May 7, 2024.
Yes, 5 days later, we already have a new chapter!
With this, we close the section on Lincoln's oldest sisters. It's the turn of the most controversial sister of all, the one who divides opinions the most in LH fandom: Lynn Jr.!
Your Saving Grace is Here: I'm reading your fanfic Loud Triangle, and I also agree that it would be more natural for Maggie to enter High School so she could have a good relationship with Luan. And I appreciate your spelling corrections, but please, send them in private notes. Also, Central Park is not an oversight. I already waste a lot of time writing my fanfics, and I don't want to waste any more time studying the parks of Royal Woods, so I write "Central Park" so I don't end up halfway through. Also, is there any law in USA prohibiting other cities than New York from having a Central Park?
Quiet Waters: Yes, Luan is a comedy professional, and not a mere idiot. And in addition to theater, she can also develop a passion for cinema. She truly can be a multifaceted artist.
TheBlazzore: Good suggestion! Maybe I use it in the future, but not now.
Seanrudin: Thanks! In fact, your incredible fanfic Lori and Natasha: Together Forever cites Luna as anti-gun, but that's easy to deduce when it comes to someone with her personality.
Enjoy!
Chapter 05:
Lynn Jr.
Knock Knock Knock Knock!
"Who is?"
"LJ."
"Just 1 minute."
Lynn Jr. (13 years) puts her ear to the door and hears her brother getting dressed and zipping up his pants.
Soon after, she hears the sound of the key in the lock.
The door opens and she is faced with her younger brother, Lincoln (11 years), wearing his trusty orange shirt and blue jeans.
"What do you want?"
Lynn Jr., in her red hoodie and black leggings, speaks breathlessly and with her hair wet with sweat:
"I want your advice."
"For what? Do your good luck rituals."
Lincoln slams the door in front of his sister.
BLAM!
Lynn Jr. stands there, for a few seconds.
She doesn't show anger or impatience.
She simply turns her back and starts to walk away.
The door reopens.
"Where are you going?" Lincoln asks, making Lynn turn her head to him.
"Lincoln, why did you do that?" Lynn retorts, without losing control.
"To see if you were going to kick in the door and threaten to turn me into a human pretzel, like always," Lincoln clarifies, crossing his arms. "Congratulations. You are improving your resilience."
"I'm sorry, man," Lynn rubs her chest. "I'm not the best sister in the world. You know that better than anyone."
"Don't say that. I love you. Go in and close the door."
After entering and closing the door behind her, Lynn Jr. looks around the room.
Everything normal.
"Did you runned in Central Park?" Lincoln watches.
"Yeah," Lynn confirms, running a hand through her sweaty hair. "I got home and ran straight here to see you."
"Wow, I didn't know you liked me so much," He quips.
"Aw, come on, bro," Lynn lightly punches her brother in the shoulder. "We are a family, and we have a duty to support each other."
"That's what you said when…"
"Okay, okay, forget."
"Anyway, do you want to vent?"
"I want. This time there is no relation to sport. Or is there, I don't know. And of course this will be just between the two of us."
"Yes. Whatever we talk about in this room will die here."
Lynn nods.
Lincoln takes a broom to poke at the ventilation duct in the ceiling.
"Relax. Lucy is camping with the Morticians Club in the forest, remember?"
"Ah, you're right," Lincoln puts away the broom and deepens his voice: "Dr. Loud is ready to attend you now. You can lie down on the couch."
"Thanks, doctor," Lynn unzips her hoodie.
"But don't take off your cleats," Lincoln demands.
"Huh? But aren't I supposed to relax?" Lynn justifies herself, hanging the hoodie on Lincoln's chair.
"Yes, but your foot odor is horrible. And the Doctor deserves to relax too."
"You have a good point," Lynn smiles, as she undoes her ponytail, revealing her long brown hair. "So it's okay for me to keep my shoes on in your bed?"
"Yeah. Because you're the one who's going to wash my sheets," Lincoln announces.
"Yes, that's fair. Remind me to powder my boots later."
"Okay."
"And not for nothing, but your room is kind of stuffy," Lynn complains. "Do you mind if I take my shirt off?"
"Feel free," Lincoln authorizes.
"But I'm without my bra."
"And? From afar, you still look like a boy."
"Oh, that's so comforting," Lynn smiles evilly as she shrugs off her white tank top. "You know that puberty is increasing my desire to hit someone!"
"If you insist, the consultation ends now," Lincoln warns her, pointing to the door, without being intimidated.
"Relax, I'm Bruce Lynn!" She spins her shirt in the air and improvises some empty kicks and punches. "AAHHYAAHH! AAHHYAAHH! AAHHYAAHH!"
"Thinking well, you're too excited to need therapy," Lincoln sneers, sitting down in the chair.
"Calm down, bro," Lynn drops her shirt on the floor and climbs onto the bed. "I can't stay still for a long time. I'm going to lie here, but I can change position every minute. No wonder my favorite egg is scrambled egg! HA HA HA HA HA HA! Get it?!"
"Let's leave the infamous jokes to Luan," Lincoln ends the uproar. "Now say everything and hide nothing."
"Okay, let's see," Lynn rubs her chin. "You know when the sisters and I tease you about getting a girlfriend?"
"Yes," Lincoln narrows his eyes. "I don't even want to remember that."
"And what do you say at a time like this?"
Lincoln shrugs.
Lynn sits on the bed and shakes her fist in the air:
"You always say, 'Stop meddling in my business!'"
"I talk, but not with all this aggression," Lincoln points out.
"Perhaps," Lynn acknowledges. "Well, I think now I can understand how you feel."
"You understand?"
"Yes. My friends are making fun of me now."
"For what?"
"About me not having a boyfriend."
"Do they all have it?"
"Yes. All four of my roller derby teammates got their dates. Margo is with Elliot, Nadia with Theo, Maddie with Kaito and Lainey with Alice."
"Alice?"
"Yes, only she found a girlfriend."
"Wow. You women adapt very quickly."
"And now they only live by teasing me."
"What they say to you?"
Lynn stands up on the bed:
"'Ah, we've finally surpassed you at something!' 'Ah, the boys are afraid of you!' 'Ah, why don't you try too?! Don't act like a loser!' 'Ah, you're not the Challenge Queen anymore!'"
"And what do you say to them?"
"I don't say nothing. I take everything in stride. After all, you also put up with my teasing all the time. But of course it's boring."
"Yeah, really boring," Lincoln nods. "And you don't have your eye on someone?"
Lynn lies face down on the bed:
"I don't care about romantic feelings. Let them be happy. I'm not attracted to anyone."
"And Hugh?" Lincoln insists.
"Who?" Lynn turns the head to her brother.
"My private tutor. Didn't you and our sisters feel a strong attraction to him?"
"That was just a collective delusion," Lynn acknowledges. "After all, it's not every day that you run into a handsome man in front of you."
"Liar. You get it every day," Lincoln smiles as he smoothes his hair.
Lynn snorts and turns away:
"You're not my type."
"But what do you want to do now?" Lincoln asks.
"I don't know. Maybe I should get a boyfriend or even a girlfriend just so they can stop teasing me. And I also don't want to continue feeling excluded in their meetings with their peers, since I hardly have anything romantic to talk about. I only talk about mundane subjects like records and sports injuries."
Lynn sighs and sits on the other side of the bed, facing away from Lincoln.
"Do you have a red mark on your back?" Lincoln points out.
"I was jumping the rocks in the park, but I slipped and fell backwards on one of them. Nothing to worry," Lynn explains, without turning to her brother. "You see? That's the only thing I understand."
Lincoln keeps tapping his right temple with his pencil.
"I'm disappointed with you, Lynn Jr."
"What?" Lynn questions, still looking at the wall.
"You have always been a girl with attitude, who never allowed herself to be intimidated by anyone, nor did allow anyone to arbitrarily dictate to you what to do. Even when you were bullied when you entered Middle School, you resolved the situation on your own, becoming stronger and taking the lead over the bullies who attacked you."
"But it wasn't easy at all," Lynn points out. "I still suffer from the marks of bullying to this day."
"But look: if you overcame even the evil guys who mistreated you, why would a group of clueless girls destabilize you? And they are your friends."
"Are they really?"
"Are you my friend?"
Sillence.
Lynn looks back at Lincoln.
"But of course I'm your friend."
"Even with all your teasing of me?" Lincoln smiles.
"In fact. I just like to play. I would never do anything to hurt you."
"But you've already hurt me enough with your superstitions," Lincoln becomes serious again.
"Yes, I know," Lynn makes a placating hand sign. "Let's not talk about this anymore."
"And you also attack me or Lucy when you're angry. And even when you're not."
Lynn starts to pant.
She gets up and walks back and forth across the room, with hands behind her back, while Lincoln watches her.
"Sorry much, bro. I have nothing personal against you or Lucy. I spent too much time responding to bullies' violence with more aggression. This made me lose control over myself, and now I can barely contain my violent impulses. So I end up hitting you both, even for no reason."
"That doesn't justify it," Lincoln objects. "But at least I can understand you. And that's why I forgive you. And I'm agreeing to help you."
"Thank you, Lynx."
Lynn lies down on the dirty floor, next to Lincoln, and extends her right hand to him, while she rubs her belly with her left hand.
Lincoln, now sitting on the floor, holding hands with his sister, continues:
"But back to the point: if I can understand you, you can also understand your friends. At least they are not trying to harm or hurt you emotionally. You don't need to see a bully in every person who irritates or provokes you. Everyone has their qualities and defects, and it's up to us to exercise love, respect, patience and tolerance. This applies to both you and your friends. If you feel affronted by them, talk to them about it, without hurt feelings or revanchism. I'm sure they will understand you and change their attitude towards you."
"Right," Lynn assimilates. "But... Don't you think I'm abnormal because I don't want to date anyone?"
"No, quite the opposite," Lincoln smiles. "Everyone has their own purpose in life. Not everyone is born to get married. Not everyone is born to have children. If you want to be the 'auntie' for the rest of your life, that's fine. I'm sure you'll be the most energetic aunt the kids could have. Love can be manifested in many ways besides dating and marriage. Whether you are an athlete, teacher, doctor, nutritionist, police officer or caregiver for the elderly, everything you do can - and should - be done accompanied by love. And you would do well in any of these professions. You just need to have love and faith, both in God and in humanity."
Lynn reflects in silence for a few seconds.
Then she looks at her brother.
And she smiles.
"I can understand."
Lynn jumps off the ground.
She grabs her brother.
And she hugs him tightly, suspending him in the air!
"UURRGGHH! You're crushing me, Lynn!"
"Thank you so much, Lynx!" Lynn thanks him, full of enthusiasm. "It's so good to know that there's nothing wrong with being the way I am! And to know that there is someone who understands me and is willing to help me!"
"Anytime, Bruce Lynn!" Lincoln quips, making Lynn laugh.
The two share a Peck Kiss.
She puts him on his feet.
"Wow," Lincoln marvels. "Your abs are made of iron!"
"Go, feel my muscles!" Lynn points to her thorax.
Lincoln touches Lynn's muscular abdomen, then moving on to her arms.
"None of your friends have that," Lincoln observes, squeezing her sister's biceps.
"Yeah," Lynn boasts. "And neither do Middle School boys. They must be jealous of me and that's why they can't even see me around."
"This is not something to celebrate," Lincoln observes. "But anyway, are you going to have a heart-to-heart with your friends?"
"Sure," Lynn confirms. "I'm going to tell them that I accept them having boyfriends, as long as they accept me because I don't have one. After all, respect always has to be mutual."
"That's it," Lincoln agrees. "You hit the target."
"Well, I guess we're done here," Lynn resigns, scratching her head. "Seriously, I was really reluctant to come here and talk to you. I didn't want the other sisters to see me as weak for seeking your help."
"Going to therapy is not weakness," Lincoln clarifies. "It's strength. You are very brave to accept that you need to be helped."
"I think I can be happy with that," She smiles. "Anyway, could you open the door for me? I need to collect my clothes."
"Of course," Lincoln turns his back to his sister...
...and he is surprised by a horrible stench!
"LYNN!" He complains.
She has just taken off her left boot, spreading her foot odor all over the room.
"Calm down, brother," She smiles mischievously. "The session is over. Now I can do whatever I want..."
"This is still my room!" Lincoln decrees.
"Okay, no need to be nervous. I'm going to take a bath now," She announces, still good-natured, collecting her clothing parts.
"Have a good time."
When Lynn Jr. is about to leave...
"Wait. There's one more thing."
"Speak."
Lynn lowers her head and speaks softly:
"I feel like I still haven't done enough to make it up to you after I turned our entire family against you."
"Lynn, you have already acknowledged your mistake and asked for forgiveness. And you stopped your useless superstitions."
"But I need a more concrete action, the effects of which are truly seen by everyone," She raises the head to face her brother. "Do you want me to stop calling you 'Stinkoln'?"
"I want," Lincoln responds promptly, putting his hands on hips. "And do the same with all our sisters."
"What about our staged fights in the backyard?"
"I don't want any more either, unless I ask to fight. You hit really hard and sometimes it still feels like you're training to fight past bullies."
"Yes, I understand. And throw mud in your face?"
"If I throw it in your face first, then you can throw it too."
"Okay, Lynx. I promise. I will in this. I love you."
"I love you too, Lynn."
She takes one last look at her brother:
"Please, could you come to my room at night so we can talk a little?"
"Yes I will."
"Thanks."
"You're welcome."
BLAM!
Since then, Lynn has resumed her leading role, congratulating each of her friends on their boyfriends and making it clear that she will only date when and if she wants to.
She invites Lincoln and her friends to an unofficial roller derby match, with Lincoln on the boyfriends' team. Afterwards, they tease Lynn, asking if Lincoln is her boyfriend. Lynn surprises everyone by saying that Lincoln, as her brother, mentor and great friend, is much better than a boyfriend.
One day, Lynn comes home with a deluxe edition of Ace Savvy's comics. She surprises Lincoln and says she bought it for both of them. So the two spend their night reading Ace Savvy together in their underwear.
Here it is! I had to watch the episode Singled Out to better convey the message. In fact, this chapter can be considered an alternative version of the episode, as Lynn, instead of trying to resolve it on her own, decides to seek guidance from her brother.
The Loud Sisters teased Lincoln about him getting a girlfriend in Heavy Meddle, but they sure do it to him all the time, and between them too!
Lynn and her sisters were obsessed with Hugh in Study Muffin, but that wasn't real love. In fact, in Singled Out, Lynn tells Lucy that she once thought she was in love, but she was just "dehydrated" (in other words, she was delusional). Maybe it was a mention of Hugh.
Lynn was bullied upon entering Middle School, as she telled in Middle Men. That's how she became a prototype bully.
And as you all know, she turned the entire family against Lincoln in No Such Luck.
Next chapter will be about Lucy.
Fave, follow, review, criticize, suggest... Your contribution is very welcome!
See you soon!