#as a Trent fan I will say that Gwen had all right and reasons to break up with Trent

[total-feminism-takes]

No total drama fandom, Gwen wasn't wrong for breaking up with Trent during season 2. Trent had basically became somehow obsessed with her over night and she was well within her right to be creeped out, anyone in her situation would feel awkward. No wonder when he became obsessed with the number nine she believed it was because the letters of both their names added up to nine, thos man was obsessed with her to the point he was naming Sandcastles after her and getting jealous when she started becoming friends with another boy that shared a couple interests with her, while she could have asked her assumption was valid (not that I believe Trents story behind why nine is his "lucky number" but yk.) He kept flunking the challenges for her despite her telling him that he should stop and that she didn't want it. While telling his team to vote him off could come off as a bit harsh, it's not like they weren't gonna do that anyways after Justin overhead their breakup where Gwen mentioned the flunking challenges. And then the narrative tries to pin all the blame and guilt into Gwen, completely backtracking in the aftermaths afterwards. Also also, you cannot convince me Bridgette would side with Trent, she would have been defending Gwen against the slander all the way, but to be fair I don't know who they replaced Bridgette with in season 2 but it ain't her so I shouldn't be surprised she didn't back Gwen up. Anyways, Gwen wasn't an asshole in that situation even if she was harsh in some aspects and I'm tired of people blaming her for breaking up with her obsessed boyfriend.

- ☄️

- 🧡

[theenbynightingale]

Rating Total Drama ships that showed up when playing with the generator! (Pt. 12)

Brody and Sammy/Samey (or Bromy): That sounds dangerously close to “Brony”. Anyways... Sammy deserves the best and I love Brody so god damn much. So I pass off on this. We don’t get to see much of Sammy outside of her conflict with her sister so I’m not sure how she’d feel about Brody’s naiveté but he’s so endearing that I’m sure she’d love him and never-ending optimism. Rating: 8/10

Brick and Owen (or Browen): Two characters we’ve all decided are MLM in some capacity. (Or at least Owen because Justin). I don’t know about a ship but we know they’re both the bestest so they’d get along very well. Also, we all also agree that they shouldn’t have been cut from All-Stars. Rating: 6.5/10

Dawn and Laurie (or Daurie... It was that or ‘Lawn’): The nature lovers of Fresh TV. The Vegans’ ending in RR took an... interesting turn. Maybe Laurie can recover from that. Maybe she just needs a more encouraging force like Dawn in her life. Or maybe she and Miles are gonna be like ThatVeganTeacher forever. Rating: 6/10

DJ and Gwen (or Dwen): Don’t ship but the two of them seem to have positive feelings towards each other. Gwen had nothing bad to say about him in the T.D.I. finale. Once again, another Total Drama Friendship I’d would’ve liked to have seen more of. Rating: GIVE US WHOLSOMENESS/10

Gwen and Trent (or Gwent): Oh, Gwent. Where did we go wrong? I know Trent wasn’t the most interesting character in Island and the character he did get in Action was just so Gwen could have reasons to break up with him. Look, the break up was the worst part of Action but I liked these two together. They made each other really happy and their interactions were really wholesome. Plus, they’re at least on good terms, which is nice. I don’t usually include canon ships but I decided to feature this one so I could give it a 9/10. For you, Trent. For you.

Heather and Sierra (or Heatherra): Not too long ago, I discovered that this was an existing ship apparently. Sierra established that she’s been a fan of the show long enough to know when Heather’s pulling her strings so I’m not sure how far this would go. But I really like the moment in World Tour where Heather feels genuine sympathy and helpfulness when Sierra went bald. That was nice. I can see why people like this. Rating: 7/10

Justin and Topher (or Justohper): They’re both extremely conceited. They’re both very obviously gay. They’re both failed attempts at being master manipulators. They’re perfect for each other! The only reason I’m not giving them a higher rating is because I know they’d be insufferable to be around! Rating: 7/10

Mike and Sanders (or Mikders): Okay, so originally I had this idea that it would be a Raising Arizona-situation where the cop and the guy who kept getting arrested fell in love, this time being Sanders and Mal. But then I realized A) I already used that idea with Duncan and Sanders or MacArthur and B) Sanders wouldn’t put up with Mal’s shit. Rating: 3/10

Mike and Eva (or Mikva): Can’t see Eva with Mike. Or Vito. Or Svetlana. Definitely not Chester. She’d get really annoyed with Manitoba’s chauvinism. But she’d (somehow!) be the only person who wouldn’t be scared of Mal. As a reminder, I don’t like Mal. Fuck Mal/10

Scarlett and Ezekiel (or Scarlekiel): She’s smart, right? She’d turn him back to normal, right? That’s something she’d do despite being sadistic and evil and- Sigh. Poor Zeke. Maybe a Beauty and the Beast situation but evil. Rating: 5/10

Staci and Ezekiel (or Stacekiel): She never stops talking and you don’t talk at all because you’ve gone feral. She... completes you? Yeah, no. That was a reach. Rating: 4/10

Tom and Kitty (or Titty): Rating: I am such a fucking dork who never matured/10

[forwantofamohawk]

Selfishness, Selflessness and Reciprocity

Or: An essay on why I think that Coderra has more potential as a relationship than people give it credit for.

As a foreword, I would like to say that this applies equally to romantic and platonic Coderra. Many of the building blocks for a romance are the same as those for a lifelong friendship. All I want, at the end of the day, is for Sierra to be happy. 

Now you could alternatively call this essay “Cody’s tendencies in relationships and how that changes in Planes Trains and Hot Airmobiles” because the first item of focus here is his relationship with Gwen, and how and why it fundamentally doesn’t work. While Gwody is generally not well-liked as a relationship due to his creepy, entitled and stereotypical “nice guy” behavior, those aren’t the reasons why it doesn’t work. They’re effluences of the real core problem with his Cody’s behavior and that mentality, and I’m going to call it out right out of the gate: Cody is selfish. 

For him, it’s never about what Gwen wants or who Gwen is as a person that matters. She is an object to be attained, an ideal girlfriend that will make him cool by being with him. His first notable interaction with her is making a pass at her during the talent show- he more or less thinks he can “get” her with a bit of flirting, without putting in the legwork of actually getting to know her. Compare this with Trent’s first major interaction with Gwen in The Big Sleep as a counterpoint. Watching this scene, what strikes me the most about how Trent conducts himself here is that there is no flirtatious undertones to his approach, no overt, eye-wagging, shit-eating-grin “hey babe, you’re so cool and I’m totally into that”. No, he just talks to her. Talks to her about whatever she wants to talk about, lets the conversation naturally go where it goes, and it gets her to open up, if only just a little. Cody, on the other hand, never does this with Gwen, he never understands this, and every interaction he has with her until Up the Creek, and then resuming in World Tour, is about trying to obtain her as an item.

In World Tour, his selfishness and desire to have Gwen reach new levels and really show how little he actually cares about her as a person. During the episode in Australia, Gwen acts hurt because Duncan is acting jealous of Alejandro “hooking up” with Courtney. Cody’s first instinct is to offer her his vote, but with the implicit subtext this game alliance is a means for him to hook up with her. Gwen is not actually hurt here, she’s playing him for a vote, but he doesn’t know that, he thinks Duncan has actually hurt her. She says to him “ Can you make the pain go away?” and he nods and tells her he’s there for her and that he’ll make everything better.

This is Cody at his absolute lowest. Here he is seeing someone he thinks is heartbroken and vulnerable and all his first reaction is to manipulate it to get into a relationship with her. 

Now this may all sound very anti-Cody, and I certainly don’t apologize for or condone this behavior. But I also now move on to my next point, which is that it is a learned behavior which makes sense in the context of his upbringing, and that he has the capacity to change this behavior.

A bad childhood does not excuse bad behaviors as an adult, or even a young adult like Cody, but it does provide a level of understanding how and why he does the things he does. There is a substantial body of canonical evidence that Cody is a neglected child, manifested most famously and notably in the show by the revelation that his parents (nor anyone else for that matter) never once remembered his birthday in Awwwww Drumheller. Interestingly it seems the Dramarama spinoff has taken this idea up as well, with Cody having said “It feels like a mother’s warmth, or least, so I’ve been told” which in context seems meant to indicate that Cody is unfamiliar with motherly affection. But what he lacks in parental attention is made up for in material wealth- his TDI bio speaks of a plethora of the latest tech and gadgets paid for on his parents dime. This is where the root of his selfishness in dealing with Gwen comes from- having never received love in his life, only things, he can only conceive of a relationship as a thing to be had, not love to be shared between people. Because the latter concept is utterly alien to him. But it’s alien to him because this mentality is learned, taught by years of neglect and being spoiled. And what can be learned, can be unlearned.  

Enter Planes, Trains and Hot Air Mobiles. It is all good and well to argue that Cody is the way he is because he is a victim of parental apathy and absence, but unless this amounts to meaningful change in his behavior, it is meaningless. Here we see that Cody in fact has the capacity to change and to be better than he was, and it’s in his relationship with Sierra that we first see this.

The Total Drama Jumbo jet has been demolished to smithereens, and at the epicenter of the destruction was Sierra. The episode begins with her eliminated, incapable of walking, buried under rubble and with most of those still present utterly uninterested in her plight. Cody, Alejandro and Heather are tasked with racing to Hawaii by whatever means they can find, but Sierra is left with no provisions for her return home. Let’s be clear here- Cody is supposed to get to Hawaii, not Sierra. 

At this point in the game he’s only barely started warming up to her the last episode, and otherwise has rebutted her at every turn since the game began. She cannot move on her own, no matter what means he uses to travel she’s dead weight. With his chosen method of travel, the balloon, Cody can get farther and go faster if he goes alone. He has every logical reason in the world to be selfish here, from a competition standpoint. 

And yet he doesn’t. He takes her with him, an act that I would argue is his first truly selfless act in any of his canon relationships with anyone. He gains nothing by bringing her along, or at least, nothing that is immediately apparent when they set off. He risks his victory in the competition to ensure she has someone to take care of and look after her. He prioritizes her needs and the urgency of her situation over his wants, and even his personal feelings for her at this moment- despite everything she has done to him that has made him feel violated and uncomfortable, by taking her with him he has forgiven her, and without words said that her life and wellbeing are worth more to him than his own feelings about their past. This does not absolve Sierra of responsibility for these acts, but Cody’s forgiveness is an important step in giving her the opportunity to atone for them. It is a profoundly mature moment for Cody, the most mature he has ever been in the entire series since Up the Creek. 

Later on in the episode, something incredible happens. Something called reciprocity- an exchange of mutual benefit to all parties involved. And it’s when their hot air balloon has crashed and they are stranded in the middle of nowhere somewhere in North America, with no apparent means to continue the race. Along with a box of fireworks, Sierra motivates Cody with a rousing speech, and importantly tells him that “You want a number one fan? That comes with responsibilities!”

This is a first for Sierra, in that she is demanding something out of Cody’s side of the relationship. For all the time she has been on the show with him, she has taken care of him with no regard for getting anything out of it in return. She has saved his life at risk to herself numerous times, and while she exacted a toll in physical affection she had never previously called upon Cody to do anything for her, personally. Here that changes.

She demands that he continue the race not for his sake, but for hers, and for all the fans she represents. This transforms the act of continuing the race from a selfish one for Cody, into a selfless one, as he is no longer doing it out of self-interest, but to fulfill his obligation to his relationship with Sierra. And for the second time in the episode, Cody shows the ability to be selfless and consider the needs and wants of others. He is not a fundamentally self-centered person at heart, and his bad habits can be unlearned in the right circumstance with the right people. 

It is this relationship that carries a feeble weakling and a crippled girl to the finale against all odds. It brings out the best in both of them and takes two people who on their own would have zero chance for success, and allows them to lift each other up and help each other move forward. This is the potential of Coderra, as a romance or a lifelong friendship. It’s only two, maybe three episodes where we see a glimpse of it, but I think that together they can be a little less broken and start to defeat their worst demons. 

[protagonistheavy]

One of the most memorable episodes of Total Drama Island imo was the stay-up-athon or whatever they called it. I think it's just the third episode in, so I'm sure a lot of us as kids caught it at one point or another when the series was still fresh. There's a lot to like about this episode and it could have been my favorite. I really love the simplistic nature of it and how it gives so much potential to show off the cast and their quirks in a sleepover-like setting; Courtney constantly moves around to keep herself awake, Duncan falls asleep on the toilet, Gwen and Trent bond romantically in a way that is so sappy that it flips around to being cute lol. Idk Im not even a big fan of these two as a couple, Trent in particular legitimately feels like a robot at times, but as a kid I was fond of this shipping.

But anyway fuck all that. This episode sucks because for some insane reason... they just fucked up the time of the episode. Th-They messed it up completely.

The episode begins specifically at 7 am, where the campers are woken up right out of beds, made to go on a long run, and then given a big meal -- all intended to tire them out in the build-up to the challenge. At which point, it's noon, and Chris insists that it's been twelve hours since they woke up. Obviously that just isn't right, but it gets so much worse.

Clearly, if you watch this episode play out, everything happens in the span of a night. It begins in the middle of the day, it quickly transitions to night when the first campers start dropping, and then it NEVER shows them in daytime again. But the show insists that days are going by. It will cut to transitions where the sun and day swap out, but when it goes back to the campers, it's ALWAYS night time, and Chris specifically keeps saying that it's been "48 hours" or "almost 72 hours" and shit like this...

Whyyyyyyyy? This infuriates me so much lmao. Did they decide too late into production that it SHOULD take multiple days before everyone falls asleep? Because wow, tbh I dont think thats necessary, I think its very believable and normal that these kids would only last one full day before having to nod off. Clearly it was all animated to just be one day, so why try to wedge it in that it's more time than it actually is? Some kids drop out during "night one," assumed to go away to go to sleep, but at the marshmallow ceremony, everyone is equally exhausted -- implying that it was ONLY ONE NIGHT and that only the daytime has gone by since the challenge ended. It's soooo mind-boggling, what was the purpose??? So, so strange. I just had to bring it up because I so remembered hating this as a kid too, just wondering why the heck they dubbed it like this. Tarnishes a totally good episode in a series that really needs as many of them as it can have.

[marshunter06]

Love Lockdown

III- Can’t Seem To Forget

“I’m getting some spices, you can go get whatever you’re here for.”

“My mom’s soup recipe?”

“It’s a good recipe.”

“It is, it’s my favorite.”

She stops dead in her tracks, how did she forget it was his favorite. Why did she have to suddenly crave this soup? She turns over to look at him thinking of a rebuttal, but she couldn’t say anything, the way he was looking at her reminded her too much of when they first started dating.

“Fifteen minutes and then I’m leaving.”

“I’ll meet you in ten.”

They meet at checkout ten minutes later, neither of them bothered with a cart as they didn’t have very many items. Courtney didn’t really pay much attention to what Duncan decided to get. It was pretty much the usual, alcohol and ice cream. They pay and return home quickly, no lollygagging allowed at a time like this. The first thing she does is check her email after putting the spices in the cupboard.

Courtney,

A bit of drama makes life a little more interesting, especially when we’re all cooped up at home. Hope you managed to find everything you needed, though I’m not sure how much pasta you’ll find. Yes, please let me know how the outside world is coping, it’s been months since I’ve seen the sunlight. In exchange, here are some cases that ended with mistrials, but most of them were procedural. One of them even had a jury member start yelling at the defendant! (Spoiler alert).

-Trent

Sure a little drama can be fun, she would know given the past eight years of her life, but she’s gotten tired of it. She couldn’t help but think of the current drama in her life, definitely something could do without.

Trent,

Trust me, too much drama is overkill, I would much rather live a normal life. The pasta was scarce, I only managed to get some macaroni, better than nothing I suppose. Also, really? Months? We’ve only been on lockdown for a little over a week. By the way, most people put the spoiler alerts at the beginning, you know, so people don’t get spoiled? Since you did share though, the grocery store was pretty empty lots of things are out. People are hoarding the weirdest things, I saw a lady with a cart full of milk and salad dressing! Why? Who needs that much dressing and milk goes back in a week! I’ll never understand people. Back to the cases though, I’ll look at them after I make dinner, I’ve got some other things to catch up on.

-Courtney

She decides to email her law firm and check if they need her to do anything in the meantime. They reply almost immediately asking her to help organize some of the cases they have been working on and send it to the appropriate attorney/assistant. In the middle of this, she gets a reply from her partner.

Courtney,

Fair point, too much of anything is a bad thing. Score! Macaroni is the best, please tell me you have cheese to go with it. Yeah, I don’t really get out much nowadays, even before that. I’ve been busy with school and well, my music. Sorry, I got really excited about the case, people are ridiculous. Definitely an interesting cart of goods you saw, I don’t know of any recipes that call for gallons of milk and salad dressing. You’re making soup right? What kind? Please send pictures, I’m an awful cook.

-Trent

Something about him just makes it easy for her to open up to him, not that they were getting deep about anything, but it was nice to talk to someone who was well, nice. She didn’t have to worry about ulterior motives, he was doing his work and being friendly. Courtney never was the best at making friends, there’s a reason she only considers Bridgette to be her friend.

Trent,

You’re going to be disappointed, I’m lactose intolerant so not really a big fan of cheese. I totally get being busy, it’s kinda nice to slow down a bit now that we’re forced indoors, but I do miss being able to go out and about. You’re a musician? We’ll make a trade, I’ll send you the picture of the soup and you can tell me more about your music. I should be done making the soup in an hour, so I’ll message you then.

-Courtney

He heads downstairs to start the soup making process. Unfortunately for her at that moment she heard Duncan talking to Gwen. He immediately ends the call after he sees her, but the damage was done. She ignores him to go to the kitchen. He tries to offer his help.

“Here, let me help.”

“I’m more than capable of making soup.”

“I know, you make it better than I do and it’s my mom’s recipe. Just let me help, please?”

“Fine, you can chop the carrots.”

They work well together, but in mostly silence. It was starting to be unbearable, until Duncan decided to play some music. It eased the tension and they both started to relax while they finished their dinner. They almost seemed normal again as they both hummed along to the songs. Somehow they ended up right next to each other looking over at the pot of soup, Courtney realizes this and tries to move away but ends up burning herself in the process.

“Shit, are you okay Princess. Here run it over some water, I’ll get the ointment.”

“I’ll be fine, it’s not that bad.”

“It’s going to blister. Just give me a sec.”

He returns quickly with their medical kit put together by Courtney of course. He takes her hand gently and begins to treat it. She didn’t know she was holding her breath until he looked up at her. After he puts the bandaid on, he gives it a quick kiss, something they’ve always done in the past.

“Princess…”

“We should probably turn the stove off, or else we’ll have a bigger problem.”

She removes her hand from his to turn off the stove, luckily it didn’t boil over. He was going to say something, but they got interrupted by a notification. Two notifications. One from her email and one from his text messages. He doesn’t answer it. She doesn’t either, but then she remembers she owes Trent a picture. She takes out her phone to take a quick picture then scoops them both a bowl. She takes a picture of that as well.

“Since when did you ever care about taking pictures of food?”

“I don’t care about it.”

“Then why did you just take two different pictures?”

“Don’t worry about it Duncan, here’s your bowl. I’m going to eat upstairs.”

“You hate having food upstairs.”

“I’m busy, just eat your dinner.”

[newheather-blog]

Could you rate Duncney, Gwent, and Gwuncan (and maybe even Scourtney) because of the Love Triangle™

( rate the character/ship. )

hoo boy.

Now we’re getting into the bigger ships, huh. So! This one’s gonna get long and I’ll put the majority of my thoughts under a readmore. I will preface this by saying I definitely see the merits to each ship, especially the first three as they relate to s1, and my feelings on all of them are about as complicated as my own opinions on the main three related to it! And, honestly, especially when most ships are concerned in this series I’m definitely always open to hearing fans’ opinion of it and pointing out where maybe I’ve got the wrong idea. I’m definitely not the expert on any of these five characters that are getting brought up.

also, I’ve missed about ten years of debate to all of these ships, and I’ve only skimmed defenses because I don’t find myself in the tags that often. I’m definitely open to discussing all of them because I’m bound to either be misremembering or misinterpreting something!

well then. let’s jump in!

I’ll go in order asked, I think. Originally I was going to list them from fave to least fave but order asked may end up being neater. So:

Dun.cn.ey:Overall: 6-8, depending on the season.

Definitely not my favorite flagship, uh, ship, but I was very surprised to see that they did have a lot more of a rapport and chemistry than I remembered from watching years ago. Actually, I completely forgot it happened in s1, and it wasn’t all s2 onwards that had it starting. I actually really enjoy how Courtney and Duncan bounce off each other normally, even outside of a ship context. They’re fun to watch! And I definitely have a soft spot for the TDDDI special. They make a great dynamic duo, and in a way they’re the predecessors for… I wouldn’t go so far to say the “villain duo” because I maintain that neither of them are really, truly villains but that sort of dynamic that we’ll see shades of with other, more driven and snarky characters teaming up. They’re a great time to watch!

…Aaaaand Action and sliding into World Tour…. and then to All-Stars… ouch. Action! Courtney continues to puzzle me, as where I like her subplot in theory and understand where they were coming from, there’s just… parts that rub me the wrong way that I feel are less story beats to do with Duncan and more something on the writing level I’d need to rewatch Action much more closely to properly parse. They definitely break up, and hard, and go out of their way to be cruel to each other in a way that… well, I wouldn’t say doesn’t make sense for their age or characters, but it does hurt a little to see, as someone who was reasonably surprised by how engaging they were to begin with and someone whom is sad to see how far they end up falling. I liked them at least being friends, and personally it’s a little uncomfortable sitting through how nasty they end up becoming towards one another. It makes me a teensy bit sad, complicated feelings or not. That’s life, I guess. And I guess the real rating should be more like… 8 to 6, where they start out okay and then just become something hard to stomach.

This ship bums me out as someone who has had not so great breakups in real life. Could’ve had it all, I guess.

Gw.en.tOverall: 6.5-6.9.

I remember really liking this ship when I was younger, actually. For as poor as my memory ended up being, I remember having a soft spot for their interactions, even as I struggled to remember a single thing about poor Trent. Knowing what happens in Action does kind of color how I saw their interactions in s1 re-watching, though, so I guess in that respect I’m much more inclined to be a little less enthused about it.

But, fair shakes and all. They also have a really good place to start from, a good rapport, even though Heather reading the diary aloud should… maybe have been more of a plot point than it ended up being. C’mon, that was a brilliant power move on her part and it’s never brought up again! I get the feeling it’s kind of supposed to be one of those popular/unpopular ships in s1, but honestly it felt more like two loners jiving than anything else. Not a bad thing, just an observation.

I do think they ultimately work better as just close friends, though. And it’s a shame we never really see them properly reconcile, because Gwen gets bounced immediately into another ship fiasco before she’s even had properly time to breathe– well, okay, we’ve got a year between s2 and s3, but the audience doesn’t see the reconcile/attempt at reconciliation at all, and I don’t even think they talk but once in World Tour after Gwen is eliminated, which is really kind of bizarre.

Can’t help but feel a little uncomfortable with Gwen in Action, and the breakup with Trent is a part of it. Action is kind of all over the place in the first half, though, so for what it is worth they aren’t the only mess there.

I wish they could’ve been friends again. Like, really wish that had happened.

Gw.un.canOverall: 4.5-5.

Honestly, I knew it was only a matter of time before I’d have to bring this one up, and I feel semi-bad, because this seems to have a very sweet following– but this ship has just never done anything for me. I don’t hate it, but I’ve always just been indifferent to their interactions romantically.

I don’t understand where their chemistry was in s1. I don’t know why it suddenly was apparently so obvious in s2. I know Gwen and Duncan talked a little in s1, but was it that much to where it was decided that’s the direction they should go? It’s easily one of the most baffling decisions in the entire series to me because I cannot for the life of me find any romantic chemistry between the two of them. In some ways, I do understand why they’d be attracted to each other in theory. But their relationship has always read as just friends to me up until World Tour went and made it a big subplot, and honestly that just makes the both of them look even worse? If the writers wanted to make them a couple to root for in some way, World Tour was not the way to go about it. Again, I just end up feeling sorrier and sorrier for Courtney instead of excited these two actually got together.

They do have good friendship potential, though! Clearly they would be friends outside of a competition setting, and they do have a lot in common. I just find their switch to suddenly into one another to be abrupt and really clumsily written and even in All-Stars when they do break up I don’t have really any reaction at all. This ship certainly happened, and I’m sure there’s some potential there, as it definitely captivated enough people, but I’ve just never seen it.

Sc.ourt.neyOverall: 6-7.

Honestly, this is definitely a ship I gave an unfair shake to the first time I rewatched All-Stars. For some context, I’ve seen the entire season three times in full: once right after Revenge, once after World Tour, and again recently in order to take some notes on Heather. For some reason or other, this has ended up being the season I know way more about than I’ve wanted to.

It probably isn’t fair to judge this ship entirely on what All-Stars gives us, either, because Scott and Courtney are just… so nerfed in it that it isn’t fair to either. I think with a full season they could have ended up with a rapport that’s at least a lot more interesting than what we actually have to work with. In theory, I understand them falling for each other, too, and actually I find their rather blunt interactions kind of hilarious the more I go back and engage with them.

In theory, this could have worked. Or, at least, it wouldn’t have felt as out of nowhere and out of place as it does in the All-Stars we actually got. I think if Courtney wanted an ally, Scott is the perfect choice on the Vultures! And had he been back to his usual antics but outsmarted by her, I think their foundation would’ve been a lot stronger. I also think this ship as-is suffers from just not enough time in the episodes to really develop mutually, both because there’s only 13 episodes and because Courtney is also constantly pulled into the remaining fragments of World Tour drama.

So, yes. In theory I see how it could’ve been really fun, but in the source material I’m less than enthused, much like how I feel about gw.ourt.ney. But, hey, that’s what fanworks are for, right? I could see a rewrite of AS running them very effectively in much the same way.

Not my favorite ship for either character, though, sadly.

[marshunter06]

“Overdose”- Honne (Duncney)

Neither of them wanted to be here, but due to the contracts they signed when they were sixteen, they’re legally bound to be here. It’s just a stupid award show hosted by the network, but all nominees had to appear even if they didn’t have a chance of winning.

Courtney really didn’t want to be here, she’s only grateful that this is taking place after her exams. Sure she was on her summer break, but she wanted to be ahead for the fall term. Duncan on the other hand isn’t exactly ticked about being out of jail. The network somehow was able to shorten his sentence to release him on parole and grant him access to attend the show. The ratings have been tanking ever since the newest cast of Total Drama took over. The fans wanted the originals back, besides the newbies were all just copycat versions of the season one cast except with less drama.

Duncan shifts around uncomfortably, he wasn’t used to dressing up, but it was a requirement. He was still struggling with the tie when he sees her. Courtney had to be wearing a long sparkling dress as requested by the network. She thought the outfit was overtop, but at least it wasn’t as revealing as what they made Lindsay wear. She was just trying to get to her seat through backstage when she sees him.

He expected her to yell and scream, but she doesn’t, instead she’s looking at him the same way he’s looking at her. She expected a snarky comment or for him to ignore her, but all she sees is his admiration for her.

It's been a while

I know we haven't talked too much

I think about you way too much

But it's always been that way

I've been dying

To pick up where we both left off

I noticed all we had was lost

But I know I'll feel the same

The producer smiles as he sees the two fan favorites possibly reigniting their spark. He quickly ushers the two of them to take their seats, next to each other of course, as the ceremony is ready to go live.

They both take their seats next to their old cast mates as the producer goes through the final checklists before airing.

When it's just the two of us

It can be the best thing, ooh

Remember it was only us

And I would give you everything

Courtney is a bit nervous, all of her feelings from before comes flooding back at once. Duncan notices, he was feeling it too. He takes her hand with a smile. She looks up at him and returns it.

“You clean up well.”

“Thanks. Except I can’t get this stupid tie to work.”

“Let me try.”

I love it when you move in close

Love the way your body floats

Feel like I could overdose on your energy

I love it when you move in close

Time is going fast from slow

Feel like I could overdose when you're next to me

I love it when you move in

I love it when you move in

She concentrates on fixing his tie not realizing the effect she has on him. He’s mesmerized by her and how close she is. His heartbeat quickens and he loses all sense of time. Before he knows it, she was done and smiling at him. He tries to keep his composure, but it’s completely gone. He wants to tell her she looks beautiful, but he’s lost his ability to speak. She breaks the silence instead.

“Any idea what we got nominated for?”

“Huh?”

“You know? For this award show? I haven’t done anything since All Stars and that was two years ago.”

“Right. No clue. They wouldn’t tell me anything.”

The cameras start rolling and Chris is on stage ready to host tonight’s events. As he charms the fans watching at home Courtney scans the rest of the audience. She quickly notices that half of the original cast is missing.

Meanwhile Duncan tries his best to calm down. He doesn’t know why they’re here together and not the others, but maybe this was his second chance. He ignores Chris’s opening sequence and jokes to warm up the crowd. He’s ready to move his arms around Courtney when she tenses up and shifts away. He isn’t sure what spooked her, he taps her on the shoulder, but she wouldn’t make eye contact.

Remember the feelings that you had before?

I'm always left to wanting more

'Cause you always move away

What you afraid of?

I know that you got hurt last time

But you should know I'm not that type

If you believe me when I say

She finally made the connection, the other cast members that were invited were the couples. They were next to Lindsay and Tyler then Izzy and Owen, Gwen and Trent, Bridgette and Geoff, LaShawna and Harold, finally Alejandro and Heather. It could be a coincidence, but she wasn’t comfortable with the way this was going.

“Princess? Are you okay?”

She couldn’t ignore that. She’s really missed him calling her that, but she doesn’t want to get hurt again.

“I think I figured out why we’re here.”

He waits for her to elaborate. It was obviously bothering her.

“They only invited back cast members who were couples on the show.”

Now he understands. Duncan doesn’t care about the reason why they’re here, all he knows is that he wants her back. He leans back on the chair, reaches over and touches her on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry about what the network wants. If they want drama, they’re not getting it from us.”

“You say that now.”

“I mean it. I’ll behave for your sake.”

“It’s not just for me. This affects you too.”

“Okay, then I’ll do it for us.”

When it's just the two of us

It can be the best thing, ooh

Remember it was only us

And I would give you everything

She couldn’t help but smile at that. They had a long way to go, but this was a start. The attraction is definitely still there on both of their parts. She leans in closer to him. He takes her hand in his with their arms touching.

I love it when you move in close

Love the way your body floats

Feel like I could overdose on your energy

I love it when you move in close

Time is going fast from slow

Feel like I could overdose when you're next to me

I love it when you move in close

I love it when you move in close

I love it when you move in close

I love it when you move in close

When it's just the two of us

Remember it was only us

The rest of the award show goes by in a blur. Neither of them really pay attention to what’s going on. They were reconnecting and in their own world. That is, until their names were called.

“Now onto the final category of the night! This was the only fan voted category and it was for best couple! It was all write in, so let’s see who you guys voted for. The winners are… Courtney and Duncan!”

The camera pans over to them catching them whispering to each other which only further delighted the fans. Neither of them realized what was going on until Izzy yelled at them to turn around.

“You guys won! Now hurry up and take the trophy before I do!”

With no other choice, the oblivious winners took the stage to accept their award for best couple. Chris eagerly looked on to see the drama unfold, but instead they both smile for the cameras and thanked the fans for the win then walked off stage back to their seats.

With that being the last award given out for the night, the show wrapped and everyone was free to leave. Geoff of course planned an after party for everyone to go to. Courtney and Duncan had to go since they were the only ones out of the original cast to actually win anything.

“Dudes! Since you two won best couple, let’s take it back to prom night with the King and Queen dance!”

Courtney doesn’t know where they managed to get the crowns, but soon both her and Duncan had one on their head. The music changes from the loud and upbeat to a slower song for them to dance to.

I love it when you move in close

Love the way your body floats

Feel like I could overdose on your energy

I love it when you move in close

Time is going fast from slow

Feel like I could overdose when you're next to me

I love it when you move in close

I love it when you move in close

I love it when you move in close

I love it when you move in close

They swayed to the music holding each other close. This time, they’re never letting go.