Review time!
Yeezynight14: Thanks! The flower subplot is part of how I incorporate the TDROTI storyline involving the island being licensed to store nuclear waste. Here, Wawanakwa USED to be a nuclear waste dump back in the 1950s before being cleaned up. But the cleanup wasn't completely thorough, and Chris' antics are causing the radioactivity in the ground to awaken.
Guest: Again, you're going to have to WAIT. Ella WILL be getting a boyfriend, but not until about 2/3 of the story is completed. She needs CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT first. If you do not stop asking, I will have to ask you to leave.
That British Guy: Not all of them, just Barry. The rest have average IQs.
KillaKirika: My interpretation of Staci's lying extends beyond lying about her family history to lying in general, even to herself. More explanations will come in Aftermath I, which is coming in two chapters, so stay tuned. One-off characters like Staci are going to get more development in this story. Here, no one is purely good or evil...except for Chris, the story's main antagonist. Oh, and Blaineley too.
Friday, September 22, 2017
"Last time on Total Drama – we had a talent show! [Scarlett's face of flame] But performances weren't the only thing we saw yesterday. We had a lot of alliance activity! Scott, Courtney, and Heather formed an alliance. [Heather talking to Scott and Courtney] So did the Geeks, an alliance that took their team to first place! [Sam solving the very complex equation] Emma proposed an alliance to Noah to make up for some junk that happened at the school my wife works at. [Emma and Noah at the lustblossom field] And Alejandro's guys alliance gained two members and saved Devin from being eliminated. [The first meeting of the Guy's Alliance] Instead, tough girl Leshaniqua was sent away for scaring Devin into messing up his act. [Leshaniqua's elimination]"
Chris walked over to the VR machine. "Today we'll be having our fifth challenge, and you know what that means. That's right, it's our first trip into the Total Drama Virtual Reality Generator." He strapped one of the VR helmets on.
A flash of light, and the scene shifted to a jungle. A teal Pteranodon longiceps with a black crest shuffled along.
"Today's challenge is going to be positively prehistoric," the pterosaur said with Chris' voice. "And before all you paleofans jump on us about why we're inaccurate, we actually did the research and everything is accurate as of this year. Look, I've even got my stubble!" he added, showing off the black fuzz on his chin. "Eighty contestants remain. Which team will be dino-mite and which will find themselves in an extinction event? Find out in today's episode of
"Total.
"Drama!"
Theme song
*Instrumental*
A camera appeared from the bushes, scaring off a Microceratus and an Anchisaurus. Another came from a tree, startling a Miragaia. The third popped out of the ground, only to be stepped on by a Brachiosaurus and reduced to dust.
Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine
You guys are on my mind
Dawn affectionately scratched a Nodosaurus under the chin. Scott appeared behind her, ready to tackle her, but the Nodosaurus saw him and swatted him with his tail. Duncan and Alejandro laughed at Scott's misfortune, then saw an angry bull Triceratops charging them and ran away screaming.
You asked me what I wanted to be
And now I think it's plain to see
The Geeks were successfully training a pack of Troodon. Sierra attempted to sneak past the maniraptors to get to Cody, but was blocked by a passing herd of Stegosaurus. She screamed, only succeeding in attracting the attention of a hungry Giganotosaurus, who licked her chops. Riding on the theropod's neck were Geoff and Brody, with Bridgette desperately clinging for life on her tail.
I wanna be famous
Heather, Josee, and Taylor battled it out on a log. Said log turned out to be an irate Sarcosuchus.
*Instrumental*
While the four of them plummeted off a waterfall, Owen tried to grab a prehistoric fruit. Instead he got an Archaeopteryx, which began to aggressively peck at him. Noah and Izzy appeared and tried to get the flailing paravian off of him.
I want to live close to the sun
Well, pack your bags cause I've already won.
Lightning relaxed on the back of a Diplodocus. The sauropod wasn't watching where she was going, forcing the rest of the Athletes to dodge her incoming feet.
Everything to prove nothing in my way
I'll get there one day
The Stegosaurus had moved on, but before a tattered-looking Sierra could react a herd of Edmontosaurus walked in front of her. One of them was being ridden by Kitty and Carrie, the former taking the time to take a selfie.
'Cuz I wanna be famous
A female Styracosaurus took a liking to Justin and began to chase after him. Justin screamed and ran away, knocking over Max, Dakota, and a full-grown Tyrannosaurus in the process. Gwen saw this and facepalmed, while behind her Lindsay cuddled with a baffled-looking Heterodontosaurus.
Na na nana na na nana nana na na na na na naaaaah
Justin continued to run away from the Styracosaurus, passing Eva (riding a Coahuilaceratops like a bronco), Ella (singing alongside a Corythosaurus), Shawn (nervously poking at the corpse of a Rapetosaurus with a stick, much to the ire of the Majungasaurus who'd killed it), and the Prescott twins (Amy was trying to get a Euoplocephalus to knock over an oblivious Sammy, who was playing with a Zephyrosaurus, with his tail but the stubborn ankylosaur wouldn't cooperate).
I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous
Zeke, Mike, and Rodney were fishing in the middle of a bay. A Mosasaurus breached over them a la Pi, only to fall on top of them and sink their boat. A pod of Elasmosaurus laughed at the scene.
I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous.
A Pterodactylus saw Sugar trying to do a flirty pose to Topher and promptly barfed in midair, covering Chet in fish guts. Lorenzo laughed at him, then got nabbed by the beak of a much larger Hatzegopteryx.
*Whistling*
Back at the campfire, everyone watched Beth and Brady move in for a kiss, only for them to be interrupted by the sudden appearance of a pack of Dakotaraptor. Everyone freaked out.
"This thing looks so cool, dudes," Geoff said. He, Bridgette, and Brody were looking at the VR machine. "I wonder when we'll get to it."
"Me too," Bridgette said. "I was hoping we could do a surfing challenge. Or maybe something related to animals."
"Dude, I would so make a great zookeeper!" Brody exclaimed.
"Well guys, you're in luck," Chris said, appearing in the front. "Today's challenge number five, so you're going to get your first taste of virtual reality!"
Inside the building were eighty-four chairs, each with a contestant's name written on the back, in front of a canvas screen with a projector. The chairs had headsets attached to them via wires, wires which ran through the floor and into the machine. An extra eight chairs with the same setup sat to the side.
"Welcome to the Total Drama Virtual Reality Generator!" Chris announced. "Please take your assigned seat." All but four of the chairs (those of the eliminated contestants) had a round circle of paper sitting on them, a paper with a symbol printed on it.
Duncan, Owen, Sanders, MacArthur, Alejandro, Scarlett, Emma, Jacques, Josee, Mary, Ellody, Tom, Heather, Anne Maria, Zoey, and B's had a blue Mapusaurus.
Dakota, Brady, Lindsay, Kitty, Max, Brody, Katie, Sadie, Junior, Zeke, Sierra, Mike, Lightning, Dave, Rodney, and Ella's had a red Apatosaurus.
Tyler, Jasmine T., DJ, Laurie, Miles, Bridgette, Leshawna, Ryan, Eva, Jo, Brick, Sammy, Shawn, Cody, Lorenzo, and Cameron's had a green Tuojiangosaurus.
Scott, Noah, Gwen, Crimson, Ennui, Mickey, Jay, Harold, Izzy, Justin, Sam, Topher, Stephanie, Taylor, Lauren, and Phil's had an orange Pentaceratops.
And Geoff, Courtney, Carrie, Devin, Jen, Trent, Jasmine O., Beth, Dawn, Amy, Rock, Spud, Chet, Beardo, Sky, and Sugar's had a purple Jaxartosaurus.
"Wait, these all have dinosaurs on them," Sam noted.
"Are we going to go to Cretaceous Park?" Katie asked excitedly. "I loved that movie!"
"Well sure, if you find inaccurate dinosaurs and numerous glaringly obvious plot holes entertaining," Noah said to Owen, who chuckled.
"I know. That Mr. DNA guy was SO annoying," Eva muttered.
"You're close, Katie," Chris replied. "But we're actually doing a bit of a role-reversal here. You're going to BE the dinosaurs." Confused murmurs rumbled through the crowd. "The premise: a wealthy company has brought dinosaurs back from the dead so it can make money off people looking at them. You are said dinosaurs."
"Wait, we're going to be ZOMBIES?!" Shawn gulped.
"Actually, we're going to be clones," Harold replied. "A zombie would be the same individual, just dead. We're going to be different beings with the same DNA as dead dinosaurs."
"Oh, well that's a relief," Shawn sighed.
Chris ignored them. "However, a rival company wants dinosaurs of its own, and the easiest way for them to get them is to steal your eggs. Your mission is to protect your eggs, and you'll want to because they're worth points. Each time you lose an egg, you lose a point. The team with the most eggs left when it's time for the poachers to leave your reserve wins the challenge.
"There are four ways you can ensure your team wins. One, keep the poachers from reaching your nest. Two, get your eggs back from the poachers should they be stolen. Three, steal eggs from another team. Four, break another team's eggs. You'd probably want to do some combination of those four ways to win.
"Now for your teams. If you got a blue circle, you are the Threatening Theropods! If you got a red circle, you are the Super Sauropods! If you got a green circle, you are the Thorough Thyreophorans! If you got an orange circle, you are the Marvelous Marginocephalians! And if you got a purple circle, you are the Ordinary Ornithopods!"
"Ordinary?!" Courtney spluttered.
Confessional – Courtney.
"ME?! ORDINARY?! I'm a CIT!"
"And yet no one gave a [s word]," Taylor said from outside the outhouse.
"Shut up, Taylor!"
"Before you put on your headsets, remember – you can be injured but cannot feel pain while in the VR. Dying while in the VR kicks you out of the simulation with no possibility of reentry short of restarting the whole thing. Got that?"
Everyone nodded.
"Also, VR challenges get special prizes. The winning team will get to go on a field trip, and the teams who are safe get a one-day break from Chef's cooking. The losing team votes someone out.
"Now put on your headsets! Chef and I will be joining you as pterosaurs to check in now and then. This
"Is
"NOT Cretaceous Park!"
An intern pressed a button once everyone had their helmets strapped on, and footage of a lush, warm world appeared on the canvas screen...
Threatening Theropods
Owen opened his eyes. He picked up his head. His head kept rising, much higher than he was used to. Then he stood up, and his head rose higher still. Then Owen looked into a nearby river at his reflection.
Owen looked like a giant seagull, only with a tail and long arms with powerful fingers at the ends. He had yellow feathers coming from the back of his head in the shape of his hair in the real world, white feathers covering most of his body, and some teal ones on his belly and growing from his tail. His featherless legs were the color of his shorts, and his bill was the color of his skin in the real world.
"I'm a birdosaurus!" Owen exclaimed.
"Actually, you are a Deinocheirus mirificus, the largest known species of ornithomimosaur," Owen heard Scarlett say. He turned around and saw a yellow Megalosaurus with a literally red head and teal legs, and presumed it was Scarlett. "The rest of us should be coming shortly."
And indeed they did. A black Tyrannosaurus with cream accents and green feathers on the nape of his neck (Duncan) stared in the water and admired his massive teeth. A Therizinosaurus with dark pink feathers and a large black crest of feathers on her head (Anne Maria) inspected her freakishly long and somehow manicured claws. Unnoticed by the others, a Yi with black feathers on the upper side of his body and red feathers on his belly (B) skittered through the tree branches, extended his wings, jumped off, and glided until he landed comfortably on Owen's head. The team gathered around a series of oblong, dark blue eggs they presumed were theirs.
"Okay," said an orange-feathered Velociraptor in Emma's voice, "any ideas on strategy?"
"I believe we should use our biology to our advantage," a brown-striped-feathered Troodon replied in Mary's voice. "Theropoda was the most diverse group of dinosaurs, so we can protect our eggs from the poachers on all sides. MacArthur, you're the only one of us who's semi-aquatic, so you patrol the river."
"Can do," a massive black-and-blue Spinosaurus replied, walking into a nearby river and sinking underwater, leaving only her black sail visible.
"Emma, Ellody, Anne Maria, I need you on egg detail with me. As maniraptorans, our natural maternal instincts will help us protect them better."
Confessional – Anne Maria.
"I guess this stump is where we do the confessionals," Anne Maria noted. She was sitting on a tree stump. "But yeah, guardin' a few eggs'll be easy. 'Sides, like I'd ruin these nails doin' work," she added, flaunting her brown-painted claws. Then she thought of something. "I wonder how much polish it took to do 'em."
"Owen and Tom, I want you to help provide the nesters with food. Alejandro, Heather, Duncan, Scarlett, Sanders, I want you to patrol our territory. If you see any poachers, you know what to do."
"And what might that be?" Alejandro, now a red Allosaurus, asked.
"Eat them. You eat the poachers," Mary deadpanned. "C'mon, you're hypercarnivores in this universe, use it!"
Confessional – Heather.
"I do NOT want to find out what I taste like," a dull red Sinosaurus with a black crest deadpanned. "The other teams, however..."
"I wouldn't recommend that, Heather. Your jaws aren't nearly strong enough to tear through reptilian skin and muscle tissue," Ellody, here a burnt orange Pectinodon with brown tail feathers, piped up.
"Shut up before I eat you," Heather threatened. Ellody cowered in fear.
"Jacques, Josee, B, Zoey, I want you to spy on the other teams. If they leave their eggs unguarded, try to see if you can take one."
"We can do that," Jacques, now a fluffy pink Pyroraptor, smiled sinisterly.
"Okay, that's everyone. Break!" Mary finished. She joined the other nesters, Tom and Owen went foraging, the raiders skittered off, and the guards stomped away.
Confessional – Josee.
"I don't know that much about dinosaurs," Josee, here a Variraptor with the same color scheme as Jacques, began, "but I know two things that will let us triumph. One, we have all the smart competitors all together. Two," she added, "we're the only ones who all have hands."
Super Sauropods
A red Brachiosaurus (Brady), a red Omeisaurus (Kitty), and a dark blue Camarasaurus (Lightning) gaped at the sight before them. "I know, right?!" a yellow Argentinosaurus with teal hindquarters and a purple stripe running down her neck said in Sierra's voice. "Biggest dinosaur ever!"
"I'm bigger, though," a black–and-white-striped Sauroposeidon with Sadie's voice pointed out.
"We were gawking at that sha-thing," Lightning said. Sierra finally turned around and her jaw dropped at the sight of a Maraapunisaurus with gigantism, easily twice as long as Sierra was, light pink with a yellow head and neck stripe.
"What?" Dakota asked.
The rest of the team appeared, and everyone gathered around some large, gray, spherical eggs.
Confessional – Ellody.
"Most dinosaur eggs were actually the same size as bird eggs," Ellody said. "But Hypselosaurus eggs were the size of modern-day chickens!"
"So what do we do now, eh?" a light green Saltasaurus asked in Zeke's voice.
"So dudes, here's what I'm thinking," a pink Diplodocus replied in Brody's voice. "Dakota's ginormicus. What if we had her around the eggs like a living wall?"
"Well, she is the biggest of us," a black Plateosaurus with a red head (Junior) considered. "But what about her tail and neck? Those aren't as thick as her chest. No offense."
"None taken," Dakota replied kindly.
"That's easy, little dude. We use Rodney, Sadie, and Mike to fill the gap." The aforementioned three nodded in approval. Rodney, now a dark blue Malawisaurus with a white neck, arms, and head, suddenly became lovestruck for Dakota.
"The eggs look to be too big for anyone to carry, so they'll be totally safe," a blue-green Isisaurus with black hind legs and white forelegs (Dave) mused. "The rest of us should go out and find the poachers. If you find one, stomp on them."
"That doesn't seem nice, dude," Brody said. Then everyone began to leave...very slowly.
Dave cursed to himself. "Why did I get stuck on the team with all the idiots?"
Confessional – Chris.
"Science time, kiddies," Chris the Pteranodon said. "Theropods were the smartest dinosaurs. Sauropods were the dumbest. I chose the teams accordingly." He laughed. "The ornithischians were a bit harder to figure out, but I think I pulled it off."
Thorough Thyreophorans
"Wow," Tyler was heard saying. "I must be invincible!"
The red Ankylosaurus, currently looking at his reflection in a little pool of water, certainly looked the part. Brown spikes grew from his skin, and underneath his skin were thick, durable bony plates. At the end of his tail, a black bludgeon of fused bone glinted in the sunlight.
"Don't get cocky," a dark blue Ziapelta said in Eva's voice. "We're also slow-moving, in case you haven't noticed. That makes us easier to target."
"I don't know, I think some of us can run fairly fast," Cody, who'd been turned into a light yellow Polacanthus with two stripes on his torso, one red and one green, put in. The team gathered around some light green eggs.
"Okay, soldiers! We need a plan of attack!" a military green Scutellosaurus (Brick) began.
"Why should we listen to Brick?" a dark gray Edmontonia asked in Jo's voice.
"Well, he is kinda the only one of us who has hands," a dark green Stegosaurus with white plates (DJ) admitted. Indeed, it was true. Brick's dinosaur form was the only biped among the Thyreophorans.
"Eva said we're too slow to run after the poachers, and she's right. So we should wait for the poachers to come to us. Sammy, Cameron, Cody, Eva, Tyler, Ryan, Shawn, Leshawna, Lorenzo, and Jo will scour the perimeter and stage various ambushes. Miles, Laurie, Jasmine T., DJ, and Bridgette will guard the eggs. I will attempt to steal an egg from one of the other teams. That sound alright?"
"Yeah, I'm cool," Ryan, here a pink Cedarpelta, said. "I should go see if the poachers are here yet. Sound good?"
"I give you permission, soldier. Thorough Thyreophorans, move out!"
Marvelous Marginocephalians
"And here I thought you couldn't get any more thick-headed," a dark red Archaeoceratops with Noah's voice snarked.
"What do you – oh, that's it," a white Pachycephalosaurus with an orange dome (Scott) growled.
"Our team may fall apart. Wonderful," a black Regaliceratops with warpaint-like markings all over her otherwise white face and frill (Crimson) swooned emotionlessly. Then she let out a pained squawk and sat down. A sickening series of squelches were heard, and when she got up, fifteen light brown eggs appeared under her. Everyone looked at Ennui, now a similarly-gothic Styracosaurus, disgustedly.
Chris swooped in, in his Pteranodon form from the intro, and inspected the eggs. "I have good news and bad news," he said. "Good news is, these eggs are unfertilized, so Ennui, you didn't knock her up."
"Such a relief," Ennui said monotonously. "I'm not ready for fatherhood."
"Bad news is, they don't count for points. Also, her name is no longer the only thing that's crimson, so she may want a change of clothes."
Everyone was confused. Then they realized it.
Oh.
Oh.
"I will be right back," Crimson said, disappearing from the game.
Confessional – Crimson (real world).
"I was due for my period but forgot to wear a tampon today, so I bled my underwear. On national TV. I'm so embarrassed," Crimson said, although her monotone voice didn't betray these feelings.
She spied something on the floor of the confessional and picked it up. "What do we have here?" she asked, holding up a Chris keychain like the one from Chapter 4, with JOSEE written on the back in permanent marker.
"Okay, ew," a teal Zuniceratops with a brown frill (Topher) grimaced as Crimson returned.
"Wait," a dark green Medusaceratops with teal stripes on her frill said in Gwen's voice. "We can use these. The poachers are looking for eggs, right?"
"Right," Noah said.
"And we lose points if we lose these eggs," she continued, pointing to the red-speckled eggs with her horns. "But the ones Crimson laid aren't worth points, and the poachers won't know the difference."
"So we use these eggs as decoys to draw the attention away from our real eggs!" Sam, a light yellow Chasmosaurus with a dark red frill, finished. "Genius, Gwen!"
"Thanks. Ready to part with these, Crimson?"
"I'm more than ready."
"Taylor, Lauren, Phil, Justin, Stephanie, you're guarding the eggs. Sam, Topher, Izzy, Ennui, Crimson, Harold, patrol the area and go after the poachers. Scott, you and I will set up the decoy nest. Noah, try to steal eggs from the other teams. Mickey and Jay–"
"We can't be trusted with carrying eggs!" a blue Stegoceras exclaimed.
"Yeah, we'll just drop them!" a lighter blue Prenocephale with a white dome added.
"Let me finish. Go to the other teams and sabotage them by breaking the eggs open with your heads."
"Oh," Jay said. "That's something we're good at. Breaking things, I mean."
"Okay, that's a wrap! Let's go, go, go!" Stephanie, here a purply-pink Protoceratops, hollered, and the team went to their respective positions.
Ordinary Ornithopods
"Seriously? Me, ordinary?" a gray Edmontosaurus with green legs growled in Courtney's voice.
"I think Chris just ran out of space in the other teams," a greenish-teal Hadrosaurus (Carrie) tried to comfort her.
"Dude! We can, like, make music with our heads!" a dark purple Lambeosaurus with an orange crest (Rock) exclaimed, proceeding to make a surprisingly musical honking noise.
"Wicked," a dark purple Saurolophus with a maroon head (Spud) said.
"My crest is like, so fashionable!" a light blue Parasaurolophus (Jen) exclaimed as she admired her reflection.
"And I'm bigger than Samey!" a massive red Shantungosaurus (Amy) declared.
"We all look super cool, brah!" Geoff, now a pink Corythosaurus with blue legs and a brown crest, complimented.
"Hey y'all!"
"I stand corrected," Geoff gagged, as the rest of the team looked on in disgust at a pudgy, parasite-laden, pink Gryposaurus.
"What?" Sugar asked.
Confessional – Chet.
"I knew Sugar had a big nose," Chet, a dark purple Thescelosaurus, proclaimed, "but that was just too much nose. And all those parasites..." he shuddered.
The team gathered around a nest of sand-colored eggs.
"So what do we do?" Geoff asked.
"Well, our first order of business is assigning people to specific tasks," Courtney started.
"Who made you the leader?" Amy asked. "I'm bigger than you!"
"Which is why you're going on patrol. I can't risk your huge bulk damaging the eggs. I'll also go after the poachers, as will Beth, Carrie, Devin, Jen, Rock, and Trent. Geoff, Spud, Sugar, Beardo, Sky, you're on egg duty. Jasmine and Chet, try to raid the other teams' eggs. All good?"
Beardo, here a dark gray Olorotitan with a dark brown face and crest, made an affirmative honk.
"I wanna be on patrol and stomp on my enemies!" Sugar whined.
"Sorry, but Courtney has spoken," Devin, a light green Tsintaosaurus with a black crest, replied. "We should respect her decision and stick to our tasks." The patrollers and raiders left.
"Screw that prissy lawyer-girl," Sugar said. "Imma go after them poachers." She ran off.
"Ohhhh, get back here, Sugar!" Sky, a light yellow Maiasaura, groaned, running after her.
"Wait for me, brah!" Geoff added, following her.
Beardo sighed. "Looks like it's just me and you, huh, Spud?"
Spud was busy rocking to himself.
"Never mind."
Threatening Theropods: Duncan (Tyrannosaurus rex), Owen (Deinocheirus mirificus), Sanders (Rugops primus), MacArthur (Spinosaurus aegyptiacus), Alejandro (Allosaurus europaeus), Scarlett (Megalosaurus bucklandii), Emma (Velociraptor mongoliensis), Jacques (Pyroraptor olympius), Josee (Variraptor mechinorum), Mary (Troodon formosus), Ellody (Pectinodon bakkeri), Tom (Alvarezsaurus calvoi), Heather (Sinosaurus triassicus), Anne Maria (Therizinosaurus cheloniformis), Zoey (Oviraptor philoceratops), and B (Yi qi).
Super Sauropods: Dakota (Maraapunisaurus fragillimus), Brady (Brachiosaurus altithorax), Lindsay (Brontosaurus excelsus), Kitty (Omeisaurus tianfuensis), Max (Mussaurus patagonicus), Brody (Diplodocus carnegii), Katie (Cetiosaurus oxoniensis), Sadie (Sauroposeidon proteles), Junior (Plateosaurus engelhardti), Zeke (Saltasaurus loricatus), Sierra (Argentinosaurus huinculensis), Mike (Amargasaurus cazaui), Lightning (Camarasaurus lentus), Dave (Isisaurus colberti), Rodney (Malawisaurus dixeyi), and Ella (Shunosaurus lii).
Thorough Thyreophorans: Tyler (Ankylosaurus magniventris), Jasmine T. (Minmi paravertebra), DJ (Stegosaurus stenops), Laurie (Nodosaurus textilis), Miles (Scolosaurus cutleri), Bridgette (Kentrosaurus aethiopicus), Leshawna (Hesperosaurus mjosi), Ryan (Cedarpelta bilbeyhallorum), Eva (Ziapelta sanjuanensis), Jo (Edmontonia longiceps), Brick (Scutellosaurus lawleri), Sammy (Dacentrurus armatus), Shawn (Hylaeosaurus armatus), Cody (Polacanthus foxii), Lorenzo (Struthiosaurus austriacus), and Cameron (Paranthodon africanus).
Marvelous Marginocephalians: Scott (Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis), Noah (Archaeoceratops oshimai), Gwen (Medusaceratops lokii), Crimson (Regaliceratops peterhewsi), Ennui (Styracosaurus albertensis), Mickey (Prenocephale prenes), Jay (Stegoceras validum), Harold (Triceratops horridus), Izzy (Centrosaurus apertus), Justin (Torosaurus latus), Sam (Chasmosaurus belli), Topher (Zuniceratops christopheri), Stephanie (Protoceratops andrewsi), Taylor (Pachyrhinosaurus canadensis), Lauren (Avaceratops lammersi), and Phil (Stenopelix valdensis).
Ordinary Ornithopods: Geoff (Corythosaurus casuarius), Courtney (Edmontosaurus regalis), Carrie (Hadrosaurus foulkii), Devin (Tsintaosaurus spinorhinus), Jen (Parasaurolophus tubicen), Trent (Iguanodon bernissartensis), Jasmine O. (Hypsilophodon foxii), Beth (Ouranosaurus nigerensis), Dawn (Camptosaurus dispar), Amy (Shantungosaurus giganteus), Rock (Lambeosaurus lambei), Spud (Saurolophus osborni), Chet (Thescelosaurus neglectus), Beardo (Olorotitan arharensis), Sky (Maiasaura peeblesorum), and Sugar (Gryposaurus monumentensis).
Hosts: Chris (Pteranodon longiceps), Chef (Quetzalcoatlus nothropi)
Threatening Theropods
Duncan and Alejandro walked to the edge of the five territories, which met at a big oak. Duncan sniffed the air. "I can smell so many things in this body that I couldn't as a human," he said. "I can smell grass, sand, Owen [he gagged at this], the list goes on."
"We have other priorities." Alejandro raised his head and made a specific series of bellows. Soon Brady, Devin, and Ryan emerged from the edges of their territories and met up with the carnivores.
"Hey Alejandro, or should I say, Al-osaurus?" Devin smirked.
"Don't call me Al," Alejandro growled.
"Sorry, didn't know...I'm gonna shut up now before you eat me."
"So," Alejandro began, "who on your team are you considering?"
"For what?" Brady asked.
"For voting off should your team lose. Who is the biggest threat to you winning the million dollars?"
"Rodney, probably," Brady said. "He looks really strong, plus Jen told me he keeps falling for girls – and some of those girls AREN'T single. I don't want him going after Beth."
"You are quite protective of that girl. How did you meet her?"
"She was the water girl for my basketball team in freshman year. It turned out we have a lot in common, especially regarding movies."
"Touching. How about you, Ryan?"
"Jo," Ryan answered without missing a beat. "She's not a team player, and she's mean to Brick."
"But Jo's mean to everyone," Duncan pointed out.
"I meant meaner than she is to everyone else. She's also going to be tough to beat in physical competitions."
"Good to know," Alejandro said. "And you, Devin?"
"Sugar. Courtney told me that while Sugar isn't very bright, what intelligence she DOES have is completely devoted to cheating her way to the top. Plus she never listens to anyone."
"I can assure you, I have more integrity than that," Alejandro lied. "I was considering Scarlett. She's not a physical threat, but she is the biggest mental one on my team. Your opinion, Duncan?"
"Scarlett's fine," Duncan said. "If she figures out we've got an alliance, we're boned."
"What about B? He's smart," Devin asked.
"He's more build-strange-gadget-smart. Scarlett is both street-smart AND book-smart. A double threat," Alejandro explained. "That, and B is mute, so he can't expose us that easily."
Suddenly, Duncan's eyes narrowed. "I smell diesel. The poachers!"
Overhead, Chris and a white Quetzalcoatlus with a brown beak flew above them, surveying the campers. "I bet you ten bucks the Ornithopods screw up," Chef said mischievously.
"You're on! Ten bucks says it's the Sauropods." Chris turned to the camera. "Which one of us will win the bet? Find out after these messages."
Saying that diverted Chris' attention long enough for him to fly into a tree.
"Ow."
Do da do da doo. Commercial break!
"And we're back!" Chris said, standing on a riverbank. "In an alternate universe, our dinosaurian contestants are waiting to ambush poachers who are trying to go after their eggs."
A Champsosaurus lunged out of the water and tried to snatch Chris up for lunch. Chris yelped and jumped back.
Convergence of the Territories
Harold, here a blue Triceratops with pink forelegs and reddish quills on his green tail, emerged from the bushes. "Hey, you guys had the same idea too, like, go to the edge of the territories and–"
"Shut up, Doris!" Duncan snarled. "Don't make me hurt you!"
"You can't hurt me. Have you even seen the size of my horns? Gosh!" Harold retorted, his long brow horns glinting in the sunlight.
Devin, Brady, and Ryan gulped and backed away, not wanting one of those horns in place of one of their eyes. But Duncan wasn't afraid. "Oh yes I can! My kind eats yours for DINNER in this universe!"
And then Duncan got hit by a tranquilizer dart and fell to the ground, out cold. The others looked confused, but more darts started flying through the air, knocking Harold and Brady out. Alejandro, Ryan and Devin turned their heads and saw a bunch of men on motorcycles and in trucks, men dressed in camouflage with red logos emblazoned on their black helmets.
"The poachers," Ryan murmured. Luckily, the darts couldn't penetrate his extra-thick skin, and Devin was too fast for the poachers as they fled back to their territories. Alejandro was not so lucky and got a dart in his butt.
As the drug's effects kicked in, Alejandro giggled and then fell asleep.
Thorough Thyreophorans
"The poachers are coming!" Ryan called, running through his team's territory.
His call distracted the egg-watchers long enough for Zoey, who'd been turned into a dark red Oviraptor with green legs, to sneak in and snatch two of their eggs. Zoey skittered off as quickly as she came, leaving the armored dinosaurs none the wiser.
Super Sauropods
The poachers approached the nest, finding four massive sauropods guarding it. One of them fired a dart at Dakota; however, due to her massive size, the dart's drugs did nothing. She didn't even feel it penetrate the skin of her right foreleg. The poachers facepalmed and left them alone.
"Wow, you're such a good protector," Rodney complimented. "And pretty...hey, there's a dart in your arm. I can get it out." He moved closer, intent on getting the dart out with the one manipulator he had in this universe: his mouth.
Dakota grimaced. "Ew! Get away from me, creep!" She stood up to assert her dominance, towering over the others. "Need I remind you of who I am? Dakota Milton, the daughter of the man behind Milton Hotels?"
"Dakota, please, calm down," Mike, now a teal Amargasaurus with a brown neck sail, said. They were distracted by the commotion long enough for Noah to slip in undetected and roll one of their eggs away. Said egg was bigger than he was.
Confessional – Noah.
"I hate physical labor," Noah panted.
Marvelous Marginocephalians
The poachers approached the nest. No one was guarding it. "We hit it big today, boys," the leader of the group chuckled as his men gathered up all the eggs. "That's all the eggs from this area. Moving on to the Ornithopod enclosure."
From behind a tree, Gwen and Scott silently sniggered as the poachers made off with the infertile eggs. "Nice work on the nest," Scott whispered.
"Thanks. I wonder how the twins are getting along."
Ordinary Ornithopods
Mickey and Jay approached the Ornithopods' nest, with Spud not paying attention and Beardo having evidently been darted, and two of the eggs were missing. The Adversity Twins raised their heads, ready to smash the remaining eggs. But the Ornithopods' nest was very close to the river, allowing MacArthur to jump out of the water and snatch up the boys in one gulp, before grabbing two eggs with her mouth as well.
Threatening Theropods
Back at her team's nest, MacArthur spat out the Adversity Twins, soaked in saliva and covered with more than a few bite marks. Between them were two eggs. "Nice work," Mary said, approaching MacArthur. "You got us two spare eggs and two interlopers."
"We're gonna smash your eggs!" Mickey said half-heartedly.
"Oh Anne Maria?" Ellody called. Anne Maria pulled her arms out of her fluffy coat and showed them her massive claws. "Yeah, I don't think so." The twins gulped and ran away.
"BOOYAH!" MacArthur said, before trying to roar. Instead came a chirping noise. MacArthur looked confused.
"Oh yeah, dinosaurs actually didn't roar. No vocal cords," Mary explained.
Confessional – Sanders and MacArthur.
"What Val did was reckless, but at least we got two eggs out of it," Sanders, here a dark blue Rugops, said.
Behind her, MacArthur stomped around. "Stupid lousy no-good science ruining cool stuff all the time..."
"So now what?" Tom, now a green Alvarezsaurus with a bronze crest of feathers, asked as he dropped a pile of insects in front of Emma, who happily gobbled them up, before realizing she'd eaten bugs, before shrugging and swallowing.
"We should probably hit every clade," Ellody said. She'd dug an extra nest for the eggs they'd stolen, which included a Marginocephalian egg Zoey was gingerly setting in along with the other four eggs.
"Oh no no no, I am NOT hefting those long-neck's eggs! I saw them, and they're as big as me!" Jacques griped.
"We could get Owen to do it," Sanders suggested. "Out of all the big guys, he's got the longest arms and biggest hands. He'd be perfect."
"For what?" Owen asked, having just come in. He regurgitated a pile of mashed leaves in front of Anne Maria, who looked disgusted before her dinosaurian instincts took over and she started eating them.
"We HAVE to win," Josee said to her boyfriend privately.
"I know, but how?"
Then they got an idea. They looked at each other and grinned evilly. "Sabotage..."
Thorough Thyreophorans
Eva swung her tail at a poacher, shattering his skull and denting his helmet when her club connected with his head. It was unfortunately too late to save one of her team's eggs from the poachers, and six had been lost altogether, their gooey, bloody remains littering the ground.
Jacques and Josee snuck over and crawled underneath her. Ankylosaurs had thick skin on the tops of their bodies, but to stay mobile their bellies had to remain soft so their joints could work. This fact allowed Jacques and Josee to bite Eva in her most sensitive spot: a patch of skin a little above the cloaca, right where the yolk would have attached in the egg.
Eva howled in pain and scrambled off, and Jacques and Josee watched with glee as the surprisingly fast dinosaur went on a rampage.
Super Sauropods
Standing up proved to be a bad idea, as it allowed Eva to run through Dakota's legs, crushing an egg in the process. Then Owen ran through, scooping up an egg with his arms before jumping into the air, landing on and running up Sadie's back, before jumping off, landing, and running back to his territory. Sadie quickly collapsed on the ground in pain.
"Nice going," Dave said, having seen the whole thing as he walked over to check on the remaining eggs. The ground suddenly became wet, and Dave found he'd stepped in egg white. He recoiled in horror. "Ew ew ew ew EW!"
Ordinary Ornithopods
Spud looked around, with Beardo still tranquilized. "Sweet. No one's coming that way." He turned his head for a second; had he not, he'd've seen Eva charging towards him. But he didn't, and only turned his head back when it was too late. Spud tried to block her, but Eva knocked him aside, plowing through his team's nest, crushing all but two lucky eggs. Eva tore off as quickly as she'd come, leaving a slightly disturbed Spud and a broken nest.
"Never run off like that again!" Sky snapped. She and Geoff had found Sugar and were dragging her by the tail with their beaked mouths back to their nest.
"I got two of them hunters! You should be thankin' me!" Sugar retorted. The rest of the team followed, grumbling. Then they stopped, and gasped.
"SPUD! What happened?!" Courtney shrieked.
"Eva was on a rampage, man, I tried to stop her," Spud said, showing the cuts on his arm he'd received from Eva's shoulder spikes as proof.
"And what's wrong with him?!" Amy asked, pointing to Beardo with a hooflike hand. "He didn't do his job at all!"
"Don't blame him, he got darted! Look, there's the dart in his leg!" After Sky had said that, Chet walked over to Beardo's left thigh and pulled out the dart. Beardo was still asleep, however.
"So all we have to blame is Spud?" Amy asked. "Of course, leave it to scatterbrain here to screw everything up! Because YOU ALWAYS DO!" she snarled, baring her teeth at an unflinching Spud.
"I know he's not the most attentive guy, but like, Sugar should've stayed at the nest," Rock defended his friend, getting between him and the massive edmontosaurine. "And Sky and Geoff ran off too, guys. They shouldn't have gone after her."
Sky and Geoff looked at the ground, ashamed. He was right.
"CAMPERS! Time is up! The poachers are gone," Chris' voice came from above. Everyone was enveloped in blue light and disappeared from the game.
Real World
"So what did I miss? The challenge didn't eject me when I got darted," Beardo said. Almost half of his team glared at Spud, the other at Sugar, both Rockers at Amy, and Sugar at Courtney.
"We'll explain later," Courtney growled.
"Okay, everyone, time to tally the points!" Chris announced. Some numbers began tallying on the VR screen. "Threatening Theropods, you have all twenty eggs intact and in your possession, plus six eggs from the other teams. Twenty-six points!
"Super Sauropods, you have nineteen of twenty eggs intact, seventeen of twenty eggs in your possession, one egg each in the possession of the Theropods and Marginocephalians, and one egg smashed. Seventeen points!
"Thorough Thyreophorans, you have fourteen of twenty eggs intact, eleven eggs in your possession, two eggs in the possession of the Theropods, one egg in the possession of the poachers, and six eggs smashed. Eleven points!
"Marvelous Marginocephalians, you have all twenty eggs intact, nineteen eggs in your possession, one egg in the possession of the Theropods, plus an egg from the Sauropods. Twenty points!
"Ordinary Ornithopods...wow, just...it's sad. Six eggs intact, two eggs in your possession, two eggs in the possession of the Theropods, two eggs in the possession of the poachers, and FOURTEEN eggs smashed. Two points. Threatening Theropods win!"
The team cheered.
"And for your prize...drumroll please...an all-expenses-paid trip to the Royal Ontario Museum! For the three teams who are safe – the Sauropods, Thyreophorans, and Marginocephalians – you get...dinosaur chicken nuggets!"
"Lame," Taylor grumbled.
"Ordinary Ornithopods, meet me at the campfire at eight, someone's going to be tyrannosaur chow! You guys figure out who."
"Ahem."
Chris sighed and gave Chef ten dollars, which the latter pocketed with glee.
"These are so immature," Noah muttered as he stared at the dinosaur chicken nuggets.
"Shut up and eat the nuggets," Jo grunted with her mouth full. "A skinny boy like you needs his protein."
"My build is none of your concern, thank you very much."
"You should still eat them, though," Stephanie pointed out. "Tomorrow it's back to nasty glop."
Noah sighed in defeat and began to eat.
Confessional – Spud.
"I know I messed up, but I figured I'd have to leave eventually," Spud said, writing AMY on a piece of paper. "Amy seriously needs to chill though..."
Confessional – Sugar.
"Courtney ought'nt've told me what to do!" Sugar snarled, writing COURTNEY on a piece of paper.
Confessional – Trent.
"From one musician to another, please don't let the music take over your life," Trent said apologetically, writing SPUD on a piece of paper.
Confessional – Geoff.
"For someone named Sugar, she's not very sweet," Geoff said, writing SUGAR on a piece of paper.
"Here's how elimination works," Chris said. "We use the marshmallow system here. When I call your name, come get one." He brought in a plate of sixteen marshmallows, four of which were colored. "The marshmallows are color-coded to show how many votes you got for drama. White means no votes against you, and the recipients are Geoff, Carrie, Devin, Jen, Trent, Jasmine O., Beth, Dawn, Rock, Chet, Beardo, and Sky."
Once they all had their marshmallows, Chris pointed to a blue marshmallow. "Blue means you received only one vote against you. Courtney, this one is yours." Courtney sighed and got the marshmallow. It had been a rough day for her.
"Green means you got more than one vote, but are still safe. Amy, you have three votes against you."
"What?!" Amy asked, genuinely shocked. But she got it anyway.
Two colored marshmallows remained. "Orange means you're on the chopping block, but are safe. Red means you're out. Spud. Sugar."
The two looked at him.
"You both have names related to food, but only one of you is for dinner. Spud, your inattentiveness led to several unborn dinosaurs being killed. Sugar, you disobeyed your captain's orders and left your post to do your own thing. With five votes against them...
...
...
...
...
"Sugar is safe!"
"YEAH BOI!" Sugar hollered, sauntering up and getting the orange marshmallow. "In yer FACE, heathen!" she hissed at Spud.
"Sorry buddy," Rock said to Spud. "I voted for Amy."
"Any last words, Potatohead?" Chris asked.
"Not really man, I'm good," Spud said simply and humbly. "I wish the best of luck to all of you. Except you Amy, you're way too hype."
Amy spluttered as Spud gently got the red marshmallow from Chris and silently trodded off to the Dock of Shame.
"ALRIGHT, FESS UP, WHO ELSE VOTED FOR ME?!"
Confessional – Beardo.
"It was me," Beardo revealed. "Dawn told me everything that happened when I wasn't conscious. I blame Spud a little for messing up, and Sugar a whole lot more, but ultimately I'm with Spud. Amy really needs to–" and here he made an unwinding noise as he made his arms flow. "You dig?"
"Five down. Seventy-nine to go," Chris said as he stood outside the VR machine. "Who will survive the cataclysm, and who will become ancient history? Find out on
"Total.
"Drama!"
"It would be prehistory, actually," Scarlett corrected. "Writing did not exist until a few thousand years ago."
"Okay, no one asked you."
Votes:
Geoff – Sugar
Courtney – Sugar
Carrie – Sugar
Devin – Sugar
Jen – Spud
Trent – Spud
Jasmine O. – Spud
Beth – Spud
Dawn – Spud
Amy – Spud
Rock – Amy
Spud – Amy
Chet – Spud
Beardo – Amy
Sky – Sugar
Sugar – Courtney
Results: 7-5-3-1 Spud-Sugar-Amy-Courtney
Eliminated: Staci, Leonard, Tammy, Leshaniqua, Spud
Known active immunity idols: Josee (Crimson)
Bonus clip:
Back in the virtual reality, a few months later in that universe, the eggs hatched. From the theropod eggs came Gigantoraptor. From the sauropod eggs came, as Ellody predicted, Hypselosaurus. From the thyreophoran eggs, Scelidosaurus. From the marginocephalian eggs, Xenoceratops. And from the last remaining ornithopod eggs, Rhabodon. The poachers saw them and began to sneak up on them. Then the babies' parents came and glared at the poachers.
"Well, crap," one of the poachers grumbled.