The Legend of Total Drama Island/Brett's Mother

Brett’s Mother, labeled The Storyteller, is a former contestant in The Legend of Total Drama Island. She narrates the main story to her reader surrogate son.

Background
Little is currently known about Brett’s mother. She was one of the 11 girls who competed in the first season of Total Drama Island, where she did well (presumably meaning at least the top third of the field, i.e. the Final 7 or 8) but didn’t win. She is a single mother, although it’s not clear whether she has always been single. She may have gotten a little too friendly with one of the boys competing, or with a male intern, because Brett was born within a year after the game ended.

What She Does in the Story
In the Prologue, after Brett tells her that he’s been selected to compete in Total Drama Island: The Next Generation, a revival to be hosted by Chris McLean’s niece, his mother reveals that she was a contestant on the first season (“when nobody knew what to expect”) of the original show. Brett insists that she tell him all about it, thus setting the stage for the main story.

During the Second Night, when she concludes “The Tale of the Gathering”, the Storyteller and her son establish the pattern of engaging in “Greek chorus” commentary between “episodes”. She reveals that she started going by her middle name when she entered college because her attitudes had changed so much that she now regards her previous self as a different person. When telling the story, she refers to herself in the third person for the same reason. She tells her son that he made her grow up before her time, implying that her attitude shift resulted at least in part from the travails of being a teen mother.

During the Fourth Night, when the Storyteller concludes “The Tale of the First Challenge”, Brett asks why the contestants were so eager to stay in the game even after discovering that it was potentially deadly. His mother explains that Chris had said that most of the later challenges wouldn’t be so dangerous. She also admits that the campers, having seen where Chris’ priorities lay, were afraid of what he might do to anyone whom he thought was deliberately trying to get voted off. Finally, she admits that, even after seeing the true stakes, the campers were still desperate to be famous.

During the Fifth Night, when Brett’s mother concludes “The Tale of Campers vs. Somnus”, her son questions the timeline of her story, and by way of explanation she reveals a great deal about the show’s broadcast schedule. Most notably, she reveals that the show aired five nights per week in near-prime time, with challenges airing on Mondays and Thursdays, eliminations on Tuesdays and Fridays, and a studio-based “aftermath” segment on Wednesdays.

During the Seventh Night, when she concludes “The Tale of the Dodgeball Match”, the Storyteller’s son asks why guitar players have such power over girls’ hearts. She admits that she doesn’t know, despite the phenomenon being common enough to be a cliché.

During the Eighth Night, when she concludes “The Tale of the Talent Show”, Brett makes comments for the first time, instead of asking questions. When he suggests that Katie turning double agent on Heather was fitting karma for the Diary Incident, his mother notes that “Kids will be kids, and teenage girls can be awfully catty towards each other.” When Brett expresses sympathy at Bridgette’s fate, his mother suggests that Bridgette being an early out was probably for the best because the pure-hearted surfer girl might not have been able to handle the horrors that still lay ahead of the campers who got deep into the game.

During the Tenth Night, when she concludes “The Tale of the Camping Trip”, Brett’s mother reveals that she is not above inserting false details to pull her son’s leg.

During the Twelfth Night, when she concludes “The Tale of Fear and Loathing”, Brett and his mother briefly discuss the revelation that Lindsay had a brain after all. The Storyteller then (presumably) foreshadows later incidents when she says, “It took [Lindsay] a while to grow a spine, though… but I’m getting ahead of myself.”

Trivia

 * Her storytelling style is mainly based on the Mardrus & Mathers translation of The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night. Her catch phrase, “but that is another story for another time” comes from the fantasy novel, The Sword of Shannara, where it was a catchphrase of the Druid Allanon, invoked whenever he chanced to mention something touching on the origin of the elves.

Acknowledgements
Thanks to the following people for their part in making Brett’s mother a Featured Character, which in turn led to her getting a character page:

First and foremost, JERealize for nominating her—an idea that never would have occurred to me. JER unsurprisingly voted for her as well.

Thanks also to (naturally) the people who voted for her and carried her to victory over a formidable opponent:


 * JustLittleOlMe
 * Rhonda the stalker fan!
 * SpaceWeather
 * BrunoSomebody
 * CindyTDITDATDWT
 * Chefville king
 * Reddude