A/N: :D
"Last time on Total Drama House Party..." Hatchet stood in the foyer for the recap. "We had ourselves a little quiz show for our final three in which they answered questions about their fallen comrades! Erica tried to make a deal with David to take out Franklin, but due to the nature of the challenge, that didn't end up workin' out very well for them. It was actually fairly close, as they were all tied with 5 right answers each when David swooped in and guaranteed his spot in the final two. It was down to Erica and Franklin, and due to a lucky guess on Franklin's part, he managed to make it as well, sendin' Little Miss Albino home in third place. We're down to the final two: Franklin St. Cloud, who grew up with abusive parents, which led him down a dark path of gangs and violence. David Kendall, who spends his time with a heavy metal garage band, which led him down a path only violent in its lyrical content. Who will win? Who will lose? Find out ya fool! Only on Total! Drama! HOUSE PARTY!"
We begin outside of the house, with cameras popping out of the hedges, the light fixtures, etc.
Dear Mom and Dad I'm doing fine
We follow the camera past Hatchet, up the roof, and down into the backyard pool, where Lauren is swimming.
You guys are on my mind
Lauren is surprised to see an open can of soda fall in the water. Back in up the backyard, Chappy is livid at dropping his soda, while Judy attempts to calm him down.
You asked me what I wanted to be and now I think the answer is plain to see
All of a sudden, a notebook falls into the backyard, prompting the two to look at each other in confusion.
I wanna be famous
We move up to the balcony, where Susan looks over the balcony, then to Franklin and Bailey with an embarrassed look on her face. Franklin puts his hand on Bailey's shoulder assuringly.
I wanna live close to the sun
We move inside the house, where CJ trips Mac down the stairs.
Go pack your bags, 'cause I've already won.
Mac tumbles down the stairs and lands in front of Ziggy, who is surprised to say the least.
Everything to prove, nothing in my way,
We move to the confessional, where Preston brags about how great he is
I'll get there one day.
...only for a light to fall from the ceiling and onto his head.
'Cause I wanna be famous
We move to the mess hall, where Yolonda serves David and Jilly waffles, prompting them to hi-five. Meanwhile, to the right, Tucker leans in towards Kiki for a kiss, only for her to push him away in disgust.
Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na
We move all the way to the game room, where Nolan and Erica are playing a video game. Nolan wins, causing Erica to leave angrily.
I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous
Meanwhile, in the hallway outside the game room, Spankety tries to impress Ernie with some of her clown tricks.
I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous
Out of annoyance, Ernie grabs Spankety's hat and tosses it like a Frisbee into the foyer.
*whistles*
Everyone is now in the foyer, including Rachel and Barry. The former tries to flirt with the latter, only for Spankety's hat to land upon her head, prompting the two to giggle. As Ernie and Spankety arrive on scene, we zoom out to see all of the contestants whistling, as a graphic which says "Total Drama House Party" appears onscreen.
Confessional:
Franklin: As much as I could use the prize money, I didn't actually expect to make it all the way to the end. Perhaps I should have more faith in myself. At any rate, having made it this far, I'll do whatever it takes to win this final round. The only thing standing between me and my freedom is one dopey metalhead, which is more of a blessing than I could ask for.
David: Oh man! I still can't believe I'm in the final two! This is legit! I'm this close to winning a million dollars! Then I could do all that stuff in that Barenaked Ladies song, for Denise. Only... she probably already has all the stuff in the first verse... and maybe even the third. I'll probably take her out on a date first and decide what to do from there.
Franklin: I deserve to win this game because I managed to beat all the odds that were against me. I bluffed my way past Preston and his weird ability of perception. I manipulated my way past Chappy and his sad attempts at strategy. I made it out of a dire situation of having no allies by becoming a valuable swing vote. And that's only in the game. This doesn't hold a candle to my life outside the game.
David: I wouldn't say I deserve to win the game more than Franklin does, since he did some actual strategy, and I just let Ernie, Kiki, Spankety, Mac, and Erica handle that for me. I guess it's pretty cool that I made it this far despite being a challenge threat though. Not many people can say they've done that. Maybe Lightning. Duncan, possibly. Then there's Sky... okay, I should probably move on to the next question.
Franklin: David's biggest strengths are his physical and social game. I believe those factors are the sole reason he's made it this far. His social game helped him make it through the early merge and the premerge rounds where Team Chill lost, and his physical game helped Team Chill win challenges, and helped him during the second half of the merge.
David: I think Franklin's biggest strength is his tenacity. The dude just does not give up, no matter what's been thrown at him. I mean, I've seen him in this game. We've both spent a lot of time in it. The only time he's ever given up was when it was physically harmful to him, and I'm not sure that'll matter as much now that it's the final round.
Franklin: David's biggest weakness is his mind. He's not very smart - I don't really think that's a secret to anybody - and if today gives us any sort of mental challenge, he's more or less screwed.
David: Franklin's biggest weakness... oh man, I'm not even sure. I guess he's not quite as physically strong as I am, so I'm hoping we have a physical challenge today so I could stand a chance.
Franklin: If I had to choose someone to replace David in the finale... Susan, because I know I outclass her in every aspect of this game, so if she did somehow make it this far, I'd be guaranteed the win. Plus, with her crush on me, there's always the possibility that she'd just quit for my sake.
David: If I had to choose someone else to face in the finale, it'd probably be that Ziggy kid I keep hearing about. I heard he was voted out for being bad at challenges and not very social, so... why not? I realize that's kind of douchey to say, but I'm just pumped to win, man!
Franklin: While I'll fully admit that this game is little more than a means to getting out of prison, I won't deny that there were parts of it I enjoyed. I made some good friends out here, and throwing everyone off at the trial challenge was pretty fun. Heh. It's not like I've never been accused of murder before.
David: This game's been really sick! Except for the parts where people got mad at me. Which happened a lot, now that I think about it. Ernie, Tucker, Yolonda... heck, Hatchet a lot of the time. Still, I wouldn't trade this for anything. I mean, how many people get to say they made the final two of Total Drama? Okay, Lightning, Duncan, Sky... whatever!
Franklin and David met up foyer at Hatchet's request.
"Are y'all ready... for your final challenge?" Hatchet asked.
"Yes," both young men said readily.
"First of all, I want y'all to put these on." As he said this, Hatchet took a briefcase from the coffee table and opened it, revealing eight bracelets.
"These will go on your wrists and ankles," Hatchet said. "I'll explain the challenge once y'all put them on.
Franklin and David glanced at each other, shrugged, and put them on.
"Here's how these'll work," Hatchet said. "Down at the Motel of Rejects, we've got two sets of bleachers - one for each of y'all. On my signal, the eliminated contestants will pick a side. For each person on your side, your opponent's bracelets will weigh half a kilogram."
"So basically, the more people on your side, the heavier your opponent's shackles will be," Franklin said. "...Did I just say 'shackles'? Freudian slip."
"That's right," Hatchet nodded. "One kilogram apiece may not seem like a lot, but remember that there are eighteen contestants eliminated, so y'all could have up to nine kilos per limb if people hate you enough."
"So what's the actual challenge?" David asked.
"Glad you asked, David," Hatchet said.
"Wait, really?" David asked with a hopeful smile.
"No. Of course not. I don't like you, remember?" Hatchet said sternly.
"Heh. Right," David chuckled.
"Your challenge is a footrace," Hatchet said. "You'll start here in the foyer of the McLean Mansion, then you'll run to the Playground of Pain. Once you make it there, you'll solve a puzzle which will give you a map that will direct you to the Motel of Rejects. First person to make it to the Motel wins the challenge, the game, first place, and the million dollars."
"No pressure," Franklin chuckled.
"Wait... but I don't know the way to the Playground of Pain," David confessed.
"Seriously?" Franklin asked. "We've driven there numerous times."
"I know, but I wasn't paying attention to the road," David said.
"We thought this might happen, so we've arranged a different puzzle to people who need a map to the Playground," Hatchet said. "Ya don't have to do it, but if you want to risk getting lost, then be my guest."
"This is going to cost me a ton of time," David muttered.
"It all depends on how much weight you'll have to bear," Hatchet said. "Which reminds me..." He took a walkie-talking out of his pocket. "Time to pick a side!" he shouted into the communication device.
Meanwhile, just outside the Motel of Rejects and behind the finish line, as Hatchet said, there were two sets of bleachers. The one on the right had the name "Franklin" above it, while the one on the left had the name "David". The eighteen losers were gathered around a walkie talkie on one of the outdoor tables.
"Guess it's time to pick someone," Nolan said to the others
Ziggy, Susan, Tucker, Nolan, CJ, Bailey, Chappy, Lauren, Judy, Rachel, and Ernie all sat on Franklin's bleachers. Spankety, Preston, Mac, Jilly, Kiki, Barry, and Erica all sat on David's bleachers.
"Aw man. The bias is real," Jilly pointed out. "No love for my boy David?"
"I'm here!" Spankety insisted.
"Yeah, we've always been on David's side," Mac agreed.
"Well, Tucker's always been off David's side," Tucker said bitterly.
"And, well, I've always been more on Franklin's side," Bailey said.
"What she said," Judy agreed.
Back at the foyer, the bracelets all made a tone, signifying that their weights had changed. Franklin's had the number 3.5 on them, while David's had the number 5.5.
"So, is this the number of people on our side, or...?" David asked.
"Nope! This is half the number of people against you!" Hatchet said. "It's also the weight you'll be bearing in kilograms, so that makes it easier to remember!"
"Makes sense to me," Franklin nodded.
"David, your puzzle is in the dinin' room," Hatchet said. "Any questions?"
Silence.
"In that case... GO!" Hatchet bellowed.
Confessional:
David:Guess my better physical strength won't be helping me out too much if I'll be bearing more weight than Franklin and have to do an extra puzzle. This is not looking good for me.
Franklin: Frankly, I'm surprised that more people took my side than David's, but of course, I'm not going to complain about getting an easier time in the challenge.
Franklin ran as quickly as he could for the Door of Shame and opened it, getting his start on the race. As he made his way down the path to the metal gate, he turned his head to the camera.
"These weighted bracelets are heavier than I expected," Franklin panted. "This is going to be a long challenge."
Meanwhile, David went to the dining room to find a puzzle waiting for him there. The puzzle consisted of a number of triangular pieces, all of which were three different colors - a combination of red, yellow, blue, or green. He read the instructions.
"Arrange all the pieces so that you form a parallelogram AND make sure that none of the same colors are touching," David read. "Greeeeeeat."
"And I'll be here to give you the map when you're done," Yolonda said as she entered the room.
"Where's Hatchet?" David asked.
"In his room," Yolonda said. "He wanted to monitor the Motel without actually driving there in case one of you follow him or grab onto his ride or something."
"Alright... let's get this done..." David said, unsure.
Confessional:
Franklin: It's only three blocks from the mansion to the playground, but when you're carrying three and a half kilos on each limb, that's a lot harder. But I'm not letting a bit of weight hold me down. I have an invaluable head start which I do not intend to let go to waste.
David: I'm not that great at puzzles, but at least the weight isn't too bad. The fact that I'm stronger than Franklin should help me in this challenge. Hopefully. Even though I've got more weight than he has.
Meanwhile, at the Motel, a robot exited one of the staff rooms. The robot consisted of a screen with arms and a long rod connecting it to a set of treads not unlike a tank's. On the screen was Hatchet's face.
"Hey, y'all! I'm back at the mansion, but usin' this robot thang, I can watch what's happenin' over here too!" Hatchet explained.
"Neat," Barry smiled.
"While I'm here, I might ask y'all some questions to help pass the time," Hatchet explained. He wheeled up to Spankety. "So, why did you choose to take David's side?"
"Heehee? Isn't it obvious?" Spankety giggled. "He's my friend. And my boyfriend's best friend. And I never knew Franklin that well, sooooo... yeah!"
"Totally," Mac agreed. "Between my best friend and a guy who backstabbed me in order to get ahead... well shoot, it's not a hard decision."
"Makes sense to me," Hatchet said. "Now-"
Hatchet was cut off when a pie hit the robot's screen. All eyes turned to Spankety, who gave a cheeky shrug in response.
Confessional:
Spankety: Even when I was super sad, I kind of missed doing clown tricks like that. Heehee.
Mac: (He sighs lovingly.) That's my girl.
Franklin continued to trod down the street on the way to the Playground.
"Geez... this is more tiring than I thought it'd be," Franklin said as he stopped to catch his breath. "Slow and steady, Franklin. David can't be anywhere near you."
Just then, a car whizzed past Franklin, causing him to nearly lose his balance and fall.
"Hey! Watch it!" Franklin shouted at the car. "Urgh... some people just don't care about the problems of others. How rude."
Franklin began to walk again.
"Well, standing around and complaining won't accomplish anything," Franklin decided. "Let's win this."
David, meanwhile, had made a little bit of progress on the puzzle.
"I think I'm starting to get the hang of it," David grinned.
Yolonda gave no response.
"You know, this is probably the last day you'll be able to find out what's in Hatchet's room," David said. "Did you ever find out?"
"No..." Yolonda sighed.
"Well hey, how about a deal?" David asked.
"David, I can't help you with-"
"If you find out what's in there and tell me, I'll stop bugging you," David promised. "I won't even send you a Facebook request."
"I..." Yolonda sighed. "I'll find out what's in there, and I'll tell you once I find out."
"Really? Cool, thanks," David beamed.
Confessional:
David: I'm glad Yolonda doesn't hate me anymore. I'm kinda gonna miss her once this is all over. But, I mean, I deal's a deal, so I'll back off.
Yolonda: (She looks morose.) You know, in spite of everything, I'm really going to miss David. He was a good friend sometimes. (She blushes.)
Back at the Motel, Hatchet's robot wheeled over to the Franklin bleachers.
"Welcome back to Total Drama House Party!" Hatchet said. "...I assume there was a commercial there. There'd better be!"
A brief silence, and then the robot wheeled up to Ziggy and Susan.
"So, why are y'all two on Franklin's side?" Hatchet asked.
"I never knew either of them that well, so I'm just siding with the one who was on my team," Ziggy admitted. "Go Team Thunder, right?"
"I guess Susan's reasons are obvious," Hatchet remarked.
"What?! No! I'm over Franklin!" Susan insisted. "For real! Because he and Bailey deserve each other!"
"So you're just here to support your teammate too?" Hatchet asked.
"You could say that," Susan said as she batted her eyes at an oblivious Ziggy.
Confessional:
Ziggy: In retrospect, maybe I should have tried a little harder in the game. Then I might not have had such a weak-sauce reason for rooting for who I'm rooting for.
Susan: I bet Ziggy is one of those guys who was recruited for being beautiful. That happens all the time on these shows.
Meanwhile, in the dining room, David was nearly finished with his puzzle.
"You know, I just realized," Yolonda said. "My uncle's in his room right now. How am I going to find out what's in it if he's in it?"
"Well you just answered your own question," David chuckled. "You've already found out what's in his room. He is."
Yolonda did not respond.
"Tell a lie or something to lure him out," David suggested. "Knock on his door and tell him someone set the swimming pool on fire."
"The swimming pool is on fire?" Yolonda asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah," David nodded.
"The swimming pool is on fire," Yolonda repeated.
"That's what I said," David said, confused. "On an unrelated note..." he put the final puzzle piece in its place. "I'm done!"
Yolonda looked over the puzzle.
"Looks like you are," she said as she took a folded piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to him. "...Good luck."
"Thanks," David grinned as he swiped the paper from Yolonda and speed-walked his way out of the dining room.
Franklin, meanwhile, had finally made it to the Playground of Pain.
"About freaking time..." Franklin said as he fell to his knees. "Three blocks is a lot longer than it sounds with all this weight."
After Franklin caught his breath, he stood back up and walked to the center of the Playground. The layout was entirely empty save for a table in the center which contained two puzzles, as well as two boxes to the side of the table, each with a lock on them. Franklin opened his puzzle and read a note that came inside the box.
"You must complete this puzzle to move on. The object of this puzzle is to arrange all the pieces so that you form a parallelogram and make sure that none of the same colors are touching," Franklin read. "If you can manage to do this, the sensors in the puzzle pieces will register that you've completed the puzzle and prompt one of the boxes to your right to open. The boxes each contain a map to the Motel of Rejects."
Franklin cracked his knuckles before sitting down at the table and working on his puzzle.
Confessional:
Franklin: At the very least, taking the time to sit down and do a puzzle will give my muscles time to cool off. Relatively speaking, of course, since I'll still be moving my arms. At the very least, I have time.
David: I've got a lot to make up, but these muscles aren't just for show. I like to think I still have a chance.
At the Motel, Hatchet wheeled up to Nolan and CJ at Franklin's bleachers.
"Alright, so why do y'all two want-" Hatchet paused when he noticed Nolan's arm around CJ. "When the hell did this happen?!"
"Oh, I think we became official at... I want to say Bailey's second elimination," Nolan explained.
"That sounds about right," CJ said.
"If you're wondering why I'm on Franklin's side, it's because I feel he played a better game than David overall," Nolan explained.
"I'm just here because he's here," CJ chuckled. "I have literally negative amounts of caring for this game."
"I'm not sure that's possible, babe," Nolan smirked.
"Oh shut up," CJ said playfully.
The two blushed as Nolan held CJ tighter. Hatchet made a weirded-out face.
Meanwhile, Preston and Chappy began talking across the bleachers.
"Why on Earth are you rooting for Franklin?" Preston scoffed.
"Well why the hell are you rooting for David?" Chappy retorted.
"Um, Franklin cost me the game," Preston said. "Heck, he cost you the game, too. Come join me so we can cost him the game."
"Nah, I ain't about that," Chappy said as he shook his head. "Franklin was right. He does need that money. Maybe even more than I do. I lost a long-ass time ago. I'm over it."
"If that's the way you want to live your life, James," Preston said as he shook his head condescendingly.
"Hey! 'James' is what my momma called me!" Chappy snapped. "You can't call me that!"
"Try and stop me," Preston said smugly.
Chappy responded by chucking a can of soda at Preston, hitting him in the forehead.
Confessional:
Nolan: CJ can actually be a really fun girl when she isn't actively screwing us over. She still tends to complain sometimes, but hey, nobody's perfect. I still enjoy spending time with her a great deal.
CJ: Nolan's like the only one who bothered to talk to me after my elimination. It's not Stockholm Syndrome or anything because I liked him when the game started. So suck it, Nolan x CJ critics!
Preston: (He has bandages wrapped around his forehead.) Chappy's resolution is much weaker than I thought it was. He would have been so easy to manipulate if I was just given the chance.
Chappy: Preston is little more than a spoiled child who thought he was some kind of puppet master because he's good at figuring things out. It's little wonder he placed as low as he did.
David jogged as quickly as he could through the neighborhood, following the map as he went.
"I got gas and oil flowing through my veins. I got wire and plastic in my brain! I'm Techno Destructo! Techno Destructo!" David sang.
David turned his head to the camera.
"That's my jock jam," David explained. "I always put on some GWAR when I'm at the peak of my workouts. Puts me in the mood to tear some shiz up."
He focused his attention back on the map as he continued to run.
"I got steel in my skull, harder than rock, and rubber and iron in my-"
Meanwhile, Franklin continued to work on his puzzle.
"Guh... why must the pieces each be different colors?" Franklin asked. "This is taking forever."
Franklin chuckled to himself.
"At least I can take solace knowing David is probably still struggling with his first puzzle," Franklin told himself.
"A neverending cycle starts again!" a voice sang.
"No..." Franklin said angrily.
Indeed, David had made it to the Playground, singing the same song.
"You can't, kill me. You won't, break me!" David sang as he dashed to the center of the Playground. "Chain me! Beat me! Cut me! Kick me!"
"Stop singing that right now," Franklin said, distressed.
"Whip me! Strip me! Burn me! Eat me!" David continued as he made it to the center. "You'll just make me-"
"Shut up!" Franklin snapped.
"Whoa, what's the deal?" David asked.
"Are you really going to sing something like that around an abuse victim?" Franklin scoffed.
"Oh, shoot!" David realized. "You're afraid of pain! I'm sorry." He then took notice of Franklin's puzzle. "Hey, this is the exact puzzle I just did. Nice." David emptied his box of puzzle pieces and read the instructions. "Yeah, it's exactly the same. Awesome!"
Confessional:
David: I don't want to sound cocky, but I think my chances are improving. I can do this! I can really do this!
Franklin: If David thinks he can just waltz in here and take my lead from me that easily, he has another thing coming.
Hatchet's robot rolled up to Barry and Erica on David's bleachers.
"So, what can I make of this?" Hatchet asked Barry. "Did somethin' happen with you and Rachel?"
"What? No!" Barry gasped. "She and I are still getting along great. I just thought David deserves to win more since he played a much nicer game."
"For the record, I'm with Franklin because he was one of my closest allies and an overall better player," Rachel added as she slid closer to Hatchet's robot.
"I'm only on David's side because of our alliance. Nothing more," Erica said.
"You can admit you're happy he got you and your mom to get along again. We won't judge," Barry said sweetly.
"Wh-Whatever," Erica said as she turned her head away to hide her blush.
Confessional:
Barry: People like David are proof that you don't need to lie and backstab to make it far, and I find that really admirable. Of course, Franklin's situation is nothing to ignore, either. My heart says to side with David, though, so David it is.
Rachel: I understand why Barry's on David's side, and I'm more than fine with it. Just because we're dating doesn't mean we have to be joined at the hip. (She fake coughs.)CJ!
Erica: I know David wants to bang my mom. No, I don't like it. But... *sigh* my mom's been kind of lonely for a while. Never really got back into the dating scene. I think she needs a man in her life. What? I can't be selfless sometimes?!
David had begun working on his puzzle, and had already caught up to Franklin.
"How are you doing so well?" Franklin asked, annoyed. "I thought you were supposed to be dumb."
"Hey!" David said, offended. "I know I'm not Robert Einstein or anything, but remember, I've already done this puzzle."
"And somehow managed to catch up to me at the Playground despite your heavier burden, and then catch up to me in the puzzle?" Franklin asked.
"I'm sorry, but I want to win too," David said.
"You won't throw it for a poor young man whose parents beat and neglected him?" Franklin asked in the most sympathetic voice he could.
"Don't do that, man! It's gonna mess with my head!" David whined. "Besides, weren't you arrested? Doesn't that, like, cancel out the sympathy of your parents sucking?"
By this point, David was already 2/3 of the way done with his puzzle. Franklin began copying off of David in order to catch up.
"I'd say it wouldn't. It just means my life sucks even harder," Franklin said.
"Well it was also your fault," David said. "You're the one who decided to kill someone."
Franklin growled and pounded his fist on the table, bumping his puzzle pieces a bit.
Meanwhile, Hatchet's robot approached Lauren, Tucker, and Ernie on Franklin's bleachers.
"I assume the three of y'all are on this side because ya hate David, right?" Hatchet asked.
"You got it," Tucker nodded. "David's the worst. If he wins, it'll pretty much ruin the entire season for everyone."
"Grow up, Tucker," Ernie remarked. "No, I don't like David. I hope he loses in an embarrassing fashion. But at least I can still, ya know, acknowledge that not everyone shares my opinion."
"Um, Tucker's opinion is the best opinion," Tucker insisted. "Doy."
"Gross," Lauren remarked. "I don't actually like or dislike either of them more than the other. I'm just Team Franklin because he's hotter than David."
"You could always join Team Tucker after all this, if you know what he means," Tucker said as he raised his eyebrows suggestively.
"I'd sooner join Team Hatchet," Lauren said in disgust.
"Ew," Tucker and Ernie said in unison.
"Exactly!" Lauren insisted.
Confessional:
Tucker: Lauren's just intimidated by Tucker's raw sex appeal. Tucker'll find a girl who wants to bang before the game ends. ...Yes, Tucker does realize it ends today. Tucker still has time!
Lauren: Overall, this has been the chillest summer I've had in some time. The game was fun, and the Motel was equally fun. Maybe it was so chill because I was on Team Chill. Heh. Imagine if I were on Team Thunder. It probably wouldn't be half as fun.
Ernie: If you had told me at the start of the game that David would be in the final two, I'd call you crazy. But hey, Total Drama is a crazy game, ya know?
Franklin and David continued to work on their puzzles. Franklin was about 3/5 finished with his, while David was nearly finished.
"Remind me how you're so good at puzzles," Franklin said exasperatedly.
"Pure dumb luck?" David shrugged.
"Dumb is right," Franklin muttered.
"Hey, you know what?" David asked. "I've been thinking about it, and I think I'll give you some of my money when I win."
"Excuse me?" Franklin asked with a cocked eyebrow.
"You sound like you could really use some, so you know what? Why not?" David smiled. "I'll be a millionaire. It'll be like charity."
"I see," Franklin said. "Only one problem with that."
"What?" David asked.
"You can't donate to me if you don't win," Franklin sneered.
"Is that a challenge?" David asked excitedly. "Bring it on!"
With that, David finished his puzzle, prompting one of the map boxes to open. He grabbed his map and followed it, jogging off to the Motel.
"Son of a-!" Franklin looked at his puzzle and found that he still had quite a bit to do. "Hold on..."
Franklin stood up and gave chase to David.
Confessional:
Franklin: David's not taking this seriously enough. The stakes for him are minimal. The stakes for me are incredibly high. Not 'death penalty' high, but 'another twenty-four years in prison' high. I'm not going to live that life.
David: Franklin may have less weight on his bracelets than I do, but I'm stronger than he is, so it balances out, right? It couldn't be a more fair match.
Hatchet rolled up to Jilly and Kiki on David's bleachers.
"Now, y'all two were on the opposite alliance of David on Team Chill," Hatchet said. "So why cheer him on?"
"David's my boy!" Jilly insisted. "Plus, he never actually voted for me, so I have zero reason to not cheer him on."
"David and I were briefly aligned late in the premerge," Kiki reminded Hatchet. "Sure, he voted me off, but he's also the first guy friend I've had in some time. I don't take that lightly."
"Gotta support your teammate," Hatchet nodded. "Especially since neither of y'all made any friends in the merge. Since neither of y'all made it."
"Thanks for the reminder," Kiki said, clearly peeved.
"Uh..." Hatchet rolled up to Judy and Bailey. "I probably don't have to ask, but why cheer for Franklin?"
"He's one of my best friends," Judy smiled. "It sucks hearing about all the stuff that's happened in his past. He could really use the win."
"I agree," Bailey said. "Everyone deserves a second chance."
"Even a convicted murderer?" Hatchet asked.
"Especially a convicted murderer," Bailey said. "After all, they need the most help to get back on track."
"You'd like to help Franklin, wouldn't you?" Judy teased.
"Um... well..." Bailey said with a blush. "Where's my notebook when I need it, right? Eheheheh."
"I don't care what Franklin says, he needs to ask Bailey out right as soon as he wins," Judy said.
Confessional:
Jilly: I know my boy can pull through. He's made it this far with his strength... and singing ability, I guess. Either way, I know he's gonna win!
Kiki: The strange thing is, if I were watching at home, I'd probably root for Franklin since he played the more strategic game. Funny how things like 'friendship' and 'emotions' influence things, right?
Judy: Franklin's a cooler guy than he may seem at first glance. Yeah, he's kind of rough, but he's not a bad person. Though I do wonder what drove him to kill someone.
Bailey: I still think Franklin's out of my league. Even if he did ask me out, I'd probably be too nervous to even say yes.
David followed his map, jogging as quickly as he could.
"I'm Techno Destructo! Techno Destructo!" David sang. "This is it! I can smell it!"
"Better get your nose checked!" Franklin called as he caught up to David.
"Eh, you could do better than that," David said. "You could have said 'You can smell it alright, but that smell is for me.' No, wait, that's also dumb."
Just then Franklin kicked David in the shin.
"Ow! Dude!" David yelped as he fell on one knee.
"I'm winning this game! And you will not stop me!" Franklin insisted as he passed David.
"I'm Techno Destructo! Techno Destructo!" David sang as he got back up and gave chase."
"And stop singing that song!" Franklin frowned.
"Techno Destruc-"
David was cut off when Franklin shoved him to the ground and pinned him down with his foot.
"Stop!" Franklin punched David across the face. "Singing!" He punched David again. "That!" Another punch. "Song!" Punch.
"What's your deal?!" David asked in both pain and fear.
"I'm weakening you," Franklin said, now calm, as he punched David again. "Making sure you won't win."
"Dude, it's just a game! Chillax!" David shouted.
"You've never been in prison!" Franklin snapped. "You don't know my life!"
"I told you I'd dona-" David was cut off by another punch to the face.
Franklin ripped his eyepatch off of his face, revealing a brutally cut-up eye, and stuck the patch on David's left eye.
"Why don't we find out what it's like to be me?" Franklin asked.
He then tore the sleeves off of his shirt one at a time, revealing he had knives taped under his underarms. He took the knife off his right arm with his left hand and held it in front of David's cheek.
"You're insane!" David snapped. "Are you gonna kill me?!"
"I don't see why not," Franklin spat. "I killed my own parents, for fuck's sake! If I have to kill you too, then so be it."
"You what?!" David gasped.
"Oh, come on!" Franklin shouted. "I knew you were dense, but this is ridiculous! I grew up with abusive parents, whom I loathed, and I was arrested for murder. The signs were right there!"
Meanwhile, at the Motel, the people on Franklin's bleachers looked at each other awkwardly.
"Yeah, I'm Team David now," Chappy said as he got up and moved to David's bleachers. "I lost my parents too, and I hate it! I'm not gonna root for a guy who killed his own parents! That's not right!"
"Yeah, I'm with Chappy," Ziggy said. "That's... kinda messed up."
"I'm with Ziggy!" Susan added.
Ziggy and Susan followed Chappy onto David's bleachers, followed by Nolan, CJ, Lauren, Tucker, Rachel, and Ernie. This left Judy and Bailey as the sole contestants still on Franklin's bleachers.
Franklin had held his knife above his head, only to find it weighing down on him.
"What the hell?" Franklin gasped.
David checked one of his bracelets to find that it now had the number 1 on it. He also noticed that Franklin's had the number 8.
"I guess admitting to killing your parents doesn't give you any popularity points," David remarked. He then gave Franklin a push, knocking Franklin back onto his feet.
"Shit," Franklin remarked.
He then drove his knife into David's leg, prompting the rocker to scream in pain and collapse on one knee.
"I'm not losing this game!" Franklin insisted as he swiped David's map and began to walk slowly toward the Motel.
David stood up, took the knife out of his leg, tossed it aside, and began to limp equally as slow in pursuit.
Hatchet's robot approached Judy and Bailey.
"Still stickin' with Franklin, eh?" Hatchet asked.
"I... I..." Judy said, shaken. "F-Franklin's my friend. H-He needs this... He needs to win..."
"I know Franklin isn't a bad person," Bailey said quietly, yet firmly. "I know he's got some good deep down inside of him. And I'm going to support him no matter what."
Yolonda paced back and forth in the dining room.
"Should I do it?" Yolonda asked herself. "This could be my only opportunity to find out what's in there. I don't know how well this season's going to do. It could very well be the last season."
Yolonda drummed her fingers on one of the tables.
"Oh, why not?" Yolonda said. "You only live once. My name does contain the word 'yolo' in it... thank God that whole thing is over. Never heard the end of that one back when that was a thing. 'Oh, hey, it's YOLO-nda. Haw haw haw.'"
Yolonda paused.
"I should stop wasting time," Yolonda told herself.
Franklin and David both trudged to the Motel, which was now in sight.
"Hey, there they are!" CJ pointed out as the two young men came into sight.
"Looks like Franklin has the lead," Kiki said bitterly.
"Come on, David! We believe in you!" Jilly called.
"Yeah, David! Let's go!" Spankety cheered.
"David! David! David! David!" the cheers of the contestants rang throughout the street, drowning out any briefly attempted cheers by Judy or Bailey.
"Aw, you hear that?" David asked with a touched smile. "They really believe in me."
"Sorry to disappoint them," Franklin spat.
Just then, David began to pick up the pace and catch up with Franklin.
"I can do this!" David decided. "I really think I can!"
"No! Not on my watch!" Franklin said as he tried to shove David, but missed due to the weight he had to bear. He decided to speed up as much as he could, catching up with David.
"They're almost here," Barry said, holding Rachel's hand tightly in anticipation.
Just then, the boys crossed the finish line. One of them managed to get a foot in first, and that person was...
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Franklin.
"D-Did Franklin just win?" Judy asked, pleasantly surprised.
Those in David's bleachers all shared a look of silent disappointment with each other.
"Guh..." David panted. "Ah... aw well. Second place isn't that bad."
"Just as I expected," Franklin said with a smug grin.
"Now hold on!" Hatchet shouted.
"What is it?" Franklin asked impatiently.
"Do you remember the instructions to the puzzle?" Hatchet asked.
"I do," Franklin said. "Make a parallelogram. Make sure no two sides of the same color touch."
"And...?" Hatchet asked expectantly
"And...?" Franklin asked, confused.
"What was the very first line of the instructions?!" Hatchet snapped.
There was a moment of silence, which David broke.
"'You must complete this puzzle to move on in the challenge'!" David remembered.
"That's right!" Hatchet said.
"No..." Franklin said darkly.
"And since Franklin never finished his puzzle..."
"No... No... No..."
"He technically hasn't moved on from the puzzle..."
"No, no, no, no, no."
"So that means..." David started.
"David is the winner of Total Drama House Party!" Hatchet announced.
This was met by cheers from the sixteen contestants in David's bleachers.
"Yeah, David!" Mac cheered.
"Hip hip hooray!" Spankety added.
"Suck it, Franklin," Preston snickered.
Chappy raised a can of soda threateningly at Preston, prompting him to stop.
"Heheheheheheh..." Franklin chuckled before grabbing his other knife. This was quickly met with Judy poking him in a couple of his pressure points, briefly disabling him and sending him onto his back.
"I knew that martial arts class would come in handy," Judy sighed. "I just wish I didn't have to use it like this."
"Are you okay, Franklin?" Bailey asked.
"What do you think?" Franklin asked harshly.
"I think you need some help," Bailey said with a concerned frown. "Help that I'm willing to give you."
Franklin began to sob silently as Bailey hugged him as best she could.
Confessional:
David: I can't believe 90% of the things that just happened, happened! I'll stay true to my word and give Franklin some of the money, but other than that... who knows? The sky's the limit.
Yolonda nervously approached the double doors at the end of the hall of first place rooms - the doors Hatchet said no one besides him could go through.
"Okay... you can do this," Yolonda told herself. "It's now or never."
Yolonda tentatively knocked on the door.
"What is it?" Hatchet called from behind the door.
"It's, uh, it's an emergency!" Yolonda called back.
Hatchet's loud footsteps were heard as he approached the door and opened it.
"What's the emergency?" Hatchet asked, slightly annoyed. "I'm tryin' to host here! David just won!"
"Oh, uh, cool, but... uh... the... uh..." Yolonda stammered. "...The swimming pool is on fire!"
"What?" Hatchet asked in disbelief.
"Yeah. I don't know how it happened either, but I don't know how to put it out!" Yolonda continued. "You should go do something about it!"
"I don't have time for your pranks, Yolonda," Hatchet said. "I'm hostin' the finale!"
"It's not a prank, I swear!" Yolonda insisted. "It's probably already spread to the lawn by now! Hurry up!"
"Alright, fine!" Hatchet shouted as he stomped out of his room. He tried to slam the door behind him, but before the door could close, Yolonda slipped into his room without him noticing.
"I can't believe that just worked," Yolonda told herself. "Now... let's investigate."
The first thing one would see in the room was the desktop computer setup, through which Hatchet monitored the Motel. There was a bed to its left, a dresser to its right, and two doors to the far right of the room. One was open and clearly led to the bathroom, while the other was shut.
"Maybe he's hiding something in here," Yolonda decided as she opened the shut door. As she saw what was inside, her eyes went wide. "Oh my God..."
After the excitement of David winning had died down, the contestants split up to hang out one last time before being sent home. David, Mac, Spankety, and Jilly all relaxed in the hot tub, though David was only able to put one leg in as he opted to keep his now-injured leg out of the hot water.
"I still can't believe I just won," David said with a surprised chuckle. "I mean, who wins these games?"
"It's not easy, but you did it," Mac grinned. "I'm proud of you, dude."
"Me too!" Spankety said with an excited squeal.
"You seem to be back on your feet," David said with a smile.
"Well... the clown thing is an act, but it's one I've learned to enjoy again," Spankety admitted.
"Hey, Jilly, uh... no offense, but why are you here?" David asked. "We were never that close."
"Oh, uh... the hot tub was my place out here," Jilly said. "These two can testify on my behalf." She pointed to Spankety and Mac.
"She did spend an awful lot of time in here," Mac nodded.
"Just chilling here one last time before we have to go," Jilly said.
"That's cool," David said. "Chill away."
"Should I Flame away?" Mac chuckled.
"That was so bad," Spankety said with a chuckle.
"Aw. Well at least I'm cute," Mac chuckled.
"That, you are," Spankety smiled as she and Mac shared a kiss.
Franklin, Judy, and Bailey all gathered in Bailey's room. Franklin was on the bed, still recovering from Judy's attack.
"Sorry I may have gone a bit overboard," Judy said. "Desperate times, you know."
"I understand," Franklin said. "I'm the one who went overboard."
"Sorry you lost, too," Judy frowned. "I really wanted you to win."
"You and me both..." Franklin said. "Nothing much that can be done about it now."
"Oh, um, Franklin," Bailey said. "You said you lived in British Columbia, right? Did you mean that's where your, um, prison is?"
"I did," Franklin nodded.
"Um, well, I live in BC as well," Bailey said. "I'll see if I can visit you there."
Franklin smiled. "That would be nice."
"Aw. I live in Nunavut," Judy sighed. "Guess today will be goodbye, huh?"
"Well, if you have the patience, I still have twenty-four more years," Franklin said, half-complaining. "We can meet up then."
"You can't get parole?" Judy asked.
"It was nearly impossible to get me on this show at all," Franklin said. "Parole is out of the question."
"Hey, we can definitely all meet up, twenty-four years from now," Bailey said. "Let's promise."
"I'll promise," Franklin said with a slight smile.
"Me too!" Judy said excitedly. "And hey, if I'm ever in BC, maybe I'll drop by sometime anyway."
"I look forward to it," Franklin said as he sat up. "And would you look at that? I'm regaining control already."
"You really are," Bailey said with a sweet smile.
Barry, Rachel, and Erica all sat at the same booth in the motel diner. Barry sat on one side while Erica and Rachel sat on the other.
"Now, Rachel, do you have anything to say to Erica?" Barry asked.
Rachel sighed. "I'm sorry for flirting with the guy you liked... I won't lie, I mostly did it to keep you two from aligning, but in hindsight, that was kind of terrible of me."
"Erica?" Barry prompted.
"I'm sorry I had it out for you and kept telling everyone you were a god-awful she-devil straight from the lowest circle of Hell itself," Erica said.
"Please don't joke about Hell," Barry said uncomfortably.
"Yeah, I might have to start joking about weddings," Rachel teased.
"Girls, I brought you here so you could make up and begin to get along," Barry frowned.
"Hey, I apologized, didn't I?" Erica pouted.
"You have to admit, that's a big step for her," Rachel nodded.
"Rude," Erica scowled.
"Hey, I'm on your side here," Rachel frowned.
"Why can't you realize that we'll never get along?" Erica asked Barry.
"Because you're both my friends," Barry said. "And I want my friends to tolerate each other at least."
"Well, I haven't killed her yet, so that's something," Erica said.
"Too soon," Rachel said.
"What? Because of what Franklin said?" Erica asked.
"Yeah," Barry said.
Erica opened her mouth to speak her mind, but sighed and uttered an "I'm sorry."
"See? You two can get along yet," Barry said optimistically.
Lauren found Preston leaning against the railing on the second floor of the motel, sulking.
"Hey there," Lauren said flirtatiously. "I know a way that can turn that frown upside down."
"I'm asexual," Preston told her. "Nothing you say or do will get me to sleep with you."
"How do you know if you've never tried it?" Lauren asked.
"I have tried it, for your information," Preston told her. "She loved it, I couldn't have been more bored."
"You know, Lauren, if you're looking to sleep with someone..." Tucker said as he walked onto the scene.
"My answer will always be 'no', Tucker," Lauren said, annoyed.
"You both need to realize that 'no' means 'no'," Preston said. "Now if you'll both excuse me, I'm going to start my persuasive essay on why I should return for another season." With that, Preston left the scene.
Tucker reached out for Lauren's bottom, only for her to slap his hand away.
"Stop," Lauren said firmly.
"Tucker will stop wanting it once Lauren stops being so sexy," Tucker purred.
"If I end up hearing you've been arrested for this kind of thing in the near future, I won't be surprised in the least," Lauren said as she left the scene.
"Ooh, are you into prisoner stuff?" Tucker asked as Lauren left. "It's niche, but Tucker's open to it."
Lauren did not respond.
"Tucker will take your silence as a 'maybe'," Tucker said.
Ziggy, Nolan, and Chappy all played cards in the board game room, while Susan and CJ watched.
"Is it bad that this is the most social I've been all year?" Ziggy asked.
"I'd say 'no'," Nolan said. "There's nothing wrong with introversion."
"Sometimes you just have to get away from it all," Chappy said. "Being away from people is pretty great sometimes."
"More like all the time," CJ chuckled.
"Oh? So I guess I could break up with you and never speak to you again and you'd be just fine?" Nolan joked.
"Who are you talking to?" Susan asked.
"Okay, seriously, that joke needed to stop weeks ago," Nolan said firmly. "CJ and I are dating. So I'm asking for you to give her the common courtesy she deserves. Especially after we found out what Franklin just did."
There was a short awkward silence.
"Okay, geez..." Chappy said defensively.
"And apologize to her," Nolan added.
"I'm sorry," Chappy, Susan, and Ziggy all said in unison.
"You being so firm on them was so hot," CJ said as she affectionately wrapped her arms around Nolan's neck.
"I aim to please," Nolan chuckled.
"How come you never let me do that?" Susan asked Ziggy desperately.
"What?" Ziggy asked obliviously.
"You guys are ridiculous," Chappy chuckled.
Kiki found Ernie napping at one of the tables at the exterior of the motel.
"Hey," Kiki greeted.
"Oh, hey," Ernie responded.
"So you weren't really asleep?" Kiki asked.
"Heh. Nope," Ernie smirked. "I fake being asleep all the time. People generally, like, don't talk to people they think are asleep."
"I see," Kiki smiled. "Well... I just wanted to make sure we got to hang out one last time before this all ends."
"Alright, alright," Ernie nodded in understanding. "So... what do you want to talk about?"
"You know... when you voted me out, it really hurt my feelings," Kiki said sadly.
"Oh..." Ernie said. "I'm legitimately sorry."
"It hurt my feelings for a number of reasons," Kiki continued. "I was hurt that I wasn't going to win, I was hurt that I was stabbed in the back, and I was hurt that I didn't see it coming."
"I know," Ernie said. "I felt bad doing it, but I've already, ya know, told you why I did it."
"But there's one more reason it hurt... the reason it hurt the most..." Kiki trailed off.
"...Yes?" Ernie asked.
"Don't make me say it," Kiki said, her face turning bright red.
"So... you wanna make out?" Ernie asked, confused.
"What?! No!" Kiki shouted as she smacked Ernie on the back of the head.
Ernie rubbed his head to ease the pain.
"...But you can have my number if you really want," Kiki said shyly.
"I do really want," Ernie smiled.
Just then, police cars drove past the motel.
"What do you think that's about?" Ernie asked.
"No idea," Kiki responded.
Meanwhile, in the backyard of the mansion, Hatchet chewed out an intern as a fire burned over the swimming pool.
"How did you even manage to do this?!" Hatchet asked.
"I, uh, found a recipe for Greek fire on the internet, and..." the intern stammered. "I just wanted to try it out!"
"I still can't believe someone actually set the swimming pool on fire!" Hatchet shouted.
Just then, the glass door opened, and several policemen approached Hatchet. One of them put handcuffs on Hatchet's wrist.
"The hell are you doin'?!" Hatchet snapped. "The intern's the one who did this!"
"Clay Hatchet, you're under arrest under suspicion of kidnapping," one policeman said.
"What?! Who the hell told you that nonsense?!" Hatchet shouted.
"I did," a voice from inside the mansion said.
The owner of the voice stepped out to the backyard. He was a man who strongly resembled the Chris-Bot.
"No..." Hatchet said, shocked, yet quiet.
"Yup. Chris McLean, in the flesh," Chris said smugly. "You know, I missed the sunlight. You can't get much of a natural tan going when you've been tied up in someone's closet for a month."
"But... but..." Hatchet stammered.
"If you're wondering how I escaped, why don't you ask your sweet little niece? Maybe she could fill you in," Chris said with a serious frown. "Or, better yet, you can find out all the deets in court."
"You think you're so cool, McLean?!" Hatchet snapped as the policemen took Hatchet away. "This was my time to shine! My turn in the spotlight! You don't get much of a paycheck when you're put in the background! You owed this to me, McLean! I deserved a season of my own!"
"Take care, buddy," Chris said with a condescending grin as he waved goodbye. "Don't worry, if my sentence was any indication, you'll be back on your feet in no time."
"So, uh..." the pyro intern said.
"Oh. You're still here," Chris said.
"Since Mr. Hatchet's gone... maybe you should close the season off," the intern suggested.
"Dang, it's already over?" Chris frowned. "Oh well." He turned to the camera. "With Chef headed off to jail and everyone's favorite host making his grand return, what deadly challenges will our next batch of contestants have in store for them? What will these contestants be like? You'll find out soon, but for now, I'm Chris McLean, signing you off, on Total! Drama! ...Uh..."
"House Party," the intern whispered.
"House Party!" Chris finished. "Hey, you know, that has a nice ring to it. I like that."
A/N: So, yeah, the season's over, and darn if a lot of stuff didn't just happen. Since I usually save the A/Ns for commentary on the eliminated characters, let's talk about Franklin and David. Both contestants were subversions of common TD fanfiction tropes, so let's break this apart.
If a contestant in a TD fic has a dark backstory, they will be treated sympathetically. Franklin was meant to subvert this to show that just because bad things happen to someone doesn't necessarily mean that they're automatically sympathetic. As a character, Franklin was also meant to be an experiment to see if I can have a positive character transition into negativity without it seeming like it was forced or came out of nowhere. I haven't heard any complaints, so overall, I think Franklin was a success. Franklin was always meant to go far, but never to win. Sorry to all the Franklin fans, but his journey ends here.
If a contestant in a TD fic is a challenge threat, they will be voted out because of it, oftentimes in the mid-to-late merge. David was meant to subvert this, mostly for the sake of subversion, but it also shows that a good social game can be just as effective as a good physical or strategic game. David was a character I enjoyed writing, since he was mainly comic relief, but he was never entirely irrelevant, either. If it wasn't a plot with whatever alliance he was in, it was a plot with Yolonda. Overall he was a safer choice for a winner, and since this is my first OC fic, I wanted a winner that I didn't think would piss too many people off.
The final two was actually meant to present a question to the reader: would you rather have as a winner: a jerk who played the game well, or a nice guy who played the game poorly? Don't let David winning indicate that I think the latter is the definitive answer, because there are pros and cons to each option, and I don't think either is necessarily right or wrong. It's an entirely opinion-based question - you could argue your point of view all day long, but at the end of the day, people will still disagree, and that's fine. Differing opinions can be fun to discuss civilly.
Well, I hope you liked my season. For those who did, worry not, as there will be sequels. For those who didn't, well, I'm not going to make you read the sequels. Until next time, I'm Asujoll. Good night, and big balls.