Freefall (fanfic): Difference between revisions

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There is no magic in ''Freefall'', no monsters or vampires. Time travel and destiny don’t come into play and [[Big Bad|Fei Wang Reed]] is nowhere to be found. Instead, the story focuses on the lives of the characters and their loved ones as they struggle to survive the hand they've been dealt— [[True Companions|together]].

'''A note on the author’s name choices:''' Because ''Freefall'' is set in modern-day America, the characters have been renamed accordingly. As such, it might be useful to read the author’s [http://faren-maddox.livejournal.com/32740.html livejournal post] explaining the rationale behind the new names, and to make sure you have an idea of who is who before reading. That said, the characterisation in ''Freefall'' is spot-on and it should be very easy for new readers to pick out which character is which within moments of them appearing.

 

 

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* [[Abusive Parents]]: Karen's mother. {{spoiler|Finn also suffered through a few sets of these being shunted from foster family to foster family as a child.}}

* [[Bare Your Midriff]]: Finn has a tendency to wear shirts that are a little too short for him. {{spoiler|Makes it easier to see his bandages from being shot later on.}}

* [[Belligerent Sexual Tension]]: Averil and Zack have a lot of this, as much as Averil [[He Is Not My Boyfriend|denies it]].

* [[Big Eater]]: Zack, and he's picky about what he eats too. Caleb and Lee are mentioned to have their moments of this too.

* {{spoiler|[[Bittersweet Ending]]: Sara is recovering, but she's moving away; Caleb and Finn's relationship is stronger than ever, and Finn has been reunited with his twin, but Finn has many issues to work through and Caleb is still badly hurt; Averil and Zack are finally together and seem to be moving towards a life as a couple, but Averil is still recovering from his injuries; Ian and Gray are moving into a new phase in their relationship, but the latter still has doubts over his future; and the arrival of Clarence Reed and the return of Sara and Tom's [[Disappeared Dad]] promises trouble in the sequel.}}

* [[Chekovs Skill]]: {{spoiler|Caleb is mentioned to have been a champion marksman in his teenage years, [[Justified Trope|justifying]] his [[Improbable Aiming Skills]] later on.}}

* [[Chick Magnet]]: {{spoiler|Sebastian, who mentions a string of past romances when he's introduced.}} Caleb thinks it would be more impressive if he could ''keep'' a girlfriend.

* [[Cool Old Guy]]: Zack’s grandfather, Harold.

* [[Cool Old Lady]]: Ruth, Karen's grandmother.

* {{spoiler|[[Driven to Suicide]] / [[Interrupted Suicide]]: Sebastian. He doesn’t go through with it, but it was a close call.}}

* [[Despair Event Horizon]]: {{spoiler|Finn approaches the line a few times during the fic, and nearly tumbles over it when Arthur almost kills Caleb. He gets better, though.}}

* [[Disappeared Dad]]: Sara and Tom's father, though his whereabouts are partially known.

* [[Drama Bomb]]: dropped on the main characters [[It Got Worse|every few chapters or so]].

* [[Everyone Can See It]]: Happens for all of the main couples in some way or another.

* [[Everyone Is Gay]]: Not quite, but getting there. Also [[Lampshaded Trope|lampshaded]] by Lee a few times where he wonders if ''everyone'' he knows is gay.

* [[Even the Guys Want Him]]: played for laughs a few times, with various characters having "mancrushes" on one another.

* [[Eye Scream]]: Wouldn’t be a [[CLAMP]] fic without it. {{spoiler|Oh, ''Averil''...}}

* [[Falling Into His Arms]]: {{spoiler|After being released from hospital with a gunshot wound and broken ribs}}, Finn nearly faints and falls backwards down the stairs to be caught by Caleb, who then carries him into their apartment with no difficulty and in a [[Ship Tease|rather possessive manner.]]

* [[Fan Art]]: ''Freefall'' has two short ''doujinshi'' drawn by the artist Konnichipuu, for [http://konnichipuu.deviantart.com/art/Snowball-Fight-1-of-3-195776013 chapter one] and [http://konnichipuu.deviantart.com/art/TRC-Freefall-Doujin-p01-195099148 chapter twenty-four], as well as a [http://konnichipuu.deviantart.com/art/A-Cure-for-Nightmares-207491893 piece] that was based off a sneak-peak of the upcoming sequel. '''Warning!''' The latter two are spoileriffic.

* [[Gray Eyes]]: Gray. More the colour than the personality traits though.

* [[Grumpy Bear]]: Caleb.

* [[Guilt Complex]]: Averil,by the bucketload. {{spoiler|Finn as well, but he’s a bit better at hiding it.}}

* [[Harassing Phone Call]]: {{spoiler|Finn}} gets these all through the fic, acting as in-universe [[Nightmare Fuel]].

* [[He Is Not My Boyfriend]]: Averil, about Zack. [[Everyone Can See It|No one believes him.]] {{spoiler|Caleb has this regarding Finn later on, and eventually stops denying it since it's easier than trying to explain.}}

* [[Headbutt of Love]]: Lee and Sara in chapter 17. It's [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|adorable]].

* {{spoiler|[[Heroic BSOD]]: Happens to Finn when Caleb saves him from Arthur’s rampage and almost dies in the process. Takes a while for him to come out of it, even with Sara and Tanya’s help.}}

* [[Heroic Sacrifice]]: {{spoiler|Caleb}} takes a blow that would have killed {{spoiler|Finn}} and nearly dies in the process.

* [[Human Shield]]: Happens to {{spoiler|Sara, when Arthur takes her [[Hostage Situation|hostage]] in chapter 25}}. It doesn’t work.

* [[Identical Grandson]]: Zack, to Harold.

* [[I Didn't Mean to Turn You On]]: chapter 18, when {{spoiler|Caleb accidentally brushes his hand over the surgery scar from Finn's gunshot wound, making him shiver and moan. Doesn't help that they were spooning together in bed, or that they were practically [[Unresolved Sexual Tension|drowning in sexual tension]] from the get go.}}

* [[Ill Girl]]: {{spoiler|Sara}}, and played realistically too.

* [[Impossibly Low Neckline]]: Yvonne has a penchant for this, noted by Averil in their first meeting.

* {{spoiler|[[Instant Death Bullet]]: Subverted and played straight respectively the two times it appears. Finn takes a few moments to realise he’s been wounded when Seth shoots him in the stomach, and is able to talk for a little while before passing out. Later, when Arthur is shot by Caleb he dies instantly, though probably justified through the [[Chunky Salsa Rule|three-shots-to-the-head thing]].}}

* [[Instant Waking Skills]]: Caleb. {{spoiler|Especially once he starts sleeping in the same bed as Finn.}}

* [[It Got Worse]]: Happens a few times during the fic, and {{spoiler|Finn’s}} past is just one long chain of this.

* [[I Will Protect Her|I Will Protect Them]]: Zack’s attitude towards Averil is a lot like this. Lee also plays it straight with Sara, {{spoiler|especially when Arthur takes her hostage in chapter 25.}}

* [[Lap Pillow]]: Finn "going to bed" in chapter 24, much to Caleb's mortification. Even Lee thinks it's kinda cute.

* {{spoiler|[[Life or Limb Decision]]: Caleb, in chapter 25, [[Heroic Sacrifice|to save Finn]]. He doesn’t lose his arm, but the damage he takes renders it useless.}}

* {{spoiler|[[Miscarriage of Justice]]: One of the contributing factors to Finn ending up in jail when he was younger.}}

* [[Mismatched Eyes]]: Notably, Lee and Averil, both being blind in one eye. {{spoiler|Averil's blindness is [[Eye Scream|self-inflicted]].}}

* [[Nice Guy]]: Lee, definitely.

* [[Obfuscating Stupidity]]: Finn tries to pull this on Caleb with a lot of things, {{spoiler|especially about how much he cares about Lee, Averil and Sara, and why he keeps having nightmares.}} Doesn't work.

* {{spoiler|[[Prison Rape]]: One of the [[Break the Cutie|many]], [[Dark and Troubled Past|many]] reasons Finn is so messed up.}}

* [[Protectorate]]: Takes him a while to figure it out, but {{spoiler|Caleb}} eventually realises {{spoiler|Finn}} is this for him. Zack is far more open about what he’d do to keep Averil safe, and the same for Ian regarding Gray, and Sara has been this for Lee right from the beginning.

* [[Relationship Upgrade]]: Happens late in the fic for {{spoiler|Averil and Zack}}, much to the latter's relief.

* [[Sensitive Guy and Manly Man]]: pops up a few times, with various [[CLAMP]] pairings, but none of the characters here are shallow enough to be defined by his alone.

* [[She Is Not My Girlfriend]]: Lee, about Sara. [[Everyone Can See It|No one believes him either.]]

* [[She's Got Legs]]: Sunny, according to Averil. Also, Yvonne gets to show hers off once or twice as part of her "sex pot" act.

** Sunny, for Zack and Averil, much to Averil’s dismay. Harold joins in as well, {{spoiler|and makes clear his [[So Proud of You|approval]] when Zack announces that they are a couple}}.

** Lee, for {{spoiler|Finn and Caleb}}, especially towards the end of the fic. Claire Elda has shipped them for quite some time, and {{spoiler|Tanya joins in on the fun as well once she arrives.}}

* [[Snowball Fight]]: Happens in chapter one, and it's hilarious.

* [[Stepford Smiler]]: Finn, just as much as his canon counterpart. {{spoiler|His smiling mask starts to crack in much the same way as the plot progresses.}}

* {{spoiler|[[Taking the Bullet|Taking the Swing]]: Caleb performs a diving save for Finn when Arthur takes a swing at his head with a baseball bat.}}

* [[Survivors Guilt]]: Quite a few characters have this, particularly {{spoiler|Finn}}.

* [[Team Dad]]: Caleb gets roped into this role as the story progresses, much like he did in canon. Gets called Papa Bear and Big Daddy by [[The Nicknamer|Finn]] quite a lot also.

* [[Team Mom]]: Finn. No surprises there.

* [[The Alcoholic]]: Finn. He has good [[Drowning My Sorrows|reason to be.]] [[Bottle Fairy|Yvonne]] is implied to be this too.

* [[The Charmer]]: Although it makes him a little uncomfortable, Finn has no problem turning up the charm to get what he wants.

* [[The Nicknamer]]: Finn, mostly directed towards Caleb, although Sara becomes known as “princess” early on in the story and the moniker sticks. {{spoiler|And just like in canon, when he does call Caleb by his real name, it’s a sign things have gone horribly wrong between them.}}

* [[The Stoic]]: Zack. Kid’s got a serious poker-face going on. Does have his [[Not So Stoic|moments]], though.

* [[The Woobie]]: Averil. Things just don’t go right for him, no matter how hard he tries.

* [[Tsundere]]: Averil, and ''how''. No prizes for guessing who bears the brunt of his tsun-tsun tendencies... {{spoiler|and later becomes the focus of his dere-dere side as well.}}

* [[True Companions]]: The main cast ends up like this.

* [[Unbroken Vigil]]: Occurs a few times with various characters. Notably with {{spoiler|Caleb when Finn gets shot and has to have a kidney removed, only to break the moment Finn wakes up}} and with Zack and Averil, due to the latter’s tendency to get himself into life-threatening situations. {{spoiler|Tom also does this for Sara when she’s first in hospital}}.

** Between Caleb and Finn in a big way, {{spoiler|especially once they start sleeping in the same bed}}, but played very subtly.

*** Lampshaded by Lee when he remarks that their relationship must be complicated, or they would've gotten it over with and had sex already.

* [[Vitriolic Best Buds]]: As much as they snipe at each other, Caleb and Finn are close friends, and only get closer as the series progresses.

* [[Wake Up Fighting]]: Finn takes a swing at Caleb a few times after being woken suddenly from a nightmare. {{spoiler|Implied to be because of the sexual abuse he suffered in prison.}}

 

{{reflist}}