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Esta sería la entrada cumpleañera atrasada y también un poco de post navideño adelantado.
La semana pasada fue mi cumpleaños. No pensaba festejarlo realmente, pero una amiga llamó para decirme que quería pasar por aquí y saludar. Así terminé llamando yo a otros amigos para que vinieran, y luego de que mi madre decidiera invitar a la familia a una cena, la supuesta reunión íntima quedó en algo así como celebración con niños incluidos (y es que tener a tus sobrinos corriendo por la casa, cogiendo, tirando y tratando de romper todo lo que tocaban y tratando de patear a tu perro… ciertamente le da un ambiente especial a cualquier reunión familiar).
Y me sorprendió un poco que este año recibiera varios saludos automáticos de los sitios web en los que estoy inscrita. Hay una página web latina a la que me uní cuando abrí la primera encarnación de mi blog, y que desde hace cinco años me envía siempre el saludo de cumpleaños, a pesar de que ya no uso sus servicios. Este año recibí cuatro mensajes más de este tipo en mi correo, y digo que me sorprendí no porque el hecho de que me los enviaran, sino porque tres eran de foros dedicados a los BJD. Mejor prueba de en qué he estado pasando mi tiempo en línea este año no podía tener. El último mensaje de saludo fue de una tienda de libros.
Hablando de foros de BJD, comienzo a entender muchas de las discusiones y conversaciones con las que me he topado en esos sitios. Por ejemplo, aquella que preguntaba si en nuestros cumpleaños preferíamos hacerle regalos… a nuestros muñecos. Bueno, no regalos en sí, pero decidí que era hora de poner al mío en renovación, y tendrá guardarropa (y pelucas) nueva – en cuanto lleguen mis más recientes pedidos. Lo que no tiene mi muñeco es cabeza… pero reservo esa historia para otro post. Pienso que hubiera sido mejor esperar un par de semanas, ya que el correo se pone increíblemente lento por estas fechas, pero un gran número de tiendas dedicadas a los BJD tienen promociones navideñas o por Año Nuevo (como rebajas, ofertas, regalos y gastos de envío gratuitos).
Pasando al tema navideño, quería mostrarles…
…Las casitas de galleta y dulce que mi madre hizo. Quitando al arbolito, el Papá Noel y la plancha de tecnopor, todo lo demás es comestible. Mi madre hizo unos cinco para regalar al resto de la familia y sólo las terminó por completo ayer, justo a tiempo para uno de mis sobrinos las viera cuando pasó mi prima a visitarnos. Cuento que mi torta de cumpleaños terminó con algunas marcas de deditos antes de que pudiéramos cantarla (y esos deditos se veían sospechosamente como los de mi sobrino); casi y nos quedamos también con casitas de galleta de jengibre con mordiscos (y las placas dentales iban a concordar con las de cierto niño de dos años).
Y, bueno, mi padre tuvo que ir a nuestra antigua casa para recoger los adornos de Navidad, que pasadas las fechas quedan guardadas en cajas y se dedican a acumular polvo durante los siguientes once meses. Tal vez por eso siempre marcamos las cajas con “adornos de Navidad” y “nacimiento” en un lado (dado el caso de que puedas llegar a leer lo escrito a través de las capas de polvo). Durante los años hemos renovado el arbolito varias veces, desde el primero y bastante maltratado que teníamos a un pino verdadero que compramos en un vivero de la zona; lo tuvimos dentro de la casa durante unos tres años, hasta que se hizo demasiado grande. Luego lo plantamos frente a la casa y allí estuvo durante casi una década, hasta que lo podaron. A partir de entonces regresamos a los relativamente más limpios (no hay que podarlos, cortarles las ramas o barrer las hojas caídas) pero también aburridos arbolitos plásticos.
Nuestro nacimiento es el caso aquí:
Los adornos (que no están a escalas, como verán) tienen cerca de 30 años. La casita de madera, sólo 29. Y ésa es la razón por la que no renovamos nuestro nacimiento: ya son casi parte de la familia (aunque pasen 11 meses al año metidos en una caja). A lo largo de este tiempo les ha pasado de todos, desde accidentes bajando las cajas de lo alto de los armarios (pesan… y como para no faltarle a las estadísticas, tienden a resbalarse de tus manos o a hacerte perder el equilibrio) hasta más sobrinos queriendo ver de qué están hechos los muñequitos de los Reyes Magos.
Viendo el pesado que le falta a este rey, diría que de yeso. No recuerdo muy bien, pero sí me parece que perdió ese pie cuando un primo mío lo golpeó contra el borde de la mesa para ver si se rompía. Como ven, sí se rompió. Me hubiera sorprendido si no: hay pocas cosas que aguantan la curiosidad de un niño. Es decir: una caja negra hecha de titanio soporta varias horas a miles de grados Celsius, un mes bajo la presión de decenas de metros bajo el mar y el peor desastre aéreo que se les ocurra… pero tal vez sobreviva 20 minutos en las manos de un niño (siempre y cuando les den algún tipo de herramienta, como un destornillador pequeño o un martillito. Si es sólo con sus manos desnudas, pueda que el tiempo de vida de la caja negra supere el par de horas.)
No diría que mi familia sufre de cierto cuadro de disposofobia (si vieran la cantidad de cosas que andamos tirando… por error), pero cuando le cogemos cariño a algún objeto, principalmente porque lo hemos tenido ya un montón de años, lo más probable es que lo conservemos otro montón de años. Mi madre es especialmente buena para llevar la cuenta cronológica de los objetos: una reacción espontánea común en ella es que coja cualquier cosa, por ejemplo el tacho de la basura, y diga algo así como “ah, este tacho tiene ya 8 años… Lo compramos esa vez en que fuimos con tu tío a ese supermercado y…”
Aquí les presente otro objeto con historia en la familia:
Nuestro oso de pelucha Puppi. Aquél que está en la esquina del estante de mi hermana y en el que todavía se puede leer la frase “Soy Muy Feliz” en el pecho. Debe tener ya más de 25 años. Fue mío, y recuerdo que en una época lo cargaba para todas partes. Incluso se me cayó en cierta ocasión a la ribera de un río durante un viaje familiar y mi primo tuvo que bajar por la pendiente a recogérmelo (para más señas… se me cayó al río Churín). Luego pasó a manos de mi hermano, que también lo llevó de arriba a abajo durante un buen tiempo. Y por último fue de mi hermana, aunque supongo que tendría que mencionar a nuestro pastor alemán Rufo en la lista de personas… o perros… que alguna vez tuvieron el osito en las manos… o entre los dientes. Nuestro perro se encargó de sacarle los ojos y dejarle algunas marcas de dentadas en la parte posterior de la cabeza.
…Y luego, tuvimos guardado a Puppi en una caja en lo alto del armario durante años, hasta que mis hermanos viajaron a Japón. Mi madre tuvo un sueño en el que mi hermana le reclamaba el osito de peluche, así que fue a buscarlo, lo lavó, lo remendó y lo puso sobre su cómoda. Poco después mis hermanos tuvieron ese accidente de tránsito en Japón, regresaron a Perú y desde entonces mi hermana lo tiene en su cuarto.
En realidad, ella tiene una gran cantidad de peluchas en su cuarto.
Desde Chopper de One Piece, sus almohadas de Stitch y su Sheng Long…
…A todos, TODOS sus peluches de Bad Batz Maru…
…Y unos cuantos peluches más, incluyendo el perrito de la derecha en esta foto. Mi hermana lo tenía consigo cuando ocurrió ese accidente de tránsito, y según ella se ve tan sucio porque además de salir volando del auto a 140kmph, pasó varias horas tirado sobre la nieve. Pero eso no explica porqué no lo ha lavado desde entonces.
Pensé que no venía al caso en esta entrada, pero recordé entonces que estoy hablando de cumpleaños, regalos y objetos a los que le coges cariño. Bueno pues, ya que fui al cuarto de mi hermana a tomarle fotos a Puppi y el resto de su familia peluchina, se me ocurrió que también podía fotografiar su familia de gashapones y su altar.
¿Se nota al fondo de la imagen el mini altar que ha armado? No le prende velas, no le reza ni le pide favores, pero hasta donde sé sí lo venera.
Nota tangencial: viendo la foto acabo de recordar que esa estatua de Aya Natsume de Tenjho Tenge que se ve allí también ha sido regalo de cumpleaños, pero de mi hermano. Mi primo se lo dio como regalo doble: primero, por su cumpleaños, y segundo, por haber sido dado de alta del hospital después de ese accidente de tránsito. Segunda nota tangencial: ahora que lo pienso, siempre hemos tenido un cierto timing a la hora de accidentarnos. Yo me rompí el brazo cuando era pequeña a pocos días de mi cumpleaños, mi hermano se rompe el suyo en un 14 de febrero (nada romántico), mi hermana se cae de las escaleras un Día de la Madre (y como no había médico disponible en la fecha, hubo que llevarla a la posta local; le hicieron mal la medicación y luego hubo que llevarla de emergencia a una clínica de la capital), y por último mis dos hermanos tienen un accidente de tránsito en Año Nuevo. Lo único más o menos positivo fue que a mi hermano lo dieron de alta en su cumpleaños, un par de semanas más tarde.
Nota tangencial de la tangencial de la tangencial: iba contarles sobre cómo fue que después se quejó conmigo por teléfono y MSN durante todo el mes siguiente, hasta que mi hermana salió del hospital, de que a él le dolía hasta el pelo, pero prefería haber sido dado de alta para pasarla en su departamente que en una cama de hospital (supongo que porque en la casa podía ver anime. ¿Pasar un mes sin ver anime? Primero se lanzaba de un edificio a que encarar semejante posibilidad). PERO – se supone que estaba hablando del altar de mi hermana y ya me fue por la tangente de la tangente, así que retomo el ángulo y…
Regresando al santo de devoción de mi hermana, ése es Oliver Kahn, ex arquero y capitán de la selección alemana de fútbol (y premiado como el mejor jugador del Mundial de Corea-Japón 2002). El cumpleaños de mi hermana fue a principios de noviembre y ése fue su regalo, comprado de HLJcom, en gran parte, debido a que la tienda lo puso en oferta con una rebaja de 87% sobre su precio original (no estuvo mal, de como $70 a $8). Allí fue cuando mi hermana probó que también podía ser tan ansiosa para esperar el correo como mi hermano y yo, aunque juro que él nos gana a las dos. Hablando de mi hermano, luego de poner en preorder esta estatuilla de Hatsune Miku en agosto, y de esperar medio año a que saliera a la venta… la compró, naturalmente. Le dije que tal vez debía haber pedido envío por EMS porque, dada la temporada y el precio del artículo, no confiaba mucho en el correo estándar… El costo total de la estatua más los gastos de envío hicieron que terminara pidiéndolo por el estándar nada más. No creo que arribe antes de Año Nuevo, pero mi hermano insiste en que tiene fe, !algo bastante apropiado para la fecha! Sólo me preguntaba a qué posible santo le puede estar rezando para el milagro del correo eficiente. ¿Habrá algún santo patrón del correo?
Y todo, de alguna u otra forma termina en mi cuarto… MUAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA~
Nomás me falta Ezra, pero no, me da miedito D:
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Ese vaso con misteriosa sustancia rosadita sobre tu cómoda da fe de que sí, todo termina en tu cuarto… y de que se gesta vida en ciertas partes de él.
No sé porqué la gente insiste en que mi BJD da miedo. Sólo porque no tiene cabeza, sale a perseguir gente por las noches y se pasea por la casa cuando no lo están viendo. ¡Nada más por eso!
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¿Qué?! ¿Pues qué día cumples, mujer?! Suena patético y ya todo tarde pero…¡¡FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS!! –inserta frase de felicitación de tarjeta extremadamente cliché– *avienta ciberconfetti*
*sob* Ya quisiera que mi mamá fuera algo dedicada a la cocina…una casita de galletas no me caería mal…que afortunada eres. ¡Estoy totalmente fascinada con ella! ¿Son de betún las florecitas y el césped, verdad? Es algo difícil de ver…también, ¿cómo es que la estrella en la ventana no se cae?
¿SÓLO 29? Aquí es donde me gustaría saber como puedo poner negritas y subrayado, porque el “sólo” se lo merece bastante. El nacimiento que antes poníamos en mi casa tenía dos años, y ya lo regalamos jaja. En unos 200 años más, los adornos navideños de tu casa serán exhibidos en museos. Pídele porfavor a tus primos que no experimenten con futuras reliquias.
Chopper, eres demasiado bello para este mundo…aún cuando sales en resolución de 350×262…
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Antes de que se me olvide, ¡feliz Navidad!
Gracias por el saludo. No te preocupes, no importa que venga atrasado porque, como le dije a unos amigos… siempre me pueden dar el regalo más tarde, je je. Pues, me hago un día más vieja (o menos joven, dependiendo de cómo quieras ver el asunto) el 14.
Tuve que consultar a la muy útil página de Rae.es para quitarme una duda. Verás, aquí le decimos betún principalmente a la sustancia que usamos para lustrarnos los zapatos, pero leyendo la descripción del dicci de la Real Academia saco en claro que el betún que mencionas debe ser lo que aquí llamamos glasé real. Y, sí, la decoración de la casita está hecha con ese material; hasta la estrella de la puerta está pegada con glasé, de allí que toda ella sea 100% comestible.
Pues, mi madre es muy buena cocinera y hasta hace tortas por encargo y provee a dos fuentes de soda. Lo malo de ser buena cocinera, empero, es que para ocasiones tales como Navidad y cumpleaños todo el resto de la familia va a asumir automáticamente que tú te harás cargo de la comida, ya que a todos les gusta tu sazón y quieren comer bien, etc. etc. etc. Así que mi madre se la suele pasar de lo más ocupada en fechas festivas (o cuando cualquiera de la familia quiere comer bien). Por otra parte, lo malo de tener a una madre que cocina tan bien es que todos te van a hacer ver lo pésimo que lo haces tú… si es que siquiera llegas a hervir agua sin matar a otros en el intento. No sé si será genético o algún tipo de Ley de Mendelson para la comida, el asunto es que mi abuela no era buena cocina, mi madre es excelente, y yo quemo hasta el agua… Como si la habilidad se saltara una generación.
Ya me imagino a nuestros descendientes de visita en el Museo De La Nación en el siglo XXIII: “Y aquí tenemos al Nacimiento que la tatara-tatarabuela compró a un vendedor ambulante en 1980… Antes de morir, la archirevieja abuelita le pidió a sus hijos que conservaran los adornos, cosa que los tatara-tataranietos vieran que antes los hacían de yeso y cualquier mocoso los rompía…”
Ja, ja, hasta te tomaste la molestia de ver el tamaño de la fotillo. Pero sí, Chopper se ve lindo salga en la resolución que salga, sin importar lo mala que sea la fotógrafa que captura su cuteness vía impresión digital, o el hecho de que esté haciendo cosplay de Gokuu con todo y su bola (bueno, no era de él, sino del dragón. La bola, quiero decir.) También lo compramos en HLJcom en oferta, con lo que queda demostrado que un pasatiempo nuestro es pescar descuentos en el mencionado sitio web.
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Using the opportunity… Merry Christmas, my dear !!!
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Thanks for the greeting. Merry Christmas to you as well! Best wishes on these holidays, dear!
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Aaaaah, at last – Christmas and some holidays from my work !I’m tired, but like you said, this is very busy season, specially because the end of the year is near. But it seems that I managed to do all most important things and I should have free till 4th January. 6th January I will have the final of my studies… I’m trying not to think about it too much, because it’s only making me nervous. I hope you have your holidays too !
You are absolutely right about DoA – while that community might not be ideal, it is free from sects and absurd comments about “ugly dolls”. Comments in arrival thread are usually nice and encouraging, which is very important especially for newbies. No sects, no almighty and know-it-all gurus. Such a relieve…
Elitism is the other thing. I wonder why people can’t simply enjoy their dolls without reminding the whole world, how much they cost. Of course, they are expensive, but I don’t think this is the main reason, why people buy them, so why talk about it over and over, and classify dolls worth according to their price ? For me, there is only one criteria about buying a doll or not – if I like it. Of course, it’s important to have some knowledge about companies – especially, when some of them produce dolls defected in one way or the other, but I would never think: “I will get that doll, because it’s insanely expensive. Then I will rant everywhere about HOW expensive it was, and insult everyone owning cheaper dolls. Of course, owning such doll makes me TRUE BJD fan. Those with cheaper dolls are cheaper fans” , but sometimes reading comments I have the feeling, that some people actually think that way and see nothing wrong in that. If I had enough money, I would get dolls I like – no matter which company or what price. And I think that it’s great, that some companies, even less known, produce cheaper dolls, interesting and with good quality. If you want to buy a pc, mp3 player or almost everything else, you can choose from thousands of brands and prices. It should be like this with BJD too.
Noo, your comments aren’t ranty at all ! Talking about darker sides of the hobby is always important and we can exchange our observations. As a newbie, I want to know as much as possible !
About dolls backgrounds – I think that I’m a bit biased, because all of my novels and stories were fantasy, sci-fi or urban legends at least ^^. You are right, I also feel sorry for “normal” dolls, not being fallen angels or assassins at least ^^. But, I must say, if I would have to write a story about some perfectly normal human (or resin ^^) being… I’m sure I wouldn’t be able to do it without making him or her just a bit “different”. Or with something “different” happening in the background. For some time, I was writing loooong Fushigi Yuugi parody with my alter ego in the main role. “I” was normal, without any special powers, but the background was not. So I’m afraid in my stories something has to be a bit off ^^. On the other hand, in my fantasy works it’s always about politics, intrigues and fights for domination, more than saving the world from another Sauron-wannabe. My characters – either aristocracy, soldiers, spies, warlocks, dragons, pirates and so on – are more interested in their own careers and wellbeing than in the fate of their worlds (in the result, few of such worlds were already destroyed XD). Poor Cadriel, I fear, has a similar future ahead of him ^^ – but I won’t say anything for certain, I just wait for him to come here (it shouldn’t be long… it shouldn’t be long from now…. Awwwww, how I can’t wait for his arrival !!!) and then I will decide. I certainly don’t want to take my words back again ^_^. But one thing I’m sure of – he, like you said, will be great inspiration, my new muse. Just have to find a place for him on my desk, to be able watch him, as I’m writing… This could pose a problem, because I barely have a place for anything on my desk, but I must figure something out before he comes. Last free spot is currently occupied by MGS Raiden figurine I received for Christmas ^^…
Ha ha, yes, I prefer to have visitors in my place, and for them to see Cadriel in his natural environment ^^. I have long way to my workplace, I have to use two buses, so… I’m too afraid, that something could happened to my boy along the way. No no, I don’t intend to prison him in my room for the rest of his life ^^ – I definitely want to take some pictures of him in the garden, both in winter and spring (I wanted to do some photos in snow… but now the snow melted and it looks more springish outside XD) or in the forest (about two minutes of walk from my house ^^). Awwww, how I envy you, that you live so close to beach ! I love sea, but I’m living about 500 km from it….
But I definitely want to share my love for my doll with the rest of the world, at least the “rest” that will like to listen about it ^^. I’m planning to make tons of pics of him and send to all people, who are important to me in one way or the other ^_^. With my skill it will take some time to make a decent photos, but I will not give up.
I absolutely not feel disappointed about commission for your boy make-up ^_^. Some people doing commissions are really artists and their face-ups look simply gorgeous, so I think you made right decision, although your face-up was really good too !! The artist you choose is incredibly talented, I love the face up of her boy (makes him look so mysterious, yet gentle… lovely !) – that’s great, that she accepted this commission so fast ! Poor, headless Ezra, I really wish you, that the package will return soon so you could enjoy such wonderful, new look ! Yeah, I know how you feel, thinking of your dollie (well, part of him, at least) so far away, in some cold post or custom magazine… But I’m sure he will be back safe and sound !! And when he will be back, I would really love to see new photos of him ^_^ !!
Oh yes, Victorian clothing are looking great, indeed ! Waiting for Cadriel, I’m still thinking about what should I get next – something for him, or start to look for his companion ? But I think you made very wise decision, wanting to “complete” Ezra before you will get another doll and I’m thinking of doing the same – get him some other clothes, maybe another wig and start to carefully lay away for my second boy. Maybe I will even get him wings ^^ (I saw some on Dollzone… and now I can’t get this image out of my head…). Because I have no idea, which companies products will fit on Angell Studio boy without problems, if I will ultimately fail by sewing, I plan to buy some AS clothes for him, maybe something less aristocratic than his default clothes ^^. But, those are still plans. And I still plan to sew him some Chinese court clothes (my mom still laughs when I’m mentioning it… it saps away my courage XD).
Yup, on the first sight, Bleu Citron was looking boyish for me (very naughty boy, I must say ^_-). Some customization of this mold are more disturbing than the original one ^__^, but I still like the idea.
Ize looks simply dreamy !! Especially the customization you send me – such delicate, fragile looking doll ! I can’t blame you for falling in love in it ! The company photos are nice, too, but this customization is much, much better. It takes the inner beauty of this mold out and makes it much more unique. Thank you for that photo !
OOoh yes… I remember, when we first talked about hybrid dolls, I started to look some more into this topic and become scared of how many things can go wrong, when you assembly such doll – beginning with resin color and kind, ending with limbs/neck/head size… But you have much more experience and I’m sure you will make it – and your hybrid will look great. Of course, in such case, I also want to see photos ! Too bad there really isn’t much of Bleu photos – if I spot anything, I will let you know for sure ! You know, I have zero experience in such cases, but your second plan sounds better – Bleu head really can look a bit strange on much bigger body. Good luck with your hybrid plans !!!
You know, the very word “restringing” sends shiver down my spine so I wasn’t thinking about it at all when I was talking about Chiron, but you are absolutely right – it must my nightmare. Ha ha, yes, my dreams are rather tough/impossible to realize ^^ – I doubt I would be able to pay enough for the dolls from my list… Like you, I’m not very found of Mecha Angels as the whole brand, but this Sabik was looking soooo dreamy… And Dia looks so much better as a boy ! As a female, this doll is… a bit blank, in my opinion, at least. But as a boy, it’s a totally different story. Thank you for the pics, there is really a big variety for the changes !
Changing topic to our fav game… I received a heavy blow this week. It’s not 100 % sure news, but Kojuro will be probably an NPC in SB 3. This really ruined my mood, I was sooooo looking forward to play as him ! I should be happy, that he at least IS in the game, because apparently many characters were cut off, some are saying, that Hanbei is dead too… But I’m really disappointed. Sasuke will probably share the same fate too. What is Capcom doing ? I really can’t think of a reasoning behind such decision… It only makes me sad. And they may not want to ship original game to Europe because of the planned localization – but I already found a store in Hong Kong, which ships everything everywhere XD. I’m really desperate in this case, I don’t want another Devil Kings case if only I can avoid it.
Still no news for SM 3 on any other console than Wii…I stopped watching trailers already XD. I was always against any console wars, but I must say, as the time goes, strange hate for Nintendo is building within me, for stealing my samurai boys from me. Fear Nintento. Fear angry fangirl revenge XD.
Ooh, no worries, we can drool together ^_^ ! Me vs newest SM arts…. This really was a sight to behold XD. Yup, yup, I remember Wolfina from SenBasa art and the pic you included is one of my absolutely favourites ^_^ ! I remembered her also because of her nick ^^ (my family name, Wilk, means Wolf in English ). And I agree with you there – her Yuki looks breathtaking. So… *gulp*… Excuse me for a second… *tries to stop nosebleed*.
And this is the reason why I feel even more cheated, when thinking about this game… Sorry for this dirge, but I’m afraid that I still can’t get over Koei treason. But indeed, second set of chibis is so adorable !! I can’t get my eyes from Mitsuhide ^^.
Have nice holidays, my dear, and great, great, great New Year ! May all dollies from your wishlist make their way to your place ^_^ !!
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Before I forget it… Happy New Year!
Sorry I didn’t get back to you earlier! Been neglecting replying to your comment again, and then there was the New Year’s Eve celebration… I don’t usually go out during these holidays, but for this occasion, I spent the 31st and the 1st with some friends. Then we came back home… and just I just woke up a couple of hours ago. With a sore throat (well, it’s actually my tonsils aching, but it isn’t tonsillitis.) Anyway, I’m hoping you had a good time during these holidays, too! Getting back to work and studies don’t sound that great, though… but no need to get anxious because of that beforehand.
Hey, you shouldn’t call yourself a newbie. Your opinions show you know a lot about the hobby already, do you reckon? I couldn’t have explained it in a better way: you’re absolutely right about elitism. People should just enjoy the hobby and their dolls without needing to remind everyone of their costs. If you like a doll, why would price have to matter? It’s just like some people believed that you can’t enjoy/be part of the hobby/call themselves true fans or collectors UNLESS their dolls cost them $$$ hundreds of dollars. Personally, I think the hobby has alienated some people into believing that: “see, this is an expensive hobby (which is absolutely true, but…), so if you can’t afford buying a doll priced at $$$, you aren’t a true fan and aren’t ‘fitted’ to be in this hobby; ergo, if you can only buy cheaper dolls, you aren’t a true fan either”. Nonsense, I say. You don’t need to buy a $1000 mp3 player to actually enjoy listening to music. And, besides, we’re talking about BJDs in here! I’m yet to hear about a bad quality company or doll. I’ve read comments about manufacturing problems with dolls (irregular resin, chipped parts, rough sanding, and so forth), but those are isolated cases that have presented themselves even within well-known companies such as Dollzone (some years ago, though) or newer ones such as Dollcatch (which originated from Customhouse). But could someone state that even with these defects, their dolls were so bad quality they weren’t worth buying? In my opinion, every company qualified enough to be in the BJD market can provide dolls of a certain quality, which is acceptable at the very least. So why the prejudice against “cheaper” dolls? And worse, some other people also seem to think only well-known and long-established companies have the right to charge $$$ for their dolls. They go like, “but how can a new company charge as much as Soom or Dollmore?” Fortunately, there are always people who will promptly point out that price is based on quality and not a name or popularity, oh, and that a dollie by this certain, not that well-known, “cheaper” company actually poses better than a Soom or a Dollmore :)
Sorry I had to get that out of my chest. Should that be one of my dollie resolutions for this year? “Make the hobby feel less elistist!” Or something like that…
…So it seems like Cadriel couldn’t make it for Christmas. But don’t despair! He’ll be home and by your side some time soon now. This season is quite busy and companies usually make offers and discounts that slow down their orders even more… Well, it has no point of comparison with your case but I’d like to say I know how you must be feeling now. I had this order (comprised of new wigs and clothing for my boy) in this store and was expecting to get it before Ezra’s head were back home again… but I’m reading in the store’s site a whole order of theirs got lost in the mail because of bad weather, and that they’ll need to reorder/manufacture the goods again. So… There’s also another “order” I’m eagerly waiting for, but I’m explaining about it on detail below…
I’d like to have a garden to take some pics of my boy, *sighs* We used to live in the countryside, but moved to the city a couple of years ago. And now I’m so missing the trees, the dusty roads, even the flocks of goats. Of course, I wouldn’t think of taking a photo of my boy just as a flock of goats is passing nearby (in fact, when goats were anywhere nearby people just jumped off the main road or risked being covered in several layers of dust), but the countryside was far more interesting than our dull city. Anyway, I’m telling you something: once both our boys are home and in one piece again (in Ezra’s case, at least), let’s take some photos of their “homely environments”. I remember a thread back at DoA about showing photos of one’s room – with their dollies as guides. Well, why not something similar, but with photos of our houses and surroundings? That way, we can show just as good (or bad) photographers we are :) I’ll be more than pleased to show you to my small and pretty chaotic city, and I’d certainly love to see your city. Nothing too big if you don’t feel like, just a shot of how the city looks from your window would be ok. (And, yeah, then maybe we can talk about Cadriel’s story, if you decide on one, and how he’ll save the world from the Sauron-wannabee trying to… to rule them all, I suppose!)
Ah, Saya, I love you. I really do! Everytime I feel down because of my nearly nonexistent artistic skills, I just need to read some of your comments about my face-ups and see, feeling on top of the world again! YEAH! Anyway, it’s been one week since the artist I commissioned for a face-up received my boy’s head, and mind you, I’ve been keeping track of each passing day! I’m not pushing the artist because, well, I’m sure she must be really busy because of the season and, besides, she gave me an estimate of up to one month. I’m dying to ask her for progress photos but nah, no need to pester her.
I can’t believe I forgot to ask you. You’ll see, I never really asked you whether you had ordered Cadriel as a full set, or at least with a face-up (I know, I know, such a dollie buddy I am!). I’m guessing you ordered him with a face-up? (Your latest comment make me think you did order him with some clothes, too.) Angell Studio’s order form is a bit confusing for me, but I think you can order any of their dolls with a full set or at least with their default clothing and accessories. Their default face-ups are beautiful too; I especially like the way they painted Luxifa Snow’s lips. Oh, and I checked Luxifa’s measurements and think you shouldn’t have a problem finding clothes for him: he seems to be “compatible” with more SD13 clothing out there. I must confess, I tend to buy clothes for my doll without really checking the details, and thus all the pants I’ve got so far are too short for Ezra (he has longer legs than most SD-sized boys). He still fits on them with no problem, but looks sort of silly with the pants just above his ankles, *sighs* So, yeah, nothing like custom-made clothes for your boy! If I only knew how to sew… Anyway, now that you mention Chinese clothes for Cadriel, I was wondering if you’ve seen Stacy’s Pink Ocean’s clothing. She’s made clothing for a BJD company, but I can’t remember which at this very moment… She also has a sales thread at DoA with nice samples of her work. I’m not sure if you can access the marketplace (you need a certain number of posts – I’m at 96 already but still can’t access some subforums, for instance), but in case you’re able to and haven’t checked yet, please see some of her stuff at this thread. I really like the chenongsams on this post; it’s a bonus that she lets you choose a different fabric for them if you want.
And, uh, I hope I don’t disappoint you with this news. Your words are always very encouraging to me, you know? I really appreciate them. Ok, here’s the matter: I utterly and completely lack willpower and determination. I might lay on plans carefully and everything, but will never follow them to the end. Not even to the beginning, I’d say! And that’s how I had to kiss my plans for a second BJD goodbye when I just bought a doll head which isn’t Bleu Citron, Hazy or Ize. *sighs* It was completely on impulse: I happened to be checking the marketplace at DoA when I came across this sales post. And soooooo… I bought a Zaoll Luv head. I actually like Zaoll Muse better (parted lips! Nothing like Bleu Citron’s open mouth, but I still liked it), but in any case, there was something about the Zaoll dolls that appealed me. They’re young-looking while I prefer my dolls a bit more mature, but at the same time, their head molds are so unique… *sighs again* I never really thought of including Zaoll in my wishlist because, since the doll is only sold as a “set”, I wasn’t seeing myself save up to buy it – and besides, I didn’t like their more realistic, but shorter bodies (they’re 52cm tall). I prefer my dollies with stilized, long frames a la Clamp! (You know, those characters that look like they had two-meter-long legs). And then, chance struck: this person had bought a Zaoll Luv just because she wanted the body, so she was selling the head. First thing, I checked the galleries to see more Zaolls; if it had been a Muse, I’d bought on the spot, but I had my doubts since it was a Luv – and then again, a glance into the Zaoll database just convinced me. Maybe you’re seeing it coming… I want a Luv boy.
But first things first. The seller had received the doll the day before, and after I told her I wanted to buy the head at least two other people also wrote to her (guess Zaolls are popular enough). She sent me the head on Monday so I’m expecting it to arrive at the beginning of next week… maybe tomorrow even, if I’m lucky enough (and the post office was fast), but I’m not keeping my hopes high. I’m also hoping I don’t have to pay custom taxes, but hopes aren’t high on this either. Well, the head is urethane and not French resin, but I’ve read finding a suitable body might be hard any way: there’s the resin match issue for starters, and then finding a body in the proper proportion. You’ll see, Zaolls are 52cm tall but are more SD-sized than MSD: it’s just that they have shorter limbs. Their heads are also smaller, being 19cm in circumference, so they look pretty silly if you put them in a body with broad shoulders. Here’s a very useful comparison thread at DoA. BUT – to my credit, I’ll say that my original plans for a second BJD still stand. More or less. That’s it, I have two ideas in mind: the first is to make a Zaoll/Obitsu hybrid, since Obitsu has a 50cm body, if I can’t find a resin, full SD-sized body to match. The other idea would be to get a second DragonDoll, female body for my floating head: DragonDoll’s body are lanky and tall, just as I like, and their females dollies are narrower in the shoulders, so they might work… Maybe. I’d need to get the head in order to make some comparisons with Ezra first – if the proportion turns out to be ok, then that’s it. I’d need to sand the boobies off the female body, but that isn’t too hard of a task (just… boring like you have no idea), and I guess the resin match will be off too… but I don’t mind as long as they don’t crash horribly.
So sorry for the loooooong rambling on my still-not-home but hopefully soon-to-come boy. I was so excited about getting a Zaoll Luv head, I made a post in my blog – of course, none of my usual readers is really into BJDs so the entry read more like senseless rambling, but I had to share my joy with the world. Although I don’t think the world is so excited as I, since I was originally planning to use that money to buy some doujinshi instead (and I know most people who visit my blog are looking for DJs). Hope I didn’t bore you too much with it. I’ve even decided on a name for my new boy, Carmine, and already decided on a story for him, all based on a dream I have some days ago. Yeah, you know me: I’m so dying to tell you about it, buuuuut – enough with the egoistical (“me! my dollies! I!”) rambling for now :) Let’s talk videogames.
I can’t believe Koei is doing THAT to SM fans. Well, while it’s true some companies are interested in certain markets only (and thus, don’t port games overseas), Koei has such a big fanbase outside Japan – and they should know the Wii isn’t just as popular overseas as it is in Japan. Why doing this to all fans who were waiting for SM3? If they were to make a PS3 version, I don’t think their sales will sink but all the contrary, since it’s a best-selling franchise for a loyal audience. I really don’t understand Koei. So, yeah, make them feel the wrath of disappointed fans! They should also know there are few things that are so fearsome as… fans seeking revenge.
On the bright side, and while SM3 graphics still look kind of dull in comparison to other games (SB3!), I feel Koei’s artwork and designs have improved for this game. It’s just that I never found their designs truly appealing in most cases… I couldn’t understand why Koei insisted in including so many colors in a character’s outfit. It almost felt like they thought that a player wouldn’t be able to tell their character apart from the background if they stuck to two colors (like in SB, where most characters have bicromatic designs). But it’s good Koei is even commissioning different and known artists for SM3′s artwork – yep, I need to get a big print of Wolfina’s Yuki pic to hang on my wall. Along with a Motochika pic! (By the way, that’s an interesting last name the one you have. Mine is just one of the most common names in Okinawa, where my grandfather was from, and I think it means something in the lines of “highland”… at the very least, my grandfather was a farmer living in a small town up in the mountains, so our last name makes sense. But it’s pretty plain in comparison to yours, which has character.)
Ok then, I think that’s everything for now? Bye, and I hope you’re enjoying these holidays!
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Happy New Year indeed !! My answer is also a bit belated, but at least I’m a free woman now – I finished my studies, passed the final exam… Aaaah, I’m so happy now, that it ended (and ended well). Tomorrow is back to work, but today I can relax a bit.
Is’t great that you could spend New Years Eve with your friends ! And I hope you are feeling better now ! Because of my exams, I didn’t go anywhere, I was totally not in the mood to celebrate anything XD… Now I’m thinking about taking my friends somewhere and greet New Year properly, even if a bit later. Well, we still have Chinese new year ahead of us ^_-.
Buuuut, just a few days ago I received not-so-great news about my dollie – he will be later that I presumed, around the end of January, and this means another month of waiting for me. I was grateful, that they told me about it before I could start panicking, but you can imagine, that I was not happy at all. Another month is a hard task for me, but it’s not like I have any choice, sigh…
I’m always trying to know as much as possible, when I’m interested in something, BJD are no exception ^_^. I would like to know more and more to be able fully enjoy my new hobby. And I think that making this certain hobby less elitist is a great resolution ! People really should just enjoying their dolls and talking about them with other, and not consider the prices. The doll is worth as much, as much joy she/he can bring to the owner and people, who will be watching her/him. In the eyes of the owner even a cheaper (for a BJD) doll can be priceless and this is most important.
Yup, I know that the reason because my dollie will be late is the Christmas fever and tons of packages in post offices… So now we both will be waiting impatiently ^^.
I know what you mean… I live in suburbia of not so big town (about 70 000 inhabitants, or something like that), but because of my work, I must sometimes travel to bigger cities, and I found them interesting but also scary. My friend lives in the capital, and she has to go half an hour by bus to go to the nearest park, to see some trees, birds, some small animals. I consider myself lucky to live here, where I live… But no worries, I will send you as many photos as you will like ^_^ ! And I find your idea absolutely great ! I will gladly show you around using Cadriel and I would love to see your place ! I have to work on my photografic skills ^^.
You know, after thinking about Cadriel’s partner and searching for him a bit (at the moment, I’m trying to decide between Yan Di http://www.angell-studio.com/en/?product-852.html and Hua Xi http://www.angell-studio.com/en/?product-191.html from Angell Studio) I slowly started to decide about his background (of course, this may be only temporary… but I like this idea) as a summoner, one of the few people, who made it alive from the end of one of the worlds in my novel (the end of this world is also the end of this novel, but there were some survivors). He lost most of him summons/familiars in this tragedy and now he wanders from place to place, trying to find at least some of them, plus find the place to live from now on, to make a new start, new live, still remembering his old world and missing it. The second doll, if I ever decide on one and buy it ^^ will be his main summon, found after many trials and obstacles.
Well… This in only one of my ideas, but I suddenly started to like it. And I would like to know, what do you think about it. Summoner without his summons is but another, helpless and ordinary man. For someone, who was commanding high level creatures, it must be painful…
Thank you sooooo much for all your kind words !! And it makes me really happy to know, that my humble opinion is important to you. And ! I’m only telling the truth, I really admire your skills.
Yesh, I ordered Cadriel as a full set. I really loved both his clothes (I’m also thinking about ordering for him clothes of “white” Lucifer) and face-up. I’m also thinking about buying for him longer hair, bt so far, I ordered his default wig. And it’s true, AS form is a bit strange, but I just e-mailed Villemo (the shop I’m buying in) about it and she send me specification for his full set. I hope everything will be ok.
Thank you for your opinion about his clothes ! If they are pretty typical, I will search for some stuff for him in other shops. Also, thank you so much for the tips ! I can’t at the moment acces this tread, but once I will have some more time to make posts on DoA, I will go there as soon as possible ! I love oriental clothes, you know ^^.
You absolutely didn’t disappoint me ! I find it great, that you can decide so fast and grab the opportunity ! I can’t do it, I’m thinking hard on everything, and when I’m finally decided, the opportunity is gone for good. And I congratulate you for this great buy – I find Luv head great, and to be completely honest with you, I like them a bit better than Muse (but both mold are lovely !). I was surprised by you decision, but I think you made right decision, and you made it fast ! And I think that making Luv a boy is a perfect choice – I’ve seen some, and they are unique, very elegant and somehow different… I’m talking mainly about Hiritai’s boy, I’ve seen him often on Deviantart. I hope that at the moment you already received the head ^_^ ! And that you didn’t have to pay the custom…
As always, I’m cheering for you in realization of your plans and finding great body for your new boy ! Ha ha, I can imagine, how boring must be such “plastic surgery” when making a girl in to a boy – hope the boobies won’t be too big ^_- ! And remember, that I always want to hear about your plans, I’m also learning a lot, and you never bore me !
It bugs me, that I can’t read properly entries in your blog… But most of your visitors didn’t know, that you wanted to buy some dj, so they shouldn’t be angry about the dollie’s head ^_^. I think Carmine is a great name and I want to hear his story really bad ! Especially, when it’s based on your dream, it sound really exciting ! Promise me, that I will read it in your next comment !!
Yeesss… Some of Koei characters projects are… ekhem… too colorful, to be delicate. In some cases it doesn’t look that bad, but sometimes you just have to think bad about certain characters taste in choosing the clothes ^_-. Some are looking, like they never had mirror in their homes, or like they tried to look like a parrot…
Still no good news from Koei camp, so I started to play Dragon Age XD. Well, I started to play it from pure boredom, but this game is surprisingly fun (it’s a historical moment for me – my first non-Japanese game !). Should keep me occupied till 19 February, when Dynasty Warriors:Strikeforce for PS3 should be out… and after that, in March, there will be FINALLY Final Fantasy XIII.
I didn’t know, that your grandfather was from Okinawa, it’s very interesting ! No, my name isn’t that unique either – in my town, there are at least three other families with that name and we aren’t related in any way ^_^. Wolfs were pretty common animals here some time ago (now they are almost extinct… it’s really sad, I really like them).
If you already have Zaoll head, I would love to see some photos ^_^ ! Take care !
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Has it been so long? (Two weeks already…) Sorry for the very delayed answer! I’ve been around internet (because of a certain delayed package that was almost thought to be lost in the mail), but my blog has been sort of neglected for the past weeks.
So sorry to hear you didn’t feel like celebrating New Year’s. If it was studies, I totally understand why, though – exams always manage to kill even the best of moods. Hopefully the Chinese New Year will have something good in store for you… You know, like a beautiful resin boy waiting for you. I’ve taken so long to answer, that it’s possible your waiting time is coming to an end? I know the usual production time for companies is 2-3 months but still, for a person who gets anxious about anything after the first week that feels like forever. You’re indeed a very patient person, let me tell you. Well, even if the wait is forced! If it were me, I’d be ranting and complaining about waiting so much for your BJD to be sent to you. Not to mention I wouldn’t be able to cope with the anxiety. But! The Lunar New Year draws near and another delay on Angell Studio looks unlikely, so let’s hope for the best.
And here on my end, the artist I commissioned Ezra’s face-up told me it was finally done. She took longer than usual because of studies, too (it can’t be helped: it was endemic, exams and all). So I’m hoping Ezra will be home by the end of the month/beginning of February. If there aren’t more delays with the post office! I’m so looking forward to taking some photos with Ez. Maybe you’d like to see the photos the artist sent me? Here’s Ez in front, left and right views. I particularly like the way the artist painted his lips and drew his eyebrows; I actually decided on the artist after seeing her portfolio and how she painted lips and eyebrows. You can say eyebrows are like my personal petpeeves about face-ups: I like them thin. Also, the face-up artist told me DragonDoll’s resin was so smooth, pastel wouldn’t stick to it. I’m such a noob! I’d noticed it when trying my own face-ups, but I thought it was due to the sealant I was using. I had to thank the artist for her hard work, since the face-up for Ez turned out to be extra difficult due to the smoothness of the resin! She did a great work, indeed. I can’t hardly wait for my boy to be home, for I bought him new wigs, eyes and some clothes. And earrings, too! If you take a close look at the shots, you’ll see his ears are pierced (I asked the artist for those). I can’t help it: I think boys (and girls) look great in jewelry. Dear, I feel like a small child waiting for Christmas to see her gifts.
…And of course, I’m looking forward to see your photos, too. To be honest, if you say “Poland” to me I can only think of old European-looking cities. I know next to nothing about your country… which is sort of embarrassing to admit. I’m always ranting about how ignorant people can be in regards to other cultures, but my knowledge of geography and other countries is just… lame. I need to work on that.
Getting back to the photography issue… I need to work on my photo skills, too. Since my town is pretty boring (and would give any architect an attack: the urban layout is nonexistent and so impractical, mind you), I was thinking of taking Ez to the beach for some well-lighted photos in there. But of course, first I must sort out a suitable carrier… I’ve been wanting to order one from a BJD online store, but the shipping fees scare me. I think I’ll just improvise one. How about you, Saya? Have you got one for your boy yet?
And, well, if you’re still trying to decide between Yan Di and Hua Xi, my vote goes to the latter. Well, that’s only if my vote counts somehow :) Ah, but that’s only if I were to consider both dolls as “standalones” of sorts. If I were to consider their background stories, I’ll probably go for Yan Di: he looks dark and strong to me, so he’ll make a good summon – if summons in your story serve as protectors/guardians! This doesn’t mean I don’t think Hua Xi wouldn’t make a good guardian or, in other words, that he won’t be able to kick ass if needed – there’s that old saying (among anime and manga fans, at least) about the gentle and kind-looking characters being the deadliest (appearances are deceitful, after all). And your story, it reminds me of the Megami Tensei games: it’s dark and presents a gloomy background, which will always strike me as more interesting than those other stories in which you have to save the world from the grim end. Let me ask you, what’s the setting of your story like? Does it take place in a modern setting, now turned post-apocalyptic? Or maybe it’s more fantasy-oriented? Any way you chose it, I still find it’s a catchy plothook: if the world has already “ended”, what is this world the survivors live in like? What is left for them to find and to do? How will the rising world be like? And this is just because I’m so into similarly themed animes and mangas (those depicting summons): do summons in your story have all a human appearance, or do they take other forms? Or maybe it’s a way different concept for your story. Fill me in the details, please! And, yeah, perhaps you read through me on this: I also want to know about the relationships between summoners and their summons. Something like master-servant? Or something deeper? YEAH, it’s the yaoi fangirl on me kicking. It doesn’t help that I’m a fan of the master-servant stories – not slavery, but those relationships built on loyal followers and their leaders, like Kojuurou/Masamune. Or maybe your boys’ relationship is something more like Sasuke/Yukimura? (Loyal servant must protect completely oblivious and clueless master!)
Sorry, I got carried away… and the imagination ran wild. I’m so carelessly speculating about your story, that I’m forgetting it’s YOURS and I’m shaping it my way. Tell me more about your story, please! You got me hooked already, you see.
About my Zaoll Luv head… The season, our inefficient postal service and just plain but infuriating bureaucratics all were to blame for the delay in receiving it. I could only retrieve it early this week, in fact; it took two weeks to arrive when the estimate was 6-10 days, and then customs took another week to send me the notification so I could pick it up. By then I was already very worried and wrote to the seller to inform her of the situation, but she kindly tracked the package and found it in customs. I guess you can say that got me even more worried. In the end, I could finish the Mission: Rescue The Zaoll Head From Customs adventure; while it was a relatively easy task, it was pretty infuriating. You’ll see, as I arrived in the customs office I found it full of people who all seemed to be waiting for their delayed mail. For some unknown reason, chairs were removed from the office and everyone had to wait standing up (I went very early in the morning so it only took one hour to retrieve the package; in other ocassions, it might take up to 3 or 4 hours), but that isn’t that bad as the utter lack of information at the place. I’ve counted them: you need to complete 7 sevens steps to pick up a package at that office; 4 if it’s a small package that doesn’t pay any taxes. For some other unknown reason, instructions aren’t to be found anywhere in the office, so people who come for the first time have no idea as to what to do – or as I call it, where they should begin their mission/task. It’s extra infuriating when you follow the steps as usual and are then told that no, since there’s a special proceeding for that kind of package, you’re in the wrong queue. Anyway, first thing I was told when I showed the employee the notification they sent me, he told me they didn’t have my package! So early and in the second step only, and I was ready to snap at them: “But this notification shows you’ve been holding up it since last Monday! And the package was tracked and found in your warehouse!” On second examination, the employee found the package… and gave me the wrong number for the waiting queue. *sighs* The customs officer was calling out people by their names and not the waiting numbers so I didn’t miss my turn – although the officer got my name wrong *sighs again* I’m used to most mispronunciations of my last name by now, though. And then, I was told I was missing one more notification to proceed – the very same that was found filed under the wrong category. And so I wonder: how they even manage to get things done when getting nothing right in the first place? I mean, really!
But it wasn’t so bad in the end. As the officer opened the first box, he found the seller had placed the head in a lovely gift box, so he felt it wasn’t necessary to check for the contents and just handed it over to me. Yay! I wasn’t robbed of the box opening experience this time (since they did thoroughly inspected my boy before I could lay a finger on him). Double yay! I didn’t have to pay any taxes, either! I left the customs office happier and with the same amount of money I first stepped in. Triple yay! For I’m already saving up for a body for my floating head. Here, let me show you Carmine, if you could just excuse the lack of a proper face-up and the bad resin match… I ran out of Mr. Super Clear and it won’t be stocked until mid-February in the only two stores I’ve found that ship overseas. But I did squeeze the last of the can I had and applied some pastels to her lips and eyes – unfortunately, I can’t manage her eyebrows. But she’s such a pretty mold, she looks good even without a face-up – without one of my attemps at face-upping, actually! I’d decided on a male character for it, but I’m referring to Carmine as “her” for the time being (since “head” is a female noun in Spanish); here’s she in Ezra’s body. What do you think? The head is definetely small for the body, but I deem it doesn’t look horribly out of proportions. Actually, the head would look good on that body if not for the arms and hands, which do look TOO BIG. Well, you know I like dolls with such looooong frames, as they were characters from a Clamp manga :) so Carmine’s stylized long body in this shot didn’t look bad at all for me. Here’s another shot showing the long frame, the big arms and hands, and her comparatively small head – and yet another shot to show that, in spite of the width of the shoulders being just fine, the hands are way too big for her.
And thus I’m out of ideas. Now I see that the head wouldn’t look out-of-proportion in a 60cm+ lanky body such as DragonDoll’s, but the arms and the hands would make it look just silly. I intended to get a female DragonDoll body for Carmine (and in pink skin, too), but I’m not sure anymore, since I’ve been told those have big arms and hands as well. I’m discouraged on getting her an Obitsu body because I’d prefer a resin one… But the choices I have in resin don’t appeal to me for the aesthetics (ie. I don’t like how the bodies look) or are out of my budget. Yeah, I know! I originally wanted to mod a female DD body mostly… because. Because I wanted to try my first extensive modification that’s it, even if I’d most likely mess up something in the process (I confess I have no idea as to how resculpt nipples, for instance). But I complain about other bodies because I just don’t like their two-part torsos, or I prefer them to be more slender, or the boobies look so artificial… Ha, ha, I’m picky when it comes to resin. Anyway, everything looked so easy before getting the head, but now that I have Carmine I understand why people say Zaoll hybrids are hard to make. Anyway, it’s not like I can buy the body right here and right now, so there’s time until I save enough money to seriously consider one. I’m hoping I’ll be able to find something suitable and within my budget range. Feel free to comment, suggest or give some advice, please! I’d love to hear what you think – and any comments on my Mission: Looking For A Body For Carmine will be highly appreciated.
About Carmine’s name… :) I stumbled across the name when reading Ricardo Palma, a Peruvian writer from the 19th century and one of my favorites. Then I had this dream. Next thing was, I got up and wondered why I couldn’t come up with such interesting ideas for my stories when very conscious and awake, hah! Um, I’m pretty bad at summarizing things and the dream was more of a long, curiously detailed sequence (like I was watching a movie), so I’ll try to explain it… concisely… and clearly… err, or maybe not… In any case, the dream was about a wealthy family who lived in the countryside and was planning to sell some plots of land, grounds nearby one of their houses that hadn’t been tended to in a long time. One particularly dark night, both parents and their children went to take a walk and a look at said lands; the parents were pretty much your typical bourgeois-looking high-class couple, whereas the children were a 18-year old young man and his brother, four years younger than he. The setting? Modern times I think, since I clearly remember the oldest son was carrying a flashlight. The four of them approached a large, empty shack – or something that looked like one, in any case, since it was a walled-like building with a huge tree growing within. And such a strange-looking tree that was, for its wood had darkened, it had long and twisted branches with no leaves, and it seemed like a platform of sorts had been build atop it. Well, at this point, the parents began talking about selling the lands, how much they should ask for them, and what kind of people had previously lived there to leave such strange buildings (I vaguely remember a mention of black magic/shamanism practiotioners), while the oldest son inspected the tree with the flashlight. The youngest was looking around when he found some writing carved in the wood of a fallen tree; it was then that his brother noticed their parents were nowhere in sight. Suddenly, he heard some noises coming from atop the platform in the tree and realized there was someone else in the place; worried (rather than scared), he grabbed his younger son by the wrist and began running away. Well, what can I say? At this point, I was sure I was enjoying the dream because it looked so much like a horror/suspense movie (my favorites!) – but like everything else, it had to finish. I remember the youngest brother tripped over something and fell down, and when he came to his senses, his oldest brother had disappeared, too. There he was, crying for his brother… and I remember the oldest’s name: Emilio. So, yeah! The youngest was called “Carmine” in the dream. The rest of the dream wasn’t so detailed but I still could “see” how it went on: there’s a cut and we jump into the next scene (ha ha, just like a real movie I guess!), and we then see Carmine, now as a young man, walking out of a thick mist, in the very same place (ie. the shack with the tree) where everything happened… ten years ago. Remember the carved writing he was checking as a teenager? Well, he now goes back to check on it, even if it’s partially unreadable by now, and he’s sure a decade has passed since he was last in that place. In fact, I have this feeling he appeared checking on it as a teen because I knew he was going to do it again as an adult, just as giving a hint to the “audience” of how much time has passed since. I find this funny, that I had a dream in the format of a movie ^_^; Now that I think of it, I seem to remember my dream actually had subtitles, as silly or weird as it might sound: I remember that, as Carmine fell down to the ground when running away and he called out to his brother, Emilio’s name “appeared” as a subtitle! Guess I’ve been watching too many subtitled movies as for lately.
The dream itself finished as Carmine found the carved writing, but as I woke up I had this feeling I knew how the story went on, as though it was all in my head but I didn’t have enough time to properly “dream” it, if that makes sense :) It turns out that Carmine spent those 10 years in a different “dimension”, like a version of our very same world, a place where people are taken to if they want to run from the real world… maybe something like the God World in Spirited Away I guess? Or Silent Hill from the namesake videogame series. Carmine had thought his parents and brother died the day he “vanished” from this world, but as he learns Emilio is alive, he returns to look for him. Aaaaand… And, this is the point where my dream and other bits of it end – like they were telling me, “ok, that was the plotbunny, now get to work and figure out the rest of the story by yourself!” I’ve been in such a creative block for the past year or so, so I want to believe that was my subsconciousness giving me a hand and encouraging me to write something down, heh. Well, if I were to take a guess, I’d say part of the dream was also due to the fact that I’d been reading Ricardo Palma’s writings on urban legends and popular myths of Peru; a widely spread myth in the countryside says that spirits of children who can’t pass onto the other life become trapped in fig trees, and that you can find them walking around said trees at nights. I guess I had several of these myths and stories going around in my head – and voilà, everything came together in a dream. Including the name for my new doll, you’ll see :)
How was it? If I were to consider this dream of mine on originality grounds… I’d have to say there wasn’t anything in the dream I hadn’t seen before in movies, mangas or videogames. But I really liked that dream, and now I’m seriously considering using it as the main plot for an original fiction. Starred by Carmine in his first literary adventure, at that. Although I can’t say my Zaoll Luv looked like the Carmine from the dream, since I remember he was a dark haired and more masculine-looking boy… Maybe Ezra can make a guest appearance if I ever write the story, too. I’m incredibly bad at picturing my characters’ physical appearances, so using my dolls as reference sounds like a good idea to me. And besides, Ezra and Carmine could stop being “my backgroundless BJDs”. Not that I need to give them a story to love them (I love them already as they are, even if Carmine doesn’t have a body yet!), but I think it’ll be an interesting “experiment” to try.
And now, the videogame talk section of our messages! Because we so need to have one. Uh, now I realize I completely forgot to write about Sengoku BASARA 3 in my previous message; guess I was so busy ranting about KOEI that I completely overlooked SB3. Well, now we know for sure Kojuurou and Sasuke have joined the NPCs ranks in this game, which disappoints me a great deal (I’m sort of fearing there won’t be so much interaction between the series’ poster boys and their loyal bodyguards now that the latter are NPCs). But on the brighter side, I was pleasantly surprised by Kuroda Kanbei’s design: I was so sure the character was going to suck, I mean, a guy with a chain and a giant ball? What kind of character was that, for crying it aloud? As he was officially announced, though, I found myself liking his character: even if kind of plain, he didn’t look half as bad as I’d first thought. And it seems he has no eyes! Sort of creepy, too (but not as creepy as his SM counterpart: in Musou, Kanbei looks like Voldermort – with hair and a nose, and looking waaaaaay more evil). Tsuruhime was another matter: I’m. Not. Liking. Her. But that’s just my first impression, since she looks so much like your typical highschool girl, noisy, cheerful and exasperatingly annoying… not to mention she seems to have some sort of rivalry/fixation on Motochika (I went all, “oh great! On top of fangirls in the real life, now our pirate will have to cope with teenaged fangirls in the game canon, too! Poor guy!”) My impressions are most likely to change once I see the actual game, or even some more actual footage – who knows? Tsuruhime’s weapon is a bow so she’ll possibly be a very fast character; I used to HATE Imagawa with all my guts until he became playable and see! A fast character! Even if he doesn’t have reach! I changed my mind about him because of the gameplay alone. *sighs* Anyway, I wonder when we’ll have more updates, not to mention trailers or some actual gameplay.
I mentioned Dragon Age to my brother after reading your message and he got interested on it, heh; he says he’s going to give it a try then. At the moment, though, we’re both playing Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, or rather, he’s playing it while I wait for him to vacant the PS2 (monopolizing the PS2, he is). We’re both fans of the Silent Hill series, even if they featured hardcore elements of the survival horror genre (you know, “in order to open this door, you need to find the key which is inside the head of the sacrificed animal hanged on the threshold of the church that likewise opens only when you present the main gate with a fistful of hair retrieved from the safe that’s in the fifth floor of the building which is accessible only through the tunnel that leads to the park and that’s guarded by the three-headed, acid-spitting, green-scaled monster that…”) SH:SM plays interestingly enough, however, and we’re both loving the fact that it largely shuns those “survival horror elements”. Or at least, they don’t make you complete silly tasks just to go to the next level. We almost fell down from our chairs when the main character actually jumped the fence to cross the street! The 99% of survival games out there would make you go around the whole city just because a chair is blocking the corridor.
…Now that you mention FFXIII, I must confess I’m not interested in the game like, at all. Don’t know, the characters nor the plot have caught my attention… Instead, I’m so looking forward to FFversusXIII. Even if I won’t be able to play it until I got a PS3 and that it’ll be a more action-oriented game (I suck at those). Maybe because its creators stated it’ll be the darkest game in the series so far? Because it looks good and have some crazy action scenes? Nah, I think it’s because handsome young men star it :) I’m so predictable.
And this is the end of my looooong message. Hopefully I didn’t bore you… much. Uh, I’ve noticed it’s becoming harder to read our messages because they get squeezed in the comments thread, so it’s completely ok if you make a different thread for your reply, really. Whatever way you feel more comfortable/it’s easier for you, dear. Ok, so… A big hug, and take care!
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Tenemos, casi casi, los mismos adornos de Navidad, necesito cambiar el árbol, creo que ésta fue su última navidad con nosotros. ¡Feliz Navidad!
No me atreví a comentar hasta que vi que los últimos comentarios eran bastante recientes.
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¡Feliz Navidad!
Entonces deberé suponer que el mismo vendedor ambulante (o deambulante) al que le compramos los adornos era un hombre de mucho trajín que ofrecía sus productos… en varios distritos. O, claro, la otra explicación es que tenemos los adornos del mismo molde y/o inspiración artística.
No veo porqué no hubieras podido comentar artes. Por mí no hay problema, deja comentarios en las entradas que tengo del 2005 (cuando comencé este blog) e igual te las contesto; igualmente, puede que dejes un comentario aquí y que yo me acuerde de respondértelo en el 2013… Ups.
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Siempre me he preguntado, se dice Feliz Navidad el día de Noche Buena o el día siguiente? De cualquier manera, Feliz Navidad y Feliz Cumpleaños Atrazado
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Gracias por los saludos. Feliz Navidad a ti también.
Pues, si tomamos en cuenta que saludamos la natividad de Jesús, entonces deberíamos desearnos una Feliz Navidad el 25. Pero supongo que la gente adelante el saludo al día anterior en caso de que en el posterior se olviden (o estén tan cansados o enfermos de tanto pavo, chocolate, panetón y vino de la cena, que no atinen al saludo a tiempo).
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Pues también te deseo unas Felices Fiestas y ¡Feliz Cumpleaños! (atrasado, que vergüenzaaaa).
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Feliz Navidad a ti también (y Año Nuevo ya, que se nos va el 25 y se nos acerca cada vez más el 1ero).
Gracias por el saludo de cumpleaños también. Nah, no te preocupes, no hay problema por el atraso (digamos que ya llegué a la edad en la que prefieres que los años te vengan atrasados a que seguir cumpliéndolos).
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No se ni como desearte feliz cumpleaños despues de haberlo olvidado u_u Segùn yo estaba al pendiente de la fecha y mira, hasta que me meti hoy al blog me cayo el post como balde de agua fria…
Oye, la casa de galleta quedo lindisima (el Santa le da un toque genial), y se ve deliciosa he de agregar…
Sobre los muñequitos, me encantan los cerditos que estan al lado de Puppi, se ven adorables.
En fin, te mando de nuevo una felicitaciòn y un abrazo atrasados (y que bueno que te la hayas pasado bien) ¡Feliz cumpleaños!
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Gracias por el saludo. Nah, no hay problema, recuerda que a mí también se me pasó tu cumpleaños a pesar de haber visto la entrada que hiciste un día antes. Eh, no quiero pensar que es la edad la que nos está afectando, pero…
¡Ah! Me has hecho caer en la cuenta de algo muy importante: todavía no nos comemos la casita. Creo que se debe a que el 24 tuvimos lo que se llama opípara (o más bien, pavípera) cena, y el 25 seguimos con la tradición de acabarnos lo que sobró de la noche anterior, aparte de que dimos cuenta de las kekes y los otros postres que mi madre hizo. Conclusión: tanta comida nos hizo olvidarnos del postre de jengibre. Supongo que hoy 26 lo desarmaremos para dar cuenta de él como se debe.
Se nota que a mí sí me está afectando la edad: se me anda olvidando todo. Por ejemplo, no logro recordar cómo se llaman los dos cerditos al lado de Puppi: creo que en japonés los llaman de una forma, y en Corea tienen otro nombre… Ah, allí está, Monokuro Boo. Bastante populares por aquí y, como escribí, creo que los he visto bajo otro nombre comercial coreano. Y recién noto que fotografié los peluches blancos, negros y azules (si es que se puede decir que Stitch es azul) de mi hermana, pero se me pasó por completo su almohada YES/NO que le compró su ex en Japón: me encanta esa almohada (que es blanca por un lado y negra por el otro), sobre todo porque la veo y me acuerdo de todas las historias de manga y anime en las que sirve para el gag del dormitorio con la pareja…
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