The ^ < v Game!

^ Halloween isn't really a thing here. I am, however, visiting my sister for her birthday.

< Sleeeepyyyy!

v Who's on top of your wishlist?

 

^ Top of my wishlist is a Dollzone Moon, but I guess I can't say she's a wishlist doll anymore since I have one on layaway!!

< I'm so sick but still so happy...

V Your grail doll? The grailiest of grails?

 

^ Volks SD13 Tohya Version 1, fullset with his default face-up. LOVE HIM, even after all these years.

< Why the allergies tonight?!

v All-time favorite doll? The one you just cannot get enough of?

 

^ I would have to say minifee juri08. She is just so gorgeous! I can't get enough of her! She is also really versatile. I feel like she could capture any character I come up with.

< I have been looking for an event head for 6 months now ): I feel so defeated.

v How many dolls have you purchased this year? What is your favorite purchase thus far, or the favorite in your current collection?

 

^ I've purchased... 6? Wow, more than I thought. Of the six, Lavaiou(Soom R.Shoshon) and Old No Name(April Story New Raven) were the two most anticipated and both exceeded expectations!

< Home offer ended in dissapointment, we were beaten by another offer made only two hours previous... *Sigh* Back to the hunt!

v Inspired by the above comment: What's the longest amount of time you've spent searching for a doll? Second hand, saving up, or just waiting for the right sculpt?

 

^ I wanted a doll but tried to justify it for over 5 years before I got one.

》ugh can I be done making these mushroom cap Sombreroes already?

V Which of your dolls has the most detailed backstory?

 

^ At this point in time I think Carlotta does. All my dolls are actually part of the same backstory, but some of them are clearer to me regarding details and stuff.

< Mushroom cap sombreroes? That triggers my imagination o_o

v Have you ever said... "I will NEVER! do this or that dolly-related thing" and then ended up doing it anyway?

 

^ yesh. guilty as charged I said I'd never buy a doll without having seen owner pics, but did it ... twice. First time was just a head I got from a split, so I kind of figured if she wouldn't work I didn't lose too much money (re-selling from Europe is not exactly profitable), but she was perfect. Second time was a full doll, but thankfully he, too, was perfect.

< and still unfinished. I'm a bad, bad owner. I'm also utterly uninspired because I still can't quite find my way around this strange new place.

v How do(es) your doll(s) deal with changes?

 

^ Seraphine is uncomfortable, but resigned. She won't complain much. Irial just goes with the flow. Change doesn't bother him at all, he's been around a while and seen a lot of things come and go. Cassiel will dive into the new situation, but won't hesitate to make his opinion known if he disagrees with something.

< Want. To. Get. To. Body blushing!! Gah! Work takes up way too much of my life. I want to get to MY things... *sigh*

v Have any of your dolls gravitated towards a colour theme? On purpose or by accident.

 

^ Not really. Sally likes bright or pastel colours, Jinx is down for bright or dark but has a preference for pastels and Jojo just likes clothes and loves all colours so...

< I can't wait to get the boys their new wigs >.<

v are you waiting for anything doll related?

 

^ Not so much at the moment. I've been making a doll-related Christmas list, so maybe I'm waiting for Christmas?

< Why did I drink so much coffee so late at night??

v Do you have any ongoing doll projects that you're working on right now?

 

^ Ed's automail. Possibly forever. (It goes on and off of hiatus, because of school and work, and most recently a major redesign of my studio that's taken about two months now but the end is in sight at last!) I'm actually really close to finishing both Eds' legs, though, so maybe once I'm over that proverbial hump, it'll feel like it's moving faster?

< Just applied for graduation, and now I'm in a panic that I will be told "nope, not this time, better luck next semester!" And hoping that if it is this semester, my parents can make it for the commencement ceremony.

v What's the biggest single doll project you've tackled?

 

^ Uh. I'm not very project-y, but I am going to tackle learning to sew so I can make dresses for Jes. Girl needs dresses.

< I should get dressed at some point.

v How often do you change your dolls' outfits?

 

^ Mostly only for Holidays and gatherings, but not so often. They tend to like their clothes they have on...and fight me when I change them. (Though one of my boys absolutely refuses to get dressed. -_-")

< Sleeping is a thing I should be doing.

v Who is your most demanding doll?

 

^ Alan and Severus. They both want *all* the things, and if one gets something, then the other one sulks. ~w~ Rivalry much, you two?

< I would like to apologize to all my friends in the UK that the National Football League keeps sending truly awful teams over to play at Wembley Stadium. That's not a good representation of American Football.

v What is one accessory that you really, really wish you could find?

 

^ A completely to-scale SD-sized tennis racket. They're probably out there, I just haven't found one yet.

< @Osaka Oh god, I know, right? I mean, Jacksonville?

v Any sports fans in your crew? Who, and which sports?

 

^ Not particularly. Little Amie likes watching basketball, but she doesn't understand the rules. It just looks like fun!

< I'm getting way too excited for my twins to be shipped, considering it's going to be at least a month from now.

v Post a picture of yourself with a doll of yours!

 

^ You got it!


< Why on earth did that job application have to be that stressful? ._. ;; I came out of it feeling incompetent, and who uses IE anyway?

v Any other pictures of dolls in odd places?

 

^ How about asleep in a box of faceup materials?


> FINALLY have my jeep back. I can drive again!!!! And so excited for two new heads I can't even

V I like the odd photo theme - any others?

 

^ Butt-arse naked on one of my kitchen chairs surrounded by OT dolls. Bonus WTF points for WIP wig caps on everyone's heads.


< Sick cat. Not that I had plans for the day ... or the one after that! ARGH.

v Show us your favorite doll pic - it doesn't have to be one of yours!

 

This is my favourite doll photo (and it happens to be one of mine). My lovely Reid, dreaming of something wonderful. This was one of the first photos I shot with my prime 40mm lens when I first got it, and the first doll photo I shot with it.


Reid Dreams by Sapphire, on Flickr

< Is it Friday yet???

V Because I'm always curious about the photos, I'm going to pass on the question. Favourite doll photo?

 

Right now, this is probably my favorite. It was pitch-dark outside when I was set up for this shoot, I had all the interior lights out except the ones I was using to light the dolls, and managed to play around with them enough to get this particular lighting. There's of course things I could improve with it, but I feel like, for using a pair of desk lamps and a point-and-shoot camera, it turned out nicely. (One of my next things to save for is a proper DSLR, though, I miss the control I had with my old film camera.)

By moonlight by vicemage, on Flickr

< I had the nicest dental hygienist today!

v I'm going to pass it on one more time, your favorite doll photo and why?

 

^ Not my photos or my doll, but my brother @Wotan's GORGEOUS Jessica. @3@ I couldn't pick one, so I'm linking the whole thread. /threads/an-intimate-encounter-eid-jessica-realskin.323579/ Just amazing, lovely wonderful photos of a fantastic doll, and she just seems so alive in them.

< I do love getting to see her in person too several times a year. :B

V This theme is too much fun. Favorite doll photo and why?

 

^


This one. I took this myself, of my Shiwoo -- something about the perspective and the colors has always appealed to me.

< Trying to protect my pumpkin pie Blizzard from an inquisitive cat.

v Let's keep the train rolling, because this is kind of awesome. Favorite doll photo and why?

 

^ Also can't pick just one - Buff's awesome Marvel crew in this thread /threads/com...hicnovel-inspired-dolls-cosplay.191206/page-3
As to why...seriously just look at these photos. The dolls are amazing.

> I should not be allowed to doll. *sigh*

V Also passing it along, but I'm going amend and say "your favorite doll photo belonging to someone else, and why?"

 

^ really love all of Spirit Doll's company photos. Their outfits, faceups, sculpts... Everything is gorgeous.

< Should I pick up that paintbrush?

v If your doll could go anywhere in (or out) of the world, where would they go and why?

 

^ They're not technically from this world, and both kind of have some ability to go to others, but I still think the main choice for Ed and Jace would be Jace's homeworld, if he remembered where it was. (I'm still trying to decide for sure if/when/how he might remember it in his backstory, now that there's solid official canon from it!) Most places they'd go would be new for either one or the other, but not both, but that one would be more or less a new experience for both of them.

< If one could strangle code, I think I'd want to do it to this project. It's not good when you can't even get the base code running!

v What's something unexpected you've found in (one or more of) your doll's backstory? Either something that you hadn't planned on, but it just made sense, or something that was inspired from another place, or (if you have fan-characters like I do), something in their official story that surprised you.

 

^ Once I stayed at an adorable 1930s boutique hotel in Long Beach, with chic all-white rooms with minimalist Deco trimmings that made you feel like you were living inside a v1 iPod. It occurred to me that Yuki would live in an apartment that looked just like that-- he's that sort of high-contrast control-freak style queen who dresses in all-black-and-silver but would live in an all-white-and-silver environment that would throw himelf into the sharpest relief.



I had never before stopped to think about where Yuki might live, or what his home would look like. But when I saw that hotel room, it just came to me! Sometimes a doll's character is strong enough to fill in the details for you as you go along.

< Daylight Wastings Time means no more natural-light doll photos after work (or even after 4). Booo, now that means I have to get off my butt and get to work earlier in the day.

v Did your doll do Halloween last night? How many treats did they get? If they went out to a club or party, was their costume good enough to win the contest?

 

• 
• ^This is my Gavin in his armor and horse for the halloween meet up yesterday. There really wasn't a contest but we got cupcakes, discounted candy afterwards and we were part of a chess game made up of dolls.
• < waiting for the pizzzzaaaa pizza pizza pizza.
• v What is your favorite thing you like to make for your dolls?
  

 

^ Hats! I make so many hats. I love them. Little knitted bits of love and fashion and joy. I also enjoy making wristwarmers for them too.

< NaNoWriMo! Is it just me, but does it just sound like a mumbled way of blowing off your family in November? "Do you want to go get some coffee?" "Nah...no...wri'...mo'...." (translation: Nah, no. Write More.)

v Someone else! What's your favorite thing to make for your dolls?

 

^ I had a lot of fun making Lyra's eyes, so even though I've only really made one pair, I gotta say eyes might be my favorite.

< My creative juices have been pretty stopped up lately. Wish there was a special doctor for times like these...

v On the topic of writing, how much of your dolls' stories have you written? How much is left to go?

 

^ My dolls don't have stories for my dolls unless you mean their relationship with my other dolls or their personality which is kept in my head

< I should really get off DOA and go to sleep so I can work tomorrow

v what do you enjoy doing most with your dolls?

 

^ personally having one on my arm as i go to cons or see friends I love. But, for just a me and doll thing, i love looking and doing tutorials to make them little presents. working on a wig next.

< i want another piece of chocolate

v What is your next project for your dolls?

 

^ I over-ambitiously bought claw-nail hands that are either in the wrong size or the wrong color for the intended doll. So, one pair will be getting painted or dyed brown and given to the doll with the bigger hands, and the other will just need to be blushed to shift it from from Dollmore NS to Volks NS. There is no schedule to this, and I am the world's biggest procrastinator, so this will all be done 'whenever'.

< Tomorrow afternoon I get to have a camera stuck all the way down my gullet! Whee! At least they have promised really good drugs.

v Do your doll characters have a certain diet, or do your dolls just live on plastic food-shaped erasers?

 

^ Since most of my group are college students, they live on inedible quasi-food anyway. XD I've found some nicer mini-food keyrings at my Asian store though....

< Knit faster!!!

v What's a fun, unexpected thing you've found while shopping?

 

^ I found some guns at the local Doll and Bear show over the weekend. 25¢ each! They're a hair small for my mature minis, but since since my other option is none, they'll do for now. 25¢!!

> I am a big ball of scratches and scars and itchy pain from Peter. Kittens. Omg.

V What kind of accessories/props would you like to own but have trouble finding?

 

^ I'd love to have some fantasy/"mage" type accessories. In-scale spellbooks, "scientific" gear, all that kind of fun stuff. Unfortunately, either I can't find anything at all, or it's SD+ scale instead of MSD. I think I need to learn some 3D modeling so I can just get stuff done via Shapeways myself. (I did just get some discounted "templates" for fancy books for tabletop RPs, so I'll be scaling those down to make some books, papers, and the like.)

< I can't decide if I'm going to do a late-start NaNoWriMo and try to get it in on top of all my classwork, or skip it this year...

v What's your favorite accessory/prop you've found?

 

^ some miniature novels that fit well for minis! I can actually read them, so that's nice!

< i'm having alfredo pasta with chicken and the chicken is so gross :X

v what's your doll favourite book (comics included)?

 

^ I have one who goes for 19th century classics, one who devours romance novels, and one who'd rather be out and about than reading.

<Ooh, readable in-scale books? I wish I could find some of those.

v Passing on the question, since books are awesome. What's your doll's favorite book (comics included)? Or just their favorite genre to read?

 

^ Most of them have varying tastes. like Micah has a thing for mystery. Cashmire likes knitting and cooking books. Gavin prefers intellectual like philosophy and my little boys like to read things like Deadpool and Captian America.

<I really need to get started on my Chritmas shopping.

vWhat is your dream cosplay for your doll?

 

^ I want to make a proper set of wizard robes for Severus, and I need to make Iori's KoF outfits, but especially the iconic red trousers, long white shirt, and cropped jacket.

< Speaking of knitting books, I received my Knitting Wizardry book today. I should really change my location to "Hogwarts."

v What are your current crafting/ shopping ambitions for your doll(s)?

 

^ Getting Jace's main outfit made up. It's sort of a mix of sewing/crafting/shopping. Sewing, in that I need to get a finalized pattern for his cloak that fits him properly. Crafting, because from there I need to work out the layout of the different designs on said cloak, and shopping, because I then need to buy custom-print fabric from Spoonflower to assemble it. (So I'm probably going to try to do all three sizes at once.) After that, I get to do the same with the rest of his crazy outfit.

< You're reminding me that I need to practice crochet a bit more, and hopefully find a really simple sweater pattern so I can whip something together for some soon-to-be chilly dolls.

v Your thoughts on buying/making seasonally appropriate clothes for your dolls?

 

^ Nope. Summer is not a thing for me. I hate it, and I love fall and I love fall clothes. Wherever my dolls live, it's always fall and that is what they dress for. Sometimes winter. Rarely spring. Never summer. Ugh.

> Boooo I wish Batman could be a thing by this weekend. So depressing...And I wish Jaguar would get here already. HIs slowness is upsetting future plans.

V Are you waiting on anything now? If not, planning on ordering in the near future?

 

^ Not waiting on anything, not planning on ordering anything. My next dollie will be that Shirou T. I've wanted since the dark ages.

< I AM IN IWAOI HELL WILL SOMEONE PLEASE JOIN ME SO I CAN CRY ABOUT THIS PAIRING the sports animes have eaten me alive send help and lipgloss

v What was the last bit of doll news that had you legitimately squealing in joy?

 

^ Aileen doll came out wit a new cyclops doll. i was squealing and jumping around like a little kid. super duper happy and i bought it the first day.

< I need to go out to get some more flu medication. also ^have you ever watched yowamushi pedal? its really good. lots of good pairings

v Do you pair your dolls up? if you do who is with who?

 

^ it's not so much the dolls who are paired up, but the characters. Since my dolls are all resin avatars for my original characters, and the characters existed long before I ever had dolls, the resin folks were already destined to be "paired". But anyway...
- Reid (Souldoll Vito Lester) and Fiona (Zaoll Luv)
- Tyler (Resinsoul Mai) and Sini (Resinsoul Mei)
- Élise (Dollmore Model F Ipsae) and Gabriel (IMPL Gnaeus)
- Aubrey (IMPL Tony) and Zach (IMPL Gnaeus)
- Scarlett (Migidoll Jean/Souldoll Zenith hybrid) and Noé (Dollmore Model M Kyle Reese)
- Jex (Bobobie Sprite/Resinsoul hybrid) and Piri (Resinsoul Sui on Tang body)

< ugh. can it please be Friday now? Also, I'm kinda bummed that my AC order is probably going to take two months.

V What was the last item you ordered for your doll(s)?

 

^ Wigs. I have seven wigs incoming in an order, and still so many dolls who need wigs to go... An eye order went in about the same time, but that one's already come and been stuck into heads, so I'm counting the wigs.

< I do wish I'd fit in another Taobao order this year, but with Christmas shopping for my nieces coming up soon, I don't think it's going to happen.

v Did you ever get an event item you swore you'd never use, that ended up being a perfect fit somewhere instead?

 

^ Kind of? I got the Luts Wintery '09 head with a Christmas gift order, and ended up being hugely disappointed with it. I tried it on a body for a while, stuck it in the head box and sort of forgot about it, but then when @DragonMouse had his 13th birthday this year, I realized it was a great fit with his other dolls, and a really nice "welcome to being a teenager and welcome to DoA!" sort of gift for him. He's a cute boy now, and has a lot more personality and charm than he ever did for me.

< I am struggling with so hard with NaNo this year. Crud....

v Any other surprise perfect fit event or bonus items?

 

^ Nope. I'm really bad at event gifts. I always think I want them, and I like them for a while, then they get sold off. A quick glance around my collection and I think I have four(?) event heads that I'm planning on keeping for sure (a Puki FP and my DZ OE Carter head and two FL F60 Nanuri 12s) and maybe one more (FL MNF Breakaway) but that's it, and two of those I don't even use, I just can't give them up yet. Everything else I've ever gotten as an event gift hasn't managed to stay, and I have had a lot. I actually know better now and don't bother to join in on events. If I really want it I'll track it down second-hand and pay a fortune. That's how I know I need it lol

> I want that IOS head to get here omg why is it still stuck in Russia WHY??? All my cat scratches hurt so much today.....

V Does your doll have a fandom? Do they have clothes to reflect that? (like, t-shirts or cosplays or inspired-bys?)

 

^well all of my doll are from the Anime Hetalia, so they are wearing their official clothes.

< I am so tired, and really could care less about making dinner tonight.

>what was the last doll you brought, where and why? what's the story behind it?

 

^ The last three dolls/bits I bought actually were to meet the same goal, to make Severus. XD There were fiascoes and bad communication between Mint on Card and Illusion Spirit, and CangXie was being discontinued, so Wotan got just the head for me through Alice's Collections, I ordered a Doll Chateau body to hopefully use (the resin match ended up being a disaster), and just to cover all my bases I ordered the in-stock NY DF-H Jesse that MoC had. ^^; I ended up with Jesse being "Pretty Snape" for a little bit as I waited to see if I actually got the CangXie, then when I got the CangXie head I liked how it looked on the DF-H body. THEN the whole CangXie I initially ordered came, on the IS body I didn't want (the version 2, when I had wanted the version 1), so Pretty Snape went on that and got named "Alan" and the extra CangXie is hanging out in the head box. I'm now wanting to get a Dollmore Eve Liebe Klum head for the Doll Chateau body, and his name will be Jeremy, and he gets to hang out with the other younger teens in my crew. So...I got Severus and two friends for him and an extra head that I actually love. ^^; Whew!

< I really am not feeling well today. o_O

v That story of mine is so convoluted and ridiculous and 100% true. Anyone else with a strange, round-about, or just straight up absurd doll acquisition story? XD

 

^ Ed's story is a bit absurd. Early on in the hobby for me, I joined a MNM order for an Edward Elric head. I love the character, so it seemed like a fun idea, even if he didn't fit my plans. Well... That GO rapidly became a train wreck. We did agree on images to send well enough, and the first preview looked greet, and then it arrived in the wrong size. The organizer sent those out, while we waited for DiM to resculpt the head at the right size, and the look was never quite as good. Several revisions were requested before the organizer said sash didn't want to send any more and just wanted it fine. Fair enough, but when the new heads arrived with her and we all paid our shipping, she vanished. No one could contact her, a paging thread was made, and eventually a "friend" showed up to tell us she didn't have internet or a way to the post office. Except she was active on all her social media at the time. We ultimately had to resort to a threat of legal action to finally get the heads shipped.

Then, when I finally got him, I hated how he fit with his body. I packed the head away, took a hobby break, then came back and decided to finish him. I got a MNF body off the marketplace, and loved the look but not the fit, especially when I got his partner (who has a tiny head compared to the giant MNM melon). So I finally decided to get a bust stand for the head, and a MNF head for the body, which finally got him where he is now.

< This test script is driving me crazy, it shouldn't change behavior every day.

V Do you have a sculpt that just doesn't fit your collection, but you can't bear to sell either?

 

Um...pretty much all my RS dolls at this point. The one I can't sell is my RS Mai, though. I could never sell him even though all the others could go to new homes tomorrow if someone wanted them.

< I hate that feeling of being too ill to be at work but not ill enough to justify staying home/going home early.

V How many blank dolls do you currently have (if any)?

 

^ 2 and a half (one has a faceup in progress since last year! Eep!)

< what is up with me these days i'm always tired

v do you do your own faceup? If yes, how much time do you usually spend doing one? If not, who's your favourite person to commission?

 

^ I try to do my own faceups, but they always turn out really bad. My penpal and good friend Ami-Si does great faceups though and i'd love for her to do them!

< I really want to order Yu's body, but my parents are totally against it right now...

v If you could commission an artist to make a doll for you, how would you want it to look? What artist would you commission?

 

^To be honest i wouldn't know of an artist that would do this as im very bad at names. but i have so many on my wishlist of dolls that it would be too long. but one thing i would love is a multiarmed male doll. o colors he would most likely be blue. with an hindu feel. others would be a drider male. (half spider half human) a medusa male. that wort of thing.

<Two more payments for my mini kitty! so excited.

v Any fantasy beast or creature you would love as a doll?

 

^ A minotaur. It can be done, but I have yet to get my hands on one of the dolls I want to make one. Though, a naga would be amazing.

I already kind of have one, though. My boy Kouriel is the embodiment of the Ouroboros. He has control over telekinetic energies, but the more he uses his powers the greater the chance he'll renew...which basically just consists of him exploding in a huge ball of energy his body releases. He forgets everything after each renew, and it's an extremely painful process. But, he is technically Immortal, so he's got that going for him I guess. It's more trouble than it's worth to him, though so he disagrees. XD

< I don't think this hobby likes me as much as I like it. Seriously, though...maybe I just have horrid luck. >.>;;

v Have you had good or bad luck in this hobby?

 

^ I think, overall, I've had some pretty good luck, at least lately. Even with the drama of getting my Ed MNM head, I did eventually get him, and while I didn't bond with the first SD I got and sold her on, I considered it a good experience for the time, so I can't really consider either "bad luck." Lately, though, I've found two older, discontinued dolls fairly quickly and inexpensively; yes, they needed work done on them both, but I'd always kind of wanted to try some restoration work, so that was fine with me. I've gotten some good deals on newer dolls too--some event heads that were perfect, and an unexpected discount on a full doll. I won one of my girls in a raffle I was certain I wouldn't get anything from. And the one character on my wishlist to be shelled who I was sure would never get a chance because of his fantasy body is currently on order! So, at least over the past couple of years, I think my luck's been fairly okay. (Though I still keep missing out on events from FairyLand that have their gorgeous wings, but it's given me the idea to make my own, at least.)

I do hope your luck turns around soon, @Shai

< So much to do before hitting the con this evening... including getting Ed's leg (and, subsequently, pants) back on so I can take him in his semi-matching outfit to mine.

v What's the longest you've had a blank doll in your collection?

 

^ Right now! I have four dolls that are going on a year with no faceup. I R a disgrace.

> FRIDAY FINALLY OMG
Woken up at 3...too early to brain. Can't brain....

V I can't think of a question, so: Choose any question above that you would have liked to answer and then do so.