Hi, everyone, MarcellusMiro66 here! This is (oddly enough) a Loud House story that's basically "The Other House" (by The 21st Century Pendragon) and "Singled Out" (by Lentex) Meets "Meeting A Loud" (by zachlor16) and "Brotherhood" (by Witch-King Angmar) on scotch and bourbon. It follows Lincoln, following a grueling battle of the superstitions among the Loud Family, being adopted into the equally crazy Lance Family. This particular family mirrors his former own in every way...or do they?
This is (hopefully) the first installment in my Titans Alliance Universe: a superhero universe disguised as a slice-of-life sitcom, complete with magical realism, speculative fiction, and a Jukebox Musical soundtrack that contains classic songs from the good old days. The story's primary influences are Hey Arnold!, Parker Lewis Can't Lose, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Ouran High School Host Club; other inspirations include Fraiser, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Saved by the Bell, Boy Meets World, Kim Possible, and Veronica Mars. (Yeah, it comes and goes, but it will try to find the perfect pace and balance.)
Enjoy! Whenever you can...
Episode 1: "Arrival (Part 1)"
(Friday, December 15th 2017)
(6:00 PM)
Another second...gone.
Another minute...gone.
Another hour...gone.
Another day...gone.
Another week...gone.
Another month...gone.
Another year...something that rhymes with "gone", but isn't.
"Kid..."
"Kid...?"
"Kid!"
Lincoln's eyes blinked open to find a pair of headlights shining his way, both of which illuminated the shadow of a figure standing above him. Naturally, he crawled backwards in fear; he was a literal deer in headlights.
"You okay, kid?"
Luckily, his tone seemed much friendlier than his imposing nature would suggest though, causing Lincoln to lighten up just a tad.
"... Yes, sir."
The man nodded, "What are you doing out here this hour?"
Lincoln seemed reluctant to respond, but he managed to muster whatever strength he had left to do so. The response he chose to go with clearly baffled the man: "My family doesn't love me anymore."
The man tilted his head in confusion, "Would you care to elaborate on that statement?"
Lincoln shook his head and the man nodded once again. He doesn't want to talk about it, nor does he feel comfortable doing so. Glancing around, he sighed softly, "Do you have a place to stay?"
"No." That was the complete truth. "But I'll be okay." That wasn't.
The man suddenly turned tail and opened the passenger's side, "Come on."
Lincoln blinked in bewilderment, "You're taking me in?"
The man nodded once more and beckoned Lincoln over. The white-haired boy himself was contemplating his decision to go unwillingly with this mysterious man to whoever knows wherever. A wise man once said, "Never go with a predator to a secondary location." However, this man radiated a calm and comforting presence towards him. Yet another thing to worry about: "Appearances can be deceiving." What did he have to lose, though? One more thing adding to his concern: "Don't trust anybody."
Oh, what the hell.
Lincoln learned that the man's name was David Duncan. He was a former police detective turned future security guard married with 13 children. Any other details would be revealed later when they arrived in his home.
The car ride from Royal Woods to Huntington Oaks took a full 90 minutes, during which Lincoln took a nap. It wasn't a great one like the normal ones in his bed, but it was a good one and a vast improvement over the abnormal ones outside. It was the reason how and why he ended up here in the first place. Three months ago, he was accused of being bad luck after her sister Lynn lost a baseball game the one time he attended. Two months ago, the ordeal ceased after his next-door neighbor called the police on his family after they unwittingly committed child abuse. One month ago, the custody battle began after the bad luck fiasco finished. Two days later...
Well, where were we?
The Honda Civic arrived in one of the many suburban streets of Huntington Oaks. On the right, a four-story house came into view the moment Lincoln woke up. The sight of it made him stare in awe, a sight that made David smile ever so slightly. The car pulled up to the driveway, was placed in park, and turned off; Lincoln and David exited soon after. The former (his backpack slung over his shoulder) trailed behind the latter as he marched up the stairs and knocked on the door three times. A moment later, the door opened and a 50-year-old-or-so woman appeared in the doorway. She had wavy blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and a black suit with matching flats and that was missing the tie.
"Hello, David. Is he here?"
David nodded silently and stepped aside to reveal Lincoln to the woman. She in question gasped softly and took baby steps as to not frighten him. "Hello, my name is Audrey. I'm David's wife...and your new mother. What's your name?"
After a minute or so, Lincoln had decided that Miss Audrey seemed welcoming enough and took her stuck-out hand to shake it, "My name's Lincoln."
"It's nice to meet you, Lincoln. I promise you that the rest of us will make you feel welcome."
Lincoln nodded in understanding and was led inside, David trailing behind him this time. He took in his surroundings, which mirrored his former own residence but greatly expanded upon. There was a undoubtedly flat-screen new model in place of his parents' old model, two sets of stairs instead of one, and a surprisingly roomy kitchen substituting his former tightly knit cooking center. Wow... I need to get used to this. Literally and figuratively.
"Mom! Dad!"
The trio looked up the first flight of stairs to find a girl the same age as Lori slid down the stairs and land roughly on her feet. She had platinum blonde hair, navy blue eyes, and a blue leather jacket, a black T-shirt, navy blue skinny jeans, and black combat boots. "Do you mind if I borrow the family van for Lacey's concert tonight? She needs a ride...and a bodyguard."
"Well, at least you asked," David chuckled in response.
"Just be careful, Lauren," Audrey pressed as she handed "Lauren" the keys to the van.
"Thanks, Mom." Before she turned to walk away,Lauren noticed Lincoln shyly hiding behind her parents, "Who's the kid?"
"Oh, Lauren, this is Lincoln," Audrey introduced him to her teenage daughter, "He's your new brother...for the time being."
Lincoln flashed a nervous smile towards Lauren, whose past frown morphed into a present smile...or something along the lines of it.
"Nice to meet you, Lincoln. My name is Lauren, as my mother introduced you to me just now. I'm the eldest of the Lance siblings, so you don't have to hesitate to ask me any questions. You have to, however, knock on my door before you step into the counselor's office. No pressure."
"Oh... Okay." Lincoln nodded and shook Lauren's hand in greeting. She in turn nodded back in reciprocation before taking in her mother's spoken words.
"Wait, Mom. Did you say 'new brother'?"
"Yes, Lauren," Audrey confirmed with a nod, "You did tell the others, right?"
... Shit. "Sure..."
"Yep, she's lying," David nodded as well, "You can call your sisters now, Lauren."
"Shoot." Lauren huffed in defeat and pulled out a silver whistle, which she blew on hard. At that, the pair of stairs rumbled and five girls ran down each. They stopped in their tracks upon reaching their parents.
"Girls..." Audrey began, "I take it Lauren failed the near-possible task of informing you of our big announcement?"
"What big announcement?" The second brunette teenager tilted her head in confusion; she was a year younger than Lauren and seemed to harbor a hint of Chinese in her.
"Yeah, Mum. Lauren never said anything about a 'big announcement'." The next brunette teenager had a white streak in her hair and was utilizing a faux-British to rather dubious results.
"Guys, relax," the third brunette teenager with a blue hairband stepped forward, "I'm pretty sure that this is the last one after Leia. Get it?"
The sisters (minus Lauren) voiced their disgusts rather than their contempt for that downright inappropriate joke made by their self-proclaimed comedienne sibling, especially since there were minors in the room with them.
"No, girls, we're not having another baby," David clarified their suspicions, a clarification that made the girls groan in disappointment...
"But we have a new brother, right?"
...and subsequently yelp in surprise. The intruder in question was a fourth brunette teenager whose outward appearance resembled that of a stereotypical Goth...and perhaps a suitable Puritan.
"Yes, Lydia," Audrey rolled her eyes and chuckled in amusement. "Girls, I would like you all to meet Lincoln...your new brother."
The girls save Lauren and Lydia gasped and stared in shock at the white-haired boy who stepped out from behind their parents. After a moment of silence, the girls' initial skepticism soon blossomed into its natural joy, clamoring excitedly as they bickered among themselves who was going to introduce who first. They decided to introduce themselves one at a time in order to make him not feel overwhelmed.
"Hi, Lincoln. I'm Layla, the second eldest of the bunch. If you have any problems regarding fashion passion, you'll know who to call." Layla stuck out a hand for Lincoln to shake. When he did, she smiled her biggest smile and stepped aside to let the third sister have her turn.
"Hey, dude. My name is Lacey, the best darn musician there is. I can tell you're nervous, and I understand. We'll give you your space whenever you need it, just don't hesitate to ask." Before Lacey let the fourth sister have her turn, she whispered to him, "If you ever hear a girl named Molly Mason boast my earlier-stated position, I need you to brazenly deny it. Capisce?"
Lincoln couldn't help but smile in amusement at Lacey's attempt to sound first British then French as he nodded in response. Lacey herself shot him a smile before the blue satin headband-wearing girl stepped forward with a blue dress with a light blue wavy spade design and a smile that matched Layla's previous.
"Hello! I'm Laney! Nice to meet you, Lincoln!" Laney shook Lincoln's hand rather vigorously before, "If you feel down, then I'm your clown! Yeah, my jokes and forms of humor are far from original, but always good for a laugh."
"Actually, 'far from original' isn't where you begin to cover it, sis." This time, a blonde teenager with a dark blue denim jacket, a white lace skater skirt, and black booties stepped forward. "S'up, Lincoln. I'm Leah, the family athlete and bodyguard whenever you have a school bully. Put it there." Lincoln and Leah's hands gripped together and the latter commented "Nice grip" before stepping back for the second blonde – the Puritan girl from earlier – to introduce herself.
"Hello, Lincoln. My name is Lydia, and I'd go into the woods to look for the witches, the mythical beings. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"The pleasure's mine." Lincoln and Lydia shook hands. Immediately after, two brunettes (what a shocker) approached him with their own variants of smiles. The first girl fashioned a black Italian satin sheath evening gown with a matching pair of elbow-length gloves, a string of pearls, and a medium-sized black hat. She had wavy, shoulder-length brunette hair with blue eyes and a pair of black sunglasses resting atop her head. The second girl donned a dark blue tank top, brown pants, and black combat boots. She had brunette hair tied up in a ponytail and no other fashionable accessories visible on her whatsoever. Both were undoubtedly the polar opposites of each other.
"Hello, Mr. Lincoln," Brunette #1 shook hands with him first, "I'm Liza Lance, the undisputed queen of the pageants. Not that skank Lola. She's a fraud. Anyway, you're invited to any tea parties I throw and host as my special guest."
Lincoln didn't know why, but he was somewhat proud of Liza hurling that insult at her younger sister.
Brunette #2 stuck a hand for him to shake in greeting, which Lincoln took gladly; all the while, Liza watched on with a scoff crossing her face. "My name is Lara Lance! I am the adventurer, solving mysteries/rewriting history type! ... Unlike my much older and more domesticated sister here."
Liza blinked in bewilderment, "I'm not sure whether it was a compliment or an insult. Or both."
"I don't think it should matter, you primitive toddlers." Both twins' heads shot up and stepped aside for another brunette girl wearing a wine red turtleneck, black pants with matching flats, and a pair of pink folding readers to introduce herself to Lincoln, "Hello, new male sibling. I am Lena Lenore Lance, the scientist you would attend when you collide with a scientific dilemma...or a moral dilemma. I personally prefer the latter over the former as I'm also a guidance counselor and an occasional comedian."
"Really?" Laney was taken aback by this revelation, "Why didn't you say so?"
"I saw no relevance in this secret, pathetic older sister," Lena smirked as she continued gazing at Lincoln, not facing Laney, "Plus, it wasn't necessarily a secret to begin with. You just never questioned me about it."
"Well, I guess it just makes our lives much easier." Blonde #4 decided to introduce herself with Blonde #5 in tow, "Hi, Lincoln. I'm Lyla Lance and this is my sister Lila. It's understandable to confuse our respective names and even our personalities. My job is kinda like Lauren's: to keep the peace...among the little ones. Sorry, girls."
"Oh, it's okay, Lyla," The final blonde slowly and surely stepped out from behind Lauren. She was wearing a blue hoodie, a pink-and-white flannel, blue jeans, and pink-and-white Converse sneakers. "Hi. My name is Lila. It's...nice to...meet you."
Lincoln understood Lila's nervous nature and stuck his hand slowly and surely. After a moment's notice, she took the hand that greeted her and shook it softly. She then flashed a halfhearted smile that he returned with sincerity, a sight that moved both parents.
"Now..." Audrey clapped her hands together, "Now that we're all introduced, we should have dinner to celebrate the arrival of our new son."
"I'll place the order before I go," Lauren pulled out her black iPhone 8.
"Pizza sound good to you, Lincoln?" Lacey crossed her arms with a smile.
Lincoln smiled back, "Pizza sounds nice."