Fanfic / Total Drama: Superstar Showdown

The cast of Total Drama: Superstar Showdown. ^note First Row (from left to right): Devin, Chrissy, Elena, Julia, Flora, Mackenzie, Ori, PJ, Puck, Trick, Helga. Second Row (from left to right): Layla, Trey, Kavren, Tolkien, Chelsey, Wolfgang, Nic, Veronica, Estrella, Alex, Arthur. Not pictured: Gary and Roz, the host.

Total Drama: Superstar Showdown is the fifth and final season of Toadgamer80's Total Drama fanfiction series. It is an all-star season that features twenty-two (or maybe twenty-three) fan favorite contestants from the four previous stories: Total Drama School, Total Drama Tiki Jungle, Total Drama Revolution, and Total Drama Tokyo. Chris McLean is no longer hosting, due to being stuck in Japan, and Roz from Total Drama Tokyo has taken over the role. The season takes place at a beach somewhere in Michigan, the home state of the author.

You can read the story here.

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This story provides examples of:

• Aborted Arc:
  • According to Word of God, Trick was originally going to have a redemption story due to not being very well-liked in his original story, and there are hints of this in the early chapters. The author realized that he was just too much of a boring and unlikable character to effectively do this with, though.
  • Wolfgang and Helga's relationship, with Helga being eliminated an episode after it is established. Eventually subverted though, as it gets more exposure in the final few episodes.
• Accidental Kiss: Arthur and Julia have one of these during the fourteenth chapter's challenge, when Julia falls from a tree on top of him.
• Aerith and Bob: The contestants' names range from Alex, Arthur, Gary, and Julia to Estrella, Kavren, Tolkien, and Wolfgang.
• Alpha Bitch: This story interestingly has three characters who could be considered this trope: Chelsey, who's more of a Lovable Alpha Bitch, Layla, who's a Defrosting Ice Queen and Rich Bitch, and then Elena, who's played completely straight to the point of parody.
• Ambiguously Bi:
  • Nic displays occasional flamboyant mannerisms while attempting to be villainous, and despite hitting on almost every girl in the cast, his love for Alejandro seems to be a bit more than idolizing. He also kissed Alex on the cheek after winning a certain challenge.
  • Tolkien, in addition to having crushes on Roz and Ari, has cuddled with Trick in his sleep multiple times.
• Anti-Hero: Wolfgang. For the first half of the story, he seems to be an unrepentant asshole - he's aloof, grouchy, pessimistic, and constantly abuses Puck. However, come chapter eleven, it's clear that there's more to him. By the end, he's still snarky, but he's clearly on the "good" side and is shown to not be a bad person or a villain at all.
• Arch-Enemy:
  • Arthur and Julia, though this is mostly one-sided on Julia's side, as she harbors a deep hatred for him while he's in love with her.
  • Wolfgang and Puck, in a similar example - Puck believes Wolfgang is his best friend, while Wolfgang despises him.
• Ass Pull: In-universe example, Roz often decides challenges on a whim or bases them on a problem that just happened to occur, even planning them at the last minute.
• Back for the Finale: The two-part season finale features every eliminated contestant of the season returning in the first part, and then every other contestant from the past seasons returning in the second, resulting in a total of 62 characters, not even counting the non-contestants. Chris McLean also returns, after being stranded in Tokyo for the entire story.
• Bad "Bad Acting": The skit challenge in the sixth chapter is, as expected, a trainwreck. The Ralphcakes create a One Direction-inspired music video which fails miserably, and the Citrus Fruits create a bizarre superhero sketch with Nic fighting Alex (who happens to be in drag).
• Belligerent Sexual Tension:
  • It is revealed midway through the story that Arthur's arguments with Julia are actually this (on his side, at least) - he's had a crush on Julia for years.
  • Helga name-drops this trope when discussing Chrissy and Nic's interactions.
• Berserk Button: This cast seems to have quite a few.
  • Julia has Arthur's existence, and similarly Wolfgang has Puck's.
  • Chelsey despises unpopularity, and when she finds out Flora is beating her in the popularity polls, Flora becomes subjected to Chelsey's wrath.
• Big "NO!":
  • Puck when a car runs over his fish, Versace.
  • Julia twice - once when she accidentally kisses her Arch-Enemy Arthur, and another time when she finds out Zane has left One Erection.
• Big "WHAT?!":
  • Elena and Estrella after being eliminated.
  • Wolfgang after realizing that Puck fed his German truffles to his fish, Versace.
  • Chelsey after finding out Flora is winning the popularity polls, and again after Trey reveals his true motives.
  • Everyone left in the competition when Gary suddenly debuts into the game.
• Bilingual Bonus: The Gratuitous Russian Alex speaks as Vladimira Rastalilenibachevin is... very interesting if translated.
• Birds of a Feather: Wolfgang and Helga are both sarcastic, introverted, cerebral, and German - they slowly realize how much they have in common and end up dating.
• Bland-Name Product: In addition to your average object/pop culture references (such as Cirie for Siri), most book titles (often read by Helga) would best be described as this - examples range from "The Enigmatic Benedick Organization" to "The Positively False Diary of a Full-Time Native American."
• Black Dude Dies First: The first boot is Ori, who is one of two black characters competing in the season (Arthur is biracial).
• Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: The Tiki Jungle trio of Helga, Chrissy, and Julia (though her hair is dyed brown this season) respectively.
• Bread, Eggs, Breaded Eggs:
  Wolfgang: "First off, I do not like cross-dressing. Secondly, I do not like singing. And finally, I do not like cross-dressing while singing. Got it?"
• Breakout Character: Wolfgang and Flora, two minor pre-merge boots from Total Drama Tokyo who became in-universe Ensemble Darkhorses, are two of the main characters this time around.
• Bridal Carry: Happens with Chelsey and Trey in the marriage challenge - however, Trey is the one being carried.
• Capture the Flag: The first challenge is a game of extreme capture the flag, where anything goes. To prove this, Roz gives one team a cannon and cannonballs.
• Chekhov's Gun: The love note that was originally given to Roz in the ninth chapter. Arthur later reveals that it was actually written by him and meant for Julia.
• Christmas Episode: Chapter thirteen features Mr. Chapman in a Santa costume as well as appearances from contestants' family members due to the Christmas theme of celebrating with family.
• Cool Uncle: Estrella's uncle Aurelio (based on Voltaire), who's traveled around the world and actually makes Estrella happy.
• Continuity Cameo: Previous contestants and characters from previous seasons make cameos, including Lizza, Casey, and Ori's Dad.
• Deadpan Snarker: Helga is the best example, considering most of her character revolves around being extremely sarcastic and snide, but other characters such as Estrella, Wolfgang, and even occasionally Arthur qualify.
• Demoted to Extra: Several characters who were the stars of previous stories, such as Kavren, Devin, and Chrissy, are booted early this time around.
• Dragged into Drag: Alex is forced to dress as a woman for the Citrus Fruits' skit, though ultimately he doesn't seem to mind much.
  Alex: “I get mistaken for females at home enough already.”
• Early-Installment Weirdness: The story was written over the course of four years, with various hiatuses taken in between. As a result, the first few chapters are written in a different style than the rest, and include much more unbalanced screentime (thanks to a small Spotlight-Stealing Squad), awkward syntax, and lowbrow jokes.
• Expy:
  • Estrella was inspired by Jade West from Victorious and Raven from Teen Titans.
  • Puck and Wolfgang were based around and named after two NPCs from Animal Crossing, although their personalities are much more fleshed out.
• Fan Disservice: Devin walks around nude a few times. Also, Arthur appears in drag more than once. Both instances are seen as repulsive by the other contestants.
• Faux Yay: Trey comes up with this scheme so he can create alliances with the female contestants, notably Fag Hag Chelsey, once he notices his teammates watching YouTube videos starring a gay man.
• Fetch Quest: Roz is a fan of using these as challenges.
  • After her phone is stolen, Roz sends the two teams to find it in a nearby town so she can continue texting her "love buddies."
  • A later challenge is simply to fetch her a meal from McDonald's.
• Flat "What": Chrissy's reaction to seeing Arthur, in drag, present the Hopalong Ralphcakes' skit.
• Foreshadowing:
  • Wolfgang and Helga's relationship is alluded to a few times prior, specifically when the two arrive back-to-back in the intro and interact.
  • Helga and Estrella's favorite book series is The Vulture Chronicles. Helga and an actual vulture play large roles in the finale.
• HA HA HA—No:
  Layla: "Physical work? Hahahahahahaha, nope. Are you kidding me? No way."
• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Blonde Nice Girl Mackenzie is absurdly sunny and cheerful. Originally a means of coping with an emotional injury, by the time the story begins it has become a genuine part of her personality.
• Halloween Episode: One chapter, Halloweenies, is Halloween-themed. The challenge is of course to gather the most candy while in costume.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: Arthur and Kavren, as well as Julia, Helga, and Chrissy (interestingly, they don't all really like each other, but have a mutual respect for one another).
• Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Arthur and Julia, thanks to Arthur's girth and the fact Julia is known for being short.
• Humiliation Conga: Trey's boot episode is one big one for him. After losing all his allies, everyone openly decides to work together to make sure he loses the challenge, and they all openly mock him before he is voted out unanimously. This leads to a brief epiphany on the Boat of Losers.
• Hypocritical Humor:
  • Chrissy gives Julia advice on boys:
  Chrissy: "I mean, you just gotta act chill." (man walks by, accidentally bumps into her, she pulls out a pocketknife) "WATCH IT, BUDDY!"
  • Alex confronts Layla about her lack of motivation:
  Alex: “You know, Layla, maybe if you weren’t so lazy all the time... Hey, can someone get me my phone?” (points to phone, which is two feet away from him)
  • Wolfgang tries to adopt a positive attitude:
  Wolfgang: "Alright, fine. I have no room for negativity in my life." (falls out of chair) “UGH! What’s wrong with this chair? Couldn’t you have picked something that isn’t a DEATH TRAP?!”
• In-Series Nickname: Puck's habit of calling Wolfgang "Wolfie" eventually spreads to all of the other contestants, as well as the host.
• Jive Turkey: As usual, Devin is this in spades, talking in a near-unintelligible rap jargon. In addition, between seasons, Ori has developed an obsession with Devin and has started to emulate his behavior, resulting in him becoming one too.
• Latin Lover:
  • Nic tries to be this, and fails...
  Nic: "Estrella, we haven’t interacted much, have we? That can change. (winks) Being a Latina, I know you enjoy my fiery Alejandro-like blood."
  • ...but then the real Alejandro shows up in a later challenge, and puts Nic to shame.
  Alejandro: (after Chelsey hands him her phone number) "Thank you, mi amor. I will be sure to keep this and treasure it in a special place for a special girl like you."
• Leitmotif: Canon contestant Alejandro's Latin theme is described as being used for Nic... but usually played from his phone.
• Loony Fan: Although she isn't actually competing in this season, the Chelsey-obsessed Casey returns for chapter eleven and doesn't really... seem to leave.
• Love Letter Lunacy: The ninth chapter's challenge involves the staff trying to decipher which contestant sent Roz a cryptic love note. Turns out, a few chapters later, Arthur confesses that it was written by him and for Julia, but accidentally given to Roz.
• Manipulative Editing: As host, Roz seems to be guilty of this in trying to make the show as dramatic as possible. She jokes about editing Mackenzie as completely invisible so her elimination will be even more 'shocking.'
• The Millstone: The Hopalong Ralphcakes have many of these, including Arthur, who never puts in any effort in challenges and spends most of his time harassing Trey and fooling around, as well as his sidekick Kavren and the equally obnoxious Puck. Somehow, they win the first four challenges, but Kavren is the first to go once they finally lose.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: Most celebrities referenced in the story are this, such as Julia's favorite band One Erection.
• "No. Just… No" Reaction: Courtesy of Estrella, once seeing Devin's sign (that says "RACK $ITY") for the team's fort.
• Non-Gameplay Elimination: Layla quits soon after the merge, after a visit from her former butler Charles causes her to realize that there's no point in competing anymore.
• Noodle Incident:
  Julia: "[Not liking One Erection is] punishable. Like, one time I took Tasia to their concert, and... I don’t want to talk about it."
  Arthur: "Ooh, is that the story about the turkey?"
  Julia: "ARTHUR, SHUT UP! You know nothing."
  • Julia later lists an entire paragraph's worth of these when talking about Arthur's embarrassing middle school days.
• Odd Friendship: Wolfgang and Flora, which Wolfgang later lampshades. Wolfgang is a Defrosting Ice King Deadpan Snarker while Flora is a Nice Girl, but their friendship strengthens to the point where Flora lets Wolfgang beat her and get to the final two because he was genuinely nice to her.
• Only Known by Their Nickname:
  • Puck is almost exclusively referred to as Puck, though his real name was previously revealed to be Cornelius Puckerschmidt. Arthur does call him Cornelius or "Corn" a few times.
  • Chrissy, whose name was previously revealed to be Christian
  • PJ, which stands for Patricia Jane.
• Only One Name: Most of the cast, not counting Word of God, with a few notable exceptions - Puck (Cornelius Puckerschmidt), PJ (Patricia Jane Dotcubed), Ori (Oriana Slicersun Gerard), Trey (St. Clair), and Layla (A. Knee).
• Precision F-Strike: Since this story is rated PG-13, only one use of the word "fuck" is allowed. For the second time in a row, Layla takes advantage of this.
  Layla: “Why am I even doing this again? Charles, right? Seriously, is it worth it? I mean, it’s not like my parents care. Daddy’s all busy doing his businessy nonsense and Mother is always trying to find ways to divorce Daddy but still be able to keep a large sum of our money… Fuck. And YEAH, I just dropped the one F-bomb of the story for the second time in a row. Suck it, losers.”
• Pungeon Master: There are a few in this cast - Puck being the main one, though Arthur is also known to make the occasional pun. In addition, almost every chapter title is a (usually horrible) pun of some sort.
• The Quiet One: As usual, PJ rarely speaks, preferring to use Visible Silence. As she's second out, she only gets in a few lines before she leaves.
• Rash Equilibrium: A few alliances turn out to be these. Notably, Elena and Chelsey form an alliance together...even though they openly mock and insult each other.
• Running Gag:
  • Arthur constantly bringing up his bizarre family members.
  • Chelsey bringing up Popularity Points, or PP, and insulting the other contestants about it.
  • Helga's habit of reading a new Lawyer-Friendly Cameo book every chapter returns in this story.
  • Layla trying to find a new Charles, and not being too successful.
  • Nic completely and utterly failing at everything evil.
  • Puck finding more and more ways to enrage Wolfgang.
• Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: The last two male contestants standing, Wolfgang and Trey - initially Wolfgang is the Manly Man due to his loud, grouchy personality and Trey is the Sensitive Guy due to his meek, depressed nature, but the two's roles switch around halfway through the story when Trey becomes the Big Bad and Wolfgang undergoes Character Development.
• Shocking Elimination: invoked The elimination of Mackenzie is somewhat of a parody of shocking eliminations, even having a cheesy speech. Roz even jokes about its 'shocking' status.
  Roz: "Can’t wait to talk to the editors and make her invisible so it’s super juicy and shocking! I mean, uh... Tune in next time for more drama and ‘comedy’ on Total... Drama... Superstar Showdown!"
• Shoo Out the Clowns: Arthur and Julia, two of the silliest characters in the season, are eliminated simultaneously right before Trey's plot comes to a head. This also happens earlier to a lesser extent with Puck's elimination making room for Wolfgang's development.
• Shout-Out: The story contains many, from occasional pop-culture references to references to other fanfictions or the canon series.
• Sickeningly Sweet: Wolfgang has this reaction to basically everything Flora says.
  Wolfgang: "Okay, Flora’s love for adorable and happy things is SERIOUSLY gross. But I dunno, man, it’s so hard to get mad at her! She’s basically a walking ray of sunshine."
• Slap-Slap-Kiss: Casey and Puck, sometimes literally. After Puck is eliminated, Casey is genuinely angry that Chelsey, her idol, wasn't voted out instead, but begins making out with Puck seconds later.
• Small Name, Big Ego: Chelsey, Elena, and Nic all boast comically overinflated egos, which unsurprisingly causes none of them to get along with each other.
• Speech-Centric Work: The story relies on its dialogue for most of the plot and humor, and Word of God says that the challenges are deliberately designed to minimize action and maximize character interaction.
• Springtime for Hitler: In the garden challenge, Arthur comes up with a scheme to sabotage Trey's team by planting Vance in their garden. Unfortunately for Arthur, Mr. Chapman is judging, and he ends up giving them the win.
  Mr. Chapman: "This is an excellent demonstration of pollution and how it has plagued American gardens lately. While a revolting sight to behold, it is quite realistic, for items like these have been popping up everywhere lately due to the growing problem of littering in our society thanks to the ignorance of humans. The earth must be saved, and I am delighted that you are bringing this issue to attention and fighting for what is right."
• Straight Gay: Ori is gay, and his obsession with Devin was mostly a crush. Outside of that, he displays no flamboyant mannerisms and is pretty masculine.
• Suddenly Shouting: Trey eventually gets fed up with Chelsey's shenanigans and continued belief that he's gay, and starts yelling at her.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Julia joins Arthur's team, the Hopalong Ralphcakes, after a random switch, and they are then reluctantly forced to work together. This is later brought back when they're paired together in a wedding challenge (for the second time).
• Title Drop: Like the source material and several other Total Drama fanfictions, the show ends with the host, Roz, signing off and dropping the title.
• Token Good Teammate: Flora on the Ralphcakes, as everyone else ranges from snarky to obnoxious to a legitimately horrible person.
• Wham Episode:
  • Chapter eleven, "The Fast and the Foodious." A mostly normal and comedic episode ends with Wolfgang and Helga starting a relationship, fan favorites who were snubbed from the season Gary and Casey making cameos and Gary actually debuting, and Puck being voted out.
  • Chapter eighteen, "Bride and Prejudice," also qualifies. In this one, the Wolfgang/Flora friendship develops significantly, Trey finally reveals to Chelsey that he's not gay and is still the Big Bad, and the two biggest comic relief characters in the season are simultaneously eliminated.
• World of Snark: Pretty much everyone is rude to each other, and there are more than a few contestants for whom snarkiness is one of their main traits. And then there's Flora.