An eventful summer for the ownership group behind Clincoln McCloud Comics was about to come to a symbolic end. In June, Lincoln Loud and Ronnie Anne Santiago got married, making the latter Ronnie Anne Loud. Then in July, Clyde McBride and Sid Chang tied the knot, and the latter became Sid McBride. Now in August, Liam Hunnicutt and Stella Zhau were about to get hitched.
Liam and Stella first met in fifth grade, after the Zhau family moved to Royal Woods soon after the Santiagos moved to Great Lakes City. The remaining members of Lincoln's friend group at the time were all speculating that Stella wanted to date one of them. But in the end, she just wanted to be friends with all of them. And it remained that way for five years.
Come sophomore year of high school, Liam and Stella's relationship grew beyond mere friendship and the two started dating. Liam was still very much accustomed to farm life at the time, and it would not be until after graduation from Royal Woods High School that Liam would have to wean himself off of farm life.
The transition to more civilized life began when the respective friend circles of Lincoln and Ronnie Anne all started attending the University of Michigan together. Liam had a hard time adjusting to his new lifestyle at first, but with encouragement from everyone else, he embraced college life, and later on, city life after the merged friend circles settled in Great Lakes City after graduating from UM.
With funding from Lincoln's father Lynn Sr., the 12 friends started a new comic company, Clincoln McCloud Comics, inspired by Lincoln's interest in Ace Savvy and David Steele. Clincoln McCloud Comics had several successful titles in its first year of operation, putting the collective ownership group on numerous publications' 25 Under 25 lists as a single entity.
With two married couples among the ownership group, a third was about to be created. Everyone from previous weddings of Loud kids and from Clyde and Sid's wedding, except for Mick Swagger, was in attendance at the ceremony for Liam and Stella, as were numerous family members of the two. Members of Liam's immediate family resisted the urge to bring along animals from their farm to the wedding, which might have caused chaos if they actually did.
A number of extended family members of Stella came straight from the Philippines to see her get married. Stella was awestruck that they came all this way for her wedding.
Catering for the wedding was done jointly by Lynn Sr. and Rosa Casagrande, who were well accustomed to doing this at weddings of family and friends by this point. Everyone expected Lynn Sr. to get extremely emotional at this wedding, even though Liam and Stella were only family friends, not members of the Loud family.
The Moon Goats once again provided the musical entertainment. They once again did it for free, because Liam and Stella were friends of Lincoln, younger brother of lead singer Luna. They would be happy to perform at further Loud family and friend weddings for free, given how important these people were to Luna.
So now, the third wedding of the summer involving co-owners of Clincoln McCloud Comics was about to get underway. The priest who wed every Loud sibling up through Lincoln except for Luan, and who officiated the wedding of Clyde and Sid the previous month, would officiate the wedding of Liam and Stella.
The priest spoke up. "I understand that the bride and groom have written their own wedding vows."
Liam spoke his vows first. "When I first met you in fifth grade, I had no idea if you wanted to date me or one of my friends. When it became apparent you just wanted to be friends with me and my friends, it was the perfect solution for five years. Then in tenth grade, we started feeling a greater connection that went beyond friendship. Once I got out of high school, you helped me transition from farm life to college life to city life over a five-year span. I wouldn't be where I am now without you. So I, Liam Hunnicutt, take you, Stella Zhau, to be my lawfully-wedded wife."
Stella then spoke her vows next. "I admit I wasn't ready for dating when I met you and friends in fifth grade. I had just moved to Royal Woods at the time and was quite immature. When our friendship evolved into romance in our sophomore year of high school, I felt like my life was starting to fall into place. And now that we are part of a 12-person ownership group behind a fast-growing comic book company, I am ready to spend the rest of my life with you. So I, Stella Zhau, take you, Liam Hunnicutt, to be my lawfully-wedded husband."
The priest said, "before I make these two a couple, is there anyone in the room who objects to the union of these two? If so, speak now, or forever hold your peace." Everyone remained quiet, making it official that no one at the wedding objected to Liam and Stella being together.
The priest then said, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." Liam and Stella engaged in their first kiss as a married couple. From this moment forward, Liam's friend-turned-high school sweetheart-turned-bride would go by the name of Stella Hunnicutt.
As was expected, Lynn Sr. got emotional.
At the reception, there was much dancing while the Moon Goats played classic rock love songs. There was also much enjoyment of food prepared by Lynn Sr. and Rosa.
With this wedding, an eventful summer for the ownership group behind Clincoln McCloud Comics came to a symbolic end, as there were now three married couples among the ownership group. The best was yet to come for the comic book company, who had eyes on expanding their creator repertoire beyond the 12 friends who owned the company by luring other creators from larger existing comic book companies.
Meanwhile Lucy Loud, now a 20-year-old student at the University of Michigan, was anxious to get married to her childhood sweetheart, Rocky Spokes, the younger brother of Lincoln's friend and Clincoln McCloud Comics co-owner Rusty. To feel a greater connection with Lucy, Rocky, starting in high school, embraced the darkness more than he had before. Lucy and Rocky wanted a gothic wedding, but were not sure how they were going to pull it off. Still, they had three years to figure it out.