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.)
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.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
officialnotice) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
bumfuckidaho2017-04-17 06:22 am
TEST DRIVE MEME
no subject
They weren't going to listen to her, about the flaw; my whole career, my life, hinged on decisions that weren't made by committee, but that one was. So we did what we had to do.
[ It's not justification exactly, it's that...Cassian has. Had? Led a unique sort of life. One where what he did wasn't seen as accomplishment or worthy of note or warranting whatever expression is on Poe's face.
It almost makes him feel uncomfortable, for all the blood on his hands, that this somehow negates that? He doesn't think so, not really. Neither does his subconscious. Then again, he didn't see how it all shook out in the end. ]
A problem with dying, I suspect. I'm glad it worked. They fired the Death Star, we didn't... [ Another shrug. ]
no subject
[ He sees it, the struggle to explain, that embedded resistance to praise. He swallows the knot in his throat and forces himself to relax, to engage with Cassian as he would with any other fighter, any other survivor.
It squeezes at a part of him, to know this man never had a chance to be the latter. ] My parents-- my mother, she--
[ Poe smiles, closes his eyes, shakes his head a little. He's not being as relaxed about this as he wants to be. ] My mother's name was Shara Bey. She flew with the Rebellion, during the battle that brought down the second Death Star. My father was Kes Dameron, a Pathfinder, special forces.
[ Poe stands and offers Cassian his hand, a kind of reintroduction.
It's hard, not to add that the galaxy owes Cassian and Jyn a life debt too great to repay. He knows it would just make the man uncomfortable, it's clear enough that's the case. But hey, just because he doesn't have to say it doesn't mean that Poe hasn't marked it on his heart. ] I flew for the New Republic under General Organa.
[ It's technically an accurate statement. Poe just isn't going to mention the rest of it, right now. That the General operated outside the bounds of the New Republic, when it still existed. The hunted, haunted part of him flashes on the image of those red lights in the sky over Takodana, but the smile in his eyes doesn't waver. ] In the blood, I guess.
no subject
So he swallows, nodding again, taking Poe's hand and shaking it in earnest. ]
General Organa?
[ That takes him a second, because of course the first person he thinks of is Bail, but that doesn't sound right at all. ] Leia Organa?
[ Okay, it's official. Cassian feels Old. Which is a very weird feeling, when compared to 'what am I doing on this planet in the afterlife, isn't there supposed to be peace after death?'. ] Sounds like it. I'd say welcome, but I'm still not sure what any of us are doing here. [ Or how, which has just taken a very strange slant. Being revived from the dead is one thing. Coming face to face with someone who wasn't alive when you were alive is something a little different. ]
no subject
[ He might idolize her a bit. Just a bit. A tiny bit.
Poe lets go of Cassian's hand and claps him on the shoulder, the motion comfortable and familiar in spite of the impossibility of their situation. Poe has, to some degree, adapted to his odd position of acting without knowing or being allowed to know all of the details. Somehow that makes this easier, accepting Cassian's presence and adapting to it without yet knowing how it's possible.
But he plans on figuring that last one out. And, if at all possible, he plans on taking Cassian and Jyn back with him to D'Qar. ] I think I owe you a drink. Is there a bar in this town?
no subject
Cassian hasn't put much thought into 'what happens after' in regards to Wayward Pines. It depends on far too many factors he doesn't feel he has much of a handle on. People who have homes and lives to go to should definitely be able to get back to them, if all goes well.
People like him? That's a little more complicated. Into a box it goes. ]
There is, but if we're going tonight I'm bringing Jyn. [ Or at the very least inviting her. ] After all this I definitely need one. Or several.
no subject
Not complicated, you are both going with Poe, it is settled, done. You get to live in the future now.Poe nods, liking this plan. ] And Finn. I don't know if that guy has ever been to a bar.
[ Clearly this needs to be addressed.
And there it is again, Poe's shit-eating reckless-pilot grin.] I can always use one or several.
no subject
[ Sign Cassian up for the Protect Finn at All Costs Club, please. He'll be vice president under Poe. ]
There's one other person...I don't think he's one of us. [ Tilting his head and considering. ] His name is Nyx, and he's good people. [ And that about rounds out the list of people Cassian Andor trusts. ]
no subject
Poe sighs. There will need to be adjustments, to live under the radar here. With Finn, that'll be... interesting. Maybe the memories will help them out.
(Yes, he met Finn working at NASA -- no, he really, really did not.) ] Bring him.
[ No hesitation. ] We're gonna need more than four people.
[ Yeah, five isn't a lot more, but it's something. That's when Poe realizes he kinda made that sound like an order, and he's not actually this guy's commander. He drags a hand through his hair, sheepish.] If he wants to come.
no subject
I can give you names. [ It's not that he doesn't trust the names he'd give, mind, but there's 'trust' and there's trust. ] The only clear aggressors in this situation are the ones at the sheriff's office, honestly, and they're only interested when you start breaking the rules; but there's enough surveillance going on that they might not need more than that.
[ Cassian chuckles again. ] There are entirely too many folks here who fought in someone's war.
no subject
Ice planets suck.
That electric edge is back in his Poe's smile, the one his peers would recognize as Poe with a clear shot to his target. ] Good. Great.
[ He chews the corner of his lip, catches a but between his teeth, winces. ] Their mistake.
[ If it comes to violence (it always comes to violence, Poe, it always--) they'll at least have people who are used to it.
What kind of universe is it, he thinks bleakly, where that's become a good thing.
Another pat on Cassian's shoulder. ] Not tonight though. Tonight we drink, and hope your friend doesn't try to kill my friend.
no subject
Then again, Poe will probably have time to learn all about that. Not tonight, as he's said. ]
Finn? I think Finn can probably manage to soften Jyn's heart even a little bit.
no subject
It's friend-pride. ]
That'll be something to see. [ A thought. ] Don't tell her I know her name. As far as I knew ten minutes ago, she was basket-girl.
no subject
[ Over alcohol and being under observation. Totally normal, right? At least it is for now. ]
Food first, though, I did invite her for dinner.
no subject
[ He stops. It'll be impossible for Cassian and Finn to talk for long without Finn's background becoming evident. ] Look, if I tell you something about him, it can't change your mind about who he is. The guy you met, that's Finn. A good man with a good heart.
no subject
His eyes are sharp, and Cassian is a lot of things but "fool" is not usually on the list. He can guess what this is about, in general. The Empire, or whatever they're calling themselves. ]
I'm listening.
no subject
Poe almost gives the details, but he can't make himself do it. ]
He was a stormtrooper. He defected. He hasn't looked back.
no subject
[ It's that simple, apparently. ]
Bring him to dinner. We'll see if Jyn remembers Bodhi; if not, I can tell that story.
It'll probably do your friend some good.
no subject
He didn't want to cut this friendship off before it started, but if Cassian's reaction was bad, Poe's wouldn't have been much better.
He exhales. ]
Okay then. [ A slow smile. ] Bodhi, huh? That sounds good. That sounds great.
[ Poe pats Cassian's shoulder again, giving it a tiny squeeze, before swinging back onto his bike. ] I'll find him and bring him over.
no subject
[ He predates you anyway, Poe, don't feel bad. As it is, Cassian gives a nod. ]
Alright. We'll be here.
[ Because he's going to give Jyn fair warning that there are going to be more people at dinner. (She'll show even if she minds.) ]
no subject
[ He doesn't want to be a hero. He just wants to see his friends come home victorious. ]
I'll have to let Finn know we're eating with the Cassian Andor.
[ Poe sets the motorcycle roaring to life, flashes Cassian a grin, and shoots away up the street. ]