Hiya! This is a SYOC fic for the Total Drama series, which will be hosted by Courtney as well as Duncan! Read on for the intro, and if you're interested in sending in a character, you MUST read the rules at the bottom of this chapter! Thanks!
Courtney was bored.
It was the one thing that her money could never seem to cure. Boredom. She had become rich and succesful, just like she always told people she would be when she was a teenager. She wanted for not.
And yet…
As she sat alone in her office, filing away at her taxes, Courtney felt herself heave a quiet sigh. The boredom was a crushing weight. She needed some levity. Something that would give her a reason to laugh again. Her eyes began to wander her office lazily, looking for something to occupy her. To her surprise, she spotted something she hadn't looked at in many years. She got up, something like a smile forming on her lips, and walked across the room to a picture frame, mounted on her wall. There, she saw a group photo.
22 teenagers, all of them grinning like idiots at the camera. Hope glimmered in all of their eyes. Courtney stared at that photo for a long time. She wondered what they were up to. The show had been cancelled a long time ago, due to budget constraints and the illegal actions of one Mr. Chris McClean. Courtney snorted. If she had been running the show, there was no way she would have let it tank like that.
A thought hit her, like a light bulb going off in her head. She tried to shake her head, get rid of the idea, but it was already blooming.
"No," she muttered to herself. However, she couldn't shake that thought. "Courtney- no."
But she knew she was right. She couldn't get it out of her head…
She knew she could run the show better.
Before she knew it, Courtney found herself at her desk, typing away in a spreadsheet by lamp-light. She figured, if she could just look at the logistics theoretically, that would be enough to let herself move on from this ridiculous idea. She hammered away at the budget, the concept, and a few other ideas for a handful of hours, before making a horrifying discovery.
"No freaking way," she muttered under her breath.
The craziest part, now, wasn't that she was even considering something like this. It wasn't that she was even thinking about those old days, where she and the others had almost died, multiple times. The craziest part wasn't that she had gotten this far, making a mock budget and weighing the pros and cons of attempting a revival season. No. The craziest part, Courtney realized… Was just how reasonable it was starting to seem.
She could do it.
She had the money.
The show had been gone so long that, with just a quick Google search, she was able to find a rabid cult fanbase, eager for more. Reboots always started out with exceptional numbers, she knew, and if she could seize the audience's attention with a fresh new theme and some exciting new-
"OK," Courtney said, stopping herself as she continued to type furiously into her spread sheet. She took a deep breath, trying to focus on some of the meditation techniques she had picked up to center herself. "Ease up, girl. We're not doing this- we can't. It's- it's ridiculous… I mean, who would you even hire as a crew?"
By that time the next day, she had booked a lunch meeting with two potential investors.
Courtney arrived at the sub shop in her stark white car, her high heels clacking against the concrete as she approached the door. She could see her two potential partners through the window, and despite herself, she felt a giddy excitement rush through her. However, as soon as she walked through the door, she forced herself to swallow the rush. Her face became all business.
One of the men at the table was a wide, blond, mustachio'd man, who was happily digging into a sandwich while listening to the other person talk. The other person was significantly sligher than the first, a skinny man with a broad forehead, crooked glasses, and a permanently bored expression.
"So, yeah, I guess I just liked the book more. They really captured the characterization of the protagonist better," the second man said. "Plus, the cinematography was boring. What did you think?"
The big, blond man shrugged, finishing the second half of his sub. "I liked it."
Then, the blond man seemed to notice Courtney, and his face lit up with cherubic surprise. He stood up, prompting the second man to turn around, and even he wore a somewhat satisfied smile upon seeing her.
"Woah-ho! Courtney? No way man!" The big, blond man said, coming over to give her a hug. Despite herself, Courtney grimaced and allowed him to hug her, even patting his back once before gently prying him off of her.
"Owen," she said. "Long time no see."
"Courtney," the other man said curtly, with a nod.
"Noah," Courtney said.
"Dude, this is crazy! So you're the one who sent us those e-mails?" Owen said.
"Wait, you didn't check who sent the e-mail?" Noah asked. Owen shrugged, as he and Courtney sat down. "Then why did you come?"
"Cuz the e-mail said 'lunch' in it," Owen said with a grin. Noah snorted. Courtney covered her smile with a hand. Then, she cleared her throat.
"Right, well," she said. "Down to business. Did you both read the e-mail?"
They both nodded.
"I think it's a wicked idea," Owen said.
"I particularly like the theme you picked out," Noah said.
Courtney nodded, satisfied. "Well, I'm willing to offer you each a percentage of the profits in exchange for your investment, and-"
"Oh, hey, can we be camera guys?" Owen asked. Courtney made a confused face. "I've always wanted to be a camera guy."
"Owen, you're rich, why haven't you just been a camera guy yet?" Noah said.
"I don't know, I guess I never thought I could do it!" Owen said. He turned to Courtney, wiping crumbs from his mustache. "So? Can we?"
"Eh, sure, if you want," Courtney said.
"Sweet!"
Courtney turned to Noah, who looked as deadpan as usual, as if to ask if he, too, was interested in operating a camera. He shrugged. "Sure. Why not. Maybe I can let my cinematographic mind shine."
Good. That was two less crew members Courtney would have to put on payroll. The three of them talked shop for a little longer, until they all were satisfied. Then, just as Courtney was about to leave, Owen stopped her.
"What is it?" Courtney asked. Owen had a huge smile on his face.
"I just think this is a great idea," he said. "Didn't know you had it in you, is all."
Courtney tilted her nose up with pride, and then laughed a bit, before leaving the sandwich shop.
Over the course of the next few days, Courtney was a mad-woman. She made calls, offered positions to a small but elite crew of specialists, and started to formulate exactly how her plan for the revival series would manifest. She eventually hit a speedbump when she realized that she needed to fill a crafts services role. She needed a chef.
Then, she had an idea.
Soon, Courtney had flown out to the East Coast, and found herself in a fine dining restaurant called "Mama's". The food here, she knew, was first-rate, second to none, rivaled by only a few of the upper echelon eateries in the area. She had arranged for a reservation far in advance, and had requested (rather forcefully) to speak with the head chef and owner. Courtney never did anything half-assed.
So, after she ate her delicious meal, Courtney waited patiently for the chef to come out to her table. She spotted him easily from across the dining room. He was a tall, well muscled, dark-skinned man, with soft eyes and a charming smile. As he came over, he held his arms out wide and gave a low-pitched chuckle. Courtney gladly stood and gave him a hug.
"DJ," she said.
"Chef DJ, thank you very much," the man said. "How's it goin' girl? Its been a long time!"
"It has," she said. "Listen, Chef, I know you got my e-mail, so I figured we could just get down to brass tacks."
DJ chuckled again. "Always right down to business. You ain't changed a bit, Courtney."
"What do you think? I'm willing to pay you to compensate for your missing out on the restaurant during the months we film. I have a pretty big budget, and for your services, I'm more than happy to pay well."
DJ thought it over, leaning back in his chair. Unlike the others, most of DJ's memories of their time together were wracked with fear. He'd been going to therapy for a long time, and this restaurant had become his haven, helping him put his thoughts into something productive… Still. There had been good times too, and above all things, DJ was very much the nostalgic type.
"You know what," he said with a bright smile. "Sure, Courtney. Since its you who's asking, and not you-know-who."
DJ had made it very apparent in his response e-mail that Chris's name was not to be mentioned. Courtney nodded.
"Excellent. Thanks so much, DJ, this is really gonna help. We'll keep in touch!"
Just like before, Courtney was gone in a whirlwind. Things were really picking up steam now. She knew the power that nostalgia held, and with a small group of A-List veterans being listed on the production team, she was already starting to get e-mails from industry executives, courting her revival series. Courtney knew that she only needed one more member of the crew, which she was dubbing "Team Courtney".
She needed a co-host, and she knew exactly who to ask. As much as it pained her, Courtney knew that she would be the one to stir up the most buzz in terms of audience interest.
Courtney was surprised, as she drove through the suburban neighborhood, by how basic it all was. She had expected something more lavish, or at least something more interesting, but this town was so… domestic. When Courtney parked in front of the house she was looking for, she was worried she had gotten the wrong address. She strode up to the front door, heels clacking, and hesitated. Courtney gathered her breath.
"We're adults now," she said. "Let's put the drama behind us… To, ironically, put the Drama in front of us…"
With a deep breath, Courtney knocked on the door.
Immediately, she was met with a barking dog and a crying baby.
"Oh, shoot, that's today- uh, just a second!" Came a voice from inside. There were a few sounds of frantic shuffling, the sound of feet running down stairs, and the baby crying was muffled alongside the barking dog. Then, the door opened. An Asian-American woman, pretty in a sort of plain way, opened the door. With her somewhat tired eyes, simple ponytail, and shlubby mom clothes, Courtney hardly recognized the woman in front of her. "... Hey, Courtney."
"Uhm," Courtney said. "Hey, Heather."
The two stood there, staring at each other for a moment, as memories good and bad came flooding back to them. Then, Heather blinked and stepped aside, allowing Courtney access to her home. "Sorry. Come in. I almost forgot you were coming today."
The conversation that followed came as a surprise to Courtney. Heather worked a pretty normal job, and lived a pretty normal life… and she didn't mind it, but she also sort of hated it. She had always expected a lot more from her life. They talked about what it was like growing up as child reality stars, and how that affected them. Eventually, the conversation evolved into nostalgic talks about Total Drama, about hating Chris, and about somehow, despite everything, missing it all sometimes.
Eventually, when Courtney popped the question, Heather gave her a pained smile.
"Listen," she said, her tone with a hint of maturity that Courtney found strange, as it was in stark contrast to her memories of Heather. "I'm really flattered, and, I mean… I guess I do like the idea of getting back into the industry but… I mean, we've both grown up. But I know me, and I think I can tell who you are… I just don't know if we'd work well together."
Courtney was a little shocked. The emotions were complicated, but ultimately, she understood. "Yeah. I get it… Maybe we can get you involved in another way?"
Heather sipped from a mug of cold coffee, and tilted her head. "Like what?"
Another light bulb lit up inside of Courtney's head. The further into this plan she got, the more excited she became, and the better her ideas became.
"... You could always host the Aftermath show."
Slowly, a big grin spread across both women's faces.
With that, the plans were almost set in motion, and as Courtney was returning to her penthouse home, she was thinking furiously. Maybe she didn't need a co-host. After all, Chris had never had one. For a while, Courtney held off on that portion of the planning, focusing on the other aspects of the show. She knew exactly what the theme of the season would be: a custom designed, luxury train, on a brand new railway that was being built across the United States. She could get a lot of publicity that way, and it was an interesting setting for a reality show. One that hadn't been done before. Sure, it might have a bit of a learning curve, and she also had no idea how to maintain or fix a train, but she was sure she could figure it out. Or someone on Team Courtney would.
Soon, Courtney was running out of things to distract herself with. Not only that, but even as her plans came to fruition, she was getting a lot of attention, but not quite as much as she wanted to before she revealed her master plan to the public for auditions. Apparently, according to many industry veterans, Courtney alone didn't have enough "broad appeal." The dreaded co-host situation reared its ugly head once again. The people wanted drama, even amongst the judges of the competition. As Courtney lay awake, thinking about this one night, to her surprise, her cell phone began to vibrate. There was no caller I.D. With a frown, Courtney answered.
"Who is calling me this late at night?" She asked, a bit of acid in her tone. There was a raspy laugh from the other end.
"Um, hey," the voice on the other line said. Courtney's heart skipped a beat, as she realized that it was a voice she recognized. A rugged, male voice. "This is probably gonna sound bad, but I need a huge favor."
"... Duncan?" Courtney said after a long pause.
"Yeah, uh…" Duncan said. "Listen, I'm in your city and… I need someone to come pick me up from jail."
Courtney was so stunned, she almost didn't hear herself agree. She was stunned as she pulled on her shoes, and she was stunned as she drove, on auto-pilot to the local jailhouse. There, she saw him. A taller man with dark hair and a sheepish smile on his face, contrasting his harsh eyes and tattooed physique. He clambered into the passenger seat, and Courtney was driving before he had a chance to put his seatbelt on.
They drove in silence for a while.
"Um-" Duncan eventually tried to break the silence.
"What the heck is wrong with you? Why were you in jail? And what makes you think its OK to call me, after all these years, to ask me to come pick you up? Like I'm some kind of Uber?" Courtney instantly began to rattle off complaints and grievances, giving Duncan a true earful. Duncan, for his worth, nodded and listened until she was finished, and then sighed, leaning his head back against the head rest.
"Look, I know. I messed up," he said. "I spent last night in a cell with a super sweaty dude… I just- I didn't know who else to call."
There was silence again.
"Its not like I like going to jail, you know," he said. Courtney snorted. "I'm serious! Its just… things are tough out here. Not all of us got all the big breaks like you did."
"I worked hard," she said.
"And got lucky," Duncan said. "You need both to make it in this country. Half the race is where you start."
Silence.
"I'm sorry. Thanks for picking me up- you can just drop me at the curb here. I have a buddy in town, I'll just go crash on his-"
The final light bulb lit up in Courtney's head. She didn't stop driving. She never took her eyes off of the road as she spoke.
"You know engines right? Like… with cars, or… trains?"
Duncan scratched his stubbly chin. "Sure. Why, you got somethin' wrong with your engine?"
Courtney sighed. "I really shouldn't do this."
"Do what?"
"Do you want a job?"
The exchange went by so fast that it was Duncan's turn to be stunned. Eventually, his wits were gathered. "What's the job?"
Courtney slowed to a stop. She turned to look him in the eyes, her face full of determination.
"Mechanic… and co-host."
So, thats the idea! As I said before, I will be accepting original characters to participate in this fic! I won't be putting the application form here, however! Instead, if you want to submit an application, I will ask that you answer the following questions in a review of this story!
1) What do you think of the concept?
2) How did you like my portrayal of Courtney this chapter?
3) Why do you want to submit a character?
Go ahead and post a review answering these 3 questions, and then I will send you a PM with the application form! I'm looking for 18 contestants, 9 masc and 9 fem! Once I've sent out a reasonable number of app forms, I'll be back here with another update! Until next time! Thanks for reading!