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

[toten_sie]

[ His body was made what it is by people who aren't Randel and he's never been particularly thrilled about their choices. Which is part of why he lets his hair shadow his eyes. ]

Nothing I'm going to use now.

[ There's someone here, after all. And if she gets scared or defensive, things could go poorly for everyone involved. ]

You heard the noise too? Did you see anything?

[avicula]

[ dutch's choices haven't always been her own; her body has been a weapon for most of her life and she wasn't always the one deciding whether to pull the trigger or not. it's a large part of why she is so fiercely protective of her independence now, even if she doesn't currently know that reason herself. ]

Some bootprints. Nothing that led anywhere.

[toten_sie]

Nothing here seems to lead to anywhere.

[ Which is part frustration with the town in general and how closed of it is, and part factual statement. There was lots and lots of foreboding and fear but the consequences for everything were so very obscured. This wasn't the first time he'd had his options limited by location; it wasn't as if a District Zero kid was going to be able to do much outside in places where they weren't on the registers. But it's the first time that he feels like his freedom to be himself has been taken away. And he doesn't even particularly like himself but there are people who are a part of that, memories of people who've passed, that he's fiercely protective of.]

And the footprints led to the fence? Or somewhere else?

[avicula]

Or everything to the fence. [ dutch responds promptly, grimly. she's been imprisoned before, held captive, but she isn't really used to having her movements restricted like this. she remembers travelling through space, having her own ship, hunting down people. there was freedom in that, even if she was running from something. ]

One pointed toward the fence.

[toten_sie]

And it just disappeared? Or did they veer off?

[He didn't see it because he was focused on her.]

You're not wrong, though.

[avicula]

Probably just got covered by pine needles. [ which is annoying because now neither of them have a clue as to where that scream came from or what happened. for a moment, dutch's annoyance is written all over her features, from the way her brows are drawn together to her lip pressed tight.

it tips into something sardonic and darkly amused a moment later. ] 'course I am.

[toten_sie]

[ He shakes his head to her, because yes, factually, but when it comes to the town in general... ]

Only as much as you're right. The fence is the only place where the teeth show properly around here.

[avicula]

That doesn't mean the rest of this place isn't fucked.

[ dutch's eyes narrow again when she says it, watching his reaction. she's pretty sure those in power here wouldn't appreciate that kind of statement. he doesn't strike her as being amongst them, but you never know. ]

[toten_sie]

[ He glances over at her meaningfully. ]

I don't think I said that.

In some ways, that's worse.

[ She's not the only one keeping watch. He knows that there's terrible things in these woods. ]

[avicula]

[ there are moments when dutch thinks that whoever or whatever will come for her if she says too much, she can take them. there are moments when she thinks that even if she can't, she doesn't care. she's not sure which one this is. ]

Yeah, yeah.

[ are they back in town and at the bar yet? ] I could really use a drink.

[toten_sie]

[ He nods and slowly tips his chin towards the nearest clearing that lets out to the main town area. They'll be out soon and- ]

Would you like company for the drink?

[avicula]

[ dutch almost says no on reflex alone, but - drinking alone doesn't sound all that appealing right now. ]

Depends. You going to let me drink you under the table?

[toten_sie]

I'm going to offer to buy a few of the drinks and let you do what you want.

[ He shrugs a little. ]

I don't drink much myself.

[ His mind has enough dark spots in it that he doesn't need any other chemicals helping there. ]

[avicula]

[ well, that's a tempting offer. especially since dutch gets better at ignoring her dark spots a few glasses in, usually. ]

Well, if you're buying.

[toten_sie]

[ There are parts of Randel that want that, more than anything. Parts that would love to sink into a stupor or a haze and never feel all the terrible things he feels most of the time. But he can't quite let himself do it, whether it's from fear or guilt, so he keeps things sober. The hands don't need any help, after all. They filter in and out of his vision as they please even when he's had nothing but water, just because he knows he shouldn't be allowing himself this, this place, these people, feeling good. ]

I am.

[avicula]

[ dutch's demons are of a different kind. they're never forgotten, but she's grown adept at pushing them to the side, at chasing not necessarily happiness but some kind of satisfaction. most of her coping mechanisms involve that: chasing artificial highs. sex, alcohol, they do the trick. ]

Lead on.

[ she almost feels like herself again, now that they're further from the fence. ]

[toten_sie]

[ He does just that, heading for the bar and making his way to the small back corner he likes because it lets him see the room. Usually, he's here to people watch. ]

[avicula]

[ dutch likes the spot because it means having her back to the wall and a good view of the room's exits. ]

Well, then. Go buy me a drink, handsome. Let's see if you still know what I like.

[toten_sie]

[ He comes back with a whiskey for her and a simple beer for himself; he doesn't even really like the taste but he doesn't dislike it and it's good to cleanse the palate from the rest of the afternoon. ]

Not really a night for wine.

[avicula]

Good man.

[ dutch smiles, most of it teasing with some warmth underneath it. a whiskey seems like just the right thing to settle her inside her own skin again after that encounter with the wall. maybe not just a whiskey, but for now, it'll do. ]

[toten_sie]

I was wondering if you remembered.

[ He didn't think he was terribly memorable. Especially before he'd gone off to war. ]

[avicula]

'course I do, soldier boy.

[ he'd been plenty memorable. almost too sweet for dutch's taste, but — some of his other qualities had more than made up for that and honestly, sometimes even dutch enjoys being looked at like she's more than what she is. ]

[toten_sie]

[ If you asked Randel, he'd say that he looked at her like she was exactly what she was. It's not his fault that other people don't know how to value those people. ]

Randel.

[ His eyes go to his own drink for the moment. ]

I run an animal shelter now.

[avicula]

[ somewhere inside dutch, there's a monster waiting to get out, clawing at her skin. he doesn't see that; she's not sure how he can't. ]

Well, don't try to get me to adopt any.

[toten_sie]

[ He might see it. It's the sort of thing that he can forgive in anyone but himself. ]

You're welcome to visit the cat cafe in the afternoons. A little time with the cats and then you get to go home.