User blog:Weavillain/Did Lori Get the Short End of The "Talent" Stick?

There's a lot to be said with how the fandom views Lincoln's character, especially regarding his relationship with his sisters. It's not uncommon to see fans regard him as a family outcast or a black sheep. Another one of these morbid assertions is that unlike his sisters, Lincoln doesn't have a talent to call his own. Several fanfictions have covered this topic and it could be argued that the episode "Making the Case" supports that stance rather well since Lincoln is the only one of the Loud children to not own a trophy.

But honestly, after the episode "Pulp Friction" premiered, I don't believe that contention holds that much credence anymore. Although Clyde helped, Lincoln was responsible for co-creating a comic book that was good enough to earn him the honor of meeting Ace Savvy's creator in person. The accomplishment doesn't come across as forced, which is credited to what is inherent to who Lincoln is; a creative, imaginative lover of all things comic book related (with the exception of Princess Pony). Much like most of his sisters, Lincoln's talent is a reflection of his interests and character.

However, notice that I did say most of them. The two sisters that lack a defining talent, in this blogger/fanfic writer/Weavile fanboy's opinion are Lily and Lori. But honestly, there really is no onus for Lily to be anything but a blank slate, mostly on account of her being a baby. The acclamation of a talent could happen but unless measures were taken to make her more atypical than an infant from the beginning, there was no reason to believe that she'd do more than cry, babble, and "poo poo".

Lori, on the other hand? Is there any talent that she possesses that's indicative of her character, like her siblings minus Lily? I'm honestly trying my best to think of one but I'm drawing a blank here. We know that she's a great golfer but if one were to have a competent grasp on Lori's character before knowing that about her, could they have she guessed that she had a knack for it? I mean, the jokey, fun-loving Luan being talented enough to pull of ventrilaquism makes sense. The athletic Lynn tackling any sport with ease isn't jarring. The fashion-savvy Leni possessing the means to sew clothes demands no further validation.

See where I'm going with this? If anything, Lori's golfing apitude comes across more as a skill than a talent with how little cohesion exists between the concepts of Lori's character and golfing itself. And yes, there is a difference between skill and talent. To sum it up, skill is acquired while talent is inherent. Inherent. That's precisely what I used to describe the source of Lincoln's accomplishment in "Pulp Friction"; inherent, a natural gift not bred from the ground up through a dedicated effort.

So, to answer my own question, I do believe that it's Lori, and not Lincoln, to have gotten shortchanged in the talent department. As to whether I think that's a bad thing...no. Not really. She's my favorite character on the show, talent or no talent. That doesn't mean that I don't want your input on this topic, though. I mean, if I didn't, I wouldn't bother making this thing in the first place.

Did Lori get the short end? Yes No