So it has been over 3 months since my last update and for the record I want to say that the next chapter of "Are We Bad Parents" is COMING. I am not going to make any promises I can't keep but I want to get my next chapter done in the next few weeks or so.
Ever since the release of the first chapter, things have been hectic for me seeing how me and my family were on vacation in the start of August, then college starting up again in late August, then with classes and tests and midterms in September and October.
I am not saying this as an excuse but I wanted you guys to know that I want to continue this story. And this goes for any other story I write but of course life gets in the way.
This chapter will be either updated when the full chapter comes up or deleted (whichever you guys want to do) however to make up for this wait I am going to give you information about some of my plans for this fanfic going forward.
In the first chapter there was a comment about if the story got more reviews, more people can tell their stories about the loud family. That is supposed to be a fourth wall break. The explanation the host and people working in this organization give for knowing so much about the Loud Family is that they are aware of the writing of the Loud House tv show and the Loud Family. Basically like Lincoln (and a few others) the host can view and often break the fourth wall. Basically Jerry Quinn and his organization (not any of the parents who showed up for this interview) know that this is a fanfiction, this is why they will grant no mercy on the Louds for exposing the truth. I thought this would be a clever way to have it make sense while not making the story too over the top. And I will not overdo the fourth wall breaks (only one line per chapter) with only implications being made of their fourth wall viewing/breaking.
With this fanfiction no one else will be called in to be interviewed. It will only be Lynn Sr. and Rita, however when it comes to the end of the show... keep in mind that all of this is because the organization wanted to expose the truth about the Loud Family for their own satisfaction and whatever happens with Loud Family and the content of the interview will depend on them.
And for the record Lori would have told her siblings that the parents are going somewhere alone and gave strict orders to all her siblings (Lisa especially) not to follow or track them or go after them while they are gone.
The titles will be named after each Loud child, so just "Lori", "Leni", "Luna", etc.
Any time there is a fourth wall break I will bold the sentence.
I also want to specify that even though we know that The Loud House in the show is a cartoon, the canon characters in the story do not know that they are in a show and everything that happens to them will be taken seriously even if it is cartoony.
And yes, this fic is loosely inspired by the show "Jerry Springer" and the host Jerry Quinn took inspiration from the late Jerry Springer (may he rest in peace). However this entire talk show plotline will NOT be based on the older Jerry Springer episodes (at least not intentionally since I barely watched the show). I am aiming to make this my own thing and not use the "Jerry Springer" series as a guide.
Jerry Quinn can also break the fourth wall and I am going to bold each line that has him breaking the fourth wall. I already went back to the previous chapter to bold the line that has him breaking the fourth wall.
Also this fanfiction takes place between seasons 3 and 4 of the show but there will be times where Jerry foreshadows and hints at events that happen in season 4 and onward.
As for the fic itself my plan is to have this formula for each chapter.
First each chapter would show a flashback to Lynn Sr. and Rita Loud arriving Sunday night to the A.P.B.F as they speak with other parents who were in attendance at the organization. For the record none of the other parents know what Jerry is doing, they are in the same position of Lynn Sr. and Rita, however after Sunday night they have no communication with each other and don't speak to each other again. However the conversation other parents have with the Loud Parents gets brought up in the show.
After this, Jerry would go over all the issues each Loud kid has, how the parents handled themselves with the kids on Sunday evening when they were preparing to leave, each individual main issue the kids had (using show examples from seasons 1, 2, and 3) (plus foreshadowing of events from season 4 and onward) and what the parents did/did not do in response, bringing up the conversation's with the other parents, and at the end we see parts one of the parent's past and how it it relates to how they see their child (it would be built up to in the chapter) as either Lynn Sr. or Rita explains why they treat their child the way they do.
Followed by one armor piercing question from Jerry himself before the show goes on commercial, Rita and Lynn Sr. and sent to their separate break room while they comprehend what just happened.
I also want to point out which parent would be closer with each Loud kid, the issues that will be covered for each child, and my thoughts and reasoning for these decisions
Lori: Closest Parent - Lynn Sr.
Considering how overprotective and overemotional Lynn Sr. can get towards Lori (like when Bobby first introduced himself or when she left for college) I can see Lynn Sr. being closer to Lori. Also I would see their relationship being more special since she is the first Loud kid who most likely was there for all of her most important moments. I also see Lynn Sr. based on his own experience with his older bother thinking that Lori can handle all the responsibilities of being an eldest child. Since Rita is an only child and in my story Lynn Sr. is the middle child (his brother is the oldest and his sister Shirley is the youngest) nobody would truly get what Lori is going through which leads to Lori acting the way she does when she has more siblings in her life. With Lori she would have issues including parentification, control issues (because of being the oldest sibling), entitlement, being the first child (being seen as a precedent for future kids), attachment issues, and her becoming an adult.
As an oldest sibling myself (I have a younger brother), I can understand why Lori acts the way she does with her siblings and I think this aspect of her character has been downplayed a lot throughout the show. Lori being the authority figure at the house and the enforcer of the rules drove a wedge between her and her siblings which never truly got addressed. Since Lori is in college since season 5 and has been demoted to supporting character since there has been less chances to explore this but still.
Leni: Closest Parent - Rita
I wouldn't be surprised if Rita paid extra attention to Leni when she was much younger because of her slow development. And no I have not decided on the explanation on Leni's mental issues, whether it is autism, early head trauma, learning disability, or any birth defect you will have to wait and see. Due to Rita spending more time with Leni than with Lori, Luna, Luan, and Lynn Jr., I wouldn't be surprised if Rita was the one to mainly encourage Leni's love for fashion and put a lot more effort into helping her through school all these years. Rita would also feel especially obligated to pay extra attention to Leni because of why Leni has special needs. Rita knows that when Leni goes out into the world many people would see her as an inconvience at best because of her slow-witted nature but tries to get Leni to take herself more seriously. With Leni she would have issues with her intelligence, naiviety, passive nature, living up to untapped potential (downplayed creativity), education, and assertiveness.
I doubt the show will give an official explanation on why Leni is the way she is but regardless I liked how the show handled Leni in the later seasons (save for one season 4 episode). It was nice to see her take charge in season 5 and onward now that Lori is in college.
Luna: Closest Parent - Lynn Sr.
Since the show states that before 7th grade Luna was the most average out of all the sisters, I'm sure Luna didn't really become close to her father until then. Both Lynn Sr. and Luna share a love of music and British culture as seen in many episodes throughout the series. I also think that Lynn Sr. like Luna went through a period of trying different hobbies and being aimless before settling down with cooking/music (maybe that could be a head-canon but still). Lynn Sr. and Luna (and maybe most of the other siblings but Luna in particular) often act on impulse instead of thinking things through more often than not. With Luna she would have issues with aimlessness, being too easygoing, insecurity, identity crisis, recklessness, and surviving the music industry.
I want to address how despite Luna seeming like the most well-adjusted or the most "chill" sister she has her own issues that aren't as obvious as the other characters. Aside from that I don't have much left to say about Luna that hasn't already been said.
Luan: Closest Parent - Lynn Sr.
One of the few characters who seem to consistently like Luan's jokes (not April Fools Day pranks) is her father, so that alone already shows how close she is with Lynn Sr. Alongside this I can see Lynn Sr. being the most supportive of Luan's comedy career and if he was present in the episode "No Laughing Matter", he would have helped Luan get back into comedy. I also think that out of all the Loud kids, Luan has the most similar personality with Lynn Sr. (with Luna being a close second if not tied with Luan). Luan thrives from the positive attention she gets from Lynn Sr. as it is very clear that Luan is attention starved and uses her pranks and jokes as a way to be noticed. With Luan she would have issues with insensitivity, inability to take things seriously, unhealthy coping mechanisms, her April Fools Day pranks, her need for attention, and attachment issues.
If it weren't for Luan's April Fools Day pranks (that could have killed someone), she would be much better received than she is now. At least later seasons toned that down significantly, as for everything else I don't have that many issues that I didn't already mention.
Lynn Jr.: Closest Parent - Lynn Sr.
The main dynamic is that Lynn Jr. is the son Lynn Sr. wished he wanted seeing how Lynn Jr is named after her father. I believe that the only reason Lynn Sr. named Lynn Jr. after him is because he was expecting a boy (but it could be for a different reason). I also think that Lynn Jr would be sibling that would most likely have their accomplishments paraded around town (tied alongside Luna and Lola). Since Lynn Sr. is a fan of football just like Lynn Jr. I am sure they bonded a lot because of that and if Lynn Sr. was in the episode "Good Sports" he would have watched the game with Lynn Jr. For better or worse I think Lynn Sr is the one who would enable her passion for sports since it is something that valued in small towns in the Midwest like Royal Woods. In regard to her conduct on team sports, I think Lynn Jr. would benefit from individual sports until she learns how to act on a team and stop being so hostile on her team. At least without a team Lynn Jr. can only blame herself for her losses and therefore have the chance to be more humble and gracious when it comes to losing. With Lynn Jr. she would have issues with anger, superstitious beliefs, poor sportsmanship, her ego, bullying her siblings, and her arrogance.
Despite all of the other Loud sisters (even the most contentious ones like Lori and Lola) becoming more liked as the show went on, Lynn Jr. is the only sister who never fully recovered from her worst moments. Even today in terms of likability is inconsistent and any likeable moment come off as nothing more than half-measures. And it isn't just No Such Luck either, there is also Lynner Takes All, Sitting Bull, On Thin Ice, Schooled, Snow Escape, and more episodes like this that make Lynn Jr look much worse. Even her best episodes like Net Gains, Middle Men, Singled Out, Good Sports, Cow Pie Kid, and recently Sponsor Tripped don't seem to matter as her character is reset to forget these lessons whenever the plot needs her too. I will say that Lynn Jr. is at her best (character and behavior wise) when she is with her friend group instead of her family.
Lincoln: Closest Parent - Rita
It's interesting to see Lincoln be closer to Rita instead of Lynn Sr. seeing how Lynn Sr. is the only other male in the house. This could suggest how Lincoln has less of a connection to his masculinity than most guys. Yes this was touched on in "Roughin' It" but aside from the superficial aspects, we never see Lincoln learn valuable masculine virtues/skills that only a father can teach his son. With episodes like "A Novel Idea", Rita let Lincoln go to her office so he wouldn't feel left out, "The Loudest Yard" shows Rita taking the initiative to get Lincoln to exercise, and "What Wood Lincoln Do", showing Rita and Lincoln working on a birdhouse together (even though Lincoln had her do the project for him); this shows how closer Lincoln is with Rita in comparison to episodes with Lincoln and Lynn Sr. Lynn Sr.'s father was a hippie (seen in "Vantastic Voyage") and yet that part of his character was never addressed again even when Lynn Sr.'s father was introduced in season 5; however I think that this aspect alongside Lenard's favoritism helped play a role in why Lynn Sr. has not really connected with his father and therefore Lynn Sr is not as connected to Lincoln (and "Legends" didn't do enough to address this). With Lincoln he would have issues with being the middle child, the only son (with how it affected it's upbringing), parentification, being the main scapegoat, manipulative tendencies, and underlying resentment.
Like Lori, Lincoln has been parentified but it is in a different way. While Lori is supposed to be disciplinarian who has to be strict with her siblings or else she will get blamed, Lincoln is always the one who is consciously or unconsciously to fix all the sibling's problems (both older and younger) by their demand or because it is the only way for his living situation back on track. Also I think Lincoln's manipulative tendencies (with his plans) are present thanks to his need for survival as the scapegoat, only son, and as the middle child; when he becomes older and tries this with others in life it would not end well for him (despite his other strengths and talents).
Lucy: Closest Parent - Rita
With Lucy and Rita sharing a love of writing, it's easy to see why Lucy would be closer to would be closer to her mom than with Lynn Sr. Due to this I bet she was the one who was the most supportive of her poetry. In "The Write Stuff", Rita went out of her way to help Lucy with the writing club and in "House of Lies", Rita trust Lucy to giver her good feedback on her book. I also think that Rita is probably the more supportive parent when it comes to Lucy's goth nature in general based on Rita's comments on her books in "Homespun". It would be nice to get more of this dynamic between Lucy and Rita but I doubt the show will go into it much. Unfortunately thanks to Lucy's macabre interests and spooky demeanor it has led to neglect and lack of connection with her family at best or being a potential black sheep/scapegoat at worst (see "Sleuth or Consequences"). Lucy is also the least utilized sister in my opinion when it comes to sibling episodes; she mainly gets Lincoln and Lynn Jr. but only a few episodes focusing on those dynamics, not to mention Luan and Lola get even less screen time. No wonder Lucy loves to pop in out of nowhere, seeing how it would be hard to get attention otherwise. One thing I think about with Lucy is that if Lincoln wasn't born, Lucy would have been the scapegoat. She is the one who has weird hobbies that no one truly understands and are not deemed as useful. Her connection to the supernatural would have made the family's actions in "No Such Luck" more justifiable in their eyes. With Lucy she would have issues with emotional repression, neglect from others, being a potential scapegoat, attachment issues, fixation on the supernatural, and condescension.
I noticed is how Lucy sometimes looks down on others who don't align/initially fit in with her interests/clique. Like with how she was quick to get Lori and Leni to stop watching her show in "Fandom Pains", her jealously towards Lola in "She's All Bat" or worst of all trying to ruin the beach trip for her entire class (and then trying to hide her enjoyment of the beach) in "Sand Hassles". While I don't condone what she did in "Sand Hassles", I can understand Lucy acting the way she did in "Fandom Pains" and "She's All Bat". Gatekeeping is like having a guest in your house. The guest has an obligation to treat the host, their family, and the house with respect for as long as they stay there. As the guest you have to follow the host's rules, not cause drama/problems, and above all don't trash the house by destroying the dynamic/vibe of the household. If you break the rules, disrespect the traditions/other family members, or subvert the identity of the household, the host has the right to kick you out of the house and ensure no one like you gets in again. Guests must adhere to the host's vision of how the house should be run, prove their loyalty by submitting to a hierarchy (guest roommate, friend, family friend, honorary family member), and accept their role in the household even if it is small. Everyone gatekeeps to some extent for various reasons whether they realize it or not. The reason Lucy is like this is because of history not just of being an outcast in her family (second only to Lincoln) but also an outcast in wider society (in contrast Lincoln would thrive in wider society), but as a goth she found a group of people she can be herself with thus any threat to her persona internally or externally she takes very seriously.
Lana: Closest Parent - Lynn Sr.
Because of her status as the family mechanic, it would provide Lynn Sr. chances to bond with Lana, especially in regards to Vanzilla. Seeing how much Lynn Sr. relies on Lana for repairs (and out of all the kids, both parents seem to rely on Lana the second most) around the house like with the only toilet. Alongside Lynn Jr., Lynn Sr. would most likely see Lana like a son to him. I also think that Lana would have the least complaints with the cooking that Lynn Sr. would make due to Lana eating almost anything. It seems like both parents trust Lana enough to not only be the house handywoman at 6 (later 7 years old) but also own many exotic animals no one keeps for a pet (especially ones that can injure/kill her). Unfortunately we don't really see Lana have that many interactions with her other siblings (aside from Lola, Lincoln, and Lynn Jr), or even her parents (the main thing Lynn Sr. and Lana have in common is handywork). Lana might also have the least amount of named friends her age in the show... even more so than Lisa. With Lana she would have issues with attachment issues (with animals), aversion to cleanliness, overconfidence, too independent, feral behavior (at times), and lacks social graces.
Another major thing about Lana is her love of getting dirty... I mean I know it is a cartoon and all but with all the trash, mud, animal interaction, other uncleanly activities, and general aversion to cleanliness, it is a shock that she managed to stay healthy. Even with Lisa, I'm sure all of this exposure to germs must have gave her some sort of disease even with any immunity she would have built up to that point. Not to mention that since Lana is never concerned about the potential danger of her actions regarding her animals or even handywork, I would see this as a sign of overconfidence.
Lola: Closest Parent - Rita
The weird thing with Lola is that despite being vastly improved from how she used to be, it seems like most her episodes is her repeating the same lessons over and over again but with more or less the same structure. Yes I know she is 6 (7 in later seasons) and I still like her episodes but it is just coming off as repetitive. With Leni it does not seem as repetitive since we see her learn different lessons that are not recycled repeatedly but build off one another (like getting a job, becoming the oldest sibling in the house, getting her driver's license etc.). Like Lynn Jr., when Lola is not the focus she is allowed to do more and does not have to stick with the same roles she would normally have, but unlike Lynn Jr., ever since season 2 Lola is much more likeable when she is the main focus of an episode (even though they both suffer from being repetitive at times). In the episode "Crown and Dirty" it showcases their bond on screen and even before then, I wouldn't be surprized that between the two parents, Rita is the one that puts in the most work helping Lola with her pageants. In "Candy Crushed" Rita was willing to help Lola take her mind off of candy and was understanding about how she avoided eating candy for so long despite not reaching her goal. With Lola she would have issues with selfishness, manipulative tendencies, vanity, spoiled behavior, stress of pageantry, and learning disabilities.
So this is a headcanon of mine and yes this will be included in the fic based on "Crown and Dirty", I think that Rita's mom put her daughter in beauty pageants when she was younger as a way to bond with her. Unfortunatly Rita's mom would die young and despite Pop-Pop doing his best he could not retire from the military yet. Since Rita is still very young when her mom died she would swear off pageants and go off to live with her Aunt Ruth... the only maternal figure Rita had in her life. This would explain why Rita would overlook Aunt Ruth's problems and why Rita would not get back into pageants until she found out Lola was into them. Again this is just a headcanon I found interesting, but aside from that Lola would have to retain important life lessons she has learned to get through in life (if people would want to be around her).
Lisa: Closest Parent - Lynn Sr.
To be honest, Lisa could have gone either way seeing how out all the Loud siblings she interacts with her parents the least. The only reason I chose Lynn Sr. is due to a VERY slight advantage with how many scenes Lisa has with her father than her mother. Plus looking back on the first 3 seasons and season 4 and onward, it seems like Lisa is slightly closer to Lynn Sr. We see Lincoln and Lucy we get to see them having core interests in common and/or more meaningful screen-time/chemistry, but there isn't any of that with Lisa. With Lisa she would be the one to help her father with cooking measurements in "Making the Grade" (alongside helping Rita with directions). I bet Lynn Sr. (and Rita) would turn to Lisa for many things that the parents couldn't do themselves (like tutoring, paying the bills, or using her grant money for the family's funds). Lynn Sr. of course treats Lisa like a 4 year old despite her genius which at least in newer seasons Lisa doesn't mind all that much. Of course it seems like a major part of Lisa's character is that despite wanting to be seen as an adult and has the intellectual capabilities of one, she often enjoys the luxuries of a child her age even hen she does not admit it (or understand these feelings at times). With Lisa she would have issues with adultification, emotional repression, condescension, lack of social awareness (especially when it comes to morality and science), takes childhood for granted, and arrogance.
Like Lucy, Lisa acts like she is above other people based on their traits which leads to alienation. With Lucy it's her goth persona and her fixation on the macabre and with Lisa it is her intelligence and her insistence that she knows best. However unlike Lucy it is MUCH MORE prominent in Lisa. At least with Lucy she only acts this way when her identity as a goth or a piece of goth culture is at risk. Lisa always seems like she is better than her siblings because of her intelligence (especially Leni). Episodes like "Snow Board", "Making the Grade" or even "School of Shock" show how her intelligence makes her unlikable around other people, and "The Mad Scientist" has her leaving the family in the name of science and if it weren't for time travel Lisa would have not attempted to return. However this is mainly shown through her inventions and experiments that are heavily invasive towards her family and at some points unethical as it shows how Lisa sees her family someone who will go along with her actions in the name of science no matter how far she goes. I understand that this a cartoon at the end of the day but seeing every immoral thing Lisa has done that she got away with (including misusing grant funds, tracking chips in her family, removing Lincoln's appendix, poop studies, nuclear experiments at home and school, cameras in the bathroom, dangerous chemicals around the home, misusing time travel, misusing NASA connections, creating sentient life, 50,000 dollars in terms of library funds, etc.). This and more has shown how much Lisa has been able to get away with thanks to her parents. Even with her inventions helping her family and others being impressed with her intelligence, Lisa should have been reigned in by her parents a long time ago.
Lily: Closest Parent - Rita
Thanks to Lily being a baby (in later seasons a toddler), she would have the most interactions with her parents. But I think Lily would interact with her mother more so than her father. Throughout the episodes, Lily would be seen with Rita a lot more like with "Any Given Sundae" (with Rita wanting Lily to have her first taste of ice cream) or in one of the newest episodes "Sleepless in Royal Woods". Aside from that there is not much to say about how close Lily is to her parents. However despite not having any make or issues now, it seems that later seasons (season 5 and onward) show her taking up the negative aspects of her older siblings. In the episode "Dream a Lily Dream" it shows that Lily had been having nightmares about Lisa's inventions, which shows how Lisa's actions had a negative effect on Lily. Seeing this it can be inferred that Lily is aware of her siblings worst moments and has had bad memories associated with that. Since season 5 she has seemed to be a lot more active with the biggest example being the episode "Small Blunder"as she takes Lisa's shrink ray for her show and tell, of course Lily accidentally get herself and her friends shrunk and throughout the episode has to get themselves back to normal. With Lily she would issues with bad influences, being impressionable, neglect, potential lack of identity (thanks to siblings projecting their desires onto her), used as a tool by her siblings, and potential harm from her siblings antics.
Out of all the siblings, Lily is the only one who could be the least affected by her upbringing. However that would require the household behavior of ALL the Loud family members to be addressed and dealt with before it is too late. However in seasons 5 and onward (or even before then), we see Lily being just as chaotic as her older siblings. Yes I know she is a baby/toddler and I also know that these issues are definitely a stretch and since she is so young there is not much to go off of (and there will not be enough information unless the show does another year timeskip) but I need something to go off for this fanfic... so yeah.
Hopefully this update makes up for the lack of a chapter. I want to get the Lori chapter out soon. This is also my thoughts on what I want to do with this story going forward.
If you want I can post a sneak peak of the Lori chapter. The sneak peak alongside this update will be edited/removed once the full chapter comes out.
Until Next Time...
