BJD Addicts Written Prompt #7: Names

How do you choose your names for your dolls? Do you have any favorite names that you like?

“That's just the first part. What others call you, you become. It's a terrible magic that everyone can do — so do it. Call yourself what you wish to become.” ― Catherynne M. Valente, The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two

I think the question of names is an interesting one, especially where dolls are concerned. Every doll owner has their own way of doing it, and some can be equally as simple as others are complex. Myself, I think I end up mostly doing it by instinct, with a side of choice at times. My most successfully named dolls (i.e. those that were not later re-named) have been those who very plainly told me their name. This usually happens before I even lay eyes upon the doll, and is akin to how many of my characters name themselves as well. Given that the dolls often either embody or inspire characters, this is fitting.

So what do I mean by this? I'll give you an example.

Before I got Uriel (CP Delf El), I had been working on a story line for my then angelic character Drusilla. I would write bits and pieces about her background and story, but inevitably every time I did I got sidetracked by another character. Now this character didn't have a name at the time or even a fully formed identity, rather they would just burst in and steal the show, leaving me wondering "Who was that?!" Eventually I began to pay more attention to the character, and I discovered that they could be called both Uriel and Beloved (a nickname for Uri in his story). Uriel just kept popping up in my head for seemingly no reason, but I continued to come back to it. Around the same time I was looking at obtaining my El, and realized that the two coincided perfectly and poof...there was Uri.

Since then I've found that music also plays a big role in the naming of dolls. I've mentioned music's importance before in this post, but it is important to note that music doesn't just come after a character is created. Sometimes it is the impetus for a character, or a name. Dolls I've named this way include:

• Nowell who was named after a song on Tori Amos' Midwinter Graces album. The song was "What Child is This/Noel," and I happened to be listening to it as I drove home after picking Nowell up from the post office.
• Emmanuel- oddly enough his name also came from the same Tori album, stemming from the song of the same title. This was less intentional, as I already had a song picked out for him. Yet as soon as I heard this song after obtaining him, I knew it was his.
• Nashuat- This interesting little fellow's name came from a song by Alt J called "Tessellate." It's not an actual word in the song, but rather a misheard lyric. "Chunks of you will sink down to seals/Blubber rich in mourning, they'll nosh you up/Yes they'll nosh the love away but it's fair to say/You will still haunt me." The actual phrase is "nosh you up", but I always heard it as nashuat (nosh-ooo-awt). I dug around for that word for a long time until I realized it wasn't actually a word, my mind was just obsessed with it. So when my creepy boy appeared in my life, I knew it would be his.
• St. Christopher- The most recent addition to the crew came to be named such because of a song by Daughter called "The Woods." The opening lines of the song are, "I asked Saint Christopher/to find your sister/and she ran out in the woods/and she ran out in the woods." As I listened to this song I kept getting a nagging sensation that I needed to write about this character that began to form in my head. Thus St. Christopher was born in all of her glory. Her story line involves her having the practical magic-esque ability to find anyone or anything, hence why she would be asked to find someone's sister.

Names can come in a lot of different ways, but overall they are an important element of the character and doll designing process. Naming has power, and by giving my dolls these names I connect them to their characters and the stories that they portray.

BJD Addicts Written Prompt #25: Style!

I'm probably going to end up doing these individually for my dolls as they all have quite unique styles. However, for the first one I will discuss the new doll's style since she's the newest addition. 

I'm still figuring out all of her "likes" and "dislikes," but overall I'd say that her normal style falls between mori girl and grunge.

Yeah.

So on one hand, the style is very earthy. She wears a lot of browns, greens, and some blues. Mori girl style (translated it essentially means "forest girl") is what I think of as fairy tale forest wear. It's often not really practical for traipsing about in the woods, but it looks like what a fairy tale character would wear. It often involves multiple layers, loose fitting elements, lace, and patterns. There is also a form called dark mori that has a more gothic sense to it, and mori boy which features more masculine elements. I think that the doll/character would comfortably fit into all of these, although her dark mori definitely has more traditional mori roots.

I've included some examples of my own interpretation of the fashion here for reference. For the most part I tend to see the character in a lot of skirts and dresses with leggings, much like what I tend to wear. Her fashion sense at least is somewhat based on me, so I've tried to incorporate some of the reality of mori girl in to her wardrobe as much as possible.                                                                                                     At the same time, SC also wears a lot of what I like to call 90's grunge teenage boy fashion. This is again taken from my personal style as I favor this look on my dressed down days. It can be described as if Xander and Oz from Buffy had a baby who liked Nirvana. This includes more t-shirts, jeans (more baggy than fitted, but both will do), sneakers, and plaid shirts. 

In regards to whether she will change style much, that's something only time will tell. I know that there are certain things she wouldn't wear, aside from me putting her in them because I like the look. That includes the lolita style dress and even the blue star dress I created for her. She's not so much a flashy, frilly individual. Rather her style involves more earthy, practical clothes with a smattering of dresses.

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.

BJD Addicts Written Prompt #23: Favorite Eyes

Prompt: What are your favorite type of eyes? Glass? Acrylic? Urethane?

Glass, hands down.  I've tried everything from glass, silicone, acrylic urethane, metalic, etc, and glass still wins out.  However!  I do have specific preferences for certain dolls.  In general I like to try and have my dolls in glass, and for most of that works okay.  But Uriel and Song are currently in acrylics, the former because he needs the extra light (they're Ersa Flora metallics) and the latter because I couldn't find any glass eyes of the right size I liked for him. 

The eyes to the left are my favorite, a pair of glass Volks eyes that came with my Yuki (if I remember correctly). They are just lovely!

 Ersa Flora Eyes

Mint On Card Inc

         Glib Eyes (Junky Spot)

BJD Addicts Written Prompts #25: Style

Prompt: What style do you like to dress your dolls in, and do they ever change styles?

Uriel: He's pretty easy going when it comes to fashion, though he does like to make a statement.  I have everything from jeans and t-shirts for Uri to some awesome goth boots and lovely black dresses.  He usually has a bit of a gothic spin on his wardrobe as a whole, whether that means throwing in some more black or just some spooky accessories/t-shirts.  His colors are red and black.

Nowell: He's a kid (10-ish) and tends to wear age-appropriate outfits.  Jeans and t-shirts, or more often than not overalls and t-shirts or sweaters.  I usually keep him to cooler colors that work with his resin as well as his face up.  His colors are blue, black, and grey.

Ghost: Ghost tends to dress for comfort and necessity, not so much fashion unless I decide to put him in something particular.  He wears jeans and t-shirts, with a sweatshirt or a sweater thrown over the top when it gets cold.  He does have a leather jacket that I will throw on him from time to time, but that's more my own preference than that of his character.  He also is supposed to have fingerless gloves and scarves to wear, along with his sweaters as he gets cold a lot.  But I have yet to find him appropriate gloves, so that's still in progress.

The others don't have as specific styles yet, as I haven't really decided what they would wear.  I have some ideas here and there, but nothing set in stone yet.  And even though these three have styles of their own, I do from time to time like to change it up.  Sometimes for costumes or conventions, other times just because.

BJD Addicts Written Prompt #24: Public

Prompt: Do you bring your dolls out with you?  If so, where?

I do, as often as I can!  Sometimes I will bring them to work with me, though they generally don't make any real appearances there outside of their carrying bag/my purse.  But in prior jobs I used to sit them on the back desk, and they were great little company.  I also like to take them out to events like conventions or fairs.  Unfortunately my favorite steampunk convention has since been shut down, but I was well known for bringing one of my big dolls with me in costume.

I do like to take dolls out for photos as well, which sometimes involves taking them into public spaces.  There are a few graveyards for example that I like bringing my dolls to, and I've taken Uri to Salem, Ma before as well.  When I was in school I used to bring dolls with me to take photos on lunch, but I also had one doll in particular (Nowell) that I would bring to class.  I even did a presentation with him for one of my psych classes, which was very well received.

BJD Addicts Written Prompt #19: Playtime

Prompt: How do you play with your BJDs?

• Photography- I like to take my dolls out (or in for that matter) for photos. Sometimes this is long and involved, sometimes it's just a quick shot here or there.
• Sewing- I love to make patterns and clothes, and I try to sew for them when I have the time and ability.
• Painting/sculpting/modding- Doing aesthetic work on my dolls has always helped the bonding process, and allows me to experiment with new forms of art.
• Writing- While it doesn't always involve the doll directly, I do write about them a lot.  Often I will pose the doll nearby so I can glance over for inspiration.
• Take them with me!- This may not be playing per say, but I do love to take dolls with me to work or on trips. That usually leads in to photography as well. 

BJD Addicts Written Prompt #17: Unfortunate Buys

Prompt: Have you ever ordered something and it either didn't fit or wasn't what you expected?

Thankfully only twice.  In general I have enough doll sizes that if something doesn't fit one doll, it will most likely fit one of the others.  However way back when I was first in the hobby, I ordered some boots in a Dollmore group order that were a disaster.  They didn't fit the doll they were intended for, and they were really poorly made.  One set broke almost immediately (zipper tore out of the shoe), and the other one I ended up sending out as a free-bee with a doll.

The other time was when I purchased one of Wicked Stitchery's grab bags of clothes for MSD. Everything was really well made, but most of it didn't fit my Volks MSD, it was more Minifee sized.  No harm in this situation though, as I ended up trading the smaller pieces for other clothes.

BJD Addicts Written Prompt #15: How many do you own?

Prompt: How many bjds do you own? 1? 2? 5? A whole city?!

The Den houses these active* dolls:

1. Uriel (Delf El)
2. Ghost (Volks School Head A)
3. Nowell (Volks MSD F-17)
4. Gabe (Volks Arashi)
5. Liam (Volks YoSD Yuki)
6. Luna (Volks DD H-04 on Obitsu60)

This inactive one:

1. Dru (Luts KDF Dreaming Aru)
2. ? (Volks F-10 head, SD10 body)

And...well...a future one...

1. ? Resinsoul Song

So that's nine total!

*Active vs. inactive refers to whether a doll is out and being played with. Dru and the SD10 are both inactive as they are in storage and I'm not doing anything with them. Active dolls are ones that are in my house and at least set up, if not being photographed/etc.

BJD Addicts Written Prompt #4: Favorite Brand/Store

Prompt: What is your favorite place to buy BJDs? Is it a certain brand's website? Or is it a retailer like Denver Emporium?

For dolls, I pretty much exclusively buy from the second hand market.  The only exceptions to that with bjds has been Luna who I bought directly from Volks, my earlier Soom dolls, some Resinsoul dolls from DDE/Junkyspot, and Dru my Luts doll.  Overall I like the secondhand market because it's often cheaper and easier to navigate in some ways.  Plus there's the added bonus of often immediate shipping.  On the flip side there is the risk of recasts that's becoming more and more elevated, so it has its own drawbacks.  

Of the companies I've bought from directly, I've had so/so experiences.  When I ordered Luna there were all sorts of problems with payment, where Volks charged my card then refunded it, and then charged it again without having actually fully refunded the initial charge. They were helpful in the long run, but it was a very frustrating process.  Soom and I had a miscommunication on shipping, which resulted in my doll wandering all over the place (including Europe!).  Luts I had no issues with, though it obviously took a little while to make the doll and ship it out.

Purchasing through a retailer is also a great option, especially if you're looking for a new doll with a layaway or a middle man that speaks English.  I've purchased dolls through Denver Doll Emporium (a BBB Ju, RS Gang, FL Puki Puki body, and a RS SD body) and Junkyspot (BB Apollo), and had good experiences with both.  DDE allows for a layaway which is a nice service, and has allowed me to purchase new bodies/dolls through them.  Junkyspot has the bonus of only selling in-stock items, which means there will never be a long wait.  Plus they send some really neat goodies with your doll.

BJD Addicts Written Prompt #3: Fantasy Doll

Prompt: What fantasy creature would you like to see as a bjd?

My favorite fantasy creatures are pretty much all currently bjds (werewolves, vampires, and zombies), but I would love to add a ghost to that line up.  I think at this point you could easily piece together a ghost, but it would be neat to have a full set of a doll that changes from opaque to clear resin as you get towards the extremities.  Kind of like Spectra from Monster high.  I'm not sure how doable something like that is, but it would be really cool.

BJD Addicts Written Prompt #2: Dream Dolls

Prompt: If money was not an issue, what would be your dream doll to have and why?

If I had all the theoretical money and was able to spend it on dolls, I would get a Volks Megu (probably FCS) and a Dollshe Bernard.  Other Volks dolls would be runners up (like an Isao or a Shiro), but those would be my top two.  I've always wanted a Megu, and probably always will until I find one of my own someday.  A Bernard on the other hand is a doll I love, but not one I'll probably ever get.  I don't really need/want more boy dolls, and Dollshe boys are both very large and really out of the aesthetic I generally like.  So I would probably only get one if the money appeared like magic, and all my other bills were paid.