TEST DRIVE MEME, FEBRUARY 2017.

[officialnotice]

TEST DRIVE MEME

There was an accident. That's basically the only thing you know for certain. Maybe a car wreck - metal and broken glass everywhere, and the sirens and the screaming. Or maybe there was an explosion. Maybe your bike hit a rock and you careened uncontrollably off a mountain path. You can't can't quite make out the details, not who was at fault or why. Try as you might, the chaos is all you can remember.

It's also the last thing you remember from before you wake up here.

When you open your eyes, the accident is gone. Instead, you're in a hospital bed – the nursing staff greets you with a cheerful smile.

Welcome to Wayward Pines, they tell you. You'll make a full recovery here.

option one       WELCOME TO WAYWARD PINES

The hospital staff had seemed very friendly, but ultimately unhelpful when it came to answering your questions, insisting you shouldn't worry about such things, and that it was smarter to just rest until you'd fully recovered.

That was some time ago. You've since managed to leave the hospital – either via escape, or simply by waiting patiently and filling out paperwork until they finally agreed to release you. Now you've found yourself in the small but hearty town of Wayward Pines, Idaho. It's a charming little place, and the people there are all friendly enough, more than willing to greet you on the street, or give you directions if you need them.

Unless you're asking for directions out of town, of course.

Some will simply smile and give you a hearty pat on the shoulder and ask why you'd ever want to do a thing like that? Others will get quiet for a moment, and direct you to the nearest sign posted near the doorway of every building.

Don't bother taking the road, either. Whether you walk or get your hands on a vehicle, you won't get anywhere. The road simply takes you away from town for a short while before looping around and bringing you right back in.

There's no use questioning things, and it seems pretty useless to try to leave. So really, why not stay a while? Everyone's convinced that you'll find something to love in Wayward Pines.

(For the purposes of this test drive, you're welcome to handwave the existence of basically any local business or activity.)

option two             INTO THE WOODS

You've just heard a scream from the woods.

I mean, it could've been an animal. There's bound to be some kind of wildlife amongst the trees, right? But then again, it did sound awfully... human.

Though all of the locals nearby conceal a flinch at the sound, they'll assure you it's nothing, if you ask them. Why, you're probably just hearing things! (But with an anxious undertone of stop asking questions.) If you're curious, though, and brave enough to go see, they won't make any move to stop you from going into the wooded area surrounding the town.

The trees are tall, and their branches are thick enough to block out a significant amount of sunlight from breaking through the canopy, leaving the forest floor a little dimmer and cooler than the streets of town.

Whatever the source of the scream was, you won't be able to find it out here. An experienced hunter might notice some signs of a struggle, and a few faint boot prints, but they don't really seem to lead anywhere in particular.

What you will find, if you walk far enough, is a fence. A big one - at least 30 feet tall, made of metal and concrete. It goes on quite a ways in either direction as well; follow the wall far enough, and you'll see that it connects with the steep, sheer cliffs that surround the rest of Wayward Pines, effectively boxing the town in.

In actuality, you'll probably feel it before you see it. A full 500 yards from the wall, when it's hardly a shadowy smudge through the trees, you start to feel a little bit tired, a little bit weak. Trouble is, the closer you get, the weaker you feel - like the wall itself is sapping the strength out of you, and the closer you get, the worse it feels. Any powers you may have had grow weaker in kind as you make your way to the fence, but even ordinary humans will find their strength sapping away. By the time you're close enough to read the signs and to feel the crackle of electricity radiating from the thick wires criss-crossing the wall's metal surface, you're too weak to stand.

Do you crawl closer still and risk electrocution, or do you crawl away and assess the situation once you're far enough from the fence to be able to stand?

option three         IT'S A COUPLE OF FLAKES

There's nothing particularly insidious about the inch of snow that settles over the town one night while everyone sleeps. Kids run outside to have snowball fights and make snow angels, neighbors wave across to you as they shovel their driveway, the local coffee shop runs a 2 for 1 deal on hot cocoa. Snow crunches under your feet at your walk down the street and the cold bite in the air is revitalizing.

The next morning, there's a few more inches of snow. And then a few more the day after that. By the end of the week the snow is a good three feet deep and the entire experience has lost its novelty. Wayward Pines only has a single street plow to its name, and even when the streets are clear, surprise patches of black ice make travel downright dangerous if you aren't prepared. No special sale on hot cocoa can possibly be worth trudging through knee high snow drifts (even your most consciences neighbors can't keep up on the shoveling anymore).

And the power starts to fail in some of the houses. Sure, the repairman promises to stop by as soon as he can, but you're hardly to first person to call him today and he won't be able to pencil you in until tomorrow at the earliest, and what are you going to do about the cold until then? Maybe your neighbor's heat is still on, or maybe that trek to the coffee shop is looking more appealing by the second.

Either way it's time to layer your clothes, watch your step, and hope that Spring to comes early. And try to ignore that kid double dog daring you to lick a flagpole, it just won't end well.

option four            ON THE NETWORK

Though it's not as high-tech as you might be used to (or hell, maybe you're ren faire and it's centuries beyond anything you've seen), but Wayward Pines does in fact have a network to accommodate its citizens.

Go ahead, post a network post! Just note that the network, at current, is audio-only and can only be accessed from the telephones in each character's home.

( a few notes )

Welcome to our second test drive here in The Pines! Just one important thing to note this time:

Upon arrival in Wayward Pines, characters find themselves struggling to remember entirely who they were or where they came from. Memories return progressively over the next two weeks. You're welcome to play with this mechanic in any of these prompts, but it's definitely not mandatory! For more details on this temporary memory loss, see our FAQ.

Comments

[angelic_archer]

"It's okay." Alec wasn't sure what he was trying to reassure him about or why he picked up that he was uncertain about something. There was some subtle change that told him that he needed to comfort this person who meant so much to him. Brushing his thumb along the hand that seemed to belong in his, he could have sworn he felt something tingle along his skin. Smiling at how silly that thought was, his expression turned to a grin when his husband seemed to become more confident.

"Were you in an accident too?" His heart ached at the thought of this person being hurt but he seemed to only partially remember Alec the way in the same way that Alec remembered him. It was weird that there were so many accidents without any real cause but he couldn't focus on that when someone who was so important in what memories he had was standing in front of him. Some instinct told him that if they were together, then everything would eventually be all right.

"Magnus," he repeated, wanting to see how the name felt as he spoke, if it would give the fragments of the past more meaning. No new insights accompanied the name or the touches that Alec leaned into, already knowing just the right way to shift to make it easier for Magnus to play with his hair. A helpful detail, but not one that would help him remember anything significant. "I think so too." The endearment caused him to feel lighter, but wasn't there another one Magnus always used? "We must have just got married. My last name is still listed as Lightwood."

[appetitive]

As his confidence built thanks to the familiarity of their hands together, the ease fit of fingers between fingers, Magnus began to feel some sort of energy flowing in his palm. Magic, he reminded himself, something he had but couldn't really remember how to control though he trusted himself not to hurt this man. Rather than holding back, he let it seep out of his skin and into reality, harmless blue flames winding around Alec's hand while Magnus was both entranced by it and anxious to see what reaction it would bring.

Eyes darting back up to Alec at the question, he nodded and then smoothed a hand up his forearm and over the defined muscles of his bicep. "We must have been together," he said slowly, like he was testing that theory out by voicing it aloud. That would make the most sense, since it seemed unlikely for them to be in two accidents at the same time without being together. He couldn't remember the details of it, though, and perhaps that was for the best. Why focused on something traumatic when he had Alec in front of him?

Chuckling a little, he let his hands wander up to Alec's neck again, unable to pull away from him even if he had wanted to. They would probably draw unwanted attention with such brazen displays out in the open like this, but Magnus found that he didn't care. "Darling, you wouldn't give up your name for mine," he said with confidence, wonderign where it came from but drawning strength from it. "Names are important."

[angelic_archer]

The strange sensation that had been running through his hand changed slightly. Glancing down, his eyes widened when he saw that their hands were wrapped in blue fire. A bubble of panic started to choke him, but before Alec even registered that fear, it was gone. Whatever was happening wouldn't hurt him. He knew it with an absolute certainty that felt like one of the only solid things in his life. "It's pretty but people are going to freak out," he teased, shifting slightly so that no one around them would see the flames that should not be there.

Frowning at the thought of Magnus being hurt, he started studying his husband for signs of injury. Then he mentally rolled his eyes at himself. The hospital wouldn't have released Magnus if he was still hurt. Considering how fussy they'd been when Alec had tried to get out of bed 'too soon', Magnus had to be okay. "We must have." It was the only thing that made sense, but why wouldn't someone at the hospital tell him that his husband had been admitted as well. "Maybe no one knows we're married." The thought didn't feel right, somehow related to the memory of the kiss. Alec didn't have to hide anymore. He knew that, so why would they hide their marriage?

That didn't matter. They weren't hiding now and they were together. That was what mattered. They'd figure everything out.

Alec knew that he should pull away. Not having to hide didn't mean that PDA would be accepted. He couldn't remember anything about the town and the rules had seemed strict but not as rigid as some he knew he'd been used to before. But Magnus kept distracting him whenever he tried to put any distance between them. "I wouldn't have to give it up. We'd hyphenate. Isn't that what M -" Mundanes? Why would he say that? It didn't make sense. "What most people do?"

[appetitive]

Magnus felt Alec tenses as his eyes found the flames, but he didn't pull away. Something about that filled Magnus up with an intense love for the man, unsure of the reason but simply knowing that it was important. Somehow he doubted that most people would look at magical blue fire trickling over their skin and call it 'pretty' and yet Alec had done just that. Pulling it back, flames fading, he nodded with a smile. "We should go home," he said, wanting to be alone with Alec.

Though he could sense that Alec was trying to keep some space between them, Magnus didn't understand the hesitation. He wanted to relearn this man who had his heart, his husband who he knew cared for so deeply that he'd remembered him when so little of his life had come back to him. Reaching for both of Alec's hands, he raised them up so he could kiss the knuckles but then granted him the distance he wanted. He kept hold of one hand and started to lead him down the street; to where, he didn't know. "Mundanes always take the man's name," he said with a frown, the word coming easily but the source alluded him. "Perhaps we haven't had the time to change it officially."

[angelic_archer]

"We should, but I'm not sure where home is." For some reason, he thought he should go wherever Magnus lived, but he wasn't sure why. It was more than just 'we're married so we live together'. There was something special about Magnus' home that was better than where Alec lived. "You can explain whatever that was when we're alone."

Maybe when they were somewhere that they should recognize, things would start to make sense. He already felt like that place would be where he was supposed to be, but that might simply be because Magnus would be with him. Whatever had happened to his memory didn't seem so daunting if he had his husband with him.

The kiss caused a blush to creep across Alec's face. Somehow he sensed that the reaction was normal when he was around Magnus but unusual in other situations. Something niggled at the back of his mind, but every time he tried to focus on it, the thought drifted even further from reach. Deciding not to push when it was obvious the injury wasn't fully healed, he smiled at Magnus. Chuckling as his husband began to lead him toward their home, he paused when Magnus said the same word he'd been thinking.

Mundanes. What were Mundanes? Why were they different than Magnus? Were they both not Mundanes? "If they take the man's name, does that mean we have to swap? I think I like Lightwood-Bane better." It was a silly thing to mention, but it was easier to figure out than the strange word that felt almost wrong to speak aloud. "Or would it be Bane-Lightwood? When we figure it out, we can ask how I can change my name."

[appetitive]

Opening his mouth to respond, Magnus discovered he also had no idea where home might be for him, for them. He frowned, but after a moment the expression passed and he was smiling again. "We could ask at the sheriff station," he said, gesturing down the street towards the building in question. He didn't know why he hadn't thought to ask about it before. But it felt good to have a goal rather than randomly walking about until they found something, so he pointed them both in that direction. "As for the—" he raised a hand and wiggled his fingers, "—I'm a warlock. I don't entirely remember what that means, but it's why my eyes are this way."

Something about Alec's comment, said so candidly, made Magnus laugh brightly. The thought of switching names amused him to no end, and he had a feeling it had a deeper reason than the inanity of the suggestion. "Lightwood-Bane has quite the ring to it," he agreed, squeezing Alec's hand again and stepping closer to him as they walked. "It sounds like a sentence. Or a title." His chest swelled with the thought of Alec taking his name, and the urge to kiss him was overwhelming. Yet he resisted, not wanting to startle Alec after everything that had been happening. He had a strong inkling that it would be too much of a public display. "I hope our home isn't far away. I'd really love to kiss you."