d_s_t_e's Wattpad Reviews

Chelsea Grins by Miss_Derps_A_Lot [Unavailable]

Chelsea Grins is a Batman fanfiction that centers around a nurse named Elise Aylesworth. A kind, caring, and religious woman, Elise's life appears to be unremarkable until the Joker is rushed into Gotham General Hospital. No one wants to go anywhere near the madman, even to treat him... except for Elise. But as she sets out to provide the madman care out of the goodness of her heart, she is risking far more than she realizes.

What I liked the most about this book was the basic concept presented from the beginning. We have the Joker, perhaps the most well-known and infamous villain in the Batman universe, in a setting not usually seen. Instead of wreaking havoc and battling against Batman, he's a hospital patient suffering from the inevitable results of one of those battles. In an additional twist, our hero, instead of being a costumed fighter, is a normal woman trying to do what she believes is right in the only way she can.

I found that to be refreshing and potentially inspiring. Not everyone can be physically strong or unstoppable in a fight, and no one can possibly be a real-life Batman, but we can all work for good and stand up for what is right. I also personally think that this way of facing problems is actually better than punching people until they stop moving. Beating someone up does nothing to solve the actual problem; it only temporarily sets them back (especially in a city where breaking out of the asylum seems to be a piece of cake). I liked that this was actually illustrated very well in the setup of the book -- having been "defeated" by Batman, the Joker goes to the hospital where he proceeds to terrorize and/or maim every person who goes near him. The work Elise attempts to do as a psychiatrist could possibly affect much more useful and lasting change, even though it's far less splashy and impressive. I liked the idea of a quiet, unsung hero taking on enormous odds.

The unfortunate thing for me personally is that the story did not go in the direction I had been hoping. It also ended up being much more grotesque and violent than I had been counting on. **Cough, cough** You should mark your story Mature. **Cough, cough** But it did have the interesting effect of making me incredibly grateful to be living my real life in the real world instead of in fictional Gotham. But that's more than enough said about my personal experience. I always strive to be objective and professional in my reviews, so that is the angle I will take from this point forward.

I will say that I'm sure many people enjoy reading darker books with villains who are truly awful and who pull no punches. I also understand that there's a certain fascination around a character like the Joker. I think many people would enjoy the book for these reasons.

I did find myself, wondering, though, towards the end of what is currently published (31 chapters), whether the book was aiming to be anything more than a slowly unraveling train wreck. Some people may find that they can't stop watching (or in this case reading) as the situation grows worse and worse and worse, but, based on what I've been taught about setting up a good plot, I have to believe that it is good to have a healthy degree of back and forth. By that, I mean that the hero should have at least small or temporary victories enough to provide a glimpse of hope. I can understand if a story reaches a point of apparent hopelessness at the climax, but I began to feel that hopelessness for many chapters before I reached the final chapter (which didn't seem to be near any kind of turning point).

I'm not saying these glimpses of hope have to be anything earth-shattering. In fact, I was hoping for something as small as Elise taking solace in her prayers, finding comfort and the strength to carry on in spite of everything.

This actually ties into another point that was on my mind from the very beginning of the story, which is that Elise doesn't seem to have a particularly rich inner life. Certainly there are many events in which she is involved externally -- the situation with the Joker, interpersonal conflicts, physical struggles, etc. -- but I was craving more on an emotional level. In particular, I was craving a strong motivating force. I was asking that all-important question for a main character: what does Elise want? (See my chapter on character motivation in Writing Tips and Tricks) It took until Chapter 6 for a satisfying explanation of why Elise wanted to treat the Joker when the conflict had been occurring since Chapter 2.