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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Clary was using the bake sale as a distraction. Her thoughts were fuzzy and memories clashed in confusing and cryptic ways. She wasn't sure what was real and what wasn't. The one person she wanted to talk to about all of this was her mother and there was no way for her to do that.

Sighing softly Clary looked down at a brownie and then at what was left of her meager funds. It's worth it. She bought the brownie and then turned, almost running straight into Blaine.

"Oh, sorry." She looked up at his expression and frowned. "You okay?"

So on top of everything else, he was knocking into kids.

"I didn't ruin the brownie, did I?" he asked, pointing to her purchase. He checked his shirt to make sure none of the dessert got on him. "Looks like I lost my coordination along with my memory."

Clary looked at the brownie in her hand and then up at the man in front of her. It was a bit squished but it'd taste the same.

"I think it's fine." She confirmed before nibbling a small bite of the chocolate treat. "You lost your memory too?" Clary was looking up at him with bright wide green eyes.

"Yeah." Blaine let out a soft little laugh. "I checked my pockets, looked under the desk... Maybe it went to the same place where the socks go after you do laundry."

Clary rolled her eyes at him. "You mean the left socks and I'm pretty sure if I was your memory I'd hide behind a mirror or under your mattress or something." She couldn't help the snark that filled her voice when she replied back to him.

Making jokes about it was better than panicking, which was what he had wanted to do initially. "I'll check there next. Thanks for the tip. I'm Blaine," he added. "That much I do remember."

Clary liked making jokes. It made things feel better, maybe not right but it was better. "Clary." She replied with a rather short introduction. "Your name is really Blaine? I don't know if I'd name my son that. Sorta setting you up for some obscurity isn't it? That or you're going to become a pop star of some kind."

It'd be interesting if he was in a band.

"Ouch," Blaine said, eyebrows raising. Though he didn't actually look offended by the comment. "Maybe I'm already a pop star," he suggested with a shrug. "I already have a Billy Idol thing going with this hair." He flicked his fingers at the bleached strands.

He didn't actually think he was a pop star. Though the thought of singing in public did feel familiar...

Clary gave him a once over, her eyebrow raising in an arch as her green eyes pulled back to his. "Do you really want a Billy Idol thing? Besides, I think I'd remember a pop star named Blaine."

With a laugh Clary picked another small piece of the brownie and popped it into her mouth. It was good.

"What? His songs are good. Though," he went on thoughtfully, "I'm more of a Kurt Cobain fan." Strange how he could remember that, but he was coming up with a blank when trying to call up family members' names or faces.

That brownie she was eating did look good. Blaine checked his pockets and found he had enough to buy one for himself.

"So do they have bake sales a lot around here?" he asked, breaking off a corner of the brownie.

"Yeah but his hair." She looked at his hair before tisking softly and shaking her head. "I don't think it's up to pair." Clary felt herself laughing before she could cover her laughter with her palm.

"Not all the time. This is a yearly fundraiser thing."

She took another bite of her brownie, happy that he was also eating because it justified her munching.

He took the teasing well and even laughed along with her. He wasn't sure why he bleached it, but he liked the way it looked and wouldn't readily welcome back his natural hair color.

"Smart," Blaine commended, chewing the piece of brownie thoughtfully. "Good way to promote your business." Glancing around, Blaine could pick out several spots where he would've set up if he had a business participating. Maybe next year.

"It's a community thing." Clary rolled her shoulders in a shrug. She didn't remember ever feeling particularly close with the community but it was nice. Everyone liked feeling as if they were part of something bigger.

"Pines does that a lot I think."

Blaine didn't remember feeling that close with the community, either. But events like this brought in crowds, and sooner or later a person in the crowd might recognize him. He broke off another piece of brownie as he mulled this over.

"Even better," he said out loud. "Odds are I'll run into someone who knows me if these happen a lot."

"Do you need someone to know you?" She asked curiously.

Clary hadn't remembered very much and while she was lucky to meet her aunt at the hospital she didn't think that people needed someone else to tell them who they are. It'd come to him in time.

"There is a phone network if you want to ask everyone. Since you know your name."

That was an odd question. "Well," Blaine said thoughtfully, "I don't need them, but it'd be nice to reconnect with family and friends I might've forgotten."

That was the heart of the matter: wondering about who he lost along with his memory. Did he have a girlfriend? A parent, a sibling, a best friend somewhere?

"The easiest way to connect with anyone is over food," Blaine concluded. "Example." He pointed to her. "So hanging out here seems to me to be the best place to start."

Clary smiled at the brownie and then shrugged in defeat. "Okay, you have a point. That or coffee. Coffee is amazing." She exclaimed with a warm smile.

"Wish I could help with all the..." She waved her free hand around her head. "Memory thing."

"Unless you find a CD I produced that proves I really am a pop star or something," Blaine mused, "I don't really know how you can help. Thanks anyway." It was reassuring to know the people here were willing to give a hand, anyway.

"Coffee sounds really good," he agreed as an afterthought. "I think I'll go hunt some down."

"I'll ask Alec. He owns the record store." She laughed and shook her head at him as if he was a magic show that was to hard to believe. "You're welcome." Even though she didn't do anything.

"Java Joe's. Best coffee in town." Clary exclaimed before pointing behind her.

Alec at the record store. Java Joe's. He could form new memories just fine; it was the old ones that were being elusive. "Got it. Maybe we'll bump into each other at one of those places."

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