The ^ < v Game! - Part 6

^ I did that before, but have since taken to making all my dolls' wigs by myself to really nail the look I wanted. So, nope, not commissioning another custom one anytime soon. ^_^ I am mostly self-sufficient where wigs are concerned.

> Pleating scares me no more, yaaaaay.

v If you could give one of your dolls a total makeover, which one would receive the treatment?

 

^ Ji-han. His look should be so simple, but I'm never satisfied. I hope that is not a sign of something more expensive than simply needing a new faceup.

> Am I finally caught up on sleep? Or am I just up this early for no reason? Probably the latter.

v Have you been on any crafting supply runs lately?

 

^tragically not, but I will be driving up to the local hobby store for some water based acrylic spray paint, a new respirator and sealant of some kind (I think they have army painter matt, and a few others)

<I’m so tired. I’m just so tired.

V what’s your favourite place to buy doll clothes?

 

^ Etsy. Lots of makers and lots of choices.

< I wish it didn't rain that often. It messes up my plans every time. I wonder if we'll have a white Christmas and if there'll be confinement over the Christmas period.

V Are you planning something special for/with your dolls this Christmas?

 

^ I'm afraid I'm a terrible humbug.. I'm not really a Christmas person, and I have a huge Christmas happening with my family/my gf's family that's going to take all my mental energy, not to mention retail Boxing Day. That said, I do intend to bank my OT/holiday pay, and give it all to Twigling, predictably enough. There are still 2 heads I don't have. 5 once ingenue redux/redux sp/small eloy come out. that just won't do. So I guess a belated present to myself. Halloween is really my holiday.

<I've had a great weekend. I'm just really having a great time. Plus, I match one of my dolls a little rn, and that makes me so happy (esp because she's one of the most attractive characters I have, and I did my makeup a lot like hers)

V what holiday would be your doll's character's favourite?

 

^ Christmas! :V ...not like its my favorite holiday or anything...

> This will be the second year celebrating without my grandpa and I'm kinda bummed about that.

v If you could only keep one of your dolls which one would it be?

 

^ if I could only keep one forever, it would be Lucy, my Withdoll Angela Dark Elf. If I had to get rid of everyone but one, but could get new ones later, it would have to be Lolth, my custom Angell-Studios Bai Ning because she’s literally one of a kind.

< going to work in 5 minutes

v what is the least enjoyable part of the hobby for you and do you do it yourself or pay someone to do it?

 

^ paying for the doll , and nobody has come forward to remove this burden from my shoulders . Apart from this, properly restringing a doll would come second. Some dolls require 2 pairs of hands and a lot of strength to string properly. I do it myself with the occasional help from a friend.

< I don't mind people going to work at such an early hour, I just wish the walls were thicker.

V Do you have another hobby, apart from BJDs, that you share with your dolls?

 

^ Does quilting count? I've got a doll sized 1" postage stamp quilt top done, that still needs binding and backing. And there's another one in progress, and a 1.5" postage stamp quilt in progress as well. Yes, I think its a bit crazy, but I'm doing it anyway.

< I got a message on the Bluefairy Q&A board that my Pocket Fairy will be shipped tomorrow!

V Any dolls you're waiting for?

 

^ I am now waiting for three dolls to be released, and it looks like the one I'll have a shot at first is the one that got added last. Ah well.

> Where did this headache come from?

v What doll has needed the most custom stuff?

 

^ well, there’s Vidania, who needed a custom body, but I think Acyra beats that—her body is also custom, but she’s not going to fit any clothing that exists (other than some EID man clothes.) so Acyra is going to need clothes built to have tail/wing holes. And armour. And a sword, and horns. I’m going to also be making the horns by hand.

<how was I in the hobby 5 years before ever using mandarake? I love it.

v do you have a doll that seems to get more than their share of the clothes/accessories/etc?

 

^ I have 3 dolls currently. 2 have about 3 oufits each. My pukifee has 8 She's just so much fun to sew for!

>I'm so glad it's egg nog season again!

v What discontinued doll are you on the hunt for second-hand?

 

^ I am not on the hunt for any doll, though my heart does go bump when I come across a Doll Chateau Hugh, Bella, Hubery, or Elizabeth! Especially when they are on their original body.

< Fireworks!

V What do your doll(s) cherish above all?

 

^For Shrike it’s her family. In her storyline, there are 19-25 other people in her organization that all don the same armour and mask, and are all supposed to be one entity in mask. As their leader, they’re everything to her. Coris is one of them, and they’re her right hand, her best friend, and her former lover. Zira is also pretty close to her, because she started on the same day, and they learned together. But everyone in mask is her family. She cherishes that most.

Ness is similar. They have a family that they met in a right place. Auratus, their father, is just a terrible person, and they met the rest of their family on his estate, as his personal “guard”. Ness, Dacrya, Chromis, Ki, Dia and Lex were the original family (then in came Apheria-everyone’s daughter). Ironically though more of a found family than a traditional family. This group did eventually learn that they’re all half siblings through Auratus.

<I can’t wait to have the second family together. Lex needs a head. Chromis needs a body. Ki needs to be dyed, and then all that’s missing is apheria

v what’s your favourite fantasy resin colour?

 

^lavender, definitely. Most companies Lavender skin tones are Gorgeous, blues are occasionally pretty pretty but I’ve almost never seen an Ugly Lavender doll

> when will I be Freed of my online classes hell? I think being run through with a molten fire poker would more enjoyable than this

v are you planning on getting any dolls in the upcoming winter events?

 

^ It's hard to guess what events will happen until they're announced, but I've been eyeing Dollzone's Mist Strayer in grey. I might get her if they have a discount event.

< I'm hoping Granado will make an Asian tiny man so I can re-shell one of my characters. I'm not happy with his current doll form.

V Are you waiting on any dolls ordered during an event? I not, is there one you're hoping for.

 

^twigling obsidian was an event with a limited colour, and I’m waiting on a full doll and a head from it. I’ve seen the photos on Reese’s Insta, and she’s going to be perfect.

<I love fast replies. Bless.

v what one skill do you want to learn in this hobby?

 

^ I want to learn body blushing. I bought the supplies but am too nervous to try it yet.
< My doll is out for delivery! Where is the mailman!!??
V Now that Halloween is over, what's the next holiday your doll(s) will dress up for?

 

^Thanksgiving! My pukifee is going to be dressed like a pilgrim. I already have made the dress. I just need to make a bonnet.

> why are goldfish crackers so addicting lol

v Which doll company that has closed down do you wish would come back most?

 

^ Doll In Mind. I want Gayane on a new well thought out very young female body. I wish I knew how old she was meant to be when the sculptor created her.

< I am not fond of ready-made meal, but this meat was cooked to perfection.

V Which sculpt has pushed you to be more creative?

 

^ Ringdoll K. I did a lot of mods on his various heads...things I would have never attempted before I had a doll that needed lots of expressions.
all johns by Vampire Angel13, on Flickr
There is in all his glory XD
The two heads on either end of the lineup are not modded, the rest are.

> I wish my Iplehouse girl would ship already.

V If you go on vacation, do you take a doll? if so, how do you decide which one to bring?

 

^ I did that a couple times several years back when my parents rented RVs. I was moving everywhere with my room so having a doll wasn’t cumbersome. The doll I brought was simply the most recent one in my collection.
I don’t do it otherwise because I don’t like having my dolls out and about, and all I do when traveling is walk around and do sightseeing and shopping.

< I wish I could quit my job to have more time to play with my dolls (ie paint and mod them, learn to make wigs, etc), but I need to have an income for said dolls. Even if I became a house-spouse I would not be comfortable having someone else pay for that.

v Is there a type of doll (style, size, etc.) that you love to see, but would never own yourself?

 

^ I loooove other people's big, tall boys! 70cm+ Giants among men! But that's too much doll for me haha

> I'm so wired lol I can't sleep

v Have you ever bought a doll on a whim that you ended up really loving? Do you still have them?

 

^ Yes! I absolutely adore my Impldoll Bosco. I impulse purchased him purely because he was insanely cheap (estate sale) and I planned to steal his body for a floating head. But once I scraped his ancient faceup and cleaned him up and reglued his broken fingers...I fell in love and would never sell his big, ugly, banana yellow self. Quirky boy needs a proper profile now!

< I'm a total grinch. I hate Christmas so much because I work retail and the music has already started to play...

v Passing it on! What impulse buy did you end up loving?

 

^ While not really an impulse buy (none of my dolls are), one unplanned doll that I ended up loving was Okuni, my Lulu doll from independent artist Momo Studio. I originally only wanted her body for a hybrid that didn't pan out, but she crept her way into my heart. Even though she's very petite compared to the rest of my SD++ dolls, I adore her so much. In the totem pole of my crew's informal favorite ranking, she's currently third out of seven, which is saying something.

< Otedama cushion progress: 3 out of 18. Not bad for a project that's 100% handsewn.

v Too many wigs? Too many pairs of eyes? What BJD-related item do you have too much of? (Raw materials such as cloth count!)

 

^ Wigs. For sure. I have so many wigs. My roommate and I combined our wigs so now there are more wigs. Wigs everywhere!! And most of my dolls don't even wear wigs anymore! And I need more wigs?! I have like, three dolls who need wigs! How is it even possible?!

> it's my day off and I'm doing laundry even though I can do it any day now because I work from home.

V Do you make anything for your dolls yourself? (wigs, props, eyes, clothes...anything else?)

 

^ I mostly make clothes for them, and I have tried my hand at sandals, wigs and basic jewellery. I hope to make shoes for my crew, as my LTF's boots are peeling (fake leather), I cannot find shoes or boots for my tallest, and my 4-legged Kid Doll Chateau has only 4 boots, hand-made by me, to his name. At some point, I'd love to create props for my MSDs.

< These chestnuts take so long to cook.

V do you follow a blogger/website owner/sewer/knitter etc. solely for his/her clothes making?

 

^ I follow foxesliketea and some blythe clothing makers (even though I don't own a blythe anymore). Mostly just for eye candy of beautiful outfits as I don't really sew often myself, and am nowhere near skilled or patient enough to attempt the complex designs I enjoy looking at lol

< My switch clothes order shipped yesterday, hope it won't take too long to arrive

v What's your best or worse experience with buying something in this hobby?

 

^ My worst was an order from Luts that contained two dolls which were lost due to the incompetence of the USPS. I never want to go through anything like that again. But conversely I'd have to say that my best was that Luts eventually replaced them both without charge.

< The puppy is a maniac. I'm exhausted. XD

V Have you ever disliked a new doll on first sight, only to transform it into something that you love?

 

^ While I won't call it outright dislike, I wasn't too happy with my LoongSoul ZhuZhao when I unboxed him. He was such a lanky doll, and he had a mild case of giraffe-neck syndrome owing to the company's new style of more petite heads. Nonetheless, he was engineered so well; I resolved to give him a chance. When I completed his first wig and he got his faceup, I finally clicked with the doll. This is how he looks now.

< Whew, just waiting for the stuffing to arrive for my 18 hand-sewn doll pillows.

v If you have the opportunity to get another of your on-hand dolls (e.g. now you have two of Doll X from Company Y), which one would it be?

 

^ 5th Motif Venitu in Copper oriental/pale tan/tan with a Twigling Eloy head of the same skin colour thrown in. I would sell my pure oriental like a shot.

< Brrr cold. Still, with a scarf and the right attitude, the weather is lovely.

V What is the biggest hurdle between you and making your own face-ups?

 

^ Lashes and eyebrow hair. I'm finally at a point where they look okay, but knowing they're next on the list kills my motivation and often ends up making me procrastinate for weeks!

< I hate those days where I leave the house and it's 1°C, but by the time I finish work it's over 10°. What do I wear???

v What is something you need to do with your dolls that you've been dreading and/or procrastinating on?

 

^ buying apoxy sculpt to mod them lol
< i wish my layaway would be over and the doll would magically appear in my house
v if you could get one accessory for your dolls at no price to you, what would it be?

 

^ a big, plush orange recliner that looks like it was maybe found on the side of the road for my 70cm dolls.

> Why did I decide another of my floating heads needed a body when I had already decided I was done?!

V What is your favorite doll company, and why do you like them?

 

^ Withdoll, they have beautiful 1/4 scale dolls, including fantasy sculpts, their prices are affordable and I’ve never heard anyone have trouble with their customer service, they have always been super helpful to me.

< I’m su bummed that I can’t afford to get casting materials for a while.

v How many dolls do you have and do you want to keep your collection at approximately the current size?

 

^ I hit twenty about a week ago, though I'm still waiting on three more. I've also got one I want to re-shell, and two I'd like to re home. I've got a decent number left on my wish list, so I'm hoping to stop at about 30.

< I've only owned tinies for the 7 years I've been in the hobby, but I'm waiting on my first mini. So excited! I hope she makes it home to me before Christmas.

V What's your ideal number of BJDs?

 

^ 5 bjds. It's just feels like a good solid number. And I'm really trying to keep my collection small for the sake of ~ m i n i m a l i s m ~ So far ehhh (including the dolls on order) I have 6 full dolls and 3 floating heads. I'm a little off

> wowie I woke up late lol Lazy sunday!

v Which company do you think is surprisingly underrated and deserves more praise?

 

^ I think Pipos is quite underrated, especially their larger lines. Their designs look lovely, and I’ve always enjoyed their tinies. I also think Migidoll’s kind of rarer/more underrated these days. Their popularity peaked around 2012, but they still have some lovely recent sculpts.

< I’ve been too busy lately for doll stuff and I’m sad.

v passing it down! Which company do you think is surprisingly underrated and deserves more praise?

 

^ Dollmore. Too may people are scared away by the single-jointed legs (which aren't bad) or weird proportions. The proportions make them look amazing in clothes and their resin is still my favorite. I love them to death. Plus, they're so nice

> I have mixed around the heads and bodies of my dolls I was unhappy with and might have made the perfect combo for one of my characters?!

V Have you done anything in the last year that was new or different in this hobby? Anything exciting? share your 2020 accomplishments!

 

^ New: made a (non-authentic) kilt for the first time, for my newest doll (who's like 2 years old but still didn't have clothes )
Hopefully the picture works; I haven't tried to use Flickr in years...
20200822_203547 by Melinda W, on Flickr
Exciting: finally came back from hiatus? And then ordered two YoSDs this month, within two weeks of each other

< Work today was NUTS. I am so tired...

v How does your doll's character handle anxiety?

 

^ When Emie is feeling anxious, she tends to get belligerent. Cause, like, she's a werewolf and I figure she'd be like a nervous dog with the incessant barking and posturing. AM NOT SCARED AM BIG AND LOUD. Ilari does the opposite and basically shuts down. His coping skills are not good. Lorina is frequently filled with anxiety and tends towards catastrophizing, irritability, and sometimes trouble sleeping.

< Dad won't let me back out of going to family Thanksgiving. But I don't want the COVID...

v Tell me about one of your doll's character's families. What kinda dynamics they got going on?

 

^ Aura, Ness, Chromis, Dacrya, Apheria, Ki, Dia and Lex are all half siblings ( except Chromis and Dacrya are twins). They’re all the children of a god named Auratus, who believes that he is the only rightful god. They have no idea if they have other siblings. They weren’t told they were siblings (all of them except Aura were once a group of guards.) Fortunately, that could have gone a lot worse. They were there to support each other when Auratus was just about the worst person alive. Currently all but 2 are presumed dead, of them, 1 has become an avatar of the death god. Her brother grabbed apheria and brought her to a different realm. Two of the siblings have found employment working for a goddess at war with their dad. The last is living as though they’ve always been in enemy territory, with a forged identity.

Meanwhile, Aura, when her father couldn’t make her into what he wanted, was left for dead as a “scouting mission” and met her girlfriend when she got caught by the local authorities. Ness infiltrated an order of masked assassins to try to get revenge and slowly learned their family wasn’t dead, before they teamed up with Aura’s girlfriend to take down their dad.

<so yeah. That’s the house of Auratus.

v passing this down because of my wildly dysfunctional family of dolls... Tell me about one of your doll's character's families. What kinda dynamics they got going on?

 

^ My dolls are technically an extended family one way or another, and things are quite complicated (partly because my dolls have two timelines). For the sake of conciseness, I will just use their Legend of the Five Rings tabletop RPG timeline:

Adhara (or Kaguya, as she's better known in her RPG self) was married to Isamu for 10 years, but he was absent for 9 of those years because he had to go into hiding. Although they loved each other, the long absence took its toll on their relationship, and they ultimately separated, amicably. However, Adhara remained part of his family... as his honorary sister. Thus, Isamu is technically the brother-in-law to Adhara's eventual husband Guórén (or Jinsuke, as per his RPG self), ergo the uncle to Adhara and Guórén's children, Kokiden and Kokichi. We haven't even talked about Okuni yet! She's Adhara's best friend and longest-running lover (and self-appointed godmother to her kids), who also becomes Guórén's comrade-with-benefits as the three of them entered a polyamorous three-way relationship some time down the line. Makes one wonder how family gatherings will play out.

> I never knew I'd be able to hand-sew and stuff 18 doll pillows!

v Is there a doll you badly want, but couldn't get because it's the wrong size?

 

^omg yes! There are so many beautiful SD's but I don't really want any big dolls But the one I really like is Doll Family H - Yuzhou I adore his sleepy, bored face I must resist opening Pandora's box of SD's though! If I got him, I wouldn't want him to be lonely . . .

> I got an extra day off this week! More dolly time!

v Inspired by the above question:
What is a doll you badly want, but it doesn't fit your current crew aesthetic?

 

^ Soom ID75 Dokkebi Garion: [1910 Dolly Paradise] ID75 - Garion-夜叉 (LE QTY. 5) - Idealian. He looks too depressed and I don't like nails/claw-like hands.

< there is a long time since I haven't seen Soom Idealian Branon (Branon - Beginning & Ending - Idealian ).

V Is there a discontinued sculpt you don't have that you are always interested in viewing?

 

^twigling ingenieuse. I’d absolutely love to take one home one day, but so would most people, honestly, and not a lot of them exist. Every time I see her online, I just have to stare a little bit. Sighthound lady on Instagram has a tan one who is what dreams are made of.

<I can’t wait for the girls on shipping to come in!!!

v is there a sculpt you’d own multiples of, or do you avoid repeats in your collection?

 

^ I am totally into repeating sculpts! I own many variations of the same head when it's about soom dolls like... Dia/Sard in different colors, Serin and Beyla/Bygg...

> I can't stop thinking about buying useless stuff in taobao X saving for another body

v Are you a "hybrid dolls" person or "full sculpts" person?

 

^ Full doll, generally. I do have one or two hybrids, and a couple dolls where I bought the head and body separately but from the same company, but overall I prefer to buy the full doll when I can.

< Figures. The fountain pen I've been waiting for has finally been released... right when I shouldn't be spending more money

v Do you prefer to buy the company faceup, send the doll to another artist, or to do the faceup yourself?

 

^ Oh gosh I haven't worked this out yet LOL. I would like to try doing faceups myself so I don't have to send them off but I think if someone else could do it for me that would be great! So many talented artists out there

> My dolls are so neglected right now haha.

v How often do you do stuff with your dolls? I feel like I just stare at them every so often but don't really photograph or handle them

 

^ oh god, I can go months without doing anything with my dolls, I have them displayed though, so at least I see them every day.

< work tomorrow

v Have you changed tastes since you got into the hobby?

 

^ yes and also no. I started out middle-of-the-road in style, with a mix of semi-realistic to stylized dolls, with a lot of CP, volks and migidolls. Now I definitely prefer more realistic and mature dolls who dress in suits (all my characters are old now lol), and a few of my old dolls have stuck around but I don’t want new ones from those companies anymore. Now I lean more toward granado, ringdoll and iplehouse. Dollmore has survived the transition- I still want all their dolls.

> I don’t want to work tomorrow!! Also I think I’m getting a sinus infection

v passing it down because I’m curious- how have your tastes changed over the years in this hobby (or months if you’re new)?

 

^ I started with a Fairyland Littlefee then an Asella Raspberry. Nowadays I wouldn't buy any of them. I prefer more realistic sculpts on bodies that have good looking joints and are very posable. Nowadays, I would look at Harucasting if I had to start somewhere.

< This talk of changing style and new dolls is not helping. I can barely cope with 12 dolls, and it would be financially stupid to add to this number.

V If you had the opportunity to get a free course in any skills relating to BJDs, which one would you choose?

 

^ Definitely mould making and casting. I’m figuring it out on my own, but I’d probably waste less expensive materials if I had better guidance.

< My She’s a Dragon is half paid.

v Same question, because it was good.

 

^ I think sculpting and 3D modeling. Face-ups I feel confident I can learn given enough time and practice, but I'd love to learn to sculpt props, new faces, etc.

< Got some new lovely wigs this weekend!

v Which skill do you feel most confident in with your dolls? Painting, maintenance, modding, etc?

 

^ Sewing them clothes. I want to work on my face-up skills, though.
< Got my first mini, a Dream Valley Rosa, today! Compared to my tinies, she's huge!

V What's your favorite type of fantasy doll?

 

^ elf ears and fantasy skin tone!
I like looking at dolls with fantasy legs like centaurs and satyr, but it’s too much of a hassle to dress so I stick to human-shaped.

< I hate shopping for doll eyes

v Do you like to get extra parts like sleeping heads, extra hands, ballet feet, etc when you buy a doll?

 

^ Absolutely! And then they sit in the box and I never do anything with them.

< Need it be said? Gah, I'm so sick and tired of covid!!

v Your lover is completely disturbed by your BJDs, and presents an ultimatum that either the dolls go, or they do. Who gets the boot??

 

^ The dolls would have to go. I would be completely devastated, but my partner and I have been together for a very long time and I treasure every day that I spend with him... I couldn't give him up! Thankfully, he is very supportive of my hobbies, and always compliments my doll-related creative endeavors

> My fingers are hurting from my current wigmaking project, time to take a break!

v Is there an established character who you would love to see as a doll? Which artist or company would you choose to create the doll, if it were up to you?

 

^ Well, after Granado's Uriel can do a killer Aragorn look, I'd love them to come up with an Elrond ...

< moar elves in general. Not that I had done anything with mine in ages anyway ... maybe this year I'll manage an actual holiday photoshoot!

v Do you do anything holiday themed with your dolls? (decorate their area, dress them up, photoshoots, special props ...?)

 

^ I always try to [at least] take a photo every year with a dolls dressed for x-mas, but nothing really fancy XD

> I wanna sew but I don't want to START sewing....

v Do you have dolls/plots with others? Like RP stories or collabs..