Nimona

“It’s not about winning. It’s about proving a point. / As I said, Nimona, I go by the rules. Not their rules. Mine.”

Blackheart makes it clear that not only does he have a moral code, he goes directly against the Institution’s rules. This hints at his heroic nature while suggesting that the Institution may not be as morally good as it appears. Blackheart subverts fairy tale tropes in a way that lets him assume his role as the Institution’s enemy while reclaiming his free will and agency. Through Blackheart, Stevenson introduces the theme of Ambivalent Morality and Moral Dilemmas.

“This isn’t how things are supposed to go.”

Goldenloin’s statement emphasizes the characters’ meta-awareness of their fairy tale world. On the one hand, they are expected to go through the motions of typical fairy tale dynamics, i.e., the hero and villain are “supposed” to have a climactic sword fight. However, Goldenloin is confused when things take a different turn, and this marks the beginning of his questioning of the Institution’s artificial rules. Goldenloin’s existential crossroads develops the theme of Ambivalent Morality and Moral Dilemmas.

“Killing solves nothing, Nimona. It’s vulgar, it’s messy. If you’re going to kill someone, you’d better be sure. You’d better be prepared to accept responsibility. So I don’t kill people just because they’re in my way.”

Blackheart makes his disapproval of Nimona’s violent methods evident. This serves to characterize him as a so-called “villain” with a strong moral code and empathy, which hints at his true selfless and heroic nature and contrasts with the Institution’s practices as well. In addition to developing the theme of Ambivalent Morality and Moral Dilemmas, this excerpt characterizes Blackheart as Nimona’s mentor and father figure and subsequently establishes The Significance of Found Family.

“No one’s gonna take you seriously if you’re too afraid to kill anyone.”

This quote summarizes Nimona’s philosophy and shows her ambivalence as a character. In fact, her statement can be taken either as an immature, irresponsible claim, or as a deeper ideological belief and lack of empathy. This highlights her duality and contrasts with Blackheart’s clear moral stance, setting up her internal conflict when she later needs to decide whether to accept Blackheart’s help. Stevenson also thematically explores Ambivalent Morality and Moral Dilemmas through the character of Nimona.

“Well, I can’t turn into anything inanimate, for one. Unless I want to be inanimate, if you catch my drift. / Two, I can only turn into creatures that actually exist. / I can turn into any person, real or made-up, but that’s harder. / Three: I’m allergic to bananas. / [...] No matter what form I’m in! I don’t know what it is! I get really bad hives.”

This quote establishes the rules of Nimona’s shapeshifting abilities. The motif of shapeshifting develops the theme of Shifting Identity as Queer Symbolism. Stevenson also incorporates the fairy tale trope of the number three, in which characters are offered three wishes, three attempts or obstacles to overcome, three nights at a ball, etc. It also serves to clarify how virtually limitless Nimona’s power is, adding a humorous element to defuse the importance of Blackheart’s realization.

“‘[Your powers] are practically unlimited. Would you let me run some tests? If we could harness it—’ / [...] / ‘I’m nobody’s lab rat. Got it, buster?’ / [...] ‘Nimona? Are you okay? / I’m not going to run any tests. Did…did someone else…’”

Blackheart starts to get excited at the scientific opportunity to study Nimona’s powers, but she reacts by morphing her arm into a big, muscly, scaly version of it and grabbing Blackheart’s mechanical arm. Her violent reaction contrasts with her usual carefree demeanor and suggests that she is reacting out of defensiveness because she has been experimented on before. Visually, the panel that shows her grabbing Blackheart’s arm puts them at odds, locked in a semblance of an arm-wrestling match. Nimona is effortlessly winning, hinting at her extraordinary power. Through Nimona’s trauma response, Stevenson explores the theme of Shifting Identity as Queer Symbolism.

“‘You can take on a whole squadron of guards by yourself, and this [zombie movie] is what scares you?’ / ‘Well maybe if they’d been undead guards, it would have been a different story.’”

This quote thematically develops The Significance of Found Family and highlights Nimon’s humanity. The depiction shows Nimona enjoying a regular zombie movie in a bonding moment with Blackheart. When she later falls asleep, he even lays a blanket on her, allowing their found family dynamic to show a more vulnerable side of Nimona. The fact that she seems genuinely afraid of the undead zombies hints at her only true fear as an immortal, i.e., other unkillable creatures.

“I’m not going to kill a little girl!”

This quote thematically underscores Ambivalent Morality and Moral Dilemmas. This is the first instance of Goldenloin explicitly refusing one of the Director’s orders. Whereas he did protest or express his disapproval earlier in the story, he never outright disobeyed. Now understanding the length to which the Director is willing to go to foil Blackheart’s plans, Goldenloin shows that he has a similar moral code to Blackheart’s, which draws a parallel between their heroic, rather than villainous, natures.

“You know how powerful the Institution is. Just send [Nimona] away, Ballister. She’ll be safe, and things can go back to normal.”

Although he has realized how dangerous and corrupted the Institution really is, Goldenloin is still holding on to the hope that things can remain “normal,” should every party assume their expected roles again. At this point in the story, he is still naive and fails to understand that the Institution’s oppressive rule needs to be dismantled altogether. Goldenloin’s attempt to cling to prescribed “normalcy” and roles underscores the theme of Shifting Identity as Queer Symbolism.

“‘[The joust incident] was an accident.’ / ‘I bet you’ve said that so many times you’ve started to actually believe it.’ / ‘It was!’ / ‘It’s just the two of us here, Ambrosius. You don’t have to lie.’ / ‘Wh—I’m not—everyone knows what happened that day! You’re the only one who can’t accept it!’”

Following the previous quote, Goldenloin grows defensive when Blackheart confronts him about the joust incident. As this is the first time that the incident is referred to outside of Blackheart’s perspective, Goldenloin’s stuttering claims and his placing the blame on Blackheart suggest that he may indeed be lying. Blackheart suggests that Goldenloin has convinced himself of an alternative truth, which highlights the theme of Shifting Identity as Queer Symbolism.

“I never had a choice! The Institution needed a villain. That lot fell to me. I never chose it.”

Stevenson underscores prescribed roles to thematically develop Shifting Identity as Queer Symbolism. Blackheart recognizes the archetypal role the Institution has assigned him to fit the traditional fairy tale narrative. However, the Institution has manipulated narrative expectations into artificial dynamics meant to preserve appearances and go against some characters’ true nature. An example is the character of Blackheart. This meta-awareness of the genre also enables the story to challenge the reader’s expectations and raise complex questions about morality.

“‘What if I cut out your arm right now? / Then you’d see how fast the Institution would cast you aside. Just like they did me.’ / ‘You wouldn’t.’ / ‘No, I wouldn’t. / And I’m the villain. / What do you suppose that says about you?’”

This passage puts Blackheart and Goldenloin’s moral stances in stark contrast, supporting the theme of Ambivalent Morality and Moral Dilemmas. While the supposed hero (Goldenloin) injured his friend, leading the latter to be cast out as a villain, the supposed villain (Blackheart) refuses to intentionally hurt his enemy even in the name of justice. Through this confrontation, both characters are shown to be aware of this role reversal, which leads to Goldenloin revising his stance with the Institution and joining Blackheart’s side.

“This green glow does not come from electricity, nor flame, nor bioluminescence, nor any energy source hitherto known to man! It needs no fuel, and its light will persist indefinitely! / [...] / I theorized that there must be a vast field of energy that surrounds us all, but it is only made detectable under very specific circumstances. / This humble device, good sir, is the first step to reconciling science and magic.”

Dr. Blitzmeyer, although a secondary character, provides a significant development in the story by introducing a half-scientific, half-magical theory to explain Nimona’s mysterious nature. Additionally, her device will later become crucial in controlling Nimona’s dark dragon form. Symbolically, Dr. Blitzmeyer also heralds a healthier balance between science and magic (as opposed to the Institution’s divisive and oppressive rule), which Blackheart will help develop after the Institution is destroyed. Dr. Blitzmeyer’s acceptance of Nimona and her willingness to help positions her as a foil to the Director.

“People of the kingdom. / My name is Ballister Blackheart, but I’m sure you know that already. You may think of me as your enemy, but I have only ever fought against the Institution, not against you. / Your true enemies are the ones who have beaten you down and kept you in compliance through fear. They took your children and raised them as soldiers. They mongered war at the expense of their people. / They’ve locked us into a system where they hold all the power. In return, they promised you safety, but they’ve broken that promise. / In their quest for war, they’ve endangered the very people they swore to protect. / They took away your power. It’s time to take it back.”

Narratively, this quote is a climactic moment with regard to the characters’ assigned roles. Blackheart’s speech exposes the Institution’s corruption and leads to a shift in public opinion. He is now considered the people’s champion, while the Institution becomes the people’s true villain. This passage can also be read as a more general critique of authoritarian regimes and oppressive sociocultural systems.

“We assumed that she was a girl disguised as a monster, but she’s not. She’s a monster disguised as a girl.”

Goldenloin’s description of Nimona parallels her narrative characterization. The story first introduces Nimona with a humorous, light-hearted tone. When Nimona becomes more violent, the mood darkens. This statement inverts Nimona’s nature and introduces a new perspective for the other characters as well as for the reader.

“I’m no more fit to rule than the Institution is. I’m a liar and a murderer, and I’m done with this.”

Blackheart further confirms that he is not the villain he has been cast to be. Not only does he regret breaking his moral code, but he also shows that he is not motivated by a desire for power but for justice and fairness. The character of Blackheart develops the theme of Ambivalent Morality and Moral Dilemmas.

“‘I’m sorry, Ballister. I’m so sorry.’ / ‘You’ve never said it before.’ / ‘What?’ / ‘You never said you were sorry.’ / ‘I—I didn’t? / Oh God.’”

This passage marks a turning point in Blackheart and Goldenloin’s relationship and is the first step toward their reconciliation. Goldenloin has just admitted to Blackheart that although he did not injure Blackheart on purpose, the joust incident was not entirely an accident. When Goldenloin expresses his genuine regret, Blackheart accepts his apology and notes that “it’s a relief” (184) for him to hear it. Goldenloin’s strives to right his moral compass thematically highlights Ambivalent Morality and Moral Dilemmas.

“We’ve built up quite a collection over the years. We’re on the cutting edge of weapons development. / [...] Surely a tactical mind such as yours can appreciate the value of a deterrent. / A dangerous nation is a powerful nation.”

The Director makes her ideological stance evident. The purpose of the Institution is to deter attacks through violence and fear, not to defend the kingdom’s people. Rather than freedom, this belief system only generates oppression and enforces meaningless archetypal roles under moral appearances. The Director’s ideologies support the theme of Shifting Identity as Queer Symbolism.

“This is what you wanted, isn’t it? You went looking for a monster. Well, here I am.”

As she often does when she feels threatened, Nimona goes on the offensive. Because she is afraid of rejection, she chooses to become the monster that the Director was afraid to find. In short, she asks a rhetorical question, using confirmation bias to avoid showing herself as vulnerable (as Blackheart knows her). Nimona’s negative self-labeling supports the theme of Shifting Identity as Queer Symbolism.

“She’s not herself. The dragon—it grew from a few cells. It’s a mindless beast born of pure rage. But the rest of her is still there. I saw her. That’s the part I can talk to.”

Blackheart understands the duality of Nimona and her deeper motivations, proving himself as the friend he really is. He is the only character who can tell the difference between Nimona’s rageful, scared form and her human, vulnerable self. Blackheart’s compassion for Nimona thematically develops The Significance of Found Family.

“Do not confront [Nimona]. She will kill you. / You want to be a hero, concentrate on getting the people in the city to safety.”

Blackheart responds to Goldenloin’s earlier desire to confront Nimona’s dragon form: “I never did anything good my whole life. Maybe I can’t defeat her but I have to try” (208). This declaration marks a moral turning point for Goldenloin, who is willing to take selfless action and sacrifice himself. This quote shows that Blackheart understands Goldenloin’s motivations and exemplifies the theme of Ambivalent Morality and Moral Dilemmas. Blackheart proves his own heroic nature when he suggests Goldenloin protect the people rather than attempt to win glory by slaying a dragon.

“She’s not just a creature. She’s my friend. / Someone I love is going to try and kill her. And she’s going to kill him. And—and I’m the only one who might be able to stop them from killing each other.”

This is the first instance of Blackheart explicitly stating the significance of his relationships with Nimona and Goldenloin—i.e., “my friend” and “someone I love,” respectively). Significantly, when Blackheart and Goldenloin are about to confront Nimona’s dragon form, Goldenloin tries to tell Blackheart something, but the latter interrupts him: “‘Ballister, wait—if I don’t make it out, I need to tell you—’ / ‘We can’t do this now. Just… just promise me you won’t get yourself killed.’” (220) Although their relationship is mostly depicted as friends-turned-nemeses before they reconcile, it is also queer-coded as a possible romantic relationship, as the Epilogue suggests. Blackheart’s relationships with both Nimona and Goldenloin thematically develop The Significance of Found Family.

“‘Nimona, stop! I can help you!’ / ‘You’re not the first one who thought you could help me… or fix me… or save me… / You’re not the first one who thought you could care about me until you found out how bad it really was. / They called you a monster too. But in the end you still took their side.’ / [...] ‘There’s no one left who can hurt you!’ / ‘No. There’s one left.’”

Although Nimona’s dark dragon form is apparently all-powerful, she reveals her true vulnerability. She mentions how other people have attempted to help her, which can be read either as an outright refusal to be “saved” or as her disbelief that she can be helped. She implies that Blackheart is the only person able to hurt her—not physically, but rather emotionally, and this confirms how attached to him she has become. Nimona’s acknowledgment of Blackheart’s impact on her life thematically underscores The Significance of Found Family.