BJD Addicts Written Prompt #1: The Wait

Since I am in the waiting period right now, I thought this would be an appropriate question to answer! It isn't going to be a superbly long wait, but still some time. I expect to have my Resinsoul Mi's layaway completed in about two weeks or so.

Usually when I wait for a doll I...don't wait very well. I know, I know, patience is a virtue. Yet sometimes I have a hard time honoring that! I like to try and keep busy with other things to make the time go faster, or in the case of my most recent doll, make/collect dolly things in anticipation. My plan for Mi has been to get a wardrobe, wig, eyes, and accessories together before she arrives so that I can play around with her right away. I also really enjoy making things for dolls as I feel it helps me bond with them. So for her, I have worked to make clothes and a wig to start with, but there will be more to come.

I also like to do some creating behind the scenes if I have a character who I have a sense of already. This can be tricky because sometimes a doll arrives and is completely different than you expected. However, I really like the planning and imagining process as well. For my incoming Mi, I have a pretty solid idea of who she is and what she's about, though I'm trying to leave a little wiggle room as well. So in the interim, I've been working on writing prompts focused on her, and have also started putting together a playlist. That's one thing I like to do for all my dolls, as I feel it helps connect me better with my interpretation of their character. I also have a ritual if you will where I make sure that when I first pick up/open the doll I'm playing "their song." 

For those who are curious, here are some of their songs as follows:

• Uriel- "Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones *
• Nowell- "Noel/What Child is This" by Tori Amos
• Emmanuel (old)- "Rhiannon Live" by Fleetwood Mac
• Emmanuel (current)- "Emmanuel" by Tori Amos *
• September-"Don't Go By the River" by Voltaire
• Nashuat- "Tesselate" by Alt J
• Resinsoul Mi- "The Woods" by Daughter *

The dolls with an asterisk also have a full playlist as well.

Music of the Hobby

This post is brought to you by: writing something other than NaNo!  I did hit my word count before I allowed myself to do it though. ;)

Everything in my life has a soundtrack, dolls included.  I've written a bit about doll music before (here and here), but lately I've been exploring it again as I write about Ghost.  Uriel certainly has by far the most songs on his playlist, in part owing to him being the "oldest" as it were.  But Ghost is starting to catch up with him as I explore his story.

One album in particular that I've been listening to a lot while I write about him is one that oddly enough has special meaning for Nowell as well.  When I got Nowell, I was trying to decide what to name him, and I happened to be listening to Tori Amos' Christmas album at the time.  Specifically the song "What Child is this?/Nowell."  And that's where I took his name from.

For Ghost's story I've been listening to a lot of quiet music, sad songs, and things with very rich soundscapes.  This album fits the bill perfectly.  And it was funny because as I listened, I realize that I sort of got his name from it as well.  Ghost's birth name is Emmanuel, a name which just sort of came to me when I started writing his story.  But coincidentally, Tori also does a beautiful version of "Emmanuel" on this album.  So it seems that two of my Volks boys have taken their names from it. :)

If you have a chance to listen to this album, do it!  It's beautiful, both just as an album as well as a different spin on Christmas music.  I tend to keep it on rotation all year long, though it obviously gets more play this time of year.  

It's a good thing this blog isn't a living thing, or I'd be charged for neglect. :/

Thankfully my reasons for being away are mostly good.  Two very good friends of mine got married, and I was sort of overtaken by wedding prep and parties.  There were dress fitting parties, pre-wedding party parties, a day of pampering with the bride, the wedding, pre-honeymoon party, and finally a post wedding party.  All of which were very fun, but I kind of pushed everything else to the side for those weeks (month?!).

But I'm back now, though without much to offer up.  No new photos of the boys yet, or even any projects.  I've been fairly lazy.

The one thing I have been doing is playing and singing a lot of music, both original and cover songs.  I actually have a lot written about Uri's storyline, and a little bit about Ghost.  But I don't have much of that recorded.  Instead have a video of me playing one of the song's on Uri's mix: Sympathy for the Devil!

Dolly Talk: The Sound of Music

Since I was little, music has played a big role in my life.  Both my parents were musicians, and I am rarely not  singing, playing, or writing music.  It's not just a part of my life, it is my life in many ways.

I have a habit (okay...addiction?) of making themed mixes.  Sometimes they have an overreaching theme...like mori for example.  Other times they are for a particular day, or even a particular activity.  I have a bunch of driving mixes on my iPod for when I go into the city, each one tailored to the event I'm attending.

My dolls do not escape my music obsession either.  Each active* doll has their own mix that connects to their story line and/or their personality.  Uriel has the most extensive mix by far, but he is also the most developed character.  Nowell just recently got his own mix with some songs I've been collecting for him since I got him.

Whenever I get a new doll, I select a song to play when I open them.  I like there to be a special first song for them to "hear."  Uriel oddly enough didn't have one, I hadn't finalized this practice when I got him.  Granted he now has more songs than anyone else.  Nowell 's song was where he got his name, "What Child, Nowell" by Tori Amos.  Arashi's first song was "Hills and Valleys" by The Rocket Summer.  Sometimes the song is influenced by the idea I have for the doll, and sometimes it influences the development of the doll.

I knew what new doll's song would be even before I paid him off: the live version of "Rhiannon" by Fleetwood Mac.  That is a song I actually sing at open mic, but I had never heard this particular live cut before.  I stumbled upon it while poking through Fleetwood Mac's discography on Spotify and there it was.  It's mysterious, and magical, and everything that I wanted for this doll. Oddly enough even as the character may be changing, the music I've picked out for him has stayed the same.

*By "active" I mean dolls I'm currently writing about/working with. Arashi for example is inactive because I don't know what I'm doing with him.  Right now Uriel, Nowell, and this new guy are active.

Tattoo update!

Just a quick update concerning my most recent tattoo. It was my birthday this week, and it's my tradition to try and get some art on or around my birthday. This year I chose to get a Voltaire-themed tattoo. If you're unfamiliar with Voltaire, he's a goth musician who is also a bit of a renaissance man. He's done everything from stop-motion animation to toy designs to music of all kinds. He's a fantastic artist, and also a very down to earth, nice person.

I actually went to see him last week as a sort of early birthday celebration, and after such an amazing show, I felt a tattoo was appropriate. :) The piece was done by the very talented Frankie at Scorpion Tattooing. I credit him with the real design work, as I basically brought in a mock up and he turned it into something really amazing.