#hearth travellers

[hopeshearthpod]

ECH0 ft. The Hades Project

Our season 2 started with two guests from @thehadesprojectpod, Jupiter (@spaceeggscreams) and Erin, playing with Izze and Dirk.

They played Ech0 by Role Over Play Dead. Three siblings wander between decrepit mechs turned playground, leading the ghost of a dead pilot to their final resting place.

The Hades Project is a sci-fi horror audio drama about the crew of the USS Hades and their trip to Pluto. It seems to be going well, until things start going wrong.

It also has Stabby the Roomba.

Inspired by Wolf 359 and similar podcasts, this show has a delightful cast and an engaging storyline that will grab you and hold you until it's done with you.

#hearth travellers #the hades project #ech0 #role over play dead #hopeshearthpod

[shadowboxmind]

Maybe a hot take, but I don't think the Traveler was being inconsistent or out of character in the last archon quest at all. People are getting upset at their reaction to Lyney and Lynette's behavior from the perspective of players, with meta knowledge of the story that the Traveler, the character, doesn't have.

The players know, for example, that because they're playable characters, Lyney and Lynette are ultimately friendly and on "our" side, and we can also trust that what they told us about their backstory is true. The Traveler does not have that knowledge.

TO BE CLEAR this post is talking about my thoughts on the TRAVELER'S thought process. If we want to talk about how I personally would have reacted to the situation, I'm an overly trusting bleeding-heart who would absolutely get scammed and probably murdered by Fatui in this universe.

(Also characters, even main characters who you normally like, can do things you disagree with and that doesn't mean they're badly written. I mean, sometimes they are, but I don't think that's true in this particular case)

But think about it! Looking at the entire situation from an in-universe, in-character POV, it's a really bad look for Lyney and Lynette overall, because here are the facts as the Traveler is aware of them:

Lyney and Lynette are not only members of the Fatui, the primary antagonistic force in this story, but are specifically members of the House of the Hearth, which is known to specialize in espionage, subterfuge, and sabotage.

Both of them also work in a field that would further require them to be masters of misdirection, audience manipulation, and drama.

They "coincidentally" ran into the Traveler right as they arrived in Fontaine and immediately began to do them favors and be very friendly, including saving them from Furina, bringing them to meet their family, and gifting them VIP tickets to Lyney's show.

During the trial, the twins withheld key information, and not just about their identities (and listen, I get it, I fully empathize with why they did it, I get the reasoning, but it's still a bad look when it gets figured out) but also about what they were doing in the tunnel.

They admitted that the entire magic show was a ruse to do, guess what? espionage! To break into the room with the Oratrice's core and find out how it works. To, through subterfuge, obtain Fontaine's secrets about the nation's most important mechanism and central source of power.

The Traveler has known these people for like, a day total.

So what conclusions might the Traveler draw from these facts? When the evidence shows that Lyney and Lynette have a record of misdirection and obfuscation for their own ends? When the Traveler has no way of knowing if even their initial meeting was orchestrated for an ulterior purpose? How are they supposed to know if the tragic backstory is even true, or if that's just Lyney trying to win back some favor and sympathy? In my opinion, at that moment, they don't. Hence the coldness.

My interpretation of events is that the Traveler does like the twins, and wanted to keep liking them, but was struggling to reconcile their initial impression of two friendly magicians with the realization that these two friendly magicians were dishonest with them for most of the time they'd known each other, so they needed to have some space to figure that out.

And for those saying the Traveler is inconsistent, here's the thing: they still helped Lyney. They still acted as his attorney, investigated thoroughly, won the case, and cleared his name. They've done similar for other Fatui members in their acquaintance—they helped Childe with Teucer, they helped Scaramouche/Wanderer with getting his memories back, they helped that other member of the House of the Hearth fake her death and escape the organization—whether or not they fully trusted them, and generally they didn't.

As for the Traveler's supposed hypocrisy, my view of their relationship with Childe is that it's only improved because, despite Childe trying to nuke Liyue in the past, the Traveler knows that

a. They can handle him if it comes down to a fight again; b. He likes them, regardless of if the feeling is mutual or not, and is indeed aggressively friendly to the point where it's easier to just be civil; c. Childe is generally upfront and honest about his actions and will strike from the front, not stab them in the back; and d. He's worked together with them before when they had a common goal (for example, the labyrinth they went through with Xinyan).

They know how his mind works and what motivates him. Childe is a known quantity, the twins are not, and it took in-story time and shared experiences for the Traveler to get to even this point of neutrality; they were openly suspicious of him during his story quest.

As for holding his Vision for him, the Traveler didn't exactly volunteer for the job, Childe literally threw it at them with no warning and peaced out. What do you expect them to do, drop it in the sea? That would be inconsistent with their characterization.

Wanderer's whole situation is even weirder, since the Traveler was able to experience his actual memories and emotions and therefore has good reason to trust that he's had a genuine change of heart. Not to mention that they're not friends, I'd argue they're in that same nebulous "neutral" zone, and that only because Nahida usually functions as a buffer (and also because, again, the Traveler knows that they can handle Wanderer in a fight, and Wanderer also tends to be blunt and honest).

Also, in Lyney's story quest it seems like everyone got over their problems pretty fast and they're all chummy now, so you can all rest easy that the twins' feelings weren't too hurt about it.

Anyways if you disagree go ham, refute my points, whatever, just keep things civil.

#is there a designated spoiler tag idk #genshin impact #4.0 spoilers #hi non genshin-liking friends i promise i won't be doing this regularly #i just like to think about character relationships #ace attorney ass quest #genuinely rather disappointed that there was no... tension between them in lyney's story quest. like at all #the last time y'all saw each other was dramatic and depressing right after his murder trial and now you're just pals 'n' buddies #and maybe more considering how heavily they imply that lyney is flirting with the traveler #maybe they'll touch on it (the Drama) in the next archon quest #now that would be inconsistent writing with the story quest but whatever #i read comics i'm used to it #shadowboxtalks #speaking of the story quest i said out loud at several points 'oh yeah you're definitely a fatuus' #all that about not forgetting debts #and 'oh yeah you're definitely from the house of the hearth' #sneaky little shits (affectionate)

[sleepyorchidmonster]

Lyney: Don't worry my dear siblings, home is wherever we are together!

*Traveler, sobbing and completely ruining the moment*

Lyney: Wha-

Paimon: No worries, they've just been separated from their twin for 500 years because of an Unknown God...

Paimon, noticing their shock: But they reunited! It's just that their sibling left on a mission five minutes later, saying that they "have to complete their journey" and "we've always had time".... Which means they haven't reunited at all, ha ha...

Liney, Lynette and Freminet:

Lyney, panicking: Do you want to see a magic trick!?!?

#genshin impact #lyney #lynette #freminet #traveler #everyone at the House of Hearth is now looking for our twin as well #they value family so gotta respect the traveler's dedication #paimon didn't mention they're working for the abyss because that's too much info to just give randomly #so let's just say that it's a looong mission #house of hearth: going on a mission is no excuse to ignore your sibling!

[ice-draco]

Furina: So, did everyone learn their lesson?

Arlecchino: No.

Lyney: I did not.

Lynette: I may have actually forgotten one.

Freminet: Also no.

Furina: Oh good, neither did I.

Lumine: *Exhausted sigh*

#incorrect quotes #genshin impact #furina #arlefuri #Arlecchino #arlecchino x furina #Lyney #Lynette #Freminet #Lumine #Traveller #house of hearth shenanigans

[the-curious-cat24]

The new event talks about mental health, this is interesting and I wanna know if everything will turns out fine, there are times that made me think that maybe Zuria was the one having an illness and her kid is no longer with her but please don't, I have too much heartache already! I have not yet recovered from Furina, and hopefully this time we have a happy ending and Thelxie will find the new light in their lives and Zuria.

Freminet my cutie baby, you have a good heart and knowing that he tried his best, because he doesn't want anyone to suffer again as he stated that some children from the house of the hearth having the same illness, due to the previous knave's actions towards them.

#genshin impact #traveler #paimon #zuria #freminet #thelxie #water imps #house of the hearth #exploration team #furina #neuvillette #nahida #fischl

[azertyjf]

Traveler: So, Freminet's an assassin?

Arlecchino: Yes.

Paimon: Why keep giving him such tasks? Seems too extreme for someone like him. That's more Lynette's style!

Arlecchino: Well...

*flashback*

Fatui Sergeant: Lady Arlecchino. Private Freminet has completed his task.

Arlecchino: Good. How does the body look?

Fatui Sergeant: Well... the target got hit by Freminet's automaton.

Arlecchino: It's just really funny imagining someone die to a penguin baseball.

#genshin impact #traveler #paimon #freminet #arlecchino #house of the hearth #fatui #fatui arlecchino

[panstarry]

drawings for the @travelers-encore-zine 🚀💫

i love you outer wilds ::']

#outer wilds #echoes of the eye #timber hearth #quantum moon #zine #pan draws #outer wilds spoilers #echoes of the eye spoilers #eote spoilers #traveler's encore fanzine #whew. alright. that's enough of that. shoutout to everybody on this project it was so so fun #long post #owte fanzine

[rainswept]

ok who else dislikes wriothesley immensely

#✦ . ⁺ ⏳ i. house of the hearth. #he’s cool but i can’t forgive him for how he treated lyney/lynette/freminet sorry.. #maybe he can redeem himself later but! #i know where my loyalties lie. and they lie with those three idc idc #can u imagine causing someone extreme mental distress and then just turning around and sipping tea like nothing happened #“he’s slowly getting pickled out in the brine” #and the fact that the traveler and paimon are on good terms w/ him and sigewinne after?? #like girl no you literally fuckin tranquilized lyney that’s not cool 😭😭 idc WHY you did it #the fact that we were on good terms w/ sigewinne and wriothesley right after the archon quest #but had to do lyney’s story quest to be on good terms with him again #not. cool. i would’ve switched those honestly #maybe i’m just a fatui liker i can’t help it 👎 #they’re just.. they’re cool okay..

[empyrangel]

God the arlechino defenders are even worse than the dottore defenders. I don’t have a problem with villains fans, I have my own problematic favs. Sometimes you love them because they’re the worst, but the people who try to justify their actions or twist the facts have the most punchable faces.

“BUT SHE LOVES THE SIBLINGS!!! SHE CARES ABOUT THEM!!! SHE SAVED LYNETTE FROM HUMAN TRAFFICKING!!!” And mother gothel loved rapunzel. She saw her as a daughter, she went out of her way to gather the ingredients and make her favorite foods, she got her all her art and other hobby supplies, but at the end of the day it was a means to an end. She did all that to keep rapunzel happy so she’d stay in the tower and gothel could keep using her hair to stay young. It’s the same thing with arlecchino, she wants something from the house members— their loyalty.

Arlecchino runs an orphanage that exists for the sole purpose of turning traumatized, vulnerable, desperate children into child soldiers for an international terrorist organization. The house of hearth simulates an artificial family dynamic to farm loyalty from its members so they feel a sense of responsibility to each other and to the organization and could never even consider leaving or thinking for themselves. She took the children in so they would feel they owed her for “saving them” and “giving them a safe home” so they’d work for her. She subtly manipulates and even blatantly lies to these children in order to maintain this family facade, and thus maintain her control over the children.

This is a cult. Lyney, Lynette, Freminet, and all the others are in a cult that Lyney is currently being groomed to one day inherit the leadership of, and none of them know it.

The arlecchino stans are literally parroting real abuse apologist rhetorics to defend her behavior. What the fuck is wrong with people.

#traveler from another world ✨ #the knave #arlecchino #genshin arlecchino #<- normally I don’t put hate in the main tags like a bitch but I really hope the abuse apologists see this #it’s not hate it’s much needed criticism #tw cult #tw abuse #genshin #genshin impact #fatui harbingers #house of hearth

[hopeshearthpod]

Los Arboles ft. William A. Wellman

Continuing our guest spotlights, the start of season 2 also featured Mx. William A. Wellman, creator of @hellofromthehallowoods, playing with Dirk and Izze!

They played Los Arboles by Mercedes Acosta. Three strangers, who only know each other as passersby, walk into the forest at the edge of their lives. The call is strong, and the creaking branches of the trees threaten to whisper their secrets into the light of the moon. Who can escape the forest, at the end of it all?

Mx. Wellman is the creator, producer, marketing director, and wearer of many hats for their queer horror audio drama, Hello From The Hallowoods. A strange voice in your dreams weaves a tale about humans at the end of their existence, following each thread to show their struggles, their love, their anger, and their hope. There are many eyes in the dark, dreamer, and that strange voice will welcome you with a hello from the Hallowoods.

As with all of our guests, William was a delight to have on with us.

#hearth travellers #hello from the hallowoods #william a. wellman #los arboles #mercedes acosta #hopeshearthpod

[dustwifeold]

anyways, friendly reminder that the same person who was raised in the land of monsters and considers herself a peer of death has a debilitating fear of horses.

#it's not a problem that *often* comes up because she can travel by the flames of hearths #but it did add a significant chunk of time to their journey through westland when she was trying to avoid detection #and would NOT cop to this phobia until she literally had no other choice

[feliscus]

sleep paralysis demon lynette jumpscare (the next time lyney happens to turn his head she is just Right There)

lyney likes to think he's more observant than most. even as gloved hands shuffle his deck of cards, his gaze is always wandering: drifting over buildings, catching on passing faces, memorizing alleyways. in their line of business, staying too idle is an easy way to failure— for both his missions and his shows. the stage might be his second home, but the shadows were his first, with plenty of secrets hidden within them too.

of course, lynette takes to them more easily than he.

“GAH?!?!”

he doesn't always startle so easily— especially not when faced with his sister of all people. but lyney has been on edge all day, and the sudden movement in the corner of his eye has him jumping and stumbling away, the steady rhythm of his shuffling stuttering and sending the cards flying. a hand almost calls for his bow— but then there's those familiar violet eyes, the star that mirrors the tear on his cheek, and instead he's fumbling for her name in his surprise: “lyn— lynette!”

smile slightly abashed, the magician turns to his sister properly. it's not like he has anything to be guilty about at the moment, but sometimes when lynette appears out of nowhere without warning, it feels like he's been hiding something from her.

...not that he can ever really hide anything from her for long anyway. “uh...when did you get here? nothing's wrong, is it?”

#phantomiaou #⋮ ❛ 𝒊𝒏𝒃𝒐𝒙 › we'll be a traveling magic troupe! #SISTER...... #excited to see senette 🫳 #pspspspsps freminet writers if youre out there #i want da hearth sibs blease..

[ice-draco]

Arlecchino: I have a 1:30 appointment.

Lumine: Which doctor?

Arlecchino: No, I want the regular doctor.

#she refuses to use Dottore #incorrect quotes #genshin impact #Arlecchino #Lumine #Traveller #house of hearth shenanigans

[the-curious-cat24]

Father? 🤭🫣🤗

#genshin impact #traveler #paimon #Arlecchino #father #Lyney #Lynnette #Freminet #house of the hearth #Arlecchino demo #Youtube

[nebquerna]

new oc, Ébène!

#shes a spirit #and sort of a guide #or supposed to be a guide more like it #she mostly hangs around #and accompanies charbon when it travels outside of the hearth #characters #ocs #ébène

[nightmare-grass]

I’ve made an OC for Outer Wilds which is an inherently pointless endeavor because the story of that game is self-contained, it’s ended, and my OC is a Nomai so their story essentially ends before it can begin, there’s no more story to tell since they all died out and the universe gets reset anyway so nothing really matters but….

If someone figured out time travel and inter dimensional travel, could they theoretically visit a universe that has died and been reborn? The next explorers to pop up in the new universe, could they go back in time or hop to a past iteration of their universe and find the Hearthians, the Nomai, the beings from The Stranger? Is this scientifically feasible?

#outer wilds #night blogging #Nomai #Hearthians #timber hearth #the stranger #video games #time travel #big bang #Big Crunch #inter dimensional travel #physics #astrophysics