#junganton

[evaxsombra]

Silent Tears

Referencing 

Kadeu, Spade/Club Border

04 March 2021, Just Before Dawn

The silence was deafening and weighted. It pressed against Eva even as she walked along the border that marked Spade from Club. In one hand her cane swept across the ground—Eva half-hoping it might tap against a pair of boots followed by a “Hey there, Princess!” But none came. The other hand held a small basket, still warm with freshly baked goodies she’d made only an hour prior in Prospero’s kitchen. A bottle of mead poked out from beneath the cover. Even the pastries didn’t make the usual sounds of crust and crumble that were so familiar. It was as if the food knew where it was going and who it was for and dared not voice how it would simply spoil or be stolen by a hungry passerby.

The shuffling of guards’ feet reached her ears and Eva knew she was close. She passed them, returned their greeting as she moved along and then through the passage that led to Club. She didn’t go very far. She counted the paces until it was approximately the same distance that Anton would have usually met her within Spades borders. Her cane hit a wall—the side of a house maybe? She settled her back against it and slid down until she was seated. Carefully, she set the cover on the ground, followed by the variety of breads and, finally, two cups filled with mead. She sat the bottle beside her and let out a small breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

Then she smiled.

“Hey TonTon. Betcha didn’t expect me to come to ya this time, huh?” Silence. “Well, I figured I could make an exception this time. Seeing how you can’t meet me halfway anymore, I gotta pick up the slack.” Eva reached for one of the breads, held it gently between her hands. “Brought you more of those breads from Yeon Nen. Some alcohol too. Haven’t been able to stop baking since…well, um…since I heard.”

She thought back to the day after Airang. How she’d been exhausted after a wild night of whatever weird spell had come over her. All she’d wanted to do was sleep, but the moment she’d entered Spade, Lilith had been waiting, insisting that Eva come home to the Leon estate with. She’d even grabbed Chupa from her barracks. At first, Eva had been too tired to question it, but the alarm bells had been ringing. Lilith never touched Chupa—she didn’t much like scaly creatures. And she sure as hell never met Eva anywhere but at the Leon home.

And then Lilith had sat her down, made sure she had a good hearty meal. Let Eva rant and rave about the previous night and the early morning shenanigans. But Eva could hear how forced the helper’s laugh was, could smell the worry and sadness coating her skin. So she’d asked, “What’s wrong, Lilith? You seem down. Nothing happened to Prospero, right?”

“The master is alright, Miss Eva.” The pause. The first of many heavy silences. “Miss Eva…you were well acquainted with that Club boy, Anton, yes?” Eva nodded and grinned, knowing how Lilith had never been too fond of the Strongarm. The Shifter was sure she’d warm up with enough time…a lot of time.

“What’s he do this time? If it’s his handwriting I swear he told me he’s been practicing.” A complete lie.

“Miss, I’m afraid I have some bad news.”

And suddenly their time went bankrupt.

Eva gripped the bread tighter in her grasp until it caved in on itself, until her fingers met through the still-warm dough. “We both know I can’t cook to save my life. Or yours.” The wind didn’t so much as whisper. “If they had told me you died ‘cause my bread poisoned you, I woulda believed it. This stuff,” she poked at a pastry, “should be labelled an assassin’s weapon. Woulda fit you since, ya know, you were apparently an assassin and all.”

That hadn’t been easy to hear. To listen to Lilith’s voice as she read the Deck. As the Deck aired all of Anton’s dirty laundry for the world as if it was their right. Threw harsh words and unverified rumors knowing full well the man of the hour couldn’t defend himself. Eva had sat frozen, feeling her heart break even as she tried hard so hard to process the fact that her best friend was gone.

“You…you coulda told me, TonTon,” she murmured not unkindly. “I get why you didn’t. Really, I do. I never told ya, but I…I did some bad stuff too. But I think you woulda forgave me for it. I was just too ashamed to say anything. Even now I can’t really talk about it….S’not my place to forgive you, but I just wanna let you know that all that stuff doesn’t change how grateful I am to have had you in my life. It doesn’t change how much I love you, ya big dumb idiot. You were the brother I always wanted. And from now on every time I do somethin’ stupid I’m gonna think about how you’re supposed to be there putting up with it and makin’ sure we don’t go n kill ourselves. We were supposed to have the next three hundred years to bug the crap outta each other and laugh and get Lilith to actually like you. We were supposed to have time.” And someone took that from him.

Something warm and wet ran down her cheeks, dripping off her chin to soak the bread. She couldn’t move. She didn’t so much as gasp or sob. The tears fell silently as if they too feared disturbing this moment. Eva felt the crack that had been forming along her heart since that morning grow until it felt like a physical agony. She bent in half, face nearly touching the dirt as she let the pain finally course through her. Her body shook and her face contorted into something beastly. Her nails dug into skin, but instead of skin armadillo armor barred her from digging into flesh. Even now her animals were protecting her. But Eva didn’t want her own safety. She wanted Anton’s. She wanted him to be okay, to greet her like always, and offer a new adventure, and everything to be alright.

She wanted Anton to be alive.

She meant every word. She would always love TonTon and he’d always be her family. But the anger and grief and confusion—they couldn’t be ignored. She didn’t know how long it would take to accept losing one of her own. She didn’t know if this pain would ever stop. She didn’t know if she could ever think of Anton again without feeling like she falling apart. But she did what she could now.

Eva rode the wave of emotions, let the skid of tears against skin fill the void that silence had made of her too dark world. She cried in the silence she hated so much until she finally had the breath to hum a shaky tune. A final goodbye for a boy who would always mean the world to her. He’d never hear her sing, but the melody filled her with some solace. And as she hummed, Eva could feel the sun’s rays as they touched her skin, bringing a new dawn.

And with the warmth of day came the sound of birds and the rustle of wind and sound returned once more to her even as the wind carried her voice into the sky and disappeared into the world.

Song: Message in the Wind by Carole & Tuesday

[passcridae]

When Sparrow retrieves the letter from his doorstep, he does so with all the dispassionate assumption it’s another kill order from the resistance. He pauses instead when he notices this missive is... different. Personal.

And that’s why he’s suspicious.

It’d be easy for him to assume it was delivered to the incorrect address, if not for Shade’s trademark scrawl on the front of the envelope and the message enclosed within.

Sparrow stares at the note for a beat, and then two. He really doesn’t know how to process it, on a multitude of levels.

Shade will receive the exact same letter back in the exact same envelope, except crossed out and addressed back to him in turn. At first glance it looks like it might’ve simply been returned, but if Anton looks closely, he should notice a small “same.” written at the bottom of the note. The bird now has a mustache.

@junganton

[hilo--keahi]

Thursday, 24 September 2020; Club territory, outer district; afternoon

The week was finally coming to a close, but Hilo was still having a goddamn time of it.

It’d been at least five days since he’d had decent access to untainted water, and roughly a couple since whatever meat he had stocked up in his flat had seriously dwindled. Between the dehydration creeping in and a distinct lack of protein, Hilo was really starting to struggle. He felt sick; run-down. Obviously he’d feel worse if he drank corrupted water -- whatever the hell was in it -- but he certainly didn’t feel great now.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t a single thing Hilo could do about it, so he was still going about his days and his work the best he damn well could. He’d written Anton a couple days ago to meet him further out from the center of the city; normally he’d just have his friend swing by the Forge, but the Spade relief setup in the Joker meant for seriously congested foot traffic that Hilo didn’t want to deal with.

The knives he’d fashioned were wrapped first in paper and then in a thick cloth, tucked under Hilo’s arm. He leaned heavily against the nearest wall and, for the time being, simply stared straight ahead, unfocused. He kept his mind blank, because if he thought about any of it too much -- the water, the system imbalances, the latest rumors -- he’d just get angry, and Hilo didn’t have the energy to spend on that.

@junganton​

[kadeuyongsun]

out of context 'i would die for u' content, but its sunny w anton every single day. / @junganton

[phoenixkadeu]

jingling keys;

@junganton​

Early in the morning a piece of paper had been passed on to him by a complete stranger almost as soon as Asra left his home, but nothing in this event was strange, in fact it was quite common for letters to be passed around until it reached the right person safely. He bit an apple, the fruit getting stuck between his teeth as he unfolded that piece of paper using both hands, then he read a very clear message with a new order. The fruit made a crunch sound as he took a bite of it, chewing calmly, his eyes shining after reading those words, that piece of paper quickly got consumed by small flames, ashes falling to the ground as he continued to walk, a new goal in mind.

Stealing a set of keys was relatively easy, compared to the other things Asra was used to do, this was nothing, it was so easy that Asra should have ignored that request, but there was something that captivated him. The set of keys belonged to The Academy and there was nothing that brought him more joy than messing with that place and those in charge of it.

All he needed was a little distraction and a pair of quick hands, fortunately he was quite skilled and in a second Asra already had the keys inside his robe and a smile on his face as he left The Academy.

Entering his father's tavern and greeting some of the patrons who were there chatting and drinking, the elementalist went to the counter smiling at his father. "What the hell did you do?" the question was almost instantaneous and only served to increase Asra’s smile, who just shrugged. "Nooothing" he dragged the vowel of the word, one of his index fingers pointing to the collection of drinks behind his father. "Give me one of those bottles and two glasses" his father ended up fulfilling his son's wish, but even so he was suspicious of what was happening, however the older man knew that ignorance was better in some cases.

Without any further explanation, Asra opened a door next to the counter that led to a small room - usually reserved for customers who needed a little more privacy - while he waited in curiosity for whoever had asked to steal those keys., Asra rocked dangerously in his chair,  feet on top of the table, a glass with whiskey in his hand and a set of keys in the other, swinging them before his eyes. As soon as he heard the door open and his eyes landed on Anton, he abruptly put down the chair, a laugh quickly taking up that space. “I should’ve known it was you” the scar around his right eyes crinkled due to his smile “if you wanted to learn some magic tricks you could’ve just told me, you know?”

[kadeuhq]

this might be a dumb question, but is there anything special one would have to keep in mind if they were making a muse that's part of the resistance? and although i myself am trans masculine and see no issue with it (considering the general lack of resources, mostly) how does the main feel about, for example, a cis male fc for a trans dude oc? sorry for the bother, but this rp looks SUPER neat and i wanted to be clear on it all!

Hello anon; these are totally not dumb questions at all, and thank you so much for the compliment! There’s nothing in particular that comes to mind when I think about our resistance members but I’ll list some general thoughts and ideas below:

Resistance members are split into two groups. Muses like @junganton who live in resistance hideouts and are largely supported by the resistance; and muses like @kadeuxhyeonju who have lives outside of the movement. Hyeonju owns the Vega Gem and has a substantial presence in highranker circles while Anton is more of a shadow the resistance sends out whenever they need to

The majority of the resistance is comprised of lowrankers or those that hold a grudge against how Kadeu is run. Members who try to join without a clear reason would be kept in the dark for a long time due to inherent distrust

It is more likely for resistance members to be defectors than it is for regular citizens. If the leaders need someone with an unknown face at a Jack rank, they’ll likely ask someone to defect to the Clubs and then either train them or have another member lose to them on purpose to raise their rank

It is more likely for resistance members to be falserankers. Again, this pertains mostly to those in the Club faction but they may have their more skilled fighters lose to a lower rank on purpose in order for them not to stand out. Anton is a falseranker, he was at the Queen rank before the resistance made him lose to a Seven

The resistance foothold in Spade territory is almost non-existent. Many of the ideals the Spades uphold are in-line with the Resistance

Also, I’m fine with a cis male faceclaim being used for a transgender muse!

Admin G

[kadeunpc]

What's the word on the street?

but have you heard...

Clubs still seem to think the corruption was man-made by a highranker but while @generalkwon and @zuihuojoui were the first two to be accused, most who believe this theory now think dethroned Ace of Diamonds Lee Valentina was at fault. Further, now that's she’s dead or at the very least missing in action, we’re all fucked.

Some Clubs seem to have adopted the belief of the city’s Dwarves: the corruption was caused by the death of the last pegasus and the corrupted water is our punishment for failing to respect the environment

The latest gossip from Diamonds appears to be that, despite what the council would have them think, Lee Valentina was actually killed by @zuihuojoui​ and that the only reason the Hearts haven’t invaded is because the Diamond Council owes him a major favor for re-instating them

Some Diamonds have suggested the Academy Council is actually a Puppet Council controlled by Lee Valentina from the shadows. In fact, she faked her own death so @zuihuojoui wouldn’t invade Diamond territory, but she would still have power 

Mutterings between lowranked Spades say they’re about to go to war with the Clubs thanks in part to their attack on Spade Civilians as well as the fact that @its-max-okay recently started seeing a Club named “Shade” @junganton despite her ongoing relationship with @generalkwon

Many theatre snobs fans seem to think we’re witnessing the downfall of @ara-kadeu​. After all, she consorts with the like @hilo--keahi, failed to earn back her Queen rank despite Valentina being overthrown, and she was only given a supporting role during her return to the theatre

Some Clubs seem to think @kadeu-kol didn’t actually earn his spot as Ace. In fact, his father actually lost to him on purpose so he could peacefully retire and leave the armory to his beloved son

Academy Students love a good scandal. Most recently, it’s been spread around that not only is @lukef prone to sleeping with students, but his favorite is none other than @phoenixkadeu. While the professor likes to pretend he doesn’t like non-diamonds, it’s only to cover up the fact he’s sleeping with them

Apparently, if you give the right secret password to one of the bouncers at The Yelling Secrets, you’ll be given an invitation to a special Black Market Auction @fromashanddust

[passcridae]

Saturday, 31st October 2020; mid-evening Clubs territory; Dragonfire Hotsprings @junganton

Samhain. The blue moon, thinning of the veil, okay. Sure.

Sparrow honestly didn’t care one way or another about festivals. It was fun for a night of mischief-making, Sparrow wouldn’t argue that. In his younger years of stealing it was also an especially lucrative setting for pickpocketing the drunkest of revelers. Now, though, with falseranking as a go-to Sparrow tried to keep a lower profile, and while he’d learned the art of blending in several times over, sometimes a packed festival was more than he wanted to risk.

The next best option that presented itself was the hot springs, bound to be under attended on a night when most others were taking to the streets. His reasons for seeking the springs out on a lower-traffic evening were different than most might expect. Sparrow certainly didn’t care if anyone saw him naked; he’d never felt uncomfortable in his own skin. Any of them. No, what he hoped for tonight was a more relaxing and meditative air in which to practice some of the aspects of shifting he’d always struggled with. The hot water was bound to help.

For Sparrow, shifting was like tensing a muscle: winding tighter, then releasing. To hold himself anywhere between forms or in a partial form was like isolating one muscle or group in particular, tensing it, and keeping it tensed. He hadn’t learned any better method than that, if one existed. Most of his Shifter tendencies had been self-taught, and as much as he might benefit from a mentor, he rebelled against the idea. No, he’d gotten this far on his own, and as ever, he was bound and determined to be nothing but self-sufficient.

Settled chest-deep in one of the gently steaming pools, Sparrow held out his hand and focused on the back of it, intricate ink taking up most of the space. He pursed his lips, inhaling softly through his nose, then focused.

A handful of feathers sprouted from the back of his hand.

Tiny droplets clung to the equally tiny feathers, but Sparrow frowned despite the success. Any partial shift into his favored form was of the least possible use to him; what a fucking sight he’d be with miniature wings where his arms should be. In reality, all of his forms were relatively small and none lent particularly well to a partial shift. He couldn’t transform his hands into bear paws for a fight, nor did he especially want to.

Fortunately, he also didn’t care. For Sparrow, practicing a partial shift had but one purpose: improving his craft.

The feathers slid comfortably back under his skin, which momentarily smoothed before scaling. Muted yellow and brown rose from beneath the swirls of tattoo, and Sparrow ran the fingertips of his other hand over the surface to feel the texture. He was so focused on what he was doing that it didn’t occur to him someone may be watching.

[hilo--keahi]

@junganton​

Saturday 15 August 2020; early afternoon

Club territory; the Forge

Gods, but it was damned hot today. Not that it wasn’t hot in the Forge every day -- what with most things being on fire -- but usually Hilo could count on a regular cross-breeze to keep him from suffocating under the weight of the ash. Today the air was stagnant and humid, and despite toughing it out for as long as he could manage, Hilo finally admitted defeat: he pushed himself up from the tall stool and dropped his thick hide gloves on the seat. None of his peers begrudged him the break and, avoiding the front of the Forge where he’d be more likely to run into clientele, Hilo stepped out through a side door to seek marginally cooler air.

Dragging the back of his hand across his forehead, Hilo swiped away the beads of sweat (and left a streak of coal) before letting his attention wander over the passing streams of people. His gaze was idle until it snagged on a familiar figure, and Hilo settled into an easy grin.

“Look what the gumiho dragged in.” Pulling the loosening strap of leather from his hair, Hilo kept his eyes on Anton as he endeavored to wrangle the unruly weight of it into a haphazard gather off the nape of his neck. “This a business call, a social call, or both?” Judging by Hilo’s easygoing tone, there was no wrong answer. He liked the younger Strongarm, and while some might argue that didn’t say much -- Hilo liked most folks -- Anton was still a rank apart.

[passcridae]

⚖️ — Who do you buy presents for? Who buys presents for you?

Sparrow purses his lips and shakes his head. “Yeah, I don’t really do that. Give or receive.” He thinks of the gift @junganton left him -- unconventional though it may be -- but ultimately shakes his head again. “Don’t know anyone well enough for that.” Which isn’t an accident.

[kadeunpc]

Heard anything interesting lately?

but have you heard...

It appears there’s a new favorite jiggalo in town ( @junganton )! Mystery man has been spotted around town with Ace of Diamonds @merirobin, was personally requested by @ara-kadeu after one of her performances, and even appeared to be on a date with @its-max-okay!

Has @ara-kadeu replaced her dwarven and disabled lovers with a new model? 

Trouble in paradise or playing the field? Are @its-max-okay and @generalkwon over or is Max just taking a ride on the city’s current favorite side-piece?

@ujin-khaos seems to be frontrunner for the pending suitor’s ball for @allorekadeu‘s hand in marriage. Spotted out together, it appears the ball may be a secret coverup for their whirlwind romance.

Lowrankers in Diamond territory seem to think there's a hidden cache of food stores being hidden away by The Academy Council ( @merirobin )

Word has sprouted in Club Territory that the reason for the corruption is due to the sinister plots of some sort of high-ranking mastermind. Many names have come up as the cause including: @generalkwon and @zuihuojoui though there’s no real fervor behind either claim

The Dwarves seem to think the corruption was caused by the death of the last pegasus. They have no proof for this but seem to think the beasts citizens of Kadeu long-thought extinct were, until recently, very real and denizens of the wilds.

There is a serial killer moving between Heart and Club territories whom citizens have nicknamed Red Death. They’re too high ranked to accept rations and have thus turned to murder and cannabalism to eat. I heard they’ve only been drinking blood, too.

[kadeunpc]

possible futures....

@junganton​ never gave @ujin-khaos​ his name but he gave descriptions of the people who drugged the red-headed Fae. Ujin could hire @ivaspoison​ to kill them.  Maybe @peachestpeachatkadeux​​ heard about @ivaspoison​ from a chatty client or saw her at work. Wrong place, wrong time

Maybe while @duri-sawbones​ was wandering around as a cat he stumbled upon @acevalentina​ overseeing a drug trade or disciplining her employees. Perhaps he used the opportunity to steal from her

@allorekadeu​ may need a model for her sculpture of a Fae, perhaps @peachestpeachatkadeux​ would be able to help

Suppose @allorekadeu​ saw the silhouette of @ivaspoison​ while she was out on the job. The sculptor would have no idea this woman was an assassin but her sculpture of the figure in the windowsill may cause issues

[kadeu]

Explosion During Orientation!

In the early morning hours of Thursday 10 September 2020 an explosion rocked The Academy during their orientation! The entire front entrance as well as some of the surrounding hallways have been destroyed. Though no one died during the explosion, several of the professors received severe injuries that had to be healed by the Academy’s Emitter. 

Thanks to some quick actions from staff and student alike the flames were suppressed within the hour. The Academy Dean had this to say, “Despite this act of terrorism our excellent Academy members were able to put out the flames despite the accelerants used. We will be investigating this matter thoroughly. That being said, some of our Alumni have already reached out and thanks to their kindness we expect The Academy will be repaired and ready to accept Students by Start of Term on this Monday the Fourteenth.”

A group has stepped forward to take credit for this explosion! They sent the following statement in a letter shortly after the event: You have ignored the state of our city for far too long. You sit in silks, swaddled in your own ignorance, complaining you do not have enough as we starve in streets. You think your factions will divide us but we know our enemy and it is you. We are the Resistance. We are Kadeu. 

We will free ourselves from your tyranny.

A bit dramatic in this reporters opinion but how do you feel about it? We’ll be taking quotes from citizens, anonymous and otherwise. Look forward to those, dear reader! See how the city really feels about this bombing. Do you think there will be another?

ooc; If your muse would like to make a statement for the deck please send the statement in to the npc blog. Anyone who had reason to attend may participate in this event! Delivering something, singing the Diamond anthem, etc. If you’d like your name added to this list just message the main

Witnesses;

@merirobin professor

@phoenixkadeu student

@junganton hidden; perpetrator

@kadeuxhyeonju hidden; perpetrator

[kadeuhq]

Welcome to Kadeu  —

Ace of Spades @spadejihoon

Ace of Diamonds @crookedsanha

Jack of Spades @its-max-okay

Seven of Clubs @junganton

Six of Hearts @cherrykadeu

I’m so excited we’re opening! Thank you all for your patience and deep dives into the lore, I loved reading each and every one of your applications! Personalized plot drops are coming to your inboxes soon, please make sure they’re open. Without further ado, let’s get plotting! 

[kadeu]

what is a falseranker?

A Falseranker is someone whose rank should be higher or lower than it actually is. @junganton is a falseranker because he was originally a Queen of Clubs but the resistance needed him to be middleranker so he purposefully lost to a Seven in order to lower his rank

@diabyeolical is a falseranker because he was originally ranked higher than a Jack but, as he wanted to serve as an informant, he purposefully lowered his rank so he could operate a lowranker club (Club V) without raising too many suspicions

It’s also possible for those in the Club branch of the resistance to be falserankers branded as a higher rank due to someone else in the resistance losing to them on purpose. Rank boosting like this is dangerous as an inaccurately ranked highranker is much more likely to raise suspicions than an inaccurately ranked lowranker in Club territory

[kadeu]

where can i find information/lore about the resistance?

Hello anon; this was originally on our old HQ but I just noticed we never actually ported it over to this one, my apologies!

Resistance members are split into two groups. Muses like @junganton who live in resistance hideouts and are largely supported by the resistance; and muses like @kadeuxhyeonju who have lives outside of the movement. Hyeonju owns the Vega Gem and has a substantial presence in highranker circles while Anton is more of a shadow the resistance sends out whenever they need to

The majority of the resistance is comprised of lowrankers or those that hold a grudge against how Kadeu is run. Members who try to join without a clear reason would be kept in the dark for a long time due to inherent distrust

It is more likely for resistance members to be defectors than it is for regular citizens. If the leaders need someone with an unknown face at a Jack rank, they’ll likely ask someone to defect to the Clubs and then either train them or have another member lose to them on purpose to raise their rank

It is more likely for resistance members to be falserankers. Again, this pertains mostly to those in the Club faction but they may have their more skilled fighters lose to a lower rank on purpose in order for them not to stand out. Anton is a falseranker, he was at the Queen rank before the resistance made him lose to a Seven

The resistance foothold in Spade territory is almost non-existent. Many of the ideals the Spades uphold are in-line with the Resistance

Let me know if this answered any specific questions you may have had!