2nd Floor Fight Club

The **2nd Floor Fight Club** is a play scenario originally devised by Tepples. It gives Luca and Remi from My Smart House personalities inspired by the lyrics of the song "Luka" by Suzanne Vega.

Luca is a boy who got a restraining order from his abusive parents. Since then, he lives in a state of partial emancipation with his housemate Remi. The two are raised virtually by other relatives through video chat on a computer. Since the separation, Luca has redirected the tension from the intergenerational cycle of violence by starting a secretive martial arts club in the second floor of their house.

Remi is vegan, and Luca needs food high in protein for his training. There's an ongoing argument between the two about Remi having mostly filled the refrigerator on the first floor with fruits and vegetables. It took the better part of an episode for the two to allow even eggs and milk in the refrigerator.

## Rules of fight club

Every fight club has its own rules. The rules of Luca's club derive from creative reinterpretation of song lyrics.

**"My name is..."** Anyone named Luca can join, and after you're inducted, you can bring one apprentice. Members in our play scenario include Luca (the founder) and Luca from Go! Go! Smart Friends. The two bring either Kai from PlayMonster, Winston from Wonder Club, Highway from late 1980s, or Eddie from Little People (who incidentally often gets misidentified as one of the Lucas by *Smash Bros.* fans). Eligibility by name is a way to limit membership so that Remi isn't overwhelmed. It parallels the so-called Eric Conspiracy.

**"I live on the second floor."** When Luca is training or having friends over, Remi largely sticks to the first and third floors.

**"If you hear something late at night, some kind of trouble, some kind of fight, just don't ask me what it was."** Like Tyler from *Fight Club*, Luca doesn't want the club to grow too fast, lest his guests' parents get concerned. They watch wobble-fu videos on the computer together, they do a few rounds of sparring, and then they shut up about it.

**"I think it's 'cause I'm clumsy."** Martial arts is a great way to build motor skills. Training happens every day: Highway can practice circle blocks while waxing his car.

**"I try not to act too proud."** Just because your opponent submitted doesn't make you better than him. It only means he has room to improve.

**"They only hit until you cry."** A match continues until one participant submits or is unable to continue. This echoes *Fight Club* rules 7 and 3.

**"After that, you don't ask why. You just don't argue anymore."** After sparring, the fighters enter a cooldown phase in which they attend to each other's minor injuries. During this, they don't argue about why particular techniques were used. Once both have calmed, they can discuss the match with an aim to improve their technique.

**"I walked into the door again. If you ask, that's what I'll say."** When the house's front door is open, it blocks the long slide. This gives a bit of excuse for bumps and bruises sustained while sparring.

**"I guess I'd like to be alone, with nothing broken, nothing thrown."** This one is largely for Remi's benefit. After ensuring Remi has what she needs to stay in her bedroom for a couple hours, Luca sets up a cage and secures the computer for recording matches. Little else breakable is kept on that floor in case the cage fails. Also keep in mind PlayMonster Weebles' second tagline: "Weebles are made for wobbling, NOT throwing."

## References

1. ↑ Stephen Barker and Richard Craig. "Fight Club's 8 Rules Explained". *Screen Rant*, 2023-10-22. Accessed 2024-01-04.
2. ↑ Eric S. Raymond. "Eric Conspiracy". *The Jargon File*. Accessed 2024-01-04.