#maerie the seal

[blvdcharms]

This is a fanon update/DLC that includes me and some friends' OCs that I decided to call "Pressure: Aftershock", which dives more into the cruel and unusual past of Urbanshade's DNA-altering experiments and... a massive seal shopkeeper?

Mimicking the Roblox Pressure thumbnail art style was surely a pain. but I think this piece was definitely worth the effort. It took me several hours to make, and I'm proud of the result.

"The Tidecaller" | @blvdcharms Jonathon Giovanni/"Altruistic Hand" | @orofunny Zeris Grail/"Eye-Spy" | @enderaether Alaina Andrews/"The Guardian" | @firedraws43 Maerie | @sythrynn Pressure + Sebastian Solace | Urbanshade: Hadal Division

[encirclet]

as  she  waits  to  be  beckoned  ,  the  youngest  greyjoy  runs  her  tongue  back  and  forth  over  the  line  of  her  teeth  behind  closed  lips  .  nerves  were  not  a  factor  ,  but  absentminded  thought  .  maery’s  reputation  preceded  her  entrance  into  the  throne  room  ,  to  be  certain  —  but  the  princess  was  unsure  which  the  dornish  small  council  would  have  accounted  for  —  her  pointed  teeth  ,  or  her  razor  sharp  tongue  .  

when  did  you  arrive  in  sunspear  ?

“  a  few  weeks  ago  ,  now  ,  ”  she  begins  in  a  manner  that  is  forthcoming  ,  “  i  had  been  planning  to  sail  home  to  pyke  from  oldtown  when  your  request  reached  my  ship  by  raven  .  ”

what  were  you  doing  the  day  of  the  wedding  ?

a  sickeningly  inane  query  .  just  inconsequential  enough  to  make  it  obvious  to  all  that  that  the  dornish  monarchy  were  grasping  at  straws  ,  scrabbling  for  suspects  ,  and  had  been  momentarily  but  monumentally  thrown  for  a  loop  .  maery  herself  was  perceptive  ,  but  even  a  brick  could  deduce  the  same  based  on  the  martells’  current  dispositions  .  “  only  preparing  .  in  my  chambers  .  ”  she  trails  off  ,  the  weight  of  the  crown  prince’s  dark  glare  heavy  on  her  face  .  she  pins  him  with  one  of  her  own  with  the  intention  of  holding  it  until  he  looks  away  —  how  one  might  deal  with  a  particularly  unruly  hound  .  

did  you  leave  the  festivities  at  any  point  during  the  ceremony  or  reception  ?  where  did  you  go  ?  did  you  return  ?

“  i  left  early  into  the  reception  in  search  of  a  beverage  more  palatable  to  me  than  wine  ,  ”  she  speaks  the  truth  ,  shrugging  slightly  ,  “  but  i  returned  shortly  afterwards  .  a  wild  creature  will  always  return  to  the  wild  ,  in  the  end  .  ”  her  people  may  have  been  hardened  by  sea  and  salt  ,  but  they  warmed  to  celebration  at  the  prospect  of  drink  in  their  bellies  .  maery  was  no  different  ,  drawn  to  the  possibility  of  conversation  and  playing  mind  games  with  the  inebriated  . 

did  you  see  anyone  leave  ?

“  i  saw  many  leave  .  ”  the  semi  -  incredulous  shake  of  her  head  is  minute  ,  but  perceptible  .  “  greenlanders  must  not  enjoy  large  parties  .  likely  ,  they  find  them  far  too  anonymous  .  how  will  they  manage  to  command  the  attention  of  the  room  if  there  are  hundreds  of  others  vying  for  it  as  well  ?  and  on  top  of  the  group  ,  such  a  lovely  newly  wedded  couple  ?  ”  she  shakes  her  head  again  ,  this  time  in  amused  sympathy  ,  “  it’s  hopeless  .  ”

what  were  you  doing  when  the  fire  began  ?  what  did  you  do  in  response  ?

maery  remains  silent  for  a  moment  ,  sure  that  the  council  and  royal  family  are  well  aware  of  the  answer  to  the  posed  question  .  “  the  man  who  attacked  me  paid  the  iron  price  for  a  bold  attempt  ,  ”  she  speaks  matter  -  of  -  factly  ,  jumping  ahead  in  the  conversation  to  the  part  they  all  anticipated  ,  including  she  herself  .  her  nature  was  clever  and  vindictive  ,  her  quiet  rage  her  own  but  her  decisiveness  in  killing  inherited  .  “  if  he  was  going   to  kill  me  ,  he  was  going  to  die  too  .  ”  she  translates  ,  not  wishing  to  send  the  cogs  of  their  brains  whirring  .  it  was  not  a  matter  of  what  ifs  ,  of  possibilities  —  when  she  had  been  grabbed  ,  a  death  had  been  sealed  into  fate  .  whether  it  would  be  only  he  or  the  both  of  them  had  been  up  for  debate  until  maery  had  made  it  so  that  it  was  not  .  “  the  entirety  of  westeros  could  have  been  in  flames  and  i  would  not  have  noticed  .  ”

where  do  you  think  the  fire  started  ?  do  you  have  any  ideas  on  who  might  have  started  it  or  how  they  might  have  gotten  in  ?

maery  bypasses  the  first  question  ,  shrugging  minutely  .  “  i  believe  your  culprits  got  in  with  their  gold  -  embossed  ,  personal  invitations  .  ”  her  answers  shorten  ,  irked  by  the  atmosphere  of  feigned  naivety  .  

do  you  know  any  of  the  victims  of  the  fire  personally  ?  do  you  suspect  any  foul  play  ?  would  anyone  wish  to  see  them  harmed  ?

“  i  do  not  know  any  of  the  deceased  .  ”  the  injured  were  a  different  story  ,  but  maery  doesn’t  wish  to  announce  the  tethers  that  moor  her  to  the  mainland  in  dornish  court  .  “  say ,  perhaps  ,  that  we  do  live  in  a  fantasy  world  designed  in  the  mind  of  a  daydreaming  child  —  then  perhaps  the  fire  was  an  unfortunate  accident  .  but  the  kidnappings  were  not  .  a  man  with  a  pile  of  worms  in  place  of  a  brain  could  deduce  that  .  ”

who  do  you  think  the  targets  of  the  attacks  and  fire  were  ?  do  you  think  some  were  used  as  a  smoke  screen  ?

“  considering  all  else  that  has  happened  whilst  we’ve  been  here  ,  i  would  assume  that  princess  sharra  and  princess  denyse  are  in  grave  danger  .  ”  it  goes  without  saying  that  the  dornish  have  been  too  sluggish  in  acting  to  protect  their  newest  additions  .  “  you  know  what  they  say  .  by  the  time  the  canary  drops  ,  it  is  often  too  late  to  save  the  miners  .  ”  ominous  ,  perhaps  ,  but  maery  means  it  .  there  is  more  to  come  ,  and  she  feels  it  as  if  it  were  a  premonition  .  

what  were  you  doing  yesterday  morning  ?  ( the day of the murder )  did  you  see  or  hear  anything  unusual  throughout  the day  ?

“  i  slept  quite  late  .  ”  the  princess  shrugs  ,  indicating  a  lack  of  knowledge  . 

what  do  you  know  about  the  recent  murder  ?  are  you  aware  of  the  victim  or  who  might  have  desired  them  dead  ?  do  you  think  the  victim  is  tied  to  anyone  in  sunspear  ?

“  i  know  that  they  are  not  ironborn  ,  ”  maery  exhales  ,  numbering  her  facts  off  on  slim  fingers  as  if  they  are  a  to  do  list  .  “  i  know  that  they  are  dead  . . .  ”  trailing  off  ,  she  drops  her  hands  back  into  her  lap  to  indicate  that  she’s  reached  the  end  of  her  breadth  of  knowledge  .

are  there  any  houses  of  people  you  suspect  may  have  any  involvement  in  these  attacks  ?  are  you  suspicious  of  anyone  ?

“  one  always  finds  the  omens  they  want  .  whomever  is  truly  guilty  and   whomever  bears  the  brunt  of  collective  greenlander  suspicion  will  get  the  same  punishment  .  ”  the  princess  shakes  her  head  ,  unwilling  to  provide  a  name  even  if  she  had  one  .

have  you  seen  or  heard  anything  that  could  be  of  use  to  the  crown  at  this  time  ?  do  you  have  anything  else  you’d  like  to  share  ?

“  nothing  .  ”

[encirclet]

maery realizes that the atmosphere in the ballroom is akin to a boiling pot . sealed shut as it was , it would eventually boil over . she's aware of soren's approach before she speaks to him , and equally aware of the purpose behind it . it seemed that she could be as wild as she wished , as bloodthirsty as any ironborn that had come before her — and yet she would still be the baby . " that , among other reasons i'm sure , " she jokes back , though maery is confident she'd be safe from being usurped of her place in kaelys's ranking even if her havoc ceased . " are they restless yet ? " she asks of her sister , watching soren watch the sister in question .

soren can not help but feel that they will eventually have to take their leave by force when they are told they can not and nothing else. they were not the southern king's obedient little lapdogs and would not be kept like such. his approach of the princess is one brought on by concern, making sure to keep close. but her hidden message causes a slight twitch in his lips, light shake of his head as well. ❝ you must wreak havoc everywhere you go. no wonder you are your sister's favorite. ❞ eyes shift to kaelys at their mention, wanting them close as well.

[maeriquitecontrary]

I redrew this piece for both 12/9 and my Twitter 200 milestone.

I am overwhelmingly happy with the improvement and how it turned out. Ahh, wow. I have to say, my favorites are Ghostly Field Club Merry, Ghostly Field Club Renko, Changeability of Strange Dream Merry, and Unknown Flower, Mesmerising Journey Renko.

Which is your favorite incarnation?

[juun-the-aira-mun]

Exiled

The inhabitants of Bandle are not known to push someone of themselves out of their ranks. The exceptions aren’t numberous; able to be counted on three yordle hands. All of them exceptions of incredible importance or ridiculous danger to the rest of the population of the magic lands. All of them. But a single one.

Zakelodian, nicknamed Zakey by friend and foe alike, was born as the son of a well known blacksmith in bandle City. Having lost his mother at birth, he grew up with his father as the only real person he could hold contact to. The relationship between them was healthy to the point that Zakey started learning how to hand the craftmanship of a blacksmith at an early age, showing talent and dedication in the craft.

Sadly, fate was not kind to the yordle. Before even reaching close to the age of adulthood in Yordle time, his father was killed by a mercenary who was not happy with the craft, his father had been doing for him. The mercenary however did not survive his crime long, as his own gun, the weapon he requested from the master blacksmith, sealed his fate. Fired by the young Yordle, the mercenary collapsed. And with him, the entire life of a young yordle did too.

Without family or friends to help him out, zakey drew himself back from the society of Yordles, working in the now empty workshop of his father to refine his skills. Until the day he was forced to leave. The old house had broken down, the little bit of money, he could make by himself, no longer sufficed to survive. Taking the few things, he could carry, including the accursed Gun named Rose, he had modified and refined over the time, and the old hat, his father had gifted to him when he was even younger.

The streets were tough. Even in the lands of bandle, slums are an occurence, Yordles and other outcasts living in bad qualities together or beside each other. Zakey made a name however, as fate for once decided to be good to him. Even though it seemed more like bad luck for starters. The young yordle often got into fights. Some ending rather deadly, others ending with either party running away. This one however ended with two Yordles laying on the ground, having beaten each other up to the point, they could barely move. Until a young yordle girl finally took her friend back home.

And took Zakey with them.

The girls name was Maerie. The boys name was Teemo. Two yordles, both stranded on the streets, trying to find a way to survive. Their stories were different. but their fate was the same as Zakey’s. It didn’t took that long for them to grow closer with each other. Zakey’s ability to repair and craft things gave them a possibility to start making some sort of money, their individual skills starting to work together cleanly, step after step getting better and better in what they did. until one day, due to a lot of trouble with the city guards, they got noticed by the military.

The three of them often ended up in a lot of trouble with their activities in Bandle City. The city guards however had troubles dealing with them, as they managed to disappear from sight again and again, despite them getting caught during the day and even in empty alleyways. Their luck never really ran out. Especially the one time they were actually caught.

Since they were instantly busted out of jail by one of the higher ups of the Bandle City military under the condition that they would put their skills in service of the city. All three of them joined and, while Maerie showed her capabilities were more placed in the region of the special forces, both teemo and Zakey would soon be joining the scouts, both of them making a name for themselves in an incredibly quick amount of time. Zakey surpassed previous records in the marksmenship of Bandle City, whereas Teemos proficiency and efficiency in the fields showed in several places, covering stealth opperations as well as assault missions in the jungle surrounding Bandle City.

The three of them continued working together, as a team becoming legendary among most of the higher-ups of Bandle City Military, managing hardest missions that other teams would have died in. Bigger teams. More experienced teams. Time flew by in which their names started to ascend further and further. Until a strange individual visited the lands.

The freljordian diplomate that visited Bandle City that day would turn out to end the legency of Zakey as a scout prematurely. The three of them were assigned as guards for the traveler, who stayed in Bandle for a short while. Day and night, they were supposed to guard the stranger, protect her from whatever danger would come her way. While noticing the ratehr strange behaviour of the diplomate. She seemed paranoid. Seemed to talk to herself a lot whenever she felt unnoticed, seemed angry and arrogant to someone who wasn’t there.

Just that there was someone, as Zakey would find out in a very, very harsh way. Just half a week after the arrival, the three of them were claimed to have stolen an important artefact from the diplomate. Despite no evidence being shown, the three of them were thrown in jail by demand of the one who had been stolen. it became appearant, that the diplomat was guarding a powerful artefact that was supposed to be delivered to the Bandle City Authorities. Despite the watchful guard of the trio however, the artefact disappeared, which led to them being falsely accused of robbery, the case itself able to bring a war between the frost guard and the city of bandle, a serious threat that seemed to scare the authorities.

The night after the false accusions, Zakey’s dreams were disturbed by a message. A strange, ancient being called to him and made him wake up, just to find the prison door being open. No guards were seen, as the voice in his head kept calling for him. Step after step, he disappeared in the night, wandering, avoiding others eyes, as he approached the quarters of the diplomate, just to find the artifact unmoved in the chest it had been in the entire time.

The voice kept talking. It explained, it ahd been incased in the artifact, a true ice amulette, an ancient spirit that was slowly decaying, dying even. The trio had been accused to make it impossible for the amulette to be delivered to the Yordles in bandle City, to push the conflict between the freljord and the magical place of Bandle City over the edge. And thus, the spirit asked him to help.

Zakey made a decision that night. His hand grabbed the talisman. It grabbed the talisman and he felt his fate merging with that of the entities incased in the jewel, the world surrounding him shifting into non existence, as he felt the reality of space itself dividing into planes beyond most minds understanding, his mind starting to understand somethingw ay out of the borders, the yordles mind could grasp before. He turned around and started to run, started to run. Soon, it would be clear, who had stolen the artifact.

Bandle City started searching for the Yordle, who had gone rogue. His weapon had been gone, his hat was never seen again in the city, as he ran and ran, an outcast from birth to death, a runner who was never allowed to rest. His new abilities made it pssoible for him to reach places, noone else could. He started working as a mercenary and bounty hunter, trying to survive, while searching for a way to prove his innocence. He wasn’t sure, where his way would elad him.

But at least he was sure of one thing: His friends would be save.