bumfuckidaho | TEST DRIVE MEME, APRIL 2017.

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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.

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[ Scott hasn't really made a huge effort to make friends; there aren't any memories that make him that way, but there's just enough echoes of a life in a bunch of foster homes at various points that say 'don't get attached' that he's more willing to listen to than some councilor he knows is just trying to get through their day without reaching for the Jack in the bottom drawer.

...it's not pessimism if you're at least 50% sure you saw it there when they pulled out your file the last time.

But Scott is still a teenage boy. And Clary is an exceptionally pretty girl. You don't need to have his skills at math to do this equation. ]

You're not in my way.

[ A tilt of his head towards one of the tables. ]

And the lemon bars are pretty much the best thing I've had all afternoon. I mean, if you like lemon.

[Clary's bright green eyes look down towards the lemon bars and then back up at Scott. Her smile begins to grow until she forces it to stop. She doesn't like the idea of acting like those girls who fall all over a cute boy. It is, however, very distracting.]

I happen to like lemon.

[It isn't her favorite but if they are exceptionally good, then she'd try them.]

How much is it?

[The sign seems to have fallen off and Clary doesn't see it anywhere else.]

[ And here's how you know that Scott's a very specific kind of... difficult, because he reaches into his pocket and puts a dollar in the cashbox. Then he carefully wraps up one of the bars in waxpaper for her and holds it out. ]

Today only, only qualifying buyers can cash in on this offer... free.

[ The little smile doesn't cost extra but it's definitely part of the bargain. But-]

...next one's five bucks though. Inflation. What can you do?

[Clary takes the lemon square, biting her lower lip to stop her smile from spreading.]

500% inflation? That's pretty steep.

[Cute, Scott.]

Now, does that include everything when it comes to you or is it exclusive to the bake sale? [There is a little bit of snark in her words but it's hard to come off as upset when you're trying not to laugh.]

[ He looks around the little bake sale as if he's in the middle of New York City on Wall Street before frowning at her pointedly. ]

Market's a bitch, man. Nothing I can do about it.

[ But the frown is melting into a smile soon enough, a smile that would be sly if it could stop being super pleased long enough, anyway. ]

As for me... I'm kinda choosy. But for you, I think we can work something out. You seem like good people.

[Clary watches him, her brows knotted together curiously. When he finally replies she covers her mouth, coughs half heartily and turns away; anything to hide the smile.

Once she has her reaction under control she turned back to Scott.]

Thanks. I look forward to it.

[She shifts her lemon square from her right hand to her left so that she can extend her right hand over the table.]

I'm Clary by the way. [In case he doesn't know.]

[ He takes the hand in an easy shake, and there's no posturing bullshit or weird courtly overly-suave nonsense. He just shakes it and lets go. ]

Scott.

[ Grin. ]

And I'm looking forward to it too, I think.

[Clary's arm returns to her side.]

Scott then.

[She's trying not to smile to widely. With a small wave she turns away, pausing to thank him again for the lemon square which she begins to nibble at as she moves along, glancing at the different tables.

Clary would classify this as a good day.]

[ He's just gonna... watch her walk away, not in a creepy way or anything (no head tilting, thank you very much!) but you know. Happy. That went well, after all. ]

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