"They have Angel now." -Nudge, The Angel Experiment
| Nudge (N88034gnh) | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
| Title | ||
| The Nudge Channel: All Nudge, All The Time | ||
| Monique | ||
| The Vortex of Friendly, Chattery, Bambi-Eyed Doom | ||
| Vital Statistics | ||
| Gender | Female | |
| Family | The Flock, Nudge II (clone), unnamed parents | |
| Status | Alive | |
| Eye Color | ||
| Hair Color | ||
| Height | Unknown | |
| Other | ||
| Affiliation | The Flock | |
| Weapons | ||
| Species | Avian-human hybrid | |
| Home | ||
| Appearances | The Angel Experiment,
School's Out - Forever, Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports, The Final Warning, MAX, FANG, ANGEL, Nevermore, Maximum Ride Forever HAWK (book) |
|
Nudge is the third youngest member of the member of the Flock. She is 11 years old (eventually 12 in later books) and and of African-American descent.
History
Before The Angel Experiment
Nudge's place of birth is unknown, but she may have been kidnapped from her family and files forged to give the School permission to experiment on her. She lived at the School until she was 6 or 7, when Jeb Batchelder took her away with the rest of the Flock. She lived with the Flock in their first house, where she shared a small bedroom with Angel until she was 11.
The Angel Experiment
At the beginning of the series, Nudge is is an average preteen girl. She shares a bedroom with Angel in the E-shaped house. Although most of the Flock believe that they were created in test tubes, Nudge has learned from Jeb's old files that her real name is Monique and that her family may live in Tipisco, Arizona.
She accompanies Max and Fang to search for Angel. After Max goes down to help Ella, she and Fang make camp at Lake Mead. She confesses about being jealous of the hawks and that though she's grateful for Max acting as her mom, she still wants to be able to meet her biological mother. During their trip, Nudge visits Tipisco in hopes of finding her biological mother, but is attacked by Ari and a group of Erasers. Nudge is eventually briefly recaptured by the School. Upon escaping, Angel reveals details she has learned there; Nudge's parents were told that she had died. Nudge is shocked.
In New York, Nudge enjoys sightseeing. While hiding in Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Nudge prays about finding her parents and hopes that they will want and love her.
Nudge's makeover
After a brush with Erasers at the beach, Nudge is present when Max kisses Fang.
Nudge admits that she wants to know more about her mom, even if her mom doesn't want her anymore.
Soon after they infiltrate the Institute, Nudge gains the power to hack any computer and temporarily gains the ability to see a person's emotions and become "one with the person."
After freeing the crated mutants, they make camp in a part of New York called Staten Island and read the papers they printed out from the Institute. Nudge finds out that her name really is Monique and that everyone's address is near one another (Virginia, Maryland, and Washington D.C.).
School's Out - Forever
Nudge is not seriously hurt during the Flock’s next battle with Erasers, but seems to go into shock when she sees Fang's injuries. At the hospital, Nudge claims that Fang is “all of our brother's,” prompting Max to claim that they're all adopted siblings. Like the other kids, when questioned by the FBI, Nudge gives a false name (Krystal) and pretends not to know anything about the School. They spend the night in Fang's hospital room; Gazzy offers to let the girls sleep on the bed, but like Max, Nudge is insulted by the idea that she's "too much of a cream puff to sleep on the floor."
Nudge in the Marvel series
When they go to Anne Walker's house, Nudge is the most excited and admiring. When the files they took from the School turn out to be dead ends, Nudge remains optimistic and takes disappointment well, even when Max decides to stop searching.
When they are sent to school, Nudge complains that her uniform makes her look like "prep school Barbie." However, she makes new friends, is invited to a birthday party, and likes her teacher; like the other young kids, she wishes to stay with Anne.
Nudge gets through their next fight with Erasers unharmed, although she complains that one tore her sweater. She is one of the most emotional when Iggy finds his parents, and is shocked when he’s unsure about staying with them.
While camping in the swamp, Nudge is disgusted when Fang suggests that her food is raccoon or possum. She uses Bambi eyes to convince Max to take them to Disney World and cries when they have to leave early. Shortly afterwards, she displays her knowledge of cars to repair a vehicle for the Flock. When they break into the Itex location in Florida, she accesses the computer and finds more information on her birth parents. The files suggest that one or both of her parents is dead, possibly killed by someone associated with Itexicon or the School.
Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports
Nudge, Iggy and Gazzy are captured by the School and shocked by Angel's apparent betrayal. Like the others, Nudge is defiant towards their captors and teases Roland ter Borcht, saying that one of her special skills is the ability to eat nine Snickers bars in one sitting without barfing.
After the Flock escaped, Nudge goes with Max's mini-flock to Europe. While at Itexicon's main headquarters, she is startled to see her clone.
The Final Warning
Nudge is crying too hard at Ari's funeral to say much.
While on the plane, Nudge manifests the ability to attract metal. She later uses this power to unlock a door. She gives Total advice on romancing Akila, telling him to act strong and silent. At one point she says that she feels more like a kid than a bird, and that she enjoys normal things like movies, music, and books.
MAX
Nudge is interested in the idea of acting or modeling, and disappointed when Max shoots the idea down. Although normally sweet and easygoing, she complains to Max after their meeting with the agents was over.
Although she used to enjoy not going to school, Nudge now wants to learn at a normal school in a safe environment and expresses for the first time a desire to fit in with normal kids. She mentions cutting her wings off.
She stays behind at the Day and Night School after the rest of the Flock leaves. As they travel and go through military training, the Flock members remark on how much they missed her. Meanwhile, Nudge loves attending school and learns more than she had "from weeks of watching TV." However, she soon realizes how much she misses the Flock and worries about Dr. Martinez, so she follows them, meeting up with them about the same time that Gazzy was stung by jellyfish. When talking to Max in the hospital, she seems embarrassed by the idea that she'd suggested cutting off her wings.
While on the sub, Nudge resews her khaki uniform's neckline and moves the buttons to look more stylish.
FANG
Upon their return from Chad, Max declares that the Flock would now be homeschooled. The kids, even Nudge - who loves learning - quickly tire of this program. Although Max knows Nudge as the peacemaker and her strongest supporter, even Nudge protests that going to school would be a better way to learn.
They then celebrate their birthdays, with Nudge turning twelve. She has been hiding souvenirs from Europe and New York, and now uses them as birthday presents. She gives Max a picture frame covered in shells and beads. Nudge receives a necklace made by Angel, fudge from Iggy, and a tattoo certificate from Max. She can't decide on what to get, considering a unicorn, heart, or rainbow.
When the Flock votes Max out, Nudge votes against Max, although she seems torn over it. As leader, Angel has the Flock go public and talk to reporters. Nudge seems to enjoy the attention, but after she and the others succumb to poisoning, Max and Fang return to the Flock.
ANGEL
After Fang leaves, Nudge is the one who calls Dr. Martinez for help with breaking Max out of her depression. Nudge later travels with the others to check on a lead. In a plane crash, Nudge is thrown loose and falls, later needing eighty-seven stitches and being covered in bandages. She and most of the others go back to the house while Max and Dylan investigate. When they returned, Nudge reports to them that Ella and Iggy are acting odd. Nudge later hacks into Ella's phone to find encrypted information on the Doomsday Group. She mentions that it's weird that both they and Fang are going to California to investigate the Doomsday Group.
Nevermore
When attending Newton, she's eager to hang out with the popular girls and talk about fashion and celebrities. She goes on a date to the movies with an older student named Sloan. Nudge likes him, but during the date, she, Sloan, Max, and Dylan are attacked by Ari's clone. Afterwards, the unnerved Sloan publicly calls her a freak and leaves her alone in the parking lot. Gossip begins all over Twitter and Facebook and other students treat Nudge like an outcast. Heartbroken, Nudge refuses to leave her room. Max tries to comfort her and convince her to move on, but Nudge swears that one day she'll cut off her wings to be normal.
On Paradise, Nudge is excited and talkative about the beauty of the island. She immediately flies into her treehouse, the most chic out of the village. At the waterfall, surrounded by other mutants, Nudge finally seems self-confident and comfortable in her own skin.
During the Apocalypse, Nudge takes shelter with the rest of the Flock in the underground caves.
Maximum Ride Forever
Months after the Apocalypse, Nudge is living with the Flock on the surface of the ruined island, with no mention of how she got out of the caves. She has grown to about six feet tall. After leaving the island, the Flock is attacked by Cryenas, which scar Nudge's face. When the Flock breaks up, she and Total are the only ones to stay with Max. However, Nudge and Max fight, with Nudge calling Max self-centered.
After they are captured by the kids living in the underwater caves, Nudge decides to stay there along with Total. Nudge takes daily swims in the lake to practice swimming and breathing underwater while everyone else goes out hunting. She’s enjoying the peaceful environment and her ambition is to be known as the “Flying Fish” by the end of the summer.
The Horseman takes her off guard and pins her under the water, where she can see his face. While he reports back, he leaves her body lying on a ledge where the camera can see her lying still as Total licks her face. Rumors of her death spread as a result, but it is later revealed that Dylan faked her death. When the Flock is reunited in Russia, she’s the first person Max hugs.
Personality
Nudge is a happy-go-lucky, talkative tween, affectionate with her fellow Flock members. She frequently talks about food, having a high metabolism and being frequently hungry, and joking that she once ate 9 Snickers bars in one sitting without barfing as one of her "skills." She briefly becomes a vegetarian in The Angel Experiment. She shows a detailed knowledge of cars and is a skilled mechanic. Nudge is the Flock member most focused on finding her biological parents.
As the books go on, she develops a love for fashion and becomes more focused on her appearance - having a 12-step daily beauty process in Nevermore. She becomes more interested in going to school and fitting in. At times, she shows signs of depression and talks about cutting off her wings. Her formerly close relationship with Max becomes more tense.
Appearance
Nudge has curly brown hair and brown eyes. During The Angel Experiment, she receives straightened and highlighted hair as part of a makeover. She is tall, like all of the bird kids, and by the time of Maximum Ride Forever stands almost six feet tall.
She has a wingspan of 10 feet, and tawny feathers. Angel described Nudge's wings as similar to a pheasant's.
In other adaptations, her wing color varies. In the manga, her wings are white. In the Marvel comics series, where the wings appear smaller and more mechanical in nature, Nudge's wings are tinged pink. They are never shown in the movie adaptation. On the cover of the fourth volume of the manga, she is shown with earrings.
Abilities
Psychometry
Nudge develops psychometric powers within the course of the first book. Despite its usefulness, this ability does have some drawbacks, as she appears to feel very strong emotions whenever she touches something that has generated great sadness or if many people have touched it. (e.g. When Nudge went to the Vietnam Memorial on a field trip in School's Out - Forever, she made the mistake of touching the Wall and almost doubled over.)
Hacking
Also in The Angel Experiment, Nudge began to develop computer hacking skills. These have been used multiple times throughout the course of the series.
Magnetism
Nudge's magnetism, as shown in the manga
In the fourth book, The Final Warning, Nudge develops the ability to attract metal to her at will.
Breathing underwater
At some point between MAX and Maximum Ride Forever, Nudge develops undetectable gills and becomes able to breathe underwater.
Trivia
- She is frightened of rats.
- Nudge was briefly a vegetarian; in The Angel Experiment Chapter 56, she announced "I don't eat meat anymore," having been grossed out by seeing the hawks eat animals. This didn't appear to last long. By the time of Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports, Nudge was glad to find beef stew in an abandoned cabin and remarked "Thank God they're not vegetarians."
- Her favorite drinks are Barq's and Jolt.
- Nudge's real name is Monique, but she has gone by the aliases "Krystal," "Tiffany-Krystal," "Jessica Miranda Alicia Tangerine Butterfly," and "Cinnamon Allspice La Fever."
- She is featured on the fourth volume of the Maximum Ride graphic novel series by NaRae Lee.
