· network ·

[carmesi]

Who: wanda maximoff
Username: un: max
Warnings: mention of dead animals

has anyone been to dogtown recently? i got a strange feeling when i walked up the path earlier today — and i don't think i was imagining it. dead animals, plenty of them. it was never a welcoming place, but it definitely feels less of it now.

i might not be the first to notice, but i thought it was worth mentioning.

has anyone else felt something off? *has* anyone captured anything paranormal yet? i do not know if $100 is worth the feeling when inside there, but at least we're not competing to put up flyers like a few months ago.

might be best to heed what the warning sign at the entrance says and stay on the trail. or don't go by yourself at least.

[wanda struggles with the whole 'expressing herself' thing. she knows what she wants to say, but sometimes it feels unnecessary — leaving her to feel inadequate in these kinds of conversations. all this is a team effort though, isn't it? she's made acquaintances that she can call friends, and maybe she doesn't want whatever fuckery that usually happens to hurt those in her company.

this whole post was a huge consideration of 'might delete' before she decides she'll just put it out there. solitude does not generally do good to her, anyway, and she's always been the more cautious of the twins.

.....]

just be careful.

[on another note—]

...how have ten of you blown past the high score again?

[yes, the worm game 😔]

Comments

Text - un: a.jaeger

[bloodalwaystells]

I think at this point, it's safe to say that nothing about Dogtown is safe...I feel that going with a partner and armed is wise.

The hunting camps and pig creatures left behind a lot of blood and scraps, so that's keeping with the theme. The pig creatures fell apart when they died, so unfortunately there was little proof there. Just dead pigs in a pile of scattered body parts. Grotesque, to say the least, but I bring my camera every time I'm out there in the hopes of catching something. Or at least, just keeping a record. Things don't have to be obviously supernatural to be disturbing.

@jelica

[musicdied]

Every day that passes, I'm more and more convinced that the solution to Dogtown is orbital bombardment.

[She's joking. Probably. The fact that she's suggesting a form of mass destruction that isn't really possible might point to that.

Unless...]

I don't think we'll find many answers by staying on the path, but you're right, no one should be going there alone.

un: strange

[sorser]

Are you planning on visiting Dogtown again?

un: NO

[marmoron]

[ considering the fact that the last time keith was in dogtown he almost died? yeah. he's not thrilled reading about this. ]

did the boars come back? or is this something different?
either way, i can tell you for sure that the hundred bucks they're offering you isn't worth it if the money is the only incentive you've got for going in there

un: Aberration

[aelwyn_aberration]

What makes me curious about Dogtown is why on earth they actually believe it's safe to use it as a testing ground?

Nobody's died as far as I'm aware, but that hardly seems like something we can credit ADI with. The first time, sure, it was only some exceptionally mean rocks, but after that it's just gotten progressively more dangerous. Especially with the mutated pigs.

[Yes, she's posting this publicly. What are they going to do about it. Losers.]

un: bright

[abrightboy]

Does witnessing death by horse monster count as ‘collecting something supernatural’? Anyway, if you want the high score, focus less on creepy supernatural stuff and more on wormie chomping.

[carmesi]

disturbing as things may already be, it makes one wonder why the ADI is asking us to capture paranormal things specifically. sign of dead animals and carcasses littering the forest grounds was enough to clue in the people in my country that something strange was happening.

maybe we're expected to find something explicitly paranormal.

i did find information of alleged witch activity around dogtown sometime back during WWI. that kind of thing could have spilled over.

[carmesi]

even if (i think) you're joking, that solution would be too simple. it never really works out like that.

[besides, bombing anything steers a little too close to when stark industries sponsored the bombing of her home. there's less explosion-y solutions, yelena!! cool as they may make you look.]

i just think it is best to be prepared before planning to go off the path. you do know what it's like, right? old stories about forests. even if just told to scare children i believe there is truth in them.

[good old eastern european folktales yelena may or may not have heard of.]

[carmesi]

if i was to say yes i would hope i would not get a repeat lecture on whether i can or cannot paint any dangers in red.

[sorry, it's just the dad vibes. she also refers to her magic thx for catching on.]

what about you?

[carmesi]

i do not think it is the boars. it feels different.

and yes, that was what i was trying to say. money may be scarce with the stipend they give us, but this isn't one offer i would like to take on. but everyone can choose their own poison.

[carmesi]

probably because it is abandoned and has high probabilities of getting the results wanted without the general populace hurting.

the point is not to die, obviously. but if it has gotten progressively more dangerous, it feels like it needs dealing with before it becomes a huge problem we'll be asked to fix while having our hands tied in terms of using our powers, for those who have any.

[carmesi]

i'm not the one keeping track, you should ask those at the ADI. you guys are taking this game way too seriously. are you on the high score?

[sorser]

[Wow, he is not giving off dad vibes… (Sure, Stephen.)]

I’m not a record player. I’m not here to repeat the same song and dance when I’m pretty sure I made my point clear the first time.

[And the public network is definitely not he place for it; besides, it wasn’t his point.]

I was just going to say that if you’re going again, take me with you.

[carmesi]

[this is the opposite of the whole "being careful" spiel wanda expected to hear from stephen.]

why the interest?

[sorser]

[One can still be careful while exploring very dangerous places, surely.]

Dogtown continues to be a hotbed of activity. Whether supernatural or otherwise, it’s always one of the more dangerous places to go. There has to be a reason for that, something that we keep overlooking.

And it’s easier to keep safe when it’s two people instead of one. You said so yourself.

[carmesi]

and it would also be easier if we didn't exactly hold back if we had to defend ourselves. we're both not the weapons-combat type exactly.

have you heard of folktales that involve old forests before?

[sorser]

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been putting some time into ADI’s training rooms.

[He is nnnnnot going to talk about using their magic to defend themselves on the public network—]

You mean in general?

Text UN Soldier (guess who guys)

[worthallthis]

if you want weapons bring me

[Because like it or not he does care about you two some and he worries.]

[carmesi]

i would say there is a difference between someone who's trained for years and a white belt in kid-karate.

[sorry. but she's thinking about The Cool People like black widow or captain america, not to talk of their (living) counterparts.]

in general, yes.

[carmesi]

[oh bucky,,]

i wasn't really thinking about bringing weapons but...

are you sure? it's not even a "mission" for you to follow.

[sorser]

[White-belt… kid-karate… oh, rest in pieces the remnants of his pride.]

Sorry, do you think I just sat around with my nose stuck in a book the entire time at Kamar-Taj? I had some training even before this place.

[No, he’s not super soldier levels of peak fitness, but come on.]

Plenty. Usually centered around getting lost, enchanted, or otherwise befuddled by the cursed and/or magical environment. Dangerous things live in forests. That, or ineffable ones.

[sorser]

[Is that a protective streak, Barnes?]

You don’t have to do that for us. I promise I’m not as useless as what you saw in the nightmare.

[If that’s the point of concern.]

[carmesi]

it's not that i don't trust your [alleged] skills, i just think i would feel more comfortable if you didn't promise to fend off fiends with your punches.

[she trusts your magic more, in the same way she would trust her magic more so than whatever magic-less punch she could procure in a moment's notice.]

good. then at least you know.

[?? aight]

[sorser]

Uh-huh. That’s worst-case scenario, Wanda. If we’re faced with danger, my priority is making a swift exit from the premises instead of punching it in the face.

[That might be only lip service to, once again, the public nature of this conversation.]

Okay, and was there a reason you asked?

[worthallthis]

[There's more to life than missions. There are also patrols! :D ]

i have been patrolling around dogtown too

could combine patrols with protection

[He's nervous offering any kind of suggestion, but, well, this is what he's for. Surely they can make use of that to stay safe.]