maenage

[maenage]

henlo, just a heads up here: i'm doing my masters' thesis research and i'll be studying for my last exam soon, safe to say i'll be slow and sparse in the upcoming months, especially ooc i fear (but still around in some capacity because i need a creative outlet to stay sane).

#FRONT DESK. #reblogging it here also #so if you see me snail pacing (even more than usual) have no fear ✌🏻

[maenage]

making a board for frankie but keeping it in winston's board to trick myself into believing the thought of writing my own specific 'he's not dead but he lives in a farm somewhere' version of him hasn't crossed my mind. you know, like a fool.

#FRONT DESK. #god. i just!!! #don't know if it's even feasible rp wise #he's just buzzing in my brain uninvited #sometimes when you don’t die. you live long enough to become a reclusive cowboy

[maenage]

goodnight everyone (:

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#PSA.

[maenage]

new york, 1977. [ a few days before the continental takeover ]

TEXT. NATALIE DIAZ (WHEN MY BROTHER WAS AN ATZEC), ANDREW KOZMA (SONG OF THE INSENSIBLE).

#EDIT. #REL. FRANKIE #this can also work as part of my 'frankie lives' agenda #but mostly i just wanted to try out my fcs for the bros #(also. i lifted the first two lines of dialogue from the show) #long post #non rp blogs dni

[maenage]

he knows why a man like harvey dent strolled into his lobby,   heard it very well in the subtle ripple of tension in his concierge's otherwise impeccably smooth tone of voice   (   just clipped enough to suggest a warning,  for his ears alone   ).  winston can see it in his eyes:  he is a man with a bone held tightly within his jaws.  he will not relent,  he will not be charmed or outwitted.  and that is just as well,  the manager has no intention of attempting to do so.

winston,  for his part,  doesn't look like a prey on the verge of defeat,  quite the contrary.  his gaze doesn't waver and he doesn't fret about.  the position he holds is one of confident security,  back straight but void of the rigid coil of alarm.   ''  i have no doubts about that,  mr. dent.  ''   unperturbed,  he crosses one hand above the other at the wrist,  his attention not shifting from the district attorney's face.   ''  but i'm sure we can reach an agreement.  we are both reasonable men,  after all.  ''

the matter at hand is not as complicated as it could be,  given the circumstances.  he normally wouldn't care about what his clientele gets up to outside of the hotel's premises.  rather,  he knows what they deal in,  and has no qualms with it.  the problem,  very real and very pressing,  is how this truly idiotic man left chaos in his wake.  more damning still,  how he allowed harvey dent to follow his trail right to this establishment's doorstep.  strictly speaking, no rules have been broken,  but if there is a thing winston truly can't abide that would be a show of such deplorable carelessness.  as far as he is concerned,  then,  the assassin's life is forfeit and his fate entirely in the hands of the man sitting before him.   ''  i should inform you that the man you are after is unaccounted for.  i doubt he would be so foolish as to set a single foot here again,  in fact.  ''

‘  what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger… unless it kills you.  ’

the golden hour floods the hotel with shades of red and gold . winston scott looks regal then , sitting across from dent straight and still , as if those were the colours he was always meant to wear . the district attorney smiles ㅤㅤ--- ㅤㅤhalf of him admires the older man , the other suspects him . HARVEY SUSPECTS MOST NOWADAYS . everyone who's ever had any sort of influence over gotham cannot have obtained it without sticking their fingers in filth . harvey glances at winston's hands . his nails look impeccable .ㅤ " ㅤlots of people said having my job title while running an anti-corruption campaign in gotham city would get me killed . and yet , after all these months ㅤ--- ㅤhere we are .ㅤ " ㅤhe pointed out , crossing one leg over the other , making himself comfortable .

a witness to a major case back home had been shot dead . a mob related killing , no doubt . falcone had never shied away from spilling blood , no matter how OBVIOUS the culprit . dent had been building a case against one of the city's oldest crime families and , every time someone got hurt for attempting to do THE RIGHT THING , the city gained a new martyr . the people of gotham could never dream of a better future if all of its' heroes were dead and buried .

ㅤㅤㅤharvey had been tipped off that the culprit of that assassination might be staying at that continental hotel ... hell , he could be roaming the hotel's halls AS THEY SPOKE . the gothamite glanced down at his hands , suddenly anxious to reach for the coin in his pocket . his dimpled smile remained .

ㅤㅤ" ㅤguess that makes me pretty though , mr. scott .ㅤ "ㅤ when harvey looked up again , the left half of his face was covered in shadows . his dilated pupil made his baby blue eye appear QUITE BLACK . ㅤ" ㅤor maybe just stubborn . ㅤ" ㅤhe wasn't leaving that lobby any time soon .

#IC. #V. THIS HOUSE OF MINE STANDS STRONG #coinofsilver #im so late but your piece was too stunning to leave unreplied to

[maenage]

''  no.  i rather believe i have my answers for today,  ''   he declares this with finality,  but mild in tone.  it's not dismissal,  impolite and coarse,  it's a simple matter of knowing where to stop before taking it a step too far without due reason.  he knows just enough and doesn't feel inclined to inquire further about his guest,  no matter his particular standing.  casual curiosity or conversation is not something he likes to indulge in,  there is also that.

the lobby is pleasantly lit,  slanted in early afternoon sunlight that has been forecasted to vanish come tomorrow,  replaced by rainclouds for the rest of the week.  they both better enjoy it while they can,  then.  winston pours himself more tea,  entirely comfortable with the silence now stretching between them,  interrupted only by the mundane sounds of the very public room they occupy.

winston is a wily thing, cunning and measured and wrapped in prim and proper trim. it fascinates kerry as much as it makes him wary, if for no other reason than a helping heaping of caution.

he can't be blamed for that, really. it's the wisest way to proceed.

"that's one way of puttin' it." kerry muses, amusement alighting in his own expression, though of a different sort than winston's.

there's an ulterior motive to winston's line of questioning. kerry has no doubt about that. that, in and of itself, doesn't necessarily bother him - it's to be expected at the very least, even if it's not altogether the most welcome if only because of how tiresome it can be. there is an edge of novelty to this though, just shiny enough, to keep hold of his interest in a way not at all forced. organic.

"is there anything else the net can't tell you that you're curious about?" it isn't an entirely open invitation, but a line carefully thrown.

#IC. #AU. CYBERPUNK 2077 #axeattitude #we could leave this here i do think. unless u want to add something of course!!!

[maenage]

a frankie lives au. not because it would be happy, no. but because it would be devastating. frankie wakes up in his worst nightmare. this is exactly the opposite of what he wanted for his brother - safe, far away, living a normal boring life.

#FRONT DESK. #evil laughter #thinking about making edits as i slowly write drafts #somewhat script style maybe?? #they're going to look great in my head. im sure. the problem is the execution #DEL.

[maenage]

it's so funny to me that winston doesn't even sound american, accent wise, while technically being born in new york. it's what happens when you spend 20 something years in england (and very formative years at that). and when your mother is very audibly scottish. and you speak fluent gaelic with her.

#scottish-american winston is so dear to me (and so very not canon) #frankie on the other hand... american. yeah. i think francis didnt allow much else in his case #but he slipped into debt not too long after winston was born so moira took matters into her own hands and said 'fuck that' #HCS.

[maenage]

never tell secrets without a drink.

@axeattitude has become a mismatched but expected presence,   hardly startling at all by this point really.  winston doesn't mind,  he has been given no reason to and so the tilt of his head given a few minutes prior had been welcoming,  the permission to engage clear,  if silent.  it's a quiet evening,  at any rate,  with a lively jazz tune drifting towards them and any work to speak of over and done with.

''  i'm hardly in the habit of telling secrets,  you will find.  ''   a simple enough statement, pronounced by a man aware of his own concealments.  some of them involuntary,  some of them not.  the truth is that winston doesn't lie about himself nearly as much as he would have people believe  —  he just doesn't bother to correct assumptions and mystifications about his life or past.  as a result the net is endlessly vague,  if not downright confusing,  about him.   ''  ask.  it's free of charge.  ''   kerry is clever enough to gauge what it means:  he can lay down a question,  but whether he will get a meaningful answer in turn is up for debate.

#IC. #AU. CYBERPUNK 2077 #axeattitude #love their weird dynamic actually #even if im slow as slow can be #<3

[maenage]

meta question: what does an average day in winston's life look like? does he have any routines? does he feel like he leaves work at work at the end of the day, or that the work is everything?

nothing set in stone with no possibility of minimal change, but he likes to do things a certain way, that is for sure. he drinks coffee in the morning, but tea in the afternoon (or mid-morning too if it's very cold). he reads the newspaper (an old fashioned physical copy, yes) first thing. he has a precise spot in the hotel's lobby where he likes to get paper work / documents stuff done, despite the fact that he has a perfectly functional office upstairs (meetings are held in the lounge or the rooftop terrace), because he prefers the lively but not loud background noises it provides. i guess these are ingrained habits that have become routine?

as for leaving work at the end of the day.. well. it is trickier, i guess, when you live where you work, quite literally. most of the times, at least (as in, he does have a more private residence somewhere in the city, as well as a nice cottage in rural scotland). but there's definitely an hour after which he is only available for emergencies.

not a meme (always accepting) — @talentforlying

#HCS. #talentforlying #ty very much for sending this in!!! #it took me so long but i cherished it in my drafts for sure

[maenage]

hello! my activity overall has been awful, mostly because my multi is easier for my brain when i have few spoons (and it's where i'm logged on mobile, there's also that). but. i definitely plan on being here, going through drafts and messages soon. in the meantime, i can also point you to @astringere, it has ocs and a very limited selection of canon muses <3

#FRONT DESK.

[maenage]

MAENAGE. independent and selective blog for WINSTON SCOTT from the john wick franchise. ⁕ mile. 25+.

#SELF PROMOTIONS. #an attempt has been attempted

[maenage]

winston sighs as he lowers the crosswords he had been meticulously working on,   dragging his stare up to meet eames' far from unmarked face.  he doesn't fuss,  no.  just looks at the evidence provided to him in purples and blues from behind his reading glasses,  and that alone paints a clear enough picture for him.  the exact number of fights eames has found himself involved in is not particularly relevant,  but he would still wager it to be higher than one.  none is an answer he would believe,  perhaps,  only if he were blind.  and deaf too,  for good measure. elusiveness, at least, doesn't insult him.

''  i would advise you to have that eye checked,  if i didn't know better.  ''

he has met his share of stubborn young men,  for one,  not to mention their particular partnership doesn't involve ordering around,  nor fits of excessive worry.  he can only trust eames to be able to look after himself however he prefers.   ''  this hotel can withstand your presence just fine,  i'm sure.  stay however long you need.  ''   and he also doesn't doubt for a second that eames' room has already been adequately equipped for his current situation,  regardless of how much  —  or how little  —  he has said on the matter at the front desk.

          "I'M ASSUMING NONE IS NOT AN ANSWER     you'll accept?"     oh,   but e.ames is joking,   of course.   with the ugly discoloration surrounding his eye,   not even mentioning the swelling that acutely prevents him from opening it   .  .  .   trying to pretend the injury is older than just seven days would be a waste of oxygen.   hell,   pretending it is older than 24 hours would be just the same.   it's unfair,   too,   he had no intention of finding the continental as a place to lay low     (THE BEST PLACE FOR IT,   CERTAINLY,   BUT E.AMES SO PREFERS TO NOT BE SEEN   .  .  .)     but with the only other option being his sister's apartment in brooklyn where she lives with three roommates———     the choices had not been as plentiful as he would have liked it to be.     "worry not,   i'll be on my best behavior,   as always."     e.ames would have winked at winston in addition to the cheeky,   little grin,   but with only one functional eye,   the effect is lessened significantly.     "i'm just gonna sleep it off,   have drink  &  be out of your hair in two days tops,   pinky promise."     had he not - so - expertly skirted the question entirely,   knowing an answer larger than one would potentially make him look like an idiot?   yes,   absolutely:     that's what he does.     (THE TRUTH WOULD BE THREE,   WHICH IS NOT TOO BAD CONSIDERING IT'S SATURDAY!)

ACCEPTING.     CRIME THEMED SENTENCE STARTERS:     "HOW MANY FIGHTS HAVE YOU BEEN IN THIS WEEK?"   FEAT.   @maenage

#IC. #V. THIS HOUSE OF MINE STANDS STRONG #4ger

[maenage]

i think i’m going to become an unreliable narrator. if you see me obscuring the full truth or saying things that directly contradict each other, don’t worry about it.

#STUDY. #ayyeee #don't ever forget he was a con man first #don't ever forget he knows what people want to hear / need to hear in order for him to tailor words for them specifically

[maenage]

❛ You don’t play by the rules. Why should I? ❜

'' i don't know what you're talking about. '' he holds the consigliere's gaze with ease, a wry smile set in place and no sign at all that the accusation might have struck a cord. it hasn't. winston knows the rules and he abides by them, as anyone could testify. of course, it's well within his power to bend them a little when the situation calls for it, but even that is deliberately careful, so as not to draw unwanted attention. a balance must be kept, lest this whole institution collapses down on their heads. '' even on this side of the pond there are rules. and consequences for breaking them. ''

he might not be entirely acquainted with the man seated before him, but he knows the family he works for. it would hardly be wise for a man of his particular position to ignore the various dealings of the criminal underground, after all. '' were you expecting this to be a lawless environment, mr dreyman? ''

dexter sentence starters,   not accepting

#IC. #V. THIS HOUSE OF MINE STANDS STRONG #flmed

[maenage]

also also. one last thing, i swear!! i think there is something very deliberate about having winston quote ned kelly, a criminal known for his opposition to the british empire and colonial rule, especially with this in mind.

#STUDY. #much to think about here

[maenage]

parts of the jw 4 script (a special thanks to @yllowpages <3) that live in my mind rent free. spoilers ahead.

i'll start from the very beginning, of course. and oh, do a lot of things make me unwell here.

charon

first of all, is the way winston was expecting that gun to stay on him. he was, if reason failed, ready to "such is life" his way to the grave. he does in fact tell charon, as they enter the office, that he shouldn't be here for this, that he shouldn't watch him get executed for his mistakes. but charon, of course, stays, bless his soul and his loyalty and everything about him (but i'll get to him on the multi, let's not digress).

the point here is: he doesn't let him fall. he goes down with him. he cradles his head!!! it's an awfully intimate and caring gesture. in the movie he kneels down after, when the marquis is leaving (it makes sense why, logistically). and don't get me wrong, i love that version too. winston staying still until the very last moment, not baring (almost) any reaction. but there's something so gentle about the script version that has such a grip on me. he keeps holding him, he takes his hand and tells him to rest. openly calls him friend, too. it gives me the impression that i'm intruding on something very private here, almost as if i should be looking the other way.

and here it is. the hotel is one thing.. still a blow, still hits right to the heart, to the very core of who he is, but charon? charon is unforgivable. in killing him to supposedly teach him a lesson the marquis has signed his own death. of course he can't kill him directly, he's smarter than that, but he will find a way (and he will indeed).

vincent

bastard on bastard violence, my beloved. winston walked so neil josten and his legendary "Pity only gets you so many concessions, and you used yours up about six insults ago. So please, please, just shut the fuck up and leave us alone.” speech to a mafia adjacent person could run. neil is half british, winston is half scottish (in my portrayal).. maybe it's the european part in them.

this is almost word for word in the movie, but why is it so much cuntier on page?

bonus

yes, winston is smart. yes, he plans ahead. but this little, crucial detail, slipped away from him. i think that, ideally, winston would keep himself off from the line of fire, from exposing himself to such a risk. i love this, so much: he doesn't know everything, he can't possibly account for every single variable there is.

and the same thing could be said for the rooftop scene in parabellum. i've seen people theorize that he knew exactly where john would fall so he wouldn't die. and i.. personally don't agree with that. it takes away the fact, painful as it is, that john's survival was not his end goal there. a nice strike of luck, surely, since he didn't want john dead, but that was also not the point. his main objective was to not have the hotel and everything else that comes with it stripped from him. and with it, a chance, at least that, of john living to see another day. but not a certainty. and it does work well for him in the end, albeit temporarily: the abjudicator has seen him shoot. not once, not twice, but five times (yes, i counted them, leave me alone). so even if john walks away, she can't say winston didn't try to kill him. she doesn't believe him, i do think, but she has no choice but to walk away.

john

if you listen really well, you can hear me chew on forniture. this truly is the culmination of their almost but not quite father-son relationship (also no, i don't think they're actually father and son. or blood related in any other way). the fact that winston only ever refers to john as "son" at his grave, when john can't possibly hear him, after having buried him, much like a father would, is so tragically beautiful to me. and it leads me to believe that 1) he might not have wanted it between them, spoken out loud, not wishing to become another rope around john's neck, yet another thing between him and freedom. sure, he helped him along the way, best he could. he was — and the continental as a whole — i think, a stable and fixed point in his life, someone and somewhere he could always turn to. 2) he possibly also didn't see it that way until then, not so surely at least to admit to it. to empty air and a gravestone, but still.

#STUDY.