Well, often the more secondary animations you can squeeze in, the more alive it seems. And as for the outlines, I just thought she looked better without them, you can usually get away with outlines on smaller pieces like this if you're careful.
Oh, a couple crits for the larger version, her head is a bit small, and her arms are in a rather stiff position. Try putting your hands up like that and see if it feels natural, then go to a mirror and act as if you're holding a sword and a shield and draw that.