February 11, 2024.
Hi guys!
Chapter 06 has been ready for some time, but I was stalling on editing.
Here we will see the last part of Gylmar and Tarsila's 1st day as members of the Loud Family.
I made a table about the next chapters of the fanfic, so I can note my ideas and know what will be covered in each chapter.
I don't know exactly when this fanfic will end (which will be long), but I know the direction I'm taking it.
Unfortunately, no one reviewed the previous chapter. Don't be intimidated: you can write, suggest and complain as much as you want. This is a democratic space, where free thinking is the rule. No attacks or swearing, obviously.
Enjoy!
Chapter 06:
The New Loud Siblings! (Part 4)
18h.
As Luna predicted, Lynn Sr. and Rita order seven margherita pizzas for dinner.
Gluten free, as Gylmar is allergic.
All 15 family members sit at the dinner table.
"Wait," Gylmar warns. "Shall we not pray before we eat?"
All Loud look at each other. It's not like anyone thought of that.
"Of course," Rita agrees. "Close your eyes."
Everyone closes.
"Dear Father," Rita begins. "Bless our food."
"Of course," Gylmar interrupts. "God is credit card. He only blesses in installments."
Everyone opens their eyes. And they throw angry looks at Gylmar.
"You can't wait to say that after dinner?" Tarsila questions.
"I could," Gylmar admits. "But then who would pay attention?"
"Okay, smart cat," Lynn Sr. decides. "Since you are better than us, then pray yourself."
"I didn't say nothing," Gylmar assures. "But okay. Close your eyes."
Everyone closes.
Gylmar prays:
"LORD, My God and My Father, Creator of Heaven and Earth. Thank you for giving us this solid house, this giant family and this delicious pizza. May the LORD strengthen and encourage us in this new stage of our lives and continue to feed us, both with the physical bread and the spiritual bread of Your Word."
"And give Mom forces to leave the hospital as soon as possible," Tarsila adds.
"In the Name of Your Beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen!"
"Amen!" Almost everyone repeats.
"Amen!" Lisa repeats.
Luna remains silent.
Everyone gives confused looks to Luna, who opens her eyes coldly.
"Okay, let's eat," Rita finishes the subject.
"Wait," Lucy interjects. "The first piece goes to Gylmar."
"Yeah," Leni continues. "And the second for Tarsila."
"Yes, of course," Lucy agrees, as she picks up the pizza cutter.
She cuts the first slice and gives it to Gylmar.
"Thanks."
She cuts the second slice and gives it to Tarsila.
"Thanks."
Gylmar eats and thinks:
"Curioso. Será que a Luna é ateia? Mas a Lisa também é, e ela disse 'Amém', em sinal de respeito. Talvez a Luna viva ofendida pela Bíblia condenar o homossexualismo?"
("Curious. Is Luna an atheist? But Lisa is also one, and she said 'Amen', as a sign of respect. Maybe Luna is offended by the Bible condemns homosexuality?")
While the Loud family enjoys the pizzas, Lynn Jr. addresses:
"You said your Mother is in hospital?"
"Yes. Better clarify it up soon," Gylmar announces. "In fact, she is in a psychiatric institution, to treat her Bipolarity."
"Treat what?"
"Bipolar Mood Disorder," Lisa explains. "Gylmar and Tarsila's Mother alternates cyclical periods of normal life with periods of euphoria, when she has energy to do several things, and periods of depression, when she has no energy to do anything."
"Exactly," Gylmar confirms. "And she occasionally has such severe crises that she ends up being hospitalized to be treated."
"Don't say you're sorry," Tarsila warns, good-naturedly. "Gylmar dislike receive pity from others."
"Take me out of focus," Gylmar requests, half-seriously. "We both dislike it. In fact, the three of us."
"What is your Mother's name?" Luna asks.
"Jeaniney The Cat," Gylmar responds. "Jenny, for the intimate."
"Wow... Jeaniney... Beautiful name," Luna smiles.
"And were you born from her, Tatá?" Lana wants to know.
"Just Gylmar. I was adopted," Tarsila informs. "Jenny likes to say that Gylmar was created in her belly and I was created in her heart."
"So beautiful. It even makes a song," Luna notes. "Have you ever written a song about your Mother, Gylmar?"
"No."
"Then write one. We can use in the next Moon Goats show."
"I will think about."
"And where is your Father?" Leni wants to know.
"My Father died in a bus accident when I was 4 years old," Gylmar says.
"Oh, I sor… I mean, no, I don't."
"Thank you for your consideration."
"Does your Mother have her life interrupted because she is bipolar?" Lincoln marvels. "And do you have any disorder too?"
"Well, I have something that only Gylmar can pronounce," Tarsila informs.
"Tarsila has s-chi-zo-phre-ni-a," Gylmar spells.
"Oh, I know that," Lucy raises her hand. "Do you see and hear things that no one sees?"
"Yes," Tarsila confirms. "I mean, it's like certain things only exist in my head."
"Like there's a portal to another world that only you can access?"
"I think so."
"And have you ever seen any spirits?"
Tarsila stops to reflect.
"Not that I know. Maybe I already see."
"And what kinds of things do you see?" Luan wants to know.
"Well..." Tarsila relates. "There's Mr. Mushroom Head, who always appears when I lose something. There's also Patiscleta, my old bike that was stolen, but reappears when I'm much sad. Like a friend who is always there, ready to comfort you, you know?"
The Loud are silent.
Lola requests:
"Lori, can I sleep in your room tonight?"
"No," Lori decrees.
"But Tarsila is crazy..."
"MY SISTER IS NOT CRAZY!" Gylmar stands on the chair, suddenly scaring everyone.
"Respira fundo, Gylmar..." Tarsila says promptly.
("Deep Breath, Gylmar…")
"Está bem..."
("Okay…")
Gylmar breathes 3 times.
"I just want to ask one thing: Tarsila is schizophrenic and I am gifted. Maybe it's easier for you to like me than her. But whoever loves me as I am must also love my sister as she is. Otherwise, you don't deserve my love. Understood?"
Solemn silence.
"A hundred per cent!" Lori guarantees, smiling.
Everyone nods.
"Good," Gylmar sits back down. "By the way, it's almost time for you to take your medicine, Tatá."
"I was waiting for you to say that, Gyl."
Luan seize the occasion:
"He is right, guys. What point is there in rejecting our little fox if all of us here have our inner demons? We are all weird, bizarre, peculiar..."
"...Idiots..." Lincoln concludes.
All Loud looks sideways at Lincoln.
"Squirrels, out of here!" He exclaims, pointing to the front door.
All Loud disarm their gazes.
"Yes, you're absolutely right," Luan concedes. "Anyway: we all have a duty to love ourselves as we are and also for who we are!"
"Love!" Lily exclaims, grinning from ear to ear.
"YEEESSS!" All Loud exclaim happily.
Gylmar looks at Tarsila, who smiles at him and shrugs.
Gylmar returns to reflecting in silence.
After the TV newscast, the Louds gradually return to their respective rooms.
Upon leaving the bathroom, Lincoln and Gylmar begin to cross the hallway towards their room.
"I have something really cool to show you," Lincoln announces.
"Okay," Gylmar accepts. "I also need to unpack my backpack."
"LINCOLN!"
Gylmar is perplexed while Lincoln smiles cynically at the call for him.
Lynn Jr., wearing only sports underwear, finishes climbing the stairs that connect the ground floor to the second floor, heading towards her brother.
"Lincoln Loud, what did you do to my balls?! I've already looked for them all over the house!"
"Have you looked in the yard?" Lincoln suggests, under Gylmar's wide-eyed gaze.
"YARD?!" Lynn is shocked. "You threw all my balls in the yard?!"
"I'm not asserting anything," Lincoln rolls his eyes. "If you have any doubts, go there and see."
Lynn looks at the closed doors in the hallway.
"Hey guys! Can someone go rescue my balls in the yard?!"
The sisters decline behind the doors:
Lori: "I'm not getting involved in this!"
Lana: "Learn to be a wild animal, Lynn!"
Lisa: "It's your responsibility! Well, technically, it's Lincoln's, but I want to make it difficult!"
Luan: "Whoever has balls looks for balls!"
Loud laughter spread throughout the hall.
Lynn grits her teeth.
Lucy: "Listen, Lynn. You want to win the bet, right? So conform. Everyone needs a break from you every now and then. Even your balls."
"You helped too, Lucy! It wasn't?!" Lynn accuses her.
"He he he he he..."
Lincoln pins:
"In last case, Lynn, Jean Juan's food is amazing!"
Lynn shrugs.
"I don't know if I should feel a winner or a loser."
She heads to her own room.
"I love you, Stinkoln," She smiles bitterly.
"I love you too, Lynnsanity," He assures.
After she enters, Lincoln punches the air:
"Yeeesss! What did you think of my masterstroke, Gylmar?! Gylmar?!"
Lincoln suddenly realizes he is alone in the deserted hallway.
A voice comes from his bedroom door:
"That was a low blow!"
"I only used the same weapons as my sisters!" Lincoln justifies himself.
Soft laughter spread throughout the hallway.
Lincoln, sitting on his bed, wearing only red underwear, describes the characters from his favorite hero's Universe:
"And this is BlackJack, the kingpin," He points to the comic book. "He is the one who, in general, finances and trains the other villains in the city, causing... Huh?"
On the other side, Gylmar, sitting on the chair, wearing only turquoise underwear, completely absorbed in his smartphone.
"Gylmar? Are you listening me?"
...
"GYLMAAARRR!"
"Are we still talking about 'Ice Save'?" The cat questions, without taking his eyes off the screen.
"Ace Savvy!"
"Whatever!"
"What are you doing so important on this phone?" Lincoln crosses his arms.
"I'm talking to my Mother on WhatsApp!" Gylmar yells, finally facing Lincoln. "Isn't that primordial enough?!"
"Is your Mother awake yet?"
"Not really," Gylmar admits, scratching his head. "I take advantage of the time when she is sleeping to write her long text messages. That way I don't have to respond to her throughout the day."
"Huh?" Gylmar is incredulous. "Do you always want to get rid of your Mother as soon as possible?"
"Nothing like that. I just don't like wasting time. I prefer to always be dynamic."
Gylmar continues typing.
"That's not good," Lincoln observes. "You need to slow down every now and then. It's not like you're going to die next week."
"I might die," Gylmar admits, coldly. "Why put off until tomorrow what I can complete today?"
"Don't play with these things."
Without ceremony, Lincoln snatches the smartphone from Gylmar, who is stunned, but remains sitting in the chair, without reacting.
Lincoln puts the smartphone next to him on the bed.
And complains:
"I was hoping to gain a brother and a sister today. But it looks like I gained two sisters."
"What are you referring to?" Gylmar frowns.
Lincoln vents:
"My sisters - and my parents - don't usually pay much attention to me. Sure, we play together, play sports, play video games, swim in the mud – at least with Lana – but except Luna, I don't feel like they're my unconditional allies."
"Well, judging by what we saw half an hour ago in the hallway, your sisters seem to be on your side pretty well," Gylmar disagrees, then rolls his eyes. "Too much."
"Sometimes, yes," Lincoln smiles slightly. "But I feel like I give my sisters so much more than they give me."
"Like this?" Gylmar crosses his arms.
Lincoln explains:
"Lori always says that all siblings have a duty to support each other - especially when she has golf matches. And I always have to stop, cancel or postpone my commitments and interests so I can support and help my 10 sisters in everything they do: competitions, parades, championships, shows, festivals..."
"But it's not just you," Gylmar ponders. "They sacrifice themselves too."
"True," Lincoln agrees. "But I'm practically the 'Jack Of All Trades' of the family: the one who is always called upon to accomplish or fix something for others."
"In Brazil, you would be known as 'Pau Pra Toda Obra'."
"So it is. And how much time do I have left? When can I accomplish something that is good for myself? You must have noticed the Family Trophy Cabinet that sits next to the dining table. My sisters have a lot of accumulated prizes and I have almost nothing!" Lincoln waves his arms frantically.
"Congratulations to them," Gylmar applauds. "At least they have the determination to pursue their goals until the end."
Lincoln frowns:
"But more than half of those awards would never have been won without my help!"
"You're just a piece of the puzzle," Gylmar reasons, shaking his head. "If you didn't exist, they would solve in other ways. Without Thomas Edison, another guy would invent the light bulb. Without Steve Wozniak, another guy would invent the computer. Without Adolf Hitler, another animal would perform the Holocaust…"
Lincoln drops his arms in a sign of surrender.
Gylmar continues his cynical vision:
"You have to stop behaving as if the World owes you something. Keep this in mind: the Universe owes us NOTHING! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! We need God infinitely more than God needs us. We have the duty, the obligation, to continue doing Good, no matter how much everyone around us does Evil."
"It seems so simple to you," Lincoln sneers.
"No, it's not simple at all," Gylmar acknowledges. "But it's reality. Christ demands nothing less of us. It's better to give than receive. Put the well-being of others above your own. The emphasis is on loving your neighbor as yourself, not on loving yourself as you love your neighbor."
Lincoln stretches out on the bed and looks at the ceiling.
Gylmar points out:
"What's more, your sisters really recognize your good work. In that cabinet, you even have a little trophy for 'Best Brother Ever'. Alongside that special 'Ice Save' comic, which even has a group of female heroines on the cover. I guess they helped you get that comic."
Lincoln's face gains color again!
"Yes!" He gets up excitedly. "They actually helped me conquer Ace Savvy twice!"
Lincoln goes to his comics collection and pulls out another copy of the special comic.
"This comic represents my victory in the 'Write Your Ace Savvy Adventure' Contest! Clyde and I wrote our own story with Ace Savvy and still honors my sisters!"
"Oh!" Gylmar finally gets excited. "Each of these heroines on the cover represents a sister of yours!"
"Yes! And they all loved!"
"Then go, introduce them to me!" Gylmar jumps out of the chair and sits next to Lincoln on the bed.
Lincoln describes the Full House Gang: Lori is High Card; Leni is Eleven Of Hearts; Luna is Night Club; Luan is Joker; Lynn Jr. is Strong Suit; Lucy is Eight Of Spades; Lana is Royal Flush; Lola is Queen Of Diamonds; Lisa is Card Counter; and Baby Lily is Deuce.
"And in the end, you met Bill Buck, the creator of Ace Savvy, and even had your story published by him!" Gylmar smiles legitimately. "It's such a stimulus for you to pursue your own career in the future!"
"For sure!" Lincoln agrees. "And the best part: my sisters and me, plus Clyde, are going to make a cameo in Ace Savvy's movie, which will premiere soon in theaters! We've even recorded our scenes!"
"Fiuuu!" Gylmar whistles. "Thanks to this same contest?"
"No, another," Lincoln clarifies. "The Superhero Costume Contest, at the Convention Hall. My sisters went with me and Clyde, each one embodying their respective heroine created by us for the comic. All the clothes were sewn by Leni."
"It must have been unfair competition," Gylmar jokes. "With so much originality from you, the victory must have been very easy. And you're just complaining about your sisters. Look what a sacrifice they made for you!"
"But no, it wasn't easy at all," Lincoln points out. "And actually, I almost ruined everything, but…" He scratches his head. "To sum it up, Clyde and I almost had to clean out the litter box of Kitty, one of the film's villains. But filmmaker Seth Snyper saved our skins."
"Seth Snyper? Obvious. Only him to direct these idiot superhero films..." Gylmar scoffs.
"Think whatever you want. But Snyper asked about the comic that Clyde and I had made. So he asked the two of us to take a private test and we did very well, at least in his opinion. So he agreed to give us a more dignified part in the film."
"And what do you do in the movie?" Gylmar wants to know.
"You won't tell anyone?" Lincoln requests.
"Of course. I have no interest in discussing superhero films with anyone."
"Okay, so here goes," Lincoln announces. "My sisters are part of the group of civilian hostages of BlackJack, the main villain of the film. Ace Savvy is torn between saving the civilians on the boat or capturing the villain immediately. But at that time, some kids on top of the bridge - me and Clyde among them - started throwing rocks at the villain, distracting him enough for Ace Savvy to jump in and save the day. And in the end, one of the freed hostages even kisses me on the face!"
"But it's not one of your sisters."
"No, of course not. But they're not even my sisters in the film."
"Anyway, it's a great scene, even though it looks like a copy of the first Spider-Man movie," Gylmar analyzes. "So you all won in the film."
"Yeah," Lincoln sighs. "Thinking well, I have no right to complain so much about my family. Deep down, they supports me, as much as possible."
"You have to remember that there is no perfect family," Gylmar ponders. "Each one has its qualities and defects. As Luan said at dinner, we need to learn to love them despite everything they are, and for everything they are too."
"True. That's why I keep those two pictures on the shelf," Lincoln points out.
"Huh?"
Lincoln climbs onto the chair and pulls out the two framed photos that adorn the shelf.
"I was the one who took these two photos. Both on the same day."
"And what do they represent?" Gylmar asks.
"This photo represents my 'Ideal Sisters'," Lincoln describes. "All of us smiling, wearing red sweaters, in an atmosphere of total peace and harmony."
"And Luna with a long wig," Gylmar points out. "Do you dislike that she has short hair?"
"Not necessarily. It's just that she always had long hair, so maybe it's hard for me to see her in any other way."
"And this other photo?"
"This represents my 'Real Sisters'. Each one in their own world, without cohesion. Lori and Leni glued to their smartphones, Luna playing music, Luan with Groucho Marx glasses, Lucy absorbed in her book, Lisa taking notes, Lynn catching a football in the air, the twins fighting, Lily walking naked and me dodging the mud cake in the face."
"It's like they say in Brazil," Gylmar observes, good-naturedly. "'No family is a margarine commercial.'"
Gylmar and Lincoln laugh.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Lynn Jr. kind of became a persona non grata in the family, after the incidents of No Such Luck and Behind Closed Doors (YourSavingGraceIsHere's fanfic). Maybe that's why the sisters refuse to help her in her bet with Lincoln.
Yes, Gylmar snubs Lincoln's Ace Savvy lecture while using his smartphone. Exactly what the Loud Sisters do to him in Kings Of The Con. Did you think I would make it easier for Lincoln in this fanfic?
The 'Best Brother Ever' trophy alludes to the episode Making The Case; the Ace Savvy special comic book, with the Full House Gang created by Lincoln and Clyde, to the episode Pulp Friction; the hero costume contest, to the episode Kings Of The Con; and the two photos of the Loud Siblings, to the episode Picture Perfect.
Seth Snyper is a pun on Zack Snyder, who is also not the most brilliant superhero filmmaker in the world...
The LH fandom was outraged by the ending of Kings Of The Con (with some reason), but the fact is that the contest judges don't have the final say on Ace Savvy's film. So it's logical that the filmmaker would give Lincoln and Clyde better roles to play in the film. Furthermore, there is no indication that Lincoln's sisters would play their respective heroines in the film. They would certainly have a much more modest participation. I still plan to write another fanfic showing my sequel of the episode.
In the next chapter, Gylmar decides to take Lincoln on a special Saturday, just for them! Without the sisters!
Fave, follow, review, criticize, suggest... Your contribution is very welcome!
See you soon!