Detrina goes on. “What bothered me the most was that while I was alive, AB used to brag on me so much, about how powerful and mysterious I was and how I’d be such a vital part of the team. Then I died. What did I find when I came back? I was famous all across the System. ‘Look, it’s the great Princess Detrina Redtoo of Ruyngard!’ ‘Um, I’m sorry. I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m just regular, formerly dead Detrina.’ While I was dead, after all the adulation from AB, another Detrina from Storyboard VII had become known throughout the System as the Detrina. I was just a duplicate to her. That hurt…a lot.”
“I can totally understand how being replaced made you feel lied to,” Duplica tells Detrina. Ent and Gigi look at each other, both feeling guilty.
Detrina says, “It’s been several years, so I’ve healed. But the process of that healing was not without its troubles for my friends. There was a young man that arrived out of nowhere a few years after I had revived. He listened to me. He cared about me. He treated me as if I were Princess Detrina. He had a small chariot for me and everything because he wanted me to know that I was special to him. We would ride across the countryside, by the waterfalls, and I would pour my heart out to him. I grew bitter. One day, the computer at the System Guards headquarters received my letter of resignation. My new friend had built an entire kingdom for me, so I had no need to be the SG’s forgotten peasant. Satisfied with my own little world, I would’ve spent the rest of my days alone while leaving my new friend in charge of the kingdom so I could sit alone in my room, sulking all day, unaware of what was going on beyond the stone walls of my security. This ally of mine had declared war on the System Guards and was trying to invade their base. It took me forever to come out of my room, but when I finally did and saw what he was doing, I realized I had been manipulated. That’s when I learned what this villain really was. He was the living embodiment of Discouragement.
“Discouragement uses the same strategy with all his victims. He takes the form of something they’re comfortable with and lulls them to sleep in their misery while locking everyone else out. When I finally tried to get out, I witnessed the carnage Discouragement was unleashing on my friends. For example, Missy’s younger brother Junior started losing his temper at unnatural levels during the battle. Keb, who was dating Junior at the time, got frustrated and wished for her boyfriend to break his leg. This rage was caused by Discouragement’s influence, and because Keb wished harm on her friend, this empowered the villain enough to make her desire come true, breaking Junior’s leg. Of course, this snapped Keb out of her bitter trance and helped the others see how to slowly overcome the villain until they were able to eradicate it. Junior’s leg was healed, too.
“The System Guards defeated Discouragement, and I learned a hard lesson about giving into my feelings rather than giving my pain to God. I just wish I didn’t have to drag my friends through the mud to learn this lesson. Since then, I matured, enjoyed many more good times with my SG friends, even became my own namesake with the CFA after we cleaned it up, and eventually spent the rest of my days thoroughly enjoying retirement on New Ruyngard. Now, I ‘live’ in the Drawing Board and have become the best of friends with Princess Detrina from VII. Although, I should clarify her Ruyngard is a lesser-known Middle Eastern country in VII as opposed to the planet it is in XI. I hope my tale has helped you to think about handling painful emotions more effectively.”
“It has,” Ent says. “Thank you for telling us. I’m sorry you were let down by your friends.”
Gigi concurs. “We want you to know that we think you’re special, and there’s no discouraging strings attached with that.” This makes Detrina smile.
“Okay, Jo Jo,” says Cat, “Reap the Whirlwind.”
“Uh, how ‘bout not?” Jo laughs. “But I will tell you about that punk you’re asking about.”
Inner Man Theatre 