TDNKCI: Episode 17: "A Less Than Ideal Situation"
The Jury's Recap
"Last time on Total Drama Nui Kaua: The Cursed Island…" Kyle looked down the bench behind him at Sherwood, who had joined everyone else on the jury.
"Most of us were looking and still failing to find The Curse Tiki." Sherwood began. "So Chris decided to work it into the curse of the episode, where we all got to choose between either a clue to finding it, or an advantage in the immunity challenge. Barnard, Daniel, Jaime, and Lucien all chose to get the clue, while Azami, Freya, and myself all opted for the advantage, which was a lariat, since our challenge was to round up livestock that had been set loose on Kokoke. In the end, Freya, Jaime, and Barnard all worked together and Freya and Barnard were the two that won immunity. At the elimination ceremony, I was eliminated for being a physical threat over Jaime, who is more threatening in terms of the final jury vote."
"Yeah, that about covers all of it." Aleister nodded.
"Well not quite." Samuel pointed out. "You guys all saw how quickly Daniel rushed to the confessional after the last elimination ceremony. I'd bet my bottom dollar that he's found The Curse Tiki or something similar at least."
"Given that he took the clue for The Curse Tiki, it's a safe bet." Kaden agreed.
"In any case…" Sherwood turned towards the camera. "We're down to our Final 6 players, soon to be Final 5! Who can loot and plunder their way to immunity and whose game will be tossed into a watery grave? Find out right here…" He waited for everyone else to join in.
"On Total Drama Nui Kaua!...The Cursed!...Island!"
*Total Drama Theme Song Plays*
Location: Weliweli Island
Contestant(s): Barnard, Freya
Barnard and Freya shivered as they curled up in balls on opposite ends of the ramshackle shelter to take comfort from the storm.
Confessional: Barnard
"This whole week has been awkward, considering that I was told to my face by this woman that she didn't plan to remain loyal to me. I thought I'd at least get a Curse Tiki out of this but it isn't in this island's confessional, so it's probably back on the main island. Hopefully Jaime managed to find it."
End Confessional
Confessional: Freya
"I was a little worried about Barnard trying to start some sort of argument or debate or whatever he calls them to make it sound less wimpy than whining but he's actually been pretty quiet all week. And look, if he doesn't trust me after I basically told him not to, that's fine, but to actively avoid me? Really not helping to bring me back into your fold, buddy, and you still need my vote for at least this next round unless you're willing to risk a tiebreaker."
End Confessional
Location: Merge Cabin Girls' Side
Contestant(s): Azami, Jaime
"Well that's all her stuff, no Curse Tiki." Jaime said as she zipped up one of Freya's bags and put it back where she had found it. "Which means a Mummy probably has it."
"Maybe even the same Mummy as last time." Azami agreed.
Confessional: Jaime
"Final 6, but anyone who thinks now is a good time to rest is deluding themselves. We're so close to the end now that I'm actually starting to get a little tense from excitement. Right now, Barnard and Freya are stuck on Weliweli so it's up to me to show both of them and Azami how alliances are supposed to work and spy on the boys next door to figure out whatever it is they're about to plan."
End Confessional
Confessional: Azami
"Final 6! Woo! But we all always knew I would get here. Jaime is busy doing what she does best and listening in on the Mummy losers, but like...she could stand to have a little more faith in this fearsome foursome, you know? Barnard too for that matter. Maybe I'll go ahead and make myself another meal ticket by getting rid of one of them this week. No way they can both win immunity after all. It's not like either of them have even done much either, they just hope for strength in numbers because they know they have no skill otherwise."
End Confessional
Location: Merge Cabin Boys' Side
Contestant(s): Daniel, Lucien
"Alright what's the plan, Dan, my man?" Lucien smiled as he stretched himself out on his bunk looking down at Daniel who was sitting silently at a table.
"The plan right now is make sure a Demon goes home." Daniel sighed. "I don't really want to share it with you but you really are the last one left that isn't part of that majority alliance."
"Yeah." Lucien nodded. "I'd sort of like to do something about those guys too but I mean, we're just two dudes, and the uh, the ones more likely to turn on that alliance aren't on the best of terms with either one of us."
"That's why we should work on winning immunity, and if we can't, we need to split their vote between the two of us. You can do that, right? I know you don't exactly have the best track record in executing your plans."
"Way to harsh a guy's mellow." Lucien frowned. "Fiiiine."
Confessional: Lucien
"Alright, okay, check this...I'm lying. I'm gonna throw his name under the bus as much as I can under the scenes. I need to get rid of both of him and Freya if I'm going to have a hope of winning jury votes since they'll be more likely to reward strategic play and my most memorable moment was blowing my own under the radar game up by voting out Samuel basically 'just cause'. No, this is the Final 6, and in the Final 6, any alliances you might have or want need to be crushed underfoot."
End Confessional
Confessional: Daniel
"Look, I know that dumb idiot is going to go around trying to get everyone to vote me off. That's fine. I have the Curse Tiki. Sure, he'll stay too, but I want to be able to decide who leaves. Barnard, Jaime, and Freya are the ones I want gone the most, and I'd prefer to start with one of the Demons since they're the very thin glue holding their alliance together."
End Confessional
*BEEEEEEP*
"Attention Final 6!" Chris announced over the loudspeakers. "Meet me on the Nui Kaua Docks for your Curse! You have… ...guests!"
Location: Nui Kaua Docks
Contestant(s): All Remaining
"Welcome, Final 6!" Chris smiled as Azami, Barnard, Daniel, Freya, Jaime, and Lucien all arrived on the docks. "You're just in time for your curse to arrive!"
He motioned towards a ferry containing four passengers, and the contestants each began to tear up at the sight of them.
Chris announced each of them as they walked off the boat.
"Azami, extend a warm hello to your younger sister!"
"Aiko!" Azami rushed up to her younger sister and the two embraced around halfway down the dock.
"Azami!" Her younger sister gripped her tightly. "Ooo, you're doing so well!"
"Barnard..." Chris nodded, "your mother saved this weekend in her schedule in case you made it this far!"
"Mom!" Barnard and his mother followed a similar pattern to the Hyung sisters.
"You've come so far, honey." His mother embraced him in her arms. "But don't slow down yet."
"Jaime…" Chris smiled. "Welcome you older brother!"
"Hi John!" She smiled calmly as the two Schanbacher siblings walked towards each other and engaged in a small hug.
"Looks like you're doing well enough for being stranded on this island for weeks on end." He gave a small laugh.
"Lucien…" Chris turned. "It was difficult, but we tracked down your cousin Bernadette!"
"Luci, how did you even get this far?" Bernadette teased as the two met up in a hug.
"Come on, Bernie, give me some credit!" Lucien half-laughed, half-cried.
"Daniel...Freya…" Chris turned. "Unfortunately, none of either of your relatives elected to come by."
The looks of unsurprised disappointment on both their faces said more than any words would've been able to say.
Freya tried to bring Daniel into a hug, but he stopped her and they both wiped their eyes before tears could form.
"Now...when we came up with this curse...we had assumed everyone would have a family member to, well, complete the Curse Challenge with...but since the two of you don't…You'll just have to be each other's family members for now!"
"Curse Challenge?" Barnard asked.
"That's right Barnard!" Chris smiled. "Chef!" He called.
Chef pulled a lever and out from the lake rose a large, five-lane obstacle course. The fifth lane had clearly been added on recently and a little haphazardly.
"Oh not this thing again." Freya rolled her eyes.
"Oh yes, Freya…" Chris turned towards the course. "You and your loved ones will be carrying each other through this five-legged obstacle course, just like the first challenge in Zero Sum! First, one of you will carry the other in the standard full sprint. Next, you will switch who carries who as you go over and under various barbed wire fences. You will switch again as you make your way across the changing electrical platforms. Then, after switching once more, you will move across the balance beam, before switching one final time and jumping from giant lily pad to giant lily pad through flaming hoops! First pair to complete the challenge wins their choice of reward, but I'll get to those later! For now, everyone, get in position and determine who will carry whom first!"
Curse Challenge: The Zero Sum Obstacle Course
Rules: Contestants and their loved ones pair off and take turns carrying each other down the five legs of the obstacle course used as the first challenge in Zero Sum. The first pair to finish earns their choice of reward for the curse.
Pairs:
Azami and her sister, Aiko (Azami carrying first)
Barnard and his mother, Mrs. Kruger (Barnard carrying first)
Daniel and Freya (Freya carrying first)
Jaime and her brother, John (John carrying first)
Lucien and his cousin, Bernie (Lucien carrying first)
Location: Nui Kaua Docks
Contestant(s): All Remaining
"And...go!" Chris announced as Azami, Barnard, Freya, John, and Bernie all raced down the track carrying their partners.
Confessional: Freya
"This fucking challenge again, ugh. At least I've done it before though, and Daniel is way lighter than Zastin."
End Confessional
"And John and Jaime are in the lead!" Chris announced. "Freya and Daniel are right behind them, followed by Azami and Aiko, Bernie and Lucien, meanwhile Barnard and his mother are in last place!"
"Barnard, honey, you don't need to strain yourself on this curse challenge." Mrs. Kruger informed her son. "While whatever reward that host has planned might sound tempting, you need to focus on your long-term game plans."
"Jaime, are you sure you'll be able to carry me through those fences?" John asked skeptically.
"I'm sure we'll make it through them." Jaime nodded as the two switched who was carrying who while Daniel and Freya began to take the lead.
"Wooo!" Freya cheered as she clung to Daniel while he jumped and ducked under the obstacles with purpose in his eyes. "Never thought I'd feel a positive emotion towards you, Daniel, but here it is!"
"I'm not letting any of those guys flaunt their families around." He grumbled as he kept sight of the objective.
"We're gaining!" Aiko cheered as she carried Azami through the same barbed wire fences.
"That's it, Aiko!" Azami encouraged her sister. "Don't worry I've got those electrified tiles down in my memory already!"
"You're gonna need all the help you can get!" Jaime snarked at her as she and John started to catch up.
"Go Bern, go!" Lucien cheered as his cousin jumped and ducked under each obstacle.
"Luci…" Bernie panted. "You uh...whew...You put up with challenges like these often?"
"All too often!" Lucien chuckled. "Now come on, let's see if we can't overtake them all in the third leg of this race!"
"Right!"
"All contestants are now in the third leg of the race" Chris announced. "And Daniel and Freya remain in the lead, but Azami and Aiko are quickly catching up to them! Jaime and John are neck and neck with Lucien and Bernie, while Barnard and his mother are still in last place!"
Confessional: Barnard
"I'm not about to put my mother, whom I love more than anything, in danger just for a simple curse reward. Besides, she's known for being one of the shrewdest businesswomen around. If anyone can give me some winning advice for my strategy right now, it's her."
End Confessional
"Holy-" Daniel raised his eyebrows, impressed as Freya glided down the third leg of the challenge. "And I thought I was determined to win this one."
"Like you said." She responded. "I don't want their families to just be flaunted in front of me like that."
"Yeah, woo!" Aiko cheered as Azami managed to reach the end of the third leg at the same time as Freya and the two pairs once again changed who was carrying who.
Lucien and Bernie arrived soon after, while John struggled to carry Jaime safely across the tiles and Barnard had similar problems with his mother.
"Looks like it could still be anyone's race!" Chris announced. "But both Barnard and Jaime and their loved ones are starting to lag pretty far behind!"
Aiko, Daniel, and Bernie all started to carry their partners across the balance beam portion.
"Careful...Careful!" Freya snapped at Daniel as he nearly tripped but regained his balance.
"Ugh." He rolled his eyes. "Don't blame me for going at a steadily fast pace when we have people gaining on us."
"They'll gain on us more if we fall, so try to avoid that."
"Geez, no wonder your folks didn't show." Daniel groaned as the pair reached the final leg of the challenge.
Freya roughly grappled Daniel and hoisted him over her shoulder as she started to complete the final portion of the race.
"If we weren't a team right now, I'd toss you right into that fire on the hoops, you little grey-haired shit."
"Whatever." Daniel rolled his eyes. "At least you get to be mad about yours not coming. Mine...this is just par for the course. Something to be happy about honestly, no way I would have even participated in this challenge if one of them had shown."
"We're gaining, we're gaining!" Aiko continued to cheer as Azami quickly came up behind Daniel and Freya, meanwhile Lucien and Bernie were doing the same on the other side of the track.
"It's neck to neck to neck!" Chris announced. "Azami, Freya, and Lucien, all jumping across the lily pads as we speak!"
"We can do this, Luci!" Bernie held tightly onto her cousin. "Wooo!"
"Alright sis, let's show them the power of the Hyung sisters!" Aiko cheered.
"Fuck both those pairs, let's go." Daniel roughly smacked Freya's backside as though it would make her go faster.
"And…" Chris called.
"The winner….
Of this Curse Challenge…
Is…
…
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…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
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…
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…
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…
…
... Daniel and Freya!" Chris bellowed. "The non-blood related pair WINS their choice of curse reward!"
Confessional: Daniel
"Winning the choice of reward is nice. Splitting it with Freya? Much less than ideal."
End Confessional
Location: Nui Kaua Beach
Contestant(s): All Remaining
"Daniel, Freya…" Chris smiled. "A feast full of all your favorite foods has been exquisitely prepared by Chef and awaits you on Weliweli Island. You can, collectively, pick one contestant and their loved one to join you on that feast. The other players will have to say goodbye to their loved ones and let the ferry take them back to the mainland."
Daniel and Freya looked at each other.
They huddled together and began conversing in hushed whispers.
Azami and Aiko hugged each other tightly.
Barnard and Mrs. Kruger smiled at each other.
Jaime wrapped her arm around John's.
Lucien and Bernie clenched each other's hands.
Each of the remaining contestants looked on eagerly.
"Um…" Freya spoke as they both turned around.
"Lucien." Daniel answered.
Lucien sighed with relief as he and Bernie walked up to join Daniel and Freya but Chris stopped them.
"Of course…" He grinned wickedly. "It wouldn't be much of a choice of reward without an actual choice of reward…"
He took out two small scrolls.
"These are both personal advantages that you can play in the Final 5 challenge assuming you make it that far. You can choose to give up your personal spots at the feast for two other contestants and their loved ones, and you'll be given the advantage. This will, of course, leave one of the Demons, Azami, Barnard, or Jaime, unable to feast with family, but the two of you will get a nice advantage out of the process."
"Does this decision also have to be taken collectively?" Daniel asked.
Chris shook his head. "Nope, one of you could choose one way and the other could choose the other."
Daniel and Freya both thought to themselves for a moment.
"Chris." Freya stepped forwards. "I'll give up my spot at the feast, and I'm sorry to the others, but I think I'd like to offer Barnard and his mother the ability to take my spot."
She smiled.
Confessional: Freya
"Reminds me of when mine still looked at me like that."
End Confessional
"Chris." Daniel stepped forwards. "I'm giving up my spot too."
Confessional: Daniel
"Not that I really care, but giving up a spot to let another contestant spend time with their family member...well, that'll go well in terms of that Jury, and I'm no idiot, I need all the help I can get on that front."
End Confessional
"However…" He continued. "I won't be taking the advantage either."
"Wait, what?" Freya asked, moments away from grabbing the scroll Chris had in his hand.
"I assume giving up both rewards means I can send both Azami and Jaime to the feast?" He pondered hopefully.
"I don't see why not!" Chris smiled with a shrug. "If you want to hang out here alone with Freya until the challenge, be my guest!"
Confessional: Freya
"Dammit, Daniel, you know, you know that I need any advantage I can get in this game! If I had known any of that was an option I would have given everything more thought, but ugh, now somehow I look more self-serving. Shit." Freya sighs and crosses her legs. "Oh well, I suppose letting you attempt to work over the jury a little is fine for now. It's probably too little too late for you anyways. In the meantime, I'll enjoy my advantage!" She holds up a little scroll to the camera. "I can only open it during the Final Five challenge though, so I need to make extra sure that I win this next one! Last returning contestant left, let's go!"
End Confessional
Confessional: Daniel
"That worked out well. Freya's been on Weliweli all week, but thanks to that curse, now she'll be stuck here with only me for company. It'll help me whittle down her allegiance to the Demons, assuming she still has any. Meanwhile, Lucien can make himself useful by listening into the gossip of the other three Demons. Then…" Daniel holds up the Curse Tiki. "It's only a matter of which one of them to eliminate."
End Confessional
Location: Weliweli Island Feasting Table
Contestant(s): Azami, Barnard, Jaime, Lucien
Family Members: Azami's sister(Aiko), Barnard's mother(Mrs. Kruger), Jaime's brother(John), Lucien's cousin(Bernadette)
An entire smorgasbord of foods was sprawled out across a large table underneath a tent on Weliweli as Azami, Barnard, Jaime, and Lucien all sat down with their loved ones to eat their meal.
"Man...sure was cool of Daniel and Freya to give up their spots at the feast for you guys." Lucien chuckled. "Even more cool that Daniel would even give up a challenge advantage."
"Heh." Jaime wasn't impressed. "He probably realizes he's an easy person to beat in the finale so he doesn't need to win immunity to continue on in the game. He's just trying to buy jury votes."
"Speaking of jury votes." Mrs. Kruger turned to Barnard in a whisper. "It would be best for you, Barnard, to get rid of any and all judicial threats right away."
"Well…" Barnard responded under his breath. "The biggest judicial threat right now is probably Freya considering her merge game thus far, but she's part of my majority alliance right now, and I can't be sure the other two members would entertain a vote against her yet."
"Barnard, you shouldn't go through this game without taking risks." Mrs. Kruger shook her head.
Meanwhile, down the table, Azami and Aiko were having a pretty different brand of conversation.
"And then once the Mummies are gone, I'll go ahead and get rid of that loser Banshee returning player~" Azami almost sang. "Then smooth sailing for Azami up to that final vote where I easily win against either Barnard or Jaime who might be okay to be around, but neither one of them has actually done anything."
"Oooh, I can't wait to see you win, Azami!" Aiko smiled.
"That true?" John nudged Jaime as they overheard the Hyung sisters.
"You really haven't done anything?"
"I'm the only one actually keeping this alliance together." Jaime rolled her eyes. "But if I see the opportunity to make a power play, I'll be sure to take it."
"And I was stuck on this island for my whole first day here!" Lucien laughed as he and Bernie talked it up from their spots on the table.
"Luci, why on earth did you do that?" Bernie laughed back at him. "But hey, at least you have that team of Demons right here with you now, better see if it's not too late to join your dream team!"
"Hey yeah, you guys think we could all team up? Final four pact?" Lucien asked aloud.
"That might have worked if you'd asked it way earlier." Jaime snickered.
"You should watch out for him too." Mrs. Kruger whispered to Barnard. "He has the energy of a project-leader. Don't let him rally anyone against you."
Confessional: Barnard
"So, vote off Freya and Lucien as soon as possible, thanks Mom."
End Confessional
Confessional: Jaime
"John wants me to make some kind of play, and he's right. I need to do something, anything that will get my name out there, but it needs to be something that won't upset the Jury, that's the tricky part."
End Confessional
Confessional: Lucien
"Man, it was sooo nice to be able to eat with Bernie and to see all the Demons with their guards down. We both have pretty good hearing so it's not like anything that was said escaped our attention either. Looks like right now, the only player I know I can trust is myself. Then again, I never trusted any other player to begin with."
End Confessional
Confessional: Azami
"I don't get it, why Barnard and Jaime are acting like our plans could change at any moment, I mean. It's like being on top is never enough for either of them. Ugh, WHATEVER. If they feel like going back to LOSERVILLE, I'll be sure to not drag them out this next time."
End Confessional
Location: Merge Cabin Boys' Side
Contestant(s): Daniel, Freya
"Is there a particular reason you followed me into this side of the cabin?" Daniel asked, unamused.
"Don't play dumb with me, I felt it when I had to carry you. The Curse Tiki. Took all my willpower not to try and snatch it."
"Oh, so that's it. What do you want then? The tiki?"
"That would be nice, yes, but actually I came to say that tonight, I'll vote with you and the blonde half-idiot." Freya sat down in a chair and began to file her nails. "Three Demons all together on the reward? It's obvious your goal was pity points for the Jury but you've also effectively cemented my place as their fourth. I'm not about to stick around and see my ass booted right now for being too threatening."
"Both you and the half-idiot as you call him are giving yourself too much credit." Daniel yawned. "You're biggest play of the merge was trying to get me eliminated during the Kaden vote off, and that was a flop. Every other time, you've either gone with the grain or thrown your vote away."
"I helped with Tori-"
"Maybe a little." Daniel shrugged. "But it would have been a tiebreaker without you at worst. Against Sherwood. Not liking Tori's chances there. Meanwhile, I've taken curses, some of which nearly got me eliminated, I've been aggressive in my strategic plays, the only thing you have going for you is that you're in bed with one of the jurors."
Freya shrugged back at Daniel.
"Lambast me if it makes you feel better, but I'm playing a good game. Despite being the least popular of all of them coming into this, I'm still the last returning contestant left. Sure, I'm 'in bed' with a juror, but it's not like I knew the jury would be a thing. Most of the jurors hate you because of your social gameplay, which, by the way, is the most important part of this game."
"Too bad I only have you right now." Daniel rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, you're no feast on Weliweli either, grey-hair." Freya yawned. "But it sure beats just being miserable on your own."
"I'm miserable no matter how many people are around me." Daniel grumbled.
Confessional: Freya
"Freya Merrim's Total Drama Playbook Rule #3: Don't avoid your enemies, seek them out, make yourself familiar to them. Then, in their subconscious, they'll target players less familiar as voting options." Freya then gives a small sigh. "Learned that rule the hard way in Zero Sum."
End Confessional
Confessional: Daniel
"This Final 6…" Daniel shakes his head. "I don't like a single one of them. How any of the Jury could stand to vote for any of them other than Kyle and Kaden voting for Freya and Azami respectively is beyond me. But Freya knowing I have the curse tiki, that's the news I should focus on right now. Does this mean I should take her out with the tiki? I haven't decided yet. After all, I would still like to be rid of a Demon, not the clear solo player that just happens to be working with them."
End Confessional
*BEEEEEEEEEEP*
"Alright, Final 6!" Chris chimed over the loudspeakers. "If you're having lunch with your loved ones, prepare to say goodbye! All 6 of you need to meet me on Nui Kaua Beach, stat! It's Challenge Time!"
Location: Nui Kaua Beach
Contestant(s): All Remaining
"Ahoy Final 6!" Chris called from the deck of a small pirate vessel, once again dressed in his pirate costume, complete with fake parrot.
"I swear to the island gods if this is just the final 6 challenge from Zero Sum-" Freya crossed her arms.
"Relax, Freya, it's a different challenge, but the footage from a certain ship in that episode did help inspire the one you six will be put through today!"
"The Hubert vs Oswald fight." Jaime nodded. "I guess this challenge is an actual naval battle then?"
"Correctamundo!" Chris gave Jaime the double guns. "Cheeeef!" He called out.
Chef arrived on an identical ship.
"Aight, maggots!" He shouted. "Listen up! These 'ere ships are The Harmonia and The Perudo! Three of ya' to a ship! One captain to man the wheel and give orders, one deckhand to help control the sails, and one cannon operator to go below deck and fire the cannons at yer opponents!"
"The last pirate vessel standing wins immunity!" Chris informed them. "But be warned, it's not just your fellow players out there you need to be worried about!"
A giant orange tentacle, as if on cue, rose from the water.
"Octo's been starving lately. Might be in heat or pregnant or something. Either way, you should all be careful to not let your ship get destroyed by the freshwater man-eating octopus! A-ha-huh."
"OOH!" Azami's hand rocketed up. "I call captain! I call captain!"
"Well Azami, if you feel so strongly about being a captain…" Chris grinned. "Then go ahead and choose your crew!"
"EASY!" Azami cheered. "You...and you!" She pointed to Jaime and Freya.
Confessional: Azami
"Alright check it, those two have actually SEEN whatever episode these ships are from. NO ONE ELSE has been keeping up with this show recently, so OBVIOUSLY I've got the winning team here!"
End Confessional
Confessional: Jaime
"Hm. As far as I'm concerned, Azami's decision strikes me as much more strategic than her uh...personality, had led me to think her capable of. I guess...in the event of a loss, it might look really good to the jury to align with Freya into voting her off. It's the Final 6 after all, we should all be thinking of how we're going to win over the favor of those jurors by now if we haven't been already."
End Confessional
Confessional: Freya
"Oh okay, so me and two Demons. Alright, great to know I'm totally boned if we lose."
End Confessional
Confessional: Barnard
"So it's a battle of the sexes this time, is it? Well, lucky for my group I happen to be fresh off a strategy meeting with the shrewdest woman I know. I'm fully confident I can lead this team to victory."
End Confessional
Confessional: Lucien
"So, we're sailing eh? Sweet! I can totally dig the idea of a pirate battle on the raging waters of Lake Nui Kaua, especially in this rainy weather, oh it's perfect! The others are probably sick of the storms by now, but I love the rain."
End Confessional
Confessional: Daniel
"This...is a less than ideal situation. I don't rightly care which one, but a Demon has to go tonight. If the women lose, that becomes nigh impossible with Freya as a potential target. If we lose however, I can't be sure Barnard will go home over the blonde idiot, or even myself. For now, the best I can think to do is take the position of the cannon operator below deck so I can listen in on conversations the other two might have."
End Confessional
"One last thing before we begin…" Chris announced as the contestants each got on their assigned ships. "If you're knocked overboard, you're out of the challenge, and can't win immunity even if your ship is the last one standing!"
"Then I for sure am calling the cannons." Daniel quickly nodded.
"Then I guess I'll take sails if you don't mind captaining, Barnard." Lucien shrugged.
Barnard nodded. "Sounds perfect."
"You plan to take the cannons too, Freya?" Jaime asked with a grin.
"No." Freya shook her head. "I'm on sail-duty."
Confessional: Freya
"So, I've watched all of Nui Kaua because of course I did when I found out some contestants from the season would be returning, and imagine my surprise when right away this sailor girl player said I was one of her favorites in Zero Sum of all things. Well, I might have been a little inspired to start researching sailboats and ships and look!" Freya digs around in her bag before showing a boating license to the camera. Much of the information on it was blurred out for privacy purposes. "Even got a boating license!"
End Confessional
"I don't care which one of you is on which duty!" Azami called after the two of them as she headed towards The Perudo. "Just come get on the ship so we can take the WIND out of the boys' SAILS! HAHAHAAAH!"
Freya and Jaime both covered their ears at the sound of the laugh.
Challenge: The Battle Of The Harmonia and The Perudo
Rules: The contestants have been divided into two crews of three to operate separate pirate ships in a naval battle in octopus-infested waters. The last ship standing wins immunity for any crew that is still on board the ship.
Ships and Crew:
The Perudo:
Azami is the Captain
Freya is the Deckhand
Jaime is the Armsmaster
The Harmonia:
Barnard is the Captain
Lucien is the Deckhand
Daniel is the Armsmaster
Location: Lake Nui Kaua Open Waters
Contestant(s): All Remaining
"Fire off portside!" Barnard shouted as the Harmonia managed to catch The Perudo in its sights.
"Freya, Freya turn us, turn us!" Azami called as she tried in vain to operate the wheel at the helm of the ship.
The Perudo slightly began to turn in the water as Freya pulled at the ropes controlling the direction the sails were facing and the waters rocked the ship in a circular motion.
*Sploosh*
The cannonball that Daniel had fired just barely missed them.
"Jaime!" Freya stomped her heel into the deck twice in rapid succession.
"On it!" Jaime called up from below as she loaded a cannon of their own and retaliated.
"Incoming!" Lucien announced as the ball just grazed by the side of The Harmonia.
"Freya!" Azami shouted from the helm. "Take us out further! I want to get that octopus in on this!"
"WHAT?" Jaime poked her head out the deck. "Are you insane? It's more likely to wreck our own ship first?"
"Aye-aye, captain!" Freya ignored Jaime's warning and began to take the ship closer to where the women had last seen Octo's tentacle.
Confessional: Freya
"Those guys don't know that I know how to actually operate this kind of ship, and that's good. Because it will make me look better if we actually pull this off and win, and because Azami the captain, she can take the blame in the very likely event that we lose."
End Confessional
"What the heck are they doing?" Barnard asked over the loud winds of the storm. "That's way far out in octopus water!"
"Yeah well…" Lucien began to turn the sails to chase them. "We might want to start heading that way too, I don't like the look of that particular storm cloud." He nodded up to where a cumulonimbus cloud was rolling across the lake, and the boys each saw some lightning forming inside it.
"Let's not let that strike our ship!" Barnard agreed. "Alright, outsail that storm, the danger of the octopus be damned!"
Confessional: Daniel
"Meanwhile, I just decided to fill each cannon with a cannon ball so I could spend the rest of our journey eavesdropping on those other two."
End Confessional
Confessional: Barnard
"We can't lose! I don't know who has the curse tiki, but I don't think it's anyone who would be willing to use it to save me! And if the girls lose, that's all the excuse I need to convince the other two members of my alliance to vote off Freya! And to be honest, she's a far bigger threat than either Lucien or Daniel at the moment."
End Confessional
"Gyaahhh!" The girls all screamed as Azami, Freya, and even Jaime was up on deck scrambling to maneuver their ship through Octo's many thrashing tentacles.
The sea monster rose its head out of the water and stared at the women with an enraged eye.
"Oh!" Jaime rushed below deck and fired off a cannon, hitting the beast, allowing The Perudo to sail by as the mollusk recoiled in pain.
"YEAH! WOOO!" Azami cheered loudly. "GO JAIME! KEEP THE TAILWIND, FREYA!"
"Woo!" Jaime cheered from below deck.
"Woohoo!" Freya laughed with a smile before the girls all noticed the boys in The Harmonia gaining on them.
"Longshots!" Daniel called out as he fired two cannons off the side.
"TWO AT ONCE?!" Azami shouted.
"Gahhh!" Freya tried to maneuver the ship, but couldn't avoid either cannon ball.
"Ooof!" Jaime was knocked around below deck, her eyes widening as she saw the dents in the ship's hull.
"We can't take shots like those in the same area again!" She warned as she fired off a retaliation shot that went wide.
"We can sink them!" Barnard called with glee from the helm of The Harmonia. "Lucien, tell Daniel to fire again!"
"Hey Dan, you get that?" Lucien asked.
"We have bigger problems, literally!" Daniel called back up as he pointed to where Octo had regained its senses and was now angrily glaring at The Harmonia and its crew.
"FIRE!" Azami shouted as The Harmonia felt a jolt on their starboard side.
"Oh, that's...not good." Daniel mumbled as he noticed a small leak in the hull of the ship.
"Hey!" He called up as he plugged the hole with a cannon ball. "We've got a leak and now one less shot to take against that ship!"
"Maybe we can reason with Octo and get them to attack the girls' ship?" Lucien wondered.
"Octopuses might be smart, but I don't think that applies here! TURN!" Barnard shouted as Octo brought one of its tentacles down and demolished one of The Harmonia's sails.
"Noooo!" Lucien screamed as he hurriedly attempted to change course.
"ALRIGHT!" Azami yelled to both Freya and Jaime.
"WE'RE GONNA RAM THEM AND TAKE OUT THAT MONSTER IN ONE GO!"
"I'm loving the confidence, hating the plan!" Jaime called from below deck.
"Yeah, same!" Freya agreed as she changed course per Azami's request anyways.
"But hey, I'm not about to defy my captain!"
"They're charging?" Lucien rose a brow before realizing he wasn't just seeing things. "Ahhh! They're charging! They're charging!"
"They want to play chicken with us, huh?" Barnard bit his lip and looked around. "Lucien, I know it might be hard, but we need to charge right back at them!"
"What about the giant sea monster?" Daniel asked as he fired off some rounds into Octo to stun it for just long enough to give them time to talk.
"It's not what we need to sink, is it?" Barnard called back. "We can't forget about that storm cloud either, we need to get past the girls!"
"Well, unfortunately, the wind isn't exactly in our favor!" Lucien warned before he began to scream in terror as The Perudo charged through the rough waters towards the bow of The Harmonia.
"Alright...new plan…" Daniel rushed up onto the deck of the ship. "Octo over there is going to be mad at us for shooting at it, because like Barnard said, octopuses are smart. So we're simply going to be on The Perudo when it comes to and tries to retaliate. That way it damages their vessel and not ours!"
"But, that storm could still sink our ship!" Barnard began to debate.
"Then take a prop sword and force the women overboard!" Daniel shut down Barnard's argument. "Surely you have enough confidence to be able to do that, captain."
"...Fine." Barnard nodded. "In that case, everyone...BRACE YOURSELVES!"
The Perudo crashed into the Harmonia, causing both ships, but especially the latter to take massive structural damage, and both began to quickly fill with water.
However, the girls had a similar idea about crossing vessels and both trios met at the bows of their waterlogged ships.
Each player screaming primally, they all paired up in combat.
Azami and Barnard.
Freya and Luceien.
Daniel and Jaime.
The sound of plastic smacking plastic filled the area as prop cutlass clanked against prop cutlass.
"Azami, come on!" Barnard pleaded. "You know it's better for the alliance as a whole if you three end up losing!"
"No, it's better for you!" Azami quickly and correctly responded back. "What about me, huh? What about Jaime? Freya might also be a loser, but she at least deserves to be considered!"
"What a ringing endorsement." Freya rolled her eyes as she fended off Lucien's advances the best she could.
"I heard from Daniel…" He said quietly so that no one would hear them. "You want to vote with the two of us?"
"I've come too far in this game to go home now." Freya pleaded. "Just keep me around for this one elimination and I won't ask either of you for help ever again."
"Well, I wasn't sure about aligning with Daniel to begin with." Lucien shrugged. "There is one thing that could convince me to keep you around though...If, say, you're eliminated at the final 5, final 4, or final 3...I want your Jury vote."
"And what's to keep me from playing you for a chump?" Freya snickered back.
"Nothing." Lucien smiled. "Totally defenseless here."
Confessional: Lucien
"But, if her general attitude recently is anything to go by...she'll honor that deal, and I do need to start working on my own resume. Final 6, you know. That jury vote is just around the corner."
End Confessional
"Fine." Freya smiled. "You make sure I don't go home this round, you can get my jury vote if I don't make it to the finale."
Confessional: Freya
"Annnnd there we go. Thanks to that deal with Lucien, I have a fair amount of confidence that I've just forced Daniel to either play or part with that Curse Tiki."
End Confessional
"Hey." Jaime whispered to Daniel.
"What is it?" Daniel groaned.
"I know you have it. You're the only one who was also looking through confessionals last week."
"And?" Daniel rolled his eyes.
"Don't use it this round. You'll be wasting it."
"Hm." Daniel gave Jaime a suspicious look.
"We aren't going to vote you off, Daniel, it's Lucien. He's the bigger jury threat."
"You might not even win the challenge…" Daniel mentioned. "And if you lose, then I really don't need to play the Curse Tiki. Why don't you tell me the real reason you struck up a conversation?"
Jaime sighed before beginning to explain herself to Daniel.
Confessional: Daniel
"Interesting...It looks like the jury truly is on everyone's mind right now. Good. While they all worry about jury votes, I'll continue to play the game right in front of us."
End Confessional
The contestants continued to swing their swords against each other, until they all stopped as Octo reared up to bring one of its tentacles down upon all six of them.
Before it could, however, the storm cloud's lightning finally struck, and both vessels as well as the giant octopus began to recede into the water.
"No!" Chris yelled from a nearby ferry. "Chef, get out there! Make sure that Octo is alright! That's your first priority!"
Location: Nui Kaua Beach
Contestant(s): All Remaining
"Well…" Chris said as the last of the six players regained consciousness. "Looks like everyone went down with their ships this time…As such...all six of you are eligible for elimination!"
Confessional: Azami
"AGH! STUPID STORM! RUINING MY AMAZING PLAN!"
End Confessional
Confessional: Barnard
"This is not a good situation. I don't have as valid an excuse to vote Freya off anymore. Which means we should switch to Lucien as a target but...no. I won't get anywhere if I don't take risks."
End Confessional
Confessional: Daniel
"Hm...anyone can go home can they? Interesting."
End Confessional
Confessional: Freya
"Shit, shit, shit, shit, fuuuuck. This isn't good. My fate is in the hands of Daniel and Lucien? I'm not exactly their best buddy."
End Confessional
Confessional: Jaime
"This elimination is important. Everyone, and I mean everyone is thinking about how to make a big splash in this game near the end, and what would be most popular with the jury."
End Confessional
Confessional: Lucien
"Wow, okay, so that….that challenge...was awesome. Chris, when can we do another one like that? Oh right, I guess I do need to decide how this whole vote should go down. Maaan, I really don't like being kingmaker you know, I'd prefer to wrong as few people as possible but...no way that'll get me to the finale."
End Confessional
Location: Po'ino Bonfire Elimination Ceremony
Contestant(s): Azami, Barnard, Daniel, Freya, Jaime, Lucien
Jury Present: Kyle, Antonio, Kaden, Samuel, Lena, Twilight, Aleister, Tori, Sherwood
"So, Final 6…" Chris grinned as the contestants all sat nervously in their seats around the bonfire.
"An epic pirate naval challenge and not a single one of you walks away with immunity."
The jury began to whisper among themselves.
"But before we go vote, let's talk about the curse." Chris continued. "You all got to see visits from your loved ones, those closest relatives you mentioned in your audition tapes."
He turned to Daniel and Freya. "And yet it was the two whose families failed to show up that one the opportunity for the reward. And they both gave it up so that the rest of you could enjoy quality time with your loved ones."
"Well, in Freya's case she clearly just wanted the advantage in the Final 5 challenge." Daniel mentioned.
"Oh shove it, Daniel, we all know you only refused the advantage to attempt to look good to the jury." Freya crossed one leg over the other.
"You'd think after winning a curse challenge together a beautiful friendship would blossom between them." Jaime snarked.
"One would think." Freya nodded. "But I think we all owe it to the jury." She faced the contestants as she nodded over to the jury. "To make sure little gremlins like Daniel don't make it to the end of the game. I don't know about the rest of you guys, but if I saw one player take another to the finale thinking about an easy vote, the first thing going through my head would be that a certain someone wasn't confident enough in their game to win that jury vote on their own merits."
"Of course, there is still time before that final vote for the future finalists to prove themselves." Barnard pointed out. "Such a popular play would best be saved for the final 4 or 3, whichever is the last challenge we're allowed to vote someone out after. That way it stays fresh in the jury's mind."
"I'm sort of with Barnard on this." Jaime shrugged. "But at the same time. A big play is a big play. You can't just wait for the right opportunity to come along, you have to effectively force the opportunity to come by making decisions that will benefit your long-term goal."
"All this talk about plays and stuff." Lucien chuckled. "It seems like everyone's got their own agenda right now Chris, and I really hope that's true, because if it isn't, then I'm being hella duped right now."
"I'd say it's probably true." Azami nodded. "Anyone still thinking in terms of teams or groups is DELUSIONAL."
"Well then…" Chris smiled as the jury continued to congregate. "If everyone has said their piece...It's time to vote! Jaime, we'll start with you!"
Confessional: Jaime
"Big plays are what win the respect of the jury, but only against the right targets."
End Confessional
After Jaime came back, Daniel was sent up.
Confessional: Daniel
"This might be the first elimination I've been present at where I genuinely have no idea what anyone else is thinking. What I do know though...is that I need jury votes."
End Confessional
When Daniel had finished voting, it was Azami's turn.
Confessional: Azami
"Alright, look, I can't just keep letting you go around doing whatever you want, alright? You're DONE!"
End Confessional
When she returned, Lucien went up.
Confessional: Lucien
"Whew...okay...alright audience, pro-gamer move might be happening tonight…"
End Confessional
As he concluded his vote, it was Freya's turn.
Confessional: Freya
"I refuse to go home...I refuse to go home...I refuse to go home…"
End Confessional
Finally, Barnard finished off the voting process.
Confessional: Barnard
"Alright, time to get serious."
End Confessional
"I'll go tally the votes…" Chris stood up and walked over.
"Dammit, I'm actually really nervous this time." Freya held a hand to her heart.
"We all are." Jaime assured her. "Even if some might not show it." She stared at Azami.
"NOPE!" Azami smiled widely as she responded with maximum volume. "NOT NERVOUS AT ALL HAHA, HOPE THE CONFIDENCE ISN'T GETTING ON YOUR NERVES! HAA!"
Confessional: Azami
"OF COURSE WE'RE ALL NERVOUS! I just simply won't ever let it show!"
End Confessional
Chris returned with a platter full of five crystal balls.
"Alright." Chris began his spiel. "I have with me only five crystal balls. If I call your name, come up and receive a crystal ball. If you do not receive a crystal ball, you must immediately get inside the Coffin of Shame and ride the Horror Hearse off of the island, after which you will become the tenth member of our Jury."
He paused.
"But before I get to giving these out...If anyone has the Curse Tiki and would like to play it...now would be the time to do so."
All eyes were on Daniel.
He reached down.
He scratched his bare foot. "These have been killing me since I gave up my shoes, Chris." He shook his head.
"Alright then…" Chris grinned. "In that case...Daniel, Lucien, you two are safe."
He tossed both Daniel and Lucien crystal balls, leaving the Demon alliance to look at each other with disappointed, but entirely unsurprised expressions.
"Jaime, you're safe too." Chris tossed Jaime a crystal ball.
"Oh thank goodness." Jaime sighed, relieved as she joined Daniel and Lucien at Chris's side.
Chris grinned at the three players left.
"Only two crystal balls left to give out…" He teased.
"And this one...goes to…
…
…
…
…
… Freya."
"Oh sweet merciful island gods." She jumped up and snatched the crystal ball, holding it close to her like a plushie as she joined the others.
Confessional: Freya
"Final 5!...I'm in the Final 5!...Oh, and I have that advantage! Okay...Okay..breathe...breathe Freya...just breathe…"
End Confessional
"Lady and gent…" Chris nodded at Azami and Barnard respectively. "This is the final crystal ball of the night." He held up the last crystal ball from the platter.
"And…
…
…
…
…
…
…
It belongs…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
… To Barnard." Chris tossed Barnard the final crystal ball, leaving Azami in a state of complete shock.
"WHAT?!" She could hardly believe what she was seeing. "WHAT?!" She repeated.
"I'LL FIND OUT WHICH ONE OF YOU DID THIS!" She warned loudly. "YOU JUST MADE A HUGE MISTAKE!"
Confessional: Jaime
"No, no, I just took Freya's advice. Going to the finals with an easy mark next to me? Please, I'm not that desperate. I can win without Azami sitting next to me."
End Confessional
"And that's a wrap on Azami!" Chris announced as Chef drove Azami away and the other campers all silently began to return to the Merge Cabin while the Jury looked on in awe. "Proving that, beyond a shadow of a doubt, power alliances are out the window! Can Barnard recover from this second betrayal? Has Freya finally found footing? Will Daniel actually start earning some Jury votes? Find out maybe one or two of these...next time!
On Total Drama Nui Kaua!
The Cursed!
Island!"
*Azami's Final Confessional:
"So this is complete and utter GARBAGE! I was eliminated BEFORE the last return? WHY? And besides I could have sworn that Barnard was the one everyone was going to go for! Why me? Whoever you are that spearheaded this blindside, WHY ME?!" Azami takes a moment to breathe and calm down. "Also though, I guess, congratulations. Because I sure as heck don't want to lose to a loser, so you better get to the end so I can vote you the winner of this show!"
End Confessional*
The Votes for those who are curious
Azami voted for…Barnard
Barnard voted for…Freya
Daniel voted for…Azami
Freya voted for…Barnard
Jaime voted for…Azami
Lucien voted for...Azami
AN:
Azami
Boy, is Azami a character.
I knew I wanted Azami in this story as soon as I saw her title as the arrogant gymnast. We were low on more athletic female characters at the moment and boy did Azami deliver both physical capability and an amazing storyline of actually managing to start making friends (kind of) and humbling herself just a little (sort of), but all while retaining her confidence and athletic and strategic skill. I should also mention though, that while Azami might have been eliminated this episode, her story hasn't entirely concluded just yet (Of course, that's the case with all the jurors, but I wanted to mention that here because it's more true here than any of the previous cases).
Having studied her actions throughout the season, Azami receives the status of: Villain.
No, she isn't a bad person, and it's not like the choices she made in the game were bad choices either, in fact most of her choices were pretty good. What makes Azami a villain as opposed to a really prickly neutral is the way she went about making all of her plays and choices. She was constantly picking fights with all her teammates, she would betray her alliance on multiple occasions, and she went through basically the entire game refusing to ever admit to mistakes or failures.
Azami's best moment, to me at least, is her song that she sings in the Nui Kaua's Got Talent II challenge. Those lyrics really help convey her mindset and thoughts across to both Kaden and the audience. She might be a villain in the game, but she's not evil or a bad person and she can be hurt and forgive others just like everyone else. She simply avoids showing it if she can help it.
Of course, this is all just my opinion. What do you guys think?
The Final 5 challenge is next. Any idea for what that might be?
And as always, thank you for reading!
AN2: Discord link up on my profile page for any of you who might want to join a server where we meme around with each other about this fic and my other total drama fics! If that sounds like fun to you feel free to stop by!