Episode 21 - Believe In Yourself But OH GOD NOT THAT MUCH

## Summary

Things come to a head as the world literally unravels in the only place left in the universe: the Haverford Power Plant. The Club notices their bodies start to...change. Susan learns that the power to fix all this may have been within her all along--but at what cost?

## Previously On...

Dear diary, it's Krashlee.

You know that cause I'm the only one who writes in you and I'm the only one who has a key. -phew- It's been a really weird time. As you know, we're in the only place in the universe that exists, which is this *dinky* old power plant. And like, a lot happened. I thought I got a crush on Adam. Obviously, my crushes are the first thing I think about. And then I kind of, like, came into my power and I defeated, like, the Moth Man who used to be CEJ's mom. That was really sad actually. Like, their whole family is dead now and I just have to keep going. I guess that's the life of a teen detective.

But I'm pretty excited actually because I feel, like, I'm, like, maybe, maybe I have the chance to, like, save the world. And that's, like, pretty important to me. So I think that things are looking up. I mean, there would be no way for them to look down other than we all join the convergence or whatever and become pure possibility, which is another way of saying, die. So I'm looking forward to saving the world on my own or with my friends.

Okay, wish me luck. Hope I get kissed today.

Love, Krashlee.

## Plot

### Borora, NE - 1962

Janice is hanging out with a group of short, hooded individuals who have promised her an open mic "to die for". They look a bit odd, but as Janice is rarely invited to read her poetry anywhere, she jumps at the chance to perform. They drive Janice out into scrubland. Janice asks where the venue is. Jerry Rice, AKA Sslllyses Slipp, responds that they need to do a sound check. Sky Bridgewater, AKA Tthupthepnepnipthip, gets Janice a slimy latte. They bring Janice to a simple shelter in disrepair.

Seeing this, Janice thinks that this must be a Love Shack Party. Another beatnik, Blablrblroo, AKA Blbblblblllrblrr, greets them as they enter. Candles are laid out on the ground in an organized fashion along with a wooden block. A second beatnik and a shadowed figure are also in the shack.

"Hey everybody thanks for bringing me here. You got some nice stuff with your atmosphere. (-Crosstalk-) society and that's okay, I like to do things, the Janice way."

A child, Sksksskskks Daughter, comes forward with ropes. The child has overalls and fake doll hair attached to their scalp with fake blood layered on their skin and clothes. Their green face is covered in white face paint. Janice protests that she doesn't need rope for her act, but the child assures her that she will.

> "They say the words flow best when the body is restricted.", Jerry Rice tells Janice.
>
>

Janice says that is sounds cool, but she is anxious that this is a prank. The Salamander beatniks protest. Janice starts to leave, but the person in the corner steps forward. She has skin the color of the night sky, with nebulas of stars moving around her body. Large moth wings are folded behind her back.

Lailah, the angel, insists that Janice speaks her poetry for the group.

"I didn't know I had taken drugs. Sometimes I forget, give me a hug. Get over here, cause love is the way. I like to do things, and this is what I'll say. I am Janice and here's the thing. I like to scat and I don't like to sing, but I like to go, scooby dooby doopity dah, ding dong flipflop, flippity flop."

Lailah tells Janice that her time has come to an end. The beatnik Salamanders chant "She must be served". Lailah comes foreward with a long, curved blade in her hand, and tells Janice that she is giving them a chance to change the universe.

"Oh, I'm gonna die."

Lailah brings the knife down.

### Borora, NE: Hospital - 1962

A woman gives birth to a baby Barb Wexler. The doctor is confused as a second child is pulled out. No one expected twins. Susan Wexler is born.

### Haverford Generating Station: Central Chamber - Present Day (2005)

An unconscious Barb Wexler is lying at the feet on the angel, Lailah. A steady thrum of enormous batteries are audible in the chamber, as they collect charge from the wires protruding from Lailah's bound form. Tucked into Barb's arm is the only known copy of Monster Girth, Susan's masterpiece detailing a magical ritual that Barb tried and failed to replicate. Around Lailah are a group of subservient Salamanders, one of whom is very old and wearing a large coat. This was Jerry Rice, but he is now known as Joseph Montana.

Also in the room are Krashlee and the two men she has wrapped in her Lariat of Honesty™, Marcus Verhmese and Tom Knutts.

Floating in front of Susan Wexler is the spirit of CEJ, whom she summoned into existence. He looks around in confusion, trailing ectoplasm around him. Susan welcomes him back, and he fearfully asks her if he was dead. She tries to calm him down, but Adam makes a comment that riles up his cousin and CEJ punches his hand through Adam's face. It goes straight through Adam's head without making contact.

Chet floats over to CEJ and puts an arm around his shoulders, telling him it will be okay. Meanwhile, the group's attention is drawn to Derrk. Marcus tells them not to look to Derrk Pflifer for help, as he doesn't 'do anything'. Derrk protests that he doesn't do nothing, but he *is* interested in seeing what happens.

Lailah interrupts them and speaks into the souls of the Club, "It's too late for all of that, there is nothing to save anymore."

She tells them that this is just a re-run, a screensaver. It all just loops over and over again. Derrk responds that Susan is different, new. Lailah knows. She made Susan. In the previous loops it all ended the same way. Barb Wexler caused the Coherence in 2005 and the world would restart. Over and over and over again. Lailah believed that something could break the cycle. While she couldn't make a big change, that need too much power, she could use the power of the incoherence to make one small change. She made a zygote split in two, and instead of being the child of prophecy, Barb Wexler became one of two. She had a rival who would be her equal. Someone who wasn't beholden to the prophecy that said Barb would destroy the world, and someone who could make the changes Lailah could not.

In her original plan, Lailah wanted to mentor Susan, and help her. However, she was captured and spent the last 43 years in the power station. Lailah has given up and believes that ending the universe would be better than infinite repetition.

Krashlee breaks up Lailah's pity party and tells her that everything *had changed* and things could be different. Shamanda and Susan stand by Krashlee's side, backing her up. Lailah considers. She says that in order to keep the universe going they need to complete the ritual. Krashlee agrees, but as she does so, her lasso unknots around Marcus Verhmese, and he grows to twice his size.

"I think I'm going to change the nature of this engagement."

He grabs Susan, stabbing into her with his claws as they elongate. "Who's the ladies man now?"

Susan whistles for the coyote, Tom pulls out a net and Shamanda and her softball team wield their baseball bats. Derrk reaches for his giant, flaming sword, but instead, he changes. Derrk becomes monochromatic as he becomes a version of himself that is similar to the character Ralph Kramden from The Honeymooners. He is wearing a bus driver's uniform and dark concrete of the power plant chamber becomes a TV set. They are all suddenly in a black and white breakroom.

Marcus reaches out and throws a newly appeared table at the Club as he rants about how they ruined everything. Adam punches the table and it shatters into a million tiny shard. Shamanda rallies the softball girls with a cry and they charge at Marcus. Susan looks around, she feels herself change as some of the fear takes hold of her in the moment. She becomes a version of herself that she used to be, when she felt she needed to prove herself. A 23-year-old Susan Wexler summons her flamethrower and aims it right at Marcus.

Shamanda wants to lean in to her celestial power, but she feels stuck. She wants to be the cool celestial being she believes she is, but with all of humanity blinked out of existence she starts to feel insecure. With that insecurity, Shamanda shifts. No longer the Queen of Hell, Shamanda becomes what she fears she would always live up to. An 45-year-old manager at a Cold Stone Creamery. The breakroom changes into the ice-cream shop and Shamanda stands behind the counter, sadly singing one of the many Coldstone songs.

> "A few times I've been around that stone, so I mix it up and put it in a cone
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> Cause we ain't no Baskin' Robbins. We ain't no Baskin' Robbins.
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>
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> We mix bananas. B-A-N-A-N-A-S...."
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>

Shamanda serves Derrk, as Ralph Kramden, an ice-cream cake.

Krashlee asks Lailah why she isn't changing. Lailah and Krashlee have a long conversation that happens instantaneously. Lailah tells her that she is the incoherence and what that means. Her belief can change the world around her, but she can't change herself. She will always be the incoherence, because she is incoherent. It's why Krashlee remembers her past lives.

Krashlee feels like she can trust Lailah. She pulls nail clippers out of her fanny pack Haven and snips through her chains. Krashlee, convinced that the harder she works to not fit in, the more things will go back to normal, imagines her clothes change into cookie monster pajamas. She hops up on a table and starts doing a jig.

> "It turns out, Krashlee just has to be a loser and everything will be okay!" Krashlee yells at the rest of the club.
>
>

Marcus is roaring in pain as Susan's floating flamethrower blazes into him. Susan gets out of Marcus's grip and rolls down onto the floor. As Marcus believes he is hurt, the more hurt he becomes and he starts to combust. As that happens Shamanda tells Derrk he needs to make a decision on what ice-cream flavor he wants, as the Cold Stone will close soon.

Meanwhile, now that Shamanda is no longer the Queen of Hell, the softball girls have started to lose their minds. One girl turns into her mother, one becomes Miranda from Sex and the City, one is a dolphin and several become horses. Water starts to fill the room and other girls turn into living dishware.

Susan runs to her sister, and cradles Barb in her arms. She asks Lailah about the ritual she needs to perform. Lailah tells her that those that wish to participate must make a sacrifice. The words of the ritual are buried in the first page of Monster Girth.

During the chaos, Adam is looking around for his father. Rider Strong is inching around the Cold Stone, wearing a black leather jacket, and slicked back hair. He looks nervous and flustered. He looks powerless. Adam asks him if he'd like an ice-cream cone. Rider smiles in a resigned fashion. He tells Adam that it's never been like this before. There have been other Adams, but never one he could talk to.

> "Let's enjoy the end of everything with a cone."
>
>

Adam is ordering a cone from Shamanda, but while she gets it for him, they connect telepathically. She tells him that a lot has happened, and she thinks they should break up. This hurts Adam. He feels insecure, and all of his weirdness goes away. He is just a normal, powerless kid with his father.

Krashlee gives up on her tantrum, as no one seems to care. She looks around the room and sees the way her friends are changing, and how they way they see themselves is changing, losing connection to the people they were. She understands that she can change things. She has power. Krashlee runs up to Shamanda, and tells her that she full supports her decisions and Shamanda doesn't have to end up a 45-year-old Cold Stone manager, she has so many options. Shamanda loses all of her emotional conditions and becomes the Shamanda Felt she is supposed to be. Confident, smart and adaptable. The most interesting teenager in the world. She knows that she is no longer The Crooked.

Next, Krashlee turns to Adam. She tells him that he is a hero and he saves everyone around him. She even admits that she had a crush on him for 15 minutes when he was emo. Adam feels like himself again and looks at his Dad. Rider Strong offers Adam a chance to stay with him, forever in the Cold Stone, but Adam wants to help his friends. It surprised his father and he realizes that he cared more about Adam Miller than he thought. Losing him would hurt, so Rider Strong chooses to forget him, and turns back to the ice-cream shop.

Derrk pushes Lailah's shoulder and asks if this is what she wanted. He starts to get even angrier, but Adam Miller speaks up and tells him that he is too cool for this. Derrk has rarely been called cool. It touches him that Adam cares so much. He looks around at the people who are not supposed to be in this room and makes them small. They get small and they float toward his interdimensional pocket that has been zipped open. Marcus shouts and tries to resist, but he, the softball team, and all the water are sucked into Derrk's pocket. The power plant resets as excess possibility has been removed and along with it, some of Derrk's celestial essence has been burned away and he is more human than before.

The only ones left in the room are Derrk, Shamanda, Krashlee, Adam, CEJ, Susan, Chet, and Lailah.

Susan looks at Lailah. She says that what she wants is to save CEJ.

Lailah tells her to read the first line of the book.

*It was a rainy night...inside my pants. When Mr. Demontails's tentacle grazed my lower back in that Duane Reade, I was left to wonder. Was that on purpose? I had promised Rider Strong to deliver their soul to him later that night. At that moment though, all I could think about was how strongly I wanted to ride their face.*

## Characters

**Main Cast**

* Rashawn Nadine Scott as Shamanda Felt and Sky Bridgewater
* Jeff Murdoch as Adam Miller and Tom Knutts
* Erin Rein as Krashlee Grenadine and Janice
* Claire Linic as Susan Wexler
* Alan Linic as Derrk Pflifer, Jerry Rice, and CEJ (Cody Ernst, Jr.)
* Tyler Samples as Lailah, Marcus Verhmese, Rider Strong, and everyone else.

## Introductions

Tyler: Welcome to Mystery County Monster Hunters Club where we use dice to tell a story of legendary Lepidoptera and cabalistic capitalists. I'm Tyler Samples, your Keeper of Monsters and Mysteries. Let's meet our players.

Rashawn: Hi everybody. I'm Rashawn Nadine Scott and my character is Shamanda Felt, the Crooked but now the Spooky. And just like any teenager, I've made a big life change and I regret it immediately.

Jeff: Hi, I'm Jeff Murdoch and I play Adam Miller, the Monstrous. And it's the end of the world as I know it. And I feel awful.

Erin: Hi, I'm Erin Rein. I play Krashlee Grenadine, the Flake, and you can Krash-lee into me. That's my name.

Claire: Hi everyone. My name is Claire Linic. I play Susan Wexler, an Expert monster hunter. And...do you notice anything new about my hair?

Alan: Hey everybody, I'm Alan Linic and I play Derrk Pflifer, the Divine boy and is heaven missing an angel? Because it is. It's Derrk Pflifer.

## Notable Quotes

* "I'm just used to being kicked out of vans and buses, so this is a nice surprise." - Janice
* "Be careful walking in, hip-cat. Yeah, I would. Because this tin roof is rusted." - Jerry Rice
* "Janice invented hip-hop. Rap was created in this room, in an alternate universe." - Rashawn Nadine Scott
* "I want to be out of this scene, I want out of this scene!" - Claire Linic
* "You are giving us the one chance to change the universe, and no one will forget that. Any last words?" - Lailah
* "No! We use tables for eating!" - Adam Miller
* "I'm like Danny DeVito from twins?" - Krashlee Grenadine

## Links

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