Somewhere on the North Coast…
Chris was scrolling through his phone, patiently seated in a chair that had his name etched on the back. Interns, dressed in all black, were buzzing around him. They were setting up cameras and lights, applying Chris's makeup, and generally getting ready to start the show. Chris's phone rang, a poor quality photo of Chef in a ballerina outfit appearing above a set of green and red buttons. Chris let it ring a couple times before answering.
"'Sup, Chef?" He said, putting the phone on speaker and setting in on his lap as Darcy, a curly haired intern, put on his eyeliner.
"Yo, Chris," Chef answered. Chris could hear the sounds of a bus engine. "I just picked up the last of the kids. We'll be at the mansion a little after dark. How's it going on your end?"
Chris turned around, looking at the set up behind him. The towering mansion, its carved gargoyles and needle-tipped spires casting ominous shadows in the waning twilight. The hedge garden that dominated the enormous front lawn was full of twists and turns that hid from your view, and there was this set of creepy lawn gnomes that seemed to stare into your soul. Chris chuckled sadistically.
"Oh yeah," he said, "thing's are going great over here, dude. Hey, do you think you could take the uh… Scenic route?"
Chef snickered on the other end of the phone, and Chris joined him. Then, Chef hung up, and Chris stood up from his chair, stretching and putting his hands on his hips, surveying the lawn once more. This was gonna be good…
A Few Hours Later…
The headlights of the tour bus blazed up the long driveway as Chef pulled up to the mansion. The sky was pitch black, and this far away from the city, hundreds of stars were visible. If it were brighter, you could have seen the massive rendition of Chris's grinning face plastered to the side of the bus, along with the words "Total Drama Mansion" in big, bold letters. As the bus hissed to a stop, Chris stepped into view from behind a hedge, flanked by an intern with a camera. He squinted slightly against the blinding lights, but his signature grin was sparkling wide. The bus idled, and the cameraman gave Chris 5 fingers. 4. 3. 2…
"Hey, Total Drama fans! It's me, Chris McClain, and you're not going crazy. That's right, we are back, and better than ever, with a brand. New. Season!" Chris started. Darcy gave a halfhearted clap that faded out as quickly as it started.
"For the next few weeks, 16 teenagers will be bunking together here," he gestured his arms wide to the space around him. "McClain Manor, inherited by yours truly through a lawsuit technicality! During their stay, our contestants will compete in fierce and surprising challenges, all with the goal of winning 10 million dollars!"
Darcy and Shadante, an intern whose dreadlocks were so long that they covered his face, heaved and puffed as they shoved a silver case into view. Chris popped it open, his grin never wavering as he revealed it was teeming with cash. The two interns stood there for a little while, Darcy giving Chris a nervous glance and Shadante awkwardly framing the money with his hands, showcasing it to the audience. From behind the camera, a hand waved them away, and they scurried out of frame. Chris's eye twitched.
"Our teens are waiting eagerly on the bus as we speak, and they'll all be revealed, right after this!" Chris said.
INTRO
(A Different Side of Me - All Star Weekend)
Guitar Intro
(Panning across the lawn of a huge, creepy looking mansion)
I'd be living the dream
(We open the doors, Sunny waves at us! Phil is on his phone and doesn't even look up, giving a peace sign)
If my life switched
With the football team
(Jay catches a basketball thrown across the room by Maisie. She gives him a thumbs up, and he slam dunks it into a vase. The vase shatters. They both look over at an angry looking Chris.)
I'd be praised by my friends
(Iggy and Destiny are posing for a selfie, with pouty lips.)
If I was driving a Mercedes Benz
(Elliot comes up behind them and photo bombs, sticking her tongue out.)
What do I know?
(Rocky and Daryl are sitting outside on the steps, relaxing. Daryl offers Rocky a joint. Rocky politely declines.)
What do I know, oh oh
(Skyler plugs in two chords, and the lights turn on on a stage that's set up in the front lawn. Ryou jumps up, grabbing a microphone, and jams on an electric guitar while singing the chorus.)
I wanna be
A rock star
(All the cast comes outside as the show goes on. Angelica bobs her head to the music, calmly. She glances beside her to Max, who stares ahead blankly, looking dead inside.)
A superhero
Living the dream
(Lane is dancing, and then trips over Eden, who was hiding in a bush. She freezes, and Lane rubs the back of his head, clearly apologizing. Celia suddenly appears, eyeing them both with a huge smile on her face.)
Doing the things that
I always wanted
I wanna see
(Chris comes out on stage, followed by Chef, who carries a tray full of burning candles.)
My face on the T.V.
With my picture,
On the cover
For my friends to see
A different side of me
(The entire cast sits in a half circle around the stage, with candles burning all around them. The screen crackles and distorts in a creepy fashion, and then cuts to black.)
"Anyway… Without further ado, let's meet this seasons cast!" He said.
The bus doors opened, and like a rock from a slingshot, a girl came catapulting out. She was wearing a green tank top, with an adorable panda on the chest, and polka-dotted gloves that reached her elbows. She skidded to a stop, her tawny brown curls bobbing around her head as she looked from place to place, taking in her surroundings. Her eyes met Chris's, and she dashed up to him.
"Hi! Oh, jeez, I'm so excited!" she said, beaming ear to ear.
"First off the bus..." Chris squinted at the teleprompter. "Uh, hey, interns? Fix the teleprompter, its showing me gibberish."
"Oh, no it isn't!" The girl said. "It says Sun'Cearra Ilzabella Jarianna Nightingale-Gates! That's my name!"
Chris blinked.
"You can call me Sunny though!"
"Yeah, ok, we're gonna go with that," Chris said.
The next teen to step out of the bus was a boy, with black hair that was longer in the back than in the front. He wore a pair of glasses, jeans, and a red t-shirt that showed off his wirey muscle. He had an easy smile on his face as he walked up to Chris and Sunny.
"Next up we have Jay! How's it goin' man?" Chris said. Jay shrugged.
"Can't complain," he said. He glanced past Chris, to the enormous mansion. He let out a low whistle. "Wow, nice place. Really screams 'a sociopath bought me'."
"I'm gonna pretend that you weren't talking about me," Chris said. "Oh look, our next contestant!"
A taller boy with navy blue hair tied up into a bun stepped off the bus. He was wearing a denim jacket over a green shirt and jeans, and was typing rapidly on his smart phone, somehow managing to navigate his way to where the first two contestants were standing without looking up.
"Phillip, how uh… How you doin'?" Chris waved a hand to get his attention. Phillip raised one finger at him, much to Chris's annoyance.
"Ok, hm? Oh, it's Phil, B. T. W." The teen finally said, looking up for a second. Then, he looked back down at his phone, typing away. As he did, the next teen made their appearance.
Another tall boy came out, this one lanky and long-limbed, his dirty blonde hair also tied into a bun. His baggy eyes looked back and forth between the others as he approached, giving them finger guns. He was wearing ratty, torn up bell-bottoms with sandals, and a sleeveless blue coat over a t-shirt, and as he approached, Phil sniffed the air, and gave him a sidelong glance before looking back to his phone.
"Here's Daryl. He's a uh. Eco-friendly kind of guy," Chris said.
"'Sup, my dudes," Daryl said, grinning lazily at the camera. "Hype to be here."
Following Daryl came a girl of average height, but the averageness stopped there. She had high cheekbones and a heart-shaped face, glowing with a sort of foreign prettiness. Her skin was a smooth, mocha tone, and she wore a pale blue tank top over a denim pencil skirt. She clasped her hands together, interlacing her fingers, and positively beamed at the others.
"'Allo! Bonjour! Ze matchmaker has arrived!" She called out, her crystal clear voice sprinkled with a French accent.
"Next up we have Cecelia," Chris said, heralding her entrance. Cecelia made her way to the group.
"Aw, Chris! Eet eez so wonderful to finally meet you," She said, kissing both of his cheeks. "Also, you can just call me Celia, s'il vous plaît."
The next teen off of the bus was another guy, with baby blue eyes that popped against his dark skin. He had on a pair of shorts and sandals, and an open vest revealing a set of well-toned abs. His dreadlocked hair was dyed beach blonde, and he spread his arms wide as he approached.
"What is up, y'all?" He said. Jay looked him up and down, his arms crossed. The newcomer returned the gaze with a genuine smile, and offered him a hand. "Hey, guy! I'm Rocky."
"Jay," Jay said, quickly returning the gesture with his own a friendly smile.
JAY CONFESSIONAL
(Jay sits in the confessional room, a gothic looking study with nick-nacks lining the walls and a plush, velvet chair in the center, where he sits.)
Rocky seems like a cool guy. Too cool. He's competition… I can smell it.
(He shrugs)
I guess, I can't complain. I was thinking this might get boring.
"Rocky here comes from sunny Hawaii!" Chris mentioned.
"Who said my name?" Sunny suddenly said, turning around from where she had been poking one of the lawn gnomes in the eye.
"Nobody," Chris said, "but I'm about to say someone else's! Here comes Elliot!"
"Whaaaaaaaaaat's going on, Total Drama!" Came a rambunctious, feminine voice from inside the bus. Elliot came bursting out, pumping her fist in the air. She was an attractive, athletic looking girl, with a black bob haircut streaked with every color imaginable. She wore a blue shirt that fell off of one shoulder, and white shorts underneath. She came up to the others, her hands out for anyone willing to slap them. Sunny eagerly met the high five, and Daryl did as well. Phil glanced up at her once as she past, blinked, and went back to texting. Elliot took the spot next to Daryl. He leaned over to her.
"Wanna light up later?" He asked. She turned to him, and gave him a huge grin.
"Hell yeah!" She said.
SUNNY CONFESSIONAL
(Sunny is sprawled out across the chair, her legs kicked up over one end, and she's munching on a piece of candy.)
I was so glad that someone was gonna light things up around here. It was seriously dark! Not that I mind the dark. I like the dark! I also like the light though. What was I talking about? Oh, right, my favorite type of candy! Well-
The next girl that stepped out was a bit curvier, and just as gorgeous. Her hair was raven black, falling in long curls past her shoulders, and she wore a purple dress that made it to her thighs. She carried herself gracefully and confidently towards the others. She smiled a dazzling smile at the camera, and then to Jay and Rocky. The two looked at each other, not sure which one she was smiling at, and then back at her. Jay ran a hand through his hair and Rocky gave his best smile back. Celia raised an eyebrow at the entire interaction.
"This is Destiny," Chris said, "she's a do first, talk later kind of girl!"
"Hope you're on my team," Destiny said quietly to Rocky as she passed. Jay scowled at him, and Rocky kept smiling at her as she walked past to stand next to Sunny, who gave the newcomer an excited wave.
"Alright. The first 8 contestants have arrived, and I think it's time that we cut to commercial," Said Chris, stepping out in front of the camera. "Don't turn away, we'll be right. Back. With more Total. Drama. Mansion!"
A clap of thunder echoed behind him, followed by an outburst from the bus.
"WHAT? You're just gonna make us stay on the bu-"
COMMERCIAL BREAK
(A gentle breeze blows through a field of grass. A hand traces its way through the field, and the camera pans up the arm, past a few leather bracelets and a tribal tattoo. In the distance, sounds of seagulls and waves crashing on the shore can be heard. The person is walking with a group of others, looks like teenagers. They all hold surf boards.)
This Fall...
(A massive music festival comes into view. People are hanging out across a massive beach, with an enormous stage set up covered in neon lights and sound equipment. 6 familiar looking teens, different from the ones before, are seen. One wears a black beanie, another has short, purple hair.)
Everything they know…
(The sky starts to darken and turn green. Each of the teens looks up one by one, as a storm blows in, and a massive wall of water covers the screen.)
Will change…
(One of the teens, a waterlogged shape, washes up on the shore of a beach.)
Stoked-6teen: Riptide
"Welcome back to Total Drama Mansion. So far, you've met half of the contestants that are here to compete for a chance at 10 mil. Now, let's meet the rest." Chris said, grinning at the camera as the show started back up again.
Next off the bus was a fit-looking Asian boy, with short black hair and eyes that appeared striking blue. He had a guitar case slung over his shoulder and a black hoodie over a white t-shirt and jeans. He made rock-on signs with his hands as he walked up, taking a spot next to Daryl.
"Yo, I'm Ryou," he said, giving a relaxed and genuine smile to the camera.
"Ryou here used to post his music on Soundcloud," Chris said. "Chef and I gave it a listen; he didn't care for it, but honestly, I saved a couple tunes. Good stuff, dude."
"Dang, thanks Chris," Ryou said. "That means a lot, man."
"Woah, bro," Daryl said, eyeing one of the pins that was stuck to Ryou's guitar bag. It had art of a bright yellow rat wearing sunglasses on it. "Is that a Bright Byte pin?"
"Yeah! You listen to Bright Byte, dude?" Ryou asked.
"Haha, yeah man! I like that one that goes like-" Daryl began to try and recreate a lot of electronic sounds, that didn't come out as well as he probably thought they did. Ryou caught on to what he was humming, and soon they were both playing air guitar and beatboxing weird melodies. They ended with a high five.
"Bro," said Ryou.
"Bro," said Daryl.
"So, Chris," came a female voice from the bus. Out stepped a delicate looking girl, pale and elfish, with copper-brown hair tied neatly up into a bun. She was wearing a neatly ironed jean skirt and a perfect pink blouse, and in her left and she clutched a small stack of papers, paper-clipped together. "I was looking through the letters that you sent us, and under "What To Bring", you didn't list anything like cellphones or smart watches. Now, at first I thought maybe you just assumed that we would bring them anyway. Did you intentionally leave them out because you don't want us to have them, or was I right?"
"Ah, Angelica," Chris said. "You guys can use your cellphones, if you brought them. I do have to warn you, though. Reception can get pretty spotty when you go farther onto the grounds. It's kind of a deadzone."
"Thanks for clarifying," Angelica said, going to stand next to Sunny and Destiny. "Also, you can call me Angel. All of my friends do."
"Yeah, we're not friends," Chris said, with a little mirthful chuckle. Angelica pouted ever so slightly. Phil's gaze suddenly rose from his phone.
"Chris I'm going to need you to text me a detailed list of the areas with the best reception," he said. Chris blinked at him, and Phil kept his gaze on him for a few moments. "Seriously."
"Nope, not gonna happen. Maybe if you ask one of the interns nicely later, they'll hook you up," Chris said. Phil immediately looked back down at his phone. His fingers had never stopped moving during the entire exchange.
Following Angelica was a shorter boy, with pallid white skin and a skinny frame. He wore black on black, baggy jeans and a long trench coat. Even his hair was black, hanging to his shoulders with a striking red highlight right through his bangs. His eyes were sullen and covered in makeup, and he glanced once at the cameras before walking to his spot next to Rocky and Jay.
"This is Maxx," Chris said. "That's with two x's, mind you. We had a bit of a screw-up with the dialogue team… Let's just say, the subtitles for the first two episodes might be a little screwy, but after that, we fixed them up. Anyway, Maxx likes uh. Blood and stuff. Right buddy?"
Chris looked over to Maxx with a provocative grin. The gloomy teen stared back at him, his eyes a void, and when he spoke, it was in a quiet, breathy monotone.
"You radiate an aura of falseness that makes me want to vomit," he said, "and I hope that some day soon you recieve every ounce of vile karma you deserve."
Silence fell across the set. Sunny and Angelica looked at each other awkwardly. So did Daryl and Ryou. Crickets chirped, and Chris just stared at Maxx, a little unnerved. Then, the faintest ghost of a smile found its way to the darkened folds of Maxx's lips.
"Glad to be on the show, Chris," he said.
"Right…" Chris said. "Uh, kind of a downer aren't you? Anyway, I wonder who's next!"
Then, there was a loud, metallic clang! A box full of tools came clattering out of the bus, followed by a dark-skinned girl, and both hit the ground. Tools and screws and other assorted things scattered across the well-maintained grass. The girl was wearing white shorts and a green tank top, with a pair of black headphones around her neck. Her hair was a bright, bubblegum pink bob, and she was trying to quickly compose herself, scrambling to recover her lost tools and stuff them into her toolbox.
"Um, hehe," she said, laughing nervously. She quickly pulled herself to her feet. "Hi, heh. I'm Skyler. What an embarrassing way to start the show! Anyway, I'm really excited to be here! If you're watching out there, Pop, I miss you! I'm gonna do my best and make you proud!"
After Skyler had taken her spot next to Celia, a handsome boy with flowing golden hair stepped off of the bus. His copper eyes were wide and sparkling, taking in everything at once. He was wearing jeans and a coral shirt, a dark blue scarf wrapped around his neck. He stopped for a moment, and then clutched his fist together and made a sound like he was getting ready to explode. Then, he threw his hands up in the air and jumped for joy a little.
"Awwww man! This is unreal!" He said, coming over to everyone eagerly. He beamed a cherubic, shiny smile at everyone, so big that it scrunched up his eyes in an endearing way. "Hey Chris! Hey guys! My name's Lane. I'm really looking forward to spending time with you all! Ooh, I like your hair! Oh, do you play guitar? Oh, shoot. Sorry Chris! I'm interrupting, huh? Sorry, man!"
SKYLER CONFESSIONAL
I like Lane. He's so sweet and excited!
MAXX CONFESSIONAL
Lane makes me want to stab myself in the ears.
After Lane came a girl in a bright white sundress, sleek and fashionable. She was athletic and toned, and the sides of her head were shaved, with a pile of long, colorful dreadlocks on top. She had a fierce look in her eyes, and a determined smile on her face, and as she came forward she carried a strong aura of confidence.
"Maisie, glad to have you on the show," Chris said.
"Good ta be here, Chris," she said, her voice thick with a Jamaican accent. Then, she pointed at the camera with a flourish. "All you folks at home, keep ya eyes on me, yah? Ya girl Maisie gon' take it home, no doubt!"
JAY CONFESSIONAL
(Jay sits in the chair, his fingers pressed together as he thinks.)
Maisie clearly isn't here to play games. She might be even more of a threat than Rocky… If she ends up on my team, maybe I should get her voted off as fast as I can. Or get her on my side until the merge. Decisions, decisions…
MAISIE CONFESSIONAL
A lotta people ask me, Maisie, where ya get all dat confidence from? I always tell 'em the same ting. If you were me, you'd be confident too.
Following Maisie was a feminine looking person, with light make up on their pink toned skin. They wore shorts and a white cheerleading top, and carried themselves with a bit of a strut, their hips swaying as they walked out of the bus. Batting their eyelashes, they brushed some chocolate brown hair over their shoulder, and smoldered somewhat to the gathering of people, making sure to keep their head up high.
"Hello, everyone, I know, don't tell me," He spoke with a decidedly male voice, that caused Daryl to blink in surprise. Then, he struck a pose. "I'm astonishing."
"This here is Ignacy! He makes great cookies," Chris said, patting his stomach. Ignacy clicked his tongue, and gave Chris a look of fake disappointment.
"Oh, please, just call me Iggy. Ignacy sounds so formal!" He said, waving a hand daintily. Chris gave him a thumbs up. Then, from seemingly nowhere, Iggy produced a pair of pom-poms, performing a simple arm routine. "T D M! T D M! This season is gonna blow! Your! Minds!"
"Alright, and last but not least, we have Eden!" Chris said. There was a long pause. Nobody came off of the bus. Chris looked around, a bit confused, as did everyone else. "Uh. Eden, you can come off of the bus now."
"I am off the bus," came a voice from the crowd of contestants. Celia and Skyler jumped, as there was suddenly a girl standing between them. She had straight, shoulder length hair dyed a neat apricot, and was wearing a long black turtleneck over black leggings. She looked back and forth between Celia and Skyler. "What?"
"Where did you come from?" Skyler asked.
"Uh. What's that supposed to mean?" Eden asked.
"You just popped up out of nowhere," Skyler said.
"More like you just didn't notice me," Eden said. "Don't take it personally. Most people don't."
"And there you have it folks!" Chris said, stepping out in front of all of the teens. "All 16 of our newest competitors, all lined up. Now, it's time to announce the teams!"
Chef came off of the bus now, locking the door behind him. He and Chris walked over to a lawn table that the interns had set up. On the table were two buckets, each one filled with flashlights. In one bucket were green flashlights, in the other were purple. The green bucket had a creepy looking monster logo on it, and the purple bucket had a scary looking ghost logo.
"Maisie, Maxx, Celia, Ryou, Phil, Eden, Elliot, and Daryl. Come get yourselves some purple flashlights. You guys are the Haunted Horrors." Chris said. One by one, the teens came up to grab a flashlight, and then stood off to one side of Chris. Ryou and Daryl fist bumped.
"Bro," Daryl said.
"Bro," Ryou said.
"Ah, yes, ze bromance," Celia said to Elliot. "One of ze purest and strongest forms of love!"
"Haha, nice. Love it up bros! Woo!" Elliot called over to them. Maxx sighed, rolling his eyes.
MAXX CONFESSIONAL
(Imitating Celia)
One of ze strongest and purest forms of love! Ugh. Gag me.
"Jay, Rocky, Destiny, Sunny, Angelica, Iggy, Lane, and Skyler. Come grab your green flashlights, because you guys are going to be the Basement Beasts!" Chris said. The rest of the contestants came up and collected their lights, standing off to the other side of Chris. Destiny gave a wink to Rocky, who gave her a cool smile.
"I'm so totally pumped to be on a team with you guys!" Lane said, his face still glowing. "You're all just so cool!"
"OMG! Me too!" Sunny squealed. Angelica gave them a warm and confident smile.
"This is a good team. If we stick together and work hard, we can accomplish anything we set our minds to!" She added. Jay kept quiet, but something like a smile danced around his face.
ROCKY CONFESSIONAL
One thing I've picked up surfing? I have this sixth sense for when something has it out for me. Sometimes, the sea or the sky or whatever is just gunning for you. That's how it feels right now… I wonder why.
"The teams are announced," Chris said, walking away from the group to talk directly to the camera. "The contestants are all eager for their first challenge. What mysteries await them in the mansion? What sort of heartwarming, spine-chilling drama will ensue in the coming weeks? The only way to find is stay tuned for the next episode of… Total! Drama! Mansion!"
And there you have it! The introduction to our cast is finally finished! A huge thank you to everyone who submitted an OC! I had a ton of fun writing this, and I'm looking forward to putting our new contestants through their first challenge next week! Do you have a favorite contestant? What do you think of the new location? Let me know in the reviews!
