si vis pacem, para bellum

this kingdom is mine [ . . . ]  and mine alone .

[continenteal]

𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐋   — have you thought this through ? i mean chewed it down to the bone ? you got out once. you dip so much as a pinky back into this pond, you may well find something reaches out and drags you back into its depths. 

ind, selective  𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘵𝘵 of 𝘫𝘰𝘩𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘬, mostly canon compliant, headcanon expanded , exploring themes such as : loyalty and cruelty , a deal with the devil , those who believe themselves to be gods and those who truly are , bending the rules ,  usurpation   , god and monsters , what separates men from animals , revolution , the world below our own .         

‘ * contracted by jayne bird  ( 23 ) firearms & mild violence are untagged.  [ 𝙲𝙰𝚁𝚁𝙳 . ]

[continenteal]

‘ *  j. wick : //  yllowpages  [ 𝙾𝙿𝙴𝙽 𝙲𝙾𝙽𝚃𝚁𝙰𝙲𝚃  ] ​

The fall from grace … This is what it is to defy their proclaimed gods and become cast out — wished dead. ( Is he a threat … or simply a thorn in their side? ) His body certainly feels their wrath … and the acts they inspire. It had been a split second of confusion that day on the roof, being given only seconds to piece things together. ( He has now, he thinks, but that made it no less painful. ) He remembers just meeting the ground before black flooded in and overtook his mind before he came to below the earth, though not buried the way they would like.

He’ll admit, his body is taking longer than he would have preferred to heal and recover. Bruises fade slowly, bones mend, wounds scar — and his resolve only grows by the day. There’s nothing he can do, living in the underground like this ( by the good will of His Majesty ) but he’s alive. And that alone gives John what he needs to tap into the anger bubbling under his skin and fuel his will to keep going.

But this is an interesting bump — that he should have seen coming, especially face-to-face, as it is. ( The King is careful, and so is Winston. ) Maybe Winston sensed the lingering resentment in John’s face to give such chastening words ( like the father to the rebellious son ) . The ’ I told you so ’ in the manager’s words is just barely masked there. He’s right, though, isn’t he? John was warned, plenty — and he was the one who chose to upend his own life … with so many others’ in his wake. Then again, it was harder to predict he would be shot off of a roof … So John stands, matching Winston’s gaze, though holding a different attitude at the moment.

John’s brow remains furrowed, though surprisingly soft. His eyes narrow, just slightly, as he takes a breath and then returns : ❝ And you didn’t have a choice. ❞ Is it a taunt? A sharp admission of understanding? ( Both, maybe. ) He knows Winston well enough to understand the objective … He just doesn’t have the same appreciation.

                          winston is used to being on the razors edge of neutrality. but johnathan has always been an outlier in matters such as this.   ( he is not immune to the flaws of human nature. no matter how hard he tries to be. )   duty and obligation are so often thrown to the wayside in matters of family or friends. management is meant to be different, though in that he has failed more than once if the high table is concerned. but his actions were not thoughtless. carelessness is not in his nature. there is a reason his search for the devil has been an isolated one, that charon is not at his side here, even if some part of him wishes to believe john would not harm those who have not crossed him, charon is on the side of a man who has, as is the continental as a whole, and with a single action this has become quite personal.

                          “ oh, i had the privilege of many. ”    winston corrects without hesitation, perhaps some may think he should be more cautious in his approach, the way he addresses баба яга , but winston is not vain enough to believe he could escape godly wrath. if john wick wanted him dead, he would be. that fate would become finite, an inevitability. but it has not happened yet, and until then, he has no reason to hold his tongue.   “ as do you. ”    past tense implied in nothing other than tone

                          “ whether those choices had limitations or not is an entirely different matter. we are not immune to consequences, even when those consequences are not of our own making. ”

[moosings-deactivated20231019]

JOHN WICK FRANCHISE (2014-2023) PROMPTS

ₓ ˚ .   ୭   ˚ ○ ◦ ˚     as always, some triggering content may be present! change any pronouns to better suit your muse(s) needs!     ˚ ◦ ○ ˚   ୧   . ˚ ₓ

do you really wanna die here?

ain't that a bitch?

i'm sorry to say that no one is that good!

you keen on earning a coin?

fuck off.

either way, you and me, we'll be even.

can't track it, can't hack it, can't trace it.

have you given any thought to where this ends?

why don't you take the night off?

i am the way into eternal pain.

nothing's ever just a conversation with you.

weren't you the one tasked to dole out the beatings, not to receive them?

i'd like to see the manager.

i'm going to kill you.

will you be putting a bullet in his head?

i guess it's time i told you to climb down off your high table and go fuck yourself.

just have fun out there.

you always have an angle, don't you?

you dip so much as a pinky back into this pond, you may well find something reaches out and drags you back into its depths.

it was an honor, my friend.

raise a hand if you can hear me.

how good is your laundry?

yeah. don't worry about me.

people don't change. you know that.

do i look civilized to you?

this kingdom is mine and mine alone.

he shot my dog.

you stand in the presence of the motherfucking king!

you can either hand over your kid, or you can die screaming alongside him!

have you thought this through? i mean, chewed down to the bone?

if you cut a king, you better cut him to the quick.

i'll have to get back to you.

you don't want me owing you.

there's no rhyme or reason to this life, it's days like today scattered among the rest.

they sure as fuck broke the mold with you.

people keep asking if i'm back and i haven't really had an answer.

enjoy your kingdom, while you still can.

the knife is in your aorta. you pull it out, you will bleed and you will die.

i know what you're thinking.

are services still off limits to me?

it should have been me.

you still need something to love.

if you still have business to attend to, take two of these beforehand.

how may i be of service?

do i know you?

you working again?

after this, we are less than even.

and here i'd feared you'd left all this behind.

i'm gonna shove so much fealty up your ass it's gonna come spilling out of your mouth.

you've broken the rules.

vengeance is all you have left.

do enjoy your party.

fourteen million is a lot of money.

your stitches will tear and you'll bleed, but you'll have full function.

i apologize for calling you at this hour.

i would've done the same thing if i was in his shoes.

let us not resort to our baser instincts.

so tell me, how was life on the other side?

i say the odds are about even.

you killed my ward, someone i was close to.

whoever comes, whoever it is: i'll kill them. i'll kill them all.

you got out once.

it's not what you did that angers me so, it's who you did it to.

i can't help you.

i just gotta catch my breath.

are you here on business?

all of this, for what?

treat all your ladies like this?

i can make this right.

okay. you made your point.

consider this a professional courtesy.

it's been a while. my condolences. how're you holding up?

i want to kill him.

management does not take kindly to that sort of behavior.

avert your eyes, my sweet.

so i guess you have a choice.

that was a pretty good fight, huh?

i'm afraid you've come all this way for nothing.

i have a job for you.

as you know, art is pain—life is suffering.

i'll make it quick, i promise.

sometimes you gotta cut a motherfucker.

you fail to understand.

they will come for you, and you will do nothing because you can do nothing.

it's okay. let's go home.

i still have time.

do you think you can scare me into opening this gate?

it seems to be fate, or happenstance, or just bad fucking luck caused our paths to cross once again.

you had your chance.

i was just sorting some stuff out.

i can do this! please!

i'm sorry i can't be there for you.

where the fuck are you?

i'm just asking you to try.

they know you're coming.

in that moment, i received some semblance of hope.

you came to me, i helped you. if you don't do this, you know the consequences.

you were always a pussy.

if you want peace, prepare for war.

everything's got a price.

i'm not telling you shit!

may i suggest a drink? bourbon perhaps?

an eye for an eye, you know how it goes.

second chances are the refuge for men who fail.

you may never return home.

you're going to die.

i'm sorry.

my apologies. i was dealing with an uninvited guest.

i look retired.

oh, and remember, you owe me.

that's unwise, i assure you.

we can keep this up as long as you'd like, but it only ends one way.

you arrogant asshole.

none of us can escape who we are.

you wanted me back, i'm back!

those who cling to death, live.

no one, not even you, can kill everyone.

is this a formal event or a social affair?

get the fuck out of my sight!

remember your daughter…

just checking up on an old friend.

we are cursed, you and i.

my allegiances run way beyond this building.

are you scared of the fucking boogeyman?

you want a war? or do you wanna just give me a gun?

what happened? we were professionals… civilized.

oh, shit. they took a finger.

how you do anything is how you do everything.

i'll leave you to it, then.

you look good.

i gotta say, i'm a pretty big fan.

[continenteal]

                        “ you knew it was coming, johnathan. ”    winston says, his tone is stern, finality embedded in every syllable. he knows just as well as johnathan should, the rules are all encompassing only because everyone follows them. enforcement works only when there are individuals to do the dirty work. eyes dance over @yllowpages​. he had tried to warn him, but words of caution often go unheard in the heat of the moment.    manager sighs.   “ there is very little in the world a man has choice in, and more often than not he makes the wrong one. ”   which is to say : i tried to warn you.

[continenteal]

this man does the crossword in the paper, you can’t tell me winston doesn’t kick ass at wordle.

[continenteal]

starter call ! like this post so i can write mayhaps.

[continenteal]

winston serving as mr. exposition is so fun for me personally.

[johnswick]

endless john wick scenes (4/?) ↪ Oh, you call this ‘out’?

[continenteal]

                        a desire to help people.    the motivation is not out of place in the world, there are thousands of teachers, and firemen and even doctors who have that same view, most are easily corruptible, easily manipulated to turn a blind eye to those who come to them like injured animals for a price, and in their world, that price is often their own lives.   it’s a noble mission @nightmdic​ has made for herself, but a dangerous one, the contracts on her name are nearly exclusive, a desire to keep her out of sight to those under the table. winston does not need to see the number to know.

                        he is led in by the bouncer, a large man who would be best described as uppity, though in their line of work winston cannot blame him, his lack of warm reception is amplified by the fact the manager has not a scratch on him, no injury in sight in a place like this makes him a spectacle. someone to be wary of, even without his connections. 

                        “ marie. ”   the greeting is given as if they are old friends.  i know you.   he smiles, warm, friendly. a wolf will bare it’s teeth as a threat, a warning for impending bloodshed, an omen in it’s own way. he has very little violence in mind, even if what he’s about to do will lead to it anyway.   “ i come with only peace in mind, my dear. though your friend seems to think otherwise. ”

[johnswick]

John Wick Alphabet  ↳ C is for Continental “You know the rules: no business can be conducted on these premises lest incurring heavy penalties.”

[continenteal]

my favorite little guy.