A Primer on What to Expect
In the beginning, there was darkness. But it didn't last long as a spotlight pierced it, illuminating a large set of red stage curtains. This was the cue for two figures to come into view, each approaching from the sides of the spotlight circle. Once they were fully visible, the pair now standing next to each other was revealed to consist of young male specimens in formal attire and brown dress shoes, but that was where their similarities ended.
The first major difference involved their height, with one's head just barely reaching the other's chin; this is more of an indication of their age-gap than anything else. The younger's suit was light blue with an orange necktie & white dress-shirt, while the elder's was dark green with a red necktie & black dress-shirt. They also differed in ethnic appearances: the former's countenance appeared to be Caucasian, and the latter's features were Asiatic. But their most striking attributes were their hair. While relatively tame compared to hairstyles sported by a ton of anime characters, these two still had mops with strange colors, with the pre-teen boy's being white as snow and his teenage counterpart's being mostly red on top and black on the lower half in the back (making the back of his head resemble the face of a cardinal). With their descriptions finally conveyed, the two hosts nodded to each other and were now ready to begin.
"Hello, dear readers," announced the younger boy, "My name is Lincoln Loud."
"And my name is Lee Ping," said the now-named teenager. "We welcome you all to a story that has been ruminating this writer's mind for a while."
"Which is another way of saying that he thought it up on a whim and couldn't repress it like he usually does," snarked Lincoln. "Of course, he ultimately caved in as my show is still a hit with the kids (and a ton of immature adults) – "
"That somehow still can't unseat his channel's mainstay featuring a sentient sponge," jested Lee. "And my show is one that he holds close to his heart."
"Of course, that cult following couldn't save it from being butchered by the unforgiving climate of the early 2010s for plot-driven 22-minute shows and only barely getting by under a streaming paywall."
"Well, not all of us were lucky enough to be made in the U.S. and be gifted with wide accessibility," Lee grunted before his face began to falter. "I still can't believe they did that…"
"Hey, big man, it's alright now," Lincoln said in a comforting tone.
"They didn't just spew the episodes onto their site and gave no promotion for them, oh no! They cut out stuff and whole episodes that had material that looked like edutainment compared to the stuff you get away with nearly every episode!" Lee ranted.
"True, but we tend to rely on some degree of cartoon logic," Lee defended. "I think that your quasi-realism could make some dark situations too real."
Lee sighed, calming down from his ramble, "Point taken. I guess it's time to start the disclaimer. You ready, little man?"
"After you, hyeong," Lincoln offered with a wink, earning him a bit of a chuckle from his older friend.
Almost immediately, a shoddily made sign with "Disclaimer" roughly painted on it descended from the rafters on a pulley system into view.
After clearing his throat, Lee began his contractually obligated declaration. "Detentionaire is a production of Nelvana and created by Daniel Bryan Franklin and Charles Johnson."
"The Loud House is a production of Nickelodeon Animation Studio and created by Chris Savino," stated Lincoln, with a bitter of a shudder from the name he just said. Seeing this, Lee put his hand on his young cohort's shoulder, giving him a supportive smile. The disclaimer sign was swiftly pulled back into the abyss above them.
"Now, it's time for us clarify some of the prevailing elements in this crossover," Lee resumed. "First, this story is more of an alternate universe version of my show's plot, with some significant changes. There may be some references to other fiction franchises, but nothing too blatant."
"Second, my family members are basically the only characters from my show that will be explicitly featured in this tale," explained Lincoln. "It does make sense since the main premise is that my family is living in his home city. As such, don't expect the supporting cast or any ships exclusive to the show." Sounds of grumbling were heard from afar as some readers closed the tabs containing this story. "That's not to say that they're completely banned from making cameos! Aw, too late…"
"Third, this is the writer's first serious foray into fanfiction, so this is going to be a learning experience him," Lee continued. "As such, he's also juggling this with his academic and social lives (in addition to conducting a slow-going recap of my show), so updates will be a rarity."
"That's provided if he doesn't have a nervous breakdown, assume that this was all a mistake, and takes down everything," Lincoln surmised the writer's fears.
"Too close to home."
"Sorry. And finally, there will be 4th wall breaking sections sprinkled throughout the chapters, but not nearly as meta as this one. They'll either be like my scenes that were prominent in the first season or Lee's pre-show recaps."
"The latter might be tricky since those relied on a lot of visuals," Lee admitted. "Anyway, I hope you all will be entertained by this amateur's dribbles."
"Same here," Lincoln added.
"Enjoy!" they both exclaimed, hands spread out moments before the spotlight went out, returning the stage into darkness.
"So, what state is Ottington in exactly?" Lincoln's voice asked.
"Eh, I think it's going by Simpsons' geography," Lee's voice answered. "The creators sort of spitballed it when they were adjusting it for a non-Canadian audience."
"Yeah, but it's based on Toronto, so it should be a Great Lakes city by default."
"Fine, let's keep it in Michigan by the Lake Huron shore. It's not as if the writer could get any lazier…"