The ^ < v Game! - Part 7

^ I have been writing a whole backstory for the doll crew. Three of them are supposed to be members of a band. I've always dreamed of actually making music for them so that they can be a "real" band. But... well, I can't do that. I am not -that- musical. Even with Vocaloids as their voice stand-ins I can't write music to actually make them a real band. Maybe I will one day save enough money to pay someone on Fiverr or something similar to actually write songs for my doll rockers.

> ... I've also been kinda hitting a wall in terms of writing, too. At least I get to say I've been reading up and doing background research for them so I haven't been completely slacking off.

V Do you write backstories for your dolls? Are members of your crew all part of the whole story or are they just incidental neighbours?

 

^ my collection falls into 4 distinct categories, they’re either from my fantasy series, from my Dnd campaigns, from my vampire series or the rare fan dolls that I have. I’ve written copiously on all of the dolls from all of the categories, but they don’t all go together. Currently, they’re all shelved in a way that sorts them by series, so it’s easy to discern the differences. But they’re all SD, so technically anyone would look close to right with anyone.

< man, I love my job.

v do you prefer one scale, or do you collect all the dolls?

 

^ I only collect 1/4. I have no space for 1/3 and up and most dolls below 43cm feel too tiny for me, so it's a really small bracket I operate in

< gonna try making some doll jeans today!

V If you could magically learn a doll-related crafting skill, what would it be?

 

^ hard tie between making shoes and making props, I think prop making wins though, it would be so convenient

< I want to go get wall paint samples...

v If you had unlimited money would you spend it on new dolls or the dolls you already have?

 

^ On the dolls I already have. I'm pretty contented with my crew and I'd rather spoil them silly, than keep feeding acquisition syndrome.

> Been waiting literally all of 2023 for a doll I bought on preorder, and the prospect of waiting a full year is making me climb the walls...

v Commiserate with me! What is the longest time you've waited for a doll? Can be longest time waiting for a preorder, or longest time stalking secondhand markets for them.

 

^ I waited almost exactly a year for my Myou Sakura Delia. A lot of that time was spent moving across the country so it wasn't too terrible but those final weeks were like torture!

> I had like two sips of sangria and now I have a terrible headache. I just can't hold my liquor at all I guess

v What is something for your dolls you never feel you have enough of?

 

Oh, this is a tough one. If I had to chose just one thing it would be shoes, I think. Most of my 1/4 dolls tends towards small, slender feet and it's very hard to shop for. I am slowly getting better at shoemaking, but I'm not quite there yet and even then it takes time to make lasts for so many different feet and shoe shapes.

< Halloween party this weekend and I still have tons of stuff to do. Fun, but a little bit stressful as well.

V Tell me about your best lucky find or best deal when doll shopping.

 

^ luckiest find by far was the friend of a friend looking to unload very high end but very damaged bodies. I love modding, stains don’t bug me, and I love a project, but it also gave me the opportunity to own several bodies I didn’t think I could ever have, like my fifth motif and my Amadiz bodies. Best of all, they all came with CoA’s and really clear provenance. She got money for tuition, and I got the bodies for some of the coolest dolls I own.

we even stayed friends after, so extra bonus, she got to see the bodies get fixed up and go to new characters. She heavily approved of me dyeing a body that was badly stained to a colour that almost perfectly hides those stains. Yay blue!

< when I get home, I think I’m going to take some group pics of the whole party. I’m in a good mood and we may as well enjoy it.

V passing this along: tell us about your luckiest find, or best deal doll shopping!

 

^ similarly to you, a fixer-upper project! I found a stained DZ Shoyo for €50 second hand. I loved restoring her face! She turned out so cute. Unfortunately, her body was recently stolen by a yellowed Unoa faceplate that had the exact resin match with the body 2 dolls in 1!

< gotta make more pants!

V do you have a doll that is otherwise perfect, except this *one* thing that bugs you? What is it and how are you making peace with it?

 

^ I have one of those dolls. She's a very unique fighter with beautifully sculpted muscles. The bug is Nora's joints, which are very poorly done and it bothers me a lot. Fortunately, the mods have helped a bit. And I always believe in hot glue and wires.

> My cough is really painful today. I took some pictures yesterday and had to go back to bed.

v How do you manage to take care of your dolls? Considering that their numbers are increasing. Have you ever felt that what you wanted was suddenly too much?

 

^ When I recently started to take inventory of my collection, I was really surprised at just how many of them I had. At the moment they are all kept in different places (will soon be united, soon!) which doesn't help the surprise when I realised that I had so many heads and projects. I am planning on getting them all together and settle them by the stories they belong to. And start from there. I know that I will close off my collection soon.

> Please take care @Arengil ! Hope you get better soon!

V I'm going to pass the question along. How do you manage to take care of your dolls?

 

^ I just try my best. Making sure everyone has clothes, wigs, eyes, and shoes before tackling other projects (unless its an impulse purchase, then there is a delay), making sure they arent accumulating too much dust, and keeping my room as UV free as i can.

< speaking of impulse purchases, i really need to get it together for my recent additions to the collection lol

v Which one of your dolls is the hardest to handle (posing, size, etc.)

 

^ Billie, my Dollmore Judith Tara. She has a lot of joints so there's a lot of limbs spinning around, knees/elbows constantly in the wrong direction, all 4 chest joints not cooperating and throwing her into a weird posture... Sometimes it takes a lot of effort to get her to pose. But there are also many upsides to her body and thanks to all those joints she can turn her arms etc, which is great!

< I swear I will never pre-order again because the wait is making me want to browse in-stock or second hand dolls just to have *something* with me faster (I am not giving in, but there's definitely the temptation)

V What is the next thing you're going to craft for your dolls? (Or if you don't craft for them, what is the next thing you're planning to do with them involved)

 

^ I really need to sew something for my Ringdoll Lucifer, I want to make him a long coat. wish I could find a good pattern, but his body is so hard to fit. I'm going to try anyways.

< I am in a state of contentment. I finally was able to pre-order a doll that I have wanted for over 7 years. He was finally re-released after 13 years. I don't care how long I have to wait, I am getting him, and that is all that matters.

v Do your friends and family know about your dolls? Are they super supportive or just kind of meh about it? Do you have any real-life BJD friends or is everyone that you know in the hobby just online?

 

^ most of my friends know about the dolls—no idea how much I spend on them, but then I don’t ask them what they spend on video games. My family are aware and supportive in their own ways. Mom periodically crochets for my dolls, and dad helps me with power tools for mods whenever I need a hand. Again, neither of them know the prices of dolls.

there’s also an in-person meetup group in my city where I’ve made a few in person doll friends!

< my coffee this morning is full of grounds and it’s a travesty

V what new doll release has you excited right now?

 

^ Miracle Doll's muscular leopard SD woman has me excited not because I'm interested in her, as she's far too big and not appealing to me, but because I'm hoping her release means that the LanQi (muscular MSD wolf woman) I ordered a year ago will ship soon. And now that I have my first MInifee, a limited color Jiyu I'm excited to see Fairyland's (hopefully MInifee) winter/holiday event will be.

< I want to get back to sewing for my BJDS. Most of the gang could use more clothes.

V Do you have any BJD projects you're working on or hoping to start soon?

 

^ Plenty half way through an outfit I am putting together for Breccia who has been lacking a signature outfit for far far too long, it isn't great and maybe remade in the future but fairly satisfied. Then going to make some more pukipuki wigs. And then my larger project of refining the character of my 6 arm sd ... Will be making the outfit, wig, eyes, etc and need to do some modifications too. The faceup may need to wait for warmer weather though (winter temperatures have started early where I am so maybe a cold extended winter season this year).

> also putting I final touches to a new hybrid... an old floating head finally has a body and it is so adorable taking a gamble on hybrids can be SO worth it

v the current outfit i am making has made me realise how out of practice I am, so many re-do and unpicking moments what (related to the bjd hobby) lessons have been hard earned recently?

 

^ Haha, that I really need to be more careful while sewing BJD clothes, I accidentally sewed my thumb up while making my new girl Ringdoll Miu a new dress.

< Wondering why agreed to watch all of One Piece. Well, at least I have company, I started it while doing Miu face-up, now she is sitting in a chair on my desk with slushy and popcorn binge watching it with me.

v Do you ever just sit around with your dolls doing ordinary things like watching a movie, or maybe having them be a random player in family game night? Or maybe take them out to a park for pictures?

 

^ I love doing normal, everyday things with my dolls, like watching movies, taking them out for pictures, or just having them sit with me as i work at home. It's fun and comforting.

< bought the clothes for my one doll who has been here for months naked and awaiting a wig. I feel happy...and ashamed for delaying it so long.

v What is the longest period of time you had to wait for a doll/doll item?

 

^ 330 days (almost 11 months) and still counting for Bimong Narin68, which I ordered back in January this year. I think I will cross the 1-year waiting mark for this doll.

< I'm waiting for a doll in the mail... tracking hasn't updated for 1.5 weeks... I think it is in my country but stuck in pre-Christmas customs scrum, and it hasn't made it into the postal system yet. The wait is killing me...

v Have you ever received a doll as a gift? (ie. you didn't have to pay for it) Tell me more about your doll!

 

^ in my childhood yes - knock-off Barbies from parents (Mattel was too xpenny), I think I had 2 baby dolls, too, that were probably gifted by someone. Not in my adult life in the actual hobby though.

< I wonder when Huajing finally starts shipping out their renewed bodies... I thought they had a faster turnover...

v what has been your biggest BJD disappointment?

 

^ I ordered a custom-colored dark brown body from a certain company. Granted, I knew that the color might be a little off from the online reference I gave, but I was not expecting a difference so drastic that I would end up with cream white instead. I should have asked them to re-do it (or at least demanded a partial refund), but I was already impatient and just wanted to put the issue to rest. Either way, said company's erratic color palette had messed up my doll plans so many times, so the brown-turned-cream was the final straw. I haven't ordered from them ever since.

> Must really watch my spending habits next year.

v Do you have multiple iterations of a same character shelled out as a BJD? (Same character at different ages also count!)

 

^ no, but I have multiple characters that all started off as the same character. I had a character in a piece of writing I closed permanently, named Tacet. In my first rewrite of that series, I made her into Aura, who was a meaningful character to me, and checked a lot of boxes, but her story didn’t go as dark as the original, so I made her twin Amor to embrace the darker side of her story. Then I got a doll who absolutely demanded to take over her aesthetic, and some of her romantic hangups, who I called Cole. Then came Era who really encapsulated the rest of her romantic hangups, and her original romantic arc, complete with a very masc suitor who she could see into. Then, finally, I decided, it’s been 5 years, I can write Tacet again, and shelled her, again. So technically I have 5 dolls, all of whom were meant to be the same girl at some point.

< it’s so hard to motivate myself to write today, and I don’t know why!

V passing this along because my answer was a little esoteric— have you ever had multiple dolls of the same character?

 

^ not at the moment but having a young version as well as an adult sounds fun and rather cute. I could see that happening as a future project tbh

> last year (which feels really odd saying 2023 is the previous year) I was seriously deliberating whether to get a preorder head and decided I'd best not as it wasn't great timing and tbh, out of my price range. Now feeling very fortunate as managed to buy yesterday the very same head from a seller in my own country for less than the preorder price.
Now have all the ideas bouncing around which I hadn't allowed myself to have. So really, really hoping the head fits this body I have planned as it would be perfect for this character in the making now if it fits the body of course, I have fingers and thumbs crossed. Luckily I do have a backup body which I am 95% certain suits head... but this other body? Would very perfect. Should be able to find out in a few days

> have you any recent sudden impromptu ideas, such as from buying a head you didn't think you would ever get (so quickly anyway) ?

 

^ I bought an Angel Philia body on total impulse on the MP. We’re going to see if it matches with any of my floating heads, and who it wants to be, but I’m looking forward to it coming in

< I spent the end of last year helping a friend move and now my bones hurt

V are you more of a planned collector or an impulse collector?

 

^ I have a plan! As in... I collect shells of my characters and I've been telling myself "that's all I need. The moment I have everybody in the gang, my collection will complete." But I still have a few impulses here and there. For example, right now I am looking at a 1/4 body that just struck me in a certain way. I am now thinking about getting it to make a younger version of one of my characters. I've never collected 1/4's before. This is a new one even for me!

< I hear you, @Chameleon I spent my Christmas/New year's holiday season moving furniture as well. I'll be able to actually move into the new place a bit later (after the blinds come in and the walls get done). But yeah... everything hurts. And I don't wanna go to work tomorrow...

V How many dolls are you waiting for right now? And what's the highest number of dolls that you're waiting for concurrently?

 

^ I'm waiting for a full doll and 2 bodies. One of the bodies is currently shipping to me, while the others are in production. The most resin I've waited for was for a brief span in June last year, where I had 2 full dolls and a body in some sort of production or transit, and had just preordered 2 floating heads too. I spent literally the entire 2023 (yep, since last Jan 1st) waiting for some doll or another and it's still ongoing... one of my goals this year is to get all of this resin home AND be ordering/waiting for blessed nothing!

< Been out of town all holidays. I brought one doll with me, but I'm really missing the others. I'll be back home soon...

v Do you have a doll travel buddy, one that you like taking with you out of the house or when travelling?

 

^Definitely Leon, my Puki Puki Pukisha who's my DoA avatar. He's rides in my purse a lot, and has been on every vacation I've gone on since he arrived.

< Thanks to this month's Sewing Project being "Unfinished Business" I've finished a bunch of partly made doll clothes that had been waiting for me to get around to it in a bin.

V Any doll projects you've recently finished or are currently working on?

 

^I have an unfinished doll that is still waiting for the faceup, wig, etc but needs its body to arrive first, so that's my current big WIP. On a smaller scale, I have a few sweaters to knit.

<Last night I dreamt I had a very square-jawed male bjd head that I had tried to hybrid on the Dollmore Judith body...?

v have you ever dreamed of dolls?

 

^ I have! I've dreamt I got a Delf El, and I've dreamt my mum got me a Minifee Miyu! Both were rather sad to not be true when I woke up!

< I'm getting to order my dream body for my favorite doll in April and I'M SO EXCITED!!

v Have you ever ordered something you never thought you'd get to own?

 

^ Yes! One of the sculpt that got me deeply and madly in love with BJDs is IOS's Infernale. On and off, every time I checked he was not available to order. And whenever he was, I was stumped by other factors: no space, no character... etc, etc, etc. I thought I'd just leave the thought of ever owning Infernale as a bit of a pipe dream. But! I finally did bite the bullet and ordered him on my very last chance to do so. I got in on the last Class 80 pre-order. So I got the head, the body and a spare head so I can use the two heads as two versions of the same character. I've got my conundrum resolved! And now I can proudly say I have an Infernale!

< While I am still gushing over Infernale... He just arrived a couple of weeks ago. The heads arrived first but the body came later. The customs people opened up the body's shipping box and got it all dirty. They even made a small tear in the lid! I'd say I'm mad, but honestly, I was more scared than mad. I was afraid they'd hurt his body. But he came home OK!

V Have you ever had one of these shipping mishaps? Were you scared or mad?

 

^ had a couple, mainly because I have been in the hobby for a long while ... the latest was a year back when it had been heavy rain the day before but thankfully delivered the following (no rain) day. However when loading the delivery van they had very obviously placed my parcel in a puddle. It arrived sodden one side so the outer box was partially disintegrated and the inner box (very nice made) had water damage with the finish all buckled and warped. This was also a limited edition with matching box. Not impressed, not mad exactly but very miffed

> currently cleaning up an old bjd... removing the hot glue suading, going to be thoroughly cleaned, given new elastic, etc. Finding this very satisfying tbh... trying to get some of my neglected crew all spring-cleaned and ready for a new look this year

v what do you find satisfying in this hobby ?

 

^ When someone gets a doll that they really want and their excitement is absolutely contagious. That and when a doll finally comes together after a lot of work and finding everything they need down to the last detail. I love wholesome stuff.

< I can't wait for this doll body to arrive so i can see what head goes on it! Its like the best kind of roulette!

v Do you ever take random risks in this hobby? Like buying things without knowing they will work out or not?

 

^ most body/head combos have been pure gambling for me - some match better than the others as a result but I didn't really go out of my way to compare resin colour beforehand. Same with a few extra hand pairs which I definitely don't recommend doing.

< All dolls I have finally have heads AND bodies! No more borrowing for a while! I am already thinking of updating some though

v have you ever gone back to upgrade older dolls in any way?

 

^ I do this very often, because I'm a restless owner who considers her dolls a constant work-in-progress (if a better sculpt comes along for a character and I could afford it, I'd happily reshell). Case in point, The Big Three:

• Adhara (warpaint ver): Then and Now
• Guórén: Then and Now
  
• Okuni: Then and Now

> Gotta get back to wigmaking soon.

v Since this is such an interesting question, I'll pass it down: have you ever gone back to upgrade older dolls in any way?

 

^ Oh, absolutely. Shrike has been two different sculpts. Vidania has been two different sculpts, Aura has been something like 5 different heads, and I’m considering a sixth option for her. If a better sculpt turns up for one of my characters, I reshell all the time. There are only a few characters that are immune to this, because getting their dolls in the first place was so challenging, and they were dolls I really coveted.

< today’s been a good day. I got to actually do work at work. I’m gonna be making a house shopping excel sheet after work. It’s been good.

V do you have any ongoing doll projects? Tell us about them!

 

^ No projects currently/ongoing, but I hope to sand down the pointy tips of my Dollmore vampire’s ears in the future (hopefully this year) so that he can have as-close-to-normal human ears as possible. Also, maybe, replacing his body with one that fits better with what I have in mind along with being more pose-able (maybe with jointed hands).

< Gonna be making some good ol’ mac & cheese for dinner tonight, one of my favorites. May even chill and watch a movie or read my book.

v Have you ever hit a roadblock or burnout with this hobby? If so, how did you handle it?

 

^ My interest and motivation for the hobby ebbs and flows all the time. I try to be patient and kind to myself when the tide's out...I'm sure the dolls understand when I'm just not feeling up to it!

< Dragon, dragon....I love my dragon...she's just so cute...❤️

v Have you ever gotten a new doll and just been obsessed with it for a while? Like, "forget you even have other dolls for a little while" kind of obsessed?

 

^ I'm still obsessed with my most recent doll, Gael (Vings Seira). I don't have grails, but he was the closest I got to having one, and I was overjoyed when he came home... and even more overjoyed when his high heeled shoes arrived.** I definitely forgot the rest of my crew for a while, like they didn't exist... all I wanted to do was put Gael into standing poses, take pictures, and just stare at him. I should've changed him into his kimono long ago, but he's still wearing his casual outfit and those shoes because ahh, he's too beautiful to change!
**His heeled feet are in a standard size, so I knew the shoes would fit him -- and they did, to perfection. This is the first time in my BJD experience that I've had doll feet in a size that shoemakers expressly craft for... and boy does it feel so good to buy shoes with full confidence and have them fit so well.

> I have a giant backlog of doll photos to process... again...

v Which doll has been the easiest for you to shop or craft for? How about the trickiest doll?

 

^ Easiest probably my DikaDoll Hybrid twins, IOS Anima and Simply Divine Thomas they fit easily in any 70cm clothes from Alice's and elsehwere. Hardest to fit is probably my Impldoll Star woman Eudora or my Iplehouse SID Felix.

> I have to write an article but don't have the energy at all today...

v what was the first bjd that you ever saw?

 

^ I am very sure it's this one! (modified Volks Mimi by Alice in Nightmare)

I was a huge fan of the band and I was looking for information on the band online (using shoddy, early 2000's dialup. It was a lot of fun...) and this photo showed up during my travels. Since that moment, I was hooked.

< I have since found a Mimi from 2005, thanks to a kind person on the MP. She's mellowed with age but I have big plans for her. I am hoping to recreate my version of this very first doll that crossed my path!

V Do you have a doll that you have big plans for? Let's hear it!

 

^ must have been a DoD doll, I want to say Shall? back in 2006 or 2007? Their company photos are ingrained into my brain better than anything useful.

EDIT: ahhh I was too slow. Answering SPhosphate's q instead:

I still feel like Asa is the least complete so I make the most big plans regarding her - what kind of a new body to give her at some point, I'll still need to redo her face til I'm happy...

< I feel like my crew is complete for now. I took a picture of all of them together today, it was very cute to see them all hanging out like this

V what is a 'complete' collection for you?

 

^ For me that means everyone faceupped, wigged and clothed to a satisfactory standard… aaaand enough space that they can stand/sit for a “family” portrait…

< im tired even though i overslept

> if you could have a total “re-do” of your collection would you pick a different doll as your first? (i was thinking of this earlier and id have gone with an iple over a dollshe)

 

^ Looking back, if money wasnt a problem (which is why i chose Bobobie Apollo), i definitely would have gone with a Dream of Doll Ducan. However, now i have both and i do not regret my teenage decision of the Bobobie Apollo because i love and adore him to this day, and is one of my gems in my collection now nearly 14 years later.

< I don't want to work today. I want to go home and play with all my dolls and feed my blind box bjd addiction!!!!

v Is there a doll in your collection that you never thought you would own? Whether it was availability, price, limited, etc?

 

^ I never thought I'd be able to have an unoa! They used to be sold through a lottery system and after getting back into bjds more recently I still assumed they would still be super expensive and hard to get. I was so pleasantly surprised you can just buy them directly from AL now and even get some things in-stock right away. I now have two hybrids that I love so much.

< I wish my body stopped being in pain for the day so I could carry on with my WIPs.

v Which doll was the longest and which doll was the shortest wait for you?

 

^ shortest wait was two second hand dolls I bought and picked up the literal day I bought them from their last owner in my city. Longest wait is I think a year and a half for a Twigling obsidian head.

<im so glad my dnd party is smaller now. I love my tiny party and I don’t miss my old party

V your dolls are going on an adventure! What kind of adventure would it be?

 

^ The story that I am working on is a shonen manga type of story! Think... instead of magical girls, you get magical boys, out to conquer forces of evil, one song at a time (yes, they're also a rock band!). It's my big doll project right now. I've got the dolls, Just need new face ups, new clothes so I can start taking photos!

< I am also thinking of learning Blender so I can create the villains without having to invest in demon(oid) dolls. Heaven help me, why do I have a full-time job that slows everything down?! (note to self: your job funds your big plans, dummy!)

V Have you ever had to learn something that you didn't think you'd ever learn, because of your dolls?

 

^ I never thought I'd get back into sewing, let alone learn a bunch of new techniques such as the backstitch, lining garments, sewing invisible hems... Up next: mitered corners!

< I have found so many cool vintage materials on Etsy, which would be perfect for doll crafting... but I can't buy any of them right now, because my financial situation is In Limbo due to government incompetence

v Have you ever had to take a break from the hobby for financial reasons?

 

^ On and off over the years - In 2021 when I was studying and out of a job for a few months due to the world situation, quite a bit of 2022 when I didn’t have a ton of doll plans and I travelled a lot and then again last year for a bit as I was getting tattoos done and starting a new degree. Now I’m currently downsizing and trying to re-do some of my collection here and there because my tastes have changed pretty dramatically since 2018 when I started in the hobby.

< I really want to start making wigs for my dolls but I don’t know where to start and I hate making glued hardcaps

v What’s your most hilarious moment in the hobby?

 

^ When I had housemates, they were fascinated with my dolls. When I had my first boy on display, one of them would come around and move him a little bit, just a little bit, every day. I would walk around his display wondering "... wait, is he moving?" but I would convince myself that I'm just imagining it. She finally came clean with me a few weeks in. It was a great laugh. We've started to call refer to that period as "The Night of the Living Remi"! (it's the boy in my display picture.)

<I have a dream. I wanna get a motorcycle for my dolls. And a BJD pet. Honestly... there are things that really make a diorama complete, something to make a scene complete. But boy, oh-boy, these are expensive!

V Has anyone ever tried to 3D print things for their dolls? Bigger accessories like a motorcycle? Even a bike? Anyone?

 

^ oh! I just saw it on Reddit that someone had 3d printed a whole bike for a 1/3 guy! I hope you find a way to get your dolls riding one!

< Wigmaking is such a pain... First time in my doll time I'm considering actually purchasing one.

V Is there something you had to give up DIYing for dolls?

 

^ I have given up on wigs. I've tried at least a dozen, and they look pathetic every time. I waste materials, time, and I'm just unhappy every single time. It would help if I had some visible improvement, but noooooo. I'm garbage at styling premade wigs too...

< My cat brought me my wallet. He literally carried it in his mouth and dropped it by my side. It was the cutest thing I have ever seen and I'm distraught I didn't manage to get a picture.

v How often do you redo a doll's faceup? Barring major damage/accidents of course. I have some 5 year old ones with small chips I considering redoing.

 

^ I try not to if possible because I don’t have a lot of faith in my own faceupping abilities. I have some dolls I think I’ll eventually re-do and some that have had multiple faceups sinfe I got them… but to be honest since I stopped commissioning them I feel scared to wipe the ones I had done by an artist as I am worried how the ones I have done would look compared to theirs and theyve been there so long i consider them part of the doll

< feel cold and kind of sad today… ugh february

v do you change your dolls wigs often or keep them with the same styles consistently?

 

^ I mostly keep the same wigs on them. It might take me awhile to settle on the dolls style, but once I do, it's pretty much their wig. I might straighten/curl it, or trim it a bit, but it's their hair.

< I got some stuff to make doll jewelry today, so I am happy about that.

v Do you prefer boy dolls or girl dolls, or do you have an even mixture, or do you have any non binary dolls as well?

 

^They are all on girl bodies but I see most of them as non-binary - it's just what I know best!

< The clothing box is filling up very quickly, gotta sell some bits!

v Do you keep everything you buy/make or pass things forward every once and a while?

 

^ I keep most of the stuff that I buy but I have passed it on sometimes as my tastes have changed dramatically since I first started in the hobby. I have passed on a lot of the stuff that I’ve made over the years especially to friends I have who are newly in the hobby. When I started in the hobby I bought a Soom body from a girl who when I bought the body I told her I was also in the process of getting a Supia Rosy and she happened to have a girl on the same body as I was getting my Rosy on she kindly gave me some of her girls old clothes which I was very touched by so I’ve always made the effort to do the same for others I know who are new to the hobby!

< I had a dream about going to a doll meet… I haven’t been to an in person one in about 4 years this month

V have you ever been to a doll meet?

 

^ my city has sporadic doll meets, which have been fun! There’s usually 3-5 people in them, which is none too shabby

< I have so many meetings today—it’ll be a wonder if I get anything done. 6 meetings in 1 day…

V if you could have any doll be in any size, what doll would it be—hybrids count too!

 

^ I really want a Pipos Charlotte in 43 cm size... they come out with limited editions now and then, but the face-ups they do for those (flowers painted on the face etc.) don't fit the character I have in mind...

< Got a mayor windfall today, after weeks of stressing out about my finances... time to celebrate!! I'm thinking a crispy chicken sandwich with fries would really hit the spot...

V Have you come up with favorite foods, animals, colours, likes/dislikes etc. for your dolls?

 

^ Something like that! Since they are all part of a story I'm writing, they have their birthdays set out, as well as their own backstory. I haven't worked out everybody's favourite food or colours yet, but when the story gets there, I am sure I will.

<This reminds me, I gotta find miniature versions of their favourite foods, too. Miniature sushi, here I come!

V Here's a question that I'm putting out into the ether: For body art like tattoos, do you prefer painted ones or water transfer stickers? Which ones look more natural?

 

^ Painted all the way! Water transfer ones sometimes have a transparent bit around the image that stays visible + it's so trial and errorish whether it will or won't transfer properly. I do think they're a fun way to add tattoos if one is not sure about their painting skills or wants to change them often, though.

< Every day I look at Asa and ask the same question - should I get you a new, modern body? (every day my answer is different and it doesn't help)

v What's the most useless bjd-related purchase you've made?