possessum: (𝟎𝟒𝟒)
ᴘᴇᴛᴇʀ ɢʀᴀʜᴀᴍ 👑 ᴋɪɴɢ ᴘᴀɪᴍᴏɴ ([personal profile] possessum) wrote in [community profile] deercountry2022-03-06 12:44 am

we coughed up honey into the air

Who: Peter Graham [personal profile] possessum + open! Anyone welcomed!
What: March catch-all ft. a bunch of Jumanji event prompts and some general ones.
When: The month of March.
Where: The jungle, and around Trench.

Content Warnings: This character comes with demonic possession by default ; Corruption / demonic attributes ; Jumanji Jungle Level warnings ; a lot of Panicked Cursing ; others to be noted in threads


EVENT — JUNGLE LEVEL
ENTER THE JUNGLE

What the fuck, man? Oh what the fuuuuck?

( —Whimpers the tall and thin young man beside you, voice rising in pitch as he tries to huddle in on himself, wide-eyed and terrified. Maybe you know Peter already, or maybe you're strangers to each other, but either way it's clear that your new Jungle Adventure Partner is less than enthusiastic about this.

It's also clear that he's going to be absolutely no use. For as your journey continues, Peter not only emits a variety pack of distressed noises on the regular (shouts, yelps, moans, groans, frenzied whispers, and teary mumbling)... he also gets into a lot of trouble because it appears to be that a) he has absolutely no survival skills at all, and b) he is constantly on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Really, it seems inevitable he's just going to die at any given moment. There are general things like Peter getting hopelessly tangled up in vines, tripping and falling over large roots, and zoning out and wandering off out of sight only to start crying out for you in a panic, and once or twice he just straight-up crouches down on the ground with his arms wrapped around his head, as though he can't take anymore, but then there are also the challenges— )


QUICKSAND
( It happens before he can even process it. The game spits its weird riddle, and then the ground itself seems to be folding, melting, inwards. Peter screams (take a shot every time) as he feels himself start to sink. His fingers are clawing desperate at the softened ground around him, and he suddenly understands what's going on. )

It's fucking quicksand! It's fucking!! Quicksand! It's fucking quicksaaaaand! ( He's repeating this over and over and over, panicked, aware that the game has toppled over and is starting to sink too, but Peter's not at all concerned about it, doesn't even try to grab it. Maybe you can — maybe you're not sinking, evaded it by an inch or two, or weren't with him when it started happening, and just ran up now. Or maybe you're in as much trouble as he is..... or maybe not quite as much, given Peter's flailing around has caused him to personally sink even faster, and he's now covered all the way up to his waist. It's only getting worse. )

RUSHING RIVERS
( Peter, who is possessed by an ancient demon king with a lot of equally ancient abilities, can actually breathe underwater now. Peter does not currently know this.

Which is to say, when the waters come, he thinks he's going to die. He's screaming like he's going to die, from where he's clinging onto a huge, tilted tree trunk for dear life. He'd managed to scramble his way up onto it as soon as the flood broke, but now he's trapped out in the middle of the water, screaming.

Maybe you hear him and scream back, or try to make your way closer. Maybe you're caught in the merciless flow of the flood, in danger of being slammed into any number of solid objects; maybe he can actually help get you onto his tree, or maybe you manage to make your way to it yourself. Hopefully it doesn't snap. )


GIANT FROGS (NOTE: ONE ATTEMPTED EATING OPTION & ONE SUCCESSFUL EATING....)
( By the time the frogs appear, Peter's very tired. He's been made to walk for longer than he's ever walked in his entire life, he's sweating through his shirt, his hair is a wreck of curls entangled with little pieces of vines and dirt and probably a spider or two... Every once in awhile he smacks at his head, like he feels something crawling on it.

He's trailing behind whomever he's with, feet practically dragging the ground, when there's abruptly a yelp and if you turn, you'll see him staring in terror and pointing at something off to the side. Two huge black eyes peek out of the brush, where something wet and swollen and big crouches.

Peter's starting to breathe funny, like his lungs are too small: sharp attempts at air intake. He sounds like he's close to hyperventilating.

That's when a thick, ropey tongue suddenly lashes out of the creature's mouth and wraps right around his middle, as firm as a python. Peter...... screams, trying to flail around, slapping at the wormlike thing that's ensnared him, but it's not letting go. Maybe you can help get him out of this before he ends up lunch.

Or maybe, he's in the middle of a rant, because he's had it. )


I've had it! ( he declares suddenly, long arms lifting into the air with exasperation. ) This is stupid. It's so fucking stupid. Why're we even doing this— this little dumb game? This sick shit?! I'm tired, and I'm hot, and we've been walking for hours. I want to go ho—

( It's at that moment that a tongue lashes out, grabs Peter, and pulls him into a nearby frog's mouth before he or anyone can say another word. All six feet of him and his spider-filled hair completely vanishes. He has been swallowed whole.

There's probably a shocked silence for a long moment or two before panicked, muffled screaming can be heard coming from the frog's swollen body, within which Peter Graham is all crammed up. Whether you were with him this whole time or happened to be close by and witness this just now, maybe you can help Peter not get digested. Please help Peter not get digested. )


TROPHY HUNTER
( By the time this challenge takes place, Peter's gotten separated from whomever he's been with this whole time. In fact, this challenge isn't even one he helped to summon; he'd long ago given up on the game and has just been wandering aimlessly, trying to find his people, when he'd encountered the hunter who was summoned from someone else's game.

And now here he is, running up to you, some wild-eyed, dirty young man with hair all over the place who appears from the brush. He seems unhinged. )


He's crazy! He's fucking crazy!

( You might be thinking yes, you are fucking crazy, when there's the loud crack of a gun from the depths of the jungle, and Peter flinches violently, ducking downwards and grabbing for your arm, voice a hushed, strained whisper. )

We have to run! He'll kill us, don't you get it?! He wants to kill us!!

( Maybe you're already well-aware of the trophy hunter and the fact he wants to kill you; maybe you were trying to hide, already. Or maybe this is brand new information to you. Either way, you're going to have to work with Peter to survive this.

.....You might die. )

GENERAL — THE MONTH OF MARCH CW: PHYSICAL DEMONIC ATTRIBUTES, RECREATIONAL DRUG MENTION

NOTE — As a Darkblood, this month Peter has the ability to see energy / auras / life force around living things, so feel free to include what colour your character would emit!
( March is a blossom of strange things growing all over, and new worries bumping up against all the old ones. Peter largely remains a recluse, staying safely tucked away in the townhouse he shares with Luna Lovegood. There are things he has to protect: her, and a fresh new bond, and a young boy named Falco Grice who shows up trembling against the flickering ghosts at the corner of his vision. The boy stays with them for awhile as Corruption grows, spreads. Peter's kept busy in the early days of March, and will rarely be seen. But those who visit the townhouse will be invited in or met out in front of the house.

It's towards the middle of March that his own budding Corruption makes its appearance known again. This time, it's not so much a mental change as a physical one... Peter doesn't become some snarling thing the way he was back in December. He maintains his lucidity, his identity, everything that makes him Peter.

It's just that now he has a pair of large black horns sprouting from his head, as well as a long, thin, scaly black tail.

....It's alarming, to be sure, but at this point, Peter's... tired. Sure, this happened. Why the fuck wouldn't it?

And so, the boy who doesn't act like a demon this time but looks like one just kind of... continues on with his life. He's still mainly to be found at the townhouse, for any visitors, but on occasion he might be spotted around the city. He goes shopping for clothes, perusing various shops: a tall, gloomy-eyed young man with sharp horns and a tail curled shyly against his leg. He's... looking for shirts that button up instead of have to be pulled over the head.... He doesn't know how long he's going to be looking like some sort of Teenage Hellspawn, but until this goes away, he needs some more clothes that he won't destroy.

Or maybe you spot him crouching down near cobblestoned streets, looking about as depressed as anyone can, gazing listlessly across the street, one elbow folded over a knee. He's holding a joint to his mouth but not actually smoking it yet; however, when he notices you nearby, he tilts his head up at you (with some difficulty; the horns are... heavy), and gives a slight nod. )


Want one? Got extra. ( —Then, he'll be fishing through his hoodie pocket, drawing out a little bag of sour gummy candies (drug-free). Where'd he even get those... He has his ways. And apparently, he's willing to share. ) Got these, too.

( Or he can sometimes be found sitting outside under the shade of a tree, long legs curled into a crossed position, a number of books spread around him. It seems like some sort of study session, and closer inspection will show that they probably came from the Arcane Archives: ancient-looking texts bound in thick leather. Peter's thumbing through them, a pair of reading glasses pressed to his face. If you're willing to approach the person with the demon horns and tail, it's actually a pretty serene display. Flowers have popped up from the ground and a few haphazard other things can be found in little patches nearby: apples and bananas and.... a cabbage? Is that a coconut, too?? It's weird. This place is weird.

But maybe not as weird as the sight of Peter Graham actually willingly reading a book.

Or the sight of him... being so seemingly at ease about his demonic parts. He's even using his tail to his advantage, the scaly black thing poking through a book or two, slithering snake-like through the grass to find the pencil he dropped and returning it to his hand as he jots down some notes.

But he often does look up, people-watching, and if you're passing by, his eyes might drift to you — or maybe it's more at you. He sees something; there's some curious attentiveness, and he hesitates only a moment before asking, a little shy— )


Hey, uh, this might sound weird, but do I have like... a colour around me?

( If you're a fellow Darkblood, his own energy is a very dark, smooth green — something of phthalo and hunter and forest — rich and somber and quiet, and maybe a little uncomfortable, like the dark part of the woods. Anything could be looking out.

A second pulse is there up under the first: a second colour, or a cacophony of them. Flashes of gold amongst iridescent shine, alien colours that are difficult to truly pinpoint, flickering from those dark woods. If you look too long, too close, it hurts.

But maybe you can't see it. Peter wonders why he welcomed anyone to in the first place. )

WILDCARD / ETC

ooc ➤ plurk (skeletals) / discord (large bat#2354) / pm / Peter's plot post
As a note, I'm definitely open to the mosquito challenge or the perking up one despite not having prompts for them up. If you'd like to toss one of those at me, feel free!
Also, respond in prose if that's your preference, and I'll gladly follow suit.

entreats: (she's coming apart)

[personal profile] entreats 2022-04-17 05:53 pm (UTC)(link)
You know.. I feel the same way though.

[ Ange's voice is still relatively light and casual, even though she's definitely talking about a serious topic here with him. Maybe it's partially because she feels like she has to be the strong one here in the face of his nerves, but it's also because it's not as hard to talk about this in the face of what Peter himself is admitting.

After all, what's a little vulnerability in the face of someone who constantly shows her vulnerability of his own? ]


I know I'm acting all cool, like I'm not worried about anything, like we're going to be fine no matter what.. But I'm definitely expecting the worst to happen any moment.

[ Look, the only reason she didn't want to say that was because she didn't want to worry Peter, but.. well, it's still just true. Ange is pessimistic in nature, after all. There's no way she isn't expecting this place to throw something at them in this jungle that she just can't beat, no matter what she said earlier. ]

I'm terrified that I'll screw up, and that you'll get hurt here. That I won't be strong enough to protect you. [ Mind you, there's no fear for herself. It's what happesn when you grow up in a constant state of danger - you stop caring about it.

But Ange has never had other people around who could get hurt, which makes that infinitely more scary. ]


But.. that's exactly why I know I just have to do what I can to make sure you stay safe, no matter what happens. No matter how scary the thought of you getting hurt is, it just means I have to give it my all to keep you safe. No matter how I think about it.. I just keep returning to that thought. I can't just give up on protecting a friend, just because some odds might be against me.

[ She mostly just hopes that he can see it too. That being afraid, or being worried.. it doesn't matter. You can be worried, afraid, and brave.

She knows that Peter has got to have it in him too, somewhere. ]
Edited 2022-04-17 17:54 (UTC)
imaglyphwitch: (Owl appreciation)

[personal profile] imaglyphwitch 2022-04-17 06:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Luz knew for sure she wasn't going to think about that anytime soon. It was hard enough trying to navigate through Trench and its way of messing with your whole situation and your OWN. Existential crises needed to take a number.

Luz decided to plant herself on the floor, asking for permission before partaking it a snack herself and sipping the tea.

"Honestly, its the height and the speed that are the scariest part of them. Otherwise, I can testify that they're big sweethearts! Don't get too near them if they get antsy of course, one kick would probably kill you."

Which was something to be concerned about, but Luz was always careful. She made sure that the Fathiers had enough room to feel safe, and to be very attentive to their needs.

"Not really. I mean, we have some pretty wild creatures, sure, but nothing as big as Fathiers would make good pets. They'd probably trample you. Nah, I found more magical creatures the moment I stumbled into the Boiling Isles from my world. To me, nothing is more amazing than this guy right here."

She motioned toward her staff, which was motionless for a moment, and the gave way to a small brown owl that hooted and nuzzled Luz's face.

"He's not mine, but I'm taking care of him for right now, and he's keeping me company. That's Owlbert, my teacher's Palisman."
eudaimonikos: (compatibilism)

[personal profile] eudaimonikos 2022-04-17 11:09 pm (UTC)(link)
...you know, I'm not sure. Things like that aren't real back home - we don't really interact with anything on Earth. But I guess that doesn't mean they couldn't be here.

[Lots of things that probably wouldn't bother him at home get to him here. He's not quite so untouchable anymore; Michael's just had to accept that. Still, he's not sure how he'd fit into one of those normal "holy/infernal" religious-type schemas.]

Probably not holy water or anything like that. But...regular magic, I guess that might. You know of stuff like that?
devilmind: (disbelieving)

[personal profile] devilmind 2022-04-18 01:41 am (UTC)(link)
[ The Operator expects the horror. They expect the incomprehension and even the denial. These are the reactions they would expect from anyone learning that their loved one has been lost in such a horrific way and they sit, eyes downcast and fingers tied in knots, waiting for him to finish.

And then he says that Paimon is not inside Charles—that Paimon is inside him. The Operator's yellow eyes flash up, eyes wide with incomprehension. ]


That's impossible, [ they say immediately. ] Continuity erases whoever came before. Orokin don't share their Yuvans.

[ If Paimon is inside Peter rather than Charles, then it is Paimon they are speaking to now. That alone seems impossible—the Operator sees none of the imperious presence in the young man before them that they had seen in Charles. But if it's not true, why would Peter say it? The Operator stares hard at him, brow furrowed—and then their face softens with understanding. ]

You can't protect him, you know. [ Their voice is quiet, but resolute. ] There's nothing left to protect. Nothing but the monster who destroyed him.

[ That's clearly what this is: a misguided attempt to protect Charles by claiming that he is Paimon's Yuvan instead. That he'd lie for such a purpose brings with it a new pang of guilt and sorrow, but the Operator remains intent on their purpose. Anything that can be destroyed by the truth, should be. ]

Tell me where he is. [ They're leaning forward now, looking up at Peter with a patient, baleful look. ] And I'll handle the rest.
kyley_b: (RL stubborn)

[personal profile] kyley_b 2022-04-19 09:48 pm (UTC)(link)
[Kyle looks like a such a normal nerdy guy. He looks like he should be pretty much in the same boat as Peter - anxious, unprepared, scared to death.

Well, okay, he IS all of those things, but he's also actually really used to gunfire. For one thing, he's from a town where there's a lot of hunters. For another, he's from a town where the ATF, FBI, and police force shoot up the place with disturbing regularity. Hell, the civilians shoot up the place with disturbing regularity. Kyle himself has operated a semi-automatic weapon. As a child.

The old blunderbuss is incredibly loud, but as long as Kyle can see where the hunter is pointing it, it's okay. He watches as Peter rushes the guy and knocks him over, then gets his own ass in gear. He bolts forward and brings the branch he's got down as hard as he can at the guy's face. Is it a bit of a shit move to hit a man while he's down? Probably. But he IS trying to kill them, Kyle reasons.

The hunter manages to get his gun up, and Kyle grabs at Peter, hauling him back. The roar of the shot is deafening, but it misses the boys and instead hits the Darkblood creature rushing over to their defense. Kyle drops to his knees as if he's been struck, hand going to to his head. The creature he'd made disintegrates, falling apart in a cascade of glitter. The hunter makes it to his knees.

Kyle staggers to his feet and kicks him in the balls.

Crude. But effective. He drops his gun.]
eudaimonikos: (ethics without principles)

[personal profile] eudaimonikos 2022-04-20 12:25 am (UTC)(link)
That makes sense. Stuff that's predicated on angel and demon things might not work on me - my type's just pretty different from most others I hear about. But we're...objective.

[Different from these biblical sorts, and certainly different from Paimon, although those two also seem quite different from each other. Plus, Luna's someone Michael knows and trusts; he's naturally more inclined to go to her than to this Constantine guy.]

I'd like to do that sometime. We could make a little game out of it - me versus Luna!
opress: (Default)

[personal profile] opress 2022-04-20 12:58 am (UTC)(link)
We all can be violent. It depends on the power to exert, but power is strength.

[He didn't even pretend to understand how much damage a demon could do; all he saw right now was a humanling who had been wheezing and terrified to be faced with him. Certainly, this could be a ruse and the kid was actually just waiting to stab him in the back, but that was unlikely. There was a strong power that lurked under the surface, but it didn't seem to be stirring.

Ah, so Peter was still learning how to cope with such new power? Savage knew what that was like, learning a new element of one's body, experiencing a swell of power. At least Peter knew he was being controlled; he had not and still to a degree didn't believe that he was.]


Is the demon going to split you like a melon at some point then? Or you're stuck like this?

[Curiosity caused him to search for answers. He was unbothered by the scene, the dead frog, the fact that they could be attacked at any moment. The whole scenery could change and it might not matter at all to him. Peter was still on the ground anyway.]

I know what it's like to be owned. [He did; Maul did not.] Perhaps you should invest in being stronger so you're a better pet.
eudaimonikos: (on the way to language)

[personal profile] eudaimonikos 2022-04-20 02:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, definitely. I'd much rather get things sorted out when I don't need it. I'm too...difficult, when I do.

[Not only in his capacity for violence; he's just a big old liar. Michael can easily see himself tricking them into thinking something worked, just for the fun of casually walking out of it to catch them unawares later.]

It is. It's not...physical fire though, exactly. I'm not sure if she could do much about it. [He seems, frankly, a little unnerved at the thought. But...the point is to weaken him, right?] I mean, I can swim and things like that just fine.
imaglyphwitch: (nothing clever for this one)

[personal profile] imaglyphwitch 2022-04-20 04:09 pm (UTC)(link)
For Luz's part, she was just happy to actually spend a moment doing a relaxed, teenagery thing to do right now. No looking out for some new kind of monster lurking around, or chores to do. Just having snacks and talking to a friend! Who knew those moments actually existed?

Owlbert was flying up to the ceiling now, to find a place to perch. He would probably get some crumbs from Luz later, but right now he wanted to stretch out his wings a moment.

He does give an appreciative chirp in Peter's direction though.

"Yes he is! He usually turns into a staff when I'm casting or need to fly, but he can just accompany us too! They're carved through Palisman wood back in the Boiling Isles. Owlbert is my teacher Eda's Palisman. She left him behind with me in Deerington when she...woke up."

strikefirster: (You won't show)

[personal profile] strikefirster 2022-04-21 11:25 pm (UTC)(link)
[Johnny's felt for the kid, he really did. But he only knew the worst ways to show it and a lot of his students from back home could attest to that.

Honestly he appreciates the way Peter is just too scared to really argue with him at the moment. They needed to act. That's when Johnny did his best and worst work.]


Good. See you're already doing better there, kid.

[Johnny actually brushes some of the left over sand off Peter. Like he actually might care.]

No fucking clue, Honestly I'm just kind of winging it, kicking the shit out of whatever gets in my way and hoping to find an exit while I'm at it.

It works in the movies so it should work here too.

Does that work for you?
blackmothwings: (77)

[personal profile] blackmothwings 2022-04-22 08:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes, you could certainly try it. Just be sure to have your dearest friends alongside you while you try. However... I think Paimon would be happy to work with you.

[At least, she hopes that he'll co-operate with Peter instead of consuming him whole. She assumes it would be easy for the demon to take his host over completely, forever, erasing Peter's identity entirely if he wanted to do so. And that is why she doesn't want Peter to be without trusted friends by his side, if he is to accept the demon and let him grow. Her darkness is a little different than Peter's because she is alone in it. She talks of 'the monster' but there is no other entity buried inside her. It is all her, and she doesn't need to worry about her own personality being erased.]

It seems he will continue to get stronger. And so he must learn to co-exist and work with you. I imagine that he can hear me, and he must understand that.
devilmind: (possessed by devil mind)

[personal profile] devilmind 2022-04-24 08:14 am (UTC)(link)
[ The Operator stands at the same time Peter does, not because they intend to leave but because Peter's warning has them ready for confrontation. They can see that he is terrified and they can feel the seeds of alarm taking root in them as well, but it's not enough to make them run. They'd come here looking for Paimon—they will not turn back if he's truly on the cusp of appearing. ]

Come out from where? [ They match Peter's urgent whisper. Is Paimon somewhere inside the house, listening? Their eyes dart, looking for some sign of another presence there with them, before settling back on Peter. For a moment, they are perfectly still, a revelation falling upon them. A look of regret crosses their face for the briefest of moments and then hardens into cold resolve. ]

Tell me. Or I'll call him out myself.

[ King Paimon. He is overdue for their meeting, anyway. ]
imaglyphwitch: (EYES)

[personal profile] imaglyphwitch 2022-04-28 11:35 am (UTC)(link)
Luz was at the point with Peter now that she was starting to get used to it. Granted, she had not seen Peter at her worst yet, but she'd still seen him pretty bad off, so she was at least prepared if something like that were to happen.

Between Deerington, Trench and the Boiling Isles, Luz was just about always ready for things to go unexpected at a moment's notice.

Luz nodded. "I was actually pretty confused why he didn't go with Eda when she woke up, but boy, am I glad he didn't. I can't tell you how many times this little buddy of mine saved me from near dying! But you remember the last month of Deerington. Staying at home for most of it was what should have happened, but I don't think any of us did that."

That was a good question.

"She was here before me, so I'm not sure. I know people who knew her got close to her. Varian and Fern like her a lot, and she was there, well, when Darth Maul got possessed by his old master's wishes and nearly killed Fern but DID kill Varian. I could tell they meant a lot to her. Eda was kinda great that way: wily and underhanded, but really sweet and caring if she got to know you and liked you."
retsuden: ([疾風伝] 21)

[personal profile] retsuden 2022-04-29 01:55 am (UTC)(link)
[ Later... He nods at the correction of the timeline, having never quite been told the specifics about when the cults arrived. He figures it may be good to remember, just in case they increase in activity at the same time every year.

And while the other isn't wrong about it being creepy, he hadn't missed the way his hands had spread through the grass or the tightness in his features for that brief moment. It's the same way he's handled his own panics when he's confronted with something painful from the past, and there's a part of him that wants to press for details. But he's learned that that's... not the best road when it comes to confronting bad things that have happened here.

Besides, that phrase; what's inside me. It sticks out more than the momentary panic and even makes Sasuke's brow raise just slightly for a moment. The way the boy's aura—what Sasuke assumed was his chakra—had mixed in color, the way the gold had started to slowly overtake... It reminded him of the red, angry chakra of the kyuubi when it would overpower Naruto's primary shade of warmth. Inside me makes it make more sense. ]


Are you a jinchuuriki?

[ ... Sasuke you literally can't just ask people that. Mostly because they usually won't know what the fuck you're talking about, come on. ]
kyley_b: (RL hair grab)

[personal profile] kyley_b 2022-05-01 06:23 pm (UTC)(link)
[Kyle's head feels like it's splitting apart. Fascinating information, really helpful for the future, but he's having a hard time appreciating it at the moment. Thank god for Peter thinking to grab the gun.

Kyle forces himself to stop clutching at his head.]


Yeah. Yeah, good thinking. You keep that trained on him.

[He blinks several times, then approaches the hunter from the side.] Move and you're dead, fucko.

[They're in luck - the hunter has rope in his pack, clearly used to make snares. Kyle pulls it out and ties the hunter's wrists together behind his back before he urges him to his feet. He's pretty docile, probably from the kick to his nuts. Kyle leads him to a thinner tree and sets about tying the rope to it. He figures it'll take a few hours for the guy to get free.

Poor show, old man, is all the hunter says to them. Kyle steps back and nods.]


Okay. Okay, we should get the hell out of here, Peter. You okay?

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