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

"I suppose you're right about that," the boy says mildly. Still, he doesn't make any move towards the tables at the center.

"Bit of a crowd came out for this today, yes?"

"It's a nice day out." That seemed to always bring people out of their houses, no matter where you live. Although this place seemed to be very about community, if any of the other events were any indication. Made it hard to stay at home if you wanted to avoid suspicion.

"Doesn't hurt that a couple of the people selling today make magic with flour, either."

"Goodness, I expect it wouldn't." Will didn't consider for a moment that he met true magic. Rather the kind of mundane magic born from the hands of an expert of a craft.

"Have you tried any of the foods here?"

I would have laughed too.

I'm Enis, DJ and tech lover.

Teacher told me I had to take my sunglasses off for class.

I told him I couldn't.

He told me I had to.

I told him that if he wanted his classroom to stay in one piece, I couldn't, and he took it as a threat.

[ And thus, here he is. He spreads his hands. ]

"Buddy of mine manages for the local tea shop." Nyx helpfully points in the direction of Cassian's table; at the moment crowded with a handful of PTA moms who look to be there for a little more than just the confections. "Not a place I'd normally hang out, but the cakes are good. Usually go to him when I'm picking up sugar bribes."

So no ideas from that corner. What do you like to do normally?

Elena couldn't help but smile. "My arms are stronger than they look." She teased with a warm tone. "But I also have a blender." She had more appliances than she ever used. She'd buy things, think she'd one day use them and then they'd collect dust in her shelves.

"You're far to nice." Nice people are the only ones that Elena seemed to get along with.

Me too, probably.

Nice to meet you, Ennis. What kind of tech do you love? And what sort of music do you DJ, if you don't mind me asking?

I don't mind.

I like computers specifically. I'm modding the laptop they gave us, specifically for music. I prefer to do mash-ups, techno and things like that but I like using real instruments in the samples.

You can listen to it sometime if you'd like.

Wow, I don't know what half of that means, but cool.

And sure, I'd like that sometime.

Might be easier if I had you listen.
It's like listening to magic.

[Clary exhales when the shadows are chased away by his light.] Thanks. [She doesn't care where the hell the light is from, as long as it's fighting against the creepy feeling that's crawling uncomfortably up her spine.]

I don't know if they are. Ever hear those stories, like ones about ginger bread houses? Maybe it's just to lure us in. [Clary shivers. Yeah, her mind is still in creepy places.]

Or maybe it's a bird. I can give you a lot of maybes.

Edited 2017-04-22 00:32 (UTC)

Magic, huh? I love that word.

Clary looked up at her with a smile. "High school. I'm finishing my portfolio so that I can get into this art school. I don't take to many classes and usually end up having half days. Which is when I go to work." Mostly because she lived alone and still needed to eat. Luckily she was able to grab lunch at the cafe section of the shelter. It was usually a salad which was fine.

"Do you not remember if you have a job or are in school?" Clary figured that asking specific questions might help Isabelle remember. It had helped her when she was trying to find out more about herself.

She was patent, waving for Isabelle to turn off main street and then point out to a store front a little ways down. "There's the cafe."

Oh, why is that?

I dunno. It resonates in me. I know I love magic. I love everything to do with it. I dunno why.

"What is a sugar bribe, if you don't mind the asking?'

Do you do magic tricks or is it something else?

"I'm bribing a charge of mine to stay out of trouble and all she seems to want are candy, cakes, and crystal pepsi." Which, while a hit on his wallet, is far better than 'the skulls of human meals' so he's counting it as a win.

Nyx was actually paying a visit to pick up a truly absurd amount of sweets for a particular horned child he's found himself keeping track of when he feels the tap on his arm. It's almost a novelty to turn and see a smile that isn't tinged with the overly false cheer plastered on the PTA wives and brainwashed town locals.

Even if he did seem a little desperate. Nyx looks the guy over, gut wrenching at the familiar story. Another one...? This was becoming an alarming pattern. "How about I do you one better and foot for an actual meal instead?"

[ Carl is utterly confused. ]

He took it . . . what does that even mean? You blow up a building with your eyelids or something?

He looks around. He has no idea where the cameras are, but if he's careful... it doesn't look like anyone's close enough to call him on it. Nyx lowers his voice, answering the unspoken frustration in hers.

"That's unfortunately normal. It should go away eventually." He's still getting stuff back, two months later, but at least he knows who he is now.

"The sheriff and his men. Not a lot seems to go on so it's easy to say they're just bored, but I can guarantee there's more than anyone else will tell you." He's quiet for a moment, bending to study what could be prints in the dirt.

"Hard to talk when they're watching everything you do. Downside is that's not the reason this town is dangerous."

WIll considers this.

"Does such bribery really work?"

Being the youngest of ten children in his family, the idea of spending money on a treat for good behavior was rather foreign to Will. They'd never been poor, but there was never much money left over for small things.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 30 of 60

«

»