pineslog | (may intro) WELCOME TO WAYWARD PINES!

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(may intro) WELCOME TO WAYWARD PINES!

INTRODUCTION LOG

MAY 1ST - 3RD
AFTER THE ACCIDENT
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, replaced with white sterility. Perhaps somewhat alarming at first, until you blink at your surroundings and realize that you're in a hospital bed. You try to move but are sluggish, covered in a scattering of minor injuries you only vaguely remember receiving, not to mention the possibility of the partially healed remnants of other, seemingly older wounds.

It's a shame you won't be able to tell the difference between the two. Your memories are an indiscernible fog where they're not absent altogether, only a few standing out in your mind with any kind of certainty.

If the room happens to be empty when you wake, it's not for long. Nurses bustle in, taking your vitals and asking your name and anything else you might remember. Don't worry, they tell you. You'll make a full recovery here. Much of what you say (especially anything unusual, anything about monsters or magic or outlandish technology) will earn placating speculation of head trauma from the accident. You'll be told to stay put, not to push yourself, and to wait for the doctor to clear you before you leave.

Then you'll be left alone. Or maybe you'll find yourself visited by loved ones: family, or friends. You've lived here much or all of your life, so of course you have those things. Of course they already remember you being here, and may remember visiting you in the hospital while you were still unconscious.

Either way, the hospital's population is quadruple the usual, and you get the impression the nurses are working themselves ragged just running damage control. You might hear talk around the hospital of other small population spikes over the past few days, though many patients appeared to be well enough to be released the same day, and the same might be said of you. Or at least the staff doesn't seem to be too concerned. You can even leave your room without much fuss, any doctor or nurse that might try to intercept you getting called away almost immediately to deal with something even more pressing.

Of course, it's not so unusual to settle in until you're discharged, either. You may choose to wait for loved ones to come pick you up, even speak to your fellow patients, whether roommates or others wandering the halls. The more enterprising and suspicious might even consider it an opportunity to poke around for a few basic answers.

MAY 1ST - 4TH
GETTING USED TO HOME AGAIN
However you get there, outside the birds sing a joyful song, and though the air is just a bit crisp, the sky's as sunny as you've ever seen it. It's bright enough to make you squint for a moment before you feast your eyes on the quaint little mountain town of Wayward Pines, though that might just be some sort of side effect from your accident. Trees line the street at regular intervals, carefully manicured and slightly waterlogged from the recent flood. Cars cruise by at a safe and respectable speed. Fellow pedestrians spare you glances, some wary, others concerned or just friendly. It probably depends on how clothed you were when you left the hospital.

This isn't even the picturesque city center, though a colorful nearby sign reads "Main Street" with an arrow pointing due south, followed in smaller font by a list of businesses you don't recognize (could be a good direction to head in, though — maybe it'll jog your memory), and one that you might: Wayward Pines Sheriff's Department. You've likely caught wind by now that any clothing or other items you had on you at the time of your accident are being held by the Sheriff until you're well enough to claim them. Not to mention the keys to your home, kept locked and safe at the station for you. That should probably be your next stop, though if anything's missing in what they hand over you'd be the last to know.

It's time to get home, to recover from your ordeal and try to sort through your memories. Do you remember this house, the pictures of family on the walls and how to navigate to the bathroom in the middle of the night? Maybe it's easier with loved ones living with you, helping you get settled, or maybe you're on your own. Either way, over the next few days it's a good idea to try to remember your routines, to get out and finally visit Main Street if you haven't already. Maybe you even remembered that you work in one of the more familiar sounding shops, or elsewhere in town. Makes sense they'd give you some time off to recover and get reacclimated to your life here, but eventually you should probably get back to work. You haven't seen your co-workers in a few days, and besides, you have to be able to put bread on the table.

Or at the very least some of the delicious treats at the school bake sale you're seeing flyers for all over town!

MAY 5TH
ANNUAL BAKE SALE, PRESENTED BY THE PTA!

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. Or, in this particular case, the hospital. There's no denying the hospital has had a hard time of it lately, between the steady influx of accident victims at the start of each month and the recent outbreak scare, and the Wayward Pines Academy PTA has come up with the perfect solution to show their support to the hard working hospital staff by vowing to donate half of the proceeds for the sale today. Maybe the hospital can see about finally getting the staff breakroom a decent coffee machine!

And it doesn't hurt that Linda's Blondie recipe is honestly to die for. The 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 flyers 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 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, after all. Or maybe it's just Linda's Blondie recipe.

Yeah, that's probably it.

MOD NOTES

Welcome to our fourth mingle log for newbies and oldbies alike!

This log is meant to cover characters' first five days in Wayward Pines. Characters for this round will appear staggered in the hospital between the 1st and the 3rd, and a CR building event will occur on the 5th, after everyone has had a suitable amount of time to get settled in town. For the most part, only the five memories detailed in your character's application are remembered throughout the duration of this log, although their false Wayward Pines memories may also begin to surface (in those who've opted to utilize this mechanic) as the week wears on. These memories, as noted in the FAQ, feel very real and are accompanied by as much emotion or sentiment as a real memory would be.

PLEASE INCLUDE IN SUBJECT LINE: Character Name, date, location, and Open or Closed, to help keep things organized and make your character easy to find.

If you have any questions regarding this intro log, feel free to ask them on the FAQ or the relevant plurk.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ there are so many things charlie doesn't know; he'll be like a breath of fresh air for jack if that's the kind of thing he finds refreshing. charlie feels some hesitation to admit that. questions are okay, but too many questions might not be, right? and he'd rather not annoy people or make them think that he's stupid. ]

If you'd like?

[ the food is really good and it doesn't strike him as nice to talk about how good it is and then not offer any, just eating it in front of his new — friend? acquaintance. ] They're really quite good, though.

_{[You're in good company, Charlie, ignorance is Jack's forte. Though whoever came up with the phrase "ignorance is bliss" clearly hadn't taken into account trying to acclimate to a place unlike any they've dreamed of before.

This could still be the afterlife--Jack hasn't completely ruled that possibility out yet. There are days, like now, when the simple, unvarnished kindness of a stranger sharing a taste of their dessert makes him wonder. Rubrum had been running short on simple kindnesses, necessarily focused on more steelier, bloodier ventures.

But if this is heaven, it's also a hell. It's separated him from the very people who give him purpose and make him him. The sweet with the sour, that's Wayward Pines.]}

In that case, I can't turn down free food!

_{[Doing as directed, Jack samples the morsel. It's sweet through and through.]}

Oh! _{[He makes an approving noise around it.]} You're right, this is pretty tasty. I didn't think anything could beat a pure chocolate brownie. Thanks, dude.

[ there is nothing blissful about this kind of ignorance, if you ask charlie. it hadn't been bliss to be told that he annoys even his friends with his questions about inconsequential things that seem obvious to them, that they take for granted. it hadn't been bliss and it isn't now not to understand how things work, to always feel like an outsider, someone only pretending to fit in.

maybe tanya is right. maybe everyone feels like that to some extent. it still isn't blissful. ]

Brownies are really good, too. [ charlie smiles, warm and pleased. he's glad to share his food if it means making people smile and make appreciative noises like that. ] You're welcome. We could get more, if you want.

_{[In exchange for Charlie teaching him a thing or two about desserts, maybe Jack should teach him a thing or two about maintaining pretenses. It's the one area in which he excels--and it allows him to idly consider the crowd with a smile like he's not internally debating his options.

Jack comes to public events to watch and learn what he can about Wayward Pines. Company could be distracting--but it could also be good cover if the sheriff and his goon squad are making the rounds.]}

Sure, you better point this lady out so I can keep her in mind. She'll be rolling in the dough today.

_{[The words are muffled by his mouthful until he swallows, the sweetness lingering on his tongue. He hadn't been lying that the blondie was good; it's not too cloying, like some of the sticky-sweet tarts he's tried for kicks.

He offers the hand not holding the napkin, as people do in this super friendly town.]}

I'm Jack, by the way.

I can do that.

[ looking casual and cool while internally debating his options, maintaining pretenses, that is not an art charlie has mastered yet. when he's internally debating options, he mostly leaves moments of silence that he doesn't realise are awkward. ]

Charlie. It's nice to meet you. But I think I've seen you around school. [ it's more of a question than a statement. ]

Oh, so you're a student like me?

_{[Dropping his hand, he resumes wiping off icing until satisfied, balling up the napkin to toss in the nearby trash. It's the sort of polite question one asks to get the small talk rolling, though the answer is rather obvious. There's not a lot of choices when you're classified as a minor in this town--you either fill a seat at school, or the sheriff makes you fill a seat.]}

I don't remember seeing you around. Are you new?

[ there's a timetable on the fridge of his too empty house and he remembers going to class, remembers spending time in the break with percy and often peeta as well. he remembers art class and little else, but he doesn't seem to be doing too badly in his other classes despite that. he's definitely a student. ]

I don't think I am, but there's a lot I don't remember. They've said it's because of the accident.

_{[Jack laughs even though nothing about what Charlie's saying is particularly humorous. It's the kind of laugh that suggests Jack often does it out of left field like the world rests on his funny bone.]}

Ah, yeah... _{[The Accident™, the biggest joke of all where they're all the punchline.]} That happens a lot around here. When did they let you go from the hospital?

_{[At least it's a way to clock when this guy might've come to and how long he's been living with scrambled eggs for memories.]}

I was in the same boat a while back! _{[He beams an encouraging smile.]} But everything came back for me, so I'm sure it will for you, too! If we share a class, drop by and say hi anytime. I can get you back up to speed on which teachers are less likely to get on your case for eating in class.

_{[The important stuff, you know.]}

Two days ago.

[ jack isn't the first one to tell charlie that this happens more frequently, but until today, he hadn't really realised just how frequent that is: his uncle kal, a number of people he does and doesn't know, they've all been in accidents lately as well. charlie is pretty sure that kind of thing isn't normal at all. ]

Oh. That would be good to know, yes.

[ he leans in a little. ] But Mr Rogers is nice, right? He's the only teacher I remember.

_{[He whistles lowly. Talk about fresh meat. But he doesn't say that. What he says instead with an abundance of cheerfulness is:]}

Niiiice. You got out just in time to switch your pudding cups for homemade desserts. Are you sure your stomach and your wallet are gonna be okay if brave the crowds?

_{[No, the dude with arms like tree trunks teaching kids how to clean their paintbrushes isn't so bad at all, and Jack's smile isn't nearly as forced when talking about him. Mr. Rogers fits being an art teacher as well as a pro wrestler teaching ballet, and for that Jack is inclined to like him. He's another person who doesn't fit in in this town.]}

Yeah, he's a cool dude, he hasn't yelled at me once for falling asleep or drawing stick figures. I don't really get art.

These are much nicer than the hospital food. I don't think I've ever had hospital food before, but I didn't like it.

[ is that oversharing? charlie doesn't really bother thinking about it, feeling comfortable enough not to question his own words. it's an easy admission, just making conversation. ]

I think my wallet will be all right.

[ there's quite a bit of money in it. apparently his parents are wealthy, or something. they're also noticeably absent, but somehow, charlie is used to that. ]

Oh, that's good to know. And I suppose it isn't for everyone? Like not everyone likes physics or maths, right? But I quite enjoy drawing.

_{[Jack's smile says he doesn't find anything odd about Charlie shooting down hospital cuisine--an honest opinion is a refreshing change from the townspeople's stiff, waxy attempts at playing the deception game for the cameras. This place could use more honesty. Ironic, coming from someone who's rarely honest about what he's feeling or thinking.]}

Yeah, it's an acquired taste. _{[Boots now ready to brave another round of rambunctious children, Jack stands up and stretches, arms looped behind his back to stretch the muscles there.]} Let's check it out! We might be safer using the buddy system; there's a lot of hungry people throwing elbows.

_{[What is a little odd is the way the other boy pronounces things, giving old sounds new inflections. Jack laughs a bit at the word "maths." British accents are still a novelty.]}

Your accent makes that stuff sound cooler than they really are. Maths, like plural? I hope that doesn't mean double the math, I'm batting zero for three.

_{[School being, in other words, not of the highest priority.]}

[ it's a good thing that his comment doesn't seem odd, charlie thinks. he's not sure why it matters that he shouldn't be conceived as odd. probably just normal teenage issues, right? everyone wants to fit in and be normal and liked by their peers. that's probably it. (spoilers: it isn't.)

so when, a moment later, jack laughs, charlie feels dread settle heavily in his stomach for a moment. ] Is that not what it's called?

[ he has an accent?? somehow, he hadn't really realised. which is odd, if he thinks about it, isn't it? he does sound different from most people here. ] Math, then. Just the one.

_{[You're asking the hard-hitting questions today, Charlie.]}

Now that you mention it... I don't know! I usually just call it "nooooo."

_{[Complete with the dramatic note of despair, eyes childishly scrunched closed. If Pines Academy has an acting department, Jack would probably do well there, honestly. When he opens his eyes again, it's to laugh.]}

How about we call it even and go with no math?

[ jack's antics certainly make charlie grin, eyes crinkling with it, the dread from moments before dissipating again and leaving only amusement. ]

Very well. No math at all, then.

_{[Aha, guess who just got promoted to Jack's new favorite person! You're a good sport, Charlie Smith.]}

We're gonna get along just fine, I can already tell. _{[He fingerguns with one hand.]} Now, how about those desserts? You won't get your strength back if you don't load up on sugary snacks.

_{[This is some bullshit he's spinning as someone who used to live on military rations and minds his diet, but his priority is putting a new acquaintance at ease. A few white lies never hurt to that end. Charlie wears a smile much better than dread.]}

[ he certainly tries to be a good sport, so it's fortunate that he's apparently succeeding. it's fortunate, too, that jack is smiling and seems happy enough to spend time with charlie.

it used to be, he didn't have to worry about that. he knew why people were spending time with him back when he was prince — that thought doesn't make sense, does it? but it feels like it does, like it should. charlie pushes the mystery aside. ]

Yeah, I guess so! Let's get a few to try, then?

Trust me, I know a doctor.

_{[Nyaah nyaah to their unseen overlords manning the surveillance equipment--he's not conclusively admitting to anything with that one. He's a victim of head trauma, after all, he could know plenty of doctors.

Jack looks over his shoulder with a smile, having taken the lead.]}

Where do you want to start? What do you like to eat, or that matter?

[ honestly, any admission jack may or may not have made just now goes right over charlie's head, because he's still puzzling out whether he's supposed to trust doctors and/or people who know doctors. apparently so. apparently that's a thing. ]

I think I like almost everything. [ for a moment, he sounds unsure again. he should know what he likes, right? nothing here is weird or strange — except that half of the dishes are completely unfamiliar to him nevertheless. ]

_{[Junk food is good for your soul. Some healthcare practitioner somewhere probably said that once... Maybe.]}

Oh right, dumb question. _{[Jack shoots the other boy an apologetic look. Memory loss. Duh.]} How about this: cookie or cake? The best part is there's no wrong answer.

Cake, I think. [ cookies sound a little more ordinary somehow. cake is special, isn't it? ]

A cake person! I feel like I'm learning more about you already.

_{[Of course, Jack talks a big game, but this is the first bake sale he's ever been to in his life, putting him smack dab in the middle of foreign territory. Like a marketplace, the sale is noisy and full of people; he takes a moment to look back and forth through the crowd, wondering where to start.]}

Hmm... What about that? _{[A stall catches his eye. On it rests an orange cake with chocolate ganache on top. To Jack's eyes, it kind of looks like a giant doughnut with chocolate icing, sans the hole in the middle.]} That looks like an adventure for the taste buds.

So am I. [ learning more about himself, that is. about jack as well, though. mostly, what he's learning about jack is that he's easy-going and friendly. what he's learning is that he likes jack. ]

That looks - it looks like we should try it.

Then it's settled! Let's do our part and spend money we don't get enough of for things we don't really need. I'm pretty sure that's how these fundraiser things are supposed to work.

_{[Lifting his hand to get the attention of the woman overseeing the table, Jack greets her, then points out the cake that had originally caught his eye. Half of that joking remark had been a lie--he makes more money helping out around the farm than he needs, or even wants, and he pulls some bills from his pocket to pay for two slices.

Consider it paying it forward. Aranea had bought him lunch when he'd first come to town, and that simple act of kindness had helped settle over-taxed nerves that day he'd wandered around, reading the notice papers.

Depositing the slices on a pair of small paper plates for them, the woman passes them over, and in turn Jack holds one of the plates out for Charlie.]}

Here. They say things like certain smells or eating some foods can trigger memories. Maybe it'll work for you.

_{[Provided, of course, it's the right set of memories. Too many of the false kind makes a person's head feel like an overstuffed pinata fit to burst, as Jack can attest.]}

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(may intro) WELCOME TO WAYWARD PINES!

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