Happy Merrymas everone!

I'm back from my trip and ready to get back into blogging. :)

I had no real internet access while I was away or I would have posted from there. However, my holidays were really not very exciting when it came to the doll front. Nowell did come on my trip with me and the poor boy suffered a bit... He fell (jumped?) off my dresser the night before and chipped the faceup on his lips. Then while we were there he fell and cracked a finger. Nothing completely broken, but there was a tiny little crack running across part of his finger (not deep thank god!) which I quickly sealed with some superglue. However the faceup really needs to get redone anyway since he came with some chipping, so this weekend I will be repainting him. Wish me luck!

Also, my new little one is paid off as of today, and will be heading "her" way home with an adorable little outfit next week. Her faceplate arrived on Christmas Eve (so cute!), but I didn't have a chance to take any pictures of her. So, once she is here there will be spam! I spent most of my time away working on storylines and figuring out how everyone fit together, and I think I've got it. There will be more to come on that, but Nowell is set, and the newest little one Intuition is good to go. She's essentially a mini version of Uriel who represents his intuition. He sends out a part of him to complete a "mission" while he remains with Drusilla to keep her safe. Intuition is Uri, but she ends up taking on a life of her own and is apparently here to stay.

30-Day Writing Meme

24. How willing are you to kill your characters if the plot so demands it? What's the most interesting way you've killed someone?
I've only killed off one character, and it was in a side story from Paks' world. He died protecting his friends from a zombie mob, pulling the pin of a grenade and running towards them at the last second. However I've never really had to kill of a character otherwise, so I'm not sure.

25. Do any of your characters have pets? Tell us about them.
Some of my characters are pets so...lol. Uri used to have some hell hounds, but he left those with his seat in Hell. Currently he befriends the occasional cat, but doesn't have a continuous animal. Arte owns a pack of hounds (various breeds), which she personally breeds and trains.

26. Let's talk art! Do you draw your characters? Do others draw them? Pick one of your OC's and post your favorite picture of them!
I do draw them, some more than others. Daemon and Nowell for example get drawn frequently, but I have yet to find a good way to draw Uri. The "El" face is very particular, and I haven't been able to conquer it yet. Alas I don't have any art uploaded, nor anyway to upload it, so that will have to wait.
27. Along similar lines, do appearances play a big role in your stories? Tell us about them, or if not, how do you go about designing your characters?
I'm not sure how appearances couldn't be important to character design and stories. All of my characters are very tied to their appearance. Sometimes their appearance reinforces things already stated in the writing, such as age, gender, or species. Other times appearances illustrate things I don't directly write about, or perhaps only hint at. Daemon's scars for example, they add to his developed storyline, but even on their own contribute to the mystery and danger of him.
28. Have you ever written a character with physical or mental disabilities? Describe them, and if there's nothing major to speak of, tell us a few smaller ones.
The main character I can think of with disabilities, is Dru, who is in the very least mentally scrambled. Her intense synaesthesia and disconnect between angel and human forms causes her to be fundamentally insane. She could almost be considered schizophrenic given her presentation, but there is obviously other reasons than legitimate mental illness for her condition. It's interesting to write her because of this, I have to approach things differently.
29. How often do you think about writing? Ever come across something IRL that reminds you of your story/characters?
Every day, several times a day. I carry a notebook with me everywhere that is specially set aside for writing. I also take advantage of the computers at work to jot down information when it comes to me. I find that everyday life frequently influences my writing. Sometimes it's just being in a situation that I wonder how my characters would deal with. With most of them embodied in doll form, it's actually very easy to find inspiration everywhere we go. My mind is always open for bits of stories or details inspired by real life. For example, I was working on some Christmas jewelry this week and suddenly got an intense inspiration for Nowell's new story. Instantly it all fell into place as if it was already written. :)

30. Final question! Tag someone!
Anyone who wants to try this!

Puki maddness!

I'm taking a brief hiatus from the 30-day challenge, most likely it will be back up tomorrow, but as of right now I'm still a bit too mentally exhausted to come up with anything half-way decent.

I paid for mini-Uri's face plate today! It's actually a female Puki plate, but since Uri tends to be a bit feminine anyway, it should work fine. It's a sleeping plate as I mentioned previously, and in my opinion a very delicate and beautiful face. I toyed with the idea of paying his face and body off today in the hopes of getting him home before I leave, but decided against it. Even if he shipped quickly, there's not guarantee that he'll come in on time and it's silly to spend the money now when I can have him home the week after and be just as fine.


So for the time being I settled for getting him a bunch of stuff, including (hopefully) a fantastic wig from the DoA marketplace which is made of red/fiery dreads. Very Uri! The boy also needs some clothes, and maybe also a plain red fur wig, so I will keep poking around the MP. That way when I bring him home he'll have all sorts of goodies.

Update: Wig purchased! :)

Done!

I'm exhausted beyond belief, but I'm done! My brain is trashed to say the least. Basically I think therefore my head hurts right about now. :P Still, it's finished and I can *finally* relax.

In celebration of this I put a down-payment on my very first Pukipuki! Well really just his body, but he'll soon be complete. Hopefully sooner than usual if my payday is big enough. I have a faceplate picked out that is actually a sleeping plate, but it's just too perfect to resist. As I mentioned before, this will be a mini Uri, because I'd really love to take my little demon more places. I am kind of dreaming that maybe I'll have enough cash flow to bring him home before I leave for the holidays, but I'm not really sure about that. We'll see, but I'd love to take him on the trip with Nowell and I.

Speaking of darling little Nowell, I finally changed out his eyes today. I loved his "default" ones, but they were very dark in photos and were a pain to keep placed correctly. I put in a pair of golden yellow glass eyes that I don't really know the source of, and they work pretty well. A little startling, but they give him a very ethereal look which is nice. They also accent the blushing around his eyes and his otherwise pale skin, making his eyes seem to glow.

Along with the eyes I also put a different wig on him for a bit, a black fur wig I've had on Az until now. Previously I really didn't like it on him, but now... It's definitely growing on me. It works better with these bright eyes than his other wig, but we'll see how I feel about it over time.

Nowell's famous!

Just two days shy of his one month "birthday," Nowell made it on to the front page of Volks' LA store blog! Check it out!

Almost done!

Three more days and I am finished with school (thank goodness)! I had one final today and passed in one paper. Two more finals and two papers to go, one and a half of which are done. And yet I still have so much more to do...

I cannot wait until I have nothing more than Christmas and dolls to worry about (and work of course). I'm still working on completing my Christmas presents for friends and family which will be followed by pictures here as this was at one point supposed to feature art as well. :P So all sorts of neat things are in store once I vanquish the remaining exams.

In dolly news I heard back from Volks, and after correcting a silly little typo I made regarding Nowell's mold, he will be featured on the blog! They told me to keep my eyes out for him over the next few days, and I'll be sure to put a link here when it happens.

Also, there *may* be another doll coming to live with the pack in the near future. I "talked it over" with Nowell since he seems to be the leading representative of my dolly pack, and since it's not a new character it seems to be okay. It will be a tiny little boy, and at the moment I'm torn between making a mini-Uriel and a mini-Daemon. My initial thought was a mini Uriel as I really miss taking Uri with me places, but his size is hard to manage in most places. But then again I just thought of making a little Daemon (who I don't currently have as a doll), and that sounds good too. We'll see, and updates will come closer to the weekend.

30-Day Writing Meme

21. Do any of your characters have children? How well do you write them?

None of my characters do, but a few of my characters are. Nowell in particular has been an interesting character to write given that I never was a fourteen year-old boy. It's also difficult because I don't really know the mind set of a "normal" child. When I was younger I was kind of like a "little adult," already reading and speaking at a much higher level. I've read back over some of my old writings and diaries and at times it's scary h0w weird I was. :P In any event, that makes it harder for me to present normal young characters, but I'm working on it.

22. Tell us about one scene between your characters that you've never written or told anyone about before! Serious or not.

Um...Most of the romantic scenes between Orla and Michael were never really written down because of the odd age difference. There's also a scene in Nowell's story that I've been having a very difficult time getting into words, so I suppose that counts. Nowell has very intense, surreal dreams of being in a white forest. The trees are all tall and stark white, and at least one reminds me of the Tree of Gondor. Unfortunately the experience is very visual, and I have yet to find the words to put it into an actual written story.

23. How long does it usually take you to complete an entire story-from planning to writing to posting (if you post your work)?

It depends upon the length, and where it's going. The short writing prompts I've been doing usually take about three days give or take some time. Generally I spend a day reading through the prompt and writing down any and all ideas I get from it. Then I sort those into plausible and not plausible categories, and pick out the best of those that fit. I usually then write it all in one sitting, which takes about a day, and then another day for re-reading, editing, and so on.

30-Day Writing Meme

20.What are you favorite character interactions to write?

When Paks was his prior character that was part of Daemon's story line, I really enjoyed their banter back and forth. For example:

“You look different,” Paks finally said. His eyes scanned Daemon's appearance from top to bottom, taking in all the apparent changes his associate had gone through.

“I suppose I do, I feel different.”

“Glad to be home I wager, she's missed you quite a bit.”

“Yes,” Daemon's eyes softened a little as his mind wandered away from the conversation. “I am glad to be back here with her, it was hard to go away in the first place. But, something had to be done.”

“Things could have gone differently you know,” Paks said cautiously. He was wary to bring up the old argument, but some things needed to be said.

“Someone like you would say that, but we're two very different people.” Daemon finally looked the other man in the eyes, his gaze unwavering and stern.

“I beg to differ, we're not exactly people to begin with...”

“Keep your semantics to yourself,” Daemon said sharply.

“I'm only saying...” Paks took a deep breath and ran his hands through the honey-colored locks that framed his face. “We're not really that different and you know it, but that's not what's important here. I came here to help you and I'll be darned if your stubborn and dare I say misguided sense of self-righteousness is going to stop me.”

“Darned? Ooh, now that is serious.” Daemon gave a wry smile before shaking his head to loose the frustrations. “You're right...don't let that go to your head, but you are. If I learned anything from my trip it was that the path of least resistance is best in some cases. If my—our Lady wishes us to work together then who am I to argue? Mysterious ways right?”

“Yes.” Paks sighed, feeling as if he's lost the argument somehow despite Daemon's admission otherwise.

30-Day Writing Meme

19. Favorite minor that decided to shove himself into the spotlight and why!

I actually have two characters that are like this: Daemon and Uriel. Of the two I think Uri is my favorite, though that may be because he is more developed and overall a better character at the moment.

When I began writing Dru's story out, I eventually included a little bit about the demon that trapped her in her human body. It was glancing at best, and at the time he didn't even have a name. The I started to wonder why a demon would do such a thing (aside from the obvious), and began to expand upon him. It wasn't until much later that Uri got his name, but by then I was pretty sure who he was. Since then he's found his place in my heart and I can't imagine the story without him!

30-Day Writing Meme

18. Favorite antagonist and why!

Kaleb. He's sort of a good guy when it suits him, but that's the only reason. He does what he wants when he wants. Not to say Kaleb doesn't have any honor, because he does, but it's really up to him. I like him because he was the first "evil" character I challenged myself to make. He's completely different from my other characters, and I like that.

30-Day Writing Meme

17. Favorite protagonist and why!

Nowell, at least at the moment. He is the definition of protagonist, very happy and good. Yet at the same time when I write him (don't know if it comes across or not) he doesn't come off as a Mary Sue. He's complex and yet innocent. Plus he's a ton of fun to write!

He's one of those characters that's not insistent about his story, but rather seems to wait for the opportune time to tell me. Case in point... I have been working on revamping his story, but haven't quite found the right inspiration. Then suddenly in the middle of my psych class today (topic was dreams and consciousness) everything came together. His story just appeared as if out of nowhere, and I swear I could hear him chuckle. :P

Stuff

• Just sent some pictures of Nowell into the Volks USA Sumika blog for their customer gallery. They do a feature in some posts with pictures sent in by Volks owners from all over. I sent three of my favorites from the block shoot, so hopefully he'll be featured on the blog!
• I found the cutest mini Lincoln logs on Amazon that I will definitely be getting for Nowell in the near future. I've got some Christmas shopping to do this afternoon, and if there is any left over money (unlikely...poor bank account T_T) I will grab them today. If not I will buy them next week. They also have a small Jenga set that looks fun too.
• I edited Nowell's info on the Muses page as I've begun working on his character to bring him out of the Tin Man and into his own. As I mentioned I had so much written for him and back story that went above and beyond anything the movie suggested, that it seemed a natural step. There was also a lot I had written that didn't fit in with their view of the story that I can now expand upon since he's free.
• Expect some new feature posts coming up soon for the Christmas season. Like the Haunted Vessel these will feature doll/toy related seasonal posts. I've already got some of my favorite movies set aside for features, and will be doing my best to get those up soon!
  

30-Day Writing Meme

16. Do you write romantic relationships? How do you do with these, and how "far" are you willing to go in your writing? ;)

Infrequently in my own original writing, but I do have some couples. Michael and Orla are a good example of this, despite being a bit odd in form. Uriel has had some romantic relationships in his past which I've written some about, though currently he's single. However, overwhelmingly my characters are void of current, active romantic relationships.

I think this is in part due to my "literature upbringing." Despite loving to read of romantic relationships in books, some of my all-time favorite characters are in the least single if not entirely unattached by choice. Paksenarrion for example is single throughout her adventures, by choice and necessity of her own personality. So too Firekeeper (who I wrote of yesterday) remains unattached by human standards, though she does have a sort of wolf-mate.

I guess I prefer my characters to be equally unattached. I will admit this can be a bit of a failing sometimes, as it makes my characters a little difficult to relate to. I can relate fine as I am of a very similar mindset, and in that respect my characters are reflections of myself. However at times you can only see part of a person through their relationships, so I try to develop their other interpersonal relationships (family, friends, etc.) as much as possible.

As for how far I'll go, as far as the piece allows. I'm not squeamish about writing love scenes in as much detail as possible. I think done right they can be very intense and involved writing. However that doesn't mean I include them in everything for all audiences. Not every piece needs a sex scene, even if it does involve a couple. Also, the more detailed and involved scenes can sometimes be a hindrance. In certain stories a long passage may be fitting, or conversely a few words that suggest what is happening may be enough. It's very story-dependent.

30-Day Writing Meme

15. Midway question! Tell us about a writer you admire, whether professional or not!

Elizabeth Moon- Favorite. Book. Ever. The Deed of Paksenarrion is a spectacular book about a young woman who transcends her birth and rises to fight among the greatest warriors. I was introduced to Moon by a very good friend who said "You have to read this, it's you in book form!" After probably fifty reads, I can say that yes Paks (where my doll/character got his name) and I are pretty much the same person, and the book is fantastic.

Jane Lindskold- Another very talented woman who is the author of the Firekeeper series, stories of a woman and her wolf. These books are spectacular, and the writing is just fantastic. I love the intricacies of the languages and accents (which are so hard to do right), and how well the characters are filled out.

Diane Sylvan- I first came across her via The Body Sacred, a pagan-themed book about body image. Holy sarcastic humor batman! She was hilarious and poignant in that book, definitely a recommended read. I then found her blog and read several installments from her vampire world. She recently published her first vampire novel Queen of Shadows which is awesome. Dark and funny, and very emotional. I love the humor and wit found in her books, and the unabashed way she approaches even the most detestable things. Truly a great writer.

And so it begins...

Little by little as I write, Nowell has been poking me to make him more original character than fan fiction. He'd still be based off of the original Wizard of Oz, but move away from the Tin Man more. As it is his back story was created by me to fill in gaps of left by TM anyway. The surrounding story, many of the characters, and the general situations are of my own doing as well, so it would only take a few more tweaks to turn him into an OC.

My boys can never leave things simple can they? :P

30-Day Writing Meme

14. How do you map out locations, if needed? Do you have any to show us?

I don't actually, though I do map out time and genealogy charts. I use time lines a lot, especially when I'm having trouble with a story. Paks' story for example, has gone through probably twenty or more time lines. I prefer to do those by hand, and write everything out long form. It gives me a better grasp on the situation, and can help me sort out my thoughts in an organized manner.

I also like to do family trees for my characters, even if they don't have a lot of relatives. The only one I have a ready example of is Nowell, which I included in this post. That's the nicest most presentable version of a family tree I've done yet for any of my characters. More often than not they are just scribbles on paper, or very simple structures in word.

Photostory: You're never too old.

Kat: Hey Nowell?
Nowell: Hmm? *turns around*

Kat: What are you up to?
Nowell: Just playing with some blocks.

Kat: Those are neat, where did you get them?
Nowell: *puts horse down* Renato gave them to me when I was little.

Kat:Renato...you mean your dad?

Nowell: Yeah, Nur and I call him Renato though. He was never around very often so he sort of became Renato instead of dad.

Nowell: He gave these to me when I was five I think. Aren't they cool?

Nowell: See, there's the station and the buildings. And of course the train, that's my favorite part! I'm not sure why there's a horse..but I used to make up stories to explain why a horse would be at a train station.


Nowell: *laying down talking to himself* Yeah, the horse was bought by a family far away. It's too far for the horse to walk all by himself, so he has to take a train instead...

*playing happily*

Candid time with Nowell

I took some shots of Nowell for a photostory to a DoA member who owns some of my most favorite dolls. I'm a bit too lazy to post the photostory here right now, but here's the pictures.

30-Day Writing Meme

13. What's your favorite culture to write, fictional or not?

Hands down Sailor Moon (the Lunar and planetary cultures). It was the first story where I went beyond just saying what was going on, and developed an actual culture for the characters. Each planet has its own culture, morals, and even trends. Definitely one of the most fun worlds to write in.

That being said, Nowell's world of the OZ is quickly becoming my second favorite. I suppose it's similar in some ways to the SM universe given the myths and magic that pervade it. I've really been enjoying creating the back stories for the culture and the society. Where the "present day" stories came from, or why the characters have the names they do. What would be normal for a 14 year-old OZian boy be doing? What would his grandmother prefer he be doing. :P

It's finally happened...

I just came across a *great* deal on a slightly damaged doll in the DoA marketplace, and it is one I've been looking at for a while. The I looked to Nowell and well...I realized I don't need another doll. Whoa, when did this happen?! Apparently this boy has really taken over my life. ;p

This has never happened before. It's not as if my other dolls aren't special to me, but I have continued to feel that...questing. Searching for that one doll that just fits. Apparently it's Nowell. Maybe it's just that he wants more clothes and a new doll would take away from those funds!

I'm still sort of considering making an offer, but then Nowell gives me this deathly cute glare and...

Eeep!

30-Day Writing Meme

12. In what story did you feel you did the best job of world building? Any side-notes on it you'd like to share?

That's actually a tough question. For my original worlds, Daemon's is probably the most developed around him. I had ideas of not only who he was, but who everyone around him was and their stories. For example he frequents a bar, and I wrote a back story for the bartender who was a female vampire with a penchant for changing her image. For my own use I wrote up little bios about her and all the others he came in contact with, including places.

However, I'd say that of my writing as a whole my best world building happened in my fan fiction stories. Granted in those you start with a baseline, but I've gone above and beyond in those stories. For example my Sailor Moon fan fiction spans several generations. The main story deals with Princess Serenity/Usagi/Neo Queen Serenity (three different lives right there!), but there is also a separate story for her mother when she was young. I created mythology to explain what is present in the canon as well as my own story, and even wrote shorts on the original founders discussed in the mythology. Every planet is fully defined, and every character specified down to their favorite color and shoe size. :P

As promised!

Finally I retrieved my camera cable from the car and uploaded these. The first set is of Uri and Nowell, I love my boys so much!

These next photos are of the bookcase I talked about in a previous post, the dolls' new home. It will need some decorating, but for now this works. :)

Third floor hobbits!

Second floor Pullips! Maggie and Kaleb have different wigs,
though Kaleb's is probably just temporary. I do like Maggie's though.

First floor bjds!

Little Azkadellia.

My two fallen angels.

And finally my Delilah Noir in a kimono.