#Ephemer Week 2024

[serenedash]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EPHEMERA!!! I can't believe our boy had his screen debut 10 years ago!!!!! I will always be first in line to drag this man's ass but he is also my dear friend who I love :)

[DO NOT REPOST/REMOVE COMMENT]

[corishadowfang]

Ephemer Week Day 5

Prompt: Dream | Nightmare | An alternate form or outfit you’d love to see

...Chirithy did say that the line between death and sleep is pretty slim. Or something along those lines.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

            Tap.  Tap.  Tap.

            This place was very…quiet.  Not too unlike the remains of Daybreak Town, if Ephemer thought about it.  The only sound was his footsteps—too loud in the silence, splashing across the shallow water.

            Tap.  Tap.  Tap.

            It was empty, too.  In that, it differed from the remains of his home.  Daybreak Town still looked like it had been something, once; the houses were broken and half-submerged, the Clock Tower was in pieces, the streets rose like bones from the water, but everything was still there.  This place had…nothing.  Just sea and sky, stretching on and on for eternity.

            Tap.  Tap.  Tap.

            “What is this place?”  His voice came out more hushed than he intended; it felt like he was intruding, even if he hadn’t planned on being here at all.  Wherever here was.

            Tap.  Tap.  Ta—

            Wait.  What’s that?

            It was so hazy he almost missed it at first—the faintest glimmers of starlight, glittering just above the water.  There was—a shape there, if he squinted.  What’s…?

            The familiarity hit him with all the force of a Keyblade to his chest, and suddenly, he found that he couldn’t breathe.

            (For a moment, he was standing back in the basement of the Clock Tower, the world rumbling overhead and the crack of Keyblades ringing in his ears.)

            The starry shape turned, and he thought for one painful moment, he saw his friend smile.  “Hi, Ephemer.”

[cq-studios]

Ephemer Week 2024 || Day 1

Light | Leadership | Favourite Canon Line/Scene

——————————

“Me? A Master? A Union leader?”

——————————

Page and Art below done by @thetwilightroadtonightfall! Thank you for hosting (I hope you don’t mind the @)

[thetwilightroadtonightfall]

Ephemer Week 2024 🧣

Thank you to everyone who helped choose the date! This event will officially take place from December 19th to 25th, but feel free to post entries even after the week has passed. You also do not have to participate in the entire week. Basically, just do what you can/want and have fun!!

If you have any questions, please reply to this post or send me an ask here. I’m looking forward to seeing what you all make! 😊💜

PROMPTS

Feel free to use any of the following prompts, or not! Whatever floats your lifeboat.

Day 1: Light | Leadership | Favourite canon line/scene?

Day 2: Curiosity | Adventure | Something you wish had happened, or something you wish had been shown in canon, or an AU you like

Day 3: Heart | Home | Do you have any headcanons for him?

Day 4: Promise | Love | A relationship/dynamic you enjoy

Day 5: Dream | Nightmare | An alternate form or outfit you’d love to see

Day 6: Prophecy | Legacy | What do you think his future looks like?

Day 7: Hope | Resilience | Free day

More single word prompts:

Teamwork | Hobbies | Combat | Mystery | Nostalgia

Nervous | Mishaps | Miracles | Help | Family |

Grief | Rainbow | Freedom | Glory | Fame

Community | Merriment | Care | Stars | Final

RULES

Please tag your posts with #ephemerweek2024

(Yes, you can call him Ephemera but please stick to the tag!)

ALLOWED

Any form of creative media (you do not have to use the same one all throughout)

Personal written responses

Coming up with your own prompts / tweaking existing prompts

Shipping/Romantic content

OC content

Furry / Anthro / Creature-related content

BANNED

NSFW / Mature Content. Suggestive content and light gore/violence is allowed, but please tag responsibly.

Criticizing other people’s work. This is meant to be a lighthearted event celebrating Ephemer and fans’ creativity! Please be kind to each other.

AI / Generative art

Minor x adult ships

* (header image from here)

May your heart be your guiding key! 🫡

[psianabel-writes]

Ephemer Week 2024 Day 3 - Home

(I need to write at least Something for this!!!!! whacks myself)

Post Khux, maybe ... a decade into the future ... ? Hmmm.

~ 600 words

------------

Home.

A fleeting thought caught Ephemer as he strolled across this recently built street, a sense of pride filling him as yet another goal had been reached. The new housing district was finally finished and connected to the one nearby, giving them all much needed space to live and prosper further.

Unsurprisingly many people enjoyed this sunny day out, children playing at every corner of the street - with each other or their parents - noises of laughter and delight all around. A ball flew in his direction, which a child yelled after him to watch out, but it landed way further away from him than initially thought, rolling up to his feet.

He had to stop to pick it up for them and threw it back, waving after the children as the ball landed safely there again, receiving much thanks in the process.

… This was home. He was here, those were his people. He woke up every day now looking over new projects, trying to aid where he can, listening to people's wants and needs.

A bit over a decade ago he would have been one of these same children, playing with a toy sword fending off made-up enemies with his friends.

Those made-up imaginations quickly became too real, the toy sword replaced by real keyblades, play dates becoming missions and scouts to new worlds, the street abandoned to a meeting room. Connections twindled. His comrades becoming his closest friends he would - … he left his life for. 

Home.

After a few more paces, a bit away from eyes that might have followed him, he stopped again. The grey street with its white buildings and the people with it - no, purple roofings, trees neatly lined up with the market nearby, the walls reflecting a nice eggshell tone from the sun shining on it. A handful of children stood in front of the Moogle's shop, another one came running towards them and they quickly exchanged words before they all ran in the same direction. On the other side of the street was a boy getting loudly scolded by his Chirithy, to stop letting himself get into danger.

He looked up further ahead, over the roofs, and his gaze fell onto the Tower gracing the skies above the city - the clockwork mechanism visible to even where he stood, swinging left and right. Over and over.

Over … and over.

Until it stopped and crashed, the roofs turning into a deep black, the color running down the walls swallowing them up whole - the trees bent from the heavy storm, someone was screaming from behind a destroyed wall to another, but no answer ever came. 

He looked down as he noticed his shoes were getting wet, another second later the street was flooded up to his knees. Debris came floating towards him, slowly building up right in front of him.

Ephemer held his breath. 

Home, right.

He blinked and returned was the sight of bright sunshine and laughter from kids. 

A decade - more than a decade, and yet -

He was trying his best to make this right here a home for a new generation. A place to find joy and happiness like he experienced in his … home.

From the rubble it rose, blooming into something so much greater. 

… Was this home?

Ephemer shook his head with an exhausted smile and closed eyes. This question wasn't necessary to him. There was nothing he could do about it here, where he stood was his home, even if it was different now.

Even if he wished he could share this home with his friends again. 

… One day perhaps he could answer this question for himself better, but for now, this had to do. 

[literally-in-too-many-fandoms]

scattered dreams like a far-off legacy

Underneath the cable-cars and the dreary fog sky, the city of Scala ad Caelum ruminates on their enigmatic Founder, Ephemer, and gets some things right and some things wrong. Regardless of their veracity, the Founder's legacy is undeniable to the whole world.

A collection of snippets about the statue of Ephemer in Scala ad Caelum, somewhere during Missing Link-era. . written for Ephemer Week 2024 Day 6 - Prophecy / Legacy

....

              The Central Fountain Square of Scala ad Caelum was rather inappropriately named. 

               For one, it wasn’t even in the center of the mountain.  The great castle and windmill from which the interconnected cable cars descended was the true center of the mountain.  The Central Square was slightly downhill to the west of the Stairway to the Sky, and didn’t see quite the same foot traffic as the Breezy Quarter which lay just to the south. 

               Second, it wasn’t even square.  Maybe it had been planned that way—the loose diamond shape of the fountain in the middle meant to be echoed by four sides of buildings around it—but the city’s expansion had made it more of an amorphous rectangle with a rounded side where the open-air café seating extended the cobblestone into a wider path.

               And while, yes, there was a fountain in the Central Fountain Square, that was not the landmark people really referenced.  There were many nice fountains in Scala, many bigger and cleaner than this one.

               What the Central Fountain Square did have was the statue of the Founder.

               This fact alone was enough of a draw that the Central Fountain Square was desirable real estate.  A hustle and bustle predominated during the day, a common meeting place for workers and families and students of the Master would find themselves.  While much of the city was overcast, a certain amount of sunlight was usually brave enough to join the crowds in the Central Fountain Square, casting the otherwise dull gray statue in a striking, almost cheerful light.

               The statue itself was fairly detailed, even the wrinkles in his clothing visible to passersby at the statue’s feet.  Most striking was the blocky Keyblade he raised above his head, face uplifted to gaze beyond it. 

               Artists would describe his expression in any number of ways, and none of them were entirely wrong.  One could point to his smile and claim he was a happy figure, and it was true that his slight grin was sweet and gentle from every angle.  Another argued he was confident, with his lofty gaze and striking pose, off hand beside his hip, and it was true that he looked at some unseen distance with such conviction you wanted to look up and see if you could find it yourself.  A third said the statue looked melancholy, a lone figure standing against the fog, and it was true that the light of the city built by his own hands was the only ally he seemed to have in whatever fight he waged.

               Whatever it was you wanted to see in the Founder’s expression, you could find it.  Comfort on a hard day.  Inspiration when the going got rough.  Reminder of past success when future plans came tumbling down.

               He was an enigma, a fond landmark, a beloved historical figure.  He was a figurehead, often overlooked by those chasing the next cable car, brushed off by the more suspicious and rebellious, overhyped by the current founders.

***

               As with any landmark, any historical figure commemorated, the Founder was subject to being the topic of conversation more often than not.

               From the learned historians ruminating on the impact of the Founder on their world to passersby reciting dimly remembered facts from stories and myth or their own school days, everyone seemed to have something to say.

               Certain historians continued the argument of whether his name was “Ephemera” or the more widely accepted “Ephemer”.

               Writings from the founding of Scala were carefully preserved, and the Founder clearly had taken pains to keep record keeping as a priority, but records on his own past were slim.

               “The early days were too busy to bother with a comprehensive history,” one scholar would say.

               “He was so careful to record census data and prophecy alike, why would he neglect his own story?!” another argued.

               “It is as though he appeared from nowhere, already equipped to lead Scala to its Founding,” yet another mused.

               “From whence would he have come?” was a question they would never know, records of the time before and the worlds apart were scarcer even than their own history.

***

               The children had their own arguments, less formal but no less heated.  The Founder’s fountain was the “safe” area for their games of tag, and many youths dared each other to wade into the pool and see if they could climb the statue; quickly retrieved or told off by nearby parents, but the Founder’s gentle smile was only an encouragement to their interest in him.

               “Was the Founder really that tall?” the youngest asked.

               “Of course not!  He was normal sized” rebuked their sister.

               “But look at his keyblade,” the middle sibling protested, “it's almost as tall as him! He musta been short!”

               “Maybe he was just a kid like the apprentices,” suggested another youth, flopped in the shade of the statue to recover from a fierce bout of tag.

               “Founder was a growed up!” said the sister.  “He was a Master, wasn't he?  All the Masters at the castle are super old.”

               “I saw a picture of him in the library,” the middle sibling reported.  “His hair’s all white.  Gotta be an old guy.”

               “Silver is different from white!”

               “Nuh-uh!”

               “Yeah-huh!”

               The Founder’s expression did not change from its gentle smile as the statue watched them devolve into a wrestling match.

***

               To passersby, the Founder watched over their path, a notable landmark for those likely to get lost in the winding streets.  Those who sat and rested in its domain would silently thank the statue and fountain for providing a respite on busy days, the hustle and hustle of the city and even the dinging of the cable cars overhead seeming faded and faraway in the Founder’s restful presence.

               The nearby cafe had hosted many of its own varied discussions of the statue.  Whether a conversation starter on first dates, an idle comment by bored students, or a thoughtful reflection of the landmark by grateful denizens.

               “Ok, everyone vote,” said one group of friends one day. “Smash or pass?”

               “On the Founder?!?” her friend sputtered, blushing.

               “He's so handsome,” she replied.  The bright sunlight emphasized the curves of his face, and she gazed dreamily up at the unmoving stone effigy. 

               “Nah, pass,” said the third.  “That smile’s too enigmatic.  Is he actually happy?  Or just putting on a facade?”

               “He looks nice enough,” said the blushing one, timidly.  “I bet he was kind.”

***

               “Doesn't he look lonely?” asked one friend of another.  “Founding the city couldn't have been easy. I hope he had some friends.”

               “Leading isn't that hard,” the other replied, having been passed up for a promotion the previous week.  “I bet I could've done his job.”

               “Still, we could all use friends sometimes,” protested the other.  “And if you're in charge, you've gotta balance friendship with responsibility.”

***

               A romantic couple nearby overheard their conversation and turned to their own musing. “Responsible, huh?  Think he did the dishes on time?”

               “Oh, come on, I said I was sorry!”

               “We should follow his example,” the first said, smarmy.  “And care for our partners by listening when they ask us to do chores.”

               “It was one time–”

***

               “I heard he's the one who thought of the cable cars to connect the mountains,” one café visitor muttered, as though a conspiracy.  They were on their third cup of coffee and wired energy turned them in turns manic and earnest.

               “Scala didn't have cable cars for a while after the city’s founding though,” the other replied.

               “It was his vision,” the first insisted.  “He knew exactly how amazing the city would be from the start.”

               “What, like some prophecy?  He could see the future?”

               “Maybe not himself, but I bet he knew what was going to happen.”

               “You're making all this up.”

               “No, really!  They say that's why he's looking up, past his Keyblade.  He's got his sights set on the dream of what Scala ad Caelum would be.”

               “A dream, huh?” the friend replied, bemused expression turning to something a bit wistful.  “...I bet it was some heavy responsibility to carry that dream."

               "Maybe it was.  …But look at how he's standing.  Looks like he thought it was bright enough to be worth the weight.”

***

               The Central Fountain Square was the most sought-after shift location on the roster of public services.  While most trash-cleanup was not undertaken with any amount of cheer, the pairs of workers who swept the square and attended to the lamps each evening unanimously agreed this was the nicest part of the mountain to clean.

               “All the other statues get bird crap all over them,” one complained.  “Not the Founder.  The seagulls don't respect anything except him.”

               “I think they're just scared off easier by all the foot traffic,” his compatriot said.

               “Come on, you don't think the Founder had magic to scare off birds from his statue?  He was the smartest of them all!”

               “I heard he didn't even want he statue in the first place,” the other argued. “My ma always used to say they built the statue when he was too old and tired to stop them.”

               “Nobody's that humble,” the first said. “Who wouldn't want a giant statue commemorating them in the middle of the city?”

               “The Founder didn't do the whole thing himself, dumbass. Sure, he was the leader but there were others who helped him out.  Maybe he didn't want to take all the credit.”

***

               The lanterns which formed the ring around the Central Fountain Square always lit easiest, the fog almost hesitant to blanket the Founder’s direct domain as heavily as it bracketed the rest of the city.

               When the rest of the roads grew dark and foreboding, the stars far away, the Central Fountain Square was a safe haven.

               Students out too late at the nearby library always detoured by the Founder, where the lights were brighter, and threw some Munny at his feet in hopes for help studying for the next tests.  Workers with overnight shifts would tilt their hats to him, in greeting, in farewell, in commiseration of a dark and cold night.  Those with more nefarious plans avoided the Central square, convinced the Founder’s eyes sought them out with an accusing glare, his grin turned sharp and warning. 

               And every morning, the dawn would rise over the city, and hit the face of the Founder’s statue first.  The statue looked most at peace with the pale light of daybreak illuminating him, cold stone lit to look more like silver, his smile tinged melancholic, something nonetheless hopeful.  

               Whatever he seemed to see in the sunrise must have been nice.  He smiled to see it each time, no matter how dark the night before had been.

~fin~

......

shout-out to @ thetwilightroadtonightfall for organizing this event! check out the tag ephemerweek2024 for more delightful ephemer content

this is technically late but at this rate my submission for tomorrow will also be late, i am blaming the holiday and not my poor time management skills

just to clarify. this fic is meant to be snippets of conversations and beliefs about Ephemer by the modern denizens of Scala, who do not know the whole story and definitely got it wrong in many places.

missing link is not out yet and if any of this is later contradicted/is already contradicted by the beta from earlier this year, don't @ me, i am not trying to be super canon with this. just havin fun :)

i miss the dandelions :(

thanks for reading! happy holidays! and happy birthday ephemer!!

also see this on Ao3, will reblog tomorrow with the ao3 link

[sojourntime]

Ephemer Week 2024, Free Day

I couldn't do much for Ephemer Week, but I finally got around to making this for a server.

Happy Ephemer Week!!

[mark-seins]

✿ The Shape of Hope | Ephemer Week 2024: Day 7

[crystaltikal]

Ephemer Week 2024: Day Four: Love

Still working on Day Three, but this was already finished. Originally drew it because after being inspired by my KHUx-themed The Sims 3 playthrough, and knew it'd be perfect for this prompt. I'm a huge fan of Ephelayer. 😅

[recusant-s-sigil]

Ephemer Week 2024: Day 1!

Light | Leadership | Favorite canon scene/line

(Side note, I probably won't be doing drawings or even creative writing for this lmao)

Ephemer explaining his absolutely bonkers-sounding theory about the worlds and the Book immediately after meeting Player for the first time makes me guffaw every time I think about it (and Player backing away from him getting all up in their space is extremely funny) NOT TO MENTION that Player basically immediately agrees to join him in his exploits??? Like come on that is peak intro and instant besties energy

[cosmosnout]

KH OC WEEK 2024

Day 2: Past

Shiro

Though Shiro themselves no longer remembers much about their past, they had quite an adventurous childhood. Shiro’s life has been rough and tumble from the very beginning as a young keybearer and they’re no stranger to finding themselves on an adventure.

The most important memories for Shiro are, of course, those spent with their friends in Twilight Town. Ephemer and Skuld were definitely considered Shiro’s best friends during that time, and the trio would spend countless hours running around trying to chase down the mysteries of the fortellers.

Shiro was also very close with their party members (the little weirdos from KHUX( /lovingly)) and would go on many adventures with them to grow stronger, and mostly to just have fun.

Chirithy and their dream eater companion where also very important people(creatures?)in Shiro’s life.

Shiro met the of the other dandelion leaders later on but didn’t have too much time with them due to the world kinda ending.

Usually during the time of fairytales, when someone discovers they were a keyblade weilder, they’d find themselves wondering into Twilight town one way or another. Shiro, however, was actually born there and doesn’t ever recall having a family or living outside of the town.

But yeah, otherwise, their childhood/pre-teen years were spent following the plot of KHUX, with the exception that they got to spend more time with Ephemer and Skype before being forced to part ways.

As children, Aiko and Viktor had a dream of building a spaceship to explore the stars with. They however, quickly realised that building a spaceship is a lot harder than storybooks made it out to be, so they instead settled on just looking at the stars.

It is still a memory they think fondly of years later. Not necessarily because of the absurdity of two children managing to build a functioning space ship, but because it was something they promised to do together. A promise of staying together.

(They immediately get separated, once they leave their world LMAO)

Viktor and Aiko both grew up pretty secluded from the rest of the world and had very little interactions with others.

Doing pretty much everything together was kind of a given, so having become separated from each other in the future neither of them took it very well.

Codependent idiots (lovingly) but they learn to exist outside of each other once they become older I swear.

I imagine their childhood home being a bit out of town near a beautiful meadow and forest that they’d play in.

(Oh, and they totally build that spaceship in the future once they realise that magic exists. It is extremely awesome, and I’d like to think Ansem’s apprentices will help them out with it once they finally get acquainted somewhere post kh3.)

Similar to Aiko and Viktor Merin and Tähti have been together since quite literally their birth. (Coming into existence together with no idea what you are is quite the bonding experience.)

Their creation happened under quite the confusing circumstances that naturally just had to involve old man Xehanort in it. Having had some unexplained part in their previous person's destruction, Xehanorts took the two under his wing for a short while. However, once he discovers the cause of the extraction failing (having both light and darkness extracted from the heart at the same time), he is quick to leave the two to fend for themselves as he continued on to advance his own goals.

(His goals were to create Vanitas. He just needed to know if extracting darkness from people was possible.) also, I say “unexplained part” in their creation, bc there’s no way that cryptic mummy gave them any sort of clear explanation for anything.

Vanitas was at least born with some sort of purpose and understanding of what he is, while these two were left to figure it out on their own.

You know those videos of otters holding hands while they float on top of water? Yeah, that’s what I think of when I think of Merin and Tähti.

They were pretty much in the same emotional state of ‘head empty’ as Roxas was when he first awakened.

They’ve come a long way from then tho

Also, I think for the two of them, having no idea who their previous person was is kinda like just having a whole piece of their being and self be missing. Just waking up someday to be told that you used to be somebody else, or more precisely, a part of somebody else, and now you need to exist outside of that person while also having no idea who that person was or if you’re really even your own person or just a part of somebody else.

Since I’m definitely more of an artist than a writer, I thought I’d add some other older drawings that I thought would fit the prompt. (TW old art /j)

@khoc-week

[starrysmiling]

[fic] impressions, memories, and all else that is engraved within the heart

"We didn't know each other for very long, but he left a lasting impression."

G-rated | 7.5k words | posted 30/12/2024 | for ephemer week!

ephemer & player | major cameos: skuld, brain, lauriam

missing scenes, 5+1, features keykid shenanigans!

read here

[corishadowfang]

Ephemer Week Day 4

Prompt: Promise | Love | A relationship/dynamic you enjoy

There was an obvious answer for this one, haha. Written from Player's POV for the sake of my sanity.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

            “I have an idea.”

            You’ve come to realize that those words are never a good sign—especially when they’re coming out of Ephemer’s mouth, and he’s got a grin on his face that says this ‘idea’ is closer to mischief than Union Leader-related duties.  It’s even less encouraging when it’s roughly five in the morning, and he had invited himself over for a visit, a bewildered Skuld in tow.

            You look at her now, and she shrugs and smiles helplessly.  That does nothing to soothe your worries.

            “You know how there are rumors that the town’s haunted, right?”

            You…had heard some of those rumors, actually.  People would talk about how the air would suddenly feel dead, sound dropping away except for a strange, static-y noise.  Their skin would prickle, and their hair would rise, and they’d be overcome with this strange, sudden feeling of dread.  And then they’d see—someone.  Not always someone they knew—but they’d always be this hazy, almost glitchy thing, going about their day as if no one else was there.

            …That’s what you’d heard, at any rate.

            “Do you think they’re Heartless?” Skuld asks, and you wince; you suppose that would make the most sense.

            But then, Ephemer is already shaking his head.  “That’s the thing—they always say they’re actual people.  I think Brain said he saw one the other day.”

            “He’s probably just trying to mess with you.”

            “But what if he’s not?”

            There is a light in his eyes that tells you exactly where his mind is going.  “You want to go looking for them, don’t you?” you sign, and try to convey as much exasperation in your expression as you can.

            Ephemer grins and points at you.  “Yes!”

            “Ghost hunting?” Skuld asks, incredulous.

            “Yeah!  Come on, it’ll be fun.  We can go with full gear and everything.”

            “From where?”

            “Steal it from Brain.”

            “Does…he have ghost-hunting gear?” you sign, giving your friends a baffled look.

            Ephemer shrugs.  “He has a lot of weird stuff, so—probably.”

            Skuld worries her lip, looking hesitant.  “I don’t know…”

            “Come on.  Please?”  Ephemer’s expression softens a bit, and he adds, “We haven’t done much together recently, you know?  And if there is something, it’d be good to know—right?”

            Something crosses Skuld’s face, and she relaxes, just a little.  “I guess.”

            Ephemer’s grin broadens, and he swings to you.  “You in?”

            You sigh, but the answer’s obvious: of course you’re going along.  You think Ephemer’s schemes are ridiculous, sometimes, but you wouldn’t miss one of them for the world.

            …Besides, you can tease him about it later.

[memorystormsanctuary]

KHOC Week 2024

Day 4~ Dreams

Today's prompt for @khoc-week is Dreams. The first note I made to myself is one that still holds true, and that is Annora avoids the realm of dreams. After all she's been through she struggles to find dreams to be peaceful, especially following the possession at the end of union cross. And without Chirithy around, her dreams easily turn to nightmares.

And in a less literal sense, she can't really picture a future she wants. It's all wound up and confusing. All she knows is she doesn't want anyone to suffer like she and her friends did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was cold. So cold it was starting to burn in her arms and fingers. She couldn’t feel where she gripped onto her keyblade. Was it her keyblade anymore? Or was it his? The one he had pointed at her. She wasn’t angry at him. She knew that though the cold was making it hard to think. It was her keyblade. She was still fighting him. And her. Her friends. And their friends too. She could see their faces, through the darkness that smoked in front of her eyes. Flashes of color so she knew. The silver stars. The red scarf. The feather. She could see it.

It was cold. She didn’t feel the strike that pushed her back. She couldn’t breathe, the crowding darkness freezing her lungs as she stumbled back. The last thing she could see was the look on his face, the sadness and resolve. The pain.

Then it was just darkness, shadows rushing around her. Flashes of all the things she wanted to forget. The sounds of the war. The thunder and rain. Her friends and all the blood. The hearts filling the sky as she sat back and did nothing. She could do nothing. All she could do was watch their pain. Play a role that she didn’t want. Change nothing. Change nothing.

Annora awoke with a start, gasping for breath as she gripped her sheets. The darkness that greeted her didn’t comfort her. Her heartrate jumped even more, pounding against her chest with a force that she thought might break her ribcage.

As her eyes adjusted to the dim light streaming through her window, she slowly managed to bring herself back to the moment. To her home in the new city. In Scala as Caelum. His city. She ushed herself up, first to sit with her legs over the side of the bed and then to her feet as she crossed to the balcony.

There was more light outside. With all the stars filling the sky and the city lights beneath her. She could see plenty of the city, though not all of it. From here, it almost looked like Daybreak Town. She could convince herself she wasn’t in a new city. That all her nightmares were just that. That the war had never happened and she would be able to meet with her party in the morning. That they would be able to talk and laugh and it would all be the same. They could dream of a future together.

“Chirithy?” Annora said softly, the words echoing into the air. There was no answer. There never was. She sighed, looking back over the city. It was beautiful. At least it looked it. With no way to seem the shadows that filled the world.

Calling for her Chirithy had become habit, from the moment she had regained her bearings and remembered Chirithy. This all seemed so much like a dream it was all she could do. It would only be right for a Chirithy to be here. At least one. Something to protect the dreams that made this place. A world built on dreams with no protectors was bound to turn into a nightmare.

Many days had been spent once, dreaming of the future with the Dandelions. They had all had so many ideas for the world they would rebuild. Ephemer and Brain had debated for hours about the best way to do things. And Annora had gladly listened then. Though she often had pulled them back down to reality, forcing them to take things more seriously. Great minds like theirs always ran wild.

It never came close to this. To the societies that might as well have been unions. They were at each others throats just the same. To the obsession with a book a prophecy that was yet to come. They had dreamed and dreamed and dreamed. And all that they saw was history bound to repeat.

Annora gripped the balcony railing, leaning forward. It all looked the same. Her dreams once again turning to nightmares even in her waking moments. There was the same choice she had been offered before.

There were dreams to protect, and no Chirithy’s to protect them any more.

She couldn’t protect her own dreams.

Maybe she could protect the dreams of others.

She could go off script for a moment.

[thetwilightroadtonightfall]

10 more days until the first day of Ephemer Week 2024, taking place from December 19th to December 25th!

Remember to tag your posts with #ephemerweek2024 so we can all enjoy your work!

Gentle reminders: You’re welcome to make stuff even after the week has passed, and you don’t have to participate in the entire week. It’s a busy time of year, so make sure you don’t spread yourself too thin! 😊

❥ INFO POST

[karla-the-elemental-dreamer]

🪢 KH-OC Week 2024 🪢 - Day 2 Package

Prompt: Design keyblades for Natasha and Erika.

In Day 1, you were introduced to two new teddies:

Miss Natasha Avalenka

Miss Erika Tapalados

Who are special guests for KH-OC Week 2024 under Dinh-Yu.

Here are their keyblades if they were to traverse / reside in the Kingdom Hearts realm.

Natasha: Aura of Enigma

The ? graphics are inspired by how Sora or any other KH player gets confused by an enemy. When she swings, ?s will come off the keyblade. The N in the background does not stand for Neo-Cortex, it stands for Natasha, though she seems to adopt a similar if not identical style/taste, in terms of science slash robotics/mechanics, or even archaeology. Hence some nicely shaped bones for the outer handle, with an 'Alice In Wonderland'/'Dr. Seuss' bush over the top. I believe in Kingdom Hearts, she'd fit in to being a researcher or may teeter on the edge of darkness at times.

The main reason Natasha gets this keyblade is because despite me being her creator (obviously), I don't even know the true facets of her personality. Like she is so hard to flesh out, hence she's an 'Enigma' waiting to be discovered, if anyone can work it out. That's what the E at the end of the keyblade stands for... Unless she had dealings with Ephemer or Eraqus that I know nothing about...?

---

Erika: Flower Garden

Erika would be teaming up with the guardians of light, and may even get involved in the company/surroundings of her sister. Erika would get Riku to 'like' her / get used to her quicker than both Selvian and Sierra combined. Consuls (ESFJs) have a knack for that.

With Erika's design, she just screams flowers and pretty petals, and other pretty things as well. In a sense she's like Kairi, but only in tastes. She's not as rambunctious as Kairi. Just for comparison, think of Erika as a Princess Peach type; only not getting kidnapped.

I think of Erika as a 'delicate flower', whereas Kairi is a 'Wild Flower'.

Kairi likes a sharp pink, Erika likes pastel pink and pastel green as a secondary.

---

As Day 2 here is on the topic of more/additional keyblades:

As I was setting up some things for this event, I was psychically gifted a keyblade for my inventory by Dinh-Yu and his crowd!

---

Day 2 edit: Dinh-Yu subsequently caught me out for not putting keychains on the back of the handles. I always forget those 🥲

'Aura of Enigma' would have a bright red N OR a ? of some sort.

Not sure about Erika's.

'Warioware Inc.' would have a garlic OR a mini console thing like what they use in Game&Wario.

---

Subsequent Day 2 edit: Am doing the week mostly blind due to Dinh-Yu's challenge, advice and instructions, but when scrolling through ppl's work, I saw a prompt.

I realise I have hilariously coincidentally addressed Natasha's ABSENCE OF past or at least knowledge of it 😁

So here's something else about the past. Where does Selvian come from? IRL, I have had what happened to be my favourite coloured trddy bear for a few years, until it was no longer useable for some reason. The ears were blue, but the fur was rainbow. Since the base colour was green, that's the digital skin colour because I'd spend forever with rainbow. Selvian is the unaltered version of how the teddy looks like IRL, without clothes obvs, and also therefore consequentially bald. The rest are altered to give them hair and different personalities.

The bear may have been tossed in the trash, but the spirit lived on, for that many years, and has transformed into an interdimensional entity/carryable character in the name of Selvian who appears to be the leader of everything but has a specific bridge to Kingdom Hearts. And oop! I was also calling him Selviana as a child, hence I've now taken the last A off.

---

Sierra and Erika being sisters is a fairly new concept after Erika was rolled in for Dinh-Yu. May try to address tidbits of the sisters (or just Sierra because she's KH) in future days IF I can flesh them out more. These teddies sometimes start their jobs before we even get to know them 😅

Sierra was always intended to have a sister, we just didn't know who it was.