"It's been long enough!" Blaineley snapped, peering at the code on the screen. She may not have understood it, but she understood drama and Blaineley O'Hallaran was determined to finish her dream cast. "Show us the last few security cameras' feeds."
The intern turned to say something to the female host, but Don clasped his hand over the intern. "Careful! We don't pay you to speak!"
The intern flashed a look at the camera, seemingly as if to say "You don't pay me at all." He rolled his eyes and continued to hack his way into the security cameras.
"Blaineley, I'm still not feeling that great about the ethics of this whole hacking thing," Don confessed. While he was entertained by the first batch of contestants they had ended up watching, he did have to say the scare really did get to him from last time. Don wanted his rise back to fame and fortune to be a little more filled with integrity; He prided himself on having the RiDonculous Race as a show filled with more rules and fairness than the Total Drama series. He wasn't ready to abandon that part of who he was just because of a switch to a new network.
"Ah Don, stop being such a wuss," Blaineley replied, rubbing the bridge of her nose. She didn't know how she was supposed to host a full season with that man when she could barely put up with him for five minutes. She rolled her eyes. She'd have to be the one that carried the personality of the show, an easy feat for her, but annoying nonetheless.
"Do we even need these? I mean, these last eight seem like they had all the personality we were looking for in the audition tapes?" Don continued, reluctant to commit a federal crime. At least he thought it was a crime, I mean he wasn't a law student. Where was Courtney or Elle Woods when you needed them?
"We?" Blaineley asked, raising another eyebrow. "I have been the one doing all the work while you've been cowering in a corner. Besides, what do you know about drama?" Blaineley continued, causing her co-host to wince in reply.
"Have you watched my show?"
"Please, the one that got cancelled after one season?"
"I-"
"With Total Drama contestants having to be cast in order to bring in the viewership?"
"Now hold on a seco-"
"Intern! How are the feeds looking?" Blaineley continued, happy with how she had demolished her co-host. She needed to establish her dominance somehow, being the Blainerific one.
The intern showed off the screen, now portraying eight new live feeds. It was honestly impressive how good this intern was at his job, with a few of the shots being taken from a laptop or a phone screen instead of just from security feeds. Blaineley was once again satisfied and turned to the roast host next to her.
"Are you in or out Don?"
"Like I even get a choice," Don moaned, peering into the screen.
Party music blared out of speakers as a group of teenagers all danced without a care in the world. Hip thrusting and gyrating, it was pretty much what you'd expect from one of the biggest college parties of the year. Well, any party was the party of the year when Vanessa Jordan was the host of it.
The girl in question was at the head of the entire group, spinning tracks at her make-shift DJ station. She was building hype just like her Dad had always taught her to and although she didn't know if the atmosphere of drunk students absolutely raving was what he had in mind when he said she'd make it big, she was sure he'd be proud of her.
"Alright, y'all! Make! Some! Noise!" Van cheered out, as everyone in their boozy states celebrated the party girl. "I'm gonna get some air but y'all keep it hot with this track by K$SHA!"
Van spun the track, as hollers rang out when 'TiK-ToK' started playing. She smiled, pushing her way through the crowd to get herself outside. She was average in height, but traversing parties on the weekly meant she knew what spaces she could fit her slim body through. She shoved her headphones off her head, wrapping them around her neck and pushing her black dreadlocks out of the way. Her chestnut skin glistened in the light, and Van took a deep breath in, smiling cheekily.
"Man is there anything I can't do," Van smiled to herself. "They ate that shit up and it was the bomb!"
She laughed to herself, spinning around in a small circle letting herself feel the music. She was in the zone not that long ago, so she wasn't able to dance like a normal college student. Van was a lover of the party, but she couldn't wait to find a moment for someone else to host so she could let her inner freak fly.
"Yooo Van… Your phone is like, blowing up like crazy," A smooth masculine voice rang out.
Van raised an eyebrow, turning to her friend Demetrius, and gave him a soft smile. It was nice to have someone to balance her wild side, and she thought of him like a brother. Although he did possess an exaggerated personality, Van felt rewarded to know that he trusted the girl enough to be chill and calm with him. Van, on the other hand, was cranked up to eleven, twenty-four-seven. The man handed her the phone and gave her a peace gesture as he went back to the party. Van couldn't help but chuckle, as she unlocked her phone to read the message.
"Star potential is what we see in you… Star potential?" Van read out, confused. Reflecting on what she had done recently, and mind you her schedule was packed, she crossed things off her mind.
"Ashley's party? No that was sun-themed… Wait? Total Drama!" She pieced together, shrieking with excitement. The world wasn't ready for her sick moves and awesome beats, and Van was ready to come in with a bang.
A calm breeze blew over the dusty street where a couple of kids were kicking a soccer ball. While not abnormally cold, it was slightly chilly for the time of year but with the children tearing down the road after the ball, there was a comforting sense of warmth surrounding the apartment complex they were outside.
A couple of their mothers, aunts and elder sisters all watched on from the balconies of their respective homes. Of course, a lot of them were intertwined, as it was one large family living in the whole complex. It made for one hell of a family tree; so bad that they just had one hung up in their Grandparents' living room for all future generations to copy for their school assignments.
A woman barged into the room of Johan Vialpando, causing the man to jump in response.
"Ay, Carmen! I'm changing in here," The man groaned, instinctively covering up his body. All he was wearing were grey plaid boxers as he quickly pulled up his black jeans.
"Nothing I haven't seen before," Carmen said laughing, sprawling out on his bed. "In fact, I've seen you in even less,"
"Shut up!" Johan yelled, a light blush crawling over his cheeks. "Just because you're my cousin doesn't make it any less weird."
"Aren't you the ladies' man then," Carmen continued teasing, prodding at the man's slim olive chest. He may have been standing tall, but Johan knew Carmen knew the perfect ways to get under his skin. As his skin grew redder, Carmen rolled her head back and laughed again.
"I'm only messing," Carmen chuckled out, wiping a stray tear from her eye and looking at her cousin's pouting face.
"What're you even doing here? If Tía Alexis saw you she'd have your head on a platter," Johan continued. It was a struggle to keep track of their long family, but Johan considered himself to be one of the better ones at remembering them.
"Relax. Mamá sent me up. Well actually Abuela got a letter then she gave it to Tio José, who passed it to Giancarlo, the little one, not the big one, who passed it to Isabelle, love her, and then Isabelle gave it to Mamá and Mamá gave it to me and-"
Johan clutched his head, rubbing a hand through his neat chocolate brown hair. While he may be one of the better at the names, it didn't make complicated lists like that any better. "Right Carmen, but what does that have to do with me?"
"Oh right, yeah it was addressed to you! We all may have already read it too…"
Johan was dumbfounded. Of course, his family had to make the action of delivering a letter into this huge game of telephone. His eyes caught his guitar, propped up against the wall next to Carmen and sighed.
"Dios Mio, Jodie, you're the only one who keeps me sane," Johan muttered, addressing his guitar.
"Well, it's a good thing she does," Carmen said, a glint in her eyes. "She's all you'll have when you're on the show."
A man took a sip of coffee, as he scribbled down a note from the book he was reading. His desk was loaded with language books, science books, and so on. He always thrust himself into his academics, even though they might not have been his favourite way to pass the time. It's what came though, with a teacher and a doctor as his two parents.
Séamus Jun yawned quietly, as he finished off his last sentence with a full stop. He stood up, his skinny six-foot frame the same height as the plastic skeleton he had for his anatomy lessons, stretched his arms and looked at himself in the mirror. Freeing his shoulder-length red hair from the bun it was in, he shook out all the tiredness he was feeling in his arms and legs, to grab himself a cup of lavender tea. The coffee was just to keep him awake, the tea was simply for the flavour.
He hated the house he lived in, with all bookshelves lining the corridor. Maybe he wouldn't have minded it as much if they were filled with dance routines, but the academics weren't what he thought he was destined for. He was counting down the minutes before his father left for an afterschool meeting when he could really let loose. He would've preferred having his music to help him study, but if Mr Jun heard even the slightest bit of noise coming from his room other than the scratching of his pens and typing on the network, there'd be war.
He wandered into the kitchen, preparing the mug for his tea while rooting through his cupboards for a small snack. Settling on a packet of spicy peanuts, he felt satisfied as he crunched his teeth on one. While not able to fully express his love for dance through his arms and legs, he rolled the chunks of the nuts along his mouth to the beats of his favourite song. He had gotten very good at picturing choreographies in his head, and acting them out through his tongue movements.
"What do you mean Total Drama Stardom?" A masculine voice rang out through the house, echoing from the living room.
"Min-hu, please. It's what he wants," A feminine voice pleaded in response.
Séamus grit his teeth. He knew his parents were arguing once again, and he couldn't help but have a slight sense of guilt. After all, he was almost always the hot topic of their debates, and he couldn't help but wonder if they'd be happier if it wasn't for that faithful day.
"I will NOT have my son acting like a monkey on national television Maeve," Min-hu argued, as Séamus listened intently from the other side of the door. "I know what's best for him."
"Séamus is my son too," his mother, Maeve, clapped back rather quickly. "You don't rule this house."
Séamus backed away from the door, as his mother stormed out, puffy-eyed. Seeing her son, she wiped at her eyes and flashed a huge smile.
"Hello my superstar," Maeve said softly, causing Séamus to laugh. No matter how old he got, his mother would always keep calling him these pet names, and he'd be lying if he said she didn't know how to build up morale.
"Everything okay Mom?"
"Yes, my dear. You'll be going on a trip though, to reach your dreams. Just remember, don't let anyone dull your sparkle."
A woman ducked under a flying punch and the crowd around her roared in support. It'd be a lot more alarming if you weren't aware that she was in a boxing ring. This cage fight might not have been legal, but it was a surefire way to earn some quick cash.
Rosa Gutierrez thought she'd be able to leave this lifestyle when she moved away from her LA home. With a name and appearance like hers though, she was never destined to find a job easily in this economy. While prideful of her Mexican heritage, it was both a blessing and a curse in the world she lived in today. Yes, even in Canada.
Rosa continued to put pressure on her opponent, avoiding his punches with a sense of feline excellence. It was predictable at this point, and it was one of her favourite things to take down these big, cocky, in-over-their-heads men. She may not have liked hurting people, but she was damn good at what she did and beating up these assholes was a favour to the community.
"SHE'S JUST A GIRL," a man's voice yelled out from outside the ring, but it didn't phase Rosa at all. She may be just a girl, but she was a whole lot of a woman. She landed a devastating uppercut on the jaw of the brute of a guy she was fighting, and he was out cold before anyone else could jump on the hate train.
Satisfied, she grabbed the pile of cash left on the brown table off to the side. You'd have thought that by now, at least one other person other than herself would bet on her, but hey, she wasn't mad about not sharing her winnings.
She pulled on a grey hoodie over her regular outfit and pulled the hood up over her wavy dark brown hair. She had let it loose from its regular ponytail while she was leaving; the last thing she needed was to be caught for these boxing fights. She quickly paced her way back to the apartment block she resided in, her tan skin turning slightly pale from the cold. Ay, she missed her annual Mexican holiday and the warm weather. She made a mental note to save up for a trick while her passport was still in date.
Rosa inserted the keys and unlocked the door of the blanket, met with a shadow of darkness.
"Kali? You here," She called out, confused by the state of the place. As far as she recalled, her roommate hadn't said anything to her leaving the apartment while she was gone, so she was a small bit alarmed.
"SURPRISE!" Kali yelled out, jumping from behind their couch and frightening Rosa dearly.
"DIOS MIO! KALI!" Rosa screamed out, throwing a wild jab and narrowly missing her roommate.
"Oh… I forgot about the whole 'Don't scare the girl who could probably kill you' thing," Kali said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head.
"Kali, what the fuck are you doing?" Rosa sighed, calming down now.
"Okay so I saw a letter for you and I saw it was from the Total Drama Corporation and I was like wait! Rosa signed up for that show. So I got a cake!"
Rosa rolled her eyes, although she couldn't be mad. When Kali had an idea in her head, it was near impossible to shake it out of her. "Alright, alright. Hand me the letter."
"Too bloody bright," a woman muttered as she walked through the halls of the art gallery she was in. Her blonde hair was tied back into a tight bun, as she wandered looking around at the artwork that was hung up around the museum. There was far too much joy and colour in most of the pieces for her liking, and she questioned why she even decided to check this place out.
A part of her was hoping that there'd be a nice black-and-white section for her to examine, but in fairness, she was more than happy to not be at home. It wasn't exactly her safe space. Athena Jones much preferred being out in a quiet café or reading a morbid book in the confines of her favourite library.
She was glad to be British. She always felt as if the weather usually reflected her mood. Downpours, and bleakness. Her favourite of all weathers. She wasn't always like this but people had stopped caring to bother to ask her why or try to fix it. She didn't mind it though and found that life without annoying human interactions was a life she much preferred over the busy bustling life she had led before.
She stumbled her way into a more secluded part of the gallery, finding a bench to prop herself down on. She was weary, and there were too many people in the library for her liking. She did find what she was looking for, finding the more twisted works of art. They were far too conceptual for the regular population to understand, but all it took was her mind to understand the true feelings of the artists behind the work.
"Morbid. Just like art should be," Athena muttered out, closing her eyes and picturing the artist at work. The careful strokes and the themes of famine and plague. She was no scholar, but it was clear that there was a brain behind the blank stare she carried.
"Stardom, huh?" She thought to herself. "What a bunch of bullshit."
Athena wasn't exactly to jump up at the chance of being famous. She just wanted to get away from the personal hell that was her home. She thought about the offer more, peering into the masterpieces around her.
"A star…" She softly said to herself, losing herself in a world of her own thoughts.
"Utterly disgraceful!" A Chinese man bellowed out, rushing around the room he was in. It was in an absolute state of affairs and frankly looked like a scene out of a Saw trap. Scraps of paper with half-finished designs were flung around, littering the floors. They contrasted against the sheer amount of fabrics, creating a makeshift rug on the floor. If Athena had been in the room, she was certain to have died from a heart attack.
Mannequins were knocked onto the floor, sans one which stood right smack centre in the room. A gown was dressed on top of it, in a shimmering blue. The lamé fabric sparkled in the artificial lights and sheer tufts in a pastel blue wrapped around the shoulders adding even more texture. It was missing fabric, but in an artistic way with an open back and a slit across the right leg, exposing a dangerous amount of skin if a human was to put it on.
A woman walked into the store and raised an eyebrow at the mess in front of her. "Everything okay?" She laughed out, placing the two cups of coffee she had in her hands on the nearest surface. She would've aimed for a clear one, but that'd be like playing a game of Where's Wally.
"Cassandra, darling," the man spoke, seeing her walk in. Jun Li Feng was glad to see her walk in, for the most part. "NOT THERE! That fabric can NOT have any stains on it. I need it for that blasphemous Sleeping Beauty costume. My work, for a kid's party? Ridiculous!"
Cassandra, or as most people called her, Cassie, let out another chuckle. It was never a boring day when Jun was in the zone. He was in a flurry, storming through the store and flinging everything behind him and Cassie had to swiftly dodge a pack of needles that went flying past her.
"June Bug," She teased, calling him her favourite nickname she had for her. "What's the rush for? I thought you had a month for that costume and another two weeks for that gown there?"
Jun turned to face her, his fair skin shining off the bright lights. He ran his hand through his side-swept black hair and sighed. He threw off his blazer and unbuttoned down his shirt, exposing his tattoo and pierced nipples as he studied himself in the mirror. Picking up a soft blue fabric, he draped it against his slender figure trying to piece together how to make the look high fashion on the severe time crunch.
"If you must know dear, it turns out that I do have the raw talent we all knew I had."
Cassie raised an eyebrow at him but chose not to speak. Jun had a flair for both fashion, and the dramatics, and she knew better than to interrupt him while his monologuing,
"You see my dear Cassie, I believe I'm about to get a lot more traction to this store of ours. What with Stardom in my reach, and me needing to leave for the journey there where I anticipate I will remain until the bitter end."
"Don't tell me they actually chose you?"
"Don't act so surprised!" Jun said, laughing as he draped the fabric around the bodice of the mannequin. He wiggled his eyebrows at the girl, as he put the finishing touch on the outfit. "And voilá!"
Ollie Warren peered down from the sheer height he was at and gulped. He closed his eyes, looking up at the red and white tent that was very nearly in his grasp, and exhaled the breath of air he had been holding in.
"Just like always," He muttered, as he took a leap of faith. Anyone watching without context would think this boy had a death wish, but this was a typical day in the life of Ollie, the aerobic hero. His curly brown hair gushed in the wind, as he locked his hands around the handlebar of the trapeze set and propelled himself forward.
It was no easy feat, and it had taken him years to build up his resistance to the fear. His strong arms and his well-defined figure were extremely impressive, especially given his short stature, as he kicked his legs with the sway of the bar.
"Kick forward, and bend back," Ollie mumbled to himself, as the warm beige man rocketed along with the bar. He loved the feeling of feeling free, and he truly did come alive in the air.
Blasting off he timed his departure from the bar carefully, taking another leap of faith. Grabbing onto the second trapeze bar that was hovering at the dangerous height he was. With a mighty gusto, he latched onto the second bar like he always had before. He may not have been the brightest, but that didn't mean anything when he was one wrong move away from plummeting to his doom. He flipped himself off landing on the opposite side of the tent in a precise motion, once again letting out a breath he'd been unaware he was holding in. He had all this built-up energy inside his body, and while he was like a child on a sugar rush on the ground, all his co-performers had to admit that he was a completely different person when he was in the air.
Ollie braced himself, preparing to take off again when a deep voice rang out.
"Your form was sloppy."
Ollie yelped, awoken from his trance to find himself falling. He had completely missed the jump because of the mysterious voice. He found himself spiralling towards the floor, as no words came out of his mouth; He was far too shocked!
It was a relief that he had set up the safety net, something their ringmaster had rung into all the performers, especially the aerial ones, after a nasty accident before. Ollie ricocheted, off the net, bouncing back up as his limbs were all sprawled out flying through the air like a chicken. He was not anticipating the bounce and knew that the oncoming impact, while not deadly, would hurt like a bitch.
He closed his eyes, bracing himself for the pain when he felt a lot softer of a touch instead. He opened his eyes to see Rufus, the circus's Strongman holding him tightly and flashing him a toothy grin.
"I thought it was spring, not fall," Rufus teased, letting out a hearty laugh.
Ollie groaned. "You've been spending too much time with the clowns. Rufus, I could've died!"
Rufus continued to laugh. "Please I would've never let you fall."
Deep down, Ollie knew he was right. He always felt safe when Rufus was around and, to be frank, not many people would go head to head with the most macho man in the was a miracle that the two had so much in common, but he had to admit it was strange to see this hunk of a man and his tiny figure walking around in a barrel of laughs together.
"This came for you anyways," Rufus continued, passing Ollie a letter. "Don't know how it managed to catch up to us unless it was you seeing if you could outrun the mailman again."
"Hey, at least it was smarter than the Wonder Twins mailing themselves!" Ollie joked, back tearing open the letter and reading through it as quickly as he could. He hadn't been to school in a while…
"Well? What does it say?"
"I'm going to be shooting like a real star now!"
"You gotta believe me! I didn't do anything wrong this time!" A woman begged as she got dragged into a room by a burly policewoman and her slimmer partner.
"We saw you do it!" The bigger woman replied, sighing. She saw way too much of this girl.
The girl was none other than Molly Alston, or as she was known around the psych ward, Mad Molly. She was no stranger to these parts, but she detested her time here. Most of the time it wasn't her fault, she had an illness that couldn't be controlled.
"What did I do then!" She argued while a voice rang out in her head.
"Well for starters, you crushed that boy's fingers when he rolled a five in snakes and ladders. That's nothing though, I told you to ram the pieces down his throat but noooo, you'd get in trouble for that."
Molly pouted. "Carolyn, you're a bad influence!"
"Look at yourself, princess. You're arguing with yourself."
That much was true. Carolyn was just the devil on her shoulder and the voice in her head. She was born after the fall, and ever since that fateful day, it had all been downhill for Molly.
"Someone call her school counsellor." The slim policewoman spoke into a walkie-talkie. "Carolyn is back."
"Ah phooey," Molly said, crossing her arms and sitting smack bang on the middle of the floor.
"What? You're joking?" The police officer almost yelled down the walkie-talkie, hearing a certain piece of news. Molly was playing with her long messy black hair, her caramel skin shiny from the layer of glitter stuck on her from an intrusive thought during arts and crafts. She was not invested in the outer world at all anymore, humming along to a random tune in her head while she waited for her eventual release.
She wasn't expecting to come almost instantly, however, glancing up when she heard the keys jangle in the door.
"Did Carolyn tell you it was her and not me?" Molly asked excitedly, ready to put herself out in the world again.
"Please, as if I would do something like that!" Carolyn muttered in Molly's head, but the sweet girl was far too excited to even reply. Freedom again at last! Those two minutes had been painful to wait through.
"I wish that's what happened," the police officer said, a shudder running through her spine.
"They want you on that new reality show."
Blaineley and Don looked at each other, very concerned. They weren't expecting these characters to come out of their casting, but at the same time, it seemed perfect.
"Let's recap?" Don asked Blainely, with no response from the female host. "So this is a cast for sure..."
"What have their parents been eating…" Blaineley added slowly. "They're all wackjobs!"
"As for their personalities. We have a drag performer, a fashionista, a circus performer, a guitarist, a sleazebag, an illusionist, a SoCal lover, a cello player, a horror writer, a ballerina, an illegal boxer, an impressionist, a party chick, a K-Pop wannabe, an emotionless girl and Mad Molly?"
"It's perfect," Blaineley whispered. She had done her job and had chosen a cast of stars. She couldn't wait to see
Cast
1. Aerice Bellial by Wolfik128
2. Andrew 'Drew' James Hanson by Skyn1nja123
3. Athena Jones by Livi C
4. Craig Lamar Kendricks by thedragonrooster
5. Francine Bolton by Alexnueshoorn
6. Jessica Quinn by Tech-Star
7. Johan Vialpando by Allureon
8. Jun Li Feng by Skyn1nja123
9. Molly Alston by UltraGenuisTD
10. Ollie Warren by The Feline Overlord
11. Quaker Aquino by Me (Space Zodiac)
12. Robin Hawkins by ZNBT
13. Rosa Gutierrez by Lemonade Lover
14. Séamus Jun by DarkForest66
15. Vanessa 'Van' Laticia Jordan by Mr Ruff
16. Yuki Burizādo by Thunderstrike16
As promised, here is the full cast of Total Drama: Stardom. A big thanks to everyone who even submitted a character, y'all made the casting process really hard but do not fret as there will be other SYOCs for your characters to shine, including another one of my own which will be started a while after my first two fics are completed.
Unlike my other story, I have every challenge planned for this season, as well as a rough draft of an elimination order. Activeness may play a part in if your character was destined to go home very early but they might make it to the merge and even further. There's a toss-up right now for the finalists but alas that will all come in due time.
I do want to hear your predictions, however. Is there anyone you're excited about? Who do you think will be the first elimination? Who'll be the main antagonist(s)? Will anyone blossom into a romance this season? And what challenges do you think there will be throughout the season? Lay it all on me.
The only teaser I will give is that chapter four will be titled "I'm Yours (For One Night Only)". Any theorists want to have a crack at what the challenge will be. The episode premise itself will mainly revolve around an introduction and the teams, but I will give you the information that yes, there will be a challenge but there will NOT be an elimination. We have to give our stars their fifteen minutes in fame after all.
I'm going to make no promises with an update schedule, but I do want to try to alternate between this fic and TD: BBB. I am having a lot of fun writing this though, and ideas are flowing so who knows if I'll stick to that.
Until next time, this is Space signing off.