#memokeeper

Have you heard of undressed by sombr? there’s this one lyric that really stuck with me and I thought it might be cool for you to use it as inspiration, if you’d like!

“I don't want the children of another man to have the eyes of the girl I won't forget”

Since you like doomed stuff and me too let's go cry together in a corner

would look just like you ☆ black swan x fem!reader

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────

ok happy arc is over. lets get down to business with the angst. i've decided to remix this with sienna by the marias if that's okay..

"black swan? nobody gaf about black swan" LISTEN I HAD AN IDEA OKAY ALSO I CARE!! I GAF </33 I LOVE MY DOT TEAMS AND I MISS HER EVEN THOUGH SHE WAS LITERALLY THERE THE ENTIRE TIME DURING AMPHOREUS </33 i'm so sorry this took like half a year... i hope u enjoy but nothing will make up for the fact that this took half a year i am so sorry

With a temper like you

Run around like you

Jumping in the pool

like you

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────

"There is no existence more embracing than the Remembrance in its purest form; It chronicles everything with neither affinity nor aversion."

Perhaps being a follower of Fuli was a curse. Black Swan never thought of it that way until it came to a point where she realised the past was not something she merely collected, but something that had the ability to haunt her. It was foolish to believe that the past would be on her side simply because she was a memokeeper, and it was foolish to believe that she was an exception to the world that had never been on her side. Or anyone's side, for that matter. She first learned this when she watched her own mother become a fragment of who she was, when her mother became a shell of a human being with what made her her completely disappear into the abyss of her own mind. Black Swan could only sit by her side and watch her own mother, the person who put her in this world, look at her as if she was a stranger; as if she had never seen her before. Her future had been determined from the moment her mother looked at her like that, because she would do anything to escape that feeling of emptiness.

Memories are horrifying, they can be reshaped and altered. Memories define your entire perception of the world, how you see your past determines how you see your future. And Black Swan should know better. Her definition of love ebbs and flows. She had only known familial love for the longest time, and platonic love was something that she has yet to learn. Romantic love, however, was a new kind she found herself unable to embrace properly and fully. Her brief encounter with it was enough to reshape the way the stars looked in the night sky and the way the water lapped at the sand on the beachside.

Memokeepers do not show themselves, but she found herself showing all of herself to someone who was merely just a regular human. You had a smile that held secrets about you, and she wanted to hold you close and look into your eyes, reading between each layer to find out what makes that smile so uniquely yours. Your eyes, your eyes were the secret to what made you tick. Your eyes held onto the memories that made you you and your eyes perceived and shaped the world in a way unique to you.

Black Swan found that fascinating.

She first encountered you when she was searching through the dreams of the people of Penacony, and your eyes caught hers amidst the chaos of the past and present. You smiled. You smiled and it was such a curious thing, because who would have thought a smile could mean something more than a simple greeting? You were on Penacony with the Express, and she found herself more drawn to you than anyone else, because there is so much that lingered behind that smile that did not reach your eyes. There was so much she wanted to look into, since those eyes told stories that she could not seem to read. She reasoned with herself that she was drawn because it is her job as a memokeeper, she reasoned with herself that it was okay because this was purely professional. She had danced with Acheron, she had touched the flames and gotten her wings burned, but perhaps it was time to try again.

"May I have this dance?"

"Gosh, you're formal today."

When she danced with Acheron, she called her a 'beautiful ranger'. When she danced with you, she found herself unable to say anything. She found herself looking into your eyes, your eyes that swirled with layers of caution but also something more. Something unreadable, and as a memokeeper it was her job to read it, right? But she couldn't. The one time she could not do her job even though it was right in front of her. For some reason, that night, the past was not so enticing. That night, the present with the silk of your dress under her fingertips and the smell of your perfume was the most fascinating thing she had ever seen. That night, she failed to do her job for the first time, because you held her face with such tenderness she realised that this moment too would become the past, and it would be something that changes the way she views the world as she knows it.

Dancing with a memokeeper was dangerous, you knew that and so did she. She wanted to keep her distance but you followed her. She was not as strong as she thought she was, her last dance with Acheron proved her weak and her recent dance with you proved her... soft. You took her hand and pressed a kiss to it, and the feeling of your lips against her skin had her conflicted because she knew this was wrong but she could not help but crave more of it. You seemed to think the same.

The scary thing about the past is its permanence, and how it can completely alter the way one views the present and the future. When the dance with you became the past, the way Black Swan saw the present and future had completely changed because she wanted to see more of you in it. Tenderly, you found your way back to her and the relief she felt when she saw that you were safe after the fight against the Order was something she could never properly express in words. It was a surge of emotions she had never felt before, and it was like writing a new constellation in the skies. She remembers the tears streaming down your face as you took her hand and pulled her in. You did not kiss her, but instead you pressed your forehead to hers as you placed her hand against the side of your face. She remembers feeling the wetness of your tears and she remembers for the first time since her mother died, the same tears were falling from her eyes as well.

She treasured you more than she treasured anything else, but she was scared of how much she treasured you. She knew the risks of her job, she knew the risks of yours. She didn't know how much time you two had together until it eventually would become just memories and that scared her. She did not want this to become memories, she wanted this to be the present and the future. When you kissed her on the Radiant Feldspar, she wanted to think of nothing more than the present but she was stuck. She was stuck thinking about how everything would become a moment of the past, and for once she did not want to escape there anymore because the now had you. It was interfering with her job, it was interfering with everything but you just felt so right. She saw the hint of a blush on your cheeks when you pulled away and the slight tilt of the head as you let out a nervous giggle and in that moment she did something no memokeeper in their right mind would do. She let herself forget- her job, her mission, everything. Just for one second, just for now.

Just so she can kiss you again.

It was a mistake, to let herself go like that. To let herself feel so much that it overwhelms her. Dancing with danger, perhaps that was all she was good at. Putting herself in vulnerable situations, knowing she would walk out of the other side scalded. When you, Dan Heng and Caelus lost touch with the Astral Express, she was filled with a dread she had not felt since her mother looked at her for the last time with nothing reflecting in her eyes. She should have known better, she should have known better, she led you to a place unknown to the rest of the damn galaxy. Foolish, she cursed to herself. How could she? Himeko is a bright woman, she knew Black Swan was hiding something from her because Black Swan was being unnaturally worried and involved.

Himeko decided not to press on the situation.

Infiltrating Amphoreus proved to be more difficult than ever, it proved to be a task that altered the way they viewed existence completely. The Erudition itself was doomed, The Destruction threatened annihilation once more, and you were unreachable. Nobody knew about Amphoreus, nobody knew anything and perhaps that was the scariest part. Memories serve as a way for one to recognise patterns in the future, to be able to recall from past experiences and apply them to future possibilities. But even as Black Swan searches through the sea of memoria, she finds nothing that could help her, that could help you. Putting a hand to her mouth, she let out a sigh as she looked at the radiant glow of the lemniscate in front of them. You were somewhere there, surely. Somewhere in the centre of it all, was you.

The past will always find a way to haunt you, because the future is never promised.

The world of Amphoreus was too beautiful for what it actually is. When the Express and Black Swan stepped foot onto this new reality, she found herself searching through the crowds for those familiar eyes. When they found March, she held herself back. When they found Stelle, she held herself back. Those eyes, where were they? They were somewhere here, they had to be. Because you were still somewhere here.

"Oh, Y/n? I think she's with Castorice." March hummed "Let's go!"

"Aglaea?" Himeko mused

"One of the Chrysos Heirs." Dan Heng explained, but something was causing a pit to form in her stomach. The sinking feeling in her gut as her chest tightens and the tips of her fingers go cold. Something about the way March said Castorice and something about the way Dan Heng shot a glance at her made her feel... cold.

Look through the past, when have you felt this before?

This feeling, this feeling hit her right before her mother uttered her name for the last time. This feeling hit her right before she realised your car had crashed on Amphoreus, this feeling. It was a protective mechanism, so what was it protecting her from this time?

It was when she looked up, past the crowd, and saw your eyes. Your eyes, on a small child with purple hair. Your eyes that she wanted so badly to learn to read, that held what felt like the truths of the world to her. Your eyes, on someone who is not you.

The child ran up to March, leaping into her arms and March laughed.

"Gosh- Pollux! You're growing up fast!"

"Pollux?" Himeko frowned, a worried look in her eyes

Dan Heng's lips had formed a tight line, his eyes filled with what can really only be described as 'disapproving'.

"Y/n will explain."

The pit in her stomach was always there to warn her, to protect her from what was to come. There was something that she needed to be protected from, as it turns out. Because she watched the child in March's arms, and it pieces together in her head when she sees those Chrysos Heirs, the 12 titans. You stand next to this beautiful woman in a white dress, the woman with the same purple hair as the child March holds in her arms.

"Himeko!"

You ran up to Himeko, throwing yourself in her arms and she embraced you tightly. You were one of the older members of the Express, and the Aeons knew she was worried because you were one of her oldest friends from before the Express even started travelling again.

"Oh thank Aeons you're alright." Himeko whispered, and Black Swan could only watch from where she stood. Your eyes told a different story now, it had only been a few weeks for her but how many lifetimes have you lived in what was a brief moment for her? Your eyes no longer held the same stories, they held more layers that she could not recognise and it was a book in a different language. When your eyes met hers, she saw the way your eyes softened. She recognised that look. The same look the nurses gave her when they delivered the news about her mother to her. A look of pity.

"Black Swan."

"Hello again, Y/n."

The chronicles of the past, it is a curse to remember because it shapes your future. The future she once had stands in front of her, the child who holds onto your hand tightly stands as a cruel slap to the face. The past is not something she can just collect and store away, the past is something that follows her, and reminds her of what she once had that she let slip away. What she could have had that will never be. Something unwritten in the sky, erased into oblivion. Something that could have been a new constellation, now just a scattered mess of stars that hold no particular shape. She found something she wanted to keep, and it had slipped through her fingers once again. She is a collector of the past, but she knows that with this, some part of her only be searching for the feeling of you as she lives her life. Many humans live life knowing that the past shapes the present, and the present is shaped by the way you perceive it. She has no exception as a memokeeper, because at the end of the day she still breathes. She still breathes and lives, and she will never be free from the shackles that hold everyone down to the permanence of the past.

"This is my son, Pollux."

“They’re in love” - everyone in Amphoreus.

I made a Hsr oc because I was bored. She’s a Memokeeper like Black swan.

If anyone have a good name suggestion, please feel free to share because I’m awful at choosing names lmao.

(for the people that might want/need some clarifications)

The HSR hyperfixation has been taking over lately (thank you Phainon) even though I dropped actually playing the game at 3.2, so I'll make a post to make some notes about a topic I see a lot of confusion over

So to start, an explanation - those the least in tune with Star Rail's lore may find themselves struggling to see the full distinction between Pathstriders and Emanators, so here's one.

Pathstriders are those that draw power from their respective path, which is possible thanks to Imaginary Energy giving each Path some kind of.. metaphysical presence in Star Rail's universe

Emanators are those that were granted direct access to an Aeon's pool of power, usually by being gazed at by said Aeon, but some cases allow others to grant them that power, usually other Emanators

Now to start my little note compilation, here's a thing that few people seem to understand based on what I've seen:

Emanators do not have a consistent power level

I always get a little bit let down whenever I see someone say "X isn't powerful enough to be an Emanator" because that really isn't the qualifier. The real qualifier is ^up there^, feel free to read it back, won't judge

How much power an Emanator receives is decided by the Aeon THEMselves, or there's some sort of standard in the cases where the power doesn't come from a gaze. They can give them more, they can give them less, they can give them it all or cut them off if they so wish (though based on a later example it's likely that taking it away would lead to Fucking Dying)

Anyways, time to start bringing up a bunch of cases of Emanators or the occasional faker to explain some things. I'll be borrowing Nova Impact's concept of semi-Emanators for my explanation (check his channel out btw, great theorist (though I don't exactly remember when he defined the concept of semi-Emanators, mb))

Memokeepers

These guys are Emanators. Nova may not define them as such because of their system of recruitment, but their power source is still Fuli THEMselves, so they're Emanators.

Arbiter Generals

Now these guys are semi-Emanators. Their power isn't actually granted to them, but to the Spirits that are passed on to them by the previous General, and that they will pass on as well when the time comes.

An exception is Feixiao, who got directly gazed upon by Lan in 2.5. I think the blessing she received is a mix of both her Greataxe (we see her receive it with the gaze) (also in the cutscenes before the gaze we only see her use the gun-blades), and maybe stabilizing Hoolay's heart and making it so she doesn't go feral from it?

Vidyadhara

They may be descended from an Aeon, but the power they get from that is still completely inherent to them and their blood, so not Emanators.

Stonehearts

Their power comes from their cornerstones, not Qlipoth THEMselves, and unlike in other similar cases where a blessing comes in the form of an artifact, they can't just summon the cornerstones to themselves whenever they gotta square up or smth, they're just regular items containing the real Emanator Diamond's power.

Noblesse Worm

As a reminder, this is when Aha the Elation decided to experiment by giving a little worm ALL OF THEIR POWER and see if it could get into the Genius Society. THEY quickly got bored, so they retracted all their power, killing the worm in the process.

I just wanted to bring this one up as a more explicit example of how an Aeon's permission to power works, which particularly works well for the following example.

Self-Annihilators

Like several characters have said, these guys shouldn't even be possible due to IX the Nihility's nature. The Aeon isn't just a sentient black hole, THEY're in a goddamn coma, THEY don't care at all about anything that happens, so THEY would never bother gazing at anything or anyone.

And yet, they still somehow happen because they're right there, and that's quite a terrifying reality to live in. Thing is, because IX doesn't give a damn, THEY don't ever bother restricting THEIR Emanators, so they all get access to IX's full goddamn arsenal (extra scary considering Nihility seems to have the power to override other Paths, which is why Acheron was kicked out of Penacony's dreamscape). Fun explanation for why she and Zephyro are so stacked, ain't it?

Trailblazer

By all means, they aren't a powerful Emanator (yet), but they very much are an Emanator of 4 separate Paths at this point, having received a gaze in almost every world we've been to (the Luofu as the outlier).

From Nanook, we got the big explosion that warded off the Doomsday Beast and maybe stabilized our Stellaron? It makes more sense now that we have a more direct connection between the Stellarons and Lord Ravager Celenova.

From Qlipoth, we get the Flaming Lance and the aid of the Engine of Creation.

From Xipe, we seem to just get the general powers we use with Mikhail's hat in the Harmony kit?

And from Fuli, we got the ability to live on as a memory within Amphoreus after crash-landing (until Castorice gave us actual life again but that's still a thing we can do), the pen, and also Mem. That last bit is a similar gift to what the Arbiter Generals received by the way, another Emanator of their Path to aid them, though Mem is much more interactive than the Spirits the Generals received.

(disclaimer: I haven’t completed the full storyline. I stopped midway through The Herta segment so take everything with a grain of salt. I am also not the most knowledgeable when it comes to Star Rail lore, I just really like the Remembrance. I could be wrong about everything. Except when it pertains to the Garden and the Remembrance, that is. I trust the hyperfixation.)

I am very suspicious of Black Swan. The Garden at large, really, but mostly her.

Like don’t get me wrong, she’s my pookie my baby my goober my second main and could never do any wrong ever ever ever

but suspicion wherever the Garden is concerned is pretty healthy, standard practice I think.

I think it just starts with her and March. Before we depart, she comes out of March’s room. Which at first was a bit funny, and I sort of assumed she’d been digging through all of our rooms at this point so it wasn’t really anything other than her casually invading our privacy.

But then I think no, she’s been subtly picking out March from the get-go. Her sneaking into her bedroom is just another one on the list.

Now anyone who’s been playing for any substantial amount of time (or really just likes the Garden of Recollection aha) already knows that March and the Remembrance are heavily intertwined— from past, to visual motifs, to her being a favorite of all the pesky Memokeeper’s she’s met… They have a vested interest interest in her for whatever reason.

Now while Swan’s explanation of “oh you know I just really want to see Amphoreus all those juicy memories are like honey to flies and I’ll be the first to get em” is perfectly in character and I believe, is her legitimate first reason.

But if I know anything about Black Swan, it’s that she has many different plans and ideas zooming around in there— and has a two birds with one stone sort of philosophy. Memokeepers can be pretty self-serving; but they are ultimately very simple creatures, Swan being no exception. Memories are their reason for being, and why they do anything at all.

So. What primarily benefits Black Swan’s insatiable curiosity takes top priority. What benefits the Garden most often aligns with that, so that is the second priority. Then of course, whoever or whatever happens to be involved in her pursuit of said goals has to be taken care of as well. She doesn’t leave loose threads.

She seems to be legitimately fond of the Trailblazer, often texting them, sending them memory bubbles, etc. (Now of course it’s also the treasure trove of memories we can provide her. But a girl can dream.) So a benefit of her scheme is her helping us (and by extension the crew) continue their journey through the cosmos. Cool memories to provide her AND she’s helping out a friend. How thoughtful!

So what’s the deal with March and Amphoreus???? Does she want to help March and this is providing something that could serve as a key to unlocking her past???? Is it happy coincidence????

(that’s a trick question. Here are no coincidences with her.)

I’ve seen a few theories floating around on Twitter, theorizing that not only is Swan orchestrating everything (duh that’s a given wherever she’s concerned) but that she’s also the reason for March’s condition and is actively trying to make it worse for some reason.

(I’ll admit, I was suspicious when she volunteers to watch over March.) I went back to check on them, hoping to talk to her and pry some information out of her. The thing IS though; I couldn’t speak to her.

That’s very unusual. Usually when you do these things, the character just repeats their last line. But I couldn’t speak to Swan at ALL. There wasn’t even the option to click her name. But I could speak to March just fine. It’s like Black Swan wasn’t even there. I interpreted it as Black Swan doing what Black Swan does best: digging through memories like the Trailblazer looting a dumpster. So what did she see in there, and HOW does this correlate to March’s illness? Because it has to; why else would she go? Why else would it HAPPPEN?

Genuinely I have no clue. My board is covered in pins and red strings, but I can’t think of anything concrete.

Black Swan is a lot of things, but she’s never struck me as malicious. A manipulator, yeah. A shameless one at that. But at the end of the day, she’s someone who values lives and memories. Who was a human being before all of this— one who seemed to genuinely want to be a part of something beautiful. At the end of the day, I think she’s fundamentally good like most people. I don’t think she’s hurting March for the shits and giggles.

Unless of course, it’s what needed to happen. Because if this needed to happen in order to ultimately help, I think she’d do it without hesitation. Maybe she’s trying to help in her own weird Black Swan way??? I mean she clearly knows more than she’s letting on. Maybe this would serve as a catalyst for March’s growth??

Or is this something completely out of her control and understanding— as she claims but we know better than to trust a word she says without question— and rather, is something connected to the planet itself?

🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

And don’t even get me started on the Memosnatcher.

(yes, please do.)

Like Black Swan’s antics, this was a perfectly normal occurrence in and of itself. But for it to happen in the main plot in rapid succession is SOMETHING

we already know Herta has a fascination with the Garden’s technology, and there’s hundreds of Memory Bubbles floating around her space station. She’s invited the Remembrance aboard a looong time ago.

But the Memosnatcher was specifically looking for Nous’s memories. She infiltrated the station, took control of the puppets, and states that the Garden is planning something— potentially big.

(Now she was begging for her life at the time, so it could have been misleading. But honestly I doubt that. )

why THIS SPECIFIC MISSION and why NOW

The Remembrance and the Erudition (i think) are two paths we know of that are intertwined with the fate of Amphoreus. And with the seemingly random appearance of Fuli, the Garden is up to something.

whether Black Swan is aware of this plan, or she’s acting of her own accord and this is another happy accident— it’s all connected

and it all leads back to March, SOMEHOW

but HOW

MARCH

HOW

*shakes Black Swan* I want ANSWERS bird

Anyway Amphoreus and the Garden of Recollection have my brain in a blender and this is a thirst for knowledge I haven’t experienced since Genshin’s Fontaine archon quest.

ignore this when/if mr reca becomes playable

Path is probably like preservation or smth but i personally want him nihility so he has detailed animations, and hes probably either imaginary or ice

cant think of anything abt the ult other than the name maybe smth like tales of the unknown

his atk idle is him looking directly into the camera

(quick Sketch)

I hope hes a dps but hes probably gonna be very similar to black swan

so, it's been a hot minute since i last posted on here(not that i really need to but anyways!)

ya girl got into hsr a while ago and got addicted(FEIXIAO COME HOME PLSS) nd while in was doing the trailblazer quest where we meet sunday again, something he said struck me in an odd way.

now a pointed disclaimer, i'm not a professional theory crafter but this gen couldn't leave my mind so i had to share it :3

so! you all know march, right? pretty familiar with our in game companion and bestie.

and we all know that her past is pretty....lacking, in the sense that we know nothing about it apart from the fact that she was encased in ice when she was found by the express and had her memory erased and kept by a memokeeper.

now, back to something sunday said, and bear with me cuz this is relevant: where a place like Penacony harbors memoria(or sum along those lines), and due to the laughing prank by the Pepeshi, Tingyun's psych splintering off into different beings as well, it got me thinking(never a good thing btw).

did march become affected in a similar way as a possible punishment for something her original self did and have the memokeeper split her different personalities and then erase their collective memory so it can't be traced back?? as like a way for her not to be chased down again?

idk, march is js happy go lucky energy most of the time and has this air about her(at least to me) where it seems like there's something about her that we just can't see or conceive. because in such a narrative, esp like hsr, where the characters are always hiding something until the very end, it wouldn't be surprising for march to have such a....dark past abt her.

also, isn't it weird that she has a new skin, and more than 1 path to choose from? as a 4*, she's getting some vip treatment. and that's not js me ragging on her or anything(i truly do love march, she's so sweet)but i just think that the developers are trying their hardest to keep her relevant with a permanent event and all that jazz, so it might not be too far fetched that we might get a dazzling reveal.

at some point, when we do get a reveal, i wouldn't be surprised if there are other marches in existence just like the one we know, just with different personalities and backstories.

maybe the quest where we explored her mind with the matrix of prescience allowed us to witness the connection between the fractured personalities before the memokeeper felt that connection and severed it??