I spy with my little eye...

Ghost coming for a ride to work today!

Weekend Photos Part III

Weekend Photos Part II

Weekend Photos Part I

We rented a fantastic house built in the 1700's for the wedding party to stay in this weekend. It's a lovely backdrop for doll photos too, so I took Emmanuel along. I'll probably edit this later as I'm on my mobile, but enjoy!

Funny Moment

I was planning on taking some doll photos yesterday on lunch, but it started to rain just as I was about to leave.  What I meant to say was, "Well there goes my plans to take photos."  What I actually said was, "Well there goes my plans for world domination."

I haven't the foggiest why it came out as such, but it made me laugh!

Mary Sue?

I will preface by saying that I don't think Mary Sues are necessarily a bad thing.  I think that inserting yourself into fiction can be a great way to develop a story or get inside a universe. I first started drawing because I wanted to insert myself into my favorite books/comics, and I wanted a visual representation of that (Sailor Kat make up!).  However, I have found this test to be a great way to evaluate characters, and help you develop them further.  So if you're curious about your characters, why not test them against the Mary Sue Litmus Test!  I've mentioned it here before, and I like to do it periodically as I'm writing and revising characters.  Most recently I did one for Emmanuel, and he scores a 12.  What do your characters score?

Get Inside Your Character's Head!

You can find the full questionnaire here.  I'm going to do a few random questions as the mood strikes. :)

14. Physical abnormalities? (Both visible and not, including injuries/disabilities, long-term illness, food intolerances, etc)

• Emmanuel has a scar on his forehead, roughly in the shape of a crescent moon. He got it when he was a child, and slipped and fell onto a gravestone.  This scar fades somewhat over time, and actually disappears when Mary revives him. (This isn't currently present on my dolls, though it would mostly affect young and teenage Emmanuel).
• He has some blood circulation issues, especially in his hands because of what happened when he died/came back.  Most often it presents as him being frequently cold, especially in his hands.  However if exposed to the cold for too long, he can easily lose feeling in his fingers, and they become very stiff and white.
• When he is using too much power, or doing it in ways that are hard to sustain, Emmanuel suffers from severe migraines and nosebleeds.

I may add to this as I develop him further, but this is a good start. 

Unintentional twinsies?

I felt a bit like a pirate today, so I decided to dress Emmanuel up as well. The red was intentional, but I didn't realize til just now that his green matches mine as well!

Craziness ahead!

Just a heads up that I might be updating a little less frequently this week, as my mom is getting married.  It's going to be a fun time all around, but it means I'll be running from here to there and everywhere in between. :) But I'm hoping to sneak Emmanuel out with me to take some photos at the lovely pace we're staying at.

Rock Bonnets!

Poor Emmanuel is pretty much my guinea pig for everything at this point, but thankfully he's pretty amenable to it. :)  My friend Sara Richard is a fantastic artist, and she often posts sketches of things she's working on. In particular she had been doing a lot of fashion designs lately, and I think these sprung out of that.  She created something she calls the "rock bonnet," which is pretty much what it sounds like.  A bonnet, but done up rock'n'roll style with spikes and chains and all sorts of goodness.  I loved the designs (1,2) and decided to try and bring one into reality.  Sewing in miniature for pattern testing always seems easier (and cheaper!) to me, so Emmanuel became my victim volunteer.

You can sort of see him trying to yank the thing off here... ;)

Get Inside Your Character's Head!

You can find the full questionnaire here.  I'm going to do a few random questions as the mood strikes. :)

47. How do they express love?

Emmanuel  is naturally a touchy person with those he cares about, but also a very private person.  So he's not into big shows of PDA or making out in public.  He does however touch those he loves, in small ways.  Sometimes it's holding hands, or touching his lovers' shoulders or back, just little things to indicate the special relationship he has with them.  In private he is much more demonstrative, and will often curl up with his lovers or otherwise be in frequent contact with them.

For Emmanuel, conversation is also a big marker of closeness with his lovers and friends.  He is shy, and tends not to share much with others beyond pleasantries.  However with those he cares for he is far more chatty, and will discuss things like his abilities (which is general no-no outside of his close friends/lovers group).  

Terrible lunchtime photos are terrible...

But I did get his eyes to show up as the bright blue color from the listing so...there!  I put Emmanuel in some decidedly *not* character appropriate clothing, but he looks good in it anyway. (That lovely Dollshe body is so amazing to clothe.) Those are actually regular SD pants that I bought for Uri, so they fit but not as well as I would like. They'd be better with some boots on, but I couldn't remember where I'd stashed the boots while I was on lunch. So he is barefoot with pants that are slightly short, but still look good.

Art time!

Not doll related, but art related.  My stepsister is graduating this week, and I wanted to give her something special as a gift.  She really loves unicorns, and I thought it might be neat to give her a gift inspired by them.  So this piece is sort of supposed to be reminiscent of the unicorn's horn. I have a little story written up to go with it, about the elusive North American unicorn that sheds it's horn every year like deer do their antlers. So the crystal piece is supposed to be a found piece of unicorn horn (no magical creatures were harmed in the making of this jewelry!).  I still need to make a box and a card, but I thought I'd take a few shots of it with my resident magical creature, a dragon I painted when I was in kindergarten.

Get Inside Your Character's Head!

You can find the full questionnaire here.  I'm going to do a few random questions as the mood strikes. :)

42. How far did they get in formal education? What are their views on formal education vs self-education?

Emmanuel ran away from home when he was a junior in high school, so he never officially graduated.  He did eventually get his GED while he was living in Boston, and pursued some of his own education after that.   He didn't really have the money to go to college full time, but he took a handful of courses here and there in various subjects he enjoyed (and ones he felt he needed, like math).  Beyond that he did a lot of learning on his own, utilizing the library and online courses.  

Emmanuel sees the value of formal education, and truth be told he would have liked to go to college full time.  But in his situation, it just didn't work out, and he doesn't really regret it.  He was able to access a lot of information otherwise, and learned a great deal even without that formal teaching. Granted he does recognize this was in part because of his own motivation and love of learning.

Get Inside Your Character's Head!

You can find the full questionnaire here.  I'm going to do a few random questions as the mood strikes. :)

46. If they were to fall in love, who (or what) is their ideal?

Emmanuel has always loved people, the specifics of gender or appearance don't factor in as much.  In his elder incarnation he is in love, and part of a poly relationship.  Ideally for him, he seeks out individuals who are looking for non-monogamy. Beyond that, he finds men, women, and otherwise identified (or not identified) individuals attractive.  He is demisexual, meaning that he needs an emotional connection before he can feel comfortable making a physical one.

Progress!

Tonight was accessory night, and I made Emmanuel a set of rainbow bracelets. I got a little more fabric to work an another shirt as well, but I think that will have to wait until tomorrow.  More to come!

Get Inside Your Character's Head!

You can find the full questionnaire here.  I'm going to do a few random questions as the mood strikes. :)

12. Favorite book genre?

Emmanuel likes classical literature, things like Chaucer or Dante to name a few of his favorites.  He also enjoys modern literature written about history, specifically religious history.  This can be somewhat surprising to his friends as he is still rather...confused about the issue of faith and religion. However he is fascinated to read about monasteries, pilgrimages, and historical religious figures.

He got into reading a lot of metaphysical and paranormal books as well when he joined the paranormal investigation group he's affiliated with, and tends to enjoy that genre as well.  It spans from more scientific reads discussing the possibility of spirits to firsthand accounts of hauntings.

Sort of an aside...

I would really like to have a place to set my dolls up. Not a full fledged staging area, just somewhere aside from my closet, which is where they reside now. My room is pretty small (read: extremely tiny), so I'll have to find something that will fit in the little space I have. But I think if I could find something tall and thin, I could get them set up okay.  Hmm, time to brainstorm and thrift!

Craft Time!

Sewing time!

Started some work on Emmanuel's fairy kei/decora-ish outfit. He's a teddy!

Get Inside Your Character's Head!

You can find the full questionnaire here.  I'm going to do a few random questions as the mood strikes. :)

49. Is this person afraid of dying? Why or why not?

Emmanuel has never been particularly afraid of dying, at least not in and of itself.  He's not really afraid of his time on earth ending, or being in pain, or anything like that.  What he is nervous about when he's younger is what happens after he dies.  He knows that some people stay behind, obviously he's been able to interact with them his whole life.  But that isn't an existence he'd ever want for himself, to be trapped on earth forever, unable to move on.  On the other hand he also knows there is another place to move on to, but he doesn't know what it is.  Is it heaven or hell like his father preached?  Would he even be allowed in heaven if it exists?  He's never spoken to anyone who has passed on, though he does know there is a peace that comes with it.  It's the fear of the unknown that makes him nervous.

As an adult, Emmanuel has mostly moved beyond that worry. However he trades it for a different one.  As a child he thought of death as something entirely personal, as if it would only affect him.  But as an adult he sees his family and lovers, and even the people he works for and wonders (fears) how it would affect them.  He worries about leaving his sister Ruth and their mother behind.  About Isobel and Tomás outliving him.  And about the people he fights with getting hurt, or the curing remaining undiscovered without his assistance.  This is something he deals with and tries to reconcile as time goes on.

Get Inside Your Character's Head!

You can find the full questionnaire here.  I'm going to do a few random questions as the mood strikes. :)

29. Reaction to sudden, extrapersonal disaster (eg The house is on fire! What do they do?)?

Little Emmanuel: Get his parents/grandparents/ Ezekiel.

Ghost: Most likely freak out and probably be pretty useless.  However, if there's someone there to give him instructions or he has a very clear idea of what to do, he would do just that. No more, no less.

Emmanuel: A little bit of panic, but he'd be able to push that to the back of his mind and focus on the problem at hand.  He would be the one making plans and weighing his options.   

Get Inside Your Character's Head!

You can find the full questionnaire here.  I'm going to do a few random questions as the mood strikes. :)

20. Childhood illnesses? Any interesting stories behind them?

I'm not entirely sure if this qualifies, but Emmanuel actually died when he was sixteen.  He was trying to save a friend, and was stabbed in the process.  He was dead for two minutes before he suddenly revived, due to the intervention of a spirit in the graveyard he cared for.  

New Eyes!

There's a doll noob in all of us...

Regardless of the years I have own bjds, I still find myself making utterly silly mistakes from time to time.  Case in point...Emmanuel's head.  When I painted Emmanuel, I obviously took his head off.  When I put it back on I found that it really didn't have much movement.  Kind of weird to me, but I figured I'd deal with it when I eventually restrung him.

Today I took it off again to put his new eyes in, and I realized when I put it back on that the resin donut (for lack of a better phrase...Dollshe uses a U-shaped piece of resin with a hole in the middle for the elastic) wasn't sitting right.  It is supposed so sort of "click" into place, and I never saw that it hadn't.  With a little fiddling around in that tiny head of his I got it to click, and like magic he could move his head.  I guess it had been sitting sort of sideways this whole time, which inhibited his head from moving almost at all.  Definitely a moment where I laughed at myself. :)

Blueblood Doll Eye Review

I haven't seen much on their eyes, so I thought I'd post a little review about the pair I got.  I purchased the eyes from their eBay store last Saturday, and they arrived today.  They were shipped first class, and arrived pretty quickly when all is said and done.  I ordered the 12mm violet and blue eyes, labelled as #M-34.

Here is the sales photo:

And here are my pictures (I will update with a photo of them in my doll after work!):

You can see they photograph kind of all over the place, and they also look different in person than I was able to capture with my phone.  That being said, I love them! They are really stunning in their color and quality, and no matter what color shows up more, they look great.  The rings around the blue can look anywhere from a darker violet to an almost greyish purple.  Depending on your monitor that can really differ, but they look very close to what I saw on mine when I ordered them. (I imagine that with proper lighting/flash I could get them to look just like the promo pictures.)

Aside from they eyes themselves, the packaging and the service was really lovely.  I love to see companies that go that extra step, because it makes me feel special and want to do more business with them.  I will definitely be buying more in the future from them, eyes included!

Stay tuned for some photos of Emmanuel with them. :)

Get Inside Your Character's Head!

You can find the full questionnaire here.  I'm going to do a few random questions as the mood strikes. :)

32. Thoughts on material possessions in general?

Emmanuel tends to travel light himself, as he has often moved around quite a bit. He likes the idea of owning things, but worries he won't be able to stick around to use them.  Or that he'll have to leave in a hurry, and won't be able to take them. However he doesn't see anything wrong with owning a lot of possessions or a little.  He is fascinated by some of the things his friends and family have owned (hula hoops of his friends in Boston, his family's record player, Isobel & Tomás many varied belongings).

Updates

Emmanuel's new eyes will arrive today, which is exciting. He'll finally have the blue (well and purple) eyes he needs.  It's amazing how something as seemingly insignificant as that can really change a doll.  His wig looks like it won't be here until the weekend or next week which is kind of unfortunate, but at least it has shipped.

I went out last night and picked up some more fabrics and accessories for an outfit I'm working on for him.  It's not really his style...at all, but Emmanuel is a versatile boy.  :)  Character-wise, he is pretty ignorant of fashion.  He can recognize when something looks good on someone else, but tends to associate that more with the individual than the clothes (i.e. outfits look good because the person is attractive).  He tends to dress in blues and greys and other muted colors, but as long as it's clean, he's happy.  He likes to blend in, more or less.  However, he's also a very chill individual, and he's happy to let people dress him up now and then. So while the fairy kei outfit I'm working on wouldn't be his first choice, I figured he could pull it off anyway. :)

But of course once I got back home, I realized that all the scissors in the house had mysteriously disappeared...meaning the sewing will have to wait until tonight or this weekend.  Oh well, at least it's all there and ready for me!

Get Inside Your Character's Head!

You can find the full questionnaire here.  I'm going to do a few random questions as the mood strikes. :)

25. How do they see themselves five years from today? 

This is a bit tricky, because it depends on what age in his life we're talking about.

Young Emmanuel (age 8-10): Emmanuel thinks fifteen is a long way off, but imagines he'll be happy.  He sees himself and his siblings getting along, and in particular dreams of being best friends with Ezekiel.  He hopes his older brother will teach him everything, especially how to drive a car!

Ghost (late teens, early to mid twenties): Before the outbreak, Ghost sees himself living Boston and continuing his work with the paranormal group.  In his secret fantasies he becomes well known and respected as a paranormal researcher, and goes home to his family to show them what he's made of himself.  He aims to get a house and bring Ruth out there to live with him eventual.  After the outbreak, he honestly doesn't know. Given the chaos and the threat of death, he can't see much past tomorrow, let alone five years down the road.

Emmanuel (late twenties, early-mid thirties): Emmanuel's dreams are a mix of those in his younger days.  Things are still dangerous, so he does have some doubt about how feasible a five-year plan is.  Personally he hopes to settle down with Tomás and Isobel, and to bring his family closer to him.  On a larger scale, he works with the group to try and find a way to stop the outbreak and create a cure for those afflicted.  He hopes that in five years time things will get better.

Get Inside Your Character's Head!

You can find the full questionnaire here.  I'm going to do a few random questions as the mood strikes. :)

4. What would they do if they needed to make dinner but the kitchen was busy?

Emmanuel would wait, even if he was really hungry.  If he was making food for himself and someone else, he'd interrupt.  But when it's just for him, he's too shy to say anything.  When he lived in Boston in a townhouse, he would actually wait until late in the evening to eat, once everyone else had gone to bed or was otherwise occupied.  That way he could use the kitchen without impacting anyone else.  This changes a little bit when he gets older and lives with his lovers Tomás and Isobel, as he is familiar enough with them to ask for time/space in the kitchen.

Get Inside Your Character's Head!

You can find the full questionnaire here.  I'm going to do a few random questions as the mood strikes. :)

44. Superstitions or views on the occult?

Are they superstitions if you know they're true?  Emmanuel does believe in many "superstitions" because he knows firsthand how true they can be.  He is wary of mirrors as they can be portals to the other world.  He believes you should cover them when a person dies, though he hasn't (thankfully) had many opportunities to use that bit of lore.  Crossing running water is a good way to get away from a spirit, and blood can give a ghost more power.  He doesn't of course hold his breath while passing through the graveyard (as he'd probably keel over!), or avoid stepping on cracks and the like.

As for the occult, presuming we're talking about occult practices and not specifically religion, he's got mixed views on the topic.  Emmanuel takes a pretty hard stance against people who dabble, or mess with things they can't even fully comprehend.  (This does evolve a bit over time, as he realizes the need for results. Though he's never comfortable with it, he does agree sometimes there are situations in which it's needed.)  He finds ouija boards offensive, not only to sense but to the spirits as well.  The same goes for a lot of the games people play to scare themselves (Bloody Mary, hide and seek, elevator game, etc).  Not because he believes they all work in the way they say, but because people run the risk of inviting something serious in. And/or they might bother a soul that already has enough to deal with by being unable to move on.

Shopping!

I did some shopping for Emmanuel III this weekend to remedy the wig and eye problem he's got going on.  He really needs a blond wig, so I picked up this one from FunnyLori.  I think that every doll I own will soon have a FunnyLori wig.

He also needed some eyes, which proved to be a bigger problem.  I usually go to Mint on Card for my eyes, as they have nice glass eyes.  However nothing in their 12mm section appealed to me, so I looked elsewhere. And looked.  And looked.  Nothing that struck me on DoA, nothing at Denverdoll, and I was feeling so/so about the acrylics Junkyspot had.  Apparently 12mm is a funny size.  Granted I am really picky about Emmanuel's eyes as well, which doesn't help matters.

So as a last resort I tried Ebay, and found these amazing eyes by Blueblood Doll.   They were a little more expensive than I normally consider for eyes, but they were just so beautiful.  And they fit my criteria of size, color, and location (USA yay!). These are the first pair of eyes I've liked for Emmanuel III, so I'm excited for them to come in!  They and the wig should be here later next week.  Just in time for some nice weekend photos I think.  It's amazing how a few little touches can really transform a doll!

Musings

He always looks like he's shocked at something I said. ;)

I wouldn't have thought a 70cm doll would be a good companion for day-to-day travel.  I've owned a few large dolls before (70cm Resinsoul, Soom Chrom with fantasy parts), and they definitely weren't transport-friendly.  I did take Chrom a few places here and there, but it was a bit of a production each time.

So when I got my Dollshe boy, it was with the knowledge that he'd probably stay home and just be out for photo shoots and the like. Even conventions were iffy given his size.   Uri and Ghost were heavy enough to carry around, and they're both around 60cm.  I figured 70cm would be waaay too much to carry.

So color me surprised when I find that Emmanuel III is not only much lighter than I expected, but considerably portable.  I think it's a mix of his somewhat loose stringing and his awesome joints, but this boy can just be tucked into a bag without any real fanfare.  Ghost would need some positioning, and joint maneuvering, not to mention he'd still pop out of the top of the bag.  But I can (gently!) throw Emmanuel III into a bag no fuss.  His legs tuck just perfectly so that he can fit completely inside the bag without any indication he's there if necessary.

Granted he does constantly make this face when I do, but that's a small price to pay I suppose. :)

Picture time!

 I was able to sneak out for a bit on lunch and take a few photos of the boys, though unfortunately none of little Emmanuel came out well.  So I'll have to try again tonight for him.

I tried to snag a few of I and Emmanuel III together, though unfortunately he got really washed out by the light.  I'll have to try this again as well.