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Characters for your dolls VS. dolls for your characters

Oct 29, 2010

    1. When I first started this hobby, all I wanted to do was doll my characters from previous stories. But the more I searched for their sculpts, the more I realized that because how my "story" characters are formed in my head, giving them physical bodies wasn't something that was possible. Though I like to have a basic outline of what kind of character I'm going to have with my doll when I buy it, I've found that trying to write a story around my doll characters is nearly impossible. There seems to be something that is lost, story wise, when the characters are physical, and I have no idea why.

      At this point, I've stopped worrying about placing my doll characters into a story (though I wish I COULD make it work), and instead treat them as dolls with loose personalities with no background. It's kind of sad, as I always wanted to have a doll cast to go with a story, but for now it just doesn't seem possible.

      I don't think there is a better way to approach the character situation. Like many aspects of this hobby, it's all based on the owner's preference.
       
    2. I'm largely a character-for-the-doll type. I tried to shoehorn a character into my first doll, but...well, that didn't work well. XD I still have plans for some doll-for-the-characters, like my popstar Alex and many siblings of current dolls. I've even had some success with it...Dawn, for instance, is a doll-for-the-character.

      What I've learned, though, is not to expect the doll-version to be exactly the same as my head-version. In my head-world, Dawn is a Pokemon trainer, pretty much uninterested in any aspect of Pokemon training but battling, doesn't pay any attention to the boyfriend/girlfriend stuff a girl her age (14) would be starting to notice, and has a team consisting solely of Hoenn-region Pokemon.

      Doll-Dawn, though, is already the Champion of Hoenn, has a Buizel as her main Pokemon, contests (even if she's horrible at it), and is a terrible flirt.

      I find it interesting, personally. It's the same core personality, but...almost alternate universe versions. ^^;
       
    3. Which type are you? a Characters for dolls, or a dolls for characters?

      I'm a characters for my dolls type of person. I've had various original characters i've made up over the years, but they were for art purposes not for story purposes, and i've never really developed any of their characters very far. So i've never had a character i cared enough about to want to get a doll to make into them. I like getting my doll and seeing what their personality is. Deciding what wig and clothes suit them. That's a big part of the the fun for me, finding out who my doll will end up being! :)

      Do you think one way is better or more suited for the hobby?

      No way. This hobby is all about customization and making a doll to be perfect for you. If you have characters that are near and dear to your heart and want to bring them to life in doll form that's great! Same for if you like making characters for your doll. What ever suits you they're both let you be creative!

      Have you always done one, or did something make you switch along the way? Why switch?
      Yeah. Like i said none of my characters have ever been important enough and i like my dolls to end up having a personality all their own and crafted just for them.
       
    4. Which type are you? a Characters for dolls, or a dolls for characters?
      Dolls for Characters. I find it more fun trying to find just the right sculpt. It helps me curb my spending if I can't find the right sculpt. It also helps to find the right clothes and such.

      Do you think one way is better or more suited for the hobby?
      I definitely prefer to know the character before the doll comes to me, but I've also made characters based solely on one doodle I made. Why not a doll?

      Have you always done one, or did something make you switch along the way? Why switch?
      I intend to only do it one way because it's one of my safety nets for spending. Not all my characters are doll worthy either.


      Any other thoughts on the matter?
      For me at least, I can't validate just having a character that will only be a doll. If I'm not going to make a comic or write a story or make an animation or game from it then I'd rather not spend $200 on it. I guess I also like to get big headed and say that yeah I have doll versions of my characters. ;) (I've almost made sock puppets out of them. )
       
    5. Which type are you? a Characters for dolls, or a dolls for characters?
      Both, I've found xD I started as a characters for dolls type of person, however ^^

      Do you think one way is better or more suited for the hobby?
      Nope, it's whichever way someone wants <3 I'm not the "biggest" fan(cough cough understatement) of fan-based characters, though... there's literally no originality x:

      Have you always done one, or did something make you switch along the way? Why switch?
      As said, I started a characters for dolls type. I changed to both because as the dolls I had started becoming more developed, new characters started stemming from them. In turn, these characters are in need of doll bodies xD However I still find myself falling head over heels in love with certain dolls and in that case I'll do my best to create a character around them x3

      Any other thoughts on the matter?
      I tend to take advantage of my doll's being characters a lot xD It makes people around me more open and accepting of the hobby when they realize there's more purpose to them than just sitting there being pretty. Especially my family members whom I live with. My mom in particular used to think that spending so much on them was a waste, but then I showed her the character outlines I had for dolls I was saving for.
      And just my luck, writing has been the ONLY thing she's ever fully supported me in, so in turn she quickly became more accepting and actually put all the loose change she had in her purse towards my new dolly fund xD!

      My dad, while doesn't live with me, appreciates that they have characters... even if he's just more interested in the modding side o3o;
       
    6. I am always wanted to see what other people think about this... :sweat

      I am saving for a number of bjds... and
      I found with seth (the one I have), I didnt have a character... she got her name as she remindered me of a anime character:doh.I had no plan of her looks or anything
      but when she got home...her character came to life from little things about her. she grew in to a character I never planned her.

      when with another, I know I want him to be seth's brother. and I am I getting the fullset but I am letting him become his own character.

      when on the other hand, 2 of the other dolls I have planned out their character and who their are.

      when there the other, were I want I have a idea of what the character looks like but nothing else...

      what your take on this... what do you do??:?

      to you buy a doll to match a character
      or
      do your match the doll to the character..

      :P:aheartbea
       
    7. i have no plans for Soori. i figured he'll become his own character as time goes on. he already strikes me as a calm guy, and i don't even have him yet!
       
    8. With Tanal I had no plans around character and when stunned when I got him home and one of my existing characters claimed the doll as his shell... especially as that was not how I'd been envisioning that character. I did a true double-take when I realized that old character was staring at me out of his eyes.

      The dolls I've gotten since then have been bought with a character in mind, and I've been lucky enough to have those characters accept their resin shells. Well, actually, my floating heads are a little different, with the BF Niky I didn't know which of the twins it was until I started the faceup and found scars appearing, and the LA Cara is a whole new character for that head (which I thought would either be a practice head or get sold).

      My wish list is a mix of planned and unplanned, but I approach it with the attitude of, if one of the shells comes home and is rejected by a character I won't force them into it. And of course, those on the list with no pre-existing character ideas get to build their identity when they get here. Admittedly, that might mean another of my existing characters claims them like with Tanal.

      Note: I'm not pre-planning a doll character for any of them, I write, and try planning doll shells for the key characters of my stories.
       
    9. Haha. I know what you mean. It happens to me every time. I have only the name and basics of a character which the doll gets once it is here, but then I let them grow wildly and free (but not as wild as my first one :)). Somehow they made their characters themselves, after being here for at least a month and having the chance to interact with the others.

      I learned this is the best way for me after obtaining Aiwa, who had didn’t fit the character I planned for him. Instead of an annoyingly lively and arrogant dragon, he is terribly shy and too much of a sweetheart. So I redid his face-up to suit this and he is a lot happier since then. I don’t know… To me DollZone’s Xi all look sweet and rather calmer boys now ;)

      I buy a doll to match a character, but when it’s not matching in the end, whatever. I’ll let them be the way that suits them more than my weird fantasies XD
       
    10. Mostly I look for dolls that fit a character I have in mind. But they kinda end up adding new things to themselves when I get them in doll form. I mean.. Lesley had never wanted any body modifications when he was just a character.. but as a doll.. he now has a nose piercing and a tattoo. He also will end up getting a tattoo for every life changing thing that happens to him and his relationship with his fiance.

      Then there's the incoming head I still have to make final payment for.. I bought the head with no character in mind, I fell in love with the sculpt at a doll meet and needed one of my own to create a character for. Little did I know, it was already choosing it's own character, and I don't even have it on hand yet!! It chose my oldest character (in terms of when it was made), and my first. It's evolved over the years.. kinda becoming 'me' in a sense of the word. Kinda the 'me' I'd have liked to be if I lead the life I gave her. But the head claimed this character, and I'd already had a full doll planned for it.

      Though the full doll was to be the character when I first created her vs what she turned into now. So I guess it makes sense.
       
    11. I kinda straddle the fence. Two of my dolls were bought (or obtained) with a certain, specific character in mind. The other three I bought on a whim - rather, I saw the sculpt and loved it, had enough to get it, and got it. Their characters developed over time - the longest being nearly 6 months of tweaking before I was finally happy. I have dolls as characters on a wishlist, but their are some sculpts that I just really want, and have no idea what to do with them once I get them.

      So... I guess this basically boils down to, I either buy a mold specific to a character or I just get what I like. There's really no rhyme or reason behind it since I'm mostly ruled by whim anyway.
       
    12. As a noob to this, I'm saving up for a doll because I like her. I don't have a character or even a name.
      I'm not sure that's a great idea, but I really am confident that I'll figure something out once I own her.

      Anyway, interesting to see what others have to say.
       
    13. i always let my doll give me their character....i have characters from a story i have written, but for some reason, i don't have a lot of desire to put them in resin form. i feel like when i get a doll, they are "their own" person...and i just have to get to know them. :) however, i do try to name them before they get here. every once in awhile though, they name themselves. :)
       
    14. My writer's block is basically a chronic disease, I have millions of half finished characters. And there are so many molds I love and want, but what actually made me decide on one was that she fit one of these characters perfectly. From there on, it was easy to finish the character by looking at the doll and seeing her facial expressions, trying to imagine her in different situations etc. So I guess I am a little bit of both really, I start off with a character and then alter it a bit to fit the doll. Then again, this is my first doll I'm getting so I can't speak from much experience. >.<
       
    15. It's usually dolls for existing characters for me. Otherwise I noticed that I have trouble bonding with them, meaning I get bored more easily.
      It is nearly impossible to find molds that represent my characters 1:1, but that just adds to the fun for me, because I really like the hunt that I start when I try to find ones that are as close as possible.
      I've gotten a doll solely because I liked his looks though before, no 'Wow, he could be X's doll form' - feeling. And as much as I like him, it took me pretty long to come up with a matching character, which just elongated the process of him becoming part of the crew.
       
    16. Which type are you? a Characters for dolls, or a dolls for characters?
      Dolls for characters. I see so many lovely sculpts that call to me, but I can barely justify getting dolls for characters I already have, never mind dolls that are just destined to be display pieces. :(

      Do you think one way is better or more suited for the hobby?
      I don't really think one is better or worse or more suited, honestly. I mean, many of us collected Barbies and didn't necessarily commit characters to any of them when we played with them.

      Have you always done one, or did something make you switch along the way? Why switch?
      Not likely to ever switch unless I stumble across multi-million$, and also all the dolls I have on my "you wish" list are for characters that I'd like to shell. If I do start collecting dolls for the sake of the doll, though, I don't foresee myself making up characters for the doll. At least, not ones I'd write with.

      Any other thoughts on the matter?
      I will say that people that treat the doll itself as a living entity (and not as a shell/representation) give me the creeps... It's a piece of plastic. :|
       
    17. Which type are you? a Characters for dolls, or a dolls for characters?
      Mostly the second, but I do a little of both.

      Do you think one way is better or more suited for the hobby?
      I usually prefer to get dolls for characters, but I do not think either way is "better." It is a hobby, and people should enjoy it however they want to.

      Have you always done one, or did something make you switch along the way? Why switch?
      I started out only getting dolls for characters, but I eventually started doing both. I started making characters for dolls when I saw Heliot and started getting attached to practice heads I bought. :sweat

      Any other thoughts on the matter?
      I find it is easier for me to become attached to a doll and stay attached if the character came first; however, I do not think it is a big deal. If someone wants to buy dolls to suit characters, that is fine. If someone likes buying dolls they think are pretty and then make characters for them later, that's fine too. It is not really of much consequence what order people buy dolls and develop doll shelled/to be doll shelled characters in.
       

    18. Which type are you? a Characters for dolls, or a dolls for characters?

      A bit of both - I have gone either way, though typically I shift more to having dolls for my characters.

      Do you think one way is better or more suited for the hobby?
      I don't really think either way is better - I've enjoyed my own dolls in either fashion, but it of course depends on the individual person's opinion and how they enjoy the hobby.

      Have you always done one, or did something make you switch along the way? Why switch?

      I started out by picking sculpts for characters of mine (from RPs, stories, MMOs, etc), but with fullset dolls (and I really have to like the sculpt + clothing to shell out the funds for them), I will make characters for them.


      Any other thoughts on the matter?

      It's up to the individual, ultimately.
       
    19. Which type are you? a Characters for dolls, or a dolls for characters?
      honestly for me it changes from doll to doll. Most of my dolls come home with me having a basic Idea of who they will be, but they really come to life once I have them with me and their personality really develops


      Do you think one way is better or more suited for the hobby?
      Not really, whatever floats your boat ^^


      Have you always done one, or did something make you switch along the way? Why switch?
      Like before, I am somewhere in between


      Any other thoughts on the matter?
      nope~