Well, another new story was the last thing I was expecting to publish, but I was sick of Stormbound after finishing Episode 5 and I started writing this late at night completely on a whim, and I ended up having a lot of fun with it. This is mostly a playground for me to write some characters of mine I've been wanting to write, as well as experiment with a different season format, so I hope you enjoy! It also takes place after Unleashed and Stormbound and has some references to it but no major spoilers.
"What's up Total Drama!" a young woman shouted and pumped her fist in the air. She was sitting behind a DJ booth as music blared out of the speakers. She was in a large, open room that looked like it was being set up for a party, with a space cleared for dancing or mingling. "This is DJ Boomburst coming in with a brand new show! But we're not on the dance floor just yet, so call me Naomi Vernon!"
Naomi turned off the music and stepped out from behind her booth. She was a tall and skinny woman in her late twenties, standing at 5'10" with pale skin, teal eyes, and short bleached white hair with the tips of her choppy bangs dyed red. She was wearing a black jacket with a teal lining and light gray faux fur trim, over a purple blouse. She also had gray leggings, along with black boots with white fur and red soles, and her nails were painted red. She wore a pair of black headphones with a teal circular design over the ears, almost like a speaker.
"Everyone was stoked after Total Drama got this place from an anonymous donor," the DJ explained. The scene switched to the silhouette of a large two-story house under the light of the moon. All of a sudden, Naomi turned the music back on, just as the lights went on in all the windows at once. The lights began to flash bright colors, and the house itself seemed to vibrate with the bass. "So naturally, they passed the baton to me, so we can throw the biggest party ever!"
Naomi appeared back on screen, now standing in the foyer of the house. She gestured to the front door. "It's a Friday afternoon and the festivities have just begun! We've invited ten teenagers to stay here for the weekend, where they'll be forced to live together… with our hidden cameras keeping track of their every move! They're free to dance the nights away if they wish, but there's something else at stake. Throughout the weekend, they'll be competing in various games and challenges to find clues that lead to the ultimate party favor: a briefcase hidden somewhere in the house, containing a small sum of a hundred thousand dollars!"
Naomi walked past the foyer, coming to a room with a dining table that was set up as if for a fancy dinner party. "These guys are looking around the house as we speak, so let's see what these guys think of their new digs! I think it's time for a tour."
Theme Song: "Disaster Party" by Magic Giant
The theme song started with an upbeat whistled melody and a shot of the front lawn of the house.
I see danger, you're invited
The camera panned to the front porch, until the heavy double doors swung open and the camera zoomed inside and raced down the hall.
We're in trouble, but don't hide it
The camera came to the living room. Naomi was sitting on the couch with her headphones on, headbanging to the music, but as soon as she saw the camera, she gave it a knowing look and darted offscreen.
Living only for the moment but the moment is gone
Nearby, Elijah and Allison were putting up some party decorations. Elijah was standing on top of a stepladder while Allison was holding it steady. He had a handful of streamers and was trying to decide which color to use, before he eventually shrugged and hung them all up. Allison then noticed someone run by and looked worried.
Only for the moment but the moment is gone and
The person running turned out to be Mistral, and they were weaving around furniture with Tyrone's football under one arm and trinkets spilling out of their backpack. Soon after, Tyrone himself burst onto the scene running after her. Mistral vaulted over a kitchen stool, while Tyrone just knocked it to the side as he ran, and the two left a trail of destruction behind them.
It's a disaster party, running through hell
Mistral ran into the formal dining room, and realized they had come across a dead end and Tyrone was catching up with them. As the quarterback tried to grab her, Mistral leaped up onto the dining table, knocking over all the fancy plates and silverware, and swung on the chandelier over Tyrone's head, before she crashed into the camera.
Might as well throw away all your money
The scene switched to Delilah, Kahil, and Francis sitting around the kitchen table playing cards. Kahil and Delilah both looked through their hands with competitive looks on their faces, but as Delilah sorted her cards, Kahil was stealing an unwitting Francis' cards from under the table.
They say it's our fate and we're too late
Kahil triumphantly threw down his winning hand and reached to collect the prize pool in the center of the table, which was a pile of loose change, random candy and trinkets, and a coconut with sunglasses and a demonic looking smile. However, a random gust of wind suddenly caused all of his cards to blow away. Francis set Dozie down on the table and the robot started to clear some of the mess.
I know, I know, that we're all pretending
Outside in the backyard, Scout was dragging a nervous Tala out onto the patio. The mathematician was looking around the yard, seeming deep in thought, but Scout nudged her and pointed up to the sky, revealing that it was now nighttime.
This night is never ending
Tala was startled to realize that Arnold had been sitting on the patio the entire time, reading a book. He looked at her and Scout in annoyance, then closed his book and started to walk away.
And if you need somebody
All of a sudden, just as Arnold was going to head back inside, the back door of the house opened, and all the other contestants crowded onto the patio, much to his displeasure. Then, there was a flash of the camera, and the scene was replaced by a photo of all the contestants on the patio. Tyrone was glaring at Arnold, while Allison had positioned herself between them. Francis was holding Dozie's controller while talking to Delilah, while the camera had managed to catch Kahil just as a falling pinecone was hitting him in the head. Tala was writing something in her notebook, Scout was waving excitedly at the camera, and Mistral had raised her middle finger. Lastly, Elijah was lying down on the grass in front of everyone, with his head propped up with one arm.
It's a disaster party
The camera zoomed out until all that could be seen was a silhouette of the house against the night sky, with all the lights on in the windows. One by one, the lights went out, until there was just one window left on the second floor. After a moment, that light switched off too, just as the sun was beginning to rise.
After the last line of the lyrics, the hook of the song was whistled again, and the logo appeared on screen: Total Drama House Party.
The camera finally settled on a shot of the room where Naomi had previously been DJing. Though Naomi herself was nowhere in sight, she continued to narrate via voiceover. "Welcome to Total Drama House Party! We might as well start here in the living room." It was revealed to be just off of the foyer. It had been made into an impromptu dance floor, with a sofa shoved off to the side. "It was previously a lot less interesting, but well, we needed some space for everyone to mingle." Naomi's DJ booth was in the corner. There were some colorful modern decorations adorning the walls, a table with some snacks and a punch bowl, and a hanging disco ball.
Soon, a teen stepped into view. "I can get used to this," Allison Ahn remarked with a grin as she looked around the place. She was of Chinese descent, with tanned ivory skin, warm brown eyes, and black hair in a long braid that was draped over her shoulder. She stood at a rather average height of 5'4", but she had an athletic build and some muscle in her limbs. She was also dressed like she was ready to be active, with a pink tank top and a black tennis skirt, white sneakers, and a purple sun visor on her head.
"All this, for me?" An Arabic boy walked into the room and immediately made a beeline for the snack table. Though he was barely taller than Allison at 5'5" and had a leaner build, Kahil Jaziri carried himself with a certain swagger, and his hazel eyes glittered with mischief. He had dusky beige skin and looked pretty scruffy, with unkempt chin length black hair, a faded scar on his cheek, and a bandage on his nose. His clothes were equally tattered, with a jean jacket that he was currently shoveling candy into the pockets of, black t-shirt, gray pants, and black sneakers that were nearly falling apart, almost looking like some kind of animal had gnawed on them. An ornate golden key hung on a chain around his neck, and considering the rest of his attire, the chance that such an accessory had originally belonged to him seemed pretty low.
As Kahil continued to help himself to the snacks and even some of the party decorations, as soon as he walked under the disco ball, it was like it had been affected by some kind of magnetic force, and Allison watched in horror as it began to sway precariously back and forth. Suddenly, it came loose and started to fall towards Kahil. He agilely leaped to the side just in time, causing the disco ball to roll off to the side.
Allison immediately rushed over to Kahil. "Oh my goodness, are you hurt?"
"Not a scratch," Kahil boasted, as Allison helped him up. "Yeah, things like that happen a lot to me." He ran a hand through his hair.
Allison frowned. "Whoever put that up really should have done a better job. It would be so unfair for someone to get hurt before the competition even starts."
"Hah, it would be just my luck," Kahil scoffed. He looked Allison over. "You play sports?"
"I was on my high school's tennis team," Allison responded. "Stuck with it all four years."
"You athlete types are all the same," Kahil remarked. "All caught up in your practice with no time for fun. Lemme guess." He rolled his eyes. "You're gonna tell me to be safe and stay out of trouble."
Allison just giggled. "Oh, I know exactly the type, but I try my best not to be like that. Anymore, at least. There's a reason I'm not going to play in college. You know, my friends and I get into our fair share of trouble too. When we're off season, of course."
"Oh, really? I like that." Kahil gave Allison a charming wink, causing the tennis player's smile to fade instantly.
"Don't you try that on me." Allison playfully shook a finger at him, and her tone was light but her expression was serious.
Kahil snapped his fingers and just rolled with it. "Aw man, I guess I'll just have to find that easy win some other way. But I can't complain while staying at a place like this." He popped one of the chocolates he had snatched into his mouth.
Allison nodded in agreement. "I have my goals, but there's nothing wrong with having a little fun along the way… Kahil?" She stopped when he noticed his silence.
The thief had started choking before he spit the chocolate out, and a live beetle along with it. "Agh, how did that even get in there?"
The next stop on the tour was down the hall, away from the dance floor. Behind a door at the end of the hall was a large study. "But if dancing isn't your thing," Naomi narrated, her voice lowered to a whisper. "Here's a room where you can go to just chill out for a bit, as long as you keep your voice down." The room was dim and musty despite its large size, with light streaming in through the velvet curtains that covered the windows, but it had its own cozy charm. "Personally, I've never trusted a place that gets this quiet, but you do you." Two walls of the room were completely taken over by floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, and there were some comfortable chairs for reading, as well as an antique heavy wooden desk lit by a small desk lamp.
There was a girl curled up in one of the armchairs intently reading a thick textbook, as if she felt right at home in the study. Tala Solis was a Filipina girl with light brown skin, neck length black hair and brown eyes. She had a slightly heavier build and stood at 5'4", and she was dressed simply and comfortably in a black hoodie, jeans, and black sneakers. Her hoodie had a design of the imaginary number i squared with the caption "Get Real," which probably matched some of the equations that she was poring over.
"That's perfectly logical," she murmured to herself. "Of course there would be a mapping between the derivatives of sine and the powers of i."
"Quiet down, would you?" a voice snapped, startling her.
From the opposite corner of the room, another person strode over from where he had been hiding between the shelves, a book of his own tucked under his arm. Arnold Boreal was a tall and lanky black boy, standing at an even six feet, and even though he obviously fell on the more nerdy side of things, this was sharply contrasted by his more edgy appearance. His hair, while naturally black and curly, which could be seen by the buzzed sides, had been straightened and bleached blond with dyed pale blue tips. Long bangs hung over the right side of his face and down to his chin, which stood out against his dark brown skin. His eyes were a shockingly cold blue, or at least the one eye that wasn't covered by his asymmetrical hair. Glittering ice crystal earrings dangled from his ears. His outfit seemed slightly too warm for the current temperature, that being a heavy blue jacket over a lighter blue shirt, along with gray sweatpants and blue shoes.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Tala said timidly, as she hugged her book to her chest. "I didn't think I was being that loud."
"I don't understand why you would feel the need to interrupt me regardless." Arnold tossed his head. "I really thought no one else would think to come in here."
"I was reading about Euler," Tala responded simply. "He has, uh, a lot of different math things named after him," she added, when Arnold didn't seem to react.
"Hmph, and you're telling me this because…?"
"This place is full of books. Aren't you here to learn?"
"No, I'm here because I don't want to be bothered by anyone," Arnold retorted.
Tala furrowed her brow, seeming not too satisfied with this answer, but she wasn't about to protest. "I guess I'll just leave you alone then." She was about to scurry away, but Arnold held up a hand to stop her.
"Well…" he began. "Since you've already disturbed my peace, there's really no point. And chances are that the rest of our housemates will be even more insufferable." Arnold lowered his eyes. "You can do whatever you want." That seemed to be as close as an apology that Tala would get.
"Soooo… what were you reading about?" the mathematician finally asked, tapping her index fingers together.
Arnold gave an exaggerated sigh and rolled his eyes, but despite this he did seem slightly enthusiastic to be sharing the book he was reading. "It's a history book. About the expedition of Ernest Shackleton and the Endurance."
Tala furrowed her brow, trying to remember the story from the many facts she had absorbed. "Not my area of expertise, but I do believe I've heard of it. In the Antarctic, correct?"
Arnold nodded slowly, seeming almost impressed. "That's right."
"I read a lot." Tala gave a small shrug. "I don't like it when I'm uninformed."
"Well, it's not like you would get much out of it. It was a failed expedition," Arnold scoffed.
"Didn't Shackleton manage to lead his entire crew to safety after his ship was trapped in ice?" Tala recalled. "And without losing a single person?"
"He still didn't achieve what he set out to do, which was to be the first to cross the entire Antarctic continent by land. What I wouldn't give to see it for myself…"
"That sounds like quite an adventure." Tala shivered just thinking about it.
"I'll take any kind of journey, really, I just want to get away."
"Oh, from what?" Tala asked curiously.
"That's none of your business," Arnold snapped suddenly, and his eyes flashed with a surprisingly intense anger, causing Tala to flinch. "Now if you'll excuse me, I want to scout out more of this place before I run into any of the other buffoons." With that, he whirled around and flounced, leaving the stunned Tala alone to ponder what had just happened.
Next, the camera stopped at the kitchen. "When you're partying this hard, it's easy to work up an appetite. The fridge and pantry are stocked with plenty of ingredients, but it will be up to the contestants to cook their own meals, whether that means working together or just fending for themselves," Naomi explained. "But it's not our problem if someone ends up with food poisoning. In fact, I think some bugs might've already gotten into our candy stash." Thankfully despite Naomi's words, the kitchen was completely spotless, with all of the kitchen tools and utensils neatly put away in drawers and cabinets, and the countertop shone, something that clearly wasn't appreciated by the a teen that was sitting up on top of the counter and rummaging around in the cupboards.
Mistral Rivera-Hwang was a gaunt and wiry teenager that looked like a mutt in more ways than one, being an ambiguous mix of white and East Asian descent. She stood at 5'3" with tanned beige skin, brown eyes, and spiky black hair. She was wearing a blue and black plaid flannel over a white tank top, along with ripped black leggings and purple sneakers. A few baubles hung on a twine necklace around their neck, including a charm fashioned from a bottle cap, and they had similar colorful bangles on her wrists.
Sitting next to her on the counter was a beat up purple backpack that looked like it was meant for a much younger girl. It was completely stuffed with all manner of random colorful objects, most of which would be qualified as literal trash, almost like a hoard.
"I can't see how you'll be able to find anything while searching so haphazardly like that," a voice retorted.
Mistral slammed the cupboard closed and swiveled around to face the newcomer, throwing their legs over the countertop they were sitting on. "Your hair is stupid," was the first thing she said.
In front of her was a Caucasian boy with a finger raised in objection and a smug look on his face. He had bright blue eyes and lightly tanned skin, and his hair in question was dirty blond, short, and neatly parted, but it had a single bright pink streak in it that was likely the subject of Mistral's insult. Between his hair and clothes, he appeared somewhat eclectic, as his t-shirt had a rainbow tie-dye sunburst pattern, making his black shorts and red running shoes seem rather plain in comparison. Standing at 5'9", he was almost at eye level with Mistral while she was sitting on the high countertop, and though he looked a little spindly, he seemed capable of running long distances… or talking circles around his opponents.
The boy with the stupid hair ignored the hoarder's insult, instead holding out a hand with a flashy grin. "Elijah Brenton. It's a real pleasure."
"Your mom!" Mistral ignored the hand in return, and just stuck out their tongue childishly.
Elijah put a hand over his heart. "Well, there's no recovering from such a masterful rebuttal. How could I ever argue with that?" He then clicked his tongue. "Trick question. I can argue with anything."
Mistral turned away from Elijah, to his annoyance, and hopped down from the counter. "Name's Mistral."
Elijah narrowed his eyes. "Wait, weren't you part of that Total Drama pet show a few years ago?" he realized.
"Took you long enough to notice," Mistral scoffed.
"They contracted you two years ago… and now they've demoted you to a contestant, hah!"
"My Papa and Livi's uncle handled all of the stupid adult stuff for Total Drama Unleashed, so it wasn't really a job," Mistral explained. "So it's not like they're gonna play favorites. If I win, I guess it will just be because you suck nyehehe." They then opened the door to the refrigerator in the corner of the room, looking through the various cans and bottles in the door. "Want something to drink?"
Elijah was only surprised for a moment. "Hah, a classic ploy on the part of the production team." He snapped his fingers. "It's certain they 'forgot' to clean the alcohol out of the fridge, for the teens to discover, and make a fool of themselves in front of the hidden cameras they've planted all over the place. In conclusion, they're stirring up drama, and honestly? That's what we're here for, so who can blame them? At least until the lawsuits come in."
Mistral rolled her eyes. "It's not a big deal. My Papa lets me mix drinks all the time."
"Oh, really? What are you, like, twelve?"
"I'm nineteen," Mistral shot back, venom in her voice.
"You're older than I am," Elijah said, rubbing the back of his head.
Mistral finally found what she had been looking for and carelessly slammed the fridge shut. She poured something into a shot glass and slid it over the countertop towards Elijah, who looked completely bewildered. "Bottoms up, loser."
"You're holding a carton of orange juice."
Mistral snickered. "You didn't really think they were trying to get us drunk, did you?"
Elijah's confidence hardly faded, and he gave an exaggerated shrug. "There's no harm in playing the devil's advocate."
"You're stupid."
"I won't acknowledge your claims unless you have the proper evidence."
Mistral crossed their arms. "You just did, dumbass."
Elijah stared at Mistral for a moment. And then he started to laugh at Mistral, to their obvious displeasure. "Hah, you're funny, I like you." He grabbed the shot of orange juice and raised it in the air in a "cheers" gesture. "I'm sure we'll get a chance to talk more soon."
"Whatever, loser." Mistral just went back to playing with the bottle opener they had found in one of the drawers, and Elijah frowned.
Next, the camera went past the kitchen and backtracked to the foyer. "Well, that's enough of the inside for now, 'cuz I'm sure we're all due for some fresh air." As Naomi narrated, the camera zoomed in on the front door as it opened and the front of the house appeared onscreen. The porch had a hanging bench swing, and steps led down from it and into the front yard, which was surrounded by fencing and neatly trimmed hedges. "It's easy to miss when you're coming inside for the first time, but the party starts from the moment you step into the yard. You can be living your dreams of white picket fences."
The camera panned around the lawn, which was pristine and neatly manicured. Or at least, it would've been, if it wasn't currently being trampled. A black boy wearing a rust-colored varsity jacket caught a football (the American kind) that had just been thrown to him and tucked it under his arm as he charged across the yard. He had a rather intimidating and broad frame, standing at 6'3", making him the tallest of all the houseguests, with curly dark brown hair and chestnut brown skin. Along with his jacket, he was wearing brown athletic pants, and black and orange cleats that were tearing apart the lawn, as if he didn't care about anything in his way. The back of his jacket, fittingly, read "T. REX."
"Is that, like, a nickname or…" a girl's voice asked from offscreen, pointing at the name on his jacket. Presumably she had been the one that had thrown the ball.
The football player gave a small scoff and shook his head. "It just happened like that, but it's fitting, I know. Tyrone Rex is my real name."
Tyrone turned to look at her, where she was sitting balanced along the top of the fence, with a sketchbook tucked under one arm. "I was just wondering, y'know, because everyone calls me Scout even though that's not my real name," she said with a grin. "It's Skylar Haneul, by the way, but when I was really little, all of my friends and family-"
She was quickly shut up by a glare from Tyrone.
Even though the football player was still over a head taller and nearly twice as wide, Scout was on the taller side at 5'6", especially considering her Korean heritage. She had short black hair in a choppy pixie cut, ivory skin, and brown eyes. She wore a white t-shirt with a design of a green dragon, bright blue running shorts, and blue sneakers. She had a jacket tied around her waist, in a lighter sky blue color, and a matching baseball cap.
"Well, here's the deal, Scout-even-though-that's-not-my-real-name." Tyrone took a threatening step forward, still holding his football, and Scout nearly fell off the fence, electing to just hop down. "I want to win. And I get what I want."
Scout just nodded and clutched the sketchbook she was holding to her chest.
"So if I were you, I would stay out of my way in this game," Tyrone continued. "So do you wanna keep helping me train, or what?" he said, in a tone that made it clear that Scout didn't have a choice. "Go long."
Scout didn't seem all too bothered by Tyrone's bluntness, and actually seemed more excited by the activity than anything. She threw her sketchbook to the side and ran across the lawn. But when Tyrone threw the football, it hurtled at her at a frightening speed, and she did the only sensible thing: ducked to the ground and covered her head. The ball went sailing over her head and lodged itself in a fork between two branches of a tall tree on the edge of the yard.
For a moment, neither of them said anything. Tyrone glared in annoyance while Scout looked sheepish.
Right before Tyrone was about to demand that Scout retrieve his ball, she suddenly leapt to her feet on her own. "It's okay, I got it!" she shouted. "I just don't do this sports ball stuff a lot." She ran over to the tree and circled around it to inspect it, before she grabbed onto a branch. Tyrone watched as she quickly climbed up the tree and disappeared into the foliage.
A few minutes later, Scout poked her head out. "Hey, you have to see this, there's a bird's nest up here!" she called out.
"Just get me my damn ball!" Tyrone hollered up at her.
"Oh, right, gimme a sec!" Scout obliged, tossing the football down. The quarterback caught it with ease.
Scout then retreated back into the tree, leaving Tyrone waiting and staring at the rustling branches as he held his football.
"…are you going to come down?" His tone was now less challenging and more just confused.
"Maybe in a little, the view up here is great!" Scout shouted back.
Next, the camera circled around the side of the house, through a fence gate and past many windows and trees, until it came to the backyard. "You're also free to come 'round to the back, the best place to have a barbecue or a pool party. Yeah, parties are what we do best here, after all!" Naomi narrated as the footage showed that the back door of the house opened up to a large patio with some tables and a barbecue, as well as a hot tub and a swimming pool, complete with a diving board. "It's gonna be a hot weekend, so you'll have a way to cool off or just relax."
On the patio, there was a girl lying on a lounge chair. Delilah Foxx was a tall and slender Hispanic girl, standing at 5'11", with golden tan skin, and bright blonde hair with red highlights that matched her reddish brown eyes. She was wearing a long maroon dress with a white torso, along with black dress shoes. She stared blankly at the pool in boredom.
"What an epic pogchamp moment, there's finally a real water game!" a voice cheered.
Delilah sat up just in time to see a small robot bump up against her chair. It was about the size of a roomba and resembled a miniature bulldozer, with a boxy red body and six wheels, and its front had a black plow that was decorated with googly eyes. A tall antenna was mounted on the back of its body.
"What in the name of-" Delilah started to say, putting her legs up on the chair and scooting away from the robot, when a boy carrying a remote controller bounded right up to her.
The owner of the robot was Francis Rio Chen, a half Chinese, half Mexican boy with beige skin, neck length black hair, and brown eyes. He was the shortest and scrawniest of all the teens, standing at 5'1". He was wearing an unzipped gray jacket embroidered with his initials, "FRC", over a blue t-shirt with a bizarre design that looked like it had been screen-printed by an amateur artist: a graphic of a submarine with the words "Water Game" around it, likely some kind of obscure inside joke. He also had on light gray sweatpants and blue sneakers.
"Ya-yeet!" Francis leaned forward and made an absurd gesture that might be recognized as a dance move that was trendy about five years prior.
Delilah responded with a tentative wave, correctly interpreting it as some kind of greeting. "Did you really just dab at me?" she asked incredulously. "It's been… how many years since that was a thing?"
Francis just grinned and nodded.
Delilah looked the memer over, clearly judging him. "And what's with the 'Water Game' thing? Do you, like, swim or something?"
Francis clasped his hands together. "Boy, am I glad you asked! All my robotics friends and I want to make underwater robots for a competition one day! So we got custom t-shirts made!" He pointed proudly at the submarine on his shirt.
"So you guys were like a clique?" Delilah narrowed her eyes. "Someone told you what to wear?"
"Not really… but we sure did a lot of 'click'ing haha! We all decided together that we should try it because it would be really funny. And guess what?" His eyes lit up with a childlike excitement. "It was!"
"What. Ever. I don't have to deal with dumb stuff like that anymore. Like, we wore pink on Wednesdays, how stupid is that?"
"I'm not sure if I'd say 'stupid,' but I don't think anyone on my team would ever get caught wearing pink," Francis deadpanned. "But I guess it's good that you don't have to do that anymore, if you didn't like it?" He seemed kind of confused by Delilah.
"I'll just say I used to be invited to parties like this all the time," Delilah remarked with a slightly bitter laugh.
"Used to?" Francis echoed curiously.
Delilah twirled a strand of her hair around her finger. "It's a long story." She sighed.
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I was never ever invited to parties like this," Francis responded. He sat down on the lounge chair next to Delilah's, and drove Dozie out of the way. "Well… I guess you could count my robotics team socials. But even there, I think my team liked Dozie more than me!" He pointed at his robot, which was parked at the side of the pool.
"We wouldn't have invited someone like you," Delilah cut in bluntly, but Francis didn't seem at all offended, just laughing as if the former queen bee had told a hilarious joke.
"Well, whatever's happened is in the past, and we both made it here now, right?" Francis smiled warmly at Delilah.
"Right, and besides, you weren't missing much." Delilah rolled her eyes. "The party isn't the point, you've been to one and you've been to them all." She gave him a determined nod. "I play different games now, and I'm here to win."
With that, the scene flashed back to the living room just off the foyer, where Naomi looked at her wrist to check a nonexistent watch. "There are plenty more interesting things to see around the house, but you guys are going to have to discover them for yourself, because it looks like it's time for a house meeting." Despite her earlier pumped-up energy, she seemed flustered, even a little nervous at the show's beginning.
All of a sudden, loud dance music started to blare from an intercom installed in the house, which surprisingly caused Naomi to calm down a bit. In the study, Arnold looked especially irritated by the noise, while by the pool, Francis quickly powered Dozie down using his remote and picked the robot up. "Everybody get your butts down here, it's time to kick off this House Party for real!" Naomi's voice called out through the intercom.
Elijah was the first one to show up, striding confidently up to Naomi, as Mistral followed behind.
"Why, if it isn't the one and only DJ Boomburst!" Elijah held out his hand and greeted Naomi in the exact same way that he had Mistral, right down to the same flashy grin. "Elijah Brenton. It's a real pleasure."
"She already knows who you are, dumbass," Mistral muttered. She was carrying her backpack in her arms as she tried to shove an entire cutting board she had taken from the pantry inside it.
"But we haven't met." Elijah snapped with his free hand and winked at her. "And especially on TV, first impressions are everything."
Naomi was shaking Elijah's hand, and had just seemed confused by the entire exchange, until Tala cleared her throat awkwardly. "Did you really install an intercom here for the sake of the show?" The mathematician had just entered the room, and was looking up at the ceiling curiously, searching for hidden speakers and cameras. "I doubt that the house came with it… though it is large enough that its previous residents might find utility in a feature such as that."
"There's nothing wrong with getting a little loud," was Naomi's only response, and Tala narrowed her eyes at that.
As if to punctuate her words, there was the loud slam of the front door closing, before Tyrone stomped in. He was followed by Scout, who seemed to be in a much better mood, and thankfully had remembered to pick her sketchbook back up after getting down from the tree.
"Well, that was fun, I don't get to do that a lot," Scout remarked. She still had a few leaves stuck on her clothes from her earlier excursion.
Tyrone just rolled his eyes. "It was just a stupid tree."
"C'mon, you should've at least taken a look… oh, hey Naomi!" The artist seemed to finally notice the competition's host. "Did you know there are baby birds in your front yard?"
Naomi cocked her head. "Aw, really? Geez, I hope my soundcheck this morning didn't scare them!"
"What species?" Tala asked curiously. "June is the later end of the nesting season for many birds, so they must be fledging soon."
"I dunno what kind they were, but they looked really fluffy," Scout cooed and clasped her hands together. "I can show you after this, it's not too high up."
Tala looked a little flustered. "Perhaps finding a higher vantage could have its merits, but I'm not sure if, umm, climbing trees will go well for me."
"Or I can just sketch them!" Scout grabbed her pencil. "What if they grew up to be gigantic! Like those rocs in stories, the ones that snatch horses!"
Tala tapped her chin. "I don't think that's physically possible. Given what we know about bird physiology, there's no way that scaling them up that large will comply with all known laws of aviation."
Scout seemed disappointed, but just for a moment. "Well… maybe they're just magic!"
Allison was the next one to come in, and she gave Naomi and the others a friendly wave. Kahil followed her at a more leisurely pace, and the pockets of his denim jacket looked noticeably fuller than before.
"Glad to have you here!" Naomi greeted and smiled back at Allison, but when she saw Kahil, she narrowed her eyes. "I see you've made it, Mr. Jaziri. We're just hoping property damage doesn't run in the family. I wouldn't be the first to have a contract with Total Drama nearly jeopardized."
Allison looked at Kahil, confused. "Is… is your family okay?"
Tala thought for a moment. "Jaziri… property damage… Total Drama… you must be the brother of Naila from Stormbound!"
"That's right!" Kahil said proudly.
"No way! Didn't Naila-" Elijah started to say, but Naomi shook her head at him.
"Stormbound is soooo last year, now all we should be thinking about is the party!" the DJ declared, and then turned to Kahil. "Which is why I'm expecting no funny business."
"You can count on- whoa!" Kahil suddenly slipped and fell on his face. He looked around to see what kind of jinx he had incurred, only to realize it had just been Mistral extending a leg to trip him.
The hoarder stood over Kahil. "Your necklace is shiny. I want it."
Kahil rolled out of the way and quickly got back up. He grabbed the golden key that was hanging around his neck and held it up to the light. "I wouldn't blame you! After all, it's one hundred percent real gold! I 'borrowed' it from a 'friend' of mine, y'know."
Mistral's pupils dilated at that, and she even started to drool a little bit. Kahil just smirked at her as he twirled the necklace around his finger, until all of a sudden, he hit himself in the face with it. "Ow, my eye!"
Mistral took a step back, surprised. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"
"Just a little bad luck is all, nothing I'm not used to." Kahil pretended that nothing had happened as he leaned casually against the wall, but suddenly the portrait hanging on the wall, of an obscenely tall white man with brown hair in a neat side part, who was wearing a single red boxing glove, fell on his head.
Mistral pointed at him and laughed obnoxiously.
That was when Delilah and Francis finally made it to the house meeting. Francis was running ahead and holding Dozie under one arm.
"What's up gamers!" Francis called out, as he ran up to Naomi. "It's Total Drama day, my dudes!" His attempts at using slang seemed to be causing Delilah physical pain.
"Sure is, uh, gamer." Naomi gave Francis a high five when he ran right up to her, even though she sounded confused. "And well hey there Delilah," she greeted the actual gamer, which didn't seem to help her mood.
"I hear that one a lot," she said bluntly, but Naomi just shrugged it off.
"A classic, then, just like the song. I was starting to wonder if you two had gotten lost," she remarked. "It's a bit of a trek from the backyard."
Delilah narrowed her eyes. "You were watching us out there?"
Naomi winked at her. "I have my secrets." In the background, Tala was examining a hidden camera that was mounted onto a light fixture. She looked at Naomi incredulously, but decided not to say anything.
Meanwhile, Francis saw the fallen picture frame from Kahil. "Wow, it looks like there's been a bit of a mess already. But that's nothing Dozie can't fix!"
Francis set his robot down onto the ground and it used its plow to push the fallen portrait out of the way. However, it suddenly hit a bump and ran over Kahil's toes in the process, causing the thief to grab his foot and jump around in pain. "Oh, fu-"
"Whoa, abort!" Francis yelled and quickly grabbed Dozie. "I'm so so sorry," he said to Kahil. "Our lidar must need some calibrating."
"It's fine, I've dealt with way worse," Kahil bragged, and Dozie's lights blinked, as if it was embarrassed.
"Well, I think that's everyone!" Naomi declared. Tala looked around, confused, and then raised her hand, but the DJ didn't seem to notice her. "I don't have too much to say, as I trust you guys will discover the details throughout the weekend. But welcome to the competition and feel free to make yourselves at home. ¡Mi casa es tu casa!" She spread her arms out wide.
"It's 'su casa' actually," Elijah cut in. "You'd use the plural possessive since you're addressing us as a collective. Or specifically in Spain, you can say-"
The debater was cut off when Tyrone grabbed him by the back of his shirt and held him up in the air. "Keep talking, I dare you." Elijah flailed his arms around in panic, but before Tyrone could further threaten or harm him, he was distracted by someone walking up behind him.
"Real mature, Rex. Glad to know you're still practicing your intimidation, it's all you've got going for you, really."
"What are you doing here?" Tyrone demanded. He threw Elijah down into a heap on the ground and turned towards the voice.
"The same as you, I presume," Arnold retorted. He coolly crossed his arms and stared down the livid quarterback. The others were giving the pair a wide berth, save for Scout who didn't seem to be paying attention, while Allison helped Elijah back up.
"I knew we were missing someone! Wait, where did you run off to?" Tala asked Arnold. "We were just together…"
"You stay out of this!" Tyrone yelled at her.
"I should've just lost her for good,"Arnold muttered.
"Fight, fight, fight!" Mistral chanted.
"Stop that, you two!" Allison stepped forward and got in between Tyrone and Arnold. "I don't know what kind of beef you have, but that doesn't give you any right to be rude to Tala!" Both the scholar and quarterback just ignored her and Tala took the opportunity to scurry away.
"You two know each other?" Naomi asked Tyrone and Arnold, feigning innocence.
"Regrettably," Arnold responded with a toss of his head.
"Not for long," Tyrone added menacingly and pounded his fist into his palm.
"Hey, hey, I'm sure we can all get along here," Kahil called out. "Or at least, you guys can settle it by playing this game."
"Is that a joke?" Tyrone snorted. "I can beat Boreal at anything." He pointed at Naomi. "Just tell us what we have to do already!"
Kahil smirked to himself and Naomi seemed relieved. "Okay, here's the deal," the DJ started. "There's a hundred thousand dollar prize hidden somewhere in this house, and you guys have all weekend to collaborate or compete to find it. Throughout the weekend, there will also be challenges and activities to partake in. Some might reward clues to help you in your search, or even get you the keys and passwords you need to proceed."
"All your stuff has been taken to the two rooms down the hall, girls in one room and boys in the other." Naomi pointed towards the contestants' rooms. "Or not, it doesn't matter, as long as you remember that there are cameras everywhere." A few of the contestants looked a little nervous or uneasy at this, but Elijah just grinned and made a finger gun at the camera
"Oh, and one last thing! If you ever feel the need to vent your feelings… air out your dirty laundry, if you will, we have just the place you can go." Naomi snapped her fingers and suddenly the scene changed.
Confessional: Naomi
The DJ was now sitting in a small, cramped room that appeared to be a combination laundry room and mudroom, in a folding chair that was backed up nearly against the wall due to lack of space. Behind her was a washing machine stacked on top of a clothes dryer, and some shelves with laundry detergent, including a jar of detergent pods with a note taped to it that said 'DO NOT EAT'. There was also a coat rack, which had a black leather vest with a lightning bolt pattern hanging on it.
"This season's confessional will be here in the laundry room. And if you actually want to wash your clothes… well, you're only staying two nights, I'm sure you can deal." She thought for a minute. "Wait a minute, actually, please don't do that. Ten teenagers living together in a house for three days? It's gonna stink!"
Tala tapped her chin. "So, it's functionally the same as the confessionals on other seasons of Total Drama."
"I, well, uh… I suppose it is," Naomi conceded.
Confessional: Tala
She looked around the laundry room. "Of course I had to see what this place looks like. Perhaps the information will be useful for something later, but mostly I was just curious about how they would implement the confessional system in a much more enclosed space than a summer camp. Of course they would adhere to the same formula as previous seasons, but I'm just grateful it isn't an outhouse."
Confessional: Arnold
He had his book open on his lap. "I kind of like this place. Is there anything stopping me from just staying in here this whole time?"
Confessional: Mistral
They tied a bib around their neck and grabbed a fork from their backpack, before licking their lips and reaching towards the jar of detergent pods on the shelf.
"Well, I'll be getting out of your way now." Naomi stood up from the couch. "But remember, Total Drama is always watching~"
"And we'll be watching you right back, nyehehe." Mistral crossed their arms.
"I'd like to see how you accomplish that," Elijah said to her. "…what does that even mean?"
Naomi shrugged. "I've gotta get back to the studio. You guys are on your own now."
As soon as the front door door shut, it began to sink in. The ten teenagers looked around at each other, their housemates for the next three days.
"This is just like one big sleepover!" Scout cheered.
Delilah sighed. "Been there, done that. I just want to get all my stuff." She headed down the hall that Naomi had mentioned, and the others followed after her.
As the girls made their way down the hall, Scout pointed at one of the closed doors. "Ooh, I wonder what's in that room." Allison had to grab the artist to make sure she didn't wander off from the group.
The tennis player finally opened the door to the girls' sleeping quarters. True to Naomi's word, all of their luggage had been haphazardly thrown into a pile in the center of the floor, and the remaining space in the room was taken up by three bunk beds against the three walls, as well as an end table with some drawers and a reading lamp.
"Do you not have any luggage?" Allison asked Mistral as she grabbed her duffel bag.
Mistral pointed at her backpack. "Um, I'm not stupid, I carry it all in here with me. You really think I would hand my stuff over to some random person? They'd steal it or ruin it for sure. And I have no reason to think you wouldn't do the same." With that, Mistral took her backpack over to the bunk in the corner, climbed up onto the top, and started to unpack, seemingly following a very intricate organizational system.
Allison still looked doubtful. Despite it being very overfull, Mistral's backpack still seemed too small to hold all of her belongings, but the hoarder didn't seem to mind.
Delilah was looking at the luggage pile, and after the others had claimed their bags, she looked confused. "Hey, where's my stuff?" she demanded. "And does that bag belong to somebody?" All the other girls shook their heads. In place of Delilah's suitcase, there was instead a strange mystery duffel bag that lay unclaimed in the center of the room.
Tala examined the bag. It was very heavy and lumpy, and it was decorated with a few metallic pins but had no name on it. "Who would not label their bag?"
"Nyehehe, guess I'll just make it mine then," Mistral called out from their perch on their top bunk, but Allison shook her head in disapproval.
"Well, we can never know how to, um, help this person unless we investigate," Tala said a little sheepishly, before she unzipped it. "What's making this bag so heavy?"
Delilah looked inside the bag with Tala, and they saw a bunch of spare electronic parts. Recognition immediately dawned on Delilah. "Ugh, I think I know what happened."
She didn't explain further, just grabbed the bag, with some effort, and started to take it out into the hall before the others could question her. But as soon as she opened the door, she nearly collided with Francis, who was holding her suitcase. "Ha, I thought I might find you out here." The memer gave a small wave.
"Of course. They put my stuff in the wrong room." Delilah scoffed and flipped her hair.
"Yeah, haha, mistakes like that kind of happen a lot to me," Francis said, but there was a bit of sadness in his tone despite his usual cheerful attitude.
The two shared a quick glance, and understanding passed between them. Delilah noted Francis' downcast expression and seemed almost angry at it.
For a moment, it looked like Delilah was going to say something, but then they exchanged luggage without another word and started to head back to their respective rooms.
Confessional: Francis
"Well, yeah, 'dude' isn't exactly what it said on my birth certificate, and I guess things aren't always 'pogchamp' and 'gamer' for people like us."
He pulled a coffee mug out of nowhere and set it down on top of the washing machine. "This is fine." He looked at the camera with a bewildered expression.
Confessional: Delilah
"Ugh, how typical. Those assholes! Like, I know I don't really care anymore… but I'm not sure about Water Game there, even if he seems to only care about latching on to stupid trends."
Meanwhile, just across the hall, the boys were faced with a very similar room to the girls. Tyrone looked around, seeming unimpressed. "I get my own bed," he declared with a harsh glare as he put his bag down on one of the bottom bunks.
"You really think you're going to get away with this?" Arnold snapped, even though he was the only one who seemed to care. Francis looked intimidated enough to go along with it, Elijah didn't seem to mind, and Kahil was occupied by trying and failing to throw his luggage onto the top bunk, as his bag kept bouncing back and hitting him in the face.
"Um, yeah, why wouldn't I?" Tyrone shot back. "Doesn't matter that we're in some fancy competition and not at school. This is still my territory."
The debater shrugged. "It'll be fun to share. We can get to know each other better. My man, what about we bunk together then?" Elijah made a finger gun at Francis, but the roboticist just bizarrely grabbed the debater's extended hand like he was being offered a handshake.
"That would be a real pogchamp moment. Can I have the bottom? I want to use the dresser for Dozie's charging station."
Elijah nodded. "I was actually just debating which spot to take, and concluded that they both have their merits, heh," he admitted. "So you can go right ahead."
Confessional: Elijah
"Look, when you get into as many debates as I have, you learn to understand both sides of an argument, and be ready to defend any position. Some people have called me indecisive, but that's just the curse of being a master debater. Objectively speaking, my knowledge of different perspectives simply makes me more prepared for any challenge in argumentation that's thrown my way!"
He gave a smug look at the camera, but after a moment, he frowned. "…or does it?"
"Y'know, I've never really had to share a room with someone like this," Elijah remarked as he heaved his garishly bright floral patterned suitcase up onto the top bunk.
"You don't have any siblings either?" Francis guessed.
Elijah shook his head. "Nah, it's always just been me and Mom. Makes us much more free to travel and do as we please. I know he can't relate though." He then pointed a finger at Kahil, who nodded and chuckled ruefully. "Is she older or younger?" Elijah asked.
"Both, actually. There's Naila of course, and we have an older sister too," Kahil explained. "Let's just say we keep her busy." He gave a mischievous grin.
"Huh, if Naila's younger than you, how did she get on Total Drama the summer before you did?" Elijah asked.
"Well, you see…" Kahil trailed off with a nervous laugh. "It's kind of a funny story…"
Confessional: Kahil
"Back home, Naila and Ami—that's our older sister—are always at each other's throats, so it's been up to me to break things up before they get too messy," he recounted. "But I was actually kind of hoping I could get away from that by coming here. I love them but sometimes it sucks getting caught in the middle. Especially when I get caught in all sorts of other things too." He pulled a coin out of his pocket and flipped it, before snatching it out of the air. "Aw, tails again…"
While the others were talking, Tyrone and Arnold had gone ignored, as they were still in the middle of a standoff.
"You're acting like a child," Arnold retorted.
"Does it look like I care?" Tyrone yelled back at him. "This bed is mine! You can go with, uh, whatever his name is." The football player jerked a thumb in the direction of Kahil.
But at that moment, the thief's bag burst open as he was holding it over his head and the contents spilled all over him, including many shiny trinkets and small valuables, completely burying him. "I'm okay!" he shouted.
But no sooner than Kahil had spoken, the thief's entire bunk bed collapsed around him. Elijah screamed and hid behind Francis, who tried his best to hide behind Dozie in turn.
After a few moments, the corner of Arnold's mouth twitched upwards. He looked at the seething football player with contempt before dragging his suitcase over to Tyrone's bed, now the only intact bunk with a free spot. "I'll let you have the bottom."
Meanwhile, back in the girls' room, Tala seemed a little bit lost, which Allison saw and waved her over. "Hey Tala, wanna bunk with me?"
The mathematician was surprised for a moment, but then she nodded. "If you're alright with it. I would prefer to take the bottom, as it's what I'm used to, and it's vital for me to get sufficient sleep before the competition, since especially with the end goal being to actually locate the prize, remaining alert of my surroundings will-" Tala trailed off and cleared her throat. "Sorry, I'm rambling."
"Top is fine by me!" Allison nodded. "I've traveled a lot for tennis tournaments so I know the ropes, I can sleep pretty much anywhere," she assured the mathematician. "Are you nervous to be here?" she asked sympathetically.
"I've never thought of myself as the type to do these game show things, but this one intrigued me. There are certain to be puzzles to be solved."
"Do you think she's going to be okay?" Allison glanced at Mistral, who had retreated to the corner of the room.
Tala shrugged. "Perhaps she needs some time to herself. I can relate, it's just me, myself, and… the dozens of cameras planted throughout the house." The two of them both laughed at that.
Confessional: Allison
"I'm always looking out for others, especially the girls on my team back home." She wrinkled her nose. "Competition can make things awfully toxic, and I would know that better than most."
That was when Delilah came back into the girls' room, having finally retrieved her suitcase.
"Oh good, you found your stuff?" Allison asked.
"It was just a stupid mistake," Delilah grumbled, not elaborating any further. Glancing around the room, she found that she had the choice between Mistral, who was digging through their backpack, and Scout, who was hanging up some posters on the wall near her bed. But suddenly, something caught her eye. "No way, is that concept art for the Kalozeroth realm in Scape of RuneCraft?" Her face lit up and her demeanor shifted completely from her previous apathetic expression.
Scout grinned in response. "You bet! I needed some inspiration for the world of this comic I'm making." She pulled out her sketchbook. Its cover was decorated to look like it was made out of aged parchment, and it had an intricately drawn map on it, complete with an old-fashioned compass rose with a serpent coiled around it.
Delilah admired Scout's drawings as the adventurer flipped through her sketchbook. It was mostly quick drawings, but there were a few pages with bright scenes in watercolor. There were creatures, landscapes, and buildings, but they all looked like they were from a different world.
"I didn't think anyone else would be interested in nerdy things like this," Scout said excitedly.
"I guess that's what I am now," Delilah mused. "Just a nerd."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it as a bad thing!" Scout quickly said.
"Oh, it's not that. I know it's a good thing." Delilah just shrugged. "Is the dragon on your shirt from anything?" she asked, suddenly changing the subject. "It's definitely not from Kalozeroth, or the horns would be more curved, plus they've been nearly hunted to extinction there so it's not really a major plot point in that area's quests."
Scout didn't seem to be bothered by the change of topic, and was quickly distracted. "Oh, no, it's just a dragon. I just think they're neat! I didn't even remember there were dragons in Kalozeroth, you must know a lot about RuneCraft."
"…I talk to all the NPCs and read the dialogue for every single side quest," Delilah admitted.
"Wow, I'd never have the patience for that, heh." Scout rubbed the back of her head. "I can't even play the game. The art is so pretty, but I got confused by all the numbers on the character creation screen."
"I don't blame you. I had to do a ton of research to decide which school of magic fit my character the best. And I've got a few friends to strategize and make new builds with."
"Oh, that's nice! You know, I've been trying to think about how magic works in my comic…"
Delilah perked up at that. "Tell me about your magic system," she demanded, and Scout nodded and flipped to a new page in her sketchbook.
As they watched the other girls getting acquainted from their high vantage, Mistral smirked when she realized she had a whole bunk to herself. "Nyehehe, cowards. Guess it's just you and me, Wiley the Third." They set a small cat sculpture down at the foot of the bed, on top of the cutting board they had snatched earlier. It looked like it was made from scrap metal, with bent paperclip whiskers and bottle caps for eyes.
The scene cut to Naomi, who was in what appeared to be a recording studio with her feet up on her desk. The house was just barely visible out the window and down the street. "Looks like everyone is getting settled in," she remarked. "But we can't get them too relaxed. We'll see what the competition has in store for our houseguests, next time on Total Drama House Party!"
Cast List:
1. Allison Ahn, The Tennis Ace (she/her)
2. Arnold Boreal, The Elusive Scholar (he/him)
3. Delilah Foxx, The Former Mean Girl (she/her)
4. Elijah Brenton, The Flamboyant Debater (he/him)
5. Francis Rio Chen, The Robotics Memer (he/him)
6. Kahil Jaziri, The Unlucky Thief (he/him)
7. Mistral Rivera-Hwang, The Contrary Hoarder (she/they)
8. Skylar "Scout" Haneul, The Adventurous Storyteller (she/her)
9. Tala Solis, The Guarded Mathematician (she/her)
10. Tyrone Rex, The Spoiled Quarterback (he/him)
Staff:
1. Naomi Vernon/DJ Boomburst, The Intense DJ (she/her)
2. ?
First of all, I want to give a shoutout to Clown Princess Phoebe and her one-shot competition Halloween Party, as well as Space Zodiac and his idea of making short "mini seasons," my two inspirations for starting this project. I'm really excited to see if something like this will work and I had a blast taking a break from the more elaborate Stormbound plots to just mess around with some fun character interactions. The cast has both some of my all time favorite SYOC characters and a few new favorites, and I'm a little nervous since some of them (especially Tala) have had absolutely fantastic portrayals from other authors, but I hope I'll be able to do something unique with them all!
This will be split into eight chapters, but in-universe it takes place over the course of three days and the entire thing will air at once, like a one-episode special. Introductions are always annoying, but I think this was a pretty drastic improvement from the Stormbound pilot in terms of both technical writing and plot content. Got any early favorites? Please let me know what you think, I thrive off of concrit and I'm always looking to improve!