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Showing posts with label Halloween. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Halloween. Show all posts

Monday, October 31, 2016

Farkle as Dracula: A Girl Meets World Theory


When Riley and Maya first meet Farkle, he is dressed as Dracula. That's no accident. 
Dracula and Farkle have some things in common. 
For one, they don't have a lot of faith. And two, they fall for the innocent and loving princess in their story. 

In the original novel Bram Stoker's Dracula, the vampire was more than just a blood sucking fiend. He was a count, and he desired power and control. When he lost it all, he cursed God, renouncing his faith in him, and he became an undead (neither dead or alive) and fed off the blood of others. His true love dies, and he believes that Mina is her reincarnation, because she is kind and loving. 

Mina is the wife of John Harker, who doubts himself. She wants to be like her friend Lucy, and she is often related to mentions of light throughout the narrative. 
Before Dracula pursues Mina, he seduces and transforms her friend Lucy into one of his followers.

 But, his pursuit of Mina is very different. He courts her, playing the role of a lover, but when Mina discovers who Dracula is, he is ashamed, and he refuses to transform Mina into a mindless follower. 

He wants to make her his equal, and he promises her eternal love. Mina agrees, but Van Helsing interrupts the ritual. 
When Mina is under the care of Van Helsing and Harker, she feels connected to Dracula, and she wants to save him. Darkness desires light and light desires darkness. 
At the end of the story, Mina makes a choice. She kills Dracula, after Dracula himself begs her to do so. He no longer wants to be between life and death. After driving a stake through Dracula's heart, Mina tells him that she loves him saving everyone from darkness. In the end, Mina returns to Harker, and they live the rest of their lives together. 


So how does this relate to Farkle? Well, Farkle has a lot of doubt in things that cannot be proven. He's cynical about things that can't be explained by science, and he likes to be in control. (He is like Harker in this way)


We see this dynamic from the beginning in the Pilot when he claims that Riley is the sun and Maya is the night. He has already set up the rules for Farkle Nation, which we see the outcome of in both Girl Meets Friendship and Girl Meets Crazy Hat. He wants to rule the world. He desires power. 

But, he also holds Riley in the role of the angel, and often treats her differently than Maya. Around Riley, Farkle is supportive, caring and attentive. Around Maya, he is a major flirt with hardly any substance. 
In Girl Meets Farkle's Choice, Farkle tells Riley, "there is only you." But, he still flirts with Maya, and he eventually steps back. 

He doesn't feel like he's part of the story. His role is in limbo, between the ideal of Lucas and the rules that Farkle himself created. (Neither living nor dead)

In Girl Meets Flaws, we learn that Farkle is ashamed of who he is. This is a reoccurring theme in the episodes Yearbook, I Am Farkle and Girl Meets The Great Lady of New York. 
Riley and Farkle have an emotional connection. They know when something is wrong with each other. Only Riley can reach Farkle emotionally. And, she has "saved" him a few times in Flaws, Yearbook, I Am Farkle, Money, and Great Lady of New York. 

But despite Riley's obvious attention to Farkle, Farkle pushes Riley towards Lucas in New Years. He doesn't believe that Riley loves him, even though both said so in Texas 3. 

So, the allusion of Dracula relates to Farkle and Riley's narratives. 


Dracula represents the dictator side of Farkle, the logical side that wants to be in control. As Farkle denies emotion, he gains more and more power over the characters that he has influenced. 

Harker represents the human side of Farkle, the real Farkle. The sweet, observant and loving guy that has been a part of Riley's life this whole time. Even though he doubts himself. 
Mina, of course represents Riley, who is often the "light" in Farkle's life, who can reach him emotionally.  

Farkle wears turtlenecks because he's afraid of vampires. Why? 

A vampire archetype is a manipulative person. Farkle fears the realm of emotion, and the unknown and illogical world of feelings. He doesn't realize that he has become what he feared. (like Batman) 

Farkle is manipulative. His concept that Riley is the sun and Maya is the night has controlled the Purple Cat World from the beginning. Farkle forced his logic on the two girls to avoid having feelings for them, but those feelings were already there. 

It's obvious. He loves Riley, and he has since the moment he "saved her life". But he refuses to acknowledge that. So, he forces his logic on others (like he did on Riley in New Years). As a result, he walks in limbo, neither part of the story nor not part of the story. Until Farkle realizes what he has done, he won't acknowledge his emotions. And because Riley can reach Farkle emotionally, she needs to save Farkle, from himself. From the idea that Farkle has created (that he is nothing). Only Riley can help Farkle understand love.

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Disney Descendants Polyvore Sets for Halloween


In the spirit of Halloween, I decided to do a set for each of the kids who were rotten to the core: 

Mal's outfit is a simple dress with a black leather jacket. Her earrings are the exact product used in the film, and I used her icon for the background. 

More details here: 
Evie is a fan of mirrors, so her look, a coronation dress costume and a few details (the blue hair and nail polish) was easy to organise. The necklace is a fan made product on etsy, and the tiara and bracelet are random finds on Polyvore. 
More details here: 

Carlos didn't even have a costume! So I used a simple color palatte from his formal outfit in the film. I added the stuffed dog for a prop, and used a black and white background for obvious reasons. 
More details here: 

Jay's outfit was a color pallate of red, blue and yellow. I threw in the Aladdin lamp necklace for a signature prop.
More details here: 

These sets were a lot of fun to make, and I hope I did each character justice. I might do a set for the Auradon Prep kids in the future. If you have any requests, let me know. :) 

Thursday, October 31, 2013

The Power of Disguise


In my Mythology class a few years ago, my College Professor explained that you can learn a lot about a person by their disguises. Halloween itself is an archetypal holiday where people dress up as someone they admire, fear or want to be like. This lecture stuck with me as I learned about theatre, writing and the choices I've made for my costumes. Every character I have dressed up as is someone I admire or aspire to be.


When I was ten, I wanted to be just like Sailor Moon. She was brave, powerful, kind and beautiful. I dressed as her for Halloween because I admired her courage, kindness and her ability to overcome any obstacle thrown at her. Sailor Moon was my favorite character because I wanted to be just like her.


Belle has always been my favorite Disney Princess, and when I read the original fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast, I admired many elements of Beauty or Belle's character. Belle is kind, true to herself and very smart. Her love of stories is something I relate to. Belle is also brave, and made the decision to stay at Beast's castle on her own to protect her father. I can't even count how many times I've dressed as Belle for Halloween. She's been a role model of mine for a long time. 


Yuna is my favorite Final Fantasy heroine, because she taught me how to find my own path, despite what I believed people expected of me. Yuna is a character that represents hope, courage and wisdom. Her difficult path made her stronger, wiser and insightful. As Yuna learns how to overcome obstacles, she discovers who she wants to be. I look up to Yuna's ability to face adversity and create her own path.


Serah was only in Final Fantasy XIII for a short time, but I was able to relate to her. Not only did we share the same name, but we have similar fears. Serah was afraid of becoming a burden, and even though she couldn't change the past, she guided her sister and the lcie to change their fate. In FFXIII 2 Serah is a main character with a difficult quest ahead of her. She makes the decision to do something instead of sit and wait for things to come to her. Serah doesn't let fate control her, she creates her own. This is why I dressed as Serah for a convention.


Alice has quite the story in the Tim Burton film. During the time when the movie came out, I was facing a big decision about facing fears, living my own life and not focusing on the expectations of people my age. I remember watching the film, and feeling exactly like Alice the entire time. All I wanted to do was run away. I didn't want to solve my problem. I wanted to run from it, as far as I could. But by the end of the film, I realized, just like Alice, that the only person who could solve my problem was myself. If I never faced that fear, I would never grow and change into the person I wanted to be. I dressed like Alice because I admire her bravery, and I believe that one day I will slay my own jabberwocky.

Lizzie Bennet is my current role model. She's smart, creative and cares for her family. Lizzie is even my age, or turns my age at the end of the show. Lizzie's character is a beacon of hope for my generation. She lives at home, and has a hard time deciding what she wants to do in the future, but she never gives up, and stays true to herself. She knows that she's not perfect, but she accepts her flaws and learns what she wants to do in her life. As a modern day Lizzy Bennet, Lizzie's character is a wonderful role model for the twenty something generation fresh out of college. I hope to be as creative, clever and true to myself as Lizzie is.

Every Halloween, I dress up like a character who inspires me, or who I aspire to be. A few other characters I remember, but couldn't find pictures for are : Megara from Hercules, Queen Amidala from Star Wars, and Mulan.
What about you? On Halloween do you dress up as a character who inspires you, frightens you or who you aspire to be?

Sunday, October 31, 2010

A Halloween Tale

Once there was a hobbit, alien and curious girl. They traveled in a carriage to attend a feast in the land of Den. The friends set out and sang Halloween songs until they arrived at a small shop to buy elevensees for the feast. Once they got to the feast, they played a game of ping pong while the hobbit happily filled her flaggon with ale. Not too long, the alien got a message from a pumpkin pixie to join them at a Halloween bash. The three friends said their farewells and left in a dash. They arrived to find the pumpkin pixie with her husband, a dude, and her sister the blue flower fairy. They arrived at the bash and visited the bunch until the alien realized she left her proof of living on the planet paper. So they set out again to buy provisions of their own. A few good drinks and a bunch of cakes made for a party and added to the fun. They went to the alien's spaceship to finish their journey. Then they watched a play about three witches in a hurry. All in all the night was a blast. They had no idea time could go so fast.