ooc ⚓ application
Mun
Name: Gavin
Livejournal Username: punandprofit
E-mail: Gavinjohnwarren@gmail.com
AIM: pun and profit
Current Characters at Luceti: Thursday Next.
Character
Name: Admiral James Norrington
Fandom: The Pirates of the Caribbean
Gender: Male
Age: 36
Time Period: Post-death during At World’s End
Wing Color: Navy Blue
History:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Norrington
http://pirates.wikia.com/wiki/James_Norrington
Personality: First glances suggest that Admiral Norrington is snobbish, self-righteous and elitist. Second and third glances do little to improve this impression - but if you were to stare long and hard at him you might see the glimmer of a good man behind the powdered wig and brocade.
Coming from a military family, James has always put a high value on the pursuit of justice and the enactment of the law. From as early as five years old he began to see the world in black and white. On the one hand stood the champions of order, His Majesty’s Royal Navy. On the other, Pirates; chaotic and lawless, self-serving and irreverent. His father, himself an Admiral, had raised James on these very principles, but it wasn’t until his father’s mission to capture the Pirate Lord Teague that the implication of this dichotomy came to affect James personally. The young James Norrington was knocked over-board, and Teague rescued him. Once James was safe aboard the Admiral’s ship once more his father had told him that he would rather his son had died than be indebted to a pirate.
It was from this foundation that he began his long career in the navy. Here he learned to stand proudly and speak infrequently. His wit and ambition lifted him from Lieutenant to Commodore within eight short years, but even as he climbed through the ranks he grew aloof and distant - each promotion justified his own sense of superiority and solidified his loyalty to his station, and with it, his inflexible pursuit of the King’s law.
This strict adherence to the rule of law would prove to be his undoing. After allowing Jack Sparrow a single day to escape at the end of The Curse of the Black Pearl Norrington resumed his pursuit. During the chase he was out-maneuvered by Sparrow, and in an attempt to gain ground he sailed directly into a hurricane and lost his ship - a navy vessel - to the storm. He held himself to account and resigned his office in disgrace. It was only once he was on the outside of the military that his haughty exterior was tempered by humility. From outside of the naval institution he was able to observe the horrific consequence that followed the universal enactment of the beliefs that he had once cherished. He saw men abuse the roles that he had once respected. He saw the horrors of corruption - of greed without pity. So although the outward appearance of the officer remains, the man who once strived to enforce the law without exception has at last come to see the difference between what is right and what is merely lawful.
Following the events of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Admiral James Norrington has developed into the man who he always wished to be. He is tenacious, confident, and fiercely loyal to those causes to which he binds himself. He is condescending and blunt but heroic, brave and occasionally even kind.
But above all? He is once more a man of honour.
Regardless of how honourable he may be within the context of his own time, however, he is nevertheless a product of his age. Slavery is an accepted fact in his time period, women are inferior to men and society is structured rigidly by class. Luceti is inevitably going to challenge many of his preconceptions about the world. Though he has personally fought against the undead crew of a legendary pirate ship - The Black Pearl - he will nevertheless be suspicious of supernatural forces. Despite the personal strength of Elizabeth Swann he may still be troubled by the notion of women in positions of power. Electricity will baffle him, and he has experienced nothing to adequately prepare him for Luceti's Shifts.
Strengths:
Physical:
Constitution: A life at sea has given Admiral Norrington a remarkably strong constitution. He can stand against the chilling cold, the driving rain and the heat of a searing sun besides. Furthermore, the poor hygiene aboard ship has ensured that he has built up a solid resistance to disease.
Strength: He is physically strong, too, though not as strong as a deck-hand would be with all the pulling of ropes and hoisting of sails. After all, his part in such activities would usually boil down to shouting orders. With that said, he maintains his body to the extent that he could easily give demonstrations of these procedures if he was required to.
Swordplay: On the battle of Isla Cruces, Norrington fights against Jack Sparrow and Will Turner in an attempt to gain the possession of The Heart of Davy Jones. Here he is seen crossing swords with two of the most competent swordsmen in the Pirates universe. He is constantly on the attack, never once backing down from either man, and though he fights Sparrow and Turner both individually and simultaneously he is able to disable and disarm them both at various times.
Balance: This same battle features a remarkable feat of balance during which Norrington fights on, around and within an enormous rolling wheel. Not only does he hold his own in combat here, he is also the quickest to recover from the disorientation once the wheel comes to rest.
Mental
Education: As a naval officer it is reasonable to assume that Admiral Norrington can read and write and that he is trained in the popular academic disciplines of his day. He is a capable tactician and a skilled navigator, and in light of the perils and pitfalls of a military hierarchy he has long since learned to suit his behaviour to his audience. At times this can amount to the Admiral acting in a foolish, bumbling manner which belies his true intellect.
Intelligence: I have already noted above that Norrington was at least intelligent enough to earn the rank of Commodore - and the corresponding command over two navy vessels. A more specific example of his intelligence can be observed during the Battle at Isla Cruces in Dead Man's Chest. During this fight there were numerous forces vying for the heart of Davy Jones. Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, James Norrington, two rogue pirates and the crew of the Flying Dutchman all sought to claim the heart for their own ends, and each put their hands on either the heart itself or the means to retrieve it over the course of the conflict. By the end of the battle, however, it was James Norrington who fooled all of his adversaries and escaped with the prize. This same conflict led to Norrington’s acquisition of the Letters of Marque - another item which was sought over by numerous parties throughout the first half of the movie.
Humor; Admiral Norrington has a strong command of the English Language - a talent which he frequently uses both to undermine those around him and to amuse himself. He frequently says a great deal more by implication than he does by direct reference, and though he is capable of warmth he delivers the majority of his humour with a mercilessly straight face.
He displays this wit when he first meets Jack Sparrow in The Curse of the Black Pearl. Examining the pirate's belongings, he comments; "No additional shot nor powder, a compass that doesn't point North.. [looking at Jack's sword] ... And I half expected it to be made of wood."
Emotional
Leadership: For James Norrington to have gained such a high position in the Royal Navy someone, somewhere, must have recognized the makings of a successful leader in him. He possesses a strong will and a stubborn streak a mile wide. Despite this, though, he will become concerned if he fears that he has misspoken. Though at times he may well act to the contrary he is aware, on some level, that he is not entirely infallible.
Honour: James Norrington is remarkably resistant to hypocrisy. His life’s most selfish desire was for the hand of Elizabeth Swann in marriage. He loved her, but even this he gave up freely once he realized that Elizabeth would be happier as the wife of William Turner. Furthermore, though he had spent his entire young life ascending the ranks of the Royal Navy he held himself to his own standards after the failed pursuit of Captain Jack Sparrow, and resigned his commission.
Integrity: The years that he spent under naval command led him to trust his superiors and to carry out their orders without question. In effect, Norrington adopted the ideals of the Royal Navy as his own moral guidelines: He became a tool of the British military. On the Flying Dutchman, however, the command to imprison Elizabeth Swann stood counter to his own instincts, and after some deliberation he chose his own sense of what was right over the orders that he had been issued. At this moment he demonstrated the strength of his moral integrity.
Weaknesses:
Physical:
Mortality: Admiral Norrington has no notable physical weaknesses, although it is notable that he has no supernatural powers whatsoever. In Luceti this is bound to be a severe drawback. Within his own canon his mortality was made explicit when he died in the third movie - not as the result of an epic set-piece battle by at the hand of a deck hand of Davy Jones. Not by cannon fire or by drowning, but by the sharp end of a plank of wood.
Agility: Admiral James Norrington is not an experienced athlete or a skilled acrobat. He runs at an average speed, and he is incapable of the back-flips and swinging around the characterizes the movement of Will Turner and Jack Sparrow.
Mental:
Education: There are a couple of small gaping holes in Norrington’s knowledge-base. His understanding of the world is bound by 18th century assumptions - For example, he would be at a loss if someone asked him to use a microwave or turn on a television, and he believes the body to be governed by the humors, the world by the elements. In short, he is well-read in a broad range of thoroughly out-dated principles.
Prejudice: His brief time outside of the hierarchy of the military has softened his proclivity toward extremes of thought, but he may still make snap-judgments of people on meeting them for the first time. This prejudice has the potential to go both ways - someone with a position of authority or a strong popular following may gain his trust immediately, whereas a person who he has be warned against or who he learns comes from low station will struggle to achieve his approval.
Emotional
Disgrace: A man who percieves himself as honourable might eventually fall into disgrace... And the higher his belief in himself, the further he has to fall. At such times, the tenacity, ambition and loyalty that come together to inform some of Norrington’s greatest strengths are also the source of his most crippling weaknesses. It was these three factors that lead him abandon honour - to adopt the techniques of piracy in order to chase the heart of Davy Jones and the Letters of Marque. It was these three traits, too, that saw him serving under Lord Cutler Beckett. Easily trusting this figure of authority he pursued his duties without question, only later discovering the extent of Beckett’s corruption. His tenacity, then, can be warped into revenge, his ambition may sour and turn to greed. His loyalty, too, might turn sinister if he chooses to associate himself with a person whose intentions are less than honourable. After all, any soldier - regardless of his integrity - is only as good a man as his superiors permit him to be.
Aloofness: The Admiral falls into a stereotype common to men in positions of command. Through some combination of reluctance to show weakness to the men under his command and an ingrained failure to trust others with his personal affairs, Norrington rarely opens up his heart or mind to anyone. He makes his own decisions and harbors his own regrets. There are exceptions to this rule, however. Governor Swann successfully comforted him on two occasions in the first movie - but not because Norrington offered up his worries for debate. Instead, the Governor intuited them.
Samples
First Person:
[It is night, and the flickering light of a candle illuminates the table at which James Norrington sits. A quill pen hovers over the top left corner of a blank page of paper. The Admiral draws a heavy breath, closes his eyes for a moment, and upon opening them begins to write;]
Lord Beckett,
It is with great shame that I report to you that while in practise of my duties aboard The Flying Dutchman I did abandon my post and aid in the escape of Ms. Elizabeth Swann and the fugitives with whom she had been imprisoned.
[He pauses to compose himself and dips the pen in a nearby inkwell. In the time it takes to commit the action he has renewed again his commitment to his task.]
This treasonous action did not go unpunished. As the last of the captives escaped The Flying Dutchman a deckhand by the name of Will “Bootstrap” Turner did wound me with his sword, and I had thought myself slain by all accounts. That I survived is a miracle beyond my comprehension, but in light of my activities and my survival I owe it to His Majesty’s Royal Navy to report that fortune delivered me to the shore of an island by the name of “Luceti”, and that I am currently residing here in an apartment which has been appointed to me by the natives of this place. If it is decided that you must pursue me here, know that it need not be in force. I will go willingly to my trial. I would condone no outcome that would result in the loss of any of the innocent lives residing in this village with me.
I have always done my duty to my country, but today I was reminded that I have a corresponding duty to myself. It is with that sentiment that I hereby resign my commission with immediate effect.
James Norrington.
[Another moment’s pause, another long breath, and at length he folds the paper and conceals it with the interior pocket of his coat. He extinguishes the candle and the room concedes to the black of night.]
Third Person:
James Norrington had left the square with three frosted bottles of dark, murky liquid stowed about his person. Departing from the general store he had marched in the direction of the beach without any further delay. He began his journey in the late afternoon and the dirt beneath his feet give way to sand just as the sun began to dip behind the horizon. Now he climbs a large dune. At its top he is afforded a brilliant view of the setting sun, a sight which he acknowledges with a grim sense of amusement.
The sun setting over the sea seems an apt metaphor for the task that he must undertake now.
It is with a heavy heart and a slow step that he crosses the sand to stand in the shallow water of the beating tide. There amidst the gently lapping waves he draws a bottle from his coat and rips the cork free. He takes a swig, winces, his eyes locked on the bleeding distance where the sea and the sky merge. For ten minutes he drinks, staring ahead, and besides the occasional unconscious fluttering of his wings he does not move.
By the time the first bottle is empty the light of dusk has all but faded. James is armoured against the cold - his skin feels nothing of it. He draws a small folded letter from his breast pocket and with great care tucks it into the bottle. This he corks, and dropping to his knees he thrusts it into the sand until its body is half-way buried.
The next day he returns. The bottle remains, somehow spared the pull of the morning’s shifting tides. If this is a sign then he will accept it readily. He returns the letter to his pocket and braces himself for the long walk home.