Chapter 1: Retribution.

This is the beginning of a rather long and compelling tale about what would happen if Lincoln Loud actually were to leave his family, much like how many fans of the show have argued he should or is likely to do, given how he has allegedly been mistreated by them on numerous occasions. But what if he did that, and then he encountered someone who was a lot like him? And he too was the odd one out, the one who was different, the one who was picked on and treated poorly by those around him. This narrative aims to address, explore, deconstruct and challenge some of the themes, ideas, character dynamics, fan theories and perspectives of the show, and where else to start than the setup of the story…

Lincoln is going through yet another typical day in his chaotic yet lovable household, he is casually strolling around the house, minding his own while he observes the lovable catastrophe which surrounds him.

Lincoln (to the audience): "Ah, The Loud House. My home. It's not always easy living here, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. All of my sisters are sometimes as over-the-top and crazy as they come, but they all mean well, and we do share a very special bond. Now if you'll excuse me…" Lincoln finishes as he dashes out of the way from an oncoming pie.

A pie hits the wall behind where Lincoln was just standing. No doubt a classic Luan prank attempt. The comedic girl then lets out one of her typical puns…

Luan: "Guess you have good pie-sight, Lincoln. Ha ha ha ha. Get it?"

Lincoln lets out an irritated groan before snapping out of the negatively and soothingly sighing in relief.

Lincoln (to audience): "I admit, they can be a handful. But I know they're just being their fun selves."

Lana and Lola then come rolling through the hallway, screaming at each other as they brawl. Lincoln uses his foot to put the rollerbrawl to a halt…

Lincoln: "Woah, guys. What is the fighting about this time?!"

Lana: "Lola forced me to have this dumb tea party with her, and not only that, but she won't let me invite hops!" Lana angrily stated.

Lola: "Hey, you lost our bet. A deal is a deal. You are to accompany me to my tea party." She declared firmly and somewhat smugly. "But I will NOT allow any disgusting little animals to the table!"

Lana: "You're so stuck up!"

Lola: "Am not!"

Lana: "Are too!"

Lincoln quickly intervenes, having experience in mediating the conflicts between his younger siblings, especially considering he doesn't like seeing them not getting along…

Lincoln: "Look, how about you divide the table into sections. One part for the prim and proper ladies, and another half for Hops and any of his animal friends to sit in." Lincoln requested, using Lola's vanity and ego in his 'prim and proper' comment to appeal to her and convince her of the validity of his argument by letting her guard down, while also finding a way to allow Lana to bring her animal friends along to the occasion, also satisfying the other twin.

Both twins in unison: "Hey, that's a great idea. Thanks Lincoln!" they cheerfully congratulate before retreating to their room to continue their playing together.

Lincoln then further reflects on life with his sisters…

Lincoln (to audience): "Sometimes, you do have to be crafty and have your thinking cap on if you want to make it through a day here. But for all the struggles we go through, we share a love for each other that is unbreakable. No matter what, I love my family and I know they love me." He happily declares without a doubt.

Lori then walks past the boy while on her phone to Bobby as usual. Paying very little attention to her surroundings, she bumps into Lincoln, angering both of them. Using her position of dominance as the eldest sibling, Lori is quick to shift the blame to the younger child…

Lori: "Watch where you're going, twerp! Oh no, Bobby, not you. It's just some people literally don't know to look where they're going in this house!"

Slightly annoyed, the moment passes and Lincoln walks to his bedroom, looking out at the ongoing mischief and mayhem which roams around the household (I.e. Lynn hurling footballs across the hallway, Luna's loud music vibrating the entire upstairs, Lisa's experiments causing explosions as would be normally expected, etc.).

Lincoln: "We're all a little hard to deal with sometimes. But that's how families are. We all have our vices. I know that when the chips are down, we'll always come through for each other!" said the boy with great confidence. Little did he know at that point, that one day, those words would be put to the test. While Lincoln and his family were, for all their faults, ultimately good people, there are some people out there, so twisted, maniacal, warped, unhinged, vile, and vengeful, that they posed dangers to anyone they came across in the world. It was only a matter of time until they encountered the Loud family.

Royal Woods is, all in all, a civilised and peaceful town. While its fair share of jerks certainly exist, there isn't too much vileness or treachery in the area. If anything, the chaotic Louds, who are still pretty good natured and well-meaning overall, are one of the biggest threats to the harmony of the area, which wasn't saying much. But not everywhere was as lucky or privileged to be so graceful.

But no matter where one goes in the world, there will be some hardship and conflict around. Nobody was spared from antagonism; not the men, the women, the elderly, the disabled, or even the young children. School was as potentially vile a place as anywhere, and some unfortunate kids experienced that harsh truth. A Boy named Jake Kelly, a little 11-year-old cheerful child, was one of these unfortunate souls.

Jake was a happy and friendly enough boy, but there were many things about him which made him an outcast. He was a mildly autistic individual, meaning he had difficulty understanding and dealing with certain social situations. Because of this, he was also quite anti-social, always opting to be by himself than to interact with other children when possible. Because of his social differences and quirks, he was often rendered a victim of bullying. Living in a city area in his younger days, Jake was unfortunately surrounded by children of the rough and mean variety. Those who would take pleasure in exploiting the fact that Jake was alone, as well as fearful of even interacting with others, let alone fighting back against those who antagonised him. Because he was different, they picked on him, as kids often do when they come across someone who is different, or weird, to them. Additionally, Jake had a last name which sounded like a girls name, as well as a very high sounding (almost Mickey Mouse sounding) voice. Not to mention prominent freckles and even slightly pointed ears. All of these qualities of his made him an ever larger target for bullying and abuse from the other kids.

Jake indeed went through many incidents of bullying as a little child. Everything from name calling and teasing, to physical abuse and attacks at the hands of the less friendly classmates…

Jake: "Just leave me alone, okay!?"

Bully: "No, I want to do this!" said the thuggish kid as he pulled a pair of scissors from off the nearest table.

Jake: "What are you doing?" he asked nervously.

Bully: "I'm gonna cut you with these." He stated as he grinned.

Jake was fearful but tried to stand his ground…

Jake: "Why are you doing this? I've done nothing to you!" he insisted with an irritated if intimidated tone.

Bully: "Because I want to do this!" he insisted as he took the scissors and inflicted some minor yet painful cuts into Jake's forearm.

Jake: "Ow! Just stop it and go away!" he tried to forcefully demand, yet it came across as more of a plea for mercy.

Bully: "Nobody likes you, Jake. You're weird and everyone thinks you're stupid!"

Jake rarely, if ever, tried to fight back. He didn't like conflict and just wanted to be left alone. This is why he adopted such a passive behaviour. Even when he actually tried to fight back or retaliate against a bully, it was usually he, more so than the aggressor, who received punishment from the teachers or present authority figures in the room. Instances like that only served to further cement his passive and timid behaviour as a core part of his personality during his younger years.

Because of this hostile treatment in his early years, Jake figured he was better off not interacting with other kids very much. He kept to himself, playing video games and watching cartoons in his spare time (similar to another young boy from Royal Woods in the present day). When interacting with those he didn't know, he decided to act as passively as possible, in order to avoid conflict with anyone. In his earlier years, he found this to be a decent coping strategy, ignoring the hostility of the outside world and finding happiness through an isolated existence; just him and his electronic devices.

But as he got older, he became more depressed. He hated how lonely he was, and how little anyone in the world knew or cared about his existence. While everyone else would enjoy living life together, embarking on various hi-jinks and providing enjoyment for one another, he wallowed in despair upon the realisation that he may never be anything other than a lonely little loser who nobody cared for. People would never like him for who he is, and would barely accept him for pretending to be a passive little pushover. He hated the way things had turned out, and wished for it to be different.

He came to resent everyone for this. He didn't understand why he was the victim of so much bullying while everyone else, including those who victimised him, went away to live great, enriched lives. Why was he the only one who was alone and unhappy, while all those 'worthless scum piles' got to live fulfilling, respectable and healthy lives? He didn't understand it. He was not a bad person. He never committed any crimes, or did anyone any harm. So why did it seem like he was being punished… just for being himself? Why is it he had to live with all that regret and was the one to suffer, when he was the one who did nothing wrong? Why is it that he would forever be remembered as one of those 'loser' kids who never had friends at school? Why is it that, if he ever somehow managed to start a family of his own, that when his offspring asked about his childhood years, he would either have to lie or truthfully tell them that he was the unpopular loser at school who never played with anyone nor received their approval? That he was the uncool one who could never amount to anything good in the eyes of society?

The isolated environment he constructed for himself, combined with the depression he was going through, brewed some very angry and bitter thoughts inside his mind. He began to loathe the rest of the world for 'torturing' him, and for not accepting him for being different all along, believing them to be discriminating monsters. This warped mentality lead to him deciding to make a few extreme decisions in life.

At 18, Jake decided to confront his parents about what he intended to do about what perceived to be a colossal problem with the society he lived in…

Jake: "I'm unhappy! After years of keeping it all bottled up I told you how it was, and you still didn't help me!"

Jake's mother: "We did what we could! We gave you various sessions with specialists. We finally got you diagnosed with autism, even though that could hurt your chances of getting a job, and allowed you to mix in with other kids with Aspergers like you. What else could we have done!?"

Jake: "You could have helped me by forcing those other kids to like and accept me more!"

Jake's mother: "You can't force them to do that, Jake. That's not how it works!"

Jake: "Well it's sure better than that other stuff that failed. What really needs to happen is people need to be less discriminating to those who are different and more accepting of others who aren't normal!"

Jake's mother: "Nobody's normal, son. Everyone is different."

Jake: "I DON'T CARE! No they're not! They are all just the same worthless, vile, selfish little idiot who doesn't care about anyone but themselves! They pick on and victimise people like me because we aren't like them! Because we're different! Because we don't fit in with them! They should be punished for their treatment of people like me! They should be forced to accept me! And that's what I will make happen!"

Jake's mother: "What are talking about!?"

Jake: "You see, I've been far too much of a pushover for far too long! Spending my life letting everyone walk all over me! Well now it's my turn! I need power! I need the power to do whatever I want and force everyone else to bend to my will! People need to change, and I'm going to enforce that change on them! I must thank my brother for getting me into martial arts a few years ago. My intense and obsessive training has made me so much tougher than before! Now I need to go out there and take a stand! Make everyone realise they can't push me around anymore! That I am the alpha male and I demand some respect in this world!"

Jake's mother: "You're talking crazy, Jake! You'll get yourself locked up talking like that!"

Jake: "Then I need more power. Enough so that nobody can stop me. Not the police, not the big gangs. Nobody! I need to change the world so I can finally have a life worth living!"

Jake's mother: "You're scaring me! Just calm down! You're all worked up. Doing stuff like that will only get you in prison. Or Worse!" She tried to reason with him, but he was at breaking point, and wasn't going to be talked down this time…

Jake: "At this point, I don't care anymore! Me, and people like me all over the world, have been tortured all our lives by cruel and mindless vermin who make our lives miserable and then get away with it! Well I'm not gonna take it anymore! It's time I showed everybody why I'm not to be messed with!" He declared as he made his way to the front door…

Jake's mother: "What are you going to do? This is ridiculous!"

Jake: "No, what's ridiculous is me living in a world like this, full of complete scum who make my life a misery, and me being expected to roll over and take it without a complaint all my life! Well that does it! I will find a way to gain power, and when I do, I'm taking control of society! It's what I have to do! Sorry, but goodbye!" He stated firmly as he closed the door.

Jake's mother cried as she tried to exit the house and follow him, but Jake had already got away. She was in shock and despair as her own son had basically just left the house all of a sudden with the intention of committing some extreme actions. She worried what would become of her son now he had left to do what he thought was necessary…

Jake had one goal in mind now; cease being the weedy little pushover that he felt held him back all his life, and take whatever measures are required, no matter how extreme, to ensure his plans of obtaining power and control over society are realised. But he knew he could not accomplish such a feat alone. He would need new to seek new allies along the way. Perhaps other young people who have been rendered victims of discriminatory behaviour from the rest of society. Others who would love nothing more than to stick it to everyone else and make up for their years of being the victim. Others who are pushovers who are afraid to go up against the oppressive force that is society, but with the help of Jake, they could finally do just that. Somebody just like the smart, friendly and slightly strange… if passive, Lincoln Loud.

That concludes the first chapter, which essentially serves as setup for the rest of the story. I split it into two separate sections. Firstly, a part with Lincoln and the family so that firstly, it would remind the reader that this is a Loud House fic. So the status quo of Lincoln living in a chaotic household that he is accepting of could be established and highlighted within the narrative, so that when it breaks down later, it holds more of an impact. Secondly, a flashback which serves as a backstory for the main antagonist of the story. That's all for flashback sequences right now. The Jake stuff will become relevant to the story later on, trust me. As for the next chapter, that will be the real trigger for the rest of the narrative. That will be when Lincoln finally snaps.