There was an accident. The details are hazy and obscure, but it's still the first thing you remember. Maybe a car wreck — metal and broken glass everywhere, and the sirens and the
screaming. Maybe your bike hit a rock and you careened uncontrollably off a mountain path. Maybe something less mundane, even impossible seems to have happened to you. You can't quite make out the details, not who was at fault or why. Try as you might, the chaos is all you can truly remember.
It's also the
last thing you remember from before waking up.
When you open your eyes, the accident is gone. Instead, you're in a hospital bed, and the nursing staff greet you with cheerful smiles.
Don't worry, they tell you. You'll make a full recovery here. Where is here? Why, home in Wayward Pines, of course!
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 | FOURTH OF JULY |
If there's one thing to be said for Wayward Pines it's the town's resilience and staunch refusal to give up on the image of a picturesque little town, and July 4th this year has the community putting it's best foot forward in this regard with its annual 4th of July picnic and fireworks spectacular.
To hear anyone (Linda) familiar with the town talk (complain), this year is a much more sedate affair than any of the years prior, but in a lot of ways today is a very good opportunity for people to reconnect with their neighbors; chat quietly at a table, share a recipe, play some catch, or argue with Jerry over the proper way too cook a burger. Jerry never listens, of course, but thankfully the whole event is a pot luck so there are plenty of other, far more edible options for those with a more... discerning palate.
The day passes pleasantly, and the night? The night brings the fireworks. A beautiful cascade of bright colors and lights in the sky. Sparklers are handed out like party favors while everyone is strongly encouraged to play safe by a long-suffering and weary looking sheriff. After all, the town has had quite enough excitement by this point, don't you think?
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), 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!
( a few notes )
Welcome to our fifth 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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bumfuckidaho2017-06-17 08:38 am
TEST DRIVE MEME
Cashmere | The Hunger Games
[ Cashmere's heard the Fourth of July celebration is tame compared to last year, but even as it is, all of it feels like a lot. It reminds her of the harvest festival at home but with more streamers and a barrage of unfamiliar music & faces.
She's also still not convinced that this isn't part of The Games. as far as she can tell, no one else has concerns about attempted murder happening at any moment. their loss, she thinks, when the Gamemakers reveal that this is just an illusion.
General paranoia aside, she is trying to have fun - or at least appear like she might be enjoying herself. ]
That looks - interesting. What's that? [ Cashmere's question is directed to anybody who wanders by while she's trying to decide what to eat. she's pointing to whatever delicious fried or otherwise unique picnic food is piled high on their plate. ]
b - network
[ since it seems there's no easy way out, her next plan of action is to make
alliesfriends. ]Who's interested in joining me for a run?
no subject
it's an improvement over Neverland, even with Pan present in this world, but she'll never let her guard down completely. she expects the worst, no matter what the celebration. they've already had a few horrific events occur in the month that she's been here, it's reason enough for her to continue to be suspicious.
but as this isn't Neverland, and there are people and resources to enjoy, she's not shy about taking advantage of them. her plate couldn't fit one more thing on it by the time she walks away from the table, and when Cashmere asks about one item in particular, she stops in her tracks.] They're deep-fried oreos. Horrible and delicious all at once. I suspect they may kill me. [ she's already eaten two of them.]
Would you like one?
no subject
[ Cashmere picks up one of the golden, puffy treats and inspects it for a few moments before taking a bite. she immediately nods her approval. it's amazing. ridiculously good. she takes another bite, savoring the delicious chocolately goodness before speaking again. ]
Well, at least you won't be the only one who dies from dessert indulgence. If there are more of these things, I am right behind you.
no subject
and then of course, there's her logic in tasting all of it; she'd hate to leave any snack untried.]
There are all sorts of things, that's the trouble. The strawberry chantilly is incredible, and so are the cakes and the cookies, and the cheesecakes - which, you should know, are individual servings and taste nothing short of magical.
[ and she was a fairy, she would know!]
I never should have come here.
no subject
her brow furrows a moment at that last statement, and Cashmere smiles brightly to cover the tinge of confusion. here the celebration or here the town itself? they're not supposed to talk about before and it would be very bold to do so in such a public setting. but the thought crosses her mind. and who would come here by choice??
she can't ask what she really wants to know, so instead she teases: ] Stay home and miss the party? That's hardly any fun.
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[ deceptive, manipulative fun. Tink would never say it isn't appealing; she fits into this town well, thanks to fake memories that align to everyone else's. they've all been told enough of the same lies to feel a certain connection to each other, or to find common ground when they don't. she's a business owner, a cheerleading coach, a friend to many people in the Pines. it's more than she had in Neverland, and if it was real she'd love to keep it.
but it isn't, which makes all of this a little hollow, no matter how she badly she'd like to find a home again.] Some people say it's not the same grand affair it's been in recent years, but everyone seems to be having a nice time. [ everyone who doesn't know any better, Tinker Bell included.]
Things have been... hectic, lately. I think we all needed this.
no subject
but you can't spend all you time trying to solve the mystery of how you ended up in some place called Idaho. for now, some sweets and trying to unwind a bit will do.
she nods her agreement. ] People deserve to have a little fun.
[ a pause: ] I heard someone call this Independence Day, but they didn't say from what. Seems a little odd. With all the food and games but no one's given a speech yet. [ shouldn't someone be going on and on about brother again brother and motherless children and the like? ]
no subject
As far as I know, it's specific to - [ she pauses, aware of rules that have been in place and the fact that she might be breaking one. it's what she did as a fairy, safe to say she hasn't learned her lesson since then.] This country. I haven't experienced it myself, but I'm surprised they're celebrating.
[ the last thing anyone here wants is for the residents to declare their independence from the Pines.]
Personally, I'll never turn down a celebration, but everything here is a little less wonderful than they say it is, just about all of the time.
4th of july 5th of july only americans care and nobody likes them
Rubbish. They call it salad, but salad has greenery. Not potatoes and some grotesque milky sauce. ( he's eating potato salad, Cashmere. it's potato salad. he pushes the plate toward her, and there's a handful of other things there that he's mildly attempted and apparently given up on. for a pirate, he seems to be kind of picky about his food. ) Help yourself.
( at least Hook isn't scowling now, and he's far more attractive when he's not. though, arguably, is anyone attractive when they're frowning down at a plate of picnic food like it's some sort of ghastly abomination? he's far more charming when he's smiling, perhaps too charming... though surely such things are impossible. ) I was promised this occasion had an open bar. We should go find it, darling.
no subject
it doesn't go without notice that he's a handsome fellow, particularly so when he's not mad about potato sauce. being called 'darling' isn't her favorite but she lets it slide. she's trying to make allies, not pick fights (though she is arguably better at the latter than the former). ]
I could use a drink. As long as it's not red, white, and blue with sparkles.
no subject
the mention of a drink with extravagant colors and sparkles of all things breaks through the charismatic veneer to flit across his features in literal horror. if the things this place did to salad were horrific, it's certainly worse to do it to alcohol. )
Savages, ( he mutters, though he does stand up so they can go after alcohol anyway. he's dressed in a dark shirt and leather pants, he should be sweltering, but no it's the food he is complaining about. it takes little to no observation skills to note the hook in lieu of a hand on his left arm, especially when he extends it in an overly dramatic bow in greeting. ) Captain Hook, by the way.
( yes, the fictional pirate captain just called people savages for putting glitter in their cocktails. that happened. )
no subject
It's a pleasure to meet you, Captain. I'm Cashmere. [ she does NOT want to hear a word about her name from some guy literally named Hook. the question is : is he very unlucky or is that a dumb nickname?
absurd names aside, they have places to be and beverages to drink. she leads them the way she'd come from earlier, having spotted a promising sign and happy noise in the distance. ]
What sort of drink do you normally buy the beautiful women in your company?