May 12, 2023

Hi guys! I'm back! From now on I won't count the time anymore, because this is very boring!

Yes, the second chapter took a while because I'm busy with my first character tournament on DeviantArt. There are 2 artworks to be published per day. Training responsibility.

I'm still scared to write, but I need to trust myself more.

Today we're going to focus on Lucy's relationship with a sister who is her exact opposite, but who has made a huge difference in her life. Can you imagine?

Seanrudin: More for you now.

Your Saving Grace is Here: Don't worry, here we can appreciate seeing Lucy in other facets and dilemmas. Incidentally, her future with the Morticians Club is uncertain. And no, it couldn't have been Clyde at the cemetery, as he's too polite to accuse the Loud sisters of cruelty.

Enjoy!

Chapter 02:
The Clown And The Crow

Lucy, curled up on the floor, pulls her knees to her chest in a fetal position.

Luan, Lynn Jr. and Lola imitate her.

None of them are in the mood for anything today.

Even more so now, with the four of them grounded in the Room of Solitude.

A small, empty room, with no colors or designs on the walls and nothing to distract them.

You can only concentrate on your own breathing.

Lucy is an expert in meditation, but right now, what she least wants is to be there.

She reflects on the play No Exit (read by her cover to cover), where Jean-Paul Sartre presents his own concept of Hell: a trio of people who hate each other and are forced to be trapped in the same room for all Eternity.

Not unlike how she feels right now.

Lola said she had talked to Lincoln's spirit in a dream, but it was just a pretext for her to make fun of Lucy, stating that if a "vampire" like her marries the Pony Princess, Lincoln will rise from the dead to save the family of Apocalypse.

Lola, who has never fully accepted the fact that Lucy is Goth, seems to be upset that Lucy also enjoys bright and colorful works like Pony Princess, as if one thing should exclude the other. Does not exclude.

Lucy, who so longs for real communication with Lincoln, was filled with rage and attacked Lola, being helped by Lynn and Luan.

That's how the four ended up together in the Room of Solitude.

Lucy can't remember a single day when there wasn't some physical aggression in the Loud Family, for the most varied reasons: annoying manias, dispute over tasks, television channels, choices of tours and trips, etc. Not to mention the food fights at the dinner table.

And things only got worse after the loss of Lincoln.

All this is very annoying for her.

Hypocrisy has never been a strong point in this family.

"We are all authentic. Too much."

After 5 minutes, Lynn Jr., Lucy's eternal guardian, breaks the silence, without leaving the floor:
"Don't care what Lola says about you, Lucy. It's you who define who you are. Not her."

Silence.

Lynn continues:
"Why would she demand that you be goth the 'right way'? Nor is she an authentic princess. She lashes out and offends others all the time."
"I'm glad you're above all that," Lola quips.
"Enough," Luan decrees. "We don't want to be stuck here for another 10 minutes, right?"

Silence.

Lucy takes advantage of the return of the harmonious climate:
"Luan, can I ask you?"
"You can."
"Why did you keep your comedy gear in a box in the attic?"

Luna sighs.

"I stopped."
"What? Forever?"
"I don't know. I need to know what I'm going to do from now on. In the meantime, I don't want to touch anything comedy-related. I'm taking stock."
"Well, I wonder how this cruel doubt is stalking you."

Lynn and Lola groan disdainfully.

"Nice try, Lucy," Luan thanks her, without smiling. "But trying to imitate me is not going to help me at all."
"But do you think comedy might be getting in the way of your life?" Lucy insists.
"I would say yes. In fact, more your lives than mine."
"Like this?" Lynn also wants to understand.

Luan explains:
"I feel like comedy puts a barrier between me and you. As if I was only used to apply cruel pranks and put everyone's physical integrity at risk. Even Lincoln went to the hospital because of me."
"Well, facts are undeniable," Lola interjects, not afraid to sound unpopular.
Lucy is bothered by Lola's words, but she herself feels unable to refute.

The sisters well remember the time Luan gave up on comedy after hearing them complain about her inappropriate conduct. Only Lincoln's intervention in the stand-up contest managed to change her mind.

None of the sisters have Lincoln's cunning, but Lucy is determined to help Luan.

Lucy owes her that.

Luan buys ice cream while walking with Lucy in the square.

Luan offers Lucy the cream flavor, while she takes the chocolate one.

"One for you and one for me."
"Thanks, Luan," Lucy smiles. "Not a pun?"
"I can't think of anything."
"How about you tell me 'an ice-cream for an ice-crow'?" Lucy suggests.
"Yes, I think it's valid."
"How about making some noise now?"
"No, thank you."
"Well, if you don't, I will. Get down."
Luan bends over.

Lucy rubs some cream on her sister's nose.

"WOOO!" Luan moans. "How cold..."
"You see?" Lucy points. "Now I made a nose. Get it?"
"Ha, ha, ha. Very funny, Lucy," Luan sneers, but carefully, so as not to offend her sister. "Better eat it soon before it melts."

The two keep walking while eating their ice cream.

"So let's get down to business," Luan begins. "You are trying to convince me to stay in comedy."
"Yes," Lucy confirms.
"But why would anyone want this?" Luan scoffs. "Especially someone like you?"
"Because you helped me once," Lucy explains. "Law of reciprocity."
"Uuhh, this is way over my head. Try to explain yourself, Miss Carnegie."

"Okay, let's go," Lucy describes. "You helped me to overcome my shyness on stage and to have thick skin when receiving tomatoes from the audience. Your contribution is still valuable to me today, and not just when I recite my poems. It would be very selfish of me not to give back some of what you have given me."

"Why, this is all very beautiful," Luan congratulates. "But… Has it ever occurred to you that people change over time? Yourself, for example."

"More or less," Lucy admits. "I've always loved death, but now, to paraphrase Lady Gaga, it's like it was not love, but a perfect illusion. So I stopped watching Edwin on television and kept my board, my crystal ball, and my other items in the attic. That's when I found out you did the same."

"And what do you think is going on? Are you losing interest in what you like or are you losing faith in your ideal?"

"I'm not sure. I'm still a goth, but I don't know if I should still follow certain things to not give up who I am."

"Well, I won't deny it: I still love comedy," Luan assures. "But sometimes we need to give up certain things in order to take charge of our lives. Even Lola has stopped the Miss contests. Maybe she still likes it, but she feels like she needs to find her place in the world."

"Not to mention she doesn't have any ideals," Lucy snarls.

"Perhaps. But we can always redirect our vocations to new things. For example, even if I become a comedian, filmmaker, teacher, or entrepreneur, my focus will always be on lifting people up and spreading joy. And you, being goth or not, will always aim to make people think beyond, to see reality with different eyes. Even if your huge bangs prevent you from seeing better... Hi hi hi..."

"Okay, I understand," Lucy gets the message. "But following what you said, comedy doesn't need to be subversive or violent to be comedy, any more than I need to like sadism to be gothic."

"Sure."

"So there's no need to worry about becoming a dangerous girl for the sake of comedy. You are Luan Loud, and as such, you have the ability to use comedy for good instead of evil. Or another way: you can use humor instead of being used by it."

"That's a pretty ingenious calculation, darling," Luan approves, as the two stop walking. "But you have to keep in mind that people tend to lose control of the good stuff." She runs her finger over her own ice cream. "It's fun to play with ice, but I could ice you here, here and here until you freeze to death," she says as she goes to cover Lucy's face with chocolate. "And then it wouldn't be funnier for me or anyone else."

"Well, I never hurt anyone with my taste for the supernatural," Lucy smiles slightly, letting herself be carried away by her sister's art. "At most, I caused a few scares here and there. I always used common sense, or almost always. If I can know my limit, so can you."

"You're right. Well, it's something for me to think about. Do you trust that I can still be a great comedian?"

"But of course."

"So soon I can be painting around again. Get it?"

Lucy laughs quietly.

Luan opens her arms and Lucy throws herself at her sister.

Lucy thinks:
"Love Wins. And comedy too."

TO BE CONTINUED...

The episodes referenced in the chapter are No Laughing Matter and Head Poet's Anxiety.