( video; english ) this should come as a surprise to absolutely no one

[starspangledhero]

[ Unlike many people, America hasn't quite found anyone he knows among the bodies yet. That isn't even his primary concern. He's seen bodies before; he's seen people he's loved or hated or never knew die before. He's had to wade through corpses and sort through the dead. No, it's the fact that they're blinking in and out of existence that has him freaked out. So he's wandering around Dissimulo, shotgun in hand. ]

You know, after years of being here and, okay, I've seen some stuff that's pretty much this level of bad, this is still kinda-- aw man, just look at this. Okay this is disturbing in general.

[ He shows a huge spoiler for Game of Thrones with his camera. A second later it blinks, then fades away. America jumps back and gives a small yelp. For good measure, he drops the communicator to fire a few shotgun blasts at the place where it was. Nothing happens. Predictable. So he picks it back up. You can practically see him becoming even more paranoid by the second. ]

The fuck is going on?

[ Now another corpse can be seen nearby. ...It's the same guy covered in arrows. Again, no one he knows, but ten points to you if you know. ]

I should expect this by now. 'Cause this place just likes to mess with us us! And scary, and I can't even tell if this is worse than the place with blood or what. Hoping that this is all in our heads. I mean it's gotta be, right? Just glad there's no familiar faces yet. Gonna find some, I bet, but so far...

Fuck, and you know what? There's still bombs out there too, ones not owned by me, and there's not even a good shelter around here, and what if these are all victims of the Rail Tracer? Don't even fucking laugh because it's a possibility. It's a possibility that we're next but not me, man. Not me.

[ For anyone who can see them, a thestral meanders into the picture and attempts to eat the corpse. Attempt being the operative word. It hisses like a demon at the camera, stomping its feet. Strangely America is not at all perturbed by this. ]

At least we've got cute horsies running around trying to clean up.

Comments

[lonelyglub.livejournal.com]

[starspangledhero]

You ever heard of a demon?

[lonelyglub.livejournal.com]

[ethericbit.livejournal.com]

...Who's the Rail Tracer?

[ Jack hasn't seen anybody he knows yet, but bodies oh boy. He's not too scared, but he's already blaming the scientists, so he's already in kinda a crabby mood. ]

[starspangledhero]

Evil incarnate.

[ Yeah pretty much. America just knows bodies usually precede something even worse. ]

[ethericbit.livejournal.com]

What do you mean?

video

[baoziaru.livejournal.com]

I would not say those are cute, but they are definitely interesting, aru.

[A short-haired China also looks like he had a rude awakening, and his bayonet rifle can be seen in his other hand, fingers clamped around it so tightly that they're white.]

They look like a combination of a dragon and a horse.

video

[starspangledhero]

They're cute!

[ America reaches to pet one, but it flinches away, ears pinned like a pissed horse, snapping and making all sorts of demonic sounds. America just pulls back. ]

Just not too tame. They've got wings, so I wonder if they can fly...?

video

[gochuugoku.livejournal.com]

They probably can, I mean why else would they have wings, aru.

I wonder... would it be possible to tame one? [Implying an idea he has in his own head.]

[video; English]

[bauhinia]

Cute horsies is one way to put it.

[ He looks... unperturbed, as usual. Why even. ] What's a Rail Tracer?

[video; English]

[starspangledhero]

It's the truth!

[ America's expression suddenly goes serious. ] It's a very long, complicated story, but it takes the form of many things. A man, a monster, ghosts, Russia... but its true form is unknown. Anyone that knows it isn't exactly around to tell anyone what it looks like, if you catch my drift.

[video; English]

[bauhinia]

The cute part's pretty subjective.

[ Eff you, Discedo. Claire Stanfield will return one day and set his story straight.

Again. ]

Does that mean Russia isn't real?

[fierybluebird]

Rail Tracer?

.... I'm not sure that horse is remotely cute. It kind of reminds me of Doc Q's horse in somehow even later stages -- may the bastard burn in hell.

[starspangledhero]

Man I just need to make some big general explanation 'cause apparently people haven't been around long enough to know all of its terrible exploits!

Naw, it's cute! It's like how some dogs are so ugly that they're cute.

[fierybluebird]

Aye. I've never heard of it.

What? That doesn't make any sense. Dogs are either cute... or just not. Not so uncute they become cute again. That would like negative numbers getting so negative it loops back into positive.

[Video]

[westdetective.livejournal.com]

They're tryin' ta upset ya.

[Video]

[starspangledhero]

Who?

I mean, I've had my fair share of trauma here, but this really isn't the icing on the cake. Corpses and blood ain't anything new to me. It's the fact that they keep fucking disappearing that's so creepy!

[Video]

[westdetective.livejournal.com]

Who's ever behind this.

They could have multiple motives fer all we know. Yer better off not making rash broadcasts like this one.

[spiffingtea.livejournal.com]

Eh, America. They're Thestrals. People can only see them when they've witnessessed death. .... I hope you have enough bloody bullets in that gun of yours because if you cut yourself near it it is going to go for you. ... Otherwise I supppose most of them aren't so bad. Just be careful.

_[...]

... H-How haven't you seen anyone you know yet?....

[starspangledhero]

Oh. I'm sure they're friendly enough! All else fails I can probably put one in a headlock. ...Wait, how do you know what they are?

[ shrug ] I dunno. There's a lot of 'em. Some look familiar, like I've seem them around here before, but no one I was close to.

Voice.

[fettuttittes.livejournal.com]

What's a Rail Tracer. [Okay she wasn't going to talk to him but there is important things to know. Like that.]

Also your idea of cute is extremely disturbing.

Voice.

[starspangledhero]

Okay, I'm just gonna have to do ab information post about this for ever, but the basics of it is that it's a malevolent force. Not quite a demon, something like it, but way more powerful. These bodies could all very well be its victims.

No it's not! It's cute! They've got wings and a funny-sounding neigh! That's adorable, man.

Re: Voice.

[fettuttittes.livejournal.com]

A. A demon. But worse. [Yeah okay, easiest way to freak her yep, shit get the Holy Water.] What... does it look like?

...It's trying to eat the... bodies. That is far from adorable, idiota.

[Video]

[luke-triton.livejournal.com]

[Finally, an adult who appears to be mostly together not having a complete and utter emotional meltdown. Paranoid was something he could handle.]

W...what do we do now?

[Rule for 13-year-old in traumatic situation: find adult. Find adult that is calm-ish. Anxiously ask what to do, but do not show signs of terror.]

[Video]

[starspangledhero]

[ He may not be sane but AT LEAST HE'S NOT A SOBBING WRECK.

Aw yessss leadership mode activated. ]

Don't touch any of the bodies, for one. I don't like how they're blinking in and out of fucking reality. For all we know that could be some kind of plague that could be transferred to us. I know some people are trying to bury the dead but I ain't gettin' anywhere near these corpses, not even if I find one I know.

Other than that... [ shrug ] arm yourself, just in case. There isn't a whole lot to do. Other than the disturbing blinking phenomenon, it's just a bunch of bodies.

[ AMERICA CLEARLY ISN'T PERTURBED BY SEEING PEOPLE DEAD. Even if he finds someone he knows, it's not like it's anything new to him. He's just got to fight his way through whatever comes. ]