Chris Recap
"Last time, on Total Drama Crios Cath,
While most of the cast acclimated to the desert of Angelo's 'Merge of Shame', Angelo and Setsuna got to looking for the Alltud medal, which Angelo managed to find. Meanwhile, Arianna, now free from Axel's prying eyes, got to work reasserting herself and consolidating power…though maybe not all the power she could, not sure why you'd refuse an alliance offer, girl. What she had instead was the Cyfrwys medal, obtained during the previous challenge! Briefly teaming up with Michael for another vote, the plays by our remaining above-ground villains resulted in a ceremony where FOUR medals ended up getting played. Michael played the stone Cumhachtach medal to try and eliminate Jeremy on his own. Angelo took the opportunity to counter the play with his Alltud medal, and then Arianna played her Cyfrwys medal, reveal that whomever she voted for was going to be the one sent to the Shameterranean as long as they received a second vote. Carol, her target, did receive a second vote, but Maggie came to her defense with a normal immunity medal play! Unfortunately for her, that medal that had been changing hands since the beginning of the game was a fake one, and Carol became the most recent player to descend underground!"
Chef Recap
"Last time in the Shameterranean…
Rose reported to Angelo that Axel might cause a cave in. Otherwise, nothing much happened until Carol came into the Shameterranean. She reunited with King, Rose, and Jarri, but that didn't last long because Kalyssa tried to yeet Carol, and Jarri tried to save Carol, but Kalyssa knocked Jarri in. King ambushed Kalyssa, and Rose pulled Carol up. King ended up knocking himself and Kalyssa. Tiberius noticed the walls coming down enhanced the hearing. He was led straight to Axel. Carol and Rose regrouped and went over to try and stop Axel. Yeah, you heard me right. They had more of a problem with Axel tearing the place down, rightfully so. Carol gave the battle speech of the century to Axel, and he reluctantly conformed. Tiberius did not and was about to yeet her, but Carol let it spill that she knew where the Druidic Artefact was and that no one else would be able to find it! How epic… the episode ended with Tiberius and Axel making equal wagers, asking her that they'd follow through if she led them to it."
Chris popped back in. "With only 7 players above ground and the Shameterranean players on more timers than just the whims of production, whose knowledge will prevail and whose will fail them? Find out right here! On Total! Drama! Crios Cath!"
Survivor's: Ancient Voices starts playing
As the music begins, various shots of Crios Cath from above are time-lapsed and shown through the screen, notably the highlands, the forest, the bog, the lower fields, the desert, and underground.
Mergeville
The camera shows four figures of red, blue, green, yellow, and gray, all warring at each other, carrying symbols of flags. It then pans over the location of the acres Mergeville controls.
Angelo is hauling sandstone in one shot, and harmoniously playing a violin in a second shot.
Arianna is seen placing the DA on its True Resting Place in one shot, and slamming her fists down on the sand in the second shot.
Frag is putting in effort to freehand climb up a cliff in one shot, and drumming on a large rock while smiling in a second shot.
Jeremy is seen placing the DA on its True Resting Place in one shot, and staring intently at the Tine Naofa Bonfire, aware of what elimination means in this game, in a second shot.
Maggie is busy dusting off her stone slab bed in one shot, and organizing various makeshift tools in a second shot.
Michael is seen placing the DA on its True Resting Place in one shot, and is leaping through treetops in a second shot.
Setsuna is shown curiously looking at a trap in the ground in one shot, and calmly firing an arrow from a bow in a second shot.
Shameterranean
A white figure, holding a druidic artifact, is seen falling down into what appears to be some kind of underworld, before the camera zooms in so only the underworld image is on the top half of the screen. Meanwhile, the bottom half of the screen pans over the Shameterranean caverns, before showing the remaining players trapped there, in alphabetical order, at the moment of their elimination and doing various tasks.
Axel is getting his torch snuffed in one shot, and knocking down the tunnels in a second shot.
Carol is getting her torch snuffed in one shot, and is clutching the Druidic Artifact in a second shot.
Rose is getting her torch snuffed in one shot, and stands up from a muddy puddle in a second shot.
Tiberius is getting his torch snuffed by Chris in one shot, and pacing around the first True Resting Place in another shot.
The camera zooms out to reveal that all the figures and underworld were part of the same picture, the season logo connecting them like a belt.
Total Drama Crios Cath
Location: Tine Naofa Bonfire Pit
Contestants: Angelo, Arianna, Frag, Jeremy, Maggie, Michael, Setsuna
"Come on in guys." Chris beckoned.
Jeremy hopped off the dune buggy first. "Why are we being called out so early?"
Confessional: Michael
"Yeah, there was barely any interaction between me and the other contestants. Well, interesting ones…"
End Confessional
Maggie brushed some sweat/sand off her forehead. "I hope it's not a physical one."
"This one is easy." Chris reassured. "It's a Crios Cath history challenge! Hope you've been paying attention~ I call it: Know Your History!"
Arianna scoffed at the unoriginality.
Chris continued. "Each of you are sitting on a stump. Underneath are whiteboards. I'll ask a question, and you answer it on your board. They are all short answers, so give it your best shot. It is up to you to shield your boards from wandering eyes, and to keep your eyes from wandering. Any questions?"
Angelo rose his hand. "What kind of history is this?"
"The history of Crios Cath." Chris nodded. "Any others?"
Setsuna rose a hand. "Will you count off spelling?"
"So long as we can still tell what you're trying to communicate. Anything else?"
"So, you win immunity by getting the most amount of questions right?" Maggie asked.
A fazed expression came upon Chris. "Oh yeah, I guess I didn't explain that part. I dislike morning challenges as much as you. Not enough coffee. Anything else?"
No one had any other questions.
"Let's get started." Chris held up his notecard with the questions.
Challenge: Know Your History
Rules: Contestants will have to answer Chris's questions about the history of Crios Cath. If they answer correctly they score a point. If they answer incorrectly, they do not earn a point. Contestant who answers the most questions correctly wins immunity.
CHALLENGE COMMENCE!
"Our first question is one I know you all should know the answer to." Chris grinned at the contestants. "When you've locked in your answer, put your board face down on your lap. Once everyone is locked in, I'll reveal the correct answer, and you all will show what you wrote. Those of you that are correct get a point, those that are incorrect get to sit in silent shame. Now then…" Chris cleared his throat.
Question 1: When did the ancients of Crios Cath celebrate the Fest of Ghosts? (Answer: July 13th)
"Oh the Fest of Ghosts, I know this one." Frag almost groaned as he nodded. Pretty much every one had some mix of giddiness or grumbling as they wrote their answers down.
"Everyone is locked in." said Chris. "The answer is…July 13th. Show me what you've got!"
Angelo: July 13th
Arianna: July 13th
Frag: July 13th
Jeremy: July 13th
Maggie: July 13th
Michael: July 13th
Setsuna: July 15th
"Everyone on the board except Setsuna!" said Chris. "Next up, Question 2!"
Question 2: Which god does the Druidic Artifact model resemble? (Answer: Arawn, God of Life and Death)
"How is anyone supposed to know this?" Frag shook his head.
Arianna smiled, knowing that this one would be easy for her.
Michael giggled. "I could make a cruel joke, but I'm not going to."
Setsuna shrugged. "You might as well tell it now."
"Ah, the moments passed."
Confessional: Maggie
"Well, I know these people were Celtic, and I only know one Celtic goddess…"
End Confessional
Chris hit the button on his stopwatch. "And that's time! Everyone reveal your boards!"
Angelo: Omir
Arianna: Arawn, the god of life and death
Frag: Jesus
Jeremy: Arawn
Maggie: Bridgit
Michael: Arawn
Setsuna: Gamata
Chris nodded. "Good answer, Setsuna, but that's incorrect. The answer is Arawn, the celtic deity of Life and Death!"
Question 3: What's the largest amount of land that has been bet on this season? (Answer: 10,000 acres)
"Oh!" Anyone who had ever been on Alltud immediately started scribbling down an answer.
Confessional: Frag
"Okay, real talk? I was always a little more concerned with the policies of any given Cumhachtach King than I was with what everyone was betting."
End Confessional
Confessional: Jeremy
"How am I supposed to get this one right? I was in the Shameterranean for half of the pre-merge!"
End Confessional
Confessional: Michael
"Man…I probably should have paid more attention to the bets. Whoops."
End Confessional
"Everyone is locked in." Chris announced. "Show me your answers, and pray that they're '10,000 acres'!"
The players all revealed their boards.
Angelo: 10,000 acres
Arianna: 10,000 acres
Frag: 8000 acres
Jeremy: 12,000 acres
Maggie: 10,000 acres
Michael: 20,000 acres
Setsuna: 10,000 acres
"Points to Angelo, Arianna, Maggie, and Setsuna!" Chris pointed. "Next question!"
Question 4: Who was the contestant that found the first DA? (Answer: Avi)
"Oh! I know this one!" Jeremy immediately scribbled down an answer.
"That's how this game works, buddy." Michael laughed. "Sometimes you know and sometimes you don't!"
Setsuna scratched her head. "I should've studied."
Chris nodded. "Looks like everyone is locked in. Let's see your best guesses!"
Angelo: Jeremy
Arianna: Jeremy
Frag: Avi
Jeremy: Avi
Maggie: Jeremy
Michael: Bryan
Setsuna: Jeremy
"And the correct answer is Avi!" Chris smiled.
As everyone erased their boards, Jeremy smiled. "But I'm flattered you all thought it was me."
Michael scratched his head. "Huh, I'm surprised I didn't know that one."
Question 5: What were Katrina's parting words to you before she left at the beginning of the game? (Answer: Never stop struggling)
"We're getting really far back with this one, okay." Jeremy rubbed his head, struggling to remember.
Confessional: Arianna
"Oh come on, I wasn't paying attention to that thin bitch, I was sizing up the actual competition, why should what she had to say matter at all?"
End Confessional
"Everyone seems locked in." Chris nodded. "Show me those boards!"
Angelo: Never stop struggling
Arianna: Who gives a shit?
Frag: Don't be dumb
Jeremy: Never stop struggling
Maggie: Never stop struggling
Michael: Never stop struggling
Setsuna: Never stop struggling.
"And the correct answer was…" Chris smiled. "Never stop struggling. Angelo, Jeremy, Maggie, Michael, Setsuna all with points. Frag, Arianna, great answers from both of you, but there are no pity points in this challenge! Next question!"
Chris grinned. "This one should be easy."
Question 6: Who buried the campsite materials? (Answer: Michael)
Angelo nodded. "Okay, I suppose we shall get the answer once and for all."
Everyone wrote their names down.
Chris nodded. "Let's see them!"
Angelo: Michael
Arianna: Arianna
Frag: Angelo?
Jeremy: Angelo
Maggie: Angelo
Michael: Michael
Setsuna: Michael
Angelo rose a brow at the other answers. "Really? You all still didn't believe me after the evidence?"
Jeremy shrugged. "I wasn't a part of the investigation party. It was just a rumor that went around that made sense, sorta like how you were pinned."
"No, that's not true at all. When you pin a villain, you are all screaming, but when the truth comes out, it's silent."
Frag sighed. "AARM kinda worked for a reason."
Chris nodded. "A point for Angelo, Michael, and Setsuna! Arianna, why did you write your own name?"
"I have my reasons…"
Confessional: Arianna
"I was getting too many right in a row." Arianna said despite getting the last few questions very wrong. "I had to throw this one to stay out of the limelight. Fucking Chris has to ruin everything though."
End Confessional
Question 7: What nationality of people settled on this island? (Answer: Celtic/Celts)
"Oh, this one's a break from all the specific stuff I didn't remember." Frag sighed.
"You're still like, way behind." Arianna scoffed. "You might as well just sit the rest of this out."
Rather than say anything back, Frag decided to save his energy for more important things like remembering anything about Crios Cath he could going forward.
Soon, everyone was locked in yet again.
"Alright!" Chris said. "Let's see those answers!"
Angelo: Celtic
Arianna: Celtic
Frag: The Celts
Jeremy: Irish
Maggie: Celtic
Michael: The Celts
Setsuna: The Celts
"Jeremy, you are so close," Chris offered a pitying smile, "but at the time Crios Cath was establish, Ireland as a nation had not been united. Everyone else has it, if answered a little differently between them! Next question!"
Question 8: What was the name of the medal that Jenae found? (Answer: The Sword Medal)
"Who's Jenae?" Setsuna asked.
"Total Drama Nialasach. It is the season that is currently airing on TV right now, so this one is mean." Maggie looked at Chris.
"Hey," Chris coughed, "enough of the season has come out before you arrived here at Crios Cath for you to be able to know the answer!"
"Whatever," Arianna muttered under her breath.
After a few moments, everyone had locked in their answers. "I'm ready for these." Chris chuckled.
Angelo: The Sword Medal
Arianna: Fudo Medal
Frag: The Sword Medal
Jeremy: The Fudo Medal
Maggie: The Sword Medal
Michael: The Medal of Epicness
Setsuna: Immunity Medal?
"And the answer was The Sword Medal, so only Aneglo, Frag, and Maggie get points."
"This is bullshit." Arianna crossed her arms.
"For one," Jeremy sighed, "I agree with her. That one was bullshit. We have no access to television, and it was the Fudo Medal."
"It was the Fudo Medal." Chris claimed. "But that's not what it is called."
Jeremy rolled his eyes, deciding fighting with Chris wasn't worth his energy.
Question 9: Who was the first Nialasach contestant to exit the Nialasach Ruins? (Answer: Raul)
"So that question before wasn't just a one-off." Frag realized. "When you said the history of Crios Cath you really meant the whole history."
"Nialasach, by virtue of happening on Crios Cath, in the past, counts." Chris shrugged. "Don't know how much clearer I can make this. Lock in those answers now!"
Soon enough, everyone had locked in and Chris bade them reveal their responses.
Angelo: Rashi
Arianna: Raul
Frag: Raul
Jeremy: Aaron
Maggie: Raul
Michael: Phooko
Setsuna: Someone
"Setsuna that's…." Chris hid a laugh. "Clever, but no dice on this challenge. We were looking for a specific answer and that answer was Raul! Arianna, Frag, Maggie all with a point! Next question, and the last question of the challenge! Here we go!"
Question 10: Who was voted out first on each team? (Chris pulls out a chart with everyone names) [Answer: Jeremy, Molly, Gazella, Ani, Avi] (POINT TOTALS AFTER THIS QUESTION IS ANSWERED)
"How many points is this questions worth?" Michael asked, hopefully.
"This is one point or nothing!" Chris smiled.
"That's also stupid!" Frag rolled his eyes.
"Hey, if it was one point per clan, we might as well only do this question. Now zip it and write it."
The contestants took more time on this one, reaching to the far back of their mind to figure out who was eliminated first. Soon, the last contestant locked in their answer. Chris asked them to reveal their boards.
Angelo: Jeremy, Molly, Gazella, Franchesca, Bryan
Arianna: Jeremy, Roxanne, Gazella, Ani, Bryan
Frag: Jeremy, Roxanne, Gazella, Franchesca, Avi
Jeremy: Jeremy, Roxanne, Gazella, Ani, Avi
Maggie: Jeremy, Molly, Gazella, Ani, Avi
Michael: Jeremy, Molly, Gazella, Franchesca, Avi
Setsuna: Mateo, Anemone, Arianna, Stan
"I…" Chris stared at Setsuna's answer. "That would be true for the second iteration of the teams, but not the first! Maggie is officially immune with eight points, so you won't be able to answer her for your very last bonus question!"
BONUS: Who do you think will be headed down to the Shameterranean tonight? (Answer: Anything goes, except for Maggie)
"Who we think will be the next one to go down?" Jeremy asked for clarification.
"That's right!" Said Chris. "I'm sure for plenty of you confident folks that's not much of a difference compared to who you want to go down, but the distinction is there!"
Confessional: Angelo
"What…what even is this question? Chris, I think this particular cast has proven beyond a doubt that we don't need your help sowing discord among us."
End Confessional
Confessional: Arianna
"Who I think will be going down before who I want to send down. Chris is right, it doesn't make a difference for me."
End Confessional
Confessional: Frag
"Hm…I mean, given the trend of the votes recently and the lack of any medals remaining…I think I feel confident in this answer."
End Confessional
Confessional: Jeremy
"Yeah, who I think will go down next is not who I want to go down next, so that's absolutely why I asked for that clarification."
End Confessional
Confessional: Maggie
"Oh…uh well…considering what happened last time…"
End Confessional
Confessional: Michael
"Oh this question is a fun one! Here I was wondering how I could stir up the pot at camp some more, and Chris comes along and drops this in our laps!"
End Confessionals
Confessional: Setsuna
"I mean…assuming what I want does happen, then I think this person is heading down next. That's how this works, right?"
End Confessional
"Everyone has their answers locked in." Chris grinned. "Let's see them!"
Angelo turned over his board. Michael. "I mean, he can't keep avoiding the majority vote forever." Angelo shrugged.
Arianna turned over her board. Jeremy. "It's clear from last ceremony that Michael is targeting him, and Michael is one sneaky dude. I wouldn't put it past him to have more up his sleeves."
"Yeah, my arms." Michael nodded.
"I fucking hate you."
"But you think I get to stay, so maybe you don't hate me enough."
"I-...what?!"
"Do better, girlfailure." Michael huffed.
"Frag!" Chris brought the contestants back on track.
Frag turned over his board. Michael. "Same reasoning as Angelo's really."
Jeremy turned over his board. Frag. "Arianna and Michael are up to some shit, but it's definitely Arianna who is more up to that shit. She'd want to take you out and blame it on Michael, I think."
"Pfft." Arianna rolled her eyes. "As if I'd take him out before the first King of Cyfrwys."
Maggie flipped her board. Jeremy. "Yeah, I don't like it, but I don't think we have all that much power left beyond trying to vote together, and I think they could easily trick all of us. They have before, after all."
Michael flipped his board. Jeremy. "Yep, come on Jeremy, you and me, mano e mano!"
Setsuna flipped her board. Michael. "It just…makes the most sense to finally get rid of him when he isn't immune and doesn't have anything to play to save him."
"Interesting you write that," Chris said, "because despite Angelo's earlier confessional (yes, production sees them live), I'm not the one sowing discord. These are your votes today! And it looks like we have a tie! The first first normal tie one our time here in Crios Cath! You know what that means."
Maggie nodded. "A staring contest."
"Wait, wait, wait, wait!" Arianna stood up. "You said that we had to vote based on who we thought was- I mean…if we'd known there'd be a ceremony right away, our targets might've changed!"
"I said plenty of things. At no point did I say these votes were inconsequential." Chris grinned. "Besides, you didn't receive a single one, so I don't know what you're mad about."
Michael looked around, undisturbed by the events unfolding that morning, "A staring contest for a continued shot at the mill? I'm not blinking. Ever."
Michael and Jeremy took their seats. "Yeah, right." Jeremy squeezed his eyes in preparation. "I've gotten a second chance, and I'm not going to blow it with the blink of an eye."
"Hey, me too!"
"Michael and Jeremy." Chris held his arm up. "Stare."
Michael and Jeremy stared into each other's eyes. The camera angled them sitting completely still, as if they could be two different sides of the same coin. Neither of them moved, taunted, or tried to quicken the contest. The contestants did not either.
And then…
….
…
…
…
… it happened. Someone blinked.
"Oooh!" Chris laughed. "Usually, I'm pretty good at catching these, but we're going to have to resort to the footage to figure out who bites it." Chef brought out the television and the remote once again.
The camera footage sped ahead to the around where both Jeremy and Michael blinked. Chris replayed it, and replayed it, and replayed it. "Hmm. Maybe slow motion."
Chef stared at the slow motion footage.
And replayed it.
And replayed it.
And replayed it.
"Chris, man." Chef brought the host over and began to whisper to him.
Chris whispered back.
The two men smiled at Jeremy and Michael and then huddled themselves together for a few minutes.
Finally, Chris broke from the huddle.
"Congratulations, Jeremy and Michael, for making even more Total Drama History! For the first time ever, you've tied the elimination tiebreaker challenge! We don't have the technology required to find which one of your eyelids only just barely by a millionth of a nanosecond lost to the other person's, but considering both of you are already returning players from the Shameterranean, we've determined that we'll just send you both down!"
"Wait, both of us?!" Michael and Jeremy asked in shock and unison.
"Yes, both of you." Chris nodded. "You're already both returning players from the Shameterranean, you know how it works down there. Just…come back up again!"
"I maintain that because we're being sent down at the same time, Jeremy must enter the Shameterranean first since he's before me alphabetically." Michael attempted to rules lawyer.
"Sure, whatever, you're still both going down though." Chris grinned as Chef led the pair to the doors of the Shameterranean. Jeremy walked through, followed by Michael.
Meanwhile, Chris turned his attention to the rest of the cast.
"Angelo, Arianna, Frag, Maggie, Setsuna. The five of you are safe. For now. Grab your things and head back to…wherever you want!"
"Wherever we want?" Frag wondered.
"Yep!" Chris grinned. "We've reached only 5 players above ground so we're doing away with the acre system, now the entirety of Crios Cath is yours to explore! Well except production acres, those are still only for us."
Confessional: Frag
"So…what does this mean? If acres are no longer a factor then, wouldn't winning immunity mean…"
End Confessional
"Then I guess…" Setsuna yawned. "I'll head back to the Ffydd campsite. It's been a while since I got to sleep in one of the treehouses."
"I'll head to Mealltach camp." Maggie determined. "I liked that area the best."
"I'm going back to Cyfrwys." Arianna huffed. "As the only cunning player left in play, that land is rightfully mine."
"If we're talking rights…I'm technically still the King of Cumhachtach." Frag determined. "Guess I'll go chill in that old cabin for the night."
"I'm picking up on the theme." Angelo grinned. "Very well, then I shall make my camp near an Alltud oasis, the desert has the most sinkholes to communicate to the Shameterranean players anyways."
And with that, the five above-ground players went their separate ways, towards their declared campsites, unaware of just how lively the game below them was about to get.
*Jeremy's SECOND Elimination Confessional:
"And so once again I fall, down into the Shameterranean, where far greater dangers await than my first stint underground. Still though, I know what the DA looks like. I know what a True Resting Place looks like, and I know that there are people down there that I can rely on. I've come back up before, I can come back up again, but even if I don't, at least I brought Michael down here with me."
End Confessional*
*Michael's SECOND Elimination Confessional:
"Okay, so clearly, I'm going to be going right back up. This game cannot eliminate me that easily. So I'll be the two time riser here, and then everyone will hate it, and it'll be great. If Arianna somehow becomes friends with everyone while I'm down there, I'm rioting, literally. But I think I can pull off a double rise and make even more history!"
End Confessional*
Location: Shameterranean
Contestants: Axel, Carol, Jeremy, Michael, Rose, Tiberius
Rose hid behind the giant rock upon heading the doors to the Shameterranean open. "Two?" She whispered to herself.
Jeremy ran off immediately, scouring to the far side.
Confessional: Jeremy: Shameterranean
"Last time, the DA was far from the entrance, so I'm not wasting any time moving away. I won't go to the same place, but I imagine that it's somewhere around the bog-ish area. And I will waste no time because I don't wanna lose my sense of space and direction, especially because this place looks very different."
End Confessional
Michael followed the direction of Jeremy, wondering where he went off to in such a hurry. Perhaps Jeremy knew something he didn't?
Rose took a deep breath once they both left the entrance cavern.
Confessional: Rose: Shameterranean
"Okay, so there's five people left above ground. Chris probably gave us all this time because it's the final five. He wants someone to rise before that challenge so that maybe one of us could participate? I don't like this one bit, but I should still keep an eye out… Maybe I'll just head over far away from where Axel was destroying everything."
End Confessional
Shift Camera Focus
"How much further, yeetable female?" Tiberius groaned as Carol led him and Axel towards their destination.
"Not much further." Carol replied, briefly pausing as the cavern rumbled and small dirt rubble fell like hail. "Good thing too, because your stupid fighting has done a number on this place."
"Less talk, more walk." Axel crossed his arms as he looked around. "We're practically at the entrance to this place. You better not be lying."
"I'm not lying." Carol rolled her eyes. "You two are just stupid."
The trio arrived at the large stairway leading down into the Shameterranean.
Carol briefly ducked behind it and returned holding the DA.
"See? Easy. Look in places where something might be lost if you want to find it."
"Or better yet." Tiberius grinned, raising his voice as he slammed his shoulder into Carol so hard she hollered out and dropped the DA as it rolled to Tiberius's feet. "Let a dumb bitch lead you right to it then take it by force!"
Axel, who had rushed in in an attempt to stop Tiberius's tackle, found himself catching Carol and setting her against a cavern wall, roughly and briefly, before both he and Tiberius grasped for any kind of weapon they could find.
They found sticks.
The men were clubbing each other with their twigs the very next second, and tumbling through the cavern yet again.
"Fuck, no, get back here with that DA!" Carol shouted after them, but it was no use, she couldn't move as fast thanks to that slam from Tiberius.
Meanwhile, Axel and Tiberius were practically rolling in a flurry of dust and debris as they traded blows and DA possession, wrestling and beating each other the whole way.
Confessional: Axel: Shameterranean
"That fucking asshole is close to getting exactly what he wants, entirely because Carol tried to do things her way!"
End Confessional
Confessional: Tiberius: Shameterranean
"That fucking asshole is close to getting exactly what he wants, entirely because Carol tried to do things her way!"
End Confessional
Confessional: Carol: Shameterranean
"Those complete morons are going to get us all killed because they can't put their personal pride on the land for more than three goddamn minutes! Whatever, I'm over both of them right now, what matters is getting that DA out of their battlezone and literally anywhere else!"
End Confessional
Shift Camera Focus
"Woah!" Rose stopped, nearly tripping down a Pit of Peril. There was barely a walkway through this particular cavern. There was only Pits upon Pits, making it so that the contestants would have to jump platform to platform to get across. With barely any footprint on the ground, there was barely anyone who had entered that cavern.
Rose took a deep breath, jumping across the platforms. She was careful to always redeem her balance, but as she was making her way across, there it was…
…
…
With a light shining down over it….
….
… upon the middle of all these pits…
….
….
… in that incredibly vulnerable position….
….
….
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…The True Resting Place. Rose gasped. She continued jumping across, so she could alert Carol, but…
…
…
… *SLAM*
A female scream.
"*geett baaaack heerree witttthhhh thhaaat!*" echoed against the walls.
Confessional: Rose: Shameterranean
"Carol's in trouble. The Druidic Artefact is clearly found. Axel and Tiberius are fighting for it, so Carol didn't bluff. Axel has a map here, but he can't really read maps, so maybe he won't get here? Michael and Jeremy are island gods knows where. These are the facts…. I want to go help Carol, but I shouldn't try and get between Axel and Tiberius. I kinda want to stay here, even though it's the selfish thing to do for two reasons. The first is the entirely selfish reason. Those boys will probably come here eventually with the Artefact, and so will Carol if she's still around, but two, this place is surrounded but Pits of Perils! I don't think I can get out of here without help!"
End Confessional
Jeremy stopped dead in his tracks. "It sure is loud over there…"
"It sure is." Michael also turned around.
"Gah!" Jeremy yelped. "You were following me? Hell no!" He pushed Michael into the wall and headed towards the noise.
"Oh hell no! No one pushes Michael Richardson and gets away with it!" Michael knocked Jeremy into the wall to push past him.
"Hey, you left this above ground!" Jeremy punched Michael square in the jaw and rushed further past Michael.
"Not so fast, baby viper!" Michael pushed Jeremy into the ground.
"HELP!" Echoed past the walls.
Jeremy stopped. Michael was already way down the other cavern. Jeremy calmly stood up, brushed himself off, and inspected the other noise.
"Woah!" Jeremy gasped at the Pits upon Pits.
"Jeremy!" Rose called out, hanging off the edge of a pit, a little bit away from Jeremy.
"Oh shit! Hold on, Rose!" Jeremy jumped over to the platform, much more quickly than Rose could, and hoisted her up with all his strength.
Rose managed her way up and massaged her arms. There was barely enough room on that platform for the two of them. "Jeremy… you saved me… thank you."
Jeremy hopped over to the other platform for both of their safeties. "It's better to have more friends down here than enemies. Even if we both want to rise, we have to work together to make sure it's one of us and not one of them. Besides, Angelo and I made up above ground. How?... What are you doing here?"
"I came here because I was just headed to the most structurally sound place down here. This was it, and I wanted to see what was across."
"Did you make it across?"
"Not completely… I was distracted."
"By what?"
Rose took a deep breath. "The True Resting Place is in the center of this cavern."
Jeremy's jaw dropped. He took a breath and held out a hand. "Then let's get that artefact so we can use it. I'll be willing to give you a little plan once we're out of here."
Jeremy and Rose worked together to make sure neither of them fell while leaving the abundance of pits. They exited the area and sped walked towards the entrance.
Jeremy walked and quietly talked. "The challenge was in the Ionad desert, and Chris opened up the island to the contestants. I don't really know why. Maybe because all the clan medals were played, so there's no more reason to limit space. But I think we can get some help." Jeremy found a button to an alcove and stepped inside. "Hello?" He called up.
"Angelo?" Rose called out.
A couple of calls later, Angelo's head appeared. "Jeremy, how are you faring?"
"Well. I saved Rose earlier, so maybe you could give us some ideas on how to possibly steal away the Druidic Artefact from Axel and Tiberius?"
"Wait, wait, wait. I'm gonna need some catching up. Is Axel still ripping the walls apart?"
"Kinda?" Rose answered. "Last night, Carol came, but Kalyssa yeeted Jarri, and King yeeted himself while yeeting Kalyssa, so none of them are here."
"Where's Carol?"
"Last night, she confronted Axel for tearing this place up and his villainous moves. It was a great speech! Makes me wish I played with Carol from the start. Anyways, Tibeirus was there too, and he was about to yeet her, but she told them that she knew where the Druidic Artefact was. Maybe she had a map or something, but I don't know! And she wasn't bluffing! An hour or so later, Axel and Tiberius are violently fighting, banging into the walls, yelling, Carol's screaming. Honestly, I really don't know if she's still around!"
"See if you can find her." Angelo suggested. "Three is better than two. Also, you're going to need an edge. An edge that Axel and Tiberius don't have."
"Well, I was the King of the Cunning?" Jeremy suggested.
"That's good, but Axel is quite cunning himself." Angelo nodded. "I'll give you the edge of the Alltud clan."
"But Axel was on Alltud?"
"He won't be expecting it." Angelo rubbed his hands together. "Jeremy, do you mind sending your shirt up?"
"Uh, I guess." Jeremy took his shirt off. He placed it in the bucket and lifted it to Angelo.
Confessional: Rose: Shameterranean
"Thank goodness for Angelo's brilliant idea. That shirt does not flatter his skin very much."
End Confessional
"There!" Angelo fastened the shirt and sent it back down. It went fast due to the weight. "If we're going to do things, we're going to do it the Alltud way. Use it as a sand grenade, a bludgeoning weapon, but I prefer sand grenade. I'm not much for violence. Use this against your foes. I wish both of you good luck. Stay safe."
"Good luck to you, too." Rose blew a kiss. Angelo pretended to catch it and put his fist to his chest.
Jeremy turned to Rose. "Time to get out of here. We got a Druidic Artefact to snatch."
Shift Camera Focus
Michael snuck closer and closer to where he could hear the loud noises, and soon came upon the large monsters of the underground that were Axel and Tiberius still locked in their stick-based combat. From a distance watching them was a small female figure. Carol, he reasoned. Her gaze seemed fixed on them as well. Michael followed it and…oh. OH.
"The DA!" He exclaimed aloud before cupping his mouth. He looked toward Carol. She hadn't noticed his presence. None of them had. Instead, Carol was looking for the right time to sprint and grab the DA away from them. Michael grinned. He couldn't help but grin. It was a very bold plan. He liked that very bold plan and decided he would steal it for himself.
He just needed the right moment. He was stronger and faster than Carol too, which means he couldn't wait for her to make this move, he could move even quicker, and probably grab the DA sooner, putting even Carol at a disadvantage.
He scanned the fight. He steadied his balance as the cavern shook around him. Wait, this was it! If it was shaking then…
As both Tiberius and Axel momentarily focused on balance while the cavern shook, Michael made his move. Sprinting out of the tunnel he'd been in, he snatched the DA from the pair, dashed past Carol and ran into yet another tunnel.
This tunnel was a mistake. As he clutched the DA close to his chest, he realized that this tunnel had been incredibly modified since he was last down in the Shameterranean and soon he was forced to face a very inconvenient truth.
He had no idea where he was anymore.
Confessional: Michael: Shameterranean
"Okay, fuck tunnels, noted."
End Confessional
Michael spent the next hour, shown in a montage, in varying bursts of exploration of the new half-collapsed, half-open tunnel system and bursts of terror where he just held and cradled the DA like an infant.
"Who is that?" A female voice asked.
Female voice. So neither Tiberius nor Axel, good.
"I think it's Michael." A male voice answered.
Michael knew that voice.
"Rose, Jeremy!" He grinned as he greeted the pair. "I promise I'm not here to push anyone or anything. I'm just lost in this subterranean labyrinth."
"Yeah, you need to avoid these tunnels too because-" Rose was cut off by another rumbling of the cavern.
"Because of that." Jeremy finished for her. "We know the way out and the way to the True Resting Place too."
"That's awesome!" Michael grinned. "Let's get going."
"Oh, nonono." Rose shook her head. "The DA, now."
Michael stared the pair down. It would be close, but there was a distinct possibility that he could be victorious if he tried to take both of them.
"I'm not handing this over just to be left alone here anyways." Michael shook his head. "You lead me to the True Resting Place and then we'll negotiate how the DA is handled."
"Even if you can take us, you don't know where to go." Jeremy reasoned. "You aren't in a position to make demands. We know the area better than you do."
Even still, Michael didn't cave.
The three of them locked themselves in stalemate.
Shift Camera Focus
Their clandestine battle enraged Axel and Tiberius as they moved without concern through the cavern.
Axel, unhindered by heavy armor, was faster, and generally smarter and sneakier.
His jabs and swings with his stick were swift and accurate, landing far more often than any swing Tiberius took.
Tiberius, by contrast, had always been the physically stronger of the two and a prolonged time underground had not changed this undeniable truth.
His swings were slower, but they were more powerful, and when they hit, did far more damage to Axel's condition than he was able to return in the same amount of time.
In between jabs and swings of their clublike sticks, the pair were kicking and punching and slamming and all manner of blocking and counterattacking.
Even as both their faces were getting bruised and bloodied by each other's violence, neither man took nearly so much damage as the cavern itself.
Tunnels collapsed behind them, open cavern rooms shrank as they pushed each other into walls and then dodged crumbling cavern ceilings.
Every time a room or tunnel became too unstable for them to fight in, rather than rush towards another one, they opted to beat each other up through a wall to another area.
Their dance of death was heralding a very eminent doom for all the other denizens of the Shameterranean.
They made their way, or more accurately they destroyed their way, to a much larger cavern room than they'd been in previously.
This was both good for them and bad for them.
They couldn't do nearly as much destruction to the Shameterranean itself in this state.
That was good.
However, with large rooms come more Pits of Peril.
Neither monster of a man was intent on taking a fall down one of those before they saw the other one pushed down.
Shift Camera Focus
"Michael!" Carol shouted as she approached Michael from the other side of him than Rose and Jeremy.
"Okay…surrounded isn't good." Michael admitted to himself.
"Nowhere to go now, Michael!" Rose called as the three closed in on him.
"Just hand over the DA and this can be made easy." Jeremy held out a hand.
"No!" Michael moved the DA back, only just then remembering that Carol was right there.
"YES!" Carol snatched the DA from Michael and rushed down the tunnel. Michael took after her. Jeremy and Rose went back the way they came.
As Michael finally thought he'd caught up to Carol, Jeremy ran by, and Carol handed off the DA to Jeremy.
"Hey!" Michael had to pivot and lost ground as he focused on catching up with Jeremy.
Through the twisting tunnels and crumbling caverns, Michael chased the altruistic strategist. "Don't even think about it, Jeremy! I'm faster than you are!"
"I know!" Jeremy replied as Rose rushed by him.
Michael arrived at Jeremy only to find that Jeremy had handed the DA off to Rose.
"Stop doing that!" He chased down Rose, who then handed the DA off to Carol, causing yet another pivot.
"My poor feet, so covered in dirt." said Michael, still only in a loincloth.
As he caught up to Carol, she tossed the DA back to Rose again.
"Gahhh!" Michael hollered as he chased Rose towards what was finally, mercifully for him, not a tunnel anymore.
Confessional: Carol: Shameterranean
"And thus concludes our performance of DA Keepaway."
End Confessional
As Michael chased Rose into a proper cavern, the pair approached the warring Axel and Tiberius. Just their rotten lock.
Tiberius glanced at the DA in Rose's hands and with a powerful punch, he shook Axel off.
He quickly walked towards Rose. She did her best to run through the room, but having just spent a significant amount of time running, she was out of breath. Tiberius caught up to her.
"You could have been my queen." He shook his head. "But you slummed it with an exile like some lowborn whore. Join the rest of your kind in hell where you belong." He kicked Rose square in the stomach. His chainmail boot took all the breath out of her.
Michael looked on in abject horror as he saw the consciousness leave Rose's eyes as she fell down a Pit of Peril behind her, while Tiberius snatched the DA before it could join her.
Making a split second decision to save his life, Michael rushed back the way he came so that Tiberius had no choice but to focus on Axel again, who had gotten back up.
"I didn't hear a bell, metal moron." Axel jeered.
"Soon you'll hear nothing but bells." Tiberius threatened as the duo once again picked up their battle of brutality.
Shift Camera Focus
Michael ran back around the cavern to where he figured Jeremy would be. Sure enough, Jeremy was still running around, possibly looking for Rose. "Jeremy, you won't believe what I just saw!"
"Considering it will be coming from you, you're right. I will probably not believe it."
"Considering I was chasing you, Rose, and Carol, I have tabs on all of you, so you should believe me. Tiberius snatched the DA from Rose and yeeted her. She isn't in the game anymore." Michael felt a little saddened. "It's a shame. She was a hottie."
Jeremy stared, almost in disbelief. "She's taken, dude."
"And hot. But that's not the point! Tiberius has the Druidic Artefact!"
Jeremy stopped walking for a second. "Oh fuck."
"We both don't want that bitch to rise." Michael stuck his hand out. "Temporary truce to brutally kick that stupid metal man's ass? And Axel's too, why the fuck not?" He pretty much demanded.
Jeremy kept his face stern and took the shake.
Shift Camera Focus
Axel and Tiberius continued their dance of hurdling and crumbling walls as they tackled each other, fighting for the Druidic Artefact.
Axel continued to parry Tiberius, using his stick as a quarterstaff rather than a sword.
Since Tiberius was trained in greatsword, he was more familiar, thus could fight a bit better than Axel.
But Tiberius only had one arm to fight. He held the Druidic Artefact in his other arm. Axel could use both arms to parry, and managed to pull Tiberius' stick from him.
Tiberius darted down the cavern, but Axel was quicker, and caught up to him. He tackled, and they rolled. Axel managed the grab the Druidic Artefact.
However, the two men were right next to a Pit of Peril. Tiberius kicked Axel's butt to slip him off the edge, but Axel caught himself with the Artefact.
While Axel was half-inside the Pit of Peril, Tiberius grabbed the Artefact from him, and ran off. Axel pulled himself up.
Confessional: Axel: Shameterranean
"That was close. I almost ended the whole game right then and there… Worse, if I fell without the DA, no one else would be able to handle this game properly…
…
… I know what I have to do."
End Confessional
Jeremy and Michael headed in the direction of where Carol's footsteps tapped across the ground. "Carol!" "Carol!" "Carol!"
"Woah, woah! One at a time!"
Michael stopped to let Jeremy explain the situation.
"Tiberius got to Rose during our hot potato. Rose had the DA. He yeeted Rose, and now he has the Druidic Artefact."
"Oh, fuck." Carol paced around. "We have to stop him." She saw Jeremy's shirt. She picked it up. "We can use this…"
Jeremy nodded. "Maybe Angelo was onto something. Anyways, I know where the True Resting Place is."
"Yeah, I know." Michael rolled his eyes.
"I didn't." Carol looked at Jeremy. "Do you think we can beat him there?"
"We have to try."
Jeremy, Carol, and Michael sprinted with Jeremy taking the lead. They made it to the True Resting Place area.
"Woah!" Carol also nearly tripped.
"Fucking shit!" Michael walked away from the abundance of Pits. "This is more fucking metal than the last time!"
"For real!" Jeremy shook his head. "Mine was quite simple. Clearly, we have to earn it this time!"
Battle cries cascaded down the halls. Jeremy took a deep breath. "Let's just get away from the action and get closer to the results." Jeremy hopped through the platforms. Carol and Michael followed.
"This is the scariest fucking thing I've ever done!" Carol yelled warily.
"I found Rose out here alone too." Jeremy shook his head.
Michael caught his balance. "Tricky, but I think I'll manage."
Tiberius kicked Axel into the area. Axel slipped, but caught himself at the edge.
Tiberius jumped onto a platform and attempted to crush Axel's fingers, but Axel got up on another platform.
Soon, Axel and Tiberius were in a mental game of blocking one another, pushing each other away, and trying to make it towards the True Resting Place.
The others were soon to join in on this mental battle, yet still having enough strength and balance to be able to remain standing.
Any slip could be the end for any of them, if the crumbling ceiling of the cavern didn't end them all first.
Tiberius' competition blocked him on all sides. He chuckled. "None of you can stop the King of Strength!"
"I'm the one that found it." Carol panted as she looked to the others. "I should be the one to end it!"
"Then get it, princess!" Tiberius taunted.
Before Carol could react, Jeremy swung his shirt/sandbag situation straight at Tiberius' head, knocking him forward into Carol. Carol hopped backwards, hoping a platform would catch her, and it did, but she fell onto it. Axel hopped further towards the True Resting Place while Tiberius was distracted. Michael chased Axel.
"I don't have time for a fool like you!" Axel growled.
"Nobody does." Michael taunted.
Tiberius caught himself onto the other platform. Carol used the opportunity to get back to her old platform in hopes of wielding the Druidic Artefact. Tiberius got to it first with a powerful shove, ensured Carol would fall down a Pit of Peril.
"Jeremy!" She called out as she fell. "The cavern!"
Jeremy looked up and noticed it, the cavern ceiling was trembling. This would come down to a matter of minutes. He knew his best plan of action. He chased Michael, more quickly than he felt comfortable. He got into a rhythm and then stopped. Michael was right in front of him in a small stalemate with Axel.
Meanwhile, Tiberius caught his footing and made his way closer to the True Resting Place.
As Tiberius approached, it was now or never for Jeremy. He threw the sandbag at Michael, surprising and downing him. Jeremy hopped onto the same platform as his and restrained him.
Michael couldn't open his eyes due to the sand, but he knew who was restraining him. "What happened to our truce? Tiberius still has the DA!"
"It was a temporary truce. And yes, Tiberius does still have the DA, but I have no problem with Axel and the DA. I'm doing this to make sure no more of your fuckery can go on. We're all fucking sick of it. GET HIM, AXEL!"
Axel nodded and approached Tiberius.
Tiberius stood on the platform. The Druidic Artefact hit the light of the hole above it. Tiberius held it straight above him, in the most dramatic pose. "It is time to ascend. DEUS-"
Axel hurdled his body right onto the platform so that he was standing right on it. He put his hands on the Druidic Artefact, clutching it as tightly as he can. Before Tiberius could react, Axel jumped…
But he didn't aim for the platform.
He aimed for Tiberius himself, specifically the arm holding the DA.
Tiberius hadn't expected Axel to go for the DA of all things and his grip remained constant in an effort to endure Axel's hail mary.
But even a man in metal could not stop the force of leverage Axel had turn his arm into.
They fell right into a Pit of Peril with the Druidic Artifact in Axel's clutch.
"No!" Tiberius stood at the bottom. "It can't be!"
"At long last…" Axel sighed as he fell and floated on his back in the shallow, murky water. "Your game is finally at an end."
"So is yours you fucking cuck!"
Axel smiled behind his mask. "So it is, then. But if anyone was cucked just now…it was you."
Chris jetpacked through the hole at the top of the cavern. Jeremy had still been restraining Michael, "Jeremy, Michael!" Chris called.
"Chris!" Jeremy called back. "The DA is down a Pit of Peril! That eliminates us right?"
"Yes, now jump down a Pit of Peril, my dudes!" Chris shouted urgently. "Production has truckloads of dirt that we need to dump down and seal the whole place off! The lowest level drains out towards the Nialasach Docks at the north end of the island, all the other eliminated contestants have been living there among production acres!"
Confessional: Chris
"And before any of you at home say anything, no, you can't sue on behalf of any of the contestants. We were very thorough in our contracts this season! Everyone is still alive and in good physical health."
End Confessional
Jeremy and Michael were not about to ignore an urgent request from the host of the show and jumped down their nearest Pit.
Chris flew up on his jetpack to where a small army of trucks, each filled beyond capacity with dirt lined all manner of sinkholes. "They're all down!" Chris announced. "Seal it up!"
As the army of trucks filled the hollow island in what was almost certainly a buzzer beater for its collapse, Chris turned to the camera.
"With catastrophic disaster averted, the Shameterranean shuts down for good! This makes the five players aboveground our Final Five! Angelo, Arianna, Frag, Maggie, and Setsuna! Which one of them is going to walk away with the million dollars and the title of Conqueror of Crios Cath? Find out next time, as we begin our two-part finale!
On Total!
Drama!
Crios Cath!"
5/36 Remaining. 5 Above Ground.
The Votes:
Angelo voted for… Michael
Arianna voted for… Jeremy
Frag voted for… Michael
Jeremy voted for… Frag
Maggie voted for… Jeremy
Michael voted for… Jeremy
Setsuna voted for… Michael
AN1: Yeah, Final 5 finale for our 36 player season. Everything is bigger in Crios Cath! And as we approach the very very end of our story, we must sadly say goodbye to many of this season's staple characters, at least for a bit. I'll go in order of yeet (alphabetically if yeets happened at the same time). We've heard my thoughts about writing these characters on all of them, so I'll go straight into my brief analysis and favorite scenes from each of them.
Rose:
Having studied her actions throughout the season, Rose earns the title of: Hero
I wouldn't say she started as a hero, but I do think she grew into one, especially to the point that I don't think her stumbling start detracts from that label in general. Her growth as a leader was such a fun thing to see, and there is definitely something to be said for being the only monarch to never be overthrown while the clans were all still active.
Rose's Best Moment: For me personally, I think her best moment was the way she handled her own elimination. It was, without irony, Queenly. She really grew into that role over her time on the season and I think her elimination (at the hands of a misread and accidental counter-blindside) was a great capstone moment for her story. She stumbled as leader at the beginning, even actively choosing a special elimination based on her own misreading of events, but here she is the victim of one and handles it with nothing but grace and decorum. Excellent Rose moment. Peak Rose moment.
Carol:
Having studied her actions throughout the season, Carol earns the title of: Hero
Carol has always been a positive force in this season, and that stands out especially well when in a cast that's far larger than average there is still such a short supply of outwardly and consistently positive characters. Carol was able to form friendships and even a budding romance across clan lines, at her height she was basically every non-villain's pick to take to the final 3 at least, and at her lowest she was the de facto leader of the Shameterranean faction most concerned with getting everyone out of a crumbling cavern. And let's not forget her great clapbacks against almost every villain this season had. If there is anyone on Crios Cath deserving of the Hero title, it's Carol.
Carol's Best Moment: I really REALLY like her speech ot Axel in the previous episode. I think that's one of the best Carol moments out there. It might be recency bias on my part to choose it since it happened so soon, but it's such a good encapsulation of Carol's character and as an added bonus, it's the only kind of counterargument Axel will listen to. Carol has this great ability to tailor her rhetoric to get through to whomever she's talking to based on what she knows about them, and this scene is perhaps the best example of that.
Axel:
Having studied his actions throughout the season, Axel earns the title of: Villain
Axel is interesting in that one would expect someone so against 'villains' but having amoral strategies themselves as an antiheroic figure in a narrative, but as Axel himself states, he's more accurately a villain whose favored victims are other villains. There are many arguments to be made against Axel's strategies and moral system, but ultimately he's unlikely to listen to most of them, because they are usually rooted in morality, or general ethics, or emotion, and he only responds to solely logical arguments, because basically he uses the villain label to excuse his own villainy as a means to take down the other villains. That's why Carol is able to actually get through to him (up until Tiberius took the DA), while Rose wasn't. Regardless of his personal reasons, Axel is undoubtedly firmly in the villain camp.
Axel's Best Moment: I'd say Axel's best moment is when he realizes that Angelo wasn't the saboteur he thought he was and breaks down in tears of happiness. There is, at least somewhere in there, part of Axel that doesn't want to do what Axel does. If only that part could be strengthened enough to take over as his default personality, then Axel might be able to grow and break the cycle that he participates in, and that's what makes his particularly brand of villainy terrifying. The capacity for change is there, but he won't let people engage with that capacity. Instead we get…what we got this chapter.
Tiberius:
Having studied his actions throughout the season, Tiberius earns the title of: Villain
I mean…(gestures to the absolutely everything). How could this man not be a villain? I'm asking the wrong question. The real question should be how could this villain somehow still be a man and not just a complete and utter monster? It'd be less horrifying if he were some monster, but Tiberius Vult is just a selfish, crude, asshole, with the advantage of armor and weaponry, set upon the game by a jilted former contestant, and look at all the harm he spread with basically his every action.
Tiberius's Best Moment: Tiberius's best moment is when he let Frag out of the Shameterranean because Frag stood up to him and even professed to be better than him. Tiberius is a horrible person with zero redeeming qualities whatsoever, but one thing that he does have…is a consistent code, where he respects raw power and influence, and people who have no problem taking what they want with whatever means necessary.
Jeremy:
Having studied his actions throughout the season, Jeremy earns the title of: Hero
Jeremy has had a ride this season. King of his clan, immediately blindsided and betrayed. Comes back up to find his ally has slid far into villainy and takes it upon himself to eliminate her, then his merge game is so chaotic, being forced to ally with his greatest enemy at the time for survival's sake, a tumultuous relationship with Angelo and his alliance, a budding friendship with Frag that got halted by Frag's horrible misread, getting saved by Angelo of all people (saved from a medal that was stolen from his bag in broad daylight) and then Arianna eliminates his closest ally at the time, all culminating in a tied vote between him and Michael that he could have not dealt with if only he himself was confident enough to vote for Michael. Then he gets pretty much all his allies back in the Shameterranean, loses all of them, and has to restrain Michael of all people in order for the two other villains to take each other out, and then both he and Michael are eliminated via shutdown and emergency production evacuation. And throughout all of this, somehow, Jeremy remains a generally good and chill dude. He's not spotless. He's dipped into unsavory tactics plenty of times throughout this game, but he's never really not the rootable one, and he's mature enough to recognize the difference between mistakes and true betrayals, which is more than can be said for a lot of Total Drama contestants.
Jeremy's Best Moment: Remember how I said Jeremy had a ride this season? That ride is making it really hard to find a standout best moment for him. I guess I'll go with how he and Roxanne agreed to put their respective DAs down on the first True Resting Place together. Like, he didn't have to suggest that, he could've just put his DA down and been done with it.
Michael:
Having studied his actions throughout the season, Michael earns the title of: Villain
Calling Michael a villain almost feels like an insult to the word villain, but this is Crios Cath. Clearly, anything goes this season, and that was Michael's whole strategy too. Throw anything and everything at the wall, see what sticks, and milk it for as long as he possibly can. This, on its own, isn't all that villainous as much as it is chaotic, but Michael takes it to such an extreme and makes it such a personal mission that it becomes villainous by necessity. I don't know how else to describe it, but I do know that Michael has won our hearts as a loveable chaotic villain and we're sad to see his antics this season come to an end.
Michael's Best Moment: The Cumhachtach Strip Show was his idea. Need I say more?
EN1: Well, well, well, if it isn't the episode that we have been dying to write. It is likely the shortest one, but I hope you learned last time that short doesn't mean that it won't pull at your heart strings the same way. This has been an absolutely epic chapter, and I'm so happy that I get the honor of working on this alongside Doobop. I get to write some pretty cool scenes myself. But I shall discuss some of my favorite characters in this cast. Going in elimination order:
Rose: My absolute fucking queen. She's probably staying consistent in my top five for a while now, but I should update my personal character tier list and put her at number one. I love her dearly, and I was not the one who wrote her fall, nor did I want to be the one to do that. My favorite scene of hers has got to be her apology to Jarri, her sticking with Angelo, anytime she and Angelo had a cute moment, her few moments with Carol in the Shameterranean, maybe every Rose scene is a good one besides her calling the special elimination. But speaking of that, she has been on such an adventure of growth, and I'm honestly so happy she was in this season of Crios Cath.
Carol: omg, I love Carol too. I'm gonna say I love all these characters. This is a big love fest guys. But she has gone through such a journey throughout the game on Alltud. She superceded the disadvantages and expertly helped her team avoid elimination as much as they might've gone. She went through a whole journey with Jarri and Maggie, and their moments have been so heartwarming. My favorite moment of Carol's is her badass speech to Axel in the last chapter. I still keep reading it back just fucking impressed, which is probably something I shouldn't admit because that's cringe, but I can't help it. It such a cool moment that really cements Carol's character legendary basically, imo. Runner up would be her talk with Maggie or any Carol and Frag moments. Carol was so pivotal to the story so I'm really happy that she was able to join the season of Crios Cath.
Axel: I love Axel. His world view is very different from any other vigilantes and it's just so different. He was so important on Alltud, and his original terminal decision was such an important aspect. That would be my favorite Axel moment if Axel never apologized to Angelo. Even that moment right there showcases the potential growth, but Axel never went that way, just because that is not what he was destined to do. I swear, I've been picturing his tragic end, falling with the DA in his hands since the completion of the outline and goddamn, it feels so good to be able to write that out and FINALLY SHARE IT. I reserve the right to change my opinion if I choose to change it to Axel's fall, by the way. I just need to scenes to settle. Anyways, those are my top Axel moments, and I'm so happy to be able to write such a goddamn legend. He is as legendary as Mathilda, fact.
Tiberius: Tiberius… may be excluded from the love fest. I still think his worldview as a character is very interesting, but what he represents…. Anyways, Tiberius was also very essential to the plot, so let's not forget that. He lowkey represented a somewhat good leader, but the others were unhappy, so the killing of the leaders went on, each king becoming poorer and poorer until it got to Frag, who didn't even rule for a morning. Love that. And he stayed in the Shameterranean too. He never got to rise or fall until his opponent came down with him. I love Tiberius' story so much though. No one else could've done it. My favorite moment of Tiberius' is waaaay back to Episode 5 when he yelled for Michael to get on his back, running away in fear of Laura. It might not be funny to you, but is it to me, and I will call it my favorite. I'm not quite sure what others there are, so I'll probably peek around the discord to see if there are any good moments of his around.
Jeremy: He grew on me. I never really handled him up until recently, and I just felt like his character melted into me. I don't really know how else to explain it, but damn, Jeremy is probably the most unlucky player, and yet, he played so skillfully that he was able to get very far into the game. I'm very proud of him. At the beginning, he had the cunning crown out of a drawing, but he EARNED IT throughout the course of the season. His story is so freaking cool, and lemme fangirl about our own story plzzz. My favorite Jeremy moment is when he voted out Laura, I feel like. His own ally that he had to turn against because he no longer viewed her ways as sound, when she was only reacting to a situation she was left in. I really like that story beat there. Runner up, Jeremy beefing with Angelo during Tag. I thought that was cute. This season without Jeremy cannot fucking exist, so freaking, thanks to whoever sent him my god.
Michael: The one we have been waiting for. My boy. I have written quite a bit of Michael during Crios Cath. I was responsible for many iconic moments, I will say. Doobop too, but I literally inserted my sense of humor into him. If you did not find Michael funny, you do not find me funny, and we probably shouldn't be friends. Michael is important to the story line and important comic relief. Comic relief is very important. The way he lucked out of being eliminated is soooooo…. juicy I love it. My favorite Michael moment, pick a scene Michael is in. Michael is my favorite moment in Crios Cath. Okay, okay, if I have to pick, I pick probably the moment he got into the loincloth. It was a direct Survivor reference, and I just, it fit so well, I couldn't not. Runner up, strip show. Third place, making his goat curry, flirting with the fans of the show. I'm excited to see y'alls favorite moments of Michael's. And I thank the creator of Michael for sending him in. So peak.
So there it is. The exodus of characters that I dearly love (save for Tiberius). I have been so excited and dreading the writing of this chapter, but it's final five baby! Hopefully, we can get it out soon, or towards the end of March. School is starting back up for me, and my availability sucks! Thanks for reading!
AN2: We have a discord! The link is on my profile!
EN2: "Michael and Jeremy are like 'Wow, it's loud over there' and decide to head over, sort of pushing past each other because I mean, yeah, they ain't friends you know?" That's it. The outline for this chapter, actually barely changed, and was very serious.
AN3: And as always, thanks for reading