PLAYER Name: Ri Personal Journal:resplendentri E-mail: cheetah1090@yahoo.com AIM/MSN/etc: JoyBringer5002 on AIM
CHARACTER Name: Norman Jayden Canon:Heavy Rain Timeline: the Fish Tank chapter, after he fails too many QTEs and is impaled on Paco’s desk by the Origami Killer If playing another character from the same canon, how will you deal with this?: n/a
Personality: Norman Jayden is a highly intelligent man. A profiler with the FBI, he has degrees in not only psychology, but criminal psychology. He’s honed an intuition about people, taking a near-instant dislike to Blake and putting his trust in Ethan despite all of the evidence pointing toward Ethan as the killer. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, Norman is a solitary figure, presenting an aloof and untouchable façade no matter how he crumbles inside. He isn’t married (no ring), and makes no mention of a partner in his internal monologues. He is also the only one of the four protagonists who cannot form any kind of romantic ties in the game, despite his status as the fandom bicycle. Despite, or perhaps because of, the fact that he is on the clock during most of his segments of the game, the overall impression of Norman is that of a man who is married to his job.
He is also very passionate when he believes that he is right, going so far as to lash out when the odds are stacked against him, reporting the actions of the corrupt Lieutenant Blake to his commanding officer and butting heads with Blake repeatedly when Blake’s actions threaten not just the integrity of the case but the safety of the civilians they’re questioning or interviewing. He gets very personally invested in his investigations, going so far as to become downright reckless and careless with his own safety (evidenced when he didn’t take backup in the Mad Jack or Fish Tank chapters, or how it’s possible to kill him in Solving the Puzzle by having him use ARI until his brain fries) in the pursuit of the truth.
He also has his fair share of secrets, including a twifold addiction. The Added Reality Interface, or the ARI glasses that he wears and uses to aid him in his investigations is implied to do heavy, perhaps irreparable damage to his health when overused, and boy does Norman overuse it. He has severe withdrawal symptoms that set in almost immediately when he removes the glasses (Welcome Norman, Jayden Blues, Mad Jack), and which start with tremors in his hands and a pallor to his face, but can become as severe as to include a nosebleed, uncontrollable flashes in and out of the ARI state, and possibly even eye bleeding. The player is given the option to self-medicate by feeding the other monkey on Norman’s back; an addiction to the fictional drug Triptocaine which, when he takes a hit of it, neutralizes the effect of the ARI withdrawal.
His addiction is not just related to his use of ARI as a crime solving tool. Rather, his addiction to ARI seems to be related to his isolated nature, as it’s implied that he uses it as an escape (Jayden Blues, where he’s at the piano), and as entertainment (Welcome Norman; his wall ball score is 21105, and only goes up one point at a time with every successful catch. While it’s unknown how long he’s had ARI, the level of technology implies that it’s not in widespread use, and is a fairly new development, which means that he’s amassed that score in a few months, at most.)
He is an FBI agent, but there are times when he looks at the bigger picture and acts according to what he believes is right, instead of following the direction of his superiors. The best example of this is in the Under Arrest chapter, when he helps Ethan escape from police custody because he believes that Ethan is not the killer, and even if he is, he’s also the best chance they have at finding Shaun alive. He seems to be fairly inexperienced with field work, as evidenced by his reaction if the player makes him shoot Nathaniel. It’s also possible that he just feels guilty for having shot an innocent man, but whichever is the case that decision haunts him through the end of that chapter and into the Covered Market chapter.
He also states that he prefers to have all of the information before him before making a decision, which fits well with his profession as a profiler whose job it is to gather information and to help an investigation by forming a psychological profile of the perpetrator. This view, as well as being the stated reason behind his refusal to shoot Nathaniel (in the inverse to the above situation), can be seen as a contributing factor to his release of Ethan (if Ethan is arrested), and the fact that despite being presented with many opportunities to JUST SHOOT THE S.O.B. ALREADY (Mad Jack, Fish Tank to an extent, The Old Warehouse), he instead piddles around until he is disarmed and thrust into a QTE fight where the player has to fight to keep his ass alive.
Norman also demonstrates a certain level of sass, genre savvy, and sarcasm that warms the player to his cause. Notable examples include answering a statement of ‘I don’t speak “cop”’ with “THEN READ MY LIPS, ASSHOLE, CAUSE I GOT NO TIME TO TRANSLATE.” Almost every time he lays into Blake, as well, is a laugh-inducing line, but the tour de force is when – after the second life-or-death fight that the player has had to go through with him, and the third fight so far in the game – the player selects one of his thoughts to hear and is met with “I seem to spend most of my time getting the shit kicked outta me.”
Norman Jayden knows people. It’s his job as a profiler to know what makes people tick, and it’s because of this that he doesn’t seem to have much in the way of interpersonal relationships. However, he is also deeply troubled himself, no matter how well he hides his addictions, and partly as a result of this and partly because he is so dedicated to his job, he is a solitary individual who turns to ARI as a dangerous escape.
First Person: [Walkie-talkies and cell phones, Norman knows. Hell, at 34 he even remembers the good old days talking back and forth from room to room or tree fort to the ground through two tin cans on a string.
But outside of sci-fi flicks, he’s never seen a communicator that looks like a watch, and this sure as hell didn’t look like sci-fi. Still, as he presses the buttons experimentally, he nonetheless hears it come to life in his hand.
ARI conditioned him to not feel strange about talking to himself in public places long ago. Whatever the case, he needs to find a place where he can get cleaned up. There’s a clinic highlighted on the map; he plans to head there.]
This is Agent Norman Jayden, FBI. Is there anyone out there receivin’ this? I saw the posters, but I still ain’t sure what’s goin’ on here. Last I remember, I...
[He shakes his head to clear the memory of a blue-lit room, a dead body in a chair, a man with a dark coat, the sting of a sword and the sharp, sharp pain of being stabbed.]
Anyway, I wasn’t anywhere near a train station. Are there any doctors or staff at the clinic right now? I need a bigger patch job than me, myself, and a first aid kit can do.
Third Person: Thunk.
Thunk.
The sound was as real as the virtual ball in his hand and the virtual wall he was throwing it against, but unlike the weight of the former solid and heavy against the black glove every time it bounced back to his hand, it made no pretence of being anything else. He always thought best when he was doing something with his hands, and he had plenty to think about right now.
Thunk.
About how he should be dead, pinned to Paco Mendez’ desk.
Thunk.
About how he wasn’t, but whether he’d been spared on purpose or accident, he was in no position to continue the investigation.
Thunk.
About whether Lieutenant Blake would wait until after the autopsy to spit on his corpse or whether he’d do it right there at the scene.
Thunk.
About how he hoped Ethan Mars had been right about being able to save his son, because if he was wrong then there was no one left on the police force who didn’t have their self-congratulatory dildo up their ass about pinning the killings on Ethan.
Thunk.
Norman had a lot of things to think about right now.
Thunk.
And all the time in the world to think about them.
[CANON] Norman Jayden | Heavy Rain | No reserve | 1/1
Name: Ri
Personal Journal:
E-mail: cheetah1090@yahoo.com
AIM/MSN/etc: JoyBringer5002 on AIM
CHARACTER
Name: Norman Jayden
Canon: Heavy Rain
Timeline: the Fish Tank chapter, after he fails too many QTEs and is impaled on Paco’s desk by the Origami Killer
If playing another character from the same canon, how will you deal with this?: n/a
Personality: Norman Jayden is a highly intelligent man. A profiler with the FBI, he has degrees in not only psychology, but criminal psychology. He’s honed an intuition about people, taking a near-instant dislike to Blake and putting his trust in Ethan despite all of the evidence pointing toward Ethan as the killer. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, Norman is a solitary figure, presenting an aloof and untouchable façade no matter how he crumbles inside. He isn’t married (no ring), and makes no mention of a partner in his internal monologues. He is also the only one of the four protagonists who cannot form any kind of romantic ties in the game, despite his status as the fandom bicycle. Despite, or perhaps because of, the fact that he is on the clock during most of his segments of the game, the overall impression of Norman is that of a man who is married to his job.
He is also very passionate when he believes that he is right, going so far as to lash out when the odds are stacked against him, reporting the actions of the corrupt Lieutenant Blake to his commanding officer and butting heads with Blake repeatedly when Blake’s actions threaten not just the integrity of the case but the safety of the civilians they’re questioning or interviewing. He gets very personally invested in his investigations, going so far as to become downright reckless and careless with his own safety (evidenced when he didn’t take backup in the Mad Jack or Fish Tank chapters, or how it’s possible to kill him in Solving the Puzzle by having him use ARI until his brain fries) in the pursuit of the truth.
He also has his fair share of secrets, including a twifold addiction. The Added Reality Interface, or the ARI glasses that he wears and uses to aid him in his investigations is implied to do heavy, perhaps irreparable damage to his health when overused, and boy does Norman overuse it. He has severe withdrawal symptoms that set in almost immediately when he removes the glasses (Welcome Norman, Jayden Blues, Mad Jack), and which start with tremors in his hands and a pallor to his face, but can become as severe as to include a nosebleed, uncontrollable flashes in and out of the ARI state, and possibly even eye bleeding. The player is given the option to self-medicate by feeding the other monkey on Norman’s back; an addiction to the fictional drug Triptocaine which, when he takes a hit of it, neutralizes the effect of the ARI withdrawal.
His addiction is not just related to his use of ARI as a crime solving tool. Rather, his addiction to ARI seems to be related to his isolated nature, as it’s implied that he uses it as an escape (Jayden Blues, where he’s at the piano), and as entertainment (Welcome Norman; his wall ball score is 21105, and only goes up one point at a time with every successful catch. While it’s unknown how long he’s had ARI, the level of technology implies that it’s not in widespread use, and is a fairly new development, which means that he’s amassed that score in a few months, at most.)
He is an FBI agent, but there are times when he looks at the bigger picture and acts according to what he believes is right, instead of following the direction of his superiors. The best example of this is in the Under Arrest chapter, when he helps Ethan escape from police custody because he believes that Ethan is not the killer, and even if he is, he’s also the best chance they have at finding Shaun alive. He seems to be fairly inexperienced with field work, as evidenced by his reaction if the player makes him shoot Nathaniel. It’s also possible that he just feels guilty for having shot an innocent man, but whichever is the case that decision haunts him through the end of that chapter and into the Covered Market chapter.
He also states that he prefers to have all of the information before him before making a decision, which fits well with his profession as a profiler whose job it is to gather information and to help an investigation by forming a psychological profile of the perpetrator. This view, as well as being the stated reason behind his refusal to shoot Nathaniel (in the inverse to the above situation), can be seen as a contributing factor to his release of Ethan (if Ethan is arrested), and the fact that despite being presented with many opportunities to JUST SHOOT THE S.O.B. ALREADY (Mad Jack, Fish Tank to an extent, The Old Warehouse), he instead piddles around until he is disarmed and thrust into a QTE fight where the player has to fight to keep his ass alive.
Norman also demonstrates a certain level of sass, genre savvy, and sarcasm that warms the player to his cause. Notable examples include answering a statement of ‘I don’t speak “cop”’ with “THEN READ MY LIPS, ASSHOLE, CAUSE I GOT NO TIME TO TRANSLATE.” Almost every time he lays into Blake, as well, is a laugh-inducing line, but the tour de force is when – after the second life-or-death fight that the player has had to go through with him, and the third fight so far in the game – the player selects one of his thoughts to hear and is met with “I seem to spend most of my time getting the shit kicked outta me.”
Norman Jayden knows people. It’s his job as a profiler to know what makes people tick, and it’s because of this that he doesn’t seem to have much in the way of interpersonal relationships. However, he is also deeply troubled himself, no matter how well he hides his addictions, and partly as a result of this and partly because he is so dedicated to his job, he is a solitary individual who turns to ARI as a dangerous escape.
First Person:
[Walkie-talkies and cell phones, Norman knows. Hell, at 34 he even remembers the good old days talking back and forth from room to room or tree fort to the ground through two tin cans on a string.
But outside of sci-fi flicks, he’s never seen a communicator that looks like a watch, and this sure as hell didn’t look like sci-fi. Still, as he presses the buttons experimentally, he nonetheless hears it come to life in his hand.
ARI conditioned him to not feel strange about talking to himself in public places long ago. Whatever the case, he needs to find a place where he can get cleaned up. There’s a clinic highlighted on the map; he plans to head there.]
This is Agent Norman Jayden, FBI. Is there anyone out there receivin’ this? I saw the posters, but I still ain’t sure what’s goin’ on here. Last I remember, I...
[He shakes his head to clear the memory of a blue-lit room, a dead body in a chair, a man with a dark coat, the sting of a sword and the sharp, sharp pain of being stabbed.]
Anyway, I wasn’t anywhere near a train station. Are there any doctors or staff at the clinic right now? I need a bigger patch job than me, myself, and a first aid kit can do.
Third Person:
Thunk.
Thunk.
The sound was as real as the virtual ball in his hand and the virtual wall he was throwing it against, but unlike the weight of the former solid and heavy against the black glove every time it bounced back to his hand, it made no pretence of being anything else. He always thought best when he was doing something with his hands, and he had plenty to think about right now.
Thunk.
About how he should be dead, pinned to Paco Mendez’ desk.
Thunk.
About how he wasn’t, but whether he’d been spared on purpose or accident, he was in no position to continue the investigation.
Thunk.
About whether Lieutenant Blake would wait until after the autopsy to spit on his corpse or whether he’d do it right there at the scene.
Thunk.
About how he hoped Ethan Mars had been right about being able to save his son, because if he was wrong then there was no one left on the police force who didn’t have their self-congratulatory dildo up their ass about pinning the killings on Ethan.
Thunk.
Norman had a lot of things to think about right now.
Thunk.
And all the time in the world to think about them.