying to reach many key demographics with this show."
"Pamela took the words right out of my mouth," the second producer said in agreement. "The Total Drama franchise was a major hit in Canada due to the many different and diverse backgrounds that were represented amongst the cast. Everyone can't be an athlete or a fighter."
"The Stone understands this, but isn't The Stone enough to pop a rating?" Drew was visibly annoyed at this matter. "He's a 10 time former world champion and starred in countless blockbusters. The BILLIONS...and BILLIONS of The Stone's fans should be clamoring to see him on network television."
"Stoney, we know that the people love you. The media adores you," the first producer retorted. He needed his star host to be happy, but he also needed the network's approval for this show to hit the airwaves. "You're great, but it's still imperative we have a top-notch cast this season. So, let's look at some of these other applicants."
"Yeah, Stone. There are others we should look at." Pamela said cautiously. She knew she needed Stone's cooperation for this whole thing to work. "For example, Zack Jackson. He's a wholesome mechanic."
"Right, he's a nice guy, plus he might be an interesting competitor to follow." The first producer vouched for the young man.
"He reminds me of that guy from Total Drama's fourth season," the second producer said, "What was his name?"
"I think you mean Beverley. Or B, rather." Pamela replied.
"Wasn't he the guy that could build robots and shit?" The Stone asked.
"Yes," Pamela confirmed while cocking her right eyebrow at this question. She knew that Stoney had an idea.
"Zack could make The Stone and Captain Hack a robot that makes sandwiches!"
"YAAAR! Sandwiches are what a sailor needs after a hard day of sailing the treacherous leagues of the sea." The Captain cheered, clearly on board with Stone's idea. Pamela pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation.
"Okay, guys. What do you think about Laverne Rayne Cross?" Pamela inquired.
"We really liked Laverne," the second producer chimed in. "Didn't her father direct a couple of your films, Stoney?"
"Laverne's daddy is a candy ass director, but he was smart enough to cast me as the star of his movies." The Stone's reaction didn't please the other sober people in the room. Pamela glared at her vain co-star. They needed to get this over with. They have promotional deadlines coming up!
"Sorry for asking that question," the second producer said, hoping to get back on track. "But what do you think about Laverne, herself?"
"The Stone says that she can be a part of the show," the star begrudgingly yielded.
"Alright, that's two. Next is… Alexa Melan, Any thoughts on her?" The first producer entreated.
"That lass isn't my bottle of Whiskey," the pirate slurred. "She-she isn't my bottle-" he started to trail off into gibberish.
"I'll take that as a yes," the second producer replied.
"The Stone likes her. He'd just want her to get off her candy ass before she's checked in at The Losers Motel." The two producers chuckled a bit at the Stone's response. They loved the catchphrases that Stone always used, and it was a big reason why he was chosen to be the host.
"She was one of the ones I personally handpicked!" Pamela beamed, feeling cheery that one of her favorite applicants had been officially selected. "I know that Chase is a funny guy, but it never hurts to have too much funny. So, I think Mark-Paul Morris should be a part of this cast."
"If he's so funny, he better tell The Stone a joke." The megastar wasn't impressed, but he figured that he should hold his tongue.
"A good jester is always needed on a voyage," Hack spoke up.
Pamela was surprised that the guys were actually cooperating. Maybe they weren't the immature douchebags that she thought they were. She clears her throat, so she can make the next suggestion. "How about Janson Marlick?" She said, hopeful that they would take to him. She had a feeling that he could be great television.
The Stone scoffed. "You mean Twinkle Toes? No can do! We already have too many jabronis on my island." The Stone definitely was not feeling him.
"Aye, what could a ballerina do on a picture like this?" Captain Hack shared his friend's sentiment.
"Well, we think that Janson could be a valued commodity on our show. His audition made us think he's more than what he lets on." The first producer spoke up. He knew that'd have to use his power of veto over Stone eventually. This time might have been the best.
"I agree. He's a curious case, but I think he'll provide good content for us." The second producer was on the same accord as her partner and Pamela.
"3 vs 2. That means that Janson is in." Pamela felt elated. This was someone that she had gone to bat for several times in the past week. She just hoped that it wouldn't come back to bite her in the ass.
"Next person on my list is Cameron Miller," the first producer was plain in his delivery. Obviously, he liked her enough that she made his list, but he lacked the enthusiasm that he had for previous applicants.
"I'm not really for her or against her. I'm good either way, honestly." The second producer was nonchalant. She, too, was not head over heels in love with Cameron, but she wouldn't argue any decision made. "She has a bit of a foul mouth. I don't know if the network really would want her on the show."
"I get what you mean." Pamela was unsure of how she could spin this. Cameron was one she liked. Her audition tape didn't say much, but it left an impression on her. "However, I think she has a lot of the same comedic potential as someone like Chase or Mark. She just has that 'it factor', so to speak. Don't you agree, Hack?" She fobbed this off onto Hack because she knew that he wasn't paying attention and would accidentally go along with her plan. The sea captain was downing the last bit of what was left in his pint-sized flask. Pamela saw this and cringed, remembering what was contained within it last week.
"Don't you think Cameron is really good?" Pamela asked again.
The pirate looked at her. He was cockeyed. "Yeah, she's fine with me." His earlier slurring made another appearance.
"If she's good enough for Captain Hack, she's good enough for The Stone." Drew was happy as long as Captain Hack was happy. The first producer just thought it was good enough for him. Cameron got pushed through as the next accepted contestant. "Next contestant that I really like is Adrian Contiello. The Stone may think he is a candy ass, but The Stone also thinks that he could be a future co-star."
Pamela chuckled at this. She couldn't believe that Stone would actually stump for the thespian. "I'm surprised, Stone." Pamela was actually quite pleased with this pick. "Didn't know that you had taste."
"There are a lot of things you don't know about The Stone."
"We don't even have to pull any teeth." The second producer smirked. She had been eyeballing Adrian's application. You could tell that she would have fought for him if need be. "It's settled. Adrian is in."
"Captain Hack, do you have anyone you'd like to go to bat for?" The first producer quizzed.
"Aye, there's a lass that I know from around the way. I told her about the show, and she applied." Hack answered.
"I think he means Julia Hughes," Pamela added to finish his answer. "I feel like she'd be a really good competitor. She has a certain type of desperation about her."
"The Stone really likes this one. She reminds The Stone of a young Stone when he was climbing through the ranks of pro wrestling." Stoney seemed to be reminiscing of his good ole, younger days.
"Aye, she has the spirit of a cannon." Hack said. This confused everyone, even Stone.
"What does that even mean?" The second producer voiced the thoughts of everyone else in the room. Hack looked at her and shrugged. He knew what he meant. Maybe Julia would show them once she got on the island.
"Okay." Pamela was unsure how to follow that, but it didn't matter. They needed to power through to the end. "Stone, do you have anyone else?"
"The Stone says we should pick Meredith Whittle." Drew folded his arms. It was like he was telling his coworkers to take it or leave it. They were kinda puzzled by this. They thought he'd want some random MMA fighter, high school football star, or a grizzled hockey player.
"What makes you want to select her, Stone?" The first producer asked.
"The Stone says she's cool. Plus, The Stone's daughter needs a history tutor."
"That was straightforward." Pamela conceded. She couldn't argue with that because she thought that Meredith's app was one of the better ones. She was atypical for those who normally wanted to be on reality shows. Most were fame mongers like Dakota. "She's cool to me. She's a yes vote to me."
"Alright, that's 21 of 24." The second producer sighed. Her experience in things like this made her expect some hair-splitting. They had a lot of applicants. A lot of good ones at that. But who would be these last three?
"Hmm, I really like Alana Annabelle Abel." The first producer spoke. "Normally, we wouldn't look at last minute apps, but I can't help but be impressed."
"Yeah, she may have been a late app, but she's one of my favorites," Pamela replied.
"The Stone really liked her too. What do you think, Cap?" Stoney added.
"The lass deserves a spot on me ship." Captain Hack said in agreement.
Pamela knew that these last two spots could shape the whole show. Then, she remembered. Frantically, she starts to scramble and look for a certain app. "Where is it? Where is it?"
"Pam, what are you looking for?" The first producer asked. Pamela kept scrambling. What was she looking for? Then, there it was. To Pamela, it was like it had a golden spotlight on it. This was her guy. She saw this applicant as possibly the best one she's looked over.
"Ralph. That's what I was looking for." Pamela was excited because she knew that this applicant could be the money maker that they were looking for. "We should select the gambler, Ralph Rodriguez Javier Gonzalez III."
"Ralph? The Stone doesn't know if he is ready for Primetime." The Stone's visage showed his iconic right eyebrow being cocked. He liked Ralph, but ultimately didn't know how he would pan out on a show like this. He was open to being proven wrong, but he wasn't sold on him.
"Isn't he the son of that gambler?" The second producer was curious. She's heard that name before.
"Son of that gambler?" the first producer chuckled a bit. Ralph was more than just the son of some random gambler. "Yeah, he's the son of possibly one of the 5 greatest poker players ever. He's got my vote." The first producer confirmed.
"Oh, yeah. His dad owes my husband and I $5,000." The second producer groaned, but she wasn't going to pass up another potential cash cow. "Anyways, he's a yes for me."
"Aye, the lad has gold written on him." Hack decided to kick his feet up on the conference table. "Is that all the sailors?"
"Not quite. We have one more spot left." Pamela remarked. Satisfaction began to set in for her. She had been waiting for this moment. After all the days of watching each audition tape and combing through applications, she knew who she would nominate for the final spot. "Jun Li Feng is who I think should get the 24th spot. Do y'all have any objections?"
The room drew quiet. This was the most silent it had been since they arrived earlier today. Pamela was nervous that Jun wasn't going to make it.
"Jun is great."
"Yeah he's in, for sure."
"YAAAR!"
"The Stone says he's in."
The nervousness subsided from Pamela. She sighed and just was thankful that this process was finally over.
They were late. Drew didn't mind it because it gave himself more time to think. These last few years have been a whirlwind. Just three years ago, he was at the top of the wrestling world. Sure, he had dabbled into Hollywood here and there, but he wasn't a real actor or entertainer. Yeah, he's been on a few variety shows and showcased his comedic chops, but he couldn't possibly leave the wrestling industry at his peak. Yeah, he told Pence that he was retired, but the fans always knew that he would come back. Yeah, the fans incessantly booed him on his way out. They were livid at the fact that their chosen hero seemingly had sold out. The Stone had been downtrodden back then, but he knew that he'd have them all eating out of the palms of his hands again. In due time, the fans would be shouting his name from the mountaintops. He just took a single deep breath.
Drew looked out into the distance. The luscious sand between his toes gave him comfort. It reminded him of his days as an adolescent on the island. Him and his siblings would run along the beach, trying to collect shells to bring them to Momma Stone. She made the best necklaces around the island. The gulls chirped. He never thought he'd get paid to come home, but he's finally living the dream. He took a deep breath to take everything in. A smirk crept across the champ's face. Today was the day that he made history.
The day had finally come. No more bureaucratic red tape. No more meetings with the network about what is proper behavior. No more workshops on how to be a suitable ambassador for the network. After several months of meticulous preparation, The Stone's show was gonna be on primetime! Him and Captain Hack were gonna take the entertainment world by storm. They'd be the best damned tag team in show business! Sure, Pamela was there to make sure stuff didn't completely get out of hand, but it's not like she could control everything.
The Stone stalked over to the production tent. The personnel crew didn't pay him any mind. Many were just trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Others were content with sitting around. Were they lounging on The Stone's watch?!
Stone did not like this one bit. His show wasn't about to be some roody poo, second-rate, bush league bullshit. Any candy ass jabroni can host a show, but his show needed to be the best. He needed his crew on point. His co-hosts to be top of the line. Hack wasn't going to let him down. Pamela, however, the jury was still out on her. But, that's besides the point. No one was gonna be lazy on his show! A grimace was placed upon the visage of the most electrifying man in all of sports AND entertainment.
"WHY ARE WE ALWAYS RUNNING LATE?!" He bellowed, as swarms of staff scurried around him. They had been told that The Stone was a fickle man, and it was best to always keep him pleased. "The Stone doesn't like to be kept waiting."
Pamela took note of the scene and shook her head in disapproval. She let out a sigh before walking over to her partner. "In all fairness, Drew, you did hire most of the staff within the last week. Most of them don't even know their official job titles just yet." She walked outside of the tent. She really didn't have time for any of his shenanigans today.
Drew didn't like that answer. He wasn't the problem. The Stone is always on point and ready for primetime! "Are you seriously trying to blame a 10 time former World Champion for the crew's lazy performance?" He was indignant at the audacity of that woman. How dare she say he bore any responsibility for the suboptimal execution?
A skinny kid in a weird wardrobe walked in the tent. As he texted, he didn't realize that he was in the presence of The Exalted One. Without looking up from his phone, the kid bumped into the former world champ. He looked up and gulped.
Stone wasn't pleased by this. Stone examined him up and down. He wasn't much of nothing. He had light brown skin, and his ashy red hair was puffed up in an Afro. Just a shade under 5'8", the skinny kid couldn't have been more than 140 pounds, soaking wet. The outfit he wore was certainly a sight to see. The hoodie he wore was mostly black, but the hood itself was blue on the right side and red on the left. The right sleeve was also blue, and the left sleeve was red. The white sweatpants the kid wore had light pink stripes on the right leg and light blue stripes on the left. Hell, he didn't even wear the same color shoes! A white shoe on his left and a black shoe on his right. To round out this ensemble, the kid wore a grey scarf and a purple headband.
Drew didn't know what exactly to make of the kid. On pure instinct, he grabbed the kid's hood and gave it a tug. Nothing too strong, but the kid was surprised at the sheer strength of the host. He gave a sheepish grin to his superior. "Uh, h-hey, hey, Mr. The Stone, can I do something for you or are you practicing a new submission move on me?"
Drew kept tugging on the hoodie. If he heard the kid, he didn't react. The kid's heart dropped in despair. His nerves were racked in fear that the host could twist him up like a pretzel. "You aren't actually going to put me in a submission hold...right?" You could hear the fear in the boy's voice. He was trembling at the possibility.
Drew saw the fear in the young man's eyes and let him loose. He laughed boisterously. He got the kid. "No, no, no. The Stone prefers chokeslams to submissions. And, I'm not gonna chokeslam ya unless you really, really mess up around here." The boy nervously join in on the host's laughter. "I'm kidding, son. You're Carlton Revas, right?"
"Yessir, that's me." Carlton confirmed. "I'd tell ya not to wear it out, but I'm still kinda worried you'd choke me out."
Drew turned around and saw Pamela talking to another one of the personnel staff outside the tent. He directed his smug smirk in her direction before turning back to the kid. "Carlton, kiddo, can you tell Pamela what your job is?"
Carlton frowned at this question. "Well, I would, Mr. Stone, but the funny thing is I actually haven't figured out what I'm supposed to be doing around here."
Drew didn't like that. "Alright, whatever…" he grumbled.
The kid awkwardly looked from side to side, trying to find some hole to hide in from this egomaniac. "Uh, so can I like..go now?"
"Scram, kid." The Exalted One was annoyed. Everyone should know their place! Today is the grand premiere of the show.
Just as Carlton scurried away from him, another young lad approached Drew. He was only about 5'6" and maybe 130 pounds. He had fairly light skin and short brown hair, some of which was on the side of his head and parted in the middle. A small scar was visible upon the side of his head. He wore a red t-shirt with an image of a pine tree on it, blue jeans, and black shoes.
Earlier he had been taking in his surroundings. This was definitely not Anchorage. He'd been to many places before, but the Hawaiian islands were an appreciated change of pace for himself. Not only that, he's an intern on the set of one of the most highly anticipated shows in all of television! Sure, he wanted to be a contestant, himself, but he figured that this wasn't half bad, either. The only thing that he wanted to know was why was he rejected as a contestant in the first place.
Determined, he brazenly went up to the host. Surely, The Stone wouldn't bullshit him.
"Hello, Mr. Jones. It's a pleasure to be in your presence," the boy greeted.
"Of course, it's a fucking pleasure! I'm fucking Drew "The Stone" Jones," The Exalted One snapped at him. He clearly wasn't in a good mood. His show wasn't up to his standards. He doesn't like being below par.
"Uh, okay." The boy was taken aback at the gruffness of the response. "Well, I'm Billy Marekenson-"
"The Stone knows who you are, Billy." Drew cut him off. "Get to the point!"
Billy shook his head. He was going to get his answer. "Well, I just wanted to know why wasn't I selected as a contestant this season. I'm grateful to be an intern, sir. But why didn't I make the final cut?"
The Stone was livid at this interrogation. "Oh, do you really wanna know why?"
"Yes, I do," Billy scoffed.
"Do you remember your audition tape?"
"Yeah. Pretty sure it was great."
"No, no. I remember it went like this," Drew cleared his throat. "Hello, my name is Billy. I'm a jabroni, and I want to be on Total Drama. But the only problem is that I AB-SOLUTELY SUCK!" Drew clearly was mocking the boy's voice. Billy just glared at Drew. Drew was over it. He walked out of the tent towards the beach, once more. Billy just stared at him the whole way.
"Dick," he muttered.
Pamela saw the whole scene and scowled. She walked over to Billy. "Hey, Billy. I see you've ingratiated yourself with our wonderful host." Sarcasm dripped from her tongue as she said the word "wonderful".
"Yeah, I did," Billy replied. "Didn't seem like he was in the best of moods."
Pamela sighed. "He isn't. He just expects big things to come out of this. He's kind of a big deal, ya know?"
"Yeah, but he doesn't have to be a dick all the time."
"Don't worry. Me and him aren't best of friends like him and the drunk pirate, but he's not all bad." Pamela reassured the lad.
"But why wasn't I selected?" Billy still had that burning on his mind.
"It was the network, honestly." Pamela shrugged. "They didn't think that you'd bring that much to the table. But I managed to pull a few strings so you'd still be here in some capacity. I think you'd have some value here as an intern."
"Well, thanks," Billy was a little bit more cheery at this revelation.
"No problem. You don't get to places where I am without paying it forward." Pamela told the young man before she departed towards the catering tent.
Billy stood there and watched as she left. "I won't let her down," he said to himself.
A/N: Hey, guys! We're back. Thank you to everyone who sent in a character. We appreciate the love and support we've been receiving over the last couple of days. This is our final cast list. Honestly, it was very hard. We received well over 50 applications. We had to whittle that all the way down to 24. It was tough, but we feel like we have a great cast. Anyone whose character wasn't selected, we hope that y'all stick around and read this. Again, we appreciate the love and support. Btw, I just made a Discord server for this story. If you're interested in having direct contact with me and the rest of the team, just add me on the Discord app, and I'll direct you towards the server. My profile on there is JiggaRuff13#6044.
Cast List:
Females
1. Laurie Ray Dawson - The Fragile Mixed Martial Artist (xxPrincxssxx)
2. Rochelle Diaz - The Cage Fighter (PurpleShadowManipulator)
3. Sua Choi - The Idol Queen In-Waiting (Candela Monsoon)
4. Tamera Brown - The Head B**ch in Charge (MorbidGinger)
5. Mollie DuPont - The Dramatic Painter (TheGreatGolem)
6. Asuka Kiyora - The Badass Punk Rocker (Epifanio Therion)
7. Cameron Miller - The Foul-Mouthed Farmer (Reaper919)
8. Alexa Melan - The Underachiever (Tempokeep)
9. Julia Hughes - The Stoic Runaway (GirlPower54)
10. Laverne Rayne Cross - The Exotic Grecian Model (Sephiria Arks)
11. Meredith Whittle - The Curious Historian (Obsidian Champion)
12. Alana Annabelle Abel - The Church Mouse (JackHammerMan)
Males
1. Theodore Wallace - The Youtuber (PR Nightmare)
2. Osvaldo Agosti - The Self-Proclaimed King (TheGreatGolem)
3. Chase Walker - The Perverse Thief (Ser Matten)
4. Joshua Everest - The Laidback Skateboarder (Nobody245)
5. Cove Mosley - The Intuitive Floater (MorbidGinger)
6. Pharaoh Sky - The Fake Royal (Nobody245)
7. Ralph Rodriguez Javier Gonzalez the Third - The Prince of Cards (BaseballCapClyde)
8. Jun Li Feng - The Androgynous ABC (Skyn1nja123)
9. Adrian Contiello - The Thespian (Grilled Cheese)
10. Janson Marlick - The Flirtatious Dancer (Candela Monsoon)
11. Zach Jackson- The Mechanical Wizard (JustthePrinceJJ)
12. Mark-Paul Morris - The Jokester (lordgemini)
Interns: Billy Marekenson - The Outdoor Enthusiast (TheManOfVeronn), Buck Bailey - The Southern MacGyver (Phoenix Writer GPH), and Carlton Revas - The Theater Kid (Jessthedork).