TEST DRIVE MEME, APRIL 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

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.

Comments

[revoltings]

[ He's bound to get caught. He sticks out like a sore thumb. He's an adult male with no kid by his side. But that's not truly the kicker. It's the way Curtis carries himself. He doesn't fit in and he knows it. He's never fit in. He's a shoe in a sea full of hats. He understands that. But still despite knowing he'd get caught he doesn't actually know what to do when it happens.

Curtis tenses up hard. His eyes fill with panic and for half a second he just stares at Rogue. Trying to decide what he's supposed to do here. He can't run. Too many people. He doesn't want to be hostile. She's just doing her job. There's no reason to be angry. ]

Um. [ He looks down and then up. ] I don't. I don't have any money. I'm sorry.

[theycalledmeacurse]

[ The look in his eyes is what gets to her, that panic that she recognizes from so many of the kids she'd helped get off the street by offering them a place at Xavier's. It doesn't matter that he's an adult, that helplessness is still the same. And it doesn't matter that it's been seventeen years since she felt it herself, she can still taste the fear and desperation at the back of her tongue.

Looking him over, it takes her two seconds to decide what to do. She gives the man a gentle smile and moves her hand to his back, just a light touch meant to offer reassurance. ]

It's alright, sugar, I understand. I've been in that position myself. Come on inside with me? I've got some leftovers from my baking frenzy that you can have.

[revoltings]

[ He should try to speak to the authorities here, but Curtis has a natural distrust of them. He doesn't trust people with that sort of power. They almost always abuse it. They put you under their boot heel and they grind until you're nothing. How does he know the people here won't do the same thing? Every sign he sees keeps telling him to enjoy his stay. Don't leave. It all just feels wrong to him. Like he's drowning on land.

Part of him does appreciate the help, but the deeper part is afraid. Worried that maybe the state he's in might paint the picture of pity. One arm. Ratty clothes. Stealing a dessert. Not exactly his finest moment, but he's pretty sure he's not allotted those. Moments of looking and acting a bit more like a normal person.

Declining would be easy. Simply for pride alone. But Curtis doesn't. Instead he swallows down the little pride he has left and nods. ] Okay. [ He holds out his hand to give back what he took. ] Thank you.

[theycalledmeacurse]

[ Wayward Pines takes more than a little getting used to. Even after weeks in the strange little town that wouldn't let anyone leave, she's still trying to adjust to a new life that's supposed to feel like an old one. Not trusting the people in power in this town? Definitely something she'd be able to relate to.

It's not pity that has Rogue trying to help him, it's sympathy, and not just from those weeks on the road, but from a war that was lost. It's an understanding of being in that place where pride didn't matter because it was accept help or starve to death, and she's not about to let that happen to anyone on her watch. She'll give up everything she has before it comes to that. ]

Keep it. [ She gives a shake of her head and gestures to the school, letting her hand drop from his back. ] Those are some of my favorites, and I firmly believe that everyone deserves to have a little chocolate in their day.

[revoltings]

[ Curtis will admit that even though the people surrounding him in the town were unfamiliar the feeling of being pressed in tight together isn't something he's against. It feels familiar. In a way. You can't move without hitting someone else. You're always about to bump into them. In danger of toppling over. But he can't quite put his finger on why. That's the most confusing part.

He looks down and then back up. She's a lot nicer than anyone he's met in the past. Well, before he came to this town. People in this town they're different. Different than what Curtis is used to. Which is people looking out for number one. Pushing each other. Fighting each other. They don't give back. They just take. Right? ]

I uh--I don't think I can actually remember the last time I had chocolate. [ He doesn't think it's from the amnesia though. He remembers living off blocks. Bars. Before that it's bloody and violent. He can't recall how anything tastes. ] Or anything not a protein block.