Your favorite doll prop?

     Well I had some tint-scale toys that I bought soon after Kiwi came home, but right now I actually don't have any props.... But for some reason I think a little violin would be nice. No doll that would really use it, though. I do have an Arale doll I'll be working on when she comes home, so maybe it'd be better to make her a little poo-on-a-stick or something related to the manga.

     Anyway, sorry for the short/later post today >3< I've been concentrated on Cookie Clicker literally all day. I'm at 229,173,367.3 cookies/second. I don't know whether to ask for help or ask if anyone else has been playing.

A doll you love, but probably will never own?

     AKA a grail doll. I've only ever had one, and I already own him. So....

     I guess I'll write about Withdoll Priscilla. She's not an immediate/urgent want, but she's pretty. I like her limited set (the dark knight one) and grey was a really good tone for her sculpt. There's not really any mods I'd want to on her, though, and I'd only want her fullset. Those two stipulations mean I'd do nothing with her at all and she'd be sold soon after she came home. I'd love to see one in person, though!

     Her face reminds me of a soft little kitten.

What is your dream doll?

     My dream doll is actually my Ringdoll Frankenstein >3< I pined after the 2011 edition for over a year, so it was really exciting when they were re-releasing him. I'm not a super-fan of the 2013 head (actually sold mine) but I do really like the new body, especially the robotic leg. I'm also happy that they sent regular arm and leg pieces because I'm not too excited about that mechanical arm. If only I could get the sucker off (s-hooks seem to be stuck in the wrists, and I don't have extra elastic for him)

     He's the kind of doll I've wanted to work on for a long time. He's all broken and beautiful and dark. He's seriously the most beautiful doll I've ever seen. He gets prettier and prettier the more I work on/look at him. He's everything I've dreamed he would be. His posing is wonderful, the detail on his body is intricate, his resin color is perfect, and I even have the face I fell in love with all that time ago! I seriously couldn't have imagined a better doll if I wanted to.

Least favorite company?

     My least favorite company, totally honest, is Bobobie. It's just that after owning and handling a few of their dolls, they aren't up to par. This is probably going to come off as "hate", but I'm being totally honest. After handling several other dolls, I don't think I'll ever buy another Bobobie. Let's talk strictly about their bodies--not the ones that were brought over from Resinsoul, either--just the ones that are exclusive to Bobobie.
 
      They're, for the most part, single-jointed. For some people, this is fine. For others, it's no good. Then there's all the problems with the hips/waist. Half of their bodies can't even sit without modification. The 60cm boy body is double-jointed in the knees and actually has a semblance of a mobility joint, but then the arms are just a joke. They have a floating ball, sure, but there's no way in hell that you'll get those arms to move further than 90 degrees without sueding or wiring or something. And even with that help, it won't look natural. Even my Angel of Dream boy poses miles better, and AOD is not too far from the Bobobie price range. The double-jointed bodies available from Bobobie (that are technically Resinsoul bodies) are a little better, but even they need some serious work.

     I've been looking for new bodies for Kiwi and my RS Li for a while now.

     I think that if they worked more on the bodies and polished up the face sculpts a little more, I'd give them a second chance. As they are now, there's no way. They're affordable dolls, great. They offer a great selection of resin colors, awesome. But there isn't anything they have to offer to me personally. If saying I don't like Bobobie because I genuinely feel like their quality is really low makes me an elitist, then I'm a super elitist. I don't even care. I'm not going around sending people messages that their dolls are crap or anything personal like that. I honestly feel like their quality doesn't hold up compared to other dolls I've handled.

     Writing this actually makes me feel anxious because I know people will take this as fuel for their "people just hate on Bobobie because they're cheap" fire, and this isn't just me "hating" on them because I've got some made-up bias in my head. I think it's silly to just label each other as "cheap" and "elitist" just because we have different tastes (and even legitimate reasons we don't like certain companies). So please, before you go and call me an elitist, actually think about what I'm trying to say, and think about the fact that these are just my experiences and feelings. You have different experiences and different feelings, so it's perfectly fine for you to disagree.

~~Aronzo~~

Favorite doll company?

     It's Day 18, so that means it's time to start talking about companies--starting with my favorite.

     Ringdoll.

What does your family think?

     Day 15 is about your family's reaction to your dolls.

     I've said a bajillion times that my older brother collects BJDs, so for once I'm actually going to leave him out and focus on everyone else.

    My younger brother doesn't really care for them. He'll find any excuse to change the subject to Magic cards or D&D, and then get upset if I want to even mention dolls. He's kind of over-reactively intolerant of them.

     My mom thinks they're creepy and a waste of money. She thinks I'm digging into my savings and spending copious amounts of money on dolls, even after I explain to her about how I save and budget so that I'm not going hungry, and that none of the money from them has come from my "real job". She has "joked" about breaking them or selling them or just tossing them out, but often her "jokes" are more than a little serious.

     My grandma on my mom's side likes them. She thinks they're cute and she likes talking to me about sewing for and painting them. She collected dolls years back, and is very understanding about them.

     I am not on speaking terms with anyone on my dad's side of the family, other than my Uncle John, who is a really fun guy and thinks they're great. He works for Micron and likes anime, and when dolls come up he's mentioned making some to look like anime characters because he thinks it's really neat how far you can customize them.

    And the rest of my family, I don't see very often. If my grandpa (on mom's side again) were still alive, I'd love to show him my dolls and how I work with them. He taught me how to use tools and I got a lot of my interest for tinkering and customizing things from him. He passed away 4 years ago, and I only started collecting last year. I really wish I could have shown him.

~~Aronzo~~

Floating heads and headless horsedolls on day 14

     I have had one floating body before. It was an Angel of Dream MSD boy body that I got in a partial trade, and it was old, dirty and yellowed. I'd only had one BJD before at that point, which was a girl, so this was very different for me. Being a silly girl, I waited a couple days after the body showed up before I bought the head, so it was sitting around for about a month, headless. 

     And what did I do with it? 

   

What do your friends think?

     Day 12's challenge is about what your friends think about BJDs. My friends, well, most of them are collectors as well. I don't have many close personal friends offline (I kind of hang back in social situations) but my best friend should actually be getting the body for her second today, and most everyone else I know thinks the dolls are really cool.

     My boyfriend is fine with them, and actually really sweet about it. For my birthday, I got myself a Ringdoll Frankenstein only to find out after paying that they were selling him with a completely different head than what they'd been showing at conventions and in promo pictures! The head they were showing him with was the head I'd fallen in love with--the 2011 version--but luckily Ringdoll offered to let those who bought the 2013 edition buy the 2011 head as well. I really wanted that head, and so my boyfriend offered to buy it for me. Best birthday present ever, I tell ya.

     My older brother collects BJDs too, and actually started about a month before I did. He's mostly got SDs, but recently he got an Iplehouse Boris (MSD). I've been through more dolls, but currently his collection at home is bigger than mine. He thinks I buy too many dolls >3< Usually I save up for a while, though, or I work out a budget so that I'm not spending more than I have and so that I can still live comfortably.

    My grandma (mom's side) collected dolls when she was younger, and she seems to really like them. She understands more that I'm not some grownup person who needs to cling to an object to cope with the real world, and that having a doll isn't a sign of special needs. I have actually had people ask me in public if I have certain special needs, and the answer is always "No...I just collect dolls." (I have actually stopped bringing them out with me because of the kind of comments I got from strangers).

     A couple of my friends from high school are collectors, but I've kind of gotten out of touch with them since we graduated. I think it's kind of funny, but it wasn't until after I'd lost contact with most of them that we all started collecting. We're all usually doing different things and don't really have time to get together. It's kind of a shame, but we're also really different than who we were in high school. I don't really feel like we'd have anything in common other than dolls.

~~Aronzo~~

There's no Day 11?

     On the 30 Day Challenge list I found, there's no Day 11... so I guess today's another free-write day? Let's just pretend that "Collect any other dolls?" is today's topic. 

     Generally, no. I don't collect Monster High, Pullips, Blythe, Barbie, Raggedy Anne, or any other type of doll. I've only really been interested in BJDs, and most recently Dollfie Dreams (the two are similar enough, at least for me). I used to have two of the 1/6 scale Volks dolls, but once I moved on to BJDs that went out the window (one is sold, other one is just sort of lying around at my mom's house). 

     The reason I don't collect very many dolls is because, even among BJDs, many of them just don't appeal to me stylistically. I've seen many wonderful customs of other dolls, but they just aren't what I'd personally go for. There are some gorgeous Monster High repaints, but what would I do with them? I don't like the factory faceups, but that doesn't mean I'd want to redo them myself. And if I did get a custom, she would just be on display. For some people that's fine, but I'm not really one to display things like that. When I'm not taking pictures of my dolls, they're just kind of lying around, often in various stages of wigged/dressed. I don't want/need/have room for a doll I won't customize, and I'm picky about how I want my dolls to look. 

     The reason I prefer BJDs is because there's such a wide variety of combinations to choose from and because of how lifelike they can be. They aren't *quite* as hollow as some of their vinyl counterparts, so there's more room to work with for modding. They come in a very wide range of sizes and shapes from different companies. I guess what I'm trying to say is that they feel very unique. Even if you get a popular sculpt, it can look very different from somebody else's. That level of "one of a kind" is what really draws me in. The idea that the dolls can come pre-packaged with a faceup or you can choose to do it yourself, or that you can just buy parts and hybridize, or the mere fact that you can get the doll you want in various colors is kind of rare from what I've seen of the doll world. For me, BJDs have a special spark to them. 

     I'm really trying not to come off as bashing other dolls, because I do feel like they are beautiful, but what I'm trying to say is that most other dolls just aren't what I'm looking for. There are probably people who don't like BJDs and much prefer other dolls, and that's perfectly fine--in fact, it's great. The world would be really boring if we all liked the same things.

~~Aronzo~~

Breaking the rules on Day 10

     So I get that Day 10 is supposed to be a picture of one of your dolls with an animal. But where I live lacks animals. I don't have any pets, and even though the apartment complex is pet-friendly, it looks like all the cats that like to greet me on their daily walk (or just get belly rubs) are in hiding. I can't find a single animal that won't scurry away at the sight of a person, or even the sight of a doll.

     I'm going to break the rules of the challenge today, but I plan to stick to the rest of them for the rest of the 30 days. Instead, I'm going to write about my first near-BJD experience.

People want to know your favorite doll size on Day 8

     I really like big dolls. My brother and best friend both have big dolls, which I've spent most of my hobbytime playing with the smaller sizes. I've always wanted a big doll, and I'm especially excited to get my Ringdoll Frankenstein soon. I have a feeling he won't be my last big boy, seeing as I adore a lot of the Iplehouse EID guys. It's just the perfect size for male dolls, in my opinion. I like their mature, bumpy male faces. I love Iplehouse Eric's smirk and Dexter's hypnotic gaze. Don't even get me started on the Ringdoll Grown boys--they've got a special place in my heart.

     Some of them may be a pain in the wallet to dress, but they're so big and so masculine, and yet at the same time they're dolls. When most people aside from the BJD hobby think about dolls, they think about Barbies or baby dolls. These guys are like a whole different ball game from that. From something that's so stereotypically girlish and kept to smaller sizes in the mainstream, I love that these guys can break that mold. I don't even know why I'm so obsessed with having my boys so tall other than that, but after having some hands-on time with a few of them it just feels so perfect for me.

     By the way, they're frickin' huge compared to what I'm used to. Sure, I bought an SD girl a while back, but she's been in her box most of the time and she's already sold to somebody else. Here's a picture to show you how a 70cm Dollshe sizes up next to a couple of MSDs from Bobobie/Resinsoul (I used this site to make the comparison). Would you just LOOK at that height difference?

     I'm really, really looking forward to having some big boys. I know I just got a Littlefee with the money I got from selling my DL Thea, but I'm thinking it'll be great to have a big variety of dolls to choose from. I also like the contrast between heights of dolls. My RS Li looks mature to me when she stands on her own, but next to my friend's RS Dong she looks like a large doll (relative to his height) or a strange, agleless person. It really throws things off and I find that interesting.

Anyway. It's late, and I'm starting to ramble. Goodnight, with love!

~~Sleepy Aronzo~~

Day 7 is about little dolls

     Specifically, Day 7 is about the smallest doll you've owned, held, or otherwise come in contact with.

     Kiwi and Milo are both 15cm tall, but the smallest doll--who I used to own--was a Resinsoul Yu. Though still 15cm tall, the Resinsoul body is slimmer than the Bobobie body. She was an itty-bitty little thing with some pretty cute ears, but she just wasn't the doll for me. I'm still having issues with Kiwi's body that I just didn't feel like going through basically the same issues with another doll. I hadn't done any modifications on her that were all that engaging, and she just boiled down to another impulse buy. There's really not much else to say about here, so this is the last photo I took of her before shipping. I'd done her faceup, wig, pierced her ears, and that was all I'd done with her. Her name was Colette.

 

And on the sixth day...

     I talked about the biggest size doll I've ever owned/touched/seen in person.

     The biggest doll I've come in contact with is my friend's 70cm Resinsoul Dong. Maybe that'll change when my Ringdoll boy comes in. We'll have to weigh/measure them or something to see whose is bigger. It's actually a size I really like--quite the presence in a room, that's for sure. They're kind of heavy compared to my crew, but maybe I'll get used to it. MSD sized dolls used to feel like a sack of rocks, so I'm sure with time a 70cm won't even be a problem. If it is a burden, I'll start beefing and buffing up or something.

     I'm hoping, one day at least, to see one of those life-sized BJDs. I think it's kind of weird and cool at the same time because most of them are actually taller than me. I'd think the owner would have to invest in a wheelchair or something just to carry her around! And imagine the kinds of pranks you could pull on people with that! Just put some sunglasses on her and say she's your deaf, blind sister and roll her around the mall! Or you could set her on a bench like she's reading a book and watch to see how people react--whether they try to talk to her, or if they don't even notice that she's a doll because they're too busy with their own lives. I'm also interested in how lifelike a doll that size could get--whether somebody would go through all the trouble of painting on veins and freckles and all that intricate stuff, and how human that sort of detail would make her look. I feel like the detail in the sculpting for those dolls doesn't really come out in photos, which is a little disappointing. I'd really love to get a close look at one, someday!

~~Aronzo~~

Day 5/30

     The first BJD I ever saw.... It was back in 8th grade, but I actually still remember even the exact photo I saw of a BJD. Here it is. That's a Realpuki Soso, from Fairyland's site. I was watching over my big brother's shoulder because he'd come home excited about some super-customizable, super-poseable dolls and this was the first result to pop up in Google. That's literally all it took to get me hooked. 

     We took turns on our dinky laptop, an hour each. Once he'd looked through a few photos and shooed me away, I waited patiently for my turn and looked up the dolls for myself. It's been about seven years since that day, actually, and I guess it isn't a surprise that I actually went ahead and picked up a few. It's funny, since I don't think my brother remembers, but he mentioned a while back that if he got a tiny he'd want something with a little more personality, like a Realpuki. Soso is his favorite Realpuki so far. I think it's funny that if he did go ahead and get one, he'd be buying the first doll he saw, in a roundabout way of doing it. 

     Anyway. I hope that even though today's post is short that it was worth the read. Have a great day, everybody!

~~Aronzo~~

Day 4--Your first BJD

     My first BJD. It's kind of funny because when I was looking for a first doll, I was trying to go with the absolute cheapest option--a Bobobie Lucky. I was looking everywhere for one, but being the admittedly stingy person I am I never settled on one because they were all "too expensive" for me. And then I just randomly googled "BJD for sale" and this was literally the first result I got: More expensive doll.

Day 2--Do you own any BJDs?

     Yes, I own BJDs. A few of them, actually. 4 that are "officially" still mine, one sold, and I'm waiting for two more to come home. I've been a BJD owner for just over a year now, and I love it. I love the variety in dolls, even when you have a small number. Maybe one day I'll be one of those people who can boast of a long list of resin dolls, but I kind of hope I don't because I want to be able to give all of my dolls attention--which is something I struggle with enough already.

     Even though I don't give them as much attention as I used to (there's been a lot going on otherwise) I'm really glad to have them. I've had to work hard to save the money for each one, and rather than feeling shame because of the prices of them I feel proud that I was able to save all that money outside of my paychecks. When I save for a doll, all the money comes from babysitting or finding change on the street, or wherever else it pops up. I had a steady job when I did all my main buying (quit voluntarily, still financially stable enough to not have to worry about it luckily) but none of the money for my dolls came from that. I am not a rich person, but I'm glad to be a person with good budgeting skills so that I never went hungry or without anything else for a doll either. 

     Writing this makes me feel like I don't take enough pictures of my dolls now. Maybe I'll stop writing and go play with them now. Goodbye for today, everybody!

~~Aronzo~~

30 day challenge prompt #1

     Day 1 challenge is "Why do you like BJDs?"

     I've kind of talked about what I like to do in the hobby, and I guess that's why I like BJDs--customization. When I was a kid, my brothers and I were always trying to make our own toys out of whatever we could. We made dolls out of clothespins and scraps of felt, painted toys we already had to try to make them into characters we'd made up, and all sorts of other silly things just to get something that was our very own. The biggest goal, of course, was figuring out how to get them to pose. My older brother came pretty close just before we found out a BJDs--he sculpted figures out of Sculpey around a string framework, but it was just regular string and they didn't have actual joints to them. They were more like hard, floppy ragdoll things. 

     It was always about having something that was specifically ours, that nobody else had made or bought before--or at least that didn't look like everyone else's. We were all in competition about it, too--whose looked the nicest, or which one was sturdier, or if somebody started making something different than the other two was a big deal. It's kind of silly, but that little competition we had going was really great. We all really liked making things, and it helped us bond and play together as siblings. I wouldn't be into dolls if it weren't for my big brother, after all. 

     I also like them because dolls are something me and my older brother can really talk about. Our little brother gets borderline obnoxious when he doesn't want to hear about them, but with my older brother we can talk about our plans, faceups, and whatever else is going on in our lives. We talk each other in and out of projects, and I like that, together, we've got kind of a joined doll family going. Of course his dolls are strictly his and my dolls are mine, but what I mean is that we make or swap things with each other for our dolls. He just got an Iplehouse Boris, and we found that some of the clothes that were much too big for my RS Li will fit, so he's got them now. My big brother is one of the best friends I've had in my entire life, and I'm willing to admit that a part of what keeps me motivated in the hobby is the little competition we've still got going between us. Just because we have what we were striving for so long, doesn't mean we have to stop competing. Where's the fun in that?

     So anyway. I guess basically I like BJDs because they're that fully-customized toy that I've always wanted (except better) and because it's something I share with somebody who's always been very close to me. Oh, and because they're pretty. Well, I guess not all of them are pretty, I mean you've got your gore mods, cutesy dolls, anthros, and even dolls modeled after old people. I think what I'm trying to say is that I like them because they're whatever you make them. 

~~Aronzo~~

30 day BJD challenge

     I think, starting tomorrow, I'm going to start a 30 day BJD challenge. The prompts are as follows:

1) Why do you like BJDs? 

2) Do you own any? If so how many and if not, do you have any plans to at the moment?

3) Post a picture of all your dolls! 

4) What/who was the first BJD you ever owned? Do you still own them? (Who is your planned first?) 

5) What/who was the very first BJD you saw? 

6) Biggest size you own? (Have held/seen/like) 

7) Smallest size you own? (Have held/seen/like)

8) What is your favourite size? 

9) What is your least favourite size? 

10) Post a picture of a doll and an animal!

12) What do your friends think of your dolls/dolls in general? 

13) Dollie shoes! Show us how many you have! 

14) Have you ever had a floating head? What about a headless body? (What do you think you would do if you had either?) 

15) What do your family think of your dolls? 

16) Can any of your crew stand on their heads? 

17) What is your favourite item of dollie clothing?

18) Do you have a favourite company? 

19) A least favourite company?

20) What is your dream doll?

21) One doll you love, but will never (probably) buy? 

22) What’s your favourite doll scale prop? 

23) Is there a part of the BJD hobby that you dislike?

24) What about your favourite part of the hobby? 

25) Have you ever modded a doll? 

26) Done your own faceups? 

27) Do you have a favourite out of your own dolls? 

28) Post a crazy/silly pose!

29) Post a picture of your dolls exploring the outside world!

30) Have you ever been to a doll meetup? 

     This is probably going to kill me. I don't know why, but I can never stick to these things. Prompts are from: http://30daychallengearchive.tumblr.com/post/32526238006/30-day-bjd-challenge

*EDIT* Turns out they don't have anything for Day 11 on this list. I'm going to use it as a free choice day.