After and Before a Wizard by digitalized_ (G)

[lillian-raven.livejournal.com]

Fandom: WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE
Pairing: Gen
Length: 6.566 words
Author on LJ: digitalized_
Author Website: on her LJ, distorted_bytes, displaced_bytes (J-Pop), fanfiction.net
Why this must be read:

In the show Max is the clown, the stupid kid, the idiot and sadly almost every fanfic author also uses this image of him. Why? Especially in the earlier episodes there are lots of moments which show a more serious Max but still... maybe it's the easiest way to write him. This is the reason that I was downright stunned as I found this fic.

digitalized_ shows us Max as a normal kid who loves his family and his special ability. Magic is the only thing who makes him different and helps him to find his own self. But is he still the same Max without magic? Who is Max Russo? Is he only Justins and Alexs Russos younger brother? The crazy kid of the sandwich shop? Or is he more?
The author shows us a kid who search for his place in the world and who wants to find out what he wants to do as an adult and who he is as an adult. It's a struggle which is familiar for everyone and maybe this is the reason why the fanfiction is so heartbreaking and touching.

This Max is a person like you and I, a kid who grows up and struggles against his feelings and the world around him till he finds the special place for himself. This is a Max which I could love like I love Justin and Alex. I really wish the TPTB would had given us such scenes with Max but thankfully there are fics like this to solve this problem.

After and Before a Wizard (LJ), FF.net
--> Max grows up, and the family wizard competition is held; after the competition, Max grows up some more.