Brace Up
is a Braceface One-Shot Fic/Self-Insert Fic written by gelefant.
The story focuses on Jermaine Carter (the author) befriending Sharon Spitz and her later helping him with his bullying-induced mental health issues.
The fanfic can also be found here
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Artwork for the story can be found here
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Tropes:
- All of the Other Reindeer: Not long after fourth grade started, Jermaine began to be bullied mostly because he was considered too quiet and didn't always have the same interests as his classmates.
- Animal Lover: Jermaine is a lifelong animal lover.
- Bullied into Depression: Jermaine began struggling with suicidal thoughts during his spring semester of seventh grade because of how badly he was bullied. The following school year, he started self-harming (normally by stabbing his left arm with a pen or pencil) for the same reason. Over a month after the beginning of eighth grade, Sharon's mother Helen officially diagnoses him with depression during his session with her.
- Commonality Connection: During Jermaine's first time eating lunch with Sharon, the two teens click because of their shared love of animals.
- Driven to Suicide: During his spring semester of seventh grade, Jermaine started struggling with suicidal thoughts because of how badly he was bullied. He didn't have a concrete plan for how he would kill himself and instead just went around saying he wanted to die.
- Eating Lunch Alone: Jermaine always eats lunch alone because nobody else ever wants to sit with him. Thankfully, this changes after Sharon begins letting him eat lunch with her, Connor, and Maria.
- Gasp!: Connor, Maria, and Sharon collectively gasp after Jermaine tells them about his bullying-induced struggles with Self-Harm and suicidal thoughts. Near the end of the story, Connor, Maria, and Sharon collectively gasp again when Jermaine gets a black eye from the Jerk Jock currently bullying him.
- Jerk Jock: One day at school, Jermaine accidentally bumps into a tall and muscular jock in between classes. Thinking Jermaine bumped into him on purpose, the jock grabs Jermaine by the shirt, lifts him up, and punches him to the floor. Jermaine is left with a black eye as a consequence. Just seconds later, the jock swings at Sharon when she places herself between the two boys and tells the jock to leave Jermaine alone. Thankfully, she catches the jock's fist with her hand before his punch lands.
- Luminescent Blush: Sharon blushes after Jermaine tells her he thinks her new braces are very cute and very shiny. Her blushing intensifies when he tells her that her braces make her smile even more lovely than it already was. At the end of the story, he blushes after she kisses him on the cheek as a way of showing her appreciation for his safety following him being physically attacked by a Jerk Jock.
- Platonic Kissing: At the end of the story, Sharon kisses Jermaine on the cheek as a way of showing her appreciation for his safety following him being physically attacked by a Jerk Jock.
- Punch Catch: The Jerk Jock who punches Jermaine to the floor and gives him a black eye swings at Sharon after she places herself between the two boys and tells the jock to leave Jermaine alone. She catches the jock's fist with her hand. This shocks the jock, Jermaine, Connor, and Maria.
- The Quiet One: Jermaine is largely a quiet person and is bullied as a result.
- Say My Name: Near the end of the story, Sharon shouts Jermaine's name after she sees him being physically bullied by a Jerk Jock.
- Self-Harm: Soon after his eighth grade year began, Jermaine started self-harming due to the bullying he continued to endure. Said self-harm was him stabbing his left arm with a pen or pencil.
- Selfie Fiend: After Jermaine and Sharon begin hanging out on a regular basis, they take several selfies together.
- Ship Tease: Has its own page here.
- Shout-Out:
- Sharon's braces are electrically charged by a huge bolt of purple lightning as she gets them fitted on her teeth. Purple lightning played a major role during the third season of Ben 10.
- Jermaine surmises that the MASSIVE bolt of electricity Sharon unleashes from her braces at the Jerk Jock who punched him to the floor and gave him a black eye is around 100,000 volts. "100,000 Volts" is the Japanese name for the Pokémon attack Thunderbolt. Additionally, the Electric-type Pokémon Raichu is said to be able to discharge 100,000 volts of electricity from its body.
- Would Hit a Girl: The Jerk Jock who punches Jermaine to the floor and gives him a black eye swings at Sharon after she places herself between the two boys and tells the jock to leave Jermaine alone. Thankfully, she catches the jock's fist with her hand before his punch lands.
