Ch. 15 Memoirs From The Joker

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING from the Loud House.
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Miranda looked over her past sessions to prepare herself for the next client. It was rather surprising that Leni was actually smarter than her family initially pointed out. They all believed that she was just this kind girl who had a dim outlook on a lot of things. The doctor originally had the same thought, but under that kind and happy texture was a girl who was frustrated and deeply upset at the treatment she's been receiving for much of her life. The Louds were certainly proving to be a interesting family. From Lisa who secretly wished to be normal to Lori wanting to be viewed as a cool, big sister to her siblings, it made Miranda wonder what else the family was hiding from each other. But now, it seemed Dr. Lopez might be coming across a rather troubling Loud.

According to 2 of her sisters, Luan was rather annoying due to her constant puns and pranking, which the 14 year old dialed up to 11 on April Fools. Even the parents had shared similar sentiments. Miranda was taking this info with a grain of salt until Luan herself opened up, but if she did do these claims, the doctor would have to find out one important aspect: what is the reason behind these massive prank attacks?

Someone soon knocked on the door before a brunette-haired girl with braces poked her head in. "Dr. Lopez?"

"Yes. I'm guessing you're Luan?"

"Yes I am! Luan Loud, at your service. I'd make a joke right now but...I'm banned from doing anything comedy related..." The joker explained, giving a small frown.

"Don't worry. Your father did explain to me the extent of everyone's punishments. But I'll see if I can turn that frown upside down." Miranda quipped.

Luan gave a small chuckle before shutting the door and making her way to the lounge chair.

"So Luan, from what I've heard, you're the family's comedian?"

"Yep! I live and breathe it, as the price for laughter is getting everyone to smile!"
"Would you say that you're pretty good at it?"

"For the most part yes. I run, well...used to run a website called Luan Out Loud's Comedy Channel, a video channel hosting my various comedy routines. I also used to run a side business where I hosted as a clown for birthday parties. Not only that, I practiced ventriloquism, juggling, balloon animals, Miming, some baking on the side, and of course, cracking jokes." Luan proudly stated. "But...sadly I can't do any of those anymore..."

"I see. Well, to get us started, I want to get to know you better. I want to understand, how did you become Luan Loud."

The brunette nodded. "Fire away admiral."

"So...when exactly did you start practicing comedy? And on that note, why did it interest you so much?"

Luan scratched her head as she looked up at the ceiling. "Welp...I started getting into comedy when I was 7. During one day at school, I accidentally slipped on a banana peel and crashed into a teacher, making him fall on his butt. A lot of people laughed afterwards, and like most kids, I was embarrassed by it...I didn't think it was that funny, but others said I was hilarious in a good way. Before then...I hardly had any friends, and most people made fun of me because of my teeth...it's the reason why I wear braces to be honest..." The joker rubbed her buck teeth. "You know what my name was back in elementary school? It wasn't Luan Loud, it was Brace Face...I used to hide my teeth by wearing a fake smile mask sometimes, but it didn't work...even today some still call me that horrid name. I don't let it bother me as much as I used to, but I still get annoyed just by people mentioning my teeth...probably more than those stupid preppy girls who made fun of my so-called fashion sense, but still..."

"I'm no stranger to those situations. I've had a couple kids in the past who had visited me due to similar circumstances..." Dr. Lopez admitted.

"So when I accidentally made a fool of myself, I suddenly became a class clown. All the attention I got, it felt...intoxicating I guess? If others were going to see me as some sort of comedian, then I figured I might as well give them what they want. I hit it off quite well as a practical joker. I used my own allowance to buy gags and do small time pranks on others, and sometimes on myself in the midst of my small time career. But...over time I got too absorbed with the praise and got very cocky, and an attitude. I don't want to go into the details, but let's just say on one April Fools day I accidentally caused one of the school's water pipes to burst and it flooded half the building." Luan laughed nervously. "Oooh boy, I got such a grounding after that and was lucky enough to not get expelled."

"How'd you manage to do that?"

"It was part of a prank?" The comedian smiled sheepishly.

"Gonna need to get down to the reasoning behind these large scale pranks..." Miranda noted. "What happened when you returned to school?"

Luan's face contorted into another frown. "When I got back...instead of being appreciated as the class clown, I was shunned by the entire school for months...not only was I called Brace Face, but I got a new name as well...Ms. Pipe-for-brains, plus the added question of other kids asking me if I was ready for a flood. That was because I only wore a skirt..." The 14 year old gave a small blush at that.

"Mmm...I'm guessing this continued all throughout elementary?"

"Somewhat...I had a lot of time to think about where I went wrong, and after some advice from dad and doing some digging, I realized there was more to comedy than just cheap tricks and pranks. I didn't realized it at first, but despite everything that happened, I liked making others laugh. They usually say that laughter is the best medicine, and in order to do that, I had to learn to not only get others to laugh, I had to learn to laugh at myself. Since then, I started getting more into comedy, making puns, practicing juggling, and when I was 9, I purchased my first ventriloquist dummy, Colonel Crackers. He...wasn't really working out, so over time I dumped him for a better dummy, my beloved Mr. Coconuts..." Luan sighed. "I hope he's ok living in a storage box..."

"So you've been practicing comedy since then, up until this point?"

Luan nodded. "I gotta say I've really stepped up my game since I was little. I've gotten better at making jokes, am a certified clown (I even met my friend Giggles at a Clown School), so I just love making little kids birthday parties quite entertaining. But one of my best acts is upping my pranking game. I've gotten plenty of good simple pranks to even some large scale ones."

Miranda tilted her glasses. "Care to list any examples?"

"Well, there's the simple pale on the door trick and the shaving cream/feather prank, but it's the biggest ones I save for my favorite holiday: April Fools." Luan giggled.
The 14 year old then went into detail on some of the pranks she had put out on that specific holiday for the past few years. Such acts included nailing all of the house furniture to the ceiling, covering the house in wrapping paper, trapping her siblings in jello, shaving off her sisters' eyebrows (even the pet's fur), timed flour bombs that would cover an entire room with the substance, misleading signs, embarrassing videos, sticky tape traps, and generally almost any pranks she wouldn't pull on a typical day. Miranda was quite surprised at the length of the list Luan was giving, and surmised that the other sisters' claims were very much true.

"Well, it seems you r-really enjoy April Fools Day." The doctor said nervously.

"Well duh! It's the only time of the year I get to go all out and unleash the prankpocolypse I have planned. I'm still wondering what to do for next year..."

"Ok, but let me ask this Luan: I know you enjoy the holiday, but does your family share the same sentiments?"

Luan scratched her head. "Well, they used to when I was younger, but over time they started to take measures to avoid my pranks. Lisa even built a bomb shelter in our backyard for the holiday. I think that's a tad overboard but, they can't avoid the Master Prankster forever." Luan laughed.

"I see..." Miranda looked over her previous notes. "Luan, this may be a bit personal but...do your siblings not find you funny at times?"

"Well, not quite...they..." The comedian remembered all the times her siblings would just groan at the puns she made, some of which were understandable as the joke was clear as day, but some of the jokes she made could've knocked their socks off. Luan just didn't understand why her siblings didn't find them to be funny. Sure, there were a few occasions where they all had a good laugh, but this was few and far between. The only person in the house who seemed to laugh at every joke she made was her father, but that was only because they both have a shared sense of humor. It didn't help that at times Luan would also crack a joke during the most inappropriate times, and that says nothing about her pranks. "Ok you got me...they usually just groan at my jokes..."

"And if they don't seem to enjoy April Fools like you do, why go through with these large scale pranks if your family wants no part in them?"

"I just thought it'd be funny. I mean, you gotta admit, the wrapping paper joke was gold."

"Well yes. I'll give you credit for the amount of dedication you put into your work, but I think it's clear that while you certainly enjoy the spirit of the holiday, your family certainly doesn't. I'm not too familiar with the rules of comedy, but I think you can help me with this one. Imagine that you're the headliner and your family is the audience."

Luan nodded.

"I'm not sure if there are any rules to performing comedy, but is there some advice you can give?"

"Easy. The basic rule of comedy is that both you and your audience must have a good time. You can have a good time telling all the puns, but your audience has to be able to understand it so they can get a good laugh."

Miranda wrote this down. "I see...but during the last April Fools day, was your family laughing when you pulled pranks on them?"

The teen hesitated for a moment. "...No?"

"So when you pulled pranks on that holiday, you were the only one laughing, correct?"

"...Yes?" Luan said, guilt creeping into her tone.

"So from the sound of it, it seems you've forgotten your own rule. I think you were at best pranking your family for your own enjoyment. Now, while your pranks have been top notch and unusual, they could also be potentially harmful. What if the furniture you nailed to the ceiling had come down on someone? The ceiling isn't exactly as stable as the ground floor after all, nor suitable for holding a 300 pound piece of furniture. Also, what if your siblings ended up suffocating in the gelatin? Also from last April, you said your brother had been attacked by raccoons from a prank you set up. What if one of them had rabies? Did you think about the potential consequences?" The doctor questioned.

Luan looked at the floor in shame. She didn't realize that while her April Fools shenanigans were largely for her enjoyment, she didn't see the possible side effects her siblings could've gotten from them. Usually after every April Fools day, her sisters and brother shunned her for a few weeks, and she was grounded by her parents. But in the end, Luan thought it was worth it and they'd get over it soon enough, and she had an opportunity to out-do herself next year. But after going into detail about it with the therapist...Luan realized she looked more like a sadistic loon who took joy in causing harm to others for a cheap laugh. "N-no...I h-hadn't looked at it that way..." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Dr. Lopez saw that the girl was almost on the verge of crying, so she lent her the tissue box. One of the things she didn't like about her job was giving people the hard truth, because even she herself knew it was hard to face facts than to lie to yourself that everything was ok. "Sorry about that Luan...but it had to be said..."

"I-It's fine...I...I just didn't realize it myself...I loved April Fools Day so much that I didn't care if someone got hurt as long as I found it funny...and last A-April, I made Lincoln go through all of my pranks when he wanted to hide in his room..." She could remember the hurt and irritated look Lincoln had on his damaged face, not to mention his missing eyebrows, nearly bald head, black eye, sour lips, and his foot was stuck in a bucket. All because she invited Ronnie Anne over as she knew that would force him out of hiding. Luan had to admit that this was low, even for her. What was even worse, she set up misleading signs about the kitchen specifically for Leni because she knew the blonde was dumb enough to fall for it. Leni ended up out in the middle of the city by the time her family found her, where anything could've happened to her. The dam was starting to burst as tears streamed down Luan's cheeks when she realized she deliberately put her dim sister in danger of being taken advantage of.

"I'm so sorry guys...I'm so sorry...what kind of sister just sits there and laughs as she causes o-others pain?...W-Why didn't they stop me?...W-Why didn't mom and dad do something?!" Luan sniffled.

Miranda watched Luan started to cry into her hands. "Did your family do anything to try to convince you to not go through with it?"

"Oh wait, they did try to reason with me!" Luan yelled, startling the psychologist. "They even locked me in a cage knowing what could happen! But what did I do?! I just brushed them aside just to see my pranks come true!" More tears started flowing out, the guilt obviously taking its toll on her. "How could I do this to my own family...my parents are too afraid to stop me from doing any pranks until its too late...is that it?...Is my family too afraid to stop me when I get like this?..." Luan wiped her eyes a little. "...I don't want them to end up like Lincoln...I just...I can't let them end up like him..."

"Luan...I can assure you that your family isn't afraid of you in the same fashion that your brother is..."

"Then tell me Ms. Lopez...why can't they do anything? It's literally 12 against 1...they all could've done something to stop me...or am I just too much of a monster for them to do much?..." Luan curled into a ball on the furniture.

"That, I can't answer Luan. But that's something we're going to figure out...when you see your family on April Fools day, it's clear that you don't see them as the same family members you've lived with your entire life. I feel that there is a bigger reason as to why you are the way you are on April Fools Day...and I believe it stems from your past."

Luan perked her head up. "...My past?"

"You said yourself you had a hard time in grade school. You're free to correct me if I'm wrong on this but please bear with me. From what I believe, the reason you keep doing the things you do on April Fools is because you've been bottling up the hurt and anger you've gained from the constant teasing and ridicule by your peers. You wish to get back at them, but know you are unable to do so without consequence. It probably doesn't help that your siblings don't find your jokes funny most of the time, and as a result you turn your anger onto them when that day comes...is that right, or wrong?"

Luan stared back at the floor. While it was true that she hated the teasing she received long ago, she didn't think it would affect her all the way up to this point. She still saw herself as a monster who just pranked her family on the side for some extra laugh on top of the funny acts she performs for kids and her viewers online. What would others think if they saw this side of her?...The comedian didn't have a clear understanding as to why she would go nuts on April Fools, believing she just had a major itch to get rid of by the time April 1st arrives. But the more she thought over Miranda's words...the more it made sense. Luan wished to prank the utter hell out of all of those who constantly berated her for something she can't control, something make those bullies come to fear her and make them eat their words. However, such time has passed and she wasn't exactly much of a fighter. Luan may have forgotten what the bullies looked like, but she could never forget their harsh words, no matter how hard she tried. She found that outlet of revenge from her scared family, relishing in the fact they were powerless to stop her and lived in fear of her next big prank.

"...It's true...it has to be true...I loved the fact that my family was too powerless to do anything to stop me...I think at times, I didn't see them as family members...just the bullies I had years ago...putting me in a cage last April probably enforced this, not to mention the puns they made against me...I thought I didn't deserve to be treated like that...it just brought up one instance where I had been shoved into a locker...I begged for hours for someone to get me out, but it wasn't until school ended that one of the teachers finally found me in there...I felt the exact same way when my sisters and brother locked me in a cage...they all just laughed and refused, just like my bullies...I actually cried a bit during the night...but I grew angry and promised to make them all pay for that deed. Yet despite all that, the horrible conclusion was that I deserved Every. Second. Of it for treating my family so horribly...worst of all, I took advantage of my brother's own feelings that day too...after all the pranks he went through, I was gonna have Ronnie Anne cap it by pieing him in the face...if I knew I was going to end up like this...I would've given up trying to be funny a long time ago..."

"Possibly...but what else could you be good at Luan? You've invested so heavily in the art that it seems pretty hard to imagine you doing something else." Miranda pointed out.

The 14 year old shook her head. "I...I don't know..."

"While you are very regretful of your actions, you still want to make kids happy right?"
The brunette nodded.

"And you still like to perform various acts for your social blog right?"

"...Yes?..."

"And do you wish to make it up to your family? Do you want to promise them that you won't go overboard next time April Fools rolls around?"

"More than anything..."

"Then Luan...you're still a dedicated comedian. You are NOT a monster...sure you have mis-aimed your hidden rage towards your family, but if you were being bullied, you could've at least talked with them about it. Have you done so in the past?"

The teen shook her head. "...I was too afraid to talk about it..."

"Well, it's not too late to bring it up. After all, that's why you are here correct?"

The girl nodded. "I want to make amends with my whole family...especially Lincoln...during the whole sister protocol incident, I almost beat him up once...but thankfully Lana hog-tied me before that happened...but that didn't last...I owe both Lincoln and Leni a serious apology for taking advantage of their feelings and smarts. And it's not just them, but my entire family..." She paused for a few moments. "...I have an idea how to do it, but it may take some time..."

"You can take as much time as you need dear. But the good thing is, you've recognized what the issue is, and how to solve it. And remember, I can keep this information private if you wish."

Luan shook her head. "N-No...I have to do this myself."

The doctor nodded. "Anything else you need to get off your mind Luan?"

"No thanks doctor. But thank you for helping me see my real problems." Luan gave a small smile, wiping her eyes. "Now, I'm guessing you want to talk with another of my sisters?"

"Yes..." Miranda stated, looking through her notes. "Please send in...Luna."