by Elizabeth A. Allen
Entertaining. Works best with recent pop culture figures. Did not work with Willa Rahv, protagonist of the 1970s YA novel Early Disorder by Rebecca Jacobs, my favorite novel. It did, however, guess Jareth [hah!] and Candide [probably because it was developed by French people].
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\o/ I will be purchasing some Lumedoll Lumelight heads: elf Koit in tan, Blaze in yellow and Arine in tan. I’m very excited about Koit and Arine, as I love those sculpts, while Blaze will be a challenge. He looks stupefied in all the owner pics I’ve seen of him, so I’d like to try to make him look…uh…less stupefied. Typically, I like dolls with open mouths [witness Araminthe, Janvier Jett, Lola Paprika], but somehow Blaze tends to look like his train of thought is still boarding at the station.
Woo hoo! An excuse to hit up Hujoo for some bodies, at least two chocolate ones. Are you listening, Andrea? That’s at least $40.00 of the way toward free s/h!
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Detail photos by request of certain items from the inventory list of Rements.
This is Megan Meehan, Zombieville resident and Dr. Z.’s assistant.
She is a Sterling Silver Rose Hispanic Barbie. Here’s the concept art by Bob Mackie on her box.Continue reading Everyone, meet Megan!
My 1:6 scale kitchen now has yellow blotches on it. It used to have white countertops and lavender cupboards underneath. Now it just looks revolting. See bottom row, lefthand corner of the two inventory photos below:
Continue reading My kitchen is yellowing. 🙁
After staring at my inventory photos, I have mentally sorted my Rements into three categories. There’s stuff I’m definitely getting rid of in bulleted lists. There’s stuff I’d like to keep in lists at the end of the bulleted lists. And then there’s stuff that I could go either way on, which is not listed at all.
If you’re interested in any of the stuff shown below, let me know, whether it’s from the definite riddances list, the ambivalent non-list or even the keepers list. You’ve got to really, really tempt me, though, to give up something from the keepers list. :p
Continue reading The Rements part II
Junky Spot carries Apple Doll resin heads for $20.00 apiece…perfect for experimentation! I particularly like Biki.
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I took some large pictures of my boxes of Rements. Actually, they’re technically my boxes of 1:6 scale accessories, with the exception of those currently in use or in storage. But a huge portion of them are Rements, so that’s why I’m calling them.
Some people organize their Rements according to the sets in which they were packaged. I organize mine by category.Continue reading The Rements [well, 95% of them, anyway]
I have acquired a third 5StarDoll tiny girl body for the purposes of fattening someone up. At this rate, I will have perfected fattening techniques in a few weeks.
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Tutorial on DOA: http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?39703-Tutorial-on-dyeing-your-doll-(with-pics)
Discussion thread on DOA: http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?50004-Dyeing-a-Doll
spamsama’s tutorial in DOA discussion thread: http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?50004-Dyeing-a-Doll&p=1951682&viewfull=1#post1951682
Tutorial on BJD_WTF: http://bjd-wtf.livejournal.com/2251.html
This sounds like so much fun! I am definitely doing this with Metel when she arrives! \o/
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This gem is from Monday’s Dear Prudence, a trove of crap:
Letter writer: "I’m in my late 20s with a husband and a young daughter. My husband, who has a familial history of thyroid problems and high blood pressure, has gained nearly 100 pounds in the five years we’ve been married. He has developed liver problems and high cholesterol, OBVIOUSLY because he’s so disgustingly fat.
"I exercise and eat healthily and encourage him to do the same, but he resists, calling me a nag. He’s a grown man, but I’m so concerned about his health that I refuse to treat him like an independent agent. How can I further insult him by infantilizing and objectifying him?"
Prudie: "Fat people are gross. They’re also stupid lazy slobs who don’t eat right or exercise and can’t perceive that their fat is killing them. KILLING THEM I SAY!
"Oh wait…you had a question there. I strongly recommend going to a ‘bariatrician,’ a.k.a. someone with lots of letters after their name who gets paid handsomely for bullying people into losing weight and supporting the lucrative, ultimately futile diet industry.
"I also recommend even more nagging and shaming. Project for your husband a future in which he lurches from health crisis to health crisis and where you have to take care not only of your daughter, but also his fat lazy ass. That should motivate him into the spiral of shame and self-hatred that makes people lifelong devotees of the ‘bariatric’ industry.
"Good luck…you’re gonna need it. At the rate your husband”s going, I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up wheelchair-bound, never to walk again, because he’s such a tub of lard. Then he’d be fat and disabled, and that would just be…[ralllllllphgack].
"Excuse me. On second thought, forget the ‘bariatrician’ and the extra nagging. Just do the world a favor and put him out of his misery now. Poison his cupcakes."
What a sad, bitter, lonely, empty life she must lead to be so full of hatred toward fat and/or disabled people.
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I was reading an open thread on Shakesville about what people collect. Then I started wracking my brains about my own collections.
I’m actually not much of a collector. This may seem like a hypocritical statement, given the sheer numbers of my doll population; however, I don’t consider my dolls a collection. To me, the term "collection" denotes a group of objects that mostly just sit there being admired. While some of my dolls sit there, looking pretty, I play with most of them. They’re my toys, of which I happen to have amassed a lot.
Anyway, in the past, I have collected the following:
I currently collect the following:
I have a small selection of my Labyrinth ephemera [novelization, Labyrinth Photo Album, French lobby cards, Japanese program, Goblins of Labyrinth, comic adaptation {I think}] on my bookshelf, but that collection is no longer active. I also still have a few of my lesbian pulps, but that collection is no longer active either.
Now that I think about it, I could easily sell or give away most of my Labyrinth ephemera. I have, can find or can make digital copies of a substantial portion, although I would keep the Photo Album just for nostalgic reasons. As for the pulps, I can scan the covers [sometimes the best parts!] and find some special collections in which they could be preserved and referred to as a part of twentieth-century queer history.
I’m also thinking that I don’t use most of my Rements either. All those detailed 1:6 scale models of specialized food etc. just sit in my storage containers. When I do use some of it, it’s the basic stuff, like plates, cups, bowls, silverware, pots, pans, kitchen utensils. If I do use the food, it’s fast food, sweets, drinks of all types.
Okay…time to clear out the Rements!
…And my closet too, while I’m at it.
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Mimiwoo sells Hujoo dolls [26cm] in white, apricot and chocolate for ~$40.00 with s/h included, but they all come with those unappealing heads. Blech!
Hujoo itself sells bodies without heads for $20.00 apiece, but s/h for orders <$100.00 is $20.00, while s/h for orders >$100.00 is free. I’d have to get at least 2 or 3 bodies to make the increased s/h worthwhile. That said, those bodies are amazingly cheap, so it would probably be a worthwhile investment.
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I forgot that Chaz is a woman of color! [She is a tan Batchix Nan Sook.]
I wonder if Lumedoll or Tinybear would sell just some 1:6 scale tan heads to me?
Ooooh, a fellow Figurvore member made a hybrid from a Tinybear Coco and a Hujoo Wings. I like that idea!
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On October 23, 2012, I listed the 1:6 scale BJDs I wanted: Elfdoll Doona Ryung, Xagadoll Lara, Tinybear Bonbon, Alchemic Lab Unoa Light Fluorite and Souldoll Soul Little Metel. In less that three months, I’ve acquired all of them [counting my Alchemic Lab Azurite for the Fluorite] except for Xagadoll Lara. I’m less interested in Lara these days, so I’m fine with not having her.
With all of my previous 1:6 scale resin wants satisfied, I now covet, In no particular order, the following:
Easiest to get would be Koit, since he’s still in print. Second easiest would be Cylin, as she appears on the secondhand market with some frequency. Hardest to get would be Auber, who very rarely appears on the secondary market.
Blah blah BLAH!!!
P.S. I have a disturbing lack of dolls of color in this iteration of my population. Pretty much everyone is "white skin" or "normal skin," with the exception of my Limhwa Sara [currently known as Kristin]. I am now considering dyeing a few people…like my incoming Souldoll Soul Little Metel. Maybe Dillon too…apparently he’s already been dyed [and then undyed — poor little dude]. And maybe some Me and My Muses secondaries like Avery [Lumedoll Lumelight Elin] or Mazzy [Lumedoll Lumelight Arine] when they’re done.
Heck…I just realized that I have an unused Soom Mini Gem body [temporarily occupied by Isabel] and an extra Elfdoll Kathlen sleeping faceplate [previously Absinthe]. I need to make a headback, and then I can experiment with dyeing that. Woooooo hoooo!
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Tonight I restrung the torso and legs with thinner elastic and less tension. This made the doll a little floppy while greatly increasing poseability. I must admit that one of my favorite traits of BJDs is their stringing. It can be tight for standing and/or holding long-term positions, or it can be looser for more naturalistic seated and lying postures.
Then I gouged out the front of the ankle sockets so that the feet could point perpendicularly from the calves, rather than slightly down.
I spent most of the time mangling working on the neck. A quick test revealed that, despite my earlier hopes, the 1:6 scale adult head on the 1:3 scale unadapted toddler neck did not work. Continue reading Fat doll as of tonight
I’ve been thinking a lot about this because I want them both to be obviously fat [and approximately the same shape], but I also want them to fit into clothes made for standard 1:3 scale toddler bodies. Ideally, they’d both have flabby upper arms, breasts bigger than their heads, round protruding bellies and thick thighs, but I don’t think that’s feasible.
I’m currently contemplating a combination of sculpted fats and fabric fats. I’d like to thicken their thighs and make their asses fatter, so I would do that with Aves Apoxie Sculpt or what the heck ever.
I would really love to make them both have big, pendulous breasts [yay, gravity!], but I’m still pondering how I would achieve a combination of fatness, mobility and compressibility. Maybe really tight T-shirts with little birdseed packages sewn into appropriate areas? As a secondary with no need to be naked, Carter will never take his shirt off anyway. But what about Isabel?
I need little sports bras that I can stuff. :p
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"Jeggings" are leggings that look like jeans. Some neologisms are cutesy and pointless — I’m looking at you, "meggings" [men’s leggings]! — but I think jeggings serves a purpose. It signifies that the leggings in question are styled differently than your standard simple, stretchy, undetailed elastic-waist tights.
A "quellazaire" is a cigarette holder, not a storage case, but a tube on which the cigarette is mounted. It’s an actual word, but I can’t find an authoritative reference online for it. I have no idea of the etymology either, but I’d love to find out.
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1. I did not win the Soom Auber I put in for. Fine, all the more money for FAT DOLLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2. I’m trading Sarah [Souldoll Shiva-G who has been sitting on the DOA marketplace since mid-August] to Isabeau for two elaborate outfits for — who else? — Mr. Pointyhead McDemandypants, who is out of his mind with glee.
3. I just scored a second 5StarDoll tiny girl body for Isabel from the DOA marketplace. It wasn’t as ridiculously cheap as the first one, which was like $80.00 shipped, I think. This one was ~$120.00 shipped, which would have been the price + s/h from Denver Doll, but without the indeterminate wait time. It’s actually not just a body that I’m buying this time, but a whole doll, meaning that a head is included. I have no use for the head, so I’ll sell it off, which will essentially reduce the second body to the price I paid for the first.
I have now acquired two 5StarDoll bodies for the price that I paid for the Fairyland LittleFee body. I sure wish that LittleFee body would sell, as I have half a mind to acquire MORE 5StarDoll bodies and make more than two fat dolls!
4. I decided that Isabel, like all my major characters, rocks my signature style, marked by her own preferences. She especially likes leggings and dresses/tops in this style. [In fact, the colors and patterns in that dress are perfect for Zombieville!] Leggings for 1:3 scale toddler dolls are incredibly cheap on Etsy, so I plan to buy a bunch with which I can easily create new combos. As for tops, I’d love to work with Motylalka [maker of the pink/lime dress], sending her Isabel’s body [or at least measurements] so she could make a few wonderful pieces that would be guaranteed to fit Isabel.
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…I’m on the verge of stupendous BJD fashion awesomeness, the likes of which have never been seen heretofore. I won’t say any more, though, until it’s confirmed, as I really dislike claiming a sale or an agreement or something, then having it fall through later. :p
P.S. Janna, I used "heretofore" just for you! ^_^
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My original plan to make a fat 1:6 scale mature BJD body was to use a 1:3 scale toddler body and splice forearms/hands and calves/feet on it from a 1:6 scale mature body. However, I recently acquired a 5StarDoll 1:3 scale toddler body with surprisingly delicate hands and feet, so, being an eminently lazy individual, I wondered if I could just swap the 1:6 scale hands and feet onto the 1:3 scale body and call it a day.
This evening, that’s what I did. I actually complicated matters a bit by modding the 1:6 scale hands to nest in the 1:3 scale wrist balls and thus provide a slightly smoother transition between the forearms and hands. I just stuck the 1:6 scale feet on the ends of the 1:3 scale legs, though, which is why they are slightly shorter than they should be, as they do not have the extra height provided by the 1:3 scale ankle balls [which were fused to the 1:3 scale feet].
Anyway, the result looks pretty good for about an hour of work, as far as I’m concerned. The ankles need modification, though, as the shapes of the sockets are preventing the feet from standing flat. This particular body also has horribly tight stringing, so it needs to be restrung more loosely. Other than that, it’s pretty much good.
Here’s a shot of Isabel [on temp body] next to the fat body in progress. It’s obviously shorter, which I like, as it adds to the impression of what Isabel would call a "dumpy" shape. Not everyone is elongated and skinny!
Continue reading Fat doll in progress!!! \o/
Seoul is, of course, the approximate location of Soom. They’re actually located in Bucheon, which is less than 20 miles from Seoul, but Seoul works for my calculating purposes.
Local time in Seoul/Bucheon is vital info for BJD nerds waiting for Soom dolls to go on sale at a certain date/time or, in my case, lottery winners to be announced. I put my name in the Post MD lottery event for an Auber in WS with outfit, and the winners of the event will be announced in the afternoon of January 15th [Korean local time, of course]. There’s no time specified for the annoucement, so I just know that, at noon local time, Soom’s Web site will be inundated with enthusiasts checking to see if the winners have been posted because, technically speaking, it will be the afternoon.
I’ll try giving ’em a poke around my bed time this evening. If nothing happens, they should have the announcement up by tomorrow morning.
EDIT: Oh, I forgot to mention that, if I get this doll, he’s going to be a 1:6 scale resin version of my Jareth. That is what I originally envisioned him as, and that’s how he’s stuck in my head. Yes, I am aware that I already have a 1:6 scale action figure Jareth, as well as a 1:3 scale BJD Jareth. I’ve given up asking myself, "How do I justify this doll purchase?" Now my question is, "Can I afford this?"
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Ellery talks to her older sister Avery about her upcoming visit with her long-distance girlfriend Kristin.
Continue reading Me and My Muses 5.2: “Case of Nerves”
Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl have collaborated on an exhaustive quaternary of YA Southern Gothic romances, the Beautiful Creatures trilogy. There was some interesting stuff going on in the first book [although I’m still not sure what happened during the climax], as well as a vivid, if rather stereotypical, setting, so I kept reading.
Recently I plowed through the last installment, Beautiful Redemption, which had significantly less plot, character development and complexity than the previous three episodes. I’ve been detecting all along Garcia and Stohl’s strangely uncomplicated and idealized portrait of the southern US, but one moment in Beautiful Redemption encapsulated all that was problematic about the series.
Toward the end of the novel, [white] protagonist Ethan has come back from limbo and reunited with his [white] angstball girlfriend Lena and his other supporters. Ethan asks his [white] friend Link what Amma [a literal Magic Negro + Mammy twofer who acts as Ethan’s maternal figure, then ultimately sacrifices her life for his] was talking about when she mentioned that she caught Link doing something shameful in the cellar when he was young. Link explains that Amma caught him dressing up in a Civil War uniform. The uniform did not belong to the Confederate ancestors of which his family was so proud, but to some acquaintance’s Union ancestors.
Garcia and Stohl write [pp. 440-441]:
I burst out laughing, and within seconds so did Link. No one else at the table understood the sin in a Southern boy — with a father who led the Confederate Cavalry in the Reenactment of the Battle of Honey Hill, and a mother who was a proud member of the Sisters of the Confederacy — trying on a Civil War uniform for the opposing side. You had to be from Gatlin.
It was one of those unspoken truths, like you don’t make a pie for the Wates because it won’t be better than Amma’s; you don’t sit in front of Sissy Honeycutt in church because she talks the whole time right along with the preacher; and you don’t choose the paint color for your house without consulting Mrs. Lincoln, not unless your name happens to be Lila Evers Wate.
Gatlin was like that.
It was family, all of it and all of them — the good parts and the bad.
Right there the authors trivialize an entire history of racism, slavery, sexism, cruelty and oppression by equating support of it to talking in church or painting one’s home without talking to one’s neighbors first. It’s just a harmless peculiarity, a peccadillo, that causes Ethan to feel uncritically jubilant and nostalgic about his hometown. While he does acknowledge "the good parts and the bad" at the end of this quote, his laughter demonstrates that, while he may struggle with the made-up Southern history of mortals vs. magicians, the ominous real Southern history of torture, war and suffering bothers him very little.
Way to go, Garcia and Stohl. Thanks so much for, among other bilge, perpetuating the myth that the United States is a "post-racial society."
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I got a shipment of maybe 15 swatches of faux fur recently, including a bunch of new color schemes. I chose my favorite and made some more fur wigs this afternoon.
The ones in vibrant colors look different than the earlier set of vibrant colors because these have all fibers the same length. The first set of vibrant colors had short bases with longer spikes in different color. As a result, the first set provided lots of color without adding bulk. But the current set of vibrant colors adds bulk, thus making the hair less likely to respond to simple styling. That said, I love the tricolor zigzag pattern, from which all of the vibrant ones in this set are made. My current favorite, usurping even the white base with pink and green spikes, is a pink/purple/green zigzag at top right.Continue reading Isabel shows more fur wigs.
I picked up Eon by Alison Goodman after reading some laudatory reviews on Amazon and also being marginally intrigued by the concept, in which a young woman adopts a boy’s identity to compete for the chance to communicate with dragons and wield great magic, which is, of course, reserved for men. Of course, Eon wins the chance to communicate not just with any dragon, but with the super special awesome Mirror Dragon, the most powerful of all. Then she becomes involved in imperial politics, and eventually the fate of the emperor’s succession and the kingdom depends on her. Of course it does. :p
I did not expect this book to be quite so shitty. It really reminded me of The Diviners in that it was a textbook example of how not to tell a story.
Do you need to learn how not to write, kids? Okay, then pay attention to the following precepts, in no particular order.Continue reading How not to write, part seven zillion and one in an infinitely extensible series
This is what I have learned from watching the first fifteen minutes of The Doll Master, a 2004 South Korean horror film featuring hordes of BJDs by Customhouse. As demonstrated by Young-ha, a BJD-owning character, they’re all sulky, introverted weirdos with no social skills and a tendency to treat their dolls as independent equals, rather than toys.
I’ve wanted to watch this movie ever since I learned of it, partly because my first BJD was a Customhouse Jun [Zephque], partly because the BJD community refers to Doll Master as the equivalent of BJD: The Movie. Further comments when I’m done.
If you’re so inclined to watch a horror movie about dolls, you can find the entire Doll Master film on Youtube with subtitles.
P.S. You know what actually is really fucking creepy? That life-size doll hanging from the ceiling as a lamp holder in the weirdo BJD owner’s room. It looks like it’s being tortured. 🙁 Won’t someone please think of the mannequins? :p
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Eva just came out with an elf version of her first 1:6 scale BJD Koit. Maybe it’s just the more flattering photos, but elf Koit looks more relaxed and happy than regular Koit. I asked Eva if the sculpts differed. She said:
I looked at the blank sculpts and the only difference (other than the ears) is the mouth has a slightly deeper part and that might make him look like he’s a bit happier than the regular Koit! Also, I noticed that from the side profile, the nose on the elf is the tiniest bit rounder.
Hmmm…I’m feeling the desire for a Lumelight elf Koit to enlarge the eyes on and paint up all cheerful and welcoming.
CURSE YOU LUMEDOLL YOU JUST WANT MY MONEY.
I only have 4.5 Lumedolls, but they figure larger in my consciousness, probably because Lumedoll has the most numerous 1:6 scale offerings of any BJD company. Males are Koit regular and elf, Lucas and Blaze. Females are Elin and Arine. Where most BJD companies do, at most, a 1:6 scale hetero couple as an afterthought to their major 1:3 or 1:4 scale lines, Lumedoll offers a veritable diversity of 1:6ers.
Clearly I need a tan elf Koit.
>_>
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…redo Avery and Mazzy’s faceups. They look really flat and without personality compared to Ellery, Lucian and Jamisia’s.
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Here is a picture, taken by sahoma, DOAer and previous owner, of Dillon.
Continue reading Dillon as he comes to me
Ever since I got the idea for Zombieville to start by Isabel losing her left eyeball, I’ve been wondering how this would affect her ability to drive a car. From what I can tell, people with monocular vision can still drive in Vermont if they have a certain level of vision in their remaining eye. I have no idea what that level of vision is, however.
Anyway, I initially made the assumption that Isabel’s newly acquired monocular vision would require her to give up her car and depend on public transit, a complicated proposition in Vermont. Chittenden County Transportation Authority runs a network of buses throughout the county [yay!], but they all center on downtown Burlington and are scheduled mainly to serve first-shift commuters [boo!]. I was hoping to dedicate at least one subplot to the challenges of being a carless and disabled bus rider.
Even though people with monocular vision may be able to drive in this state in certain circumstances, I think I’ll still have Isabel get rid of her car. She and Peter are going to get into a minor accident, which is how they meet and how she starts becoming part of the Zombieville community.
Naturally, in order to have a car crash, Isabel and Peter need to have cars. Great…more 1:6 scale shit. :p
Given my limited storage space and photography area, as well as my penchant for compact cars, I decided that they both drive really small cars. It would be unutterably cool to find a 2009 Toyota Corolla in 1:6 scale and spray paint it silver to make a miniature version of the FLE car. I don’t think those are made in cheap playline versions, though.
Cheap playline versions exist, however, of VW Bugs and Smart Fortwos. The first can be found on Ebay with a search under "barbie volkswagen beetle," and they even come in non-pink options! [The pink option appears to be currently in print and therefore much cheaper, though, at least on Amazon. However, deboxed ones in all colors can be had quite inexpensively on Ebay.] The second can be found on Ebay with a search under "moxie girls rc car." You can also find it for rip-off prices on Amazon. Reviews say that it’s crappily made, but I don’t need it to function as an RC toy. I just need it to sit there and look minorly damaged. Even if it’s a little small [as playline cars tend to be], it will still work.
So apparently now my dolls drive cars. Uh oh. Look out, world. If you see a little fat doll with a little wry smirk driving a little Smart Car…for God’s sake, tell her to get something more practical! Smart Cars, being small and light, are a ridiculous choice for transportation in a state that regularly contends with mushy, sloppy, heavy snow. :p
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Just put the reservation payment on an Alchemic Lab Unoa Light Azurite. This 1:6 scale BJD, issued in 2005, is rather scarce; like his female counterpart Fluorite, Azurite commands at least $400.00 on the secondary market, especially if in good condition, with all spare parts, as well as box autographed by maker Gentaro Araki. I scored this little dude for $232.00 shipped because he has yellowed a lot and suffered uneven dyeing, dye removal, sanding, etc., in an attempt to even him out.
Anyway, I’m thinking that he’s going to be Carter’s friend, Isabel’s ex, the purchaser of Isabel’s car and a representative of some of the truly stupid shit that abnormals say about PWS. He’s not evil, like Anneka’s ex Thomas was. I think he and Isabel broke up when he started transitioning because the T really lessened his libido. Isabel got really frustrated because her sex drive was much more active; he encouraged her to have other partners, but she didn’t want to. They tried to work it out monogamously, even though he was only monogamous for Isabel’s sake. However, they eventually parted ways. He’s currently happier living in Essex with one partner that he is very close friends with. He is not happy about regularly traveling "up to the ass end of the Kingdom" to visit his regular sex partner in Derby Line.
He needs a name. Hmmm…Dillon Rayes.
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I’m currently in the interesting situation of making up Zombieville as I go along. The exhilarating sense of discovery and possibility occasionally fades in favor of alarm at the project’s scope, but mostly I’m just having a lot of fun.
Zombieville denizens are currently pestering me on two fronts. Some of them are people that I made not specifically for Zombieville, but who are so cool that they simply demand to live there, like Anna, Béatrice, Novella and Peter. Some of them are people that I would like to incorporate into the story as subcultural representatives, like Dr. Z., Dr. Z.’s assistant, a Toxic Waste resident, a Reaper, etc. When I have unassigned, but really cool, people, I try to give them roles that need filling and work the story around them.
Of course, though, I’m also in the position of getting really nifty doll ideas, like "Groovy Sterling," who recently barged in, informing me that, not only did she have a killer sense of style, but also that her name was Megan Meehan and she was Dr. Z.’s assistant. Oh yeah, and she has a master’s in public health from UVM.
Sigh. They’re so pushy! …And I love every minute of it! ^_^
I’ve been concentrating on developing the Zombieville subculture, but I’m also realizing that I need a few people outside it to embody just what PWS are up against.
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As I have mentioned many times before, the first 1:6 scale BJD I ever loved was Soom’s Mini Gem Uyoo. I went through several cycles of acquiring her and getting rid of her, ultimately always unable to resist her big-eyed, wondering expression.
At this point in my life, I’ve realized that Uyoo is the BJD equivalent of Takara CG02. I have an unreasonable attachment to this headsculpt, which leads me to own multiple exemplars. Just as I have a default AJ, I also have a default Uyoo, that is, one with the Soom faceup: Theophany [the annoying]. Just as I have an altered AJ, Steampink, so I also have a customized Uyoo, Novella, my Romantic one, that I faceupped. I also currently have a third Uyoo, MacKenzie, a Quite Rabbit LE who is up for sale on the DOA marketplace and who has never appeared except in whole-population shots.
Anyway, here are my two Uyoos from the same universe, i.e., Zombieville. On the left is Novella, a Romantic Uyoo in white skin, faceup and wig by me, outfit by the grab bag with help from Andrea. On the right is Theophany [the annoying], a regular Uyoo in normal skin [fucking racist resin color names!], with a default Soom faceup, outfit by the grab bag with help from Andrea.Continue reading The first one I loved: Soom Mini Gem Uyoo[s]
I put together the Toxic Waste denizen’s outfit today, here modeled by Isabel on her temporary body.
Not shown: magenta long underwear beneath the jeans. I have to rip up and weather the jeans a bit. Continue reading Staying warm in Toxic Waste in the winter
In the Zombieville universe, Toxic Waste denotes a community of homeless people with spondis [PWS] who live off of Pine Street in Burlington on the site of the old Barge Canal [now a Superfund site!]. I’d like to have a Toxic Waste denizen as a character in Zombieville, but I keep inventing people with high-maintenance looks instead, none of which are really compatible to the practicality enforced by homelessness. But I am now developing the look for a Toxic Waste resident, based less on pink hair and clashing prints and more on what I have seen in my experience.
The Toxic Waste denizen wears a heavily layered, worn and weathered outfit with some combination of the following up top: T-shirt, vest, hooded sweatshirt, plaid shirt. Definitely jeans [possibly torn, with long underwear bottoms underneath] and hiking boots. Knit cap or baseball cap. Backpack. Possibly a folding cart, shopping cart or rolling luggage [folding cart or rolling luggage more likely]. Walking stick/cane/trekking pole. Hair in a ponytail [possibly dreadlocked if in 20s, 30s or early 40s]. Cell phone. Possibly a laptop. A few cardboard signs for different situations. First aid kit!
Homelessness for this person does not mean living in a shelter or with friends or on various couches. This person lives outdoors in all but the hottest or coldest weather, in a semi-permanent, illegal platform tent, built on on lakeside swampland, with unstable, intermittent access to hot water, electricity and laundry. This person therefore dresses for utility, warmth and portability.
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Here’s Peter with a Band-Aid, a gauze bandage and new purple nail polish.Continue reading Zombieville denizens with disabilities and/or injuries
Me and My Muses is back! When we last left our fair protagonist, Ellery, she faced an ultimatum from her long-distance girlfriend Kristin. Either Ellery had to get rid of her muse, the sexy and devious Lucian, or Kristin would break up with her. Ellery chose to banish Lucian, making everyone miserable except for Kristin.
Now Ellery has no more muse…Continue reading And we’re back! Me and My Muses 5.1: “Meditation”
I started off conceptualizing Zombieville denizens as people who use wheelchairs, canes, walkers and other mobility aids. I’ve been working on Isabel, Anna and Peter, however, all of which have obvious signs of physical damage: Isabel is missing her eye; Anna is missing patches of skin on her face, her right forearm and her right hand; Peter is grey all over and missing a whole segment of his left cheek. I therefore realized that PWS [people with spondis] also tend to have obvious signs of injury.
I’ve added some signs of injury to Peter and Anna by giving them bandaged wounds. Both of them have strips of tissue wrapped around bare body parts and secured with white glue. Impregnating the tissue with white glue also helps the bandages mold to their bodies, giving a more realistic appearance. I’ve also cut very small strips of Band-Aids and wrapped them around Anna’s worst fingers and put one on the back of Peter’s hand.
Now I’m thinking about further signs associated with spondis besides mobility aids and bandages. I’m thinking of the following:
I’ll have to work on this.
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Here’s my mockup of Hispanic Sterling Silver Rose with Groovy 60s’ outfit. Fabulous! Continue reading Groovy Sterling mockup
…was issued in 2000. I remember seeing her in FAO Schwartz in Boston [back when I still lived there and FAO Schwartz had a store there!] and wanting her, but not being able to justify the ~$60.00 sticker price. I wanted to stick her head on a CG body, but I didn’t know if her nifty outfit would fit.
Anyway, I was poking around on Ebay this evening and came across several sales for the doll at or under $30.00 shipped.
I just got the best idea…you know what would look really cool? Hispanic Sterling Silver Rose with this outfit!
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He looks really good in pink!
Continue reading There’s some dude hanging around in my closet.
Andrea sent me a picture this morning of the stuff she made for me. How cool!!Continue reading Impending awesomeness
I started working on Isabel’s faceup last night, but eventually swapped her out to a Soom Uyoo body, as the Elfdoll Doona Ryung body she came with was weirding me out with its childlike proportions. Though her temporary body represents a shape Isabel has never had, it certainly disturbs me less than seeing the head of a 35-year-old on a 7-year-old’s body.Continue reading Isabel acquires faceup, hair and temporary body.
I picked up my shipment of about 10 pairs of DD-Anne eyeballs from the p.o. today. Here’s Novella in a pair that coordinates nicely with her full ensemble.Continue reading Eyeballs on parade: Novella and Isabel
…About some dude running around with the power to pull fictional objects from books into reality and thereby preventing book magicians [libriomancers] from duking it out with vampires and thus exposing magic to the world. Entertaining and intellectually easy, this passably written trilogy opener contained some cool ideas [magic via books!] that were under-served by the pedestrian prose.
I was interested and somewhat pleased to note that the protagonist’s partner and love interest, Lena, an extremely tough dryad, was explicitly written as fat, bi/queer and polyamorous [with varying degrees of success depending on the trait], but apparently this blew a few fuses in other readers’ heads. On Amazon, for example, “RG” describes Lena as “a rubenesque nubian dryad, in other words a chubby black woman who sleeps in a tree.” I think “RG” thinks that this is a bad thing, as “RG” then proceeds to go off on a tangent of racist, anti-fat misogyny. There are indeed problematic aspects in Lena’s characterization [which I may get into when it is not half past midnight]; however, the mere presence of a fat woman of color who sleeps in a tree is not axiomatically grounds for derisive excoriation.
Fortunately, in the next comment, J. Platte takes “RG” to task for the misogynist, anti-poly assumptions in the post, but fails to rebuke the egregious racism.
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It’s constructed, as usual, entirely from faux fur and HOT GLUE. Having perfected my pattern before dinner, I made another wig after dinner for Novella in the colors that I originally intended for her: pink base, with spikes of neon green and royal purple. I like it much better than the black-based one.
As you can see, awesomeness has now been achieved.
Continue reading No thread was harmed in the making of this wig.
That is, instead of adding strips of fur after the fact, as I did with Mellifer’s. Anyway, it really was a single piece of fur, as I turned inside-out a Soom fur wig that I had and reverse-engineered a pattern from it. Here’s Novella in my first truly successful fur wig. I find black fur more forgiving than colored fur, as black fur is attached to a black background, the raw edges of which show up less starkly than that of colored furs, which have white backgrounds [in contrast to the colored furs themselves].Continue reading HAH! I made a fur wig in one piece!
I finalized his hair, lowering his hairline by adding a small strip of fur in front. Very anxious fire sprite below.Continue reading Mellifer is flaming.
Redid Mellifer’s wig after trimming down yesterday’s pattern. I had the right size, but then decided to trim it down more, which made it a little too small when I rolled under the raw edges. Anyway, here are the results. Since Mellifer is not swapping hair, I think I’ll just lower the forehead a bit by judicious application of small clumps of hair, then call it done. For my other dolls, though, I will use my new pattern without cutting it down even more.
Here is Mellifer as he currently stands. Because his wig is smaller, it has much better loft than the previous iteration, thus achieving more of a flame-like aspect. Yes, I am aware that I wore away his lip color with the constant handling of his head. I will replace it when I’m done aggressively moving his head around for this project.
Continue reading Wig for Mellifer, take 3
After successfully working with some of my faux fur [gluing it to Peter and Anna’s heads], I returned to making a wig for Mellifer.
So here’s the result. As you can see, the wig is still too large, especially around the ears. I may try tacking the edges under more or remaking it with what fur I have left. It suffices for now, though, and Mellifer is quite pleased that he has hair!Continue reading Further fur wig experiments with Mellifer
Another Zombieville denizen attains completion!
I had the worst time with Anna’s hair. Originally I just wanted to repaint the base in royal purple, the bangs and braids in pink, her lips in raspberry and the lesions on her face in red. I had no problem doing the royal purple parts [aside for some paint leaking under the copious masking tape and onto her ears >:( ], but I struggled mightily with the pink parts.
I encountered two problems when repainting her bangs and braids. First, the dark neon green paint that she came with did not want to hide under the much lighter neon pink replacement. Furthermore, the neon pink was slightly diluted [curse you, "craft paint!"], so it kept sliding into the low parts of her hair sculpt, leaving the prominent areas flagrantly green.
I considered thickening the paint. I made a thickening agent out of corn starch and water, then decided not to use it. I looked for modeling paste in the local craft store, but they didn’t have it. My frustration increased.
I decided to dispense with the existing braids and bangs, both of which I had yanked off, and sculpt some from scratch. Unfortunately, I did this by using uncured polymer clay directly on Anna’s head. Bad idea. They clay stuck there and would not remove in one piece for curing, so I spent at least an hour undoing all my work and scraping every goddamn sticky bit of polymer clay out of all the crevices in her ears and hairline.
Having found modeling paste at another craft store, i tried mixing modeling paste and paint to then cover over all the green parts. The result looked okay, but a) it cracked and then b) it wouldn’t fit snugly back on her forehead anyway.
At that point, I threw away her bangs and braid, since they clearly existed only to mock me. I created my own bangs, as well as a ponytail for her braid hole, from small strips of faux fur. The fur, a tricolored atrocity in neon purple, pink and green, actually worked much better than I expected. The pink picks up the pink on her skirt, while the purple picks up the purple in the rest of her hair and in the stitching on her bellbottoms. Finally, the green in her hair coordinates with her green lipstick.
While I was at it, I modified the upper portion of Anna’s outfit from the last time we saw her. I gave her a cropped T-shirt with a NO BOYZ sign on it, over which is a cropped short-sleeved jacket in white faux fur with gold threads. She also has a load of beaded bracelets on her left wrist. Her pants and boots are the same. And I took off that disastrous green nail polish. Oh yeah, and her wheelchair is a Mattel Becky one spray painted black.
Clearly, she is fabulous!Continue reading Anna’s done!
In case you haven’t noticed, Peter has been modeling most of my recent 1:6 scale accessories and set pieces. That’s because he’s the only finished Zombieville denizen of average height that I can stand. Both of these qualifiers are important, because Béatrice is finished, but she has dwarfism, so she’s not as easy a reference as a Zombieville denizen of average height. Theophany is finished, but her personality annoys me too much to let her in pictures frequently.
Other Zombieville denizens exist, but they are not ready for modeling:
Okay…anyway…here’s Peter showing off the blender that I got from stupid.com. It started off as an Xmas ornament, hence the little metal loop at the top. It’s a solid piece of painted resin, 2 inches high, which scales out to 1 foot in 1:6 scale. There are no removable parts, but it’s well sculpted. I also may be biased toward it because its design reminds me of the blender in my kitchen growing up. Continue reading Peter shows blender and lazy cacti.
I just used one of my scraps of faux fur to replace Peter’s molded plastic mohawk with a fiber one. Much better!
Continue reading Improved hair for Peter
My package from stupid.com, containing a toilet and a blender, arrived the day before Xmas. Finally got around to playing with the toilet today.
Continue reading Behold the mighty crapper!!
I finished shelving books on my 1:6 bookcase made from a repurposed drawer organizer. A shipment of premade dummies in two sizes arrived today from Factory Direct Crafts, so I spent from about 1:30 to 9:00 PM [with a break for an appointment, a brief trip to the grocery store and dinner] completing the project.
I’m not the sort of person who feels the need to scan actual books and print out their covers in 1:6 scale for a library appropriate to each character. However, I was dissatisfied with the plain, undifferentiated spines in the earlier iteration of the bookcase. I spent most of those hours creating unique dummies with the help of solid origami paper, patterened origami paper and gift tag stickers with vaguely Xmas- and winter-related patterns.
I also endeavored to arrange them in an aesthetically pleasing fashion, representing a variety of heights and colors, as real bookshelves do. Then I glued them into blocks of several books, but these blocks are not glued to the shelves. Instead they are kept in there by the fact that everything is wedged so tightly. I’m sure there’s a technical term for that, but it escapes me at the moment.
Anyway, behold the bookcase! Though it’s currently displaying Peter’s interest [flora], this bookcase, like pretty much in my collection of 1:6 scale set pieces, will be used wherever a full, well-used library is needed. In fact, the shelves with the flowers and lava lamp I have intentionally left open so that their contents can reflect the bookcase’s current owner: cacti for Peter [have to make some of those], 1:6 scale figures for Ellery or Isabel, zombie dolls for Theophany, mementos mori for Lucian, etc.
Okay, I figured it out. Isabel, a customizer of 1:6 scale dolls, needs a mess work table filled with tools and creative projects. Scissors, wire snips, wire pincers, coils of wire, sandpaper, craft knife, craft saw, rotary tool, paint brushes, paint tubes, paint palette, paint stirrers, cup for rinsing brushes, glue gun, glue sticks, colored pencils — all of these are really easy to make from scratch.
She also needs, of course, dolls, in both finished and unpainted states. For finished background dolls, "G scale unpainted figures" on Ebay brings up a bulk lot of 28 plastic standing/sitting peoples who can easily be painted and parked on shelves. Now that I think about it, some of these peoples could also be strategically dismembered to generate heads, hands, clothes and shoes for parts bins.
For foreground dolls, i.e., those projects that serve as plot points, I would use some of the items previously discussed under the "dolls for dolls" tag: head sets and hand sets from Hornet Miniatures. There may be a generic or two from Bronze Age Miniatures for the inevitable naked doll[s] lying around, but one of those costs almost as much as a pack of 28 unpainted plastic peoples, so I’m not sure… Maybe the unpainted plastic peoples could be altered to be naked…
EDIT: thestylehome on Ebay has incredibly cheap lots of painted/unpainted plastic peoples!
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54mms come in PIECES! You can buy sprues of heads, hands, weapons, etc., etc. And you can get not only generics, but ARMATURES [= skeletons], some of which can actually POSE a bit! And some of them are in RESIN, a material I actually like working with much better than vinyl/ABS/action figure plastic! This means that I can make SOMEWHAT POSEABLE DOLLS FOR MY DOLLS WITH VARYING BODY TYPES, FIBER HAIR AND REALLY SIMPLE FABRIC OUTFITS!
I am so excited about this! I’ve wanted articulated ~1:6 scale dolls for my 1:6ers for YEARS!
JMD Miniatures provides a 3-pack of articulated armatures without heads or hands. They appear to be guy bases, but I don’t really care. They also have two sets of 5 heads and 6 pairs of hands apiece, but, irritatingly enough, all the heads are for dudes.
Historex Agents makes a 5-pack of female heads with sculpted hair. They also have a wonderful series of 5-packs of "expressive heads," again, all for dudes, but more versatile than JMD Miniatures’ because there’s no facial hair. On this page, they’ve also got hairless heads and massive packages of hands.
EDIT: Wonder if I could buy heads and hands and make my own damn armatures?
EDIT 2: Red Lancers has some Historex heads and hand sets. And they’re a US dealer!
Colorado Miniatures, also a US dealer, has Hornet head sets and hand sets. The "African" and "East Asian" head sets are pretty neat. There’s a "Female" set too that frankly has nothing to distinguish it from the "male" sets.
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Well, that took long enough to find. Bronze Age Miniatures sells 54mm unpainted generics, which are the minifig equivalent of naked dolls. As with 1:6 scale action figures, there are only two body types available: 1) ripped and boobular ["female"] and 2) ripped and slightly taller ["male"]. God forbid that anyone be fat or scrawny!
I could probably work with a generic, though, giving it at least some fiber hair and a simple skirt like Flower and Mellifer’s. I really need to know, though, about the body modding potential of these individuals. Does white metal respond to Dremelling? Sanding? Sawing? Addition of modeling paste? If so, I could easily get a female generic and perform Ye Olde Masectomie on it to have a body shape more approximating Lucian’s. Hmmmm…
EDIT: I really wonder about some of these minifig sculptors’ grasps on anatomy. The erect nipples on all the femfigs are way out of scale.
EDIT 2: Bronze Age Miniatures female generic #2 is a possibility, as are #3, #4, #8, #11 and #21. #8, #11 and #21 are relatively neutral stances. #11 and #21 are notable for having minimal knock knees and relatively relaxed arms.
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Chaz got some eyes and clothes this weekend. The eyes are 8mm acrylics that came with my Elfdoll Doona Ryung. Surprisingly for acrylics, they really reflect light well, so she’s keeping them.
Chaz is one of my favorite dolls. There’s something to be said for neutral expressions that can be subtly or dramatically altered through paint jobs. I must admit that I do like a definite expression, though, and Chaz’ is so charming. She looks just so sweet-tempered, as if she has a constant sense of wonder at how amazingly beautiful life is. I think she’s a bleeding heart liberal who rescues bugs and puts them outside… ^_^ She won’t need much of a faceup to bring out the beauty of her headsculpt.
Continue reading Bleeding heart liberal Chaz
Mose Allison’s My Brain is my current favorite song, which I’ve been hearing regularly on Jazz 24. Here’s an article about Allison’s continuing status as a living jazz legend, even past the age of 83, which is when he wrote My Brain. And here’s a studio recording. Lyrics are in the top comment by High Northerner. Here’s a live version. It’s all the sharper for being sung by a man near the end of his life. If Zombieville had an official song, this would be it: a gallows humor celebration of life.
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…that requires every single freakin’ minifig to be holding things in both hands and/or waving their arms around? I understand that minifigs are supposed to be in dynamic stances, but, when everyone has a ridiculously huge weapon in one hand and the other arm flailing over their head, it looks silly.
Context: Poking through tabletop wargaming minifigs again, I was looking for a Lucian doll for Ellery and Jamisia. I finally tracked down some male elf mage/wizard/sorceror types in heroic scale. Here’s one, a Mordheim elf mage. And here’s a cheaper dude, Larnach the gray elf mage.
I’d like to go with Mr. Mordheim Mage because he looks less tense than Larnach. His ears also appear more in proportion to his head, and his clothing resembles Lucian’s the most of the two figs. He appears to be 28mm, which is about 1 inch, which would make him 6 1:6 inches high. I wish he were double that, but ugh…he was hard enough to find in the first place.
Whenever I’m poking around in the world of minifigs, I think of the Calvin and Hobbes strips where Calvin is trying to put together model airplanes. He and Hobbes grow increasingly frustrated and baffled by the confusing directions and their inability to make the pieces resemble anything as it is shown on the box. At one point, Calvin asks, “How’d they paint eyebrows on a pilot less than an inch high?!?!?!?!”
Hobbes, looking at the model box, says, “I think that’s a real plane superimposed on a toy stand.” :p
EDIT: Holy poop, this guy is even better! He’s much closer to 12 1:6 inches, plus he has a sly expression. He has gratuitous wings, but that’s okay because he doesn’t come with them on. The only thing is that he’s ridiculously ripped, but I’m willing to live with that.
Of course I’m interested in the guy who’s extra expensive because he’s some collector’s edition. :p
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This Band Aid stinker is the most colonialist, objectifying, racist, condescending piece of shit ever. I mean, seriously. African people experiencing hunger, starvation and food insecurity are even explicitly referred to as "the other ones," thus distanced and separated from the ostensible audience of the song, which is privileged [non-African] listeners from colonizing countries who have enough to eat. I understand that the song is trying to contrast the want of some people with the plenty of others, but the words that the lyricists use make the people in need sound practically subhuman.
I also really love how an entire continent is portrayed as a miserable monolith. No one’s ever happy — "…the only water flowing / Is a bitter sting of tears" — in part because the weather’s rotten ["that burning sun"] all the time. The entire landmass is apparently omitted from the water cycle, as there are no rivers there…or any precipitation, for that matter. Most tragically of all, everyone on the continent has no idea what date it is because they suffer a grievous calendar shortage.
Of course, the song portrays the solution to this dire lack of date tracking as colonialism: "Let them know it’s Christmas time and / Feed the world." Yeah, have a sudden attack of white guilt and throw food at those ignorant people down there…or at least throw money. Your donations will magically function as a civilizing process that will turn them into devout Christians who can tell time and appropriately worship Our Lord and Savior the Son of God Capitalism.
Holy shit, that’s a wretched song.
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This is what my desk looked like earlier this afternoon. ^_^Continue reading Repainting Anna: creative chaos!
She got it today. She was very happy, as you can see below, and amused by the name it was addressed to. ^_^Continue reading I sent Elizabeth Jr. a package of doll stuff.
Over four years ago, when I was making Zinnia Pascale’s decora outfit, I added some bracelets made of seed beads on clear elastic thread. Their multicolored glitteriness added just the right touch of tackiness to the outfit, as you can see on Frank here.
When I undressed Zinnia Pascale and put her up for sale [gasp!], I retained her clothes and her jewelry. I started admiring it and recently came to the conclusion that, if six bracelets of multicolored glittery beads looked awesome, more of the same would look even awesomer! I had gotten rid of my original beads and elastic in the intervening years, so I set out to find replacements.
First, I got some 0.7mm elastic cord, which seemed about the right diameter. Then, without the cord in hand or an example bracelet, I went to find a pack of multicolored seed beads. 10/0s looked about right, so I got some of those.
Looking at the beads and the cord together, I discovered my mistakes. I immediately noticed that 0.7mm cord was much too fat for 10/0s. I then noticed that 10/0s were way too small for my purposes. I got a headache just looking at them and decided that I would never enter beading arts with such minuscule supplies.
Today I hit the craft store again with an example bracelet in hand. A sales person helped me find beads in a matching size, which were 6/0s. [Incidentally, they were on the hook right next to the 10/0s! :p ] I also got 0.5mm elastic, just in case the 0.7mm was too fat.
I tried again to make tacky jewelry for my dolls. The 0.7mm proved too slippery to knot, so I switched to the 0.5mm, which worked well for one bracelet. Then it started misbehaving, flinging the beads everywhere. My fingers were starting to hurt [and I was starting to call the beads "little fuckers"], so I wisely elected to defer this craft until I have more patience and also natural light [kept losing beads under my desk].
I’m also going to get some clear nail polish [as recommended on the back of the elastic packages] to seal my knots.
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Here we go!!
These clothes are gonna be so awesome!!!Continue reading More fabric choices for 1:6 scale clothes by Andrea!
Andrea sent me some possibilities of printed cotton for some 1:6 scale clothes she’s making me. I put check marks on the ones I prefer.
Continue reading Cloth choices for 1:6 scale clothes from Andrea
I am eating frozen yogurt from SoYo, a local shop. Their yogurt base is light and slightly icy [but not crunchy], with obvious notes of dairy and a definite yogurty echo of sourness. This gives all their flavors much more depth, texture and gustatory interest.
I’m currently eating ginger flavor, which is like eating yellow fireworks, and cassis [black currant], which is like eating a delicately scented perfume. This is the best frozen yogurt ever. It’s extra yummy when it has fresh, locally grown fruit on top! :9
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I just found the Web site What’s That Bug?, where I initially heard the story about the disabled tarantula. There’s a whole category called Bug Humanitarian Award where the site owners post user contributions of people being nice to bugs [and arachnids]. I’m happily looking through the Bug Humanitarian Award archives…
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1:6 scale fish bowls with feesh! Apparently none of the 1:6 scale people have read that their feesh need to have much more water than that, though. :/
EDIT: Make your own feesh in a bowl.
EDIT 2: Or just dispense with the resin and 3-D feesh, and just use a print backdrop with printed feesh, as well as some gravel and plants for the ground, but nothing for the water.
EDIT 3: To make it even easier, find a clear container, add gravel and plants and some kitschy miniatures to the bottom of the tank. Then put the top on, and you’re done. Where are the feesh? They’re hiding in the fake treasure chest and shipwreck. :p
Heck, this empty container ploy could also work for other animals that are good at hiding, like turtles, tarantulas, small lizards and small snakes.
"Is there supposed to be a spider in there?"
"If there isn’t, we have a serious problem!"
Okay, now someone’s got to have a pet disabled tarantula…
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Stupid dolls…they keep moving around. :p No pictures this time, just a handy dandy numbered list with some stats.
The Name column is self-explanatory. I included Angel Bear and the Hillman Minx, even though they are not dolls, because I included them in my latest doll census.
As for Scale/Type, the scale is also obvious, but, for non-dolls, as well as dolls that are not either 1:6 or 1:3 scale, I made a note of the type of toy.
The Universe column explains who a doll interacts with. "Display" means that the dolls don’t interact with anyone; they just sit there, looking pretty. "LHF" means Love Has Fangs. "M3" means Me and My Muses. "Mine" means those characters that mouth off directly to me. :p And "Zville" means Zombieville.
The M/F/GQ/n/a refers to a character’s gender identification. "M" is for male, "F" for female, "GQ" for genderqueer, "n/a" for "irrelevant/unassigned." Binary-identified trans characters [Andrew, Carter, Marabou, MacKenzie] are not flagged here because "trans" is not a gender identification for them.
Continue reading All my dolls, 12/19/2012: because it’s changed again!
Pearlene! I suppose that means that there will be a 1:6 scale Pearlene in my future.
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seventhbard just had a great experience with Holy Clothing, a store that sells made-to-wear stuff in dark bright colors with lots of drapey flourishes. I’m investigating them now and may purchase from them in the future…
EDIT: "Retro-futurist elan?" Really? I know copyeditors face supreme challenges in differentiating and hyping similar items, but that phrase is just ridiculous.
The Retrofuturists sounds like a secret cabal of time travelers. 😀
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and no new Faery Legend in sight, I foresee two possible options:
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After I posted about beautiful, but expensive, 54mm minifigs, Elizabeth Jr. clued me into the fact that the original Polly Pockets were less than an inch high and therefore approximately in range for 1:6 scale for 1:6ers. I poked around for them ["vintage polly pocket"] on Ebay, but the prices were too high for my liking, at a few dollars per figure. I decided to seek other sources.
I’ve had success in the past with Homies, who have the added bonus of being hilariously sculpted. Unfortunately, the price of individual Homies seems to have gone up since I last purchased them to by Ellery’s dolls, but I have found some alternatives. Vendstock on Ebay sells the following sets that could be useful as a source for female dolls [Isabel, my latest doll nerd, isn’t really into male dolls]: American Girl [no, not that American Girl], So Fly Divas and Tomy/Barbie.
Incidentally, Vendstock also sells the latest Domo series. [That’s the fuzzy brown rectangle with big teeth that serves as the Japanese TV station NHK’s mascot.] I have actually seen this series in local vending machines, where I was amused by the Domo wearing bling. This set also features mustachioed Domo, luchador Domo, Domo with big blocky glasses, Domo with an inner tube, Domo in diapers, devil Domo and Godzilla Domo, who is, of course, bigger than the other Domos. I think I might have to get the set, since Domo has always amused me. ^_^
EDIT: In my search for fat Homies for Isabel’s collection of fat dolls, I discovered that there is a Trailer Park series of Homies [Trailer Parkies? :p ]. A majority of the Trailer Parkies are fat, thus playing into the stereotype that people who live in trailer parks are poor, stupid and disgusting. I’m also disturbed that there’s only one woman among the Trailer Parkies. Her name is Moo Moo Ma. [Yes, she’s fat.] How’s that for sexist, anti-fat objectification?!!
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I’m in the process of shelving things on a lazy 1:6 scale bookcase. It’s a lightly customized bamboo drawer organizer [$10.68 from Walmart].
I have another protagonist who plays with dolls — Isabel — so I’ve been thinking about 1:6 scale dolls for 1:6 scale dolls again.
54mm minifigs, AKA tabletop gaming white metal figs, are pretty much perfect for 1:6 scale dolls for 1:6 scale dolls. I have problems spending upwards of $1.00 per millimeter, though. SIGH.
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Is there any interest in seeing the first three episodes in an aborted 1:6 scale melodrama, The Pink Squad, written [and crappily photoed] nearly a decade ago?
It was my earliest scripted photostory series [as opposed to my earlier, pictures-only attempt], and it contains many of the characters and themes that we know and love today:
DISCLAIMER: If I do post this story, please note that it contains humor that I thought was funny back then, but which now strikes me as blatantly racist, sexist or transphobic. That’s the main reason I’ve refrained from making it public again.
On second thought, maybe I’ll just summarize it or something. There are some cool, engaging, humorous, well-developed aspects to it, but it’s also a glaring example of How Not to Write People with Marginalized Identities.
Or maybe there’s no rehabilitating a bigoted piece of personal history, as fascinating as I find it for reasons of historical creativity. Arrrrgh, I dunno.
EDIT: Fuck it. Discretion is the better part of valor. No Pink Squad for you.
P.S. Earlier I wondered if Baozha started me on my pink hair kick. Uhhhhhhh, nope. I place all the blame at the feet of the Pink Squad.
This entry was originally posted at http://modernwizard.dreamwidth.org/1425481.html. You can comment here, but I’d prefer it if you’d comment on my DW using OpenID.
Anna came today! Thrilling pictures of her pretty box and extremely color-coordinated default state below, followed by the beginnings of her customization. If anyone wants the neutral Jolyne head + outfit + extra hands, send me a message, and we’ll work something out. Continue reading Welcome, Anna!
First things first…all these references to zombies you’ve been seeing refer to the denizens in my future saga entitled Zombieville. Many of the denizens have a degenerative condition called spontaneous disintegration [spondis], which causes their body parts to drop off and which make be arrested only through a diet of at least 50% fresh human brains. People with spondis tend to refer to themselves as PWS, but the public calls them zombies. As Burlington, Vermont has the highest concentration of PWS in the country, its nickname is Zombieville…hence the saga’s title.
Anyway, there’s a truly infuriating minority of abnormals [the PWS’ term for people who do not have spondis :p ] who wish that they had spondis themselves. Unfortunately, their idea of spondis comes from the pop culture image of zombies, so there’s a lot of shambling, bleeding and "Braaaaaaaains!" involved, which has very little to do with the actual daily lives of PWS.
Abnormals who are wannabes fetishize PWS in all the ways you can imagine. Some dress up as PWS, with canes, fake blood and cans of pork brains. Some collect zombie memorabilia…and that’s where these little zombie figurines by Zombie Planet, 1 to 1.5 inches tall [6 to 8 inches in 1:6 scale] come in. For just a few bucks, I can furnish a wannabe with an obsession!
EDIT: Apparently there’s a whole tabletop gaming subgenre of zombie figs…This review provides details of several makers’ zombies.
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Now that I’m staring at my entire inventory of 1:6 scale sets, I see a few more pieces to get rid of:
As much as I enjoy the ease and cheapness of making bookshelves from cardboard and hot glue, I think it’s time to invest in a bookcase that does not noticeably sag beneath the weight of a 1:6 scale mug. :p
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Sometimes I conceive of a desire a certain thing, but I can’t see an immediate [or even future] use for it. I then postpone the acquisition to see if I really, really want it later. If I’m not interested in a few weeks/months/years, I won’t get the thing. If I’m still hankering after the thing several weeks/months/years later, I usually get it.
Such was the case with my 1:6 scale door and electric wheelchairs, which I recently procured because my interest in them remained strong over a few years.
I was going to ignore my equally strong interests in a 1:6 scale fireplace and toilet, but then I discovered Mini Chair’s fireplace. And then my mind would not stop telling me that my dolls needed somewhere to shit.
Okay! Fine! I’ll get a toilet! Sheesh! Stop bothering me!
Problem is, as I have mentioned before, 1:6 scale toilets tend to be undersized. Barbie toilets are probably more like 1:7 or 1:8 scale even. Here’s a Barbie Glam Bathroom set looking rather minuscule. The toilet also has a huge flower in relief on the seat cover, something I have never seen in real life.
Even stuff for action figures [which tends to be a bit larger than playscale playline stuff] still comes up short. [Har har. See what I did there?] For example, a few years back, Loading Toys made a dirty toilet with wads of hundred dollar bills, which I presume was attempting to duplicate some famous movie scene involving a money toilet. Not only was it ridiculously priced for mediocre quality, it was also rather small. Here’s a review on OSW.
This miniature prank squirting toilet has been tested by others and shown to be about the right size, however. This Sour Flush candy package might also work. This toilet-shaped bank has also been suggested as an option, but it has that unrealistic blue base. [Interesting how they’re all for sale at stupid.com…]
In other options, there’s a toilet-shaped tabletop vacuum that a Flickr user has confirmed as in-scale. Unfortunately, there’s a large brown thing [looks like a pile of caramel] in the bowl, and I’m not sure if it’s removable.
Further bulletins as shit happens.
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Little peoples and such keeping me company in my office.Continue reading All my dolls, 12/15/2012, part 3: at work
It’s gonna be one of those super deluxe ones with four [relatively] big rubber tires and a built-in seat. Like this:
Continue reading For my next trick, I’m going to make a 1:6 scale walker.
I just finished making two 1:6 scale electric wheelchairs, one for my sister [whose dolls use wheelchairs, as she does] and one for me. The photos below do not provide a true tutorial, but I think that they document my progress in enough detail that interested parties could figure out my process.
Continue reading Stalking the elusive 1:6 scale wheelchair, part III: actually making one
Make me an offer on any of the items below, at least enough to cover shipping and handling. Will also trade for bright, patterned clothing, loud colors and/or prints a must! Thanks!
Continue reading 1:6 scale zombies, bodies, hands and more — make an offer!
Peter is one of my favorite LHF characters who never really appeared, except for once, in the very last episode. I’ve been thinking about him recently, since he wrote himself into Zombieville :p.
If he’s going to be a secondary or tertiary in Zombieville, he needs some upgrading. His bloodstained clothes will not do, and his molded plastic mohawk should be replaced with a faux fur one so that he doesn’t get so easily off-balance.
Today, when I rescued him from storage, I redressed Peter and mocked up how I’d like to redo his eyes. I still think he might need either magenta or yellow tight pants…Black and white seems too staid for him. Continue reading I love Peter! ^_^
After bringing 80% of my sets and small peoples back from storage this morning, I documented all my set pieces for reference purposes.Continue reading All my sets, 12/16/2012
I rescued a bunch of little peoples from storage this morning and photoed them for the census.Continue reading All my dolls, 12/15/2012, part 2: from storage
…I want to make other mobility aids: a walker and a quad cane! [I think I need a "mobility aids 1:6" tag.]
This entry was originally posted at http://modernwizard.dreamwidth.org/1422515.html. You can comment here, but I’d prefer it if you’d comment on my DW using OpenID.
blended turf earth blend shaker $10.99
coarse turf light green bag $3.99
coarse turf medium green bag $3.99
underbrush forest blend bag $5.49
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I haven’t taken a census of my small-scale populations in years. The last one I completed was at the end of August, 2010, which is eons in doll time. Since then, I’ve moved house and kept over half of my peoples in storage, much to my dismay, so I haven’t been able to survey everyone.
Tomorrow, though, I’m rescuing everyone from storage at my parents’ house and moving them to my office, just so I can get to them easily without taking a 25-minute drive one way to see them. In preparation for the reunion of doll subgroups, I started an inventory tonight of those peoples who are out and about.Continue reading All my dolls, 12/15/2012, part 1: out and about
Yes…? No…? Can LJers comment over there?
EDIT: LJers should be able to. I think I fixed the settings. Thanks for the heads up, batchix! ^_^
This entry was originally posted at http://modernwizard.dreamwidth.org/1421784.html. You can comment here, but I’d prefer it if you’d comment on my DW using OpenID.
I have automated crossposting to eeeeeeevil LJ and opened up comments there again so that my entourage, which had yet to follow me to my new home, DreamWidth, can still talk to me.
Now…let’s see if anyone says anything.
…
…
…
Crickets: Chirp!
Me: Not you!!
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I just finished Libba Bray’s latest doorstop trilogy opener The Diviners. Set in New York City in 1926, it follows a group of teenagers with magical powers as they pursue and attempt to thwart a murderous fanatic who wishes to cheat death by bringing about Hell on Earth [or something — this point wasn’t entirely clear]. Characters include protagonist Evie, an obnoxious flapper wannabe and burgeoning lush, who can learn about owners by holding their possessions; her best friend Mabel, whose major conflict in this book is about whether she should bob her hair; Evie’s new friend Theta, a Zeigfield girl and apparent pyrokinetic; Memphis, Theta’s boyfriend, who has healing hands and a possessed little brother; Will, an absentminded professor stereotype, who heads a museum of the occult and ostensibly watches over Evie; Sam, a pickpocket and male version of Evie [only with less alcohol], who can become invisible; Jericho, a tragic cyborg with the power of hulking menacingly; and Naughty John, the aforementioned murderous fanatic. Shenanigans ensue.
I’m going to finish this series because Bray knows how to write mindlessly engaging entertainment. I am not, however, finishing this series for its literary merit. In fact, the book presents many beautiful examples of how not to write. I have gathered them in a list below for your convenience in no particular order.
1. Perpetuate the very racism you’re clearly attempting to avoid. Bray strains so hard to be modern and non-racist by making Memphis, an African-American kid who wants to be a poet in the Harlem Renaissance, a point-of-view character. Furthermore, she takes pains to demonstrate that Will is enlightened enough to disapprove of the Ku Klux Klan and that Jericho is liberal enough to detect the racist and classist subtexts of the eugenics movement. In her occasional overview vignettes, in which Bray tries to capture a cross-section of the country in its anxious modernity, she even regularly mentions Native Americans. See? See? She’s progressive!
Actually, she’s not really. Memphis’ world, while convincingly realized, also comes across as an info-dump truck that the author uses to haul in and show off all the research she did about Jazz Age Harlem. [See my note on the perils of research below.] Furthermore, for all her direct engagement with some of the racist currents of the day, Bray uses an offensively coy, glancing euphemism — “a name he didn’t like” — for “n****r,” without even trying to evoke the rage, shame and vulnerability that Memphis might feel upon hearing himself called that. This omission that makes it clear that she doesn’t really care about her characters of color.
Bray’s treatment of New York City’s Chinatown also demonstrates racism. Evie and Will go there for unknown reasons, and Evie, the terminally ignorant, sees what the denizens are doing — worshipping, placing protective charms, etc. — and asks Will what’s going on. Will answers her with textbook-worthy, objectifying explanations that make the practices in Chinatown seem like inscrutable, laughable superstitions. Apparently Bray spent all her empathy on her depiction of Harlem and had none left over to make Chinatown as robust and sympathetic.
To add to the dehumanization, a young Chinatown woman who can see the future appears at least three times in the book. Given the fact that Naughty John’s victims are named, biographically sketched and given interior monologues before being bumped off, I assumed that this prophetic woman would rate the same treatment. Nope. She doesn’t even get a name. In fact, she suffers the indignity of being referred to only as “the girl with the green eyes,” a fetishization of her mixed-race heritage. We never learn what’s going on in her head either, though I’m sure it’s much interesting than what’s going on in Evie’s.
2. Perpetuate the very anti-gay bias you’re trying so hard to avoid. Theta’s best friend Henry is also a struggling artist. He plays the piano, writes show tunes and serves as Theta’s Best Gay Friend [TM], providing moral support when she has relationship difficulties. Could he be any more stereotypical? In a truly unrealistic display of acceptance, Theta has no problems whatsoever with Henry’s being gay. Bray loses the chance to accurately portray the rich and secretive gay subculture of Jazz Age New York City by shoehorning a modern stereotype into the 1920s and leaving him at that.
In another example of homophobia, Bray introduces one of Naughty John’s victims as a gay Mason who lovingly thinks of giving his partner cufflinks for his birthday. Then he’s killed. What’s the point of taking pains to establish a character as gay if he’s just going to die two pages later? This comes across less as a bit of humanizing characterization and more as yet another tired example of The Queer Character Bites It.
Also there are no lesbians.
3. Perpetuate ableism. Jericho’s backstory is rank with it. Jericho got polio at an early age and had to be put in an iron lung. His parents abandoned him in the hospital [Tragic Cripple stereotype]. Then some secret government project recruited him with the promise that he could escape the iron lung and walk once more [Obsession with Ambulation stereotype]. Jericho joined other men, including veterans of the Great War, in becoming cyborgs, but he was the project’s only success. The other test subjects had mental and physical breakdowns. In fact, Jericho’s friend, a veteran with no legs and one arm [described as “less than half a man” — the Disabled Person as Less than Human stereotype], asked Jericho to help him commit suicide [Mercy Killing of the Tragic Cripple stereotype], which Jericho did. Jericho now hides his cyborg innards and his dependence on an unidentified blue serum from everyone except Will [Disability as Shameful Weakness stereotype]. The reader falls asleep from the sheer unoriginality of it all.
4. Make your protagonist a) exceptionally obnoxious and b) dull compared to everyone else. As I mentioned, protagonist Evie spends much of the book getting drunk, having hangovers and using every single piece of Roaring Twenties slang that Bray could possibly scrape up. Evie’s also a self-centered, manipulative, whiny person who requires being the center of attention. Her momentary insights that she probably parties too much and that she regularly steamrolls her supposed best friend do not redeem her because they do not prompt any lasting change in her actions. I think Bray means for readers to be attracted to Evie’s insouciance, but she comes across as an insensitive brat who doesn’t know when to keep her mouth shut.
Furthermore, Evie has the least interesting backstory and interior monologue of nearly all the main characters. Her parents send her to Will’s house because she scandalizes her small Ohio town when she reads an object and learns that the village’s golden boy had sex with a servant of his. I’m actually much more interested in her relationship with her brother, who died in the Great War, and why she keeps having vivid dreams of being on the front, watching charges ignite and people’s faces melt. These points are not really enlarged upon, except insofar as the dead brother gives Evie a Tragic Past [TM] that activates a key plot point during the climax.
Compared to most of the other cast members, Evie’s pretty flat. I care much more about Memphis, who runs numbers during the day and, by night, hangs out in cemeteries writing about his mom, who he failed to bring back from the dead. I’m also very curious about Theta, an orphan who escaped an abusive adoptive stage mom by tumbling into an abusive marriage with a handsome guy, who she may have inadvertently killed with her pyrokinesis, after which she escaped, had an abortion [?!] and moved in with Henry. Heck, I’m even more invested in the smarmy Sam, the name-changed kid of Russian immigrants, on a search for his missing psychic mom that led him to run away and join the circus. I just don’t care about Evie, and her complete lack of insightful interior monologue just adds to my apathy.
5. Never use a single detail when 85 will do. Bray, as she informs us in the acknowledgements, did copious research in preparation for this series. Unfortunately, it shows, and not in a good way. Her idea of evoking Jazz Age New York City involves hitting the best-known highlights of the period and hitting them repeatedly. A typical chapter in The Diviners includes flappers, bee’s knees, a hot tomato, the berries, the cat’s pajamas, Bolsheviks, Wobblies, Sacco and Vanzetti, the Klan, Langston Hughes, Lost Generation malaise, speakeasies, police raids, Zeigfield girls, Rudolph Valentino, etc., etc., and then all of these elements mentioned again at least five times elsewhere in the book. Bray does not write with parsimony or suggestiveness. She writes with anvilicious brute force, and it’s painful.
Bray’s worst offense appears in her use of 1920s slang. Evie cannot say a sentence without at least two period terms. I’m not talking about period terms that remain intelligible today, like “baby” for “sweetheart,” “heebie jeebies” for “goose bumps” or “nifty” for “great.” I’m talking “cheaters” for “glasses,” “chin music” for gossip and “giggle water” for “booze.” Bray seems to go out of her way to toss about terms that do not remain intelligible today, thus giving the impression that the 1920s were a strange place where people spoke a foreign language. The indiscriminate slang slinging does not impede my understanding, but it’s certainly distracting. It’s also a huge irritation. I positutely swear — if Evie says, “You betski” one more time, I’m going to beat it and get ossified, since that’s much niftier than this baloney. I’m under the distinct impression that Bray set The Diviners in the 1920s merely because she thought it was cool.
6. Use the wrong word. As I wrote above, the antagonist of the book is referred to as Naughty John. To me, “naughty” means “bratty” or “mischievous,” sometimes “risque.” It is entirely too mild a word to describe a creepy, merciless weirdo who kills people and eats their selected body parts in a bid to gain immortality and rule the world. Wicked John, Evil John, Creepy John, Cannibal John, even the rather generic Bad John — all of these would work. Naughty John just makes the guy sound less evil and more silly.
7. End abruptly, in the middle of a scene, without resolving anything. I know about the narrative requirements of trilogies, as well as the narrative requirements of cliffhangers. In trilogies, the first book almost always sets up the major players and storylines, resolving some important B plots by the end, while leaving the larger A plots for future development. In cliffhangers, the story builds up enough tension to draw the reader in, then frustrates their expectations by cutting off at or just before the climax, thus forcing the reader to wait for the next installment.
All of this is to say that the end of The Diviners is neither appropriate for a first book of a trilogy or a cliffhanger. It resolves no significant B plots, thus depriving readers of any intermediary satisfaction and sense of reward that would propel us to continue with the series. It also does not cut off at a moment charged with suspense. It ends when Evie kisses Jericho in an attempt to forget for a moment the impending doom of unresolved plotlines. I have to assume that this passes for a conclusion since Bray, exhausted from larding her doorstop with 1920s slang, had no energy left for an actual ending.
Ellery reports back to girlfriend Kristin about Lucian’s dismissal. This ep concludes season 4, and we’ll be back in early 2013!Continue reading Me and My Muses 4.8: “Banished”
Ellery banishes Lucian.Continue reading Me and My Muses 4.7: “Begone”
Ellery tells her muse Lucian to get out.Continue reading Me and My Muses 4.6: “Out of Her Mind”
Thanks so fucking much for NOT GIVING A SHIT about users, especially visually impaired users who find your new Friends reading pane a horrible illegible pile of shit. You STINK, and I'm leaving.
Find me over here, peoples: http://modernwizard.dreamwidth.org
This blog is officially an ex-blog. All content will be transferred to DW, assuming I can get some archive/transfer service to work.
In the latest ep, La Llorona, the titular character, a Central/South American ghost mourning her kids, whom she drowned, kidnaps children. Nick learns this from a Spanish-speaking man who has lost his son. The man speaks no English, and apparently no one in the Portland Police Department speaks Spanish, so, on this flimsiest of pretexts, the story drags in Juliette [Nick's girlfriend] to translate for the man.
I call bullshit. The father of the kidnapped kid knows no English at all, not even enough to say, "Let's communicate in Spanish"? More to the point, the Portland PD, which should be prepared to deal with many nationalities of people and many languages, has no one at their disposal who understands even basic Spanish?! No one is available who knows the primary language of the country with which we share a 2000-mile-long southern border? BULLLLLLLLLSHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT.
After another principal payment of $64.21, my auto loan is down to $350.97!!!
Batchix used to make Nan Sook, a double-jointed 25cm female. No longer available. Waaaaah.
Leekeworld used to have a K series of dolls, 18 to 19cm high and single-jointed. There were Jiny and Lani, both female. No longer available, of course, because, for some reason, Leekeworld decided not to sell dolls any more?!?!!? WHY?
I just sanding some of Novella's head aggressively for about 35 minutes. It went much faster when I stopped sanding in circles and started sanding in straight lines. Yes, I am aware that I am breaking the Fourth Commandment of BJD Ownership ["Thou shalt not sand thy doll with back-and-forth motions, but only with tiny, circular strokes"], but I don't care. I'm going a lot faster this way and seeing much more gratifying results. :p
Continue reading Aggressive sanding
There's one on the DOA marketplace now for $375.00 shipped. Graaaaaaah!
Right here. ^_^
At Burlington "International" Airport, daily arrivals and departures occur to/from the following cities: Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit, Newark, New York City, Orlando, Philadelphia and Washington DC. There are seasonal flights to/from Toronto and daily bus trips to/from Montreal, which are the only qualifications I can think of for the "International" in its title.
It's a source of great irritation to some of us Vermonters that there are no flights to/from Boston out of BTV. For that, you have to go across the lake to Plattsburgh "International" Airport, which defeats the purpose of having a direct route to Boston slightly quicker than Greyhound "We'll Get There Whenever We Feel Like It and Stop in 46 Towns Along the Way" Bus Lines or the Amtrak "It Takes All Day and Only Gets You Three-Fourths of the Way There" Choo Choo Service.
Of course, now there's Megabus, which takes only 4.5 hours to go between Burlington and Boston. Where was this service for the past decade of my life when I was hauling ass regularly on tedious Greyhound trips that took approximately 5 years? >:(
City employee: Town clerk's office.
Me: Hi, I swear I registered to vote last year, but I'm not showing up on the Web site. [gives name and address]
City employee: Nope, you're not registered.
Me: But I registered last year when I switched my driver's license over.
City employee: Yeah, Motor Vehicles is really bad with giving us that information.
Me: So I should register again?
City employee: Yeah.
YEESH!!
Remember how I had the idea for a 1:6 scale drag queen fairy BJD? I just was thinking…
I could purchase a Lumedoll Lumelight slender male doll in white resin and create the following hybrids:
Flower's head + Lumelight body + hands from Flower's body + feets from Flower's body = Flower
Lumelight head + Faery Legend body + Faery Legend wings + Lumelight hands + Lumelight feets = drag queen fairy
This way, Flower would get the more diminutive and slender body that I have always imagined him having plus the wonderful Soom hands and feets plus no wings to throw his back out. [Fuckers are heavy!] The drag queen would get the wonderful Soom body, the blockier Lumelight hands and feets plus beautifully blushed wings already set in her back.
Flower: "My name is Flower, and I approve this message. This doll stand is really cramping my style."
Me: "Should I take your wings off in the mean time?"
Flower: "God yes!"
I tried some 220 grit on Novella's head before heading to work this AM. It was certainly removing resin. The areas that I have quickly sanded appear slightly lighter than those I have not, so I'll try more after work, assuming we don't lose power due to the hurricane.
Ellery must make a choice: her muse or her girlfriend.
Continue reading Me and My Muses 4.5: “Bad News”
I spent a while this evening sanding half of Novella's face. It was an incredibly dull, unrewarding activity. I used the finest grit in my sandpaper collection: 600. I was clearly doing something, judging by the resin dust coming up on the paper, but I could see no appreciable difference in the color of the sanded half of Novella's face versus the unsanded half.
I suspect that I may be using a grade of sandpaper meant for light finishing, rather than actually scraping shit off. I also have some 220 grit in my collection, so I'll try that tomorrow on an inconspicuous location, like the lower back of her skull.
Just like yesterday. First, in an effort to whiten Novella’s head, I stuck her in a shot glass of 70% isopropyl alcohol with a plastic bag rubber-banded over the top so the alcohol didn’t escape. I soaked her from 6 PM last night to 1 PM this afternoon, then cleaned her off for 45 minutes with a melamine sponge.
Continue reading Today I worked on dolls all damn day.
Contemplating the purchase of studs and/or spikes here to make some studded and/or spiked stuff for Jareth by my own damn self.
I took maybe three hours to remove Novella's default faceup today. First she went a few rounds in a Ziploc, wrapped with tissues impregnated in 70% isopropyl alcohol. Then I tried some acetone. Then I hit her with Pebeo universal paint remover until I finally got 99.97% of the paint and sealant off.
I love the delicately curving shape of her eyes!
Continue reading Novella blank
…has TEEFS! [Source.] I think her head would go very well on a 20cm Elfdoll body.
Continue reading Xagadoll Lara…
…like O_O. It's the first time she's seen one of my BJDs. She was probably wondering why it looked like a person, but wasn't moving, giving her petpets or feeding her tuna.
It's so frustrating when something I want [Alchemic Labo Unoa Light Fluorite] appears on Ebay with a three-day auction, and I do not have the money. I need the opposite of that dancing DOA emoticon.
Hanging out in my office window because the light is much better at work than in my apartment.
Continue reading Jareth in the window
Pretty much done with Jareth for now. I gave his bangs a trim and evened out some of the color application. One picture without glasses, one picture with. I find it amusing to see him with glasses. At the same time, they go well with the planes of his face.
I have over $600.00 worth of stuff on my wish list at Doll Crack Peddlar, my latest discovery in US purveyors of doll stuff. 65.4% of that is another BJD and a wig for her, while 33.4% of it is clothes and wigs for Mr. Pointyhead McDemandypants. The remaining 1.2% is Rement because, even though I only use a small fraction of my hoard, I apparently neeeeeeeed this particular set.
It would be really nice if some of my marketplace listings would sell and allow me to get rid of my auto loan more expeditiously.
Elizabeth Jr. just directed me to Barbie Styled By Me, where you choose from a limited number of sculpts and incredibly tacky outfits, as well as a T-shirt with a user-selected nine-letter message, and assemble your own custom styled Barbie. Here’s mine, rockin’ the signature bold, mismatching, heavily patterned style of all my dolls. In case you can’t read the minuscule letters on her eye-bleedingly pink T-shirt, it says DRAGQUEEN.
Continue reading Oooooh, custom styled Barbies.
What you are about to see will shock and astound you.
I offer you a fainting couch if you feel a syncope of amazement coming on.
If your companion passes out, please use the complimentary smelling salts to bring them around.
We also have antacid tablets for those who truly can’t stomach the sight.
…As well as blindfolds for those who don’t even want to think about looking in its general direction.
Is everyone ready? Good. Continue reading Prepare yourself, ladies and gentlequeers.
Part of me wants to get ALL THE 1:6 SCALE BJDS!!!!!! The rest of me just wants the following, in order of rarity:
In order of strength of desire, I want Ryung, Lara, Bonbon, Fluorite and Metel.
Isn't this fascinating?
I've been thinking about the relative rarity of all the 1:6 scale BJDs recently, since I just got Novella, who, as a Soom Romantic Uyoo, is the rarest doll I have. Also I saw a Unoa Light Fluorite on the DOA marketplace that I want, but do not have the dough for. 🙁 Anyway, here's my spectrum of relative rarity for all the 1:6 scale BJDs:
Illusion Spirit Spirit, JAMIEshow bodies and Xagadoll Lara are so new that they haven't established distribution patterns or reputations, so I'm excluding them.
COMMON
Whether these dolls are popular or not, they're still being sold on the primary market, so they are easy to get.
SCARCE
These dolls appear regularly on the secondary market, so acquiring them is mostly a matter of a) patiently waiting and b) jumping on the opportunity.
RARE
Dolls in this category appear on the secondary market, but much more infrequently. Expect to wait years for one to come up.
VERY RARE
I've seen dolls in this category appear on the secondary market only twice or thrice.
YOU WISH!
Dolls in this category have few to zero online owner pictures and/or have appeared on the secondary market not at all or once.
Really? We have to explain to this poster something as elementary as one's BJDs being a vehicle for one's fantasies? Wow.
Jareth: "I'm a super-gay doll with long hair, and I approve this message."
Me: "You're super queer, not super gay."
Jareth: "To-may-to, to-mah-to."
Me: "I've never heard anyone actually pronounce it 'to-mah-to' unless they're using that particular phrase."
Jareth: "Excuse me…I'm going to the credit union to pay off your auto loan so you can buy me more clothes."
Me: "I'd like to see you drive."
FLE car: "Don't worry; I won't let him get anywhere."
Jareth: "Shit."
Whoops.
Mr. Demandy McDemandypants wants the following, in no particular order:
some underwear [contemplating something like Dorsetclothing's retro black ruffled underpants on Etsy because they are FUCKING HILARIOUS]
the previously mentioned hot pink and black vinyl underbust corset and matching miniskirt
that Souldoll Ruvo-Z outfit for Zenith dudes
some weird black leather cropped vest with steel epaulets featuring studs and spikes
a froofy skirt with various black and pink layers [eyeballing one on the DOA marketplace]
Tata's Paradise Evildoer Punk black leather bolero jacket, also with spiked studs [yes, I know it's sold out]
Tata's Paradise motorcycle gloves ["theirs not to reason why…"]
a short red fur wig
a long hot pink wig
black leather collar with steel spikes
black leather wrist cuffs with steel spikes
I would get him a ball gag too if I thought that would stop him making demands, but he's here inside my mind, kind of like the Phantom of the Opera, only not abusive and with a much better sense of humor, so a ball gag wouldn't do anything.
FLE car: "Neener neener, I'm getting all of Elizabeth's extra money for the next two weeks!"
Jareth: "Curses!"
Me: "You do realize that you're demanding a wardrobe that costs hundreds of dollars that I could be spending on other dolls, right?"
Jareth: "It's all part of my cunning plan to have you forsake them all and have no other gods dolls before me."
Me: "You have no power over me."
Jareth: "La la la I can't hear you…"
…I ended up starting Jareth's faceup tonight with Prismacolor colored pencils directly on unsealed resin.
Naturally, the earth crashed into the sun, ending life as we know it. Also, this happened:
Continue reading After an immense load of piss about purchasing Pan Pastels…
She's currently in Nashua, NH. Let's hope she doesn't go leaf-peeping to Scarborough, ME, the way that my eyes from Kattunge did! >_>
The last time I discussed paying the shit out of my auto loan, I had $508.39 and about eight months left on it. Since then, I have made two principal payments, bringing it down to $415.18.
I've been spending disgusting amounts on doll-related stuff recently, so I'm thinking of NOT doing that for the coming pay period [October 28 through November 14th]. Of course, I will continue with my layaway to Andrea for Theophany etc., but I will not get anything new. Instead, I will direct all the money that has been going toward doll-related stuff to my auto loan. I estimate that I should be able to pay about $150.00 to $200.00 toward it.
Jareth: "I'll just be over here, suffering in silence." *presses inside of wrist to forehead in melodramatic gesture*
Me: "You do that."
…to capitalize on the aforementioned architectural results of trying to do something complex with 1:1 hair in a 1:6 scale wig, is clearly a drag queen fairy. Ideally she would be inresinated by a male Soom Faery Legend to exploit the beautiful body sculpt, as well as the built-in wing slots. Another Metato would be awesome, as his lush features would be dazzling with stylized makeup. Kremer would do for a more androgynous look.
On the other hand, a Lumedoll Lumelight Lucas on a muscular body could also work. I am selecting this sculpt because of its strong, square jawline, although the piddly eyes would have to be opened slightly. Given that body's lack of wing slots, her wings would have to be fabric, which is fine, because male Faery Legend wings are exceptionally heavy; they throw the doll off balance. [Poor Flower.] I'd have to do something about those distressingly blocky, undersculpted Lumedoll hands, though.
Okay, sweetheart, get in line. I've got at least Novella and Lura to do before I get to you. [There could also be someone based on Elfdoll Doona Ryung, but nothing's definite at this point.]
Dolls are such bastards. They actively conspire to excite my lust and steal my money. :p
…the closer to God! I found this site because Andrea saw this wig and thought of Mick.
After poking around the site, I realize why the stock looks so familiar. Given the problems of scale, these 1:1 wigs on 1:1 heads look very similar to 1:6 scale wigs on 1:6 scaleheads. Any time you try to do curls, waves or any sort of updo in 1:6 scale using 1:1 wig hair, it inevitably results in something that looks like pagodas or minarets formed by hairspray. Check out pretty much any wig on Monique Trading Company's site for reference. O_O
Mandragore mailed Novella from Germany last Monday. As usual, the tracking took a while to update. I successfully followed her across the ocean and through the international sort facility in New York City, and then…nothing. She was processed through the sort facility on October 18th, but her information has not updated since then. How irritating.
Caught between girlfriend Kristin and muse Lucian, Ellery seeks advice from older sister Avery.
Jareth's head has thin resin in several places. I understand the thin resin in the temples and under the cheekbones: those are places where I made his sculpt particularly indented. As I've mentioned earlier, though, there's also extremely thin resin in his eyewells. as indicated by the triangle, it's the thinnest area in his head. I blame that on Angelsdoll's "inner part modeling" and their known history of thin resin in their sculpts.
Continue reading My Jareth: the problem of thin resin
Yet another Chinese BJD maker has appeared on the already crowded scene: Magical Angel. Given their extremely horrible product photos, extremely low prices and the resemblance of their dolls' jointed feet to those of the defunct Domuya BJDs, the suspicious crowds on DOA called bullshit. Magical Angel's marketing manager, Amy, then hopped on DOA and allayed everyone's concerns. [She also posted the following explanation of all three contentious points on the MA Web site.] The suspicious crowds on DOA then uniformly turned cordial and enthusiastic, especially given Amy's readiness to submit to interrogation. Fickle individuals…
Anyway, MA just recently announced their custom head sculpting service. "Standard" quality, whatever that means, operates in the exact same manner that Angelsdoll's custom sculpting service, but with a base price of $550.00. [They also have a "high" quality option, which starts at $785.00, similar to Angelsdoll's base price.]
I asked Amy if MA a) accepted .obj files, b) would add eyewells, neck hole and head cap and c) would sculpt to particular eye size, neck circumference and head circumference. She answered within several hours and said yes.
All right, the next time I have some extra bucks, I'm going to get a 1:6 scale resin sculpt of Juniper, probably plopping her on a Soom Minigem body with reduced breasts. Whoo hoo!
It was the proud, the free and the few at doll club this Saturday [usual place, usual time]. I attended, of course, along with vermont chick and Lyrajean.
His appropriately sized hair came today, both in size 7-8. The first one is Pretty Girl in light peach and white blond. The second is Starr in white blond.
Continue reading Jareth is a fucking goof.
Patience Brewster makes decorative elements like candle holders, trick or treat bowls and Xmas ornaments. Some of them are clever and funny, while others are just disturbing. Here's one of the latter. I don't understand why the alligator is wearing four heels?!
MOC nicely shot some actual pictures of IS Spirit from their stock, comparing her to another in-stock 1:6 scale bjds, Xagadoll Lara.
Continue reading In-hand pictures of Illusion Spirit Spirit from Mint on Card
There are very few 1:6 scale BJDs out there, as I have been pissing and moaning about in the past. I have decided, therefore, to create the most comprehensive list of these hard-to-find specimens, which I will add to and update as necessary.
First, a BJD is defined as a ball-jointed doll. For the purposes of this list, a BJD is a highly articulated doll made entirely of resin and strung with elastic through hollow body parts. It comes without rooted hair, so that wigs can be used. It also comes without painted eyes; instead, eyes must be bought separately and inserted in the eyewells. A BJD can be customized through the addition of faceup/body blushing, eyes, wig and clothing. A BJD’s resin body can also be modified subtractively by sanding/carving and additively with sculpting compounds.
Second, 1:6 scale is defined as the scale in which dolls are one-sixth of life-size, which means that an average adult male fig is ~30cm, an average adult female fig ~27cm.
Third, 1:6 scale means something very specific to me. It means that the BJD’s head and body represent realistic human proportions, which scales down to a 3 to 4inch head circumference and 6 to 8mm eyes. My criteria thus exclude BJDs like Tiny Bear’s Mini Moona and Planetdoll Riz, both of which have disproportionately large heads.
Fourth, I’m only interested in certain types of 1:6 scale. I am not interested in 1:6 scale toddler and very young child dolls, like Fairyland Pukipukis and Pukifees. There are scads of those running around. I’m interested in BJDs representing kids older than 6 or 8, teenagers, young adults, etc.: the more mature end of 1:6 scale. Anything 20cm and taller is fair game.
And now…the list. I’m going alphabetically by company, with information about sculpts, availability and links where possible.
Alchemic Labo used to make Unoa Light Azurite [male] and Fluorite [female], both double-jointed BJDs. Azurite was 27cm, Fluorite 25cm. No longer available.
Batchix used to make Nan Sook, a double-jointed 25cm female. No longer available.
Dollmore sells 30cm Kidult dolls: Adela, Celia, Irina, Melissa Hon and Yeon [all female]. Currently available.
Dollmore also has Cute Dolls: Cossette, Dona and Lulu [all female]. I’m not sure if they’re part of the Kidult line, but they are the same size. Currently available.
Elfdoll used to make a line of 20cm kids with expressive faceplates. The first were Hana Angel and Devil, genderless sculpts, who also came in Halloween versions. They were followed by Doona Ryung and Doona Soah, as well as a Dolls and Friends exclusive, Kathlen [all female]. No longer available. [I have a Kathlen awake and a Kathlen sleeping on a Uyoo body.]
Illusion Spirit makes a single-jointed 27cm female doll, Spirit. Currently available.
JAMIEshow makes 30cm female bodies with double-jointed elbows and single-jointed knees. I'm not counting the heads made for these bodies because the heads have painted eyes. Currently available.
Limhwa/Eosdoll used to make the single-jointed 27cm ToYou [female]. They also make Mari and Sara [both female], who are the same size as ToYou and currently available. [I have a Sara.]
Leekeworld used to have a K series of dolls, 18 to 19cm high and single-jointed. There were Jiny and Lani, both female. No longer available.
Lumedoll makes the single-jointed Lumelights, 30cm males and 28cm females. Blaze, Koit and Lucas, the males, have slim and muscular options. Arine and Elin, the females, have small and large bust options. Currently available. [I have two Arines, Elin and Lucas.]
Notdoll used to make the Symposion dolls. First there was a 20cm Becy, followed by the 20cm Lucy [both female]. There was also the 25cm Miriam and Pandora, both female, as well as the 27cm Yohimbin [male]. All Symposion dolls had double-jointed elbows and single-jointed knees. No longer available.
Orientdoll used to make the 20cm, single-jointed Joong Wol [male or female]. No longer available.
Soom makes the single-jointed, 29cm Minigems. Of the unlimited models [all female], only Aren, Uyoo and Uyoo Elf are still available. Garam is sold out, while Sosle and Romantic Uyoo no longer appear on the site. [I have two regular Uyoos and a Romantic Uyoo.]
Soom also makes the limited Faery Legends. Males to date are, in chronological order of release, Auber, Azur, Kremer, Metato and Labas. Females to date are, in chronological order of release, Nenad, Mixi, Idrial, Haidi, Nelen, Rose, Aenigma, Cylin, Absynthe and Asis. Males are 30cm. Currently available. [I have Kremer, Metato, Rose and Aenigma.]
Souldoll used to make 27cm+ Soul Littles. Kimmy [male] and Metel [female] were the single-jointed first releases. They were followed by the double-jointed Jandi and Vivi [both female]. No longer available.
Souldoll also used to make a 20cm Soul Dinky, Licht [male], but I can’t even find him on their site. No longer available.
Tiny Bear makes the single-jointed Bonbon and Coco [both female], with short, fat bodies. Even though they are only 15cm tall, I'm including them because their heads [4 inches] and eyes [8mm] are in true 1:6 scale, so I interpret them as 1:6 scale women with dwarfism. Currently available.
Xagadoll makes a 27cm double-jointed female, Lara. Currently available.
I finally threw on Jareth's Cheerydoll trench coat, even though he insisted it was not froofy enough for him. Nevertheless, he rocked it, as well as an extra pair of specs that I bought when purchasing Janvier Jett's.
Continue reading Jareth in Cheerydoll duds
NotDoll, purveyors of especially delicate and weird BJDs, including several in 1:6 scale, has up and disappeared. Its Web site no longer works, and DOAers have reported that they ordered from NotDoll months ago, but never heard anything and didn't receive any items. That's really disappointing and also shocking, especially since they used to be a long-established company with a sterling reputation. Damn.
I was getting tired of tripping over Jareth's exceptionally long cape and the train on his Ringdoll Frankenstein hot pants, so I swapped him into his other outfit: a sheer red Cheerydoll blouse and black leggings with yet another pair of black platform heels [but these are only calf-high]. I tried to get a good picture of his shirt, but I have yet to figure out how to master low light conditions. Therefore you get only glimpses of his shirt and much more detailed shots of him in Janvier Jett's wig, in which he looks fucking awesome.
In the most recent Dear Prudence, a 27-year-old guy writes that he has no trouble with his girlfriend's body hair…except for a scattering of hairs on her chest and particularly around each of her nipples. He is really bothered by these hairs on her chest, to the point of suggesting that she remove them. He envisions a future with her, but also foresees the death of all lust unless she gets rid of her chest hair. Prudie responds by recommending permanent removal in the form of electrolysis.
Let's get this straight…1) Chest hair on women is completely unacceptable. 2) A woman who does have chest hair and doesn't give a shit should get rid of it because her partner gives a huge, disproportionate shit.
As for 1), God forbid that women be anything less than completely hairless except for head hair because then they'd "look like men," and we can't have people transgressing cultural norms of femininity because then the world would explode.
As for 2), I reject the axiomatic assertion that, in a heterosexual partnership, if a man can't accept some aspect of a woman's appearance, the woman should change to suit his preferences. And we're not talking "Please brush your teeth before you kiss me" type of requests; we're talking inscrutable, inconsistent, irrational requests like "Your armpit hair and pubic hair and leg hair and arm hair are 100% A-okay, but lose those 12 nipple hairs of yours, or else this relationship is seriously doomed" sort of shit. That's ridiculous, trivial, nitpicky and insulting, once you think about it. Claiming that you love your girlfriend passionately except for her dozen chest hairs makes me wonder what secret complaints the chest hairs are standing in for.
My advice has everything to do with the boyfriend and nothing to do with the girlfriend. First, buddy, either put up and shut up, or find a partner who lacks nipple hairs and the ability to object to your controlling, nasty demands about her appearance.
…layaway is an evil genius!
…pay the shit out of my auto loan!!
When I bought the FLE car last summer, I got a small loan through the credit union which, with my regular monthly payments, is due to be paid off fully at the end of June, 2013. That's also right around when we're planning to move and incur all sorts of related expenses. Therefore, I'm very motivated to pay off the loan much sooner.
If I make principal payments every month equal to my regular monthly payment, I can halve the time in which I will pay off the loan. I'd really like to get rid of it by the end of the year, though. Then I can have more money to do fun stuff with!
Commence aggressive repayment!
A raver Medusa girl with neon snakes in ponytails for hair! She'd have glittery makeup and a pacifier around her neck and tinted goggles and a rainbow gas mask and long fuzzy legwarmers and platform shoes and rainbow-striped tights and armwarmers and black vinyl short shorts and a tulle overskirt and a cropped tank top and general awesomeness!!!
I think I just got my concept for Novella.
After having taken photos of Jareth rocking the "Richard O'Brien as Riff Raff in RHPS" look, I like him so much more than when he was overwhelmed by the 8-9 wig I originally had for him. He looks elegant, ridiculous and stylized all at the same time, which is exactly how I imagine him to look.
Continue reading Madness takes its toll…fifty cents, please!
I decided that Mr. Pointyhead McDemandypants' size 8-9 wig overwhelmed his narrow face, so I bought him two Monique wigs in size 7-8. [His head is 8 inches in circumference.] One is a long straight light blond with a center part. The other is a light blond Jarethian style. Boy, it's really hard to find long straight wigs WITHOUT bangs.
I was going to stay off the compooper, but I couldn't resist shooting a few crappy photos of Mr. Pointyhead McDemandypants, who arrived today. Detailed commentary later this week. For now, feast your eyes on the cheekbones that can cut glass!!!
Continue reading Initial photos of Mr. Pointyhead McDemandypants
This may seem incredibly obvious, but I have recently concluded that 1:3 is not my scale. Even though I have several 1:3 scale BJDs, they represent a deviation from my true interest, which is 1:6 scale.
I should just stop buying 1:3 scale BJDs.
Anyway, my interest in 1:6 scale BJDs conveniently reduces the scope of BJDs I'm interested in to just a few types of dolls by a few companies, including, but not limited to, the following: Soom Minigems and Faery Legends, Dollmore Kidults, Lumedoll Lumelights, Souldoll Soul Littles and Dinkies, Elfdoll Hanas and Doonas, Unoa Lights, Notdoll Yohimbin, Miriam and Lucy, Xagadoll Lara, Illusion Spirit Spirit, et hoc genus omne. Of course, said interest also frustrates me, as most of the companies in this sub-realm offer female dolls, but not male ones. [I love you, Lumedoll!]
As far as I'm concerned, 1:6 scale is superior to 1:3 scale because there's so much more available in terms of clothing, furniture, accessories, sets and stuff. It's also less expensive on the whole and much less of a space hog, so I can cram way more 1:6ers into the same shelf space that would only fit a few 1:3ers.
I found a place that has an Elfdoll Doona Ryung with four faceplates in stock, even though she's long since sold out on Elfdoll's official site. I've been lusting after the Ryung sculpt since 2005, when she was only available in 1:3 scale. And I've been lusting after the Doona version for years as well. I'd love to swap her head onto a 27cm body.
I’m used to my hands hurting after I use my compooper for a really long, uninterrupted time. I am not used, however, to only my left middle finger hurting. It’s almost more annoying than having my entire hands hurt. I can’t wait to get home and not use my computer.
I picked up Jareth's head[s] at the Pine Street carrier station just now. From what I can tell, he conforms exactly to the pictures and measurements given in the final photos. He also has a magnetic headcap, which is very convenient. The Volks compatible white has a yellow undertone which the Doll Chateau white body does not. Who cares?
I notice that he has very deep ear canals and nostril passages. He also has some pretty thin resin around his upper and lower eyelids. I attribute that to Angelsdoll's addition of the eyewells.
I'm preliminarily very pleased, but I won't be fully pleased until I stick him on his body and confirm that he looks like he belongs there.
Ellery's girlfriend Kristin wants her to get rid of her muse Lucian.
Continue reading Me and My Muses 4.3: “Ultimatum”
Wear the clothes you have, ingrate!
Check out this stunning outfit from Souldoll: Layers of floofy shit! Tulle! Laceups! Corsetry!
I saw; I bought; I came.
Wait…that's not how it's supposed to go.
Illusion Spirit Spirit body @ $140.00 + IS translucent green wings @ $25.00 + IS Erica head for 12cm doll @ $30.00 + $17.46 s/h from Mint on Card = $212.46 for a customized 1:6 scale fairy BJD. Bite me Soom!
Speaking of 1:6 scale fairies, I discovered today that Illusion Spirit offers what is essentially a cut-rate, unlimited Soom Faery Legend equivalent: a 27cm single-jointed mature girl with optional magnetic wings in regular or translucent green resin. Just to make matters even more confusing, her sculpt name is Spirit.
Anyway, blank full doll is $165.00 from Mint on Card [+ $25.00 for translucent wings] excluding shipping, and head and body can be purchased separately. Compare to $300.00 for a blank version of Soom's current Faery Legend, Asis. Sure, she comes with faery legs and heel feet, but those aren't worth tacking $110.00 to the price of the doll + wings.
I'm keen on the affordable IS body + wings, so I'm currently rolling around the idea of getting an IS body + wings, then finding a head of a 12cm doll [wig and eye size for which tend to be the same as for 27cm matures] and modding it to make my own damn fairy. Hmmm…
Fuck you Soom.
[But Asis is so cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute!]
Just for my information, Dikadoll jointed hands for 60cm girls would be the best in terms of size for Mr. McDemandypants.
Ooooh, they're only $65.00 at Alice's Collections till October 20th!
Lumedoll will sell its 1:6 scale BJD bodies without heads for $205.00. Good to know.
Mint on Card very nicely provided me with some pictures of a blank in-stock Xagadoll Lara. They said I could use them as long as I credited the pictures to MOC.
Continue reading Actual unofficial pics of Xagadoll Lara
The USPS attempted delivery this morning to my work address, but it couldn't be delivered because I wasn't at work. [Imagine that…on a Saturday!] I'll have to pick him up from the carrier station Monday morning.
Now he's in Essex Junction! He'll definitely be delivered on Monday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now he’s laying over at JFK!
I've been paying her off since September 17th, which is ages ago, as far as my impatient self is concerned. I have two $35.00 installments left, and I so want to pay her off early and get her here, but I've already promised a portion of tomorrow's paycheck to Theophany, the other incoming Uyoo [from Andrea], as well as some other stuff from Andrea that just had to come home with me.
This is the dance of excitement + antici…PATION!
Jareth has left South Korea!
Apparently some people on BJD Text Confessions are laboring under the delusion that we're living in a meritocracy, wherein the quality of BJD art is directly proportional to the amount of time one spends on something and the "best" BJD art automatically garners power, prestige and popularity because of its instantly recognizable awesomeness.
Hmm, by that "logic," my Jareth doll should rule the BJD universe. And yet it doesn't. It's almost like the submitter has no handle on how reality actually works.
Way to go, submitter. Take that ahistorical, non-contextual, oblivious-to-privilege-and-structural-inequality perspective and shove it up your nose. I bet you don't believe in institutional sexism, preferring instead to tell yourself the lie that "women keep themselves down," huh? Bigot.
In light of several impending 1:6 scale BJDs [Novella, Theophany, possibly Soom Asis], I'm again examining my list of 1:6ers in storage to see if I can detach from a few. I have listed 3 that might go: AJ Regular [as opposed to Steampink AJ], Michaela, Tituba and Sarah.
AJ Regular [last photo] and Tituba [the one with the bonnet] are hanging around mostly because I love the CG02 headsculpt best of all. I also have a sentimental attachment to AJ specifically, as she was my first Cy Girl, and she reminds me of Sarah from Labyrinth. I already have another AJ, Steampink, so I could let AJ Regular go, but then I wouldn't have AJ in a form reminiscent of the one that inspires such nostalgia. Sigh. I guess AJ Regular is staying after all.
As for Tituba, she's also a CG02, but not AJ. She's a Destiny [light tan headsculpt and short hair, as opposed to slightly darker tan and long red hair a la Blaze] on a modded articulated Barbie body. Bye bye!
And Sarah…she's such a cutie [I use this phrase so much that it has probably been evacuated of meaning], and I really enjoyed making her and sticking her in LHF. I do not, however, have as much of an attachment to her as to other members of the Pink Squad [LHFers with pink hair]. Bye, Sarah.
As for Michaela [on the right], she just bugs me. I keep her because she was important in an earlier iteration of LHF, but I liked that version better. Her current head has a washed-out faceup, and she's on an irritatingly floppy Volks Dollfie Plus body. Bye, Michaela.
Working tracking number for Jareth's head has been obtained from Angelsdoll! Now trying to find out estimated delivery date.
EDIT: ETA in "2-4 days." Friday, Monday or Tuesday, I guess, since he's going to work.
Mellifer also got new DD-Annes today!
Continue reading DD-Anne eyes part 2: for Mellifer
My first shipment of DD-Anne eyes from Kattunge finally came aujourd'hui, after taking a detour to Scarborough, Maine, apparently to go leaf peeping. >:( I swapped out Jamisia's 6mm shitty blue acrylic Glibs for 8mm awesome blue glass DD-Annes.
I finally found some owner pictures of Lara, their 1:6er. She looks adorable, but her skull globe is way too tall, even for the exaggerated proportions of BJDs. If I got her, I'd remove a chunk out of her head so that her skull globe did not project back so far.
I thought it was about time for Soom to release a new Faery Legend…. The latest is Asis, the Moonlight Sprite. According to her backstory, she turns into a were-troll with infectious saliva who bites small animals and turns them into were-trolls too. Wow, that's silly.
Holy crud, she is so incredibly cute. Maybe I could just get her head…or the human doll?
Asis is sold as is, with no guarantees of quality. :p
EDIT: If I just got her head, I could get her a Xagadoll Lara body from Mint on Card for $234.31 shipped. Cheaaaaap.
The elevator in the office building is not working. The elevator company can't fix it until the close of business today or the start of business tomorrow.
GOOD THING NO ONE WITH A MOBILITY IMPAIRMENT NEEDS TO GET AROUND THE BUILDING, HUH?
This is all the Knights of Columbus' fault. They're the assholes who pestered FDR to make Kill Indigenous Peoples Day a federal holiday in 1934, which is why the elevator company was off today in the first place.
The world is pissing me off today.
Ellery follows up on girlfriend Kristin's vaguely suicidal E-mail.
Continue reading Me and My Muses 4.2: “Ominous Conversation”
When I first wrote about Jodi Anderson's tedious slog of a novel Tiger Lily, I predicted that Pine Sap, Disabled Stereotype Extraordinaire, was going to die.
Now, having finished the book [give me a medal for endurance], I would like to apologize. I'm sorry. I was wrong. Pine Sap does not die. Instead, he becomes Tiger Lily's Consolation Prize Husband after Peter leaves Neverland to grow up in the UK as Wendy's husband. [I'm not gonna even go into how narratively wrong that is.] Pine Sap's status as Permanent Runner-up is not at all an improvement over my assumption that he would be the Tragic Dead Guy. He's still portrayed as inherently pathetic and not as awesome as Peter because of his disability.
So guess who dies? Tik Tok. Yes, Tiger Lily's adoptive dad bites it. On insistence from a shipwrecked "Englander," the Sky Eaters force Tik Tok to change his gender presentation and wear men's clothes. He loses his spirit and commits suicide as an instructive object lesson to Tiger Lily about what happens when you try to deny your true self.
Really, Anderson? You're gonna go with the Tragic Dead Queer trope? You realize it's a fucking evil stereotype, right?
…No, apparently you don't. Boy, you really do have shit for brains.
Trans people are actual people, not Thematic Elements That Underscore the Protagonist's Ponderous Musings About Mutability. It's stupidly disingenuous of you to claim, through your protagonist, that you are not making the protagonist's trans girlfriend a Thematic Element when you end up explicitly making the girlfriend a Thematic Element a few hundred pages later. Kindly fuck off until you learn the secret to writing trans characters.
Hint: It's NOT A SECRET, and you, being a published author of some experience and renown, should know it already. Here's the hint: you write about a human being with the attribute of being trans, instead of writing about the concept of Transness that incidentally has the attribute of being human. You can do it with your queer cis female characters. Why can't you do it with your queer trans female character?
Do you care about trans people at all? [Do you even known any?] Or do you just think that writing "tr***y" makes you grittier, edgier and more shocking? I'm going with option C, given your colossal cluelessness.
I am so disappointed in you. I am never reading anything you write again, which is a pity because I liked The Red Tree.
You do realize that The Drowning Girl, catalyst of my ire, is nothing but a flaccid, digressive, anti-trans Red Tree wanna-be in need of ruthless editing, right?
Well, the two pairs of DD-Anne eyes from Kattunge took a sudden detour to Scarborough, Maine, for inscrutable reasons, so I'm not sure how they're supposed to arrive by today. In any case, I threw out Lucian's default piece-of-shit eyes and replaced them with Ginevra's light-catching eyes. Default piece-of-shit eyes:
Continue reading Lucian’s new eyeballs
Peter Pan was published in 1911 by the British author J.M. Barrie, based on a 1904 play called Peter and Wendy. It’s the story about three British kids, Wendy, John and Michael, who go to the Neverland of their imaginations. There they have adventures with pirates, mermaids, wild animals, lost boys and, of course, the boy who wouldn’t grow up: Peter Pan.
The concept of Peter Pan and the crude outlines of the story have exerted a fascination over US and British readers for more than a century. Thanks to Disney’s 1953 animated adaptation, most US fans have rather superficial ideas about Peter Pan, chiefly involving flying, fairy dust, pirates and maybe a crocodile. Naturally, the play and the novel are much messier and more interesting than our cliched ideas about them.
Having read Peter Pan many, many times, I could provide you with rants on everything from the authorial interruptions to the treatment of female characters, but right now I am focusing on the Indians. Yeah, there are Indians in Neverland. They are members of the Pickaninny tribe, referred to by that narrator as “red men,” and they scalp people. I am not making this up; Barrie specifically writes that the name of the Indians’ group is a racist term for African-American people. Furthermore, the Indians have silly nature-related names like “Great Big Little Panther.” They also talk like stereotypical Japanese people who can’t pronounce their Rs. In short, the Indians are a horrible farrago of Edwardian racist stereotypes, which kind of makes sense, if you figure that Neverland is populated by Wendy, Michael and John’s ideas of Indians gleaned from idealized and disparaging media they have consumed.
The only Indian in Peter Pan to develop something like an individual personality is Tiger Lily. Described as the trite Ice Maiden who “staves off the altar with a hatchet,” she is beautiful, imperious and aloof to all potential suitors. For some reason, though, she has a rather pathetic crush on Peter, declaring, “Me his velly nice friend.” [See what I mean about the stereotypical broken English?] Her major scene occurs when Smee and Starkey kidnap her, but untie her at Peter’s orders, as they think he is Captain Hook. Tiger Lily does the smart thing and immediately jumps off Smee and Starkey’s boat and swims away to freedom. Other than that, though, she’s a barely personalized bit of scenery.
One hundred years after Barrie published the original novel, Jodi Lynn Anderson decided to vomit forth her revisionist response entitled Tiger Lily. In this version, narrated by an observant but mostly uninvolved Tinker Bell, Tiger Lily is merely referred to as a “native,” a member of the Sky Eater tribe. A teenager, she lives with her adoptive father, the cross-dressing shaman Tik Tok, and excels at “masculine” pursuits and suppressing her emotions. She meets Peter Pan and falls in love with him, an experience that, of course, feminizes and gentles her. [I fucking hate that trope.] Her impending marriage to a cruel lout, as well as the arrival of Wendy, John and Michael, messes everything up. Angst ensues. As far as I can tell, this is a cheap attempt to capitalize on the paranormal romance subgenre by employing, for no discernible reason, the trappings of a previous author’s universe.
As soon as I heard about Anderson’s book, I began to cringe. Why is she so interested in rehabilitating stereotyped Indians? What makes her think she has the authority to tell Tiger Lily’s story? Why do we need yet another white author with no native connections treating the Indians of Peter Pan like shit? [I’m serious. In all sequels and adaptations of the story that I’ve read or read about, the Indians fare extremely poorly. Please check Debbie Reese’s “Peter Pan” and “Peter Pan in Scarlet” tags on American Indians in Children’s Literature for details. Reese is an author and activist tribally enrolled in Nambe Pueblo (New Mexico), and she knows what she’s talking about.] The answer to these three questions appears to be 1) no idea, 2) absolutely nothing and 3) we don’t. Yet Anderson forges ahead.
I decided to give Tiger Lily a chance, though. I was right – it is cringeworthy and terrible. The persistently clueless portrayal of the Sky Eaters combines with the talentless writing to create a literary disaster.
This book is so bad that I don’t even know where to begin. Let’s start, for want of a better place, with the subject of consistency. All of the “native” tribes of Neverland appear to be named after their location – the Bog Dwellers and the Cliff Dwellers, for example – except for Tiger Lily’s tribe, the Sky Eaters. Why aren’t they named after their location as the Forest Dwellers? What’s this irrelevant business about the sky and eating it? Here’s just one clue of many that Anderson hasn’t thought her world through.
The Sky Eaters behave like a loose collection of Native American stereotypes. They live in huts; they have a medicine man, Tik Tok, even though he is called a shaman, who heals people and works magic; they wear deerskin clothes; they have long black hair and high cheekbones; many of their names follow the stereotype of Literally Translated Natural Phenomenon; they worship many gods or spirits…argle bargle bargle. Despite this, they don’t seem to have any culture. Anderson will often add asides about the Sky Eaters’ marriage customs, religious beliefs or bathing habits, but we never see these things affecting the characters’ actions or the development of the plot. Tiger Lily’s little village, populated by the Loving Adoptive Dad, the Disabled Kid With a Crush on Her, the Teen Exemplar of Femininity, the Evil Suitor, the Evil Suitor’s Mom and Various Uncomprehending and Gossipy Tertiaries, could appear in any other setting without a problem. It’s a thoroughly generic story and a thoroughly generic setting, which Anderson only gestures at making specific. And, unfortunately, her idea of making the Sky Eaters specific involves tossing them into a pit of Indian stereotypes.
Even though I’m only halfway through, I’m dogged by the sense that Anderson is telling the wrong story. As I mentioned, the depiction of Tiger Lily and the other Sky Eaters is so vacuous as to deter sympathy, identification and investment in Tiger Lily’s experiences. Furthermore, Tiger Lily and Peter Pan have a tediously formulaic Forbidden and Doomed Love piece of crap going on, which is also boring. I’m much more interested in…well, basically anyone except them. For instance, what’s Tik Tok’s history? How does Pine Sap [Disabled Kid with a Crush on Tiger Lily] feel about being a sensitive, thoughtful butt of tribal jokes? What’s the relationship between Smee and Hook? Why does Tink have a crush on Peter? Where the hell are all the other faeries anyway? Where’s the magic?
Neverland holds such a grip on our imaginations because it’s a problematic, messy, dangerous, powerful place. Anderson commits a crime against fiction by sticking it somewhere in the Atlantic, leaching out the magic and populating it with racist and sexist cliches that wouldn’t grow up.
P.S. I just know that Pine Sap is going to die. The disabled character always bites it in this kind of ableist tripe.
I enjoy Warehouse 13 as an entertaining time-passer with engaging interplay between the main characters. I do not enjoy irrelevant racism in my escapist fare.
For some reason, ep 4.5, No Pain, No Gain, kicked off with Myka and Claudia in yellowface geisha drag over in Japan, where two stereotypes were seated at a kotatsu. The Japanese stereotype invoked Ancient Oriental Mythology and spoke broken English like, well, a Japanese stereotype. The Middle Eastern stereotype forked over the proverbial briefcase of cash for a magical artifact, but, interestingly enough, he was unable to speak. Myka and Claudia nabbed the artifact and returned home with heads full of Japanese stereotypes. Why do people do this lazy shit? Do they think it’s funny? It’s so contemptible.
Oklahoma County District Judge Bill Graves has denied at least two women, Christie Harvey and Angela Ingram, their requests to legally change their names. Why? Because he’s an anti-trans bigot. Jesus, DNA and “fraudulent purposes” also figure into his inane ruling, in some obscure way. To compound the cruel bullshit, The Oklahoman’s news site refers to Harvey and Ingram by their birth names and masculine pronouns.
Furthermore, the article reports that Ingram goes by Angela in her social circle. She also carries a purse and wears a bra. Well, I nearly fell over from shock when I heard those details. I mean…can you imagine someone’s friends calling her by her name?! And a purse? How odd! I’ve never even conceived of a modern white bourgeois woman in the US using one of those. And what about this “bra” thing? She must be conforming to the ubiquitous societal expectation that all women in the modern US should wear elasticated garments that restrain and support their breasts. Can you even imagine a woman in this culture doing things that most women in this culture do? Why would that even happen? I can barely wrap my brain around it. It makes no sense!
Wow, if the author of that article thinks that Ingram’s underwear is news, he is not only perpetuating the objectification and sexualization of trans women, but he’s also seriously underestimating his readers’ capacity for understanding and empathy.
I used to have three knit tops with three-quarters sleeves and V necks, all in the same style, one cranberry, one pumpkin, one black. They have all disappeared from my closet. I have no idea where they went. I can't have gotten rid of them, since they're my favorite shirts. Where could they have gone? I really don't want to have to buy three more shirts. >_>
So some 1:6ers are getting updated eyeballs. Mellifer is getting DD-Anne 8mm yellow imperfect glass eyes. Jamisia is getting the same in light blue, not shown on the site. Both of these are coming in trade from Kattunge on DOA. All I had to do was send her a bunch of Rements I never use! [We both think we're getting the better end of the deal. ^_^]
Meanwhile, Ginevra is giving her current Dreaming Tree silver 8mms to Lucian. Since she needs replacement eyes, I got her DD-Anne 8mm imperfect glass ones in light purple and also in red glitter. I couldn't decide which ones would look better, so, since I cold afford it, I sprang for both.
I had just enough $$$ in my PayPal account to cover Ginevra's two pairs of eyes and an improved wig for Mellifer. He's getting a long, straight, center-part maroon wig in size 4. I wanted a brighter red, but the maroon is close enough.
Anyway, since they're coming from China, God knows when they'll arrive. For example, I ordered Jareth's Captured in Glass eyes recently from Hong Kong. They were mailed on September 27th, and they arrived on October 2nd, which is truly impressive, especially since they were sent registered airmail across the ocean, as opposed to first-class mail across the country. It's even more impressive when you consider that, if you're sending registered airmail from the US, the USPS won't even give you an estimated ETA. It "varies according to location," which means that it usually ends up taking 1-3 weeks. I have problems with the USPS… >_>
The owner of the Mannequin Store just called me back, saying that Vanessa will be back in stock within 2 months. And, contrary to what the Web site says, she does have knee joints. FUCK YEAH!
I just asked Angelsdoll if Jareth's head has shipped yet and, if not, when it should.
I also asked the Mannequin Store if the beautiful, lustworthy and attractively articulated Vanessa would even come back in stock.
And I'm exploring the possibility of commissioning the Ultimate Corset [and matching miniskirt] for Jareth: viz., the underbust number in alternating panels of black and hot pink 4-way stretch vinyl that the Frankenstein outfit needs I tell you NEEEEEEEEEEDS to finish it off.
Things are looking good!
As an extension of my interest in dolls, I've long had an interest in mannequins. For example, about 11 or 12 years ago, when I lived in small quarters in Somerville, MA, I purchased a 1950s mannequin off Ebay.
I named her Mick. She was made of wood pulp composite and had a nice old musty smell. She had a lovely, small, foreshortened head with uptilted features and knowing, side-glancing eyes.
I customized her by giving her a mohawk of blue and purple and gluing stars over the areas where her skin paint had chipped. I also gave her rhinestone studs around the border of her pinnae. Then I dressed her in all the awesome clothes that I could never wear myself. Naturally, she also dressed as Jareth, with a white blouse, my black velvet cape, the pants seen below [har!], an artificial bulge and an appropriate wig.
She was classy, demanding and vulgar at the same time, rather like Frank from Rocky Horror, as you can tell from the photos below. Incidentally, the button on her pants says "I heard it was come as you are, so I came in my pants."
Continue reading Life-size dolls ZOMG!! Plus the tale of Mick the mannequin…
Finding the best eyes for my BJDs involves the consideration of more factors than non-doll-related people probably guess. In no particular order, here are my considerations.
Size. Will they fill the eye sockets without leaving gaps? Will the irises make the doll look younger [if larger] or older [if smaller]?
Material. Eyes can be made from urethane, glass, silicone or acrylic. Each material has its pros and cons, as well as price variations. I tend to go with cheap glass.
Color. Is the color visible in the doll's eyes? Is it accurate to the character?
Dome height. High-dome eyes have definite bulbous lenses over the iris areas, which means that the irises and pupils sit further back in the doll's eye sockets. Low-dome eyes bring the irises and pupils closer to the lids. I prefer low-domes because high-domes tend to create too many shadows.
Reflectivity. Do the eyes eat light or reflect light?
Price.
I'm currently frustrated by my lack of appropriate eyes for my 1:6ers. For some reason, I have way too many pairs of 6mm blue acrylics that photograph like mud. I really want to swap them out for highly reflective eyes in light colors.
Jamisia currently has a pair of said muddy blues. Anyway, she needs better eyes. She'd look great in 8mm light violet eyes, even if I have to remove some of her hair in order to install them.
Mellifer does not have the muddy blues, but he does have pretty dark brown 8mms that don't fit his character. He'd look great in 8mm light yellows, and I need to remove his muddy wig anyway.
I think Lucian might need some new eyes too. He has 6mm browns [I think], and they just photograph like black holes all the time. 🙁 I should try swapping in Ginevra's 8mm silvers to see what they look like in his head.
Then Ginevra would need new eyes! I think she'd look good in 8mm light pink or red. Ooooooh…
DD-Anne sells cheap factory second glass eyes in 8mm.
Ooooh, I also see that the maroon 4-inch wig she sells is just the type I seek for Mellifer!
Too bad I have shit for money right now and can't buy anything.
When we last left Ellery, her long-distance girlfriend Kristin was growing jealous of Ellery's muse Lucian. Ellery's sister Avery warned Ellery not to do anything rash where Kristin was concerned.
Now Ellery gets a portentous message from Kristin.
Poor Mellifer. Unlike my other Soom Faery Legends, he doesn't stand around looking cool all the time. He sits around looking inquisitive and slightly anxious. I don't play with him as much as I do with Flower and Ginevra.
I thought the reason might be his annoyingly messy hair. Whoever designed his default wig wasn't thinking very well. It's dark brown, with long ringlets to the back of his knees, except for two sections at the front of his center part that are straight and shoulder-length. Naturally, these shorter bits pop out almost straight from his head, looking silly. Furthermore, though the ringlets look very romantic, they're a real pain because they frizz really easily. It's a wig that does not look good right out of the box.
In an attempt to make Mellifer more photogenic, I restyled his hair slightly. I used some small butterfly clips to pin back the straight parts of his hair. I also trimmed the worst flyaways. Then we went outside on the porch to take some pictures.
I'm not going to detail the big fight I went through trying to fit Jareth's shoes onto his body. I did succeed eventually, though, and I have pictures as proof. Behold the black vinyl thigh-high platform stilettos! They are pretty damn lustworthy. Janvier Jett is modeling again.
Jareth's head hasn't come yet, so Janvier Jett took over his body to display the glory that is the Ringdoll Frankenstein outfit. Interestingly enough, even though she is much pinker than Jareth's body, Janvier Jett looks rather elegant and well-proportioned. She's not particularly impressed, though, because the outfit she's modeling does not have enough color, pattern and texture for her variegated tastes. :p
Continue reading Janvier Jett models the Ringdoll Frankenstein outfit.
The original prospective buyer for Cyril's head dropped out, but I just received money for him today from another person and shipped him out moments ago. I'm $120.87 richer!
That's my favorite DOA icon, by the way!
[Thanks to Sparky at Racialicious.]
This “reverse discrimination” bullshit got funded?! WHY?
Re plot summary: SNORE. Also…saddest song, smallest violin.
P.S. I’ve started swearing in my LJ again. There’s too much bullshit in the world that needs calling out as such.
EDIT: Wow, it gets worse. First off, the author says that she wrote this bullshit because anti-gay bigots need to “to feel, through the love story of Chris and Carmen, the wrenching horror of being denied the person you love.” Yeah, somehow, reading about a persecuted straight couple will make anti-gay bigots more sympathetic to queers. Given that many anti-gay bigots believe that they are personally being persecuted right here and now by the “homosexual agenda,” I doubt that a book making queers the majority will promote empathy in said anti-gay bigots. They’d read it as a cautionary tale of what will happen to this civilization if we let those evil queers have their so-called “rights.” No, Preble, your book does not challenge anti-gay bigotry. It supports anti-gay bigotry.
Second of all, she thinks she’s some sort of fearless crusader with a message from “the Universe” to “[l]ive your truth.” Hey, Preble…your truth is that you’re full of heteronormative privilege. Also self-aggrandizing bullshit.
Third, she’s laboring under the misconception that her book is “LGBT fiction.” News flash for the clueless — in order to be classified as “LGBT fiction,” your book has to feature some lesbian and/or gay and/or bisexual and/or trans characters as sympathetically portrayed individuals whose experiences are worth sharing. You can’t just write a story with some lesbian and/or gay and/or bi and/or trans characters who function not as characters, but as poorly wielded anvils to hammer home the Important Theme [tm] that Anti-Gay Bigotry Is Wrong. “LGBT” fiction requires valuing, promoting and centering various varieties of “LGBT” experiences, which Preble obviously can’t do.
Fourth and most disgustingly, Preble feeds us some argle-bargle about writing this book in support of her gay son. Jesus Christ, if she really wished to support her son, why didn’t she help to organize her local city’s Pride celebration, join PFLAG, staff the fundraising phones at a marriage equality organization [since that’s one of her pet causes]? At least do something directly related to queers. As mind-blowing as it may be to hear this, Preble, writing about straight people does not further the cause of queer civil rights. In fact, it just reinforces the broad societal assumption that the only stories worth telling are heteronormative ones. Get it? You’re not helping. Shut up; bug off, and stop colonizing my subgenre. We don’t want you here.
I can’t expect Preble to get it, though. Her brain is so stuffed with straight privilege that there’s no room for any critical thought. I mean, look — she apparently doesn’t think queers exist. She addresses her blog audience [and putative readership] as follows: “If the way you are, ie, attracted to people of the opposite sex, was criminalized, how would you feel?”
Three things, Preble: 1) You appear to be operating under the strange and old-fashioned notion that sexes have “opposites,” a concept that is both factually incorrect and incoherent. What do you even mean here?
2) I AIN’T STRAIGHT. I am not attracted to people of the “opposite” sex. Amazing, huh? Not everyone in the world is just like you.
3) It ain’t a conditional for me. The way I am is criminalized in some places, maybe not where I live, but elsewhere. Though I might have certain freedoms that people in more restricted places do not, we all suffer from the same societal biases. Don’t tell me and others like me that our lives are speculative fiction. You don’t get to dictate my reality.
Oh wait…I have a fourth thing. 4) I read your sample chapter of this book, and you can’t write for shit.
Monkey Depot has them [for when my Selina Kyle comes avec stupid gloved hands]. Yay Monkey Depot!
This guy over on One Sixth Warriors [OSW] did a bash of a short, fat, wide, round character, Pigsy, who I guess is from a video game. He got into all sorts of molding and sculpting and redoing for metal accessories, joints and headsculpt. I, however, am most interested in his clever use of parts from a baby doll as the base for the torso and limbs. It’s such beautiful work!
Now I want to make some fat 1:6 women! The last time I made a short, fat woman, Margie, I started with a 1:6 male fig, shortened the limbs, added a bust with polyfill, carved up and sanded down a male headsculpt for the head and rebuilt the neck out of Sculpey. I enhanced the illusion of great girth by giving her baggy clothes. I loved her, and she was perfectly fine for a minor character, but, as with most of my customs, she was pretty raw, held together with hot glue and swear words.
I want to make more finished and detailed fat 1:6 women now. I’d love to use baby doll parts to give them wide, plush shapes, while trying not to compromise basic articulation. I want to give them actual hair and flattering clothes. Short skirts! Tank tops! Palazzo pants! Form-fitting blouses! [All of which will be very difficult because my sewing skill is limited to crooked hems in a running stitch.] I want to repaint them with lively expressions full of character. I want them to hang around my shelves being bad-ass and awesome!
Since the summer, I’ve enjoyed following a few BJD-related Tumblrs, mostly whatshouldwecalldolls.tumblr.com, followed by bjdtextconfessions.tumblr.com and bjdconfessions.tumblr.com. The first entertains me by applying animated gifs to hobby-related experiences. The second and the third bear anonymous witness to the barely coherent rage apparently simmering just beneath the surface of your average BJD owner. >_>
Recently, much of said barely coherent rage has concerned recasts, or bootleg, knockoff BJDs. When I first discovered that there was even a controversy about recasts, I did not understand. Recasts are clearly wrong. Don’t buy them. How hard is that?
Pretty hard, apparently. Defenders of recasts have loads of justifications for their immoral and illegal deeds, including the following:
“I can’t afford a legit one.”
“Only the recasters supply the resin color that I want.”
“It’s just like downloading music.”
“You’re just being elitist.” [In the BJD community, calling someone the E-word is just about the worst insult ever. I could write a whole entry about that, but it’s kind of a tangent.]
And my favorite: “[Keep your] noses, moral choices, and all that jazz out of everyone elses dollie buying decision.” Because right and wrong are completely irrelevant to human social activities! Whaddaya mean — you didn’t know that?!
Interestingly, most arguments in favor of recasts boil down to, “You’re not the boss of me! PPLLLBBBHHHTHTHSSSSST!” Historically speaking, this has never been an effective rhetorical strategy.
The amount of poo-flinging generating by the subject of recasts [see this thread, for example] fascinates me. O_O
One of Jareth's outfits, the Ringdoll Frankenstein default, which I previously discussed, arrived today. These are its parts:
one pair of black vinyl hotpants with swallowtails and a long, layered train of some tattered diaphanous material and various chains and pendants
one pair of tattered black fishnets that attach with snapping front garters to the hotpants
one pair of stretchy black armwarmers with various holes
one hooded black robe with long, loose sleeves, open in the front
one small key pendant on a choker-length cord of medium thickness
one black bowtie with strings on it to fasten around the neck
It's even more hilarious in person than in photos. I love how the train doesn't represent the rags worn by a feral creation, but instead a meticulously constructed set of layers that were purposely made long enough to trip over. I love how they aren't just slipshod socks, but gartered fishnets. What really cracks me up is the bowtie, since it really doesn't go conceptually with the rest of the outfit. Most of all, I appreciate how this outfit clearly communicates Ringdoll's concept of its Frankenstein [sic] doll as broody, kinky sex object and fashion plate. He works hard to look this good, people!
Now that I have the outfit in my hot little hands, I want to modify it before I pass it along to Mr. McDemandypants. I need to abandon the bowtie. I also need to improve the cape by removing the sleeves and adding some sort of clasp [which, knowing my caliber of tailoring, will probably be a safety pin]. Finally, of course, I at least need to get a locking leather collar, if not a collar and a corset.
If the thigh-high platform heels and the buckle-studded calf-high platform heels ever come, either pair would look very nice with the whole ensemble. I have no idea what's going on with this package, however, since it's apparently still running around the state of New York, being "processed" through "sort facilities."
I've got to take some detailed photos of the pieces this weekend…if I can ever stop laughing at it.
…that the Chittenden County Doll Club needs a Web site. A blog would be fine. I would love to be covered by the search engines so that any lonely doll enthusiasts in the area might find us and say hello!
GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!
I just finished Vanishing Acts, and it enraged me, just like every single book of Picoult's does. I'm so pissed that it's difficult for me to articulate why I find her work so narratively offensive, but I'll try.
Let me first give you my idea of novelistic success: a story motivated by characters' actions, featuring robust, believable people who just happen to live on paper. In the best novels, characters act according to their nature. Their actions are not propelled by the plot; they propel the plot with their actions. Even if what they do is surprising, it's exactly what they have to do because that's who they are. They are psychologically consistent people whose actions provide insight into their heads.
Picoult does not start her stories with robust characters at all. Instead, she starts with abstract concepts. In the case of Vanishing Acts, she's got Memory, Divorce, Alcoholism, Parent/Child Relationships, argle bargle bargle. Upon such a Procrustean bed of Big Important Themes, she throws the generic skeletons of her "characters," or, more precisely, "authorial puppets," who then twitch according to her grindingly blatant plot machinery. And we're supposed to accept this as a story?! Your average car commercial on TV has more genuine, compelling drama.
Now I enjoy a cleverly and neatly turned plot as much as any reader, but that's not what's going on in Picoult's work. What's going on is plot-driven melodrama trying desperately to pass itself off as a Significant Work of Our Times. You can tell it's Significant because there are [obvious, boring, unenlightening] Parallels Between Characters! There are Appropriate Poetic Quotes before each section! There's a Magical Negro Indian character who exists solely to fulfill the whiteys' epiphanies by infodumping Hopi mythology [which then becomes nothing more than a metaphor for…Lord knows what, as I was skimming at this point] and then conveniently offing herself! That makes this book Thematic and Deep, right? Right? Why are you laughing at me???
Picoult's books are all essentially diagrams of checkers games put into words. I was going to say chess, but that's too sophisticated. Maybe Connect Four is a better analogy. She's a cheating cheater who cheats because she tries to pass these diagrams off as stories.
I have really got to stop reading her books. It's like eating something that tastes good while you're chewing it, and then you get a little indigestion several bites in. You ignore it because you want to finish your portion. You continue, and your aches and pains increase. By the end, when your stomach is full, you feel bloated, heartburned, constipated and utterly unable to contemplate anything but the sore state of your digestive system. That's about how I feel right now, literarily speaking. Ooog.
This is what she said:
The basic dolll's price doesn't include emotions, but you can order
all of them with the basic doll. Each emotion faceplate comes with
make up (you can say your wishes about it) and each costs about 160-170$.
So you can decide do you want all of them or only some. The cost of
all emotion set is about 1700$. The basic doll price (include doll
with make up of your wish, wig you prefer and nails coloring) is 900$.
Isn't this nice? Soom is rereleasing some of their Super Mega Gem [65cm] and Idealian [72cm] male sculpts. Included in the list of options is Photon, who I'm attracted to because he just needs a little sharpening to be a good Jareth. Well, the head does. Unfortunately, the Idealian body is extremely muscular, thick and heavy. It's a well executed sculpt, but I really dislike that body type.
It would be very cool to put a Photon head on a slenderer [and lighter!] body, but Idealians are really big. Photon's head circumference is 24cm, his neck circumference 13.5cm. For comparison, Dollshe's "old" [original, ~2006] sculpts have a head circumference of 23.5cm, a neck circumference of 11.2cm. Like I said, they have really big heads and really thick limbs. The Super Gem body offered in this rerelease has a neck circumference of 10.5cm, so I'm not sure a Photon head would look good on a Super Gem body. Blaaaah.
I'm not getting a Photon anyway. My Jareth doll is much closer to what I want, and I made it, so I'm much more attached to it.
EDIT: Not Super Gem, Mega Gem. Mega Gems are apparently ripped like the Idealians. Siiiiiigh.
I've been a dollmaker for years already. I just haven't made any in a while.
I've actually scratch-built a doll before…in summer, 1998. Frustrated with the lack of figures of Frank from Rocky Horror, I decided to make a 1:6 scale version of my own.
I made the head and neck out of peach Super Sculpey, sculpted on top of a dowel for the spine. Of course I sculpted a smirk! I colored the head with ballpoint pen [!] and glued curly black doll hair on it with regular white glue [!].
I created a simple wire armature for the arms and legs, probably gluing them in the appropriate positions on the spine. I think I somehow stuck polyfill onto the armature, then cut body shapes out of pantyhose [!!] and glued them over the stuffing to create skin. I used mitten-shaped sandwiches of peach felt with finger demarcations drawn on in ballpoint pen [!] for hands.
I distinctly remember cutting up an old magenta bathing suit of mine for his outfit. Some sort of black material made his underwear and shoes [which had cardboard soles], and there was black tulle for his fishnets. I procured little plastic pearl beads for his necklace and some cheap expandable rings for his anklet. Finally, I noted the date of his creation and stuck a label on the bottom of his shoe.
The end result did not accord with my grandiose, movie-accurate visions. I created a microcephalic, flat-faced doll with disturbingly thick, tubular limbs and, despite the wire armature, negligible articulation. Glue featured prominently in his overall look. Come to think of it, I constructed him primarily of glue and swear words.
Nevertheless, I was so damn proud of that doll. I displayed him on my shelf for a while, and he appeared on my RHPS site in the fan art category. And I still have him, after all these years. I'll have to dig up a picture or two of him.
Kinda surprised that my first doll wasn't a Jareth. Then again, in my mind, Jareth and Frank are two aspects of the same character, so it's all the same.
It comes with a calendar and a clock. Why not a timer?
Anyway, I just found SnapTimer, a simple, self-contained, low-memory .exe that's intuitive to use and customize. It even displays custom popup messages when the time is up. Mine is "Get off the Internet now!"
I should make my alarm sound a .wav file of Jareth saying "Time is short." ^_^
…that dances by bouncing up and down while moving its fists to the left and to the right. I'll have to download it and stick it here because that's about how I feel right now. One of Jareth's outfits and two pairs of Jareth's shoes are arriving this week! Right now I'll settle for raising my arms in victory: \o/.
K.C.Doll makes a 21cm mature female BJD [RBJD? — made in Russia] Katyusha with multiple faceplates of all different expressions! Winking! Sticking out tongue! Sly! Surprised! Smiling! Sleeping! Kissing! Pissed off! Skeptical! I must find out how much she is!
I must also remember that, the last time I had a little BJD with faceplates, Petula, she sat around doing nothing. >:|
EDIT: Without s/h, a basic Katyusha is 25,000 rubles. According to xe.com, at today’s exchange rates, that’s about $801.50. Not sure if that includes faceplates. O_O
In general thematic order, rather than strict chronological order:
1. Like dolls in general.
2. Learn about BJDs.
3. Research BJDs obsessively.
4. Select BJD.
5. Save up for BJD.
6. Purchase BJD.
7. Wait with impatience for BJD.
8. Debox in ecstasy.
9. Repeat steps 4 through 8 ad infinitum.
10. Wire limbs.
11. Paint own faceups.
12. Perform minor subtractive mods with X-acto.
13. Make hybrid.
14. Design clothing and wigs; commission others to make.
15. Design and perform additive mods with Aves Apoxie Sculpt.
16. Digitally sculpt own BJD head; use established doll company for some internal modeling and casting services.
What does the future hold?
Digitally sculpt own BJD body; use established doll company for casting services.
Manually sculpt own BJD head; use established doll company etc.
Manually sculpt own BJD body; use established doll company etc.
An alarming percentage of BJD enthusiasts end up making either their own original BJD heads, bodies or whole dolls. With Jareth 2.0, I guess I can definitively say that I, too, now belong to the alarming percentage.
Yes [sigh], I have become a dollmaker.
This morning I was all excited about Word's Compare function making my job much easier. I shared the good news with my supervisor, who seemed unfamiliar with the function, and my coworker. Apparently my coworker has been using the Compare function since she was trained on manuscript processing last summer. In all the intensive training that I had with her in recent months, she never passed this information along to me. So very frustrated.
One of the most tedious, nitpicky and all-around wretched parts of my job is to compare the clean revised manuscript files to the annotated manuscript files [where the authors explicitly show what has been changed]. In particular, we compare the figure legends in the clean to the figure legends in the annotated. Sometimes authors will make changes in one document, but not the other, and we need to know which is the correct version.
As it currently stands, we open up the clean and annotated legends in side-by-side windows in Word and read them, looking for differences. You can imagine the potential for human error that creeps in. You can also imagine how much time this takes if the average manuscript has maybe 45 images, each with a legend. You can imagine how much I hate doing this.
So, when I don't like doing something, I look for a way around it, either by delegating it to someone else or automating it. In this case, I can't delegate the cross-checking, and I don't want to, because then I'd have to cross-check the delegate's work, which would waste more time.
Automation it is! I said to myself, "MS Word is a bloated and hugely overpowered program. It's got to have some feature that can compare documents and compile a list of changes, right?" Why yes, yes it does.
I quickly Googled the topic and came up with several sites, most of which didn't help me because they talked about merging the documents into one, which I do not wish to do. Eventually I discovered this series of instructions, and I made two files, one of the clean legends and one of the annotated legends. Then I compared them.
Less than 5 seconds later, I had a list of differences between the documents. It was mind-blowingly simple. It saved me so much time! I need to research this more, but soon I shall tell my coworkers, and we can institute this procedure and become much more efficient.
I'm mostly excited because I think I've found a way to accomplish the same results as the human-powered cross-checking, but without any of the tedium and error.
I may have a buyer for Cyril's head!
Andrea is selling me Eudora, her NS Uyoo with a default faceup. I regret getting rid of my own NS Uyoo with default faceup some time ago, so this one is a substitute, and I will not let her go. Her name will be Theophany [thee OFF a nee], which I much prefer over the English bastardization, Tiffany.
I'm purchasing on layway a WS Soom Romantic Uyoo. I've always loved Uyoo, but I've especially hankered after the "romantic" version with partly closed eyes. I've wanted her for 6 years, ever since her debut, but I never got around to ordering her promptly. By the time I was able to, she had been discontinued. Evidently, she was not very popular, which explains why I had never seen owner pictures of her until recently, when I came across one for sale on the Den of Iniquitous Temptation DOA marketplace.
Anyway, here's my incoming Uyoo, Novella, as she looks now. She's from an LE, Black Rose Again, and she comes with the LE faceup, which is horrible, smeary, dark and unflattering. Rest assured that I will be repainting her in a paler palette with a much lighter touch. I'm also removing those wretched eyelashes. Photos by Mandragore.
Continue reading Please welcome Novella [eventually]!
I called Artists' Mediums in Williston and priced the Pan Pastels I had selected: 1 set of 5 tints and 7 miscellaneous. Total damage without tax would have been $78.92. Not ready to drop that kind of money on glorified chalk :p that I do not plan to use regularly, I reduced my choices to 7 assorted single pans, a more manageable $48.93 without tax. They are marked with red checks below.
I got raw umber and burnt sienna for shading and lines, red and purple tints for lips. I got grey tint, pure white and pure black for cutting and blending colors. I did not choose yellow, blue or green because I never use those colors in faceups. Hmmmm.
I like dolls that show teeth in an expressive manner, as opposed to just having their mouths open and showing teeth because…uh… they're breathing or something. On that note, I must compliment AOD's Huixiang for having the most naturalistic of wide smiles I've ever seen on a sculpted doll. She looks so joyful!
Continue reading I may be slightly excited about my discovery of AOD’s new 1:3 girl, Huixiang.
I was hunting around on DOA for information about faceup pastels, and I discovered the glory that is Pan Pastels. According to the collective brains of DOA, Pan Pastels are smoother, brighter, thicker and more adhesive to resin than the average chalk pastels. Since I'm not particularly thrilled with my current set of chalk pastels, I've been investigating Pan Pastels for Jareth's faceup.
I considered ordering them from an online dealer, but the shipping costs would have cancelled out any discounts. Therefore, I thought to buy them in person from a local art supply store. I ran into difficulty when I realized that most of the stores around here that carry art supplies provide inexpensive, middle-grade supplies for the casual artist, as opposed to the more expensive supplies of higher quality preferred by the devoted and/or picky and/or professional. I could have easily hopped on the T and gone into "the city" to find Pan Pastels if I still lived around Boston, but I don't, and, surprisingly enough, "the city" [=Burlington] does not have a store for high-grade artist's supplies. I found one nearby in Williston, however, Artists' Mediums, which does special orders and which I will probably patronize, even if they are confused on the correct plural of "medium."
Since Pan Pastels cost an arm, a leg and three vertebrae, I've been deliberating over which to order. There are sets of 5 or 10, but I won't necessarily use all the colors in a set. But single colors are more expensive per pan than the same number of pans purchased as a set. So far I'm thinking of the following:
P.S. While I'm at it, I should get some Winsor & Newton brush cleaner.
Continue reading Stalking the elusive Pan Pastels
Terry Zigmund at Burlington Community Glass Studio does beautiful large rectangular stained-glass panels of skies in dark tints with a tree in the center made of twisted gold wire. One day, when I have the room [and the ca$h], I'm gonna get one and admire it for the rest of my life.
I wrote from 1.1 through 6.3 of Me and My Muses in a rush of inspiration last fall and then hit a complete and utter WALL. I had absolutely no idea what Ellery and Jamisia were going to do together. Since I knew that I would take months to even get to season 6, I figured I had nothing immediate to worry about, so I began to post eps weekly.
As soon as I got into the swing of Me and My Muses, I loved it. More specifically, I loved Ellery and Lucian. So did the readers [all 6 of you]. I received many compliments about Ellery and Lucian's character development, the exploration of imagination and reality and Ellery's sexual experimentation. Mostly, though, people really enjoyed Ellery and Lucian's snarky banter. It amused them and made them feel closer to the characters. Hey, it did the same for me too!
Season 3 ended on August 19th, almost a month ago. First, I needed a break from 8 months of weekly eps. Second, I was creeping closer to the WALL, still lacking in ideas of how to surmount it. I decided to seriously address the WALL by devoting the hiatus to overcoming it, first by thinking about it constantly in the back of my mind, finally by brainstorming my way over it.
I have spent the past month contemplating the WALL and not gaining any brilliant ideas as to its circumvention. I have, however, crystallized an important realization: I originally planned Me and My Muses as the story of Ellery's serial monogamy with three muses: Lucian, Mazzy and Jamisia. However, despite my initial plans, the heart of the story lies between Ellery and Lucian. Not only do I love them, the readers do too. Most importantly, they are the strongest characters. They have lives of their own in a way that none of the others do, and they're compelling me to tell their story, rather than the story of Ellery and Lucian and Mazzy and Jamisia.
In deference to my incredibly pushy, stubborn and demanding characters, I've given up telling the story I want to tell. Instead, I'm telling the story they want me to tell. I have changed my perspective from that of an architect following a meticulous blueprint to that of a hiker following more experienced guides on an unknown trail. Stupendously enough, the WALL has disappeared. It was a trompe l'oeil barrier erected mainly by my narrow perspective.
All of this is to say that I know where I'm going now…or, more precisely, I do not know exactly where I'm going, but I trust Ellery and Lucian to take me there. We're over the WALL and out of the hole, and regular eps of Me and My Muses will be back in early October! \o/
Since I moved here, I have become a fiend for used books, whether at bookstores or, more often, periodic sales to support local town libraries. In the past few months, I’ve hit the Alling Library’s humungous Fourth of July sale in Williston, the Brownell Library’s September sale in Essex Junction, plus 2 sales at Fletcher Free in Burlington. Sadly, I missed the Essex Free’s annual sale in Essex Center, usually in early June, but I’m planning on attending next year, if only for nostalgic reasons [Essex Free was my childhood library].
On Sunday, for example, I thought I’d just pop by the Fletcher Free Library to return a book. However, it was the last day of their yearly book sale, with books going for $5.00 a bag. Suddenly a time vortex occurred. When I next looked up, I had 15 books in my Fletcher Free tote bag, and it was an hour later. I was powerless to resist!
Anyway, I discovered a directory of some of the library-related book sales in the state. While not complete, it does allow me to direct my future fiending activities. I see sales at Pierson in Shelburne in October and at Brownell in October and December to hit, as well as a really big one at the end of June next year in Burnham in Colchester. I really need to get on some local mailing lists to find out when these things are happening.
These 1:6 scale porcelain ball-jointed mermaids by Orenda Doll are very engaging. Since Soom does not seem to be releasing a 1:6 scale Faery Legend mermaid any time soon, these look reallllly tempting.
“Well, how ’bout that?” From here.
P.S. This is my idea of how to apply makeup.
You’re nice to listen to on occasion, despite your sick views of heterosexual love, but sometimes I really don’t get you. For example, in So Cruel, you sing:
Oh love, like a screaming flower
Love, dying every hour
Seriously? What does that even mean? I assume you’re talking about Bob the Angry Flower, but that really doesn’t make much sense.
…Oh. I get it. You just wanted something to rhyme with “hour,” didn’t you?
>_>
This Tumblr is hilarious. That is all.
After way too much contemplation over such a seemingly sinple subject, I purchased Jareth 14mm, low-dome Captured in Glass eyes in ET59, as shown in this previous entry. As much as I wanted to get him super-accurate, specially made Enchanted Doll eyes, I didn't want the ED eyes to be so dark that they swallowed light. Therefore, I chose an approximate color and light reflectivity over verisimilitude.
I just heard that Enchanted Doll is doing Unique Eyes, which means not just custom colors or combinations or pupil sizes/colors, but eyes to your specs. Jareth may get his 14mm, low-dome, blue grey, regular pupil, urethane eyes after all. Well, that's assuming that ED can approximate my iris patterns. Really big pictures of my left eyeball below.
Continue reading My Jareth: eyeball references
Jareth's body [with non-Jareth head attached] and shoes arrived today from Mint on Card! By the time I collected Cyril [the name of the head] from the office, deboxed him and shoved him in some of Jareth's clothes, it was too dark to take pictures, so I'll provide some tomorrow.
In the interim, I have a few comments.
1) Doll Chateau's adult male bodies are freakin' scrawny. The limb circumferences, hands and feet are more in line with the proportions of a ~45cm "mature mini," or 1:4 scale BJD. The arms and legs look especially delicate, so I'm taking extra care when bending them. The DC adult male body looks stunning and also kind of ridiculous when naked, while the addition of clothing changes its bulk to that of an appealing gauntness.
2) Cyril [so named because he's currently a full doll] is strung a little tightly, but keeps all his limbs straight, without any snapping into hunched, praying mantis positions. The wrists and ankles flex and lock at a variety of angles, while the head has a nice range of movement up, down and to either side. I hope Jareth's head moves equally well on this body!
3) Bastard demands more shoes. The ones I got with Cyril, unlike most BJD boots, DO NOT zip up the back. Therefore I must rely on the stretch in the vinyl to accommodate his feet. When trying to tug the boots on over Jareth's socks + pants, I encountered a lot of resistance. I don't want to tug too hard and chip one of his delicate limbs, so I'm saving these boots for use over just, say, fishnets and springing for some with zippers from Alice's Collections after all.
4) Cyril's a beautiful sculpt. He's got a narrow face, a long and prominent nose, a wide mouth. Mint on Card threw in some nice silver eyes for him that really add to his air of Ultimate Bishounen. He kinda reminds me of Ivan Doroschuk…. <3 <3 Too bad he's going away.
I do not keep a check register. I used to when I first got a checkbook when I was 18, but then I figured, Why bother? because I could always get to my account information online. Also I write checks very rarely.
Anyway, I've found check registers less and less useful as I have grown older because I track my accounts online. Tracking my accounts online, of course, depends on prompt updates to my accounts whenever money goes in or out.
Herein lies my problem. I had no trouble with prompt transaction posting and, thus, online account tracking when I lived in Massachusetts and patronized multinational banks.
Now that I've switched to a Vermont-based credit union, I'm having difficulties. About the only thing that posts promptly are automatic deposits, like my paychecks, and automatic withdrawals, like my auto insurance and auto loan payments. Everything else — that means purchases on my debit card and transfers to/from Paypal, both of which make up the bulk of my account activity — takes days to post. For example, Saturday's debits typically don't register until Tuesday. NOT HELPFUL. The lag time in transaction posting certainly makes it easier to overdraw my account.
Anyway, I called the credit union today to see if cash withdrawals from ATMs would post more promptly than debit card purchases. Answer: No. Apparently there is no way to achieve prompter posting of my transactions until APRIL 2013, when the credit union upgrades its software.
The person I talked to at the credit union told me to keep a check register and record all my transactions in it. This would not work because I have automatic withdrawals of varying amounts on varying days and automatic deposits of varying amounts on varying days. Furthermore, NO. It is not my job to go back to the 19th century to accommodate my credit union. It is the credit union's job to haul its ass into the 21st century to accommodate me and the other customers.
I'm very happy with One Credit Union for giving me a small auto loan with a low interest rate and for not charging overdraft fees on debits [only for checks]. However, I am really infuriated with them for their lack of updated technology. Do they still think people are banking in person with actual bills or something???
Includes an illustrated list of activities to do with your doll [have deep conversations, propose, go on a space trip], as well as a list of illustrated side effects. Holy crap, that's the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. The company knows exactly what people do with their BJDs!
Well, I don't exactly want that, but a commissioned approximation thereof, custom fit for Jareth and constructed of alternating panels of black and hot pink four-way stretch vinyl, coming to just under the nipples. HAWT DAMN. :p
Just heard back from Angelsdoll. I asked them about an estimated date by which Jareth's head[s] would ship. They said:
Thank you very much^^~.
I'm beginning to think they just sit around all day, waiting for my messages. >_>
In response to my query about measurements, Angelsdoll provided the following pictures and legends:
Continue reading Jareth’s measurements
Jareth's body [extra head attached >_> ] and boots shipped TODAY! I wonder if I will have them by this weekend. [They're coming to work.] FedEx estimates that Ground delivery should take 2 business days. I wonder if that means it will arrive on the end of the second business day [=Friday] or the beginning of the third [=Monday].
\o\ /o/ \o\
That's me doing the Wave with excitement!
I just sent the following message to Angelsdoll:
Hi, I approve of the headsculpt as shown in the pictures you just attached. Can you please confirm the measurements?
Head circumference: 20.5cm
Width of head at the middle of the eyes: 5-6cm
Height of head from crown to where it joins the neck: 13cm
Neck circumference: 9cm
If those will indeed be the measurements of the actual heads, please go ahead and have the manufacturing process begin. Do you have an estimate for when the heads will be shipped to me? Thank you.
—
Here are the pictures of the final headsculpt.
Continue reading My Jareth: off to manufacturing!
I was all proud of myself this weekend for a) finding my Swiss Army knife and b) restoring it to smooth working order by lubricating it with 3-in-1. I aired it out for several days in an attempt to get rid of the oil smell, but it did not work, so I took it to work, cut up an apple with it and ate the apple. I also ate some 3-in-1 residue. It doesn't taste very good. On the plus side, I must have licked all the residue off because my jackknife no longer smells like lube.
Not satisfied with the CheeryDoll regalia that I purchased him earlier, Mr. Demandy McDemandypants got all excited when he saw someone offering the Ringdoll Frankenstein outfit on the DOA marketplace. It is a floofy black layered outfit that is gloriously silly and therefore stupendously awesome.
It's very hard to see in the official pictures, but it includes a hooded robe, a shredded overskirt with a train and various chains hanging off it, hot pants, garters, fishnets and armwarmers. It's goth + emo by way of fetish. I'm kind of surprised that it doesn't come with a spiked collar and a corset. I'll just have to supply those myself. [Jareth: "Aw yeah."]
I really like Ringdoll. They do macabre very well. Besides their hilarious Frankenstein [sic] with black toenail polish, they've also done Jessica, a murderous young woman issued with a leather apron and a blood-spattered chainsaw, among other things. They've issued Norman Dark Side, an arsonist orphanage director with optional nightmare-styled marionette doll Quiz. Currently on sale is Zombie Sol, with a gloriously decaying headsculpt, as well as Welcome, a religious fanatic clown who starves people to death with evil hamburgers. [For real! 1:3 scale hamburger included!] I thnk that's about it, which is good because now I'm queasy.
I do kind of want a 1:3 chainsaw, though…purely for the novelty value. I don't want it $89.00 + EMS shipping much, however.
Because I am incredibly impatient and possessed of a credit card, I decided not to preorder a Doll Chateau adult male body in white resin, but instead get a whole doll, Cyril, in stock from Mint on Card. That was $100.00 more than I planned because the body comes with a head, but it also comes next week, as opposed to 2.333333 months from now.
While I was there, I checked for appropriate shoes and, lo and behold, they had the exact type of shoes I was looking for: calf-length black pleather platform high-heeled boots by Yuhao for $15.00! Great! Now I don't need to settle for approximately what I was looking for from Alice's Collections. I can get exactly what I'm looking for.
\o/ \o/ Cyril can be my clothing model while I wait for Jareth's head and eyes. Then I can sell him [Cyril's head]. Anyone want a Doll Chateau Cyril head, blank, in white resin?
EDIT: Looks like FedEx Ground [how the package is coming] takes 2-3 business days to get from there to here.
I know I've pissed and moaned about this before, but it irritates me to no end that the Asian BJD aesthetic requires fanatical devotion to every single detail.
God forbid you use your acrylics, watercolor pencils and brush-applied matte varnish to create a schematic, suggestive faceup. Nope nope nope! You have to go through this nitpicky, time-consuming process of waiting for appropriate temperature and humidity, spraying everything with extra super special sealant imported from Japan, then letting it dry, then applying a few brush daubs of delicately shaved pastel, letting it dry, etc., etc., etc.
While you're at it, you should be doing the eyebrows individual hair by individual hair with an expensive, microscopic brush…same with lines in the lips.
Let's say you want to mod your BJD: thin the neck, let's say. You can't just scrape it down to size with an X-acto, plop the head on and call it a day. What were you thinking?!! You have to smooth your rough shaping down with a series of successively finer sandpapers until no one can tell that you've done any work on the doll. We do not accept jerry-rigged solutions constructed with sweat and hot glue. We demand perfection in all areas.
Oh yeah, and if you want to make a hybrid BJD of a body from one company and a head from another and jointed hands, say, from a third, we'll be watching to make sure that you follow the correct protocols. First you have to ask online about proportions and fit because we can't have your doll being aesthetically offensive. We'll let you know if your proposed hybrid looks good enough.
Just as important as the proportionality of your hybrid is the hallowed concept of resin matching. You need to find out the relative colors of your hybrid parts. If your desired parts don't match perfectly in tone, you have two options. First, you can choose other options that do provide a perfect match. Second, you can do body blushing, which is like a faceup for non-facial parts [see excruciating process above], so that no one can ever tell that the hybrid parts were originally different colors. We do not allow BJD hybrids with "paper white" heads, "fresh white" hands and "beauty white" bodies to exist without their colors being evened out. Too many shades of white make us implode.
Guess what? My faceups involve no super special Japanese spray sealant whatsoever and, instead, lots of watercolor pencils, Prismacolors, acrylics and improvised tools [Q-tips, X-acto blades, toothpicks] to direct the pigment. Sometimes I haven't even bothered to seal the heads before scribbling directly on the resin. And then… I don't even wait for paint to dry. I use — wait for it! — a hair dryer.
My mods avoid sandpaper. I prefer instead to do exactly as much hacking with a craft knife or saw as is necessary to make the mod functional. It doesn't have to look nice; it just has to work.
As for resin matching, I don't really care. I mean, once I put a WS Elfdoll Kathlen head on an NS Soom Uyoo body [=Absinthe], and the world didn't end! Later, I stuck some NS Dikadoll jointed hands on an Angelsdoll massive girl in "Volks compatible normal" [=Janvier Jett], and the planet remained on its axis! Shortly after that, I decided to stick a rose grey Iplehouse Luna head on a B&G Dolls grey body [=Lura eventually], and the sky did not fall!
It's mind-blowing, isn't it? It's almost like there's another aesthetic option besides that of the minutiae-obsessed, anal-retentive facsimile of reality.
Once upon a time, my sister and I created a paracosm centered around the Kings, a family consisting of the most powerful, magical and 51% evil individual in the universe and his three half-alien, half-Earthling daughters, the younger of which were a set of Mary Sue self-insert identical twins. The Kings regularly traveled through space and/or time, meeting fictional characters, ridding the world of menaces and going on sarcastic, parodic tangents.
Back in 1996, we did an adventure for them called Operation WAWBAB. An egregiously obnoxious family, the Wallis-Budges, moved across the street from the Kings. Offended by their egregious obnoxiousness, the Kings employed many creative, non-magical devices to evict the Wallis-Budges from their neighborhood. The Wallis-Budges did not budge…
…Until the Kings threw a dinner party on par with that of the Rocky Horror Picture Show [which, incidentally, we didn't know about at that time]. Each of the Kings decided to embody the stereotypical fashions and mannerisms of a different late 20th century decade. The patriarch, for some reason, targeted the 1960s, as interpreted by New Age sensibilities. To complete the characterization, he included in the driveway a VW MicroBus and a Hillman Minx, both decked out in, uh, weird paraphernalia.
Now, as far as my sister and I were concerned, the Hillman Minx was the funniest car in existence, thanks to its immortalization in a Dave Barry column as "a wart-shaped British car with the same rakish, sporty appeal as a municipal parking garage but with not as much pickup." Therefore, at some point, I decided to make a custom scale model of it. Since I could not find a small-scale Hillman Minx, I had to make do with a Volkswagen Beetle. Just pretend it's a Hillman Minx, okay?
Continue reading Also from my closet: my custom hippy-dippy, New Agey Hillman Minx
Look who I found in a box in my closet today! These are Verity [left] and Kami [right], two Groovy Girl dolls by Manhattan Toy. [Incidentally, they are sitting on a sofa made for 1:6 scale figs by Andrea. It's made out of a tissue box.]
Anyway, Manhattan Toy launched the Groovy Girls line in 1998. They are a series of 13" plush, unarticulated girls and boys that are supposed to be between 9 and 13. Every single doll has its own unique name, skin tone, hair color, hair style, embroidered facial expression and outfit. Goorvy Girls' outfits characteristically feature bright colors, large patterns and a cheerfully flagrant disregard for coordination.
Groovy Girls are clearly made with love and attention to detail. Look at the different shapes of Verity and Kami's mouths, noses and eyes. Look at the pale pink undertones in Verity's skin as compared to the light brown undertones in Kami's. Look at the slight blushing at the ends of Verity's smile. Look at the "dyed red" sections of Verity's hair and the dark brown [but not black] yarn ringlets selected for Kami's. Finally, please note that Verity has three silver studs in one ear. While Groovy Girls are definitely mass-produced toys, each one is clearly designed as an individual character with her own personality and her own style. I can tell that the Manhattan Toy designers have fun thinking up designs for new Groovy Girls. ^_^
Continue reading Manhattan Toy Groovy Girls: Verity and Kami
I'm a little worried about Angelsdoll. I sent them revisions at 10:30 AM EST, and they incorporated the changes and sent them back to me by 8:30 PM EST the same day.
Why are they so damn prompt? Are they just sitting around at their computers, waiting expectantly for my messages? Don't they have other things to do?
I greatly appreciate their rapid turnaround time; it certainly flatters me and makes me slightly less impatient. However, it's pretty much unprecedented, which leaves me a bit suspicious…. >_> :p
Continue reading My Jareth: back from Angelsdoll [already!!] with revisions
Big Chief Studios currently has Eleven out, with Amy Pond coming and Ten waiting for approval. As much as I'd love to get a 1:6 scale Ten, two things stop me. 1) The prototype is a great likeness of David Tennant as Ten, but he looks like he's been hit with a surprise bout of the runs. He should be smirking confidently, not looking as if something ambushed him. Nothing surprises the Doctor! 2) The company's very name and logo [a red dot wearing a stylized "Plains headdress"] reek of racism. I can't support that bigotry. Pity, as they have decent-looking dolls.
Piposdoll pioneered the development of anthro [bipedal non-human animal] BJDs with a bunch of cats a few years ago. I’m really not interested in most anthro BJDs, as they tend to look way too cute to be easily identifiable as their source animal. I must admit, however, that Pipos’ ball-jointed frogs are pretty neat. In a divergence from the roly-poly & fuzzy features of most anthro BJDs, Pipos BJFs :p have the bug-eyed, lumpy heads and suction-cup digits associated with frogs. I also like the fact that they don’t look particularly thrilled.
I’d be way more interested in anthro BJDs if we got more non-fuzzy, non-roly-poly anthros. I’m talking birds, lizards, dinosaurs, arachnids, insects, amphibians. A little red spotted salamander, for instance, would be awesome.
Jareth went back for round 2 just now. I E-mailed Angelsdoll with all my diagrams in the previous entry detailing changes to make. Turns out that I didn't need a profile pic of a DC Cyril, as the proportions of Jareth's head on the z scale are actually fine. The globe of his skull just needs to be much taller.
Now I just have to figure out some way to WAIT until I get revised pics back from them. Argh. I hate waiting. I'm horribly impatient.
Bastard doesn't even have a head or eyes or a body, and he's already demanding more clothes. Apparently the best of the best [CheeryDoll] isn't good enough. >_>
I've spent all weekend detailing the changes that I would like made in Angelsdoll's first draft of my Jareth headsculpt. I don't want to give them information solely in text because there's too much room for misinterpretation. Instead, I have attempted to convey all the changes in annotated diagrams.