Happy Easter!

Easter of 2009 was the first time I ever made anything for my dolls.  I had just gotten my big boy (BBB Apollo) and he had nothing to wear. We were having friends over, and I didn't want him to be indecent for company, so I made him a simple shirt and pair of pants.  This Easter I didn't do any sewing, but I did want to snap a few pictures of some of my crew.  

Emmanuel grew up in a large family, a middle child among nine children.  They were extremely religious (his father was a religious leader), which caused a lot of problems for him. However, Easter was one holiday he enjoyed, with its focus on new life and light out of darkness.  He fled his family as a teenager, and while he doesn't really miss them, he does always get a little wistful around Easter.  Luna doesn't like to see people sad, so she keeps him company.  The two have a brother-sister relationship which Emmanuel really appreciates.

More Luna!

Doing some test posing just to see what kind of poses I can get her into.  She's really able to pose so naturally with this body!

New Beginnings

I've been hemming and hawing about Fumi lately, specifically her name. As I mentioned in the meme post, it just doesn't seem to fit with any of the world building I've done with her.  Nor does it really fit who she is now.  I chose Fumiko at the time because I wanted a Japanese name for her, and I liked one of the meanings I've found.  But as happens with some of my dolls, she's really outgrown it.

So, I've decided to give her a new name, one that will fit her much better.  It has some personal significance to me in connection with her arrival, and seems to make the most sense.  Out with the old, and in with the new.  Her new name is Luna. :)

Obitsu 60 Part II

Fumi on her new body!  Getting her head on there was a pain, but so worth it.  I will take some better shots in the light tomorrow, but here's a few as a preview. :)  This body is wonderful, and can really pose well, I can't wait to try it out.  I also realized that I have pretty much nothing that fits her. I have a lot of boy clothes, but they are all too big for this new body. She's got a pin-up dress coming in sometime, but I really need to make her something before then I think.  And now I can buy all the adorable girl shoes I want!

The countdown begins now...

Fumi's body shipped on Saturday, and it should be here sometime this morning.  I also ordered a new neck piece from Junkyspot so that I won't have to mod Fumi's head at all (and so she can use both bodies).  That will also arrive this morning, so I will be able to put her together this afternoon once I get out of work! :)

**Edited to add**  Everything has now arrived! I wish I'd thought to bring Fumi's head with me so I could do some work with her, but I didn't think I'd have much time.  Oh well, she'll be whole by the end of the day.

Out with the old, in with the new!

I mentioned Fumiko's new body in the last post, but haven't talked about it much.  Obviously once it comes in I can take photos and such, but here's a little info about it now.

The Parabox line of bodies, including
the 60cm ball-jointed model.

It's the Obitsu 60cm ball-jointed female body in WS I believe, which is said to be a good match for Dollfie Dream NS.  I've had experience with smaller Obitsu bodies for my Pullips and Dals, but never for anything larger.  I did hold an Obitsue 60 once, way back when I first got into the hobby.  I went to my very first meet up, and a girl there had a stunning Obitsu in this fantastic dress, and I'm pretty sure I had stars in my eyes.  She let me hold her doll and even let me "squish" her tummy a bit as I'd never encountered one of the soft-bodied Obitsus.

Obitsu internal skeleton, the 60cm
ball-jointed model is on the right.

Obitsus are amazingly posable dolls, due in large part to their internal skeleton (pictured on the right) and their magnetic feet.  I think their most posable and aesthetically pleasing model is the 50cm, though I have no personal experience with it. Those I know who have them love them to death, and can't say enough good things about them (aside from the difficulty finding clothes/shoes).  I may eventually get Fumi a 50cm body too as it's far more "travel size" than the larger 60cm body.

Volks Dollfie Dream internal skeleton.

Dollfie Dreams also have an internal skeleton, but it is not as advanced as the Obitsu one.  Fumi is on the Dollfie Dream Dynamite body (the first, not the second edition), which has quite a few posing issues.  The aesthetics are great, but she doesn't sit very well, and her large hips/bust can cause some problems for natural poses.  I chose that body in particular because I loved the hips, but overall it's not great for posing.  I'd love if they would come out with a small bust option for the DDdy body so I could have those lovely hips but a smaller bust.  But the Obitsu 60 will at least give me more posing options and more clothing options.

I am slowly chipping away at Fumiko's new body, bit by bit...  Hopefully I will either be able to pay it off today or next Friday, and she will be able to pose like a master!

Challenge accepted!

Responding to FunnyLori's challenge for pretty doll photos!

A couple more Fumiko pictures...

Fumiko!

Fumiko and the evil flash.

Some more shots of Fumiko, with the evil flash because my room was far too dark for good shots.  She will be getting a new (to me) body soon that's considerably less...well endowed.  I like the DDy body, but it's really not right for her character or for me.  I'll be keeping it at least for now, so she'll have an extra body to play with.

My little nerdy girl!

Fumiko really exists!

The Haunted Vessel: Fumiko

I think I've discussed Fumiko's...penchant for the paranormal here before. Essentially I've found that above and beyond any other doll I've ever had, she is most responsive when it comes to ghosts.

I haven't caught much visible movement (i.e. seeing her in a different position than the last one I had her in), but I have heard movement very frequently. As I mentioned in the last post, I'm currently experiencing what I'd consider an active haunting. Owing to this I've returned to my old habit of having a doll in the room/car with me to even the playing ground so to speak. I've found that Fumi tends to be the most successful at this, and so she's been accompanying me all over the place recently.

In particular I've noticed a lot of movement sounds in the car. The spirit I'm dealing with seems to "enjoy" my car even more than the house, and routinely hops in for a ride. As someone who can be a nervous driver to begin with, this isn't the most ideal situation. However I've found that if I keep Fumi in the front seat the spirit will all but leave me alone. No odd noises and no crossing the "line" (to my front seat). Fumi on the other hand makes all sorts of noises.

Generally I'll place her on the seat in a particular position, one which should eliminate any further movement. So all her joints and usually straight and she is tucked up in a sweater or bag or similar vessel. Once that's done I get my own things together (adjust mirrors, pop in cd, adjust temperature etc.) all without moving the car. Almost each time I do this, I can instantly her the distinct sounds of joints being moved, a lot. These instances are always at night so I can't see anything occurring, but the sounds are so frequent and many that I recognize something is happening.

Of course most times I flip the light on I find nothing has changed, though once or twice I've found her head turned to look at the back seat. Something similar happens in the house as well, regardless of where or how I position her.

Queen Fumiko

Well Fumi has quickly taken over my entire dolly kingdom and crowned herself queen indefinitely. She charms just about everyone despite her continued lack of face up. Aside from my sister who is quite convinced that Fumi is going to kill her in her sleep...

My problems with the Volks order were corrected, and her items should be arriving today along with the MSC I also ordered. That means that Fumi will finally have a face up either this evening or tomorrow. Knowing me I'll want to do it tonight, but we'll see how awake I am after work and puppy class.

Overall I am loving having another Volks doll in the house, and especially a DD! She is so fun to pose and play with, and she's got such personality. I'm sure she'll get her own Haunted Vessel post here at some point, but she is really full of life in a way that a lot of my other dolls aren't. As I've said before, Volks dolls are different from all other dolls. It's the way they feel, and the personality they bring with them, and Fumi is no exception.

I do have some shots on my camera to prove that she exists, but of course now my camera cord has gone missing...

Still Dollfie Dreaming

I am so enjoying having a DD girl! :) She's lightweight, and soft, and oddly enough warms right up when I carry her places or sit her in my lap. I don't have a lot of clothes for her yet, but she's stealing some of Uri's things, and fits the grand ball gown I have rather well.

I ordered her some MSC so I can do a face-up some time next week, and a few things from Volks. They had a DD restock, so I got her some underwear and two sets of optional hands (peace signs and kitty "paws"). Of course being me and Volks, my order was never confirmed even though the money came out of my account... They won't be in until this afternoon so I'll wait until then and see what happens.

Otherwise everything has gone really well. She poses like a dream, especially when not restricted by Uri's clothing which is a bit small for her. I'm thinking I'll spend this weekend making her some dresses and maybe a pair of pants.

Light at the end of the tunnel.

My DD girl arrived this morning after much trial and tribulation. Her delivery was apparently attempted on Saturday, but it was after the PO closed, and they sent it to my physical work place instead of the PO. Since no one was at my work either at that time, she was sent into a loop for undelivered packages. Her tracking said she was sent to the next town over and I'd have to pick her up. However when I called the PO this morning, they let me know she was there and ready to be picked up!

I picked her up as soon as they opened and opened her in my car. She is beautiful in every way. I can completely understand why Dollfie Dreams are fondly referred to as "daughters" by the culture (as SDs are "another yourself"). While initially I didn't think I'd call her that, I can see she is definitely my "daughter." :)

As for her given name, it came to me as soon as she got here. I had picked out a few beforehand, but none seemed right for her once I'd seen her. I did a very quick search of some female Japanese names, and one of the first to pop up was "Fumiko." It has several meanings, but the one I liked the best was "little friend." What is a Dollfie if not my little friend? So Fumiko she is. :)

I'm going to wait for pictures until this afternoon or evening. Right now she's dressed in some of Uri's things, but even the stretchy leggings are really too small for her vavavoom body. :P I'm going to try a dress on her instead and hope that works. His shirts fit her though which is nice. I also have yet to get her headcap on because of how tight it is. I'm going to go home on lunch and cut the little tabs out as Volks suggests so I can compress it a little more.

Coming Home

It only took three days, but my DD girl is finally coming home. :)

I dropped Volks an e-mail last night with some information from my payment company, and as of this afternoon they were able to get things straightened out on their end. Barring any more acts of god, she should be shipped out tomorrow morning and be here Saturday!