A woman's heels could be heard clicking off the floor, as she walked into a hotel with a mean glare in her eyes. It had taken enough badgering to persuade the hotel bouncer that she wasn't just some lowlife hooker, swearing she was an A-List celebrity. But even when she was quizzed by the staff member on what he had seen her on, Total Drama World Tour and Celebrity ManHunt weren't exactly accomplishments to write home about.
She hit the button on the elevator with an annoyed expression, examining the card she had in her clutch. "Do you want to be a star?" it read obnoxiously as she rolled her eyes. Blaineley O'Hallaran was nothing short of a star, but through a pandemic and what she feared was underexposure, she was desperate for a second shot into stardom to rightfully reclaim her place as an A-list celebrity.
Blainely stepped onto the elevator, scanning through the buttons and ultimately finding the floor she was looking for. She absent-mindedly looked around at the mind-numbingly boring posters littered across the wall and checked herself out in the mirror.
"Hold the elevator!" A masculine voice called out, calling Blaineley back to earth. As she debated on whether it would even be worth letting the man in, she ultimately decided to press the open door button, hoping that her flirtatious aura would at least earn her a free dinner.
The man in question was another celebrity who had had his fair share of time in slums, coping with the fall from fame. Unlike Blaineley, he had at least earned a full-time hosting gig in what, some would say, he egotistically named after himself but after a duo who had been eliminated and came back at the final four to win the season, the show had lost all respect and was not picked up for a season two.
"Thanks… Hey wait a minute, do I know you?" The man, Don Burgun, asked the other host.
"Of course you know who I am. From television obviously." Blaineley laughed, allowing the man she did not recognise to butter her up. She tossed her hair behind her shoulder and winked at him, to which Don responded with a recoil.
"Right…" He muttered, pulling out a card of his own from his jeans pocket. He read it silently to himself, thinking about the possible career opportunities that this card could present. He hoped that some producer would finally recognise his greatness, and renew the Ridonculous Race for a second season. Noticing the button for the floor he wished to go to was already selected,
Blaineley, a bit miffed from the lack of reaction from the man, rolled her eyes. She focussed her eyes on his appearance, checking if he was even in her league before her eyes caught wind of a certain card in her hand.
"Wait a second, that card? You have one too?" She accused aggressively, causing Don to jump back a small bit at the confrontation.
"Yes, wait, what do you mean too?"
Blainely sighed, presenting her own card. Don flashed her a grimace, not expecting whatever this was to be a two-person job, but as the elevator approached its final destination, they knew that whatever was beyond the door would be an experience.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't Blaineley and Don, my good friends," An omnipotent voice rang out, concealed by shadows at the desk as the two hosts stepped out of the elevator.
"Cut the shit McClean, we know it's you." Blainely hollered out, as the lights thundered back on, revealing a pouting Chris at the desk.
"Well cut me some slack from trying to add some spice and drama to this meeting," the hostess with the mostess defended, standing up from his position and moving closer to the two hosts.
"Do you want to explain what's going on Chris?" Don asked nervously, looking around his surroundings to admire the office.
While not extravagantly decorated, pictures of Chris were hung around in between marble pillars adorning the walls. A red carpet cushioned the soles of his feet, and a hard oak desk standing before a grand wall made entirely out of glass stood at the head of the room. Decorated with a plaque that read, Chris McClean, a laptop and a coffee mug, it was clear that there was no fall present with the original Total Drama host from what a first glance would perceive. Yet Don knew that Chris had suffered the same treatment that the other two had had.
"I have some good news for you two. You will both be the hosts of Total! Drama! Stardom!" McClean exclaimed, nearly shattering the eardrums of Blaineley with his outburst.
"McClean. This isn't funny. Do you want to tell us what's really going on?" Blaineley accused, narrowing her eyes at the man.
"Baby why the frown? I'm giving you the opportunity of a lifetime," Chris rebutted, with Don raising an eyebrow in response.
"If this is the opportunity of a lifetime, why aren't you the one who's taking it?"
"My God, do I need to explain everything from scratch? The producers got in contact with me, saying that fans were asking for more seasons of Total Drama. Between wishing to see old-school campers be given a second shot, to wanting to make their presence known to the world, they were able to green-light two new seasons of Total Drama. As there is only one of me, I will be going back to Wawanakwa to show the veterans how to ball, while you two will be taking the reins of sixteen new individuals all wanting to show how big of a star they are."
"What's the catch? What's in it for us?" Blaineley asked, wary of jumping to this idea. As far as she was concerned, this could be some big blowout or even a cruel prank for whatever show Chris was airing. She could picture it straight away, 'Washed-up celebs have their dreams crushed'.
"Other than the paycheck? A second chance in the starlight. Face it, you two haven't had a break in your careers in almost a decade, and this is a chance for all three of us to rise back to fame," Chris expanded, feeling pity as he knew the same failure after the awful reviews on both Total Drama All-Stars and Total Drama Pahkitew Island.
"Okay, but co-host? With this dunce? You have got to be joking me," Blaineley continued, still reluctant as Don winced at the jab.
"Think of it less as co-hosting, and more of a competition. You'll both be working together, but taking charge of two separate teams, and let's be real. We all know how big of a shit-stirrer you are Blaineley O'Hallaran," Chris argued back, causing the woman to give a soft smile.
"I'm in. Don?"
"It beats recording more audition tapes."
"I like the way you both think," Chris smiled, before hitting send on the email he had composed on his laptop. "Trust me, we will all be actual A-List celebrities by the time this is over."
And here is the preview for my new SYOC fic! I know it may be a small bit ambitious to work on two fics at once, but I'll be honest in that my workings on TD:BBB is fun, it is not at all gratifying with the lack of traction it is receiving and one thing I am certain of is authors and readers will flock to see their own characters compete in a fic, and maybe this will encourage people to check out my other fic.
This is my second attempt at writing an SYOC, but I have been wanting to try again at one for quite a while now. I am more than ready to take on this role, as I have matured and grown a lot as a writer throughout my life.
So yes, I am looking for twelve to fourteen of YOUR characters to take a part in this fic. It'll be a performance-based challenge, with singing, songwriting, dancing, and acting as some of the key aspects that will be explored in this fic. I am looking for quality over quantity in these applications, but the two do go hand in hand, so the most applications I will accept per creator is three, and the most characters I'll accept from one creator is two. Applications will be open til Valentine's day, but at the end of January, there will be an update with half the cast and information on what type of characters I am lacking.
The application, as well as the rules, will be on my profile, but as you're reading through it, there may be one question you are confused about. Call me selfish, but I want my other fic to be more out there, so the question you'll have to answer is what character are you rooting for on TD:BBB. I do just want some more reads and especially reviews as I want to know how to improve, and I can't promise anything but a review will might help your chances at being selected.
That's all for now though, and this is Space signing off.