Nightfall descriptions #3
Let’s look closer at Nightfall’s story and her behavior through quotes. (Her Ring of Heroes episode dungeon gave me a lot to work on and clarified a few things.)
⭐ “Will you ever let up with your endless chirping?”
Auditory sensitivity, note that Storm’s voice is brash and her tone is loud in gameplay.
⭐ “Well, you’re half right.” She grabs Stormblade’s feather.
Disregard for belongings and personal space, perhaps this is specific towards Stormblade. (This also counts as intimidation which is very suspicious so I’m going to add this *in canon).
⭐ “You’re still trying to brightside me?”
Bad experience with endless positivism, lowering your expectations to not be disappointed(?).
Takes failure hard- even in front of people she doesn’t want to show vulnerability to.
⭐ “I don’t need your pity.”
‘Pull yourself by the bootstraps’ mentality, OR, 'this is a bigger problem than my individual success'. Could also be her brushing off compassion from Spitfire’s side. (He said “I’m sorry that happened to you Nightfall, it must’ve been hard dealing with that”)
⭐ “My pride is not the pressing matter.”
“I merely entertained you with my tale to have time to piece the parts together.”
“If I had looked gloomy that noisy lark would’ve incessantly asked questions.”
Doesn’t like to talk about how she feels, protects herself by stalling for time.
⭐ “You dare compare me to these sorry creatures? Think what you want, but you will regret the day you did.”
'I’m going to prove you wrong’ & offended about her dark powers being seen as evil.
One of the things Nightfall has no problem facing is her dark powers. She is proud of her power, she has fun when she’s using them, and adopts a more active, verbal attitude, even saying a cheery “woohoo!”. I do not think her dark powers are a source of anxiety, but of confidence and even relief. Perhaps this is why she was down when she lost to the leviathan, thinking her powers should’ve been enough. She may be powerful, but still is one tiny dreadwalker, yet thought she should do (and suffer through) everything on her own.
⭐ "I'll help us all get back home."
Apart from calling the Academy her home, she distances herself from her Homeland, calling it "this town" and "Fogshadow Tower" (by its name) while Stormblade guesses she'd feel like it's her home. I have a feeling she's the only one standing between Fogshadow and the sea monsters, yet there's no feeling of community or belonging coming from her. "The citizens", "The people" not "My people". Perhaps part of what weighs on her and affects her mood so badly is that disconnection, or what's causing that disconnection.
To sum it up her mindset was, “I’ve always done this alone and I will keep doing it alone. I can help others but I don’t need other’s help.”
(Scroll to the bottom of the previous description so you know what I mean).
Note about her ‘pessimism’:
Someone who doesn’t care wouldn’t apologize, which Nightfall does, more often than not. Nightfall’s anger or negativity isn’t void of guilt or self-awareness. What I see is her personal problems leaking out to her relationships.
Mental health issues (such as depression and PTSD) shouldn’t be ignored, stereotyped then left unresolved. But... Nightfall’s RoH episode tried leaving a hopeful ending for her & the team. It was still a bit rocky in terms of stereotyping, but more nuanced than in the comics.