Norman Bones is a character role-played by Ziggy.
General Description[]
Norman Bones, once known as a lawyer, private investigator, and occasional taxi driver in Los Santos, was revealed as one of the city's most notorious serial killers in his early life before facing justice and being sentenced to death.
After being gone for some time he has returned to Los Santos, but now he identifies himself simply as Death. His true nature remains shrouded in mystery, with some speculating that he embodies the essence of a god, reaper, devil, or perhaps even a demon.
Possessing the eerie ability to kill individuals simply by proximity and usher them into a realm between life and death known as Purgatory, Norman's enigmatic presence is often accompanied by a distinctive crow, notably a large black avian with piercing red eyes dubbed Noxee.
Information[]
Norman appears as a middle aged, pale, caucasian man with short, grey hair, a faint 5 o'clock shadow and bone-y face. He is usually seen wearing a flat-cap, glasses and turtleneck shirt along with a jacket or coat, all in some shade of black or grey. He's often seen smoking a cigarette, another old habit from his time as a human. He has a deep, almost raspy voice that people describe as equally intimidating and soothing.
Although appearing human, some have witnessed Norman's truer form as Death – that of a skeleton with glowing red eyes. After the death of his brother, Norman has moved on to wearing fully black clothing. Even though his eyes were red before his brother's passing, they've recently appeared a darker shade of red with a stronger glow.
Norman can be seen at times driving a classic white Peyote, which Edgar Del Castillo has described as "Death riding on a Pale Horse". The figure can be sighted behind the wheel, in the driver's seat, death himself, dark and cloaked, with a sense of coldness and an ominous presence.
Norman[]
Norman usually comes off as very calculated, well-spoken and level-headed. He is quick to pick up on small details, tellings, and mannerisms of those he speaks to. He views any vulnerability in a person as an easy way to manipulate them and will try to do so regularly. He rarely raises his voice but still shows anger and will often resort to threats when people try their luck with him. He doesn't really enjoy small talk or people in general but still humor one-on-one conversations with people from time to time as long as they're being cordial.
He enjoys playing mind games with people and will often try to pit people against each other by revealing bits of information he's gathered. Due to this he has gained a reputation of being a bit of a 'gossip'.
Norman doesn't have friends but instead values people based on their usefulness and respect. Even when he was alive Norman was still very much considered a lone wolf and not much has changed since becoming Death. He has stated that he prefers solitude and even if he was the last man left in the world he would be more than content with his situation and even prefer it.
Death[]
Even though Norman has stated on multiple occasions that he and Death are one and the same, it is clear that their opinions and feelings regarding certain topics differ. Death does not feel things like mortals do and appears indifferent in conversations, usually only stating how things are with no real emotion attached to those statements. Often times when they speak it is a combination of Norman and Death doing so, as their being is one and the same. However, Death can also be addressed directly and spoken to, something that Richard Dark discovered.
Norman often makes notion on his human nature versus his nature as Death, stating how a lot of things he used to do while alive he still does out of old habit. He has also revealed that it is the human side of him that enjoys other people's pain and suffering and that Death feels indifferent to it. Death has also openly described Norman as being "truly evil".
The exact extent of Norman's powers is yet to be discovered but some things are known about them.
Immortality
- Physical things that would normally kill a human, like bullets or weapons cannot harm him.[1] He has also described himself as being immortal but people speculate that since Norman replaced the death that brought him to purgatory there is still some way to get rid off or "kill" Norman.
The power to kill
- Several people have been seen being dropped to the ground while near Norman so it's evident to say that he is able to kill people at will. After first appearing at the lighthouse, plant life in the area also started to die which was attributed to Norman's presence. Even 'locals' have been spotted being dropped to the ground when in the vicinity of Norman or Noxee.
- He can "rot people from the inside out", something he's threatened several times and also demonstrated on people like Sai Carter and Lizzy Byrne who got to pick which organs would specifically be targeted.
- He has also taken credit for people falling ill, most notably Cleo's heart condition. Jeffrey Bundy was also inflicted by a lung condition that will eventually kill him.
Teleportation
- He has the power of teleportation as he's been seen to suddenly appear at locations in what seems like an instant. Similar to moving in the physical world he can also move to other realms like that of purgatory[2] or the realm that lies beyond death.
Revivification
- Norman has the power to bring animals and people back to life. He can do so as long as the person has not already moved on to the other side or if they have no wish of returning.
Memory removal/alteration
- In the deal to bring Dundee back to the living he would also make sure Dundee's memories of him were gone. A similar deal was made by Flop Dugong where, instead of losing his life, Flop lost the memories of his families upon returning from purgatory. If Norman has the power to alter memories or simply remove them is yet to be seen.
Skeleton Key
- Norman is in possession of a skeleton key, one of two known to be in existence. The key can be used to open various doors, gates and cages - but not all of them. It is the only key known to open the door to the Lighthouse.
Other
- Norman knows when things get hurt or die and describes this as simply being a "feeling" he gets when it happens. He also knows where people are without them telling him. This doesn't necessarily mean that he knows where every individual person is at all times but it's sufficient to say that if he wants to locate someone he can and will do so.
- He can commune with the dead, both those who have passed on and those who are stuck in purgatory and have yet to do so.
- He can alter the weather at will. When he does, it usually changes to rain, thunder or heavy fog.
- Similar to how corvids can mimic sounds and voices Norman has been seen doing this with the voice of Cleo Shaw. On two occasions this happened in person with Jeffrey Bundy and Bryce Miller respectively. He has also done so over the phone on several other occasions with various people.
Early Life/Backstory[]
Norman and his brother were born in a small town in Alaska and later raised in the inner city of Chicago. Throughout their younger years of living with their parents, they were abused mentally and physically.
During these years, Norman experienced his first sighting of death. He witnessed as a cat impaled itself on a broken fence post, and died as he stood watching. This event switched something in Norman's brain, making him want to see more, and eventually warping his mind to the point of believing that he is Death itself.
When the brothers were old enough to plan their escape from the abuse, they took action in the form of killing their parents. His brother was tasked with killing their mother (due physical stature/age), and Norman killed their father. The brothers parted ways shortly thereafter, and lead separate lives for several decades with no communication. Norman became a lawyer, and his brother went on to study medicine, and become a hematologist in Liberty City.
In January 2019, shortly after his brother began work in Los Santos, the two brothers were reunited at Pillbox Medical during one of Norman's visits.
Return from the Dead[]
Since reappearing in the city, Norman Bones has been predominantly engaged in manipulating individuals into striking deals with him. These arrangements often involve offering protection from death or the chance to retrieve a loved one from purgatory in exchange for the sacrifice of another human life. Norman has expressed that his current involvement in the mortal realm stems primarily from boredom, relishing the spectacle of observing people's discomfort as they attempt to evade their inevitable demise.
Frequently found in proximity to or within the lighthouse situated on the east coast of the island, Norman maintains an enigmatic connection to the locale. Despite claiming to lack genuine attachment to the site, speculation persists regarding whether the lighthouse harbors deeper secrets or serves as a gateway to purgatory.
Norman has asserted on numerous occasions that he seized control of Death after it came for him. Desiring autonomy over the fate of mortal souls, he elected to supplant Death itself.[3] While the precise mechanics of this transition remain shrouded in mystery, Norman has clarified that it involved a fusion of his essence with the entity of Death, resulting in a permanent tether to the mortal realm. Unlike other departed souls, Norman is precluded from moving on to a final resting place.
Speculation abounds regarding Norman's reliance on deals to carry out his will, with some positing that he is incapable of directly causing death. However, Norman has refuted this notion both in dialogue and action, claiming personal responsibility for approximately 20 deaths since assuming the role of Death. While some fatalities were inflicted through conventional means such as stabbing, others met their demise through supernatural phenomena.[4] As Death incarnate, Norman fulfills his duty to ensure the passage of souls, although these acts are executed with the detachment characteristic of his divine nature.
Return to the Island[]
In a period marked by the abandonment of Los Santos for several years, Norman Bones retreated to his realm, known as Purgatory, disenchanted by the lack of captivating individuals in the city to engage with. He remained ensconced in Purgatory until an event involving Winston Walker of the Already Dead MC unfolded. When Winston expressed his desire to depart from the motor club to the high command of the club and was subsequently shot by Barry Benson, it sent reverberations across the cosmos, intriguing Norman and prompting his return to Los Santos after an extended absence. During a conversation with Solomon Walker, Norman elucidated that Barry's action served as a catalyst, drawing him back to the mortal realm after years of withdrawal.
Feud with Pestilence[]
With the return of Norman came also the return of Pestilence, the entity that is still bound to Norman's deceased brother Isaac.
Pestilence claims his presence is only due to Norman having a hold over Death and has on many occasions described him as a disease upon it. According to Pestilence, Norman's dark dealings with humanity is creating an unbalance that needs to be corrected. He also claims he is currently unable to approach Norman or converse with his sibling Death. [5] Pestilence has said that not only does he want Norman gone, but that his kind and all of creation demands it. [6] If these statements hold any truth, or just a way to manipulate people into turning on Norman and taking the side of Pestilence, is unknown.
The Ring[]
Norman is currently in possession of a ring that used to belong to Isaac's dead wife Pandora. On occasions Norman has heard the voice of Isaac while spending time alone with the ring. While this could simply be taking place within Norman's mind, it is believed that a part of Isaac's soul may still be kept within the ring that allows for it to occur. Pestilence has asked many people to deliver the ring to him as it is what is stopping him from ridding the world of Norman. The exact powers of the ring or what Pestilence aims to do with it is unknown, but he has described it as a "really nasty" relic [7] and that those who came across it before "were of the correct mind to lock it away. To bury it." [8] It has also been revealed that the ring is what is keeping Pestilence in the mortal world and forcing him to take form, Norman himself describing it as keeping Pestilence "on a leash".
On March 16, 2025, Alice Omen managed to steal a vial of otherworldly acid from Pestilence's pocket with a bit of help from Hope. Pestilence might have allowed this to happen as he seemed to be aware of the theft taking place, as a similar method could be applied by Alice to steal the ring from Norman when an opportunity shows itself. Alice would go on to give the acid to TJ in purgatory, where he would proceed to use it to free himself from the chains of Norman/Death, which were picked up by Alice before they escaped purgatory together. Pestilence would later get in contact with Alice, berating her for wasting a once in a timeline opportunity, choosing to save her "pet" and consequentially dooming humanity by not making an attempt at stealing the ring.
Deals[]
|
Edgar could not live with the guilt of killing Aaliyah Court and so he started looking for a way to bring her back. Edgar had recalled Norman Bones history 5 years ago from Sabith Cohen of making deals and sacrifices at the lighthouse as the means to get someone back from the dead. This caused Edgar to start sacrificing people in the hopes of appeasing Death enough to bring back his loved one, Aaliyah from the dead. Edgar found it humorous that people would leave "snacks" and other offerings at the lighthouse as he believes the real way to summon such a being would be by blood. Blood magik and sacrifices are not foreign to Edgar and his family bloodline as they have experience in such. After Norman hadn't been seen in years, Edgar stayed hopeful that he would arrive any day. Eventually all of Edgar's blood sacrifices and pleading to Norman had come to forwishen, he had appeared for the first time after so many years to Edgar. Edgar said he would be willing to do whatever it takes to bring Aaliyah back to the living. This was a blank check in Norman's eyes that he could not refuse because of how good it was. Norman had told Edgar that in about a week or two he would be giving him a list of names that he would have to kill. After Edgar had returned to the city and before the list was given, Edgar's best friend AK, called Edgar to the lighthouse which was a meet-up to possibly kill Edgar to prevent Edgar from killing him and all their closest. Though, AK was killed first and someone from the Nu Epsilon cult had recorded it all on tape and there were a few uninvolved people across the lighthouse watching from afar. This is when the lighthouse and rumors of Norman's existence had really spread like wildfire around the city causing people to go there out of curiosity. A few more weeks went by and Norman had given Edgar the first name, it was Sonya Summers. This was disappointing to Edgar as he realized he couldn't get himself to do it as Sonya was the only person who was honest with him telling him that it was wrong to kill Aaliyah and had helped him and Aaliyah when she was alive keeping a home safe for Aaliyah to stay in after previously faking her death. He didn't want to regret killing her like he did with Aaliyah. Due to this, Sonya had advised Edgar to have hope and go against Norman with love and faith which Edgar protested against. Time was running out and Edgar knew he wasn't gonna go through with killing Sonya so he started to arrange his burial and informed his closest on what to do after he's gone. It was the day of the deadline for the first sacrifice of Sonya. As Sonya Summers, Bobby Beldrum, Alec Virken, and Jay Hobbs were in a circle discussing and preparing for what was to come with Norman. Jay receives a call from Norman Bones telling him to bring Sonya to him. Jay was always constantly against letting Edgar's life be given to Norman so this was an instant agreement from Jay to do so. Jay believed that bringing Sonya to Norman would sacrifice her to keep Edgar alive. He held everyone up and forced them into the car and headed to the lighthouse where Jay would then bring Sonya to Norman. Norman wanted to wait for Edgar to arrive before anything could happen. After Edgar had arrived into the lighthouse where it became locked. Jay was apologizing to Sonya for making this sacrifice. Edgar had opposed against Jay doing so as he believed the deal and killing would never end and his soul would be forfeit for eternity. Eventually the dispute had come to an end and a warmth started to take place in the lighthouse eventually a fire started to consume throughout every corner of the interior of the lighthouse. Edgar, Jay, and Sonya started to feel numb and that's when Edgar soon after woke up in Purgatory. Edgar was then met with Norman and as he walked through Purgatory was met with his deceased best friend, AK and soon after Aaliyah Court. A few months had passed by since then and at one point Edgar attempted to leave purgatory with the help of TJ collecting feathers as he read in a book of performing such a ritual in Purgatory that would give one access to leave or enter the realm. Unfortunately for Edgar, Norman had been aware of his plans for an escape for a long time and greeted him on the other end of the portal from purgatory where Norman was angered that the only way for him to leave Purgatory is through blood, swiftly sending him back to the world of the dead once again. A few weeks later after Frederick White had conducted and began his deal with Norman where he would have to cause bloodshed on 6 people in 7 days, Norman had agreed to let Edgar free regardless as it was his main goal to have blood be spilled for Edgar to be released. Norman has told Fred himself that he believes Edgar is much more valuable upon the living as he is a murderous killer. Three days later after Fred had been sent to Purgatory, Norman had let Edgar be released from Purgatory and is now returned to the world for the first time in what feels like 55+ years. |
| After Edgar Del Castillo had been struck by the Morgul-Blade, the wound burned away the flesh on his torso, leaving him in a deep coma. Jay became worried for Edgar's wellbeing that Edgar might never wake up again. Heavily considering making a deal with Norman and convincing others to do the same to ensure Edgar survives. After calling Norman, Jay rushed straight to the lighthouse where he made a deal with Norman to guarantee, Edgar’s survival and recovery from the Morgul-Blade’s poison in exchange for "anything and everything" Norman asks for. The next day, Edgar did indeed wake up, though it's uncertain whether the deal was the cause. Edgar and Jay believe the deal was the reason Edgar made it out alive from the coma. They believe that Edgar was in between life-and-death and was pulled out of it. Edgar and Jay both ended up working with Norman from then on. |
| After ignoring warnings from friends a curious CJ approached Norman at The Lighthouse after she learned about him from Edgar Del Castillo, and Norman's prvious dealings with Andi Jones. CJ asked Norman to keep her loved ones safe. Norman gave CJ time to make a decision as she had already begun a deal by speaking with him. After a falling out with Edgar, Lang Buddha told her to stay away from the Lighthouse and Norman. After running from Norman for two weeks, he appeared to finish their deal. CJ offered to send people to make deals with Norman in exchange for the safety of herself and Cypress, Norman agreed on a trial basis; if CJ could convince someone to make a deal, Norman would consider keeping more than just Skipper safe. |
| Fred has spent a lot of time investigating Norman due to his close friend Edgar Del Castillo having a previous deal and then being sent to purgatory, endeavoring to unravel a means of bringing him back. Fred vowed to himself to never make a deal, until Benicio Delgado, Fred's other close friend and Edgar's cousin, returned to Los Santos from Guarma. After Benicio had heard his cousin was presumed "dead" or stuck in Purgatory he was extremely saddened and upset. After a few days Benicio had made a deal with Norman that didn't convey much structure or certainty which is what Fred expected and was afraid of. Due to Benicio having a deal, Fred made a promise to himself and also Edgar to protect Benicio as priority. Fred had attempted to talk to Norman and even threatening his life. Norman walked up to the graveyard where despite never wanting to make a deal, did so with Norman there to nullify the previous deal with Benicio to protect him from damning his soul and being hurt. Fred gave specifications, guidelines, and a clear agreement on the deal so he wouldn't be deceived like others in the past have. The deal was made to protect the lives of Alice Omen, Oshiera Petros and Benicio Delgado from Norman's dealings. Fred also demanded Edgar be released from purgatory alive and well upon the living. In exchange Fred had to spill blood from a list of six names given by Norman in the span of seven days.
Time ran short for Fred and although he managed to hurt many of the people whose names had been provided to him by Norman, it was not enough for the deal to be fulfilled. To close the deal, Norman would end up taking Fred to purgatory where he would remain until another deal was made by Claire Miles that released him. Luckily for Fred, his life was not taken without something in return. Even though his end of the deal had not been completed in full, Norman still believed Fred had done an amicable job spilling the blood of those around him. This, together with Fred's soul, was enough in Norman's eyes to bring Edgar back from the dead. |
| Claire approached Norman by the lighthouse on April 16, 2025. She asked to make a deal to bring Frederick White back out of purgatory. In exchange she was willing to give up her own life. Norman accepted the deal and Fred was released shortly after Claire was taken to purgatory. Once back with the living on purgatory island, Fred was met by Benicio Delgado and Alana Reviews and gave them the news that Claire had made a deal to bring him back. This greatly upset Alana who berated Fred for trading places with Claire. At this point, Norman had showed up and confirmed that Claire had made her choice and was in fact dead. In her grieving state of mind, Alana proceeded to repeatedly stab Norman in frustration while cursing him out. |
💀 Trivia[]
- After becoming Death he no longer need to eat or drink or sleep.
- He does not have a favorite color.
- He does not celebrate or care for any holidays but has occasionally celebrated birthdays in the past.
- His favorite Golden Girl is Betty White.
- His body temperature is always cold.
- His favorite Christmas story is a Christmas Carol.
- He enjoys Chicago-style pizza.
- The kill that meant the most to him was that of his father.
- The name of his horse is Thanatiforos, meaning deadly or lethal in Greek.
💀 Gallery[]
February 26, 2025
References[]
- ↑ Snow tries to kill Norman
- ↑ Norman brings people into Purgatory
- ↑ Norman on why he became Death
- ↑ Norman explains he's still capable of killing
- ↑ Pestilence claiming he is unable to speak with Death
- ↑ Pestilence describing himself as Death's Keeper
- ↑ Topic of the ring being a relic
- ↑ Topic of the ring being a relic 2
| Played By: Ziggy |
|---|
Main Characters: Ziggy Buggs • Jackson Devereaux Additional Characters: Norman Bones
Main Characters: Norman Bones • Ziggy Buggs • Johnny Murdoc Additional Characters: Choppin Block • Ziggy JayGee • Webbs Emdy† • Stuart Simpson† • Mark O'Lepsy† • Carls Ailsman†Characters: Norman Bones • Ziggy Buggs • Phillip Martin • Hunter Stevens • Mike Rohdick • Rohnda Ramsall |