bumfuckidaho | TEST DRIVE MEME, JANUARY 2017.

Skip to Main Content

Entry tags:

!tdm

TEST DRIVE MEME, JANUARY 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 YOU DONE HECKED UP

It's hard to say what it was, exactly, that crossed the line.

It might have been all those questions you've been asking about the town and the people within it. It might be all that talking you've been doing, about your life outside and the family you miss. It might have been the number of times you've not-so-subtly referenced the fence in the woods.

In any case, the Sheriff has taken notice of it, and you've been charged with disturbing the peace. It's his hope that a few days in a jail cell will teach you that such things aren't appreciated in Wayward Pines.

Until such a time that he deems to let you out, you and your cellmate have some time to kill.

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, at current, is audio-only and can only be accessed from the telephones in each character's home.

( a few notes )

Welcome to our first test drive here in The Pines! Just a couple of things to note:

( 1 ) 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.

( 2 ) ~~The above link to the FAQ won't actually load for the first few hours this is up - we're sorry about that, we just have to port the FAQ into HTML.~~ The FAQ is now live! We'll also be tossing up a few more vital pages over the next 24 hours, then opening reserves at 12:01 AM EST on the 17th. Keep an eye on thepines for updates.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

welcome to wayward pines.

[ Do not discuss the past. That's a rule Aqua's quite alright with, considering... ah, a lot of things. Her time in the Realm of Darkness is not a thing she wants to discuss right now, especially with strangers. Talking to them is fine... but remembering all the things she's seen, it's really better for her not to speak about it. (It doesn't stop her from dwelling on it, try as she might otherwise.)

Still, the whole atmosphere is odd. It has a... a certain feeling to it. Her head feels fuzzy if she tries to think too much about things from the past, and the citizens are entirely too cheerful about everything. Aqua's tried to leave via the road, but that had been a bust, and when she'd attempted to ask questions, she'd been met with resistance. She's not content to resign herself to staying here forever, though, which is why when she sees another person, she approaches them. ]

Excuse me. This may seem like a strange question, but is there anything you find odd about this place?

the woods.

[ A scream.

Aqua had definitely heard it, even though the people she's had little luck with in her investigations refuse to acknowledge it. She remembers who she is--was--now, a Keyblade Master with the balance of the worlds on her shoulders. Standing idly by is certainly not an option, even if she isn't getting any help with that pursuit.

Into the woods she goes, then. Aqua is wary, since she's never ventured into them, but whoever is out there needs her help. If someone catches her attention before she gets too far in, she'll stop them and ask, ]

Did you hear that, as well? That scream.

[ Otherwise, she makes her way to that fence. It's too tempting to approach it... so she does. She's not even that close to it when she feels it: a draining feeling, sapping away her energy. Aqua presses on, though, to see how far she can make it; that person is still out there... And then she's on the ground, struggling to keep her wits about her.

Alternately, Aqua does manage to get away from the fence. Anyone she sees who's getting a little too close for her comfort, she'll stop, and say, ]

Don't go any further. There's a strange power there closer to the fence--it drains your energy.

Edited 2017-01-17 04:49 (UTC)

[ Well, when it comes to discussing the past, something tells him he's better off not doing that anyway. Even if Vanitas can't remember much of anything beyond his name and a little of his time on some... world called Crystallis (a memory that comes with a few other, random things, including the name "Plena," the name "Ira," and... the word "chocobo?"), he feels like there are so many other things... all there in the back of his head, just waiting for some kind of spark or something.

But, honestly, he's not worried about all that, more than he is about the fact that he's not able to leave this place. After his second attempt to take that road, he's just going to settle for leaning against a wall, hands tucked firmly into his pants pockets, eyes settled intently on the ground.

That is, up until he hears someone asking another person a question. Said person being asked gives their answer, a kind smile, a gentle touch to the woman's shoulder... The same song and dance he's seen more than a few times since he woke up in that hospital. He's stopped thinking about the weird accident, the weird people, the weird feeling he's had since he got here, but that doesn't mean he's anything resembling the word "resigned," either. That's why, after the woman finishes her conversation with that Happy-go-Lucky 2000 (just try to argue that they don't all seem almost robotic, people), he walks right on up to her. ] It'd be easier to list off what I haven't found odd, but...

[ For a moment, his eyes narrow at her -- another familiar feeling... He's actually getting tired of those, since all they do is make his head feel weird all over again. ] ...There's a reason you asked that person, right? So, I'm not the only one.

[ A smirk. ] I wouldn't go around announcing any "odd" feelings, though. Saw some guy get dragged off just a few minutes ago, just for asking too many questions.

[ There's... something about seeing him that seems almost familiar. It even distracts her from the fact that the person's touch leaves her feeling on edge. What had been meant as a kind smile leaves her feeling more uncomfortable than ever, and Aqua feels terrible about that... but there's just a feeling of wrongness to the place that she can't shake it. Guilt is a terrible thing, but mixed with suspicion, it's that more intense.

Aqua turns to the young man, brow furrowed. But he's not reassuring her that she'll be fine here, that she'll love it, that there are plenty of things to do and people to befriend. There's something she has to get back to, but she doesn't remember anything aside from the darkness. Strange, that... She's not sure how she ended up in such a terrible place.

From one odd place to another. How funny... except she's most definitely not laughing. ]

No, I suppose it wouldn't do to get myself in trouble. [ She crosses her arms and touches a hand to her lips. The presence of another person would normally be calming, but instead, she finds herself more unsure. ] But it's bothersome, isn't it?

[Really, these people have got to stop. Olaf has been approached insistently since he's gone here, and he's up to here with it. One side of his unibrow shoots upwards, and he near-instantly responds in a deadpan tone.]

Actually, yes. I do find the amount of annoying strangers approaching me to be absolutely wretched. It's as though you people have mistaken me for some sort of tour guide, which I can assure you I am not.

[ He definitely jumped to a conclusion fast. Aqua looks far from impressed. ]

Do you always respond to simple questions with hostility?

Yes.

[ this guy is worse than hades, if she remembered who hades even was ]

Then it seems like you're content to settle down here without finding actual answers.

[he was james woods, how do you forget that]

Did you expect me to participate in whatever childish affair is going on here? I'm not some mystery-hunting orphan with no life and massive stockpiles of money, I have better things to do with my time!

[ ... that's oddly specific ]

As far as I'm concerned, there's little to actually do here. I suggest you get your priorities in order.

I didn't realize it was your duty to police the business of every adult in the area.

["i suggest you get your priorities in order" are u the fucking police aqua]

Besides, what do you take me for, some sort of hopeful fictional protagonist with oddly-colored hair? I'd suggest you squash that notion immediately.

I would think that, in a situation like this, most people would be interested in finding answers. It isn't exactly a common thing, to wake up in a completely unknown place, not knowing anyone here.

[ ... again, oddly specific. ]

No. I take you for someone resistant to actually taking action. I'm assuming you're not a citizen of this town; that means you had a life elsewhere before arriving here, doesn't it? Are you prepared to cast all of that aside?

Once again, you have made the leap that I care for mysteries and strange occurrences! Children - always so quick to make illogical leaps when in the presence of those much greater than themselves!

[He rolls his eyes, and smirks.]

Yes, I'm annoyed by this just as much as anyone else is. However, while you all run around and figure out a way to get me back to my lovely home and secret tower, I shall occupy myself in this town by showcasing my talents as the greatest actor these plebs have ever seen! They'll practically grovel, as I am a master of the thee-ate-er!

[ Internally, she's sighing the heaviest sigh. Outwardly, though... still not super impressed. Normally she'd be more than happy to help someone out, but something about this man... ]

If you expect me to share information with you while you do nothing to earn it, you're sorely mistaken. Even if you're a master of acting, like you claim.

[...screams "world's greatest actor" to her, and Aqua would be delighted to help out this handsome stranger.]

I don't need to claim anything, it's fact. Why, you haven't lived unless you've seen me onstage performing a great deal of mono-logs! Though I don't suppose you've dabbled in the appreciation of art, being that your hobby is harassing strangers and all.

[ haha... no ]

I'd rather not.

[Jiaying is dressed in a black cheongsam blouse with red patterns and a pair of black slacks, a set she somehow found for sale in town and was able to secure with credit. She tries to walk straight and stand tall but the pain in her back has not abated much since leaving the hospital.

At the question, she turns to regard Aqua with a small look of surprise then she turns to look at a nearby camera. They were everywhere, weren't they.

When she looks back at Aqua, she gives her an imperceptible nod.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only