Changers! Episode 1: Round 1. The transformations!

"Aaaand we're back! Hope you good folks at home didn't miss us too much while we went to commercial. Regardless, I guarantee that the wait will have been well worth it!"

Dupont's gaze floats away from camera #12 and locks on the live audience in front of him.

"As for our lively in-studio audience, or should I say, In-arena audience, we never truly left, now did we?"

He gives the live audience a brief wink, as though there's a shared secret between them that their remote counterparts aren't supposed to be let in on. Crowd work 101, you want the audience to feel like you're their friend.

"Now, I'm sure you'd LOVE to hear me ramble on, but that's not why where here, is it?"

The crowd roared, knowing perfectly well what comes next.

"That's right! Why don't we-"

"TALLY THOSE VOTES!!!"

The audience goes fucking batshit crazy once more. Consisting mostly of men, it doesn't take psychologist to figure out what has got them so worked up. The very reason they're here in the first place; to watch those two beautiful women get one step closer to their ultimate, depraved fantasies of course!

"Technicians! You heard the people, now, let's give them what they want! As per usual, let's start with this round's winner!"

Following Dupont's statement, Britney's heart races as a surge of adrenaline floods her system. Though minor, the change is irreversible, a permanent mark on her physical being. Sure, Mercedes is about to endure something far worse, but that does little to lessen Britney's unease.

With no regard to Britney's current anxiety, the bespoke graphics are thrust upon the giant screens behind the two contestants. Four pillars lined up next to one another with a clear, negative space within each. The animations are well thought out and executed as their respective options slowly fade into view underneath. "Hair color", "Lip fillers", "Facial piercings", and finally, "Voice change". This is Britney's first time facing her options.

Suffice it to say, she's not super excited about any of them. Her eyes dart between them, her mind racing to create a hierarchy of preferences. Lip fillers sounds awful, she prides herself on her natural and dignified appearance, similarly, hair color could be just as destructive to her image. At least facial piercings would push her towards a more rebellious look, not that it would resonate any better with the person she saw herself as. Voice is more of a joker to her, with no clear indication as to which direction that particular option would take her. Possibly the lesser of four evils, it might as well be the worst option depending on the exact effects.

"My, what interesting choices you've been treated with tonight, dear Britney! Got any ..favorites?"

A slight twinge of taunt lingers in Dupont's voice, as though he's fully aware of the poor influencer's state of mind. He doesn't appear the least bit surprised by the options presented, hinting that he may have known about them long before they were revealed to the contestants—or even the audience itself.

"I.. Uhm- I'm not particularly fond of any of them to be honest."

The confidence she'd so effortlessly exuded since she first entered the stage wavered ever so slightly, as if the true weight of the game is now crashing down upon her shoulders all at once

"Well, I don’t think the audience quite shares your feelings there, Britney! Let’s find out exactly what they think. Technicians, let those votes loose!"

On cue, the pillars begin filling from the bottom, each rising at a steady, synchronized pace. Almost immediately, the pillars for hair color and lip fillers grind to a halt at nearly identical heights. Britney exhales a sigh of relief, grateful she won’t have to live with lip fillers—at least for now. With only two contenders left, her thoughts swirl as she tries to decide which might be the milder option. Fixing her gaze on the pillars, her emotions teeter between relief and dread as the option for facial piercings finally comes to a grueling stop, leaving the voice change to climb above the rest.

"And there we have it folks! Our first change of the evening will be to Britney's butter smooth voice! Just for reference, why don't you let us know how you feel about the result?"

Dupont swings his gaze away from the audience and back towards Britney, awaiting her response eagerly.

"Kinda hard to tell if it's a good or bad thing to be honest, it all depends on how it changes exactly.. I'm just glad I didn't have to deal with the fillers."

"A good mindset to have for sure! Every cloud has its silver lining! Alright technicians, why don't we get right to it, I'm sure our audience is eager for the first-"

"CHANGE!!!"

A slight chuckle escapes Dupont’s lips just as a tingle forms around Britney’s throat. A wave of lightheadedness sweeps over her as the change takes root, permanently altering her vocal cords. Then, just as quickly as it came, the sensation fades, leaving her with one burning question—the same question on everyone’s mind: What did it do to her voice?

"Oh, and before you decide to give us the silent treatment, just know that we have methods to compel you into playing along! So don't be shy, spit it out!"

Despite the horrifying nature of his comment, Dupont’s tone remained playful. Yet, for anyone even slightly familiar with the game, his words were no lie. The game truly has its ways of making contestants... more compliant.

"There’s no need for that. I’m here to play by the rules, and I have no intention of sticking it to either you or the audience!"

As the words escaped her lips, Britney let out an audible gasp, her hands flying to cover her mouth, as if that could somehow erase her humiliation. Her once dignified, smooth voice had transformed into something several octaves higher, with an odd, drawn out inflection—the kind of voice that screamed airhead. Exactly the last thing Britney would have wanted. For someone constantly battling to be respected and taken seriously as an influencer, this change would undoubtedly undermine all her efforts.

"Oh my! It seems our little influencer darling has adopted the 'Valley Girl' way of speaking! I’m sure being taken seriously will be quite the challenge now! A truly grueling fate for someone so determined to break down the stereotypes of their profession!"

On the verge of tears, Britney musters only a trembling pout to convey her dismay, silently pleading for Dupont to move on to the other side of the stage—where her rival awaits a similar fate.

"I take it you quite enjoyed that, huh?"

Dupont smirks as he looks to Mercedes, who's expression is giving away more than she intended.

"I guess it's good for me, the worse she has it, the more likely it is she'll quit or whatever, but I didn't find any enjoyment in ruining her.."

Had she been hooked up to a lie detector, it surely would've flagged her for lying right about now. Watching her biggest rival endure a change that so perfectly contradicted her image—well, corporations paid good money for less on the open market. Unfortunately, this is where Mercedes' victory lap ends, as she hears her own votes being tallied behind her on the big screen.

"Oh, it seems our producers are eager to move things along—not that I’m complaining! Let’s see what the audience has in store for our Persian smoke show!"

Just like it did for Britney, the screen lined up four pillars, each with their respective options branded underneath. "Race change", "Weight gain", "Vulgar tattoos", and finally, "1000cc breast implants". All drastic changes that would surely take some getting used to for the young starlet.

As is only natural, Mercedes’ mind—just like Britney’s—races to establish an order of preference. Which changes are worse, and which are more tolerable? Surely, the race change will be the worst. Many of her sponsors are tied to her status as a minority, and losing that could spell disaster. Weight gain didn’t seem much better. As someone who thrived on her good looks and toned physique, Mercedes couldn’t even fathom gaining five extra kilos, let alone twenty! Tattoos, at least, could be covered up—and the same went for breast implants. She wasn’t entirely opposed to having a little more going on up top; in fact, the only thing that had stopped her from getting the procedure before the show was the inevitable backlash. But if it were forced upon her? Well, then no one could blame her for it."

Too bad the implant option is the first to stagnate as it is swiftly followed by the weight gain. This leaves only two options, one terrible, and one slightly more manageable. The two options keep rising, though their pace seems to slow the further they climb. Eventually, they both stop at near identical values. From her vantage point, it's impossible to judge which option edged ahead. Thankfully, she needs not wait long to find out, as Dupont is swift to announce the winner.

"And it seems we have ourselves a race change! Now, just like Britney's voice change, this one is randomized! No one knows what you'll end up like until it's done! And so, I urge our technicians to initiate that-"

"CHANGE!!!"

Mercedes feels it first in her toes—that same tingling sensation Britney had described, though clearly more intense judging by her expression. Usually so composed, her face now contorts into the strained look of someone desperately trying to hold it together, as if she really needs to pee. She isn’t the only one to notice the change; anyone in the audience with sharp enough vision can see her complexion growing paler, taking on an almost ghostlike pallor. Like fire sweeping through cottonwood pollen, the change works its way upward, inevitably reaching her face, where the most dramatic alterations unfold. Her facial features subtly shift, adopting a more Caucasian appearance, while her hazel brown eyes transform into a striking emerald green. Next, her hair changes color, becoming a vibrant shade of ginger.

Mercedes catches a glimpse of her reflection on a backstage monitor as light freckles begin to dot her cheeks and nose, sealing her fate with the unmistakable mark of an Irish heritage that had never existed in her family’s history. A horrified expression forms on her new face as the reality sets in, never for the rest of her life will she see "herself" in any mirror. Her gaze lingered on the monitor, catching herself at an odd angle that really displayed how she'd become someone else entirely. She quickly turned away, unable to bear the sight any longer.

"Such a shame to lose our token minority for this episode! At least you transitioned to another level of uniqueness. Some might even call it a side-step! Say, what do you think of all this, Mercedes?"

If looks could kill, Dupont would already be in the seventh circle of hell for his joking remarks while she endured an existential crisis. It was clear now that the major physical category packed a far heavier punch than the minor ones. Meanwhile, as the saying goes, misery loves company—Britney was practically glowing as she reveled in her rival's misfortune, almost forgetting about her own predicament.

Not very talkative, I see. That’s fine—your change has been thoroughly documented as is. So, with this out of the way, I’d say the only sensible thing for us to do is to jump straight into round two!"

The crowd erupts, clearly very satisfied with the events of the first round.

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Took me longer than I'd hoped, but it's finally here. Thank you for your patience.
If you have any requests or ideas, don't hesitate to let me know!

Figured I'd do an updated image for Mercedes given the extensive nature of her change. Most definitely won't be able to keep this up once changes become more comprehensive.