#Not So Happy Campers

[mandareeboo]

Total Drama Island Review, “Not So Happy Campers- Part 2”

Last time, on Total Drama Island! The campers arrived, set their bags down, and were instantly told to take a swan dive off a massive cliff. This is where things get juicy.

Unlike last time, where the review was bare bones, this parter will also include various character mistakes- evidence, shall we say- and a chance to vote off who you feel should've been the one to go! I'm thinking of making this a weekly thing- just like the episode airings!

SYNOPSIS

(Gwen) "I did NOT sign up for this."

After the opening credits, Chris explains the challenges for today: jumping off a 1,000-foot high cliff, grabbing supplies from the beach, and building a working hot tub.

The lake itself has been stocked with man-eating sharks, a trope that's haunted the shark community since Jaws. To survive unscathed they must land in this tiny little circle in the center, as shown below:

Winners get a hot tub party. Losers send someone home. Owen suggests that the stunt is mostly for show thanks to TV criteria, but we see a flashback that proves that A.) Chris is a terrible boss and B.) 'survivable' is a massive stretch.

Killer Bass are up first. Bridgette lands perfectly in the center, cementing a strong lead- something arguably lost when Tyler lands directly on a buoy. But he gets into the safe zone, so we'll take it. Goeff, Eva, and Duncan all land off-screen, but it's implied they make it to the safe zone.

DJ, scared of heights, refuses to jump. Chris says that's fine and gifts him a chicken hat to wear for the rest of the day.

"Scared of heights?" "Yeah, ever since I was a kid." "That's okay, big guy. Unfortunately, that also makes you a chicken."

Stakes proven, the next contestants yeet themselves without a fuss. Ezekial and Harold (who does a bit of an owie on his balls with a shit landing) make it safely. Courtney, strong in common sense, also refuses to jump, making two chickens for the Bass.

Katie and Sadie, desperate to twinsie their potential smut film, beg Chris to be put on the same team. Izzy agrees to swap with them, making the girls both Killer Bass and Izzy a member of the Gophers. I'll have an updated team listing at the bottom.

They make it, and it's the Gophers' turn. Chris offers the Gophers a pull cart for their load if they can beat the jumper-chicken ratio the Bass set.

Heather refuses to jump. Lindsay refuses to jump if Heather won't, offering Heather a strong asset early on.

Leshawna, not giving a single fuck, demands Heather jump. They get into a discourse that's probably pretty scalding if you're a teenager, also it maaaaaay borderline on slightly racist at times. Leshawna decides to yeet Heather off a cliff and into the safe zone with pure badassery.

Heather, Leshawna, Lindsay, Gwen, Cody, Trent, and Izzy all land safely. Justin is almost eaten by sharks but woos them instead. Beth decides she's unable to jump, leaving only Owen at the top.

"I'm going to die now. I'm going to tot-ally die now."

Owen, a self-proclaimed bad-swimmer, delivers what is quite possibly his obituary before leaping. He makes it with a belly flop!

The next part of the challenge proves to be a simple task for the Gophers, but the Bass quickly run into their own troubles.

Tyler wanders off to pee, followed by Katie and Sadie. Katie and Sadie use poison ivy as a toilet seat. Chris finds this absolutely hilarious.

After opening the boxes with their teeth (Chris' idea), Heather comes over to apologize to Leshawna. She admits to Lindsay later that it's entirely bullshit, and she's just hoping to keep Leshawna close for safety purposes. Lindsay asks if they're friends and Heather agrees, "for now".

The Killer Bass FINALLY arrive with their crates, having ditched Katie and Sadie to let them work through the poison ivy alone. Courtney rallies the team to no avail, and the Gophers quickly win.

(Katie) "So... what do we do now?"

Things get tense at the Bass table during dinner. Consensus is that either Courtney or DJ should be the first to go, as they both refused to jump. Odds are looking more in DJ's favor, however, as his muscle could be really useful in later challenges.

Squabbling ensues. Courtney tries to pin blame on Tyler, but is quickly rebuffed. Then Ezekial opens his mouth.

"Well, I just don't see how we lost, ey? They're the ones that got six girls."

Turns out homeschooling has left a bit of a bad impression in Ezekial's head. Namely that he truly believes women are weaker than men. There's plenty of semantics that can be argued here about his shitty dad for telling his all this junk, but they're sixteen and no one's gonna do that kind of introspection on reality TV.

But, hey! Useful target to keep the chicken-hats on the team.

"Killer Bass. At camp, marshmallows represent a tasty treat that you enjoy roasting by the fire. At this camp, marshmallows represent life."

The passing of marshmallows goes quickly, leaving Courtney and Ezekial as the final two. Courtney, for refusing to jump and not having proper building technique. Ezekial, for being a sexist.

Courtney lives to see the next round. Ezekial gives no farewells as he leaves the island.

Courtney swears vengeance on the Gophers and the episode ends.

FINAL REVIEW

Lads, lasses, and those of the beyond, it's time to see- did this episode win a marshmallow? Or did it walk the dock of shame, board the boat of losers, and go home?

Overall, I think this two-parter is decent. It's a great way to show us the camp, the characters, and the kinds of challenges they'll be facing. But it lacks a lot of the bite of later episodes. Certain characters just don't fit into their later characterizations at all- Heather would never apologize even as a falsehood, Harold didn't do any fancy ninja moves on the jump, and Chris seems to be almost medicated in his calmness. The challenges are disproportionate as well- a great jump followed by... building? I think a more Total Drama-esque one would've started with the building of the hot tub, then be followed by a leap from the cliff into said hot tub.

Verdict: Five out of ten marshmallows. Could be better, but it's a pilot, so it's gonna be a bit rough.

Character Mistakes:

DJ refuses to jump

Courtney refuses to jump

Tyler ducks off to take a whizz mid-challenge

Katie and Sadie also duck off to take a whizz, but are then handicapped by poison ivy

Duncan refuses to share important tools during building

Ezekial was sexist

Character Remaining:

Screaming Gophers: Gwen, Trent, Heather, Cody, Lindsay, Beth, Izzy, Owen, Leshawna, Justin, and Noah

Killer Bass: Goeff, Bridgette, DJ, Tyler, Sadie, Katie, Courtney, Duncan, Eva, and Harold.

[noodles-and-tea]

Hey there! I've said something before but now I want to say that your art is great and that you are responsible for getting me into Sherlock & co. But I have a burning question regarding your thoughts on Guy Richtie's Sherlock. Do you like it?

I actually do like it!!!

[kagooleo]

congrats to silver on his sygna suit debut day!!!

happy pride to him and his trans cat 🏳️‍⚧️

+bonus doodle, get your johto sygna boons boy

[stinkrat-aleks]

HEY. ABOUT THAT CHERIK SOCCER AU. I FINALLY UPDATED.

You can read the first chapter here || concept art here

[albino-parakeet]

Jwct Countdown May 12-13 prompt: Favorite duo

Its the night before the campers arrive for their first day at Camp Cretaceous. Dave and Roxie are going over the schedule and activities last minute to make sure the kids' time on the island is perfect. (Rip to that idea)

Haven't seen anyone post anything about these two with this prompt yet, as I write this post, so. Here they are!!!

(@campbenji said we can tag them in the submissions. I hope this is a valid choice, even though it's none of the campers)

[creaturefeaster]

Does Gary even take showers..

Talpians are not huge fans of getting wet, and in modern society they prefer drier methods of cleaning themselves, such as powdered shampoos, or actual wipe downs rather than getting full on wet.

But before those things existed, talpian hygine practices were essentially a form a dust bathing.

That is to say. No. He doesn't. He lives extremely rustic, so he dustbathes.

[happyk44]

Obsessing over the concept of Percy having so many dreams about Nico dying in front of him in different ways at camp or on quests and he has no idea what to do about them so he starts trying to get Nico to hang out with him and tries asking him in subtle ways about what's going on, trying to figure out if Nico is in dangerous without possibly freaking him out about Percy's dreams (who would feel safe if someone kept having dreams about them being murdered by faceless entities in orange shirts or killed by monsters)i

It goes nowhere. Nico is apparently fine, flitting between camp and the underworld and New Rome as he wishes. With more underworld kids coming into CHB for the summer, he's started spending more and more time there though, and all Percy can think of orange shirts and Nico's blood drenched in them

Eventually he caves and drives to camp, hunting down and cornering Clovis, who's passed out in a sunbeam like a cat. Percy steps into the grass and kicks him gently. Clovis wakes slow and tilts his face towards Percy. He stretches long, yawns loud. Percy stifles a responding yawn and squats.

"What's up, Percy?" Clovis hums.

Percy tugs at his fingers as he finds the right words. "I keep having shitry dreams," he decides on. Clovis arches a brow. Percy sits back and pinches the bridge of his nose. "What does it mean when you keep having dreams about someone dying?"

Baby blue blanket creasing, Clovis cocks his head. "Who's dying?"

Percy grits his teeth. "Does it matter?"

"Well, some dreams are just subconscious processing and some are my siblings being weird." Clovis blinks slow. People compare him to cows a lot, that baby softness on his cheeks and easy going demeanour. But Percy sees a cat more than anything. Domesticated and pampered. "And some are prophetic."

The grit of his teeth begins to hurt his jaw. "How do you know which one is which?"

Clovis hums and sits up slowly. He reaches down to his toes and flexes with a long groaning grunt. He gives a little sigh as he pulls away. "Well, I'd have to ask them if they're doing things. As for subconscious processing, that's just what's going on in your brain. And prophecies..." He hums thoughtfully. "I guess you wouldn't know until it happens." With half-closed eyes, he faces Percy. His head lags to the side. "So is there anything going on your brain to worry about this person dying?"

"Well, there is now," Percy says through gritted teeth. Clovis laughs, a trilling dreamy sound. Percy glares at him. "Clovis."

He shrugs. "I can ask around tonight." He picks at a blade of grass. "Who is it?"

Behind them, Nico is calling out to someone. It makes Percy's skin crawl. Kids laugh and Nico laughs and Percy wants to grab him and hide him. Clovis's bright orange camp shirt makes him feel like a bull, caged up with some idiot waving a red flag in front of him. He needs to rush forward and break the things bothering him. Skewer them and feel their blood drip down his skin.

He's starting to lose his mind.

"It doesn't matter." He too aware that the gap between question and answer was too long.

Clovis isn't looking at him but he feels watched anyway. "It could," Clovis says. "But at least I know it's not Annabeth. Or Grover." Percy startles and Clovis's grin is soft. "If it was, you would have said it before you even sat down." He gives another big stretch then flops back on his blanket, rolling over into a warmer brighter patch of sun. "Actually, you'd say if it was anyone." He tucks his legs up into his chest. "You'd keep quiet because you don't want to worry them. Which means there's probably some real concern there."

His eyes slide fully shut and he doesn't speak again. Heart pounding, Percy watches his serene face. He doesn't like that Clovis picked him apart like that. But not much he can complain or deny in it.

Knees whining, he stands slow. Part of him misses the Achilles' Curse for that reason alone. He liked it more when his body didn't hurt because of constant strenuous activity and the passage of time. He runs a hand through his hair.

What is he supposed to do? Wait for Clovis to tell him that his siblings were being assholes for no reason? To sit down and meditate about the reason his mind was focused in on Nico dying in various ways? Or worry unendingly that the universe was giving him a sneak peek at the future and soon he'd be standing at Nico's memorial, trying to figure out which person around him was the killer?

"Percy!"

He startles and turns. His skin crawls as Nico jogs up to him. There's a little boy practically pinned to his side. The closet they grow, the more Percy wants to shove Nico down deep where no one can find him. Ocean depths. He'd like the darkness, Percy thinks. Then he slaps the thought away as his arms begin to rise, his gut yanking towards the beach.

"Hey." It comes out breathless and wispy. "What's up?"

Nico's smile is gentle. It makes Percy's stomach cramp, the idea of it gone forever, bled out on forest grass. "Joel and I were seeing if he could summon ghosts." He gazes down at the little boy still tucked into his side. The kid is looking at Clovis. "Might be a bit of a trial for him though."

When the kid doesn't stop looking at Clovis, Nico pinches his ear and he tucks his face into Nico's side instead. He gives a ragged breath but Nico's easygoing look doesn't change.

It flits to the top of his tongue, but Nico answers before Percy has a chance to open his mouth.

"Ker," he says, "is his mom."

There is little Percy has forgotten from any of his underworld adventures, including being chased by those spirits while trying to stop Ethan from escaping with the sword. Violent death and disease. Feasted on human flesh. They couldn't kill, but they could harm and give death a jumpstart.

Percy's shoulder gives a phantom throb at the reminder.

"Didn't know she'd be interested in having kids," he says.

Nico's lip twitches and his arm curved around Joel's shoulders tightens him closer. "He's technically adopted." Joel's face tilts further away from Percy. "She thought he was cute."

There's definitely more to that story that Percy doesn't know how to ask about, so he just agrees passively that Joel is cute and they move on. Joel doesn't speak to anyone but Nico or make eye contact. He's a barnacle on Nico's side.

All Percy can focus on is his bright orange shirt and the violent death that thrums in his veins and how close he is to Nico. It would be accidental, Percy thinks, if Joel killed him. It's clear he likes Nico. It would be accidental if Nico was torn to shreds.

Percy wonders how easy it would be to get water into his lungs from the bottle he drinks from, how suspicious it would be if he drowned on dry land. Quickly he leaves with rushed goodbye. His hands are already plunging into pockets for his keys. He doesn't hear Nico's goodbye.

That night he dreads his dreams more than ever.

Joel is there this time. His face is wet, half hidden in shadows. Nico is front of him, sword out, protective. Then things slip and it's not Nico and Joel anymore, but one older girl and two younger kids behind her. The kids look terrified but the girl is enraged. Her obsidian sword slashes at someone rushing forward.

The world is too bright, Percy thinks. There are no shadows. It's like the sun is standing in front of them.

The girl shouts and beats off a pair of people who charge at her. With snapped necks, they fall to the ground in front of her. She yells and shoves her sword into the ground.

It splits so easily. The grass trembles. The earth rumbles. Skeletal hands claw out of the ground. Hazy spectres join them. The girl turns and grabs the kids while people fight the entities she summoned. The world is so bright, but there's shadows at the edge of the sunlight. She won't stop running. One of the kids runs alongside her. The other is held in her arms.

The shadows twist and flex towards them. It's unable to spread into the light. They're closing in. The first kid is closer, free of the weight of another person. The shadows greet her but she stumbles to a sudden stop, spinning around and staring pleadingly at the girl Percy realizes is one of Nico's half-sisters from long before.

Are the kids' Joel's half-siblings? he wonders.

"Go!" the girl shouts. The kid hesitates but the girl shouts again, "GO!"

The shadows swallow the kid with a wispy black maw. The girl is almost there when the ground creaks and groans. It rumbles violently, separating and splitting at the very seams. The earth opens before her.

Percy can see the decision she makes before she makes it, jumping over a gap in the earth before it splits too wide. She doesn't stop running even as she tosses the other kid into the air. He screams, a bloodcurdling thing that chills Percy down to his bones.

The shadows catch him. And he's gone.

The girl pants, gripping her knees as she bends over. The earth stops quaking. There's a few seconds where the only sound is panting. But as the people they were fleeing from close in, the girl laughs breathlessly and turns around.

"Isn't it fun when we chase each other?" she says. "I think we should do that more."

The leader of the little group is some tall boy who looks like he's never smiled in his life. He's bulky. Each muscle bulges and he glares. The girl is unphased.

"How dare you?" he seethes.

She rolls her eyes. "Well, my dad protects their parents." She grins, eyes dark like the void. Her hands flex at her side. "Why shouldn't I protect them? Especially since you refuse to listen to reason." She gestures widely. "Just because Chthonic is in the title doesn't mean it's bad. Chthonic means dirt, earth." She just her chin towards one of the kids. "You are technically Chthonic." She shrugs. "Besides, you fucking morons, they're kids. What kind of dipshit is scared of little kids just because their dad picks up dead people for a living?"

Her arms haven't lowered from where she's spread them. Her hands flex again, each finger tapping in the air, one after the other. Percy can't hear anything else that's said. It all goes muffled. It's obvious arguing. Judging from the pulled weapons, there are threats abound.

Then the earth breaks.

It's not the same as the earthquake before. This is a complete cave-in, the ground falling out from under their feet. She's the only person who doesn't look terrified to be falling. They all disappear into darkness. Like teeth chomping, the earth slams back together and seals itself over.

Then there's his ceiling. His fan is going in fast circles, a soft whrrrrr.

Sweat is sticky against his neck. Oh, he thinks.

Violent death and disease being present at every meal, every training, every campfire song. Someone was probably unnerved by it. Unnerved by him. Nico's protective hold was a wall in front of the bomb. It needed to be broken down so the danger could be disposed of, bomb defused.

He doesn't know when he grabbed his phone. Only aware of it pressed to his ear by the ringing. It goes for a while. His stomach churns.

A tired "H'lo?" passes through.

His stomach doesn't settle. "Hey, Nico. Sorry." He glances at his clock and winces. "Did I wake up?"

Nico snorts. "No," he grumbles. "I'm a vampire." Quiet breathing, tense silence. "Percy? Why are we on the phone right now?"

"I..." Percy pauses. Glances up to his ceiling fan, still spinning in fast circles. "I just. Had a weird dream." Nico makes a "go on" noise. Percy bites his lip and leans against the wall, drawing his knees up to his bare chest. "Have any of your siblings had to..."

Fight against other campers? Run with a pair of kids people wanted to kill because they thought they were dangerous? Commit suicide to stop those from going after the kids once they were safely away somewhere else?

There's nothing good in those questions.

He closes his eyes. "What was camp like for your siblings? Before?"

"Uh." There's some rustling. "Not good. Most campers didn't trust us because of the whole Underworld children thing. Lucky for them, my dad doesn't really go around spawning kids on a monthly basis."

Percy snorted. His fingers wove themselves into his sheets so tight they started to go numb.

"But we didn't have a lot of friends. People avoided us."

Blood on dark grass flickers through Percy's mind. "Or killed you," he blurts out.

His mind shuts down at the words. He can't process what he's said, barely hearing the whrrr of his ceiling fan or the sound of his own breath. His skin floats away from him. Then pulls back solid when Nico says, "How did you know that?"

He swallows thickly. "Like I said. Weird dream."

"About my siblings being killed at camp?"

Nico viciously protecting Joel comes to mind and sticks in place. "No," he says after a beat. "Technically I think she committed murder-suicide."

"Which one?"

Percy hates that question. Sourness floods his tongue and he answers with a gritted, "I didn't get a name. She was fighting off other campers, trying to protect a couple other kids from getting hurt."

A sarcastic little laugh echoes through the receiver. "Yeah, that's happen more than once."

The sheets unwind from his numb fingertips. "Fuck."

"It's been over five thousand years, Percy," Nico says. "Things tend to repeat themselves a few times." Percy doesn't know what to say to that. "Why were you dreaming about one of my sisters anyway?"

"I don't know," he says. It's the truth. He has no idea. But he has theories. And he has fears. "She was just there."

Nico is quiet. The sound of his breathing is steady, and Percy hones in on it. He matches each inhale and exhale with his own breaths.

When Nico does speak again, he almost sounds far away. "That's odd." There's a creak and a thump, like feet hitting the tile. "Is that why you were talking to Clovis?"

No. "Yeah."

"Interesting." His voice is faint, before suddenly loud and fast. "Hey, I have to go."

Percy's stomach churns violently. "But-"

His words speed fast together as he says, "I have to go do something, I'll call you back later."

There's no dial tone, just a loud clattering that makes Percy's heart drop directly into his stomach. Clovis's sleepy voice eclipses to max volume in his head. And prophecies... I guess you wouldn't know until it happens.

A dozen thoughts blur through his mind as he hikes up the window to the fire escape outside his bedroom. He should tell his mom he's leaving, he should call Grover, he should call Annabeth, he should make someone check on Nico.

He gropes around the top of his dresser for a spare dog whistle then blows through it hard and sharp as he clambours out through the window, shirtless, shoeless, and panicking.

Mrs. O'Leary barks up at him from the dark alleyway. Shadows still cling to her dark fur. He doesn't even bother racing down the stairs. Just throws himself over the railing. Nico's name echoes in his head like a broken record as he falls. Soft fur grips tight in his hands. He doesn't feel the pain of landing, shadows swallowing them both before he can even recognize that he did.

It's strange to appear just a few feet away from a gaggle of kids threatening your cousin and the kid he's chosen to protect. Behind the group yelling words Percy can't hear under the roar of blood in his ears, there's a couple other kids - twins of Erebus - sneaking towards them.

They get close.

But they get caught.

Nico snaps forward and Percy's hitting the ground before he understands what's happening. It goes by so fast, he can barely remember his own actions. Everyone's still breathing. But banged up heavily, or unconscious. Joel is crying wheezy little tears while his aunts try to comfort him, and Nico...

Nico is gripped so tight in Percy's arms that Percy worries he might've broken something. He relaxes slow. Nico detaches. Mrs. O'Leary's hot breath huffs against the top of his head. Nico gives her a pat on the nose, not looking at Percy as he turns to Joel and checks in on him.

Percy's watching the slump of bruised campers before him. His blood feels too hot. Sweat drips down his back but his skin is too dry. He takes a step forward. A hand shoves against his chest and he gazes down at void eyes.

The world slams back into place.

He breathes.

"You are ocean water," Nico says very quietly. "Not blood and human viscera."

His mouth is dry. There's something inside him that wants. "Water is water."

"Not like that," Nico says. Percy swallows and steps back. Nico lowers his hand. Then turns to face Joel and the twins. His voice brightens up, feigned cheeriness, as he marches towards them. "Joel, do you want to go live with my brother's cult?"

Distantly Percy feels like he remembers Nico saying something about that once, but he can't remember what, so his mind draws question marks he doesn't ask as he twists on his heel. Nico crouches, speaking in a steady soft tone. The girls are holding each other's hands. They spare looks for the people who were scared of their nephew, and spare looks towards Percy. It's the same look.

They look away when Nico says something to them, vanishing hand-in-hand into shadows. Nico whistles and Mrs. O'Leary approaches with heavy steps. Joel hugs her leg. His ragged breaths are wheezed tired and weary into her fur. Nico keeps a steady hand on his back.

There is no murder-suicide this time. Instead the shadows swell and deposits the twins, with Mr. D and Chiron beside them. Nico cuts them off when Chiron tries to question him. He takes long way out with the girls on either side of him towards the Apollo cabin.

He doesn't follow the girls back into the woods with healers on their tail. Instead he opens the door to the Hades cabin and sits on a wooden chair. There's a buzz of white noise from a nearby noise machine. Otherwise everything is quiet. Nico's phone sits where it had been dropped to the ground minutes before.

His blood still feels too hot.

It feels like hours later when Nico walks in. However, the clock on the wall says it's only been twenty minutes. Joel is tucked up into his side. He goes down without a fight into Nico's bed. Lets himself be tucked in and drift off. Then Nico pulls another chair around and settles down in front of Percy, straddling the chair backwards. His arms cross over the top. His chin rests on folded wrists.

They watch each other. Then Nico moves to rest his cheek on his wrists instead. "You've been having those dreams for a while?"

Percy makes an affirmative noise.

"They haven't really been about my siblings, have they?"

He doesn't answer that. Instead, he says, "If people kept doing things like this, why didn't you guys make your own place?"

"We did," Nico says. "A few times actually. But no one liked that they didn't know what we were doing. So they made us come back to be hated and suffer." He snorts. "The old adage - keeps your friends close and enemies closer."

Percy doesn't laugh. "Why did she adopt him?"

Nico lifts his head. "Some things had happened when she found him. She took an interest and gave him her blessing."

"What things?"

Nico looks to the ceiling. "Things that help her fill her fridge with food to eat." His eyes flicker back down to Percy. "Only Chiron and Mr. D know the specifics. But Joel is fine." He glances over his shoulder. "He's a good kid. No one needs to be scared of him." He turns back to Percy. "Now answer my question."

Blood still too hot, Percy stares at a spot just above Nico's head. Then grits his teeth. "I don't like watching you die."

"I'm not scared of dying," Nico says. "None of us are. It's why it's always been so easy to take care of them. Take the dislike, take the insults, take the threats."

Percy stares at him. Then repeats, "I don't like watching you die."

Nico stares back. "You're not going to."

It's hard to believe that. So he leans forward, reaching out to grab the top of Nico's chair and pull it down until he can feel Nico's cool breath against his skin. "If I keep having those dreams, I'm gonna take a page from your dad's book and kidnap you."

Nico's lips twitch, but his voice stays even. "Then I guess you should keep in mind to make room in your dungeon because I'll be bringing a few people along." He lifts a hand and strokes a thumb down the side of Percy's face. "I heard your siblings were pretty protective too." His fingers slip away. Percy's skin yearns. "Something about how the ocean drowns what it loves and drowns what it hates."

That's not protection, Percy thinks. It's possession.

But he doesn't say that outloud.

Not yet.

He slowly lets the chair fall backwards until it lands stable on all four legs. He wants to deny Nico's statement about drowning. But he has - at least what he hates. Ahkyls, the mountain lion that tried to attack Grover, those kids. Only one success. But the want, the need...

"I should head home," he says slowly. It takes him a minute to process his words and stand up, heading for the door.

Nico makes a low noise and stands too. "Sweet dreams," he says once Percy has walked out into the night, still barefoot and shirtless.

Percy climbs onto Mrs. O'Leary's back. "I hope so."

[alackofghosts]

i love u beary much

[puppyeared]

sketches for sleight's van, the Magicmobile ^_^

[32bitterra]

I’m sorry if someone’s already asked this, but what’s your opinion on JT? He’s so silly and yee haw (also I want to eat your art NOM)

I LIKE J.T. I think he's wonderful. I liked him instantly from the first moment I saw him and heard him speak. He's a psychic, he's a cowboy, he's a PSYCHIC COWBOY. He shoots bullets not with a gun, but with his MIND. He can play harmonica. He's a polite little gentleman. He has a nice face and a very trustworthy smile. I would trust him. I like the way he talks. I like his bestie, Chops. I like to draw his neckerchief and smile the most. I think the very concept of a psychic cowboy is brilliant and I just love his design.

[mandareeboo]

Total Drama Island Review, "Not So Happy Campers- Part 1"

Total Drama! It's such an odd show. I'd say about, hmm, 60% of the jokes have aged poorly? But it's such a facet of most of our childhoods. It matters a lot to us even with all of that- and I just think that's neat.

As previously discussed, each elimination round will be held by us as well! Every time someone is voted off the Island, I will hold a poll at the bottom asking who you think should have left that week! Just as a bit of extra fun.

This particular series won't have any Character Introductions, simply because there's so many characters and they're introduced by the show itself, but it will have the usual Synopsis, Fun Tidbits, Character Mistakes, and final Votes!

SYNOPSIS

We open on Chris McLean, a washed-up Hollywood star hoping to revitalize his career. He tells us all about the reality show he's producing- he claims it's somewhere in Muskoka, that twenty-two teenagers have signed up to live here for eight weeks, and at end the winner will be gifted a small fortune and tabloid fame.

The point of this show is the same as ever other reality show- drama. Every three days the campers compete in challenges. The losing team must then decide who to vote off with the iconic marshmallow. The camper voted off is then jetted off on the boat of losers- home, he claims, but everyone whose watched this show knows he's lying.

"Who will crumble under the pressure? Find out here, right now, on Total. Drama. Island!"

"We told them they'd all be staying at this five star resort, so if they seem a little TO'ed that's probably why."

One by one, we meet the campers. We get a little segment on all of them, showcasing exactly the kind of shenanigans we should expect. It's a long list so buckle up:

Beth, sweet but blunt, hugs Chris proclaiming he's a bit short. DJ is a kindhearted guy with a love for animals, high-fiving Chris before grumbling about the application form bullshitting him. Gwen is sullen but not unrightly so, ripping up her contract. Chris laughs that he has more. Geoff parties right off the boat, just a genuinely chill guy. Lindsay is a nice girl but doesn't have a lot going on upstairs other than amazing hair. Heather, clearly less than pleased, recoils from Beth and looks ready to have a hernia. Duncan's fresh from juvie and somehow managed to smuggle a radio into his bag. Tyler- athletic but uh. Not great at sticking the landing. Harold, quiet but intense, is excited to get started. Trent's a guy with a guitar whose probably attractive if you're a teenager and into men, neither of which I was when I saw first watched this show rip. Either way he and Gwen hit it off. Bridgette is a surfer girl who is all about saving animals, even going vegetarian. She accidentally whacks Chris with her board passing through.

Halfway there!

Noah is book-smart and got a sharp tongue. He has life-threatening allergies which Chris casually brushes off. Leshawna is charismatic and loud, something Harold mentions and gets told off for. Katie and Sadie are friends who took the "twinsies!" trend waaaaaaay too seriously. Ezekial is home-schooled and not allowed out much. Cody's got a lot of pep but rolled low on charisma stats. Eva is strong but short-tempered. Owen's a big guy with a big heart and a LOT of love to share. Courtney is proper and a bit full of herself. Justin gets a personality later but for now he's just eye candy. Owen instantly gets a crush and we stan a bisexual king. And Izzy is either a woman with mental issues or a secret genius, depending on the theories you buy into, and crashes chin-first into the deck.

Chris calls the campers to the end of the dock for a promo photo and it collapses beneath them.

"Everyone say Wawanakwa!"

Given ten minutes to dry off, the campers are gathered at the campfire. Chris promises one hundred thousand dollars to the winner- an amount that really isn't worth the hassle, looking back on it- and announces the cabins are co-ed, with women on one side and men on the other. Gwen complains but is shut down by Tyler, who reminds her he's sleeping next to Duncan- currently noogieing a deer.

The campers are then split into two teams: The Screaming Gophers and The Killer Bass. Gwen, Trent, Heather, Cody, Lindsay, Beth, Katie, Owen, Leshawna, Justin, and Noah make the Screaming Gophers, while the Killer Bass are made up of Goeff, Bridgette, DJ, Tyler, Sadie, Izzy, Courtney, Ezekial, Duncan, Eva, and Harold.

Chris explains that everyone will be on tape constantly- even in the toilets, which are designed for private video diaries to let the people back home hear their personal thoughts.

The campers move in (Gophers to the East, Bass to the West) with some mild friction. Heather and Gwen get off on the wrong foot, Cody tries to flirt with Gwen, Lindsay gets a dose of reality upon realizing everyone showers together, and everyone gets a little homophobic about Owen liking to have sleepovers with guys. Still stanning a bisexual king.

Chris further explains that there's no chaperones, leaving twenty-two teenagers to be, well, teenagers. A few on both sides of the cabins get together to murk a cockroach that invades the Gopher's female cabin.

"Listen up! I serve it three times a day, and you will eat it three times a day. Grab your tray, getcha food, and sit your butts down, NOW!"

We meet the other host, Chef Hatchet, serving fiddles at the cafeteria. Chef is a retired military man implied to have been in at least one war. He serves as the camp chef and also as Chris' partner in crime.

Some of the kids fuss over major food groups, but Chef shuts them down. He feeds the scrawny campers extras. Leshawna tries to befriend Eva but is rebuffed. Everyone tucks into food that's still a bit wiggly and Chris returns to introduce the viewers to the main lodge.

Goeff asks for a pizza, and Chef yeets a literal hatchet into the wall. Judging by Chris' lack of reaction, this is not the first time. Terrified, the kids stop asking. Chris explains the first challenge is in an hour and dips back to eat some gold-plated caviar or something.

"What do you think they'll have us do?" "It's our first challenge. How hard can it be?"

Regrouping in their swimsuits, the campers find themselves at the highest peak of Wawanakwa overlooking shark-infested waters. Recognizing the trope, DJ cuts the first half off with a well-placed "Oh, shit."

FINAL REVIEW

It doesn't feel right to rate one half of a two-parter, so for now this stays un-rated! I will say it's not shaping up to be my favorite by far, if only for Chris. He feels much less.... himself in the first episode. I guess I'm used to his later, more eager sadism.

It was a great way to introduce the concept and characters, though!

Votes

No one's walked the dock of shame as of yet, so I figured why not have a silly, fun poll this time around! Just to get the juices flowing.

[basketobread]

sometimes i'll be playing bg3 and wish lunara was a companion because i'd wanna know what she has to say about something or what a romance with her would be like tbh. i love your art btw!

GUHHH??? THIS IS SO??? <33333 DO U KNOW HOW BIG OF AN HONOR IT IS TO BE TOLD SOMETHING LIKE THIS IFSDUHDSIU THANK YOU!! SO MUCH!! i'm glad you love my girly enough to WANT her to be a part of your gaming experience!! WOW!! that's CRAZY!! 😭😭💕💕

[freebooter4ever]

Ok i know only a little about hockey, and less about sports, but i do however feel like sid is the personality version of me if you added competitiveness into the mix, and i just gotta note....

for all the talk about how this is ALL supposed to revolve around him till he retires...the management/coaches dont seem interested in coddling to certain quirks of sid's personality anymore. Like we all know this guy thrives in stability, he started playing in one city and he intends to end his career in that city, he gets emotionally attached, he's more sentimental than a scrapbook, he enjoys being the guy who makes new team members feel special and like they belong (even when they arent on his team - see sid with any rookies around the league), team bonding for sid is like an olympic sport its very serious.

And i get that there is a philosophy that says human beings perform better when under stress that their position is going to be taken away. And thats why the pens seem to be emphasizing their ability to remove players from the roster and replace them with other guys at a whim. But threatening young rookies every game they dont perform 100% seems like the opposite of how sid usually operates. If this is supposed to be about building a team around one guy that is viable for playoffs i dont understand why they arent more careful about picking players that fit better long term. (especially since i think it could be argued that geno is very very similar to sid, although i think geno is admirably more open to trying to fit himself into new modes of operation)(as long as its in pittsburgh)(with sid)

[retroautomaton]

✏️💎🚀

[umemiyan]

i bought one of those menstrual cups just to give it a try and i ordered the small size but this shit is still big as fuck like are you fr???

[harlequinoccult]

Such happy campers and slaughter squad are fr my two fav ifs rn....i gotta know the ROs reaction to the happy camper ros pleeeaaassee 😭

oh this is hilarious.

Elysium knows a rich boy when they see them. Basil is just another one of those types. Anita is such a frightened little thing, Reem and Flo may pose a problem, however.

Black Dahlia thinks they're all annoying in their own special little fucking ways. Reem especially.

Aww, ain't this a cute lil group? Overdose loves it. Are y'all gonna sing kumbaya by the campfire? roast some weenies and make tie dye shirts? Well, they're gonna make the evening a bit more fun.

Cold thinks the campsite would look better up in flames.

Sweetheart thinks everyone is so nice and sweet, they all have such beautiful hearts.

I will tell you right now, The Host acts very.....differently to those outside of the squad

They'd hate everyone.