bumfuckidaho | TEST DRIVE MEME, APRIL 2017.

Skip to Main Content

Entry tags:

!tdm

TEST DRIVE MEME, APRIL 2017.

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
PTA BAKE SALE

It's that time of year again. The time when everyone digs into their wallet, ignores their diet, and spends a little time supporting the local school bake fair. You know, for the good of the children. And it doesn't hurt that Linda's Blondie recipe is honestly to die for. The school PTA has pulled out all the stops this year in the hopes of encouraging a good community turn out, posters advertising the sale plastering every street corner and stuffed into every mailbox for a solid week leading up to the event, and today is finally the day.

There's at least two dozen different tables set up with all manner of delectable treats, even one or two offering vegan alternatives for those inclined, not to mention a few others catering to some of the townspeople's more... unique palates.

Maybe you've got your own table set up with your wares, or maybe you were simply lured to the park today by the appetizing scents wafting through the air. Either way it seems like the whole town has come out to show their support today and why wouldn't they? Children are our future, aren't they? Or maybe it's just Linda's Blondie recipe.

Yeah, that's probably it.

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 currently has two basic functions. The first is audio-only and can be accessed from the telephones in each character's home. If an audio-based medium doesn't suit your needs (or aesthetics), be sure to take advantage of the Wayward Pines Message Board from your brand new laptop for the chance to communicate with your fellow townspeople in a text-based format instead!

( a few notes )

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

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.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Well, she had multiple plates of them. And they smelled good.

And it turns out they were even better to taste than to smell.

[ Riker had learned very quickly that being clad in command red means absolutely nothing here. It's refreshing, in a way; it gives him a chance to be not Commander Riker, William T, but just Will. And usually being Will comes with certain expectations and certain tastes. He's not above giving the odd soccer mom or two a twinkle of his own, but a connoisseur can recognize his own. That's not quite what he sees here. ]

Interesting technique. How's it working for you?

[ All beard and smile and mirthful blue eyes, but he remains a grown-ass man in a jumpsuit. ]

A shitshow.

[ Aranea's in her mail and helmet, leaning against a tree, ankles crossed. Being closer in towards the town accounts for how upright she remains, and her generally awful personality covers the shit-eating grin on her face. ]

Come on back this way. It lets up.

You and me both.

Hi.

Music is something I can do.
What songs are you thinking, I can see what I have for you.

Enis noticed everything going on in the room. It was a strange feeling but she didn't have to look to know. She felt the tension in Clarissa's body, the step back, the changing angel of the cold steel against her skin. It wasn't her main priority anymore and her mind was working on something new; a plan.

There were four nurses in front of them and Enis could tell that there were at least 4 more in the hall, one had called the police station. Things were spiraling. The bed next to hers had been empty but the other beds were full. Dividers that separated the bed hung lazily to the ground, some pulled back while others circling their patients. There was a window to their right but it was two beds away and the last one had a patient asleep within it's covers. The setting wasn't ideal and as Enis spoke her voice was a soft whisper, logical and precise.

"Push me forward then roll across the bed towards the window. Get it open, I'll handle it from there." Yes, they were going to go out the window. Enis didn't know what was at the bottom but they were at most on the third floor, possibly the second. From the view Enis knew they weren't so lucky to be on the first floor.

Clarissa would start her plan, with that push.

For the moment, only chaos.

[ Which would let him see where the cracks and fissures were so that he could go further. Those who were most afraid were those who knew the most to be afraid of and he intends to use that fear for his own benefit. ]

let's not get too hasty. we don't even know what i'll be singing. but. i suppose if you're paying for the drinks, the gentlemanly thing would be to let you pick the song.

No shit.

[It comes out with a sharp exhale of air, his heart trying to fall back into a regular beat. The surprise of seeing a full-blown knight doesn't help matters there, but as far as he's concerned, she's a way better sight than one of those Stepford rejects prowling the streets. Seemingly. That look she's giving him isn't reassuring.

Once he has enough strength in him to move to a crouch, Bigby picks himself up enough to stumble-crawl over to where she's at and, sure enough, it's like night and day. He stands shakily, using one hand to brace against the tree she's at.]

How's it doing that?

Edited 2017-04-21 16:22 (UTC)

[It sounds harmless enough.]

I wonder what they'll do when they find out that you aren't as you seem.

[Enis is curious.]

It would be entertaining.

[More so than a bake-sale.]

"Let's try that way," she says, pointing north. As they set off, she pauses to pick up a sizable stick from the ground, breaking off the side twigs to turn it into a respectable walking stick. And, in a pinch, a weapon.

[ RUde.! the grin disappears immediately, replaced by a flat, petulant scowl. one finger curls up, the point of her claw dragging over the rubber, just because he tried to tell her off about it. im sorry poe, she is Not Mature. ]

Lots of them. Oni don't share secrets with weak humans who are ungrateful for offers, though, even if they have a metal horse.

Ana Lewis was quite surprised that she could in fact, bake. It seemed like her teaching and wearing her hair up in a bun, almost a different person than herself. But her brownies, did in fact end up being quite good and chocolatey, and Ana was proud of herself for making something edible. After the woman finally makes a selection, Ana gives her a lazy smile. "You're making an excellent choice, darling. I made those myself, and they're perfect too." For a second, Ana looks through the pile of plastic-wrapped brownies until she finds one that suits her. "Best of both worlds: fudgey as hell and still having the delicious crunchy edge that makes brownies what they are."

I suppose it is a novel thing to admit to, darling.

I think it's that, plus the impeccable style that makes you just a little bit hard to forget. [Izzy has noticed, after all, that a number of the people that she's run into so far aren't quite dressed in what she would call fashionable clothing. Magnus is probably the first person she's seen that actually looks like he has a sense of style that she inherently knows that she likes from first glance.

Plus saying it, at all, feels familiar. His personality doesn't hurt that either. He's definitely more outgoing than her brother is, but somehow Izzy can believe that would be good for him.] I'll definitely believe you on that one. [Somehow she thinks it applies for more than just one area; it feels applicable to her own life too, but focusing too hard on that does give her a little bit of a headache.

Shaking off the concern, Izzy offers one of her charming smiles.] I'm fine, I got all checked over and they just told me to rest and not to worry. [She's still not crazy about the instructions, but in this case they are helpful to relay so that nobody she cares about will worry about her. She doesn't want to cause that.] I was released and given the all clear, I've been to the police station to pick up my things and everything already, nothing to worry about.

It depends who you are. If you're married and have four kids, I guess doing nothing on a Saturday night is living the dream. And I'm going to guess I'm speaking with Ana*, seeing as you went to all the trouble of calling me "darling" in text.[*Assuming she goes by "Ana" in WP, substitute in-game name as necessary, pretty please? Cmon, you love me.]

We live in a quiet town. You can't expect to be dazzled all the time.

[Kaulder tears his gaze away from her and turns to have a look at the people around them: teenagers, parents, young children. It's not a picnic or a big social outing, but it is a community coming together to show support for the education of the next generation. It's sweet.]

You could turn it into a think-piece on millennials. I really don't think they're all that different from any other generation of kids.

[Truth be told, he's seen a lot of generations of kids. They've all been different from the ones that came before - some wanted peace, some wanted war, some were stupid and cruel, some were smart, some brought change in great waves and others...well. Others liked the status quo.

Generally, though, kids were kids. They liked to do little things to break the rules, prove themselves to their peers, and - yes - eat junk food.

With a smile, he turned back to her.]

Maybe you'd even get it syndicated. That the right word?

Clary offered a smile in return though it was a little forced. Her eyes went to the markings on Isabelle's skin before snapping back to the sidewalk. It was the same as Alec's and her mark though hers had since faded and she hadn't been able to find any others. Scouring her body had felt weird but knowing that she was mark free was an odd relief. There was to much about this place that didn't add up.

"Yeah." She agreed easily to Isabelle's comment about not breaking laws. Clary didn't want to be chased down by the police for talking about the past when they weren't supposed too. It seemed silly but it was important.

Clary set their pace since her legs were a little bit shorter than Isabelle and the added height from her heels. "I work at the shelter but it's attached to a cafe were the cats are often hanging out and waiting for attention. I figured we could talk more there if you wanted." Cats were very therapeutic. "I'm still getting the hang of things, catching up in school and stuff. Everyone here has been nice though and mostly understanding about the memory loss thing."

Are you planning on working in the sex industry? That's probably the only place where good looks and charm are desirable qualities when you're trying to make real money. Go to college, kid. Learn a trade. Something to fall back on when your good looks disappear and you get too bitter to be charming.

[As he turned to look around them Elena quickly finished her sticky sweet bear claw. It's delicious but she can't write with it and she's a quick eater when she wants to be. When he turns back to her she's licking her pointer finger before wiping her hand on a napkin that she folds and hides in her pocket. She'd throw it away later, she isn't very big on littering.]

Yes.

[She flashes him a warm smile.]

I'd like to think that I can make anything interesting. [It really depends on the topic.] That isn't a bad idea though. How do you think these events builds the future? What does it teach the next generation.

[Talking about children hits an odd cord in Elena. Something in the back of her mind reminds her that she isn't able to have children. The doctor had said that there had been a 5% chance of her ever getting pregnant. The memory sounds only half right as she thinks about it so Elena pushes it away, deciding she'll pursue the train of thought more later.]

iv • on the network

Hello. Have you all woken up in the hospital as well? I'm not from around here at all. I've never even been to America before. It looks a lot like on TV here.
Does this fall under discussing the past? I suppose it must.
That's a rather odd rule, though, isn't it?

[ ooc: since class is only just now airing on bbc america, lmk if you'd like to avoid spoilers. ]

Hell if I know. Works on equipment too, though. And magic, I'm told. Nice to be wanted, huh?

[ She tugs her helmet off, 'cause manners, but even through the grille her face her expression is a lot closer to "I taste lemons and something smells bad" than "it's nice to be wanted". It clears into something neutral as she gives him a quick visual once-over and rests the helmet on her hip. New, if he doesn't know about it yet. Determined, given how far out he got. And the kind of person to investigate a scream, which... could go either way. ]

You here for the screaming?

The smile he gives her is especially warm and it makes the corners of his eyes crinkle up in a way that actually makes him look a little bit younger instead of older.

"Then it sounds like we're making a plan, here. Pancakes from the master pancake chef and I'll bring the blueberry syrup and the-" He lifts his head a little. "Have you ever had fresh, homemade butter? I can bring some of the honey butter I make to go along with it."

[She's adorable, and politely enough he tries to prevent a laugh from escaping at how quickly she demolished that bear claw while he wasn't looking. Meanwhile, he's trying to keep out of the small lunch bag containing his own purchases; his future self will appreciate that he didn't immediately inhale an entire bag of baked goods.]

Oh, you know, the basic small town building blocks: community, economics. Builds self-esteem, too. These kids see that their education is important to adults, that they've got the support of a whole town, so it becomes important to them, too.

[It's not something you see in big cities much anymore. People are busier and busier as time goes on, and schools become education factories. There's a quaintness to Wayward Pines in that community actually exists here.]

Elena was trying to hide her smile and failing. They say that the way to a mans heart is through their stomach. Elena found this to be true no matter what gender you were and the promise of homemade treats was to good for her to pass up.

"That sounds heavenly. You're going to spoil me and I'll never want to eat anything else again." She teased while taking another long sip of her coke. The pie was almost gone with bits of crush and blueberry clumped on the plate. Elena made a note to buy a bit more before she headed home for the day.

"You should teach me how you do it. I don't think you'll want me to depend on you forever."

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 28 of 60

«

»