There was a flash of light as the camera focused on a lounge area. Four huge orange tables were standing in the centrefold of each quadrant, with luminous pink chairs surrounding each one. On one side of the room, were grandiose couches of a velvety red material tucked away into the corners, and the walls were adorned with a tacky vintage pattern, with massive blue polka dots on a vibrant green background.
There was nothing simple about the room, from the purple floors to the countless vanities lined up against the wall. Brushes and various make-up products were neatly stored next to each station and there were plentiful stations around the lounge area for each contestant's clothing.
In the forefront of the room were two portraits of immense stature. One pictured a stunning Blaineley, in her classic red dress giving a sultry look at the camera. Everything looked right about her, and it was clear that there was some photoshopped work done to make her look that heavenly.
Next to that portrait stood one of a near-nude Don. Flexing in the black and white frame, the brand of his Calvin Klein underwear was on full display. He was winking in the still-life picture, and it was sure to make most women, and a decent amount of men swoon.
This was their workroom for the next couple of weeks. Everything that a baby star would need to blossom into the next big thing. The cameras drew their focus from the expensive-looking room to the main entrance, where the sound of footsteps could be making their way into the room.
A short, blue-haired man could be heard clicking his way into the room. His outfit was out there for sure, with billowing white sleeves in a fashion similar to a wing. Lined with light blue and gold accents, his white dress shirt had a plunging neckline exposing the inner parts of his pectoral muscles, and chains of raindrops acted as a mini cape flowing behind him. Wearing high-waisted navy pants, two wave features were striking across the calves of his calves, and the noise of his footsteps was only amplified due to his brown dress shoes.
Their figure was not to be scoffed out, with their body lean with muscle from all the kicks and tricks they performed while dancing. They flashed a look at the camera, their smouldering red eyeshadow did with perfection, contrasting against their golden tan. Their gold piercings trailed into a crescent shape swinging as he turned his head. "Quack, quack motherfuckers!" The man spoke, twirling on the spot for the camera as they laughed in entertainment.
—
"Hola! Mi nombre es Quaker Aquino and I am the Dancing Duck from Nevada, Las Vegas!" The man spoke in the confessional with glee in his voice. The confessional looked different this time around, placing the man in an empty room with nothing but a blue and green backdrop similar to the one in the workroom.
"I'm going to be straight up with you right now. I'm here to stir the pot and show off my drag-tastic dance moves." Quaker continued, blowing a loose tuft of hair that refused to cooperate with the rest of his pushed-back hair away from his face. It didn't work too well as the strand fell right back over his forehead, but the energy of the Quaker was too high for him to even care. "This is going to be so much fun!"
—
"I'm the first one here?" Quaker asked, looking around the room enthralled by its beauty of it. He was partially confused, thinking about how he had at least expected Blaineley and Don here, but as his eyes caught sight of the portraits he realised they were with him in spirit.
They eyed up the photo of Don, almost drooling at the sight, before giggling to themself. "Not too shabby, ay? I hope there's more cute guys here," Quaker said giddily, sauntering their way to one of the tables and hoisting himself on top of one of the chairs.
Hearing footsteps once again, Quaker peered to the door, bouncing on his seat with excitement. A black woman of average height walked into the room, sporting black dreadlocks with blonde tips on them. Kept her hair out of her face with a blue bandanna, the woman was slim and her baggy tops didn't help her figure. With a long-black sleeve Nike shirt with the sleeves rolled back and a basketball jersey in a navy blue shade thrown on top of it with the number 23 and the words Like Mike on the front. It looked as if she was drowning in the outfit, but comfort always came first to this woman.
She also had ripped black jeans and a pair of black and white Jordans. While her gold septum piercing clashed against her diamond earrings, she didn't care as long as she had her favourite pieces on. They did match her twenty-three plated gold necklace, however. She was the type who lived her life with no pressure from anyone else. Whatever she liked was what she did.
"LET'S GET READY TO PARTY," The woman bellowed out, as Quaker clapped and cheered in approval.
—
"Vanessa Laticia Jordan is at your service, but y'all can just call me Van," The woman said, smiling. Her Southern accent could be slightly identified, and she confirmed it with her next sentence. "I was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi where I threw some of the most wicked parties of all time. They were sick! But it's time to go global, or dare I say… astral?"
—
Van, approving of her fellow competitor's cheering, went over to strike up a conversation with him and try to get to know him better.
"Heya short-stuff," Van commented, plopping her behind on the chair next to him.
"Hey yourself," Quaker teased back, their blue eyes sparkling in the lights. "First in and last to leave!"
Van laughed slightly, nudging the boy. "I think you mean first in and first out."
Quaker pouted in response, but before they could retaliate the sounds of steps echoed out again.
Peering towards the door together, a tall slender woman stepped into their view. With rather straight raven locks that fell to her shoulder, she was dressed rather formally in comparison to the first two. Her white dress shirt, unlike Quaker's, was properly buttoned up and she had thrown on a black blazer over it. The suit was a matching set, with the fabric of her pants matching the blazer but oddly enough rather than the black heels one would expect to finish the look, the woman had black leather boots on.
She turned to the camera and spoke with the utmost confidence. "Cello!" She said, smiling and giving a small wave to the camera. She looked at the two other people in the room who were giving her blank stares.
"I don't get it…" Van whispered to Quaker, as they nodded in agreement. The woman face-palmed at this, groaning softly.
—
"Cello? What was I thinking when these individuals did not know my life story!" The woman lamented in the confessional, before shaking herself out of it. "Nonetheless, I am Francine Bolton from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I have a certain talent when it comes to the stringed instrument known as the cello. I attempted to make a funny quip in my entrance line, but alas I fear it did not go the way I planned."
—
Francine made her way to the two dumbfounded contestants and stuck out her hand. "Apologies if my joke didn't land, however, I do hope that throughout the course of the season, you better grasp my sense of humour."
Quaker tentatively shook the hand of the woman, giving a curt nod. "Right…"
"Y'all just wait, we're going to have the sickest time," Van cheered out, pumping her fist in the air. "Even if we all got the wrong dress code for this place."
"Who knows, it could be suitable for an aquatic, black and white-themed basketball game," Francine commented, met with some more blank stares from the other two.
The familiar sound of steps echoed through the workroom again before Francine could cringe at her second attempt at a failed joke. The three peered to see the next contestant, excited about the possibilities of who this new figure could be.
A devilish man walked in next, with a smirk on his face. He was rather tall, towering over the rest of the contestants at his 6'2 stance, and his chocolate brown hair was neatly combed into a crew cut style. A notable part of his feature was his neatly trimmed beard, styled in an anchor goatee shape.
He wore black jeans, and his grey shirt was buttoned up. He also had tan skin, more on the shades of olive than Quaker's golden shade, but the Dancing Duck was practically able to smell the Hispanic aura coming off of him. "En español, por favour," The man spoke in a smooth sultry voice.
—
"Hello, hello!" The man spoke, in the comfort of the confessional. "My name is Johan Esteban Cesar Enrique Ramon Manuel Julio Ricardo O'Brian Gutierrez Vialpando, and the length is necessary! I come from a Columbian background but currently reside with my family in the Big Apple that is New York. It's quite a large family, so I find I have to use the full name, however, here you can just call me Johan Vialpando. And with Jodie, I'm sure to prevail."
—
Johan sauntered over to the three other contestants with a suave walk. Francine could practically taste both the cologne and confidence pouring out of the man and eyed him up carefully. Quaker and Van were honestly having a lot more fun, both of them whooping in excitement at the entrance of the new guy.
"Alright, sir! Hit us with ya best shot," Van exclaimed, her energy getting more and more pumped with every new contestant that walked in through the doors.
"Sir? Please, the name is Johan Esteban Cesar Enrique Ramon Manuel Julio Ricardo O'Brian Gutierrez Vialpando." Johan sneered, joining the trio on the chairs. Quaker flashed a look at Van who had had her smile turned upside down really quickly.
"The cheek of Mr Longname over there," Quaker whispered to Van, causing her to chuckle once again.
Their conversation was brought to a halt by the sound of the fifth contestant making their way in. A Chinese man with black hair swept into a quiff was seen strutting his way in, making a grand entrance smirking at the camera. His black hoop earrings and, while not visible, his silver barbell nipple piercings made getting through the airport one hell of a story he couldn't wait to recount to the others.
He was very well put in his newspaper print button-down shirt and emerald green blazer. He paired the outfit with black chino trousers and black cap-toe Oxfords. "Hello, boys!" The man spoke, turning to give a wink to the male contestants at the table. Quaker, without missing a beat winked back while Johan turned a bright red, flustered with a guy flirting with him.
—
"Hello darlings, the name is Jun Li Feng, and I'm the most stylish one here. Clearly," The man said in his confessional, with one leg crossed over the other. "I've quite a name for myself in New York City, with people flocking to my store to get a look at the designer himself. If you came for the looks, I suggest you keep watching!"
—
"He's hot," Quaker whispered to Johan, the blush barely having faded from his cheeks.
"Dude! Tell it to one of the girls," Johan blurted out, a little louder than he had meant to. Van and Francine gave him a quick look, with the latter seemingly bored already. Francine had signed up to compete against the best of the best, and looking around she was unimpressed thus far. She wasn't going to vocalise her opinion though, not wanting to risk the danger of an inappropriate comment leading to her elimination.
"Woah. You did not just dude me," Quaker responded, clutching at their imaginary pearls. "Besides my gaydar is going off on him so you're my competition."
"What are we lovely ladies talking about?" Jun asked, continuing his catwalk over to the rest of them.
"Hoping for another woman," Francine said, looking at Van who nodded in agreement. They had very different goals in mind though, with Francine aiming to solidify an early alliance partner, while Van was just hoping for people she was more attracted to.
"I thought I was one of the girls?" Quaker and Jun both rang out at the same time, causing them both to stare at each other intensely while the other three gave them the side-eye.
Before a catfight could break out, the familiar sound of footsteps took over again. While some, like Quaker and Van, were looking forward to meeting all the contestants, others like Francine were getting kind of bored with the repetitive nature. However, even she couldn't predict what was going to happen with the next contestant.
A man somersaulted into the room with such an acrobatic flair, it drew all eyes onto him. Just how he wanted, he thought to himself, dusting off his short, curly dark brown hair. While not the shortest contestant of the males, he wasn't standing that tall either, and Jun couldn't help but notice there was a trend alert with all the white button-down shirts. The man had his sleeves rolled up, and wore a red vest over the top with bright gold buttons on top.
His outfit was finished with black articles of clothing. With black slacks, black pointed shoes and a dashing bow tie the man was dressed like a sort of magician or ringmaster. His muscular figure was clearly able to contort itself in many different positions. "Ollie, Ollie, Ollie!" He chanted out, with Van and Quaker taking the lead of the following "Oi-Oi-Oi".
—
"I nailed that entrance!" The muscular man commended himself. He turned to talk to the confessional camera and flashed a huge smile. "Bonjour, hi everyone. My name is Ollie Warren and my home is the whole world. I'm part of a travelling circus and the world has been my oyster for the past six years. Make sure you come to see me in the Cirque D'émerveillement after this whole show is done!"
—
Ollie looked over to the rest of the cast and gave them a smile and a partial wave. Relieved to see, for the most part, a cheery group looking back at him, Ollie ran up to join them.
"Sick tricks dude," Johan commented, slapping his hand off Ollie's, who gave him a mischievous grin in return.
"Thanks! I wanted to show off that while I may not be a singer, I have a bunch of tricks I'm ready to show off," Ollie said, beaming at the Spanish man. He turned to the rest of the group and introduced himself to the rest of them, with Francine raising an eyebrow at him in particular.
The woman turned to look at the current group of people and was feeling rather confident about her place thus far. She didn't feel like any one of these people was that strong of a singer, and her only competition thus far in terms of instruments was Johan. She was pretty sure that her classical training would be a lot more impressive than whatever Johan had learnt on the guitar. She softly smiled to herself, tuning herself back in to hear Jun complimenting Ollie's outfit and turned her eyes towards the door.
"Hey, guys…?" Francine commented, drawing the conversation to a halt as five pairs of eyes stared at her in confusion. "Is it just me or do any of you see smoke as well?"
The girl was not gaslighting the rest of her competitors, as a deep white smoke trickled into the entrance to the alarm of most of the competitors.
"Any chance this is the first challenge?" Ollie asked nervously, lifting his feet off the floor and onto the chair.
"Please, with six of us?" Jun snapped back, lifting his shirt over his mouth to block the smoke from entering his respiratory system.
"RELAX!" Van yelled out, steering all eyes towards her in a similar fashion to Francine. "It's not real, it's like dry ice. The type of shit I use in my parties."
While some people, like Jun, were unconvinced, others like Ollie quickly realised that the party chic was right. Steps echoed across the room, as a new figure emerged from the clouded entrance. While not much of them was revealed, the silhouette of a slightly tall, pear-shaped woman was revealed to the cast.
The woman had wild, long black hair that suited her light brown skin. She was dressed with a lot of spunk, and the sight of her long black top hat caught the eyes of everyone. She was commanding the entrance, her magician-esque charade complete with a purple coat, white gloves and black dress pants and matching dress shoes. A glint of her lime shirt could be seen through the smokiness of the room.
"And scene," She spoke gently, bowing her head. Her pink scarf dangled dangerously close to the floor, and her diamond purple earring shone through the white cloud. As the smoke settled, a black mole could be seen on the left side of the woman's face and a mysterious smile could be seen.
—
"Greetings world, it is I, Jessica the Mistress of Illusion," The girl cheered, brandishing her gloved hand in the air as she spoke. "I'm from Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania and I come from a long line of stage magicians. While none of them ever made it big, this is my time to shine and show off what tricks I have up my sleeve. Get ready to get wowed!"
—
Jess turned to the crowd in the room and was slightly horrified to see the petrified faces staring back at her. Clapping her hands twice, all the smoke that was scattered across the room seemed to dispel back into the sleeves of her coat and she gave a sheepish smile to the rest of them.
"Haha… sorry about that guys," She said, bashfully rubbing the back of her head. While she did receive a couple of pointed looks, Van made the effort to give the magician a fist bump.
"Dude that was like everything I needed and more," Van confessed, as Ollie nodded his head in approval.
"Yeah, I was a bit frightened at first, don't get me wrong, but then I was amazed. You have to show me how to do that."
Jess sighed in relief, smiling back at the two. "Thanks. I'm a magician at heart and wanted to show off a trick when I came in."
"Oh, a magician?" Ollie asked, beaming at her. "We could always use another one of those in the circus I work at!"
"Who knows," Quaker toyed, nudging Ollie. "After a stunt like that, she could win this whole thing and start up her own circus. Keep me in mind if you do!"
Jess laughed, her nerves a lot more settled after she was supported by the others in the room. Johan was a lot less impressed though, scowling at the girl. "Alright, can we get a move on before one of us suffocates from her hitting the wrong button?"
Van opened her mouth to defend the girl, but the familiar footsteps started up again before she had the chance. This time, there was a lot less mystery surrounding who the person in question could be as a man with a skinny and tall frame walked into the room. The man had red hair that was tied back into a loose bun, and his pale skin almost sizzled under the lights of the room. It was undetermined whether he would burn underneath the lights, with his Irish genetics challenging his Korean ones.
Keeping the trend going after it paused with Jess, the man wore a short-sleeved, white button-up shirt with a butterfly along the front of it in vibrant shades of black, red and brown. The brown complimented the cowboy jacket he had on, with the tassels swinging as he walked into the room. His brown pants were high-waisted, and wide-legged and held to his body with a brown belt. He spun in a circle as he entered the room, his four-leaf clover pin on his jacket spiralling with him and he let his black suede shoes stop his twirl.
"K-Pop and lock it," He said with a grin, his black smokey eyes catching wind of his competitors. He brushed a strand of hair off his freckled cheeks, the texture of his black fingerless gloves and silver rings placing a sense of coolness on his warm skin.
—
"Hello everyone," the man spoke, sitting up properly in the confessional seat. "My name is Séamus Jun and it is my pleasure to be accepted as a part of this show. I live with my two parents in Alberta, Canada although my mother is from Dublin, Ireland and my father is from Seoul, South Korea. It is amazing to be here with you all, and I hope I leave a good impression on you."
—
"He's cute too," Quaker whispered to Johan, causing his cheeks to flare up again.
"Dude!"
"My gaydar is going off again!" Quaker defended, before seeing the man walk over to them. He smiled at Séamus, practically pushing Johan off his seat to free it up.
"Hey, you can sit here if you'd like!" Quaker said with a grin, as Johan scowled from his space on the floor. Séamus gave a nervous laugh, choosing to help Johan up instead.
"I'm perfectly okay with standing," Séamus deflected, gesturing at the seat for Johan to retake. "However, I appreciate the offer."
"Dude, you can take the seat next to that freak," Johan spat out, glaring at Quaker who feigned innocence. Séamus looked at the two Spanish men, before ultimately giving in and taking the seat. The table was growing more crowded, with seats only around one side of the table, in order for the cameras to catch a full view of everyone. In the centre, Quaker and Vanessa sat, with both Séamus and Francine on either side of them. Ollie and Jess were right behind the centre two, while Johan was in between Séamus and Quaker. All that was left then was Jun who was next to Francine, peering intently at the door.
He was right to leave his attention there, as another figure made their way into the room. The woman towered over the rest of the cast, having to duck under the door in order to make her way in. Her platinum blonde waves with lilac tips swayed as her light tan, curvy body stood in an archway, squinting under the lights of the room. Her hair was tied back into a low ponytail by a brown hair band, and antennae protrude from the band.
Her black jeans jugged her figure, as her shoulders and arms were exposed by her red tank top. Around her wrists, she wore black leather gloves with her thumbs exposed, and to prevent herself from going cold, there was white fur around the top of her shirt and spiralling her neck.
"Boo," She whispered hauntingly, sending shivers down the spines of the others in the room. She walked her way to join the rest, with a confident prowess which fit someone in the outfit she was in.
—
"I hope I didn't spook you too hard," the woman laughed in the confessional. "There'll be a lot more time for some proper scares while I'm here. I'm Aerice Bellial, a horror author who is currently living in Seychelles, East Africa. I wasn't born there, it was actually in the Czech Republic that was my first home, but that's a story for another time."
—
"Okay come on Scream Queen," Jun mocked as Aerice made her way to the group. Frowning at the insult, Aerice chose to stand on the opposite side of the room from him and looked around at her fellow competitors.
"Wait, I know you!" Jess commented suddenly, after racking her brain for the entire introduction of the girl. "You're Aerice! I've watched a few of your short films, although I thought they could've used some better special effects."
"Ah well, where I'm from they aren't exactly the most experienced in theatrics. Have you heard of Nollywood? That's my competition," Aerice rebutted, raising a couple of laughs from Jess and Van who had the enjoyment of watching the ridiculous scenes when they were growing up.
Jun was still rather unimpressed. He wanted to compete against other talented dancers, and he had no place as a writer in his fantasy world. What was she going to do in a dance challenge? Throw her long limbs around and pray she takes someone's eye out. Jun crossed his arms and rolled his eyes and the thought. He couldn't wait to show his talents off to the world.
A pair of feet could be heard walking into the room yet again. The cast once again looked upon the new figure coming into the room as a Japanese woman of average height daintily came into the room on the tips of her toes. Her flats were perfectly accustomed to taking in her pointed figure, as her skinny frame elegantly sashayed into the room.
Jun could feel his jaw drop seeing the outfit of the woman. For someone of such grace, he had no clue why she'd be in something like a black leather jacket. It completely did not go with her purple blouse or blue jeans, and Jun was about to let her have it.
The woman stopped perfectly on the line, her black hair with silver streaks styled into a side-swept bob. Her cherry blossom earrings sparkled, as she opened her mouth and bowed to her competitors. "Kon'nichiwa!"
—
The woman looked around the room before looking into the camera with a soft smile. "Hello everyone, I'm extremely grateful to be given this chance to shine in this competition setting. My name is Yuki Burizādo and I am from Tokyo, Japan. I am a skilled dancer, trained in the art of ballet and I hope that throughout the course of this season, I'll be able to wow you with my finesse."
—
Yuki gave a small wave to the competitors she'd be rivalling for the next couple of weeks, walking with a sophisticated grace over to them. Van, while respectful, wasn't that intrigued to have someone else who was classically trained. She was someone who picked up all her skills by practising and taking in what existed at the moment. She wasn't the type to judge someone without hearing their story, however, so she decided to strike up a conversation with the elegant ballerina.
"So ballet? How'd ya get into that?" Van asked Yuki, taking care not to let her tone slip into something that could have been perceived as rudeness. She was curious.
"Well, it runs in the family. My mother is a professional ballerina, and owns her own dance studio," Yuki informed the group, as they listened attentively to the girl's story. "While she trained me as a ballet dancer, she believed that I was not yet at the standard she perceived as adequate for her dance studio. It's my goal to prove to her that I have reached the goal she has set for me."
Van nodded, glad to have given the girl a chance. She had a story, and one she was going to act on and Van respected that much at least.
"Maybe I'll have the fortune to perform a cello solo which you can accompany with a dance," Francine toyed, causing Yuki to shake her head with a shimmer in her eyes.
"Maybe you shall," Yuki replied, leaving a tone in her voice that Séamus noted as slightly menacing. He shuddered at the thought of a classically trained villain but shrugged it off. There was no way that Yuki could have a personality like that, especially with her aspirations of seeking her mother's approval. It was something he could relate to on his paternal side, and he made sure to find a moment alone with the Japanese girl to discuss the matter in a more secluded area when he had the chance.
He turned to face the door and yelped in surprise to see a girl standing there silently. His shout caught the attention of the others, who more-or-less also screamed in a mixture of shock and surprise. The only exception to this was Aerice, who smirked at the short slim girl instead.
The woman was standing in the archway without saying a word. Her blonde hair was tied into a bun, and she was dressed rather simplistically, wearing a navy short-sleeve blouse and a white skirt. Her legs were covered with white leggings, and she wore a red tie wrapped around her neck.
She stared around the room, somewhat lost in a trance. Breaking from her daze from sensing that her presence was now noticed, she locked her eyes on the camera before speaking. "Cheerio…"
—
"My name is Athena Jones," the woman sighed, not that bothered by the whole atmosphere. Her face failed to show any enthusiasm for the reality of what she'd be competing in, and she rolled her eyes at the thought of letting her facade slip. "I am from London in the United Kingdom."
—
"You know what, I'll give you props," Aerice complimented as Athena slowly made her way to the group. "You have the chops to be a really good actress."
Athena rolled her eyes yet again. She knew she'd be no good in front of a screen unless she was given the chance to play the character she had adopted to be her own personality. There was something about life in a world filled with a lack of emotion that thrilled her almost enough to cause her face to crack into a grin, but being an actress where twisting her mood to suit the right role was a daily task. She'd stick to contorting her body.
"Thank you," She replied softly, not wanting to delve into a deep conversation about the topic. Aerice laughed off the awkwardness, but the mood was shifted in the room that even her poised demeanour couldn't bounce back from. She was grateful to hear steps again to distract everyone from the silence that had filled the room.
Turning their heads, the cast was able to see a tall, well-built man walk into the room. His brown hair was combed into a pompadour and his rosy-beige skin shade made him look like a modern version of Elvis Presley.
The Elvis lookalike was dressed casually in a dark navy polo shirt and black jeans. He had rather unusual footwear, electing to wear black slats and a shark tooth was laying on his chest, hanging off the loose rope around his neck.
"How you doin'?" The man spoke out in a rather uncanny impression of Joey Tribianna. If Ollie wasn't facing the door already, he would've been fully convinced that the Friends actor had walked in through the doors himself. He could feel a grin coming onto his face. These eccentric characters were reminding him an awful lot of the place he called home.
—
"My oh my, if it isn't sweet as pie in here today y'all!" The man commented with traces of a southern accent echoing through the confessional room. "My name is Robin Hawkins and I'm from the little old town of Portland, Oregon. I have a really hard knack for impressions and I'm hoping y'all will get to discover the real me! Y'all better be some help or my name isn't Isabelle!"
—
Robin walked over to the rest of the fledgling stars with a smile on his face. The sombre tone that was left flooding in the room was uplifted immediately by his presence, with Van and Quaker going back to their chants from before (joined in with the likes of Jess and Ollie).
Ollie whooped, clapping for Robin, chorusing applause behind him. Even Athena had to admit that his impression was impressive, although she didn't show it.
"An impressionist, huh?" Séamus asked, prompting a nod from the other man.
"Yes," Robin replied, echoing Séamus's voice in a scarily specific manner. The Eurasian boy's eyes widened in shock before grinning back at him.
"Maybe I'll have to hire you as an actor," Aerice chimed in, a coy smile on her face.
Robin chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. He enjoyed making people laugh, but he had ulterior motives for this competition. As his eyes gazed at the friendly faces who chorused in laughter, his lips upturned into a cheeky smile. His intention would be reached based on the people he was around, all that was left for him was to last long enough to reach his goals.
Robin's attention was broken from the others, as the sounds of steps echoed in his ear. Turning his head, he was met with a woman on the shorter side, striding into the workroom with clear and precise actions. Her face was intimidating with a scar across the nose, matching her muscular figure, and her dark brown hair was tied back in a slick ponytail.
Her white cropped top exposed part of her midriff, while the bottom half of her body was hidden by a pair of grey sweatpants. Partially camouflaged by her top was a tattoo sleeve of skulls, and her other tattoo of a small heart was visible on her left hip. She stared ferociously into the camera, with a smirk. "Like a flower, ya girl's got thorns."
"Catty," Athena commented expressionless, not paying much mind to the various frightened faces around her.
—
"What's up y'all, Rosa Gutierrez is the name and slaying is the game," the woman joked in the confessional. "I was born in Los Angeles but got out of that shit-hole and moved up to Canada where I live with my best friend, shoutout to Kali. I'm here to show that I'm not all bark and Rosa has some spunk and bite behind her."
—
Rosa sauntered her way to the intimidated faces, almost scoffing at how easily they jumped. Her eyes quickly scanned the room, not spending too much time on the frightened ones before locking eyes with Athena. She didn't want to admit it, but she was impressed that someone managed to not flinch at her appearance. She had taken down brawny brutes of men, so she wasn't expecting to see a petite girl like Athena not even flinch at her entrance. It didn't help that she was really pretty too…
"Hello?" Athena asked, already bored of the situation before her. "Do you mind not staring?"
Rosa yelped in surprise, a bit embarrassed for being called out for her prolonged gaze. She could feel the impact of her entrance diminishing, as a few of the others started to chuckle rather than feel the fear they had experienced beforehand.
"Right, I-uh, I was just-"
"Spit it out," Athena continued, her face as straight as always. She did enjoy teasing the girl, and on a day in the life she led before, it'd be enough to make her laugh.
"Sorry, I-, it's just-"
Athena raised her hand to silence the girl, and the others all chuckled at the scene before them. The flustered Rosa blushed, before succumbing to silence and quickly taking her place on the opposite end of the table, as far away from the stoic as she possibly could.
"What's with the laughter? I haven't busted out a joke yet, yo?" A masculine voice rang out. As the heads turned to face him, an African-American man of average height was seen to be standing at the doorway. His black buzz-cut hair was hidden under a black and white Lakers cap and his eyes were shielded by a pair of tacky black sunglasses, although if you asked him, he would say that they were fresh.
He had a white tee shirt underneath, with a LA Dodgers baseball jacket over it. He finished his outfit off with white sweatpants that had two streaks of blue running along either side. He gave a goofy grin to the camera and a short wave.
—
"Yo, yo, yo! Man, am I pumped to be here," The man exclaimed, fist-bumping the air in glee. "It's ya boy, Craig Lamar Kendricks and I am from the best city in the world which is obviously Los Angeles. You guys ain't ready for the bars I'm 'bout to drop, ya dig?"
—
Rosa couldn't help but scoff at the site of the man. All that merch from Los Angeles he was wearing? It was like he was a tourist begging to be robbed, and despite the embarrassment she had endured not that long ago, she was prepared to reestablish herself as the scary one.
"Ayo, what's the matter chica?" Craig asked, making his way to the rest of the gang. "Do you want a piece of the LA Shredder, the Craigmeister?"
"Please, Los Angeles is the worst place to be." Rosa clapped back, causing Craig to lift up his shades and raise an eyebrow.
"What do you mean by that dawg?" He asked, and the wiser ones in the room could feel the tension growing.
Rosa scoffed again, flipping her ponytail out of her way. "It's personal but I wasn't all that sad to leave that wretched town."
"Yo, don't be dissing SoCal like that," Craig said, his voice raising as he spoke.
"Alright guys, let's calm down. I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding," Séamus chimed in, attempting to play pacifier between the two.
"Nah, let them rip each other to shreds," Quaker rebutted, causing Séamus to frown. "My money is on the girl."
"As entertaining as this is, Séamus is right," Vanessa added, not exactly supporting her more chaotic friend.
Before the physical altercation could break out, the steps of another figure could be heard. Pushing aside their differences for the moment, they turned to see another man of six-foot status. The lightly tan man had a devilish smirk on his face, as he sauntered into the room. His dark brown hair was swept backwards, and confidence oozed out of him.
He was breaking the mould, having a navy blue button-up shirt instead of the countless white ones. His sleeves were rolled up, and he matched his top with grey faded jeans. He gave a cheeky smile at the camera.
"Sup' ladies," He exclaimed with a wink. "And gents."
—
"He's all real don't you worry," the man scoffed in the confessional, raising an eyebrow as he spoke. "The names Hanson, Andrew James Hanson that is but you can call me Drew. I'm from the BK in NYC, and I have quite the name for myself. You've never heard a voice and lines as smooth as mine before."
—
"Now girl, the others may be cute," Quaker said to Johan over the commotion. The latter hadn't even realised how close he had moved to the Dancing Duck during all the commotion and was, unfortunately, regretting that choice. "But he looks yummy!"
Johan groaned, smacking his head off the table as Drew strolled over to the group gathered around. He grabbed Quaker's arm, planting a kiss on the back of their hand causing the short man to blush furiously. Drew continued to do so around more of the competitors, notable reactions being Yuki who fought to contain her blush, Athena who had no discernable reaction whatsoever and Rosa, who recoiled in disgust surprisingly.
As Drew approached Jun to continue his suave act, Jun drew his hand back staring violently at the newcomer.
"Don't even think about it, bud," Jun spat out, causing Drew to raise his hand in surrender.
"Apologies, but a man as fine as you deserve a kiss."
Jun rolled his eyes, turning away from Drew as an awkward tension threatened to loom once again. Thankfully, Drew had a little too much charisma to let that happen as he instantly broke the silence raising the topic of how many of them there were already.
"Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen?" Robin called out, after doing a quick head count.
"Seems to me we have a star-studded cast," Van gushed, wrapping an arm around Quaker and Francine who sat next to her. Ollie laughed at the sight of Francine trying to keep her composure, while Quaker burst into a flurry of cheers. The man himself was rather excited to see the talents everyone else possessed, as he knew himself that he signed up to be a star, not a singer. He was glad to see so many eccentric personalities in the room though and was grateful that it was apparent people had other talents hidden in their resumé.
His eyes flashed from the slight bit of smoke that remained in Jess's sleeve, Robin massaging his voicebox to prepare himself for later. He noticed Jun pointing out flaws in Drew's outfit to Francine, who could be seen using an imaginary bow in an attempt to calm herself down from the fifteenth contestant kissing her hand. Aerice was rehearsing lines off a script she had, bouncing them off Van who was beatboxing to help her. Rosa had a punch lined up, still ready to not back down from a brawl, while Craig 'menacingly' spun tracks back in her direction. He was ready to have fun during his hopeful long time here.
Warped back to reality he was by a loud scream coming into the workroom. "HERE'S MOLLY!" The feminine voice rang out, cackles following as a short woman ran into the room in manic behaviour. Her caramel skin was beaded with sweat, and her long dark brown hair was frantically brushed downwards, in a messy state. Scars littered her pear-shaped body, and she bounced from left to right, her eyes darting across the room.
She wore an oversized purple jumper, with a chibi bunny crocheted across the front of it. In a matching shade were her purple tennis shoes and the shade of lipstick she wore against her naturally dark lips. Her blue jeans were faded, as she cackled to herself, alarming much more of the competitors.
—
"Shut up Carolyn, it's our turn now!" The woman said, seemingly to herself, before waving to the confessional camera. "Hiya! My name is Molly Alston and I'm sooo excited to be here. I've been living in Edmonton, Canada for at least a bit, but I find it so much more fun to be a free spirit and float around. Eieieie! I'm so excited!"
—
"Girl, you cray-cray," Jun snorted out, sassily placing a hand on his hip. Molly chuckled in response.
"Oh my God, what a snoozefest," Carolyn groaned, appearing as a shadowy figure behind Molly. Of course, though, no one other than Molly would be able to see her. "You should show him who's boss."
"Don't be silly Carolyn! These are our new friends," Molly retorted back to herself, squealing as she ran up to the rest of the group and pulled the group into a hug.
"Who's Carolyn?" Séamus asked sheepishly, as Craig shrugged his shoulders back at him.
"It looks like you're all getting acquainted with each other," A masculine voice announced, as yet again, heads whipped towards the door to look at the new figure. Cheers beckoned out when the man was identifiable as Don, with an antsy Blaineley next to him.
"Ugh, I liked it better when Craig and Rosa were about to brawl," she spat out, before blowing a kiss at the contestants. Rosa couldn't help but blush, at both the call-out and at the site of the hostess.
Don lightly shook his head, before flashing a charming grin at the sixteen stars that were before him. "Well guys, welcome to Total! Drama! Stardom!"
The camera started popping out of different areas, showing brief glimpses of the workroom, the hallway to the bedrooms, and the backstage area. It travelled through the cafeteria, before pausing outside where a tour bus was seen parked just outside the theatre. Cars zoomed past on the busy main road on the side, as a pink limousine pulled up to the theatre.
I can't help it if I make a scene, stepping out of my hot pink limousine.
Johan was seen signing an autograph outside of the theatre. as fans screamed his name in adoration. A chauffeur sped to the door of the limousine and opened the door for Francine. The cello player made her way out of the car, elegantly giving a wink to the camera as she did so.
I'm turning heads and I'm stopping traffic,
The camera rushed its way back into the cafeteria. On the way through, a group of people could be seen surrounding the glass, and as the camera made its way inside the reason why people were crowding was obvious. Drew was seen flexing, calling the attention of all the people who liked men in his direction, while those attracted to women were gasping over the site of Yuki. The ballerina was pirouetting, commanding the attention of the spectators, as they both smirked at each other, seeing who could have the larger crowd.
When I pose, they scream and when I joke, they laugh, I've got a,
The camera zoomed through the hallway, pausing in the workroom for a second. Standing up in front of the couch was Jun, who was seen striking a pose in his newest design. Robin, who was watching, politely clapped, before commenting on the outfit. Jun was seen processing the critique in his mind, before keeling over in. Presumably, the joke Robin had made landed as he joined the fashionista in laughing as well.
Pair of eyes that they're getting lost in, I hypnotise by my way I'm walking,
Séamus and Quaker were on the opposite side of the workroom, both sharing a vanity together. Sticking his tongue out, Séamus perfected the last swipe of eyeshadow onto Quaker's eyes who was giddy at his new black smokey eye. He leapt out of the chair, before voguing down the workroom for Séamus, as the Eurasian boy's lips upturned into a smile. He ended up also busting out a couple of his own moves, as the two of them strutted and pranced around together.
I've got them dazzled like a stage magician,
The camera continued its journey, visiting the dormitory rooms instead this time. It first went into one of the women's rooms, where Jess was seen alone practising a trick. Laser lights radiated in every direction, bouncing off the walls and her black latex suit, and she spun around letting the lights reflect off her body. She ultimately did get too dizzy, and collapsed backwards onto her bed, but was glad to see that her magic trick was looking good so far.
When I point, they look and when I talk they listen, well,
Focussing in on one of the men's rooms next, Ollie and Molly were seen chatting to each other. Molly kept gesturing to an invisible figure next to her, and Ollie awkwardly chuckled in response. He was flashing his eyes between both the girl and the empty spot next to her, while also trying to veer the conversation in a different way.
Everybody needs a friend,
The camera continued its journey just backstage on the main platform where the contestants were to perform. Athena was seen hugging her knees and looking into a photo on her phone, with a picture of a younger-looking girl like herself, and an older man who also resembled her too. The younger girl was bright and cheery which starkly contrasted the man in the picture, and if you were looking carefully, you could almost see a slight frown on the face of the stoic.
And I've got you, and you, and you,
Approaching the girl from the darkness of the room were Rosa and Aerice. The former girl looked like she had just come back from a fight, wearing boxing gloves and a headpiece to protect herself and she gave a goofy smirk towards Athena. Aerice on the other hand had a little more concern on her face and extended her arm to the girl on the ground. Athena rolled her eyes but allowed herself to get hoisted up by the horror writer.
So many I can't even name them, can you blame me, I'm too famous,
Peeking its lens through the curtain, Vanessa and Craig were seen on stage. They seemed to be having a war, as both of them spun tracks with such intensity and speed, giving each other playful glances as they did so. Eventually, Craig lost control of one of his disks as it went flying off the stand and shooting towards the judges' table where it got lodged. He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, while Van pumped her fist in the air in victory.
Haven't you noticed that I'm a star, I'm coming into view as the world is turning, Haven't you noticed I've made it this far,
Blaineley and Don looked horrified, very concerned by the accident that could have happened if the fickle finger of fate had decided. They both gave a thumbs down as Craig hung his head in shame. The camera went on to show scenes of all the different contestants competing in the game of stardom, with Yuki racing Ollie and Robin rapping down a microphone.
Now everyone can see me burning, Now everyone can see me burning, Now everyone can see me burning.
The camera came to a halt in the workroom, where all sixteen contestants now sat. They could be seen chatting together, as a group of interns placed another gold frame on the wall in between the ones of Blaineley and Don. All that was missing from it was the picture of the one true shining star of the season.
Some of the contestants clapped and cheered at the sight of their two judges in the same room as them. For Yuki, the game had really started now, for Drew, it was time to start strategizing and for Molly? The fun had just begun.
"Now, while we have you, we might as well show you around the place," Don continued, raising his arms to properly reveal the room they were in. "This is the workroom. Consider this as your lounge area. You'll mainly be here to get ready for the day, and to talk with everyone openly."
Blaineley scoffed, flipping her hair away from the front of her place. "Get a move on, old man! This can't be their first show."
She walked out of the workroom, gesturing for the rest of the cast to follow her. She pointed down the corridor, before yawning slightly. This whole ordeal was dreadfully boring.
"Down there are your bedrooms. You'll be sharing with one other person, but more on that later. Now, legally. We are required to feed you, so here's the cafeteria. Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be served there, but if you're like me, one meal will do."
"I wouldn't consider twenty burgers as one meal," Robin whispered to Johan, causing the man to guffaw out in laughter. Blaineley narrowed her eyes at the contestant who had interrupted her, and Don took this chance to regain control of the situation.
"Now just outside the cafeteria is the tour bus. We'll be taking that bus to your mini-challenge every day, where the winners will win an advantage in your performance-based main challenge. The mini-challenges will be based on a Total Drama series challenge, so I hope you came prepared. You won't have one of them tonight, but you will have a main challenge."
Francine smirked upon hearing this. She may not have been the strongest contestant, but she did come prepared and was ready for whatever the judges were about to throw at her. Ollie was also rather excited, as he considered his wheelhouse to be a lot more practical challenges rather than singing or rapping.
Blaineley clapped her hands impatiently, drawing focus back to her. Don sighed, sensing this as a bad sense of forewarning for the hosting gig he had before him. Blaineley sauntered to the backstage of the theatre, which was a lot larger than people had anticipated.
"Now this is backstage. This is where half your performances will occur, with the other half being live on the main stage. There's a green screen to the side, as well as a recording booth for those who need them." Blaineley continued. While his co-host was speaking, Don took the time to expose the mainstage by pulling back the curtains.
"Now this. This is where you'll be performing for us. Blaineley and I will be looking on from the judges' table just there and we will be ranking your performance," Don continued, smiling at the cast in an attempt to calm their nerves. "The only other place
Séamus's hand shot up, but Drew beat him to the punch by asking a question.
"What's the deal with the three seats? I thought it was just you two?"
Séamus gingerly lowered his hand, having the same question as the boy. Blaineley clapped her hands excitedly, knowing the answer and wanting to get more screen time than the more 'boring' host, according to her.
"It'll be just me and Don tonight, and for the finale. However every other challenge we'll have an extra special guest judge join us to judge. While you guys are in teams, they will decide the winners and losers, while when the merge hits, they'll have an equal vote just like us,"
"And how come you two aren't judging us while we're in teams," Craig asked next, as Séamus lowered his hand again. He wasn't used to people just firing out questions, having been taught a lot stricter than in this atmosphere.
"Well," Don said, thinking about how to word his statement correctly. Seeing the hesitation, however, Blaineley was prepared to chime in before he could process anything.
"That's because we are your team captains. Half of you will be on Team Blainerific and the rest will be on Team Dontastic!"
"We'll be deciding the teams by seeing your performance in the first challenge," Don rebutted, not willing to get cut off again by Blaineley. "An all-star studded talent show."
There were a couple of noises of celebration at this announcement. Johan was ready to show off his guitar skills, while Molly racked her brain to think of which of her many talents she could showcase. Athena was a lot more bored than the rest of them.
"We'll give you guys some time to prepare, but first," Don continued, but alas, he was interrupted by Blaineley again.
"BUT FIRST! Roommates!"
The two hosts shoved each other as they pushed their way to the corridor where eight rooms were littered. At the very end of the hallway was one last door, which Don addressed immediately.
"You all already know where the confessional is as well," He mentioned, referencing the last door. "Bathrooms are just through those doors as well, women's on the left and men's on the right just like the dorms. I gave myself the responsibility of pairing together the guy's roommates and Blaineley did the same for the girls."
"Don't worry. We tried to put together people we thought would get along," Blaineley added. Don nodded wholeheartedly, but an evil glint in Blaineley's eyes said otherwise. What? She was trying to produce a reality show, not make friends,
"So in the first room, I thought there were only two people who could match each other's fabulousness. Ugh, why did we let you guys write these," Don read out on his notes, letting a small bit of malice slip out while he read the pairings. "Anyways, in room one are Quaker and Jun."
There were a couple of gasps, especially from Van and Francine who had witnessed both men relatively early on, as well as how bad that pair could be together. The two in question locked eyes, and gave each other heated stares, challenging the other to say something first.
"Right… In room two we have someone who has a lot to learn about the real world, and someone who has a lot to learn about the scholarly world." Don continued, after eyeing up the two male divas. "It's Ollie and Séamus."
Séamus gave a soft wave to his roommate, while Ollie pulled the man into a warm hug. A bit surprised by the interaction, Séamus eventually gave in and hugged back as Ollie bounced from left to right excitedly.
"I was honestly hoping to be on a team with you," Ollie confessed with a grin on his face. "This is miles better!"
Séamus laughed, matching Ollie's enthusiasm. "I'm sure we're going to get along great!"
"Heartwarming," Athena said, turning her head to Don. The host coughed before continuing.
"Right! So next up are two of our funniest contestants. In room number three we have Craig and Robin."
Craig gestured a peace sign towards Robin, who matched the LA lover's energy right back, mimicking the exact same pose and posture that Craig had had. Craig was excited to say the least, after a rather tense entrance to have someone a lot more laidback to hang with for the majority of the season. Robin just thought that Craig seemed cool.
"This means in room four are our best two male vocalists. Drew and Johan," Don finished, leaving Drew and Johan to glance at each other.
Johan liked the look of Drew. He thought that he could possibly be a good ally, and that it would be nice to have someone who wasn't Quaker to talk to throughout the course of the competition. Drew, on the other hand, scoffed at seeing his roommate. He was glad to practically have a room to himself, as he could not see Johan making it any further than twelfth pace. Hey, at least he'd be able to invite people over easily.
"Finally, my turn," Blaineley exclaimed, smashing her hips off Don and sending him flying to the side. Getting a dirty look from her co-host, Blaineley paid no mind to him whatsoever, He had his time, it was her turn in the starlight now. "Alright bitches, get ready."
"Up first, in room five we have Athena and Rosa," Blaineley announced, eliciting chuckles from a lot of the others who were there to witness their first interaction together.
"That's not what you wrote in your notes…" Don groaned. His train of thought was yet again interrupted as Blaineley hurled the notebook she had at the man.
"What can I say, I live in the moment," Blaineley scoffed, flipping her hair once more.
Rosa was a feverish red with blush, and Athena simply rolled her eyes. This was going to be entertaining for her to say the least.
"Next… let's do Francine and Jessica in room six," Blaineley commented, seemingly having to have just plucked at random for that pair.
Francine was a little alarmed, to say the least, as she was used to being pampered back home. Now she'd be sharing a room with someone who increased her likelihood of blowing up in a trick gone wrong tenfold? She was sweating bullets at the thought of it. Jessica rubbed her arm sheepishly, already having not had the best time talking to the girl but hey, it was day one. Things were sure to look up for her if she just believed. That's what her granddad always told her.
"Room seven? Hmmm…. Molly and Yuki."
Molly cheered, immediately finding Yuki in the sea of people. Yuki couldn't even pretend to hold back her disgust as the crazy woman found her, but she pulled herself together as quickly as she could to not let her facade slip.
"Pleasure to be your roommate," Yuki said with a saccharine smile, as Molly bounced up and down in front of her.
"Carolyn, you and I are going to have so much fun!" Molly squealed out, clapping her hands together like a child at the thought.
"Who is Carolyn?!" Séamus asked again, with Robin being the one to shrug this time. He eerily copied Craig's shrug from earlier, causing the one who had been impersonated to laugh yet again.
"Ya boy has won the roommate roulette," Craig called out, causing a light pink to crawl on Robin's cheeks. He was already making fruitful progress in achieving his goal of making friends, and he had fate that Craig would be able to help him find his character. To him, Craig had plenty of his own character which made it easier to imitate him.
"Which leaves me and A in the last room," Van finished off, receiving a scowl from the host. It wasn't with malicious intent that Van had stolen Blaineley's thunder, it was just the obvious choice and she couldn't help if she wanted to practise her routine for tonight as soon as possible.
"She can't sabotage us all," Aerice finished, giving her roommate a high-five. Aerice thought that Van was the best roommate possible, so she was glad to have been paired up with her.
Blaineley rolled her eyes at the interaction, cursing under her breath. "Right, well that's everyone all sorted. Me and Don will see you tonight so be prepared to wow us. You have the rest of the day to practise. Go stars go!"
Cast
1. Aerice 'A' 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 'Jess' 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
Songs
1. Haven't You Noticed (I'm A Star) ~ Steven Universe ft. Olivia Olsen
And thus we have part one of the first competitive episode. I underestimated how long it'd take me to finish even half of the chapter, and with sixteen performances to follow this chapter, I'd have rathered gotten something out to all of you than keep you waiting for ages.
I'm hoping I gave all your characters justice, and I tried my hardest to give everyone equal screen time in this chapter at least. My main goal as a writer is to give everyone their own storyline and some were established in this chapter. Do let me know if there's anything I can improve with though!
As for predictions? I have all of them planned, and some are going to be what you expected while others aren't. I do want to know since it is a talent show, who do you think is going to do well and who do you think will flop? As well as that, I'm also interested in who you think the protagonists, antagonists, love interests and all that will be throughout the fic as well. All reviews are encouraged especially constructive criticism.
In part two, we'll have some more character interaction in the workroom while everyone is preparing their performances and we will also see all the performances. Teams will also be assigned the next chapter, so we have a decent chunk to still get through, which is another reason why this chapter is split in two.
I can't wait to show y'all what I have planned, but until next time this is Space signing off.