#it's a brief mention but sorrrrrryyyyy

[tirkdi]

Would you want to change anything about Alina's arc or ending?

Other than getting rid of Mal? :p (And since I feel like I always have to note it – I'm discussing book!Alina here)

One of the things I thought was really interesting in canon was Alina's power-hungriness – it's a bit of an atypical storyline for that type of character in that genre, and I really liked it. What I didn't like about it was that it was pretty clear to me that it was the amplifier driving her hunger for power – we see it only once she has the first amplifier, and there's a whole 'I need to complete the set' feeling that does seem to be unrelated to who she as a person is ... except that the narrative punishes her for it anyway. I would have loved to see more of a genuine struggle with herself around her heretofore unrealized desire for power and what she was willing to sacrifice to get it, vs it being this external thing that was forced upon her. I went on a rant a bit ago about how there was a big missed opportunity for this with the stag, given the whole 'mercy' setup, and yeah. While I love her internal conflict, I wanted it to be around things that were more inherent to her, or things I cared more about (I did not care about Mal). More agency, and more consequences for the things she does. That's what I want for my girl!!

For the ending ... I mean. The ending felt to me like everything came out of nowhere. If there had been more about Alina not actually wanting power (the power she was punished for!!) and just wanting a quiet life, or if there had been some reasonable way that a heartrender could have brought Mal back to life, or even a way that she could have gotten Mal's power without his bones welded around her body, I would feel differently about it. These are common complaints though, so I don't want to belabor it. I think a tragedy would have been a fine ending – Mal dead, Aleks dead, Alina's powers gone – with a hint of starting to rebuild.

#i reread this and realized probably none of this is a surprise to anyone who had read either of my long fics #but here it is again! #alina starkov #anti mal #it's a brief mention but sorrrrrryyyyy #grishaverse #the grisha trilogy #an ask #anonymous