#i just don't see a reason why gwen would WANT to be cody's friend

[dramaticallytotal]

TDWT Headcanons Pt. 5

Part 1 Last Part

• Heather, Leshawna, Eva, and Sierra were Bratz girlies.

• Courtney, Gwen, and Bridgette were Barbie girlies.

• Lindsay and Izzy were all. Bratz, Barbie, Polly Pocket, My Scene. You name it. While Lindsay was in it for the fashion, Izzy liked to put Barbie dolls on ceiling fans star-fished and turn in on and try not to get hit. Also, for makeovers. Izzy also chewed the rubber Polly Pocket clothes.

• Gwen was also a Living Dead Dolls girlie.

• Eva, for some odd reason, gives me cabbage patch vibes.

• Courtney is also very American Girl Doll coded. But also Eva, in the sense she always wanted one.

• I don't know why but I felt the need to make those headcanons even though they have nothing to do with WT XD

• Chris found out Noah can actually sing because his sister Noelle messaged him from their mom's phone since Chris is...ugh...friends with his parents. Noelle got mad that Noah wasn't actually singing even though she knew he could. So she ratted him out to Chris and even shared a video from when they were younger, and Noelle had him perform Phantom of the Opera with her in their living room. She was Erik, he was Christine.

• So Chris tells him he has to sing a song all by himself in New York because Broadway is there, and he was inspired by the video. Noah is so pissed! He knew Noelle was actually mad at him for eating the last of the Rava Ladoo before he left! But she said it was fine! He makes it a point to tell her this during a confessional. He may also be planning to hack into her accounts and post one of the embarrassing videos he had of her.

• Then Noah got an idea. This show is supposed to be family-friendly. If he sang a not so family friendly song, then it would have to be cut! Thankfully, Chris told him he could pick a song to sing, so he quickly told the band what song and hoped they knew it. They did and were all trying very hard not to laugh as they could already imagine Chris's reaction. Then Noah grabbed an intern around his age that he knew named Tristan, who sang and sang well.

• Please imagine Noah singing Sugar Daddy from Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Going all out and everyone is just STUNNED. Alejandro is so flustered, but he can't look away. Izzy, Eva, and Owen are rocking out and cheering for Noah. We love supportive best friends UwU

• Trent and Cody have stars in their eyes and are already trying to come up with arguments of why Noah should join their emo band. I mean boy band.

• Chris is impressed and pissed because he definitely has to cut the song, but it's okay. He's just going to make sure Noah actually sings from here on out.

• Alejandro definitely did not lie awake at night thinking about Noah's performance. Nope!

• When Lindsay is annoyed with someone, she purposefully calls them by the wrong name. She does that already because it's part of her character, but when she's annoyed? She takes it up a notch.

• Yes, Lindsay isn't the smartest person, but come on, she's not that dumb! She's on a gymnastics team and a really good one at that. In order to stay on the team, she has to have decent grades. But she knew that people love a dumb blonde, and she's all for playing the part.

• Tyler may be clumsy, but the dude is actually really strong. We've seen he has an uncanny strength in his fingertips, but also he was able to pull his sled with his team plus random crates. He's actually won a pull-up competition without really trying.

• Heather can do anything in heels. When she was younger, she idolized Michelle Pfieffer's Cat Woman. She saw the way the woman did everything in heels and was just like, "that's gonna be me." And she did it.

• Bridgette is totally a tarot card girlie. I mean, we know she likes crystals from her biography, so I can totally see her being a tarot card reader. Coincidentally, Gwen was a rock/ gem kid, so they tend to talk about rocks/gems and what they mean and it's just a nice break from the competition for the both of them.

• Cody and Noah aren't actually mad about the whole awake-a-thon kiss thing anymore and tend to make jokes about it because they figured if they didn't, others would and they would be pretty cruel about it. So what better way to skip that treatment than to show it doesn't bother them?

• They tend to call each other stupid pet names, but they stopped that because of Sierra. But Cody is still pretty protective of Noah and also considers himself his wingman.

• Alejandro is definitely not glad they stopped because he definitely wasn't jealous.

• DJ and Leshawna tend to jam out together from her playlist since both have a love of music. DJ used to play the trumpet in school for a bit, and Leshawna can actually play the drums pretty well.

• Leshawna sees Tyler as a little brother of sorts. He reminds her of a kid she met when she volunteered at the community center at home, and the poor dude is so clumsy she can't help but try and take him under her wing. Plus, she likes his determination.

• Harold, Noah, Trent, and Tyler were all Scouts. Noah only made it to being a Beaver Scout, not because he couldn't handle the training because he could and got bored! Trent and Tyler made it to be Cub Scouts, but Trent stopped because he got more into music while Tyler was asked to leave because of how many times he got injured.

• Harold made Venturer but then auditioned for Total Drama. He is hoping to get back to it and make Rover!

• Trent has a habit of sneaking Gwen treats from first class if his team wins. She finds it absolutely adorable and makes sure not to tell her team, but she always sneaks him thank you notes.

• When they aren't competing, the kids tend to make their own small competitions like who can do the most push up, who can hold a note the longest, who can steal something from Chris's room without him noticing. Or who can add something to his room and how long it takes for him to notice.

• Also, they bet so much, oh my god. There's a pot where they bet snacks, whatever cash they brought, favors, and secretly votes.

Next Part

[chloe-spade]

Fight for What You Love: I See London

London.

London.

LONDON.

Noah should've expected so much whenever he was in a new place around the world, and London was somewhat on his to-do list, but not while they were trying to avoid Jack the Ripper while doing stupid challenges. Luckily for him, they were on the stretcher, for which Tyler happily volunteered.

"Quick tie him down before Alejandro shows up and makes me do it just because I'm shorter," groaned Noah.

"Aw, why don't you like Al?" Owen spoke up, tying Tyler down. "He's great."

"I don't trust the guy," Noah answered, hands on the wheel. "He's like an eel dipped in grease, swimming in motor oil."

"Hm, dirty?"

"Slippery," Noah corrected. "Think about it, Owen. He's like Heather only with social skills. And trust me, I've seen that first hand."

Tyler's anguish screams cut their conversation short, even though Noah hadn't started it yet.

"Stop," Tyler begged. "Stop! It's too much! Stop!"

"You do realize that we haven't started yet, right?"

Tyler gets up and looks around before sighing in relief. "My bad, it's cool. I'll go silent. Sweaty yoga-ish monk style."

Noah rolled his eyes and started to turn the wheel.

"Well, if we are going to talk about our friends," Owen chuckled as he looked at the side. "Like you and Cody?'

Noah blushed as he pulled on the wheel, which caused Tyler to react in surprise.

"..What about him exactly?" Noah muttered as he carefully started to turn the wheel. "Well, I guess I could say that he's simple but goofy and funny to be around…most of the time. And we had a couple of accidents during the World Tour."

"Like Al made you think of Cody when you kissed that fish-"

"NOT THAT."

"Hehe, sorry, but it seems to me that you love Cody," Owen teased. "Like a massive ton!"

"Hey, just because I kissed his stupid ear during Island does not mean I love him," Noah rolled his eyes. "It's unrealistic that I have a crush on him."

"But you have that look. I know the look," Tyler intervened. "It's the look of love."

"Says that whose girlfriend forgets he exists every 5 minutes," scoffed Noah. "Like come on. Even if I did like Cody, he likes Gwen, remember?"

"Oh…no, he doesn't," Tyler commented. "I mean, when's the last time he tried to look cool in front of her."

"Every day if he wasn't smothered from that freak." Noah chuckled. "She is so freaky that I can't believe Chris even lets her participate. Poor Cody, I know I wouldn't treat him like that."

"Oh my god, he said it," Tyler gasped, looking up at Owen. "He compared himself."

"I don't think he noticed." Owen whispered back. "But let him talk. I think this is the only time he's talking about his feelings for Cody."

"I would've liked this if I wasn't be stretched out right now," Tyler groaned. "Does that mean I own you 28.98 Candian Dollers?"

"You bet, buddy."

"Shouldn't you be quiet?" Noah asked Tyler, glaring at him.

Tyler shuts up after that, but Owen decides to ease Noah into talking again.

"Come on, little buddy, I want to hear you talk about Cody more," Owen urged. "I think it's a good way to let your frustrations out."

It made him oddly bitter, and that was new for Cody. He never felt bitter before, especially towards a girl he liked. Yep. Liked.

Noah continued to talk about it until the hatch opened, revealing a new clue for them to read.

☕

Cody groaned as he took care of his burned hand. But it wasn't surprising. What did he think would happen when he fell asleep during the day in Jamaica? He should've known better, but man, he was tired for many reasons, which made him feel bad. In the most sociable words Cody could think of, Sierra is a massive pain. He still goes by what he said when he tried to eliminate her, but the other girls had him apologize for something that wasn't his fault.

Cody didn't know how a crush could disappear so quickly, but it did. He enjoyed it while on the World Tour, but her joining Sierra in an attempt to get her back on her feet made Cody very sour. It was so sour that he backed off and hasn't tried to make any moves, which Gwen overlooked.

During that time, he felt stuck.

But all that changed when he remembered catching Noah during their Yukon Trip, causing an accidental kiss. But Cody took it in good faith and joked about it.

And now everything between them made so much sense! He didn't think much about it, but Noah seemed nicer to Cody, and unlike Owen, he barely gave him nicknames that many considered demeaning—the stares, the laugh at Cody's sucky jokes while at Economy Class. Everything started to make sense, and now he has to find a way to tell Noah.

Cody.

Cody likes…

Cody likes Noah now.

Or did he want to?

Was it because of Sierra? Mostly.

He wants to. But he was scared.

Why?

But did he care that much? No.

He's sick of trying to bend to people's expectations, and there was no more bullying.

This was Cody's choice. And he needs to do it.

"The Ripper's Most Natural Place has two levels that make up the space," Noah reads, then scoffed. "Sure…easy peasy."

Especially since Sierra was the one that got them caught by Jack The Ripper, so there's that.

☕

Things couldn't get any worse for Noah. Tyler was so silent that they forgot, which led to his capture. Owen was making a fool of himself, which isn't bad when they were on the plane, but not during the challenge.

"Double Decker Bus?" Own answered as he took a dog off his arm.

"Yeah," Noah acknowledged. "So there is a brain in there. You've been holding out on me."

"Holding Out?" Owen gasped. "I told you I smuggled some wieners off the plane!

Noah chuckled as he started to walk away, with Owen following. Going to the night with the stars out and a killer on the loose who could capture them at any moment was scary, but as they approached the Double-Decker Bus, bag in hand, they entered the Bus, hoping that the clue was right.

As they entered the Bus, they noticed how empty it was. But that wasn't unusual, but it made things extra creepy.

"Here, Ripper, Ripper, Ripper," Owen whimpered as the friends tip-toed forward. "We have a lovely bag for you."

Noah didn't have to say much as he felt the Ripper's hands around his mouth and swooped up above Owen, but Owen noticed when he heard the doors of the driver seat open and Noah's unsettling screams.

But Noah watched as Owen released the dogs, who imminently attacked Owen. But once one of the dogs found the sausage, Owen kicked it into the Ripper's hands, and all six dogs attacked him, and that's when Owen bagged him up.

"Alright Owen," Noah cheered.

"Who's the Ripper now?" Owen proudly grinned as he farted in the Ripper's face. "Oh, Noah, let me get you out."

"Sweet, everyone's ok!"

"No! Wait until the air clears!" Noah screamed.

☕

Once the teams boarded the plane, it was a relief to see that everyone was alright. Noah was concerned about why Alejandro wasn't happy that they had won and was just glaring daggers at Noah.

"Yep, everyone's fine," Heather confirmed. "You guys were so stupid to be worried."

Everyone glared, so Heather shut her mouth, which Noah was glad about.

"But it was reasssuring to see that someone was concerned," Alejandro spoke, glaring at Noah completely.

"You…You were watching everything?" Noah asked, now feeling a sense of dread. "Well, that's awkward."

"Like an eel dipped in grease," Alejandro repeated, his eyes narrowing down some more.

"Where I'm from, that's a compliment," Noah chuckled nervously, though he knew Alejandro saw right through him. "Tough Neighbourhood and all that."

Noah cleared his throat. "But hey! We caught the Ripper type guy!"

Owen unbagged the Ripper, who looked disheveled after the dogs attacked. His wrinkles curled when he frowned, looking over the teens who watched him.

"Old Man Jenkins?" Everyone gasped in unison.

Chris stoically stepped forward and grabbed the old man's head, revealing another shocking face—a face that everyone thought was eliminated in the very first episode.

"Ezekiel?" Everyone gasped again.

"Found him living in the cargo hold," Chef explained. "Found him homeschooling with the rats."

"I was gonna let him back in the game if he avioded getting captured." Chris added. "But since he could not."

He was booted off the plane. But there was still a question that lingered around.

"Who did Courtney and Gwen catch?" Heather asked, looking at their full bag.

"Well, Chris wanted a crinimal," Gwen started, looking down at the bag. "Well, ok, we didn't catch the right one. But.."

When Gwen removed the bag, Noah and the others' eyes widened at the sight of the green-haired delinquent. Everyone didn't even know his location, and he was right back on the plane once again.

"Duncan?"

"You brought me back here?" Duncan groaned, annoyed. "Ugh, where the stupid exit again?"

Duncan was ready to leave until Chris stopped.

"Uh, uh, uh, not so fast, quitter," Chris spoke, stopping Duncan. "Thought you could skip out on the game, eh? Thought we wouldn't find you, hmm?"

"Um, you didn't. We did." Gwen corrected, with Courtney nodding in agreement. "Sorry."

"And that's why Team Me is Super Hot is our winner!!" Chris announced. "That means that Team Amazon is going to the elimination room. Don't be late."

Everyone gasped in surprise.

"And Duncan, since you just came back, you join Chris is Really, Really, Really, Really hot!"

"…what kind of team name is that?" Duncan cringed. "That name is stupid."

"Blame the stalker," Noah chuckled, pointing at Sierra. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it."

Cody groaned as he entered the restroom. His hand was still burned, and he felt his heart beating so hard, considering the camera situation when they were captured. Watching Noah, who is just as stoic as a soldier, admits to having feelings for Cody made Cody feel very warm. He was so lucky that Sierra was arguing with Alejandro during that time. He had to get it out of his chest, even if it was in the confessional.

"Ugh, whatever," Duncarn rolled his eyes and walked past them.

☕

Gwen was the one who got eliminated. Heather, Sierra, and, to her shock, Cody were the main ones who voted, but she accepted and jumped.

"Uugh," Cody groaned again. "I feel all fuzzy inside, like I drank too much pop…." he paused when he realized the camera. "…Cause Gwen is gone! Obviously! Stinks we lost Gwem…and the challenge."

Cody looked down and sighed.

"…Is it wrong that I'm glad we lost?" Cody finally asked. "I-"

He jumped as he heard the door open, and Noah was there. He didn't look quite surprised, which Cody was grateful for.

"Oh crud- I didn't lock the door?!" Cody gasped, still in shock.

"The lock's broken-who's surprised." Noah replied sarcastically, looking at Cody. "How's the hand doing?"

"Not much better," Cody boasted. "Why? You have something to say bout it?"

Noah chuckles and carefully grabs his hand. "Maybe I do? Is that a bad thing?"

Cody laughed and looked down at his hand. "Ow…Hey, you know that hurts."

"What are you going to do about it?" Noah teased, a playful smirk on his face that made his eyes sparkle.

Cody felt a rush of energy coursing through him as he looked at Noah, his heart pounding wildly in his chest. This is your chance, his mind urged, the two thoughts intertwining with each other. You must kiss him, or you'll regret it for the rest of your life!

The moment's warmth enveloped them, and the tension hung thick in the air as Cody's gaze lingered on Noah's lips, making it harder to suppress the instinct pushing him closer.

Cody gulped, put his free hand on Noah's cheek, and pulled him forward for a kiss. Noah didn't even object as he lingered closer, hands carefully intertwined. Nothing could stop this moment, and they were so in the moment that they didn't know that Tyler watched with bated breath, now witnessing the moment of love.

Cody was with the one he truly loved.

What's the worst that can happen?

(au belongs to @fight-for-what-you-love who gave me permission to write this)

[tdjustess]

Rating all Trent ships I've ever came across

Trent×Gwen - The only canon ship and for what it was, I liked it. It always felt like just a summer fling and them being each others manic pixie dream girl/boy is a detail I highly appreciate. It was the most artsy teen romance of all TD ships and should stay as only that 7.5/10 cause it does make me cringe nowadays

Trent×Justin - I don't know who was the first person to come up with this ship but holy shit their brain. And even if you're too good to fall for the trope of "two guys amicably standing next to each other", these two would be the Larry of the TDverse, which you have to at least admit it's funny as shit 10/10

Trent×Duncan - Listen. I've also been a 15 year old girl, I get it, but this is shit. They either forget about each others existence or actively hate each other. Even the fanfics I used to read back then had to jump through hoops or make them ooc to even get them to stay amicably in the same room 0/10

Trent×Geoff - The better version of Duntrent. They still ignore/hate eachother but there's literally no reason for it which is so funny. They're both pieces of shit and the only time it was justified was when Geoff was trying to protect Gwen over the breakup. Read the TDA bios, they're still trying to poke at some rivalry we never see on screen. AU writers I beg of you, write a enemys-to-enemys fic of their fighting backstage 3/10

Trent×Cody - Oh boy. Oooooh boy. I hate to play this card but they're brothers. Maybe if it's one sided like Cody having a crush for 2 weeks tops but yeah. Brothers energy 0/10

Trent×Courtney - Listen. Don't look at me like that and listen. It's two possibly unmedicated mentaly ill upper middle kids with dreams of success in performing arts that go about it in two extremely different ways. Like. I want to keep this short but they'd be so bad for each other while being the only ones who can understand the others devotion, they'd destroy each other. I'm tearing a phonebook in half with my teeth, shout out to the Ballet AU i'll never write 6/10 realistically but 9.9999998/10 in my heart

Trent×Leshawna - I was really surprised when I first saw this ship cause I'd only ever seen them as sort of "friends-in-law"? But now that I sit down and think of it, it could work?? Leshawna is assertive but also laid back, kind and has a lot of goofy moments. And Trent is a certified wife guy™. I'd never thought of this ship myself but it could work 9.4/10

Trent×Noah - Once again, would have never thought of this if I hadn't read one of the best ship-centered fanfics this fandom has to offer. But I think it works better in that specific fanfic than realistically speaking. Trent isn't the exact type of pathetic (positive) Noah hangs out with and in the long run they'd both be too messy. If Gwent is the cuter side of teen romance, Trent×Noah would be the depressing side. I never watched the show, but from what I remember from "2015 grunge tumblr", it's giving Skins vibes 4.8/10

Trent×Anne Maria - I appreciate the mediterranean representation but no 1/10

Trent×Scott - How. Why. Walk me through this one without making them ooc 0/10

Trent×Zoey - Only in a Doey AU where Duncan keeps throwing dogeballs at Trent in PE everytime he tries to talk with Zoey about british pop 2/10

[real-total-drama-takes]

Send Us Your Total Drama Hot Takes on Tumblr

idk if that link worked lmao but it's the high school thing anyways.

Alejandro is flirting with every man's girl to get them to do random ass shit to help them win sports games. This guy who was homeschooled until like this most recent year and is a super weirdo has to learn how to not be sexist and stuff. Eva is physically fighting Duncan, Heather, and Leshawna and she would fight Bridgette but Bridgette's a fucking chicken (we love her though). Izzy joins every fight she sees. Cody is friends with literally everyone in the class and wingmans for everyone while having absolutely no bitches himself. Leshawna and Heather are shouting at each other constantly but that's just canon. When teachers offer candy in kahoots IT IS ON suddenly everyone in the class is enemies but Courtney and Noah always win which is part of the reason why they're beefing with everyone. Duncan threatens Noah but Noah could not give a fuck if he tried. Duncan and Alejandro bond over their hate for the sarcastic asshole nerd. Leshawna is saving Harold's ass from Duncan. Duncan WISHES he had bitches after Courtney and Gwen dumped his ass and became friends (or girlfriends? gwourtney era???). EZEKIEL REDEMPTION??? Zeek thinks Eva is kinda cool for being so strong and gives her a bunch of backhanded compliments like "you're so strong for a girl" and she's like I'll beat your ass but they end up becoming friends. Uh. I could talk more but like I don't want this to be massively long so maybe I'll come back later.

.

[total-drama-brainrot]

i actually have no strong feelings on the topic i just thought it'd make more sense if sierra was gone first but also "please vote me off" "if it's sierra we can just–" "paris?!" "fine." this would have almost zero relevance since the fic would probably start at niagara falls anyway but. cody in jamaica, sierra in area 51, noah in sweden?

now that i think about it owen getting eliminated is marginally less likely if heather gets paired with him. so heather/duncan, gwen/owen, and then the votes play out: owen - alejandro, tyler, heather, lindsay (since lindsay refuses to vote off tyler right now and heather wants to keep the love triangle around that's their only real option), heather - owen, not sure who the other three would vote for but it doesnt totally matter.

thinking about keeping duncan around longer for the gag of him mockingly calling lindsay "princess" because she still has the tiara from niagara falls (can you tell i only do things for the bit yet). but now that i write this out i think him doing it in front of courtney is better. so maybe gwen in china, duncan in africa, and courtney on easter island? "fine, you want to leave? leave!" *sticks him in a cage with feral zeke*

that is indeed why i went with tyler eliminated. i think heather and lindsay doing the tiebreaker and after she wins she feels like she has the upper hand for once. it stops when alejandro gets closer to the volcano but she. somehow pulls out the win at the last second.

but if the lyric is tyler who would be the one wedged in the hole? unless it's lindsay and her argument is "if you leave me wedged in a hole tyler is not going to like you anymore"

alejandro's helpers ... i mean if tyler is still knocked out i don't think he has a lot of options at this point but also having katie and sadie is lame. lindsay's helpers? one of them has gotta be beth because i have an entire scene of her thinking about what if beth won the aftermath challenge instead.

unless i make it so that tyler doesn't get knocked out, gets picked as alejandro's helper despite his many, many doubts, and turns against him last-minute? that's. certainly an idea.

Lindsay being in the hole makes the most sense thematically, and Alejandro would eventually concede to letting her out of the whole for a reason similar to why he lets Heather out in canon; it wouldn't be a satisfactory end to their rivalry. Leaving Lindsay in the hole would be synonymous with Alejandro admitting that he sees her as Too Big A Threat to face head-on, and he's far too prideful to turn down a challenge like that. (Lindsay would communicate this in a less Wordy way, of course, but the point still gets across.) The only difference here is that there isn't a romantic undertone to the song, instead Lindsay's hatred only grows.

Having Lindsay beat Heather in the tiebreaker is also pretty symbolic of her cutting ties with Heather entirely; she doesn't need her anymore, and she's not tethered to Heather's influence anymore either- she's free from the shackles of her Island-self. Like beating a Miniboss before the Final Boss.

And of course Beth's one of her helpers, they're best friends. I'd love to go the full mile and say she has a marginally rehabilitated Ezekiel as her second helper (their trio dynamic in TDDDDI lives on in my heart, like most of the dynamics in that special do) but honestly she'd probably end up with Heather, who volunteers NOT to help Lindsay but to have a part in taking Alejandro down.

Alejandro, on the other hand, doesn't really have anyone on his side. Katie and Sadie would be the most realistic option for volunteers, but even they probably aren't as enamoured with Alejandro as canon thanks to his whole 'stealing Lindsay's boyfriend' thing- they've got standards. In the end, I think Chris would incentivise being a helper for Alejandro either by offering the helpers a cut of the million should he win (which Alejandro protests, to deaf ears)or some other means. Justin would volunteer at that point- he respects the hustle of using your looks and charm to dominate the competition, and he loves money. He also hasn't been directly wronged by Alejandro, so that helps. As for the second? I'm leaning either Owen or DJ; Owen because Alejandro never outright wronged him directly, and he still thinks of the two as friends (despite Alejandro hating him), or DJ because Alejandro didn't wrong him either in this AU and he'd feel guilty for leaving Alejandro stranded at the finish line, even if Alejandro would deserve it.

As for Tyler. That's up to you, really. Depending on where his feelings lie at this point in the story, he could volunteer himself for either person regardless of his injuries (and promptly be told to Sit Down because he's supposed to be healing, not participating) or be caught up in his own indecisiveness and neglect to volunteer himself. 🤷‍♀️

[noco7]

*evil grin* I've asked you about your favorite TD moments, I now want to know your least favorite moments and why 😈

Thanks for the ask! I'll list the least favorite moments in the same way I did the best moments, aka season by season, in reverse order. However, I’m not going to be talking about important character moments this time. Because I don’t really hate those, even if I disagree with them. Although I question a lot of TD's writing decisions, I'm not usually angry. I'm just intrigued. Why did they make those decisions? How did those decisions affect the plot of the show? How did the fandom react? And is there a different way to interpret what happened? There’s just a lot to chew on, and I’m hungry for meta-analysis. So, yeah, while I disagree with a lot of choices, it doesn’t necessarily mean I hate them.  If you see me being dramatic about a plot point I don’t like, chances are I was just hamming it up for the audience. So what about the moments I do hate? Well… 

RR: I've already talked a lot about how much I disliked Noah's elimination, which is probably the REAL worst moment. But there is another moment that is living rent-free in my brain. I've watched RR once, so most things don't stick with me. But this one did.

It's Ep:11 I love Ridonc & Roll, which is surprising because I've praised this episode to the moon and back, calling it Noah's REAL best moment. And it is. But I dislike Emma in this episode. It's weird to me that she's Noah’s love interest, yet she can't even give him a quick pep-talk about stage fright. So instead, Owen does it. A classic romantic moment is to help people past their weaknesses - we saw it with Courtney helping Duncan face the cardboard cutout, we see Zoey reassure Mike about his DID, hell the thing that really starts Davesky off is that when Dave is feeling stressed because of his germophobia, Sky helps him focus. Whatever your opinions on Davesky are, the moment was still sweet. So it’s weird to me that Emma doesn’t get to do it with Noah. (Also now I’m realizing it’s mostly women comforting men. Hmm. Can’t tell if that means anything, or if I just missed something.) But anyway, that’s another reason I feel N*mma is a kind of weak ship, storytelling wise, because their huge emotional beats are with other people - Emma with Kitty, and Noah with Owen. Tbf N*mma has romantic beats, but that’s it. And I’ve already talked about those.

Anyway, that was just an unnecessary rant. The moment I’m actually here to talk about is after Noah proves himself. There's a scene where Emma talks about how she only realized how much she liked Noah when she was worried she'd never see him again. Which is fine. And she says she's going to stop taking him for granted. Good! And then Kitty jokes, "I don't know, are you sure he's still into you?

Emma and Kitty: *both start laughing for an extremely long time*

Emma: "Yeah."

Me, a N*mma hater: BUT HE SHOULDN'T BE! NO! NO!

Lmaoo, you would be surprised about how personally I took those lines. It felt like they were laughing at *me*, lmaoo. Honest to god, it felt like some redditor was smugly telling me how Noah liked Emma, you idiot! He'll never like anyone else! HAHAHA! You're so stupid! Except it was canon. And it was the writers.

I don't even think they meant it like that, lol. It was a joke at Noah's expense, not mine. And even if they had meant it like that, then it’s even funnier. I commend the boldness.

Pakhitew: There's not much I vehemently dislike about Pakhitew. Is there stuff I find annoying? Yes. Sammy and Amy's arc should have been longer. Topher should have been an intern Dakota-style. Scarlett should have had a different resolution to her arc instead of being duped by a Chris-robot. Oddly, as I go on and on about Pakhitew’s flaws, the more I feel endeared to it. Like a woman who purposefully goes to broken down houses, beams, and is like “I love fixer-uppers!” So many characters I liked that didn't get full arcs... characters I can make my own stories for, bring out my own paint. Yess… yesss… yesss.

But. One thing I do dislike a little more than the rest is the Ella vs Sugar thing. And also Sugar's elimination. They make a huge deal out of Sugar being a former child pageant. So when she gets the chance to design a challenge, she works her pageant background into it, via a talent show. And then she loses her own challenge. And tbh, this just feels *mean* to me? I know she had to go, for the Sky vs Shawn finale, but …. everyone else got to show off how good they were at their thing, but not Sugar? She's still being treated as a joke? Like this was their chance to show a different side of Sugar, or just capitalize on the intelligence she had already shown. But nothing? She just does a terrible job and embarrasses herself. It’s SAD.

Unpopular opinion but Sugar VS Shawn in the finale would have been lit. And her helper could have been Ella, and it would be great to see Sugar be forced to work with the girl she hates, and then maybe Ella sees the bad confessionals and realizes that Sugar never liked her or smth. And then... either she decides to be nice, or she decides to get the money to herself. I needed their arc to resolve. 

Lingering_Reflection pakhitew rewrite when, amirite?

All Stars: There are so many All Stars things that didn't work. I could easily just say Jo's elimination because she's one of my favorite characters and therefore I was mad that she was eliminated. (Which is actually rare for me? I don’t care when my gen 1 faves get eliminated, because one, I knew it going in, and two, they have other seasons + TDR. I will get enough time with them either way. Can’t say the same for 2nd and 3rd gen 😭).

The only other All Stars moment I'm passionately angry about is Cameron kissing Courtney against her wishes. It's just. That's a bad thing to do? Like I get it, he's working on Mal's orders for his evil plan. And I love evil plans, and I even love the idea of Evil!Cameron. And I like Cody and Sierra, so it's not even like "i dislike problematic people," either. I just dislike how the show itself treats it.

There's no backlash for Cameron, no callouts. He’s happy with the results. Scott doesn't believe her. Gwen doesn't take her side. Zoey tells her "at least 2 guys kissed you," as if that's any better. I think TD plays fast and loose with sexual harassment as comedy, and this is one of the moments it really shows.

ROTI: I genuinely really love this season, I really really really need to rewatch it. And uhh. I really dislike B's elimination, because it was so heartbreaking. But I also really like Scott, and it was a smart move. So not that. The thing I dislike is one line from Sam - which… I can’t find now? I’ve watched like two episodes, and two Sam compilation videos, and uhh. Nothing. So. Umm. Just not going to say anything, other then the fact that the worst moment about this season being one I imagined speaks to how much I like this season. (Tho there are some things I’d correct, and I suspect I’ll find new things on rewatch.)

World Tour: Okay, another personal one. I dislike C*derra pretty heavily, I don't think that should be a suprise to anyone. I do find most of their interactions funny, and while I don't think Cody *should* be friends with Sierra, it makes a lot of interesting story potential, whether you play it for fluff or for horror.

But there is one thing I just can't look past. In Episode 25, when Cody's balloon has crashed and he gives up, Sierra starts yelling at him.

"You want a number one fan, mister? That comes with responsibilities! You can't let me and the rest of your fans down!"

And there is so much wrong with those sentences?  Sure Sierra is a "Number 1 Fan," yeah, but she's also a STALKER. For most of this season, Cody DIDN'T want her! He didn't! Because she treats him terribly! Sure she’s been nice to him a few times, but overall she’s abusive. It’s a straight-up Mother Gothel moment. I do everything for you, so you can’t let me down. Bro, you’re a terrible person! You don’t deserve anything from your VICTIM!

And even if she wasn't a stalker, and just a genuinely nice fan, who did no wrong -  her statement is terrible. I'm an ex-kpoppie, so I've seen fan celebrity dynamics, and the question of "how much do creators owe fans and vice versa," is something I have strong feelings about. Yes, celebrities do have responsibilities. You can’t be famous if you don’t DO anything, and you usually can’t *keep* being famous if you stop producing content. That’s true. But the idea that you should do something purely because “you can’t let the fans down,” is toxic.

Because there will always be things out of your control, and there will always be times where you’re just not into something. And yes, if you have promised something, you should try to deliver. Especially when there’s money involved. But Cody did not promise *anyone* that he would win. He didn’t promise anyone a hot air balloon ride from Alberta to New Mexico? What? To say he owed her, or his fans, even an attempt, is weird to me. Sierra was a fan by choice. She decided to root for him! So Cody should also be allowed to make his own choices. He’s allowed to quit. And if that means that you as a fan, feel betrayed, then whatever. Choose to support someone else. Because it’s your choice, and you cannot force your choices onto others, just because you “deserve it,” for…. Liking them? Like it makes no sense. I love you, so you must do something… no. That’s not how it works! If you love someone, you do something. Because it’s your feelings, not there’s! It stinks of fan entitlement. And I don’t even like celebrities - like I’m not out here to defend celebrities for their mistakes. But Cody wasn’t “making a mistake,” he was just trying to quit on his own terms. And Sierra yelled at him for it, and told him he owed her to try harder!

But I understand why she feels entitled, because I've seen it in a lot of kpop fans. A LOT of fans invest huge amounts of money and time into their idols.  There's so much pressure to be a "good fan," a "true fan." You not only have to buy their music, but you must promote their music, you must stream their music, you must vote for their music, you must praise each and every one of them, you must defend each and every one of them - it becomes a job. A job that fans do, willingly, or unwillingly, because they like the idol that much. And if you’re putting in that much work… wouldn’t you want the same kind of dedication in return? Imagine hyping up someone’s upcoming concert for weeks, and then they cancel it. Wouldn’t you be a little angry? You were so excited, you did your part and they didn’t do theirs. “Stress,” or whatever. Sure. You’re stressed too. But if they want fans like you, they owe you top-tier performances. But you can’t think like that. You can’t. I understand your feelings, but you cannot try to control someone else’s life. In fact, the more you truly love a person, the less you should want to control them. Sometimes things happen, and you have to accept that. Take the refund and go. People are allowed to quit, allowed to take hiatuses. People aren’t machines that output what you put in - they have their own lives, and their own issues, and like. Just stop. (This attitude isn’t actually that common in kpop, but it is there.)

Basically, my argument is that what Sierra says to him, that he owes the fans something he’s never promised, and something he doesn’t want to do - is very unethical.  There are people who like this moment, and I get it. "Wow, Sierra's finally holding Cody accountable! Finally, she’s making HIM do something!" And that is a flip from the way Sierra usually treats Cody - at least on the outside.

But Sierra isn’t the victim in the Cody-Sierra relationship. She never was. She's always been demanding more for him, or not even demanding - just taking! She’s been touching him and kissing him against his will, she’s guilt-tripped him. Yes, she puts up with a lot of disrespect from Cody. But he’s put up with a lot more, and everything he’s done has been a reaction to her. So no, this isn’t really character development for Sierra. This is just a different shade of entitlement. Action:

Umm. I think everyone knows that the way Trent was handled sucks. We also know that Gwen didn't deserve flack for dumping him. Gwent sucked in Action is not a hot take. And I've also already talked way too much. So just take this screenshot:

"What can I say? Kid's hot." I don't think you need me to tell you why that line is wrong. There’s also the finale, which also isn’t a hot take. But my problem with the finale is less that I dislike the contestants, but more that I don’t think they fit the theme. The finale is heavy on Good VS Bad, which is a classic. I don’t have a problem with that. And Duncan does fit “Bad.” But Beth doesn’t fit “Good.” There’s the time where she kissed Harold against his will (eww), the numerous times she bragged about her boyfriend when people weren’t into it, the time Courtney made an alliance with her, and there was a whole thing about how she wasn’t as nice and naive as Courtney believed her to be. Like that was the point! That she could hold her own! The alliance ends with her betraying Courtney! Betrayal! And then I’m supposed to believe she’s the GOOD side? I don’t think she’s evil, or even that bad. But she’s not nice. She’s average!  To be fair, it could be argued the only nice character on TD is Owen. And Owen was already a finalist. But if so.... just don’t make a good vs bad finale? (Or don’t eliminate Geoff and Bridgette immediately. Or Harold. Or Leshawna. Hmm. There were so many better candidates to fir this theme. Why Beth? I need to know. If anyone has any ideas, please tell me.) Island:  There were actually two moments here, but I decided to cut it down to one.  It’s Heather reading Gwen's diary outloud. And this is not because I am a Gwen stan. I’m a Gwen centrist, if anything. This moment is here because it’s stupid. There’s a lot of stupid TD moments though, so what’s so special about this one? Uhh, it’s just the reason I don’t care for Heather. With faves like Courtney and Scarlett and Amy, you’d think Heather’d fit right in. But nope! And that's because I expected more from her. To be frank, I was expecting Alison DiLaurentis from Pretty Little Liars. I'm talking master manipulator, gaslighting genius, bachelor's in bullying. And Heather's just... not. And yeah I'm holding her to unfair standards, but come on. Why read Gwen’s diary aloud? Like, what did she expect to happen? Yes you've humiliated Gwen, but you haven't actually made her look BAD. You’ve just made yourself look like a bully. Heather could have pulled a Regina George, and wrote random mean things in Gwen's diary, read it outloud, and had the whole team turn on Gwen. She could have revealed something genuinely disgusting, made the team trust Gwen less. She could have held off, and used info from it as blackmail. But nope! Instead she reads it aloud, and it's just the Trent crush? Like no one cares. No one cares!!! What did you accomplish, Heather? What did you accomplish? Nothing! It feels so middle school. Do better! Tl;dr: Most of my least favorite moments are really just personal peeves, instead of problematic plot points. Or like. I just hate sexual harassment. Not that it can’t be shown in media, but I’d rather it be taken seriously.  Bonus: the tags that I couldn’t post because of an error message

[noco7]

Do you think the love triangle was forced?

I like how you say "the love triangle." I know you mean Gwen-Duncan-Courtney but like. There was a Cody-Gwen-Trent triangle before them, and an Ella-Dave-Sky love triangle afterwards. They are not the only TD love triangle out there.

I'm going to be honest, I don't personally care about the Gwen-Duncan-Courtney love triangle. I don't get the outrage. So many people see it as the end of the glorious D*ncney empire, but that relationship was crumbling before Gwen got there. I also don't care much for Gwen or Duncan as chacters 💀 Courtney all the way, and Evil!Courtney is Best!Courtney, so the love triangle did not destroy my favorite character lmao. Sorry for the rest of y'all though.

And yeah. It was forced. I think everyone believes that, and I kinda doubt you anon - that you asked this question in good faith. You just wanted to see me rant, didn't you?

And I'm gonna do it, cuz I love ranting. Yes, The Love Triangle was forced. And that's the biggest problem with it, imo. Not the result. Not Gwuncan. But all the steps it took to get there.

It's no question that Gwen and Duncan's like for each other was a little.... abrupt. They are alike, and I could even argue that they WOULD make a decent couple, but Fresh wasn't interested in writing a decent couple, and I'll touch more on that later. They were interested in the drama. So suddenly, Gwen starts missing Duncan. Suddenly, Duncan kisses her. And huzzah, one of the most controversial moments in TD History.

After all what's more soap opera than the girl's boyfriend cheating on her with her best friend? And to get to that scene, S2 and S3 were made a fuckton worse.

The thing about Gwuncan is not just that it's poorly written. It's because the writers had to demolish Gwent and Duncney to get there. And instead of putting down Gwent with grace and dignity, or having their relationship generally peter out, the writers just machet-ed it. And in the fandom's eyes, that's *Gwuncan's* fault.

In the real world you can't blame your bad breakup on the next guy your girl gets with. But this isn't the real word, this is writing. And word on the street is that TD had to fuck up Gwent so that they could get Gwuncan. So now Gwuncan represents the downfall of Gwent.

Duncney, on the other hand, was just... they needed to make the relationship worse in Action, obviously. But how they went about it (even I though I enjoy evil Courtney), did a disservice to her character arc in Island. There's nothing wrong with characters regressing, or making a dark turn, but like. You need to have a reason.

A lot of people say that reason was her anger on being rigged out. And she's right to be angry about it. But how is it Duncan's fault? (I actually have a figured out a way that makes sense but like, TD didn't. And we're examining THEM.)

So now Duncney sucks, so Duncan has a "reason," to cheat on her.

Great. So that's why S2 sucks. What about S3?

I See London. As a Noah stan, this episode doesn't hurt me, and it never did. But as a *writer*? Oof. Some of the worst slop I've seen.

I See London is completely built for the Gwuncan moment, and it's so fucking obvious. Gwen and Courtney building a friendship? It's just to make the betrayal all the harder. Duncan somehow being in London, despite being dropped off in Egypt? Yeah, just for Gwuncan. Gwen helping KIDNAP him? Which is OOC for several reasons.... Just for Gwuncan. Even Noah's elimination could be tied to Gwuncan if you tried hard enough.

Gwuncan, as a writing moment, was the root of all evil. Lmao.

But Gwuncan as a ship? I'm going to be honest, I don't think the love triangle was to set up Gwuncan. Which doesn't make sense, but here me out. Sure Gwuncan happens as a result, but the focus is less on their relationship and more about how it affects Courtney. When it comes time to eliminate either Courtney and Gwen, they make up a fake reason to have a tie. (Cody would have voted for Courtney if he didn't have some random injury.) And then Gwen couldn't just lose, but had to have a random allergy? Like the elimination is so stupid, I can't.

But wow, one half of the ship is now gone. Their relationship lasted FOUR episodes! Four! Two long-standing fan beloved ships that spanned entire seasons, are now destroyed for ... four episodes? Why?

And then they make an episode where DUNCNEY get paired together in a WEDDING THEMED CHALLENGE? Bruh. Like I'm actually sad for Gwuncan, as a ship they were disrespected so bad. The show constantly put focus on Duncney, it's so clear that the writers wanted to talk about Duncney, and that Gwuncan was just a cool conflict they thought of.

It's honestly sad, and my deepest condolences for Gwuncan fans, and any Gwuncan fan who still ships Gwuncan and believes in them - y'all the strongest soldiers.

If TD had truly wanted to make Gwuncan a thing, yeah breaking up Gwent and Duncney was necessary (and perhaps they should have ended Duncney earlier and not just Then), but they should have written Gwuncan as two people fleeing terrible relationships. Let them have the audience's sympathy. And then have Courtney be eliminated instead, and show us how good Gwuncan could really be.

The fact that in All Stars they immediately ditched the Gwuncan idea is either proof they never wanted that ship, or that the audience hated the ship so bad that getting rid of it felt like the only option. Cowards. Should have just taken it as a challenge to prove how good it truly was. That's what I would have done. (That's why i write noco)

Tl;dr. Gwuncan's cheating moment was Cool Drama, Fresh wanted to cash in on that, played the long game and destroyed their savings in the process. But they did get what they wanted! But a cool moment is just that, a moment. And Fresh doesn't even like Gwuncan.