#josu

No Place Like Home

Liliana’s home, in the Caligo Forest of Urborg, was a tremendously boring place for her. In her youth, she entertained herself by pretending to entertain others. A temptress. Little joys for little people. But it’s been over two hundred years since she’s been home and she’s all grown up now. Is her family’s estate still there? Is her family still in power? Questions questions.

It’s been so long at this point since we’ve seen Dominaria, we haven’t the slightest clue as to the answer to these questions. What we do know...is that Josu’s still around.

Families Ties

Josu, Liliana’s brother, was turned into a monster- unwittingly- by her sister. He became a deathless creature of rage and pain. It’s been over two-hundred years of this terrible existence. I can only imagine he’s slightly angry about the whole thing. I don’t think it’s going to be a heartfelt family reunion.

(Art by Izzy) (Liliana’s Origin: The Fourth Pact)

You can bet that when next we see Liliana on Dominaria, we’re going to be seeing Josu again. You don’t just create such a vital plot point within drawing upon it later. What’s he like, he’s he doing, has he regained his mind? My guess is that Josu has, for the most part, restored his mind and has, probably, ripped through the Vess family line. 

But I’m not here to talk about him. I’m here to talk about her.

I believe that Liliana is going to find her brother and the totality of her betrayal will crash upon her. On Amonkhet, we saw Liliana finally comprehend that she’s betrayed everyone she’s ever had a relationship with. When once again she is reunited with her brother, I believe her guilt will finally overwhelm her. She has no friends. No lovers. No family. And she has no one to blame but herself.

This is what I think will finally be the tipping point for her.

The Gatewatch is the closest she’s had to family since she ignited. At last she found people who want to spend time with her and enjoyed it. It’s going to roll over her when she finds herself alone on Dominaria with nothing left.

Clarity

 Let me be clear when I say that Liliana is not a good person. She’s manipulative and cruel. She doesn’t know how to appreciate what she has. But as terrible as she is, I don’t believe she’s irredeemable. Some of you may argue that she has done too much to be forgiven. I can see your argument. But I don’t believe that it’s too late for her. Maybe too late for you, but not for her. After all she’s done and all she’s seen, she’s ready for a change of heart. Even if only she managed to forgive herself, that’s all I’d ask for. I love my Lili. As terrible as she is, she’s a very well developed character. She doesn’t need your forgiveness or for you to like her. All she needs is to forgive herself. And if the Gatewatch accept her, it’ll be all the merrier. But if they reject her, I think she would be okay with it. She’d accept her reward. 

Redemption

People have talked about a betrayal arc as inevitable. I feel like most people will see the events of Amonkhet as close to that betrayal arc as we’ll get. If my guess is right, by the time Liliana forgives herself, she'll have the chance to beg forgiveness from the Gatewatch. When she joined, she arrived amidst an army of zombies and swooped in to save them. I suspect we’ll see something similar happen this time too.

(Liliana, the Last Hope: Eldritch Moon) (Art by Anna Steinbauer)

Even when Liliana goes through this soul searching, I’m not expecting her to be humble after all this. Liliana’s still going to proud as always. But what I expect is that she’ll learn to appreciate what she has for what they are. To everyone else, I suspect they’ll hardly see much external change. But internally, her thought process is going to be a wholly different realm. I expect more sudden acts of kindness... or at least casual polite disinterest. 

Had Chandra invited her to go see a movie Lili didn’t feel like watching, Lili would have normally turned it down because it simply wouldn’t convenience her. But this new Liliana I’m expecting to be more willing to do spurious acts like that- for the simple fact that she knows Chandra would appreciate it.

See, people tend to have a problem seeing how Black characters can be kind or friendly. But consider that Black is self centered. But that doesn’t mean heartless. If I were a Black character, it would bring me pleasure to buy my little brother a present so that I can see his smile. It makes me happy to make my loved ones happy. That’s still perfectly within Black’s philosophy. 

The More Things Change, The More Things Stay The Same

Liliana will still be a necromancer. She’ll still be the cool and distant seductress as usual. None of that will change. She’s still going to act like she’s not impressed with you. She’ll still act like she’s too cool for expressing emotion. She’ll still have the compulsion to look fabulous all the time. We won’t lose any of that wonderful stuff we- or at least I- love about her. What will change is the occasional act of random kindness. The occasional snide comment will be withheld. We might even see her go out and go grocery shopping for once. She’ll bring home a present for Nissa sometimes when Lili goes out shopping for herself. 

Most of what will change are her motivations and her thoughts and her occasional act or phrase. 

It may not seem like much to you, or at all even. But for her it will be a big change. She’s think before she speaks or acts. She’ll act when she doesn’t have to. She might even occasionally compliment someone. 

Conclusion

I do believe that Liliana deserves a chance at redemption. Maybe not forgiveness. She’s done a lot of bad in a long lifetime. But that’s not the point. This is a story about her progression, about her growth. I believe that Dominaria will be her chance to finally change.