User blog:Weavillain/My Top 5 Favorite MrTyeDye Fanfictions

In light of all the fanfic reviews I've seen, I was inspired to do somewhat of the same. The major differences, though, are that for one thing, I won't be "reviewing" just one fanfiction, I'll be tackling (my top) five. Second, the reason I say "review" is that I won't necessarily be talking about them from a critical standpoint but essentially why I enjoy them so much. Third, I'm mainly doing this as a token of my appreciation for the person I consider to be the best The Loud House fanfiction writer that I've ever seen.

There's good, there's great, there's excellent...and then there's MrTyeDye. I don't think calling his stories "great stories" really does him justice. In my opinion, they're masterpieces, woven in a way that's captivated me more than most fanfics I've read.

Why? Well, to put it simply, MrTyeDye just gets it.

What do I mean by "it"? Basically, he knows his stuff; his stories have the ability to immerse me into the narrative with ease and the best part of it is, he doesn't try to make a "show" out of it. Instead of bogging everything down with superfluous details, his elegant and carefully crafted prose is both sufficient and vastly appreciated. On top of that, he's able to ingrain more depth into the characters than what we've seen out of them from the show, which makes them feel even more like real people.

Both his writing style and master grasp of characterization create a wonderful reading experience, and it's an experience that I've been grateful to be a part of ever since his first one-shot was posted on FF.net.

So, with that out of the way, I'll be counting down my Top 5 favorite MrTyeDye fanfictions, and I'll explain why they each hold a special place in my heart. Believe me, whittling down the list to five was pretty tough but somehow, I managed to do it. But, before I get on with the "official" list, I'll name some honorable mentions and before I do that, I'll be issuing a warning:

'THIS LIST WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS. IF YOU HAVEN'T READ ENOUGH OF MRTYEDYE'S STORIES TO ENSURE YOUR SAFETY, THAT'S YOUR FAULT IF YOU GET SPOILED; SO, IF YOU DON'T THINK YOU'RE GOOD TO GO, GO READ THEM ALL NOW! NOOOOOOOOOOW!'

Ahem. That should do. :)

Honorable Mentions:

- Irrational Fear - Hey, would you look at that? Another great The Loud House fanfic writer that kicked off his "career" with a Lisa/Lincoln one-shot. Yeah, I, uh, wonder who that...other writer might be, don't you?

...

No? Well, fine then. It's not like I-er, I mean, he cares, anyways! >:(

Back on point, in this story, we have yet another instance where Lisa's vulnerabilities are exposed; behind a veil of sarcasm and intellect lies a toddler who's just as susceptible of childish fears as anyone her age. Like other stories that have tackled this topic, it's Lincoln who sets her straight by reminding her that she's still a kid and it's okay to feel fear, no matter how much you know about it-especially since she knows that she'll always have him to make her feel safe.

But what I like the most, besides MrTyeDye's writing style, is how Lincoln gets Lisa to understand. He tells a funny story about how Lori was afraid of puppets, and I burst out laughing when Luan's part of the story was shown.

I can't think of anything else to say about this, other than it's the best take on "Lisa's still a kid" that I've seen and it's definitely worth a read and a reread and another one for good measure.

- Sunday Skivvies - So, here we have a Luan one-shot, and one that makes me appreciate her character more than the show's been able to do, save for a few exceptions.

To my delight, instead of crackin' pun after pun, Luan uses her wiles to teach Lincoln a lesson in both comedy and modesty. It was an interesting take on what she values in comedy, both as a way to get people to laugh and as a way for her audience learn about themselves with self-reflection. And, as Lincoln learned, we as readers learned, too. I never thought I'd get that kind of insight and wisdom from someone like Luan, but it's taught me not to underestimate her potential.

Give me more of this Luan on the show and I might just starting coming around to her more.

And now, for the actual Top 5:

5. Sour Spot - If you recall my Unpopular Opinions blog, I had this to say:

"I don't find the appeal in about...98.7% of "Alternate Endings/Episode Rewrites/Extended Versions" simply because they're often worse than what they're trying to "enhance"."

Well, here's that 1.3%. Yes, it's an "alternate ending" fic but man, it's one that actually works. Why? Well, I understand that the episode "The Sweet Spot" isn't a favorite in TLH community. One of the biggest reasons why it's supposedly another "Lincoln torture" episode because he gets deprived of what he wants and the sisters all gang up on him. I'd have to ask what episode they were watching to reach that conclusion but that's a blog for another day.

Anyways, the reason why I say this works is that first of all, it's not another hackneyed "Lincoln dindu nuffin" story where despite his actions in the episode, that the fan works centers around, the author's favoritism doesn't allow for any sort of introspection of his negative actions; it's all about what everyone else does and why he's a helpless, saintly victim who needs his milky and blankie like the thin-skinned baby that he's constantly written out to be in these stories.

Here, though, things are mercifully different. Yes, the sisters get their due for being a part of the childish fight, but Lincoln was a part of that scrap, too, and despite coming out of it the worst, he's still not given reprieve for his part in the chaos that he voluntarily chose to involved themselves in. He's not given special treatment, other than the fact that his mother says that he's been punished enough. Everyone has to learn their lesson and Lincoln is no different.

Second of all, I was torn to pieces when poor Lincoln got banged up. It was heartbreaking seeing both him and Leni (in particular) confronting such a horrid situation. The story didn't pull any punches when it came to painting a vivid picture of Lincoln's agony, which is more significant than simply his injuries. What's worse is how awful he feels for thinking that because of him, his family has to watch such a grisly scene unfold.

Overall, it's a story that really tugs at the heartstrings and effectively pulls off an alternate ending by having a satisfying and fair follow-up on everyone's actions.

The line of the story - "From that day forward, they made a vow to change the way they viewed each other: not as adversaries to outmuscle, outmaneuver or outwit, but as friends, companions and mentors"

4. Boys and Girls - Yeah, the Lori fanboy has a Lori-centered one-shot in his Top 5. What a surprise, am I right? Well, if you've had the pleasure of reading it, you should have a good idea on why it's here. But, in order for you to understand my appreciation, I'll have to explain why I have it here. See, this story addresses an issue that I had with Lori's behavior in "Study Muffin". If you recall, Lori does something...quite unlikable and it's one of the very few times where she's rubbed me the wrong way. I can turn a blind eye to most of her "sins", mostly because they're either played for laughs or are addressed properly in the episode that they appear in. But in "Study Muffin"? Not only does Lori shamelessly flirt with another man, despite being in a relationship with her "Bobby Boo-Boo Bear", but her adulterous behavior doesn't get called out on. I understand that's not the point of the episode but it still rubbed me off the wrong way, regardless.

So, what does MrTyeDye do to make things right? First of all, I love the way Lincoln was able to get Lori to see her hypocrisy with not just a clever plan but with an appeal to her feelings that are actually there; the story doesn't pretend that Lori doesn't love Bobby, it's just that her views on trust and intimacy are warped and she has to change for the better if she wants to be true to her love. Plus, I couldn't help but laugh as Lori's composure began to falter the more Lincoln pressured her about her fawning over Hugh. Nice one, Linc.

And then, of course, there's Lori. Her excuse of "girls are different, so it's okay" is something I could totally see coming from Lori and it's a great explanation of her hypocritical, but morally questionable worldview. It's par the course for what canon Lori is, and seeing that aspect of her in this story is precisely why I love this story as much as I do. If you want a short but satisfying piece about Lori having to confront the ugly side of herself, this is the story for you.

The line of the story - "See? Boys and girls aren't so different, after all."

3. Shrinkin' Lincoln - I was quite surprised to see MrTyeDye trying on a story with this magnitude. See, with the exception of his crossover fic, "The Connie-Ronnie Switcheroo", his work was usually grounded, allowing for character introspection and story to stay in relatable boundaries. Here? He introdcues elements of Sci-Fi and a tad bit of horror to illustrate Lincoln's trustworthiness and resolve as a big brother...even when he's not so big, anymore.

It's not just Lincoln's admirable determination that delights me; his interactions with the sisters as individuals and as a whole are heartwarming, adorable, and funny.

I won't go into too much detail about each and every one, so I'll just talk about my favorite one. The "secret, secret, secret club" portion of the story involves each of Lincoln's younger siblings, minus Lucy, and Lincoln himself revealing even deeper humorous, secrets that the rest of the sisters know nothing about. Lucy's part is the most poignant, since she reveals her culpability as the toilet clogger from "Sleuth or Consequences", and thereby the owner of the ''Princess Pony" comic. Lincoln's character shines the brightest when he defends Lucy from her angry sisters, and reiterates his selflessness with his motivation behind his decision to spare Lucy from teasing. It was one of Lincoln's best moments from the show and I loved how it came into full circle in this fanfic.

Hats off to MrTyeDye for that, and for the plethora of laughs and moments of suspense.

The line of the story - It was moments like these that reminded him how privileged he was to be a member of the Loud family.

2. Birthday Breakfast - This story, compared to MrTyeDye's other work, may seem superficial and simplistic but that undermines how potent this story is, even from angles one might not have expected.

Out of any story that MrTyeDye was written, this one appealed to my senses in a way that no other story has. See, in the beginning, we see Lincoln making birthday pancakes for Lana and Lola. Not really much to there, is there? Well, you'd be wrong. I don't know about you but...did anyone else start feeling hungry when reading that part? I could almost smell the pastries as Lincoln prepared them, see how heavenly they looked, and taste their succulent, fluffy, buttery perfection melting on my tongue. Literally no other story has appealed to my sense of taste and smell like this one has and I still feel its effects after my fortieth retreading.

Another thing I enjoyed was how Lana and Lola's relationship was explored. It didn't take long for them to get on each other's nerves but unlike other times, where true antagonism and vitriol were in play, this time around, they're pulling their punches because getting on each other's nerves is all a part of the fun for them. It sounds ridiculous on paper but MrTyeDye makes it work by their reassurance, to a heartbroken Lincoln, that they're just goofing around in their own way and that they appreciate what Lincoln did for them.

Speaking of Lincoln, before the "big reveal", I felt pretty sorry for the guy. After all his hard work seemingly went out the window, I felt a lot of pity for all that hard work going to waste.

Good on the fic for making everything better in the end, but it's not as if I expected anything less from MrTyeDye.

The line of the story - The sight of a blob of batter getting cooked into a bronze, sun-kissed, fluffy pastry, all while the scent of melting butter and chocolate filled his nostrils… it was almost overwhelmingly beautiful.

1. Mall Rats - The quintessential Leni Loud story, by far. Dear Lord, what a journey this was.

I can't give this fanfiction enough justice; it's...it's just flawless. Leni is written as someone who, like in the show, is full of surprises. You expect one thing from her and then-BAM! Here comes Leni to show us a side of herself that makes sense to who she is, despite how dimwitted she is. I say that without malice, by the way; Leni's not bright but it's the most essential part of her character because when she shines, she does it brighter than anyone else because no one expects her to be competent and reliable. From a mentor of relationships to a butt-kicking machine, that's ready to protect her Lincy at all costs, there's simply no sides of Leni that I can call OOC and MrTyeDye does a grand job of making me immersed in the story, as both Lincoln and the reader learn more about what Leni is capable of offering.

She's truly an enigma and "Mall Rats" doesn't let us feel like the process of unraveling her layers is forced and unbelievable. Rather, we see an engaging look at what an attentive, caring, and thoughtful sister Leni is, why Lincoln is lucky to have her, and why we should appreciate her for the cinnamon roll that she is.

The line of the story - "Have a nice nap, Linky," she whispered, flicking off the lights as she walked out. "You earned it."

And there we have it, folks. My Top 5 for the Top 1 TLH fanfic writer around. Thanks for everything, MrTyeDye, and I wait for your latest additions with bated breath because I know I'm in for a treat.