He Has A Point. A Good One.

Yknow this is one of my favorite parts from this story because yeah,

He has a point. A good one.

Is peace born from heavy restrictions and loss of free will even really peace? Or is it just keeping everyone in line and susceptible to control? We all know about Queen Elle and how she's a bit of a tyrant. Who benifits from this kind of thing most? Not the average person. If everyone in Miraland's free will was forcibly repressed like this, only those in control could really benifit from it. Lawmakers, leaders, royalty. Nidhogg was one of those people. But he saw the heavy restrictions everyone was under, and how that sort of thing could so easily be taken advantage of, I'm sure. How could he not?

For example, look at the Iron Rose. They steal designs, right? How do you have to solve issues in Miraland? Styling Battles. But the Iron Rose is full of elites, as we've been told many times before. The average person would never be able to win, thus creating a near flawless system where Elle is free to take whatever designs she pleases, only making herself stronger. This is tyranny at its finest. If you control the system, you win.

Now obviously Nidhogg's methods of fighting for freedom leave much to be desired. He's resorted to kidnapping, invasion, theft, and murder. None of which are okay, obviously. But bad practice doesn't make an idea any less valid. Every person deserves to be able to make their own choices, even if these choices do end in violence or bloodshed. Restricting free will is just immoral when you get down to it.

This interaction Post-Lunar is very important to the narrative's true identity coming to light. This story isn't about good vs. evil, peace vs. war, order vs. chaos; It isn't so black and white.

It's about Idealism vs. Realism.

Nikki is an idealist. Fully swept up in the idea that the pre-existing peace is wonderful and the best thing ever. After all, Nikki is from earth where bloodshed and violence are essentially a daily occurrence. Who wouldn't wish for a bloodless paradise? We do, however, get to see a little bit of her idealist nature breaking down in reflection in her dreamweaver, but that's a different story altogether. This is why her characterization can be seen as lackluster, there's much more focus on her idealistic nature and blind faith in the system than there is on any other character traits she may posess. It's important for her to be seen as a simple idealist.

Nidhogg, on the other hand, being born and raised in Miraland, is our realist. He's seen what the restrictions of the blood curse can do and be used for, and he's decided it's time to end it. We've seen it get used and abused to target and take advantage of people with weaker styling skills time and time again, but it's never really focused on at all, save for Lunar's encounter with Mela. The fact that Nidhogg allowed Nikki to try and style battle him as opposed to attacking was probably an example that the system was flawed and could easily be abused. After all, we all know how we had to lose to him 15 hecking times because of his cheat skill that nerfed our points. He was not only trying to win, but also trying to break down Nikki's idealistic veil. When he refuted Lunar's assertions about fate, he was essentially once more opposing the system. The system says you can't do this, so you can't. That's no way to live, for him. Nidhogg is fighting for a world where everyone is fully free to choose their own paths, even if those paths lead to violence or bloodshed. To him, oppression is worse than death.

Now, as to where Nikki's friends fit into this, that's a bit more complicated. Most of them seem to be leaning a bit more towards realism, yet they follow and support Nikki. This is a case of the "weak" flocking to and following the "strong." After all, not a single one of them has managed to beat Nikki in a styling contest. She's irrefutably the strongest in this case, and they know it, considering you can see them turn to Nikki immediately whenever there's an issue that needs to be solved via styling.

As well as that, she's also a figure of idealist hope. If Nikki can make it work in Miraland, surely everything is fine, right? The system is fine and there's no issues, right? Yeah. After all, look at Nikki! Winning for peace and morality! If peace and morality can prevail in this world, then everything's okay!

But everything's not okay.

Just because someone strong seems to be fighting for peace and morality doesn't make the world safe. We know this. Nor does it make the restriction of free will moral. The fact that Nikki exists in Miraland at all is essentially a fluke. Queen Narini brought her there to "help change the world's fate," the true meaning of which we've yet to see. Miraland's system thrives off of the peaceful veil and complacent attitudes that idealism creates. If Nikki had never come to Miraland, what would have happened? Chances are, most things would have gone nearly the same, just without Nikki's presence. Think about it, Nikki has never changed the outcome of any large issue. (In the story we have right now, I'm fully aware of what happened on 4 dreams, but that was different. Bobo is her friend, of course she would have power there.) She can't. She's sticking too hard to her idealistic nature, hoping and believing that everything will be alright. In essence, Nikki is passive in nature, while Nidhogg and his allies are active in nature. And activity will trump passiveness every time.

Nikki's existance is a blinder to those who follow her. Her idealistic outlook and slew of wins definitely make it seem like there could be a place for the existing system to stay in Miraland.

But there's really not. At least, not the way it is now.

It's too easily extorted. Want to win? Take people's designs and cloth. Now they're powerless to stop you. At least in a real fight a person could still resort to using their fists or their surroundings to fight back, or even certain strategies.

So now we come back around to Nidhogg. If there's one thing we can say about him, it's that he's strong-willed. Who else would willingly bear tons of pain just to fight for the freedom of those who'd sooner see him dead than accept his help? If he'd gone about it differently somehow, I'd be pretty comfortable saying he could have stayed a protagonist. But, the thing is, he didn't really have a choice.

Nidhogg's situation is very "damned if you do, damned if you don't." If he had stayed quiet and complacent in his role as Prime Minister, he would have to watch people get taken advantage of daily by the system, knowing that there's a better way, but not having the will to change it. Everyone would still love him, but I have a feeling he'd grow to hate himself and his inactivity.

But if he followed the path of freedom, people would need to die. People would need to get hurt. People would hate him for everything he did, no matter what he did. No matter his motives. No matter if there were other options or not.

Did he really have to kill Lunar? No, not really. But Lunar was ready to fight him. Even if he'd tried to settle things without bloodshed with her, she probably would have attacked him anyway. So in the end, he really didn't have a choice. He knew how it would seem. He's fine with being "the bad guy." Because the bad guy is the one opposing the system.

Nidhogg is a very morally grey person, and he knows it. He accepts it. But he also knows the flaws of the system he's fighting, and to him, those outweigh his own flaws and his own mistakes and immoral actions. He wouldn't be able to understand someone like Nikki, so complacent and idealistic under such a truly oppressing system.

In order to make ripples, someone has to throw the first stone. That's how it always is with change. Someone has to speak up first, and sometimes, those who need the change the most will hate them for it. Because they don't even realize that they need it in the first place. A society like Miraland's does a good job of creating an illusion of stability and peace, so much so that I'm sure most citizens don't even think twice about the fact that what they are allowed to do in order to solve problems is limited to one thing, else they'll experience horrible pain. It almost sounds dystopian when you think about it.

So basically Nidhogg has a really good point and I really hope the writers don't throw it away just to show that Nikki is moral and good and wonderful and all things can be solved peacefully!

Because sometimes they can't, whether we like it or not.

I know what Bobo said afterwards but honestly Nidhogg has a point and I am pretty sure he is implying something else we don’t know about yet. Such a cool and nice chapter, it’s just a shame that Ransa doesn’t have a talksprite.