Face front, true believers!
Author's Note: I'm sure you all have several questions about what the heck this is, where I've been and the status of Total Drama: Once Again! A detailed answer to all will be provided after the chapter's over, but first I saw fit to provide a little information for you all.
To begin with, this story is explicitly set in the later summer of 2019, any references that are made be they real world or pop culture will not come from anything made in 2020. Here's a quick timeline of Total Drama's history leading up to this.
2014-2015: Total Drama Island and Total Drama Action are filmed.
2016: Total Drama World Tour and Total Drama: Revenge of the Island are filmed.
2017: Total Drama All-Stars, Total Drama: Pahkitew Island, and the Ridonculous Race are filmed.
After that, two years of inactivity go by before Chris makes his comeback with this season. Reasons why Chris and Don both haven't made anything new will be explained in later episodes. Also...
All the First Generation contestants are 21 years old. (Alejandro and Sierra are not included in this, they are both 20 years old.)
All the Second Generation contestants are 19 years old.
And all the Third Generation contestants are 18 years old.
All right, that's all I've got for right now. Read on and I promise there'll be more waiting for you at the chapter's end. Kick back, relax, and I hope you all enjoy my newest project!
Episode 1: Things Are About to Get Bazaar, Part 1
"Yo!" a familiar celebrity enthusiastically said to the camera before him, with what appeared to be a plain white background behind him. "It is I, everyone's favorite reality TV host, the ever amazing Chris McLean here to inform you that no, your eyes are not playing tricks on you. No, you are not being punked. Rather, it is the moment so many of you have been begging and pleading for! Hang onto your hats as I welcome, welcome, welcome you to the grand return of Total Drama!" An explosion of confetti erupted behind him as unseen trumpets began to play a triumphant tune.
"Nice touch, wouldn't you folks at home agree?" the host chuckled with a cheesy grin, very obviously pleased with himself. "Yes we may have been off the air for a while, but we're more than prepared to make it up to all you fans who refused to give up hope," he paused to wipe a nonexistent tear from his eye. "This season is for all of you!"
He snapped his fingers and the camera zoomed out to show that instead of standing in front of a background as it initially seemed, the host was instead standing on a port with a cruise ship of impressive size anchored in the ocean behind him.
"This season, we'll be hearkening back to one of our more popular past excursions," Chris said as the camera zoomed back to focus on him. "That is to say, Total Drama World Tour. But this time, we decided that instead of going by plane, we'd get up to a little nautical nonsense and travel by boat! Feast your eyes on the S.S. McLean!"
A small beeping could be heard, causing the host to reach into his pocket and pull out his phone. Peering at it momentarily, he directed his focus back to the camera with a smirk.
"And it looks like the first two contestants for this season will be arriving shortly," he said. "Yep, you heard right; two. We've got way more competitors this time than we've had on our last few shows. In fact, this season will feature a total of twenty-four players fighting for the grand prize, so for their arrival, we had to implement the buddy system. Who you might be wondering? You'll just have to stay tuned and find out right here, on Total! Drama! Odyssey!"
*Cue the Theme Song Sequence that will be added in a later chapter*
With the camera now fading back to the Host with the Most, who was now joined by his assistant, the much larger in stature Chef Hatchet, whose cross demeanor contrasted greatly with Chris's zeal.
"Why the heck did you make me come out here, man?" the Army Cook asked his employer. "I can't darn well get things ready to cast off if I gotta stand out here around those snot-nosed brats!"
"Buddy, will you relax?" Chris said calmly putting his hands in response. "You really only have to stick around for this first drop-off, and then you can head back on board. You've been putting in a lot of work lately so I felt a little reward was in order."
A white car was now pulling up to the dock, causing the host's grin to grow. "And here it is now; Duncan and Eva!"
"Duncan? Eva?" Chef asked in disbelief. "In what world are those two considered a reward? Man, I'd to see what you consider a punishment."
"Keep complaining and you won't have to wait too long to find out," Chris replied, now wearing a slight frown.
Before any more could be said between the two, one of the car doors flew open and out stomped Duncan. The first thing that could be noticed about the Delinquent, was that while his infamous mohawk was still present, it was no longer green, having been dyed a deep red. He was wearing a sleeveless, red hoodie over a black T-shirt that had a picture of a smiling devil surrounded by flames on it, black jeans with a noticeable chain hanging from two of the belt loops on the right side. Though Duncan did not seem to have any new piercings, he was now sporting a tattoo of a green snake coiled around his right arm.
"McLean, I swear to God I oughta kill you for bringing me back for more of this crap!" Duncan snarled, grabbing the host by the collar of his shirt, drawing him closer to him, balling his free hand into a fist. Despite the aggression being inflicted upon him, Chris did not appear the least bit concerned, even though Chef Hatchet was cracking his knuckles and walking towards the two.
"Don't trouble yourself Chef," Chris told his assistant, holding up a finger. "This matter will be resolved momentarily." Chef stopped and raised an eyebrow in confusion, but quickly gave a dark grin. Just as Duncan opened his mouth to say something, a fist was seen punching him in the face with enough force to cause him to let go of Chris and fall to the ground.
"Gah! What is wrong with you Eva?" Duncan shouted as he looked up at his attacker, rubbing his injured cheek. "I wouldn't have done anything to you if you were about to sock him!"
The Iron Woman rolled her eyes down at Duncan, not cracking so much as the smallest of smiles. She was wearing a short-sleeved, dark green hoodie that did not appear very long in length, as one could easily see the grey shirt she wore underneath it along with a pair of black pants that had a white stripe going down the side of each leg, and both of her hands looked to be wrapped in white gauze.
"Like you even could, Mohawk," Eva said crossing her arms before looking up at Chris. "You got my money McLean?"
Chris reached into his shirt and pulled out a rather large amount of bills. "It's worth every penny, I assure you," the host said as he handed the money to Eva. "I just knew that he'd like his surprise." Chef Hatchet was nearly doubled over in uproarious laughter, having to keep a hand on Chris's shoulder to support himself.
"Surprise?" Eva asked. "I thought you said you wanted me to babysit the punk because you thought Hatchet couldn't hack it anymore?"
Chef's laughter abruptly stopped and his grip on Chris's shoulder suddenly tightened, causing the host the let out a painful yelp.
"What did she just say Chris?" Chef asked darkly now glowering at his boss.
"Yeah, I'd like a little confirmation on that myself," Duncan said, standing up and dusting himself off. "You paid Eva to babysit me? I don't need no babysittin', I'm a grown man!"
"Oh, would you look at that?" Chris squeaked out, weakly raising his arm to point forward. "I think our next two contestants are approaching."
Sure enough, another white car could be seen in the distance making its way to the dock. Chef released his hold on Chris and began to board the ship, the irritated look not leaving his face.
"This ain't over Chris," he yelled as he walked off. "You hear me? You and I are gonna have words later!"
"Oh boy am I ever gonna look forward to that," Chris said with a flat look as he began to massage his hurt shoulder. "And yes Duncan, to answer your question, I did enlist Eva's services to keep an eye on you, though I'm pretty sure I didn't use the word 'babysit'. Although I wish I had, now that I think about it. Would've been way funnier."
"I've been doing work as a bouncer and as a bodyguard for the past few years," Eva said as she counted her money, ignoring the heated glare at her coming from Duncan. "Chris didn't want you blowing up any more of his junk and I figured on the off chance I don't win, I could still make some cash off this season."
Just as Duncan was about to open his mouth in protest, Chris covered it with his hand, effectively silencing him.
"Yeah, and should you still manage to do something that will damage me or my property, I think you know what will await you instead of elimination Duncan," Chris said in a warning tone. "And don't think you'll be able to get away with being put under house arrest like you did after the All-Stars finale."
The punk swatted the host's hand away from his mouth and turned away from him, crossing his arms. His eyes then quickly widened when he saw just who the next arrival was.
"Princess? You actually chose to come back to this sorry excuse for a TV show?" Duncan asked his former flame, Courtney as she joined them, seemingly alone.
The Control Freak's expression was quite prim, a look that was reflected in her choice of wardrobe, having dressed in a pinstriped, buttoned up pink shirt worn under a grey vest along with a pair of grey slacks and red heels. A very striking change in her appearance was that a pair of red, browline frame glasses was perched on the bridge of her nose.
"Chris, Eva," Courtney greeted in a civil tone, walking straight past her ex without even looking at him. Eva gave a quick nod in reply, though Chris's gaze was directed at the car that had dropped Courtney off.
"Um, what happened to Tyler, Courtney?" Chris asked the newest arrival. "He didn't try to skip out, did he?" Courtney shook her head in reply.
"He said there was something that he just had to do and that I should just go on ahead," she told the host.
"Oh brother," Chris groaned placing a hand on his forehead before walking over to the car. "We don't have the time for one of his 'extreme' stunts." As he did this, Duncan attempted to move closer to Courtney, who in turn moved further away from him than she already was.
"Whatsa matter Princess, you're not happy to see me?" Duncan asked in annoyance, only to immediately flinch when Courtney sent a heated glare his way.
"No, I'm not," Courtney replied bluntly. "And seeing as how we are no longer children and I have not been your girlfriend for four years, I'd appreciate you no longer calling me that patronizing nickname. Either call me by my first name when you talk to me or better yet, don't talk to me at all."
"I can't believe this!" Chris exclaimed, having witnessed the exchange between the former couple. "Such juicy drama already happening and I miss my front row seat to it because of Tyler?" He began to bang a fist onto the closed car door. "Let's go already, dude!"
A car door then opened, however it was one that was on the opposite side of where Chris was standing. Climbing onto the roof of the car was Tyler, with a look that was both enthusiastic and confident. The Jock still had his trademark red headband and had apparently added a red sweatband to each of his wrists. He also wore a red short sleeved-shirt underneath a blue tank top that was adorned with a single white star in its center with a pair of blue shorts.
"Extreme!" Tyler cried out as he leapt from the car, flipped in midair and landed perfectly on his feet next to Eva, who along with Courtney and Duncan looked absolutely shocked.
"Aw yeah, totally nailed the landing!" the jock cheered before being hit in the head with two rather large gym bags.
"Yo Daredevil, ya forgot your luggage!" The car's driver called out before rolling up his window and driving off.
Chris could be heard laughing as he began to walk back to where the contestants (well, three of them) stood.
"And that's the Tyler we all know and love to see fail," he said, stepping on the jock's hand as he went, causing him to let out a muffled cry in pain from underneath his things.
"Drop dead Chris," Tyler said with a frown, looking up at the host.
"A novel idea Tyler," a new voice spoke up, causing everyone standing to slightly jump in surprise. "But unfortunately with the way things go on this show, all of us are more likely to die before he gets so much as a paper cut."
"Harsh words Gwen," the host said. "But accurate nevertheless. Total Drama Odyssey welcomes you and Harold both to another round of cruel, cruel torment."
"Oh yeah, because I would much rather be here than still be studying art in Switzerland," the Loner snarked in reply. The first thing that the others noticed about her was that her hair was no longer black and teal, but instead a ghostly shade white and that her teal lipstick had been swapped for pure black. She was wearing a purple T-shirt that had the words, "Don't Care," printed on it over a black and white striped long sleeve shirt, fingerless purple gloves, black shorts, black and white striped leggings and black boots.
"I should've known the tranquility I've had for the past three years wouldn't last forever," Gwen said as she effortlessly picked Tyler up by the shirt with one hand and stood him back on his feet, causing the jock to shoot her an appreciative smile. "But I figured you'd at least have some trouble tracking me down. I deleted any social media account I had and barely spent any time online."
"Oh believe me Gwen, we actually did have a bit of a rough time figuring out where you were hiding," Chris replied. "But when the Total Drama crew is determined, we always get our man, woman or grumpy goth."
"Whatever," Gwen said before looking at Courtney and Duncan, both of whom had opened their mouths to speak. "And whatever you two have to say, save it. Especially you Courtney."
This caused both of the people she had addressed to close their mouths, though Courtney looked down glumly as she did so.
A sudden wheezing was heard, reminding everyone present that Harold had arrived too. The Dweeb was dressed in a brown sweater vest worn over a white, buttoned up collared shirt, along with a pair of tan pants decorated in a plaid pattern and a red beanie atop his head. Both his vest and his beanie each had a small number of pins on them, varying in different sizes and colors. The largest of the pins on his vest resembled a soda cup, complete with a bendy straw.
"Honestly surprised it took you so long to make a sound Nerdling," Duncan smirked, narrowing his eyes at his preferred bullying target.
Well gosh, it's not like I had much of a choice," Harold replied as he nervously looked at Gwen. "I was afraid if I said anything, Gwen would tell me another terrifying horror story!"
"Wait, that's why you were so quiet on the ride up here?" Gwen asked sounding genuinely surprised. "I was just trying to pass the time, not traumatize you Harold. That was one of my milder stories, I figured you could handle it."
"Evidently, you figured wrong," Chris interjected, causing the goth to glower at him. "But I may just have you tell that story to me later. If it's as scary as Harold's making it out to be, I could very well get some challenge ideas out of it. But in the meantime, we still have quite a few more contestants to go through and the final two of y'all's generation should be here any second now."
Just as suddenly as the host had finished speaking, another car had come and no sooner had it stopped, one of its passengers had already stepped out.
"Oh my gosh, it is like so good to you all again!" Lindsay said cheerily, before stopping and noticing that Chris, Tyler and Harold appeared happy to see her. Everyone else looked at her with an expression of either indifference or annoyance. "Well, some of you anyway."
The Airhead was wearing a V-necked, long sleeved teal dress, a large, coral colored belt being wrapped around her waist, a necklace that was entirely made up of pink hearts and had apparently swapped her blue bandana for a pink hairband and her brown cowgirl boots for ones that were navy blue in color.
"Hi Charlie, hi Dudley, hi Evelyn, hi Coretta, hi Greer, hi Harrison, and hi Tyler!" Lindsay greeted everyone present, once again getting all of their name's wrong with the exception of the last person she had addressed, whom she promptly wrapped her arms around in a warm embrace.
"I missed you like crazy, like more than anyone else on the show," she told the jock who looked all too happy to return the hug.
"Yeesh," Chris said in disgust, clearly not enjoying the affection that was being displayed. "Am I gonna have to turn the hose on you two already? I was hoping we wouldn't have to see a gross makeout session until after our first commercial break."
"Makeout session?" Lindsay asked, blinking in confusion. "Why would I make out with Tyler? It's not like we're dating or anything like that."
Gwen rolled her eyes. "Should've expected that after she managed to get his name right," she said pinching the bridge of her nose. "Yes Lindsay, you and Tyler are dating and have been longer than any couple on the show."
"Uh, actually Gwen, no we aren't," Tyler said breaking the hug from Lindsay. "She and I broke up a year and a half ago. In fact, Lindsay was the one who introduced me to the girl I'm dating now."
Though Gwen, along with Chris and Duncan, had looked surprised, no one else on the dock did. Many of them had nodded, with Lindsay's nod being the most ardent.
"It's true!" she chirped. "I had a feeling that the two of them would hit it off and I was totally right! Oh by the way, how is Ethel?"
"She's doing great, really wishes that she could be here so she could thank you again," Tyler replied. "Although, you know her name is actually-" He was cut off by the sound of Chris snapping his fingers, the host now having inserted himself in between the pair.
"So let me get this straight," Chris said jabbing a finger at Tyler's chest.. "You break up with the hottest chick that's ever been on the show and she sets you up with somebody new? As in, there's no hurt feelings between you two that I can exploit?"
"What do you want me to say Chris?" Tyler asked with a shrug. "It was a mutual thing, neither of us was really feeling it anymore."
"But we had a great talk about it and decided that there was no reason we couldn't still be friends," Lindsay added. "Also, do you think that you could not call me hot? It makes me feel a little icky to hear you say it." She finished by backing a few steps away from the hosts as her fellow contestants either snickered or glared at the older man disapprovingly.
Chris's eyes widened before glancing at the camera with a nervous smile and laughing in a rather awkward manner. He then sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Whatever, I'll be able to work through this," he mumbled through gritted teeth. "Moving far past that, since apparently I won't have to worry about you playing tonsil hockey with the MVP wannabe, where's the person who was riding with you Lindsay?"
Lindsay looked around before turning back toward the direction of the car. "You mean he wasn't behind me?" she asked. When the others shook their heads, she cupped her hands around her mouth. "Hey Teddy, you can come out now! Oh wait, that's wrong. Tevin, we made it to the show!"
Out of the car came, not a Teddy or a Tevin, but Trent who was carrying not just his luggage, but two instrument cases instead of one. The Musician had on a black leather jacket worn over a pink T-shirt that had a single yellow stripe going across its middle, a pair of round, black sunglasses hanging from the shirt's collar, a green flannel shirt wrapped around his waist and a pair of dark blue jeans. He also had a pair of buds in his ears and was preferring to dance as he walked over, singing as he did so with his eyes closed.
"I recall just walking down the street, trying to escape the city heat," Trent happily sang. "I saw her from the corner of my eye, eye, eye. Yes, she looked so good I thought I'd die."
Though Chris did not look as if was enjoying the impromptu performance one bit, Tyler and Lindsay did clapping along as Trent sang. Gwen, Courtney and even Eva also appeared to like the song, each of them having smiled for the first time that day.
"My heart went bang-shang-a-lang, bang-shang-a-lang, bang-shang-a-lang, bang-whoa!" Trent's solo flash mob had swiftly ended, thanks to Duncan sticking his foot out for the musician to trip over, now laying on his back on the ground.
"I did not expect to hear myself ever saying this in my life but, thank you Duncan," Chris said rubbing the temples of his forehead. "I swear I could feel a migraine coming on."
"Well you know, I'd be more than happy to do that full time if you need a professional," Duncan said with a grin before receiving a swat upside the head from Gwen. "Ow! What was that for Pasty? You don't even like mushy, bubblegum garbage like that!"
"To absolutely no one's surprise it looks like you haven't grown up one iota," Gwen deadpanned as a few of the others walked over to the fallen musician.
"Whoa, dude, are you okay?" Tyler asked. With the initial surprise over, Trent put both hands behind his head and placed his left leg over his right knee, all while wearing a calm and content smile.
"Doing just fine, Tyler, just fine," the cool guy replied before looking over to his right. "You know, I really oughta thank you Duncan. Just look at this view! That cloud, right over there, doesn't it look just like a brontosaurus?" He pointed upward and while a few looked to where he was directing, the others just looked at him in disbelief.
"Geez Elvis, you're even more of a weirdo than I remember you being," Duncan said before flinching under the glare Gwen sent his way.
"Why thank you," Trent said in an earnest tone. "That's really nice of you to say that to me." He then noticed another figure standing above him, and his smile vanished.
"Hey there Harold," Trent said now sounding surprisingly nervous. "How, h-how's it been going?" Harold, who looked as though he was seething, said nothing but instead raised his foot directly over Trent's face. The musician yelped before rolling away just as the dweeb brought his foot down. Now jumping to his feet, Trent held up his hands defensively as Harold advanced on him, both of the latter's fists clenched tight.
"Look Harold, if this is about what happened before, I'll say it again, I really am sorry," Trent said before having to duck as Harold attempted to punch him.
"I don't wanna hear anything you have to say you traitor!" Harold snapped, continuing to try and hit Trent. "I thought you were my brother, but you're nothing but a double-crossing, back-stabbing turncoat!"
Gwen quickly stood in front of Trent as Eva grabbed Harold from behind.
"What do you think you're doing Harold?" Gwen asked. "What could Trent have possibly done to make you so mad?"
"Wait, you mean don't know?" Trent asked the goth, stepping next to her now that Harold was restrained.
"Oh yeah, you probably wouldn't know about that since you left Canada not long after All-Stars ended," Chris butted in, popping up between them. "Well, I'm more than happy to fill you in. You see, around seven months ago, Trent here quit the Drama Brothers!"
"What? Really?" Gwen asked with her eyes now wide, to which Trent solemnly nodded.
"Yep, and it was right in the middle of their concerts too," Chris replied. "He just up and walked right out and left Harold and the others high and dry on stage."
"Well, it's a lot more complicated than that Chris," Trent said. But before he could say anything more, Harold had raised his foot and swung it back right into Eva's shin, causing her to shout out in pain and release her hold on him.
"Your day of reckoning has come Trenton Travis!" Harold growled as he now attempted to karate chop the fleeing guitarist. "I solemnly swear to make you feel the pain Justin, Cody and I have felt ever since you abandoned us!"
As the dweeb relentlessly began to pursue Trent, Chris began to obnoxiously laugh as the contestants glared at him, Duncan being the sole exception.
"Aren't you going to do anything about this?" Courtney asked, sounding disgusted at the host's amusement.
"Oh, I already am," Chris replied with his phone in hand. "I'm gonna be sending this to the editing team to ensure that it gets included into the promo for this episode! I'd heard that the Brothers breaking up was bad, but I didn't think it was gonna be this good!"
Having stopped running, Harold reached into his pocket and pulled out a small purple bag. Opening it up to reveal it contained several marbles, Harold grabbed a few of them and tossed them right at Trent's feet. Stepping on one caused the musician to once again fall to the ground, this time painfully landing on his stomach.
"You've had this coming for a long time Trent," Harold said as he walked in order to close the distance between them, cracking his knuckles as he went. Various cries could be heard, most telling Harold to stop while Duncan and Chris shouted out encouragement for him to hurry and attack. Regardless, the dweeb ignored them all, closed his eyes and raised his arm for another karate chop.
But as Harold drew closer another, another car had arrived, one of its riders stepping out the minute that it stopped. The contestant was walking in between Harold and Trent, at first appearing oblivious to what was going on but suddenly grabbed Harold by the wrist and stopping him in his tracks.
"Watch where you're going, ya mook! I just got here and dere's no way I'm letting my poof get mussed up by a screaming Poindexta!" the contestant said in a thick accent that could only belong to one person; Anne Maria.
The Jersey Girl was wearing an off-shoulder, long sleeve lilac colored shirt that was decorated in a leopard pattern, a pair of gold star earrings, a golden necklace that had the letters A and M hanging from it and black pants that were held up by a red belt and heels that had the same color and pattern as her top.
Opening his eyes, Harold appeared surprised but nevertheless unafraid of the person who had interrupted his attack.
"Who cares about your stupid poof?" the dweeb asked in a challenging voice. "I have vengeance I need to inflict! Your ridiculous hairstyle is completely inconsequential to me!"
Wordlessly, Anne Maria released Harold's wrist and used her now free hand to reach into her voluminous "poof" and pull out a can of hairspray. She then grabbed the much taller Harold by the ear and pulled him down to her eye level, the can less than an inch away from his face.
"Oh I think you will care," the Jersey girl calmly told Harold, her finger hovering over the nozzle. "I think you'll care very much should any of dis spray get in your eyes. Tell me, ya eva had dat happen to ya before? I assure you, it ain't a pleasant experience."
Harold's pupils shrank as he gulped, his bluster having completely vanished. Anne Maria noticed this and let go of his ear, which he then proceeded to rub with his hand.
"Now dis is what's gonna happen" Anne Maria said. "You're gonna calm down, shut up, and head back ova dere and behave, got it?"
Harold vigorously nodded in reply and turned around back to where the others stood, but not before looking down at Trent and making the motion to let the musician know that he was watching him. However he had not realized that he had walked right next to Eva, who proceeded to punch him in the stomach, clearly having been incensed by the dweeb striking her shin.
Satisfied, Anne Maria tucked the hairspray back into her hair before turning around to face Trent who was now on his knees, picking up the marbles that had been used to trip him. She knelt down and offered her hand to him.
"Are you alright?" she asked, in a tone that sounded much kinder than the one she addressed Harold with. Looking slightly taken aback, Trent nodded as he accepted her hand and got back to his feet.
"Thank you," Trent told her as he placed the marbles in his pocket. "I know he might not look it, but Harold's a really good fighter. If you hadn't stepped in when you did..."
"Don't worry about it, you woulda been just fine," Anne Maria waved him off before peering at something on his person. "Although if ya really wanna thank me, you could tell me where ya got dose specs."
"These?" Trent asked pointing to the sunglasses hanging from his shirt. He then reached into his jacket and pulled out four other pairs, one with red lenses, one with purple, one with blue and the last with orange. "I don't have the best luck in keeping them from getting broken so I always carry around some spares. You can have one if you want, I've got plenty."
"For real?" Anne Maria asked. When Trent nodded, she grabbed the purple pair and held them up to get a better look at them. "Sweet, thanks! Dese are totally in style right now, I've been wantin' a pair of dese!"
"A-hem! As scintillating as this is, we need to keep things moving," Chris said. "Would you two kindly get out of the way so Dawn can make her entrance?"
"But I'm already here," a small voiced right next to the host piped up, causing him and nearly every contestant within his vicinity to jump back in surprise.
The Moonchild was wearing a long, white turtle neck dress, a midnight blue scarf decorated with several suns and stars, black stockings and a pair of boots that were an earthy brown with her platinum blonde hair (which seemed longer) having been done up in a ponytail.
"What the? How the? When the heck did you get here?" Chris babbled in confusion.
"Oh I've been here for a little while, I actually got out of the car before Anne Maria did," Dawn replied nonchalantly. This response had caused many of the contestants to look at each other, their jaws slightly slacked. Even with most of their attention having been focused on Harold trying to attack Trent, logic dictated that one of the must have seen Dawn approach if she truly had left the car before Anne Maria had. However, no one was speaking up to claim that they did.
"So many auras I've wished to see up close!" Dawn happily exclaimed, seemingly oblivious to others being unsettled by her. "I could never properly observe them just watching you all on TV so I couldn't wait. You're all so wonderfully complex!" Her eyes then widened as she walked over to Courtney, placing a hand on the older girl's arm.
"Oh my, yours in particular is filled with so much-"
"Translation, you're all almost as weird as she is," Chris dryly remarked, cutting the Dawn off, resulting in the moonchild frowning but also causing Courtney to step away from the younger girl in relief. "And while you're all contemplating your respective weirdness, you can also get ready for the next two dunderheads to show up. Because as you can see, they are here."
Out of the next car stepped out a contestant who, as soon as he laid eyes on the host and his fellow competitors, greeted them with a salute.
"Private Brick MacArthur, reporting for duty!"
The Cadet was wearing a brown leather aviator jacket that had a rather fluffy collar over a plain white T-shirt that was tucked into a pair of grey camouflage cargo pants. Though he still wore a pair of combat boots, the boots were brown instead of black. As with the last time Brick was on Total Drama, a pair of dog tags were hanging from his neck.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we all know you were an army brat, now get outta the way!" a snide voice sharply spoke up.
Brick turned around to see who was speaking to him, only to receive a quick elbow to his stomach, causing him to double over in pain.
"I thought you'd left your jerkish ways behind you Scott," Brick wheezed out only to receive an eye roll in reply.
The Devious Guy was wearing a black, long sleeve shirt underneath a pair of overalls that had a sizable stain on its front pocket along with a tear in each of the knees along with a pair of boots that looked very shabby when compared to Brick's.
"Guess you'd probably be better off not thinking then, huh?" Scott said with a sneer. He then approached the others, leaving Brick behind him. But when his eyes rested on one person in particular, his expression quickly softened.
"Um, h-hey there C-Courtney," the redneck stuttered, his ears reddening. "W-What's up?"
Courtney looked rather surprised and was now rubbing the back of her head.
"School mostly," she answered in a tone that wasn't impolite, though her eyes were darting to a direction away from his gaze.
"Cool, cool," Scott said taking a step closer. "You know, I was really hoping we could..." he stopped talking when he noticed that Courtney was now covering her mouth and nose and beginning to back away from him. "What's wrong?"
"Dude, halitosis!" Chris exclaimed as he pinched his nose in disgust. "When the heck was the last time you brushed your teeth?!"
Scott, wearing an expression of indignation, opened his mouth to protest but then closed as if realization had begun to sink in.
"Gross!" Lindsay cried out with several of the other contestants expressing similar thoughts as they now distanced themselves away from the redneck as a new car was approaching the dock.
"Hopefully, the next two dudes didn't forget what soap and water is," Chris said before appearing thoughtful. "Although with one of them I guess it wouldn't be that much of a stretch if he did forget."
When the car drew closer, a majority of the contestants could guess who the host was referring to. Lightning was standing through the sunroof of the car, flexing his arms as if he was posing for a photographer. When the car came to a halt, Lightning climbed out of the sunroof, slid down the windshield and jumped off the hood of the car, catching both of the two duffel bags that were thrown out of the car after him.
"Sha-bam! Don't worry about holding your applause, the Lightning knows how happy y'all are to see him again!" the football player boasted, not seeming to realize that no one really seemed all too excited about him being there.
The Athletic Overachiever (whose hair still remained pure white) was wearing a yellow varsity jacket that had blue sleeves and a large, blue number 1 on the left side of the torso over a black tank top and a pair of yellow jogging pants that had the word, "Champion," going down the left leg in blue letters.
"Oh yeah, I'm so overcome with joy I think I might just puke," Gwen said in a caustic tone. The goth's sarcasm was not lost on Lightning, who made it a point of standing far away from her.
"See if Lightning saves you from getting a shovel to the face again, Scary Girl," the football player grumbled at a volume that was just loud enough to be heard by others.
"Can't say I envy the poor sucker who had to share a ride with that idiot," Gwen said quietly.
"Oh he most likely didn't mind Lightning," Dawn said, now appearing next to the goth, who was startled as Dawn hadn't been directly near her before. "There aren't too many of us who were on Revenge of the Island that he didn't like."
B had now exited the car and smiling at those who stood before him, threw up the peace sign.
The Strong Silent Genius was wearing the same orange ball cap he wore when he first competed, a sleeveless denim jacket over a black sweatshirt that had several mathematical equations on it in white text, as if they were problems written on a chalkboard, and a pair of baggy, dark green cargo shorts.
"Welcome back Beverly," Chris greeted, emphasizing the genius's full name. "Cat still got your tongue? Or maybe you made some kooky invention to do the talking for you?"
B glared ruefully at Chris and directing the hand that was still holding up two fingers straight at the host, put his index finger down.
"Huh, honestly surprised it took that long for one of you guys to give me the bird," Chris said, unfazed. This caused quite a few of the competitors to look down and snap their fingers, collectively regretting not having done just that.
"Oh, I'll do more than just give you the bird McLean," a new voice spoke up. Everyone looked up to see two more contestants had just joined them, the car that had brought them already speeding off into the distance.
"Welcome Jo!" Chris said before looking at the figure behind her and grinning. "I see having you ride with Staci was the right decision."
Much like Eva, the Take-No-Prisoners Jock-ette was wearing an outfit that wouldn't be out of place in a gym, consisting of a long sleeved red shirt underneath a sleeveless cyan hoodie, cyan jogging pants and a pair of black fingerless gloves.
The Compulsive Liar standing next to Jo was wearing a black sweatshirt, one that looked to be a size or two too big for her since her hands couldn't be seen out of her sleeves, adorned with several yellow sunflowers, a pair of maroon colored pants and swapped out the red bow in her hair for a yellow one. However what the contestants noticed first about Staci was that she had been gagged, by an old (and bad smelling) pair of socks.
"Of all the losers you could've stuck me in that car with, you chose Blabby the Chatterbox?!" Jo growled. "Nonstop talking for over thirty minutes! I had to break out my lucky socks just to shut her up! I would rather have gotten stuck riding with Bubble Boy!" She gestured to Staci who was attempting to undo the complex looking knot that the socks over her mouth were tied up in.
"No you wouldn't," Chris smugly replied. "Although that would be because Cameron won't be competing this time more than anything else."
"Wait, Cameron isn't going to be here?" Gwen asked in dismayed voice.
"Oh, I'm afraid not, dear Gwen," Chris said with false sincerity. "Y'see, our selection process was partly determined by an online poll we held a few months ago that asked the fans just who they wanted to see return. I'm not at all sorry to tell you that Cameron had a substantially low number of people vote for him."
"You mean to tell me more people wanted to see her over Cameron?!" the goth asked incredulously, pointing to Staci who was attempting to untie the socks bound around her mouth.
"Yeah, I gotta say I found that to be really weird myself," Chris said in a more earnest tone. "Like I'm not even joking about that. Go figure." The answer did not seem to satisfy Gwen, who crossed her arms and started muttering obscenities at the host under her breath.
"Anywho, you'll be glad to know we're almost through here," Chris said with a shrug. "The final eight competitors are those with the least amount of experience and exposure, relatively speaking; those who made their debut on Pahkitew Island."
Another car drove up and despite the fact that all the doors were closed and all the windows were rolled up, two voices could be heard shouting at one another, one of them sounding much more shrill than the other.
"How can you be so selfish?! Insisting that I carry everything I brought myself!"
"Maybe if you hadn't packed nearly everything in your room, you wouldn't need to worry about carrying so much!"
"Typical! Nothing but excuses! How can someone so perfect have a twin as lazy as you?"
"Everyone, you've all heard about the twins; Amy and Samey," Chris said gesturing to the car. No sooner had the host finished his sentence did the car door open and the younger of the two quarrelers came out.
"Not Samey!" she exclaimed sharply with her index finger pointed in Chris's direction. Her eyes were then directed towards the other contestants staring at her, some offering her sympathetic looks, others trying not to laugh while the rest just stared blankly.
"Er, I mean, my name isn't Samey, it's Sammy," she said now sounding much more bashful. "Or I've had a few friends call me Samantha if you'd prefer that."
The Good Twin's appearance had slightly changed, now sporting a pixie cut instead of the long hair she previously had as well as wearing a pair of black, butterfly frame glasses. Her outfit consisted of a blue, turtleneck sweater that had three white diamonds going down its center, a white midi length skirt, and a pair of brown boots.
"Stop telling them lies Samey!" the second voice shrieked which was followed by a suitcase being tossed at Sammy which she just barely managed to avoid. She turned around and grimaced at her sister now being at her side.
In contrast to Sammy, the Evil Twin didn't look much different apart from her clothes, being dressed in a sleeveless, pink turtleneck that had a single red heart located on its center, a black miniskirt and a pair of black boots. Unlike her twin, her hair was still shoulder length and no glasses could be seen on her face.
"You don't have any friends and your name isn't Sammy," Amy told her sister in a venomous tone. "I distinctly remember your birth certificate saying that your name is Samey!" Sammy shook her head and let out a weary sigh.
"Mom and I both already told you, just because you made a fake certificate doesn't mean my name's changed," Sammy said laying a hand on her forehead.
"Au contraire Less Significant Sibling," Chris interjected. "Lest you forget that this is my show and I say once again that your name is Samey."
Sammy let out a defeated groan as Amy raised her fists in celebration. "Ha! That's just what you deserve!" the evil twin gloated. "Now be a good little sister and carry all my stuff, now." Sammy however, merely walked past her carrying nothing but her own luggage.
"I'm not carrying your things for you," Sammy boldly told her twin. With one of her eyes twitching, Amy picked up another bag, geared to throw it at Sammy before someone grabbed it out of her hand and dropped it onto her head.
"Oh no you don't, Sheila," Jasmine said announcing her arrival, causing Sammy to brightly smile while Amy began to seethe. "G'day, mates. It's a pleasure to finally meet you lot." While the other contestants had to crane their necks just to look Jasmine in the other, many of them offered a friendly greeting nonetheless.
The Outback Girl was wearing her trademark slouch hat, along with a green camouflage vest worn over a white buttoned up long sleeve shirt, the bottom of which had been tied into a knot, and a pair of blue denim shorts.
"Good on ya mate," Jasmine told Sammy, giving the shorter girl a light jab to the shoulder. The good twin beamed in reply, an expression that quickly faded when she noticed that her sister had recovered and was glaring at her and Jasmine both.
"Well this stinks!" the evil twin complained. "Bad enough they decided to let my loser sister come back, but you're here too? Why don't you just go climb up a beanstalk and live up in the clouds where you belong?"
Sammy looked apprehensive as she saw Jasmine's hand ball into a fist and her eyes look much more fierce than they previously had. The outback girl took in a deep breath and then gave a rather dark grin towards Amy, causing the latter to look much more fearful.
"I've got a better idea," she said calmly lowering herself down to Amy's eye level. "How's about you and I see if I can toss you all the way up above the clouds?"
A deep, bellowing noise could then be heard, startling Amy into crouching down to her knees and covering her head as she screamed. Though many of the other contestants looked surprised as well, Jasmine merely broke into a smile and let out a small chuckle
"Uh Janice, you didn't bring any of those dangerous animals that live down over, did you?" Lindsay nervously asked.
"No wucka's, mate," Jasmine cheerily replied. "Oi, Beardo! I keep telling ya mate, ya need to make the grunt lower. A real koala would never sound that high!"
"Dude, is that really what a koala sounds like?" Tyler whispered to Brick, who could only offer a helpless shrug in reply.
The contestants then heard a melody that was particularly well-known as what was heard when opening a treasure chest when playing, "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time." During the song's final sting, Beardo jumped out of the car, landed in the splits before standing back up and shooting the others dual finger pistols. Despite a good number of the contestants applauding the display, some remained less than impressed.
"Not really hard to see why this guy got voted off first last time," Gwen quietly muttered.
The Human Soundboard was wearing a light green and purple striped sweater over a white collared shirt, a pair of baggy black jeans that were held up by a pair of suspenders and around his neck were a pair of cordless, silver headphones.
Beardo then gazed up at the ship behind his fellow contestants and cupping his hands around his mouth and let out the sound of a foghorn, causing almost all of the others to cover their ears and glare at the beatboxer. Chris's glare in particular looked very annoyed.
"I'd be careful if I were you, Beardo," the host said, causing Beardo to stop. "Though I was planning on keeping this season's new method of going home a surprise until the first elimination, I'll be more than happy to demonstrate what happens when someone, that is to say someone like you, gets on my nerves too much."
Beardo offered a weak smile before sighing and making the motion of zipping his lips, notably without sound like an actual zipper. As he walked over to the others, Dawn saw his downtrodden look and gently tapped him on the shoulder.
"For what it's worth, I thought you sounded wonderful," the moonchild whispered with a smile, causing the human soundboard to perk up and smile in return.
The penultimate car then pulled up, but instead of getting out, whoever was inside lowered the window less than an inch and peered through, the person's eyes darting around in all directions. Though most of those waiting appeared confused as to who the person was, both Chris and Jasmine appeared as if they knew, the host shaking his head in exasperation while the Australian looked positively thrilled.
"For the love of Pete, Shawn, will you get out here already?" Chris asked. "I can assure you that there aren't any zombies on the ship!"
The car window rolled up and Shawn tentatively exited the vehicle. The Zombie Conspiracy Nut was wearing his usual dirtied toque in addition to a navy blue puffer jacket over a black shirt that had the general lab safety symbol on it, along with a pair of khaki colored cargo pants.
"And what about on this dock, huh?" Shawn asked the host. "Or what if there are some clinging to the hull of the ship that we can't see, did you take that into consideration? Or what about-" His ramblings were cut short when his much taller girlfriend scooped him up and lovingly embraced him.
"I can't tell you how much I've missed you over these past few months, Luv" she said, causing the initially startled young man to look much more relaxed when he gazed up at her beaming face.
"I've really missed you too Jaz," Shawn said in reply as the outback girl gently set him down. "I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer during my last visit but my folks wanted me home early. I swear, sometimes they can just be so paranoid over the most minor things."
"Pot calling the kettle black much?" Trent quipped in a voice that was too low for Shawn and Jasmine to hear, causing those closest to him to try and hold back their laughter. The musician grinned until he noticed Harold glaring at him once again, and then proceeded to look down crestfallen.
"So who came with you Shawnie?" Jasmine asked her boyfriend. "Not that ornery galah Sugar, I hope."
Shawn then looked around, peering at the contestants who were gathered at the dock. Silently noting something to himself, he smiled before turning back around to the car.
"It looks like you're good to go, Sky," the zombie nut called out. "I can't see Dave anywhere around here."
Sky stepped out the car, looking even more anxious than Shawn had. The Athlete was dressed in an off the shoulder, long sleeve orange shirt and a pair of tight brown pants. Not only did she retain her purple beaded necklace, she had added a purple beaded bracelet on each wrist and had replaced her red feather earrings with turquoise ones.
"Are you sure?" Sky asked, to which Shawn and Jasmine both nodded in reply. She then took a deep breath and faced the other contestants with a smile, albeit one that looked more than a little forced.
"Hi there, everyone," she said in a tone that didn't sound completely even. "I uh, I hope that we can..."
"Hey, hey, what's the matter Sky?" Chris asked the athlete, placing a hand on her shoulder that caused her to look even more uncomfortable. "You should just relax, take it easy, unwind yourself. You've got nothing to worry about. Dave will not be here."
"Do you really mean that, Chris?" Sky asked, having raised a brow in disbelief.
"But of course!" Chris exclaimed. "There is positively, absolutely no way whatsoever that Dave will be here!" He then looked back over his shoulder and his Cheshire grin grew even wider. "That is to say, he will not be here for another approximately, fifteen seconds."
Sky sharply turned around and looked horrified to see that the final car was nearing its destination.
"Oh no, no, no, no," she said attempting to run off but was grabbed by the wrist by the host before she could make any headway.
"Ah-ah-ah, Sky, we've all got to face our demons," Chris said cheerfully, ignoring the athlete's look of distress. "Yours just happens to take the form of a germaphobe who adored you even though you gave him one of the most brutal rejections in television history."
The car skidded to a halt and out from stepped, not Dave, but someone else entirely, causing Chris to look befuddled.
"Rodney? Where's Dave?"
The Country Boy was wearing a short sleeved, yellow flannel shirt over a cream colored sweater along with a pair of light blue jeans that were held up by a pair of brown suspenders and a pair of black boots. He also wore a green net cap, which he tipped to the other contestants as soon as he noticed them.
"He says that he doesn't wanna come out," Rodney replied. "That he's gonna try and pay off the driver to take him back home."
"Oh he will, will he?" Chris asked with a furrowed brow. "Rodney, do me a favor and grab him out of there. And if he tries to resist, let him know that he'd rather not face the alternative." He jerked a thumb back toward Eva, who stoically pounded her left fist into her open right palm.
With widened eyes, Rodney nodded and looked back into the car. Despite a great deal of shouting, the country boy was able to drag Dave out of the vehicle by the collar of his shirt and stand him up in front of Chris and the other competitors, Sky looking flat out terrified.
The 'Nice' Guy was dressed in an buttoned up, dark blue cardigan that had two white stripes going across the right arm. worn over an ash colored collared shirt along with a pair of brown slacks and a pair of light brown loafers.
"Let go of me!" Dave snapped, smacking Rodney's hand off of him. "Chris, I explicitly said that I did not want to come back to this, this hellscape of a TV show!"
"And I explicitly reminded you that you don't have a choice," the host said, reaching into his shirt and pulling out a large stack of papers that he tauntingly waved in front of everyone present. "Whether you like it or not, and I relish the fact that you don't, you're legally bound. Really, all of you that auditioned after season three have only yourselves to blame. You all saw what the first bunch of players had to go through so what were you expecting, balloons and a tea party?"
Many of the (now completed) cast, looked down and begrudgingly murmured acknowledgements of Chris's point, particularly those who had made their debuts in Revenge of the Island and Pahkitew Island.
"Well, I don't care if I have to hitchhike all the way home," Dave said turning around and beginning to walk away. "There is nothing you can say or do to convince me otherwise. Especially now that I know for a fact she's here too." He paused for a moment to glance back and send a heated glare in Sky's direction, causing the athlete to look down in shame.
Chris, on the other hand, looked unfazed by Dave's words and actions. He merely reached into his pocket and pulled a small, silver whistle and blew into it, but no sound could be heard.
"Before anyone asks, this isn't a dog whistle," Chris explained. "It used to be at one time, but I've had it modified so that only one particular type of animal will respond to it."
Dawn turned around to look at the ocean and her face grew even paler than it already was.
"Oh no," she whispered, her voice filled with dread.
A few of the others who had managed to hear her gazed at the water to see what she meant, only to scream in terror when they saw a large creature leaping out of it. Briefly soaring through the air, the beast caused the ground to shake beneath it when it landed right in front of Dave, its pointed teeth bared in a hungry smile.
"Fang!" Brick, Anne Maria and Scott cried out. The mutant shark had apparently heard them and shifted his gaze from Dave to Scott, his grin growing even wider. A wink from Fang was all it took for the redneck to fall to the ground and curl up into the fetal position.
"No, no, no, Fang, focus on the persnickety one, not the one covered in dirt," Chris told the shark while snapping his fingers. Fang nodded and turned his direction back toward Dave, who could only let out some incoherent babble before falling into a faint.
"Yep, since this season is all about a journey across the briny blue, we figured it was only right to bring Fang along for the ride," the host said turning back to the contestants, many of whom had recoiled back in fear of the beast. "Now you all know what'll happen in case anyone thinks they can try and jump ship. You leave without my say-so, Fang here will get a new chew toy."
He gave the whistle another blow, causing Fang to grip his head in pain.
"That will be all for now Fang," Chris said before noticing the mutant's disgruntled look. "Don't pout, I've made sure to have your second breakfast already prepared." This caused Fang to smile again and head back to the water, but not before stopping to wave his fingers at Scott, who responded by passing out as Dave had done.
Chris then pulled out his cell phone and pressed the screen before holding it to his ear.
"Hey Chef, let Drake know that I hope for his sake he remembered to prepare those thirty pounds of chum like I told him," the host said. "If not, he'll have to be the one to tell Fang."
Pocketing the phone, the host began to climb up the gangway in order to board the ship.
"Now with all of that said and done, let's get going people!" he called down to the contestants. "Someone grab Scott and Dave and we finally can cast off!"
One by one the contestants followed him, Rodney having effortlessly tucked Dave under his arm while Brick had opted to carry Scott fireman style. Shawn had taken it upon himself to carry the country boy and the germaphobe's luggage while B had done the same for the cadet and the devious guy.
Right before Harold could begin his ascent, Trent had approached him, holding out the purple bag containing the nerd's marbles.
"You uh, you forgot these," the guitarist said. "I thought you might want to have them back."
Harold snatched the bag from his former bandmate and briefly looked at it before turning around and throwing it into the ocean.
"Now that you've touched them, they're less than worthless," the dweeb said with disdain before climbing up the gangway.
Trent's eyes looked up at him before once again gazing toward the ground in sorrow, not noticing that Courtney had walked up beside him.
"Are you okay?" she asked, only for the musician to shake his head in reply. She looked up toward the ship and saw that Gwen had already made it on board and was leaning on the ship's railing with her arms crossed. The goth noticed Courtney looking at her and proceeded to give her the stink-eye before turning around and walking away.
"I can't say that I don't know how you feel," Courtney said in a voice that was filled with regret. Slowly, she and Trent followed the others onto the ship.
With everyone now onboard the S.S. McLean (and Scott and Dave once again conscious and on their feet), the host began to lead the contestants toward the ship's bow where an enormous pool filled with shimmering water was located. The pool had three diving boards of varying heights, the tallest of which reached absolute dizzying levels. Additionally, two exceptionally tall water slide could also be seen, one of them being long enough to have its own loop-de-loop. And as if that hadn't been enough, a hot tub that was already bubbling was there as well, one that looked big enough to fit at least ten people.
"Welcome, passengers, to the Party Deck," Chris said as many of the contestants began to ooh and aah at the luxuries before them. "Think of this place as comparable to the Spa Hotel from Total Drama All-Stars."
"As in, this is where the Lightning's gonna get to crash when he and his team wins every challenge?" Lightning asked eagerly.
"Assuming that your team doesn't boot you off before it does win, yes, yes it is," Chris replied. "But try not to get too excited. The Party Deck's just one of several amenities that winners will receive. Inside the ship, anyone whose team has just won a challenge will be permitted to enjoy things such as the movie theater, the bowling alley, the spa, the salon, the arcade-the entire upper part of the ship is basically one big playground for champions."
The players then followed the host up a flight of stairs and went through a door that led to a rather spacious hallway. Motioning for everyone to stop, the host opened another door that revealed a room with two very comfortable looking beds. A small, crystal chandelier could be seen hanging from the ceiling and elaborate and abstract pieces of art were found decorating the walls.
"This is the type of cabin that winners can expect to sleep in during the night," Chris explained. "Now, who here thinks they deserve the chance to test out the accommodations?"
Noticing that Sammy was one of the people who was raising their hand, Amy forcefully pushed her way to the front of the crowd, making sure to elbow her twin in the stomach along the way. "Me! Me! Me!" she said in a shrill voice.
"Eh, what the heck?" Chris replied with a shrug before gesturing to the bed that was closest to the door. "Go for it, Amy."
The evil twin let out an excited, high pitched squeal before dashing forward and jumping onto the bed. When she laid down, she appeared to slightly sink down into the mattress. In spite of this, Amy did not seem the least bit bothered, letting out blissful sighs of contentment.
"It's like being on a cloud made out of cotton candy and marshmallows," she happily moaned. "A perfect bed for a perfect princess like me."
"Yeah, you can keep telling yourself that," Chris dryly said. "Now, up, up, up. There's more that needs to be seen and more that needs to be said."
"No!" Amy snarled, grabbing a pillow and holding it close to her. "I refuse to leave this room! This is my room now!" She then turned her back to the host and curled up as if ready to fall asleep at a moment's notice.
"Yeah, I really should've seen this coming," Chris remarked before pulling out a remote. "I was gonna bring this out eventually, but I guess that there's really no time like the present. The rest of you will really wanna make a path, like now."
The standing contestants did as instructed, leaving the doorway to the room easily accessible for whatever it was that the host had planned. Within seconds, the sound of heavy footsteps could be heard thundering from the opposite end of the hallway. A large, furry creature that seemed to be wearing diving accoutrements brusquely stomped its way past the intimidated players before stopping at Chris's side.
"Dude, you brought back Scuba Bear too?" Shawn asked incredulously.
The host shook his head and lifted the bear's scuba mask to its forehead and put a sizable pair of aviator sunglasses in its place. He then snapped his fingers at pointed at Amy, to which the beast gave an obedient nod. It then made its way over to Amy, who seemed to notice a new presence, but was apparently unaware of what it exactly was thanks to her eyes being closed.
"I told you, Chris, there isn't anything you can do to make me leave this bed," she said. The bear let out a ferocious roar which caused the evil twin's eyes to snap open and let out a piercing scream when she saw what was standing over her. Scrambling off of the bed, she ran out of the room and ducked behind Sammy, pushing her forward as she did so.
"Don't eat me! Eat my useless sister instead!" she yelped, to which Sammy merely rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"I'd like for all of you to meet Bouncer Bear," Chris said before pushing the button on his remote which caused the creature to cease its roaring and stand silently in place. "Simply put, should anyone on a losing team try to sneak their way into a privilege that's reserved for winners, they'll have to get past this big lug in order to do it. And in case any of you are thinking you'll be sabotaging Bouncer Bear's machinery, I'll let you know now that I've got more than one on standby."
After a long, long, long trek downward, the contestants found themselves in a different hallway, one that looked significantly less pleasant than the previous one. Chris opened a door to reveal a room that looked to be incredibly cramped and while it did contain two beds, they appeared incredibly old and fragile.
"This room is all that awaits anyone unfortunate enough to be on a losing team following a challenge," Chris said. This time, the host didn't bother asking anyone to volunteer, instead opting to grab the person was nearest to him, that being Tyler, and fling him onto one of the beds.
"It feels like laying on rocks covered in needles," Tyler said in a strained voice before a creaking sound started to emanate throughout the room. "Wait, what was that noise?"
Despite the jock not being all that relatively heavy, the legs of the bed quickly began to shake suddenly before shattering, causing it, along with Tyler on top of it, to crash onto the floor. Tyler could only let out low, pained groans as he laid in a crumpled mess and Chris started to let out a cackling laugh.
"Now that should prove to be enough incentive for you guys to give it your all during a challenge," the host chuckled. "C'mon, we've got one more thing to see before head back up to the deck. Tyler, don't dawdle. Hurry up and walk it off."
The fallen Tyler slowly picked himself up and held a hand to the wall in order to steady himself. "Coming. I'm, I'm coming."
A short while later the contestants were grouped around a door that was already open. Lightning, Gwen and Beardo stuck their heads inside and saw that one wall was lined with several washing machines, with dryers lining the opposite wall.
"You wanted us to see a laundry room?" Gwen asked with a raised brow.
"What better place is there to air your dirty laundry?" Chris asked in turn as he walked into the room. "Welcome to this season's confessional, a definite step up from the outhouse of seasons past! A little advice, you probably won't wanna vent in here unless the hampers are empty."
A quiet buzz began to crop up among the contestants, which was swiftly silenced once Chris walked out of the confessional with his hands raised. "Now, now, settle down," he told them. "I know you must have a lot you wanna get off your chests, but this isn't the time. Everybody, back up top!"
Back up on the Party Deck, the contestants had been gathered around what looked to be a smoothie bar. Behind the counter with a tropical drink that had a tiny umbrella inside of it in hand, stood Chris.
"On the aft end of the S.S. McLean, there's a juice bar identical to this one," the host said before taking a small sip of his beverage. "But it will be in your best interests to avoid that one as much as humanly possible. For you see, the stern of this ship is where an elimination in every episode following this one will take place."
"Every episode?" Courtney repeated.
"Correctamundo!" Chris replied, shooting her a finger pistol. "And as I'm sure some of you may have already guessed, any member of the losing team who doesn't receive a smoothie, will end up being thrown overboard! Just how said throwing will happen is, as I said, being kept a surprise for the time being. Any questions?"
Several hands went up, Chris scratching his stubble covered chin for a moment before making a selection. "Gwen?"
"What are the teams going to be this season?" the loner asked. "Because to be perfectly honest, I'd rather risk my chances with Fang than get stuck on a team with certain...people."
"You mean people like Courtney, who said she'd go to the finale with you only to toss away your entire friendship like it was an old shoe?" Chris asked as he walked out from behind the bar's counter. The former CIT in question slowly backed away until she was standing behind B, out of most of the other's sight.
"I can't really say I blame ya," the host continued with a shrug. "The original idea was to group you all into teams based on when you first started competing on Total Drama, but then I decided that'd be too easy on ya. Instead, we'll be doing like we did back on the first day of World Tour in Egypt. That is to say, the results of our first challenge this season will determine your allies and your enemies."
"So, where will be going for this challenge?" Lindsay asked.
"A question par excellence, dear Lindsay," the host replied in what could be only be described as a pathetic attempt at a French accent. "The answer to which I think'll you like very much. As I speak, we're on way to the Grand Bazaar, one of the oldest and biggest shopping centers in the entire world, located in Istanbul, Turkey!"
Lindsay began to clap and lightly bounce on her feet, more than a few of the others, most prominently Harold, appeared confused.
"But gosh! That's impossible!" the dweeb stated incredulously. "It'd take weeks for us to get all the way to Turkey on a ship like this!"
"Normally, Harold, you'd be right about that," Chris replied. "However this is far from your average cruise ship! Its special engine was designed by one of the world's greatest scientific minds, who just so happens to be an old acquaintance of mine! Because of that, we'll have reached Turkey long before the day is over. Any other questions?"
"Yeah, since this is another trip around the world, will any singing be required?" Scott asked with a mischievous smirk directed over at B. "And if so, anyone who refuses to sing gets automatically eliminated, right?"
The silent genius looked understandably worried at such a prospect, but was calmed when Dawn came up and placed a reassuring pat on his arm before glowering towards Scott. The redneck however, merely rubbed his knuckles against his chest not paying the moonchild's look any mind.
"I already know what you're thinking of, Scottie Boy, and I'm gonna tell you now, that no, there will be no singing this seasons," Chris answered, causing Scott to lose his grin. "As it turns out, the viewers at home weren't as keen on the singing as I had expected them to be. We ended up getting a lot of letters claiming that there was no way you guys were capable of coming up with all those lyrics on the spot. As a result, World Tour soundtrack sales ended up tanking hard. So, no songs this season."
As B let out a soundless sigh of relief, Tyler appeared to roll his eyes. "Right, as if that's actually the reason you're not gonna have us do that again," he mumbled in a surprisingly dour tone.
"That being said, I've decided that I really don't care if any of you decide to sing during your brief periods of downtime," the host continued, it being ambiguous as to whether or not he had heard the jock's comment. "However, if I catch anyone singing during a challenge, I can't promise that there won't be any consequences."
This sparked several different comments among the contestants, but all voices were swiftly silenced by Chris pulling out an air horn and releasing a deafening blast, one that was strong enough to not only hush the players, but knock some of the slimmer ones off of their feet.
"I'd been waiting to do that," Chris said smugly. "Now, one last thing; I'm fairly certain that more than a few of you know that two years ago, four of your Total Drama contemporaries were seen on another reality TV show. One ironclad rule for Total Drama Odyssey that I want you all to be fully aware of, is that anyone who mentions those four, that show, or its host will be forced to complete a challenge with an excruciating handicap."
(Confession Cam-Gwen)
"Yeah, as if that was supposed to be some big shocker. Chris's ego has always had about the same durability as an egg so, I can't really say that I'm all too surprised about this. But that doesn't mean that I'm thrilled about it or anything else that has to do with being back on this stupid show."
"Honestly, as mad as I am at McLean, I can't help but be even more mad at myself for not doing a better job of distancing myself away from this harebrained madness. I'm over eighteen now, it's not as if I couldn't have changed my name but I didn't and now I'm back here with a host who probably keeps himself up at night thinking of new and depraved ways to torture us. And if that weren't enough, I'm surrounded by more freaks and weirdos than ever before with hardly anything decent in sight. Not to mention seeing them again."
"Now then, you're all free to take this time to breathe, mingle, and steel yourselves for your first new round of harsh challenges," Chris announcing before turning away to leave. "I have to go and make sure that some of the preparations I had arranged for are in place before we get to Turkey. No one go into the pool or hot tub, or I'll happily remind you of what will happen if you do."
Once he left, many of the contestants decided to take the opportunity to do, if nothing else, lounge on the many deck chairs that were available and bask in the warm rays of sunlight shining down upon them or lean onto the ship's railing and take a deep breath of the salty sea breeze blowing through the air.
Gwen however, had opted to neither, having found herself a shaded spot far away from everyone else and sat down on the deck's floor with a drawing pad in hand, sketching what looked to be a decaying corpse. Her solitude would soon be interrupted by the arrival of a former flame of hers.
"Y'know, I gotta say I love the spider crawling out of that poor stiff's eye socket," Duncan noted, seemingly unaware of Gwen's irritation at his presence. "What is that, a black widow?"
"Brown recluse," Gwen grumbled as she scooted herself further away from the punk. "What do you want, Duncan? I'm really not in the mood to talk right now."
"Aw c'mon, Pasty, I'm just wanting to catch up a little," Duncan replied. "It's been a long two years and I figured it'd be nice to talk to someone who wouldn't preach to be about, 'morally ethical behavior.'"
"If you're hoping to get any sympathy outta me, then you're wasting your time," Gwen said looking up from her drawing with a furrowed brow. You should consider yourself lucky your parents made that deal with Chris and that judge so you wouldn't rot in prison. In fact, you should consider yourself lucky you didn't blow yourself up along with Chris's house."
"Whoa! What's with all the hostility?" Duncan asked defensively before backing up a few steps. "You're not still mad about me trying to get Courtney's attention, are you?"
"Don't flatter yourself, I quit caring about that ages ago," Gwen shook her head. "But that doesn't mean that I want to get back together with you." Noticing that Duncan was about to open his mouth in protest, she stood up and placed her pencil underneath his chin. Pushing it upward, she was able to effectively close his mouth and shut him up.
"Don't try to deny it," she told him. "Two years or not, I know you well enough to guess what you're thinking. And even if I were to entertain the idea of dating you again, there's no way it'd work out. You're basically like a dog but without any of the loyalty, you want attention from everyone, not just the person you're with. So I'm telling you now, drop it."
She then walked away, leaving Duncan with widened eyes and his mouth gaping open.
(Confession Cam-Duncan)
"That was brutal. I can't say that she was wrong though. Well, I don't care what she says, I know deep down she's still got the hots for me. I just need to figure out a way to remind her that I'm the perfect guy for her. But, what?"
Brick was then shown doing push-ups on the floor of the deck, his face dripping with beads of sweat, letting out exhausted grunts as he counted his progress.
"One hundred eleven...one hundred twelve...one hundred thirteen!" he bellowed his concentration focused solely on his exercise. Unfortunately, this prevented him from noticing that Jo was jogging up the deck and that his hands were directly in her path.
Unsurprisingly, Jo had not seen the cadet and ended up stepping on his left hand which caused him to clutch it in pain with his right resulting in him falling onto the deck on his face. Muffled groans could soon be heard afterward which alerted the tomboy into stopping and turning around to look at him.
"Sheesh, what's wrong with you, Brickhouse?" Jo asked. "You pull a hammy or something?"
"Or something, ma'am," Brick said as he pulled himself back up to his feet and dusted himself off. Jo snorted as she shook her head and approached the cadet.
"I would've thought you'd have a toughened up at least a little more by now," she said. "What, has the army gotten softer now that you've enlisted?"
Brick's unibrow shot up in surprise before he nervously looked away as he scratched the back of his head. "Oh, I uh, I decided not to enlist actually. In any branch of the military."
"Are you serious?" she asked, bursting out in laughter after Brick had nodded in reply. "I should've known! A pansy like you that wets himself every time somebody dims the lights actually joining the army? They probably wouldn't even want you peeling the potatoes!"
She gave Brick a punch in the arm, immediately causing him to wince and bite down on his bottom lip to prevent himself from screaming.
"Thanks for the laugh, Brick-for-Brains, I needed that!" she chortled as she walked off.
"For the record, I don't have that problem anymore!" he called out to her, glaring at her as she left while holding his hurt arm.
(Confession Cam-Brick)
"Look, I've wanted to join the army my entire life! Defending my country from those who'd seek to others harm for no good reason has always been my dream. But, something not too long ago and, when my ma asked me to reconsider my plans I just couldn't tell her, 'no'. Or I should say that I didn't want to tell her that."
"And besides, she and I were able to come up with another idea on what I can do once I get back home; for me to enroll in the city's police academy. It might be on a smaller scale, but I'll still be able to look out for the little guy and lend a hand when needed. Sounds just as good if you ask me."
Elsewhere on the ship, Trent stood with his left hand rested on the railing, gazing out at the sparkling blue sea. He patted his chest with his right hand, then looked down as if he had felt something underneath his shirt. Whatever it was caused the musician to smile as he turned away from the railing and knelt down to open up his guitar case and pull out his beloved instrument.
Slinging the strap over his shoulder, he stood back up to look out at the ocean once more, taking in a deep breath as he did so. "Beautiful," he whispered to himself before he pulled a pick out of his jacket pocket and began to play.
"If I could save time in a bottle,
The first thing that I'd like to do,
Is to save every day,
'Til eternity passes away,
Just to spend them with you.
"If I could make days last forever,
If I could make wishes come true,
I'd save every day like a treasure and then
Again, I would spend them with you.
"But there never seems to be enough time,
To do the things you want to do,
Once you find them.
I've looked around enough to know,
That you're the one I want to go
Through time with.
"If I had a box just for wishes,
And dreams that had never come true,
The box would be empty,
Except for the memory
Of how they were answered by you.
"But there never seems to be enough time,
To do the things you want to do,
Once you find them.
I've looked around enough to know,
That you're the one I want to go
Through time with."
As Trent played the song's final chord, he was snapped out of the musical trance he had caused himself to fall into by the sound of hands rapidly clapping together. He turned around to see Sammy standing behind him wearing an enormous smile on her face and applauding him.
"Um, thank you, thank you very much," Trent said sheepishly, apparently not having expected anyone to have heard him. "I'm gonna guess that you liked the song then?"
"Oh em gee, it was wonderful!" Sammy replied brightly. "I don't think I've ever heard that song before but it sounded amazing!"
"Well, it doesn't surprise me too much if you haven't," Trent replied as he crouched down to put his guitar back in its case. "It's an oldie that first came out in the early 70's, definitely not something that the Drama Brothers would have had in their repertoire. Sure wish that wasn't the case though."
As he stood up, Sammy noticed that while his smile was still present, it had grown much smaller and looked more melancholy.
"Um, do you mind if I ask you something?" she said. "Why did you quit the Drama Brothers? From what I heard, the band was your idea and you really loved being a part of it."
Chuckling, Trent shook his head before walking back over to the railing and sitting down with his back to it. He gestured to a spot next to him, which Sammy took as an invitation to do the same and joined him down on the deck's floor.
"You're half right," he replied. "I may not have been the one to start the band but I did love being in it. But for more than one reason, that love got weaker and weaker until it just wasn't there anymore."
"And all of them are still mad at you for leaving after all this time?" Sammy asked.
"Justin and Cody I've managed to make peace with," Trent replied. "I can't say that we're as close as we used to be, but we still talk from time to time. Reconciling with Harold was why I came back to the show but, I'm afraid that might have just been a pipe dream."
"I don't understand," Sammy said in a puzzled voice. "If the others were willing to forgive you, then why not Harold?"
Trent helplessly shrugged before saying, "To be fair, I did something else besides quitting that made him mad, something that really only affected him."
"What was it?" the good twin asked, only to receive a look of unease from the musician as a response.
"Before I answer, would you mind if I asked you a question?" Trent said, to which Sammy nodded. "Why are you here all by yourself?"
"Oh, I was down in the lower levels with Shawn and Jasmine," Sammy replied. "Shawn wanted to do a full scope of the ship for any zombies and Jasmine and I tagged along. I think Chris gave us his permission just because he wanted to get Shawn to stop talking about it. Anyway, while we were looking we heard Amy had followed us, so Jasmine kept her distracted so I could sneak away. I'm grateful she did too because I really needed a break from her."
"Yeah, your sister is really something from what I've seen," Trent said with a small laugh.
"Yeah, something horrible," Sammy snorted.
"Attention, passengers!" Chris's voice announced, resonating through every part of the ship. "We're now in the Black Sea and just minutes away the city of Istanbul! Get off of your butts and get ready to disembark!"
"Wow, this ship really does have a special engine if we're here already," Sammy remarked as she and Trent went to reconvene with the other competitors. "It feels like only half of the day has gone by!"
After an indeterminate amount of time had passed, Chris and the contestants were then gathered next to the towering entryway that led to the Grand Bazaar, where dozens of people could be seen both going in and coming out, the arms of the latter being filled with treasures they had purchased. Treasures such as brooches, carpets, hookahs, globes, mirrors, paintings and even bathrobes. Everything the contestants saw looked both very desirable and very expensive.
"Welcome, everyone!" the host exclaimed vigorously. "This is Kapalıçarşı," he struggled with the pronunciation which did not go unnoticed by the contestants, many of whom covered their mouths to stifle their laughter. "Better known to the world as the Grand Bazaar! Having first been constructed way back in the fifteenth century, this place could pretty much be considered the granddaddy of all the shopping malls of today, making it the perfect location for our first challenge this season!"
He held up a small, blue amulet that had a space in the middle that was a lighter shade of blue surrounded by a white border with a dark blue dot in its center, giving it the overall appearance of an eye.
"What I hold in my hand is known as the nazar boncuğu," he said with another clumsily spoken attempt at Turkish. "A staple souvenir that's been found in the Bazaar for decades, it's often mistakenly called the, 'evil eye,' when in reality, it's meant to serve as a good luck charm to ward off the actual evil eye curse."
(Confession Cam-Gwen)
"Well, clearly that particular charm must be broken or something because Chris is still here."
"Your challenge is to search through every nook and cranny in the Bazaar to find a very special version of this amulet that I've had made just for you guys," Chris instructed before turning the amulet in his hand around to reveal that it had been engraved with a picture of the host's face along with a number one right above it. "There are thousands of these charms within the Bazaar's walls, but your goal is to find one of many marked with the McLean seal of approval, which I assure you is not as easy as it sounds. What's more, once you find it you aren't allowed to buy it."
"Go into a ginormous mall and not shop?!" Lindsay cried out in terror. "How could you be so mean?!"
"A lifetime of practice," Chris plainly replied with a shrug. "Anyway, the shopkeepers in the Bazaar have been instructed to provide you all with tasks you'll need to complete to earn your charms, some of which are painful, some of which painfully humiliating. Those are my favorites. Now we've got to wrap up for this episode soon so any quick questions?"
"Yah, did you know that my Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great Aunt Eda was the Grand Bazaar's first customer?" Staci asked, having finally gotten Jo's socks off of her mouth and was waving them in the air. "Before her, all the goods just sat around collecting dust! So sad!"
Chris slapped his forehead and dragged his hand across his face in exasperation.
"Let me rephrase that," he said. "Any quick questions that don't have anything to do with someone's pitiful, little fantasy?"
"Yo, sha-what's up with that little deal above your head?" Lightning asked, pointing at the amulet the host was holding.
"Right, thanks for reminding me of that, Lightning," Chris said snapping his fingers and shooting the football player a finger pistol. "Unlike with World Tour's pyramid challenge, the team results won't be determined by the order you kids come back in. Instead, it will be the number on the amulet you bring back that decides which team your on, be it one, two, or three. I should mention though, the numbers will be covered up by a small adhesive that will only be removed once you return. Try to take it off before then, and your amulet will be confiscated and you'll be sent right back into the Bazaar."
He then glanced at his watch before saying, "All right, no more questions! It's time to get things started, so go, go, go!"
As the contestants began to ran inside the Bazaar's entryway, Chris turned to face the camera.
"What kind of teams will be made from such a motley crew of winners, losers and nobodies? And what kind of challenge will they have to win in order to avoid elimination once they're formed? You'll have to come back and see next time on Total! Drama! Odyssey!"
A little sneak peek of dialogue from the next chapter:
"Wait, that's what you've been after this whole time? But I don't even have it anymore, I gave it away a long time ago!"
To quote Loki in Thor: Ragnarok, "Supriiiiise."
Yeah, I finally came back, and with a new completely new story? You must be wondering, "Why, Explorer, why?" Well, stop wondering and let me tell you already! Sheesh...
As I'm sure all of you have figured by now, Total Drama: Once Again! is dead at this point. To make a long story short, when I had written the last chapter of that, it was during a time that was, not the most enjoyable in my life. Not to mention going back and reading some of the things I put in the author's note and the story itself, I came to realized I had made some major mistakes. That isn't to say I hate the story by any means. On the contrary I'm very proud that it had reached a certain level of popularity and unlike my first major fanfiction, I have absolutely no desire to delete it. There are a few more detailed reasons on why I stopped writing it and if you really want to know what they are, just shoot me a PM and I'll be more than happy to explain.
But wait! What about the two biggest questions that you never answered, Explorer? What happened during the Drama Brothers' farewell concert in Toronto and what was the secret Amy learned about Sammy that the good twin didn't want her to reveal to an international viewing world?
Let's start off with the first one; the idea was that two of the people in the audience for the Drama Brothers' final performance were Emma and Kitty. Since this would have happened before the Ridonculous Race, Kitty (who had VIP tickets to the afterparty) would've been attempting to set her sister up with Justin or Trent so she'd finally move on from her ex. Needless to say, Emma's disposition would have scared both of them off. Frustrated, Kitty would end up playing video games with Harold and Cody and claim victory with every game. While Harold would accept his loss with dignity, Cody would prove to be an incredibly poor loser. An argument would spark up between him and Kitty which would culminate in the two kissing. However, Kitty would tell Cody that she wasn't interested in a relationship, recognizing that one moment of passion doesn't necessarily result in a stable relationship. Cody would be terrified to tell Sierra, who as everyone knows, isn't the most understanding when it comes to him and other girls.
As for the second one; it would eventually be revealed that Sammy was bisexual and in fact, used to have a crush on Jasmine prior to TDOA. The twenty-sixth diary entry would have been one of a few love stories featuring Sammy and Jasmine as a couple, and in fact would have been the most...let's say 'heated' of Sammy's fantasies. However as Sammy would have seen how in love Jasmine was with Shawn and becoming a friend to Shawn herself, she would've gotten over her crush before TDOA started. But Sammy would have felt too afraid of messing up her friendships with Jasmine and Shawn to tell them and that's why Amy was able to able to blackmail her twin. Why Sammy didn't just destroy the story after getting over her crush well, I've found that unless a writer absolutely detests their work, they won't destroy it even if they choose not to publish it.
One other thing about TDOA that I'd like to address is something that was requested to me by more than one reader on more than one occasion; Sammy and Cody were NEVER going to be a couple and I will go on record saying now that those two characters will NEVER be a couple in anything I write. I understand the couple is popular within a few circles of the Total Drama fandom, but I for one do not ship them at all. I understand if anyone is disappointed, but I'm not sorry for stating this. While Cody would have wanted to get with Sammy in TDOA, any romantic moments between the two of them would have entirely been in Cody's imagination as Sammy would find herself falling in love with someone else. I won't say who, but if you've read my work before it won't take you long to guess.
That actually brings me to as to why when deciding the cast for this story, I excluded Cody. During the time between TDOA's last chapter and now, I had come to a realization: I don't really like Cody as a character. Before anyone gets upset, I know he has his legions of fans who adore him and want to see him with a girl. I am in no way trying to discourage anyone from doing that. We're all free to like the characters we like and ship the couples we ship, that's the beauty of fanfiction. It's just that to me, Cody is not a misunderstood outcast who is perfect for Sammy in any and every way. To me Cody is a creep who never got over Gwen and doesn't really respect women as a whole despite acting like a nice guy. Need I remind you all of the X-ray glasses from the Amazon episode in TDWT? Really he just reminds me of Wolowitz from the Big Bang Theory who I saw giving nerds a bad name. Now I don't hate Cody like I do certain other characters such as Sierra or Sugar. He really just straddles the line between "meh" and simply dislike.
Now as to why I started this story. Well, despite me not wanting to write TDOA anymore I still wanted to write a good Total Drama story as I still love several of the characters and wish to see those who've been abused or ignored done justice. Really my goal is to really delve into each and every character that hasn't been shown much love and give them some depth to them even if they don't make it too far in the competition. To add onto that, I've got about six new couples that will be formed over the duration of this story and I have every intention to try my hardest to ensure that none of them are 'satellite characters', or characters who have no purpose other than to revolve around their love interests. That is to say, I don't want any member of this story's cast to be like Mike and Zoey or Devin and Carrie. Fans of those couples, please don't hate me for saying that. That's why Trent was the first character I wanted to bring back for this. In nearly every TD fanfic that has him competing, he's really nothing more than Gwen's boyfriend. Even The Kobold Necromancer, who's like the Robert Downey Jr. of Total Drama fanfiction pretty much did this and he made Ezekiel a rounded character. Ezekiel! Don't believe me? Look up the Ninja LARPing chapters of Total Drama Comeback, find the part where the players shout out different battle cries and you'll see what I mean. Trent doesn't deserve that, no character does. As much as I like reading a good romance, to not give a character anything to do other than be a love interest just isn't fair.
As I said, I've got six new couples (not counting Tyler and his new girl) planned but I also want to request here and now, while you are obviously and absolutely entitled to state who you think will get together or who you want to get together, please, please, please do not write this story off if you've assumed two particular characters will become a couple. I'm really hoping that I'll be able to keep you all on your toes and I like to think that no one will anticipate any of the romances I have planned. Of course I could be totally wrong on that but, that's just a part of life.
Speaking of Tyler having a girlfriend who isn't Lindsay, I know those who ship them might be more than a little miffed at me for breaking them up again but I'm really hoping to make a point by doing so. Just because two people aren't dating anymore doesn't mean they'll hate each other or can't stand to look at one another. Despite what Chris McLean might think, a breakup can happen without their being any drama and I can think of no two characters who'd still be more than happy to be just friends. To me, it's totally in character for Lindsay to set her ex up with someone else because she's the type of person who just loves seeing people happy. I think that's why she's such a lovable character. Before anyone gets scared though, I'll say now that Shawn and Jasmine will not break up during this story. They along with Gidgette, Samkota, Nemma and the Goths are couples I deem sacred and therefore I shall not split them apart.
Now then, as to why I decided to go with a trip around the world instead of putting them back on Boney Island. Well, when thinking of this, I had thought back to something that one of my idols, the late, great Stan Lee had said. The story goes that during a time when Stan the Man wanted to quit working at Marvel, his wife Joan (may they both rest in peace) encouraged him to write one last story, but make it something that Stan himself would want to read. That led to the Fantastic Four which led to the birth of an entire universe that's been adored worldwide by people of all ages for decades. So, since I loved the Ridonculous Race and thought it would be entirely in character for Chris to want to one-up Don, here we are. As for why by sea instead of by air, I figured since Chris had already gone by air, he wouldn't want to repeat himself too much. Plus, it makes the name, "Total Drama Odyssey" much more fitting.
The locations visited this will be a mixture of countries that were seen during World Tour, RR and brand new places (mostly the third one). The competitors will be visiting places such as New Orleans, Okinawa, Rome, South Africa, Russia, India, Denmark, Alaska, and so much more. In fact, the first country the S.S. McLean will journey to following Turkey will be none other than sunny Spain. (Too bad Alejandro's not here, huh?) I'd love to hear where in this great big world you all think this Odyssey will take our favorite contestants.
Now I know there are more than a few similarities between this story and Battle of the Generations by StayOuttaMyShed. (Speaking of, if you haven't checked that story out, you really should, it's great) But I like to think Shed's writing style and mine are different enough to where people can enjoy both of our stories. I know that quite a few members of both casts are the same, but please note that instead of Beth, Cody, DJ, Izzy, Leshawna, Dakota and Sugar, my story has Duncan, Eva, Gwen, Lindsay, Tyler, Jo and Sky. I know seven people really doesn't seem like much of a difference, but as Shed had proven long ago in the story, Total Drama Underdogs, having just one character in place of another can make a world of difference.
And music is going to be a major part of this story but unlike many stories like this, I will be using real songs and not parodies. That's not a knock against anyone who does include parodies, in fact I very much enjoy them. I'm simply just not good at making parodies. I guess I'll never be able to imitate Weird Al. The songs Trent sung this chapter were Bang-Shang-A-Lang by the Archies, and Time in a Bottle by Jim Croce. I own absolutely NOTHING. But golden oldies won't be the only songs featured, nor will Trent be the only character to sing. Songs from all kinds of genres and from all different times can be included. I might even throw in some Disney songs, you'll just have to wait and see. I should mention that when singing Time in a Bottle, Trent was thinking of someone specific, but it wasn't Harold or any the other Drama Brothers. And that's all I'm saying on that for right now.
And I should also mention for anyone wondering why the contestants are wearing different outfits, I just thought it'd be a nice touch. With two years in universe and five years out of universe, I figured everyone was due for a new look. The outfits everyone's wearing were suggested by Galactic-Red-Beauty whose Total Drama artwork you can find on DeviantArt. I may have made some additions or alterations to her ideas, but I'd still like to credit her for helping me.
Just as a little reminder, here's a list of who's all getting involved in the nautical nonsense that is Total Drama Odyssey:
Amy Prescott, the Bad Twin
Anne Maria Beltempo, the Jersey Girl
Beardo Bozak, the Human Soundboard
B Bardeen, the Strong Silent Genius
Brick McArthur, the Cadet
Courtney Martinez, the Control Freak
Dave Davis, the 'Nice' Guy
Dawn Ferrel, the Moonchild
Duncan Blake, the Delinquent
Eva Steiner, the Iron Woman
Gwen Byron, the Loner
Harold McGrady, the Dweeb
Jasmine Janszoon, the Outback Girl
Jo Tyson, the Take-No-Prisoners Jock-ette
Lighting Jackson, the Athletic Overachiever
Lindsay Queens, the Airhead
Rodney Tucker, the Country Boy
Sammy Prescott, the Good Twin
Scott Fletcher, the Devious Guy
Shawn Romero, the Zombie Conspiracy Nut
Sky Raisman, the Athlete
Staci O'Hannon, the Compulsive Liar
Trent Travis, the Musician
Tyler Benson, the Jock
I should mention that the surnames listed aren't my creation. I was given permission to use them by my friend Starryoak. And you'll notice that some of the stereotype labels are altered if not flat out different, they're the same ones Fangren used. I was hoping to pay a tribute to one of the greatest Total Drama writers I have ever gotten to know. Hope you don't mind, Fangren!
All right, that's pretty much all I've got for now so please, please, please, please leave a review to tell me what you think. Constructive criticism is always appreciated, though I will say any reviews with rude comments directed at me or anyone else will be deleted. I really want this story to be something great. Something that people will recommend to their friends. Maybe even something that gets its own TV Tropes page? (It's a goal.) Okay, I should be clear on something just in case anyone reading this works on the TV Tropes website. I implore you, please do not make a TV Tropes page for this story just because I said I want one. I do, but I want to have earned it, really feel like I deserve it. I don't want one just given to me. If I don't deserve one, then I don't and that's okay.
In any case, what do you think the teams will be? What do you think the teams will be named? And who do you think will be voted off first. SPOILER ALERT! It's a character who's been on Total Drama before. ;)
With all this free time I suddenly have, I'll try my hardest to get the next episode up as soon as I can. Hope you all look forward to the nazar hunt, which will be followed by a sport that's very popular over in Turkey, but with a Total Drama twist spun onto it, naturally.
Until next time my friends, this is Explorer of the Unknown wishing you all well, and encouraging you to stay frosty.
'Nuff said!