User blog comment:Metool Bard/Fanfiction: I Not Stupid/@comment-4618045-20180416165813

When people say that Leni is a great character, they’ll usually say that it’s because of her kindness or character design or they’ll even say that the “dumb”ness is funny and that nothing should change about it. But in my estimation, those evaluations often assume that Leni herself has nothing to say for herself on this manner. People will acknowledge the line from 4x but not always go beyond it.

Your story does that in a way I think the show could pull off in an episode format. While I think there are other ways of having Leni feel embarrassed rather than bring in some random characters, I think the overall effect is achieved. One thing I particularly notice is at the beginning when Leni is calling herself dumb even when stating her own actions and without direct reprimand. If she’s already feeling this in her own head, then it’s certainly worse when some vicious characters (however random they seem to me) exacerbate it.

Another topic I think comes to mind in regards to Leni is how her “dumb”ness affects her overall character. A question worth pondering is what it means to truly be nice? Sure Leni is kind to others, she cares about them, hugs them, verbally supports them. But how far can that get you alone? Does being nice also require being able to actually help those you care about? And what if you can’t put that plan into action or in effect leave your loved ones only with words? I think Leni’s desperate search for getting smarter is in part a reflection on that. Would Leni only seek to get smarter to avoid retribution from those girls (however mean it was) or has she truly convinced herself that intelligence equals usefulness (and thus, “niceness”)? I have the feeling this was on your mind as you were writing. Indeed, the takeaway is that there’s nothing wrong with improving yourself and recognizing your flaws so long as you have a general acceptance of your strengths. But I have the feeling Leni’s Journey is gonna be long and difficult (a reality you described in the story itself). Leni knows her intentions are right and now she wants to use those intentions to really help out people, to act to help and actually deliver those rewards to the people she cares about.

Overall, this is a nice story. You bring up an important topic all while keeping to the show’s structure and limits. And I think this is my new favorite story written by you.