After that rather exhausting pillow fight, the siblings rest for a while.
"Well, what a day!" Lincoln utters.
"You said it, bro," Luna agrees.
"Let's do it again! Do it again! I'll bring out the bean bags this time!" Lana expresses in enthusiasm.
Lori abruptly arrives back with a tray of nachos. "Hey guys! Snack's here!"
"Oh boy!" the siblings exhilarate before they gorge themselves in Mexican-made corn snacks, dipping them in cheese, salsa, ranch dressing and other stuff. It has been a wonderful time with the siblings sharing stories about Lincoln's early childhood. It is really amazing for Lincoln to hear them and for the younger ones to just make fun of him for that.
"This is the life, eyy guys?" Lynn shares.
"Nahh, life doesn't end in nachos. For me that is," Lola brags.
"So, what's next now?" Lisa asks.
"Oh, I think it's my turn to speak," Leni proudly proclaims. But she just shared previously.
"You just did spoke," Lisa reminds her.
"I know right!" But just at that moment, the clueles Leni finally realizes that she actually shared a while ago. "Wait…yeah, did I spoke a while ago."
"Only a few people will find that illogical," Lisa remarks.
"So, who's next?" Lynn asks.
At that remark, Luan pops from the kitchen with a tray of chocolate chips, knowing that she's the one next to share. "I guess I can story-tell who. Hahaha! Get it?"
"Okay, okay, stop literally wasting our time," Lori insists.
With that, Luan prepares herself to tell her story. "Okay, where to begin? Oh! How about the story will end all stories that you guys told…" Just the way she says it raises a lot of suspicion from the siblings. "The day we never speak…"
But before she could finish, Lori, Leni, Luna and Lynn stop her.
"No Luan! You do not want to talk about that!" Lori dictates to her.
"Yeah, we talked about this, dude!" Luna adds.
But Lincoln is curious. "Wait, what's going on? What's this day you never want to speak of?"
"No Lincoln, you don't need to know the time you placed makeup on your face," Leni panics.
"Uhmmm Leni, you just told about that a while ago," Lori corrects her.
"Oh, did I?" Leni clarifies, "But what are we talking about?" Lori then whispers to Leni's right ear as to what they are talking about. Instantly, she gets to recall that 'incident', making her support her sisters' pleas. "Oh yes Luan, we shall never speak of it – that time we hate pistachio ice cream." Just like that, Lori covers her face in embarrassment.
"Come on guys. Lincoln's big now. I think he can handle the truth," Luan says. "Zing! I made a reference!"
"Oh no, Luan. We are not crossing that line," Lynn pleads to her.
"Seriously guys, what are you talking about?" Lincoln interrupts.
"This story seems scaring you all," Lucy remarks. "This is going to look good."
While the older siblings are still hindering her from telling the story and the younger ones having trouble grasping as to what they are talking about, Luan still insists on sharing it. "Now obviously, you haven't heard of the 'Royalgate Incident'."
"What is the Royalgate Incident?" Lincoln asks.
"It's pretty much like Gamergate, only we call it Royalgate because Luan thinks that is cool to say," Lynn explains as she slouches on the Lazy-Boy couch.
"Oh okay. Heard of Gamergate before but never know what it actually is," Lincoln says.
Lynn is just perplexed that with Lincoln as a gamer, he would have at least an idea of what Gamergate is. "You're a gamer, dude, and you don't know what Gamergate is?"
"He doesn't need to know that, dude," Luna comments.
Luan then adds, in her own humorous fashion, "Yeah, you can gate yourself in trouble for that. Hahaha. Get it?" Just at that forced joke, her siblings groan.
"Just cut to the chase already," Lola demands, "We don't care how bad it is. We just want to know what it is you're talking about!"
"Ooh…harsh sis," Lana comments.
And with that, Luan prepares herself to tell the story, "Okie dokie, we have full day ahead on ourselves. So might as well tell the whole enchilada. A grilled, greasy and spicy enchilada. Hahahaha!" But when she went off the rails, she gets back to the story, "Now, it all happened eight years ago…"
It was a year before Lucy was born. It happened on a spring. Lori was pining to become a role model like a literal role model, a model for children's apparel. Leni messed up mom's sewing stuff, just to make her dresses. Luna kept rocking. Lynn kept…kicking…like really…like when she accidentally kicked Aunt Ruth's vase. And we still waited for Lincoln to say his first word.
Right at that moment, young Lori, Leni, Luna, Luan and Lynn – circa early 2008 – stand in front of the toddler Lincoln, waiting to blurt out his first word when they hear him belch. They wait in anticipation as the innocent boy in his baby pajamas is just smiling at his lovely siblings. But as he feels a sensation in his mouth, the sisters anticipate for that moment, until…he giggles uncontrollably and rolls on the floor. This becomes an upset for the sisters as they have waited for months for that moment to arrive.
But nope, no first word from Lincoln.
As for me, I have a lot of stuff under my belt other than my pants. Hehehe. But kidding aside, I was the class clown. I mean really. But the road ain't fine too.
Luan is about to display her trick of balancing in a unicycle while joggling two apples, her first attempt ever in front of her class. "Hey, my dad had a roommate once who was an Australian entertainer. Since they had a bunk bed, my dad stayed on top, and the Australian below. No wonder he called a 'clown under'. Hahahaha. Get it?"
Nobody in class laugh at her joke. But when she moves two paces backwards, her unicycle slips on a piece of paper, causing Luan to fall down from the cycle and the two apples to hit her head.
This causes for her to get embarrassed as her classmates laugh at her. Though hearing at the sound of their laugh, the young comedienne realizes that they are mocking at her fall. Needless to say, she feels ashamed but tries to smile about it.
But her homeroom teacher picks her up. "Heavens Luan, are you okay?" Luan confirms it with a nod. Her teacher then assists her on standing up and fixing her stuff. "You know what you did was courageous. I never had seen someone who can do those tricks. Keep it up. Just promise me not to hurt yourself or anyone. Okay?" Luan the answers with an assuring nod. "Okay boys and girls, I know what you've seen is humorous. But give honor to Luan for she is brave to do this. For Luan!"
And with that, the laughs become applauses. Her classmates praise for doing such a marvelous act. It is a miraculous sight that what could have become a moment of embarrassment can transform to a moment of glory. Luan just smiles openly, even with her one buck tooth missing.
Just at the moment, even without the sound of my classmates cheering, I knew that this is the path I'm destined to – to bring joy to those who need joy the most. But I just need the right opportunity to show it. Little did I know that it was just around the corner.
Right some time, Luan is walking to her class when she comes across a poster embossed with a marquee design on its borders, placed on the bulletin board. Even with the bustling crowd of students, Luan walks towards it, almost like she is entranced to approach it. She walks closer…and closer…and closer…until she is able to see the poster clearly. She reads: "8th Annual Royal Woods Talent Show. First Prize: Gets $500 and a free TV studio tour!" Luan can feel the moment of using her talents in entertaining as a way to get discovered and get credited for her comedic sensibilities. She can almost imagine those moments in the future as "Luan the Comedienne". "This is it! Talent Show!"
However, she is not the only sibling to get that idea. Most specifically, Lori receives the same idea and proposes it to her mom and her siblings. "Talent show. I want to join the talent show to show off my talents."
"Ooh, what kind of talent will you show? Showing off? That must be good!" a young and enthusiastic Leni responds, even though she has no idea what she is saying, which only makes Lori angry. "What?"
"So Lori, what do you plan to show?" Rita asks.
"I shall sing," Lori proudly confirms.
"Yeah! Like you can sing!" Lynn mocks her.
Even when nearly loses her temper, Lori still continues with her proposal. "Alright fine. I shall literally convince you." With that, she signals Luna for the sounds from her keyboard, "Hit me with a beat, DJ Paul Shaffer."
"Uhmmm, I'm Luna, Lori," Luna reiterates, obviously confused on Lori's referencing.
"Just play the beat now!" Lori coaxes her, causing Luna to play an instrumental of "A Thousand Miles" by Vanessa Carlton and Lori to prepare to sing. Needless to say, Lori's singing makes the rest sorry for her for doing bad karaoke. "Making my way downtown…walking pass, faces fast, and I'm home gown…" Lori squeals every word that it becomes hard for the rest to endure.
I always knew Lori's singing is funny. Silly Lori. So I thought that might actually be a good topic for my act.
As Luan arrives from school, she can almost see the misery that her siblings and her mother have to put up on her singing. She just only chuckles at this sight, since she finds Loris singing laugh-out-loud hilarious.
The then 5-year-old retreats to her room to feel how it looks like doing standup routines. "You know, my big sister Lori loves singing. She loves it show much that singing kinda hates her. Oh you can just hear her amazing voice. Like really. She might as well sing 'Bad' by Michael Jackson. 'I'm bad! I'm bad! You know it!'" Luan even laughs at her own routine that she feels that this could be the right act that she can share on the Talent Show.
With that, she bursts out of her room to seek the approval from the person who motivated her on her comedic skills – her dad. She runs to his room to see him looking at some papers. "Dad! I need you to see something!"
But Lynn Sr. is kind of passive, unlike his usual bumbling but well-meaning self, "Really? That's great. Maybe later honey…" He then walks out of the bedroom and towards the kitchen.
"Dad?" Luan utters, recognizing her dad's down feelings.
Just at that moment, Lori ends her talent show proposal to the rest. Long story short, her mother did not allow her to join to prevent her from further embarrassment. Rita then spots young Luan on the way. "Luan dear, what's up?"
"Dad, it's just he's like that," Luan literally points out her dad kind of despondent
Not wanting for her to feel the same way, Rita then explains the best that she could, "Luan sweetie, your dad might need a time for himself. He is…working hard." She then lowers herself to reach out to her daughter.
"But I have something to show him, if he is going to like it…"
"And what is this you want to show?"
"My jokes. I always test my jokes on dad since he laugh at all of them. And I wish to use my jokes for the upcoming Royal Wood talent show."
Rita then empathizes with Luan's noble intentions.
However, Luan keeps her eyes on her dad's depressed self. "Is daddy going to be okay?"
Being a mother who wants to keep her children joyful and not wanting their conflict to drag them down, she then thinks of a plan that can help her child, "You know what, why don't you practice your act? Daddy promises he'll be there."
"You mean…?"
"Go get them tiger. Do your act. And we'll watch, especially daddy," Rita gives her hundred percent approval for Luan to join the talent show.
Upon hearing that wonderful news, Luan embraces her mother. "Thanks mom! But how about my jokes?"
"Well, test it other than us," the Loud matriarch answers.
And I knew who to bring. So I ran back to my room and think of ways to pull of my act. With my family right behind me, I know this is the right moment to shine. But not everyone is proud. Still I kept going.
Just with that motivation, Luan runs back to her room and start planning for her act.
Rita just stands there proud at her child, but Lori, who overhears the whole thing, is not that pleased.