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Yay! Fat doll success! Here’s Margie.

Yay! Fat doll success! Here’s Margie. published on 3 Comments on Yay! Fat doll success! Here’s Margie.

Here are the results of another lazy project of mine. I was going to make Margie, Absinthe’s foster mother, as a complete, separate doll, but I got bored, so I just finished her head and stuck it on Davry’s body. I redressed Davry’s body and gave Margie some breasts made out of polyfill under her shirt. Voila.

Margie is posing next to Mark because Mark represents what Margie’s head looked like before I started work on it. To make Mark’s headsculpt into Margie’s, I carved down the forehead and the brow ridges. I also narrowed the nose and chopped a lot off the tip. I took a lot of width out of the jaw and the chin. Then I sanded with 220 grit sandpaper until most of the nicks from my crappy carving were sanded out. I gave Margie a new paint job mostly with pastels, painted her hair and made her a bun from Barbie hair.

I have now successfully made a dumpy, homely character!Continue reading Yay! Fat doll success! Here’s Margie.

Oh wait…I guess *I’M* the monster!!

Oh wait…I guess *I’M* the monster!! published on 1 Comment on Oh wait…I guess *I’M* the monster!!

Step aside, all post-apocalyptic last-man-on-earth sci fi scenarios. Richard Matheson’s 1954 novella, I Am Legend, did it first and best. A simply plotted but viscerally effective work, it focuses on Robert Neville’s efforts to stay alive, kill vampires, research the vampirism plague and retain his humanity in the face of crushing loneliness. Matheson writes with a gritty compassion about Robert’s messy desperate days, his horrific flashbacks about his wife’s death, vampiric resurrection and death again at his hands.

The best parts occur when Robert thinks he’s found other plague survivors: a dog, then a woman. Despite his best, most patient, grovelingly desperate advances, the dog dies after only providing a moment of tender respite to Robert. At this point in the novella, the reader feels about as broken-hearted as Robert; while Robert still stubbornly forges ahead in his habits of survival, the more emotionally astute reader begins to suspect that Robert’s world has no hope for humankind. The vampires are taking over. By the end of the story, Robert has the hardest, most chilling realization of all. The vampires rule the world, and they regard him as a murderous relic, a frightening aberration in their new society. He is the monster, not them. I strongly recommend this book.

Submit’s back!

Submit’s back! published on 3 Comments on Submit’s back!

I’ve finally put together all my Elfdoll Kathlens. One is Submit, obviously, and the other is either a ghost or a child vampire from some time between 1800 and 1860. The blue hair is temporary. I’m extremely pleased to have Submit back. Goddamn…that girl is cute. ^_^

Continue reading Submit’s back!

Why “women” “like” “vampires”

Why “women” “like” “vampires” published on 1 Comment on Why “women” “like” “vampires”

On the eve of the movie debut of Twilight, much pissing and swooning occurs on the subject of vampires as depicted in this film. Lots of articles wonder about the attraction that the Twilight vampires have to their audience.

Rosemary Black, New York Daily News: 1) Women are drawn to Byronic heroes. 2) We desire them because the intense fear provides orgasmic arousal. 3) They’re the ultimate symbol of a chaste sensuality. 4) They’re perpetually young, sexy and intensely devoted to their mortal lovers.

Kate Harding, Broadsheet [Salon]: 1) New York Daily News is full of shit. All the article’s arguments represent tired stereotypes about female sexuality. 2) Women are attracted to the recent crop of vampires because they are written by women and /or because there’s a focused on well-rounded female characters.

Henly 424, Salon commenter: The current iteration of the vampire, an intensely devoted, magical, eternally loving being with awesome superpowers, recapitulates the old fantasy that a supernatural creature can somehow rescue an ordinary kid from a life of boring normalcy and transform him/her into something powerful and stupendous, merely by association with the undead.

There’s not anything particularly attractive to women as a whole about vampires as a whole. For women as a whole to be attracted to vampires as a whole, both women as a whole and vampires as a whole would require definition as monadic entities. However, women are diverse in their attractions; vampires are diverse in their manifestations. The idea that "vampires" can reveal something "essential" about "feminine sexuality" can just go to hell.

Even if we’re talking about the type of vampires shown in the Twilight saga [which we probably are, even though it’s never explicitly stated], the question is still not "Why do women love vampires?" The question is "Why are these particular characters extremely popular among a huge subset of U.S. readers who are mostly teenaged and female?" There’s no ahistorical answer. I can’t stand it when people can’t frame their inquiries with appropriate exactness.

As to why the Twilight vampires are so popular with their audience, I think Laura Miller’s analysis of Bella as Mary Sue is an insightful start.

The LHF vampires are amused about the amount of critical ink being spilled in an attempt to explain their attractiveness to mortals. :p

LHF 3.6: “Soul’s Dark Night”

LHF 3.6: “Soul’s Dark Night” published on No Comments on LHF 3.6: “Soul’s Dark Night”

In which Will wakes Anneka to have an urgent discussion about their [lack of a] relationship.  http://oddpla.net/lhf/?p=132

Comments: I feel bad for both characters here. Both of them are obviously in pain, and both of them aren’t really listening to each other. Hmmm, that’s the story of their life together.

Anneka’s ability to fall asleep in the middle of heart-wrenching discussions unfortunately parallels my own.

Riddances special edition: trading books

Riddances special edition: trading books published on No Comments on Riddances special edition: trading books

I discovered Paperback Swap, and it is the BESTEST site ever!! You can post books you don’t want, which other users can then request of you. You send these books for the price of postage, in turn receiving credits that you can redeem for books posted by other users. I’m very excited because I posted the requisite 10 initial books that I wanted to get rid of, and, already, within hours, 5 of them have been claimed. Good riddance!!!

1 copy of Breaking Dawn
1 copy of The Spanish Pearl
1 copy of The Dictionary of Imaginary Places
1 copy of Between Women: Friendship, Desire, and Marriage in Victorian England
1 copy of Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess Worshippers and Other Pagans in America Today

Total 5 riddances
Grand total 126 riddances

Fly little books! Fly to new appreciative owners and GET THE HELL OUT OF MY LIFE!

Not A Cough In A Carload: Images from the Tobacco Industry’s Campaign to Hide the Hazards of Smoking

Not A Cough In A Carload: Images from the Tobacco Industry’s Campaign to Hide the Hazards of Smoking published on No Comments on Not A Cough In A Carload: Images from the Tobacco Industry’s Campaign to Hide the Hazards of Smoking

This beautiful collection of ads, centering on U.S. ads from the 1930s through the 1950s, portrays the tobacco industry’s cover-up of their drug’s deadly effects on users. Note how the manufacturers target especially vulnerable populations such as teenagers, college students, women and people of color. Bastards.

Special edition riddances: making others happy!

Special edition riddances: making others happy! published on No Comments on Special edition riddances: making others happy!

As you can see, I’m participating in the Holiday Wishlist meme, but I come off as too greedy and picky, so I’m not going to get anything off my list. That said, I can make others happy by scanning the lists in the Holiday Wishlist community and sending items to those who desire them. The following riddances have been sent off to a far better life with people who requested them on their wishlists:

1 copy of The Phantom Tollbooth
1 copy of Red As Blood: Tales from the Sisters Grimmer
1 package of origami paper

1 riddance was donated:
1 comforter
Total 4 riddances

Grand total 121 riddances

Holiday list, I guess — Holiday wishlist meme keyword spam LQQK! NRFB MIB NR

Holiday list, I guess — Holiday wishlist meme keyword spam LQQK! NRFB MIB NR published on 1 Comment on Holiday list, I guess — Holiday wishlist meme keyword spam LQQK! NRFB MIB NR

Gotten from Andrea.
1. New readers [and COMMENTS!] of my weekly Web comic, a sarcastic melodrama about vampires in Boston, Love Has Fangs.
2. Repeal of California’s Prop 8 and other anti-gay props that recently passed in other states…or at least support of organizations working to overturn such legislation and promote marriage equality around the US.
3. A new digital camera with at least as much power as the Kodak Easy Share Z712.
4. A 5-drawer, non-Ikea dresser.
5. A fat 1:6 female action figure.
6. Sideshow Friday the 13th VII Jason 1:6 action figure.
7. Doctor Who Clockwork Droid 12" action fig.
8. Donations in my name of perishables and/or your no-longer needed clothes, books, etc. to non-religious charities.
9. Vampire schlock broadly construed!

Cross-posted here to be glossed over by the masses because I think I missed the appropriate bouncy, generous tone.

Send me an LJ message if you need to get in touch with me.
Continue reading Holiday list, I guess — Holiday wishlist meme keyword spam LQQK! NRFB MIB NR

Recent riddances and my philosophy about ridding

Recent riddances and my philosophy about ridding published on 1 Comment on Recent riddances and my philosophy about ridding

1 fleece glove lost 🙁
1 hat with ear flaps lost 🙁
1 pair of BJD hands sold
1 BJD blanket sold
1 pile of papers shredded and recycled
Total 5 riddances
Grand total 117 riddances

I suppose I should explain my ideas about riddances. No matter how large/small the space I live in and no matter how many/few things I think I have, I accumulate more things than I expect. These things collect in nooks and crannies of space, such as bookshelves, hobby drawers, closet shelves, under the bed. Basically, they stack up anywhere that it is possible to stash something and forget about it…or at least ignore it for a while. Continue reading Recent riddances and my philosophy about ridding

Antique girl with purple eyes

Antique girl with purple eyes published on No Comments on Antique girl with purple eyes

So I’m getting another Kathlen from Dolls & Friends. No one seems to be buying her [except me], though the price has hit rock-bottom, and she’s so adorable. I felt sorry for the unpurchased Kathlens and yearned after them, mostly because the open-eyed face reminds me of a more mature Submit. Thus I made an offer to Dolls & Friends so low that I didn’t think they would accept it, but they did, so another is coming my way, along with some miscellaneous Rement cosmetics and bakery items!

Anyway, each Kathlen comes with 1 body, 1 head back and 2 face plates. 1 head back + 1 sleeping face plate went to Absinthe. Since she is on an action fig body, I have 1 open-eyed face plate + 1 Kathlen body left over. I’m not sure what to do with the leftovers; they might become a Very Young Will, or they might become an original character. Anyway, I dressed the extra Kathlen and gave him/her the open-eyed face just to see what he/she would look like. Antique girl with purple eyes below. Awwwww….Continue reading Antique girl with purple eyes

THEY’RE COMING TO YOUR TOWN!

THEY’RE COMING TO YOUR TOWN! published on 3 Comments on THEY’RE COMING TO YOUR TOWN!

The American Family Association is selling a DVD about queer people becoming a visible part of Eureka Springs, Arkansas. It’s an alarmist piece of tripe of blithering homophobia that harps about the nefariousness of gay invasions. Commenters from people on Shakesville amuse me greatly, especially the alternative gay agendas. Beware the ROY G. BIV skyscrapers! Boogedy boogedy!

Tale of Two Sisters 6: “And Gemini Makes Three”

Tale of Two Sisters 6: “And Gemini Makes Three” published on No Comments on Tale of Two Sisters 6: “And Gemini Makes Three”

In which Velvette and Janet discover that Gemini has an interesting scarf. http://oddpla.net/lhf/?p=128

Comments: Previously in our tangential plot, Velvette gets fed up with Janet’s insomnia-related crabbiness, so Janet tries to catch some sleep in the cemetery. Viktor, banished from the site of the man he was created for, discovers her on a sarcophagus and accosts her about his ill treatment by Sibley. Janet banishes him from her sight. Meanwhile, back at Janet and Velvette’s house, Velvette and Gemini are having some fun.

I love how Gemini’s sweet facial expression is belied by her devious mind.

Riddances: 12

Riddances: 12 published on No Comments on Riddances: 12

I haven’t been ridding myself of things for a while, but I just sold Jennifer’s body and some clothes, so I’m recording again.

11 BJD clothing items
1 BJD body
Total riddances 12
Grand total 112

Anyway, now that I have sold Jennifer’s body [for a vastly reduced price, due to the stains], I can get Ethan! [That’s Ethan Stuart, the 400-year-old walking skeleton who acts as unofficial king, judge and police of Boston vampire society.] Now I just have to find a place that sells that version of Jason for a reasonable price….

Souldoll is gonna debut a 70cm male centaur BJD!!

Souldoll is gonna debut a 70cm male centaur BJD!! published on No Comments on Souldoll is gonna debut a 70cm male centaur BJD!!

Well, normally, I don’t follow BJD news much these days, but I’m ecstatic to see the news mentioned in the subject line. [Here’s a product page which, as of yet, has nothing remotely resembling doll pictures on it.] Before this, all we had for commercially produced centaurs were the anatomically questionable [centaurs do not have 4 human feet!] Domadoll Kkotmus at about 12". Hopefully, Chiron [named after the wise teacher centaur, the only virtuous centaur in Greek mythology, yay!] will be a regular release, beginning a long line of therianthropic dolls including merfolk, general issue satyrs [as opposed to Soom’s beautiful but limited ones], nagas, sirens, et hoc genus omne.

Disturbing clothing ads: Death to cartoon characters!

Disturbing clothing ads: Death to cartoon characters! published on 2 Comments on Disturbing clothing ads: Death to cartoon characters!

What do you think of these ads over on SocIm? Frankly, they creep me out. This is what I said over there:

People of color as backdrop! Gun as penis! Murder as victory! YAAAAAAAY!

Beyond these things, I’m trying to articulate why this series is disturbing to me, perhaps because it brings cartoon characters into the non-cartoon world and gives them realistic remains. Most of the characters shown are heavily anthropomorphized, which adds an extra layer to their death. The trope of “big game hunt” doesn’t really fly for me when I see a tree with a sad humanoid face with its limbs amputated. What do other people think?

I’d like to hear opinions from other people.

LHF Tale of Two Sisters 5: “Mad Scientist in the Graveyard”

LHF Tale of Two Sisters 5: “Mad Scientist in the Graveyard” published on No Comments on LHF Tale of Two Sisters 5: “Mad Scientist in the Graveyard”

http://oddpla.net/lhf/?p=126

In which a mad scientist and a robot meet in the cemetery.

In our parallel plotline so far, the aforementioned two sisters, Velvette and Janet, have been bickering. Janet suffers migraines, during which she wants Velvette to wait on her. Naturally, Velvette chafes under these demands. Meanwhile, Janet’s creation, the sexbot Viktor, suffers maltreatment at the hands of his owner, Sibley, who keeps pushing him away. Viktor has already explained his problems to Velvette, but now he decides to take his complaint to the top: his creator, Janet.

This ep marks the reappearance of Viktor’s most popular ability: vibrating. Pity that no one ever actually wants him to use it. :p

One of Will’s less tacky sartorial choices

One of Will’s less tacky sartorial choices published on No Comments on One of Will’s less tacky sartorial choices

By any standard of the imagination, it’s still quite tacky, though. Nevertheless, he looks very pleased with himself. I always imagine him dressing kind of like Oscar Wilde during his life, only with less panache and more clash.Continue reading One of Will’s less tacky sartorial choices

My writing has appeared in…

My writing has appeared in… published on No Comments on My writing has appeared in…
  • United Parenting Publications: 2004-2005
  • Out in the Mountains: 2004-2005
  • Associated Content: 2005
  • Clarion Reviews: 2005-2006, 2008-present
  • Tangent Online: 2005-2007
  • Dollicieux: 2006
  • Curve Magazine: 2007
  • The Fix Online: 2007-present
  • Sociological Images: 2008-present
  • Kirkus Discovery: 2008-present
  • Trends: 2008-2009

Hmm, not bad for a side interest spanning 4 years. My work at Sociological Images has been the most enjoyable, since I get to dissect bits of pop culture whenever I feel like it.

Doll notes: Jennifer and Absinthe

Doll notes: Jennifer and Absinthe published on 1 Comment on Doll notes: Jennifer and Absinthe

While trying to banish several fur wigs from my life, I reexamined the pictures I took of Jennifer modeling them. The pictures are not that great because she has a little peanut head, so most of the wigs are too big on her. Nevertheless, I was struck by the glowing contrast of her electric blue eyes with her milk-colored skin. She photographs very well in full-spectrum light, and I should take more pictures of her.

I finished my reincarnation of Absinthe last night. You can’t see, but she has a pair of jeans on that are the perfect height and width for her size. [She is 23 cm.] The jeans have no label, but I strongly suspect that they are Bratz Boyz clothes, which means that I have a character who can fit into Bratz clothes! She does not like Bratz girl clothes, though, so I have to find her some schlumpy casual wear among the Bratz Boyz stuff.

Speaking of Bratz Boys, I need to get some Bratz Boyz shoez and some screws. Then I will drill the screws up into the ankles of some of my dolls who don’t have feet [a surprising number], and they can have shoes! Unfortunately, Bratz Boys stuff is not as easy to find as the girl stuff.

Today’s riddances: 7

Today’s riddances: 7 published on No Comments on Today’s riddances: 7

5 books donated
2 BJD wigs sold

Total 7 riddances
Grand total 102 riddances

Well, I met the goal of getting rid of 100 things in 100 days. I am too motivated for such paltry limits! Fear my ridding skills! I still have many things to get rid of, though. I have some BJD stuff that is not moving, even though I am giving it away. I’ll try reposting. I also have 1:6 stuff, especially doll heads, in my parts bin. I need to post those too. There are a few things in my closet that I can purge as well….

A Taste for Blood: Non-Human Sanguivores

A Taste for Blood: Non-Human Sanguivores published on No Comments on A Taste for Blood: Non-Human Sanguivores

Natalie Angier writes a New York Times article about non-human organisms that subsist wholly or partly on the blood of other organisms. Most illuminating for my purposes is the commentary here:

Moreover, even though we rightly cherish our own blood as the indispensable elixir of our lives, it turns out that, as a foodstuff for others, it is surprisingly thin gruel. Blood is more than 95 percent water, with the rest consisting mostly of proteins, a sprinkling of sugars, minerals and other small molecules, but almost no fat. Tiny creatures can do fine on such light fare, which is why the great majority of exclusive blood eaters are arthropods…. For larger sanguivores, though, it is as much of a challenge to survive on blood as it is to acquire it.

Small wonder that wholehearted exclusive blood feeding is rare among vertebrates, and that two of the three species of vampire bats are found in such low numbers they are at risk of extinction….

The moral of the story is that blood, while rich in symbolism, is impoverished in actual food value. Therefore I suspect that most attempts to make an exclusively sanguivorous vampire biologically convincing are pretty silly insofar as they ignore the basic fact that a human-sized biped that runs solely on blood would have to be drinking it constantly [and pissing out all the watery plasma constantly, HAH!]. Much more believable to create an opportunistic sanguivore that likes blood and drinks it whenever possible, but does not get more than, say, 25% of its diet therefrom. Maybe like the LHF vampires, who are all united by their taste for human blood, but who also eat omnivorously??

P.S. Here’s Angier’s general paean to human blood, a "marvelous fluid tissue…that not only feeds us and cleans us," but also tastes delicious.

Spinsters and superfluous single women

Spinsters and superfluous single women published on No Comments on Spinsters and superfluous single women

As Margaret Oliphant argues, the terms in which "superfluous" women are discussed in Victorian discourse are very telling. In her analysis, the "problem" with unmarried women was not in they themselves but in their treatment by the many who held opinions on the matter.

–Rita Kranidis, The Victorian Spinster and Colonial Emigration: Contested Subjects, p. 42

I need information about the cultural perspectives on and opportunities open to unmarried Victorian women, since Mary, whose diary I transcribed, remained single all her life [1864-1938]. Thus I’m reading the aforementioned title, about the massive export of single British women to British colonies, holdings and territories in the Victorian era.

While a lot of this book concentrates on how both the women and the colonies are equally portrayed as dangerous goods to be literally marginalized so that they can benefit the center [= Great Britain], some of it is relevant. I need a general discussion of the middle/late Victorian views on unmarried women; this book is not a foundational source of information, but it’s a good supplement to those I have already amassed.

His rebus dictis, what is going on in that second sentence I quoted?!! "The problem…was not in THEY themselves?!" It should be "them themselves." I assume Kranidis was overcompensating for the odd-sounding semi-redundancy of "them themselves," but gah! She’s a scholar! With editors! Either she or her editors should have caught this mistake.

I loathe hypercorrections such as these, cases where people mistakenly use subjects instead of objects because they think the subjects sound more formal and correct. Even Barack Obama, despite being The Shining Prince Of Hope Who Will Bring Peace, Prosperity And Hypoallergenic Shelter Puppies For All, perpetrates such language abuses. In a press conference on November 7th, he said, "Well, President Bush graciously invited Michelle and I to — to meet with him and first lady Laura Bush." NOOOOO, it’s supposed to be "Michelle and me!" I hate it when people can’t grammatify correctly.

Best thing about Hellboy 2

Best thing about Hellboy 2 published on No Comments on Best thing about Hellboy 2

I really liked the aesthetic choices for the elven characters. All of them had yellowish white skin, like spoiled milk or dead cheese. Their lips were dark if not black, their irises glowing yellow, their hair the color of thin piss. They had no eyebrows, which made their eyes extra striking. They looked sickly, corpse-like and vampiric, appropriate for a race of characters going extinct.

Absinthe and her cloud of hair

Absinthe and her cloud of hair published on No Comments on Absinthe and her cloud of hair

I made Absinthe a headcap out of plastic wrap and tape. Last night and tonight I glued wefts of white mohair to it. Here is the untrimmed result. I don’t think I’ll trim it, but I do need to get it out of her face. She looks so serene and wild, which is good, because both those traits are aspects of her character. Continue reading Absinthe and her cloud of hair

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army published on No Comments on Hellboy 2: The Golden Army

Yay, I finally saw Hellboy 2, in which Hellboy, Abe Sapien, Liz the firestarter and Dr. Strauss the ectoplasmic comic relief race to keep an insane elf, Prince Nuada, from activating mechanical warriors and destroying the world. Meanwhile, Hellboy and Liz have domestic disputes, which are magically resolved when Liz gets pregnant with two devil/human halfbreeds, and Abe goes gooshy and loses all dignity for the insane elf’s twin sister, Princess Nuala. Cigars are chomped; monsters are dispatched; quips are tossed off, and everyone has a silly good time.

This movie is amusing, diverting and charming, and it could be even better with a reduction of romantic goop, which is out of character for all the characters, and a greater focus on Nuada and Nuala. They’re actually interesting, since they know they’re part of a dying kind; even though Nuada fights back, both he and his sister seem to know that the elves and all the magical creatures that they represent are doomed. Thus the film argues for a manifest destiny sort of colonization of the imagination, with Hellboy et al. in especially weird positions because they’re on the colonizers’ sides. But the film ultimately prefers to wallow in sluggish love songs, rather than this interesting thematic tension.

Best images of canceled BTVS Tarot

Best images of canceled BTVS Tarot published on 1 Comment on Best images of canceled BTVS Tarot

There was going to be a BTVS tarot once, but it, in the manner of all good things, got cancelled. Saddened at the abortion of a promising artistic project, I collected the highest quality images I could find of the cards that had been previewed. Please take the links to admire the files in their full glory. The existence of almost half the Major Arcana makes me think that the art for the entire deck was completed, and we will never see it, sob sob sob.

  • 0. Fool. Here is the first Slayer at the beginning of her kind’s fateful journey.
  • 1. Magician. Buffy wields stupendous magic power in the first female interpretation of this card I’ve seen.
  • 2. High Priestess. Willow is the feminine magical principle.
  • 6. The Lovers. According to an interview with deck designer Rachel Pollack, this card shows Buffy and Angel.
  • 10. Wheel of Fortune. The Master rules the cycle of judgment, death, transformation and undeath.
  • 11. Justice. According to Pollack, this card shows Willow.
  • 13. Death. This looks like the ritual that created the first Slayer.
  • 14. Temperance. Angel in vamp mode represents a balance between all desires and duties.
  • 15. Devil. Buffy and Spike [in vamp mode] are tempted to sick carnal delights.
  • 16. Tower. This looks like Buffy sacrificing herself at the end of season 5.
  • 19. Sun. The death-dealing, life-saving power of the Slayer smites the evil vampire.

“May I please have a cheeseburger.com?”

“May I please have a cheeseburger.com?” published on No Comments on “May I please have a cheeseburger.com?”

My 6-year-old stepkidsy enjoys watching us go to icanhascheezburger.com and reading the LOLcats out loud to her. She asks to see "kitty pictures" regularly. While she certainly enjoys pictures of adorable animals doing amusing things, she has yet to grasp the inherent humor of LOLspeak, as evidenced by her hypercorrect name for icanhascheezburger.com: "mayipleasehaveacheeseburger.com." She has requested this much politer and more grammatically correct site several times on the past visits. ^_^ She also tries to make up her own LOLspeak jokes. Sometimes we can hear her trying them out: "O hai is u my kidsy?" Or, "Sleeping cat is sleeping!"

Battleground of Desire: The Struggle for Self-Control in Modern America

Battleground of Desire: The Struggle for Self-Control in Modern America published on No Comments on Battleground of Desire: The Struggle for Self-Control in Modern America

As much as I like subject-delimited histories [i.e., about sex and gender roles in the U.S. in the late Victorian Era], I actually prefer thematically based overviews, such as Battleground of Desire, which takes a general subject — controlling the body/emotions/sexual expression in the Victorian bourgeoisie — and shows how the concepts of this struggle for self-control distribute themselves through all aspects of daily life. When I read about the many ways in which the fight for self-control could manifest itself — in diary entries chastising oneself for being too passionate [something Mary does frequently], in the schoolroom punishment to “go sit in the corner and think about the consequences of your actions,” to the widespread horror of masturbation, called “self-abuse,” to the huge obsession with correct posture, to the intractable debate about restrictive corsets vs. “healthier” clothing with room to breathe– I get a better sense of what  it might have been like to live  during that period with those things on my mind. While Battleground does not go into lots of detail on any subject, it’s a learned synthesis of many individual cultural trends, and it’s based on solid research.

LHF 3.5: “Stirrings of Life”

LHF 3.5: “Stirrings of Life” published on No Comments on LHF 3.5: “Stirrings of Life”

http://oddpla.net/lhf/?p=97 In which Will can’t get no satisfaction, but Velvette and Gemini can!

Comments: Welcome another character to the cast: Gemini! She’s not really new, so much as she is newly appearing. Those of you who have very long memories and attention to this sort of detail may recall the story of how Anneka’s best friend Pippilotta was turned into a vampire. It was a sordid affair in which she was exploited by one Gemini Beaumont purely to make Gemini’s squeeze jealous. Gemini comes from the wild and self-destructive End of the World, a clan based in Provincetown, so her reputation as a dangerous agent of chaos precedes her. She and Velvette seem to get along well, though.

It may be difficult to read, but Janet’s white board has lots of helpful messages on it, like “Order stem cells” and “Kraftwerk rules! <- So does Velvette” and “Remember – Velvette = sister. <- That’s not funny! <- That’s because you have no sense of humor.”

FS: Elfdoll Kathleen Winter Fantasy LE outfit + wig for 20cm/8″ dolls, $25

FS: Elfdoll Kathleen Winter Fantasy LE outfit + wig for 20cm/8″ dolls, $25 published on No Comments on FS: Elfdoll Kathleen Winter Fantasy LE outfit + wig for 20cm/8″ dolls, $25

FS: Elfdoll Kathleen Winter Fantasy LE outfit + wig for 20cm/8" dolls, $25 with domestic shipping included. Out-of-U.S. shipping is more. From the Dolls & Friends LE 20 Winter Fantasy Kathlen [same size, 20cm, as Elfdoll Hana and Doona Soah/Ryung]. Includes dress, capelet, muff, tights, shoes and wig. Never put on doll, taken out of package only for photo, then put back in. Picture of outfits alone is mine. Picture of Kathlen modeling outfit from Dolls and Friends. Doll not included!! Continue reading FS: Elfdoll Kathleen Winter Fantasy LE outfit + wig for 20cm/8″ dolls, $25

Free lot of Re-ment: drinks, coasters, stool, watering can, bowling stuff — pay shipping

Free lot of Re-ment: drinks, coasters, stool, watering can, bowling stuff — pay shipping published on 1 Comment on Free lot of Re-ment: drinks, coasters, stool, watering can, bowling stuff — pay shipping

Free lot of Re-ment: drinks, mugs, foot stool, watering can, bowling stuff — pay shipping. Will not split. Shipping is $1 in U.S., more internationally.
Continue reading Free lot of Re-ment: drinks, coasters, stool, watering can, bowling stuff — pay shipping

Mock-up of the new Absinthe

Mock-up of the new Absinthe published on No Comments on Mock-up of the new Absinthe

Here’s a mock-up of how I want Absinthe to look. I pasted a picture of her sleeping head onto a picture of old Absinthe, who has the type of hair that I want. She looks so sweet!

I decided to make Absinthe a hybrid with the Kathlen head and an Obitsu body. I’ll order it tomorrow; tonight I need some sleep!Continue reading Mock-up of the new Absinthe

Short characters in LHF

Short characters in LHF published on 1 Comment on Short characters in LHF

Kathlen arrived today! She’s such a cutie. Her head is perfect for Absinthe’s upgrade, especially the serene sleeping face. However, Kathlen’s body is much too short. Below, Kathlen stands in a line-up with some of the shortest LHF characters with my 1:6 Frank for comparison. From left to right, they are Kathlen, Susie, the old version of Absinthe, Davry, Little Will and then Frank [not an LHF cast member]. I’d like Absinthe’s upgrade to be shorter than Little Will.Continue reading Short characters in LHF

Today’s riddances: 6 — plus a note on affording Kathlen

Today’s riddances: 6 — plus a note on affording Kathlen published on No Comments on Today’s riddances: 6 — plus a note on affording Kathlen

5 books resold
1 document box recycled
Total 5 riddances
Grand total 64 riddances

NOTE: I’m doing pretty well generating some extra money to cover Kathlen. Plus shipping, she was $231.50. I’ve done 2 Clarion reviews x $50.00 a review, so there’s $100.00. I have also earned $58.58 so far from the sale of BJD items. [It would be more, but for damned Paypal fees.] Anyway, that’s $158.58. I’m on the deck for at least 1 more Clarion review x $50.00 a review and 1 Kirkus Discovery review x $50.00 [less taxes] a review, so those two assignments should bring me up around the price of Kathlen.

About Absinthe — as I mentioned earlier, she’ll either be an Obitsu/resin hybrid, which will be cheap, or a hybrid of two types of BJD, which will be costlier. I did a lot of comparisons earlier this week and narrowed down potential resin body donors to the following:

Not Doll/Roxy Pandora/Miriam/Yohimbin. Pluses: Appropriate height, appropriate color, double-jointed arms. Minuses: Single-jointed legs, "droopy" headsculpt. [I might as well try to get another 1:6 kidsy out of this with a headsculpt that I like.]

Soul Doll Soul Little Jandi. Pluses: Beautiful sculpting, double-jointed arms and legs, cute headsculpt. Minuses: Not pale enough, a bit too tall, quite robust.

Orientdoll Joong. Pluses: Inexpensive. Minuses: Too short, just 20cm, no double joints, apparently not being made any more.

I’m writing a book. Also, marriage is an elastically inclusive institution.

I’m writing a book. Also, marriage is an elastically inclusive institution. published on 1 Comment on I’m writing a book. Also, marriage is an elastically inclusive institution.

This is not anything new. I’ve been writing it for about two years now. To be fair, I should more accurately say that I’m collaborating with Mary Elizabeth Collins, an ancestor of mine [1866-1938]. She wrote a diary of her high school years in Plattsburgh, New York between 1884 and 1887, which I have transcribed. I’m in the process of annotating it. Since she writes a lot about her various courtships [and repeatedly turning down marriage proposals!!], most of my introductory material concentrates on dating and marriage in the late Victorian era.

Anyway, for my book, I was reading Nancy Cott’s Public Vows: A History of Marriage and the Nation. It’s an overview of marital practice and law on both state and local levels in the United States from colonial times to 2000. A cursory scan of the book shows American marriage as a fluid concept that steadily expands to include people of different races, married women’s property rights, no-fault divorce, parties of the same sex, etc. Though I’m still hurting from the fact that 53% of Californian voters personally hate me, I take heart from the long view proposed by Cott. Using the U.S. as a case study, she shows that marriage is an almost infinitely elastic institution. Those who campaign to stretch it always, always, always win out over those who try to keep it restrictive.

Even though Public Vows is not very relevant to my book, it’s relevant to my life, so I feel a tiny bit better.

KenMen’s makeup for men

KenMen’s makeup for men published on No Comments on KenMen’s makeup for men

Thanks to Sociological Images’ post about makeup for men, I found the KenMen Web site, where appear many types of makeup and skin care products for men. Or, at least, they are aimed at men, with language that connotes machismo and aggression. The defensive deployment of language all over the site — in a strident attempt to convince consumers that the products are not coded either feminine or queer — is enthralling. Interestingly enough, despite KenMen’s exertions to heterosexualize and masculinize makeup, it still sells foundation with the name Cream Me Face Base. To me, at least, the phrase "cream me" says "ejaculate on my face," which, if the implied consumer is a man getting ejaculated on, sounds rather gay.

P.S. Someone needs to take an international poll about the associations of the name Ken. My first association is with Barbie’s boyfriend, who is connoted as an anatomically incorrect, bland, largely useless and even outright stupid character. Therefore, I don’t find KenMen an auspicious name for a men’s makeup company. But perhaps the name has different associations elsewhere around the world.

Fur BJD wigs for $2, MSD/SD/Dollshe/Mecha Angel — and some free mohair

Fur BJD wigs for $2, MSD/SD/Dollshe/Mecha Angel — and some free mohair published on No Comments on Fur BJD wigs for $2, MSD/SD/Dollshe/Mecha Angel — and some free mohair

Hey hey hey and welcome to MW’s Please Get It Out Of My House Sale, where you benefit from ridiculously low prices, and I benefit from less stuff in my life.

All wigs shown on my Obitsu Friend Gretel, whose head is somewhere between SD and MSD size. All are $2 apiece, except for the mohair, which is free. Shipping is $1 in the US, more internationally. Paypal only, unless you’re local.Continue reading Fur BJD wigs for $2, MSD/SD/Dollshe/Mecha Angel — and some free mohair

Hi there, Absinthe!

Hi there, Absinthe! published on No Comments on Hi there, Absinthe!

Sadly, Dolls and Friends is closing early in December, so the U.S. loses another reseller of Asian BJDs. Happily for me, all remaining stock is deeply discounted, so I got Elfdoll Kathlen, a 20cm BJD with 2 faceplates [awake and asleep], outfit, eyes and wig, for $221.00 without shipping.  Her original price was $340.00, so that’s 35% off. Continue reading Hi there, Absinthe!

Mneh.

Mneh. published on No Comments on Mneh.

Obama won the presidency, which is good, assuming that a) he actually delivers on some of the liberal tendencies he’s been talking about and b) no one tries to assassinate him. Also, Massachusetts keeps its income tax, decriminalizes small amounts of marijuana and bans dog racing. That’s also good.

More depressingly, California passes Prop 8 to outlaw gay marriage; gay marriage bans are also passing in Arizona and Florida, while, in Arkansas, unmarried couples are now banned from being foster or adoptive parents. Ah, the good ol’ USA, home to lip service of equality and practice of segregation. Why do these country’s institutions hate people so much if they’re not straight, white, rich, non-disabled men? No…seriously…why do this country’s institutions so venomously and murderously despise most of its citizenry? I’m exhausted.

Assignment: Convert hatred to understanding and acceptance. Prognosis: Doubtful.

“Zydrate comes in a little glass vial.” / “A little glass vial?” / “A little glass vial!”

“Zydrate comes in a little glass vial.” / “A little glass vial?” / “A little glass vial!” published on No Comments on “Zydrate comes in a little glass vial.” / “A little glass vial?” / “A little glass vial!”

So I just watched a Youtube version of Zydrate Anatomy, a song from Repo! The Genetic Opera. Murky and full of visual hiccups, it featured Alexa Vega and Paris Hilton and some guy who looked like he was out of a steampunk Liaisons Dangereuses. I am reminded favorably of Marilyn Manson and the New York Dolls in both concept and costumes. Perhaps this would be an interesting movie to see, although, of course, it’s probably not showing anywhere near me. [Trailer here.]

LHF 3.4: “Freaks’ Night Out”

LHF 3.4: “Freaks’ Night Out” published on No Comments on LHF 3.4: “Freaks’ Night Out”

In which Anneka avoids her grief by partying with friends. http://oddpla.net/lhf/?p=93

Comments: Time for some new characters! Davry previously appeared in Tale of Two Sisters 2 “Fighting the Robot,” but here we learn a bit more about him: namely, that he’s a rather annoying progressive. I think Andrew purposefully highlights her red-blooded manliness just to annoy Davry. Hee hee.

I took pictures of Central Square for the backgrounds on a cloudy early fall morning. Anyone who says it’s too light out for vampires will be summarily ignored. :p

The dolls are alive…we’ve diagrammed their life cycle.

The dolls are alive…we’ve diagrammed their life cycle. published on No Comments on The dolls are alive…we’ve diagrammed their life cycle.

Thanks, Volks. This chart explains everything: how dolls are born, how they grow, how they have lives, how they die?! …But I wonder about hybrid dolls. Does Frank, a Volks Yukinojo head on a Dollmore Model Doll body with Twiglimbs arms, have only 1/3 of a soul or something? The chart is silent. Noooooo !  Just when I think this hobby is all about people having fun and playing with dolls, something reminds me that there are some big cultural differences between my perceptions of dolls and other BJD owners’ perceptions.  Continue reading The dolls are alive…we’ve diagrammed their life cycle.

Yesterday and today’s riddances: 7

Yesterday and today’s riddances: 7 published on No Comments on Yesterday and today’s riddances: 7

Yesterday’s riddances
1 pile shredded mail recycled
1 pile 1:6 related papers recycled
1 flat cardboard recycled

Today’s riddances
1 pair dress shoes donated
1 doll magazine recycled
1 BJD dress sold
1 pair BJD shoes sold

Total 5 riddances
Grand total 26 riddances

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