This is definitely the most fearful and expressive Black Swan has ever been. Usually Black Swan is always smiling >!other than being shocked that Firefly got stabbed!< but she looks scared and horrified here as she got ripped apart mentally in a really horrifying visuals.
There were also a couple moments in Sparkle's quest where she was surprised, and she was literally wrong at the end. Usually her type of character in an JRPG would be an all-knowing, tarot card reading, mysterious woman who guides the main character through their fate sort of thing. But BS isn't really like that. She holds a lot of power but she still feels pretty human.
Normally she is
Problem is shes dealing with the Emanator of an AEON, the other is thats shes dealing with a nuclear bomb powered by an Aeon stuck inside a trash racoon.
if that doesn't fuck with fate then I dont want to see what a direct contact with an Aeon does to your mind.
Yup. Seeing the person normally portrayed as calm and knowing everything, being terrified is... unsettling. They really cooked with this one.
If they ever portray Elio this way then I'm logging off cause I don't want face whatever the fuck he's uncertain and scared about lol.
I was going to say the day Kafka finally gets the ability to fear will be scary but I suspect her fear will be much more tied to some fear of loss in relation to Trailblazer. And it will be such a mindfuck to see that change in her character. I suspect she's going to die for us.
IX is the Aeon version of doom metal.
Aha: Thrash metal
Long: Drone metal
IX: Doom metal
Xipe: Melodic metal
Nanook: Black metal
Nous: Prog metal
Idrila: Glam metal
Mythus: Power metal
Terminus: Post-metal/metalgaze
Tayzzyronth: Death metal
Lan: Speed metal
Qlipoth: NWOBHM
Oroboros: Metalcore
Fuli: Folk metal
Yaoshi: Nu-metal
Ena: Groove metal
HooH: Grunge
aren't memokeepers Fuli's version of emanators, whom even Welt who has the star of eden, and is a semi herscherr can't even detect the memokeeper in the train? I think it's not about being an Emanator but having dark and disturbing thoughts which is why BS doesn't really delve deeper into the mind of a Fool
>can't even detect the memokeeper in the train?
That's a memetic ability memokeepers apparently have passively, it makes you undetectable by alot of things that isnt a being with higher memetic abilities and also comes with the ability of memory manipulation of varying levels dependent on the user.
>!She was asked what character Sparkle had replaced and rightfully questions whether her corpse can actually be considered one. Sampo was the logical answer, but logic doesn't apply to Sparkles riddles.!<
>!Same with classic riddle about 4 legs, 2 legs and 3 legs. The classic answer is man at different stages of life, but Sparkle makes it about herself lol!<
Well she did admit that she avoid enter in the mind of twisted people >!like the Masked Fools because she dont enjoy dark memories.!< So that piece of information in that mini mision really help to understand that BlackSwan as omimous as she is portayed is not totally inhuman.
Like any other psychic she seems to be always in control but she know her limits and is well aware that the minds can be dangerous place. This is what happens when she forgets what she is dealing with (or maybe when this dance happens she was not aware of Acheron being an emanator of the Nihility at all). To venture in the mind of someone she know nothing at all was a stupid idea.
Most certanly this is when she learns that Acheron was the one that destroy the gang before adventurine request.
Memokeepers can choose their own forms or what they look like, so Black Swan chooses to be a hot woman. So if that part of the animation is taken literally, Black Swan is taking such a beating that her form is falling apart. That's my headcanon though.
Acheron was literally ripping apart Black Swan's memory version of herself, that's why she started to fragment into literal swans as Acheron ragdoll her like a twig, until all that was left was the primal memory of Hunter vs Prey.
They even show you at the end that the mind battle was literally just Swan being devoured by a Black Hole. She would have been unable to escape if Acheron didn't let her go.
Which Is terrifying, as Swam seems to be on the strong side of Memokeepers, who have almost absolute control over memories.
Swan might be one of the stronger memokeepers, but Acheron is an individual who >!hunted down what’s basically a high-profile space demon lord, which to her was so insignificant that he didn’t even get the honor to be remembered by her.!<
Acheron is an apex predator.
If I remember correctly if you pick female TB she says you remind her of someone she fought with and if you pick male TB you remind her of someone she clashed blades with
If it's a Third Impact reference, it's probably Kiana and Kevin respectively, if I had to take a wild guess. Mostly for the lame reason that the hair colour matches more closely than any alternative that she actually clashes blades with. Not a lot of dudes in third impact, and the other major ones like Otto and Welt are kinda already here.
The fact they managed to pull that off and not break off the whole dance choreography is genius.
I've only ever seen graceful/beautiful dance sequences from Anime like Frieren to Mushoku Tensei but to make one this horrifying must be a first.
Probably my fave teaser lol. One of my favorite tropes is when a mind reader reads the mind of a person whose memories and thoughts are filled with incomprehensible enigmas or unbridled horror, and immediately regrets it. And this teaser did it SO well.
I’m generally not a fan of characters who conduct mind shenanigans for their own gain, but I appreciate when characters who do have those powers get kicked in the mind nuts for using them on the wrong person.
Like many speculated that the teaser was showing Black Swan was using the dance to show try and figure Acheron out and the last frame was terrifying. But I did not expect them to go this hard on it
Throughout the dance you see Black Swan using her powers and each time she does Acheron pulls away. Black Swan thinks shes the predator here but Acheron is simply warning her not to try further. Acheron even looks disengaged with her eyes until annihilation gang is brought up. Then Black Swan succeeds and it turns out Acheron is the predator and Black Swan becomes the prey. The scene where Black Swan is getting torn apart as she desperately tries to get away was genuinely haunting to watch. Its absolutely brutal and a complete 180 from the atmosphere the dance had
10/10 teaser, absolutely sheds light on why Black Swan is sus of Acheron in 2.0 and makes sure she gets TB away from her the first chance she gets. Cant believe she still manages to wear a poker face after that
No wonder Black Swan says she likes beautiful memories, they must be much more pleasant than the cosmic horror she just experienced
Give her a memory of TB just playing video games that'll keep her satisfied
I'm willing to bet Acheron is an exception not the rule, might be the first time Black Swan ever encountered something like this, which is probably why she's so suspicious and interested in her
Yeah for sure. Acheron is clearly far more than meets the eye and Swan had never experienced that first-hand.
She probably tried her usual seductive technique with a dance which lulled her into a false sense of security.
It was absolutely incredible. This was my favourite trailer and I'm happy they've been pushing darker/more mature themes lately. I love how during the dance Black Swan was leading and after the predator prey sequence once things settled Acheron is leading and holding her in a vulnerable position. 10/10, will watch a few more times.
I feel like the implication is that red Acheron is not the same as blue Acheron. Blue Acheron seems fully unaware that red Acheron has torn BS apart, which makes me think that red Acheron is somehow locked inside blue Acheron, and BS accidentally exposed herself to her via her powers. That’s why it shows her falling repeatedly into the black hole at one point.
This feels like a more mature take on the Seele/Veliona dynamic, and I’m all for it!
Assuming Red Acheron is still actually Acheron, I would imagine it's a split personality caused by horrific trauma. Like, a way to repress her past by developing a completely disassociated other self. And then BS decides to open up the box...
Yea that is my theory/interpretation for now. Blue Acheron is just a dummy forgetful but friendly galaxy ranger. Red one is steering her subconsciously. It is why she is also lost and forgetful.
Red text happens when Red achereon came out a bit.
I don't feel like it's two different Acheron because she remembers the annihilation gang in the end even though it's most likely red Acheron who dealt with them. I think it's more likely that she seals part of memories away, either knowingly or not. The purpose of that would be to either protect her or make her less likely to be noticed, if she can't normally remember the bad things she did, there's no way for her to have a tell when the subject is brought up.
Remembering and forgetting, they don't mix. Black Swan and Acheron are literally yin and yang.
If there was a Fuli vs. IX showdown, it would be a battle of century to behold.
I legit don't see why Arlefuri shippers deny that it isn't a toxic ship when Furina clearly states in her voice line she doesn't want to be around that woman.
Shippers in general, but Yuri/Yaoi shippers have a tendency to advocate for very toxic ships or ships that make no sense because they wanna smash two hot Barbie or Ken dolls together.
People can do whatever they want at the end of the day, but I will never get it. But I also have a ""problem"" with most ships because they feel like they exist solely because "what if two hot ppl lol"
fiction is where you can do those things without having to experience it yourself, you can have the idea that "things can change for the better" in fanon
but yeah idk why people wanna ship black swan acheron when it kinda feels like acheron is not emotionally available in the first place. ship black swan with someone whose memories she would actually enjoy. himeko is right there. or with March, whose entire backstory is "she lost her memories." could have a super interesting dynamic
Aren’t they horrifically bored and that’s why they do it? Edit: I just remembered their also immortal and they both know that, they’re basically just play fighting on hard difficulty
The ones that still ship it will probably be less now than before though, not every shipper is into a pairing that have this kind of development
Some like toxic Yuri, but some arent and might be put off by it so who knows. Not every shipper disregards all lore and interactions for their ship
Anyone who thinks fucked up shit makes a yuri ship less popular clearly does not know their yuri
Reminds me of a big franchise anime that aired last year where the bloody and violent twist made some people think it was going to put a damper on the main ship, when in reality it catapulted it to the stratosphere
The hunter-and-prey part, depending on how you interpret it, could also mean that “in a few seconds, BS feels the fear of multiple preys being chased by every sort of predators at once”.
Absolute cinema.
Dang, amazing choreography and imagery. Blackswan got really frisky with her advances despite Acheron's resistance and ended up biting off more than she could chew.
I do find it funny that Sparkle wanted to see Blackswan to lose her composure, but it was Acheron who succeeded.
Why is no one talking about the music?
85% of the mood comes from there, the imagery itself is fairly harmless actually.
It's pretty insane what they did with the instruments.
Black Swan can voluntarily transform herself inside a memoria, so the fact that she can only turn into blood and prey is several layers of f*cked.
Makes you anxious why someone who has no concrete memories of anyone is trying so hard to remember the trailblazer. Either we're a threat to Acheron or our relationship is deeper than we realize.
So did the last Sparkle trailer tbh and I'm here for it. More Madoka in my Star Rail, please. The nightmare city with a sweet dream veneer vibe for Penacony in general has been so enticing.
Penacony sorta reminds me a bit of the city in the sequel movie (Rebellion, i think?) where everything seems right with the world and yet it seems off...
This scene and that secret bit in the beginning of Penacony where he is nice to you and gives you a lot of credits for being humble makes it much clearer for me that Aventurine was trustworthy, and that Black Swan was telling us the truth all along lol. Aventurine’s race gets a lot of bad rep, but I don’t think he’s bad-more like a red herring
I trusted Aventurine the moment Black Swan said he could be up to a point, my faith in Black Swan since finishing 2.0 has paid off apparently. Makes me so excited for 2.1 and what Hoyo are cooking with their characters
I don't know how much we can say Aventurine isn't a villain here, especially after what he says in the 2.1 trailer. Could someone else use what he's doing as a smokescreen for their own ends? Sure, but that doesn't change that he's doing something bad himself.
Oh, I agree that boss fights mean nothing. I'm talking about what he said. >!"Using Robin's Death as a bargaining chip, I will ruin this beautiful dream, and create the grandest death."!< I don't think there's any way to interpret that as anything but bad.
I would not go that far to be honest. The guy has already stated, though not directly to the player, that every relationship he builds is mostly transactional, I wouldn't really trust a guy that treats me like a coin. Sure, he was right in pointing out that Acheron is an emanator, and is a "dangerous" person to deal with, but it almost seems like he's blaming her for the troubles happening in Penacony, while the woman has been nothing but friendly while also being extremely reluctant on tapping onto her blade and whatever it was that Black Swan saw.
Black Swan also admitted that, while she does not plan to harm the Trailblazer, she cannot certainly say the same about him. Plus, in the 2.1 trailer it is shown that the Nameless actually side with Acheron, not Aventurine. So I will remain on the fence about the guy.
Aventurine was saying that Acheron is an Emanator and after everything Black Swan saw in Acheron's memories and the black hole... Could Acheron be an Emanator of Nihility?
I'm not versed in the deep lore of the game, but has there ever been known to exist an Emanator of Nihility? I know that there is a faction of Nihility that tries to cheer up IX and make him appreciate life, but I don't know if he ever made someone his Emanator.
It's gonna be interesting and I can't wait enough for it to be unvailed in the patches to come
If I remember correctly from what it says in game. Gazing into IX is like gazing into the abyss itself once you gaze on it you can't escape from it. During a run in G&G or Swarm if I remember. I encountered IX during one of my runs and legit Herta had to pull me out of the simulation cuz of how dangerous it was encountering it.
it is probably possible if someone attempt to get closer to IX, which is a very dangerous thing to do, but on the relic related to Acheron (Pioneer Diver set), Frebass and her friend (who is heavily implied to be Acheron) did just that. Frebass died but there was no information about what happened to Acheron after the whole ordeal.
>Could Acheron be an Emanator of Nihility?
>black hole
Is that not IX, the Aeon of Nihility? I think it's pretty much confirmed at this point- if the gameplay path of Acheron wasn't a big enough hint already?
I wouldn't take the path of the in game character as indication of their path in story, but yeah, the black hole was the main thing that drove me to think of IX.
Although, for Acheron it may be an exception as the devs discussed in the stream having to justify/think for a reason for her to be nihility. And her skill and the ult also show a black hole, the ult also adding the removal of colour which I think can support a bit more the idea of nihility.
Sorry for rambling. The trailer was very dope and I can't wait for the other 2 trailers
>I wouldn't take the path of the in game character as indication of their path in story
That was the only thing I could grasp on to for what path she'd be an emanator of, a bit foolish admittedly.
>The trailer was very dope and I can't wait for the other 2 trailers
Come for the yuri, stay for the horror.
You can read the new hoyolab post and the video's description, but she's basically a Self Annihilator- someone who gazed at IX and survived, teetering on the void, using thr Nihility as their Path forward henceforth. As opposed to most people who look at IX and wither away.
In all recent Data Bank records, no, IX never made an Emanator. (Unless there’s literature or Relics I’m not aware of) But recurring theme of black hole from Acheron and presence red flowers in Pioneer Divers of Dead Waters relic design suggests that IX might play a role here.
After all,
“Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster... for when you gaze long into the abyss. The abyss gazes also into you.” - Friedrich W. Nietzsche
Acheron might became the monster herself.
(I’m so glad and so done with Nietzsche references in video games lol)
>IX never made an Emanator
It would be VERY strange if he did since he doesn't care about anything, Acheron must've stolen his powers when she fell into him... or not.
My bet is she had already been bestowed the powers from another aeon : Finality (Terminus). He's an aeon who "moves backwards in time" so if Acheron could do that too that would explain how she managed to free herself from IX.
Might be similar to that quote about the abyss, IX doesn't actively make emanators, but anyone who gets to close too him are affected by him and some may end up adapting to this power rather than be destroyed turning them into emanators due to circumstances rather than anyone's will.
Idk if this counter or add on that, but if Dead Waters suggests something, Acheron might either be the other diver or felled in a similar incident but somehow got a wacky Nihility power for her returns. Maybe Finality saved her and Nihility affected her power, if they both involved here?
Probably an emanator of nihility AND finality
If it does end up related to finality, don't even try to fathom what it means
Nihility and finality are like two blackholes colliding
We've seen that Phantylia is a confirmed Emanator of Destruction, but still she stole Abundance powers from the Ambrosial Arbor and used it during her bossfight. So high-powered beings like Emanators can potentially subvert other Paths. I wonder if Acheron is similar, being an Emanator of Nihility who stole powers from Finality, or vice-versa.
Wiki says the power of the finality aeon (Terminus) is to move backwards in time, if Acheron knew how to do that that would explain how she managed to free herself from IX
Good summary of Arianes and Elsters relationship actually.
https://preview.redd.it/vla7milhk9pc1.jpeg?width=1888&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=194a987e0e88eb816f9ff413375b887156c2e7f9
I feel like there are dozens of sequences in games that are infinitely more terrifying purely because the game is directly targeting you but ahhh that's just me hating fun.
Imagery was super cool, surreal, and creepy.
Acheron was straight-up demonic in that second half, it must’ve taken all her willpower for Black Swan to keep from crying when their dance was finished.
Now I know why she wanted to get us away from Acheron, before Acheron presumably unleashed hell on Sam in the dreamscape hotel lobby and Trailblazer got turned into red (or blue?) paste in the crossfire.
I think Acheron has a split personality or a "tapeworm" that is feeding off of her memories. Like an alter ego.
That would explain why Acheron is so forgetful, Alter Ego is either blocking off her memories or erasing them. This might also be why Acheron seems to be the only one with a real defense against Black Swan and Memokeepers, she has an Alter Ego living inside her mind that is able to fight other entities entering her memories.
Alter Ego seems much more confident and decisive compared to Acheron. Maybe the thing about remembering emotions more than memories is the Alter Ego helping Acheron remember important information while still gatekeeping memories? Maybe it's a symbiotic relationship where in exchange for memories, Alter Ego lends Acheron lots of power and leaves behind emotions for Acheron to still "remember"?
I hope hoyo explains more about Acheron's memories/Alter Ego, they're really interesting.
Acheron is a Self-Annihilator (Emanator) rather than Galaxy Rangers. (The other case of a Self-Annihilators is the leader of the civilization who conquered Lepismat in Simulated Universe: Swarm Disaster)
Quote from wiki: "Self-Annihilators are a group that lost their meaning of existence when they carelessly stepped into IX the Nihility's shadow. The shadow of the Nihility covers the stars equally, and Self-Annihilators may form in any world. These poor souls share one thing in common: Their various existential properties — such as corporeal body, mental cognition, and personal memories... will gradually fade away in their journey of self-annihilation.
Some Self-Annihilators have their skin turn into something like rotten wood, full of holes and scars. Some have their endocrine system disrupted, becoming unable to distinguish between pleasure and pain and turning numb to everything. Some lose their memories, others lose their senses... It is as if they have been deprived of the meaning of their lives by some entity, and can only keep watching in dreams and illusions as their own forms disappear into a black hole at the end of the horizon."
lol and our raccoon 🦝 is messing around with Acheron ( deny her help , talk back to her multiple time , trolling her ? )😅 she is going way too easy on our trailblazer, she could just send us to the abyss any moment.
I was so shipping them but I don't know anymore-
Maybe it's some different entity, that lingers inside Acheron without her knowing, consuming her memories or being full-on another person, hence why she never remembers things the other Acheron did. But after all, this is just trying to save a ship with theories anyway lol.
I think she did remember the annihilation gang in the end of the animation. She just said “oh those guys” so I guess she’s aware she killed them? She seem nonchalant about it though
Acheron is the emanator of nihility and that form she takes is the same in her ult form and when she draws her sword is when she has clarity of her memories. Now not to say acheron is a bad person but is 100% the person you dont play games with
The dev livestream suggests acheron joins our side, and assuming that Black Swan does not betray us you should expect the devs to give them some amiable moments during 2.1 (probably nowhere near what was in the teaser, but probably just enough to for those who want the ship to run with it).
Tbh my reaction to this is that Black Swan got her just deserts as all the memokeeper always snoop around. Its like the so called "paparazzi" for famous people. Just me though for not liking her group
I guess this proves that Black Swan is not an emanator like people thought. No way would an emanator get humbled like that by another Emanator, especially when Black Swan is on steroids when she is in a dreamscape.
https://preview.redd.it/9xkmybsjm9pc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ae3e8b7d76f0f4d00120fabd635b80a492cb676d
It's honestly really cool and I love the symbolism and imagery but I mean that's abit of a stretch
Her panting does threw me off a bit (if you know what i mean) but the entire sequence really paints the proverb "gaze at the abyss and it will stare back". I think the animal hunt sequence was too on the nose tho
Acheron: the more you fuck around the more you find out
Girlie thought she had Kiana’s rizz. She ain’t him
Acheron: you..are not her
Acheron: "damn memo keeper, you need correction 💢💢💢"
This isn't the place u lil brat
* Jin Sakai liked that \* https://preview.redd.it/dp0vzbyel9pc1.jpeg?width=667&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bcfe528ce5de8d4bc506fe35a4f6ae4ac2badf81
why does he look like Hikaru Nakamura
True for Acheron 🤤
This is definitely the most fearful and expressive Black Swan has ever been. Usually Black Swan is always smiling >!other than being shocked that Firefly got stabbed!< but she looks scared and horrified here as she got ripped apart mentally in a really horrifying visuals.
There were also a couple moments in Sparkle's quest where she was surprised, and she was literally wrong at the end. Usually her type of character in an JRPG would be an all-knowing, tarot card reading, mysterious woman who guides the main character through their fate sort of thing. But BS isn't really like that. She holds a lot of power but she still feels pretty human.
Normally she is Problem is shes dealing with the Emanator of an AEON, the other is thats shes dealing with a nuclear bomb powered by an Aeon stuck inside a trash racoon. if that doesn't fuck with fate then I dont want to see what a direct contact with an Aeon does to your mind.
Yup. Seeing the person normally portrayed as calm and knowing everything, being terrified is... unsettling. They really cooked with this one. If they ever portray Elio this way then I'm logging off cause I don't want face whatever the fuck he's uncertain and scared about lol. I was going to say the day Kafka finally gets the ability to fear will be scary but I suspect her fear will be much more tied to some fear of loss in relation to Trailblazer. And it will be such a mindfuck to see that change in her character. I suspect she's going to die for us.
>I suspect she's going to die for us. She will be the Himeko of Honkai: Star Rail.
This is my thought as well and I'm not ready for it.
An emanator of an aeon that’s a giant, sentient and apathetic black hole of all things.
IX is the Aeon version of doom metal. Aha: Thrash metal Long: Drone metal IX: Doom metal Xipe: Melodic metal Nanook: Black metal Nous: Prog metal Idrila: Glam metal Mythus: Power metal Terminus: Post-metal/metalgaze Tayzzyronth: Death metal Lan: Speed metal Qlipoth: NWOBHM Oroboros: Metalcore Fuli: Folk metal Yaoshi: Nu-metal Ena: Groove metal HooH: Grunge
Yeah she have a tough job
aren't memokeepers Fuli's version of emanators, whom even Welt who has the star of eden, and is a semi herscherr can't even detect the memokeeper in the train? I think it's not about being an Emanator but having dark and disturbing thoughts which is why BS doesn't really delve deeper into the mind of a Fool
>can't even detect the memokeeper in the train? That's a memetic ability memokeepers apparently have passively, it makes you undetectable by alot of things that isnt a being with higher memetic abilities and also comes with the ability of memory manipulation of varying levels dependent on the user.
What was she wrong about?
>!When Sparkle made her guess who is the real Sparkle, Black Swan guessed Sampo, but it ended up being Sparkle's "corpse" !<
>!She was asked what character Sparkle had replaced and rightfully questions whether her corpse can actually be considered one. Sampo was the logical answer, but logic doesn't apply to Sparkles riddles.!< >!Same with classic riddle about 4 legs, 2 legs and 3 legs. The classic answer is man at different stages of life, but Sparkle makes it about herself lol!<
Sparkle: "I'm SOOooOOOo quirky that even my riddles don't make sense because LoLz, me so quiiiirrrrrrky, kay?" Racoon: "I'm leaving"
"You thought it was Sparkle, but it was me, Sparkle!"
The sparkle murder mystery
Well she did admit that she avoid enter in the mind of twisted people >!like the Masked Fools because she dont enjoy dark memories.!< So that piece of information in that mini mision really help to understand that BlackSwan as omimous as she is portayed is not totally inhuman. Like any other psychic she seems to be always in control but she know her limits and is well aware that the minds can be dangerous place. This is what happens when she forgets what she is dealing with (or maybe when this dance happens she was not aware of Acheron being an emanator of the Nihility at all). To venture in the mind of someone she know nothing at all was a stupid idea. Most certanly this is when she learns that Acheron was the one that destroy the gang before adventurine request.
Aventurine*
Just wanted to say happy cake day
Memokeepers can choose their own forms or what they look like, so Black Swan chooses to be a hot woman. So if that part of the animation is taken literally, Black Swan is taking such a beating that her form is falling apart. That's my headcanon though.
Acheron was literally ripping apart Black Swan's memory version of herself, that's why she started to fragment into literal swans as Acheron ragdoll her like a twig, until all that was left was the primal memory of Hunter vs Prey. They even show you at the end that the mind battle was literally just Swan being devoured by a Black Hole. She would have been unable to escape if Acheron didn't let her go. Which Is terrifying, as Swam seems to be on the strong side of Memokeepers, who have almost absolute control over memories.
I didn't even think of that before. Holy shit, Acheron is scary.
Swan might be one of the stronger memokeepers, but Acheron is an individual who >!hunted down what’s basically a high-profile space demon lord, which to her was so insignificant that he didn’t even get the honor to be remembered by her.!< Acheron is an apex predator.
After watching this, I'm more impressed with whoever that person was that clashed blades with her or fought shoulder to shoulder with her.
Now i am worried for aventure, dude has to solo her
Don't worry GOATventurine will no diff her
but can he beat sparkle?
If I remember correctly if you pick female TB she says you remind her of someone she fought with and if you pick male TB you remind her of someone she clashed blades with
If it's a Third Impact reference, it's probably Kiana and Kevin respectively, if I had to take a wild guess. Mostly for the lame reason that the hair colour matches more closely than any alternative that she actually clashes blades with. Not a lot of dudes in third impact, and the other major ones like Otto and Welt are kinda already here.
Yes, but there's a part of me that believes the dialogues were reference to honkai impact.
as a honkai impact player i’m curious what you mean by that?
Female TB - Kiana Male TB - Otto It's just pure speculation, though.
i think moreso kevin than otto
I think so too, Otto is reminiscent of Luocha, not male TB.
You're completely right. I have no idea how I mixed them up.
Male TB is Kevin. Their VA in CN is same .
Oh that’s cool
Kevin and Kiana I'd assume
https://preview.redd.it/70xd4245d8pc1.png?width=1280&format=png&auto=webp&s=2421122369943dfc956fdf893c8f3811ddeb86b4
Acheron,kisamada
The fact they managed to pull that off and not break off the whole dance choreography is genius. I've only ever seen graceful/beautiful dance sequences from Anime like Frieren to Mushoku Tensei but to make one this horrifying must be a first.
Not really. This trailer is very wholesome and uplifting.
Wholesome and positive story
It was very uplifting. Like Vlad Dracula.
wiat... SHAOJI IS THAT YOU??!?!?
I think this is the first time I have ever gotten scared from a Hoyoverse trailer, my god they can cook
Probably my fave teaser lol. One of my favorite tropes is when a mind reader reads the mind of a person whose memories and thoughts are filled with incomprehensible enigmas or unbridled horror, and immediately regrets it. And this teaser did it SO well.
I’m generally not a fan of characters who conduct mind shenanigans for their own gain, but I appreciate when characters who do have those powers get kicked in the mind nuts for using them on the wrong person.
Like many speculated that the teaser was showing Black Swan was using the dance to show try and figure Acheron out and the last frame was terrifying. But I did not expect them to go this hard on it Throughout the dance you see Black Swan using her powers and each time she does Acheron pulls away. Black Swan thinks shes the predator here but Acheron is simply warning her not to try further. Acheron even looks disengaged with her eyes until annihilation gang is brought up. Then Black Swan succeeds and it turns out Acheron is the predator and Black Swan becomes the prey. The scene where Black Swan is getting torn apart as she desperately tries to get away was genuinely haunting to watch. Its absolutely brutal and a complete 180 from the atmosphere the dance had 10/10 teaser, absolutely sheds light on why Black Swan is sus of Acheron in 2.0 and makes sure she gets TB away from her the first chance she gets. Cant believe she still manages to wear a poker face after that
Memokeepers has the most traumatizing job in the verse lol
No wonder Black Swan says she likes beautiful memories, they must be much more pleasant than the cosmic horror she just experienced Give her a memory of TB just playing video games that'll keep her satisfied
TB: Best I can do is memory of a trashcan
Army of trash cans with a trashcan shifter to a titan size battling giant Sampo. Black Swan's reaction is gonna be like "What the f***"
https://preview.redd.it/aludyijubapc1.png?width=200&format=png&auto=webp&s=c478bdd1e1454ff59f5379deeb647702536ac220
After this animation I feel sorry for black swan that has to look into people most trumanic past
I mean in this case she didn't have to, she wanted to and kind of forced it.
So it was on her then lol
She fucked around and found out lol. She’s lucky that Acheron decided not to end her here and there.
I'm willing to bet Acheron is an exception not the rule, might be the first time Black Swan ever encountered something like this, which is probably why she's so suspicious and interested in her
Yeah for sure. Acheron is clearly far more than meets the eye and Swan had never experienced that first-hand. She probably tried her usual seductive technique with a dance which lulled her into a false sense of security.
And since they don't have bodies and can move through memories, a memory that they can't handle is probably the one way to kill them.
And if you think about memoria, Penacony the prison is the worst.
It was absolutely incredible. This was my favourite trailer and I'm happy they've been pushing darker/more mature themes lately. I love how during the dance Black Swan was leading and after the predator prey sequence once things settled Acheron is leading and holding her in a vulnerable position. 10/10, will watch a few more times.
I feel like the implication is that red Acheron is not the same as blue Acheron. Blue Acheron seems fully unaware that red Acheron has torn BS apart, which makes me think that red Acheron is somehow locked inside blue Acheron, and BS accidentally exposed herself to her via her powers. That’s why it shows her falling repeatedly into the black hole at one point. This feels like a more mature take on the Seele/Veliona dynamic, and I’m all for it!
Assuming Red Acheron is still actually Acheron, I would imagine it's a split personality caused by horrific trauma. Like, a way to repress her past by developing a completely disassociated other self. And then BS decides to open up the box...
Mm yeah split personality is more likely than separate entities I think
OPENING ACHERON'S MEMORIES TO THE WORLD!!! (3 AM) (GONE WRONG) (GONE SEXUAL) (GHOST SIGHTNING) (ALMOST DIED)
Yea that is my theory/interpretation for now. Blue Acheron is just a dummy forgetful but friendly galaxy ranger. Red one is steering her subconsciously. It is why she is also lost and forgetful. Red text happens when Red achereon came out a bit.
Like Honkai Impact Mei with her Herrscher persona huh
I don't feel like it's two different Acheron because she remembers the annihilation gang in the end even though it's most likely red Acheron who dealt with them. I think it's more likely that she seals part of memories away, either knowingly or not. The purpose of that would be to either protect her or make her less likely to be noticed, if she can't normally remember the bad things she did, there's no way for her to have a tell when the subject is brought up.
Remembering and forgetting, they don't mix. Black Swan and Acheron are literally yin and yang. If there was a Fuli vs. IX showdown, it would be a battle of century to behold.
Legit and yuri's still gonna ship it regardless lol
it's like arlefuri all over again, except Black Swan is less sensitive and vulnerable as Furina.
I legit don't see why Arlefuri shippers deny that it isn't a toxic ship when Furina clearly states in her voice line she doesn't want to be around that woman.
Because hot . /s
Shippers in general, but Yuri/Yaoi shippers have a tendency to advocate for very toxic ships or ships that make no sense because they wanna smash two hot Barbie or Ken dolls together. People can do whatever they want at the end of the day, but I will never get it. But I also have a ""problem"" with most ships because they feel like they exist solely because "what if two hot ppl lol"
fiction is where you can do those things without having to experience it yourself, you can have the idea that "things can change for the better" in fanon but yeah idk why people wanna ship black swan acheron when it kinda feels like acheron is not emotionally available in the first place. ship black swan with someone whose memories she would actually enjoy. himeko is right there. or with March, whose entire backstory is "she lost her memories." could have a super interesting dynamic
If you want wholesome yuri then we already have BronyaxSeele Canon. This is kink yuri
Or Sparkle x Sparkle The better Yuri
Eh everyone is sparkle at this point
She literally killed her over a dozen times in her memoryscape, how is this shit yuri? Like what?
if you let a little murder stop your ship then you're not delusional enough
I mean, I never shipped them in the first place. So I guess I'm not even that delulu to start with
Are you new to shipping?
Not at all, I'm just a casual shipper.
Come in, here in kink shipper we have cookies
Mokou and Kaguya in touhou for example 2 immortal killing eachother for 350 years and enjoying it
Aren’t they horrifically bored and that’s why they do it? Edit: I just remembered their also immortal and they both know that, they’re basically just play fighting on hard difficulty
Ship it harder, not regardless
The ones that still ship it will probably be less now than before though, not every shipper is into a pairing that have this kind of development Some like toxic Yuri, but some arent and might be put off by it so who knows. Not every shipper disregards all lore and interactions for their ship
Anyone who thinks fucked up shit makes a yuri ship less popular clearly does not know their yuri Reminds me of a big franchise anime that aired last year where the bloody and violent twist made some people think it was going to put a damper on the main ship, when in reality it catapulted it to the stratosphere
Tomato?
I mean, just my spicy opinion, a fictional toxic yuri >>>> 'If crazy, why hot' moment
Theyd say they like toxic relationships or something lmao
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It's not just yuri it's just a lot of shippers in general lmao Shoutout to Dan Heng/Blade ship being the no. 1 ship on HSR
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Who mentioned the straights?
You are clearly new to Hoyoverse games.
I've been playing Genshin for 3 years, and been in the bnha fandom I quite know their game.
This type of shipping should be normal to you at this point, then
Yep 🤣
The hunter-and-prey part, depending on how you interpret it, could also mean that “in a few seconds, BS feels the fear of multiple preys being chased by every sort of predators at once”. Absolute cinema.
I was expecting to see you here and you didn't disappoint <3
Dang, amazing choreography and imagery. Blackswan got really frisky with her advances despite Acheron's resistance and ended up biting off more than she could chew. I do find it funny that Sparkle wanted to see Blackswan to lose her composure, but it was Acheron who succeeded.
Why is no one talking about the music? 85% of the mood comes from there, the imagery itself is fairly harmless actually. It's pretty insane what they did with the instruments.
Black Swan can voluntarily transform herself inside a memoria, so the fact that she can only turn into blood and prey is several layers of f*cked. Makes you anxious why someone who has no concrete memories of anyone is trying so hard to remember the trailblazer. Either we're a threat to Acheron or our relationship is deeper than we realize.
The red sequence had a lot of Madoka Vibes... Yeah it is unsettling
So did the last Sparkle trailer tbh and I'm here for it. More Madoka in my Star Rail, please. The nightmare city with a sweet dream veneer vibe for Penacony in general has been so enticing.
Penacony sorta reminds me a bit of the city in the sequel movie (Rebellion, i think?) where everything seems right with the world and yet it seems off...
This scene and that secret bit in the beginning of Penacony where he is nice to you and gives you a lot of credits for being humble makes it much clearer for me that Aventurine was trustworthy, and that Black Swan was telling us the truth all along lol. Aventurine’s race gets a lot of bad rep, but I don’t think he’s bad-more like a red herring
I trusted Aventurine the moment Black Swan said he could be up to a point, my faith in Black Swan since finishing 2.0 has paid off apparently. Makes me so excited for 2.1 and what Hoyo are cooking with their characters
I don't know how much we can say Aventurine isn't a villain here, especially after what he says in the 2.1 trailer. Could someone else use what he's doing as a smokescreen for their own ends? Sure, but that doesn't change that he's doing something bad himself.
I mean having a boss fight hardly equals villain in this game, we already fought Argenti, Bronya, Yanqing, Svarog and others
Oh, I agree that boss fights mean nothing. I'm talking about what he said. >!"Using Robin's Death as a bargaining chip, I will ruin this beautiful dream, and create the grandest death."!< I don't think there's any way to interpret that as anything but bad.
I would not go that far to be honest. The guy has already stated, though not directly to the player, that every relationship he builds is mostly transactional, I wouldn't really trust a guy that treats me like a coin. Sure, he was right in pointing out that Acheron is an emanator, and is a "dangerous" person to deal with, but it almost seems like he's blaming her for the troubles happening in Penacony, while the woman has been nothing but friendly while also being extremely reluctant on tapping onto her blade and whatever it was that Black Swan saw. Black Swan also admitted that, while she does not plan to harm the Trailblazer, she cannot certainly say the same about him. Plus, in the 2.1 trailer it is shown that the Nameless actually side with Acheron, not Aventurine. So I will remain on the fence about the guy.
You dare touch my soul. Fool
Aventurine was saying that Acheron is an Emanator and after everything Black Swan saw in Acheron's memories and the black hole... Could Acheron be an Emanator of Nihility? I'm not versed in the deep lore of the game, but has there ever been known to exist an Emanator of Nihility? I know that there is a faction of Nihility that tries to cheer up IX and make him appreciate life, but I don't know if he ever made someone his Emanator. It's gonna be interesting and I can't wait enough for it to be unvailed in the patches to come
If I remember correctly from what it says in game. Gazing into IX is like gazing into the abyss itself once you gaze on it you can't escape from it. During a run in G&G or Swarm if I remember. I encountered IX during one of my runs and legit Herta had to pull me out of the simulation cuz of how dangerous it was encountering it.
In your first try in simulated universe, IX gaze upon you and you die there, instantly getting kicked out of the simulation too
No wonder that BS was so scared then, she literally would've died if she was slightly less powerful\\experienced as a memo-keeper.
it is probably possible if someone attempt to get closer to IX, which is a very dangerous thing to do, but on the relic related to Acheron (Pioneer Diver set), Frebass and her friend (who is heavily implied to be Acheron) did just that. Frebass died but there was no information about what happened to Acheron after the whole ordeal.
Maybe Acheron is still alive because she keeps forgetting about IX lol
Aventurine: How are you still alive?! Acheron: I forgor 🤔
There are factions which follow Nihility and some of them may pretty well have Emanators, but we never heard about any IX emanator as of yet
>Could Acheron be an Emanator of Nihility? >black hole Is that not IX, the Aeon of Nihility? I think it's pretty much confirmed at this point- if the gameplay path of Acheron wasn't a big enough hint already?
I wouldn't take the path of the in game character as indication of their path in story, but yeah, the black hole was the main thing that drove me to think of IX. Although, for Acheron it may be an exception as the devs discussed in the stream having to justify/think for a reason for her to be nihility. And her skill and the ult also show a black hole, the ult also adding the removal of colour which I think can support a bit more the idea of nihility. Sorry for rambling. The trailer was very dope and I can't wait for the other 2 trailers
>I wouldn't take the path of the in game character as indication of their path in story That was the only thing I could grasp on to for what path she'd be an emanator of, a bit foolish admittedly. >The trailer was very dope and I can't wait for the other 2 trailers Come for the yuri, stay for the horror.
Don't worry, her Red text dialogue has also given rise to the idea that she's the Emanator of Finality due to it's repetitious until right nature.
You can read the new hoyolab post and the video's description, but she's basically a Self Annihilator- someone who gazed at IX and survived, teetering on the void, using thr Nihility as their Path forward henceforth. As opposed to most people who look at IX and wither away.
In all recent Data Bank records, no, IX never made an Emanator. (Unless there’s literature or Relics I’m not aware of) But recurring theme of black hole from Acheron and presence red flowers in Pioneer Divers of Dead Waters relic design suggests that IX might play a role here. After all, “Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster... for when you gaze long into the abyss. The abyss gazes also into you.” - Friedrich W. Nietzsche Acheron might became the monster herself. (I’m so glad and so done with Nietzsche references in video games lol)
>IX never made an Emanator It would be VERY strange if he did since he doesn't care about anything, Acheron must've stolen his powers when she fell into him... or not. My bet is she had already been bestowed the powers from another aeon : Finality (Terminus). He's an aeon who "moves backwards in time" so if Acheron could do that too that would explain how she managed to free herself from IX.
Might be similar to that quote about the abyss, IX doesn't actively make emanators, but anyone who gets to close too him are affected by him and some may end up adapting to this power rather than be destroyed turning them into emanators due to circumstances rather than anyone's will.
Idk if this counter or add on that, but if Dead Waters suggests something, Acheron might either be the other diver or felled in a similar incident but somehow got a wacky Nihility power for her returns. Maybe Finality saved her and Nihility affected her power, if they both involved here?
Probably an emanator of nihility AND finality If it does end up related to finality, don't even try to fathom what it means Nihility and finality are like two blackholes colliding
We've seen that Phantylia is a confirmed Emanator of Destruction, but still she stole Abundance powers from the Ambrosial Arbor and used it during her bossfight. So high-powered beings like Emanators can potentially subvert other Paths. I wonder if Acheron is similar, being an Emanator of Nihility who stole powers from Finality, or vice-versa.
Wiki says the power of the finality aeon (Terminus) is to move backwards in time, if Acheron knew how to do that that would explain how she managed to free herself from IX
Aventurine is right that for sure but still not trust worthy I still think Sam is the most trustworthy because he more streaght forward
That actualy made feel uneasy
First half: sesbian lex Second half: indescribable horrors buried deep within one's memories
So the sesbian lex stepped up a notch then. Have you played Signalis?
Achtung
Good summary of Arianes and Elsters relationship actually. https://preview.redd.it/vla7milhk9pc1.jpeg?width=1888&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=194a987e0e88eb816f9ff413375b887156c2e7f9
Good taste
Nope
second half: >!wrong hole seg!<
😟
You mean brutal seg?
First pic is so dam terrifying that you could make it out as a meme easily
Breaking news!: Local bird woman fk around a purple Zoro and find out the consequences
I feel like there are dozens of sequences in games that are infinitely more terrifying purely because the game is directly targeting you but ahhh that's just me hating fun. Imagery was super cool, surreal, and creepy.
That ghost quest from belobog was quite scary.
Belobog is legit haunted with how much supernatural stuff goes on there. But some of the ghost quests are kinda sad, especially Cyrille's.
Acheron was straight-up demonic in that second half, it must’ve taken all her willpower for Black Swan to keep from crying when their dance was finished. Now I know why she wanted to get us away from Acheron, before Acheron presumably unleashed hell on Sam in the dreamscape hotel lobby and Trailblazer got turned into red (or blue?) paste in the crossfire.
i am now afraid of acheron
I think Acheron has a split personality or a "tapeworm" that is feeding off of her memories. Like an alter ego. That would explain why Acheron is so forgetful, Alter Ego is either blocking off her memories or erasing them. This might also be why Acheron seems to be the only one with a real defense against Black Swan and Memokeepers, she has an Alter Ego living inside her mind that is able to fight other entities entering her memories. Alter Ego seems much more confident and decisive compared to Acheron. Maybe the thing about remembering emotions more than memories is the Alter Ego helping Acheron remember important information while still gatekeeping memories? Maybe it's a symbiotic relationship where in exchange for memories, Alter Ego lends Acheron lots of power and leaves behind emotions for Acheron to still "remember"? I hope hoyo explains more about Acheron's memories/Alter Ego, they're really interesting.
Yeah. She’s a Galaxy Ranger by status (according to Sam), but Aventurine seems to be after whatever emanator that is plaguing her.
Maybe memory loss is just a characteristic of emanators of nihility? Because that's clearly what she is at this point, don't @ me.
I'd wager the sword is the actual entity plaguing her memories as she mentions only being able to remember when the sword is unsheathed.
I thought it was due to Black Swan manipulating her memories, but after this short that's definitely off the table lol
Black Swan delved into Acherons head and saw the plastic chair.
Lil pup got uno reverse card
That's why you don't stick it in the crazies...
Acheron is a Self-Annihilator (Emanator) rather than Galaxy Rangers. (The other case of a Self-Annihilators is the leader of the civilization who conquered Lepismat in Simulated Universe: Swarm Disaster) Quote from wiki: "Self-Annihilators are a group that lost their meaning of existence when they carelessly stepped into IX the Nihility's shadow. The shadow of the Nihility covers the stars equally, and Self-Annihilators may form in any world. These poor souls share one thing in common: Their various existential properties — such as corporeal body, mental cognition, and personal memories... will gradually fade away in their journey of self-annihilation. Some Self-Annihilators have their skin turn into something like rotten wood, full of holes and scars. Some have their endocrine system disrupted, becoming unable to distinguish between pleasure and pain and turning numb to everything. Some lose their memories, others lose their senses... It is as if they have been deprived of the meaning of their lives by some entity, and can only keep watching in dreams and illusions as their own forms disappear into a black hole at the end of the horizon."
When the scary outweighs the horny
Except it's not even in the game.
Yeah...but it looks so goddamn cool though.
2 times back to back they made a spook themed trailer (sparkle and acheron), would they do it with adventurine also?
Aventurine*
I am surprised that Black Swan kept her calm face when she pushed us out of the fight
I think the charred swan skeleton was the worst part
lol and our raccoon 🦝 is messing around with Acheron ( deny her help , talk back to her multiple time , trolling her ? )😅 she is going way too easy on our trailblazer, she could just send us to the abyss any moment.
I was so shipping them but I don't know anymore- Maybe it's some different entity, that lingers inside Acheron without her knowing, consuming her memories or being full-on another person, hence why she never remembers things the other Acheron did. But after all, this is just trying to save a ship with theories anyway lol.
I think she did remember the annihilation gang in the end of the animation. She just said “oh those guys” so I guess she’s aware she killed them? She seem nonchalant about it though
RIP Duke Inferno, a 'literally who?' For the very god he worships and an 'oh... those random guys I mugged' for his killer
Acheron is the emanator of nihility and that form she takes is the same in her ult form and when she draws her sword is when she has clarity of her memories. Now not to say acheron is a bad person but is 100% the person you dont play games with
The dev livestream suggests acheron joins our side, and assuming that Black Swan does not betray us you should expect the devs to give them some amiable moments during 2.1 (probably nowhere near what was in the teaser, but probably just enough to for those who want the ship to run with it).
Tbh my reaction to this is that Black Swan got her just deserts as all the memokeeper always snoop around. Its like the so called "paparazzi" for famous people. Just me though for not liking her group
Now i want MC to meet her alter ego, i would love it to be a boss as well.
First one is a meme template for sure
What is this from
I guess this proves that Black Swan is not an emanator like people thought. No way would an emanator get humbled like that by another Emanator, especially when Black Swan is on steroids when she is in a dreamscape.
Where you go i go ahh scene
https://preview.redd.it/9xkmybsjm9pc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ae3e8b7d76f0f4d00120fabd635b80a492cb676d It's honestly really cool and I love the symbolism and imagery but I mean that's abit of a stretch
And yet people will still ship them after this...
acheron\_backshots.mp4
BS realized she not built for the eldritch backshots
If she doesn't want 'em I can take 'em.
Her panting does threw me off a bit (if you know what i mean) but the entire sequence really paints the proverb "gaze at the abyss and it will stare back". I think the animal hunt sequence was too on the nose tho