Name: Claire

Age: 30+

Contact: slanndalous

Character(s) in game: N/A

Permissions: here

Character Name: Peter Osborne

Age: 56

Canon: The Exorcist

Canon point: Post-Season 2 finale soon after Peter drops Marcus off to assist Tomas with an exorcism

History: (cw: child death, post-war PTSD)
Before becoming a Fish and Wildlife officer on Nachburn Island off the coast of Washington, Peter found a career in the military. He spent two tours in Kosovo supporting ground offenses and cleaning up after the NATO bombing campaigns. One event during his service has haunted him most—Grabbing through rubble after a bombing, he touches the soft skin of a boy who was crushed by the debris. Constant nightmares of the child's lifeless body hinder his day-to-day life and his performance in the Army. But once discharged from service, he finds civilian life to be a difficult adjustment.

But his is a success story, finding a new existence and occupation in time. Peter becomes a fixture of support for the few residents of Nachburn Island. So when strange occurrences begin surrounding one of his neighbors, Andy Kim and his foster family, Peter is called out to study a few of the unnatural phenomena.

This is how he meets Marcus Keane, the defrocked priest and one of the main characters investigating the same ominous signs. He tells Marcus about similar incidents that have left a mark on the island, like one mad man who murdered his entire family and several children, except for one daughter. Together they sail to the mainland where she lives in a retirement home in order to talk with her.

On the way back Peter cuts the power to his boat, so that the two of them can talk. He sees the same scars in Marcus that plagued him after returning to civilian life. He opens up to Marcus about his own difficulties, and then so does Marcus. Eventually Marcus finds some semblance of peace from their talk and thanks Peter before returning to the island.

Later on one of his routine patrols, Peter finds Marcus walking on the side of the road and picks him up and heads for Andy's house where his partner is waiting to begin an exorcism. But before he lets Marcus leave, Peter asks that, after he is done here, he come back for a long talk and a bottle of bourbon. It's the last he sees of Marcus.

Personality: Some might consider Peter's life on a small island to be normal—simple, even. But there's nothing simple in rebuilding a crumbling foundation into a stable, solid existence. After his service in the military, he finds he cannot adjust to civilian life. Peter states that he was restless and couldn't sit still, that his "brain was on fire," and he wanted to rip his skin off just to relieve the pressure. He had nightmares that tormented him and he would isolate himself from friends and family from the fear that he might embarrass or hurt them during potential episodes of PTSD.

He sees these same symptoms in Marcus, but unlike him, Peter has spent his time facing his demons instead of pushing them deep down. Through counseling and strength of will, Peter learns how to be vulnerable and open about his struggles, his fears, and how to ask for help.

Marcus uses his tales of trauma to frighten Peter away, but it doesn't work. He takes the man's pain in stride as he has learned to with his own. This is shown when he doesn't shy away, but embraces them. He uses his own stories to show Marcus that vulnerability and trust in others will not end in tragedy, that his pain is not an isolated incident. Others like him can and will understand if he but reaches out for help.

It is clear in the show that Peter is a very empathetic and patient man who has fought for health and normalcy in his new life and is willing to do the same for others. From this rebuilding process, he's become comfortable and confident in the man he is and the life he's created for himself.

When he meets Marcus for the first time, he flirts openly with him to test the waters. He doesn't skip a beat in his delivery or in his change of topic when the other man is too stunned to respond. He doesn't apologize for who he is, nor does he have anything to compensate for. He's happy to help a complete stranger who needs assistance, whether for their job or to accept them and their flaws with kindness and patience.

After fifty-something years Peter is a man who knows who he is, what he wants, and has the confidence and strength to go for it. He's a straight talker, determined and certain, and uses his experiences with PTSD as a vehicle to help others in their times of need.

Suitability: While Peter is by all accounts a completely normal man with a completely normal life in a, as far as he knows, completely normal world, he shows a willingness to believe in the unusual and can empathize with other people's trauma. He's had his own dark days as a soldier that he has overcome by healthy means of treatment and counseling. Peter provides that same support to others, like Marcus, who have had unimaginable suffering and trauma throughout their lives.

While his character was only just starting to brush up against the supernatural, his personality leads me to believe that he'll be able to roll with it, even if he doesn't fully understand it, even if he has to compartmentalize it like he had to in the war, to survive.

Powers/Abilities: Nope, nothing! He is completely normal.

Entity Affinity: I am torn between The Slaughter and The Desolation.

• The Slaughter — as a former soldier, he was honorably discharged and diagnosed with PTSD from his tours in Kosovo. At the beginning of his discharge, he described pushing people away from him because he was worried how he might react in public. He always felt restless, not in control.


• The Desolation — I think this also works well with his time in war, sifting through rubble after bombing raids. These memories have haunted him because so many civilian lives were snuffed out.

Inventory:
1x .40 caliber Smith & Wesson Shield pistol
1x portable hand-held GPS unit

Samples: TDM, inbox