The fact that we need to do so much headcannoning to make it work is my main issue. That and how incongruent the story and word building get with new chapters and tidbits.
Okay too be fair... I feel like my points kinda still stand even if you remove the headcannoning (you can even evaporate point 5 hehe). But fair's I get that plus I was kinda goin crazy.
It's an issue when her time in the stomach is supposed to make her contemplate her situation, especially when she can rest and go at her own pace, she would be more assertive if anything, not become softer (cause that's her baseline).
Mmn I get what you mean cuz a character arc of "nice person -> nicer person" would just be odd, but I feel like her baseline has been more of a "Nice but too depressed and overworked to even BE a person -> Not stressed nice person". It took a minute to even teach her to chill out, its been both a character arc and character restablishment, like cleaning off rust and now letting Lienna just be her. Seeing how Lienna acts towards Lily (and the plant monster tbh) is a culmination of this.
(plus... I feel like u'd get softer by default if u were vacationing on Amon's dragon resort🤭)
Also even if Lienna has no reason to personally fear Lily, she should still be concerned that she led a unit that wiped the floor with the best of the Ardian Knights (barring Lienna herself of course). Depending on how much details Lienna knows about the attack, I would expect even her to be a bit miffed at the fact that she beheaded a friend and comrade of hers, among other soldiers who answer to her and civilians.
Yeah I was gonna add this as a point but already felt like I was writing abit much but, Just purely the fact that Lienna hasn't seen it and Is possibly+constantly miles away from the conflict will just delute any resentment she could feel for Lily. Like, seeing vs hearing a crime, to a seeing till believing kind of simple girl that IS Lienna just isnt gonna hit that hard. Also the fact that she didnt see claire get hurt either, nor seen the Elite Ardian guys beheaded head (who she probably knew of). It's the regular ol "dramatic irony" literary device at play, nothin too cray cray. (if the author doesnt do anything with this... then GG's)
ALSO!!! I feel like Lienna critism may be a bit premature, like whose to say Lienna isnt just keeping on a bright face and isnt totes worried about outside right now, this could be shown in the next chapter even. We haven't heard her inner monologue in a minute and the fact that the outside storyline is even happening to begin with is just a set up for when they converge and stuff. Probably gonna drive the dragon like Ratatouille.
Lily's case is strange because I feel with her that we are trying to have our cake and eat it too. She is introduced as particularly bloodthirsty and brutal, totally devoted to the mission until she gets "betrayed" (again, she was overzealous. If she had listened to Evil Amon and retreated when she was told to, none of this would have happened and she would still be a high ranking soldier of the Duchy, conducting missions within Ardia to strike while they know that Commander Lienna is missing) then we get a whole lot of flashbacks that, in my opinion, only serve as retcon basis to shift her evil onto Evil Amon and her home nation.
Honestly, yeah. IF Lienna was there instead of Rain, Lienna probably wouldve kicked Lily into the ground within seconds and resented her. (assuming Lienna doesnt just kill her, We kinda dont see how she treats human Opponents to begin with).
Now for the evilness aspect, from the start Lily was very time oriented, and by the book. Worried about what higherups think and their consequences when stepping out of line/not following orders. Then we're shown how she hated that aspect of her life and wishes to live more slowly. This happens within like, 3 chapters back to back, 4th chapter right after showing her being lowkey nice in a flasback. Think this is less of retconning and just her story honestly.
Also I think her overzealous-ness was less in legience with the Duchy and more with the system? Getting results, settings records, and being at the top of her class was basically her doctrine during her childhood. Notice how her flashback when she was being nice, she knew her top placement wouldnt change and no superiors were near her. But also... she did make some crazy faces when fighting Rain and uh... ay what can I say, your gonna be a little sadistic when groomed sadistically 😭 .
Plus!... Evil Amon and Evil nation are pretty damn evil... thus nuturing more evil.
It's the same with shifting all the ills of the Ardian Knight Order onto that one guy, the early chapters clearly show that it's a problem throughout the whole of the institution.
To be fair they did kind of address this with Miguel(rookiekid) feeling guilty early on and how he was critizied/Pitied Lienna while doing nothing but standing by. If this was the guy you were talking about and not the moustachio'd dood then yea fairs. But I think we'll see a big "were sorrryy" whenever Lienna comes back to land.
The way it's going, I would expect the most condemnation Lily would get if/when they leave the stomach is Claire bonking her on the head for breaking her arm but then going along with her since "if Lienna says you're cool, then we are cool" would be her stance. The most I would expect is some dirty looks from soldiers who survived the attack and maybe someone saying something about her beheading Scarface(forgot his name) but with Lienna vouching for her it will smooth down after that.
Yeah same pretty much.
I enjoy the story still but I feel like the more I remember about how it started, the less I can just enjoy what is happening, because it's contradictory.
Fairs, to eaches own opinions. I wouldnt have mind if the series kept the earlier tone but I like these characters plus its keewl.
