Norman Babcock (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
brokethecycle) wrote2013-01-01 03:12 pm
brokethecycle) wrote2013-01-01 03:12 pm
Whispering Rock
PLAYER
Name: James
Personal Journal: thegogglesdonothing
E-mail: wudaistarwind@gmail.com
Messenger: AIM: Jamadadayo
Plurk: golgothas
Previous Characters: NA
CHARACTER
Name: Norman Babcock
Canon: ParaNorman
Age: 11
Specialty: Mediumship
Position: Camper
Personality: Norman likes being under the radar. He doesn't like sticking out and being noticed, because that usually means negative attention on him. His entire modus operandi is to make it through with as little confrontation or social interaction as possible. The unfortunate truth of it all is that, in his town, blending in is impossible. It's sort of an inescapable reality to a kid born with the gift of speaking to the dead. It doesn't make you all that popular in school. Or at home. Or anywhere, really. Alienated by most of his town? Yep. Treated as a troubled child by his family? Check. Fiercely bullied at school? You bet.
However, in spite of that, Norman never treats himself like a victim. He doesn't cry about the way things are. Sure, he laments that he never asked to be born the way he was but does he try to deny his gifts? Hell no. He knows that he isn't normal and he has no intentions of trying to pretend otherwise. Even if all he wants, is to duck his head and get through it the best he can, he doesn't try to change himself to suit others. Unfortunately this attitude has led Norman to becoming a loner. Until recently, he saw no real need to make friends, feeling that once they get to know him, they'd just think he was a freak anyway. As such he's come to be very comfortable on his own, and prefers to just rely on himself.
Of course its a little different when he talks to ghosts. Where Norman shuts himself off to the living, to the dead he's perfectly cheerful and friendly. Going so far as to help his town ghosts with any little task they might ask of him. He knows this doesn't make his case better for the living, but the bottom line is that he doesn't care. Time and again, Norman's learned to value the company of the dead over the living.
But despite what seems like hostility and distrust, he does cares about other people and he has a strong moral sense of right and wrong. Even people he doesn't like all that much, he'd never purposely harm, and even go so far to help in a dire situation. Given the opportunity to really show his stuff, Norman can also be very brave and determined, willing to risk his life for what has to be done. His sense of duty is also very strong and once he sets out to do something, he takes it very seriously. Really underneath that anti-social facade he puts up, Norman is just a lonely kid who's had to put up with a lot of pain simply for just being who he is. It speaks a lot, too for the sort of emotional strength that he has for someone so young.
Things are starting to look up for him, though. After years of his family acting like his abilities were nothing more than a cry for attention, a visit from Psychonauts HQ finally gave them the explanation they needed. Though things are shaky, Norman feels a lot less alienated at home, and given the new setting of camp, may become more open to making friends with others.
Of course Norman opening up and being friendly should never be mistaken for Norman being a push over. He's stubborn and blunt, and he will tell you when you've done something stupid. He has a sarcastic streak, and can be terribly full of sass when he wants to be- which is often. He'll listen to authority, but when its other people- specifically teenagers or just jerks, he will tell you what for while probably making jabs at your intelligence. ("Oh god they're gonna eat our brains!!" "I think you'll be fine.")
AU History: There was never any doubt that Norman was different. From the moment he came into the world it was like a resounding announcement that he was special. Of course- maybe something else could be blamed for the way all the lightbulbs on the maternity floor of the hospital exploded the moment of his birth, but we'll leave that up to you.
Unfortunately, being special was never made easy on him. Especially when special meant that he was the only person in his town that could see the spirits of the dead. Trying to tell his parents about it had gone terribly. They thought there was something wrong with him. He tried to let it go after that- opting to ignore the spirits no matter what- but even that only worked for so long.
His Grandmother, who was terribly close to him, passed when he was ten. Her funeral had been a disaster. Unsurprisingly the funeral home was lousy with lost spirits, and they all but zoned in on Norman in the corner, who was doing everything he could to not talk to anyone. It didn't take long for him to be overwhelmed with the attention. Norman slipped, shouting angrily at all of them to leave him alone. Norman realized his folly immediately after. To anyone else Norman was all alone, shouting at the air. When he tried to explain all he got was disappointed head-shakes and sympathetic pats. All the kids there who knew him from school thought he was nuts. So from then on Norman became the weird kid who ~talked to ghosts~.
It was from that point on Norman made a decision. He was going to be honest with himself, and be who he wanted to be, act how he wanted to act, and not give a single care what everyone else around him thought. He didn't need people. He was more than fine on his own, and who needed friends when they would just think he was a freak in the end anyway. Norman became an outcast, but he liked it that way. If he needed to talk to anyone, he had plenty of ghosts who were more than amiable to be around.
This went on for about a year before a representative of Psychonauts approached the Babcock family about Whispering Rock Psychic Summer camp. It seems the abundance of ghost activity in the small town of Blithe Hollow tipped off the right radars at HQ and sent an agent or two to investigate. Finding an eleven-year-old medium at the center was not entirely what they expected. So, they offered him an option. Come to camp and learn about the strange abilities he was born with, or stay and let things stay the same.
It wasn't a hard decision. The idea of going somewhere so far away was thrilling, despite the anxiety of having to deal with a new crowd of people. However the promise of being completely gone for three whole months a year was more than what Norman could pass up.
His family had been a tough sell, though. It took a great deal of negotiating and talking down to get his father into a reasonable mood. When it was all said and done, the Babcocks finally came to understand what exactly had been plaguing Norman his entire life. He was a psychic, and he needed proper training.
Even more shocking, it was revealed that his older sister, had also been in possession of psychic abilities, though entirely without her knowledge. So after a lot of negotiating and getting their father to not be such a stubborn mule, both the Babcock kids were off to Whispering Rock much to Courtney's disdain.
Norman wasn't super thrilled with having his sister around, either, but hopefully that wouldn't ruin the entire experience.
Mental World:
Norman's mental world, upon entry, appears to be a very dark and desolate place. It looks every bit like a ghost town, with not a single sign of life in sight. The most noticeable thing however, is how everything looks and feels like an old 50's B movie. Everything is in black and white with very few instances of color. Depending on his mood there is atmospheric music playing in the background, though all of it is pretty creepy.
There's not much to see and above all the place feels well, pretty lonely.
Until the censors attack, of course. They burst out of the ground in hordes like zombies, which is what they look like. They're not very fast but they're pretty hard to get rid of. The good news is after dealing with an onslaught of zombie censors you'll be met with the first non-hostile manifestation of Norman's mind. It's an owl. Following the owl will lead you to a building at the center of Norman's mind.
A Middle School.
Though, much like the town, its been twisted with a distinct horror film influence. The building looks a lot like the combination of public education and a mausoleum. The inside isn't any better, with cold stone walls and rusted lockers. Checking the numerous, mental cobweb infested classrooms will yield a few pieces of emotional baggage and a mental vault. Inside the vault are the events of his grandmother's funeral.
One of the beaten up lockers will also be covered with a mental cobweb and dispatching that will reveal the word FREAK written in thick sharpie. Opening the locker is a task, but stepping through to inside it brings you to a whole different room.
Inside this room is Norman, curled up and trying to make himself as small and as invisible as he can. Around him float the ghostly figures of the people in his life. They differ depending on who he talks to the most. Some are jeering at him while some are trying to coax him out. Either way it's a torrent of noise and all Norman can really to is to stay there until it goes away.
The heart of the matter is that despite the bravado Norman puts up, he's an extremely lonely little kid. The sad thing is that even if he could acknowledge that he's lonely, he's so against trying to reach out and make friends, that he's scared no one would even like him for who he is, and he's not about to change who he is, so he keeps to himself to save the trouble. His biggest fear is that any friends he does make are either using him, or going to leave him.
Counselor Reasoning: NA
Badges: None! First year!
SAMPLES
Sample 1: here
Sample 2: Here
Name: James
Personal Journal: thegogglesdonothing
E-mail: wudaistarwind@gmail.com
Messenger: AIM: Jamadadayo
Plurk: golgothas
Previous Characters: NA
CHARACTER
Name: Norman Babcock
Canon: ParaNorman
Age: 11
Specialty: Mediumship
Position: Camper
Personality: Norman likes being under the radar. He doesn't like sticking out and being noticed, because that usually means negative attention on him. His entire modus operandi is to make it through with as little confrontation or social interaction as possible. The unfortunate truth of it all is that, in his town, blending in is impossible. It's sort of an inescapable reality to a kid born with the gift of speaking to the dead. It doesn't make you all that popular in school. Or at home. Or anywhere, really. Alienated by most of his town? Yep. Treated as a troubled child by his family? Check. Fiercely bullied at school? You bet.
However, in spite of that, Norman never treats himself like a victim. He doesn't cry about the way things are. Sure, he laments that he never asked to be born the way he was but does he try to deny his gifts? Hell no. He knows that he isn't normal and he has no intentions of trying to pretend otherwise. Even if all he wants, is to duck his head and get through it the best he can, he doesn't try to change himself to suit others. Unfortunately this attitude has led Norman to becoming a loner. Until recently, he saw no real need to make friends, feeling that once they get to know him, they'd just think he was a freak anyway. As such he's come to be very comfortable on his own, and prefers to just rely on himself.
Of course its a little different when he talks to ghosts. Where Norman shuts himself off to the living, to the dead he's perfectly cheerful and friendly. Going so far as to help his town ghosts with any little task they might ask of him. He knows this doesn't make his case better for the living, but the bottom line is that he doesn't care. Time and again, Norman's learned to value the company of the dead over the living.
But despite what seems like hostility and distrust, he does cares about other people and he has a strong moral sense of right and wrong. Even people he doesn't like all that much, he'd never purposely harm, and even go so far to help in a dire situation. Given the opportunity to really show his stuff, Norman can also be very brave and determined, willing to risk his life for what has to be done. His sense of duty is also very strong and once he sets out to do something, he takes it very seriously. Really underneath that anti-social facade he puts up, Norman is just a lonely kid who's had to put up with a lot of pain simply for just being who he is. It speaks a lot, too for the sort of emotional strength that he has for someone so young.
Things are starting to look up for him, though. After years of his family acting like his abilities were nothing more than a cry for attention, a visit from Psychonauts HQ finally gave them the explanation they needed. Though things are shaky, Norman feels a lot less alienated at home, and given the new setting of camp, may become more open to making friends with others.
Of course Norman opening up and being friendly should never be mistaken for Norman being a push over. He's stubborn and blunt, and he will tell you when you've done something stupid. He has a sarcastic streak, and can be terribly full of sass when he wants to be- which is often. He'll listen to authority, but when its other people- specifically teenagers or just jerks, he will tell you what for while probably making jabs at your intelligence. ("Oh god they're gonna eat our brains!!" "I think you'll be fine.")
AU History: There was never any doubt that Norman was different. From the moment he came into the world it was like a resounding announcement that he was special. Of course- maybe something else could be blamed for the way all the lightbulbs on the maternity floor of the hospital exploded the moment of his birth, but we'll leave that up to you.
Unfortunately, being special was never made easy on him. Especially when special meant that he was the only person in his town that could see the spirits of the dead. Trying to tell his parents about it had gone terribly. They thought there was something wrong with him. He tried to let it go after that- opting to ignore the spirits no matter what- but even that only worked for so long.
His Grandmother, who was terribly close to him, passed when he was ten. Her funeral had been a disaster. Unsurprisingly the funeral home was lousy with lost spirits, and they all but zoned in on Norman in the corner, who was doing everything he could to not talk to anyone. It didn't take long for him to be overwhelmed with the attention. Norman slipped, shouting angrily at all of them to leave him alone. Norman realized his folly immediately after. To anyone else Norman was all alone, shouting at the air. When he tried to explain all he got was disappointed head-shakes and sympathetic pats. All the kids there who knew him from school thought he was nuts. So from then on Norman became the weird kid who ~talked to ghosts~.
It was from that point on Norman made a decision. He was going to be honest with himself, and be who he wanted to be, act how he wanted to act, and not give a single care what everyone else around him thought. He didn't need people. He was more than fine on his own, and who needed friends when they would just think he was a freak in the end anyway. Norman became an outcast, but he liked it that way. If he needed to talk to anyone, he had plenty of ghosts who were more than amiable to be around.
This went on for about a year before a representative of Psychonauts approached the Babcock family about Whispering Rock Psychic Summer camp. It seems the abundance of ghost activity in the small town of Blithe Hollow tipped off the right radars at HQ and sent an agent or two to investigate. Finding an eleven-year-old medium at the center was not entirely what they expected. So, they offered him an option. Come to camp and learn about the strange abilities he was born with, or stay and let things stay the same.
It wasn't a hard decision. The idea of going somewhere so far away was thrilling, despite the anxiety of having to deal with a new crowd of people. However the promise of being completely gone for three whole months a year was more than what Norman could pass up.
His family had been a tough sell, though. It took a great deal of negotiating and talking down to get his father into a reasonable mood. When it was all said and done, the Babcocks finally came to understand what exactly had been plaguing Norman his entire life. He was a psychic, and he needed proper training.
Even more shocking, it was revealed that his older sister, had also been in possession of psychic abilities, though entirely without her knowledge. So after a lot of negotiating and getting their father to not be such a stubborn mule, both the Babcock kids were off to Whispering Rock much to Courtney's disdain.
Norman wasn't super thrilled with having his sister around, either, but hopefully that wouldn't ruin the entire experience.
Mental World:
Norman's mental world, upon entry, appears to be a very dark and desolate place. It looks every bit like a ghost town, with not a single sign of life in sight. The most noticeable thing however, is how everything looks and feels like an old 50's B movie. Everything is in black and white with very few instances of color. Depending on his mood there is atmospheric music playing in the background, though all of it is pretty creepy.
There's not much to see and above all the place feels well, pretty lonely.
Until the censors attack, of course. They burst out of the ground in hordes like zombies, which is what they look like. They're not very fast but they're pretty hard to get rid of. The good news is after dealing with an onslaught of zombie censors you'll be met with the first non-hostile manifestation of Norman's mind. It's an owl. Following the owl will lead you to a building at the center of Norman's mind.
A Middle School.
Though, much like the town, its been twisted with a distinct horror film influence. The building looks a lot like the combination of public education and a mausoleum. The inside isn't any better, with cold stone walls and rusted lockers. Checking the numerous, mental cobweb infested classrooms will yield a few pieces of emotional baggage and a mental vault. Inside the vault are the events of his grandmother's funeral.
One of the beaten up lockers will also be covered with a mental cobweb and dispatching that will reveal the word FREAK written in thick sharpie. Opening the locker is a task, but stepping through to inside it brings you to a whole different room.
Inside this room is Norman, curled up and trying to make himself as small and as invisible as he can. Around him float the ghostly figures of the people in his life. They differ depending on who he talks to the most. Some are jeering at him while some are trying to coax him out. Either way it's a torrent of noise and all Norman can really to is to stay there until it goes away.
The heart of the matter is that despite the bravado Norman puts up, he's an extremely lonely little kid. The sad thing is that even if he could acknowledge that he's lonely, he's so against trying to reach out and make friends, that he's scared no one would even like him for who he is, and he's not about to change who he is, so he keeps to himself to save the trouble. His biggest fear is that any friends he does make are either using him, or going to leave him.
Counselor Reasoning: NA
Badges: None! First year!
SAMPLES
Sample 1: here
Sample 2: Here