Movies and Abused Actors

I know that movies feeding off of real emotion look good and authentic, but can you force distressing emotions to come out of an actor by abusing them? Yes, you can. Ask Shelley Duvall about her film experience. Even putting donald and goofy voices to the steps scene in the shining won't make the scene less unsettling. Today we talk about her and many other cases of abusing actors. 

Courtesy of looper.com
Tippi Hedren in The Birds

Today I am focusing on The Shining, The Birds, Singing in the Rain, and the alleged Dan Schneider situation that arose at Nickelodeon. You'll never see these movies and shows the same way again. 

The Shining

The book alone is, I'm told, unsettling by itself. It is about a family living in a hotel during winter. During this temporary stay to watch someone's hotel alone, the father gets haunted by a spirit making him violent toward his family and the son sees horrible psychic visions. Unsettling? You bet. The movie shows the mother of the family as submissive, but readers will know that isn't like the original (and movies almost never are, anyway). 

Shelley Duvall spent hours crying during filming, to the point of dehydration. She was criticized and the cast wasn't allowed to speak or be nice to her. The stairs scene was filmed 127 times. I'll leave a clip of the stairs scene here, if you dare to watch it. It isn't gory.

She almost quit acting after this. She was diagnosed with acute anxiety and I think you can guess why. If the scene above is her mental state, she needs serious therapy. Stanley Kubrick was a perfectionist when it came to films, which is why this all happened to her. Yes, he got the effect he wanted, but at what price? Duvall started losing her hair. It didn't help that Stephen King himself and others criticized her performance because it conflicted with the book character. 

Singing In the Rain

What? Yes, I love this movie, too, but Gene Kelly was not pleasant to Debbie Reynolds. He was negative and worked her tirelessly. She had 3 months to learn the dances that Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor had already mastered. You can't tell on the screen how much work she went through to make it look good. Fred Astaire encouraged her when he found her crying at a rehearsal piano, stating that he works himself to frustration and anger, as well, which helped pull her through. 

Hard work, however, is not abuse. What I am talking about is dancing until your feet bleed. Good Morning filming took 14 hours to film. Her feet bled and she was ordered by a doctor to stay in bed 2 days afterward due to exhaustion. While Gene Kelly admitted how badly he treated her, he also did something unthinkable. 

According to Nickiswift.com,  Debbie Reynolds said "Gene took me tightly in his arms ... and shoved his tongue down my throat. ...It felt like an assault. I was stunned that this thirty-nine-year-old man would do this to me." You can't see the movie in the same way after this. Again, nobody said it was easy to break into the dance world, but situations like this don't help. She wrote about this in her biography if you want to know more. 

The Birds

Alfred Hitchcock, for whatever reason, was not known for being nice to Tippi Hedren. Allegations of sexual assault and inhumane conditions during filming are two things that put Alfred Hitchcock on the list of obsessed directors who mistreated actors. He claimed for one scene he'd use mechanical birds, then used real ones when the mechanical ones didn't work. This means she got birds hurled at her for five days. She had birds tied directly to her and got birds hurled at her for the last day, as well. The birds attached would peck her. She was so focused on survival and learned later that the crew found all this to be heartbreaking - and Hitchcock was the only one who could stop it and wouldn't. 

According to People.com, this is what happened. 

"Hedren’s only reprieve came late in the day when a bird tied to her shoulder pecked her too close to her eye and she snapped, told her director “I’m done,” and began sobbing from exhaustion. “Minutes passed before I looked up to discover that everyone had just left me there in the middle of that vast, silent soundstage, completely spent, empty and alone,” she writes.

A doctor ordered Hedren to take a week’s rest and had to force Hitchcock to let her take it. “She can’t,” Hedren writes of Hitchcock’s response. “We have nothing else to shoot but her.”

“What are you doing? Are you trying to kill her?” Hedren’s doctor replied and finally convinced Hitchcock his star needed actual rest, which she took and returned a week later to finish the film."

During Marnie, Hitchcock sexually harassed Hedren and when she told him no he refused to loan her out while she was under contract with him. Hitchcock would obsess over leading ladies.

According to New York Post, this is the story. 

It was during the making of “Marnie” that Hitchcock’s demands for Hedren to have lunch with him in the studio commissary escalated to lunches in his office, and finally to intimate Champagne toasts after each day’s shooting was completed. She became increasingly uncomfortable with his suggestive behavior.

“I was stunned and alarmed by his actions,” she recalled. “In the end, he made unqualified demands of me that I could not assent to. He said things like, ‘I want you to be available to me at any time, whenever I choose.’

“I don’t care about being an actress if this is what it involves,” Hedren says. Hitchcock never used her in another film, and refused all requests to loan her out for other movies while she was under contract, derailing her then-promising career.

Nikelodeon Situation

So, Dan Schneider's name has definitely been run through the mud. Jeanette McCurdy (Sam from Icarly) has written a biography and in the proccess exposed some of her run-ins with "The creator". It turns out she's not the only one to be made uncomfortable. Again, the female harassment theme continues. Schneider claims to be smear campaigned. I'll let you be the judge and do your own research on that. I am going to be as objective as possible and only use the facts I have found. 

Jeanette McCurdy stated in her biography that someone called "the creator" massaged her shoulders, made her wear a bikini, and encouraged her to drink alcohol while underaged. Investigators have found Schneider's sets to be toxic and hostile in environment. In 2018 he was booted after proof of verbal abuse came out. No proof of other types of abuse has been found, but plenty is alleged. 

Alexa Nikolas (Nicole in Zoey 101) has some experiences that she has shared. Daniella Monet (Trina in Victorious) claims he and all his male-only writers created sexual jokes unnecessarily for teenage actors to do. Schneider also advocated for a skimpier female wardrobe and Monet commented that it wasn't age-appropriate. Nikolas said it was common on set for female actors to sit on Schneider's lap. He also had an anger problem and screamed at the actors. He also (though this is contradicted by some sources) didn't like female writers in the room and didn't think women were funny. This was contradicted when he said Ariana Grande was hilarious and he likes Lucille Ball and Tina Fey. Jenny Kilgen accused him of gender discrimination and creating hostile work environments. Other writers tell stories of him asking for massages and asking them to do embarrassing acts for money.

Schneiders disputes all this and says he couldn't have done some much if he had abused his actors. Investigations echo McCurdy's story from her biography. He used to tweet foot pictures of the female stars he worked with. He was already in the doghouse before this and it is just more public now. They did not find proof of sexual misconduct in both investigations toward him. It is a messy issue. 

According to looper.com:

Gradstein told the newspaper, "[Schneider] could be generous and validating, and it was exciting to be around his talent and passion for creating entertainment. But he was also unreasonably demanding, controlling, belittling, and vindictive with a willful disregard for boundaries or workplace appropriateness."

If you want to know more about Jeanette's story, go get her book. She is amazing. As she says, her time with Nickelodeon was only a short part of her biography story. 

Amazon.com: I'm Glad My Mom Died eBook : Mccurdy, Jennette : Kindle Store

Sources:

Tippi Hedren Recalls Hitchcock Abuse During Filming of The Birds (people.com)

Tippi Hedren: I was sexually harassed by Alfred Hitchcock (nypost.com)

Shelley Duvall's abuse experience on The Shining because of Stanley Kubrick - Confessions of a Horror Freak

Shelley Duvall's Traumatic Experience Making 'The Shining' Scarred her for Life (thevintagenews.com)

Actors Who Claim They Were Abused On Set (nickiswift.com)

Debbie Reynolds’ real story behind “Singing in the Rain” shows how fierce she was (yahoo.com)

Actors And Crew Have Alleged On-Set Abuse By Nickelodeon TV Show Creator Dan Schneider (yahoo.com)

Dan Schneider, ‘iCarly’ Creator, Accused of Misconduct (vulture.com)

The Dan Schneider Controversy Explained (looper.com)

Could Francy happen?

I talked about Ned and Nancy (Nedcy) in a previous blog. What I want to theorize on today is whether Frank and Nancy (or Francy) could happen. I'm going off of the Herinteractive games, for reference. 

Courtesy of Tumblr

I mean no ill will toward Ned. I'd like to make that clear right now. I like many aspects of Ned, including his impressive loyalty to Nancy and sweet, sappy conversation. He's also a good man for advice in earlier games. While that is all true, Francy is an attractive option since Frank and Nancy share a lifestyle of travel and adventures on a consistent basis. How would this actually look and would it work? Let's find out. 

Background Information

The Hardys are mostly phone friends, with the exception of three games where they are physically present. You can become the Hardys in Kapu Cave (both brothers), Last Train To Blue Moon Canyon (Frank only), and Midnight In Salem (Frank only). It's important to look at how many games they are in as both phone friends and present investigators. The game that only features Joe won't be counted in this case. Frank is in games 6-10, 13-15, 22, 25, 28, and 32-33. This means he's in a lot of the games and is in contact with Nancy quite a lot, though the fact that usually Joe is on the line means we don't get too many romantic declarations going on. I hear no mention of Frank having a girlfriend, though the books say he does. I'm going off of game references, so we'll just forget about the books for this post.

In Deadly Device, Captive Curse, Trail of the Twister, Midnight In Salem, and maybe a few more I'm forgetting it is subtly referenced or observed in dialogue that Frank has a crush on Nancy. What you don't hear is her flirting back. When talking to Ned, Nancy talks about calling Frank casually, as if talking about a friend. She says that the Hardys are kind of a set. I hate to crush the Francy dreams of all us Francy fans, but game Nancy isn't flirting back. Nancy from the games is not going that direction, or she would have already cheated on Ned or dumped Ned. In fact, she wants to patch things up with Ned and makes it a priority in Midnight In Salem and Captive Curse. I don't see it happening. 

Why It Would Work If It Happened

I know some people don't agree with the Francy argument, but let me explain why their relationship could work, if it happened. While the games obviously don't want to split up the Nedcy situation, I'd like to explain my opinion.

Point one is lifestyle. Both of them are already working together on cases, traveling all over everywhere solving mysteries. What Ned lacks is the understanding that she needs space, but Frank gives her that space by working his own cases. Then they come together to celebrate their success. The one thing Midnight In Salem puts up as a possibility is running a detective agency with the Hardys, which Nancy doesn't decline, but doesn't say yes to either. I could see Frank and Nancy doing case work together on a consistent basis and loving it. 

Courtesy of Pinterest

Point two is their strong friendship and support for each other. One cannot deny that when working cases together they give support to both sides, without too much disagreement or arguing about how to work the case itself. This friendship has been going strong without all that much conflict for years, unlike the Nedcy situation which is getting harder to maintain for Nancy and Ned. While Frank, too, would worry about Nancy unceasingly, he wouldn't be creating as much conflict because he was bored because he has stuff to do. I do love Ned, but I think he needs more hobbies that aren't Nancy-based. Frank has a side business with Joe, thus he's got a hobby.

Point three is his understanding of Nancy. Such a strong friendship leads to deep understanding of each other. He's not afraid to let her have space, nor is he hounding her for more contact with him. Nancy's tunnel vision is not a problem when he's got his own cases to work. I said that Nancy needed space to live her life in the Nedcy blog. Frank understands that and also knows what frustrates her, especially after watching her relationship with Ned go into hard times. I find it impossible to believe she hasn't talked about it with the Hardys. She tends to open up to Frank about a lot. 

Could It Go Bad?

Yes, it could. One of the issues I see is that Frank and Nancy could get too busy for each other. Both are working active cases on a daily basis. The clinginess of Ned may not show up in Frank, but they are indeed busy people all the time. What could stop that from happening is going into business together. That solution could make it work more fluidly. That happens naturally no matter what, thus I think this issue isn't a particularly big one. 

The other issue is where they live. Physical distance makes for a hard relationship. Her friends are in River Heights and his are in Bayport. I think they are states away. Allegedly, Illinois and Massachusetts are supposed to be the states they live in. Hours of driving or a flight away is not the ideal distance to create a relationship. Given how much they travel, it may not be that bad for them, if they work the same cases together. However, it makes a romantic getaway hard to plan for around cases. Ned complains about getting together while living in the same town, but Frank would have to literally take a long drive or a flight to even get together with her for a weekend. This is a huge issue they'd have to figure out.

Courtesy of Herinteractive

Conclusions

I love the idea of Francy, but the games aren't going to put them together anytime soon. Nancy is trying to patch up her Nedcy situation, thus I come to the conclusion it isn't happening. They have long established that Ned is Nancy's man and won't be changing that. Francy'd be fun, yes, but I do see the major issue being the travel required to be physically together. Being used to travel doesn't make a long-distance relationship any easier. She already has trouble making time for Ned without states of distance in her way.

Sources:

https://nancydrew.fandom.com/wiki/

Christian Films Worth Watching

 I talk about the Christian bubble (link here for my blog on that) and Christian fiction (see here), but let's focus on the visual media that isn't printed on a page. I want to look at all the exceptions to the rule. While there are badly made preachy films and fake Christian media out there, I'll be highlighting the ones you should be looking up. 

Courtesy of wordandway.org

I could look up an entire list or two or five of the best Christian films that are well-made, however, I have my own list that I'd like to give you. I know for a fact that these are good. I have watched all these beautiful films, except for one category. I can look up more and watch them for myself on a future blog. For now, I give you my personal recommendations. 

Some of you will be saying that not all these films were directed and made by Christians. You'd be right. It seems that some Christian filmmakers have also directed horror films, so I don't care who directed it, in my personal opinion. If you care I can respect that fully. Just know that this list doesn't pay any mind to who produced or directed the film itself. You'll have to look into that yourself. I'd encourage you to appreciate the film despite the director or producer.

The Miracle Maker

Any claymation or stop-motion photography film is impressive, but when you can make Jesus roll his eyes in claymation and the water look like it comes in and out you are good. It came from the late '90s and it is Jesus's life in stop-motion photography. Keep in mind that anything in this style took months and possibly years to make due to the nature of the art. It isn't a common art because it takes so long to make just three minutes alone. Fluid motion is legitimately impressive. It takes effort. If you need an example of stop-motion films you can look at some Wes Anderson films, Tim Burton films, and Aardman films. This holds up to that standard and takes it slightly higher even. When you take an effort to put Jesus' life in claymation and it looks this amazing, it is worth watching just to marvel at the craftsmanship of the film. Watch it on Youtube free with ads (and be aware it is also a western title) and enjoy! The DVD is probably worth the money, too. Click here to find it easy.

VeggieTales

Okay, so your kids may like this more than you will. To be fair, it is quality entertainment that not many could replicate in Christian media. People tried and failed to meet this high standard and cash in on it. 

I will warn you about one thing; the original team that did VeggieTales is no longer running the show. I suggest you stick to the older shows and movies to see the best of them. I can't guarantee the high mark that made the old ones good will be in the new content. I am sad to say that the original creators were booted out of the production team, as far as I know. Be aware of this and go rent those DVDs from the library if you want to be sure you've got the good stuff. 

Sherwood Pictures

The broad category you see here encompasses all the films made by Sherwood Pictures, which is a church production team. My husband loves these movies for their depth when I can safely say that many Christian films lack depth. Lack of depth leads to fluff instead of content. The movie Fireproof takes on serious issues. Flywheel is the first film they made. War Room is all about prayer. 

If my husband can love these films, you can too. He craves depth in entertainment and suggested them to me. Give them a try. See what you think. 

The Passion of The Christ

I was forced to watch this one at my old church. It turned out to be a good film. It is exactly what you'd expect it to be, which is all about Jesus. The graphic nature of his crucifixion is shocking. Be aware of the fact it won't be pretty. They used good actors and had a great script. There is a sequel coming. I can't say what that will be like. It is one of the highest-grossing films. 

The film is not for young kids. Please understand it is rather intense in nature and won't be something your young child can watch without trauma. Also, the original might be in Aramaic. While I suppose that it may give a better picture of Jesus' suffering, I wouldn't show this to any small child. Put this away until only adults are in the room. 

Prince of Egypt

This one is for the whole family. It is the story of Moses. I know for a fact that even secular audiences will watch this one, which is a mark of quality all by itself. I love this film. Someone took great care in recreating Moses' life. Yes, they took maybe one or two liberties, but I can't name a film that didn't. 

Give this one a family movie night or two. You and your kids will love it. Also, the voice of Ramses in this one is the voice of Jesus in The Miracle Maker. 

Bonus Content

Let's talk about Narnia and Lord of the Rings (LOTR). I know they aren't the Christian genre, a strong reason why both Christian and nonchristian audiences know and love these books and movies. We also know that the authors are strong Christians. There are reflections of Christianity throughout both. The genre these are technically in is children's literature and fantasy.

The scene below is what I think honestly reflects the crucifixion even more than the passion does. I can't not cry in distress as Aslan gets killed by the white witch to cover someone else's actions. 

I included this scene because it genuinely reflects what Jesus did for us, giving up His glory and paying our sins' price to free us. It is hard to watch what happens to Aslan, yet it gives us an accurate picture of how much Jesus suffered (even if it isn't a human representative being Jesus). 

LOTR portrays sin, represented by the one ring. It threatens to overtake everyone who has it. The depth of evil in this ring practically destroys Frodo as he goes with Sam to Mordor on a mission to destroy it. In the end, Sam is the only one who can give the ring back to someone, pointing to the concept of Sam being the true hero as he tries to help Frodo carry it. 

What a flower means

 Today this one is for my mom, who loves flowers so much she's got at least 18 orchids in her house. We're going to look at the meaning of flowers in American culture, which may not match other cultures. Ready? 

Courtesy of theflowersavenue.com

Did you know there are birth flowers, just like birthstones? Myths also have something to do with flower meanings. It's all symbolism. I'm leaving out the mention of crystals on this one for reasons that it is sometimes used in witchcraft forms. I am not here to promote witchcraft. I will include a menagerie of flowers in this post. I cannot possibly hit on them all. I'm going to leave a brief chart, in case you want to know your birth flower. Next, I'm going to go into common flowers you'll hear about in most places and stores. 

Courtesy of Pinterest

The Common Flowers

The orchid is where I will start, a rare flower people would go on expeditions for and sell to others. People lost their lives just to give the orchids to rich people who'd pay a high price. It represents delicate beauty, fertility, love, refinement, thoughtfulness, and charm. The name orchid means testicle, surprisingly, and only because of its shape. They are on every continent except Antarctica. In some places wild orchids are protected. Ancient Greeks found this flower to represent virility. Aztecs mixed vanilla orchids with chocolate to promote power and strength. The Victorian era displayed them as a luxury and to show refinement, which means only the rich had them. There is no such thing as a black orchid. 

Different colored orchids represent other things. Blue-tinted ones are rare and represent rarity. Below is a list of what each color means at a glance.

Red - passion, desire, strength, courage

Pink - grace, joy, happiness, innocence, femininity

White - reverence, humility, innocence, purity, elegance, beauty

Purple - admiration, respect, dignity, royalty

Yellow - friendship, joy, new beginnings

Orange - enthusiasm, boldness, pride

Green - good fortune, blessings, good health, nature, longevity

Courtesy of gardens-with-purpose.com

Do you want one? You can pay what you want for them. You can pay five to ten dollars at a grocery store or buy the rarest variety for your greenhouse for thousands of dollars. Your choice. The cheap ones don't take much care, except for water and sunlight. The expensive ones require a greenhouse more expensive than most people's homes and plenty of attention.

The Rose has a whole language by itself. You see them everywhere in greenhouses and can find ones bred to be hard to kill. One flower versus a bouquet makes a difference in this flower's meaning. Let me just put the colors in a paragraph each for you. 

Not only that but what hand you accept the flowers with often plays a role in the meaning. Accepting with the right hand means you agree and affirm. Your left hand shows disagreement. A crown of roses indicates a reward of virtue, a bouquet in full bloom indicates gratitude, and a rose in a tuft of grass indicates everything is to be gained by good company. A faded rose says "beauty is fleeting".

Red is most certainly love, as well as respect, admiration, and devotion. Deep red can mean heartfelt regret or sorrow. A single red one means "I love you" or "You are the one for me". Two roses symbolize "Let us be together". At three, we get the meaning "You and me and our love for company". Six means "I am halfway in love with you". A dozen is "be mine". Somewhere between twelve and fifty means "I am yours" and fifty roses say "my love for you is limitless". Twenty-five roses can be given to congratulate someone. 

White represents purity, chastity, and innocence. Also included are new beginnings, sympathy, humility, or spirituality. One white rose says "my feelings are pure". If it is withered it is a symbol of the loss of innocence or death.

Yellow is friendship and caring. It is platonic. If you want to send flowers to a friend this is the color to send. They are warm and welcoming. "You bring joy to my life" and "let's be friends" are what can come across here. 

Pink is admiration, joy, and gratitude. It also connects to sweetness and innocence. Deep pink shows deep gratitude and appreciation. Elegance and grace are also conveyed with this color. One alone says "I like you". 

Courtesy of bhg.com.au

Orange conveys passion and energy. This is intense desire, fervor, and pride, as well as fascination. One single rose says "I'm proud of you". 

Lavender means enchantment or love at first sight. Darker colored lavender shows regal majesty and splendor. These can also express adoration and fascination. A single rose expresses "I am enchanted by you". 

Blues rose are not natural. They are dyed that way. Therefore, they are mysterious and unattainable. So, "I can't have you and can't stop thinking about you" is what this rose expresses, which is pretty much saying you are a forbidden fruit. Maybe don't give this one. One alone means "you seem like an unattainable dream". 

Green roses represent harmony, wealth and luxury, fertility, peace, and tranquility. They are off-white with shades of green. You give these as a "best wishes for a prosperous new life" occasion or a get well soon expression. 

Black roses are not natural. They are dyed that way or a deep, deep red that just looks black. It means the death of something. Don't send these to a significant other unless you want the relationship to die. Unless you are Abby from NCIS, you probably don't want these. 

One peach rose means "thank you" or expresses that you sympathize with someone. In my sources below you'll find the page I worked off of for the rose meanings, where you'll also find the rose types mean something, too. I'll put that here for you to explore on your own. Otherwise, this blog will never end. 

A Lily is just as complicated as the two other flowers before it. If you thought this blog subject wasn't complex you have just been proven wrong. The common meaning is purity and fertility. Again, colors matter. The flower itself connects to Zeus and Hera in mythology. 

According to bloom and wild, the story goes like this. 

"The story goes that Zeus wanted baby Hercules to drink Hera’s milk. But because Hercules was born of another woman, she disagreed. In a sneaky bid to get Hercules some milk, Zeus brought him to drink Hera’s milk while she was asleep. When she woke up and [realized], she pushed them away and the drops of milk that fell on the ground grew into lilies."

Egyptians believed this flower was sacred and the Romans filled their pillows with it. It is quite fascinating. 

Courtesy of Gardening Know How

The basic rundown below is what the colors represent. This one I can leave in a basic list for you. 

White - Purity, rebirth, often used in funerals and weddings

Pink - love, femininity, admiration

Red - love, passion

Orange - confidence, energy, positivity, warmth

Yellow - thankfulness, joy, friendship

This one isn't as complicated as the rose, obviously, but you do see the colors matter in all of these. 

Sunflowers remind me of one of my best friends, which is why I'm going to end with this one. Let's not make the blog a mile long. This one has a myth with it, too. Clytie and Apollo the sun god are the players involved in this myth. 

According to sunflowerjoy.com, this is the myth. 

"The Greek water nymph, Clytie, fell in love with the Sun God called Apollo. She often gazed up at him and hoped that he would offer a look or a glance in her direction. He never did look upon her because Apollo was in love with someone else and had no interest in looking down at Clytie. After a long time, Clytie realized that Apollo had no interest in her. It was a one sided and unrequited love that would never be reciprocated. Clytie became depressed at the thought that her love would never be returned. She refused to eat and drink and just stared forlornly at Apollo. In time, the other Greek Gods felt sorry for Clytie. Eventually they decided to change her into a beautiful flower, a sunflower, as this was kinder than leaving her as she was. Clytie the sunflower always looked towards Apollo, the Sun God. This was then how all sunflowers came to follow the path of the sun. The Greek origin story of the sunflower is rather sad. Clytie was a lovesick water nymph who pined for someone and yearned for a love that she could never have. However, her sadness was transformed into the beautiful yellow color flower that is still with us today."

So, that's the story according to mythology. Not bright and cheery, but seldom is mythology ever cheery. At any rate, the name of the flower means "flower of the sun". Shocker, right? 

Now we dig into what it represents. It follows the sun, thus it is considered loyal and devout. It symbolizes true faithful loyalty. It connects to Christianity and many other religions. It also represents longevity, optimism, happiness, good fortune, and good luck. Peace and hope also come with this flower since it can clean up radiation and toxic pollution, thus representing a nuclear-free world. This flower is pretty and absorbs toxicity. 

Sources:

Flower Meanings | Birth Flowers | The Language of Flowers | Floriography (buildingbeautifulsouls.com)

Orchid Flower Meaning - Flower Meaning

Rose Flower Meanings by their Color, Variety and Numbers (pickupflowers.com)

What is the meaning of the lily flower? | Bloom & Wild (bloomandwild.com)

What is the Meaning of a Sunflower: Symbolism, Spiritual and Myths (sunflowerjoy.com)

Indepth Analysis: Ned and Nancy

Within the world of the Nancy Drew games, we see a Ned and Nancy relationship that is currently on shaky ground. Over time the Francy (Frank and Nancy)  idea from the Supermystery books has bled into the game plot. While Nancy makes no effort to hook up with Frank, Ned still gets a bit weird about Nancy solving a mystery with the Hardys. 

*There may be game spoilers!*

Courtesy of Pinterest

Today I'm going to go into the details of the Nancy and Ned relationship (games only). I'll start with a rundown of what has happened in their relationship from game 1 to game 33. From there I'll jump into what each of them seems to need from each other. Lastly, I'll state my opinion on whether Nancy and Ned should be together as a couple or not. If I think they can fix it I'll state how I think they could, but we'll see. 

The Relationship As It Stands

Ned starts at game 1 as a phone boyfriend. He only really gives hints here. In the next game, he does say "I love you", but still a phone boyfriend. For the majority of the series you only talk to him over the phone. We never see him in person, even though we once play as him. We see only a picture or two to go off of.

It may be that the many books they based the games off of didn't include Ned, but be that as it may, Ned is not in games 3,6-10,12-14,20,22-23,26-27, and 30-31. He is mentioned in many of these games. You just can't call him. Again, I will make the case that the books may not include Ned (in fact, she may not have met him yet in some books). That has no bearing on the relationship itself if that is indeed the case. I am taking that into account and assuming Ned receives her letters and communicates with her between cases. 

Courtesy of Herinteractive

With all that in mind, the content of those calls includes advice on the case at hand. We also learn he's in college working hard on his degree and in a fraternity. He's busy, too, so we can't say he spends all his time waiting for Nancy to come home. Early on we see no complaints from Ned. He worries over Nancy's safety and helps her solve her cases with good advice. In Kapu Cave, however, Nancy sees the Hardy boys on the beach and hangs up on Ned mid-conversation. You call him back, yes, but you can find conversation indicating he's not happy Frank is there. No indication of any other conflict surfaces the game after. Nancy even checks on Henry Bolet for him in Crystal Skull while she's with Bess.

Within Phantom of Venice, there is a heavily mentioned locket that Nancy says Ned gave her. This still shows a rather healthy relationship. We don't know what happens outside the cases Nancy handles. We assume they go out between cases. I do, anyway, but to each their own. Why else would Ned buy her a locket if he wasn't committed to the relationship? After a while, you can't avoid calls from Ned (should you not bother to call him as the player). This happens in Blackmoor Manor, Kapu Cave, and Waverly specifically. 

Captive Curse begins to give us a clue as to how many times Ned had to reschedule their dates for Nancy's cases. He gets upset about it and says he doesn't have anything to do. This shows us that his life tends to circle around Nancy's. He even goes to the Hardys for consoling, who then call Nancy and ask what happened between them. The game has you make up and get back together. Truthfully, this has roots that may have been happening behind the scenes. Ned later admits he's waiting for exciting things to happen to him like they do for Nancy and Nancy assures him she would love for him to be able to join her. He admits he knows that and forgets that sometimes. Next game Ned helps Bess and George get Nancy out of jail. He even endures a date with Deirdre so the rest of the gang can get her fingerprint and notes. 

Courtesy of Pinterest

For the next few games he's the usual helpful phone boyfriend. Silent Spy shows him defending Nancy as she is in Scotland. He declares his loyal support for her. Sea of Darkness lets the player choose a response more than other games have before. Nancy completely forgot their anniversary dinner. This means if you hate Ned you can refuse to return his "I love you". Assuming you are nice to Ned and return his "I love you", the response you get is that Ned has a gift he can't give you over the phone and that he's constantly worried he'll get a call about Nancy's untimely death any day now. He's consumed by worry, basically. Hot tip, buy him a sword and he'll love it.

Now we need to talk about Midnight In Salem's (MID for short) mysterious call early in the game. If you don't know, Ned suggests Nancy take a break from cases in a somewhat passive-aggressive tone (it may be just my perception, but I'm not sure) and then gets interrupted by a woman mocking Ned. She steals his phone and won't give it back. She hangs up on Nancy. No explanation is given. 

We can take two thought journeys with this one. Road one suggests Nancy is being cheated on. Road two suggests Ned's sister took his phone. I choose to believe Ned's sister is to blame, as he openly texts he is hanging out with friends. He also is on vacation, presumably with his family. Plus, what idiot calls his girlfriend with his side chick beside him? Come on, Ned isn't stupid. Frankly, even Dierdre says he's not budging "on the you situation" and would wait by the phone for eternity even if Nancy never called Ned again. Deirdre knows the score. She's kept her eye on Ned for years, so she's probably right. 

We come back to the rest of MID, where we play phone tag with Ned the whole game. He's not being helpful at all in the communication department. Nancy says she'll call him back as she encounters situations like vandalism to the Perry's house and Mei's disappearance. I wish she'd have just explained what was happening instead of not taking his call. This communication situation is not good, as well as Ned's consuming worry over Nancy combined with his dislike of Frank. She does end the game by planning a vacation with Ned, however, where they can talk out their issues uninterrupted. This is the game that last came out, so we know nothing else. 

What Do They Need?

Nancy has tunnel vision. Any player of Herinteractive games knows this after several games in. She is seldom in River Heights. Her constant barrage of cases leads her all over the map. This means she's seldom home to have a romantic getaway with Ned or spend time with him. What does she need? I can't really say. She has the support of Ned, the attention of Ned, and doesn't need much. If I had to say what she needed from Ned it would be the understanding that she needs space to solve those mysteries and live her life (which Captive Curse touched on). 

Ned is a college student that also has a busy life. He's also expressed that he wants more of her attention and time. This one is simple. There isn't much more to say. He needs more time spent and attention from Nancy because she's practically traveling all year. The time he does have off seems to not match up with hers if MID gave me the right vibe. 

This is shockingly simple to fix. All it really takes is an intentional inclusion in her cases, if possible, so Ned can come with her. It could also help if she did what the end of MID actually suggested they were going to do. Nancy is trying to save the relationship. In my opinion, Ned also needs to give her some space if he's not going to join her adventure. She loves mysteries. Ned can't just keep her at home. There needs to be a balance of time at home and mystery solving. It all comes down to their lives being out of balance. Add some clear communication to a re-balanced and prioritized relationship and they may just work out forever. 

Will It Work Out?

Yes, I think it will. Nancy made a step toward prioritizing Ned at the end of MID. Ned is clearly not cheating on Nancy if Deirdre is convinced he would wait on her forever. He's declared his support of her, his worry over her, and his devotion to her in Sea of Darkness. Long story short, they need to balance their time together and time away while clearly communicating. If they do that they're going to be fine.

I am fully aware that some players declare Nancy to be a horrible girlfriend, but I also present to you that Ned also needs to make an effort. Captive Curse demonstrated that Ned is too dependent on Nancy for his free time and needs to give her space. MID demonstrated that he's not good at communication either. A relationship is a two-way street and they need to understand each other. It takes two people. Nancy seems to have a dynamic life and Ned doesn't seem to be anything other than a homebody. You see this also in Carson and Kate's relationship, which seems to create arguments also. Ned is too dependent on Nancy in some cases, which isn't good. 

Keep in mind these are my opinions. You can disagree at any time. For perspective on my perspective, I am someone who gets lost in their own head, like Nancy here. Ned's argument in Captive Curse comes across to me as whining about how he has nothing to do outside of Nancy. I do see how he'd be upset that the getaway had to be rescheduled, but aside from that, he has to know that Nancy can't bale from a case on his whim. The world doesn't revolve around Ned.

With all that, I end my case. Ned and Nancy, in my opinion, can fix this and are actively trying. 

The Men of Nancy Drew Games Pt 3

 Here is the last post of me cringe-rating men from Herinteractive's Nancy Drew games. Keep in mind there may be some game spoilers. I do not directly reveal culprits, though you may be able to figure it out based on the information here. 

Courtesy of Tumblr

I am going from Captive Curse to Midnight In Salem. I will not be doing the two dossiers' men. If you want that please comment and respond. If I see no comments I will not return to it. Without further adieu, I will finish off the cringe ratings. 

Just a reminder, these are opinions. If you love a character I don't, you can feel free to love that character to your heart's content. The ratings will go from 1 (no cringe) to 10 (all of the cringe). 

Captive Curse

Karl Weschler - He is primarily here for comedy and to provide a fun mini-game. His character does have a weird story about a doppelganger and may play with figurines, but I only give him a 2. After all, he makes you traipse out to the woods and take a picture of the monster because he wants to believe it was Lucas the whole time. 

Lukas Mittlemeier - He's a kid that pulls a prank or two on Nancy and many pranks on Karl. Long story short, he's a fun character to play another mini-game with. He also ends up dropping something that gives you access to the security booth. He's a helpful kid that even rewards you with Raid cards for playing his game. He's a 2, just because of that bucket prank that makes you wear a new dress. 

Alibi In Ashes

*I am excluding Ned, George, and Bess because they are usually in contact with Nancy already.*

Chief McGinnis - I love this one. He knows Nancy didn't do it, but he's between a rock and hard place. He gives you the run of the station and probably purposely never leaves his office. Even with that, he didn't try too hard to not arrest Nancy, so he's a 3. Nancy and Chief McGinnis have always had a bit of a rocky relationship.

Alexie Markovic - This man's second language is sarcasm and he's been through all this before Nancy ever has. He's an ally. However, if you try to be Bess and talk to him you will not get past the vase without knocking it over. I love this one, too, but he doesn't like to cooperate with Nancy's friends without sarcastic complaining. He's a 2 to 3 (depending on what character you use). 

Tomb of the Lost Queen

Abdullah Bakhoum - "Be Ramses with me!" This one has an ego larger than the Pharaohs. He has a history of staging sites, as well. He's a 7. 

Courtesy of Tumblr

Dylan Carter - This one is rather fun. If you prompt his tour guide speech you can ask the stupidest question you can think of. He's great and rather attractive. He is a 1, even with the black-market situation. 

Deadly Device

Victor Lossett - Victor refuses to give you access to the lab, gets mad when you make headway on the case, eventually fires you, and then turns out to be even worse than you thought he was. Seriously, he's a 10. 

Mason Quinto - I love beating his score in aggregation and messing with his personally organized pens and office supplies. He's fun to mess with. He's also about as helpful to talk to as a brick wall. While you get some things from him, he isn't open to you at all.  He's a 5 for being generally unhelpful. 

Gray Cortright - Gray dislikes people. That is him in one sentence. Given that, he also sees through Nancy's cover like it's made of clear glass. He was loyal to Niko and protects his research. He's a 1 to 2. 

I won't be including Niko because we never met him until he was dead. 

Ghost of Thornton Hall

Wade Thornton - He's an intelligent man with rough edges. He's a victim of a family that has more or less told him he's an outsider, much like what happened to Harper. If you've played the game you know he's gone to jail for being a whistleblower. He's a 1. Wade is the sanest of the family in my opinion. 

Colton Birchfield - Poor, sweet Colton has been trapped in a situation where the woman he actually loves was chased away by his family just so he could be taken into the Thornton family by marriage. He clearly has had some mental issues and is judged for this. I feel bad for him the whole game. He's a 1. 

The Silent Spy

Ewan Macleod - I don't think much about him. He doesn't have too much depth if you look at the storyline. He's also lied to you.  He's a 3. Ewan doesn't bug me all that much, but he isn't a great character all around. 

Alec Fell - Alec is generally helpful. He finds your luggage for you. He finds Moira for you. He's not hard to look at, either. He's a 1. 

The Shattered Medallion

Sonny Joon - We finally meet the intern we see evidence of everywhere, and he turns out to be as strange as we thought. He's taken the show hostage. After a while, he sends us looking for some alien device that we actually find. He's a 2. There are no words to explain him. 

Patrick Dowsett - Again, lack of depth. This man is not much at all in the plot, which doesn't make sense anyway. He sinks like a gorilla, apparently. He's also not much of a conversationalist. He's a 5 for being mostly useless. 

Labyrinth of Lies

Thanos Ganas - He's a member of the greek mafia, in a plot to smuggle museum artifacts. Thanos is dangerous according to the Hardy boys. He's a man of few words. While he's not hard to look at, I'd hate to meet him in a dark alley. He's a 2 to 3 because he's a mafia man. 

Grigor Karakinos - He, too, is in on this plot. Grigor, at least, helps Nancy at the end. He's also kind of thick with flattery. If he applied himself he'd be a good actor, but obviously, the show is in such a state it is not even presentable. He's a 2. 

Sea of Darkness

Soren Bergursson - He appears helpful in the beginning, but proves to be less so later. He is considered an outsider despite being born in Iceland. For reasons I won't state, he's a 5 to 6. 

Magnus Kiljansson - The poor man doesn't know how to maintain a relationship very well. He also got held captive in an ice cave by the time we meet him. He's who we're hired to find. He's got tunnel vision to rival even Nancy's (and she forgot her anniversary dinner). He's a 2.

Gunnar Tonnisson - He's so sweet and funny. He may not be overly popular, but I love this guy. He calls Dagny a Minke and Nancy a fish. Gunnar is also accompanied by a sad story, of how he lost his family to the sea. I want to hug this man every time I hear it. He's a 1. 

Midnight In Salem

I am not rating the cringy graphics, so please understand that. I'm looking at character based on dialogue options. 

Judge Danforth - Judges are supposed to base things on evidence. Despite Mei having no evidence to prove her guilty, Judge Danforth decides she's the culprit on prejudice alone. He deserves that speech Nancy gives him at the end game conversation. He's a 7-9. He also blames Mei for his son's activities, which aren't her fault. 

Jason Danforth - He thinks he's a lady killer. He's not. While that doesn't put him in a good light to begin with, he's also being used and being prevented from a friendship with Mei. He's a 5 after I reflect on some of the strings being pulled on him behind the scenes. 

Courtesy of Behindthevoiceactors

And with that, I conclude this series, which I did just for kicks and giggles. I may just do the women of the games after a while if no better blog ideas are brought up or come about. Thank you for reading my opinions and feel free to discuss in the comments what you think. 

Sources:

Nancy Drew | Nancy Drew Wiki | Fandom

List of Nancy Drew video games - Wikipedia

The Men of Nancy Drew Games Pt. 2 of 3

 Once again I find myself rating the cringe of Nancy Drew men. see Pt. 1 of 3 for the beginning of the blog series. It will be split into 3 parts for the sake of length. Let's continue. 

Courtesy of thenancydrew.wikia.com

Starting at game number 11 and ending at number 23, this will work the following way. The rating system goes from 1 to 10, 1 being no cringe at all and 10 being all of the cringe. Ready? I'm just going to jump into this and go. Reasons for my opinions, which you don't have to agree with, will be explained.

There will be spoilers. If you haven't played these games, read with caution and maybe come back after you have played them. You've been warned. Note that culprits are not directly revealed in this blog.

Curse of Blackmoor Manor

Nigel Mookerjee - He is a 7 to 8, maybe 9 on the scale. I think his memoirs are the most boring thing on the planet. While it is hilarious to watch him scream at a moving statue, he's not a joy to interact with and is only slightly helpful. 

I could rate Hugh Penvellyn, but he's a phone contact. What I will say about him is that he probably isn't helping Linda by being on call constantly to other countries. He also isn't helping Jane by leaving her alone with only a tutor, his aunt, and a parrot. Simply stated, he isn't present to be supporting his family emotionally. It didn't help the situation. You can see it in how she constantly wants to play games with Nancy. Jane needed help before and now she needs even more. 

Secret of the Old Clock

Richard Topham - He's full of himself, a fraud, and he took advantage of an older man to get his money. He's a 10 because he is a jerk. 

Jim Archer - While I dearly wish we weren't told to sew his wife's dress, he is otherwise a nice man. He would have gotten money from Crowley and clearly needed it to save his business. 1 is his rating. 

Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon

Tino Balducci - He sucks because he treats the Hardy Boys and Nancy like they are inferior, although they obviously can solve the mystery better than he can. 10, straight up 10. 

Courtesy of hisgames.org

John Grey - I find him interesting. He doesn't like Tino, which bodes well for his rating, and he seems to have common sense. I give him a 1. 

Danger by Design

Dieter von Schwesterkrank - He is only slightly full of himself. I'd have to give him a 2 because of his ego. 

Jean-Michel Traquenard - This one is a 3 to 4. He gave us quite a lot of information and offered us food. Unfortunately, he has an even bigger ego than Dieter. 

The Creature of Kapu Cave

Big Island Mike Mapu - He is all about his business, to the point that he makes us go string shells instead of giving us jeep keys. I enjoy that, but all the same, it does hold you back from the Nancy part of the game. He's a 3 for making us go through hoops to go do our job.

Dr. Malachi Craven - His temper is lethal. You make one mistake and you can get fired from Hili Hili. For that reason, he is a 5. He jumps all over Nancy for asking about the Hili Hili security pass. He is right in the middle because he at least apologizes. He also stares into space as you talk to him. 

White Wolf of Icicle Creek

Ollie Randall - He's a 3 because he's trying to kill the wolf. He's also a 3 because he shoves a lot of chores on Nancy along with everything else we have to do. Otherwise, he's a man who loves his daughter and there is nothing else wrong with him. 

Yanni Volkstaia - He has an ego the size of Texas, thinks he's superior to all his competitors, and is generally not a joy to talk to. He's a 6 to 7. 

Bill Kessler - He's all about fishing. His family used to own the lodge. He's a fun guy that generally just sleeps or plays fox-and-geese. I give him a 1. 

Lou Talbot - While he's not a good conversationalist, I don't see much wrong with Lou. Lou may have indeed stolen the rex bone, but he let us have it back. He gets a 2. 

Legend of the Crystal Skull

Henry Bolet Jr. - This poor guy has to sort through the entire estate. He's also dealing with a horrible girlfriend who is forcing him to give expensive gifts to keep her happy. He's a 1. 

Courtesy of Youtube.com

Lamont Warrick - He's a junk collector and runs the local antique shop. You can find anything there, from an alien in a container to a mummy. We make this poor, poor man go through so much and he still doesn't seem to hate us. He's a 3 only because he went to the funeral to ask about the estate junk. 

Gilbert Buford - He seems to flirt with Bess, or he may just be southernly polite. Either way, it is a little weird. He's a 3. 

Phantom of Venice

Colin Baxter - He snaps at you randomly throughout the entire game, for "breaking" a microscope that wasn't broken at one point. He's also not good at knowing good sausage from bad. He lies to cover up that situation out of embarrassment. Did I mention the slides of tesserae he makes you sit through? And his snappy reaction when you back away from them? He's an 8.5 to 9.5 rating. 

Enrico Tazza - He makes you play cards to get information, but aside from that game (which I thoroughly enjoy) he's not cringy at all. He's a 1. 

Antonio Fango - You only watch him from the building across the street. He's fond of pigeons, which is no crime. While he's a criminal, he also gives me no reason to cringe. Another 1. 

The Haunting of Castle Malloy

Matt Simmons - This is the groom that Nancy finds locked in an underground lab. Going on vibes alone, he doesn't seem to be a bad dude, just an unlucky one and a prankster. He gets a 1. 

Kit Foley - This one is still pining for the bride. He has an old photo of them together with him, which he brought to the wedding, where she was marrying someone else. He was quick to say that Matt had run off (he hadn't). He's a 4 because he needs to let go of the idea Kyler is taking him back. 

Donal Delany - Oh boy, let's talk about the good people. The Celtic lore that he used to explain Matt's disappearance is less than sound thinking. He rates around 4 to 4.5 just for the "good people" explanation. 

Ransom of the Seven Ships

Johnny Rolle - Let me see, how about a 10? Not only does he use us to get off the island, but he's pretending to be someone else the entire time. All he does is take advantage of Nancy. 

Courtesy of Herinteractive

Trail of the Twister

Scott Varnell - His temper is on a short fuse. He's also quite moody all the time. I give him a 2 for reasons that involve the end game. 

"Frosty" Harlow - What I dislike the most about this game is doing all that work to fix the camera and getting reamed by both Scott and Frosty for not fixing it. Worse? Frosty knew the truth and left us out to dry. He sold the footage to someone else. He's a 3.5 to 4 for leaving us in that awkward position. 

Chase Releford - I like this one. He's a fun guy with a good sense of hard work. I'd shoot the breeze with him any day, so he's a 1. 

Pa - Pa is an interesting, sad soul. You can tell he does gossip, though he makes a show that he doesn't when you overhear Brooke come in looking for some juicy tidbits. He's a 1, too. 

Shadow at Waters Edge

Rentaro - This man does not know when to quit when it comes to getting his way. He pressures his girlfriend into leaving constantly, though she never does. You'll notice that he's the most talkative of the bunch here, probably telling you more than he should. He's a 7 for reasons that deal with the ending.

Courtesy of Pinterest

Stay tuned for part three and stay sleuthy!

Sources:

Nancy Drew | Nancy Drew Wiki | Fandom

List of Nancy Drew video games - Wikipedia