#melodiadraconis

[So far, I have touched upon how I have structured my blog's 'primary' AU's (not counting ships as most of them are sub-verses in each setup), and how they are based on Tarot cards thus far:

The Fool, for Hriob at his 'baseline' on his own, as well as covering the majority of his ship-verses as per multi-shipping standards.

The Emperor, for Hriob as the head of his own Fae Court, and unwittingly setting himself up to realize sudden realizations about himself with the aid of those he enlists. [Essentially a Political Fantasy AU revolving around alliances, intrigue, and preparations for a potential apocalypse, but its also the only verse to eschew multi-shipping rules as a potential polycule situation for reasons of drama and hilarity.]

The Hanged Man, for Hriob as a humble high-school teacher by day, and a masked Fae vigilante by night in a setting that ditches his ancestral home to join one city or another [Possible options include Gotham and Japan, but will be sub-divided by additional tags accordingly].

The Tower, a.k.a. the 'Sinister AU', for Hriob in a 'Bad End' where his mother died, and he took it rather hard... to the point of shunning the outside world entirely and taking a near-flagellant approach to his own life in the ruins that he calls home. [Heavily involving the absence of @melodiadraconis's Lyth and incarceration of one of @shatteredwastes's many AUs of the Jumper, aka Gaolbird].

[Other Cards may be planned already in varying stages of preparation, However, I am considering taking advantage of one aspect of Tarot-reading to help inspire/open up even more AU's - the aspect of an 'Inverted' card, where the meaning of the card is reversed or turned on its head... though it is easy to assume this means 'worse', it not usually a case of 'normal means good and reversed is bad'. However, what that means for Hriob and the blog is interesting:

The Fool - Reversed, Unplanned, but likely a verse where Hriob as-we-know-him never came to be, and Krakonos still continues on as the Mountain King without incident.

The Emperor - Reversed, for Hriob as a member of Gaki's Court in a timeline where they never broke up [reference to @nomercyleft and one of their AU's - and ironically part of another polycule].

The Hanged Man - Reversed, Unplanned, but likely for Hriob in an Urban setting not as a teacher or vigilante, but more of a pure Celebrity, likely an actor and investor of some kind [Again unplanned but likely using the same city-setting-specific tag system].

The Tower - Reversed, for Hriob starting in the parameters of the 'Sinister AU', but leading to a confrontation with a certain grieving empress that leads to a renewal of his former relationship with her [once again heavily involving yet another AU with @nomercyleft].

[Again, the second set is mainly under-construction still, but have a lot of groundwork settled for at least a handful to get the ball rolling. I fully intend to extend things further across the Arcana. Some plans are as follows:

The Devil, A verse where Hriob loses and Owen wins in their little tug-of-war for the fate of the world, resulting in him being reincarnated into the new world with... more baggage than anyone involved would have asked for. [Technically another nomercyleft verse but actually focusing on characters in @thelittlestdemon's blog].

The Star, for a verse in the future involving the version of Amelia known as The Seeker, aka Lillium... and the newest reincarnation of Hriob's spiritual lineage, a young boy named Casimir, in her care [yet another collaborative verse with the many versions of the star of @shatteredwastes].

Another traveler on the road. "Oh, hello!" She gave a warm smile - even if the unnatural darkness that shrouded her features would likely make it difficult to tell. "Do you mind if I walk with you?"

There was a pleasant surprise at the drink waiting for her once she had finished for the evening, and Lyth couldn’t help but eye the young… man? Whom ordered it for her. Hm, good question. “I’m not human, no.” She answered in a rather casual way, smirking at him with a playful wink. “Don’t be shy, you’re not the first person who’s asked me about it. I don’t mind answering questions.”

Or was it, perhaps – the tell-tale sign of a sea dragon, her finned ears? Who knew, for Lyth didn’t quite say anything on the matter as she nursed her drink.

“But, to further add, you needn’t worry about me. I’m not a threat or danger.”

“I know, I know. Just... even back where I’m from, it’s still a little taboo to ask people what they are, y’know?”

Varid was content to nurse his absinthe. The terror had ended up following Lyth, in a certain sense. As it turns out, fantastic alcohol followed her - or perhaps that was just an excuse.

The ebon bench was hard, even with the pillows Ser Barristan had fetched for her ( a joke! a joke! but he had taken care of his Queen all the same ) and the crown rested heavy on her head. The three dragons, wrought in silver and cold, and jade and oynx and ivory all weighing heavily on her silver head. Today she was dressed in a tokar the color of a deep red wine, fringed in Myrish lace dyed black. Today, in some fashion, she was in the colors of her house. 

Missandei announced her to those incoming before the throne. The little girl’s voice as high and sweet as a song as she called out, title after title. Queen, Unburnt. Mother of dragons. 

Today, of all days during the Winter Celebrations, Chaos, and all else going on, is a special day.

You remember little of what had found you there, lost in the snow on a trail through the seemingly endless woods, but you remember her- a solitary younger woman of white hair, with oddly finned ears and bright grey eyes. Vaguely, you recall wondering if she was part of the falling snow around you or a hallucination - not that you knew the word yet at such a young age - as she reached out a hand towards you from under her warm cloak.

That woman, Lyth, as she was named, would become known to you from that moment forwards by another name, lovingly: Mutti, your mother in all but blood.

You remember her best as a Baker, but also as a tutor in defending yourself, in sorting out your angers, frustrations, fears, and doubts through practicing in artisan and culinary works, and eventually the role model you sought to emulate for much of your younger years.

Occasionally you would have disagreements, no family is without its hangups on occasion, and there were times when what at the time seemed like your own personal curse would force you again to become lost and alone amongst the woodlands once more for long periods of time, but one way or another, you always found your way back to that Clocktower Bakery, and to her welcoming, understanding arms.

It would not be until adulthood that you gained more perspective, on your nature and your goals, and not until you reclaimed the Halls of your Predecessor that you learned of the fond irony; of how Krakonos before you had considered the young dragalina dropped at his doorstep for tutoring to be the closest thing he had to a daughter, hundreds of years before the events that forced him to turn the wheel of reincarnation and create you.

Nonetheless, no matter what you've discovered, learned, or become, no matter where you call home, she remains as your mother, even now when she moves on from the Bakery for more Bardic work and performance, with a new partner and little step-sister for you to visit with.

...ah... this was no simple request or observation... but a test, and a challenge in its own right.

A moment is taken - both to collect his thoughts and his focus, before the dark-ginger begins to move, starting with the basics- flour, water, yeast, and a few other dry goods.

Before long, however, his slow, calculated movements give way to a frenzy - not unfocused, never uncontrolled or frantic, but all the same a flurry of different tasks run not one-after-another, but in parallel; a stir here, a knead there, a dice yonder and a fillet closer within the kitchen as he worked to impress his audience of one.

Several dozen ingredients, within the course of a good thirty minutes, had slowly - yet meticulously - congealed into several dishes: two different baked goods in two separate stone-fired ovens, multiple pots and kettles of different concoctions, an open-top grill of charcoal searing and smoking pink-ish fillets of fish even as he constantly seasoned them, and next to that a wok-like pan of oil within which a collection of oddly breaded shrimp was already nearing a golden-brown completion.

Before the hour had finished, and despite having a few lines of sweat dripping down the sides of his face, the Host maintained his constant pacing as he quietly plated, garnished, and served his beloved adoptive-mother the fruits of his labors...

...a white-rye sourdough bowl scooped out and filled with a rich, tomatoe-base clam chowder, a small glass of white wine, a tall glass of chilled oolong tea with hints of lemon and ginger, and a bed of herb-infused rice over-top of which had been poured a glistening pairing of citrusy smoked salmon and crispy coconut-shrimp, the latter of which had a small serving-cup of a dipping sauce that smelled of honey, orange, and ginger among other things... and far in the back in wait, sat a large, warm, flaky cinnamon roll with the slightest touch of caramel and toffee on top.

Hriob opened his eyes groggily, turning his head to look over at the source of the voice.  “Why–?” he mumbled, trailing off.  The dream he had was already starting to fade, but it was pleasant.

Even if it was just a dream, it was always nice to speak to Lyth.

“Am I in your room?” Amata asked, finishing the question for him.  The shade shifted, crossing her legs.  “You wandered off.  I wanted to make sure you made it back safely.”

Ah.  Then it wasn’t a dream.  Hriob sat up, a frown on his lips as he tried to recall the details of his dream.  It wasn’t the first time he’d slipped into another reality in his sleep.

It probably wouldn’t be the last, either.

“I was… talking to mutti, over dinner…” he said.  That part was still clear.  “She was… curious about something.  She wanted to know more about… a fae court?”

That didn’t make sense to him - he didn’t know many other fae, and he doubted any of the ones he did know were members of any courts.

“So that’s where you went.”  Of course Amata knew what his vision was referencing.

“Do you think it’s important?  What I saw?”

“Not to us.”  The shade shrugged.  “But the conversation you saw was important to that version of you.”  A slight tilt of the head.  “Knowing Lyth supports his decision warms his heart, after all.”

Yes, that was the sense Hriob had gotten from the conversation, wasn’t it?  Lyth had been curious, but she supported him.

His mutti always supported him.

Hriob smiled.  “I’d be glad, too, knowing she was on my side.”

Amata laughed.  “You already have that.”

[Regarding foods, I am again one of those indecisive asshats who has a favorite dish in most any style/ethnicity/etc. of Food: with 'proper' Mexican I love Enchiladas, Vietnamese its Pho (with shrimp), Thai its Pad-Thai, Italian its a tie between Chicken Parmigiana and Lasagnia, and so on. In its own right I tend to have a go-to for each style that I use as a personal metric for how I'd rate different restaurants.]

[If you want my 'dream' selection of toppings on a Pizza, its Mozzarella, Parmesan, Ricotta, Feta, Pepperoni, Salami, Meatball-and/or-sausage, Bacon Bits, Katamala Olives, Spinach, Grape Tomatoes, Roasted Garlic, Basil, Oregano, and light garnish of Arugula and Balsamic glaze. If you want my 'dream' soup, look below for images from my seafood-medeley-chowder-cooking adventures of the last two days- yes I made an onion saute that I turned into a Roux-approximate that was used as the main thickening agent for the chowder, and yes it IS creamy and delicious beyond belief.]

[Going back to Roleplay Community Topics... again, I have a hard time picking 'favorites'; especially given how long and how much development has happened with Hriob and my blog here over the many, many years now that we've been... well, mostly active. I've had him go on drunken benders with a now-defunct Tengu blog that has had ramifications to this day, I've had him fall in love for the first time and drive himself nearly to self-destruction with the past versions of the blog over at @gingerhoneycakes over how much he cared for his eventual-fiance, I've had him gain students and discover his gargantuan soft spot for children - especially those in need - thanks to running into Yugo and to a lesser extent Laharl over at @heroesxdemons, and I've delved deeper into his early years - and past lives - thanks to discovering past versions of the blog over at @melodiadraconis and creating a collaborative backstory feedback loop of epic proportions that still is tweaked and expanded on to this day with that close friend.]