INK AND INSIGHTS

𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐈 𝐀𝐌 -- jason todd

I am reviewing a Jason Todd story by fellow DC fan brvciewayne for the third review. Do you guys know I used to avoid reading about Jason Todd but now he's one of my favorite DC characters? Anyway, if you want to read a Titans-setting fanfic focusing on Jason Todd and a very admirable OC, then this is the story for you.

Now let's get on with the review!

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1. Title of the story:

Someone I Am.

The title fits the story and in all I have read so far, I think it refers to the internal conflict of your characters, especially Kotori and Jason. They are going to find out who they are when they are put in front of all the obstacles they will have to face together as the Titans so the choice for the title is perfect.

2. Description of the story:

You have given a very simple but effective description for your story which conveys all the things needed by the reader to analyze whether the story is a good fit for them or not. I am including the description below for our review readers to see what I am talking about:

Being Batgirl is not her dream job, and being Jason Todd's partner makes it even worse. Kotori Khan doesn't care what Dick Grayson or the rest of the washed-up Titans think. She is here to train. To be the best. No one, especially not overly emotional Jason Todd, will stop her.

By this description, it seems like a character-driven story because you have introduced the two main characters, the link between them, and the stakes of their relationship in one short paragraph. If a reader is interested in Titans stories, Jason stories or Batgirl stories, they ill immediately click on your fanfic to read it. So basically your story description is character introduction + character motivation + conflict. This pattern can also be used by writers who want to quickly grasp the attention of the reader.

3. Character Dynamics:

I am going to focus only on the two main characters and Richard because well he is the main character for Titans and we can't ignore him here either.

Kotori - First of all, Kotori is such a unique name. I would love to know what it means or if it is a made-up name because it just has such a nice ring to it. I love her character so far because she is complex, deep, and still human. With the way the story started and Kotori was introduced as being one of the best people Batman has trained, I thought there was a huge chance of her character going into the Mary Sue ranges. But as I read further and saw her interact with the other characters as well as her surroundings, I could see that she was far from being a Mary Sue. She's perfect yes but she has her fair share of flaws that do not solely consist of childhood trauma or bad parents. Plus, I didn't even know Ghost Maker was a DC character but now that I've read about him through your story, I am intrigued to research more.

Jason - This is the first time for me to read a young Jason or pre-death Jason fic that was written by someone other than myself 😅. And god, he is so annoying but it's so true to his character that I can't help but feel sorry for the people who have to deal with him. Also, good job on capturing all his energy, his need to be seen and valued, as well as his annoyingly chatty traits that we don't get to see in post-death Jason fics. I found his character both endearing and irritating but that made him truly his own person so I would give you a thumbs up for capturing that aspect of his personality so well.

Dick - I had mixed feelings while reading about Dick. I have heard from people that Titans Richard Grayson is an asshole (excuse my language, I simply had to say it) but you showed me through your story why he comes off like that. One of the reasons I did not watch Titans for so long and still haven't was the entire characterization of Richard Grayson. But through reading your story, I am a bit motivated to watch the show and understand where the writers were going with his character. On your part, I can see that the reason he's such a jerk to Jason is the resentment at being replaced plus other issues that he needs to sort out with Bruce. You've written that into his character very well and while I understand his reasons for reacting that way, I certainly don't approve of his behavior. He's unlikable so far but it's understandable (idk if it makes sense). I am just so used to writing Richard as the perfect brother, the perfect son, and the perfect lover that I forget that he too can have issues. So thank you for writing him like that and making me realize that it's okay for his character to be portrayed in this light. For your story, it makes sense.