The ^ < v Game! - Part 2

^ I think it would for there to be enough space to go around for everyone to have their own little room or sitting area or what have you. (I would LOVE to do up a doll-sized version of Snape's office...) If we're talking about the characters, well...that's a bit more tricky and involved.

< The MOVE. It's less than a month now and I'm beginning to freak out quietly.

v Since I have deadlines and wait times on the brain now: What's the longest you've waited to receive a doll? How did you manage?

 

^ Man, too slow! Uh, longest, huh. I've been lucky and don't remember any ridiculously long waits, but maybe I'm just blocking the memory. I did wait almost 8 months for a faceup artist that was struggling with deadlines but I was in communication with her the whole time and let her know I didn't mind the wait if it got her caught up. So I guess that doesn't count?

^^ Deciding on what sculpt I'm going to use to shell Chulyen's brother. Or maybe it's the search for Chulyen's girlfriend. Both have been on-going for years and years.

< Green tea, so yummy.

v What doll have you owned the longest?

 

^ my longest wait was a year. I actually forgot I'd ordered the doll several times, and when he finally arrived I sold him immediately because the anticipation had worn off around the six-month mark.

< I have so much to do... why am I on the computer?

V What's the shortest wait time you've ever had when purchasing a doll?

 

^ I've actually had companies send me the doll next day - which is pretty short. Dealers also, with in stock dolls. But the shortest actual wait I've ever had is probably Iplehouse. I ordered an EID from the DC and he was shipped one week to the day after I ordered. I can't believe they just had one sitting around in stock....so I think that was the fastest for a new doll. Plus he landed on my birthday so that was awesome.

> More than an hour left of work. I want to draw or doll not work. :P

V Have your dolls inspired you outside of the hobby? How so?

 

^ well, they're the reason I show up to work every day despite already being a student, haha. But in all seriousness, they've really inspired a lot of the writing I do, being able to hold them in my hand, and pose them, and act scenes out when I'm stuck, and occasionally dolls affect characters (an entire arc about Jo spawned from me getting my hands on her body, and Hades' character originated in the fact that I got a scorpion-tailed soom Vesuvia.) I also have one doll who's based off my old self-indulgent fanfic OC, and every time I see that one, I'm reminded of why I need to keep going, no matter what.

<uuuugh why won't shipping update (I have a race going between EMS Australia and EMS from Russia)

V passing this down. Have your dolls inspired you outside the hobby? How so?

 

^ i have always wanted to make armor out of wonderflex and i realized i could make them some. So i have been having some fun with some armor and i guess im always inspired whenever i see some fabric or a new pattern and i always wanted to try. it also helps me with my cosplay stuff too.

<I really dont want to go out now but i really want icecream.

V do you make little rooms for your dolls? like thier own personal rooms?

 

^Absolutely! I've begun drawing again and my work has improved immensely since I've been doing faceups. Sewing clothes for my dolls have made it so I can sew clothes for people or make stuffed animals with relative ease. Its a passion and its in most parts of my life.

^Ah dang! Missed it!
Yes I absolutely do. I made full doll roombox for my Kikipop and my Dearmine fox. Its very detailed and has a lot of in scale items. (I actually posted the step by step progress on tumblr, my dad helped, entirely amazing) I try to make rooms for all my dolls though.

<Aaaaaand I've been seized by a new doll idea. probably from the stress of not knowing when the doll I also super want is going on sale or how much she will be. Doll probleeeemmmsssss

vHave you ever modded a doll? what did you do?

 

^ I've modded several at this point. My most extensive was my Minifee Xiahou Dun. I started with a sleeping Ruth head, sanded the nose down to make it far less narrow and extra-pointy, sanded down his cheeks somewhat to make him look less baby-faced and more mature, and then I *very* slowly and carefully opened his right eye. But I've done eye-openings and nose-sandings on a couple of dolls now, and lots of finger and toe separations over the years. I'm considering giving one of my girls a breast reduction. Hers are rather somewhat on her dainty frame.

< Haaah, the dresser is now EMPTY. Better yet, I shuffled all the things and can get to bed tonight with no drama or struggling.

v I'm feeling in a silly mood and want a picture. :B What's the most ridiculous picture you have of your doll(s)?

 

^ I don't know if it's ridiculous enough but


It's kinda silly anyway

> ugh someone just walked by my office smelling like cigarettes and now it's all I can smell >:P

V Passing on the Q for moe photos!: What is the silliest/most ridiculous photo you've taken of your dolls?

 

^ My silly photo


<Hearing evaluation in two hours ugh. Going deaf sucks.

v I like this too another silly photo please.

 

^ I don't have a TON of silly photos so I had to dig a bit. There's no dialogue or anything but October ended up looking rather like Success Baby in this photo:


< I'm so tired from allergies and packing and finals but finals are DONE!!! @w@

v I really like this, and I always love silly photos, so passing it down. What is one of the sillier photos you've ever taken?

 

^ I don't know if anyone else thinks this is silly or not, but the idea of dignified and serious Aubrey having tea with his teddy bear is kind of silly to me. Plus, this photo already had 'silly' in its title.


"Now We're Just Being Silly" by Sapphire, on Flickr

< So tired.... I wish I could take a nap right now.

V Let's stay with the photos, but go with a new theme. Show us your best photo of your favourite doll.

 

^ That's... a really hard one. I don't particularly have a favorite doll, but Zeke was my very first and still holds a very special place in my heart and in my crew. He just got his face redone recently; here's one of the first pictures I've got of it:



< Took an amazingly refreshing walk today and picked up some materials for my next big doll project. So excited!

v If you could only buy doll supplies from one website, which would you pick?

 

^ Dollmore, they have the most.

> My cat is trying to pretend he's not afraid of the storm.

V Do you ever get the urge to change up your doll's look(s)?

 

^I do, especially when I can see a mistake I made in the faceup or a wig gets unruly, I often might change the whole doll's style. Most recently I couldn't stop noticing how deep my DD's eyewells were and carved that sucker up.

<Listing is the worst. But I need money, because everything is coming out at once, omg. So many things. So few monies!

vHow often do you purchase a doll? What's your doll buying "process"?

 

^ Not often, and I find my doll buying is very random. It seems to always happen very quickly...even if I've doted over a doll for years.

< Migidoll is making me anxious. I ordered a doll on layaway, paid the first payment, and they have yet to reply. I swear...why do I always join events even though I have the worst luck with them. X_X

v Has doll buying ever made you anxious?

 

^ In many different ways. There's the 'my budget is going to be tight but there's no way I can pass up this sale/LE', the 'what if something happens and I can't make my next layaway payment' when everything appears to be hunky-dory, the very usual and what I consider classic of just 'what if the payment didn't work and I wait all this time to find out they never started making my doll/never got the funds and by the time I notice the event is over', or the quadruple checking of my address, after I've hit the order button, to make sure I entered it in correctly and wasn't mistakenly putting in the wrong address every time I checked the five times I looked over the form before I hit the order button, just to make sure they wont end up shipped to the wrong house/state/country... And don't even get me started on when the doll actually ships; I'm not calm until the status has been updated to 'in my hands at this very moment'. But it's worth it!

< Currently attempting to track down the elusive beast they call 'Sleep'. I've heard tell it's been around these parts recently, but I always seem to just miss it...

v What is your process for when your shiny new doll has arrived? Faceup, outfits, eyes, wigs; are they all ready chosen or do you get to play around trying to find the right look?

 

^ They are all prepared, but I still fiddle with looks a bit once I get the doll. Wigs are hardest, I usually have one that fits, but most get replaced by custom ones in the end. Eyes ... either I know what I want for them (and have eyes ready) or I keep the defaults. Faceup gets done ASAP whenever a doll comes home Clothes are a challenge. Most end up in shared clothes (there's one white dress in particular that every single one of my girls has worn at some point) until I get around to making their own - especially when it's a new size / body and I'm not sure whom they can share with or don't have the new patterns ready.

< Leaving for the long weekend tomorrow ... which means I need to put all my dolls back into the light-proof cabinet. Do not want. But don't want to leave them on display either when I'm not there to look at them.

v Which doll-related activity do you enjoy the least?

 

^ Wiping faceups. SO MUCH HATE.
This applies to body blushing, tattoos and anything else done to the doll.

> Picking up K's eyes today. Hopefully. Also hoping to work on Dr. Strange and Constantine this weekend. ALL THE SORCERERS!

V When it comes to doll styling, are you a "sticks with something non-risky because it works" type or a "let's figure out a new way to do the thing and hope it works" type?

 

^ Currently it's stick to a non-risky style, but I'm trying to evolve into more risky.

< It's starting to rain - how interesting because it wasn't on the radar or forecast.

v If you were to receive a gift stock doll fully made-up on the condition that you could only change ONE thing about the doll, what would it be? By one thing I mean: Wig, Clothes, or Faceup & Eyes.

 

^Clothes. Dressing up my dolls is insanely zen to me, and I redress at least one every few days.

< WHY DID I BUY SO MANY RE-MENTS. I'M DROWNING IN TINY THINGS I DON'T USE.

vCoffee or tea? Which is preffered by your oldest and your youngest doll?

 

^ Coffee and tea are both preferred by my oldest, depending on the time of day. My youngest is a baby, so she doesn't prefer either.

< SANDWICH. Oh my gracious, sometimes a hot, toasty sandwich is the best food ever n the planet.

v Which of your dolls has the fussiest style to maintain?

 

^^ BOO SLOW but I can answer this. Joker (SD J1). I have no idea what his deal is but when I put him away, whether it's on the shelf or in a bag, he comes back so freaking disheveled. I mean seriously, I could not touch him for days and he's a wreck. His wig, his clothes....it's insane. I have no idea what that doll is getting up too when I'm not watching but dear god. Enough.

^ HA My oldest is also my youngest!! Weird and true. Coffee. I have tea drinkers, but I have way more die-hard coffee drinkers. I even have two baristas.

> Crow's eyes are here!!! lafjogihmergoiadfjladoh I will never tire of Oscar Doll. SO SPARKLY OMG

V Who is your oldest doll and your youngest (or newest, I will accept all things) and how do they differ?

 

^ My oldest doll is Cleo (Serendipity Candy) who was made in 2003. I'm not her first owner and I haven't had her the longest, but she is the oldest resin in my collection right now. Zera (IMPL Alma) is my newest. How they differ is that Cleo is a NS tiny doll (14cm) with ginger hair and blue eyes, and Zera is a custom-coloured brown lady who is mature and busty (64cm with an impressive 29.5cm chest) and who has long black hair and grey eyes.

< Is it Friday yet?

V do you prefer curly, wavy or straight wigs for your dolls?

 

^ Ack too slow. I prefer slightly wavy wigs for my dolls. I have learned that curls are super high maintenance and so is super straight hair, but slightly curly or wavy is an easy to manage middle ground.

^^ My oldest doll.. age wise.. is Marek, who is a fairly recent aquisition. Oldest in terms of Resin Age is my Automail Jerome, who was made in I believe 2003/2004. Stories vary. Youngest, is Simon Oliver. Newest is Link. Differences are vast but mostly the biggest difference between Link and Marek (since those were the first and last listed) is that Marek is a grown nearing middle-aged man, and Link is a magically unaging incarnation of the Hero of Time from the Zelda universe. That's a pretty big difference I think. Marek is very human, mortal, and Catholic.

< Unending migraine. ~flaily arms~ Sammich helped.

v Who was your most recent doll acquisition? How do they fit into your doll universe?

 

^ My most recent is a secondhand HZ Schuster Fei. He will be my water wizard he already has a book written about him and another OC.

<Ruined my gluten-free cake with too much baking soda, arrrgh!

v Have you written stories about your dolls characters?

 

^ Yep. The first drafts of their story have been around for 20ish years, and have been re-written countless times, to the point where it's barely still recognizeable as the same story ... hopefully later this year I'll get started on photostories, which will be a fourth complete makeover. If I get all the characters shelled by then, that is.

< Waiting for a call so I can finally plan my day tomorrow ...

v Passing on the question! Have you written stories about your dolls' characters? (Bonus: Which came first, the story or the dolls?)

 

^ Yes (also draw. Mostly draw but do write. It's comics, I can do both). Story came first by like, 10 years. Though recently I got a doll I now want to write about. He needs some world-building first....but I am totally gonna do it!!

> Draw-play-work. Cannot do all the things.

V Also passing the q: Have you written stories about your dolls' characters? (Bonus: Which came first, the story or the dolls?)
Second bonus: share if you want.

 

^ Yes I have written extensive stories about my dolls. The characters came before the dolls, but the stories didn't gel properly until the dolls came.

< Aggravation. I need to check a thing and it keeps timing out.

v Passing the question down. Do you/have you write/written stories about your dolls, and if so, which came first?

 

^I give them backstories and such. Usually the doll comes first, and the idea evolves with the doll as it goes or I collect more dolls. Its always been more fun to me this way, more space for unknown characters :P

< Yesssss made some sales. No longer in the uncomfortable zone. BETTER START LOOKING AT MORE THINGS I NEED SO I CAN GO RIGHT BACK THERE.

vPicture of your favorite doll prop?

 

^ Tien Jen's fully playable, 1/3-scale zheng...



I've had that little thing almost as long as I've had Jen and I still love it. XD

< The Great Migration is DONE! I moved all of my sewing stuff from the ground floor of my house to the top floor, then shifted one of my bookshelves and half the closet stuff that was up there down. It's taken me two weeks, heaven only knows how many bruises and a lot of muscle strain... But, by the gods of rearrangement, everything is now back in order. w00t!

V If you had the space to set up your dream hobby/doll/sewing-room/person-cave, what would you put in it?

 

^ I... am kind of actually going to be doing this this year. I live alone (well, with two unruly kittens right now--I don't know how to kitten send help), but sprung for a two-bedroom apartment purely so I could set up a studio in the spare room! Right now, though, it's holding all the moving boxes that still need to be unpacked... When it's done, however, I will have a wall of Ikea KALLAX shelving holding base supplies (paints, markers, paper, threads, ink, screens, tools, clay, extra eyes and wigs... all the supplies for all the things), with some larger shelving on top to hold some things that don't quite fit. The other wall will have some open shelving for bulky stuff like fabric, larger supplies, and doll props and clothes, and a semi-permanent doll photography setup, and the center wall will have the work table and sewing table!

< I am so jealous of your Automail Jerome, @Rorek; that's a sculpt that was before my time in the hobby. Though, I suppose, if I had one, I wouldn't be doing my automail project now, so I can't complain too much!

v Passing it down because I feel like a cheater, since I'm doing the thing for real. If you could set up a dream hobby/doll/sewing-room/person-cave, what would you do with it?

 

^ If I could set up my ideal hobby/doll/etc room, it would be a completely finished basement with a double glass door that opened out into a japanese style garden with a water feature. The basement would be divided into four segments, Lego section, Doll section, Sewing section, and Misc crafting section. The doll section would have built in shelving units scaled to 1/3 and 1/4 rooms that would all in all make a complete home in each scale. The Lego section would have multiple tables and be joined with a Lego train that wound through it. The rest would go to crafting for the dolls and for fun.

< @vicemage If it makes you feel any better, my Ed was not my first doll. I got him after 10 years in the hobby, waiting and searching and with an extended layaway through a DOA user. I didn't realize how limited he was when a couple popped up for sale in 2005, and I just could not afford them.

v Same question, if you could build your ideal doll/crafting area, how would you do it?

 

^ If I had my idea doll area, it'd be a room specifically dedicated to photography. It wouldn't just be for dolls, mind you. I'd love to have a dedicated studio instead of just a "photography space" in my home.

< got another job interview!!

V What other hobbies/pastimes do you have that go hand-in-hand with dolls? (mine's photography)

 

^ Knitting, sewing, set-building, prop-building--I've turned them all towards dolls.

< Coffee is the only friend I have in the world. @A@ (ok, not really, but still.....)

v The school year is winding down. If your doll is of an academic bent, what plans do they have for summer vacation?

 

^ Jo will take a ballet summer course. Katie will go home (she's at the conservatory studying the violin) as soon as her youngest brother's holidays start, then the four of them (parents, Katie, Timmy) will head to Ireland to her paternal grandparents' place for a few weeks. Chris will need to move - she's about to finish conservatory and get a job. The rest of them are post-summer vacation age

< I, on the other hand, am not (any more). Doll time, crafting, sewing, ComicCon, Star Trek Larp, then a bit of a family vacation with my parents, sister and niece ... this summer is going to rock.

v What would your dolls' dream vacation be?

 

^ Sure! I've got a couple of surf bums here. We live in northern California, so you gotta love a beach. I do have plenty of pristine scene-queen types who'd never come near a grain of sand, but there are also plenty guys here who like getting grubby and chasing seaweed.

Here's Kimo & Stavros on the beach at Santa Cruz (where the required uniform always involves a hoodie + shorts + sandals, all year round):



< I wanna go back to Santa Cruz! I think I'll skip down there this weekend, while it's still a bit quiet, before the Memorial Day+Beyond summer season starts up in earnest. I got a craving for some sun, seaweed, fog, sea lions, and salt water taffy. And some cool new spiral earrings from that hippie store on Pacific Ave. And the lattes at the Firefly Coffeehouse. And...

v Are any of your dolls seasoned travellers? How far from home have they been?

 

^ The farthest any of them have been is Korea or China lol. Aubrey and Reid have travelled the farthest with me. I took them both with me to Vancouver last year (about 6,000km from where I live). As far as overall mileage goes, though, Tyler has travelled the most.

< yay Saturday! I need to go to the supermarket, so I should probably stop window-shopping for hybrid possibilities and go do that instead lol.

V Do you have any hybrids with parts from more than two different companies?

 

^Yes I have two at the moment. First is Dusk (DF-H ZhuangYan) is on an Islanddoll SD body with Doll Legend jointed hands, Kilian (Dollshe Saint) also shares the same body and hands. My Second multi hybrid is Roger Dennis my newest Doll Legend Weixi on an Illusion Spirit body with a Soom sword hand and a Doll Legend open hand.

< Coffee is good but I need breakfast before it's brunch.

v Passing the question down. Do you have any hybrids with parts from more than two different companies?

 

^ He's in progress still, but Gabriel will have parts from three companies when he's done. He's got his original Bobobie head, just recently got a new Impldoll body, and will (sometimes) have some nice feathery wings, which are from Soom. I just need to send the spare torso off to have the appropriate mods done to attach said wings. I suppose Liora might also count, if you count her tail. She's got a DiM MNM head, a Soom body, and her tail is from a small maker on Etsy.

< I really want to unpack that last box I pulled from the "box room" last night, but I had to bring my planters in (Hello, Minnesota May, when it can suddenly frost in the middle of the month!) and it's now an integral part of the wall keeping the kittens out of the dirt... Plus part of it's solar lights that need to go out with the planters tomorrow anyway, so it can wait.

v Counting hybrids as each individual company, how many companies do you have in your collection now, and what companies are they? (And bonus question, is that number larger or smaller than the total number of dolls?)

 

^ Oof, let me number-crunch. I have twenty-one different companies represented, and that's about half of the actual number of heads and whole dolls total. I tend to keep going back to companies and artists that I really like. ^^;

< Packing away the dolls is probably the most depressing part of this move. ._. Packing the books is the second-most depressing.

v Your doll is going on an extended trip! Why are they going and what do they take?

 

^ North pole or South pole. My Venitu will bring his surfboard and his elven sister Chloe. He's heard icebergs break easily which means Massive Waves . He has enrolled his sister on the trip because she is stronger, faster, brighter than him, and he is naturally cautious. And he enjoys her company.

< 4th coffee. I don't know whether I am awake or merely buzzing.

V passing on the question, dream destination and what does he/she take?

 

^ All of my crew are happy where they are. Nigel and Nial are happy that they can be at home - no trip needed. Okay... Angel Samael could be different story. He's living in the mountains above the deep forest. So maybe somewhere near the sea or big lake. He doesn't need much, only his partner - wolf monster Lui, his sword, bow and a blanket.

< almost year since I was here the last time. For the last 11 months I have really no motivation to do anything doll-related. Glad that this "dark time" passed!

v What are you're dolls doing while being depressed/sad/unmotivated?

 

^ Mine just sit patiently and wait for me to come out of it. I feel a bit guilty about it from time to time, because I sometimes to forget to dust them properly if nothing else, but they are the best sort of friends in that they never complain or get huffy, they just are patient and they wait for me to get feeling more engaged.

< I am so tired of this move at this point. Boxes on top of boxes, and I hate it.

v Is there a doll-related task that you can't stand or try to avoid?

 

^ Stringing. Well, unstringing, sueding and stringing. . I've partly done it for my Newkiru and I am not looking forward to doing it for my Venitu.

< I want a chocolate biscuit *looking at the empty box*

V If you listened to your doll's breathing while he/she sleeps, which music would it remind you of?

 

^a very specific question, but I have a short scene called "Understanding" that I wrote for Morte and Katherine in which she stays the night for the first time, and begins to understand the differences in species (she's an angel and he's a reaper.) He's dead, so he only breathes when he needs the air to speak, or when he's lost in dreams enough to forget that. And when he was breathing there, it was more erratic, because he was having a nightmare. So I guess something with a rapidly varying tempo..

<Understanding was named after the song I listened to while writing it. Evanescence makes great writing music...

V does any one of your dolls have a theme song, or a song that relates to any part of their backstory/storyline/character?

 

^ Not really ,but Ken likes Flight of the Valkyries.

<7 days left to pack all my stuff up.

v What musical instrument would your doll play?

 

^ Triangle. Crow is not musically inclined...

> When will the rain stop?! I have things to do.

V If you do or ever would go to a doll meet, which doll(s) would you bring and why?

 

^ I am not sure. Maybe Samael because he's new in my crew... and everybody in my country still remembers him from his previous owner Kůzle...

< I want to watch anime so badly... but I am not sure if Aldnoah.Zero or Death Parade... or maybe all the Rosen Maiden series?

v What is your doll missing right now? (like the right wig, eyes, trousers, shoes...)

 

^ Boots. Severus needs his proper boots and I really need to finish up his wizarding robes.

< So much Snape everywhere over the last two days. @3@ It's not helping.

v What's on your current doll-agenda/shopping list?

 

^ New eyes for Key. And possibly a pair of glasses, since I'm considering having one of my dolls in a Doctor Who cosplay for my city's next anime con...

< Birthday party for two of my younger sisters this evening, and I still don't have presents for either of them...

v Which of your dolls is the biggest procrastinator?

 

^ Ken likes to procrastinate on chores.

<Found perfect Riku,yay!

v Have you ever found a perfect sculpt for a character(if you don't have any, it's okay to say no).

 

^Often I build the character around the sculpt, but occasionally the perfect head for an existing one shows up. like the one I want to use for Mr. Z. *^*

<Drafted a few more stocking patterns for my shop! Might make more for the realfee body, there's nothing for them out there at all! D: Poor little things!

vWhen you buy clothing, do you often buy clothing for your dolls from etsy stores or bigger shops like mintoncard, alice collections, etc?

 

^ I'm buying only shoes... But I am mean owner 'cause everyone has only one pair. As for clothing... I am doing everything at home by hand. I don't have that sort of money to buy doll clothes. I have ton's of fabrics at home so it's only natural that I'll be sewing it alone xD

< But I need to buy shoes for Samael... And I don't want to think about all the other stuff for him since he's an Angel... -_-

v I liked the question from DragonMouse so: Have you ever found a perfect sculpt for a character?

 

^I don't buy the character of the sculpt isn't a eureka moment. Grim took months to shell until I found a limited soom I have no means to obtain. Thanatos took a lot of searching as well, being a doll I couldn't afford till I found a deal on the MP. But the biggest moment of hey! This is perfect! Was when I found that soom cass fantasy body I could actually afford, for Jo.

<hamlet. It would be hamlet

V does your doll character have a hero they look up to?

 

^ I think (thought train de-railed here)... Um I think most of my dolls want to go to an Ikea. I've never been and I hear they have amazing meatballs. Also I like furniture you can build yourself with or without instructions! I feel like Ichigo would be a diva and Robbie would buy too much furniture.

< Oh man, @Osaka just derailed my train of thought so badly. @__@;;

v If your dolls could go to any real life fantasy vacation with shopping money included type of trip, where would they go, and what would they buy?

 

^ hmmm.. I can picture Frost heading to Japan and taking home as much manga as he can fit in his own suitcase, his boyfriend's suitcase, and a spare suitcase he bought at the airport.

<I finally have sealant! And it rains...

V what's the next doll you have on your wishlist?