NIGHTMARE PLOT: DAY ONE — DAYTIME

[these_balls]

Who: Nightmare Plot participants!
Where: ???
When: Friday, October 25 — DAYTIME
Summary: A whole lot of people collectively wake up and rapidly come to the conclusion that their lives are objectively terrible. Also, a castle.
Rating: PG in general; please mark threads that go higher accordingly!
Log:



YOU ARE HERE. UNFORTUNATELY.

KEY:

• RED areas are inaccessible regions of the castle! How they're inaccessible will vary from place to place (and from person to person), so players are encouraged to be creative in making up reasons why their characters can't get in to those areas if they try. For example, they might find the door to be locked or jammed; they might find a section of wall has collapsed and blocked off the corridor; they might just run into an invisible wall or a lingering patch of obscuring fog that ultimately deters them. They might even discover a rather unpleasant-looking monster hanging around and decide they'd rather not take the chance; the sky's the limit here, but the reasons for the same door being blocked can vary from person to person, and we encourage you to use this to add to the IC confusion if you so desire!

• BROWN areas are secret passages! It won't be immediately obvious that these areas exist (naturally, being secret), but with some diligence and careful inspection, characters can find the opening and get inside. Whether it's from lifting a secret latch or just figuring out the wall is hollow and bashing the thing down, of course, is up to player discretion!

• AREA A — the Spooky Garden. — ROOM CHANGES — 10/28/13
The obvious object of note here is the pretty fountain bubbling merrily away in the center of this odd little patch of indoor flora; it's made of white marble and is your standard three-tier affair, surrounded by a modest "courtyard" of grass and wildflowers. The animal sculptures are probably Pokemon you recognize...though on second glance they look more like something you're pretty sure you saw back home...and come to think of it, on third glance they're starting to get a little unsettling somehow. Strange! However, if you can stand the spooky company, it's a fairly quiet place to sit and unwind. Maybe you'll be generous and throw P10 into the waters? Or maybe you'll dig in there and retrieve other people's contributions for your own benefit. Either way, be careful when you look into the water; who knows what faces you might see reflected!

• AREA B — the Grand Hall. — ROOM CHANGES — 10/28/13
This is where you and your fellow inmates visitors have woken up; everyone will originate here upon the start of the plot, but there's absolutely no restriction on how long you have to stay there, so feel free to take off running as soon as you like. If you decide to stay, though, you'll notice it's a fairly big room, generally rectangular, with walls of gray stone and a healthy coating of dust and cobwebs over most every surface. All things considered, there's not a lot actually in here: some scattered rubble, scraps of wood, tattered cloth, empty sconces on the wall. Poke around a bit and you might find a candle or some other helpful odds and ends, but by and large this seems to be a token Big Empty Room — not particularly helpful for anything but holding people, all things considered.

• AREA C — the Overgrown Tower.
Watch your head as you enter this room; contrary to what you might expect from a tower room, the ceiling is surprisingly low, and the dangling vines might give you a fright if you walk into one without paying attention! There isn't much of note in this room, outside of the plants seeping through the cracks in the cold gray stone and the delicate scent of flowers lingering in the air; not much, that is, save for the wooden rocking horse standing stationary in the center of the room — what could that be doing there?

• AREA D — the Wine Cellar.
Pretty self-explanatory, this one; this room is stocked full of creaky old wine casks and dusty bottles of what is presumably ridiculously well-aged alcohol, along with assorted bottling tools and the other odds and ends you might find in an old-school winery. Alas, no free shot at hitting the bottle for you, minors; characters who would not ordinarily be eligible to drink in Route will find that even if they crack one of these bottles open, the liquid inside turns to old water — or refuses to come out at all.

• AREA E — the Kitchen. — ROOM CHANGES — 10/28/13
Like the Wine Cellar, this is also pretty self-explanatory; search the cupboards and you might find food. Whether or not you're willing to try eating it is entirely up to you — who knows what might be in it, or how long it's been there, after all — but no one's likely to starve; when characters aren't in the Kitchen, they won't find themselves to be particularly hungry, regardless of how long it's been since they've last eaten. When they go inside, hunger will set in, but if they'd rather not eat to remedy the problem, then alleviating it is as simple as just leaving the room.

• AREA F — the Hall of Tapestries. — ROOM CHANGES — 10/28/13
A nice, long, intimidating hallway with a high arched ceiling and faded tapestries lining the walls. Visitors with a healthy sense of paranoia might notice that this room is a classic example of a "kill box"; there's only one exit on either end and nowhere to hide in the middle. But certainly there's no reason to be frightened while walking alone down this long, empty, echoing corridor — though depending on your nerves, it might be a reason to pick up your pace.

• AREA G — the Decaying Library.
Though it doesn't seem to have seen a caretaker in quite some time, the library comes fully stocked with enough books to keep the literary-inclined busy for a while. There's at least some valid information to be found, most of it detailing a region that doesn't seem to be Johto or Kanto. Descriptions of Mount Coronet and the ruins of Celestic Town, as well as details about what appear to be the creation of the world can be found here, among other things — including the demented ramblings of a man who seems determined to destroy the world and remake it in his image, and the surely coincidental story of a tragedy that occurred in a large manor not entirely unlike the one you've awakened in...

• AREA H — the Hidden Dungeon.
Hopefully you'll never have reason to visit here, but if you've taken up residence in a set of our finest wall manacles, well...enjoy your stay, we suppose. This room is only accessible through the secret passage designated in brown; in the event that your character suffers a critical injury during the course of this plot, after whiting out they will end up in this room, presumably in chains. Hopefully they've got a friend who can pick locks, or who'll otherwise come to spring them from their confinement! If not, it might be a loooooong wait until someone happens by.

• AREA I — the Haunted Terrace.
This area is also accessible by secret passage, and if you happened to find it in the daytime, you might be a bit disappointed to discover that it's pretty much just a big empty patio that looks as though it ought to be outdoors (and the occasional breeze passing through would seem to support that conclusion), but it's so heavily ringed by thick fog that you can't see more than a foot or two past the boundaries of the edges.

~

☆ NOTES ☆

• Remember, all arrivals to the castle originate in AREA B — the Grand Hall, but you're free to move away from there as quickly or as slowly as you like! Feel free to handwave the arrival as you see fit.

• This log is for DAYTIME INTERACTIONS ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25 only! The Night One log is here, and other interactions throughout the course of the plot should be made in characters' own journals.

• If you have any questions, you can always ask us here at the INQUIRIES HOTLINE!

~

☆ QUICK LINKS ☆

AREA A — the Spooky Garden | AREA B — the Grand Hall | AREA C — the Overgrown Tower | AREA D — the Wine Cellar | AREA E — the Kitchen

AREA F — the Hall of Tapestries | AREA G — the Decaying Library | AREA H — the Hidden Dungeon | AREA I — the Haunted Terrace

GENERAL — Other Castle Locations

Comments

☆ AREA B — THE GRAND HALL ☆

[these_balls]

[It's big, it's roomy, it's...wait, hold up, where are you, anyway? Maybe you ought to have a look around and find out...

NOTE: Please feel free to be creative within the bounds of this setting; we encourage it! Nightmare Castle is a very dreamlike world, so things don't necessarily have to make sense 100% of the time, and the experience may be slightly different for everyone. If you have any questions, please contact us via the Inquiries Hotline, linked above, and we'll get back to you ASAP.]

[plushaeusrumpified]

[Things had been... weird, to say the least. Those nightmares, a general feeling of being unsettled, and then suddenly blacking out. When he'd felt it happening, he'd chalked it down to exhaustion- since the nightmares had become a thing, so vivid and fucked up, he'd barely slept. But somehow he'd managed to fall asleep for another one.

But, he realized quickly upon waking up that he hadn't just passed out from exhaustion. Someone had done something because this wasn't his room at the inn at all. This was something out of a medieval fantasy, if he ever saw it.

Bro didn't like being fucked with. He was on his feet as fast as possible, still feeling slightly groggy. It was then that he realized just how many people were around- Christ. He had no idea what to make of it, but he started pushing his way past people anyway, determined to go find whoever the fuck knocked him out and brought him hear.]

Get the hell out of my way, Jesus Christ.

[Yeah he's not being very polite when he pushes past anyone.]

[radeonthecity]

Watch it!

[The speaker is a short, scrawny kid who's kind of pointy with his shoulder armor. Also kind of smelly, because bathing isn't something that he bothers with much.

The fact that Domri himself was trying to push past Bro just as impolitely just now is of course completely irrelevant to him.]

[tentacletrainer]

Hey now! [[It wasn't that hard of a shove, so Rose didn't mind too much, but really? Is that how you treat your daughter?]]

I understand you're frustrated dad, but if you don't calm down, the answers will likely take longer to get to you.

Re: ☆ AREA B — THE GRAND HALL ☆

[islandshore]

Flare!

[He awakes with a start, only to find himself all alone. Normaly he'd expect to see his Charizard standing in the vicinity, probably nudging him until he poured out all his feelings of unease. At the very least, he expected to see Sora...

But instead, he finds himself alone in a cold, wide room. The dust gathered in the corners coupled with the cobwebs, splinters of broken wood, and overall state of ruin grabs Riku's gaze and refuses to let go. He turns around in a full circle, face frozen in a state of shock as he fumbles for his Pokéballs.

There are none.]

No...

[When he looks down, he spots his pack. In a panic, he scoops up the bag, zips it wide open, and rifles through the content...

But aside from some miscellaneous potions, full heals, and maybe a few snacks, there's nothing in there.

The nightmares flash before his eyes. Talim said that they were a warning, and maybe she was right. Maybe something did snatch his team away.

That initial shock twists and contorts. Riku's brow lowers, he clenches his jaw tight. His hands snap into tight fists, and he rushes forward.

He's not even sure where he's headed, but he can't stay here. Anyone else in the nearby vicinity may see this reckless eighteen year old dashing through the room. Be careful not to get in his way.]

[ghostytrainer]

[John's initial reaction had been more or less the same as Riku's: >check belt, >check bag, >panic slightly.]

[He'd never really realized just how insecure and exposed he felt without any of his Pokémon with him. Sure, he could punch his way out of some fights if he needed to, maybe find something blunt to use as a makeshift hammer but...it just put him on edge not having them there AT ALL.]

[He'd gathered his things and gotten to his feet, debating on where to go and what to do first in this strange and spooky castle they've all suddenly found themselves in. And that's when he sees a familiar mop of silver hair.]

Ah! Riku!! [Woah there, dude, you are booking it out of here, aren't you? John attempts to follow after him, because familiar faces are pretty much always a good place to start in situations like these.]

[soggypastry]

[Lightning's tense. On edge. Her fists are clenched and shoulders almost hunched...but she's thinking. Trying to figure out where they are, and looking around with narrowed eyes. Too many people to see clearly. She'll need to get out of here to get a better look around.

It's really only a matter of time before their paths cross, and she reaches out to grab his shoulder, pull him to a halt before he can hurt himself if not someone else. They've no doubt got enough to worry about without bumps and bruises or worse.]

Riku!

[foolishwren]

<sub>[It's funny, how even the loners who came to this world have grown accustomed to having their Pokemon nearby. Constant companions in work, play, and sleep alike.]

[And the second they're gone, the loss hits like a sack of bricks.]

[Which is why Riku isn't the only young adult more or less losing his shit right now.]

[Heather is slightly more composed-- composed enough not to just lunge down the hall like a juggernaut, but her heart is pounding away in her chest. She's already made her way into the hall and is yanking on doors, her expression cold and stony.]</sub>

Re: ☆ AREA B — THE GRAND HALL ☆

[crackpotcrocker]

[Crocker had been trying to keep himself up; after all the logic was no sleeping there aren’t any nightmares. However, Crocker squinting his eyes open and giving out a yawn after a moment or two notices his consciousness . Drat! After all of that coffee as well, there’s a moment of pause when Crocker also comes to the sudden conclusion that the space that the man is now in, isn’t Team Rocket’s base. Which results in Crocker flipping his body in circles all over for a few moments; one would think after all those years of stalking Turner and just randomly appearing in some strange place. That Crocker would be use to this; however that is not the case. Crocker exclaims in surprise.]

What am I doing here?! Where am I?!

[That's when the default to blame exclaims out of Crocker as his body twists in some erratic ways.]

FAIRY GODPARENTS!

[Which than Denzel notices...]

My Pokemon!

[That is before exclaiming in spite.]

WHOEVER DID THIS WILL PAY!

[At the moment the fact that place is creepy isn’t bothering the man.]

Re: ☆ AREA B — THE GRAND HALL ☆

[healing_wish]

[Her hand is trying to reach for someone before she wakes up, but once she’s awake… No one’s there. Madoka’s hand goes down.] Homura-chan…? [The place looks weird. Maybe she’s still asleep and this is some kind of a new place where she’s supposed to walk until she finds her. But she could hear/see so many other people here too and that gets her more awake.] It’s not a dream? Then, a witch’s maze? [No, she’s clearly not fully awake yet. Sorry if that doesn’t makea ny sense to whoever happens to be nearby. Not that it would be her first time being in a place, where a witch is trying to make a huge amount of people to end their lives…

Her hand hits something. It’s her backpack. Right, the world of pokemon and not home, so no witches or magical girls. She reaches for it, looking for her poke balls and finding – everything else but them, including a thunder stone for her Pikachu and various other things a trainer needs.] …How can they all be gone…?

[Is it time for panic? Because panic sure is slowly kicking in. She’s trying to kick it out by walking around to see other people, in hopes of finding familiar faces or just anyone. The more she walks, the less it seems and feels like a thing done by a witch, and more like something else, that she can’t even explain. Makes sense, considering even witches would be powerless in the world of pokemon, but then again nothing else makes sense right now. She’s trying not to be too scared here, but it’s not working well for now. One extremely shy, lost and scared looking girl right here, trying to think of something to say.]

Ummm, do we all have something -- anything in common? M-M-Maybe there’s a reason why we’re all here?

[solas_ion]

In common...? There's an idea.

[The 6'1" guy in the leather pants and awful shirt didn't seem too panicked. In fact he was very calmly leaning on a nearby wall. Panicking wouldn't do much, so for the moment he was quietly observing who else had come with him. That came first, then next followed 'where are we' and 'where the everloving fuck are my Pokemon'.]

It's pretty unlikely, but the theory's an interesting one. In fact I'm startin' to get an idea of my own. Kid, you mentioned thinking this was a dream just now, didn't you?

[aheroofjustice]

...It's Johto.

(Despite the semi-hard tone in her voice, there is relief in Sayaka's eyes as she runs over to the pink-haired girl with her backpack slung over her shoulder. When she woke up, the bluenette tried to get her bearings while going through the same possibility: that it was a witch's doing.

It had to be a witch's doing, especially since everything was in her bag but her Pokeballs!)

Are you okay, Madoka? I'm sorry I wasn't there when you woke up...!

[babel_hacker]

[When Atsuro woke up, he was a little tired and groggy before he realised what's wrong. He's in a large, cold room and definitely not in his warm, soft bed. His hands touched the cold, hard floor as he gets up and quickly glance around.

He spotted his bag and immediately went over towards it, digging through it and checking his inventory. He got some stuff but most importantly, and worryingly, was his Pokemon. The lack thereof, to be exact.

His grip tightens on his bag, worried and thinking quickly about what happened, what could've happen and anything related.

Atsuro's in an unfamiliar location without his Pokemon, his friends and protectors. He can almost feel himself panicking, but he try to rein them in. C'mon, he can calm down, caaaaalm down...

Standing up, he force himself to focus and look around to the room. Hm, it seems like there's other people here...]

Hey!

[He calls out, running over towards anyone he can see.

[paladinlost]

Hello. I see you've had the time to realize our exact situation.

[Cecil sounds surprisingly calm, comsidering said situation. It must be all that life experience and paladin wisdom, combining to give him the strength to simply stand and look around at his surroundings instead of panicking.

...Or maybe it's just that this still doesn't top that one time he woke up alone and starving near a town full of people that hated him. That kinda sets the bar high, as far as these things go.]

[dressofheaven]

[For a brief moment, Ilya thought she'd been sent back home.

A quick glance around, however, proved that this castle was in much worse of a state of repair than either the mansion she'd lived in for the war or the Einzbern Castle. And the layout was different. And... well, aside from the general style it really wasn't the same at all.

Still, it was the sort of place she was familiar with, and she was about to get ready to start exploring. Her hand fell to her side to pluck out one of her Pokemon for protection, just in case...

When she realized there was nothing there.

She paused, lowered her eyes to her waist to double-check, and confirmed that her pokeballs were definitely gone. It took a couple moments for that to sink in.

And then she let out a low snarl.]

No you don't. Not them.

[She's rising up to storm off to the nearest door, uncaring of what else is going on around her. She doesn't even know where she's going, but somehow she has to figure this out. She can't lose them.]

[enjoymyatelier]

[AAAAH A SPOOKY WHITE-HAIRED GIRL --

...oh, wait, no, that's just Einzbern. He's admittedly a bit uneasy about approaching her given... well, everything, but.

You know.

Mages.]

I take it we're in the same situation, then?

[enjoymyatelier]

[...on some level, Kayneth had been hoping for an actually pleasant sleep, but... nope. The greatest nope, in fact. After managing to pick himself up and brush himself off (because lord knows he wasn't going to go anywhere without making himself look presentable, even if he had no real idea where 'anywhere' was), he took a look around. He couldn't really knock the aesthetics, but ---

...a castle?

...no, that couldn't be right. He actually remembered everything, and if such a thing was possible, there would have to be a trick to it. Furthermore, he had his Pokemon-related paraphernalia...

...but...

...none of the Pokemon.]

...what in the name of-

[wait.

wait wait wait okay if he doesn't have his Pokemon then maybe-

...no, he barely gets saying a few hopeful, maybe a little too enthusiastic syllables of Latin before realizing that no

you hoped too much, you stupid bastard]

...right, that would require something good to happen...

[...maybe someone saw that, or maybe they came across the grumpy as hell aftermath

it is going to take a lot to get him into a decent mood after all this, Jesus Christ]

[captainash]

I don't see how anyone could expect any goodness from a strange castle that has apparently kidnapped us, really. Especially not with this world's track record.

[Why yes, a certain pirate captain did see most of that last bit. Didn't understand any of it, mind you, but still saw it.]

[itsjustdust]

[When the man sat up, it drew Obito's attention. After all, he recognized the man. Who happened to be on the luckier end of the spectrum as he happened to have his bag whereas Obito happened to not. Still, there was no point in waiting around, staying asleep, when he had someone to talk to.

Hell of a first meeting in person though.]

There was a whole lot more people in here earlier, but most of them have moved off to explore already.

[haveyouseenalittlegirl]

[Harry wakes, and finds himself in a strange place ....again.]

Oh not again.

[And he'll get up and start looking for two things, Pokemon and daughter.]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[It's funny. Back home, Otherworld or otherwise, Heather had felt naked and vulnerable without the comfort of a hidden knife in her pocket.]

[Here, knives were more of a bonus and less of a necessity. Getting arrested for having them tended to put a damper on that.]

[No, now it was POKEBALLS that she felt strange without.]

[And she most definitely does not have them right now.]

[Heather is standing in the empty hall towards one end, staring almost dreamily at the rubble at her feet. A weapon. She should probably find one.]</sub>

OPEN - Later in the day

[usedwatergun]

[She'd come back looking for anything that could be helpful. As a trained healer she knew that scraps of cloth could make good makeshift bandages in a tight spot, and past dealings in Johto make her think they might be needing that.

You'll find Katara here taking a break, looking for familiar faces that she'd split up from earlier in the day, and hurrying to gather whatever useful supplies she can find as she goes. Some cloth and a piece of wood have been fashioned into a makeshift supply bag.

A couple of candles and dusty candlesticks so far, but she'll need to find a way to light them. Otherwise not a very impressive haul.]

[exeggutorhead]

[Envy hadn't gone back to the hall since he'd left it that morning, hadn't seen any reason to. He'd dug through the rubble already to find his knife-sharpening rock, so he didn't think there was anything else of value to find.]

[...But there aren't that many rooms to explore, and as he passes by the hall he notices a familiar figure inside, poking around.]

There's nothing in here, you know.

[Yeah, he went in to say something after all. It's not like he's the grudgingly tiniest bit glad to see her or anything.]

[usedwrench]

[She's wandering around, trying to get to know the place and wondering who else are here. No sight of Shiraishi so far, then again the guy didn't have nightmares if there are only people, who experienced those.

By the time she passes by the great hall again, she takes a look to see if -- anyone is there? For another visit or freshly woken up in this place. The thought of gathering supplies from there comes to her mind too, but she doesn't have much time to think about it as her mind goes blank as soon as Winry sees her.

Kind of rushing right toward her. You're about to get a hug, not biological sister~! Unless your hands are too full to get one right now.]

[faerymaster]

[Timmy's eyes flew open had found himself in the strange castle. He sat bolt upright, this was not good]

I fell asleep...

[He felt for his pokeballs only to discover that they had gone]

No! No! They're gone!

[He stands up, looking at his surroundings. It had a creepy vibe to it but for the moment Timmy doesn't seem to be too shaken. His pokemon are his priority at this point]

Where are you...?