#SHOH tag

[aylaaescar]

Whenever I'm alone with you You make me feel like I am home again Whenever I'm alone with you You make me feel like I am whole again

Ayla Aescar ( @shepherds-of-haven ) and my own MC/Brightburner, Tysinno Maratis, as drawn by the wonderful and incredibly talented @serahlink. :') OTP of OTPs at the moment, I could talk about them for days if given half a chance and I'm not afraid to do it

if you're looking for an artist to commission, I can't recommend Link enough! he's amazingly talented and a delight to work with, and the money goes to the worthwhile cause of keeping his family afloat 🖤💕🖤

[visionmarred-archive]

Shepherds of Haven Recruit Form

thinking about my boy lately and everybody else did this so why not me :^) template by @shepherds-of-haven​​! one should read it if they haven’t! it’s great!

minor spoilers for the alpha demo

(face claim: Ruba Wilson)

Biographical Info

Name, Nicknames: Tysinno Maratis, sometimes called “Tysi” by friends

Callsign: Cure

Gender: cis man

Sexuality: biromantic demisexual

Pronouns: he/him

Age: 28 years old

Background Info

Weapon: guns

Magic Specialization: Elae (Healer)

Racial Heritage, Birthplace: Hunter heritage, presumed born in Maj (but who knows?)

Education: Circle taught

Miscellaneous Info

Past Jobs: bodyguard for hire, sailor, farm hand, shop hand, accountant (is that a thing a medieval-esque dude can be when he doesn’t stay in one city for too long? we’ll roll with it), various odd jobs

Likes: art, both creating and discussing. literature. learning things. cats of any kind. clothes shopping. he’s a goth mage with an interest in the morbid and bizarre of the world.

Dislikes: friggin snobby nobles and the Autarchy. gossip for the sake of being hurtful (which he can be hypocritical about, because he’ll definitely engage in that if he dislikes somebody enough.)

Strengths: usually composed and calm in most situations, with exceptions of course. compassionate and caring, and good at making people feel calm and safe. good at thinking things through in a logical way. gifted with his magic. knows how to heal people without magic, and how to mix up potions for the occasion.

Weaknesses: incredibly self-loathing and blames himself for what happened to Maj, and has a hard time not seeing himself as bad luck for people that he cares about and who care about him. depending on the situation, that self-loathing or his frustration with the world can influence his decisions, and not necessarily for the better. physically a limp noodle and definitely won’t be winning any strength contests anytime soon.

Hobbies/Special Skills: painting and sketching, writing (prefers poetry that he will never let another living soul read tysm), letting cats into his room even though Blade said that’s against the rules. enjoys gardening when he gets the chance. Tysinno also possesses one heck of a poker face and composure in most situations, which translates well to gambling.

DnD Morality Alignment: chaotic-good

Meyers-Briggs Personality Type: INFJ-T

Personality

(Bold which way your recruit leans.)

Heart of Gold/Will of Iron

Rebellious/Loyal

Independent/Social

Tactful/Straightforward

Bold/Cautious

Charming/Stoic/Intimidating

Witty/Sincere (depends ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

Resentful/Forgiving

Self-Preserving/Self-Sacrificing

Book-Smart/Street-Smart

One-God/Atheist/Old Faith

Relationships

Best Friend(s):

Shery - calm and loving soul who deserves good things. somebody to have chill discussions with while they gush over cats and drink tea together. romance novel reading friends.

Chase - Tysinno’s kinda surprised about this one because he keeps to himself and Chase is Chase LOL but their friendship is surprisingly solid! Chase brings him out of his shell and helps him to have fun. may or may not have thought Chase was cute for a bit there, but their relationship is firmly platonic.

Briony - see above but with less surprise lol. they bonded in the arena and they’ve been close ever since.

Preferred Mission Partner(s):

he’s generally chill with working with anybody if they’re right for the job, but probably feels most at ease around Ayla and his closest friends.

Friendly Rival(s):

Halek - if anybody fits the bill then prooobably Halek? but idk if I’d even call them rivals, it’s more just that their relationship is complicated lol. Tysinno longs to be involved with Hunter culture and to be a part of that community again, and he can’t help but be just a little bit jealous of Halek coming from that world but being so ready to walk away from their people when being a part of it is what Tysinno wants. but he also recognizes that it’s irrational on his end and that Halek has absolutely valid reasons to want to get away from the Reach, so it’s just. complicated. lol.

Love Interest(s):

Ayla - local healer man crushes on this amazing and tough wind mage who is?? pretty much perfect as far as he’s concerned like have you looked at Ayla Aescar?? I Have Eyes Only For You.mp3 as he thinks about this kinda smooch

Ship Name(s): Tysayla? Aysinno? Marscar? idk their tag is “OTP: Windswept”

First Kiss Scenario: 👀

Art

Enemies:

Lavinet - they can work together and be civil and polite, but that’s probably the best it’s ever gonna be. she hasn’t forgotten Prihine’s death, and even if that hadn’t been a thing, their personalities and views on the aristocracy would likely clash too much for them to ever be friends.

pretend that this picrew let him have a streak of white hair bc Hunter heritage <3

[oderu]

im currently replayign shoh rn and im so upset about zori (again). since I'm a sucker for childhood friends, my mc is so soso attached to the fleeting memories they have of their family and esp zori SOB. so here's a mini rushed comic on my mc having a crazeee flashback and getting all choked up abt it

[thelionheartedo3]

Zelda had always been glued to her mother's hip in her childhood. Work and duties usually kept her father out of the house most of the day.

No matter what transpired, though, once a week, her mother bundled up a basket full of treats and whatever small project she was working on. Zelda remembers being practically herded with her father out to the hills as the sun set over the village.

It was there, on those sleepy, peaceful evenings where her father, usually not one to play, would scoop her up by the hands and spin her 'round and 'round til she ached from laughing, too dizzy to do much but collapse next to her mother on the threadbare blanket their little picnic was on.

She had never thought she'd feel as safe and loved as she had on those afternoons again.

Not 'til Haven, at least.

[kingdom-dance]

✨Golden Child✨

[bigmeandragonlady]

Alright I've posted three more chapters of Shepherds of Haven fanfic b/c I have no self-control! Excerpt from a recent chapter where i veer off canon a bit but also not:

She can’t help it- the phrase sits like a heavy blade above her head, a threat, and she wonders if it’s simply because of Moonsilk’s demeanor or if her instincts were trying to tell her something. “Will he be alright until I get back?” She wants to argue- desperately. “I will keep him alive. But you better not take too long.” The phrasing causes another red flag to shoot up around Moonsilk, and Aelyn did everything to keep herself from physically bristling. Was she truly this uncharismatic? She was worse then Blade. Later, on the way to the cave, Halek calls his fiance conniving and she almost turns her mount around right there.

[Full thing on ao3]

[chouettecrivaine]

dead woman walking

Fandom: @shepherds-of-haven ! A little drabble of my MC who I have grown unexpectedly attached to and now she dances around in my head all of the time

Characters: Trouble/OC

Notes: 1.6k, angst, depressing introspection, the world's most OVERDRAMATIC girl has the most OVERDRAMATIC kiss

Summary: Lark has decided that the best course of action is to go on the mission alone, even if fatality is certain. She plans to leave in the middle of the night when nobody can stop her, but first there are some feelings she needs to put to rest.

Even if the trip from her room to Trouble's was familiar, Lark couldn't help but slow her steps as reticence pulled against her on every step. The magelights lining the hallway, for once, didn't seem as warm and homey as before - instead, Lark could only focus on that one spot of darkness between each fixture. It didn't matter how far the warm light stretched; the shadows always made their way to her.

She stopped just outside the door to Trouble's room, standing perfectly still and taking a deep breath. In the stillness, time didn't exist to her. Lark could pretend that she wasn't heading off to her final battle, a one-woman army marching straight into extinction. Maybe this was the battle she was created for - or maybe she was damning everyone by throwing herself away when she knew her reality couldn't be remade. Either way, the thought hollowed out her body and filled it with ice, the way she had been before. Somehow, Lark always knew she was going to die alone. At least this way, she could save anybody that she had tricked into caring for her from riding straight into the maws of death for her sake.

Lark had made peace with it, as much as she could. Her time in the Shepherds had reminded her all too well how to want to live, but blind hope wasn't something she had been able to afford for a while. This was her last stand, and she could accept that. It was bound to happen eventually in this line of work. There was just one thing she needed to do - one box left to check - before she could leave her loose ends in the hands of others.

Finally composed, Lark turned and knocked on the solid door, each in rapid succession of the last. Her heart thundered in her chest, pounding against her ribcage and rising into her throat with every beat. Her mouth went dry, though she couldn't figure out exactly why. She heard a soft shuffling on the other side of the door and forced herself to swallow, determined to keep up with her own façade. 

Trouble opened the door, more alert than Lark had expected, and gave her a friendly once-over. Despite not being bleary-eyed and half asleep, he still blinked a few times as if to make sure it was Lark in front of him. Easily, he smiled at her, unsuccessful in keeping his gaze covert as it lingered on her untied hair. During the day, Lark kept it in two braids circled around her head and pinned closely to her skull. She only ever kept her hair down when she was sleeping, and the few times Trouble had seen it, he'd been silently fascinated. Without fail, the attention would send a wave of excitement through her body, but now her apprehension was too strong for even that to shine through. Still, she smiled back at him.

"What're you doing here, Birdie?" Trouble asked, leaning casually against the doorframe. He only stood there for a moment before hurrying to make room for Lark. "Oh, I mean, you're welcome to come in. If you want."

Lark shook her head. "No, that's alright. I just needed to tell you something important."

Though he kept the mood light, Lark noticed how Trouble's face immediately softened. She noticed that when he was happy to see her - so, normally - his eyes seemed to sparkle as if the golden rings around his pupils were pure ore. Now, everything was warm seawater and honey. "Of course. You can tell me anything."

Lark's heart stopped beating, only to grow so quickly she thought it might burst out of her chest. God, she wanted to stay. An overwhelming affection flooded her senses, choking her up and forcing her feelings to well behind her eyes. Lark gripped at her nightshirt, trying to blink away the tears before they became too obvious. She thought heartbreak was supposed to be a shattering of glass as someone tossed her heart aside; maybe it could be your own heart tearing at the seams and spilling out all the love you were foolish enough to hide, too.

"Well, I have to tell you the second half later." At the end of her sentence, her voice trembled, and she covered it up with a shaky laugh. Trouble didn't seem to notice.

"Alright, then what's the first half?"

A beat of silence passed.

Then another.

Lark wasn't normally the type to be at a loss for words. She never felt comfortable unless she had a plan at hand to lie her way out of - or into - a situation. But Trouble made her honest, and the truth didn't seem survivable in that moment. Not if it was to be spoken aloud in a voice that would hurt Trouble the most.

So she stepped forward instead, brought her hands to his face, and pulled him down to her height so she could kiss him.

For a brief, terrifying second, Trouble went entirely rigid. Lark couldn't tell if he was staring at her, bewildered, or if his brow was furrowed as he tried to figure out how he got in that position. It didn't matter, because both were endearing, and neither would have stayed for long. His surprise melted away and his arms wrapped around her back, holding her close against his body. Lark almost sagged in relief.

Beneath her gentle hands, she felt his face gradually warm, certainly a few shades darker than before. In fact, she could feel his warmth all over, radiating from him and almost burning where their skin touched. In this moment, she could have anything she wanted, and she could delude herself into thinking it would last. In this moment, Lark was safe. Loved.

She wasn't ready for Trouble to pull away, yet he did. It was only an inch, and the many questions he undoubtedly had died on his tongue, but she could feel it. The ground was fracturing beneath her, and reality was swallowing her whole. Lark could only think of two things, and their certainty dug into her like claws: she loved him, and she was going to die.

So, even if it was selfish, she pressed her lips against his again, desperate and rough and scared. This kind of emotion, passionate and raw, was more up Trouble's alley. He kept her ferocity, yet held her with the care he'd give glass, like she was to be wrapped up and kept safe forever. Maybe he should've. Or maybe he should have kissed her breathless. It would have been a far kinder fate - but her fate was never meant to be kind.

Lark hoped that he could tell in the way she held his face, in the ease with which she leaned into him. If she was worth protecting, he was worth cherishing, and even if she never said it she hoped he knew. Trouble was always dense, but he had his moments. Now that she realized simply wanting him wasn't enough, had never been enough, there was nothing she could do but hope he was getting it now, and ignore her desire to stay ripping through her soul.

When they parted for a second time, neither of them said anything as they tried to catch their breath. Lark kept her lips parted, knowing that if she closed them it would be too obvious that she was trembling. Trouble didn't realize it,but even through his crimson fluster he was positively giddy. It was almost enough to convince Lark to stay.

But that was dangerous thinking. So she slowly untangled herself from him, her fingertips trailing down his shoulders and to his arms until there was nowhere left untouched. As he sorted his thoughts, Trouble's arms fell slack to his sides, a metal filament falling when the magnet attracting it moved away. Lark bit her tongue.

"So, uh…what does…this mean?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck if only for something to do. Bashfulness wasn’t something Trouble was well acquainted with, yet he couldn’t look Lark in the eyes all the same. 

“That’s the second half,” She answered quietly. “I’ll have to tell you later.”

Trouble narrowed his eyes in the way he did when he knew Lark was keeping something from him. Void of any heat or anger, it was more of a way to make her feel guilty than get her to actually admit anything. But he let it go. This was something they had been dancing around for a long time; a little while longer wouldn’t hurt.

Clearing her throat, Lark reluctantly backed away from Trouble and towards the door, keeping her eyes on him. It was difficult to swallow and even harder to breathe, yet she twisted the handle anyway. The hallway air rushed in, cold enough to send goosebumps down her arm. The moment she left this room, it’d be the beginning of the end.

Just before she turned around completely, Trouble interrupted her. Looking at him over her shoulder, Lark could tell that he was worried about her. “You can stay, if you want. You’ve done it before.”

An arrow of regret shot through her chest. “No thanks. I need some time to calm down.”

Trouble chuckled at that, muttering something small and proud about the effect he seemed to have on her. Then, lifting his head, he nodded once and let Lark take two steps backwards, his gaze undeniably fond. “I’ll collect you tomorrow, then. We can go to breakfast together.”

Lark nodded once, firmly, and put on her best, brightest smile. “I’d like that.”

It wasn’t a lie, not entirely. She would like that.

If only she’d be alive to do it.

[dearchickadee]

"I can't help but feel...like I'm not a hero, but a bomb. I may have been built to save us all some day, but not without destroying myself. Detonated at the hands of the gods."

Lark van Laast - Hero of Haven

(@shepherds-of-haven)

[istanbulite]

wanted a figure of Eos to draw clothes on

[kris-mage-fics]

16, 30, 31! for your Booksmart MC,

14, 40, and 23 for your SoH MC!

For the Character Development Hard Mode asks. First up, Amira, my Booksmart/Hot MC from Scarlet Hollow: 16. Which does your character idealize most: happiness or success? In the past, Amira put more value in success. That's part of why she became a lawyer, and she wanted to make Vivian proud. Over time she's come to idealize happiness more. After working her ass off in law school and now working 80 hours a week with a quarter of a million in student loan debt, and her mother's death, yeah success isn't looking so great. Sadly, she feels like happiness might be a pipe dream for her. 30. What does your character find repulsive or disgusting? Ditchlings! Amira is both skeptical and fastidious, and she isn't handling the horrors well, she finds a lot of what's been going on this week repulsive. Also cockroaches, and people who are very messy eaters. Well a lot of insects really, while she can manage around them and understands their necessary ecological role, she can never get rid of that ick factor. 31. Describe a scenario in which your character feels most comfortable. Sitting outside on a nice sunny day reading a good book! It's when she's at the most peace and feels the most comfortable. For how easily she can come across as a pretentious snob, she's actually quite happy and comfortable with the simple pleasures in life. For Kyrahlise, my Shepherds of Haven MC: 14. Does your character remember names or faces easier? Kyrah's quite good with both, though she's a little better with faces. Probably because of her artistic side, she's a very visual thinker. 23. What does your character dislike in other people? Whether she likes someone or not mostly comes down to how they treat other people, and animals. So anyone who's a bully, purposely rude, cruel, very discriminatory, is mean to kids or animals, abuses their power over others, or is just generally a jerk, she really dislikes. Not that most people would realize this, she's too polite to let it really show the majority of the time. Otherwise she's pretty easy going and gets along with most people just fine. 40. How does your character treat people in service jobs? Very well. Kyrahlise is naturally a friendly and understanding person, and a lot of her jobs over the years have essentially been service jobs. So she especially has a lot of empathy for service workers. She's been a maid, bodyguard, clerk at an art supply shop, and a waitress, so she's gets how much it can suck. (Some may argue that being a bodyguard isn't a service job, but you are providing a service and I'm sure have to use a lot of customer service skills in doing it.)

[dragonknightofsummerset]

Blade Bronwyn & my oc, Nayeli Valendil

Once again, @jroahn has captured the characters perfectly. I love their expressions, and the lighting, & I love that you can see 1 of the moles on Nayeli! & the way their hair is drawn is *chefs kiss*

[aylaaescar]

I see you in the morning rain

Oh, step inside and lay beside me

Tender, can you close my eyes and blind me?

Oh, give me just a smile

Before I fade to silver

Silver blue for you

another @shepherds-of-haven pair done, this time my own Lyka Layosa (they/them pronouns) and the love of their love, Tallys Ironwood ❤

art done once again by @serahlink, and I can't recommend commissioning him enough! he's wonderful to work with, and I mean, just look at how pretty that is?? I rest my case.

[visionmarred-archive]

when your stats aren’t high enough to pass a check point and you’re gonna have to wait for more chapter 7 stuff to be released bc the route you’re stuck on isn’t complete 🙃🤪🥴

[queen-scribbles]

WIP Whenever 

tagged by @actualanxiousswampwitch, have a bit more Yva and Blade being pissed at worried about each other xD

His knuckles were white as he sheathed his sword, and if Yva concentrated on the scars feathered across them, she could pick up a faint tremor. Anger... or fear? Was that the driving force behind this scolding?

She shook her head and snorted. “This whole job is teeming with unnecessary levels of risk! And we still do it to keep others safe, keep that danger away from them.” Arms crossed, chin jutting almost defiantly.

“And what about the danger of friendly fire?” Blade bit out, still gripping his sword so hard his hand trembled. “What if your unplanned arrival had put you in Trouble’s line of fire, or the path of Aescar or Antiqua’s spells? It would have made things worse-”

“But it didn’t,” Yva snapped. “You can live in hypotheticals if you want, but the revenant was between me an’ Red or Ayla, and at that angle it was a long shot Trouble would hit me! I might not be quite as good at Traveling as Red, but I do know what I’m doing!”

“And what would that be? Getting yourself killed with your recklessness?!”

“My job! I’m a Shepherd like the rest of you, I’m trying to protect people” --You-- “and fight fucking demons, same as the rest of you, and whatever the risk-”

“But you aren’t the same as the rest of us.” The steel in his voice cut through her building rant, and Yva froze.

[thelionheartedo3]

charch smoke and lavender stems

summary: Trouble needs a haircut. Zelda’s got scissors and the experience needed to give it a trim.

pairing: Trouble Alder x f!Hero of Haven (they just don’t know it yet)

rating: gen

wc: 5.5k

She points, head tilting towards the line to gather food, and Trouble motions to her that he’ll save her a seat. It gets him another smile, bright and brilliant, one that makes his heart lurch in his chest for some awful, confusing reason, but then her attention strays. Trouble’s doesn’t. He’s staring—he knows he’s staring, and he shouldn’t be, not with his thoughts toeing the line between what’s appropriate to think about your best friend and what’s not. He can’t help it, though— Zelda only ever wears her hair loose in Haven.

[read the rest on ao3]

[rangerdoubt]

Unusual Muse Associations

i have been trying to unfry myself for the last... week? two weeks? three weeks? and alas it is not Working but while i wait for the brain cells to come back online, thank u to @silvery-bluish and @thenightdayblogger for tagging me and giving me a reason to think about Blorbos again <333

i've done miri and zoya, but i just reregistered for the shepherds of haven patreon and the test kiddo i completed the alpha with is now. a whole new character :'))

I HAVE NO IDEA WHO TO TAG so if u see this <33333 ur it. i have water spritzer to ur head. tell me things about ur kids

CAPT. VERO CORMORANT (ket-raised, circle-trained battle-mage. red-mancer. closest to blade, chase, ayla. hates going on vacation but needs one anyway.)

SEASONING: perilla leaf

WEATHER: storms. inches from getting struck by lightning. getting pelted by half-rain half-hail. either you're warm and inside, or you're out in your rainboots just Leaning Into It.

COLOR: dark, dark indigo.

SKY: red skies in the morning--she prefers to see things coming, even (especially?) if it's bad news

MAGICAL POWER: chain lightning evocation? pyrokinesis

HOUSE PLANT: philodendron gloriosum (Beeg Leef. not that she's very good with plants, she just wishes she was)

WEAPON: she has a dagger in canon, but she also likes bigger light blades like the light cavalry sabre

SUBJECT: using a very serious degree (mechanical engineering? architecture?) for very stupid reasons (blowing things up)

SOCIAL MEDIA: she would not and should not be on social media. but for the purpose of the question, she gets on tiktok and has to be Fished Out.

MAKEUP PRODUCT: contour/highlight palette

CANDY: cadbury eggs

FEAR: oh, you know, when something brushes your foot in the lake. things with too many teeth. dying alone. (being too late, being the last one standing again, having to live with the cost of your own failure--)

ICE CUBE SHAPE: can't go wrong with a classic cube tbh. if you want to get really adventurous, make them out of the drink you're going to put them in.

METHOD OF LONG-DISTANCE TRAVEL: get red to teleport her places Giant Cat™️

ART STYLE: when she draws, she does a lot of sketchy charcoal figure drawings. but i associate her with whatever toulouse-lautrec is doing with the launderess. the brushstrokes and the light. the

MYTHOLOGICAL CREATURE: banshee.

PIECE OF STATIONERY: do the little letter openers count? if not, wax seals of various kinds

THREE EMOJIS: 🗡️🪷🌙

CELESTIAL BODY: north star