http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/resident/ Halloween Discussion Forum, Haunts and Home Haunt Community. en Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:35:06 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.halloweenforum.com/images/afterdark/misc/rss.jpg http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/resident/ http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/resident/64-15th-century-poltitcs-society-area-romania.html Thu, 06 Mar 2008 20:49:27 GMT It occurred to me that everyone could get more into the costume making process if they knew more about Dracula and the society in which he lived, but... It occurred to me that everyone could get more into the costume making process if they knew more about Dracula and the society in which he lived, but to truly understand Dracula you must understand the politics of the time.

Dracula spent his entire life trying to obtain and maintain the throne of Walachia. Walachia was a region south of Transylvania and north of Bulgaria.
The location of Walachia is the key to the political turmoil that took place in the 15th century. To the north was the great Hungarian empire, and to the south was the massive Ottoman Empire. Walachia’s proximity to these two great empires caused the king to perform a sort of balancing act trying to appease both kingdoms. The Hungarian kings wanted Walachia to fight the ottomans while the ottomans wanted Walachia to pretty much just step aside. The throne of Walachia was a dangerous position.

According to Walachia tradition the succession to the throne though heredity does not pass to the first born. Any son of the king could succeed the throne however the choice of which son did not lie with the family. That choice lied with the boyars (wealthy noblemen. because of this it made it possible to attain the throne through assassination. this coupled with the dangerous nature of the of the politics of the throne, meant that the life of a Walachia king was hardly ever very long.

That is all I will put for now next post I will tell about Vlad's father, the order, and maybe a brief history of Constantinople.

I want to appoligize for how the informationis presented I am tired and it shows.

The ReSiDeNT ]]> Resident http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/resident/64-15th-century-poltitcs-society-area-romania.html http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/resident/63-amazing-find.html Mon, 03 Mar 2008 16:48:49 GMT Ok so it is becoming very clear that I made the right choice for my costume. From coming up with great ideas to finding the perfect weapon (the sword... Ok so it is becoming very clear that I made the right choice for my costume. From coming up with great ideas to finding the perfect weapon (the sword should arrive Wed) I have experienced countless just incredibly lucky finds and lucky little accidents. I have met some very helpful, interesting, and really nice people. I feel like the universe has my back on this one. ;)

Now I have to tell you about this amazing find of mine. Three friends and I went to a flea market this weekend. We walked around for most the day, and I had found a few things that I had bought. We were walking back to the car, and we were passing through the last open air section of the flea market. As I was waiting for our friends to meet up with us I saw a booth with a big old Patriarchal cross. I have been intrigued by this symbol for my costume so I walked over to take a look just because it has become a point of interest to me. After I looked at the cross I walked around this old man's tent, and I found a beautiful old jewelry box that was full of old cuff links. Some had matches some didn't. I started idly looking through them then I came across a set of gold cuff links that made me do a double take. It was a gold dragon in a circle, tail to head, and in the very center is an inlaid costume pearl.

I have been looking for that exact symbol since I came up with the idea. Let me explain. Vlad Tepes was the second son of Vlad Dracul. Vlad Dracul had been given this name because of multiple reasons, but the most relevant is that he was a member of the dragon. A group started by the man destined to become the emperor of Rome. The symbol of the order of the dragon is very specific it is a dragon with his tail wrapped around his neck. Every member of the order wore this symbol at all times in some fashion as a ring, necklace, cloak clasp, . . .. It is believed that Vlad Dracul inducted his son into the order at some point and so he received his pseudonym Vlad Dracula, Dracula in Romanian means son of the dragon, or devil. That is why finding some type of something close to that design was so paramount. Well let me show you this is a recreation of the symbol of the order of the dragon based on actual artifacts:





and this is what I found:



This piece is ideal mainly because it is so close to the original piece, but it is also great wecause pearls were a very common jewel in byzantine clothing, and it adds a little bit more historical significance.



In incomparable optimisim,

The ReSiDeNT ]]> Resident http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/resident/63-amazing-find.html http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/resident/59-just-something-stupid-i-did-during-lecture-today.html Tue, 26 Feb 2008 23:22:38 GMT I have no natural enemies Because by nature I am unnatural I am mankind’s pinnacle I exist outside the natural boundaries I am the absolute... I have no natural enemies
Because by nature I am unnatural
I am mankind’s pinnacle
I exist outside the natural boundaries

I am the absolute
The Designation of this stands resolute
I am the prince of darkness
I am Vlad Tepes

I walk this earth still this day
Ever waging war in my own special way
I have an army at my side
Watching from the darkness in which we hide

The flesh gives way to my invasion
And pours to me its worth
Then just after their moment of desperation
I give to them their second birth

The spark is gone
But they still live on
They are securely locked away deep on the inside
Safe from the death on the outside

The ReSiDeNT resides ]]> Resident http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/resident/59-just-something-stupid-i-did-during-lecture-today.html http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/resident/58-no-turning-back-now.html Tue, 26 Feb 2008 19:16:50 GMT Well my sword is bought and paid for, and I have to say I am positively brimming with anticipation. I am so excited about this costume. This is a... Well my sword is bought and paid for, and I have to say I am positively brimming with anticipation. I am so excited about this costume. This is a really promising first step. My only regret is that I wont be able to take my crown jewel to the party because (as hooch correctly guessed, it is very sharp and could slash someone in two), but it doesn't matter. If I can make my costume even half as terrifying as its inspiration. It wont matter that I don't have this vicous killing machine with me.

In Unbridled Excitment,

The ReSiDeNT ]]> Resident http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/resident/58-no-turning-back-now.html http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/resident/57-i-have-good-feeling-about-halloween.html Tue, 26 Feb 2008 07:24:11 GMT Everytime I start to think about or work on anything for halloween this year I feel this positive energy come over me. I really think that it is...

Everytime I start to think about or work on anything for halloween this year I feel this positive energy come over me. I really think that it is going to turn out great. I am inspired and pasionate about my costume. This year I am remaking a staple of the halloween tradition, Dracula. I have come to the conclusion that the image of the vampire has lost the terror that was once fundametally interwoven with the very idea of the vampire. I believe that this since of terror has been lost due to how very far away from reality that the vampire has drifted. I plan to bring the image of the vampire back closer to reality, by basing my creation around the actual historical figure of dracula, Vlad Tepes, in hopes that this will bring the image of the vampire back to its previous level of honor and horror in the eyes of society. I am going to make my first step into the creation process tomorrow.

The first step I take into the process is always the same. I always buy at least two of my major accessories first. I think that the accesories can make or break a costume. So, I buy them first so I can build my costume around them. I have now found my first Accessary, my sword. It is a 40 inch Scimitar. It is not likely the type of weapon used by Vlad as it is a weapon that has its roots in the culture of the bain of his existence. It is however more than possible that he could have used one seeing as it was around long before his birth and long after his death, and also in that his domain was adjacent the the lands of the Ottoman empire where a weapon such as this would have been abundent. I have decided to disregard this historical in accuracy due to the fact that the sword is decorated in traditional byzantine design, it looks more menacing than the more likely candidates for the Vlads weapon, and no one will ever know unless I tell them. So now I present for the approval of my peers, what will more than likely be the driving inspration for my recreation of Dracula.

In Optimism,

The Resident









]]> Resident http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/resident/57-i-have-good-feeling-about-halloween.html