The Introverted Detective

This blog is for all those Nancy Drew fans who loved the game Ghost of Thornton Hall, which reminds me; this blog actively includes spoilers for the whole game. Please play before you read, if you intend to play the game spoiler-free.  Courtesy of Youtube.com Again, this is your last warning. Don't spoil a game for yourself if you don't have to. You can come back later.  Is everyone else ready to discuss Charlotte? Great! Let's get into it. The plot of this game is simple. A woman has gone missing while having her bachelorette party at a property haunted by Charlotte Thornton. The search for this woman is going differently than planned. Nancy is sent by a previous character (Savannah Woodham) to go check it out.  Today's post is about the ghost we repeatedly see in the game, Charlotte Thornton. She died in a fire the night of her 21st birthday ball. This takes place in the south. There are three theories as to what she is, all of which I'll explore in detail. The en...

I have film suggestions (and one play suggestion) that use the bookend technique. What is that, you ask? Think about how some films end and begin with a similar sequence or shot, like two bookends. It gives closure to the audience. Today I'll illustrate the concept using movies and one play that executes this wonderfully. Courtesy of Lionsgate I'm going to begin by listing the movies I am using for illustration purposes. Y ou will find spoilers in this post for all these films and the one play I reference. In one case, three Simon Pegg films are referenced as a set (because they are a set, technically) since they use the same bookending technique in their dialogue. The movies and play I'm using will be: Knives Out , Frankenweenie , Hot Fuzz and Shawn of the Dead and At World's End , White Christmas , Cabaret You have been warned! Watch these before you proceed, should you want to be surprised by Knives Out or Hot Fuzz , which are mysteries. Either way, they are fant...

 If I said I had a family-friendly movie to bring to a family gathering, what do you picture? While I'm sure you don't expect me to bring Game of Thrones or Fifty Shades of Grey  to the party, you definitely don't expect me to bring a 1930s short film showing black stereotypes in a blatantly offensive way. My point is this; it all depends on the year you are currently living in.  Courtesy of weareunheard.com Some films and cartoons age poorly as the culture changes. Most of us cringe at old media showing racial and gender stereotypes that no longer fit the culture we have been raised in. Fun for the whole family thirty years ago is different from what it is in 2023. Let's talk about the family-friendly rating and how it has changed.  First, we all need to know what "family-friendly" is defined as. Law Insider says this: "Family Friendly with respect to any Entertainment Property, Consumer Product or other Content, means that such Entertainment Property, ...

 I feel like social media is not being used in the way it was intended, much like every invention in the long history of inventions. Today I revisit what it was for, as well as what we shouldn't be doing with it.  Photo courtesy of dlpa.com.au It was not intended as a way to attack people, harass people, stalk people, turn a country against itself, manipulate someone, or otherwise harm people emotionally. Yet, we can see proof of all this happening in our social media. Let's think about that for a beat. Pause and reflect on what we have recently used our social media to do.  The intention was to connect with others and make it easier to communicate, all while sharing cute photos of animals and sharing about our lives. Connection with others was the original intention of social media. It has become entertainment, too, but depending on the entertainment form that isn't all bad. Hamsters, dad jokes, games, and other innocent forms of fun are not bad things. Jokes that harm o...

Have you ever thought "I'd like to sell my homemade (insert item here) someday"? You may find it a little harder than you thought, but it isn't impossible to do. What you have to understand about it is this; it takes consistency to make it a business and takes work to make an object worth buying (unless you are an adorable child).  Courtesy of Chicago Tribune So, you want to sell your handmade whatever for extra money. Before you rush into making ten million handmade whatever and expect major sales, you first need a vendor's license to go to craft fairs. You also need to take into account that there is sales tax to turn in at one point in the year, another thing to keep track of based on county and state. My dad does this as a side business, as a carpenter who makes toys, cabinets, and doll furniture. It paid for some of my wedding and the rental of his tux, as well as giving an extra boost to the family finances. Is it worth it? Absolutely, but depending on what ...

 It is done, ladies and gentlemen! I released a book on Amazon after a year or so of editing and lots of pre-planning for promoting it. Today is a glorious day.  Courtesy of Cathy Baker Many of you have been following the saga of my getting ready to publish this novel. It is called "Wrenville" and will be linked at the end of this blog and on my website (which is linked to this blog website). Share this blog everywhere. Share the post that goes with it everywhere. Tell the world! I need your help, loyal blog readers.  Do you want the plot? Here it is (without giving you spoilers). A private investigator named Jack Thomas moves into a small town in Illinois after he stumbles upon a complicated case. He thinks he's safe in this small town of Wrenville, but the case he ran from follows him here. From there you can check out the book itself. You aren't getting more than the teaser.  This blog post is going to be super short. I have been editing and writing this for so lo...

 I did it before and I'll do it again for kicks. Flower meanings are back because I have gotten into darker topics and need lighter ones. I'd like to dedicate this to Mom, because this was a good idea that I can pull out of my hat whenever I need a lighter topic of discussion. Thanks Mom!  Watercolor carnations courtesy of Pinterest Gerbera, Carnations, and Peony are my focuses today. I'll go in just that order in this post. I picked 3 common flowers that get put in bouquets because almost everyone will know what they are. Gerbera Gerbera Daisy is found native to South Africa. The victorian meaning is happiness. Egyptian meaning is like it, but slightly different. They said it meant closeness to nature and devotion to the sun. Celts said it lessened sorrows and stress. If someone gives a gift covered in these it might be suspected they are hiding something. Mostly the meaning comes to the innocent happiness of children. These are playful and celebratory flowers that give en...