marlcnking2

[marlcnking2]

zahrahashemi‌:

@marlcnking | zahra + marlon | upside magazine offices 

they’d kept running into each other - again and again and again. first in their building ( what were the odds! ), then at every other party across the english capital, until they had finally got to talking. with the magazine running on its last fumes and no investors to be found anywhere, zahra knew they needed to get people talking. and what better way to do that than a feature on marlon king? meeting him at the lift, she offered him her most winning smile. “ nice to see you again, ” she greeted, offering a kiss on each cheek because - well, she might live in a boring city, but she was still french. “ do you want a tour of the place first, or should we just get to the interview? ”

It had been a while since Marlon had gone on an interview anywhere. The last person to interview him in light of his profession had been some online magazine he’d never heard from after that, so to say that he was excited was an understatement. It was always an ego boost to know that somewhere out there was a platform that was actually interested in hearing from and about him -- it came second only to having someone tell him they liked his music. “Hey!” Marlon greeted Zahra enthusiastically, only a little thrown by the cheek kisses. Recovering quickly, he gave her a bright smile. “I wouldn’t be a southern boy if I didn’t go on at least one tour. It’s what we do best down there,” he added, grinning. “In America,” he added quickly, as though that needed explaining. “Not to brag but I’m an expert at getting guided around a place. You should see me checking out some furniture.”

[marlcnking2]

iain-burke‌:

The last time Iain had seen someone that excited over a pint was probably a tie between a new mother’s first drink in over a year, and a regular’s first drink of the day.  But regardless, it was refreshing, and Iain couldn’t help but chuckle, although it was accompanied by a small, playful roll of the eyes.  “Ye sure about that?  With what’s goin’ on over there I don’t think anyone would blame ye.”  He knew that he, a citizen of the UK also really couldn’t speak on the topic while being in a glass house but, it was a fun distraction nonetheless.  “Ach, you almost had it, boyo.  Lesson learned, always go with your gut.  Irish. – Honestly, bit offended you’d mistake this beautiful brogue for Scottish.”  Sarcasm was the only way Iain ever really knew how to joke.  

Grimacing, Marlon tipped his head forward with an embarrassed laugh. “Yeaaaah, I knew I should’ve gone with my gut,” he said, nodding. “Does it help if I tell you it all sounds like sweet, sweet music to my ears?” Innocence painted his smile again, and though it was entirely for the purpose of the joke, there was sincerity in there, as well. Accents had always been something Marlon loved, whether they be a variation of English or simply English punctuated by another language. Granted, he did have certain difficulties telling them apart, but... that didn’t mean he didn’t truly appreciate them. He just... struggled to tell them apart, was all. Bah! And he called himself a musician. “And, you know, you kinda got a point,” Marlon conceded, taking another sip of his beer. “Things are... weird, back home. But! I didn’t actually run. Not to be a total cheese ball but I moved here for a boy.” There was sadness in his smile, but it didn’t last long. “Eat it, Paris! Whoever said London couldn’t be the city of love?”

[marlcnking2]

logankumar‌:

Logan had tried to avoid going to single mixers, but as always Marlon had dragged her out with him. So she’d placed herself at the bar and spent most of the night getting free drinks from those who had tried to impress her. As Marlon wondered back over to her Logan raised an eyebrow and took a long sip from her drink. “Really now? Didn’t I tell you that earlier?” She teased with a smile. “What can I say you give good attention my love.” Putting her hand to his shoulder as she tried to comfort him. “That is one benefit. Plus this hellish mixer is still going on and there’s tons of cute guys. Just go pick another one an enjoy yourself. Where there is one dud, there’s always another open and ready on grinder.” 

“Yeah...,” Marlon sighed, clearly unconvinced of his alternatives as he gazed wistfully back at the man who had led him on for most of the evening. It was his dimples. It was totally his dimples. Those little craters of skin that made Marlon dizzy with affection every time the guy smiled. He just couldn’t get over them. “I don’t know... who’d I go for?” He turned to Logan, looking for her opinion. Well, she had been right about the guy before, even though Marlon had been adamant he stood a chance. Clearly he wore some heavily rose-colored glasses. “Honestly if you asked me I’d say I have a shot with, like, every guy here, so... clearly my gaydar’s broken or something.”

[marlcnking2]

i temporarily fall in love with like any guy thats nice to me at all like the checkout guy at CVS told me to “stay dry” this morning bc it was raining and i thought about him for like 2 hours after that 

[marlcnking2]

starter for @ceryskj !

“Whatever you do, don’t let me buy this keyboard.” Eyes wide with desire, Marlon towered over the instrument before him, fingers playing with silent, dead keys. It was probably for the best that it wasn’t plugged in – no force on earth could have stopped him from buying it then. He couldn’t even give Cerys the courtesy of a glance as he spoke to her, his voice filled with awe. “I’m serious – I’m giving you permission right now to tackle me to the ground if I make even the slightest move on this keyboard.” Finally he looked at her, the sincerity in his eyes punctuated by the grin on his lips. “Full permission. Tackle. Violently. Got it?”

[marlcnking2]

starter for @logankumar !

To say that Marlon was in his element might have been an exaggeration, but he certainly felt more than home among the dozens of mingling singles hovering at the edges of the empty dance floor. Meeting his soulmate at a singles’ mixer was a meet-cute if he’d ever heard one, and his hopes had been high when he first arrived; but, as it turned out, luck wasn’t cheering him on that night. The event had since long already begun, but a lull in the activities afforded people the chance to catch up with their particular person of interest. Marlon, who had been making heart eyes at a particularly cute guy all evening, had decided to make his move -- but it was with wounded pride and smarting embarrassment that he returned to Logan, the poor friend he’d managed to drag to the event. “He’s not into guys,” Marlon sighed, shoulders drooping. “Apparently he just let me flirt with him earlier ‘cause he liked the attention.” He finished his drink in one fell swoop. “At least he came clean about it.”

[marlcnking2]

selenanewf‌:

“Oh no, I’m listening. Keep going – - please.”

Sarcasm dripped from every word, thick and heavy on her tongue while her fingers worked aimlessly against random letters to create an auto-corrected mess. The drone of potential conversation could be successfully blocked out with minimal work, but there was no way to avoid the huff of a waitress as she shuffled away from the bar. Far be it from Selena to care; she hadn’t exactly invited anyone for conversation, and she definitely didn’t ask for anyone to sit next to her just as she thought she was safely alone.

Instead of taking the usual approach of ‘if I ignore them, they’ll go away’, Selena made the mistake of scanning the person who apparently had enough social grace to leave a seat between them. Her typing resumed, a lengthy chain sent off to a friend’s number. The familiar sound of an outgoing message came before her cup of coffee was placed in front of her, leaving Selena to mentally reprimand herself for making sure the waitress hadn’t spit in it or something equally disgusting. But still, coffee was coffee and Selena was exhausted – - a long drink revealed that the coffee was ice cold and, judging by the taste, had been left over from the previous day or was simply a particularly shitty, store-bought brand.

“– - My god.” She shuddered, repulsed and suddenly in the mood for speaking to strangers. The kitsch neon sign above the coffee-pots was indicated with a nod of disdain, yet she still took another long drink. “I really hope this isn’t ‘the best coffee in town’.

“Oof, rookie mistake,” Marlon grimaced, having watched the exchange from his own table nearby. Since he was the closest in proximity to the woman, he assumed she directed her comments at him. While he might as well have had “Yikes” written on his forehead for how her earlier demeanor made him grimace, Marlon decided to let bygones be bygones. After all, there was always a reason for why people acted the way they acted; maybe she was just having a particularly bad day. Truth be told she kind of scared him a little, so it was more for his sake that he wished she simply had a bad day. “You definitely don’t come here for the coffee. Unless you’re some kinda masochist.” He indicated a section of the front desk, where beautifully decorated donuts were on display. “You come here for those. Best donuts ever.” He let out a chuckle, shaking his head. “They don’t really seem to realize their donuts are what people come for, but, hey. It’s kinda part of the charm.”

[marlcnking2]

iain-burke‌:

Surprisingly enough, many would unleash all their troubles onto Iain at the merest hint of empathy from him.  Sometimes because they were drunk, other times, because much like a therapist, they knew it was not his job to judge them, his job was to fill up their glass.  There was also the fact that like many people in the service industry, unless known personally by the patron, most forgo that they existed outside of their job, they were liminal beings.  To many, Iain was just a bartender, with no thoughts of his own, no outside life, he only existed within the confines of the pub and he felt that made it easier for them to confess their secrets.  So, he was more than surprised when the man instead of doing just that, went another route entirely.  “I see, I see.–” he paused for a moment.  ‘Although, I gotta say, I think ye might be lyin’ to me a bit. –By the sound of that accent, any chance you’re the fugitive?”  He asked, playing into the man’s act.  And despite the fact that on a night slow as this, the last thing he should be doing was giving out free pints, he figured the man helping Iain break the monotony of the evening deserved it, and after taking a moment to fill a glass up, placed it in front of the man.

To Marlon’s absolute delight -- which shone brightly through his smile clear as day -- the man poured him his free drink. Of course, Marlon also wrestled down the impulse to take his act in the most dramatic direction possible, complete with knocking over items on the bar in a bid for a distraction and rushing out of the joint as though he had something to hide. The fantasy was enough to sate his impulse -- it wasn’t like the man would chase him, even if the joke of it came across. Which Marlon knew it certainly wouldn’t. “What? No! I love my country. I’d never flee from it,” he protested, taking a big ole sip of his beer and looking away in faux guilt. “For all I know, you might be the man I’m looking for. That... Iri-- uh, Wel--...,” Marlon hesitated, his words dragged out in uncertainty. Curse his American ears! “...Scottish? Accent? Won’t work on me?” Innocence painted across his smile, he hoped against hope he was right. 

[marlcnking2]

dianacampbcll‌:

Live music had become something of a favourite pastime of hers, the more intimate the gig  the more she found herself enjoying it. It was one of the first things she had managed to stoke up the courage to attend on her own and though that day was over a year ago she had been faithfully going to open mic nights ever since. Some evenings were more hit and miss but there were a few singers that had stood out to her and ones that she did her best to follow. Tonight had been one of those occasions, her having fallen in love with Marlon’s music from the very first time she’d heard him. It was just a shame that the weather had chosen to put a literal dampner on the evening as soon as she left the pub. Familiar figure caught the corner of her eye as she put her umbrella up. “You were great in there tonight. Well, you are every night but -” Sheepish smile touched her lips as she realised that her rush to give a compliment had almost made it backhanded. Moving her arm slightly to make more room to share under her cover, the blonde spoke once more. “Do you want to share while you wait for your lift?”

Instantly, a smile broke out on his face. It was amazing that Marlon even had any smile left in him, considering Mother Nature pounded the streets as though she’d been told to execute Order 66 and bring God’s wrath to mankind, but as with most musicians, the way to get him in a good mood was to compliment his music. Granted, he had to strain a little bit to catch her words, but that wasn’t any fault of the blonde’s. “Hey, thanks,” Marlon beamed, his woes momentarily forgotten about. “I’ve seen you around a few times. Diana, right?” Normally it was difficult to keep track of the different bars and their regulars, but he’d seen her in venues both small and big; she was among the select few who seemed to go there for the music, rather than the drinks and food. Which Marlon could more than appreciate. “God, yes, thank you,” he breathed with relief, hunching over next to her. “Actually, you mind if I borrow your phone to call an Uber? Mine’s dead so I was deadass gonna walk home tonight. Lucky me, right?”

[marlcnking2]

theo-murray‌:

“What can I say, Mar, I’ve got fuckin’ multitudes.” He said with a shrug at the man’s questioning of just how he of all people knew how to tie a tie, and listened to Marlon go on and on about how whether Theo delivered the promised crisps would define their friendship.  He rolled his eyes, but also couldn’t help the fond smile tug at his lips.  He lucked out getting Marlon for a flatmate.  At first he had been pretty wary of rooming with an American, but it had turned out to be the right choice.   As Marlon padded back into his own room to change, Theo leaned himself against a door jam and out of pure habit, found himself opening back the same apps he had just closed, and mindlessly swiped through picture after picture, despite having already decided there was no one interesting around.  His eyes shot up as Marlon finally exited his bedroom.  he was about to get him with yet another barb of why it took him so long to get dressed when Theo stalled as Marlon asked him what they were doing.  “Uh–” It had been so long since he had been out on a weekend he had no clue what the hot spots even were anymore.  “Shit–I don’t know, don’t you like get gigs in cool places?  What about one of those?”

Reflexively Marlon went to put on his coat and shoes as he mulled over Theo’s words. “I mean... kinda?” Marlon shrugged, racking his brain for any particular place that had stood out to him over the past year-or-so. As far as cool places went, London was full of them -- but most happened to be clubs, bars, or pubs, or any variation thereof (whatever the distinction was). And Marlon wanted something a little more adventurous. “It’s hasn’t exactly been the Paris Catacombs--,” he started, when a sudden thought froze him in place. “Wait! I’ve got it!” Face lit up like a Christmas tree, Marlon spun around to face Theo, sliding his coat on in one fluid motion. “You’re gonna love it.” He paused. “Actually, I don’t know if you will, you might actually hate it, ‘cus of the-- uh, nope, not giving anything away. It’ll be a surprise.” Positively bursting at the seams with renewed energy, Marlon swung the door to the apartment open, waiting for Theo to comply. “After you, good sir,” he joked, mocking an awful London accent. 

[marlcnking2]

ik i’m fine on my own but where is the love of my life

[marlcnking2]

“But that’s just the trouble with me.”

[marlcnking2]

[marlcnking2]

I'm yvette

[marlcnking2]

me being ignored (now that i am mature): this is fine i suppose

[marlcnking2]

[marlcnking2]

*accidentaly vents to friend* great now i can never speak to them again