The day had dawned with a sky shrouded in gunmetal-gray clouds. Inside the Loud household, however, the atmosphere was mostly sunny. Lisa Loud, the young genius of the family, was perched at her desk, her eyes flitting between the equations scattered across her notebook and the live follower count on her latest streaming platform. Overnight, the number had teasingly stopped at 6,999. She mused on the symmetry of the number, its mathematical beauty almost too perfect to disrupt. Almost.

Her contemplation was interrupted by a familiar 'ding' from her computer. A small, triumphant smile tugged at her lips as she saw the notification—'Clyde McBride is now following you!'. Clyde, her brother's best friend and a frequent collaborator in her scientific escapades, had become her 7,000th follower. She typed out a quick message of gratitude: "Thanks, Clyde! Your support is empirically appreciated!"

As Lisa was reveling in this minor milestone, the sound of giggling trickled into her room. Lily, the youngest Loud, was seated on the floor, a bottle of cherry coke nestled between her small hands. Lisa looked down at her sister with a softening gaze.

But, as was the case with the Loud family, tranquility was a fleeting visitor. The wind outside picked up, its howling crescendo accompanied by the first fat drops of rain pummeling the windows. Within moments, the storm broke loose, unleashing a deluge that drummed a rapid rhythm on the roof.

The front door burst open, and in stumbled Leni, the fashion-forward sibling, drenched from head to toe, water dripping from her blonde locks onto the floor. In her arms, she clutched her latest creation— a taffeta chemise dress, miraculously dry despite the tempest outside. "I made it!" she exclaimed, relief evident in her voice. "And more importantly, my dress made it!"

Leni's arrival seemed to stir the house to life. As she sashayed through the living room, shedding droplets like a walking raincloud, Lisa approached with a clinical eye, examining the fabric of Leni's dress. "Your dress is composed of high-grade taffeta, notable for its crispness and luster," Lisa began.

However, as Leni looked down at her with a mix of confusion and anticipation, Lisa's expression softened. Her scientific facade melted away, replaced by the warmth of sisterly affection. "It's very pretty, Leni," she added, her voice now carrying the gentle timbre of a child who admired her older sister's sense of style.

Before Leni could respond, another figure appeared in the doorway. It was Lucy, the family's resident goth and lover of all things macabre. Her usual solemn expression was marred by a frown, her dark eyes reflecting the storm clouds outside. "Sigh. My grave digging competition was supposed to be today," she lamented, the gloom of the weather finding a kindred spirit in her.

Lisa, ever the pragmatist, tilted her head in contemplation. "One would assume that a mortuary competition would benefit from such a downpour," she reasoned. "Adds to the ambiance."

Lucy shook her head, her raven hair swaying slightly. "I would normally agree, but I'm fighting off a fever," she said, her voice as faint as the wisp of a ghost. "I can't afford to get any warmer, and that means I can't get any colder."

Without hesitation, Lisa was at her side, her fingers deftly retrieving a digital thermometer from her lab coat pocket. She placed it against Lucy's forehead, and within seconds, the device emitted a soft beep. "72F," Lisa read aloud, a hint of concern behind her clinical tone. "Lucy, that's certainly a fever for you."

Leni, overhearing the conversation, gasped. "A fever?" she repeated, her voice laden with sudden distress. "Oh no, Lucy's being buried? Because of a fever!" Her eyes brimmed with tears as she wrapped her arms around her gothic sister. "I'll miss you so much!"

Lisa and Lucy exchanged a glance. "Leni," Lisa started, gently prying her away from Lucy, "she's not—"

But Leni was already presenting Lucy with a parting gift, her sobs punctuating each word. "You were the best sister ever!"

Lucy, for her part, seemed torn between rolling her eyes and patting Leni's back. "I'm not dead, Leni," she said, her voice muffled by Leni's shoulder. "Unfortunately."

Leni sniffled, wiping her eyes as she looked between Lisa and Lucy. "Yay! Lucy's alive again!"

Actually, the shower of raw love Leni gave to everyone sparked a thought in Lisa's mind. The storm outside provided the perfect backdrop for her next endeavor. "Lucy," she said, her eyes alight with the spark of inspiration, "I think I have a solution for your rainy-day competition woes. Let's engineer an umbrella. Not just any umbrella—a non-solid one."

Lucy raised an eyebrow, her interest piqued despite the fever. "An umbrella... that's not an umbrella?"

"Exactly," Lisa confirmed, her gears already turning with the possibilities. "An apparatus that shields one from precipitation without the traditional constraints of a fabric canopy."

Lucy nodded, a glimmer of amusement behind her bangs. "Can't say I'm not intrigued. Lead the way, O Captain, my Captain," she quipped, a line she had read in one of her many poetry books.

Lisa pulled out her phone, fiddling with notes as she rushed to her room to gather her equipment with a squeee, adjusting the camera to capture the workspace of her latest endeavor.

Leni, ever the supportive sister, clapped her hands, sending more droplets flying. "Ooh, I love it when you do science stuff, Lisa!"

The camera's red light blinked on, and Lisa's stream went live. The chat immediately buzzed with activity, her followers greeting her with emojis and words of encouragement. "Good morning, intellectual devotees," Lisa greeted. "You're about to witness a breakthrough in meteorological defense systems."

In the background, the sound of Lily's laughter mingled with the patter of rain, a stark contrast to the seriousness of Lisa's tone. She didn't mind, though.

"For today's experiment, we will not be delving into the world of chemical energy, but rather that of the mechanical sort— all for the assistance of my thanatological grayscale sibling unit. If you don't mind, Lucy."

Utter deadpan, a tone more gunmetal than the sky, Lucy said: "Sure. I've got time to kill." No one reacted, though no one thought to, and Lucy seemed flustered by this.

With a dramatic flair, Lucy reached into her cloak and produced a small notebook, scribbling down something that looked suspiciously like a joke. She whispered behind her hand to Lisa, "Still working on my delivery. I've been taking secret comedy lessons from Luan."

Leni, not to be outdone, mirrored the action, whispering behind her own hand, though her words were less coherent. "If I wore clothes, they'd be knocked off right now!"

Even Lily blinked, bewildered.

Leni stood there, beaming, looking straight ahead.

Lisa rolled her eyes, a small chuckle escaping her. "Alright, let's focus. I'll need assistance from our resident expert in all things dirty and mechanical. Lana, front and center! Soooooiieeee!"

Her call was met with the thunderous sound of boots on the stairs, and within moments, Lana Loud burst into the room, her energy rivaling that of the storm outside. At Lisa's request, she dropped to all fours and snorted like a pig. She then popped to attention, saluting Lisa. "Reporting for duty, Commander!"

Lisa outlined her vision for the air umbrella, using her hands to illustrate the invisible barrier she intended to create. Lana nodded along, her mind already racing with ideas. "So we're making a force field?"

"In layman's terms, yes," Lisa replied. "We'll be using a high-velocity air flow to repel water droplets, creating an impermeable shield."

Lana's eyes sparkled with excitement. "That sounds awesome! Let's do it!"

The first prototype was a simple affair: a modified fan strapped to a hat, its blades whirring at top speed. Lisa directed Lana to stand by with a cup of water, ready to test the efficacy of their invention.

"Lucy, if you would be so kind as to volunteer?" Lisa gestured to the space beneath the fan.

Lucy hesitated, a flicker of doubt crossing her face. "I have objections," she stated flatly.

"Objection overruled," Lisa declared with mock solemnity. "For science!"

Lana couldn't suppress a giggle as she tipped the cup, allowing the water to cascade towards Lucy. The air umbrella sputtered, failing to provide even a semblance of protection. The water splashed over Lucy, drenching her from head to toe.

"Sigh."

Lisa frowned, taking notes. "Insufficient air velocity. Let's enhance the output."

Adjusting the settings and replacing the water with a baster, Lisa tried again. This time, the water droplets veered away from Lucy, much to the siblings' delight. Emboldened by the success, Lisa decided to up the ante. Seeing a small flask of red liquid on the table, she hatched an idea. "Prepare that cherry coke," she instructed Lana.

The second test began with optimism, but as the sticky liquid poured down, the air umbrella faltered, and Lucy once again became the unfortunate recipient of the experiment gone awry.

Lucy wiped cherry coke from her eyes. "Thanks for that, sis."

A puddle of cherry coke and water pooled on the floor, a visual testament to the failed experiment. At that moment, Rita Loud, matriarch of the family, entered the scene. Her gaze fell upon the mess, her brows knitting together in a familiar expression of maternal disapproval. "Lucy, what have I told you about making messes?"

Lucy tried to explain, pointing to the fan atop her head and the dripping cup in Lana's hand. "But Mom, it was Lisa's—"

"No excuses," Rita interjected. "Clean this up, and Lisa, please be more careful."

Lisa nodded, her mind already racing with the next iteration of her experiment. "Yes, Mother. Curses! Back to the drawing board."

In the garage…

Lisa stood in the midst of the chaos, her brain firing on all cylinders as she considered the variables of her failed experiment. "The concept is sound," she mused aloud, eyes narrowing in thought. "Air flow must be optimized. We require a more robust propulsion mechanism."

Lana, tinkering on a thermal pipe with a ratchet, nodded enthusiastically. "We could rig a leaf blower to your hat," she suggested, her mind a whirlwind of gears and gaskets.

Lucy, still dripping with sticky soda, crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, her deadpan expression unchanging. "Or we could just use a regular umbrella," she intoned.

Lisa waved off the comment with a flourish. "That would be antithetical to the spirit of innovation, Lucy. We are not merely avoiding precipitation; we are redefining the parameters of personal weatherproofing."

Lucy rolled her eyes, a single goth brow arching. "Redefining being soaked, you mean."

Ignoring the jab, Lisa turned her attention back to the stream. "Followers, the first iteration of our air umbrella has encountered... a hiccup. Fear not, for science is a process of trial and error."

The chat erupted with suggestions, encouragement, and a fair share of playful ribbing, but Lisa was already onto the next phase. "Lana, initiate Plan B: Operation Fire Shield."

Lana saluted and dashed off, returning moments later with a modified camping stove and a canister of propane. "Okay, Lisa, we're cooking with gas now!" she declared. Somewhere in the house, Luan grinned.

Lisa, donning safety goggles, ignited the lab-stove, and a ring of fire danced around the burner. "The premise is simple," she explained to the camera. "A thermal updraft should create an air current strong enough to deflect incoming precipitation, while the raw heat ought to vaporize any water that might get through."

Lucy eyed the flames warily. "You're planning to cremate me alive?"

"Of course not," Lisa reassured her. "The flame will be controlled and directed. Upwards and sidewards. Mostly."

"Mostly?"

"Well, umbrellas do do that drippy curvy thing," Lana said. She looked to Leni, who shrugged.

The test commenced, with Lisa adjusting the flame to just the right intensity. "Thermodynamics at work," she proclaimed. She motioned to Leni to grab a water-filled turkey baster.

"A-as much as I would like to assist you in your scholarly pursuits, I hear the spirits offering an alternative suggestion: that the great ghosts of science past would be far more pleased if you tested this on yourself first."

"Hmm, seems rather hokey and severely unsubstantiated. However, I do agree with the principle of the suggestion. Lana, if you may, set the fire umbrella closer to me. Leni, please proceed with the drip test."

Leni eagerly squeezed the baster, shooting out a sizable jet of water on her new test subject.

"N-No, Leni, I meant on me."

Leni looked down at the now even wetter Lucy.

"Sigh."

"Oh. Right."

But as Lisa directed the heat upwards, the result was not the protective barrier she had envisioned. Leni carefully squeezed some heavy drops out, but failure! Instead, the hot air merely turned the falling water into a warm, uncomfortable mist that settled onto Lisa herself.

"Back to the drawing board... again," Lisa muttered, a bit glistened and slightly steamed. "Lana, we'll need to improvise further."

Lana shut off the gas and rubbed the cannister. "Y'know, I think I'm gonna keep this. I could use something like this…"

"For what?" Leni asked.

"I 'unno." A solution in desperate search of a problem!

Outside, during a small lull in the storm…

Undeterred, Lisa's mind whirred with scientific terminology and the vast potential of her intellect. "We shall combat this aqueous adversary with its own kind," she declared. "Prepare the hydrodynamic defenses!"

Lana's response was immediate and enthusiastic. She scavenged through the assorted junk they kept for just such occasions and began assembling a new device. Pipes, hoses, and fittings came together in a chaotic symphony of mechanical genius.

Lucy, observing the process, quipped dryly, "When they said brainstorm, I didn't think they meant literally."

The new contraption was a sight to behold—a haphazard collection of plumbing that resembled a backpack with a maze of tubing. Lana fitted it onto her back and gave a thumbs-up. "Water umbrella, version one, ready!"

Lisa approached the camera, her voice filled with the thrill of potential discovery. "Using the principle of the laminar flow and hydraulic jump, we shall create a curtain of water so forceful it will repel any other liquid that dares approach. If we angle the nozzle just so," she mused, "the force of the water should be sufficient to create an impenetrable barrier."

The audience watched with bated breath as Lisa turned on the garden hose attached to Lana's creation. A jet of water shot out, forming a shimmering veil around her. Lana poured what little paint thinner cherry coke was left unto the stream, but the fizzy drink simply passed through the water curtain and onto Lucy, who had, against her better judgment, agreed to stand beneath it.

"Well," Lucy deadpanned, wiping coke from her face once again, "at least he's consistent." Who is she talking to?

Lisa was not one to be easily dissuaded. "Increase the pressure," she instructed, her eyes alight with the unyielding spark of a scientist in pursuit of an answer.

Lana adjusted the valves, and the water shot out with greater force, but still the cherry coke found its way through. Lucy's earlier suggestion of a traditional umbrella seemed more appealing by the second, but Lisa's dedication to her cause was unshakable.

"Lucy, I appreciate your skepticism, but the pursuit of science does not bow to practicality," Lisa intoned, her voice echoing with the gravity of their endeavor. "We shall escalate to the penultimate experiment. Lana, procure the fire hose!"

Lucy's eyes widened at the mention of the fire hose. "Isn't that a bit... excessive?"

"In the name of science, no measure is too great!" Lisa declared, her eyes burning with the fervor of discovery. "INCREASE THE PRESSURE!"

Lana disappeared into the depths of the house, only to return dragging an old, hefty fire hose behind her. "This baby can blast a stream of water hard enough to knock your socks off!"

Lucy glanced down at her sock-less feet. "I'll take your word for it."

Lisa hooked up the hose to their home's water supply, her calculations racing through her head.

"¡¡MAXIMUM PRESSURE!!

Lisa gave the signal, and Lana turned the valve. Water exploded from the hose with a mighty roar, forming a torrential barrier around Lisa. It was a magnificent sight, the water bending around her like a personal force field.

Lucy had been swept away, but managed to force her way back to the front yard.

"It's time! Leni! Release the typhoon!!"

Leni braved the mildly inclement weather to stand near the edge of the roof, holding her father's favorite two liter pitcher. At once, she poured all its contents, the amorphous form racing towards the earth.

And yet…. It all splashed harmlessly off the powerful stream.

Lisa beamed, triumphant. "Behold, the water umbrella! Now, Lucy, off to your competition. You shall remain as dry as the Sahara!"

Lucy, wetter than if she had simply stood outside in the rainstorm the entire time, glanced skeptically at the roaring water. "Are you sure about this?"

Her question was answered as she was promptly soaked by the act of turning the water umbrella on. Plus, the practicality was questionable at best—it sprayed water in a 360-degree circle with a radius of about 50 feet.

But Lisa stood firm, her pride in their achievement unwavering. "The data doesn't lie, Lucy. We have successfully created an umbrella out of water."

Lucy, now resembling a drowned rat more than the goth sister, sneezed. "Achoo," she sniffled. "Dang it."

Lily, who had been watching the entire ordeal, clapped her tiny hands in glee, splashing in the puddles that had formed on the floor.

The scene in the Loud household was one of utter disarray; the floor and front yard were sslick with water and cherry coke, the air filled with the scent of mixed experiments gone awry. Lucy stood dripping at the center of it all, the very picture of patient suffering. Despite the successful demonstration of Lisa's water umbrella, the practicality of the device was... questionable.

Lisa, however, was undeterred by the practical shortcomings. Her mind was already racing with improvements and modifications for the water umbrella. She turned to her streaming audience, her face aglow with the excitement of her accomplishment.

"And so, my dear viewers," Lisa began, her voice carrying the triumphant energy of victory. "We have defied conventional wisdom and created a water-based shield against the elements. While it may not be the most practical device for everyday use, it stands as a testament to the power of science and ingenuity."

Lisa's eyes scanned the chat, and she couldn't help but feel a swell of pride at the community she had built.

As the water settled and the makeshift laboratory that the Loud home had become started to resemble a swamp, the parental units of the household, Lynn Sr. and Rita, entered the scene. The expressions on their faces were a comical mixture of disbelief and impending doom. Rita's eyes were wide, scanning the waterlogged chaos, while Lynn Sr.'s mustache seemed to droop even lower with the weight of the spectacle before him.

"What in the name of ding-dang home maintenance is going on here?" Lynn Sr. blurted out, his voice rising in pitch as he sidestepped a particularly large puddle of cherry coke.

Rita's hands flew to her hips, her brows furrowing so deeply they could hide secrets. "Lucy, you're drenched! And with a fever! What would the neighbors say if they saw you now?!"

Lucy, shivering slightly but with her gothic composure intact, offered a wry smile. "I believe they'd say, "At least it's not my property,' with a shake of the head and a close of their curtains. AAACHOOO. Sniffle."

Suddenly, a witch's cackle erupted through the room. Lucy pulled out her phone.

"Hmm... Gasp! It appears the competition has been postponed."

"Rain check?"

"Exactly." She shook her phone dry and said, "The storm cleared up before it could start— so we're rescheduling to the next downpour."

Lynn Sr., trying to maintain his stern facade, pointed a finger at the streaming equipment. "And you, Lisa, broadcasting your own domestic hurricane to the world? There's a reason scientists do their experiments in a lab!"

Lisa, unfazed by the parental storm brewing before her, adjusted her glasses. "The unpredictable variables presented by our home environment only serve to enhance the robustness of my empirical data."

Rita couldn't help but let out a sigh that was part laughter, part exasperation. "Well, your 'empirical data' can start by explaining to your audience why there's a monsoon in the front yard."

Lynn Sr. added, "And after that, you can both explain the 'robustness' of your chores for the next week."

The threat of additional chores hung in the air, heavier than the humidity of the indoor rainforest they had created. Lucy sneezed, while Lisa nodded, accepting the challenge.

"Very well, parental units," Lisa conceded. "We shall commence clean-up posthaste."

Lincoln and Clyde, who had been watching from the sidelines, approached with wide eyes. "That was the coolest thing ever!" Lincoln exclaimed, his usual enthusiasm shining through.

Clyde nodded vigorously. "Can we see the fire umbrella again? That was epic!"

Lana seemed to bounce. "See?! Toldja!"

Leni went, "Totes!"

Lisa and Lana shared a knowing look and a nod. "We shall certainly conduct more engineering-based projects in the future," Lisa assured them. "The pursuit of knowledge is endless."

With a final glance at the camera, Lisa prepared to sign off. "I extend my sincerest gratitude to all 7,000 of my followers for your unwavering support and intellectual curiosity. Our explorations today have opened new avenues for experimentation, which we shall delve into with great enthusiasm in future streams."

Lily, now toddling around in the puddles, let out peals of giggles, her laughter a stark contrast to the usual Loud household antics.

"To all my fellow seekers of truth and knowledge, thank you for joining me on this wet and wild journey," Lisa continued, her voice warm with appreciation. "Until next time, remember to keep questioning, keep exploring, and, as always, stay Loud." Lily's giggles closed out the video.

With that, she clicked the 'End Stream' button, and the red light of the camera faded to black.

Author's Note: You all know what I'm about. This was inevitable.

Video that inspired this: Action Lab's "Can an Umbrella Made of Water Stop the Rain?"

Coming up next: Lori stumbles into an experiment to create a radio transmitter compatible with... radios. Will Bobby get Lori's shortwave radio message? Will the Louds hear secret messages from Russia? Will Lisa discover a cosmonaut distress signal? And where the heck are these pings from Point Nemo coming from??