[SdEoXgY]

This is my thought.

1. Papa Suresh made a comment about if the soul exists, it is in the brain.

2. Jessica was a super, just like her sister and probably would have had increased Strength (assumed).

3. Niki/Jessica’s Dad thinks that she should remember what happened.

4. Jessica says that she was pawed, choked and killed by her dad.

5. Niki was at least in the same house, if not the same room when it happened (assumed, otherwise how would she have remembered it).

6. Jessica is real, not a split personality (assumed based on the information provided).

I purpose that Niki’s power is the ability to absorb the soul of someone who dies close to her and that when the personality comes out it has whatever abilities it would have had in life.

Which brings up the question, if she killed DL, was she close enough to absorb his soul?

Peace and Love

SdEoXgY

[Mathsorcerer]

No one is yet certain what, or how, Niki's power might work. There is one post, from a new user in fact, who brought up the possibility that we have been seeing Jessica and that the alternate personality is Niki. I don't have a link to the post right now, but it is there.

The next couple of weeks should shed a little more light on her. She's still the most mysterious person, with the exception of MBG.

[SdEoXgY]

Granted, because if we knew, then we would not have to speculate

If they do go with Jessica being the dominate personality, then it would be out of the blue. I would like to think that the writers are more capable then that. Unless the show at least hints in that direction, then we should base our speculation on points that have in fact been portrayed in the show.

What I tried to do was use points brought up in the show and assumptions based on logic to come to a conclusion.


Peace and Love

SdEoXgY

[Mathsorcerer]

This is where mkelucas propsed that the person we think is Niki is actually Jessica.

The premise is that Niki isn't Niki; she's actually Jessica and that Niki is the alternate personality. I presume that their father, being drunk at the time, accidentally beat the wrong daughter to death.

[SdEoXgY]

That would be counter to Jessica's statement. She clearly states she was the one strangled. Again, if they go in that direction it would be opposite of the information provided so far. Good writers (so far they qualify) do not do a 180 with the storyline.

Good plot twists, when thrown at the audience, do not contradict information already provided. Take Nicole Kidman in The Others, the end had a great plot twist and nothing in the story was contrary to it. If there is any information provided so far saying that Jessica is alive and Niki is dead, I would love to take a look at it.

Peace and Love

SdEoXgY

[SdEoXgY]

Follow up, during the series, when anybody has died around Niki/Jessica it has always been Jessica in control; therefore I propose that the personality in charge only has access to that personality’s power. Would explain why Niki does not have super strength. So if DL dies, Niki’s personality would have to be in charge for the absorption of DL’s soul.

Peace and Love

SdEoXgY

[BaseballerX]

I doubt she absorbs souls or anything. When someone is beaten or goes through tramatic times in their lives, it can really screw them up. They put up mental barrier to forget things and force them out of their memories. Some people even form split personalities. Is it too far fetched to believe that Niki's troubled past caused her to form a split personality of her sister? I think thats a little more realistic than spirits and body/soul possessing. The writers are going for that realistic feel for their show and I think they've made it pretty clear that the only UN-realistic part of the show is that some people have evolved powers. I will be very shocked and disappointed if spirit and soul possessing is the cause odf niki's powers.

I do however like the idea that Niki IS Jessica. That, i think, is a much better fit. If they were identical twins, the alcoholic father may not have been able to tell them apart. I can see this as a more realistic situation where Jessica is the one who developed the split as a rememberance to her sister. more of a "it should have been me, she deserves to live, not me" kind of thing and jessica lives as if she were niki.

As for the power, this fits more with Jessica being niki. We know that jessica is the one with the powers and When shes niki, she doesn't have the power. Its been proven that the power resides in the brain. Along with the mental barriers put up by her being traumatized, could she not also have accidently blocked her powers?

I dont think this is contradicting Jessicas statement to her father at all. As i said, horrible things like this could seriously traumatize a child. If this is the actual case of niki actually being jessica, i dont believe either one of them actually know the truth and will be a shock to both of them. (and the viewers)

seems to fit the logical and realistic scenario very well.

[Mathsorcerer]

It is known that with dissociative disorder that some personalities can have differing skills; I recall hearing of one case in which personality A could play the piano and personality B could not. Different personalities can have different accents, carry themselves differently physically, have different eyesight quality, etc. Carrying that train of throught and it is logical to conclude that a metahuman could have powers when only one personality is in control even though a different personality does not.

Besides, I think the idea that she is physically Jessica who developed a "weak" personality of Niki to remember her sister. It makes for a more interesting plot.

[BaseballerX]

Originally Posted by Mathsorcerer

It is known that with dissociative disorder that some personalities can have differing skills; I recall hearing of one case in which personality A could play the piano and personality B could not. Different personalities can have different accents, carry themselves differently physically, have different eyesight quality, etc. Carrying that train of throught and it is logical to conclude that a metahuman could have powers when only one personality is in control even though a different personality does not.

Besides, I think the idea that she is physically Jessica who developed a "weak" personality of Niki to remember her sister. It makes for a more interesting plot.

Definitely. Very logical and realistic (in this context of the show of course). I love this theory. I dont see it working out any other way than this unless we're still missing big pieces of the puzzle.

[The_Heroic_Loser]

Yeah, Mathy's theory sounds really good.