Fanfic / Syngenesophobia

What if the people you used to love the most, are now your greatest fear?^note Cover art by extricorez.

Syngenesophobia is a The Loud House fanfic by That Engineer. It is available on FanFiction.Net here, and on DeviantArt here.

Written as a darker take on the episode "Brawl in the Family". Lincoln's actions result in the sisters (except Lily) collectively turning on him and giving him a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown that results in him getting hospitalized and developing a crippling fear of his sisters.

The story is being translated into Spanish by TheLouder1.

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Syngenesophobia provides examples of:

Tropes with their own pages

• Cerebus Call-Back
• Hidden Depths
• Nightmare Sequence

General examples

#-D

• Accuser of the Brethren: Ronnie Anne in chapter 24 refuses to believe Lynn, Lucy, Luan, and the twins are feeling guilty about their beating of Lincoln, and continues to rub their actions to their faces... prompting Lynn to knock Ronnie Anne out in a single punch.
• Aesop Amnesia: Deconstructed. Considering how his sisters often ignore their lessons. This is also another reason why Lincoln feels conflicted about whether or not he should forgive his sisters, the other is how he was nearly beaten to death from them. Despite, or rather because of their remorse, he fears that his sisters would simply beat him up or even kill him, if they ever lose their tempers on him again.
• A Day in the Limelight: The sessions with Dr. Lopez allow to hear in great details the thoughts of some characters about the whole situation, as well as the events that happened during the show in general. We hear Lynn Sr.'s and Rita's thoughts in Chapter 11, Lori's in Chapter 12, Lisa's in Chapter 13, Leni's in Chapter 14, Luan's in Chapter 15, Luna's in Chapter 16, Lynn's in Chapter 19, both Lola & Lana's in Chapter 20, and Lucy's in Chapter 21.
• Adaptational Angst Upgrade: Granted, anyone would fear and resent their family if said family has beaten them badly within an inch of their lives. But even before Lincoln's beating, his relationship with his sisters was already strained from their bullying and using him. While in the show, Lincoln shows only exasperation and annoyance.
• Adaptational Dye-Job: Lucy reveals she dyes her hair black to better resemble Great Grandma Harriet and to better fit her lifestyle. Without it she has the same hair color as Lori.
• Adaptational Heroism: While in the actual episode, Lily was part of the Big Ball of Violence in the end that turns in Lincoln in this fic, here she was with her parents in their room when Lincoln's beating happened, thus she is not in the wrong and is the only sister Lincoln doesn’t fear.
• Adaptational Jerkass: Despite the girls feeling complete remorse after what they've done to Lincoln, they still beat him within an inch of his life, worse than what they've ever done to him in canon.
• Adults Are Useless: A Deconstruction of the trope. Like in the episode this fic is based on, the Loud parents stay in their room and don’t try to break up their kids’ fight, which is why the sisters are able to beat Lincoln up so badly. They vow to defy this trope from then on, starting with Lynn Sr. severely disciplining his daughters and forbidding them from solving their own conflicts.
• All of the Other Reindeer: The sisters find themselves on the receiving end of this when their friends and classmates learn what they did to Lincoln and actively start to ostracize them, starting with Bobby breaking up with Lori (albeit off-screen). Though the real reason the readers never actually saw the break up is because chapter 35 reveals it was the other way around.
  • In the past, Luan was treated this way by her classmates, leading to her suppressed anger over this, causing her April Fool's Day antics.
  • It implied that Lori was an outcast in the past when she was younger because of her appearance. At 13 years old, Lori was wearing glasses, still having braces, and a face with some blemishes here and there. Lori herself back this up in the previous chapter, noting that 7th grade was hell for her to Carol.
• Armor-Piercing Question:
  • In Chapter 3, Lynn Sr pulls the girls together, and asks them "Why?" in the most soul-piercing way possible.
  • When asking about Lynn Sr's relationship with Lincoln, Dr Lopez asks three of these in a row that forces him to confront the fact he is not as close to Lincoln as he'd like despite being the only men in the house, and wishes that his son was more like his daughters.
  • Dr. Lopez asked Lori about how well her relationship with her siblings are. Then she does it again when she asks Luan if her April Fool's Day pranks are funny and if Luna has noticed the Hive Mind tendencies of the sisters.
  • Chapter 38 has Leni asking Lori if they are bad sisters. Leni herself was asked by Mandee when the latter asked the former about how could someone kind like Leni can lose their temper badly enough to beat their sibling within an inch of their life.
• Ascended Extra: In the show, Dr. Lopez is The Ghost, as Clyde only talks to her by phone. In this fanfic, not only does she appear in person, but she's also one of the main characters.
• Asleep in Class: Happens to Lincoln in chapter 23 due to a combination of lack of sleep because of his frequent nightmares, and Mrs. Johnson’s boring lecture.
• Audience Surrogate: Dr. Lopez is the second type, since she has an external point of view on the whole affair. She calls the characters out for certain things and voices several opinions and questions that are shared by the audience. For instance, she points out the flaws of the Sister Fight Protocol and calls Luan out for her reckless April Fools pranks.
• Baby Factory. Lori refers to her mom as this when talking to Carol, and implies that she 'resents' Rita for not being able to stop having kids since the more siblings she had the stricter she had to be to control them.
• Bear Hug: Leni gives one to Lincoln in Chapter 40 to calm him down when he starts venting about Lori, even lifting him off the ground so he can't escape.
• Berserk Button: As of Chapter 24, not believing the girls are feeling remorse or at least not allowing them to feel remorse, is one for Lynn. This is enough to knock Ronnie-Anne out, even as of chapter 34 where Ronnie-Anne appears to let go of her hatred towards Lynn and the other Loud girls to an extent. When Ronnie-Anne told Lynn that neither she nor her sisters are monsters, Lynn just gave her a Death Glare. Chapter 38 shows this being the same one from Leni, when she angrily tells Mandee and Becky that just because she took part of Lincoln's beating, that it doesn't mean that Leni doesn't feel remorse. Chapter 39 shows Lynn defying when Lincoln angrily brought up past events towards her. Lynn was angry but she manages to control her temper this time when Lincoln panics and takes back what he said, leading the tomboy to give Lincoln a Cooldown Hug.
• Big Brother Instinct: Just an hour of hanging out with Bobby and Clyde can understand why Lincoln thinks of the older teen as the brother he never had. Bobby tells Clyde he knows about his crush on Lori, and unlike most boyfriends hearing about somebody having feelings for their significant other, he's fine with it because he knew its just a precocious crush on an older girl like what he had on Ms. DiMartino.
• Big Brother Worship: Clyde lets go of his crush on Lori by admitting he is too young for her, and because he now realizes how much better Bobby is for her than himself.
• Big Sister Bully: Deconstructed: Lori doesn't like having to act like a bully to her siblings, but feels she has to to keep order in the house. She hates how this damaged her relationship with her siblings, and wishes to be seen as kinder to them. This also goes with the Loud sisters' relationship with Lincoln. His sisters' tendencies to mistreat him, use him, and humiliate him that already damaged his relationship with them even before the beating, which was the last straw. Even with the later chapters where Lincoln is recovering and losing his fear of his sisters, he still resents and distrusts them and questions the love he once had for them.
• Big Sister Instinct: Age-Inverted. When Lynn finds out about Luan's bullying issues, she's pretty much bent on murder and is furious that she can't make them pay since Luan doesn't remember their names or faces.
  • Played straight with Luna's reaction to finding out about said issues; she even wants to know why Luan didn't tell her since she'd have made sure the bullies regretted it.
  • Lynn towards Lincoln, namely in going after his bullies, including Ronnie, whose bullying tactics severely angered the older girl.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Discussed. Both Becky and Mandee see Leni as this until Chapter 38. Both of them believed that Leni was only pretending to be kind person but is secretly a horrible person deep down. While the two accepted that it wasn't the case, they still felt shocked that Leni could lose her temper that badly.
• Blind Without Them: Discussed. During their session, Dr. Lopez realizes how small Lisa’s eyes are and from that draws the conclusion that the girl is nearly blind without her glasses.
• Both Sides Have a Point: Chapter 38 shows Leni confronting Becky and Mandee about how the latter are avoiding the former. Leni is correct that Becky and Mandee are making up excuses and lying towards her to avoid any contact with her. Becky and Mandee on the other hand, are correct that despite feeling sorry, Leni still contributed Lincoln's beating and questions about her personality since they both see Leni is Obfuscating Stupidity and believed to be a Bitch in Sheep's Clothing.
• Break the Cutie: The whole Loud family.
  • Lincoln, he was beaten to within an inch of his life by his sisters, spend at least 2 weeks in the hospital, and developed the titular syngenesophobia because of the ordeal. The latter causes him to panic whenever his sisters are near, and have horrible nightmares. Even when it's shown that he is slowly recovering, it is clear that all the love he had for his sisters is gone.
  • The Loud parents, Lynn Sr and Rita, are horrified that their daughters put their son in the hospital, and devastated for what happened to Lincoln. While they harshly punish their daughters, they blame themselves for letting the situation get out of control so badly. Then they learn pretty much all their daughters have serious issues which they failed to notice or properly take care of.
  • The Loud Sisters despite everything they did and have to live with their guilt. They are punished by losing their favorite hobbies and possessions. Not to mention losing almost all of their friends (Albeit off screen) and becoming outcasts as a result. They also fear about Lincoln never losing his fear of them, let alone actually forgiving them.
• Breather Episode: In-universe. After talking to so many of the Louds. Dr. Lopez decides to call her husband and son for a while just to relax.
• Brilliant, but Lazy: Lincoln turns out to be very skilled at art. He is able to draw at a level of someone with a years practice without any practice. However Lincoln never put any effort into art until recently, as he was too busy trying to see if he shared one of his sisters talents rather than having a different one from them altogether. His art teacher even tells him that he is proud of what Lincoln can do when he actually puts in an effort.
• Broken Bird:
  • Lincoln obviously, after being beaten within an inch of his life by his sisters, traumatized by their appearances, and experiencing nightmares involving them is bad enough. But he's also questioning his relationship with them and his fear is being replaced with anger.
  • The Loud Sisters, despite the fact they put their brother is the hospital, have to deal with their guilt that they nearly killed Lincoln, all because they lost their temper. They also lost all their hobbies, possessions, and friends (Although the readers never actually saw the fallout itself). By chapter 27 they pretty much come to terms with this and accepted the fact they are now outcasts. They even are indifferent that their father has toned down their punishments, with Lynn stating that it doesn't matter since most of their friends hate them anyway now.
• Bullying a Dragon: Or rather, "Angering The Sister". In Chapter 39, Lincoln brought up past events the girls did in Cereal Offender and Dance, Dance Resolution towards Lynn only to begin Verbal Backpedaling when he discovers he's angering her, going back on what he said to her and panicking.
• Character Development: Thanks to their visits with Dr. Lopez, the sisters' relationship with one another are improving even though it's because their actions destroyed their social circle. In chapter 39, Lynn at the very least, manages to control her temper towards Lincoln, when the latter angrily snaps at the girls' past events.
• Cooldown Hug:
  • Lori hugs her mother in chapter 11 when she learns how the sisters handled the Sister Protocol, and starts blaming herself for the way her daughters acted.
  • Lynn gently hugs Lincoln in chapter 39 after the latter angrily brought up the girls' past actions, before discovering what he's done and panics before Verbal Backpedaling.
  • Leni attempts this in Chapter 40 when Lincoln starts ranting about Lori. This time, however, Lincoln doesn't appreciate the physical contact and attempts to break out of her grip, but Leni holds him in place until he tires himself out.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: Ronnie Anne gets dominated in her first confrontation with Lynn. The toughest girl in 5th grade she might be, but she's no contest compared to a gifted athlete two years her senior with martial arts training. Ronnie only beat Lynn during their fight in the cafeteria because she let her.
• Cutting the Knot: Discussed and Defied in Chapter 31 when Lynn asks Lisa about building a time machine to prevent the incident from ever happening in the first place. Lisa did consider the idea, but points out that A) her equipment is gone and B) she is afraid of making things worse. She also dismisses Lynn's second idea to have Lincolns memories about the incident wiped since A) for that to work she would have to wipe the memories of everybody who even remotely knew about the incident, and the memories would only be repressed (and might thus resurface eventually) and B) doing this runs the risk of resetting Lincoln's mind back to that of a toddler.^note (And that is the In-Universe explanation. As stated in the authors note, the real reason Lisa won't do either of these things is because the author considers it a Writer Cop Out)
  Lynn: So...this is the only way huh? No shortcuts?..
  Lisa: Afraid so.
• Dark Fic: A much darker take on the usual sibling fights seen in the show.
• Deconstruction Fic: The story could initially be seen as a deconstruction of the show's usual gags. Lincoln is known for being a total Butt-Monkey who is often the victim of his sisters' antics, with some episodes also have the sisters realize their mistakes and make it up to Lincoln. This isn't really the case here. Lincoln gets beaten up by his sisters, as per usual, but this time, Lincoln actually gets so badly injured from the beating that he has to be hospitalized, and the sisters are NOT forgiven for their misdeed whatsoever.
• Dead Fic: No updates since July 28, 2021.
• Didn't Think This Through:
  • The whole Sister Fight Protocol was flawed from the start. Something the girls and parents realize too late. As Rita angrily discovers, the sisters did have a place for Lincoln in the protocol. Namely to use his room without asking him, taking his bed and sheets even though they had spares in the basement, and telling him to stay out of their fight.
  • They all realize that, despite the protocol not involving Lincoln was meant to be for his sake so he would not get dragged in to their fights, big parts of the protocol ^note  Not allowing anyone usage of the bathroom, the kitchen, the television, or Lincoln in particular to use his own room or bed sheets made it basically impossible that wouldn't happen.
  • Luna realizes now that they didn't consider how forcing Lincoln to go to the Sadie Hawkins dance with all their friends could have went really badly if not for his quick thinking, as Tabby, Haiku, Polly and Giggles could have thought Lincoln was cheating on them with his other dates.
• Disappointed by the Motive:
  • In general, most people outside the family have this reaction once they learn that the whole incident where the Loud sisters beat their brother so badly that he had to stay in the hospital for a month started because Lori and Leni were fighting over them owning the same kind of dress.
  • While her husband is talking with Dr. Lopez, Rita asks her daughters how they had handed the Sister Fight Protocol; she's angry to discover that the whole thing started over something as petty as a dress, originally thinking the incident may have gotten started due to a legitimately serious argument. After learning the full story, she angrily yelled that Lori and Leni for arguing over something so trivial, and told Luna and Luan how disappointed she was in them for let themself get dragged into Lori and Leni's argument, especially when it didn't concern them and it was over a petty reason.
  • When Ronnie Anne learns the whole argument that led to the fight started over a dress, she's disgusted; she had thought the argument started over a serious issue, not something as petty as a dress. She rightfully calls the Loud sisters stupid for that and for not realizing that the Sister Fight Protocol was not working.
• Disappointed in You: Lynn Sr. and Rita both express this to their daughters on how disappointed they are in them for beating their brother so bad to send him to the hospital.
  • Lynn Sr. angrily rips into his daughters, and makes it clear that he and Rita had trusted them to handle themselves without much injury. But the girls have shown that none of them can be trusted, seeing as they went out of control very quickly. From now on, any time the girls start fighting with one another, he and Rita will handle it how they see fit. Lynn Sr. admits that he has lost a lot of trust and respect for his daughters.
  • While her husband was talking with Dr. Lopez, Rita Loud ask her daughters how they had handled the Sister Fight Protocol; she was angry to discover that the whole thing started over something as petty as a dress, originally thinking the incident may have gotten started due to a legitimately serious argument. And she is also angry to discover that the Sister Fight Protocol was unfair to Lincoln. That they took his room without his consent, took his bedsheets even though they had spares in the basement, and on top of that, any time Lincoln asked about the protocol, they just told him it's a sister thing and to butt out. Rita, angry, rips into her daughters for the way they treated Lincoln; they should have known better than to act like that and for not seeing the flaws in their protocol from the very beginning. She told Lori and Leni how disappointed she was in them for arguing over something so trivial and angrily told Luna and Luan how disappointed she was in them for letting themselves get dragged into Lori and Leni's argument, especially when it didn't concern them, and it was over something so petty.
• Disproportionate Retribution: Deconstructed various times.
  • The fanfic started because the girls were angry with Lincoln and blamed him for the protocol failing. They turned their anger on him, and when they realized they went too far, it was too late to stop.
  • Deconstructed again, as Rita angrily points out, it was extremely petty for Lori and Leni to start a fight over the fact that they bought the same dress.
  • Lola realizes that pranking Lincoln as hard as they did because he bought earbuds to get some peace and quiet might have been this trope.
• Don't Make Me Take My Belt Off!: Lynn Sr. tops off the list of punishments he inflicts on his daughters with the threat that he will resort to this if they step out of line again, or if just one of them sneak past their punishments though he hates himself for having to resort to such drastic measures.
• Double Standard: Abuse, Female on Male: Averted, Lincoln's beating from the girls is taken seriously both in the story and by the other characters. Despite the readers never actually seeing the alienation itself, the girls became outcasts because of their actions.
• Dramatically Missing the Point: As Clyde points out, Lincoln spent so much time coveting his sisters talents that he didn't think to see if he had one that was different from theirs. Not realizing until he's told directly that he has all the traits of a budding artist.
• Driven by Envy: Dr Lopez suggests that the girls interfering with the plans Lincoln makes could stem from being jealous that they hadn't thought up something themselves before it was too late.

E-H

• Easily Forgiven: Averted hardly. The sisters are well aware that what they did to Lincoln is unforgivable, and it may take months or even years before Lincoln is willing to forgive them, if at all. Doesn't stop them from trying, though. Despite this, it's unknown if their friends and classmates would ever forgive them at all. Whether or not they'll come to terms with this is currently unknown. Chapter 27 pretty much confirms that the sisters have accepted that they're outcasts and they have lost most of their friends, only caring that Lincoln recovers. Chapter 37 has Lincoln contemplating if he should forgive his sisters or not, despite feeling remorse or even because of. Mostly, because he fears what will stop them from repeating if they lose their tempers again. By chapter 40, he's at least started the process of reconciliation towards some of the sisters, making forgiveness even more possible.
  • In chapter 41, we see Lori threaten Lincoln after he chastises her. Despite this and being scared of her outburst, Lincoln handles it better than he would have earlier in the story, even taking the time to listen to Lori's apology and explanation, suggesting he may be much further along the process of forgiveness than even he realizes.
• Embarrassing Damp Sheets: In chapter 14, Lincoln's nightmares have reached the stage where he's started wetting his hospital bed... much to his shame.
• Embarrassing Nickname: Lucy tells Dr. Lopez that Luan used to call her Beeatris, due to her black clothes and bright blonde hair.
• Enemy Mine: While Ronnie Anne and Lincoln's friends all still hate the Loud girls as of Chapter 25, they recruit their assistance in coming up with a plan to keep Lincoln from having to deal with his syngenesophobia at school as much as possible. As Ronnie Anne puts it when Luan questions it, "But it's not gonna matter if a certain someone is all panicky."
  • As of chapter 41, others' hate for the girls seems to have quelled into general avoidance after it becomes much more clear they're remorseful, with several actively offering to assist them in trying to help Lincoln, but this doesn't mean everyone has calmed.
• Everyone Has Standards:
  • Carol wants to help Lori despite her and her sisters beating their brother so badly that he spend a month in the hospital, feeling that Lori is suffering enough and seeing that she is remorseful of her actions. However, when Lori tells Carol the time Lincoln discovered that his parents are not using the coffee mugs because they were poorly made, and the time she tried to sabotage Leni passing her driving test, Carol couldn't help but feel shocked and angry towards Lori and her sibling for how they acted, though she keeps calm and reminds sympathetic towards her.
  • Leni was angry with Lori when she lost her temper, and yelled at Lincoln with the other sisters. They all chew Lori out for her mistake. However, when Lynn implied that she and the rest of the sisters would disown her if Lori's action ruins their chances to make up with Lincoln, Leni was shocked that Lynn would imply that, and she noticed that Lynn didn't make a hollow threat. Despite Leni's anger towards Lori, she feels it'll be too far for her sibling to threaten to disown her.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good:
  • Played With to "Fear Cannot Comprehend Guilt", chapter 18 had Lincoln suspicious when Dr. Lopez told him that the girls are feeling guilty. Later on when he is slowly losing his fear, he acknowledges that the girls are capable of feeling remorse, but still struggles if he should forgive them or not. Not only because of the severity of what the girls done to him, but he also contemplates what will stop the girls from repeating if they lose their tempers again.
  • Played With to "Vengeance Cannot Comprehend Self-Harm" in chapter 24, when Ronnie-Anne is confused why Lynn allowed herself to be beaten.
• Facepalm: Chapter 10, Rita and Lynn Sr. do this when Dr. Lopez makes them realize that they failed to notice the obvious flaw in that the sister fight protocol didn’t specify Lincoln's role in a conflict situation.
• Fatal Flaw: All the girls share four things they have in common:
  • Their inability to control their temper, by the time they realized they went too far, it was too late.
  • Their lack of communication of the said protocol; if only they told Lincoln better, the incident would never have happened.
  • Their All Take and No Give attitude towards their only brother. Even before the incident, Lincoln's relationship with the girls was already strained, and their severe beating was the final straw.
  • Their Hive Mind attitude, since even girls that are closer to Lincoln such as Leni, Luna, and Lucy would join in without realizing it.
• Fisticuff-Provoking Comment:
  • The sisters, despite their barely-contained rage, seemed to be content with merely yelling at and intimidating Lincoln. However, when Lincoln yells back, particularly calling them stupid and selfish for not properly thinking through their protocol, this proves to be the last straw and the sisters respond with violence.
  • In Chapter 24, Ronnie Anne and Lynn have a verbal spat regarding the sisters' treatment of Lincoln. When Ronnie Anne accuses Lynn of physically abusing Lincoln, Lynn snaps and knocks her out with a single punch.
• Five Stages of Grief: Lincoln is moving down a somewhat altered version of the list. Rather he starts of with depression and bargaining. However by chapter 33, the aptly named "Emotional Shift", after listening to Lynn Jr. explaining what happened with more clarity, he has begun to move onto anger.
• For Want Of A Nail: The story is when the girls took their anger out on Lincoln instead of each other in "Brawl In The Family".
• Forgiven, but Not Forgotten: Not really forgiving, but Ronnie-Anne is letting go some of her hatred towards the sisters, especially towards Lynn in chapter 24. Not for their sake, but for Lincoln's, she's willing to put her grudges aside for him and for Lynn teaching her to fight. Chapter 34 shows that Ronnie-Anne being more friendlier towards Lynn.
  • Chapter 40 has Lincoln at least tolerating speaking to Lynn, showing that his resentment is starting to abate.
• Frameup: In chapter 30, Lincoln's Ace-Savvy dream continues with the Full House gang framing him and Lily/Deuce for the fight in chapter 25. They only show video evidence of Ace and Deuce attacking them.
• Garbage Hideout: Chapter 23, Lola is forced to quickly hide somewhere when Lincoln is approaching, and the only suitable place she can find is the trash can.
• Groin Attack: During the assault on Lincoln, Lisa admits to repeatedly stomping on his 'mentula', causing Lynn Sr. to wince in pain when she corrects herself with the proper terminology. Worst of all, she did it with the hopes of leaving Lincoln sterile.
• Grounded Forever: Played for Drama; the first punishment the Loud Sisters receive for what they did to Lincoln is being grounded indefinitely.
• Guilt Complex: Lincoln's mental trauma causes him to retroactively blame himself for things that were, at most, only partly his fault. He honestly thinks that in “The Sweet Spot”, his sisters collectively fought him, while in reality, they fought him just as much as they fought each other, or in “Sleuth Or Consequences” that he really did clog the toilet with the Princess Pony book, while this was really Lucy’s doing, Lincoln having only taken the heat to protect Lucy from the other sisters' merciless teasing. Dr. Lopez realizes Lincoln has this during their phone call.
• Heel Realization:
  • Aside from all the Loud sisters realizing they caused Lincoln's syngenesophobia, Luan herself also gets a massive one during her session with Dr. Lopez when she realizes what a monster she becomes on April Fools day. She even fears her entire family will become afraid of her because of it.
  • Rita feels guilty for leaving Lori in charge of her siblings thinking she could handle it. Not realizing until it was too late that it was stressing her oldest child out and damaging her relationship with her brother and sisters.
  • During their therapy sessions, all the sisters realize that even before the fight, their selfish behavior already damaged their relationship with Lincoln.
  • In chapter 31, Lynn and Lisa discuss why Lincoln has bags under his eyes despite his older siblings having to look after younger siblings as well, and reach the conclusion that unlike with the rest of them, they never really gave him time to relax for any length of time before demanding his attention, as he didn't have a hobby or talent to practice and just assumed he was wasting his time reading comics.
  • In chapter 41, Lori realizes that the entire mess is her fault and stems back to the extreme pressure she had to endure raising the bulk of the family after their parents put it all on her.
• Heir Club for Men: Lynn Sr. states that he plans to give Lincoln Vanzilla when he's old enough, despite having a daughter who drives it now, and four other daughters who will be eligible to drive it before him.
• Hive Mind: Downplayed. Dr. Lopez notes from her sessions with several of the girls that they seem to 'act as one' when being annoyed by or being selfish towards Lincoln, all without realizing it. Luna tries to dismiss this, but realizes that she might be right, and does not like it.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: While jogging with Ronnie-Anne, Lynn shows off by jogging backwards......right into a street sign.
• Hope Spot:
  • Chapter 7 is titled “A Flicker Of Hope”, as it revolves around the sisters hoping to earn Lincoln's forgiveness (at this point, they still think he's just angry at them). Sadly, they discover in the next chapter just how far gone their brother truly is.
  • Chapter 30, appropriately titled "A Light in the Fog", provides another one when Lynn sits down with Lincoln and his friends to have lunch, and Lincoln doesn't panic. Though in Chapter 33 shows that Lincoln while Lincoln isn't panicking, he feels deep resentment towards the girls.
  • Chapter 39 and 40 shows that his resentment towards his sisters has started to abate, especially after Lynn's Cooldown Hug.

I-N

• I Am a Monster:
  • While all the girls felt this way, a specific example is from Lynn in chapter 6; when Lincoln hits her with the food tray, she takes this as a sign that he hates her and considers herself a bully.
  • Luan's reaction after her session with Dr. Lopez. She literally uses these words when confronting her family afterwards in chapter 16.
• I Didn't Mean to Kill Him: Lincoln (barely) survives his beating, but his sisters' reaction is more of the same.
• I Have No Son!:
  • A Downplayed sibling version, because Lily's only a baby and can't exactly disown them. But she is smart enough, that she is furious with her older sisters, and wants nothing to do with them. The later chapters have shown that she's letting go of her resentment after seeing how miserable they are.
  • Earlier in chapter 2, Lynn Sr. briefly considered disowning the girls, but thankfully didn't follow up on it.
  • Played straight in Lincoln's dreams as Ace Savvy, where Deuce/Lily, now seven, disowns her older sisters.
  • It is implied that Lana does that consider Lynn Sr. anymore for learning that her favorite snake El Diablo was put down for eating other animals at the animal shelter he gives all her former pets too. Lynn Sr. noticed to his wife, Rita, Lana hardly talks to him or looks at him unless she needs something, and last night when he heard the twins talking through the ceiling, Lola asked her something about him. Lana tried to skip the question. Lynn Sr. hopes that by buying Lana a Two-Stripped Water Monitor, Lana would forgive him.
  • When Lori's sibling confronting her about losing her temper and yelling at Lincoln. Lynn implied that she and the rest of their sisters would disown her if Lori's actions ruin their chances to make up with their brother Lincoln. Leni noticed Lynn did not make a hollow threat, and none of the other siblings disagree with Lynn (Leni disagrees but was too shocked to protest against Lynn).
• I Just Want to Be Normal:
  • When opening up to Dr. Lopez, Lisa admits that she hates how her intelligence alienates her from the rest of her family, and even outright asks the doctor how she can become “normal”. However it's pointed out by Dr. Lopez that Lisa 'is' more normal than the girl first believed, as like any toddler she has a curiosity to find out how the world works, the only difference is that her high intellect allows her to do this on a more complex scale.
  • Similarly, Lucy wishes that she didn't suffer from "everyone forgets I exist".
• I Just Want to Be Special:
  • Lynn Sr. tells Dr. Lopez that the reason he wishes Lincoln was more like his sisters is because they've all found their talents and have awards for it, while Lincoln is just a regular boy. Dr Lopez tells him to be patient and accepting, and his son will find his passion eventually.
  • Luna reveals in chapter 16 that she had a pretty bad case of this before she discovered music in seventh grade, feeling especially bitter that her younger sisters had discovered their talents years before that point. It's what allows her to be as close to Lincoln as she is, since she knows what it's like to feel overshadowed by your siblings.
  • Lincoln himself telling the Doctor this is used as a Deconstruction. He sees himself as a mistake, since while his sisters have talents they've won awards for, Lincoln sees being there for them to be his only real talent. The reason he kept trying to help during the fight protocol despite objections is because he felt that they were essentially telling him that they didn't need him anymore. Robbing him of the only thing he felt he was good for.
    • Clyde points out to his friend that his attempts to find what makes him special were all involved doing what made his sisters special rather than what made him special. That he was trying to see if any of their talent rubbed off on him. Then tells him, after hearing about his Ace Savvy dreams, that he should try and be an artist. Lincoln even notes how his ability to plan could be translated to storytelling and his few attempts at drawing didn't look half bad. Which in Chapter 31 leads to him fully realizing that his talent really is art. While critical of his own work, he admits his skill is that of someone with at least a years practice, and Ronnie Anne outright calls his work pro level.
• I Let You Win: Or rather, "I Let You Beat Me Up". Lynn could've turned the tides against her attack on Ronnie-Anne but allowed herself to be beaten up as a way of Self-Harm.
• I Need to Go Iron My Dog: Both Becky and Mandee made excuses in avoiding Leni in chapter 38. The excuses are so flimsy Leni sees through them right away and calls them both out on it.
• Imagine Spot:
  • Rita has one in chapter 9 where she tries to imagine what life would be like if Lincoln came home while still suffering from syngenesophobia. It involves Lincoln locking himself in his room all the time, to the point that Rita even has to bring him his meals up there, and ends with Lincoln eventually committing suicide.
  • Chapter 37 has Lincoln daydreaming that his food is being poisoned.
• The Immune: In chapter 29, Lisa discovers Lana's immune system is overclocked and instantly attacks any viruses or bacteria, hence why she never gets sick from her filthy habits. Downplayed in that it is limited to bacteria and viruses normally found in dumpsters or on animals.
• Internal Reveal:
  • In chapter 11, Rita learns about everything that happened during "Brawl in the Family"; the real reason Lori and Leni were arguing, and how Lincoln was treated throughout the time the sister fight protocol was active.
  • In chapter 23, Margo, Liam, Rusty, Ronnie Anne and Zach learn about Lincoln's syngenesophobia.
  • In chapter 24, Ronnie Anne learns the whole story behind the Sister Fight Protocol and the situation that lead to Lincoln's current condition.
  • In chapter 35, it's revealed that Bobby wasn't the one who broke up with Lori, but the other way around out of complete shame.
  • In chapter 37, Lincoln finds out the extent of his sisters' punishments when he sees their rooms, noticing that a lot of the stuff relating to their hobbies and talents are gone.
• Ironic Hell: Aside from the general punishments of being grounded, limitations on their Internet and TV use, and being forced to visit Aunt Ruth every weekend, each of the guilty sisters also gets a personal punishment based on their likes and hobbies. ^note In order: Lori can no longer talk to Bobby (and Bobby dumped her after learning about the ordeal, although it happened off-screen, and it's later revealed that Lori stopped talking to Bobby, not the other way around), has parental settings on her phone, and can only use the car to go to work or school, Leni can no longer go to the mall, Luna has to give up all her musical equipment and stop performing (though she keeps her MP3 player), Luan has to quit Funny Business and is no longer allowed to tell jokes, Lynn has to quit every sport team she's on and is forbidden from turning anything into a sport, or even dressing in sport clothes, Lucy has all her goth stuff taken away and is forbidden from writing poems, Lana has to stay clean and give up her exotic pets, Lola can no longer participate in pageants or dress as a princess, and Lisa has to sell her chemistry set to the school she teaches. Lynn Sr. even threatens to whip them with his belt if they try to sidestep their punishments, or if they ever lose their tempers that badly again, even though he takes no pleasure of doing that whatsoever.
• It's All My Fault: Rita blames herself for what happened to Lincoln, when she said to Lynn Sr that they don't have the right to call themselves good parents for allowing the incident to happen. When Rita learns the full story from the girls in chapter 11, she first tears them a new one before breaking down and blaming herself for how the Sister Fight Protocol got so out of hand.
• Last-Minute Project: A rare positive example. During art class while his classmates are all well into their projects, Lincoln doesn't even know what to draw. He panics when he sees that the teacher, who has been making his way around the room student to student, is now at Ronnie Anne, who is the student next to him. Desperate to have something for his teacher to see so not to get punished, he draws what he has been seeing in his dreams. Creating a large, incredibly complex and high quality drawing in the space of a few minutes. When his teacher sees it, he is so impressed he doesn't even stop to tell Lincoln where to improve his work before moving onto the next student.
• Jerkass to One: Strongly Deconstructed. The Loud sisters usually pick on Lincoln whenever they get mad. Unfortunately, ever since they sent him to the hospital, their tendency to get mad at him the most makes Lincoln believe they actually do want to kill him. Even though they still love him.
• Karmic Shunning: The Loud sisters are shunned by their friends at school after word gets out that they savagely beat their brother Lincoln almost to the point of killing him.
• Killed Off for Real: In Chapter 28, it's revealed that Lana's beloved snake El Diablo was euthanized by the animal shelter because he ate several other animals.
• Like Father, Like Son: "Like Mother Like Daughter" in this case. When she chewed the girls out after getting the whole story from them, Rita's use of 'like' and 'literally' show her two eldest where they got their particular verbal tics from.
• Loophole Abuse: This is attempted by Luan in Chapter 25 when she claims that, despite being banned from making puns, she can still crack a small joke here and then. This prompts Lynn to point out that their dad said that she is not allowed to do anything related to comedy, prompting Luan to change her mind at the thought of his belt.
• Love at First Sight: Averted. Lori explicitly states she didn't care too much for Bobby when they first started dating since she only asked him out because she wanted to have one over on Carol by having a boyfriend and she didn't. She did grow to love him but it wasn't instant.
• Meaningful Name: The story’s title, "Syngenesophobia", is the generic term for "fear of relatives", which is exactly what Lincoln suffers from after his sisters' No-Holds-Barred Beatdown on him.
• Misplaced Retribution: In the fanfic's timeline, Luan's pranks on her family on April Fool's Day are rooted in her anger at her school bullies.
• Moment of Weakness: The girls letting their anger control them, and beating Lincoln so badly that he ends up in the hospital. This is later discussed by Clyde and Bobby in chapter 35, that remorseful or not, they did beat him up within an inch of his life.
• My God, What Have I Done?: One of the main themes of the fic.
  • The Loud sisters, big time, when they realize how badly they beat up their brother. And even more when they learn that they traumatized him to the point that he's now afraid of them. This trope actually becomes Deconstructed, that despite feeling complete remorse, the sisters still beaten Lincoln to near death, and they still have to face the consequences of their actions.
    • Lori realizes that her harsh methods of keeping her brother and sisters under control, while it was necessary at time to keep them control, have soured her siblings' opinion towards her now than what she wanted to be viewed as by them when she was younger.
    • Luan realizes that her April Fool's Day pranks aren't funny to anyone but her and that she's taking her anger about her bullies, who deserve it, out on her family, who are innocent.
• Mythology Gag: When Dr. Lopez tells her husband about Lincoln being the only boy among eleven sisters, he asks if it's possible Lincoln was adopted. Lincoln being adopted is a popular fan theory and fic theme for the Loud House.
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown:
  • In Chapter 1, Lincoln receives one from his sisters, which kicks off the plot. It results in a broken nose, broken arm, black eyes, fractured ribs, a bruised pelvis, some kicks in the nuts, and some teeth getting knocked out. And those are just the physical injuries.
  • Lynn gets subjected to one in Chapter 4, courtesy of a vengeful Ronnie Anne. Though this is ultimately Played With since Lynn admits to Dr. Lopez that she allowed Ronnie Anne to beat her and that had she wanted to, could have quickly and effectively turned the tables on Ronnie.
• Nobody Touches the Hair: Chapter 23, Lola is forced to hide in a trashcan to prevent Lincoln from seeing her. She ends up covered in trash, and worst of all, she gets gum stuck in her hair. She’s even more terrified when Lana sees no other option to get rid of it than to use some scissors to cut it out.
• No Periods, Period: Subverted. Rita feels that after helping her four eldest (and her own three elder sisters) when they started their time's of the month, and knowing she's going to have to teach the same thing six more times, it's starting to feel monotonous. So she's grateful for Lincoln for the change of pace.
• Noodle Incident:
  • The girls' alienation from their friends and classmates are only mentioned to each other in Chapter 7. The readers never actually saw how their tempers destroyed their social lives up until Chapter 38 where Leni confronts Becky and Mandee for avoiding her.
  • It is mentioned in Chapter 22 that Lincoln and his friends got in trouble when Ronnie Anne's cooing woke up the entire maternity ward.
• "Not So Different" Remark: Dr. Lopez makes the realization in chapter 26 that Lori and Lincoln both place their sense of self-worth on their siblings needing them.

O-Z

• Obfuscating Stupidity: Besides for beating up Lincoln, this is one of the reasons why Leni is avoided by Becky and Mandee.
• Oh, Crap!:
  • Lincoln has one in the first chapter when he realizes his rant has pushed his sisters' rage to its breaking point. Realizing he's in for the beating of his life, he attempts to flee to his room. Unfortunately, he doesn't make it.
  • Lynn in Chapter 24, when she knocked Ronnie-Anne out in a fit of rage, for refusing to believe the girls are capable of remorse and care for Lincoln.
  • Lincoln in Chapter 39, when he angrily brought up the girls' past offenses towards Lynn's face. He begins Verbal Backpedaling and apologizes profusely. Only for Lynn to give him a Cooldown Hug.
• One of the Girls: Lincoln was already stated to be this trope word for word in Roughin' It. However Lynn brings up to Lincoln that she feels that they genuinely only ever saw him as another sibling and just treated him as they would each other and that they never really appreciated that he was a boy who would have different thoughts and feelings to them.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
  • In Chapter 3, Lisa is so ashamed by what she's done, that for a moment, she's unable to keep up her stoic attitude and acts more like the four year old she truly is. She also breaks down crying during her session with Dr. Lopez in chapter 13.
  • Luan spends the latter part of her session in tears once she comes to terms with the fact that she's been abusing her family every April Fool's Day for her own amusement as well as punishing them for the All of the Other Reindeer treatment she received at the hands of her classmates.
  • Chapter 39 Lynn gives Lincoln a Cooldown Hug after Lincoln suffers a panic attack when the boy begins to angrily referred the girls' past events. Lincoln discovers how she isn't roughhousing him such as bearhugs or noogies in some other way and complimenting his artwork which is the main reason why he isn't panicking even further nor pushing her off.
• Parental Favoritism:
  • Rita admits that she holds Lincoln close to her heart. Partly because she considers having a son to be a pleasant change with having so many daughters, and partly because she doesn't want him to feel lonely being her only son. She also admits that out of her daughters she is closest to Lori and Leni, since as her two eldest she needs to prepare them for when they will soon be adults.
  • Lynn Sr. originally thought he was closer to his son than his daughters since they were the only men in the house. A few pointed questions from Dr. Lopez however and he realizes he really isn't as close to his only boy as he'd like to be. He admits to Dr. Lopez that he feels closer to his more "tomboyish" daughters (Luna^note because of their shared love of music, Luan^note because they share the same humor, Lynn Jr.^note because of their shared love of sports and Lana^note as he teaches her how to fix things). Lincoln later shares the sentiment that he and his father don't really do much together.
• Parental Neglect: During her session, Lucy confesses how her family once forgot her when they went on a road trip, and didn't notice she wasn't in the car until they were already 30 miles away from Royal Woods. By this time she was used to her siblings not noticing her, but the fact that even her own parents simply forgot about her like that really hurt the girl's emotions and contributed to her becoming the emotionless Empty Shell she is now.
  • During his own sessions, Dr. Lopez theorizes that the reason his parents are dead in his dreams, is because it reflects how little he feels they are in his life. While he knows logically that they have to divide their attention among eleven children and they do try to give all of them the attention they need, he also can't remember when they spent time with just him rather than all of them at once or just one of his sisters.
• Pay Evil unto Evil:
  • While this is mostly as a deterrent and he hates himself for resorting such extremes, but Lynn Sr did threaten to beat his daughters with his belt if one of them sneak past their punishments or if they ever lose their temper that badly again.
  • Ronnie Anne tries to break Lynn's arm as a punishment for her breaking Lincoln's arm. This is ironic given that Lynn's reaction to finding out about the way Ronnie was treating Lincoln before the pair started dating was to so terrify the younger girl that Ronnie legitimately thought Lynn would kill her for punching Lincoln in a panic over being kissed.
• Pet the Dog: Lynn in Chapter 39 gave a Cooldown Hug and a You Are Better Than You Think You Are speech towards Lincoln, although the former trope is because of Lincoln going under a panic attack when he inadvertently angers Lynn by bringing up the events in Cereal Offender and in Dance, Dance Resolution. While the latter is still far from forgiving Lynn or letting go of his fear, but because of how out of character it is for Lynn and the way she hugged Lincoln itself. He did take it into consideration.
• Poor Communication Kills:
  • This trope is actually stated word-for-word by Dr. Lopez, who suggest that the reason why Lincoln ended up getting beaten up in the first place was because nobody bothered to tell him about the Sister Fight Protocol.
  • Lori mentions that the problems during the episode "Get The Message" could have been avoided if she'd apologized to Lincoln before going out to replace his console.
  • While Luan admits her fault in the April Fool's Day havoc every year, she points out that her family never told her how scared and upset they were and says that she'd never have gone that far if she knew they felt hurt and abused. Similarly if Luan had explained her feelings about the bullying she underwent, she probably would have gotten the help she needed before the events of the story could have involved her.
  • Lisa points out that she wouldn't have ended up blowing the roof off the house if her siblings had bothered to tell her they were pranking Lincoln during the earbuds incident.
  • In chapter 21, Dr. Lopez realizes that all of the Loud children she's spoken to are suffering because of this to an extent. Due to them misinterpreting or refusing to talk about their problems.
  • Defied in chapter 35, where Bobby convinces Clyde to tell Lincoln about what his sisters and his friends are doing, arguing that Lincoln will find out eventually. Clyde begrudgingly agrees, on the condition that he speaks to Lori.
  • In chapter 39, Lincoln was shown to be no different from his sisters in that he never actually shown them what his interests are without fear of being mocked. Which in turn, the girls never discovered how their actions damaged their relationship with Lincoln until it was too late.
• Precision F-Strike: Rita does once this during her session in Chapter 11.
• Reaching Between the Lines: In chapter 27, Lincoln has a nightmare in which he finally musters up the courage to call his sisters, but they end up climbing through the phone to get to him at the McBride house.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech:
  • Lynn got an off-screen one from her friend Polly in Chapter 8. While the readers never actually saw the said speech, Lynn's beating of Lincoln destroyed her friendship with Polly.
  • In chapter 11, Rita gives her daughters one when she learns the whole story behind the fight. And one to herself for letting the situation get out of control.
    Rita: So let me get this straight...you girls thought it was ok to use your brother's room to avoid each other, without his consent, you took his bed sheets even though we had spares in the basement...and on top of that, any time he asked about the protocol, you just told him it's a 'sister thing' and to butt...out?... [the girls nod in fear]
    Leni: So...like, are you mad at us?...
    Rita: No Leni... Because 'mad', doesn't begin to cover it! How could you girls act like this?! We raised you better than that, and you should've known better than to treat your only brother like his opinion doesn't matter! Not only did you treat his possessions and space like they were expendable, you also couldn't see the flaws in your protocol from the very beginning! I don't care if one of you is upset, you have no right to block off an entire section of the house! You can do that in your own homes, but not in my house missies! I understand Lincoln accidentally reignited the initial argument, but his intentions were pure, and to be honest, you girls are literally at fault for keeping secrets from each other. All he wanted to do was get everything back on track. Lori and Leni, I'm especially disappointed in both of you for arguing over something so trivial. You both bought the dress, so what is wrong with having the same item? You both share a room for God's sake! I'm also disappointed in you as well, Luna and Luan! You shouldn't have let yourself get dragged into their argument, especially when it didn't concern you and it was over a petty reason! This is like, worse than the time you kids fought over money... Aside from Lily, I'm disappointed in the rest of you for going along with everything that happened...but... I'm mostly disappointed in myself... I know I have a right to be upset, but the blame goes to me and your father for not taking the time to settle things between our kids like a real parent would...it's...it's our faults you girls ended up like this...
• Rejected Apology: Considering the severity of the sisters' actions, this trope comes about.
  • In the first chapter, Lincoln attempts to apologize for revealing the insults the sisters' have said about each other, but his apology falls on deaf ears.
  • Played With; when the sisters visited Lincoln in Chapter 8 to apologize, Lincoln reacted with fear than actual anger. Earlier, this was Discussed earlier about what if Lincoln refuses to forgive them.
  • This is Downplayed in Chapter 38, despite Becky and Mandee acknowledging Leni's remorse. Leni still sent Lincoln to the hospital, and neither of the two wishes to hang out with her. They would only forgive Leni if Lincoln forgives her, however, Leni doesn't know if Lincoln wants to forgive.
• Rhetorical Question Blunder: While out jogging, after hitting the street sign Lynn retorts about how Ronnie Anne couldn't keep up with her. When Ronnie sarcastically asks if she looks like a track star, Lynn points out that Ronnie is wearing gym clothes and sweat bands, so yes she does look like a track star.
• Right for the Wrong Reasons: Becky and Mandee believe Leni is Obfuscating Stupidity. While it is true that Leni is smarter than she appears to be, she only acts dumb when she doesn't take her medication rather than to get away with anything.
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Ronnie Anne attacks Lynn in Chapter 4 to avenge Lincoln.
• Self-Harm: It turns out Lynn allowed Ronnie Anne to beat her up, believing that her punishment wasn't enough.
• Shipper on Deck: In Chapter 5, Mrs. Santiago reacts very happily when Ronnie Anne confesses that Lincoln is her boyfriend.
• Shout-Out:
  • In Chapter 12, Lori references SpongeBob SquarePants and how he and Leni have both failed their road test many times.
  • In Chapter 13, when Dr. Lopez first meets Lisa, her first impression is that she reminds her of Dexter.
  • In Chapter 23, the author references Garfield's hatred of Mondays
  • Chapter 30 features Liam mentioning a cousin named Ellis and Zach's superhero persona as Junkrat.
• Slipping a Mickey: During his session with Dr. Lopez, Lynn Sr. admits that he and Rita secretly drug Leni’s drinks with medicine to help control her ADHD. During her own session in chapter 14, Leni admits that she knows her parents are giving her these pills.
• Suicide is Shameful: Both Leni and Mandee acted with shock when Becky tells the girls that she would "kill herself" if she ever beaten up her own sister that badly. Played With; in that Becky said that out of the blue rather than the act itself.
• Sympathy for the Devil: Downplayed in Chapter 38, even though Becky and Mandee acknowledges Leni's remorse, none of the two wishes to be friends with Leni any more for her beating of Lincoln until the boy forgives Leni. Leni doesn't know if Lincoln wants to forgive her.
• Take That!: Debatable but, the fanfiction itself is one towards "Brawl in the Family" as the author didn't like how the sisters behaved in said episode. Chapter 11 in particular has Rita calling the girls out on how poorly they treated Lincoln during the events of said episode.
• Tampering with Food and Drink: In chapter 37, Lincoln has a daydream in which the sisters poison his dinner.
• Tears of Fear: In Chapter 8, when his sisters come to visit him in the hospital, Lincoln thinks they're going to beat him again and starts sobbing in terror.
• There Are No Therapists: Averted. When hearing about the fight, Clyde plans to put the Louds in contact with his family's therapist, Dr. Lopez (the therapist Clyde mentions and calls several times in the canon series, but has remained an unseen character). And in chapter 9, after Dr. Richard advises the Louds to get Lincoln a therapist, they decide to take Clyde up on his offer and call Dr. Lopez. From chapter 10 onwards, the story focuses on the Louds going through their sessions with her.
• This Is Unforgivable!: Ronnie Anne's reaction is this after discovering what Lincoln's sisters do to her.
  Ronnie-Anne: Those fucking bitches! I don't care if they got the grounding of a lifetime! That's nothing compared to what I'm going to do! They put Lincoln in the hospital huh? I'll put them into comas!
  • As of chapter 24, Ronnie-Anne is letting go some of her hate towards Lynn after the latter told their side of the story. Though Ronnie-Anne isn't happy about helping her out. Chapter 34 looks like she's fully forgiven Lynn and the rest of her sisters or at least letting go of her hatred.
• Throw the Dog a Bone:
  • For Lynn in chapter 23, when it turns out Margo didn’t abandon her entirely and is still willing to listen to her.
  • Attempted in chapter 27, with the parents lifting some of the punishments for the girls. However, the girls mostly had an indifferent reaction since it doesn't matter anymore since most of their peers hate them now.
  • Carol texting Lori a You Are Better Than You Think You Are speech in chapter 31.
  • In chapter 33, we learn that at least the younger sisters aren't being mocked or targeted at school anymore for what they did.
  • In chapter 34, Lynn Sr decides to buy Lana a new pet over losing El Diablo. In that while he felt it was necessary to punish her, he didn't want any of the animals to die. In the same chapter, it looks like Ronnie Anne letting go of her hatred towards Lynn and to an extent, to her sisters.
• Toilet Paper Trail: Chapter 38, Leni notices Chaz has toilet paper stuck on his shoe.
• A Tragedy of Impulsiveness: What sets the whole plot into motion. The girls are already on the brink due to their would-be brawl and Lincoln ruining their Sister Fight Protocol. When a frustrated Lincoln calls them out on their poor decision-making and treatment of him, the sisters snap and pummel him into a bruised, bloody pulp. They quickly realize what they're doing and are overcome with guilt and horror, but by then the damage is already done and Lincoln has been left physically and mentally broken. Lynn herself admits in Chapter 19 that in the moment, she only cared about hurting him as much as possible.
• Troubled Abuser: A sibling to sibling variant, despite the girls' remorse and their own fear of their only brother fearing them for the rest of their lives. They did beaten him within an inch of his life. The therapy sessions with Dr. Lopez explored their Hidden Depths mentioned above. One example is Lori fearing that her younger siblings (not just Lincoln) will grow up resenting her. Even before Lincoln's beating, the sisters did bullied and teased him which already damaged his psyche and relationship, and their beating was the final straw.
• Troubled Fetal Position: In Chapter 8, Lincoln breaks down on the floor sobbing and begging his sisters not to hurt him when they come to visit him in the hospital.
• Twin Switch: In Chapter 33, Lana gives Lola some of her overalls to wear now that most of Lola's gowns have been taken away as part of her punishment. As such, the twins look more alike than ever before, and they make great use of this to prank everybody. Even their own parents fall for it.
• Undying Loyalty: Margo is this to Lynn in Chapter 23, even though Margo's still disappointed in her.
• Unknown Rival: Lori always saw Carol Pingray as her greatest rival who outdid her at everything, and only started dating Bobby so she could say she had a boyfriend while Carol didn't. Carol was never even aware that she was competing with Lori. Lori does admit it just something she started, and thinks it was probably a carryover from how her family has to fight over everything.
• Unreliable Expositor : Because the readers never actually saw any of the sisters' fallout from their friends and peers, how much they are treated as outcasts is seen as dubious and fabricated at best. A good example is Bobby dumping Lori off-screen, but it turns out in Chapter 35 that Bobby never dumped Lori at all but it was the other way around. Another prime example is Lynn allowing Ronnie-Anne to beat her up.
• Verbal Backpedaling: Lincoln in Chapter 39, when he brought the girls' past events towards Lynn's face in anger.
• Violently Protective Girlfriend: In Chapter 4, after finding out what Lincoln's sisters did to him, Ronnie Anne doesn't hesitate to confront Lynn about it in school, and proceeds to beat the ever-loving shit out of her. She was also mere seconds away from breaking Lynn's arm in a similar fashion to how the latter broke Lincoln's before Kevin Walker intervened.
• Was It Really Worth It?: While the answer is an obvious "no" from the remorseful sisters, Lynn Sr asked his daughters with this in the third chapter.
• We Used to Be Friends: Even though all of the sisters lost all of their friends for their actions, the readers never actually saw the fallout until Chapter 38 with Leni attempting to interact with Becky and Mandee. The two will only forgive Leni when Lincoln forgives her, but Leni laments that it's more of an if Lincon wants to forgive.
• What If?: What if, at the end of "Brawl in the Family", Lincoln's last slip-up caused the sisters to turn on him instead of continuing to fight among themselves, like they did in the original episode?
• What the Hell, Hero?: Everyone to the sisters, after their No-Holds-Barred Beatdown on Lincoln. One particular case is with Lily giving her older sisters an non-verbal version of this trope. Another is Bobby giving one (albeit offscreen) to Lori before dumping her This turns out to be subverted as the reason why the readers never actually see the dump was because Lori did this out of herself out of shame.
  • Dr. Lopez gave a gentler version of this to Luan for her harsh pranks on her family as a way to take out her anger on her bullies.
  • Chapter 38 has Leni confronting Becky and Mandee for lying and make up excuses in avoiding her while the two could have been upfront about it. Becky and Mandee on the other hand, also call Leni out for not only what she's done to Lincoln but how could someone like her could lose their temper badly enough to beat someone that badly.
• When She Smiles: During the school assembly, Haiku catches sight of Lincoln and actually gives him a small smile. The narration stresses that this is a very rare occurrence.
• Why Couldn't You Be Different?: There is a very subtle implication from Rita during her session that, while she loves her girls, the reason she had so many children is because she keeps trying and failing to give Lincoln a brother so he wouldn't be lonely.
  • There are also implications by both Lynn Sr and Jr that they wish Lincoln shared their interests so they could bond with him more easily.
  • Lincoln flat out states that he thinks things would have been better if he'd been just another sister instead of the one boy. Lynn tells him that's not true, and that if anything it's 'their' fault for not appreciating that they have a brother rather than just another sibling.
• Worf Had the Flu: Or rather, "Worf Does Not Feel Like Fighting Back" During her session with Dr. Lopez, Lynn admits that Ronnie Anne was only able to beat her in their fight at school because she was feeling depressed and felt she deserved it. Indeed, when she and Ronnie Anne have another fight in chapter 24, Lynn One-Hit KO’s her.
• Worth It: Luan's attitude to the severe grounding and cold shoulders she gets from her siblings after every April Fools Day.
• You Remind Me of X: The main reason Luna is so close to Lincoln is that he reminds her of herself when she was his age. She too was a middle child (of the 5 older sisters) who hadn't found her talent yet while her older and younger sisters did, so she knows how Lincoln must feel like he's being overshadowed by everyone else.
  • Lucy is also surprised to hear that during this time, Luna was moody and depressed much in the same way she was.
  • She also considers herself closer to Lincoln because he was different like she was ^note  She had Pallor (unusual paleness) while he had natural white hair .
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are:
  • When talking about his failure to win a trophy. Clyde points out it was because Lincoln was trying to do things his sisters were good at rather than what he was good at. He tells his best friend that he can be more than just a good brother and that he should try drawing as the signs point to him being an artist one day.
  • Chapter 31 involves Carol texting Lori that she's not a bad person despite what she had done.
  • Chapter 37 plays with more of "They're Not Bad As You Think They Are" from Rita that the girls are not bad people.
  • Chapter 39 has Lincoln feeling like he doesn't deserve to be called the 'man with the plan' since he feels he never really bothered to understand his sisters beyond the surface level. Lynn tells him he 'is' smart and that his plans would probably work out better if they (his sisters) didn't get in the way or hijack them. Then when he spirals about feeling talent-less, she replies that she heard from Clyde that he's really talented at drawing which she praises since she can't draw a lick herself.

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