The ^ < v Game! - Part 7

^ I guess this means Adhara is now a Spiritfarer! Despite that game's issues, it eerily echoes Adhara's current role (her L5R RPG incarnation at least) after recovering her ability to see spirits -- more accurately, ancestral spirits. Even though she tends to be blunt and cynical at first glance, she is far more perceptive of others' emotions than most people in her new clan, who consider compassion to be the most unnecessary of virtues. Whereas many others in her mystical school would prefer to correspond with the honored ancestors who were renowned for their glorious deeds, Adhara would specialize in guiding unfortunate souls of those deemed as failures in life. Hopefully she has a good support system tho (looking at you there, Guórén and Okuni!), because she will soon end up an old bitter geezer like Charon if she's constantly surrounded by painful memories. Oh, and she'll definitely keep one cat (or several) with her while on duty, just like the main playable character in Spiritfarer. :P

> That game had so much potential. But that ending just fell flat, what a shame.

v Your doll's character just saw THEIR doll forms. How would they react?

 

^ My doll Lorina actually has a doll of herself! It’s an off-topic painted eyed Rosenlied tiny. Lorina (the character) is not a big fan of dolls. Emie never had any dolls growing up so she wouldn’t think much of it. She would wonder why it’s of her human rather than wolf form since that’s what she usually is in/prefers. Ilari wouldn’t have any thoughts on his but would probably steal the one of Lorina.



< Never thought I’d actually be looking forward to going back to work. Just so glad my temporary reassignment is over!!

v Put your doll in the world of your favorite franchise. How does that environment change their character?

 

^ OG style, UNOSS into the Rozen Maiden gang. She fits right in and competes in the Alice Game, is defeated as Android, returns as Demon...but can she prevail and am I strong enough as her Master to sustain her duality?

< exhausted from house-buying shenanigans but thankful it’s very near time to close the deal?

V do you like playing with/working on your dolls more in summer or in winter?

 

^ Both? Lol, sorry I know that's not that great of an answer. I play with my dolls whenever I feel like it.

< My new doll is out for delivery and time is going soooo slow...*flails*

v What do you do while waiting for your dolls to arrive?

 

^ For most of the wait, kind of largely put it out of mind. Then get some clothes together and dig up eyes and a wig once I get the shipping notice so they don't have to go naked when I get them unboxed.

< Well, for this one, I intended to make an initial outfit for her... But based on the waiting room I also thought I had about another month! So she's getting community clothes after all... Hopefully I can scrounge up a wig for her.

v Have you ever gotten a doll in a timeframe wildly different than what you expected? Either surprisingly fast or agonisingly slow?

 

^ Both! I have gotten a doll from Dollmore shipped the day after i ordered, and I was part of the Dollshe Pure body sale back when the body wasn't done yet (like a noob I assumed if it was being sold, it was done). I stupidly thought it would be two months like I was told (to be fair, this was the first of all the Dollshe "sales" so no one really knew better). 14 months later I finally got the doll.

On the other side of the coin my next Dollshe order in 2019 was only 8 months long! Which is like the Dollmore-2-days of Dollshe shipping! So that was awesome. I expected over a year, and it wasn't even one!

> I should be doing a faceup today since it's supposed to snow tomorrow. Ugh. how even

V I can't think of a question so: share your new arrivals, doll you're currently waiting on, or something from your wishlist!

 

^ I bought a Irrealdoll Mim to be a halfling partner for Gobbie. I've been searching for a tiny to accompany her and I think she'll work. I'm also hoping Rugged Realism Erato will be out this year. The other dolls I'm after, MDR Fang and boypink's muscle body have no current timeline, unfortunately.

> Should I eat? Yeah, probably.

v Same question. What are your new arrivals, dolls you're currently waiting on, or things on your wishlist?

 

^ Newest arrival is a Resinsoul Dawn. I don’t have any waiting at the moment. My wishlist is pretty empty at the moment. I’m just saving up right now so when something I like comes out, I can get it. Or just buy more fabric. There’s a lot I’d like to make but haven’t yet.
> I just started a 1/4 scale sweater out of sock yarn and I am regretting my life choices. At least the yarn is variegated but I forgot to make sure I can match up sleeves, and it’s scrap yarn. Anything in the store would be the wrong dye lot if they even have it.
v Not the most original question, but I can’t think of anything else. What doll or outfit is your grail?

 

^ I got a "grail" of mine recently, if a doll you never thought you'd actually own counts as a grail - - Doll Chateau Sexta. I wanted the body because it's perfect for my character and the face just spoke to me, plus he has semi pointed ears which I just fell in love with. Neway, Bastian is a shadow person who masquerades as a human butler because he finds humans to be fascinating creatures and wants to interact with them without scary the daylights out of them. He doesn't really do that great of a job because he makes for one creepy human, but he is good at the butler thing and has found himself protecting a human who has been chased by shadow people his entire life. Bas also likes cats. Like, a lot. XD is this too much information? Sorry, I'm just really excited.


< I just got him and now I have to send his head off for a faceup...I hate this part.

v What part of this hobby do you hate the most?

 

^ Finding the time to do all the things I want to do! Between work, event work, household chores, etc, I just can't always find the time to sit down and sew or blush dolls. Someone come do all my laundry for me so I can put my deer girl back together!

< At a minimum I want to try out this kimono pattern this week... it's been sitting here for ages with the fabric next to it, waiting for the test sew.

v What part of this hobby do you love the most?

 

^ handling my dolls. Though I haven't done much of it lately. I cannot say 'dressing them' because it always reminds me that I could do better and that they always need more clothes. And home-made wigs that show off their lovely elfish ears.

< There we go again. I really need to tackle their face ups. And, because I don't use MSC anymore, I will have to wipe out the basic ones I've made and start all over again. I need better weather.

V If your doll was a tree, which one would it be?

 

^ One of my newest insists his name is Rowan, so he'd be a rowan tree. And his girlfriend would probably be a crabapple.

< I'm trying to decide what combo I want from Soom's Petit Gem FCE...

V Any doll you've been unsure of the details for?

 

^ There have definitely been plenty of dolls that look nice on the website but whose details are just slightly different in a way I'm not sure about when I look at it in person, though I can't think of any specific one now.

< I wonder when I'll actually get around to sewing doll clothes. It's been a dream for a while, but I'm not a motivated enough person to finish anything.

v What is your preferred fashion style for your dolls, if you have one?

 

^ Goth/dark/witch style. I have a lot of different preferences when it comes to fashion, but even the characters who dress in fluffy pastels and unicorn shirts have a dark edge and I often look at more goth clothes for them and. I've given up trying with my girls and my new one and one of my oldest ones just got made up with darker looks and are all wearing black now. I'm even making them all witch hats because they keep fighting over the only one I made last year (and I still have one more girl coming in that will want(need) one)

Even my character dolls lean that way. You can't tell me Batman and his villains aren't at least a little on the goth side. The man dresses like a bat and only goes out at night.

> I have so many doll projects right now I think I might actually forget about some of them if I don't try to get organized somehow....I literally have heads all over the place D:

V Do you prefer to make accessories, props and clothes for your dolls, work on the dolls themselves or just put them on the shelf and enjoy them as-is?

 

^ I would like to make certain accessories and clothes for them but have difficulty getting started/motivated I'm just as happy to find suitable store bought props and clothing so I can sit them on the shelf and enjoy

> Feels like its been forever since I posted on here.

v Do you keep dolls on display or tucked away? If you don't have doll what do you think you'd like?

 

^ On display, always. There's only been one real break when I didn't have my dolls out on display; I had a cat who was extremely well behaved around them, so I had them on open shelves with no fear of any damage. I packed them up for a move, and shortly after arriving at the new place, my cat passed away. I adopted a pair of kittens after that, and there was absolutely no way I was putting up the open shelves with a pair of kittens around. It took about a year for me to find enclosed shelving I liked and pick it up after tapping out so much of my savings on the move, vet bills, and adoption fees, but it felt great to get my dolls back out!

< Now I have three cats and I still don't dare use open shelving around them.

v On display or stored away, what motivates your choice on where to keep your dolls? (Or will, if you don't have one yet.)

 

^ I have the bottom shelf of one of our shelves in the living room dedicated to my dolls. Since it's the bottom the display usually takes up some space in front of the shelf too. It's the best I can do with the space until my husband and I buy a house.

< I have 2 cats and one is a secret calico. She looks like and orange tabby and has one black spot on her elbow.

V Are any of your dolls based heavily off yourself? Whether it's a younger innocent version or a braver version, etc?

 

^ Vidania, we all joke is me in a hat. She’s a short little dnd elf who sucks at taking care of herself, has commitment issues (where she over-commits so fast), an ex who really changed her and not in a good way, whose influence she’s still unpacking, a girlfriend played by my girlfriend—before we were dating, and had my bipolar before I knew I did. It was funny actually, I just made her as this like fun tragic, melodramatic character, and then accidentally made a character to process my issues. Also falls into my trope of healers with anxiety, which, is total projection. She’s my ongoing doll modding project, and somehow I managed to miss that she has a kind of similar body type to mine—not until I decided I was adding some features of my own illness recovery (I have a screwed up digestive system, and I don’t experience hunger, and she just sucks at taking care of herself) and she has my stomach, cause I’m proud of it.

< resisting the urge to buy a birthday doll...

v which of your dolls is the least like you?

 

^ Both of my dolls are character-based and every doll I get in the future will fit in the same story somehow. I guess maybe Genji because he's male?

< I'm so exhausted from moving and preparing for a wedding

V Do you have a favorite doll in your collection?

 

^ lm-demetri, which is my profile picture. BTW happy wedding!

< It has been rainning for weeks. Despite my love for rainy days, it makes outdoor sealant spraying and consequently, make-up practice almost impossible.

v a doll photo that you are most satisfied with?

 

^ Easy --
JL batman BC1 by Vampire Angel13, on Flickr

> I have been to almost thirty islands today and can't find a new villager

V I like it -- post a doll photo that are most satisfied with!

 

^ I always loved how these photos of Akane with the faun at Fest turned out. (She had a couple dolls of her own so she was confident and comfortable posing with one!)


< Do I sleep? Or do I fiddle with the embroidery machine to try to figure out what's going wrong?

v It's a good question, so: Post a doll photo you're super satisfied with!

 

^ This one’s very simple, but it’s very aesthetic and of one of my favorite dolls, so I love it

< I’m such an impatient person, have two dolls coming and I’m on pins and needles waiting for them
V Who’s your favorite doll and why?

 

> This is my favorite doll
John by Vampire Angel13, on Flickr

Don't ask me why, he's such a weirdo. This is probably the most normal photo I have of him....

> Another head on the way?? But this is something I've wanted for years. It doesn't count.

V Why is your favorite BJD your favorite?

 

^ love the sculpt, Angela by Withdoll, she’s so expressive and she’s based on a D&D character that is very dear to me


<Sooon

v What is a doll you have sold and why?

 

^ I bought a Dollzone Moon dragon second-hand and resold it several months later. It's dragon body had such limited posability, if it wasn't balanced well enough to be standing its feet would slide forward and its awkward body would tip so it fell on its face. I could figure out what to do with it, so I sent it on to a new home.

< I want to thin down my collection a bit, but I've got 4 dolls on order right now. Augh.

V Is it possible for you to have too many dolls?

 

^ me? Yes... And I'm around that number right now, but I still have floating heads. Not sure what I will ultimately do

< I wish I wasn't so addicted to everyone having their own body

V if you were going to start all over collecting bjds right now, what would you first doll be? (preorder only, not second hand, so being made currently)

 

V twigling ingenue rerelease, when she comes out, in cream resin, b bust, short torso, long thigh. Basically, I’d immediately remake Shrike. I’m starting to realize how much I care about having her with me. Shes my oldest character, and my favourite sculpt, and I would want her back immediately

<I should go to bed, but instead I’m typing half a dissertation on an episode of Buffy. Someone send help…

V this is such a cool question, so I’ll pass it along! if you were going to start all over collecting bjds right now, what would you first doll be? (preorder only, not second hand, so being made currently)

 

^ The two dolls I wanted the most are either a special version or a limited time release, so, I guess I would still order my first doll. However, with all the confidence and knowledge in resin matching I'd definitely order a floating head so that I can find a taller and better-looking body for him.
< To be honest I am sort of annoyed by companies who only do limited time release. I mean, if this is a consideration due to cost of production, their price is already quite high given the *relatively average* quality assurance.
v If you were able to pick any time to order your first doll and start the collection, will you do it earlier or later than the time you actually did?

 

^ I think I started at a pretty good point, honestly. I'd just moved away from some toxic roommates a few months earlier, had a good-paying job that let me have a little extra money to start the collection, and had moved into an area that had regular meetups and a good group around that got me a good start into the hobby. Any earlier than that, I think would have been extremely problematic (I am missing so many things that those toxic roommates straight up stole), and I don't think going any later would have changed much (maybe I would have gotten a slightly different first doll, but I still love the one I did get!), so I'll keep it where it was!

< Ugh, I hate hand-sewing so much, but I really need to go get my needles and finish these projects...

v It's a cool question so I'll pass it along: If you could pick when you started, would you go earlier, later, or the same time that you originally got your first doll?

 

^ Earlier. There are a few dolls I could have gotten for cheaper. But I've managed to get everything I wanted, so this time is pretty good.

> I'm going to need to recover from this vacation. So tiring.

v If you could get any out of production doll you wanted for free, what would you get?

 

^ tan twigling ingenieuse! I follow someone on Instagram that has one, and she’s incredible, I just wasn’t in the hobby when she was available, and even if I was, I don’t think she’d have been within budget!

< I keep telling myself, I’m doing this shift for the dolls ahah, but work is a drag today.

V what is your favourite colour you’ve ever seen a doll in?

 

^ green. I have a off-topic doll chateau Bedrice and she is lovely in green skin.

< Sunshine!

V If your doll was to take to the road, what wheeled housing would she/he choose? A tiny house, a shepherd's hut, a gypsy caravan, a camping van, a mobile home, a trailer, a recreational vehicule ...?

 

^ well, most of my dolls are based off my D&D characters, so ether backpack and tent or a horse drawn carriage.

< one more day, then weekend

v what physical feature (engineering or aesthetic), is a deal breaker for buying an otherwise perfect doll?

 

^ Solid torso. I like to have at least one joint.

> Am I really going to spend most of this long weekend at home. Seems like it.

v Are there any dolls you consider your problem children?

 

^One and he is a new one, Zinc on the Dollshe Dsam 35. Although I like the extra joints, he won't sit up, I mean not at all, all he can do is lounge. He is a very lazy cyborg.


> No more rain for at least two weeks please!! PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!

v Do you have one doll that has an interesting quirk?

 

^ Hmmm. While all my dolls have quirks, one way or another, I guess the one with the quirkiest quirk would be Okuni, my Lulu from independent artist Momo Studio. She's a great contortionist and is awesome at holding poses BUT making her stand is a huge pain. Her knee joints, which allow her to be so flexible, like to buckle when trying to get her to stand. I won't ever leave her alone standing, even with support. I guess she'll have to rely on my dolls to do the literal legwork for her during walking scenes.

< Ugh. I have to literally force myself to finish this drawing. Portrait commissions of actual people aren't really my cup of tea, it turns out.

v If you could have one doll at a different size, what sculpt would it be and their new scale?

 

^ I would love to have one of the Angell Studio mermaids on a Msd size. SD ones are really big! Any sculpt would do.
If it’s the sculpt I would love a Peakswoods Mimi Crow as a Fob and not a Foc.

< I hope a nice faceup artist will be available when my newest doll arrives...

v If you could have as many dolls as you want without having to worry about money or space, how many would you have? Or would you prefer to have very few dolls and many clothes instead?

 

^ I think I'd prefer few dolls and many clothes and accessories. By few I mean up to 10 I guess LOL. I only really have plans for 6 dolls but sometimes I get tempted by new releases =w=.

> I took our fabric to make Jewel a summer dress a few weeks ago and I still haven't touched it

v Are you putting off any doll related projects right now?

 

^oh always! I need to finish Vidania, I need to hack her legs apart again to extend them, but I’m tempted to just change the way her hips/upper thighs work as a whole. Cause obviously I hadn’t made her difficult enough.

<why am I sad? I’ve had a meal? I’m seeing my sister? Can I not?

V what’s the next doll project you want to start?

 

^ Now that I have my own space and I am in the middle of nowhere, I want to get serious about sewing. I always tell myself I will, then I don't. I've finally come close the finishing the shortfalls today though, so that's something.

> Ah yes, the random sad. Hate it. Along with the random anxiety and the random existential dread.

v Which of your dolls demands the most, wardrobe wise?

 

^ my first girl charlotte for sure, the one i have otw and plans for designs i already have either come with clothes (+don't need a full outfit, shoutout to mermaids) or have a specific look to stick with

< why are fish so ridiculous to deal with i like giving advice but it's Always Something

v what do you get out of the hobby, personally?

 

^ Enjoyment of the process. I love taking a hunk of plastic (figuratively speaking) and turning it into the character I'm visualizing, or finding the character inherent in it.

< Even if I'm a little pokey about it... it would probably help if I didn't move my studio every couple of years, hopefully this time is the last time. (And it's a UV-less room! Woot!)

v When do you consider a doll "done?"

 

^ A good face-up, eyes that suit them, and a wig that suits them and stays on. Having a name and at least a character is important, too.

<I've got a lot of blank dolls and little experience doing face-ups, so its going to be a while before more of them are finished. Most of them seem to want an ongoing supply of new clothes until they have a complete all-occasion wardrobe.

V Which do you like better- doing face-ups or making clothes?

 

^ Making clothes, because I can't do faceups. There wasn't a choice, really.

> Am eagerly anticipating an arrival in a week or two yaaaay.

v What doll gave you the "BUY ME" urge recently?

 

^there was a doll I saw secondhand—a vampire sculpt that would look fantastic in some old clothes I have! It’s not a good time for purchases right now though, so I’m abstaining.

>I’m also eagerly awaiting! She’s getting shipped from the caster at the end of the month, so it’ll be a couple months still, but I’m excited.

v which doll is your most recent arrival?

 

^ Most recent is the MNF Eliya I ordered just before they were discontinued; I'd totally missed her cute elf sculpt, and had a ton of points I'd been saving up that I needed to dump since that program's about to go away too. Sadly I don't have cabinet space for her at the moment, because I'm in the process of moving and the new cabinets I bought are going to be FAR easier to move while they're disassembled.

< I'm also receiving another doll soon... really gotta get things knocked into shape at the new place, I want to see my dolls!

v What doll do you want to get next?

 

^ Ugh I don't want any new dolls!!!! I have maybe 10 (I bet it's more than 10) that are in the beginning stages of being worked on and they need so much. Like serious mods, dye jobs, faceups, wigs, eyes, clothes, costumes...the works. I'm really behind right now (and I bought a head for a body I have laying around so I can have yet another character doll I don't need that arrived yesterday and needs mods so it will literally never end.)

I do have a Rainman July head that needs a body, so if I was going to buy something new right now, it would be that. Zatanna is set to be my last DC character as a doll. So far. Also I have had the urge for a "generic pretty boy" that can wear all my ruffly clothes and look moody and now one of my most favorite bodies is sitting around headless someone please send help

> Seriously I have too many project dolls sitting around and zero time to work on any of them. I did so good for two years and didn't buy much. What happened, 2021??

V Now I can't think of a question so repeat: What doll do you want to get next?

 

^ Rugged Realism's Erato! She just finished the masters and I am excited for my handsome ballerina boy! It also looks like MDR and boypink are getting back at it, so who knows, I might polish off my whole wishlist in one year. I think my wallet is up to the challenge for once.

> I hope my fork isn't lost. I wish he had answered the door. I that I had just remembered to grab it.

v Any doll concepts you're considering?

 

^ dollshe saint girl with a black and white colour scheme, and moody black and white eyeshadow. Might steal a name back from Liriel’s current gf. Why “black and white angel girl named Azrael” is the hill I’ll die on is another matter entirely.

<she, red, and jo somehow all wound up crossing over to another universe, and they never knew each other in either canon, but it would be cute for them to meet

V I’ll pass this along: any doll concepts you’re thinking of?

 

^ I've ordered the doll for a deep blue sleeping eyed rabbit with little horns from a Soom Petit Gem FCE. She'll be my first dying project. (Eeek!) I'm eyeing Cirque de Fantomes Nekomata as a demonic human-cat creature inspired by my first cat.

<But I don't even have my Soom anthros yet, and am trying to avoid buying more unplanned dolls right now.

V Do you stick to a planned list, or do new or limited dolls often change your plans?

 

^ A little of both! I had a very strict planned list for a while, but I won't deny that I have a couple of impulse buys. Now that I'm feeling like I have too many dolls, that list is very strict again.

< I need to treat myself to BJD accessories more often! The props I got are so fun.

v Who's currently on your wishlist?

 

^ There are an obscene amount of dolls on my wishlist. Right now I am trying to focus on getting a body for this obscure and rare and difficult to match head i have (HTTdolls Bambee in Tan. Apparently Fdoll light tan matches, but there are no owner photos or input so i'm flying blind) and I am also searching for an AoD Shi in NS!

< i should be cleaning. I should be making a youtube video. I should be paying attention to my dolls. Instead i am hiding in my room.

V If you could have any doll that has been discontinued from a company or artist, what doll would it be?

 

^ Oh, this is easy... my dream dolly Luts SDF Helena! I heard she wasn't very popular, so it's pretty rare to see her these days...

<I'm at work, fridays are just always so slow I have time to mess around

v What's a rare/unavailable resin color you'd like to have in a doll?

 

^ Soom's brick red. It was only available for the original release of Trachy and Lami. I'm hoping that when I order a custom Zhen-Yao doll from Resin Soul, they'll be able to make something close.

< I need to sell a few of my tinies that I'm not happy with first. I know I'm ready to let two of them go, I just need to do it.

V Good question so I'll ask it again- What rare resin color would you like to have a doll in?

 

^before I’d have said twigling obsidian—since that worked out, now I’ll go with cherry red, soom’s pearl violet, electric blue, light green, and clear, all of which I have plans for (except the pearl violet—I’m just going to make my other purple girl kinda pearlescent!)

<thank god for dyemore—now if only I could persuade myself to get a pot of doll soup on…

v let’s keep the theme: what is your favourite resin colour you have right now?

 

^ my lilac Bobobie Moony is such a lovely color so I think I got to choose that
< Why does anxiety always have to rear its ugly head
v on a similar note, what color of eyes is your favorite for your dolls?

 

^ I have a couple I particularly love; Jace's glow-in-the-dark blue ones are striking, and never turn into little black holes in photographs because of how brightly they glow. Ed's gold ones are a perfect match to his wig, which is just what I wanted with him. And Prae has some lovely "sugar" eyes that are a glittery white pupil-less eye that's just gorgeous, and make me glad I had a character they'd fit to so I had an excuse to get them.

< Sounds like the neighbors are all getting started for the night

v Is there a color or style of eyes that you don't have because you haven't figured out how to make them work with your dolls?

 

^ Technically I already have an idea on how to do the project due to preexisting tutorials on DoA, but I have yet to make Adhara's "summoning" eyes. They're meant to be eyes that glow yellow thanks to LED diodes.

< Ventilating yet another dolly wig. I never learn.

v What is your most "unexpected" find in the hobby?

 

^ I think it would be my Dollclans Rynx head. Not really a rare head, but the fact it is legit and I got it for approx. $20 off of y!japan was pretty unexpected

< My feet hurt from work lol. Hyped for getting my really damaged second hand find fixed soon!!!

V are you waiting on anything doll related right now?