Teaser 2: Meet the McShaws
The Day Before Topher's Bye-Bye Humiliating Launch to the Sky…
There he was. Finally. After a long, fatiguing week of sucking up to upper management, Topher was given an exclusive, VIP ticket to the renovated Pahkitew Island. Back to where his entire career started…
Pahkitew Island. He could sniff the aura from miles away: metallic and mechanical. Still, he took his sweet, Topher-ific time strolling to the Pahkitew Brewery Bar, strutting on the main street. Each footstep on the unpaved road was calculated to avoid kicking dust onto his shiny shoes while he glanced around the western-themed town. Very small, like a town in an old wild west movie, aside from the numerous neon lights adorned all over each building. Lights off during the day, of course.
Once he reached the front porch of the bar, he leaned his back onto the outer wall, patiently waiting for the man of the hour: the new owner of Pahkitew Island. He pulled out his phone, swiping to his video camera, and pressed record…
"Greetings, audience members! Name's Topher, but you probably already knew that by now," he flashed a grin. "I'm currently outside the Pahkitew Brewery Bar to meet the one and only… Colton McShaw. Seems like he's got this whole shebang, and-oh, if I were the network, I'd hire him as the new host of Total Drama. He'd make a much better host, I assure—"
"YOU DARN RIGHT I WOULD!" A gruff scream from behind jump-scared Topher, almost dropping his phone. Revolver gunshots fired the sky, as Topher hid behind the wall frighteningly, avoiding the gung-ho madman.
"Please! Don't hurt me! Especially not my pretty face!" Topher cowered and whimpered, arms over his head.
"Bada bing-bang-POW!" The mysterious madman popped his head out of the wall, startling Topher once more. "SURPRISE!"
Topher screamed in a high-pitched yelp, before swiftly regaining his composure once he recognized his bearded face. "Ahem," he cleared his throat, standing back up. "I wasn't scared. No… not at all!" He forced out an awkward laugh before introducing himself. "Name's Topher. It's a great honor to meet you, Mr.—"
"Colton McShaw! Howdy, partner!" He reached his hand out for a handshake, tightly gripping Topher's flimsy hands. "Is that gallons of moisturizer, kid?" He held his hands on his hips, laughing. Besides his bristly and stocky appearance, he dressed up for the occasion, or rather—in the flashiest outfit possible. Bright-pink cowboy hat, red long-sleeved western shirt, bright-blue jeans with baby-blue boots. Not to mention the orange western belt to top off the astonishing mismatch of colors.
"That's quite an… entrance," Topher dusted his hand onto his shirt. "Shall we… begin with the tour of the brewery?"
"Oh, I like you, kid! PA-PEW-PEW!" Colton ecstatically fired his double-revolvers in the air, causing Topher to flinch. "Right this way, partner," he beckoned, walking inside.
"Welcome to this here fine establishment!" Colton bragged, palms on hips. Topher glanced around in awe, noting the western-themed, rugged-wood interior. Sniffing the scent of beer flowing freely around him. Rustic tables and chairs, not to mention the log-like stools.
Four people were spotted inside the establishment. One was dusting the tables clean with an ostrich feather, while the other three were seen conversating with each other near the liquor racks, almost in a bickering manner.
"Oh, how 'bout we first meet the rest of the McShaws! What better way than to hire your own children to do most of the work!" He laughed, slapping his knee. "I'm just horsin'. We all equally contribute one way or another. Think of it as… a family business," he chuckled gruffly, beckoning Topher over towards the first McShaw, the only person bussing and wiping the chairs clean. "She keeps everything nice an' tidy around here. Meet the youngest in the family and my only daughter: Madison McShaw!"
Topher gawked at her rather unexpected beauty. Early 20's. Neatly dressed as well: light-blue long-sleeved western shirt, blue jeans with a recently purchased western belt, and brown cowboy boots. Neat and cordial. Nothing misplaced or unnecessary compared to her father's brightly colored outfit.
"Howdy." Madison waved, flipping her dirty-blonde hair back, uninterested by visitors. "Wanna drink? Or you gonna keep starin' like a creep?" She remarked, unamused. Her southern accent caught Topher's attention even further, continuing to gaze into her dim-blue eyes in an uncomfortable pause.
"Oh-uh…" Topher shook his head, waking himself up from his brief trance. "Name's Topher. Your soon-to-be coworker…" he winked, flashing his signature, cocky grin. Madison, however, glanced back with a bored, yawning expression, arms crossed. "Trust me, my presence alone will bring brightness and excitement to this lovely establishment."
She briefly rolled her eyes. "Dad? Are you actually hirin' this dimwit?"
"Hey!" Topher fired back; arms crossed.
"No offense."
Colton glanced at both bickerers back and forth, then chuckled. "Oh-don't you worry, young people. You two will get along just fine. No doubt. Nope, none at all," he grinned awkwardly, then dragged Topher away to meet the rest of the McShaws. One of them walked away from the liquor rack, towards Topher and Colton. Hands behind his back, almost appearing like a server in a fancy restaurant.
"Greetings, visitor! Hey, dad," he shook Topher's hand courteously, then briefly hugged his father. "So… what brings you here today?" He smiled in a timely, calculated manner. Topher quickly noted his rather charming and good-looking features: neatly trimmed eyebrows with a clean-shaven face. Well-kept combed-back black hair with a sleek fade undercut. Black, long-sleeved western shirt tucked underneath black jeans, buckled by a more traditional, vintage belt. Not to mention the shiny black boots. Nothing out of place. Lots of black colors as his first impression.
"I see you're the owner of this fine bar," Topher finger-gunned, grinning. "And you must be—"
"Matthew McShaw," he chuckled. "And actually, I work behind-the-scenes under my father's business operations, helping oversee the supply chain, speaking with investors, keeping things runnin' as smoothly as can be. If the Pahkitew Island business is runnin' smoothly, then I've done my job.
"He's my second-oldest son," Colton continued proudly. "Mr. Business Genius Jr. here helped realized my ultimate reality to purchase Pahkitew Island and convert it into my mechanical haven!"
"Oh-I can't take all the credit!" Matthew patted Colton's shoulders. "My father is the true innovative genius here. He's the master engineer. The creative inventor. I'm just a guy that occasionally attracts investors into our tax-haven island."
"Don't sell yourself short, son," Colton remarked, wiping a tear off his face. "You've made my cowboy dreams a reality."
"Speaking of which," Matthew continued, pulling out a card from his pocket. "New investors: The Friarwoods. Just secured a new deal. Will be coming over for a visit next month or two."
"Good job, Matt," Colton slipped the card into his back pocket. "You've been going above and beyond lately. C'mon! Grab a drink already! Please! We rackin' up insane cash and revenue already! Have some fun an' talk to the ladies tonight! It's time we yeehaw!"
No can do, father," Matthew crossed his arms sternly. "Business ain't gonna run itself. I got a few more potential investors on the line. Gonna grab a drink, then head out pronto," he turned to face Topher, shaking his hand. "A great pleasure meeting you. Young, ambitious minds think alike, am I right?" He gently fist-bumped his shoulder.
"Indeed." Topher smirked.
Colton's other two sons remained stiff and irritated near the liquor racks, both arms crossed with the most annoyed look on their faces.
"Mark, time for you to stop chasin' the magician career and get real. You work for me now, so no more of your 'public performance feats', alright? You'll end up callin' too much attention."
"Actually Marvin?" he drank his shot in one, swift gulp. "You're co-owner. Dad split ownership between you and Chef Hatchet," he chortled, smiling in a 'gotcha' moment. Apart from his father's flashy outfit, he was dressed rather distinctively from the rest of his siblings. A dark-purple tuxedo, combined with a gleeful, youthful-like face. Almost sporting a bedhead hairstyle to reflect his free-spirited nature while simultaneously retaining a neat and tidy appearance.
"Yeah, don't remind me," Marvin rolled his eyes. Dressed more casually compared to his younger brother. A simple light-blue dress shirt tucked underneath his black dress pants, plus a pair of dress shoes. Just the right amount of business-casual mix. However, his face displayed the opposite. Uncoordinated beard. Untrimmed eyebrows. Short, but messy hair. A stark dichotomy between his presentable outfit and a patchy face. "At least my theoretical field of work has more grand implications. You're… you're just a magician."
"And you're a wannabe hypnotist, but I guess, ya' know… we're one and the same," he teased, taking a sip from his bottle. "Dude, what the hell. Let me live my life. I'm satisfied with just… poofing illusions in front of a loving audience," he dramatically gestured, already excited by the flood of tourists soon to arrive.
"It's called… having ambitions and doing more than just fake performances." Marvin scoffed. "My work has real implications. A real impact. You gotta—"
"Ahem." Topher cleared his throat, interrupting from behind. "Pardon my irruption, but I'm here to meet the last two magnificent McShaws! Your dad just briefed me your guys' name. Just give me a sec…" he vigorously rubbed his forehead, then snapped his fingers upon finally realizing. "Marcus McShaw and Marvin McShaw!"
Both brothers glanced at each other awkwardly. "I'm Marcus. He's Marvin. I'm the youngest brother. He's the oldest and grumpiest."
"Oh… right-right," Topher finger-gunned, remaining cool and composed. "All your guys' names start with 'Ma'. What's up with that? Topher is curious."
Marcus flashed a bright smile. "I'm thrilled you asked! Well, back before we were born, my—"
"Our dad named us after our mother. He wanted to be artsy. Whatever." Marvin interrupted, eyerolling. "Jeez, Mark. Not everything needs an in-depth, historical textbook overview."
"Don't listen to him," Marcus casually wrapped his arm over Topher's shoulders. "He's upset 'cause he's got no girlfriend. Like the cool kids always say these days… L, plus ratio."
"I… I don't even know what that means…"
"Maybe you should chat more with the next-gen youngins instead of just staring at them from a distance like a creep…"
"Alright gentlemen!" Topher grinned, wrapping both arms around their shoulders, standing between them. "Looks like I'll be seeing you guys at work tomorrow! I'm gonna hit the hay. Gotta glance at my mirror, like usual. Getting ready for my magnificent confrontation against Chef Hatchet. All that gist, ya' know? Well, this concludes my meet-up with the McShaws!" He pointed his phone in the air, taking a selfie-like video. "We'll be right back with The Topher Experience once I confront Chris McLean's sidekick honcho tomorrow morning. Stay tuned, Fan-Tophers!"
Author's Note: So, here it is! The second teaser! A bit impromptu, released sooner than previously expected. Now, the list below are the four cast members I've 100% confirmed thus far. Do not worry if you don't see your character on that list just yet; I am still considering and processing some of the submissions I've received:
MALES:
1. Wane 'Moneybags', "The Natural Disaster" (Grape Escape)
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
FEMALES:
1. Viola Lin, "The Classical Musician" (BaseballCapClyde)
2. Keesha White, "The Soul Singer" (MorbidGinger)
3. Uma Thurman, "The Vegas Showgirl" (Zoryan El Muerto)
4.
5.
6.
Trust me, a couple of OCs are very, very close to becoming 100% confirmed. The selection process is quite tough given such a limited number I'll be accepting in total. Like I've previously stated, I may or may not extend the total amount to 14, depending on the total number of submissions I'll receive.
Also, a quick warning to those that still plan on submitting; most of the OCs I've received are female. Just letting you know ahead of time so you could form your own risk assessment. You'll still be able to send me female submissions, but just know that your chances would be slimmer due to the vast female/male ratio. No worries, it's still not too late to send females and/or males, but the application files are filling up rather quickly, so the sooner, the better.
Depending on how quickly I sort through the rest of the applications on my consideration list, the following teaser should be out by next week or two, give or take. It will be the final teaser as well. Then, I will commence working on the official prologues.
So, overall thoughts on this rather short teaser? What role do you think each McShaw will play in this season?
The final teaser will be revealing more contestants, so stay tuned!