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truecrimethirdeyeblind · 9 months

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TYLER DOYLE, MISSING DUCK HUNTER LITTLE RIVER, SOUTH CAROLINA 1/26/23

Everyone deserves for their story to be told; no matter who they are, if they are not here to tell it, they deserve to have a voice. With this blog, I hope to be that listening ear to that voice in the darkness and make sure that their story is broadcasted to the best of my ability.

Coastal South Carolina is filled with beauty and wonder; marshlands that support an entire ecosystem of fish and birds and other wildlife. The low country streams and rivers meander into lakes and slough off into swampy marsh filled with turtles and heron and cayman. In summer, the air is heavy with brine and still except for the sounds of crickets and tree frogs and splashes of alligators. Spanish moss drapes wanton like forest green curtains hung haphazardly over live oaks that stretch into the sultry southern sky.

There are wide expanses of beach, sand and dunes, beach grass bending to the wind in a cadence matching the ever present tides. The blue green Atlantic beckons like a siren, calling in surfers and swimmers and boaters and fishermen. On stormy days and the skies turn grey casting a pall on the cerulean sea as it churns into blue grey whorls; those are the days the sea claims them all for its own.

Every year, over 20 million people flock to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to enjoy the sun and sand by day and by night there are hundreds of activities and adventures to choose from. There are aquariums, amusement parks, over 2000 restaurants, and more mini golf than you can shake a stick at. If you should you choose, you can even take a cruise on a casino boat and try your hand with Lady Luck.

But for every bit of paradise, there always seems to be a sinister side. For all that beauty and wonder, there is a matched darkness and evil. According to the FBI’s latest US Crime Report, Myrtle Beach, SC is now officially the 3rd most dangerous city in the United States (Charlotte Stories, 2019). These are high statistics and surprising because most would assume that larger cities like New York City or Los Angeles would fall highest on that list.

Crimes listed vary from murder to larceny to kidnapping. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources reported in 2022 (SCDNR.gov 2023) that missing persons cases went up by 131%. Again, these are high statistics and suggest that perhaps there is a trend given that crime in general is high in this city.

Just North of this crime mecca is North Myrtle Beach which ranked at number 30 on the same federal list. That is where this untold story comes in. North Myrtle Beach/Little River is some of the most beautiful raw nature on South Carolina’s coast. It boasts a small town running along the Intracoastal Waterway, rife with beautiful waterfront homes and sandy beaches that lead to the Atlantic. There are oyster beds on the intracoastal and long marsh-walks stretching across the vast waterways that course out to the Atlantic. The area is rich with history and family owned land dating back to the 1800s in the glory days of lumber mills.

On January 26, 2023, Tyler Doyle, a duck hunter from Loris, South Carolina went missing right there in Little River, South Carolina. As the story goes, he was going duck hunting that afternoon with a friend. He is said to have dropped the friend at the jetty rocks in order to go scare up some ducks to shoot. The friend calls 911 some minutes later stating that “I am in the ocean and my boat is drifting out into the ocean.” The 911 dispatcher asks for verification if anyone is hurt on the boat. There is a pause. He then states “I’m on the jetty rocks, Tyler, a buddy of mine; his boat is sinking.” He explains that Tyler had called him in distress and that the engine had cut off and the boat was taking on water.

The friend asks to hang up so that he may call Tyler and check on him. He has stated that he cannot see him any longer and that he had turned away and when he looked back, he was gone. The 911 dispatcher instructs him to hang up to call Tyler and call her right back. Several minutes pass and the friend calls back. On this second 911 call, he states that he was not able to reach him. Phone records later showed that he had not even attempted to call him. Instead, he had called a different friend for assistance stating that “If I need you, will you come.” Just tuck that little feather in your hat for later.

The 911 operator patches him through to the Coast Guard who is already on the way. He tells the dispatcher before the patch that he cannot see the boat. The dispatcher tells the caller that the Coast Guard should be there, as in they at least should be visible.

TLDR: The friend is picked up from the jetties by a rescue boat. He is transported to the landing. There is at first a report of two people being rescued, so there is momentary confusion. Did Tyler get rescued as well?

It turned out that he did not. A 911 call from a family member from that night reveals the anguish felt in learning that Tyler Doyle was indeed missing.

Remember that feather? Yeah, go ahead and pluck it out. At the landing, the friend who was with Tyler, now the sole witness of his disappearance, refused medical care even though he had to get in the water in order to be rescued by waiting officials. He denied treatment for potential hypothermia. He stated that he was waiting for his friend. Everyone assumed he meant Tyler, but he did not.

The friend that showed up, the one he had called instead of Tyler, was given possession of the gun and waders that was on his person during the time in question. No explanation was given for why these items were allowed to be removed by a civilian who then later refused to come to the station to give a statement. It was instead written by the lead investigator.

Hours pass, officials arrive and a search is made. It is suspended around 10:00 pm due to unfavorable conditions, stating that they would regroup in the morning.

Over the ensuing days and weeks, they searched over 600 square miles of ocean, all the way up into the Cape Fear River because some duck decoys had been found. Five days into the search, a family led search party found a pair of waders. They contained Tyler’s wallet with identifying information and cash. It is unclear whether the items were wet or dry; there is conflicting information that has been released at the time of this post. After that, the trail went cold. The search was officially called off after 43 days; ruled a boating accident and no foul play was suspected.

And yet there are questions. There are always questions when someone disappears but this case felt different to me so I stayed in tune. I began to research. I gathered my own evidence. I walked the beaches with which I was already so familiar. I had spent my entire life traveling to this area. And then I realize that is why this bothered me so much. I know the area like the back of my hand. The jetties are not some magical wall that occludes visibility. The friend should have been able to see Tyler at all times.

Immediately after Tyler went missing, posts began to circulate. Tyler Doyle Discussion groups began to form. These groups grew to over 100k in some instances. There was infighting in the groups. In the wake of no information being found and day after day, reports that Tyler had not been found, people started to speculate and it got a little crazy: Somebody came and stole somebody’s Daddy. Wild theories emerged. Tyler was in Mexico with a mysterious pop up go-fund me that grew to over 30K and was then cut off due to the speculations and criticism over the web-based charity pot. For a brief time, Tyler was thought to be on the run because he had been charged with attempted murder. On searching records, officials were immediately able to verify that those charges had been dismissed and expunged far prior to the incident in which Tyler went missing.

Family was not heard from during the early months of the search for Tyler and subsequent quest for answers. They started to speak up as their shock wore off and they have questions too.

The reports and statements submitted by the investigating body are sloppy and incomplete at best. However, it should be noted that this law enforcement agency is not designed to investigate foul play or even trained to recognize patterns or critical thinking in criminal situations. They are put in place to deal with land and endangered species preservation in times of accidents, give out gaming tickets and patrol the waterways for potential dangers.

Besides, it was a small Southern town. Everyone knows everyone; who could possibly want to hurt him? Living in the low country though, everything isn't as it seems sometimes. Not everyone has that idyllic white picket life.

As it turns out; things were not perfect in his life. There were echoes of marital strife with a baby on the way in a fairly new marriage. In June, the wife moved out of the home she shared with her missing husband; lawsuits were filed against her by Tyler’s family for allegedly removing items that she shouldn’t have. The case is still ongoing at the time of publishing of this post.

And what of the attempted murder charges which were said to be connected to a Snapchat argument between Tyler’s brother and some unknown individuals who later did not show up for the trial?

Could it have been a revenge killing? Did someone have something against Tyler? The bigger question in my mind was that I know duck hunters. When I ran this case by them, their first question was “why was he going duck hunting in the afternoon.” For myself, the area in question does not seem conducive to duck hunting. I’ve gone down there my whole life and again that’s why this case has always bothered e me.

There are more questions on this case than answers and as of December 5, 2023, SLED (South Carolina Law Enforcement Division) joined the case of missing Tyler Doyle. As of December 11, 2023; SLED officials picked up Tyler’s boat from SCDNR.

The family, the media, and thousands of interested parties now await what could be a months-long review of the investigation. Witnesses could be called back in for questioning and further statements could be needed in order to sort out the cloudy timeline of events surrounding the disappearance of this young husband and father to be.

I will be posting more about this case as it develops and filling in information that I have been able to find on my own. It has been nearly 11 months since Tyler went missing and Christmas is approaching. I am sure that his presence is dearly missed. Tyler is described as a thoughtful kind young man by all that knew and loved him.

We can only hope that answers are found soon and that Tyler can be found and laid to rest and his family and friends can gain some semblance of closure.

The question remains: What really happened to Tyler Doyle?

Roxy Jane Slater©

True Crime Journalist / Web Blogger

#true crime #missing persons #tyler doyle #scdnr #sled

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demonstars · 1 year

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BASICALLY ryden was like . my main bandom space and like. only in getting older am i appreciating the insanities of petekey and others but like. ryden was CRAZY they were BEST FRIENDS they hung out all the time they had this whole bit on stage where brendon would almost kiss ryan while monologuing about meeting your lover and leaning in 'for that perfect, passionate kiss' and the band and their touring band and some crew went to myrtle beach and ryan made this fucking livejournal poetry post that is so fucking famous and you have to look it up but it FAMOUSLY contains the line 'you don't have to love me. you already did. at least enough to keep me smiling from South Carolina to Virginia. it's for lovers (orjustfriends) this is why i do it' and their next album after that tour was going to be this concept love story that they eventually scrapped (cabin album my cabin album) and then they wrote pretty odd and that album was just. full of love. and love in the summer and NORTHERN DOWNPOUR. a song brendon famously Cannot sing live like. has choked up singing it live. after an INTERVIEW where ryan and brendon broke down the songs and ryan was like 'i told him to pay special attention to the line 'i know the world's a broken bone, but melt your headaches call it home'' and GUESS WHICH LINE? BRENDON STARTS CRYING ON? WHEN HE SANG IT LIVE AFTER THE BREAKUP anYWAY the album after the breakup is full of all this like . breakup music and ur like ok fine but it's like . messy i still love you but i'm spiteful but when i think of summer i think of us breakup songs and some of them fucking interpolate PETE'S LIVEJOURNAL POETRY about perceived summer of like stuff it's all just SO . and like. THEY WERE BEST FUCKING FRIENDS they did so much together and now they don't even acknowledge the other in literally any context. ALSO ??? there was a STALKER that got ryan's number and messaged him pretending to be brendon for a while and it was so sick and it was confirmed because ryan's MANAGER AT THE TIME made a statement about it but the stalker basically messaged ryan talking about like, wanting to reconnect and missing him and all this shit and ryan was fully reciprocating the sentiments and the stalker ALSO INVITED RYAN TO BRENDON'S WEDDING ???? and ryan was like 'yeah i'd love to be there please let me know' and the stalker fucking posted the conversations online w people to be like 'awe how cute look at ryan missing brendon' never mind brendon literally got married and hadn't invited ryan and ryan thought he had ? and then after it all came out that it was a stalker ryan posted all this really upsetting stuff and ppl were like . genuinely worried about his well being . anyway they haven't publicly interacted in YEARS except they randomly got invited to the same halloween party a couple years ago and brendon spoke about it in a radio interview. later on in that interview he talked about wanting to make out w ryan gosling. when he was in the airport some paparazzi approached him like 'hey have u reached out to ryan' and brendon thought they were tlaking about ryan ross so he started talking about ryan ross and then the paparazzi were like 'so how... how would the makeout go?' and brendon's entire face dropped he was like 'oH RYAN GOSLING OH LMAO' and had a very Not Normal reaction . anyway .

ryan had his 21st birthday in new york at a club w his girlfriend and all of their of age friends (brendon is a year younger) and tHAT NIGHT was spotted having dinner w brendon in seattle in the SAME FUCKING CLOTHES HE'D WORN TO HIS PARTY . only known because a fan captured a photo with them and was like 'omg i just met brendon and ryan in seattle' and everyone was like ??? what the fuck ? and then northern downpour has the lyrics 'i missed your skin when you were east, you clicked your heels and wished for me' . lots of weird seattle lore.

there's so much more. there's so much . bestie . oh myfucking go d. they were crazy . normal weird crazy insane boy best friends that don't talk anymore and someone on twitter once asked what ryan thought of brendon and he answered 'he's my boy. always will be.' and it literally makes me sick to my stomach ok i'm done this is wildly incoherent bye <3 oh my god i just scrolled back this is. horrible . this is a scattered fraction of what ryden was up to . i can't be coherent about them. they makey me crazy :(

no actually i have to add that they had a . pete patrick dynamic where ryan wrote lyrics and brendon did music like. ryan was main contributor for all lyric stuff and how fucking sick is it that brendon got famous off RYAN pouring his emo teenage heart out and brendon has taken HIS BAND and driven it into the fucking ground and killed it. TOOK HIS CHILDHOOD BEST FRIEND! SPENCER AND RYAN GREW UP TOGETHER ON THE SAME FUCKING STREET WHAT DO YOU MEAN BRENDON GOT HIM IN THE DIVORCE ? BRENDON WAS AT HIS WEDDING AND NOT RYAN ? i'm . i'm gonna send you the rolling stones interview moment . crazy shit

ok sorry bye <3

this is fucking crazy. I literally feel like this was getting hit after hit and you tell me this is something you guys walk around knowing and have to live with.

#I am so fucking sorry for the everything . I feel like this would make anyone kind of insane #also i need to watch that video you sent me this is CRAZY like I cannot stress it enough #star asks #fave

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benjaminftw · 1 year

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Journeyman Appreciation: Bobby Dotter

Following the theme of my last post in this series, I wanted to spotlight somebody else who found another niche in racing after the end of his driving career: Bobby Dotter.

Born in Chicago, Bobby Dotter was the son of a midwestern legend, Bob Dotter who despite having just one arm won three ARCA championships in the 1980s. While dominating Illinois short tracks in late models, Bobby spent much of the 1980s making sporadic starts in the ARCA series in which his father had had so much success, with a best finish of 5th at Pocono 1983 and a handful of top 10s but never running more than 4 races in a season.

In 1988, Bobby began racing in the Busch Grand National Series which would be his home for a number of years going forward, driving a car owned by his father in a limited schedule focused on the short tracks, showing real flashes of promise with a pole at the tricky Louisville and top 10s at the legendary Hickory and IRP tracks. In 1989 Bobby made just one start, but it was a top 10 finish at Martinsville and the first start for the car owner he’d spend a bulk of his career with, Ed Reizen in his number 08 car.

In 1990 Dotter and Reizen would run their first full season together. Although they DNQ’d at two of the biggest events on the schedule, the Daytona 500 and World 600 support races, Bobby proved very good on the short tracks picking up 8 finishes inside the top 10 over the course of the year and best finish of 4th at Myrtle Beach Speedway, ending the year 14th in points. Still under sponsored, Dotter backslid in terms of average start, average finish, and had half the top 10s in 1991 but tied his career best finish of 4th at South Boston and once again came home 14th in the final standings.

In 1992 Bobby had his crowning achievement in NASCAR, winning a race at the New River Valley Speedway in Southwest VA (later better known as “Motor Mile Speedway”, and the hometrack of this writer where he has been multiple times to catch local racing) in convincing fashion but putting up identical top 5 and top 10 numbers as the year before and seeing his average finish drop a bit, placing 16th in points.

In 1993 Reizen and Dotter finally picked up substantial sponsorship from DeWalt tools which led to a dramatic turnaround for that team, matching career highs in top 10s (8) and a best ever top 5 count (3) and placing solidly in the 7th place in points, a feat that would be replicated with one less top 5 in 1994, in both years managing to outpoint numerous better known drivers with wins to their credit. In 1995 DeWalt was replaced by Hyde Tools, and while the team still managed 6 top 10s they had a dramatic increase in DNFs including a number of engine failures and a DNQ at Richmond and slid back to 14th in points. Reizen’s team shut down at the end of the year.

Thus began the true journeyman portion of his career, having consistently driven for the same owner for most of his time. While Bobby started 1996 with Dennis Shoemaker’s number 64 Dura Lube car, he failed to qualify for two out of the first three races and they soon parted ways. Bobby then hooked up with Ray DeWitt whom you might remember from the Tim Fedewa entry, replacing Johnny Chapman in the 55 car for 15 events in ‘96 with a best finish coming in his first race with the team at Nashville where he placed 10th. Bobby also made a start at Hickory driving a 08 car he owned himself to a 13th place finish and made two starts for Cup legend Kenny Schrader with a best finish of 12th at Dover.

The rest of the 90s were pretty lean for Bobby. Through 1999 he made just 3 Busch Series starts, all coming in an 08 car he owned himself with a best finish of 15th, one lap down, at Milwaukee in 1998. He made 9 Truck Series starts, 8 of which coming for Carl Wegner, with his best finish being a pair of 16ths. He also scored a couple of top 10 finishes in the ARCA series in 4 starts and ran a partial schedule in the NASCAR Winston West series in 1999 with 3 top 10s in 6 starts. Presumably it was this last stint that led to what would be the third stage of his career.

In the 2000 season Bobby Dotter finally returned to full-time racing with a second car fielded by owner-driver Gene Christensen in the Winston West Series, sponsored by Christensen’s People Against Drugs organization. The combo proved potent, with Dotter winning four times: at the legendary Laguna Seca road course, twice at Irwindale and one at the Rocky Mountain Raceway in Utah. He also finished in the top 10 in 9 out of 12 events on the schedule, and finished runner up in points to the young off-road hotshot Brendan Gaughan. Dotter and Christensen also ran a couple of Truck series races together with a best finish of 17th at Bobby’s “home track” (Chicagoland Speedway and Chicago Motor Speedway weren’t built until the early 00s) of Milwaukee.

This led to the entire organization moving into the Truck series full-time with Bobby’s iconic 08, once again primarily sponsored by People Against Drugs, in 2001. The team had a number of mechanical failures and just one top 10 finish, a 10th at IRP, but still likely exceeded expectations by proving a regular fixture within the top 20 and coming home 15th in points, with Bobby also scoring a 27th for Fred Bickford in his first Busch Series start in several years at Phoenix. In 2002, the team scored more consistent outside sponsorship and generally improved their pace in most areas, scoring Bobby and the team’s first top 5 finish at Martinsville and collecting 3 more top 10s en route to 14th place points finish and much higher average finish.

In 2003, Bobby stepped back from full-time driving while in his early 40s to focus on his role as the General Manager of Christensen’s Green Light Racing. Between ‘03 and ‘04, he ran 13 races for the team, primarily when they lacked sponsorship on one of their two entries. In 2004 Bobby also made his final Busch Grand National start, coming home 26th, 6 laps down for Rick Ware at his beloved Milwaukee Mile. Bobby’s final Truck starts would primarily be field filler start-and-park entries for the team in ‘07-08.

Sometime around the 2008 season, Gene Christensen sold his interest in Green Light Racing which had merged with SS Racing to Bobby Dotter, who dedicated himself full-time to being a truck and car owner. In 2014 the team moved into Xfinity series racing where they would later get their first win at any level in 2002 with Cole Custer driving for the team in a partnership with Stewart-Haas Racing, and having provided a home for many young and veteran drivers both in the midpack of the series for nearly a decade.

#journeyman #motorsports #auto racing #nascar #nascar xfinity series #nascar truck series

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eloiseabernathy · 9 months

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under the cut is to take a look into eloise's summer and some wanted connections for the new semester !

post - fire : eloise spent most of her time the first few weeks of summer settled in her home. naomi abernathy was incredibly freaked out to learn that her daughter suffered a few second to third degree burns on various parts of her body. wouldn’t allow her to do much outside of the house to make sure the burns healed properly. eloise spent most of this time catching up on her to be read list that had been piling up throughout the school year. she pretty much lived inside of her reading nook in her room.

june : celebrated her 21st birthday. did not get drunk or party. spent time learning how to cook some of her favorite recipes from childhood, grew a love for baking. experimented with different cupcake recipes - found a recipe for cookie dough cupcakes. found out that that was the best thing she had ever made.

july : for the first week of july, eloise vacationed in myrtle beach, south carolina where her love for swimming began. loved the ability to swim underwater and the relaxation that came from it.

mid-july : ronan zeng came to portsmouth, new hampshire. naomi abernathy forced housed him, not seeing a reason to spend money on a hotel when they had a perfectly fine guest room. eloise was nervous because she hadn’t really spoke about her family’s finances (it was never a topic of conversation) - she was mainly nervous that it wouldn’t be good enough for ronan. she’s not sure why she cared so much, especially since his constant flirting usually got on her nerves. decided to bake while he was visiting. took him to some of her favorite thrift stores, coffee shops, and other little shops around town. very wholesome.

august : eloise spent a week at the morrison’s hampton’s house. truthfully, eloise was just glad to get away from her hometown for a short week. she brought homemade brownies for their family. eloise spent the rest of summer break helping out around her hometown. her neighbors needed someone to house sit for awhile, looking after the cats and their plants. she visited with old friends, just tried to enjoy the rest of her summer before back on campus. spent a lot of time with her mom, making sure their garden was weeded and that the new flowers were thriving.

wanted connections!

so, idk how, idk when but i really want her to have some kind of existential crisis or a breakdown. maybe she could fall down from where she stands rn. starts partying a bit more, starts slacking off a bit more. maybe to the point where she's gonna lose her scholarship. idk. just something!!!!

i want to explore connections where she used them to try and get a higher level on the social ladder. this could be hookups, etc

would like to sort of explore getting into a relationship?? could end badly. she hasn't been in an actual relationship since link, so y'know.

maybe a hookup during the summer??

#🎀 ❛ musings ┉ the pawn in every lover's game.#🎀 ❛ time frame ┉ summer 2023.#i will update this if anything else gets plotted but for rn

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polyamorouspunk · 1 year

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Hello friend you invited the chaos

So so so. Recap: friends for years, he dumped his toxic ex, started therapy, we start actually talking.

OKAY. So we were officially dating like *last week*. Monday I was over his house and things were good. Tuesday night/Wednesday morning I legit thought he died cause he wasn’t answering his phone (he did not die he just broke his phone, but the worry was there cause I know he deals with depression).

But while thinking he was possibly dead, I had a job interview at the really cool lab and Im gonna be calibrating gas detectors and doing titrations every monday!! (Spoiler I got the job).

And then I had a second one later in the day after he got his new phone but this one was in some sketchy basement lab with two other employees that are both grown men and Im honestly surprised I didnt die down there.

And then thursday I went to my first therapy session to help deal with anxiety and some other shit right. (It will be so fun showing up after my intake appointment with an entirely new set of issues). Oh also this entire week is happening while my autoimmune disorder is flaring too. Thats also a thing. But also. At this point, things are still fine with the guy. Like he was talking about introducing me to his friends and shit.

BUT OKAY THEN FRIDAY HAPPENS. AND THIS IS THE DAY THAT ALL THINGS WENT TO HELL. *He* invited me over his house during the day while most of his family was gone. And I went cause I was off work and also like. At that point why wouldnt I? But uuuhhhhh while I was there, some *things* happened that *he* initiated (fully consensual) but also that boy was fucking *rough* and I have bruises all over where he was grabbing and I’m sure more I cant see. But like. Genuinely kinda a fun time.

Until. Out of no where he like kinda rushed me out of his house. And I was very confused and concerned about that, because obviously I just put a hell of a lot of trust into someone I had considered a good friend. And so after I got home I asked him if I did something wrong, AND GOES ‘We’ve been very close friends for 5 years so dating just feels not right.’ Which like. Was a whiplash moment for me. So I responded with ‘So. You just want to be friends is what youre telling me?’. AND THIS ASSHOLE GOES ‘Yeah, for now at least’.

BOY THERE IS NO FOR NOW AT LEAST. YOU JUST BASICALLY USED ME AND TOSSED ME TO THE SIDE. LIKE. NO??????

So yeah after that I was sad for a little bit but then ya know I started to be able to see the bruises and I just got so fucking pissed off from that, that I was no longer sad. The sad is gone. I was instead petty and went to the county fair with Mountain Boy and told him what was up and yeah. Thats what that insta post was about lol. I was just being petty because I could be.

OH BUT ALSO. I have to see him in early september for a chemistry meeting and I have every intention of looking hot as fuck when I show up just because I can and I refuse to let a boy get in my head about my own self confidence.

And really in the end he was evidently lacking in both braincells and inches, so it was no real loss on my part lmao

Anyways thats been my week, how are youuu??????

Daaaamn he really strung you along huh well man I feel that about people doing a complete 180 on you and showing their true colors out of literally nowhere. I’m sorry it all went down like that, yikes. Yeah, no, I don’t think I would want to be “friends” with someone like that either. Fuck that guy frrrr. Especially right after that.

Damn what a shitty week but I so hope a new job is exactly the kind of reset you need to take your mind off things.

My week has been alright. I’m feeling really burnt out and emotionally exhausted but I’m healing from the bullshit that I went through. I start school tomorrow which I’m not exactly looking forward to but not dreading either but next week I’m going on vacation (also to Myrtle Beach, finally) since I have 3 days in a row off and my birthday is coming up.

#punk gets mail #yikesola

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tipsycad147 · 1 year

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Magical Plants: Mint

The Properties of the Magical Plants Mint and how to use it in your Magic

If there’s one plant I always have on hand, it’s gotta be mint. Extracts, essential oils, dried or fresh, I have just about every preservation type of mint you can have. magical

And it gets used quite often. Headaches, stomach aches, cooling off, you name it. But while mint has a ton of medical and edible properties (touching more on that on Tuesday next week!) it’s also got some leaves in the magical world as well.

Depending on your knowledge of herbology and plant magic, you may not know what the magical properties of mint are. So we’re gonna cover that today so grab a pen and your grimoire and prepare to take notes!

Mint, Mint, the Magical Plant

No matter what you are using it for, most mints are pretty interchangeable. Out of the over 600 types of Mentha (yeah there’s that many) the distinctions between the types are pretty hard to pick out. (Mint likes to intermingle and make new kinds so if you grow more than one type, make sure they are on opposite sides of the garden!!) Some of the more notable species of mint are spearmint, peppermint, apple mint, chocolate mint, apple mint and penny royal.

Many of the herbs used for cooking are in the Lamiaceae family along with mint, such as Basil, Lemon Balm and Catnip. Most commonly when talking about “Mint” peppermint and spearmint are the types being referred to so we’re going to stick with those.

Magical Mint History

Mint primarily shows up in Greek History actually. Mint was so prized that it was used as currency in Athens. magical plants mint

We get the name Menthol/Mint from the Water Nymph(niade) Minthe. Story has it she attempted to seduce Hades and when caught, was turned into the herb we know as mint today by Persephone.( never piss off a plant goddess…)

Mint was also commonly during funerals along with rosemary and myrtle to offset the smell of decay. It was also used as part of a fermented barley drink called a kykeon used as a spiritual psychoactive brew for initiates of the Eleusinian Mysteries.( a worship of Demeter and Persephone)

In a few other cultures there are other uses and beliefs about mint in the spiritual realm. Sacred to Venus, the Greeks saw mint as an ambiguous herb, capable of exciting sexually but at the same time preventing reproduction.

The Romans intertwined crowns of Mentha Viridis to create the Coronae Veneris destined for young spouses as lucky charms.

In the Islamic tradition, mint is considered a pledge of love while in Japan, it is used as an aphrodisiac.

According to the ancients, it could scatter snakes, overcome evil, overcome a fear of death, and recover from hydrophobia. So as you can tell it’s got a few uses. magical plants mint

Take caution when growing your own!

If you plan on growing your own mint, a word of caution!

Mint grows extremely well in partial shade areas and if planted in the ground will take over quickly! Either set aside an entire garden bed for your mint or plant into containers to keep at a more manageable level.

Keep different types of mint(peppermint, spearmint , catnip) away from each other. They can cross pollinate and make a hybrid that may not be as tasty/ strong.

Other than that, once you have a started mint cutting, as long as you don’t cut it down constantly/too much, you’ll be set for a long time. I brought home 1 single stem of mint from my great grandmothers beach house 9 years ago and it now covers a spread of 2-3 feet deep by 10 feet wide and it’s still going strong!

Magical Plants: Mint Correspondences

Gender: Masculine Deities:Hades, Nyx, Persephone, Tyche Element: Air, Fire Planet: Mercury, Venus Uses: Happiness, Healing, Love , Luck, Money, Travel, Vitality, Prosperity, Mental Ability, Protection, Visions Stones: Malachite, Prehnite,Jade,Pyrite,Rose Quartz, Flourite, Pink Tourmaline, Green Tourmaline, Kunzite, Rhodochrosite, Aventurine,Morganite, Lepidolite, Onyx, Chrysocolla, Dioptase and Leopard Skin Jasper. Heals: Nausea, stomach issues, headaches, lethargy, miscommunication Protects: during travel, from curses, evil and accidents

How to use Mint in your Magic

Mint has a variety of uses in the magical realm. Feel free to use it as a tea, dried leaves, fresh leaves and various infusions.

The main uses for Mint are Protection magic, Money/ Prosperity magics and Healing magics.

Use Mint Magic to remove negativity from a place or after a person visits, attract prosperity, love, visions and money or just to make the room smell good.

Ways to use Mint in your Magic

Wear a Mint Leaf in your shoe to prevent curses.

Wash your hair with a mint rinse to promote mental clarity and activity.

Rub mint on your piggy bank or put a mint leaf in your wallet to draw money.

Make a spell jar for money, customers or protection.

Hang over a doorway to prevent arguments.

Add to your mop water or make a floor wash to use before and after people visit, especially negatively draining people.

Stuff a poppet with mint leaves to relieve a stomach ache

Put under a pillow or in a sachet to promote prophetic dreams and protect you in your sleep.

Wash your front door with mint and warm water to draw prosperity to your home.(I mix mine with rosemary and a few other essential oils to make a super spray for prosperity, protection and cleansing)

Use in a diffuser for prosperity, protection or mental clarity.(Also good for headaches)

Give to a loved one when they go on a trip to protect them(It’s also a good idea to call on Athena to further protect them on their travels.)

Keep with your tarot cards or runes to cleanse them.

Hang over a sickbed to encourage healing.

Dry it and keep it in your work space ( or in your register with some basil if you own your own business)

Drink and use the tea for Divination( and then use the tea for a tea leaf reading when you’re done)

Put on your altar after a ritual to clear the energy and promote a fresh perspective as well as attract good spirits

Spellcrafts you can make with Mint

Here’s some recipes for spell jars and oils you can make and use using mint.

Money/ Prosperity Oil

Using essential oils, combine in a small jar or roller bottle. Use on your wallet, your skin for sigils or for dressing a candle for money spells.

2 drops Mint oil 1 drop Patchouli oil 1 drop Orange oil 10 ml Carrier oil

Prosperity Spell Jar

Using equal parts layer in your jar and seal with cork and green wax.

Salt Basil Chamomile Ginger Mint Bay leaf Talisman stone or sigil paper

Protection Spell Sachet

Fresh Rosemary Fresh Mint Thyme Dill Cinnamon Sticks Bay Leaves Juniper Berry Essential Oil

Combine in sachet and invoke with the following incantation.

“Sea, air, fire, earth, cleanse and bless this soul and hearth. Drive away all harm and fear, only good is welcome here.” Carry on your person or hang in your home or car.

These are just some of the spellcrafts you can use mint for. Check out Pinterest for more ideas, like a sachet spell for social anxiety, a candle ritual to get you out of a depression rut, different types of prosperity abundance jars and more. And don’t forget using mint for tea for headaches and other medical ailments can be powered up with some extra healing energy as well.

How Will You Use Mint in Your Magic?

So there you have it! That’s the basic boil down for mint magic. As you can tell mint is really good for prosperity spells, protection and charms but feel free to test it other ways using your instincts.magical plants mint

What are some of your favorite ways to use Mint in your magic? Will you be trying some new spells now? I’d love to know. Feel free to leave me a message in the comments below if you have any questions. And remember to check out our Pinterest board on Magical plants and their uses for this and other plants like violets and dandelions!( if you haven’t saved those pages yet on our Blog, find them here and here)

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omegaplus · 1 year

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# 4,415

Lindenhurst.

I lived in Brentwood for much of my timeline; mostly at my childhood home and later moved down the road not too far away post-Stony Brook. The latter move was a result of me refusing to move down to Myrtle Beach with my parents. I never had any desire to leave New York State and I never had enough of visiting New York City. Around the time, the economy plundered. I went broke and applied for the first job opportunity that was open in order to survive. I had no idea that place would ruin me. For most of the time at the second Brentwood residency, I wasn’t feeling 100% because of constant targeting of management and their crony co-workers. It took me a while to get back on track and eventually whatever I lost I gained back and more. I discovered a few key artists that made me see the light. I got back into broadcasting with a new radio show, and I finally re-united with Cath- whom I haven’t seen in a few years due to her addiction and sordid history.

But, some things turn sour that’s not your fault. Ma’ commits suicide and your dad ends up moving back in with you. You end up working two jobs without a day-off in near vicinity. Cath-’s #1 dies of a heroin overdose and she cuts off all ties from you with absolutely no reason given. Your unemployed gamer landlord doesn’t put in his fair share of rent and utilities, so you end up with no internet and you’re literally freezing because there’s no running heat or hot water for all of winter. Of all the major events going on, that final one had my bro- take notice. He was living with his lady and their first-born in Lindenhurst. He felt so bad learning I was living with no utilities that he not only offered me to move in with him to Lindenhurst but also into a new house. I shouldn’t say ‘offered’. He told me so. Sure. I wasn’t complaining.

I had about a week to pack up all the loose ends and was told to take out all my records, discs, cassettes, VHS tapes, and DVDs from the drawers and throw them in giant bins. Him and his friends managed to lift all the furniture up out of the old Brentwood residency and into the new one in Lindenhurst. It was my duty to take some of the smaller boxes of personals to stuff in the trunk, back seat, and passengers' seat of my car.

I’d be leaving behind the un-mopped dingy floors, the eventual basement floods, and the other disused soot-ridden rooms which the former random inhabitants lived in. One ‘neighbor’ who lived in the adjacent room from me came home on the weekends totally wasted that he collapsed face first on the floor as soon as he walked in. He almost caused a house fire by forgetting the bag of popcorn he was cooking in the microwave. And the best one – get ready for this - was when a fully nude lady almost walked into my room. It was his prostitute looking for him. Jesus Fucking Christ.

I went to work and was told by my bro- that everything would be moved in the same day, so just come to the new house in Lindenhurst. I had no idea how good I had it. My new room was up on the second floor and triple the size of my previous one. Carpeted floors. Windows that faced the peeking sun. Low-flying passenger jets. A wider, larger closet space, and a pair of smaller doors revealing an attic for storage. Plus, being in Lindenhurst meant that three record stores were in near vicinity: West Babylon’s Looney Tunes, Amityville’s High Fidelity, and Massapequa’s Infinity Records. Lindenhurst had quickly become a favorite place to live in.

I arrived from work on a sunny 70* Sunday. June 1st to be exact. Most of what I kept from my childhood home and the previous residency came with me to Lindenhurst such as a gumball machine, my gramma’s Lafayette LR-810 receiver, and a massive Philips 24” CRT TV that would paralyze anyone attempting to lift it. All of it was there and a few boxes of my audio / video library. I wasn’t interested in unpacking. Not just yet. Our wi-fi network was set-up. That was the most important thing to me. I haven’t had consistent wi-fi in six months. The first thing I looked up was to see how Cath- was doing despite her taking everything we had and throwing out the trash as if it was nothing. Good news: she’s started a new life solo in Arizona and has been clean for one month.

The first finds to mark my new stay in Lindenhurst? Someone had posted Pharmakon’s “Xia Xinfeng” where her murderous screams break through a fully-running frigidly cold hum. I was sold instantly. The vinyl-finds groups lead me to Mass Production and Peter Brown; soul-jazz and pop respectively. I stuck with the L.I.E.S. label after fully enjoying Ron Morelli’s solos for a quite a while, all released through Dominick Fernow’s Hospital Productions. His label compilation, Music For Shut-Ins, supplied Samantha’s Vacation, Svengalisghost, and Legowelt. Omar Souleyman started gaining a name for himself in the states. Experiencing “Kell Il Banat Inkhatban (All The Girls Are Engaged)“ is truly something. I never heard keyboards go that crazy. Then we have WUSB’s own Alice, dee-jay of Nightmare Aquarium. Without her, I wouldn’t have known who Ariel Pink and William Onyeabor were. I credit her for introducing me to the magically sublime Black Marble.

Nary did I have a day off during that Summer I moved in. I could only count four…maybe six total. The electronics place finally gave me full time, double-dealing between that and part-time at the Italian market. The only stand-out moment I had during the hotter months was getting lost somewhere in the sunny woodsy section of Mastic looking for Nicole’s residency which I did find an hour late. Nowadays, one listen to A Different Arrangement instantly takes me back to those June Sundays.

Autumn came. The days were getting cooler and darker. Driving past Argyle Pond coming home from work became a staple memory with synthwave vibes of “Fright Night” from Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti forever attached to it. Hospital Productions gave me another artist to savor in the Italian-based Ninos Du Brasil with their dying-hot exotic techno sounds. Suicideyear would be distinct to the season and to Lindenhurst alone which makes their sound personal in my book. Another neighborhood memory, Dual Action’s “NC-17 Drive In”, is forever intertwined to the Autumn soul. Our WUSB hip-hop dee-jay Dr. Ceus played me SpaceGhostPurrp’s “Mystical Maze” adding another bookmark in this asterisk time. Mono/Poly’s “Alpha Omega”, Lussuria’s “Mondo Narcotico” and “Keys To Unlock Paradise (Roman Showers)” from American Babylon, Function & Vatican Shadow’s Games Have Rules, the obscure Axxa/Abraxas’ “Waiting Daze”, and selections from The Bug’s Angels & Devils left their imprints on another feel-good season at Lindenhurst.

Before I knew it, my streak of 83 straight days of work was finally broken a few days before Thanksgiving. I came to visit the market for my hours to see that I was written out of the grid. Week after week it became a normal occurrence. I’ve been giving them my other hours in time without fail but now no more results. No discussion, no rhyme or reason why. I was let go without any notice. It was a blessing, however. A soft end to six years of non-stop belittling, boys-club behavior, and endless soul-torturing has finally been put down to die.

Winter was where things started to get fucked for discoveries; like the ‘parenthesis’ in an equation. My ex- Yenny is leaving for Lima and she’s asked me to house-sit for her in Hauppauge. A two-week stay meant all music discoveries default there. A residency inside a residency. Before and after, XXYYXX’s only full-length and two finds from the Ze label Xmas Record, Suicide’s “Hey Lord” and Alan Vega’s “No More Christmas Blues” are embedded in those frosty, chilly Winter days back in Lindy-. The latter two would be put on pause as I walked a couple of blocks to the bagel place for a heavy baked breaded breakfast.

Then came a March announcement from my bro-: we’re moving to Ronkonkoma. This was unexpected. He was excited to start a new point in his life. His lady was expecting their second child and wanted something even nicer than what we have. There was no issue with where we lived. I had none and truly wanted to stay longer. But, what my bro- was selling us on that we’d upgrade from the slightly crowded residential streets, noise-polluting airplanes, and highways across every direction for a gentler, calmer, at-peace setting of historical context, well-manicured lawns, trails, veteran’s parks, and a 4.5 square-mile scenic lake. To me, Ronkonkoma was Record Stop on Portion Road, punk luminary Jimi LaLumia’s Record Connection on Hawkins Road, and what used to be Lakeside’s bar where I’d go for some small-scale but breakout-violent local hardcore shows. Other than LaLumia, none are still standing. It’s a new decade now; far away from the community-college shows and record-buying jaunts from the Stony Brook era. We had up until May 1st to get everything together. The Lindenhurst finds dwindled down to nothing, and all the discoveries found that Spring ended up at the current residency we’re at now. It was time to say goodbye to my old furniture: the twin-sized bed, the old bookshelves, dressers, drawers, the gumball machine, and the Lafayette that was losing its functionality. We left all the small stuff in front of the gate and left the furniture behind. Goodbye Lindenhurst and hello Ronkonkoma.

**********

I can tell you that my very first experience in the new neighborhood was delightful and exotic. We were only a few blocks away from the new house. My dad had me pull up to our neighborhood 7-11 for his daily coffee. I grab a pack of Hostess chocolate cupcakes and behind the counter I see the perfect ginger. Bright long copper hair, brown eyes, freckles, and all of pale skin. Jackpot. She was a sight to be seen.

There was a line of five people in front of us with two registers open. Dad was more than ready to sip his coffee but was getting restless as the scalding hot was wearing off. Lucky for me, the young Indian kid took care of him. I put my Hostess on the counter for the ginger to ring up. She was quiet, expressionless. Tired, bored, introverted? Who knows. Who cares. She made quick work of my purchase and I was two more cupcakes happier. The day was off to a great start. I didn’t believe people like her existed.

She was my very first memory at the new neighborhood. I still remember her to this very day. There’s some faces you never forget.

Pharmakon “Xia Xinfeng”

Mass Production “Slow Bump”

Atari Teenage Riot “Modern Liars”

Peter Brown “For Your Love”

Black Marble A Different Arrangement

Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti “Schnitzel Boogie”

Purling Hiss “Don’t Even Try It”

Omar Souleyman “Kell Il Banat Inkhatban (All The Girls Are Engaged)“

Poly Styrene (as Mari Elliott) “Silly Billy”

L.I.E.S. label Music For Shut-Ins (2013)

Carbonas “September Gurls”

Predator “Honest Man”

Run The Jewels “Blockbuster Night Pt. 1”

Arca “Thievery”

Broadcast “Goodbye Girls”

Ariel Pink “Put Your Number In My Phone”

Ninos Du Brasil “Pandiero Sinchinsa”

NeruvianDOOM “Disastrous”

Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments “Please Hear My Plea”

Suicideyear “Hope Building A”

Hussy, The “EZ-PZ”

Carbonas “Frothing At The Mouth”

Krewe Of 77 “Three’s A Crowd”

Ekoplekz “Robert Rental”

Wara From The NBHD “Squeal (Peel Off)”

Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti “Fright Night (Never More)”

Mono/Poly “Alpha & Omega”

Casket Girls, The “Chemical Dizzy”

Bug, The “Void”

Suicideyear “Rememberance”

Standish / Carlyon “2 5 1 1”

Vereker “Rosite”

Ninos Du Brazil “Tuppelo”

SpaceGhostPurrp “Mystikal Maze”

Dual Action “NC-17 Drive In”

Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments ”Turntable Battlefield”

Bug, The “Swarm”

Suicideyear “I Don’t Care About Death Because I Smoke”

Travis Porter “Do A Trick” (Suicideyear RMX)

Ninos Du Brasil “Rebanho Espetacular”

Lussuria “Mondo Narcotico”

Function & Vatican Shadow Games Have Rules

Axxa/Abraxas “Waiting Daze”

Lussuria “Keys To Unlock Paradise (Roman Showers)”

Blossom Dearie “Sunday Afternoon”

XXYYXX “Witching Hour”

Alan Vega “No More Christmas Blues”

Suicide “Hey Lord”

XXYYXX “Fields”

#omega #music #mixtapes #reviews #playlists #electronic #personal #Long Island #punk #vinyl #noise #obscura #techno #dub #hip-hop #rap #shoegaze #garage #backpacker #reggae #world #cassette #synthpop

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ausimosa · 1 year

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Myrtle Beach is fun but as usual. I was soo elated to come home after a short trip to SC! It’s only 75 min but man… I love me some ILM. The hotel hard bed was soooo good. Yes, I like hard beds. Definitely getting a new bed this June… it’s been 7 years and hard bed is a must!

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foreveralwaysanauthor · 2 years

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The Forbidden Film

December 21, 2022

Prompt - Eggnog

Notes - I love giving little nods to past things I’ve written, but this one has to be one of my favorites!

A thick layer of heavy snow blanketed the sleepy town of Sanbornton, New Hampshire, adding at least another seven inches to the already mounting piles that had been shoveled out of walkways and driveways alike. Temperatures overnight dipped from freezing to subzero as snow pounded the area, icicles formed on the edges of roofs, and the nearby lake glazed over with ice thick enough to support a semi-truck. School had been canceled for the surrounding area as frigid winds turned what little snow had melted in the last few days into ice on the roads. Many businesses announced their closure due to the storm long before it had even started, the local weather advisories too big to ignore. The threats of power outages, downed trees, and disrupted phone lines were enough to make even the most experienced New Englander refuse to leave the house. People who had places to be or things to do would simply have to wait until the roads were cleared - whether it be by the town’s rather lazy fleet of plow truck drivers or by a select few individuals with plows strapped to their pickup trucks who were sick of waiting for the town to get their asses in gear and decided to clean it themselves.

A handful of residents had already chosen to start the day by clearing their driveways of snow and acting as though nothing had happened, yet many hadn’t bothered to move an inch out of their cozy, warm blankets to turn up the thermostat or ignite the logs in their fireplaces. Some wished for nothing more than a peaceful day inside whereas others desired to be outside and away from the entrapment of staying home when there was so much to do elsewhere. Among the few who desired to venture outside were children who took the chance to ignore their parents' wishes to stay in bed and covered themselves in their finest winter gear, determined to play in the snow until they were dragged back inside by the straps of their snow-overalls.

Despite the myriad of activities presenting themselves upon one glance outside of the curtains next to his bed, Royce softly groaned at how bright the outside world had become and dropped the thick fabric that shielded his eyes from the blinding white that glared back at him from the ground. Dropping his head back onto his pillow with a quiet sigh, Royce couldn’t help feeling grateful that their family had nothing to do that day. After arriving back home from their trip to Myrtle Beach the night before, he was positive that the only thing he wanted to do was lounge in bed and never once look outside at the mess the clouds had left behind.

Glancing at the clock on his nightstand, Royce wasn’t too surprised to find it already a lot later than when he normally would wake up. With the jetlag and the overall exhaustion of the trip they had just arrived home from, he was sure that it would take a lot longer for everyone else to get up as well, especially his brothers. Out of habit, Royce pushed himself to the top of his mattress and grabbed his trusty journal and the pen he kept telling himself he needed to replace, yet never did. The faint light that came through the heavy curtains was enough for him to see as he flipped to the first empty page he could find and began mindlessly scrawling out his thoughts about everything that had happened the day before.

The last day they had spent in Myrtle Beach was a day to explore for those who were already packed up and felt like venturing outside the hotel. Royce had enjoyed spending the day with Vivien, bringing her around on a little tour of the area he had grown up in. She had taken an interest in everything he had to say and he was sure she’d get bored of his rambling at some point, but she continuously reassured him that she was content just being with him, regardless of what they were doing, and allowed him to continue blabbering about different places and how much they had changed over time. When they stopped to pick up lunch at a restaurant on the boardwalk and Vivien told him that she loved him once again - her emerald eyes glimmering with adoration and the dimples he loved so much on full display - his brain short-circuited and he was sure she would have to clean his melted body from the floor with a mop and bucket as he tried to find the words to say it back.

Throughout their relationship, Royce had never once failed to make an absolute fool out of himself with Vivien around, but ever since they had confessed their love, it seemed to have gotten worse. It was bad enough that she made his brain turn to a pile of mush just by smiling at him, but those three words were enough to send his heart skyrocketing into outer space. Every little detail about Vivien was special to him now. Her heart was much like the oceans she loved to learn so much about - deep and filled to the brim with life and color. Her mind was like a kaleidoscope of knowledge and her interests were so vastly varied that he could spend a lifetime trying to understand her and never even scratch the surface. She was a mystery he would devote his whole life trying to figure out, even though he knew he’d never get anywhere close to an answer.

Just the thought of spending a whole day with Vivien brought a smile to Royce’s face, but the idea of spending a lifetime with her made a warmth that could’ve easily started a fire spread throughout his chest as his hand stilled against the paper and his head thumped back against the wall. Royce took in a sharp, deep breath, hoping his brain would absorb some oxygen and allow some thoughts that didn’t involve his girlfriend to float around. With a sigh, Royce realized that maybe Butchy was right to invite him to the “Whipped Boys Committee” the other day. He was a goner when it came to Vivien and it was blatantly obvious to anyone who so much as looked his way when she was around. Hoping Bentley hadn’t been disturbed by the solid clunk his head had made when it hit the wall, Royce spared a glance at his little brother, thankful to find him still curled up in his blankets with a hand tightly wrapped around the stuffed whale shark that Miles had gotten him at a shop back in Myrtle Beach. Royce grinned; despite Bentley’s claims that he was “getting too old” for stuffed animals, he certainly didn’t seem to mind adding another one to his collection.

As Royce took a deep breath and tried to return to his habitual journaling, a series of soft taps on the glass next to him made him freeze. Caramel eyes flickered to the curtains on his left as he listened for a moment, yet nothing more came. Assuming it was just the branches of a nearby tree flicking against the glass due to the wind, Royce shrugged and turned back to his journal. Bringing pen to paper, Royce began writing once again. Only a few words in, the tapping returned - this time, with a vengeance. The ticking on the glass seemed to have a pattern and, once Royce realized whatever it was, was tapping in time to the chorus of Last Christmas, he set his journal and pen aside and opened the curtain separating him and the outside world. As the curtains moved aside, a set of fingernails moved away from the window and Royce chuckled as he found his girlfriend’s face smiling back at him. She raised a hand and waved as she said hello, but Royce put a finger to his lips, telling her to keep her voice down, before opening the window.

“What on earth are you doing here?” he asked softly, eyeing the ladder Vivien had precariously propped against the house. “It’s freezing out.”

“Well, the front door was locked,” Vivien whispered her breath turning as white as the snow on the ground, “so I was hoping you’d let me in.”

Royce shook his head, a chuckle falling from his lips as he reached out to his girlfriend, “Get in before you get sick.”

With Royce’s help, Vivien clambered through the window, attempting to keep as much snow off of Royce’s blankets as possible as she entered the warm bedroom. While Royce worked on forcing the window closed again, Vivien pulled her gloves and boots off, leaving them by the heater as she worked on tugging her ski pants off. Vivien’s coat and ski pants were hung on the back of the door by the time Royce turned back to her, watching her tie her hair into a floppy knot with a scrunchie as she stalked back toward him and sat on the edge of his bed.

Once she was done tying her hair up, Vivien turned to Royce with a smile, taking in his appearance with a grin that only grew wider the longer she looked at him. The absolute bird’s nest his hair had warped into was enough to show Vivien that he was barely awake, but the green pajama pants with tiny, scarf-wearing snowmen on them just sealed the deal. “Love the snowmen.”

Royce’s head cocked to the side as a confused expression claimed his face, but it didn’t take long for realization to sink in. Wide eyes flickered down to the fleece-lined pajama pants Royce had taken from Miles not long ago before finding an amused Vivien smirking back at him. He was quick to spring off of his mattress, nearly tumbling to the ground when a blanket snared his foot. Vivien’s outstretched hands quickly slapped over her mouth as she took in Royce’s bewildered expression, hoping to keep her muffled laughter from Bentley’s sleeping ears.

Once Royce found his balance again and righted himself, he turned to Vivien and quietly muttered, “I’ll go change.”

Before Royce could go far, Vivien took his wrist in her grasp and shook her head, “Today is a day to rest, Rolls. Stay comfortable.”

Her gentle smile sealed the deal and, as Royce ran a hand through his tangled curls, he nodded, “Alright.”

Vivien chuckled as she stood, reaching for a coil of Royce’s hair that stood nearly straight above his head and twirling it around her finger before letting it fall back into place. “If you feel like doing something, though, you could try to pry the baby birds out of this nest you’ve got going on while I steal one of your hoodies.”

“Deal,” Royce chuckled. “I’ll be back in a few.”

“I’ll be here.”

Quietly clicking the door shut on his way out, Royce left his bedroom and effortlessly avoided the creaky floorboards on his way across the hall to the bathroom. He took one look in the mirror above the sink and closed his eyes, a heavy sigh replacing the groan of frustration he wanted to release. His hair looked as though it hadn’t been touched in weeks, curls tangled into knots stuck out in every which direction and he was sure if he brought a comb anywhere near it, he would look as though he’d stuck his finger inside the nearest electrical socket. But, if he wanted to look halfway decent for his girlfriend, he was going to try everything Carrie had tried teaching him about maintaining the mane of curls they both possessed.

Meanwhile, in the other room, Vivien had already scoured through Royce and Bentley’s extensive collection of shared hoodies they kept in their closet and hefted Royce’s backpack back onto the top shelf after it tumbled into her arms when she opened the door. After selecting a hoodie he had gotten during their trip to a museum and pulling it over her head, Vivien made her way back to Royce’s bed. She fixed his blankets so his bed looked almost well-made, picking up a pen that had clattered to the floor before climbing under the layers of fabric and making herself comfortable. As she adjusted the blankets over her lap, Vivien found a hardcover book that had been covered by a folded section of fabric. After flipping through the book from the back to the front, Vivien found a long, handwritten page with the day’s date scrawled near the top. Realizing she must have caught Royce in the middle of a journaling session, Vivien smiled and moved to close the book, but after spotting her name written multiple times across the paper, she glanced at the door and decided to sneak a peek at what he had written about her.

Scanning briefly over the page, Vivien’s smile broadened so much that her face began hurting, but as soon as she heard footsteps creeping back across the hall, she snapped the book shut and set it on the nightstand with the pen before moving closer to the wall, attempting to act normal, and waiting for her boyfriend to return. His words about her raced through her head like a toy train on an endless loop, making her smile like a lovesick fool as Royce opened the door and crept over to her. Royce slipped under the side of the blankets Vivien held open for him and let her use his arm as a pillow as they laid back against his mattress and brought the blankets up. Royce took a look at the smile on Vivien’s face and allowed a confused grin to form on his as he softly asked, “What’s up?”

Vivien carded her fingers through Royce’s curls and softly said, “Just thinking about how lucky I am to have you.”

Royce chuckled, “I’ve been thinking the same thing all morning.”

“I know,” Vivien breathed, a knowing grin tugging at her lips. As Royce’s confused smile returned, she quoted, “‘Her heart is like the ocean. Her mind is like a kaleidoscope.’” Vivien watched in amusement as confusion turned into understanding and flooded into embarrassment as Royce quickly sat up and began scanning his blankets for the journal he had forgotten to put away. As she sat up, Vivien put a stop to Royce’s frantic searching by quietly telling him, “It’s on the nightstand.”

Royce’s head whipped around and, upon discovering his journal was placed beside his cell phone with the pen resting atop it, he let out a long breath. Turning to his girlfriend, he asked, “You read my journal?”

“Only that little bit,” she replied. “I saw my name and wanted to see what it said, but that was all I read.”

With a nod and a sigh, Royce relaxed and leaned back until his head hit the pillow he had been resting on. As Vivien joined him, he glanced over the stars on the ceiling and softly said, “Sorry for freaking out.”

“Don’t be,” Vivien replied, her eyes searching for plastic constellations the boys had plastered to their ceiling. “I’d be a little freaked out if someone read my journals.”

“At least your journals are full of potential novels,” Royce claimed, turning to his girlfriend and watching her scan the ceiling’s stars. “Mine are just to get my thoughts out before I start the day… Recently, though, they all seem to be about you and how much I love you.”

Vivien smiled as she turned to Royce, yet as she opened her mouth to speak, a metallic creak on the other side of the room stopped her. As Bentley slowly turned to the side, using his left arm as a brace as he glared across the room at his brother’s bed. “Royce, you better wake the hell up,” the fifteen-year-old grumbled, his voice still thick with sleep. “You’re flirting with Vivien in your sleep again and, I swear, if I have to listen to you telling her how much you love her for another night, I’m going to move in with Lela.”

Royce rolled onto his right side, sending Bentley a smile as he said, “I’m not flirting with her in my sleep.”

Vivien sat up just enough to be seen as she added, “Yeah, he’s flirting with me while he’s awake. There's a difference.”

Bentley rubbed at his eyes as a yawn pushed the chance of him going back to sleep even further away. “Did you sneak in and stay the night or something?” he asked once he was able to form words again.

“Nope, I got here a little while ago, but the front door was locked,” Vivien answered. “I used the window.”

Bentley wasn’t too surprised that was the girl’s answer. Ever since the first time she clambered into their bedroom window, it seemed as though an open-ended invitation had been tucked into Vivien’s back pocket. Neither of the brothers minded her just popping in whenever she felt like it, especially since they had all been close for what felt like forever and had formed close bonds between them, but it was the first time Bentley had woken up to her already sitting in the room he shared with Royce. After stretching himself out and releasing another yawn, Bentley ran a hand through his hair as a makeshift comb and pulled his top blanket around his shoulders before standing from his bed and asking, “Well, if you two are done being all lovey-dovey and shit, do you wanna go play Mario Kart?”

Vivien spared a glance at Royce who shrugged. Deciding they had nothing better to do, the pair got themselves out of the blankets, Royce grabbing two of them while Vivien picked up her things, and followed Bentley downstairs to the living room where they lit the fireplace and attempted to play video games as quietly as possible. Even with their earbuds plugged into their controllers and tightly tucked into their ears, the trio heard when the others in the house began to rise from their blanket cocoons and make their way to the main area of the house. Mick and Butchy were quick to start making breakfast while Brady went back to his and his wife’s shared room to get dressed, leaving Mack to watch the TV as the teenagers battled for the top spot on Rainbow Road.

Lela and Carrie were next to make an appearance, talking about something on Carrie’s phone that got them both laughing as they found their way to some of the empty spots on the couch. “Yeah,” Carrie chuckled as she took her phone back from Lela, “Mick showed it to me on the plane yesterday.”

“I can’t believe I forgot about that night,” Lela laughed. “I remember those two came back wearing the darkest sunglasses possible and their hangovers were so bad we had to whisper for two days straight.”

The idea of hearing about someone’s drunken escapades piqued Vivien’s attention as she set aside her controller and turned to the two girls on the couch. “Who was hungover?”

“Miles and Butchy,” Lela explained.

Royce and Bentley shared a look as they turned toward Carrie and Lela. Bentley quickly shook his head, “Miles wouldn’t get drunk. He doesn’t even like alcohol.”

“It wasn’t on purpose,” Carrie said. “We were at a Christmas party in California and they got into the eggnog without knowing it had a shit-ton of alcohol in it.”

A groaned sigh came from the doorway of the kitchen as Butchy stepped into the living room with a mug of coffee in hand, “I never want to see another bottle of tequila in my life.”

“Wait,” Royce began, “you mean that actually happened?”

“Happened?” Mick repeated, a laugh leaving her as she entered the room behind Butchy. “Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum got wasted on eggnog, took a whole bottle of Jose Cuervo from the host’s liquor cabinet, traded clothes, and started singing along to the karaoke in the other room.”

While the younger Murphy brothers tried to imagine their oldest sibling and his best friend getting drunk to the extent Mick had described, Vivien laughed, “Tell me you got that on video!”

Carrie waved her phone from one side to the other, a proud smile on her face as she claimed, “Mick sent it to me last night.”

“Can we watch it?” Vivien asked.

“I don’t see why not,” Mick shrugged. “I cut out the parts where they changed clothes before I posted it online.”

A burst of coffee splattered onto the wood floors from Butchy’s cup as he choked on the mouthful he had been sipping. Once he had the chance to speak without wearing more of the hot liquid, Butchy pressed, “You did what?!”

“Nothing!” Mick quickly dodged Butchy’s wide-eyed gaze as she scurried toward the couch, chanting, “Put it on! Put it on! Put it on!”

Mario Kart was quickly dismissed as Carrie connected her cell phone to the TV, pressing play on the video Mick had sent her the night before. The screen was quickly filled with an image of what looked like a dining room, Butchy and Miles sitting across from each other, making a pyramid of red plastic cups between them as they giggled nonsensically at each other. Butchy watched in confusion - he had never seen the video himself, nor did he remember half of the things he and Miles had done that night, but if the bottle of alcohol on the table was anything to go by, they had gotten thoroughly wasted. Quickly ditching some paper towels on the floor to absorb the coffee he had spilled, Butchy set his coffee mug down and headed for the stairs, bounding up them a few at a time until he reached the floor they all slept on. He made a quick stop in the room he and Mick shared, ditching his coffee-stained shirt in the hamper and grabbing a new one to pull on before marching next door to Miles’ room.

Miles was just barely conscious when Butchy found him, the slamming of his door hitting the wall probably the only reason he was conscious in the first place. Miles’ tired eyes found Butchy and an eyebrow raised as he sluggishly muttered, “Good morning to you too.”

Instead of returning the greeting, Butchy declared, “Your girlfriend and my wife are showing everyone a video of what we did at that party a few years ago.”

It took Miles’ exhausted, decaffeinated brain a while to catch up with his best friend’s words, but once he caught on, alarm bells began blaring in his head. “They recorded us?!”

“Mickie did,” Butchy explained with a sigh. “Now she and Carrie have it on the TV for everyone to watch.”

Miles unwillingly began prying himself out of the blankets he had found comfort in and pushed himself to the closet to throw on a sweatshirt as he commented, “It can’t be that bad if they’re showing it to the rest of the family, right?”

“We shared a bottle of tequila and traded clothes in the middle of a Christmas party,” Butchy stated as Miles pulled a shirt over his head. “There’s no telling what else we did that night.”

“At least we didn’t kiss or anything stupid like that,” Miles chuckled as he closed his closet door. As soon as it registered that the only one laughing was him, Miles turned to Butchy with horrified eyes. His friend was staring into space, trying to recall what had happened that night after his fourth cup of eggnog, but his silence did nothing to quell Miles' rising panic. “We didn’t, did we?”

Instead of answering, Butchy met Miles' gaze and asked, “I don’t remember much of anything from that night, do you?”

Miles thought for a moment, hoping to bring back any of his memories from that night, before letting out a meek, “No.”

“Then we better get downstairs and hope they haven’t seen anything we don’t know about,” Butchy said before stepping outside the room and making his way to the stairs, not bothering to wait for Miles as he made his way to the living room.

Miles was quick to follow, throwing himself into a run and practically tumbling his way down the stairs, missing many steps on the way and nearly colliding with the floor as he jumped the last four. By the time Miles reached the living room, Butchy was chasing Lela around in an attempt to grab the remote from her - the hilarious height difference between them proving that, even with Butchy’s long limbs and overall muscle, he was no match for his wiry younger sister’s speed. Miles spared a glance at the television, finding a video of him and Butchy drunkenly singing along to some song he couldn’t make out, the two of them taking turns drinking from a large bottle of Jose Cuervo. Cringing at the sight of his younger self looking like an absolute moron, Miles made his way over to where his girlfriend was sitting, reaching over her from behind and latching onto the cell phone clasped in her surprisingly tight grasp.

Carrie’s head tipped back, mirthful eyes glimmering up at Miles as she teasingly asked, “And just what do you think you’re doing, mister?”

“I think you know exactly what I’m doing,” he quipped, tugging lightly on the phone in an attempt to pry it away.

“Do I?” she replied coyly as she yanked the device back to her chest.

“You absolutely do.”

Carrie hummed, a small nod bouncing her golden curls against the couch cushions, “But, just like in chess, I’m three steps ahead of you.”

Miles chuckled, “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.” The grin that settled on Carrie’s face just proved her point and, just like that, Miles knew he had already lost. Before he knew it, a hand threaded into his hair and pulled him down to the blonde as she turned sideways, locking their lips together. Miles’ muffled noise of surprise gained the attention of the trio sitting on the floor, but the only one to not make a noise of disgust just so happened to be the one to notice the phone the couple was still fighting over. As Royce and Bentley turned back to the TV to watch their brother and Butchy make complete fools of themselves, Vivien took it upon herself to creep closer to the couple and tap Carrie on the leg. One of the blonde’s brilliantly blue eyes peeled open and she glanced down at the smirking teenager, watching the brunette wiggle her eyebrows mischievously and cup her hands like she was waiting for Carrie to throw something her way.

Carrie attempted a wink at the girl and, as Vivien backed away enough that Miles would have to jump over the couch to snatch the phone from her, Carrie closed her eyes once again and decided to use her boyfriend’s love for her against him. She made sure to keep the love-drunk Miles occupied as she moved once again, kneeling on the couch and dragging her nails against his scalp. It didn’t take much for Miles’ resolve to evaporate and for his hands to move to his girlfriend’s waist, pulling her as close as he could with the couch in the way. However, as soon as the phone was out of her boyfriend’s grasp, Carrie backed away from Miles and tossed it to Vivien who caught the phone and dropped it down the front of the hoodie she had borrowed from Royce. Nobody would be getting the phone back from her until the video was done playing.

Miles was slow to catch on to what had happened, but the matching grins on the girls' faces sobered him up faster than a bucket of ice water dumped on his head. He glanced over at Butchy and Lela, the latter of whom had ditched the remote’s batteries somewhere during their multiple laps around the main floor of the house and had given Butchy an empty, useless remote. Miles’ gaze landed on Vivien who only looked innocent if you could ignore the proud gleam of mischief in her eyes. After searching for someone, anyone, in the house who would take his and Butchy’s side in the argument, yet finding nobody willing to do so, Miles let out a sigh of defeat and moved to take a seat next to his girlfriend. As Miles rounded the end of the couch, Carrie sat back down and leaned forward, high-fiving Vivien as the brunette moved past her to the spot she had been in between Royce and Bentley. Miles dropped into the cushion next to Carrie and tried his best to ignore the blonde’s proud smile that shone up at him.

“Like I said,” Carrie taunted, proud to have bested her boyfriend, “three steps ahead.”

#Nelle's Christmas Prompts 2022 #writing #writing prompt

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