#legends of the timelooped castle

[acid--angel]

concept sketch (don't judge)

characters from bottom left to upper right:

White Lily Cookie

Pure Vanilla Cookie

Raisin Villager

Black Raisin Cookie

Premier Custard Cream Cookie

additional:

Cheesecake Bunny (above white lily)

[1tsjusty0u]

actually you know what. ganondorf. what can you tell me about him

hehwhwhahahahahahahhhhahahahahahhahHAHAHAHAAHAHQHAHAHAHAHAHA YESS…. YESS!!!!!

ok so. the thing is for the mmain fic? i dont know how he will. fit in. like i have timeloop related ideas which i. need to do eventually. but generally speaking i dont know how to give him a good ending or even how he’ll effect the plot. but also i dont want to ignore him because he is very vital to the plot. honestly i might do a flowey for this in that he interacts sparsely, more to the end of the game. thanks toby fox

BUT ANYWAYS to me ganon really isnt. a twist per say? like with link im making his death be different and the reader is going to have to find out what happened (or immediately Know based on the tags and such and instead of finding out their horror??? only grows i hope because they basically have to watch a guy who they know something bad will happen to. like siffrin in stars and time when you’ve played sasasa). but for ganon his deal is basically almost canon except im highlighting how fucked up it is i guess. we already know hes under the castle, but the devs never expand his motives. so im trying to do that

so. spoilers?? i guess??? also its pure stream of consciousness be warned

ok so firstly totks whole Pre Hyrule thing doesnt exist here. im not doing that. the zonai are non-gods who literally just sailed into the country and happen to know magic. they also dont make the same type of ruins associated with the zonai in totk. their ruins match up much more with the ruins in faron and the animal-esque designs. also theyre extremely vague and none of them become the king. i can draw you some zonais if youd like but the whole zonai thing in totk makes zero sense especially with botw and theres actual contradictory information in this essay i w

because of this rauru and sonia Might exist, but they will be Extremely Different. im not making rauru a zonai if he does exist too, though mineru still might be one just. heavily redesigned. so theres no power struggle to lead to ganondorfs imprisonment- something else is the cause of that.

as to what? i have no idea yet </3. itd probably be similar to the exile of the shekiah when the helped with the calamity, ganon being seen as a threat and something to be exterminated. ganon may not have helped or interacted with the monarchy, but it didnt change what the king and queen viewed of him. though i dont think any prior games or legends “influenced” this- as in they didnt follow any prophecy or something, but they basically ingrained the roles of the past into being completely static if that makes sense. zelda is always the pretty princess with wisdom and powers of the goddess (and hylian), link is always the hero always with the master sword and courage (also always hylian), and ganon? always the oppressor. always the king of evil, king of the gerudo. always a threat. in the same ways these roles hurt zelda and link pre cal, these roles ESPECIALLY hurt ganon, just this time more directly. its almost like how certain laws target marginalized groups and by proxy accidentally hurt literally everyone else. but he was just a “threat to hylia” in some way or form, either due to something or just by existing. or both. but an incident probably lead to his imprisonment. all things considered i should. really work on this..? though thats complicated because if the shekiah just noticed the pattern of the calamity then people would have to deal with two separate events rather than just one, which could work but the “inciting incident” of the 10000 year calamity being beaten is almost null and passed on to another. at that point i might as well do what ive seen other fanfics do before totk came out and wrote about the zonai- grouping them together in the same time period and make the sealing of ganon himself as the person the 10000 year sealing of the calamity. however that wouldnt make sense with the tapestry…unless the tapestry isnt accurate to what happened which Is possible but still why go through all the effort to lie about becoming his calamity form? showing him as not human would fit with how they view him but still they couldve made him look like a monster- like a lynel or his pig forms, not a boar like cloud. so. i almost want to ignore his backstory entirely and only focus on him being well. trapped. i just dont know if this is the right move to make, as much as being trapped under the castle Is a backstory its not really a fleshed out one or one that shows his past connections or who he was as a person. though that does kind of fit with what he is now. uhm so yeah i have no idea im sorry

but to his. not-really-a-backstory backstory. like in totk, hes under the castle. everybody has forgotten this, the rulers being warned about.. Something under the castle, and to not speak of it like zelda says in the intro to totk. theres a locked gate, maybe with some stolen shekiah tech (used by the king/someone when the shekiah were exiled and hunted, getting scrap parts before they were buried) to secure it. or maybe they just like about it being protected by the goddess so no one can open it and because its such an easy lie to check everybody believes it. though i genuinely think its locked extremely well, either with past magic, the triforce when a past zelda or queen had it and sealing ganon was sealing the gate as well, sheikah tech, or something else. i say that because at some point youd think the yiga would literally just walk in if it was a lie. the shekiah tech is a bit dicey because the yiga probably know way more about it than the shekiah (except for purah and robbie), however. i was going to argue they might not actually know that much about the tech which while it would depend on yiga to yiga i feel on some level they could absolutely break into it. (i used to think it was a parallel to botws general amnesia, forgetting their goal of originally helping hyrule, but after reading gboh the possibility of them changing it over time actively is probably a lot better, especially with it adding agency and also them being Rightfully Angry at the monarchy and eliminating those who stand as its biggest supporters? or pawns. and rereading the wiki page for them i cant remember how i thought they “forgot” their goal. ok sorry!! honestly i like to think some sheikah and yiga before being truly separate still made tech in secret, either to prevent something in the future or to help themselves (the sheikah being ok in the rain because of the tech in their outfits.) kind of like a third group that eventually faded out due to amnesia or became a yiga and Remembered. ok anyways) but yeah. on one hand Itd Fit and be such a slap in the face to the sheikah in general, but also the yiga should and probably would know how to break it down. that is if they even know the door exists, and the only reason they dont break into it is because they dont know It Exists because it wasnt built by them and ganon isnt able to communicate with them, or at least communicate with them well. in that scenario they could and Would be able to break down those protections which would actually make sense.

ALRIGHT. under the castle isnt the same as totks under the castle, and while it might…??? be the same one in the Trailer, that would require the zonai which, while they have their own mysterious plotline here (they magiced so hard they ended up in the sky), and theyre absolutely Important, i dont know how important they were in ganons sealing specifically. i like the zonai having some secret involvement of it and i also like having more zonai ruins, but i dont think the royal family would tolerate them At All because theyd also be a threat like the sheikah. they built literal labyrinths and actually know about the triforce more explicitly (the sheikah also seem to, or the ancient sheikah). them casting themselves off into the sky makes sense because who else could do that, But Yeah. theyd have their own documented versions of what they did, and i like to think they were fairly involved in hyrule as a whole. anyways sorry i just need to come up with how he was sealed and how it makes sense. god i used to have hopes and dreams about totk. we couldve gotten a new major god. and yet,

OK ONTO THE ACTUAL. PERSON IN THIS. GANON IM SO SORRY. yeah lets just say hes only Mildly Pissed about being under the castle for 10000 years (<- any words i could use now can not describe the sheer anger and hatred he has. like. its like genuinely wanting to kill someone if that makes sense. besides that being half the literal case, its . ok so you know how in totk the hands let out a shrill scream when they spot you, rushing over to kill you and choke you without thinking? its like that. wanting to make others feel the pain he felt for years and years, with an added touch of genuine hate and wanting to Hurt Someone or see them get hurt). hes being forgotten by everyone- his people the hylians, the shekiah, either people who he used to love or people who actively helped and encouraged his imprisonment, it doesnt matter when they all forget and dont even seem to care. its like he never mattered in the first place, what happened to him just something inconsequential and might as well not exist at all. He might as well not exist at all. but hes awake, rotting and tearing apart down at the bottom of that chamber always awake and always there. he cant move on yet, he needs to get out he needs to get out he has to get out

so!! his main focus is escape!! anyone who dies either had to or isnt something he thinks about. something something a means to an end, if people die so be it. plus if hes going down hea bringing hyrule with him, clawing onto it. he isnt mindless, guardians trying to ravish important locations like the temple of time and the akkala citadel, tactical locations. the malice is more of a by product of the original 100 year calamity, but it serves to help ganon keep and Eye out haha but also block and cover things. i like to think theres malice in guardians and thats why the master sword reacts to them. anyways, in botw he has a butterfly esque cacoon, and a spider like body made of sheikah tech. he was probably building a New Body as his means of escaping. why he made it like that? no idea. he definitely wouldnt live a quiet life once he was out and i think its an accidental by product of wanting to kill people/punish them in a sense. maybe he was going to have two bodies, like mettaton EX where the box body would be in this sense ganondorfs “normal” form where his spider form would be his Kill form.

if he wanted to be king of hyrule, this would probably be why. i dont really think he would, but if he did he’d do it both to punish those who wronged him while making sure what happened to him wont happen again, making sure the hylian royal family is never in a seat of power again. but right now he wants people to pay.

this also ties into him being “a calamity”; as hes trapped under the earth, i think he’d have an effect over it as well. trying to claw his way out from under the earth, parting the dirt in which it looks as if its breathing, sand piling over making sounds described as screams (though in real life its described as singing). in a way hes a part of it, but not by choice. hes the very thing you stand on and yet hes dismissed.

but anyways. hes very mad. link would describe him as “actively wanting me dead” in the timeloop au. his blights are described as screaming in the fic and i like to think thats ganon screaming in rage, pain or both. hes also not green here i should mention that. his form down in the dungeon i like to think has ghouls protruding from it like theyre melting into one and other and are reaching out with their hands, grabbing at whatever they can. hes pretty chill but smug post imprisonment, mostly a quiet cocky. less one for dramatics and rather plays it straight. likes pink and also is a fan of the desert right under spectacle rock. in the timeloop au hes also in the timeloop with link which causes problems. speaking of theyre pretty alike, and wreath would be like him in the timeloop au if he didnt already exist like percy jackson and luke. they could be friends in theory, but their circumstances drove them apart (hey like the wind waker post). hes a big fan of water buffalos, bulls, goats, cats and dogs, and sand sparrows. sand sparrows are his favorite animal in general and almost made it a symbol of the gerudo. id like to associate him with moths thanks to queen gibdo (shes not in this au she doesnt exist here). might actually like spiders as well as other insects. kotake and koume exist here :] . i think some of the gerudo havent forgotten, and thats why the hylia statue is way less in use, though it still being there is an act from the gerudo from the present ish. he likes soft and airy clothes. a lot more regal in the presence of leaders of their respective races- like the king or queen of the zora, the king and queen of the hylians, etc. likes hearty soup but also straight voltfruit juice. doesnt like hydromelons. he and zelda would hate each other, zelda Especially and their anger at each other almost cancels each other out. zelda is Very mad at him. chronic pajama wearer, gets a gerudo clothes person to make regal clothes with the same fabric from pajama clothes. sometimes he sleeps in them but other times he doesnt. big fan of the concept of magic, and likes chuchu jelly a lot. hes more prominent in the timeloop au honestly and im sorry for that. id like to give him an actual arc but well. i dont know how i would do that…….. also i want him to have a happy ending for once but i dont know if thatd work with this story. especially because of him killing the champions. him being an omen would be fitting, but still. him being punished narratively for no reason is stupid if that makes sense. his reason for doing what he did wasnt bad, but what he did by proxy was. i dunno death doesnt feel right for him, at least yet. he was happy though, once

ok sorry if this trailed off its. 5:40 am . i need to eat and sleep

[player-1]

Ephemer, the Graveyard Janitor

Obviously includes KH3 spoilers, theories, and a slightly confirmed rant, so beware.

I came off as more of a surprise for everyone when Union X's Dandelion boy revealed himself in the Keyblade Graveyard and helped Sora in KH3, but that got me thinking about the situation as a whole... What if Ephemer was in the Graveyard through the entirety of the series (After the timeline shift in UX, around the time of BBS and onward), and his possible connection between the ancient battleground.

In short, as the title explains, he's the janitor, cleaning up after every micro war and ass-kicking carnage that goes down there.

To make this easy for everyone, there are three examples with the Graveyard getting utterly decimated, and how his janitorial duties effected the environment and characters around him.

Exhibit A: Birth By Sleep

(The battle of Three [and two halves])

For the protecter of Light and Union Leader of Unicornis, it would be extremely easy for him to recognize a threat to that delicate balance. Enter Master Xehanort, an old fart of an extremist with a one-track mind about the ancient War that tore the Worlds apart and theorizes how to kickstart the second apocalypse. (But the game should let him time travel and possess people, because why not?)

While Ephemer would have done far more than an intervention when Xehanort was "training" Ventus, and later on Vanitas in the Badlands, I guess he was too weak to make a proper appearance. So all he can do was watch in the sidelines, letting Xehanort's plan unravel and lead Ven, Terra, and Aqua to their final battle.

Now that’s where the fun begins. And who says there can't be a war with five people? While the battle was an emotional wreck for the Wayfinder Trio, they had a clear environmental disvantage as well. Pulling a giant mountain out of the ground, Ven getting extreme frost bite, the surfboard of graves, a whole lot of craziness from that evil goblin-man. And to makes matters worse, the destruction of the X-Blade “rips apart the landscape”, so it very well leave behind a mountain of rubble in the process.

Exhibit B: Lingering Will, Vanitas Remnant, and Dark Inferno 

(The "Too Angery to Die" Club)

Though it may not be in canonical order, I’ll try to explain the obvious and/or speculated connections.

Lingering Will (KH 2: Final Mix)

(Credit to freezeprides)

If he breathes, he’s ready for an ass-kicking, and I’m sure that no one wants to be on the recieving end of his Ultima Cannon. When it comes to this frustrating KH2 boss, there’s two things that stick out to me surrounding his appearance. One, a portal to the boss is avaliable in Disney Castle, a portal of Light invading the room where the Cornerstone of Light is housed (which the Cornerstone is said to connect to the world’s past). Second, the change in location in the Graveyard, more specifically away from the Crossroads and in a open and empty space (personal speculation seems to be the Badlands). 

The reason? When it comes to a brooding suit of armor, it could take a lot of time and energy for Ephemer to relocate LW somewhere more secluded (even when he had the eleven-year span from BBS the end of 358), but there would be no other way to make sure this incarnation of pure rage doesn’t go beserk. If it meant connecting the world to a powerful source of Light, he may temporarily have enough power to keep LW’s resentment at bay.

Vanitas Remnant (BBS)

Unlike Lingering Will, however, this angsty ball of Darkness is more of a shut-in case, as well as it being surprisingly easy for Ephemer to contain. While both LW and VR could be in the Badlands, they’re situated in the different areas so sparks don’t fly between the two of them. As long as no one touches it’s Absent Silhouette, no one will get hurt.

Dark Inferno (KH 3)

If I could explain the Dark Inferno in a understandable manner, this blender with roller skates (and there should not be more than one, Jiminy!) it should be described as the Graveyard’s guard dog. If the theory that Dark Inferno could be Ephemer’s Heartless is true (and that was the most heart-crushing but plausible theory so far), whether or not it’s been around before the final battle, it may be an extension to him; an active and powerful force whose only purpose is to keep intruders away. Maybe that’s why in the endgame, it’s found near the Fissure, the main entrance to the Graveyard’s battleground.

Exhibit C: Kingdom Hearts 3

The True Armageddon* 

Imagine the scene:

The sky darkens, clouds covering every inch of the heavens as Heartless descend in swarms.

With a wave of the Xehanorts’s hand, the earth opens its maw, ruins of a bygone civilization enclose the battlefield, creating a natural maze as the uprooted Keys fall to the dirt. 

As the denizens of Darkness mix and coalesce, creating an unstoppable army, the Tempest snatching up all that tremble before it.

High above the lost souls, unbeknownst to all, a light of the past looks upon the scene with dead mercy in his eyes, the forgotten momument  being the unfortunate battleground to simple legends and fairytales.

Enough was enough.

With his gathered strength over the decade, he reaches out to the despairing Hero of Light, hoping to turn the tides to this desolate prophecy. 

While it was nice of him to defeat the Heartless, maybe he was too done to care about their personal battles (though he may “interrogate” Ven and Lauriam on why they were so adamant on this hellscape)...

But think of the mess...Poor kiddo.

If you just skimmed, here’s the short story: Ephemer the janitor may have solved one of the greatest inconsistencies in the Keyblade Graveyard (and you should be proud of all his hard work). 

Bonus: ReMind

(Possibly after the final battle, or relates to the timeloop theory, idk)

[Ephemer, 110% done with war activists and mindless teenagers with swords]

"Alright, if that's what you want, fine! I can play your games...Just don't touch anything else... The pillars are fine, completely unethical, but fine. Want something else!? HERE'S A BENCH!"

"It's a nice touch, right? You can just kick back, relax, put your feet up, and you can all look at THE MESS YOU MADE!! You know, a little 'thank you' will do WONDERS for me right now!"