The ^ < v Game! - Part 6

^ Right now I'm really craving a cute little kobold. Right now, nothing I've seen comes close enough to my vision. I have half a mind to try and make it myself.

> Come on work, end already!

v Same question: If you could have any doll idea custom made to match what's in your mind's eye, what would you have created for you?? (assume money is no object)

 

^ A perfect replica of my daughter, I suppose, so that I can hold it sometimes and wail pitifully after she finishes college and moves out.

< I need a vacation. Badly.

v Speaking of replicas, would you buy a doll that looks exactly like you, your pet, or someone that you love - or is that just too creepy?

 

^ My pet, perhaps (in fact, I had a mini art doll custom-made so my dolls can have a cat like our real-life furdaughter). A mini-me of myself or my loved ones, not so much. I prefer to shell out fictional characters. ^_^

< This floating head problem is starting to get serious, and yet brain seems to want to get THIS other new doll as opposed to actual bodies for said floaters.

v What is the weirdest (or creative -- whichever applies better!) item you've ever utilized for a doll photoshoot?

 

^
I used a big cattail stalk to prop my doll up during an outdoor shoot once!

< i'm knitting smth for a doll swap i'm in, i hope it turns out well!

V If you've done swaps in the hobby, what's the favorite things you've sent and received?

 

^ I've never done one! But my local friends and I sometimes do trades. My favorite thus far has been a pair of shoes for my boys.

< It's so gloomy right now!

v Do you change your dolls' clothes seasonally?

 

^ I try to! I don't have many clothes to choose from atm, but i'm working to make more!

< Speaking of seasonal, it's soooo hot right now. It's nearly october, it has no business being this stuffy outside

v Do you come up with plots and storylines for your dolls? I feel like it helps me connect to them better

 

^ Yep, all of my current dolls are story based. Although I tried to go back and read what I'd written of the story...last worked on in 2014 or 2015, I think? And the writing... aw man, it's not good. LOL.

< Yes, it is Fall! It should be cooler! At least the spooky times are almost upon us. Yay Halloween!

v What's your favorite doll's favorite holiday?

 

^ Thistle loves halloween - she can dress in her full gothic lolita getup and nobody blinks an eye. Nettle likes Christmas!

< 'm eating popcorn

v Do your dolls have a favorite movie? do they watch movies at all?

 

^ Well...several of them lay around in weird positions on the couch while I dressed them and binge-watched Cobra Kai yesterday...and no one protested...does that count? Eh, probably not. If Morgan were a real person, he'd probably love 'Pirates of the Caribbean'.

< My puppy has to have a "private interview" in order to attend day camp, and it is such a goofy concept that I am seriously tempted to buy him one of those bow tie collars before he goes. Wouldn't want him looking unprofessional. :P

v Has collecting BJDs taught you - whether directly or indirectly - any amazing skills that you never considered learning before they came into your life?

 

^ Don't laugh, but hair cutting. I've been cutting my own hair for years now, and I only tried it because i cut my BJD's wigs. I figured I do a decent job on hair that doesn't grow back, so why not mine?

> I'm kind of sad now that October is (almost) here and since I don't go to the office anymore, I don't have an excuse to condense all of my Halloween flavored clothing into one months worth of outfits. Is this a good excuse to buy like, 10 halloween onesies and wear them around the house all day?

V Anyone planning a Halloween-esque photo shoot or series this year?

 

^ I've never done a photoshoot, but I do plan to integrate one of my dolls into the Halloween display in my office again this year and will definitely take at least one photo if that counts. So glad to be back in the office. Working from home is the absolute worst.

< @VampireAngel13 it is absolutely an excuse for Halloween onesies!

v Do you have any spooky critters amongst your doll collection? Vampires, zombies, werewolves???

 

^ I have a former vampire/angel in M, I have a half-demon (Azrael), a cambion (acyra), a classically demonic looking lord of hell (Vyltora), a lord of hell with wings of fire (Zariel) and a lord of hell who looks mostly human (Liriel). Impera is a gorgon.

On top of them, we have 4 demigods (Shrike, Ness, Aura, chromis), a 1/4 dragon and demigod(Dia), four half-angels (ireena, oriel, aradia, Marrin), one avatar of a death goddess (Dacrya), and two resurrected elves (Vidania/Syn). Almost all the characters I haven’t mentioned are magic users

My one and only fan character, who I’ve wanted since I started in the hobby is also somewhere between a vampire and a goddess depending on what point of canon and which timeline we’re in.

<I’m dreading this paper so hard...

v Passing this down a smidge more generally: what species do we see represented in your collection?

 

Well, we've got humans, a slew of vampires, a few fey, some elves, a goliath, and a tiefling. I plan on adding several more, including a dwarf, a half elf, and a celestial as well. Lots of big plans subject to change, but those for sure!

< a package lost in the mail and several preorders I'm waiting one including some action figures...I want my stuff!!

v What's the most elaborate bjd project you've ever worked on? (Clothes, mods, props, etc)

 

^ I haven’t done it yet ahahah. But the most elaborate project will be shelling my OC Tori. Its gonna involve a full set of custom plate armour, padding layers, and weapons.

> Almost done blushing my first set of hands :>

v Passing it down~ What's the most elaborate bjd project you've ever worked on?

 

^ The most elaborate ones I've worked on and actually completed are probably Batman and the Joker with his face torn off. Both had elaborate mods and a lot of costume and accessories to make (and technically I'm not totally done, but I'm done enough.).
Currently I'm working on Superior Spider-man, and he required modding on both his un-masked head and body in order to even fit, and then a faceup is as far as I've gotten on him. His masked head has been started, but nowhere near finished, and I need to mod hands and get his costume made. So that's huge. Oh also he'll need street clothes. He's borrowing clothes that aren't great right now...but it's all he has.

In a perfect world I'd figure out how to make the mechanical spider legs and gauntlets, but I should probably get the doll done first, then worry about those.

> @Safira Woo! I'ma buy all the onesies!!

V what is the strangest doll in your collection? bonus for pictures!

 

^none of them are super strange, but some of the hybrids I've made seem that way. Zariel is a soom idealianF body, an iple HID girl chest, impldoll arms and upper thighs, twigling hands and doll chateau wings. I'm still figuring out her head. Acyra is a twigling head, 73cm Loongsoul body modded female, twigling hands, probably iple feet, with handmade wings/horns/tail.

<I'm almost done tis paper. I'm going to make it after all

V passing down: what is the strangest doll in your collection? bonus for pictures!

 

^ DiM Lestia, my bubblegum fairy:

Not terribly strange ... there is a quarter of a half-plan for something stranger, I'd love a planthro one day, but I haven't found one that really does the trick (and is available).

< @VampireAngel13 all the onesies!!!

v On a scale of 1 (they have a name) to 10 (backstory enough to fill several novels), how "fleshed out" are your dolls' characters? (Bonus for pics of the most and least extensively-backstoried ones!)

 

^ They range from 2 to 10. Nearly half have extensive backstories, and the rest have something half developed or minimal.

< Granado's new tiny is tempting me, but I'm currently waiting for 3 dolls. I've been waiting on my tiny Dollshe for nearly 2 years now...

V What's the longest you've waited for a doll?

 

^ Four months, I think? I buy a lot of dolls secondhand, and I’m not remotely tempted by Dollshe, lol. My longest wait for anything was a year for an order of urethane eyes.

< I get a surprise day off tomorrow!

v passing it down! What’s the longest you’ve waited for a doll?

 

^ The longest I ever waited for a doll was 2 months from Migidoll.

> Feels like I have so much work to do before the weekend @.@

v What's the shortest wait you ever had for a doll?

 

^ Less than a month for my Elva2, a tiny art doll from Olga Reingard (formerly Ancient Tales). I ordered mid-July 2018 and got the doll first week of August that same year. Note that this was with THE WORKS (body blushing, faceup, eyes, rayon hair), which made it even more admirable.

< C'mon client, approve my final take already so I could get paid!

v What is the most "uncommon" doll in your collection? (It doesn't have to be rare in the sense of limited runs. If you can hardly find owner pics of that doll, it also counts!)

 

^ I have a few oddballs! I really like artist heads, so some of them are pretty hard to find. I have a Rosettadoll Zio and Edelweiss Gideon who have pretty limited owner pics (and none by me... oops). I also just picked up a Monochrome Ray who was released earlier this year!

< I love Octoberrr

v A lot of my dolls are hybrids and I thought I'd be waaay more anal about resin matching than I actually am. Do your hybrids have to be a perfect match, or are you pretty relaxed about it?

 

^im hybridding a doll who’s a big enough mismatch that I have to spray paint her body instead of dyeing it. And a doll who’s made of 5 different ws resins. And a doll whose entire body/face is being a test run for sandable water base acrylic colour change—head is ws, I think, body is fl ns. And a doll being painted/dyed, who is made of grey apoxie, bad orange tan, a ws head, yellowed ns hands, and possibly stolen tan feet. Resin match is fixable. Proportion is harder to fudge.

<modder life!

v are you and your dolls doing anything for Halloween?

 

^ Nope not a thing. I'm gonna try to finish the hand blushing and face-up I'm working on though. Usually snows here just before the 31st so I'm running low on time.

> My dolls are starting to look kinda dumb with pens and paintbrushes for hands.

v Do your dolls cosplay? If not, would you want them to cosplay?

 

^ My doll probably would not cosplay based on her character. But I bought her some outfits so I could dress her up in cosplay anyway. It'll be a little break from her character and from her standpoint it won't have ever happened. But I couldn't resist. I had to. it'll be a little Twilight Zone sort of thing.

< I'm so excited I'm almost done with my chaise lounge!

V Do you bring your dolls out in public when you're alone or with someone else who doesn't have a doll with them? If so you ever feel awkward or embarrassed around members of the general public?

 

^ I've only ever brought them to work a few times, never to a store or anything. I'd feel way too awkward. I usually feel awkward enough just by myself, lol...

< So glad it's Friday. I've got to fight the urge to sleep all weekend... there's cleaning to be done!!

v Have your pets ever interfered with your dolls?

 

^ Does this count? My dog has come up and sniffed them twice before. I think he can really smell the resin or something. He was tethered to the banister for this photo because I don't trust him haha.


> Can't wait for the weekendddddd....

v Doing any fun dolly things this weekend? (I'll be stalking tracking numbers again... =v=)

 

^ I plan on buying a bunch of patterns and trying my hand at sewing and alterations. I'm a huge amateur, so who knows how it will go...

> I'd better hop on this momentum before it runs out. But what to snack on...

v Have you recently been struck by a bolt of dolly inspiration?

 

^ Um, a limited head I saw reminded me of a character idea for a doll who's a grey skinned mage. I may just have to order that head this month.

< The problem with buying a doll from Granado is that means you get their VIP offers to tempt you into buying more dolls...

V Do you have any fantasy colored resin dolls?

 

^ Only two - my Soul Doll Death Tarot siblings, Devona and Kyron, in...I can't remember what the color is called...lilac gray, maybe?

< Tomorrow is Monday, but you will live through it!

V Have you ever inspired anyone to get into the BJD hobby (and are they grateful or cursing your name)?

 

^ yes i did!
Shes my best friend and absolutly loves it. She always like little things like tiny chairs and clothes. So when i showed her the wonderous world of bjds she was verry happy.

< Why is it so hard to get a temporary job, i only need it for a few months hhhh

v How do you think your life would be rn if you never started collecting bjds?

 

^ Exactly the same, lol. I have no doubt that I would have wasted the same amount of money on something else.

< Been applying to jobs too. Since I started working back in my office, I remembered that I absolutely can't stand a couple of my coworkers.

v Do you have two dolls whose characters don't get along?

 

^ No, but some are a bit grumpy with each other when I make group photos.
< I confess that last month I spent too much on dolls.
v Do you photograph your dolls regularly?

 

^ Not really but I do stare at them regularly

> New prop and eyes should be coming in today! Excited!

v Are you satisfied with your dolls eyes or still shopping around for the perfect pair?

 

^ Depends on the doll! Most of them have settled into one pair that's theirs, but I'm also a resin eye junkie, so....

< My new boy should be here on Thursday!

v Do you favor one gender of doll over the other? (Or even have genders, for the NB dolls?)

 

^ Definitely. I have way more boys than girls, I shop for boys more, I care about my boy dolls more. And it's taken a long time to get to the point where I have girl dolls I love as much as my boys and don't think of as "disposable" when it's time to thin my collection. One of my girls is even in my top 5, which would have been laughable 10 years ago. Or 5 years ago. One I got rid of and brought back because I missed her. Weirdly several of them have boy heads...

> Speaking of girls I want my IP girl to get here.

V Do you have an aesthetic that you lean toward with your dolls? (like goth, mori, pastel, modern casual, something else)

 

^ Oh yea, I tend to lean towards a ... I'm not sure what to call it so I'll just say kind of a male kpop idol stage outfit -ish aesthetics? Suits, chokers/ harnesses/ chains, mesh shirts, cargo/tech pants... and generally everything is in black lol.

Here's a photo of one of my favourite outfits on my doll, Sion:



< I want to make latex/ vinyl claw hands gloves for dolls but I don't know what's the best way gah. Their hands are so small that seams will be a big issue

v What's more important for you, a doll body's aesthetics or its poseability?

 

^ Aesthetics, for sure. I've lived through some pretty bad posers, but most issues can be cured with wiring or sueding.

< The puppy is a maniac, but he WILL grow up. Patience, patience.

v Do you feel like your dolls are beloved friends, or just chunks of resin for modding and sculpting for artistic value?

 

^ mostly just chunks of resin for modding and art fun. I do have a few I feel are more "alive" than the rest, and I "love" them and are very attached to them. But it mostly the ones who's characters I was already attached too and that's why I have them as dolls. I don't treat them like little people or sleep with them or have conversations with them...the most talking I do to my dolls is yelling at them when they don't cooperate. Like I do my computer. All the ffing time.

> first Halloween onsie aquired!!

V Have you ever had a doll that posed so bad you just couldn't fix it with anything other than serious modding? (in which case that doll moved on)

 

^ Iplehouse Kamau, on the old slider joint and Butt flap EID body. He’s not moving on, because his face is perfect for his character, and his body is just going to have to get modded. Severely. I’m fusing his flaps, and hacking apart his arms and legs. Then I have to colour match it all because he’s also in Ebony, which is uniquely not the colour of Apoxie sculpt. He’ll probably be the 3rd largest mod project in the house, but the other two worked pre-modding, unlike him.

<yes, I should get up. But bed.

v have you ever had a doll that was completely perfect, except for one thing?

 

^ YES. I love the Migidoll Owen sculpt so much for my character Ilari but his eyelid creases are drawn on rather than sculpted in. The doll I have for the younger version of the character, Leekeworld Mabel, has sculpted creases and the difference it makes is striking.

< Really on an Alkaline Trio kick right now. Reminds me of being an angry angsty teenager.

v What's a band whose music associate with one of your doll's characters?

 

^ I have playlists for most of these characters, but if I was to try to assign just one artist to a character.. there’s so much Evanescence in Vidania’s playlist that that works. But like, Mostly Origin and the Open Door. And specifically the 2016 tour version of even in death. Lost whispers was similar, but the ending in the live version suits her better. Vidania also looks pretty much exactly like someone you’d expect to see at one of their concerts (and I would sit with her at one!)

< it’s gloomy out today.

v is there a song you associate with a particular doll or character?

 

^ I'll just state one because it's prolly the most spot-on of all the character songs I have for my dolls. It's Hand of Sorrow by Within Temptation for Guórén (specifically for his L5R RPG incarnation). "He's torn between his honor and the true love of his life, he prayed for both but was denied" was essentially what happened several RPG sessions ago. He ended up choosing his beloved over his personal honor, if you're interested on what the outcome was.

< Real life has thrown yet another curveball. Hopefully I get to weather this one, too.

v Passing the question down! Do you have character songs for your dolls?

 

I've got lots of theme songs going on in my dolls, but my D&D character of almost 3 years, Iker, has the most defined playlist. But his actual song is The Fighter by In This Moment.
It's just SO HIM and I'm very attached to the guy from role-playing him so long. I need to finish his customization!

Spoiler: The song in question

< I want my shipping notices. And my kitties. And my action figure preorders. And a certain video game to come out.

v What's the worst accidental damage you've done to one of your dolls?

 

^ Nothing major. Two of my dolls might have a tiny chip on their face-up (from separate falling incidents) but I can barely tell if they are actually chips. Oh I did break one of my April Story resin heels immediately upon arrival.

> My computer at work has been updating for the past two and a half hours. Send help!

v What’s your favourite section of the forums here on DoA? (personally I love seeing people’s project journals)

 

^ I really like the brand-specific discussion threads. I find that more chat tends to happen in them than in larger General Discussion threads (which I also like).There was a short-lived photo subforum broken out by brand/size that I miss!

< Can't wait for my PTO in a few weeks!

v Do your dolls have Halloween costumes?

 

^ Fingers crossed, soon Gobbie will. She's going to be a witch.

> Let's get down to business, to defeat essays...

v What would/do your dolls do for Halloween?

 

^ Some of the kids had a Halloween party a couple years ago...
Holloween Party!
> I've been meaning to make the adults more Halloween themed clothes.
V Do you dress your dolls for Halloween?

 

^ This is my first month in the hobby, so I really don't have clothes (let alone Halloween clothes... YET). Though I do see myself dressing everyone up for Halloween in the future! Though I already have a makeshift Halloween set, so my doll is in the spoopy season!

> School is KILLING ME and I want to be part time SOOO BAD.

v What is a criticism you have of the BJD community?

 

^ that too many people are too strongly opinionated on highly subjective topics and tend to kill some discussion potential with not being able to allow more diverse opinions to be talked out fully. It’s not ubiquitous but I do see it happen more often than I’d like.

< rainy night in autumn and I can’t sleep (3am)

v What are your doll hobby plans for the rest of 2020?

 

^ To try not to buy anything, haha. I think it's time for me to call it a year there. I still need to do some photos, but it's already settling into a dreary fall/winter.

< I sort of miss the old debate subforum, but those threads got heated.

v What's your favorite thing you've done with your dolls this year?

 

^ Making clothes. I like the hoodies and kimonos I made for them.

< Not sure what kind of jacket I should make for a simple black T-shirt ...

v Have you ever been to any doll meetup or conventions?

 

^ I've been to Doll North a couple times, and even ran a pattern drafting panel there!

< On that topic I'm actually thinking of programming some digital patters to cut out on my Cricut, I hate cutting tiny things!

v What is the one step in doll styling or crafting you hate doing?

 

^ Call it strange, but I dread having to trace and cut patterns on cloth for my dolls' clothing, at least those that involve really long continuous panels or precise placements of patterns. (Note that most of my dolls are 1/3 scale++, and they usually wear East Asian-inspired robes.) I am already pretty confident with using a sewing machine, so depending on the clothing item, sometimes the cutting takes waaaaaay longer than the actual sewing.

< Geez, my body is punishing me for powering my way through work on only a tuna sandwich and a large glass of milk tea. x_x

v What's the record number of times you had to remake a particular item for your doll before it came out just right? (Faceups/blushing count!)

 

^ Um maybe Batman? I tried it with a cowl over his Bruce Wayne head, and that was a complete disaster. Maybe if I knew how to sculpt a mask or use leather it could have worked, but it didn't. And it ruined his faceup. Then there was the costume. I didn't make it, but I did do his tool belt which never looked right, and then I had to do a temporary one for a meet up that was comically bad. Also, the bat symbol, which was an iron-on, had started to come up and needed to be ironed again. It melted on the second ironing and was wrinkled. His cape was also a mess.

Take two of Batman involved sculpting a cowl onto a second Iplehouse head (which was a whole other thing to get ahold of. Luckily I complained in the right place and was contacted by someone I trust lol). That looks amazing *pats self on back*
I fixed the bat symbol by cutting out, painting and gluing a new one out of foam on top - it looks like armor. I love it.
I drafted my one and only pattern for his cape (my friend made it, but I did the pattern!) - it's perfect. And most recently made a new utility belt out of material, paint and foam and I can't even believe i did it, it's so good....then I made a second one for Robin.

> Me 6 months ago: I'm done buying dolls!!!
Me now: I have three on the way and I need like, four more bodies and two heads lol help

V Have you ended up with any dolls you thought you'd never own?

 

^theoretically, all my Twiglings are dolls I never thought I’d own. Which, at the moment is 4 dolls, but there’s more on order. If I’m being really specific though, my obsidian 2020 girl is something I could never have dreamed of. I think I’ve finally solidified her character too. Shrike mentioned her offhand in a roleplay, and suddenly I know exactly who she’s supposed to be.

<Reese is going to be ordering them at the end of the year and I’m so hyped!

V which of your dolls has the most interesting origin story?

 

^ Hmmm I guess Adhara (who appears either as a FD Vivian or IH Scarlet) wins by default. Her character, even before she was named Adhara, was actually my art muse of nearly two decades (note that even though I'm in my late twenties, I am not kidding about how long the character has been with me). Her story has been revised and retold countless times, morphing to suit whatever fandom I was crazy about at the time, but she always appears as a woman with long, dark hair. Her current Legend of the Five Rings RPG incarnation is an unconventionally blunt and cynical courtier who seems to be more at home in the warrior's barracks than in the palace.

< These dark skies are getting REAL scary. @_@

v Which among your dolls has evolved the most through the years?

 

^ My first Oasisdoll Natalie, Leila. It took me several tries to shell her character and I went through a few bodies before getting it right. She's currently on the Sadol Love60 body with Volks SDGR hands.
< My taobao order came in!

v Do you hybrid your dolls? What hybrids have worked well for you?

 

^ I currently only have one hybrid. He's a Little Monica Muse Eric on a Luts Tiny20 body. It's a good combo as his head is only the slightest bit yellower than his body. He's got good posability that Little Monica's Muse line lacks, and head size that I like far better than Luts Tiny Delfs.

< I found glass eyes that work well for him, but finding the right wig is harder. One's too big, one's too small, a one's a bit girly.

v Do you choose wigs and eyes based on a pre-existing idea, or just whatever seems to work?

 

^ I choose wigs and eyes mostly based on pre-existing ideas. But I will buy a wig if it appeals to me and doesn't stray too far from my doll's character! Literally all Most of my OCs have brown eyes tho... maybe a bit boring?

> Finally have a chance to play video games for once! Woot!

v Have you ever ordered a custom wig to get exactly what you've dreamed of? If not, are you thinking about it?