A/N Well, for as many views as the Contest got, I had four submissions total. Little less than I wanted, but that's alright. It was an experiment, and I realize now that something like this would probably work better on a bigger fandom fanfiction category like Harry Potter. Still, I had a lot of fun putting this together, and I hope those of you who participated had fun as well! But anyways, here's the answers and winners. Who knows - some of them may even turn up in later fanfics!
Contest #1: Guess My OTPs - ANSWERS
The answers (and explanations) to what my additional five ships are:
1) OttoxDr.O
Yes, I know this is weird and totally not mainstream, but I have my reasons. Namely the very end of "Odd Outbreak", as there's a moment where Dr. O puts her head on Otto's shoulder while reading a book. Also their interactions in "O Games" helped to justify it.
2) OrenxOctavia
I'm going to say right now that this one, 3), and 5), are all connected. So this one first. My theory is that Oren found out his partner Olaf was, well, gay, and for awhile he went with it. But eventually he told Olaf that this wasn't for him, and became interested in Octavia instead. My reasoning for Oren's interest in her is because, besides Ms. O, she is the only main agent character that he hasn't gotten irritated with, even though many other characters do get annoyed with Octavia.
3) OlafxObfusco
Okay, for the record, this was my sister's idea, not mine. But I thought it would be funny, so I rolled with it. Also, if you think about it, both agents are known for saying really confusing things, so...
4) OrchidxOri
They're both around the same age, and as far as I know, neither seems to be tied down with a partner. They also seem to be good foils for each other, i.e. Orchid is logical and sarcastic while Ori is illogical and honest (but still a little sassy). This ship would not really be a romantic ship, rather they would just be super close.
5) PollyxOz
I don't know about you, but to me, Polly seems to be the last person in the show to get involved in a ship. She likes ponies and pink things and all sorts of girly stuff, and she doesn't seem to want a guy. But what if she had a guy that she didn't have to see...? As for Oz, here's my theory: for awhile he and Octavia took advantage of being partners and were into each other, but after he turned invisible, Octavia started to drift away and then got interested in Oren. Oz was crestfallen, so whenever he and Octavia weren't working on a case, he would frequent the lemonade/hot chocolate stand to try and forget about his troubles (the kid's form of alcoholism ;) ). Over time he grew to like Polly, and there you are.
ANSWER TO BONUS QUESTION: Oscar
My reasons for believing that Oscar is Polly Graph's cousin lie mainly in the episode "O is Not For Old". The way Oscar mentions her as the one person who can help them, combined with the way he greets her when she walks in, plus the fact that someone on Odd Squad's network had to have helped Polly make her connection with the squad, were all enough evidence for me to formulate this theory.
CONTEST #1 WINNER: Shenokzo (score = 2/5 + 1)
Contest #2: Find the Doctor Who References - ANSWERS
The answers (and locations) for the eleven Doctor Who references in "Olive's Last Partner":
Chapter 1 = ...Great-Grandmother Elisabeth already died when he was seven...she had always been a little too fond of rapping his knuckles and forehead with a screwdriver or lipstick tube...
Three references here. Elisabeth was the first name of the woman who played Sarah Jane Smith, one of the most beloved companions of all time, and who died in 2011 (assuming the story takes place in 2014 when I published it, that's three years ago, when Otto would've been seven). The other two refer to the Doctor's sonic screwdriver and Sarah Jane's sonic lipstick tube.
Chapter 2 = ...he held the banana creme pie up to the opened pipe...
Bit of a stretch, but the 9th Doctor's favorite food is bananas.
Chapter 4 = "...like that one time I tripped over that super-long striped scarf and nearly turned all the lemurs into jelly babies..."
These two references both refer to the 4th Doctor, who is known for wearing a super-long striped scarf and for his favorite candy being jelly babies.
Epilogue = Multiple:
a) "...mm, fish fingers, celery, and banana custard for dessert..."
Three references here. Celery is the 5th Doctor's favorite food, bananas (as previously mentioned) are the 9th Doctor's favorite food, and fish fingers/custard together is the 11th Doctor's favorite dish.
b) "You can trust me, I'm the Doctor!"
I don't remember if this line is actually said in Doctor Who or if it's something said by the fans, but it's heavily associated with the show. And since Dr. O loves to remind us of the fact, I just couldn't resist. :)
c) ...it's true that he'll be able to fix her with an Un-statue-inator, although he'd only expected to use that gadget in case headquarters were invaded by Weeping Angels...
Weeping Angels are widely regarded as the scariest villains of all time on Doctor Who. Not even kidding. Look them up if you don't believe me.
CONTEST #2 WINNER: shaknpp (score = 6/11)
Contest #3: Trivia Questions
The answers to the 30 trivia questions (many of which could be found on my Pinterest):
1) In the beginning of "Rise of the Hydraclops", what is the name of the magazine that the man on the airplane is reading?
Answer: Schmumber Nature
2) The actress who plays Ms. Baker appeared on another PBS Kids show prior to Odd Squad. Name the actress, the show, and the character she played.
Answer: Aisha Alfa, Cyberchase, Bianca
For those of you who don't know about Cyberchase, it was the main math-themed PBS Kids show long before Odd Squad came along. Go figure!
[REVISION: ANSWER TO QUESTION 2 IS ACTUALLY FALSE. SEE CH. 4 FOR EXPLANATION.]
3) What is the Odd Squad motto? (Hint: it's not in English!)
Answer: E Weirdibus Bizzarreum, Strangeus non Normalur
4) In the beginning of The Perfect Lunch, what is the name of Ms. Baker's talking milk jug? And from what comedy show is a character of the same name referenced by name and voice?
Answer: Leonard, The Big Bang Theory
5) What are attached to the backs of Agent Obfusco's converse?
Answer: Cowboy Spurs
6) One of the Odd Squad Tube Lobby agents is played by an actor with the same first name as that of his/her character (not counting the O' part). Name the actor and the agent he/she plays.
Answer: Scarlett Dovey, O'Scarlett
7) In an interview with Tim McKeon (co-creator of the show), he explains that when the Odd Squad set was built, there was one extra room that didn't have a purpose at the time. What did this room eventually become, and which recurring character was created as a result?
Answer: The Medical Room, Dr. O
8) According to FЯED, what is the favorite hobby of Millie Davis (Ms. O)?
Okay, so I found out later that this YouTube video was removed, so there's no way anyone could've answered this question or the one below. I therefore threw it out, but the answer was skating.
9) Also according to FЯED, what are the favorite books of Dalila Bela (Agent Olive) and Filip Geljo (Agent Otto)?
Also had to throw this one out, but the answer was Sherlock Holmes and Tom Sawyer.
10) In "How to Interrogate a Unicorn", what famous author does W.W. Williams resemble, both in name and appearance? (Hint: it's awfully ironic how she didn't write the fourth book that Mr. Fonts found, isn't it?)
Answer: J.K. Rowling
11) Name the two nonspeaking agents who help Oscar in his training videos, and the actor and actress they are played by.
Answer: Agent Ophelia, Alina Prijono; Agent Oakley, Bryan Stevenson
12) Which two main Odd Squad actors won "Best Performance in a TV Series—Recurring Character" at the 36th Annual Young Artist Awards 2015?
Answer: Peyton Kennedy and Sean Michael Kyer
13) The set for Odd Squad Headquarters was built with low ceilings, which are perfect for kid agents but cumbersome to visiting adults. According to one article, what 1999 American fantasy comedy film inspired the use of these low ceilings?
Answer: Being John Malkovich
One of you answered with Men in Black, and even though it was indeed an inspiration for the show, I couldn't accept that answer in the context of the question. My source for this information was here: www . tvguide news / pbs-odd-squad-1089753/
14) Who is the main Odd Squad production designer?
Answer: Ron Stefaniuk
15) Fill in the blank: "If only _ _ _ could see me now!"
Answer: Sheila
16) What is the name of the corporation that owns almost every consumer product seen in the show? And who does this name come from?
Answer: Schmumber's™, Yucks Schmumber
17) One of the show's episode titles is parodied after a popular meme title, and two others (that I know of) are parodied after classic movie titles. Name all three episodes, the meme, and the two movies. (Bonus points if you name any other episodes/movies that I wasn't aware of!)
MY Answer: "Bad Luck Bears"/Bad Luck Brian, "Invasion of the Body Switchers"/Invasion of the Body Snatchers, "Life of O'Brian"/Life of Brian
These were the ones I knew about, but some of you knew several more, for which I applaud you. Some of the others include "Reindeer Games"/Reindeer Games, "Fistful of Fruit Juice"/A Fistful of Dollars, "Mystic Egg Pizza"/Mystic Pizza, "Party of 54321"/Party of Five, "Whatever Happened to Agent Oz?"/What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, and an additional basis for "Bad Luck Bears" which was Bad News Bears. One of you additionally pointed out "Training Day" and "Trading Places", but because I stated in the Contest #3 rules that episode-related questions only applied to "Zero Effect" through "Jinx", I could not accept those answers.
18) Speaking of which, there are two other Odd Squad episode titles (that I know of) which are parodied after episode titles from other TV shows. Name each episode, the episode it was parodied off of, and the TV show of each parodied episode. (Again, bonus points if you name any other episodes that I wasn't aware of!)
Answer: "The Trouble with Centigurps"/"The Trouble with Tribbles" (Star Trek), "Recipe for Disaster"/"Bad Blood" (The X-Files)
19) According to one article, the storage facility in "The Trouble with Centigurps" was based off of a storage facility from what TV show?
Answer: Warehouse 13
20) Also according to this same article, what fictional character does the author think Ms. O pays a homage to? And what well-known franchise is this character from?
Answer: Judi Dench, James Bond
21) How many stars are on the Odd Squad seal?
Answer: 16
22) Three of the adult actors in "Crime at Shapely Manor" co-starred in what 1988 Canadian TV sitcom? Also, name these three actors.
Answer: The Kids in the Hall, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney, Scott Thompson
23) Aside from the above sitcom, many of the adult guest stars that appear on Odd Squad are alumni of what improv comedy troupe?
Answer: The Second City
24) The two Odd Squad co-creators are collectively credited for working on six major kid's TV programs before this one, one of which they worked on together. Name all six programs, and designate which one they both worked on together.
MY Answer: The Electric Company (both), Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Adventure Time, The Backyardigans, Blue's Clues, and Wallykazam!
Okay, apparently I didn't do NEARLY enough research here. Both McKeon and Peltzman worked on Wallykazam! as well as The Electric Company, which I didn't realize and that is totally my fault, and each of them worked on several other major kid's TV programs as well. Some of these include The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, Lazy Town, Team Umizoomi, Wonder Pets!, Octonauts, Peter Rabbit, Wander Over Yonder, Fish Hooks, and Gravity Falls.
25) In square feet, how big is the main set used for filming Odd Squad? And what city are the location shoots filmed in?
Answer: 25,000, Toronto
26) If a red hexagon is the emblem of the Department of Investigation, and a green triangle is the emblem of the Department of Science, what color and what shape is Agent Obfusco's emblem? Also, what department does this represent?
Answer: Orange Heptagon, Events/Support
27) Who played agents Olive and Otto in the Odd Squad pilot episode?
Answer: Isabela Moner, Jaden Michael
One of you answered with Koyalee Chanda instead of Isabela Moner. Chanda was actually the director of the pilot.
28) What is Agent Octavia's favorite food? Be VERY specific!
Answer: Pan-Seared Tuna Salad
29) Finally, according to Tim McKeon in a newspaper article, what is the main story arc from "Zero Effect" through "Jinx"?
Answer: Who was Olive's former partner (now known as Odd Todd), and what happened to him
Or as one of you answered... "TODD TODD TODD TODD TODD!" XD
30) Bonus: who's my favorite Odd Squad character? :)
Answer: Agent Oscar
Okay, did I give this one away somewhere, or was it just stupidly easy to figure it out? Because everyone who submitted not only knew the answer, but made fun of me for it! Eh well, note to self. :)
CONTEST #3 WINNER: Agent43 (score = 62/65)
Congratulations to the three winners! PM me for your prizes whenever is convenient. Thanks to everyone who participated, and I encourage you to check out my other two Odd Squad stories, "Olive's Last Partner" and "All Mixed Up!" as well as many more to come!
