A Change in Character

I try not to idealise a character or concept too much after my second doll changed how I though this all worked.. My Chiwoo was intended to be as sweet and innocent as most others I see are, but he has a very strong personality (which is unfortunately of the bratty immature kind xD) and I just had to go with it.

My others have all been pretty much what I envisaged other than Kura, my Spiritdoll Dark. I found out more about his history before he arrived to me way after I'd established his character, and it changed my views on why he may be the way he is. But also as my own situation changed and I got round to redoing his face up.. well, he's gone from stoic undead soldier to quietly questioning his gender and feeling uncomfortable in his body. (I have mentioned to him that it'd be easy enough to get him a girl's body, but early days~)

 

I bought my doll leaves Xavor with the idea that he would become a personification of Sesshomaru and Asher. He even came with a long blond wig. Turns out he has facial hair, a kid, is about as refined as a street fighter, and thinks a suit is anything without oil stains or baby barf on it. After him I've learned to keep my expectations for prepared characters to a minimum.

 

I thought I had a good idea what my 70cm boy's personality was. A while after I got him, though, I illustrated a character who just seemed to "fit" him. So now I'm not quite sure what to do--the doll's original personality and the illustrated character's personality are very different. Perhaps my doll has an alter ego or something...

 

My dolls seems to change characters all the time - I buy pretty heads and give them a characters, but when it doesn't fit, I just change it. And my eldest doll in the house (Aed, I've had him for two years now), I think he only kept his name through these years, his background and looks are completely renewed. XD It just seems that they kind of grow and alter while I grow and alter.
But at some point, I think all my characters have finally found the 'steady' personality, that will stick - or if they don't, and nothing works for the doll, I just give it up and move on to another.

 

I've had good luck with pre-planned characters being what I want them to be, but the one I didn't plan in advance was an interesting experience. His personality has changed a few times since he arrived, going from meek and scared to shy but eager to please, and now he's gotten cheekier and seems to be a bit flirtatious though nothing serious. It's been like getting to know a real person, how he "behaves" towards me develops as we "get to know eachother."

 

I don't usually plan my dolls extensively before they arrive. But I was so excited about my Dollmore Narsha Zihu that I planned out this whole character for her, and even bought fabric and a wig to match the design. She was going to be an Inuit girl who always dressed in winter clothes. I was even planning to dye the doll a light tan to reflect her native canadian background. But then she arrived, and I immediately gave up on that character. The only that remained was her name. Now, I just kind of go with the flow and see what type of character suits the doll best once they're home.

 

#Warning: Possibly TLDR & confession hour#

When I first started, I will be the few to admit, the model of my character was based on someone else's doll. It naturally happened as I didn't have a doll before and could only fantasize about having one. Maybe her doll's character was very bold and it stuck in my mind or maybe it was wanting to own that person's doll or maybe it was first-time doll ownership insecurity, whatever it was, I was building on someone else's idea.

When my doll arrived, (as a head) I would buy things that would fit this other person's doll. It wasn't the intention, but her character had morphed into mine since I had added so many details of my own (and others - it was essentially an amalgamation of every other owner's doll). Initial joy was overridden by the passing of time as I began realizing that all my sketches and ideals for this doll would never happen as I couldn't develop the character (naturally). It was quite frustrating, but the beauty of the mold kept me wanting to keep the doll despite not being able to bond.

Some time later, I started commissioning seamstresses to create replicas of runway clothing (pretty much stuff I'd like to own, but couldn't, so I lived through my doll) and noticed that there were consistencies. The clothes seemed to have a quirk that accentuated my doll's "it"-ness. I didn't quite know what "it" was, but there was something. I went with it and started dressing her according to what "it" felt like and she (my doll) started to take form into something I didn't quite expect. I guess most people would call this 'character' but I was able to bond better with her.

And so, to answer your question, yes. Change of characters do happen. Don't feel bad. Because the characters live inside your head, if you are undergoing change, so will they (however minor or major).

 

Going with the flow sounds good. But certain clothes type I must insist on, and the clothes make the man. Or che character, if you will :p