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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[ Jefferson's not sure what it is about it, but he's absolutely fascinated by watching the man speed along the street on his bike. It pings that part of him that likes to sing THERE MUST BE MORE THAN THIS PROVINCIAL LIIIIFE. So, after watching from inside his house, he finally sets foot outside as the mystery biker comes to a stop just a little ways up the block.

Alas, Jefferson approaches him just before the man tries to sass at a bird, so he catches that little display. ]

Oh, is that Rhiannon up there?

[ You know, because it's totally normal to talk back to a bird. ]

[ Poe turns sharply, heartbeat kicking up a notch, some forgotten instinct telling him to go for a blaster that isn't there.

But it's just a very well-dressed looking guy, better dressed than the neighborhood around him calls for, really.

When he realizes what the guy's said, Poe looks straight up, like there's actually something to be expected overhead. ]

Where?

Edited 2017-04-18 00:36 (UTC)

[ Jefferson points up at the cawing blackbird as it flies off. ]

Up there-- ah. [ He squints at it, then shakes his head. ] Nevermind, that isn't her. [ How do you even know that, Jefferson?

ANYWAY. He stares at the other man for a beat. ] Did I startle you?

[ Poe tracks the bird's flight long enough to steady himself, long enough to slide into the guise of the easygoing. He smiles at Jefferson, for all intents and purposes half-lounging on the bike. ]

Nah. You're on first-name terms with the birds around here, huh?

[ Come on, Poe. Jefferson's got a lot of practice faking that sort of thing. He sees the way the guy's demeanor shifts, ever so subtly. But he'll be nice and refrain from calling attention to it. ]

Just the one who works for me.

[ LOOK, IT'S NOT AS CRAZY AS IT SOUNDS. Jefferson tilts his head, looking at the bike with interest. ]

So, how fast does that thing go?

[ Poe looks down at his bike (memory says it's his, even if instinct countermands the thought), still shuddering quietly underneath him. ] Not fast enough.

[ It's the impulse answer. The uncensored one. Too real to give a stranger. So he turns on the charm, his smile shifting into a grin. ] Love the rumble, though.

[ Unfortunately, when chatting with somebody from a fairytale land, whose memories of a life in the 'real' world are all fictitious and curse-imposed... some innuendo can go flying over their heads. ]

Why? Isn't a bumpy ride a sign that you need to get it fixed?

[ Poe laughs, unexpectedly charmed by the reply. ] I guess it depends on the terrain. Street like this, bike like this, things are pretty smooth. It's just when I'm idling that she gives a little kickback.

[ The bike - his bike, he'll agree with memory for now - has already been personified. He's already making plans to take it apart when he gets home, look at the way it's put together, see if it can't be made better. Faster. Closer to having wings. ] Poe Dameron. Call me Poe.

[ And, once the man laughs, Jefferson realizes that he definitely missed a reference of some kind. But he doesn't seem to feel chagrined over it or anything, just blinks, then ducks his head a little and has a soft chuckle at his own expense. ] Ah. I admittedly don't know the first thing about... bikes.

[ Glancing up again, he offers Poe a smile. ] I'm Jefferson. I... [ Am half-mad and don't fully know where I came from and used to work as a hatter and a thief and a soulless PR person until I became a mental patient? ] Own a tea shop on Main Street. [ Yeah, that's a better introduction. ]

So you're local.

[ Poe knows he's not. He's not even sure he's from this world. He has memories of stars, of whole planets spread out below his wings. His mother's hands guiding him as he handles the flight stick for the first time, shooting over jungles at cruising speed.

He's going to make himself homesick again. Keep the smile going instead, keep the tone light. ] You have coffee? I want to see how it holds up to what I'm familiar with.

[ Immediately, Jefferson shakes his head, balking at the idea that he's local here or, well, anywhere. It doesn't fit with his memories, with that pervasive feeling of being an outsider. ]

I'm not from around here. [ Said with just enough bitterness in his voice to indicate that he's an outsider, feels like one, and is likely reminded of it fairly regularly (whether by others or his own mind). ] But I do have coffee. [ He forces a smile, trying to shove aside those nagging feelings of alienation. ] I recommend the tea, though. [ IT BEING A TEA SHOP AND ALL. ]

[ Poe has a soft spot for outsiders. Not a conscious one, but it's definitely there. The need to connect them to something, to make them feel like they belong as much as he always has. Even after he lost his mom, he always had family.

And there's something he didn't remember, returned so casually it almost takes his breath away.

He doesn't quite look at Jefferson, still maintaining the facade of relaxation. ] Seems like a lot of us aren't from around here.

[ And there, an excuse to actually look away, up toward that taunting blue sky. ] Me, I'm from up there.

[ Jefferson follows Poe's gaze upwards, a smile tugging at his features. Of course, it could mean a number of things, joking, impossible, or completely serious. But he likes to believe that it's possible that Poe's really from up there.

It might make him feel less... mad, after all. ]

Oh? So you're a starman waiting in the sky? [ He looks at Poe, smirking teasingly, his voice playful and a just a little sing-song. ] You'd like to come and meet us, but you think you'd blow our minds?

[ Look, being trapped in a mansion with little-to-no contact with the outside world for 28 years (though it does and doesn't feel that long, and he knows he couldn't actually have spent that long in a mansion, given he's roughly 29 years old)... Jefferson's developed an affinity for music, what he could pick up on the radio, and what he had lying around the house. ]

Edited 2017-04-18 17:30 (UTC)

[ Charmed by Weirdness: The Poe Dameron Story. ]

No waiting, and I know I would. If this baby had wings I'd knock this whole town on its ass.

[ There's laughter in his eyes, undercutting the brag.

He's ignoring the small voice that says he's a Navy man, not a starfighter pilot. He's had a flightstick in his hands since he was six years old. No amount of lying is going to take that away from him. ]

Edited 2017-04-18 18:04 (UTC)

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