PLAYER Name: James Personal Journal: thegogglesdonothing E-mail: wudaistarwind at gmail dot com AIM/MSN/etc: Jamadadayo
CHARACTER Name: Norman Babcock Canon: ParaNorman Timeline: Post-Movie If playing another character from the same canon, how will you deal with this?: n/a
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. Ghosts, zombies, you name it. Norman is the ambassador between the physical and spiritual plane. The bad news is that 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 even 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.
The good news is, that after the events of the film, not only has Norman decided to open up, but the entirety of his town has realized that he wasn't faking for attention all this time, and basically saved their asses from a fiery doom by witch curse. While this means he's still pretty introverted, he's less distrusting and hostile to others and willing to talk and even make friends. During his confrontation with Aggie, Norman had to make peace with the part of him that bottled up all his anger and bitterness, realizing that if he held onto it like she had, then he'd eventually lose himself to his hate. By doing so, he'd become nothing better than the one's who've hurt him in the past. It's a hell of a revelation to have at eleven-years-old.
Of course, don't confuse Norman being nice and friendly with him being a push-over. He definitely still has a temper, and he will certainly call you out on being an idiot if he needs to. He's blunt and honest, and doesn't really sugarcoat things if its important. Otherwise, he's a sweet kid whose spent far too long being lonely and isolated.
Canon | Norman Babcock | ParaNorman | Reserved
Name: James
Personal Journal: thegogglesdonothing
E-mail: wudaistarwind at gmail dot com
AIM/MSN/etc: Jamadadayo
CHARACTER
Name: Norman Babcock
Canon: ParaNorman
Timeline: Post-Movie
If playing another character from the same canon, how will you deal with this?: n/a
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. Ghosts, zombies, you name it. Norman is the ambassador between the physical and spiritual plane. The bad news is that 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 even 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.
The good news is, that after the events of the film, not only has Norman decided to open up, but the entirety of his town has realized that he wasn't faking for attention all this time, and basically saved their asses from a fiery doom by witch curse. While this means he's still pretty introverted, he's less distrusting and hostile to others and willing to talk and even make friends. During his confrontation with Aggie, Norman had to make peace with the part of him that bottled up all his anger and bitterness, realizing that if he held onto it like she had, then he'd eventually lose himself to his hate. By doing so, he'd become nothing better than the one's who've hurt him in the past. It's a hell of a revelation to have at eleven-years-old.
Of course, don't confuse Norman being nice and friendly with him being a push-over. He definitely still has a temper, and he will certainly call you out on being an idiot if he needs to. He's blunt and honest, and doesn't really sugarcoat things if its important. Otherwise, he's a sweet kid whose spent far too long being lonely and isolated.