light a fire inside my soul.

( JAMIE MANNING ) twenty-nine, journalist and face on your prime time tv, somewhat of a writer on the side, engaged to be wed.

[jamiemanning-a]

lottiewoodburn.

Lottie had never been bothered about her birthday, at least not since she was little. Now she just saw it as her getting closer and closer to thirty by the very second, especially now that she was twenty-nine. She’d woken up to Jamie already being gone and a birthday card from her parents in the post, she had planned on taking her birthday off, but upon waking up to an empty apartment she’d just gotten up and went to work and had worked late. Arriving home to a still, empty apartment just made her think about how bad things had gotten; they hardly even say each other anymore and when they did all they did was fight and she hated it. She wasn’t even sure when he’d come home, but she assumed her must have, because when she got up his clothes from the day before were in the hamper and she had an apology text, with a promise to make it up to her. 

By the time the evening came Lottie had cleaned the apartment about three times, in an attempt to settle herself. Lottie was actually nervous, she didn’t want to fight again, but she couldn’t help but feel a little hurt that he’d missed her birthday. However,after a long talk with her brother on the phone, he’d told her to try and not cause a fight about it. She was fixing herself a glass of wine in the kitchen when she heard the door open, she took a long gulp and sat the glass down before turning around, plastering a smile on her face. ‘’Thank you.’’ she said softly, taking a step towards him and taking the flowers from his hands. ‘They’re beautiful.’’ Lottie said sincerely, before making her way over to the sink, quickly placing the flowers in water and sitting them on the side. ‘’Busy day?’’ she asked Jamie, quirking an eyebrow in his direction. 

There was no denying that he felt bad. That was a fact. Despite everything, despite the issues they had, she was still his fiancee and he still loved her. It was just hard, and it was getting increasingly harder and harder each waking minute. If he had it his own way, everything would be fine and they’d still be as happy as they were a year ago. He had always been a strong believer in one's own happiness, and what was the point in staying with someone if they didn’t make you happy anymore? But there had always been something about Lottie that was compelling— something about her that drew him to her time and time again. He’d never been able to put a finger on what it was, and he supposed that was why he stayed with her. Because she made him feel something that he hadn’t felt before. But now? Well, now it was different, and not just for himself. He knew she felt the same way as well, yet they were seemingly stuck in this loop of staying together even though they knew things were bad.

He smiled softly, nodding his response as he handed the flowers over to her before shoving his hands in his pockets in an act of slight hesitation. He watched as she set the flowers in water, eyes trailing over her every movement before he looked back up at her as she questioned him. A sigh slipped from his lips, his head nodding faintly. “Uh, yeah— always busy. Some huge story dropped this morning so everyone was running around like a mad person, naturally,” he tried for light humour, smiling tightly at her. “How was your day?” he questioned, finally taking a step closer to the kitchen, a step closer to her. His hand rested lightly on her hip as he pressed a kiss to the crown of her head, lingering there for a moment before pulling away with a smile and heading to the fridge. “I was going to make a chicken recipe, that all good?” he questioned her, a hand on the fridge. It was her birthday dinner, after all, he wanted her to be happy with it.

[jamiemanning-a]

addiscnsinclair.

“Not a big deal. Okay, whatever.” Addison rolled her eyes, unfiltered and unashamed of her bad mood and obvious disapproval. There was a hint of an ache in her chest at the idea that Jamie hadn’t told her something – no matter what it was, or what was plaguing his mind or heart, she’d always wanted to be his safe space. No ifs, buts, or maybes. It appeared that maybe she wasn’t. “And yeah of course I’m sorry, jackass. You know I want you to be happy and if Lottie does that, then I’m all for it. Any kind of bump in the road isn’t ideal, but– we’ll get through it. Emphasis on we, Manning. ‘Cause we’re a team.” It was delusional to say and reference the nostalgia of their ‘us against the world’ mantra; for a long time, it hadn’t been just them. Jamie had Lottie and Addison had whatever person wanted to stick around for a week or two before realising she was too much to handle. She wished it was just the two of them again – but it’d long since been discovered that she’d never have what her heart really wanted when it came to Jamie.

A sigh of defeat slipped from Jamie’s lips — he never could hide anything around Addison. Never had been able to, and he knew he never would be able to in the future. That was what he loved about their friendship, though; they were always there for each other 100% and always had each other's backs. It was a. comforting feeling. He sent a soft smile down in her direction, his chin resting on his shoulder as he gazed at her. “Yeah, I know,” he breathed out, his gaze lingering on her for a moment before it tore back to the path in front of them, “You’ve always got my back, I know this. Thank-you, Addie. You know I’d probably be dead in some ditch somewhere without you,” he grinned, though it slipped off his lips a mere second later, his thoughts returning to the troubles he and Lottie had been having. It’d been for far too long now, and he wasn’t proud to admit that out loud. “We’ll see, though. Not sure if we’re at a point of repair or just... not at the moment,” he spoke softly, biting down on his lower lip as they continued to walk.

[jamiemanning-a]

With a wicked smile, a dash of good looks and a love for journalism, it’s no surprise that Jamie Manning became the frontman of the local news program, reading out the days happening for the people of the town with a dazzling smile stretching across his lips. Some days, though, no matter how much he loved his job, it became a little tiring. Case in point: right now. A sigh slipped from his lips for what felt like the umpteenth time that day, hand running through his already-messy hair. “You know how some days you feel like the world is just competely and utterly against you?” he questioned to the person beside him in line for coffee. “Today is one of those days. It’s like the universe has decided it’s a day to mess everything up in my life,” he half-sighed, half-groaned, motioning to the blatant coffee stain on his shirt. He wasn’t having the best of times.

[jamiemanning-a]

drharlow-graham.

Jamie was someone that Harlow knew well, not intimately perhaps, but well enough. It did help a lot that he didn’t shun her like the rest of the town did. A small light of relief lit in her chest when she saw it was him, smiling again. “No worries. They just look really great on your face.” She tilts her head, holding her purchase bag in front of her. “How have you been, Jame?”

It was easy to return Harlow’s smile, bright and wide as he tilted his head at her. He chuckled softly, nodding briefly, “Well, thank-you.” His shoulders shrugged up and down once, a half-frown half-smile crossing his lips. “The usual. Working as always and if not that trying to not let Lottie get stressed over wedding planning,” he chuckled, only telling half the truth. The entire town didn’t need to know about the tension that had arisen between himself and his fiancee. “How about yourself? Still saving lives?” he grinned.

[jamiemanning-a]

addiscnsinclair.

Wedding planning is on halt. For two people that had been attached at the hip since what felt like infancy, sharing thoughts and feelings was second nature; to not know something had Addison freezing in shock momentarily, falling half a step behind before their linked arms had her jolting back ahead and stumbling into his side gently. “What the fuck– since when?” Her mind was whirling at a million miles per hour, trying to figure out why she didn’t pick up on the subtle clues when she’d visited for dinner and all the other occasions the three of them were forced around one another. There was also a part of her brain, angrily directing thought towards her heart: don’t get your hopes up. And then, in a show of strange character considering how notoriously insensitive she could be, Addison added: “I’m sorry.” It only sounded half genuine.

The half-groan, half-sigh that left his lips was predictable. He knew Addison like the palm of his hand, knew her better than he knew himself if he was to be completely honest and he knew she’d react this way. And really, he couldn’t blame her. They were best friends and they shared every detail of their life — that’s simply how it had always been. But this? It felt... different. “Just— a couple of months. It didn’t seem like a big deal so I just didn’t mention it...” he trailed off, mumbling slightly because no matter how hard he tried to downplay it, putting off wedding planning was a big deal. He snorted slight laughter at her attempt at a half-assed apology. “Are you now?” he joked with a smile directed down at her, nudging her playfully. He shrugged, his mind focusing back on the more serious notions of the topic. “We’re both busy with work and things have been a bit off, so we’ve just pushed the planning to the side for now. No issue,” he spoke, though it was an obvious attempt at making things seem like they were okay when they were not.

[jamiemanning-a]

            —attn: @lottiewoodburn

A sigh begged to slip past his lips as a hand hovered over the front door handle, his other hand holding a bouqet of flowers. It never was an easy thing to come home to Lottie knowing they’d more than likely end up in a fight— and over what? That was a question he’d often ask himself. What on earth were they even bickering about? Today, it was even harder. He’d missed her birthday yesterday, caught up at work and creeping back home at nearly midnight. He hadn’t meant to miss it, he swore, he wasn’t that terrible of a fiance even if they weren’t on the greatest of terms as of right now. He’d planned a dinner, his own cooking, of course, but that plan had all gone to shit. He hadn’t even seen her this morning, another early start for himself, he only had the time to send her a quick text of I’m sorry, I’ll make it up to you tonight. Which lead him to now. He let the sigh slip past his lips, turning the door handle and walking inside. His bag was dropped to the floor as he made a beeline for the kitchen, hearing faint noise there, and upon arriving he rested against the wall, a sad smile on his lips as he held up the flowers. “Happy Birthday,” he offered in a quiet greeting, his voice soft and downtrodded as he eyed her.

[jamiemanning-a]

drharlow-graham.

As much as Harlow tended to mind her own business when she was out and about on a ‘date’ with herself, something caught her eye in the middle of perusing. She’d come out specifically to find herself some tall lace up leather boots, but one of her fellow shoppers happened to have a bombass pair of glasses on. Not one to leave herself in wondering, and nowhere near shy by nature, Harlow walked up to them and tapped them on the shoulder, treating them with a brilliant smile when they turned. “I am so sorry to bother you but your glasses are really amazing. Do you know where you got them from?”

Mindless, Jamie was caught up in his own thoughts as he roamed about the town on his lunch break from work— or, what they called a lunch break despite it was not lunch time. Completely lost in his own thoughts of the mild mess his life has become, he almost didn’t hear the voice questioning him. However, as he did come to his senses and felt the tap on his shoulder he turned and grinned at the familiar face. “Some kind of market, actually, I couldn’t tell you exactly where I’m sorry to say,” he spoke with a slight frown. 

[jamiemanning-a]

chilljulian.

In a good mood… as he usually was, Julian had a drink in hand as he looked around the group of people collected, observational as always and waiting for something to break out. Some sort of fight - verbal, of course. He wasn’t crazy enough to wish for an actual fist fight. A group of drunk people only meant fun drama could come from it, in Julian’s mind, and it was always what encouraged him to stick around at gatherings in the first place. Just as there seemed to be an altercation between a couple, Julian was giving whoever stood beside him an excited nudge. “What do you think’s gonna happen? My bet is the girl’s gonna slap ‘em. She’s kinda small, but the shorter, the more anger they have festering inside them, it seems like, since they’re always… struggling to reach things, and… well, I don’t know what else. Why are short people always so angry?”  He seemed distracted and curious, for a moment, before shrugging. “It sounds like he deserves it… though, most boys always do. Except me. I’ve never deserved it, since I’m such a sweetheart, and yet it’s happened to me two incredibly unfair times,” he admitted with a huff. “Anyways… wanna make bets before it all falls apart? We gotta make it quick.”

It wasn’t a rarity that Jamie make a pitstop at whatever bar or pub that sprung to mind as he was venturing home from work. As busy as the day was today, he felt the need for a drink desperately, and in turn, he found himself witnessing... well, something. He turned to his companion and half-smirked, half-laughed. Shaking his head at the male’s antics, he turned his attention to the couple before them and pursed his lips slightly. “There’s got to be some form of research to answer that question with the number of short people who always seem to be the most pent up in the world,” he spoke with a nod of his head, now for some reason eager to see how it did all roll out. “Except you?” he questioned with a quirk of the brow, “Come on, man. We’re all dumb. There’s got to be something stupid you’ve done in your life in regards to a girl,” he chuckled before quirking a brow again, his interest piqued. “Hm, perhaps a bet. I don’t know if she’ll actually slap him, might not want to cause a scene and all... what do you think?”

[jamiemanning-a]

emilierockefeller.

Emilie hissed in pain as her hand came up to check if her nose was broken, but the lack of blood told her she was okay, though she knew she’d have a nasty bruise coming on. Telling a desperate someone that she wasn’t going to make any deals in public had been enough to set the other off, his fist colliding with her face before Emilie could react – and the guy had disappeared just as fast. Looking around, a humorless chuckle slipped from her lips. “It didn’t even hurt,” she spoke, to no one in particular, her hands moving to smooth down the front of her coat. “It’s fine, we’re all fine here.”

A casual stroll didn’t usually entail seeing a man punch a seemingly innocent woman square in the nose. His eyes had widened, a state of shock rooting him to his place for a few seconds before he shook himself out of it and half-jogged towards her. He heard the tail ends of her it’s fine, we’re all fine here and he found himself chuckling nervously. “Are you sure? He got you pretty good there,” he spoke, his face scrunching up in mild distaste as he cocked his head at her. “You’ll have a nasty bruise, that’s for sure.”

[jamiemanning-a]

addiesinclair.

( @jamiemanning ) Out of her apartment and onto the street, the two best friends walked arm in arm on their way to their usual lunch spot. It wasn’t often that Addison had a day off that coincided with Jamie’s, which meant their socialising consisted over Snapchat and late nights. This time the sun was out and they could finally catch up on everything. Which meant one thing: having to talk about his fiancée. Although Addison’s view on fairytale endings and family had been warped recently, it didn’t deter the fact she should be happy for the man she’d known all her life. Even though she’s been in love with him the whole time. “So, how goes almost married life? Wedding planning must be a breeze with Bridezilla.”

It was a soothing sort of thing walking to streets he’d known his entire life with his best friend by his side. His mind may have been muddled with a countless amount of thoughts— work, writing, his parents, his fiancee —but it was nice to just breathe for a moment in time. Simply breathe and walk with Addison, not a care in the world. Until the dreaded W word slid into the conversation and his nose immediately scrunched up in distaste. “Wedding planning is on a halt,” he began slowly, eyes cast ahead, not wanting to take in Addison’s reaction. “It’s uh– things are a little tense at the moment, so we’ve kind of just… stopped planning for a bit,” he finished with a shrug and a half-hearted smile down in her direction. “No big deal.”

[jamiemanning-a]

hi everyone! i’m emily and this is my sweet son jamie manning. he’s a journalist, has lived in devinstone his entire life and just needs a break tbh. some doint points below on some info about him / ideas for plotting!

so, journalist. he also reads the nightly news and as you can imagine from his face he’s super popular amongst middle-aged women (lmfao). he really loves his job and wouldn’t trade it for anything.

he also sometimes writes for a lifestyle magazine about anything that’s not of an important nature; it’s soothing for him to be able to be creative.

his full bio is here, which explains his childhood / life with this parents, buuut in a summary — basically they pushed him a wee bit too hard when he was young into making sure he was the Smartest Kid Out and it all blew up in high school when jamie was like ‘no, fuck y’all, i’m still good either way’. now it’s not tense, per se, with his parents but still a little iffy and he has the undying need to please them because of how he was brought up

he’s engaged. has been for about a year. i’m probably gonna put out a wanted connection for it, but basically they on the rocks like crazy and it’s almost as if the only reason they’re still together now is that this girl is exactly the kind of girl his parents want him to marry (see, my smol beb can’t escape his parents).

he’s honest to god a Good Person. like. the best. he’s always smiling and trying to be happy, he’s civil and polite af, like hella peacemaker. he’s charming and charismatic and basically just an all round good guy.

someone please wreck him.

i don’t have a plots page yet, mostly cause i’m lazy but just know i’m down for anything and everything.

[devinstonerpg]

JAMIE MANNING ⎯ TWENTY-NINE ⎯ HE/HIM ⎯ JOURNALIST ⎯ COVENTRY HILL.

❝ You’re allowed to change what you want in life. people do it all the time. ❞

+ boisterous, diligent, outgoing, confident, modest. - weak-willed, headstrong, overzealous, impulsive, restless.

A sunny day, bright and early, the cusp of dawn, the sound of wails echo over the birds chirping in the background and Jamie Manning was brought to life. From the moment he was born, he was deemed for greatness by his parents who will forever argue they only want the best for their only child. Growing up, Jamie was given the best of everything. The best of toys, food, education, the best tutors and of course his parents own great minds to steer him in the direction of greatness. He was a young, privileged child who thought his parents were superheroes in their own right for giving him a wonderful life and continuing to work hard at their own respective jobs. What he didn’t see, was the slight pushiness they exuded on a daily basis. In his young age, he was blissfully unaware for his parents were only providing the best for him. They only wanted the best for him and for him to be the best that he could be. That his potential was achieved to its highest point and no lower than that. He mistook this for the normal type of parental love, because what child was to think that their parents would treat anyone that way? He was a happy child, too, there was no mistaking that in the slightest. Always smiling, always there for people, as beyond his parents pushing him to his highest limits they did teach him to be polite and respectful – a lesson he’s forever grateful for. Ever the diplomat, he was always there as the peacemaker in any given scenario.

Years faded into years and as he grew into his mind it was expected even more so that he’d do great things in life. With two parents who excelled in their respective fields, it was no doubt that their son would be some form of prodigy. As he grew into his teenage years and eventually embarked through high school, it was then that he realised that maybe his parents were pushing him slightly too hard. Though, he kept his thoughts to himself for the longest of times until he was slightly older, almost out of high school and yonly then did he snap. It was an argument that was both diplomatic and tiring, with both him and his parents arguing their own points and sides to the story, but tiring in a sense that it’s always the worst when you argue with the people you love the most. In the end, they came to their senses and so did Jamie, both having argued their own points. His parents only wanted the best for him and they realised they may have been a little too harsh on him in the past. Jamie knew they only wanted the best for him, but agreed they could tone it down a little. With that out in the air and seemingly cleared, he still wanted to do them proud and it was a teary moment when he decided he was going to take after his mother and venture down the career of journalism. It wasn’t just to make them proud, he truly enjoyed it and could see himself in the field.

College was a breeze for him, having been groomed from a young age with such a bright nature. He enjoyed it thoroughly and it knew he’d picked the right path to venture down for his future. Despite the blow up of the century with his parents (as he dubbed it over time), he still had the little feeling inside of him that itched to impress them and make them know he was being the best that he could be. It was a trait he didn’t necessarily like, but having grown up accustomed to doing his parents proud he couldn’t help himself. Graduation grew close, and he found himself thrown into the real world. He travelled for a little while with his best friend Addison, throughout his early twenties and as he graduated. He’s well travelled, has a job that he loves and excels at and really couldn’t ask for more in life. Though, there’s still a missing piece that feels like its embedded inside his soul, something missing… something more, even though he cannot figure out for the life of him what. It’s always been this way and continues to be this way up until this day. He tries his hardest to push the feeling aside, but has a strong feeling it’s something to do with his parents and the way he grew up.

[mancandykings]

[oliviadumhan]

[jamiemanning-a]

✧ — tag drop.