Amidst so many fanfics that show the Loud facing tragedies and turmoil to redeem themselves, there was a lack of fanfic that showed them understanding each other through a lot of dialogue and the exchange of concrete solutions.

Here, Lincoln is obviously wiser and more lucid than in the cartoon.

There will be 10 chapters, each one focused on a Loud Sibling (except Lily, who doesn't even have an existential problem to be solved and isn't even able to communicate). The last chapter will focus on Lincoln.

Enjoy!

Chapter 01:
Lori

Knock Knock Knock Knock!
"Who is it?"
"Lori."
"Just 1 minute."

Lori (17 years) puts her ear to the door and hears her brother getting dressed and zipping up his jeans.

Soon after, she hears the sound of a key in the lock.
The door opens and she is faced with her little brother, Lincoln (11 years old), wearing his trusty orange shirt and blue jeans.
"Come in."

After entering and closing the door behind her, Lori looks around the room.
Everything normal.

"What's wrong?"
"Lincoln, since when did you start locking your room?"
"Well, ever since I won that art contest at school and Mom and Dad said I could ask for anything. So I asked for a key to lock my room."
"But for what? Were you reading comics in your underwear again?"
"Er.. And so what? Can't I have some privacy? You, more than anyone, know how annoying it is to have a bunch of sisters invading your room all the time without asking permission. I can also fight for men's rights."
"He he he…" Lori laughs softly. "Yes, that's fair. But we don't break into your room all the time. Only every half hour."

Lincoln ignores:
"Anyway, what do you want?"
"I came to have a serious talk."
"Huh? What did I do this time?"
"It's okay, you didn't do nothing."

Lori suddenly does something that Lincoln and the other sisters almost never see her do.

She kneels to be at her brother's level. Then she grabs him by the arms and begins to speak in a calm and loving tone, leaving him slightly confused.

"Lincoln, I know I'm a bit temperamental and explosive, and I want to change. But for that to happen, I need the support of everyone in this family. Especially from a middle brother who has learned very well to be resilient and to withstand all the blows that life throws at him, both physical and emotional."
`"Yeah," Lincoln admits. "I don't even know which one hurts most…"
"A hard detail is that you have always suffered in silence, but now you have been seeing Dr. Lopez weekly, recommended by your super friend Clyde, and you have been making a lot of progress. You're even reacting more to Lynn Jr's punches."
"True. But what exactly can I do to help you?"

"Listen me. Only that. There is a pertinent issue that has been bothering me for a long time and I don't know how to address it without being ridiculed and disbelieved, whether by my friends or our other sisters. You, on the other hand, always welcome us and accept us as we are. You are THE RIGHT GUY for me to vent."
"WOW!" Lincoln scratches his head. "Are you being honest?"
"Completely," Lori nods, smiling.
"But I'm not Dr. Lopez…"
"No problem. You have been learning a lot from her and you will improve even more as time goes by. And then? Can we talk?"

"Hmm…" Lincoln rubs his chin. "Whatever we talk about in this room will die here?"
"Exactly," Lori confirms, now a little more serious. "Don't tell them anything."
Lincoln grabs a broom and pokes at the ventilation duct in the ceiling.
"What are you doing?" Lori doesn't understand.
"Making sure Lucy isn't here to listen," Lincoln clarifies.
"Oh sure, how come I didn't think of that before?" Lori runs her hand through her hair.

"Okay," Lincoln puts away the broom and deepens his voice. "Dr. Loud is ready to assist you now. You can lie down on the couch."
"Thanks, doctor," Lori smiles as she takes off her shoes and lies face up on bed of Lincoln, who grabs a chair to sit next to his sister.

"Now say everything and hide nothing."
"Okay," Lori breathes deeply, looking up at the ceiling, hands clasped together. "Anyway, my problem is related to the smartphone."
"Obvious," Lincoln observes, sarcastically, as he plays with his pencil. "99% of your problems occur when you are busy with your smartphone. Outbursts of anger for interrupting your conversation on the phone, envy caused by gossip on the phone, unhealthy obsessions with always being the best by checking social networks on the phone…"
"Okay, okay, let me continue," Lori demands, trying to be patient. "In fact, you literally touched the neuralgic point with that third topic you addressed."
"Huh? Neuralgic point? Are you Lisa in disguise?"

"No, but everyone learns how to talk tough from her," Lori smiles mischievously. "But I want to say that I care too much about always being the biggest and best on Instagram. I'm always thinking about likes, faves, comments, specific poses, appropriate filters, thoughtful captions... It's all so crazy that sometimes I wonder why the hell social media was invented. But think: when Carol, Dana, Becky and other popular girls in high school make Instagram essential to their lives, it's almost as if you're forced to live on the sidelines, on the fringes of everyone else, if you're not willing to join in game and shape your life according to the expectations of the general public…"

"Okay, leave the philosophy to Lucy," Lincoln waves his hand, to shut Lori up. "In fact, you might actually learn something useful from our goth sister."
"What?"
"She doesn't care at all about being a popular girl. What matters to her is embracing who she really is, even if that means wearing black, using pale makeup and raising bats in the house. In fact, everyone should do the same as her."
"What?" Lori furrows an eyebrow.

"I mean: everyone has to seek to be who they really are, and not what other people expect them to be. Just because Carol is the most popular girl in school doesn't mean you should aim for the same. In fact, think about the disadvantages of this: a lot of fake people surround you, and you don't even know who to trust anymore. You, on the other hand, Lori, only have few friends who support you, regardless of what you do or don't do. This is your circle of trust, in addition to your family circle, of course. You are privileged. Be grateful to God for that."

Lori nods silently, absorbing her brother's arguments.

"And more," Lincoln continues. "Beauty standards are often misleading and harmful. We create our standards. Of course, I'm not telling you to shave your head and go bald unless you feel better that way. I'm also not saying that your friends can't give you fashion tips. What matters is that you steer the boat of your life, rather than letting others steer your helm all the time."

Lori scratches her right cheek.

"And my Instagram? Should I delete my account?"

"Not necessarily. It depends on how you want to use it. Is Instagram a tool to help your life or are you a tool to feed the unrealistically perfect world of Instagram? In the latter case, maybe it's better to keep your profile just for your friends. But for now, you can do something else."
"What would be…"
"Give me your smartphone."
"But how do you know I brought him here?" Lori sits on the bed.
"I know you very well," Lincoln smiles cynically.

Lori hands her smartphone to Lincoln, who sits with her on the bed.
"What will you do?" Lori asks, crossing her arms, when she sees Lincoln opening the Instagram app.
"I will publish a new post, with your permission," Lincoln shows her the entire process.

Starting today, I'm going to start a digital detox. This profile will literally not be updated for 1 week, and the deadline may be extended to my liking. If you want to communicate with me, please speak in person or make a brief phone call. Life is not limited to a falsely beautiful photo on Instagram. Everyone needs an occasional breather. And if you don't accept me as I am, I don't need you. Go live your life and let me be happy.

"It's okay?" Lincoln wants to know.
"Yes," Lori agrees. "Although it seems a bit bold of me. But who said I can't surprise myself?" She smile. "You can post."

He does.

"Well, we're done," Lincoln announces. "How do you feel, Lori?"
"Much better," Lori hugs herself. "It's like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders."
"Will you commit to taking a break from your smartphone?"
"Yes. Maybe for now I'll just use it to talk to my Boo-Boo Bear," Lori speculates, referring to her boyfriend Bobby Santiago. "It won't be easy, but my mental health comes first."

Lori exhales a deep sigh of relief.
And gives Lincoln a big hug
"Thank you loud much, brother."
"Anytime, fierce lioness," Lincoln quips, making Lori laugh.

The two share a peck kiss, as is customary in the Loud Family.

Lori gets up and heads for the door.
"I will do anything to compensate you."
"You already owe me 475 compensations," Lincoln jokingly counts.
Lori is too happy to talk back to her brother.

When she is about to open the doorknob…
"Wait. One more thing," Lori warns.
"Speak."

Lori turns to her brother:
"Do you think I waste my potential on stupid things like golf? I mean, you and our sisters have lots of trophies in the dining room and I have almost nothing. I feel like I don't take my future seriously."
"Calm down, Lori, don't compare yourself to others again," Lincoln warns her, signaling with both hands.
"But you are an incredible artist, Leni has golden hands in fashion, Luna is a great musician, Lynn is a super athlete, Lisa is a talented scientist… And me? What am I good at? Putting ball in the hole?"

"You're a born leader," Lincoln clenches his fists. "You, as Second Mother of the family, always hold our reins, preventing 10 siblings crammed into the same space from destroying the house, so to speak," He laughs. "I won't deny that you are a little harsh sometimes, but without a firm hand, nothing can be resolved."
"Of course," Lori crosses her arms, smiling cynically. "And you learned that the hard way..."

They both laugh.

"Anyway, think about where you can go. With your leadership skills, you could be a florist, or the owner of Dad's restaurant, or a CEO of a multinational or even... the President of the USA."
"Yeah, it's something to think about," Lori rubs her chin. "Anyway, thanks again, Lincoln. I love you. Here I go."
"Good luck, Lori! I love you too!"

She opens the door and takes one last look at her brother.
"And now you can go back to reading your comics in underwear."

BLAM!

Since then, Lori takes a break from her smartphone and social media and decides to value more what she already has: her family, her close friends, her boyfriend...

…and her brother.

Lori compensates Lincoln by taking him alone with her to Gus Games n Grubs, where they play video games like WWE, kart and even break dance. Then they end the fun by eating garlic bread in the canteen.

One day, Lori comes home with something new: she has decided to get a touch-up at the hairdresser, partially shaving the right side of her head. Some sisters praise the cut, others say it doesn't suit her. But Lincoln sums it up by saying that if Lori feels good, the cut is perfect.

The whole family agrees and gives Lori a group hug.

You may find it strange that here Lori takes on the role of "Loud without trophies" that belongs to Lincoln in episode Making The Case. However, if you pay attention to the episode, in the trophy room we cannot identify any trophy that belongs to Lori, and Lincoln also doesn't mention that she has one. At most, she might have a few golf trophies, but even golf seems to be more of a way for Lori to snub Carol Pingrey than a genuine passion.

In fact, it is safe to assume that Lori is a girl who is more insecure about her future than the other sisters, who already know perfectly well what they want. This is particularly evident in Can't Hardly Wait, where Lori is distressed after failing at everything she tries to do at her Father's restaurant... until the Father notices her leadership talent and makes her manager of the restaurant.

And yes, Lincoln learned the hard way in No Guts, No Glori.

Next chapter will be about Leni. What will she have to get off her chest?

Fave, follow, review, criticize, suggest... Your contribution is very welcome!

See you soon!