Controversial Doll Stories?

Some people find blood to be a fetish which is why they might find murder, in a story & not real life where people really die, to be sexy. I sure dont find murder to be sexy but 1 of my characters does love blood and pain. He though, is immortal so he can take a few cuts here or there xD. But he has no wish for death nor does he get off on murdering others. Though I *would* understand if someone got offended or whatever by that story. Not that Im going 2 change it, but Id put a little warning just to let people know something out of the norm was there.

 

I tend to post gallery photo shoots without any kind of a linear story behind them. I've only posted one photostory and it involved puppies. I'm sure no one would ever consider that controversial, but you never know. A lot of my personal life is kept away from the doll hobby, to be honest. Not all, but a good deal of it is. I'm not a Christian, but do I get offended whenever someone else's dolls or their stories revolve around a message of Christian hope and love? Absolutely not. On the flip side, I'm also not bothered if someone gets offended by my doll characters' lack of a spiritual conviction.

Is it "controversial" that a doll character of mine is an atheist? Probably so. Would I ever post a storyline of my doll bashing a religious faith? Absolutely not, because that's just common sense not to do so (also, it's not an accurate depiction of an atheist). I know it would cause nothing but drama, no matter how creatively it was done. And I think when it comes to asking who is ultimately in charge of deciding what you should and should not post, the answer is yourself; just use your common sense. If it seems like it would be a touchy subject like rape or sexual slavery, at least be prepared for the onslaught of ticked-off people posting to your journal, or wherever you post it (since I'm sure it wouldn't be on DOA).

I find a lot of the controversial topics a little cliche, to be honest. Gay angel boys? It's been done, and I didn't find it appealing the first time around. Slavery? No thanks. If I find a photostory I disagree with or find offensive, I'm much more likely to ignore it than actively read it, think of an indignant response, and post said indignant response. If it falls into the forbidden category at DOA, and if I really think it needs to be taken down for graphic depiction, I'd PM a mod with the link and ask for their call on the matter.

 

I personally think that at the end of the day, its YOUR doll. Your the only one that can tell your dolls who they are, and they are what you make of them. Really, who is going to care the next morning??

 

This. Primarily I'm a writer and geez, most people have SOME bad things in their past. However, I stopped pandering and doing the 'HE'S A CUTTER OMG!!!!!!!!1' thing in my stories when I was about twelve, and strived for interesting characters who were effected in realistic ways by whatever happened to them (... and I don't think I even have a character who cuts anymore.).

 

I know this is slightly off topic but i dont think your supervisor is saying he's sorry because you're a woman, its something out of politeness to apologise if someone swears infront of a woman, not because we women dont like it, its just politeness. Same with the whole keeping open a door for someone, not saying you cant hold the door, just being poite (I know you didnt mention the door holding thing i was just using it as another example ^^ )

To the topic, IMO, i really dont think there is a right or wrong thing you can write about. If you have a character thats into torture doesnt mean you're a Sadist. Same with if you have a character who believes in Satanic riturals, doesnt mean you do too. To me a character is a character, nothing more nothing less.
At the moment, I'm writing about how one of my male characters was raped, doesnt mean i enjoy man-rape. (or even normal rape for that matter) Depending on where i decide to publish it, depends on how i would label it, obviously I'm not going to have it flashy lights with what it's about but there will be a warning, so atleast if people dont want to read it they dont have to.

As Irmiel has said, its your doll, your character. It shouldnt matter what others think, hell my husband thinks I'm twisted for the backstories my dolls have and they not as half as bad as some I've read lol

 

in a story I wrote (and will one day be a photo story) my doll fights an alien and is blackmailed to serving a demon (until literally torn apart and remade-the alien felt sorry for her, and wanted a friend)

 

I agree with maymie692, Kiyakotari in the 1st paragraph. Not too much information was given on your bosses character, but if a man apologized to me for cursing, I would find that a very high compliment. It is not the trade mark of a gentlemen to curse in front of a lady, and for him to see and understand this shows that he has high respect for you and for women. Again, I do not know everything about your bosses personal life, but this is what I grab from your statement.

I agree with everyone else that you can do whatever, however you want with your dolls story line, it just wouldn't be wise to place "offensive" material in a public place, where toes could be stepped on. Although, what is offensive to you, might not be to others. Its a moral issue.
I also agree with better labels on photo shoots in the gallery.
The truth of the matter is, many people are ignorant of others feelings today and post without a second thought. Yet, I also believe that sometimes people are so sensitive that they are just looking for something to be offended about. The world is full of people on both sides, and you have to learn with them both.

 

well, I have a character that is a lesbian nun. When I introduced her, I simply said "lol lesbian nuns ", but there genuinely was a lot of thought be hind her;
in the Catholic church, homosexuality is not considered a sin, just the act of gay fortification (seriously, ask the pope). If you're gay, that's okay, you're just expected to never act on the urges. Saa is a lesbian, and to save her own soul she became a nun, and suffers daily for it. There's a lot to her back story, I just don't feel like typing it up every time I talk about her >: I don't try and be offensive to anyone- it's your own fault for not making sure I wasn't just shooting my mouth off before freaking out at me.

 

To dive into all of the topics would take forever, so I'm just gonna cover them all with this: Personally, I feel that anyone should be able to do whatever they want with their doll and here's an example of why:

ex. I'm Roman Catholic however some of my friends are Wicca. I give my doll a Christan background but they give their pagan. Should I be mad at them for making their dolls "Witchs"? No.

People should be able to do whatever they want with their dolls because people do whatever they want in real life. Now dolls are a bit different in that if you give your doll the history of being an axe murder, that's fine...as long as your not an axe murderer yourself

I'm not sure if I'm explaining myself right, but really. I think, in regards to dolls which really are like having a life of fantasy, people can do what they please. That's what fantasy is for. Leave the controversial stuff for reality...we have enough of it here already *sigh*

 

i agree that people should have the right to do what they like with their dolls but if their actions should interfere with somes elses own rights then its not right to let them do so. and even if stores like this are glorified and do offend you and you do nothing but ignore them then you have given up your own rights and opinions to these things. isnt it a pyschological thing that the people behind a sick story some how believe in what they are creating to a extent?

 

I think people have every right to make a story about whatever they want (as long as they aren't breaking any rules with posting it), but other people still have the right to be offended and the writer/photographer/whatever needs to respect that.

I have absolutely no problem with stories having religious or political themes, as long as they are portrayed as accurately as possible and really have a point as far as the characters and story. No, you can't really do stuff like this without offending someone, and I don't think you should try. This is an artistic medium, and while I don't think you should set out with the intent of offending people, if you end up doing so while making your point or telling your story, that isn't inherently wrong. Just don't get offended when other people act offended, I guess.

I have trouble with almost any depiction of self-harm, torture or rape, and while I could never imagine writing or depicting them myself (I have stories in which it happens, but it is only hinted at), I understand why people would want to write it. If it looks like something is going in that direction, I click out.

 

Say you had a story with a doll that pertained to Nazism. You weren't trying to idolize Nazism in any way, but you wanted to include that aspect of history into your doll's background. Is it morally wrong? Is it your right? It's YOUR doll, isn't it? What if you had a doll with a demonic story? Is it offensive against religion? Is it "satanic"?

Nazism is a... touchy subject. You don't know if your viewers have anyone close to them suffer through the Holocaust. But I must ask - was your doll a Nazi, or did he suffer by the Nazi regime? If your doll was a Nazi, then perhaps a helpful disclaimer, and maybe a partial back story as to why you have included this should suffice. If your doll's character was a victim, perhaps the photos can speak for themselves. But it's still a touchy subject, so tread carefully. When in doubt - "disclaim it out", lol.

You can do anything with your property, which means no one here, nor anyone is going to have the ability to stop you from these depictions.

Where religion is concerned, it's a very subjective thing. You have very devout followers, and others who alter their beliefs. You have people who don't feel comfortable being sure about one religion or another, and people who don't believe at all. So, in that respect, you can't please everyone. Plus, just because one religion is against demons and such doesn't mean everyone under the umbrella of said belief will share that theory. And demon themes are all over the media already, so one more isn't going to affect anyone. And you might offend someone out there, but that's should be no hindrance to demonic portrayal. Look at The Omen, or The Exorcism - the devil in these stories both possesses kids! And sure, people probably got offended, but look how iconic these movies are today! As I said, religion is subjective.


Another member brought up the concept of disproportional dolls that do or do not represent different age groups (ex: a 70 cm doll with a 45 cm doll. Even if they're portrayed as "the same age", it still comes off as pedophilia to some users). And bestiality- of Anthros with tinies. Because these two topics are viewed as socially or morally wrong, some users face scrutiny based on their choices for a doll story.

In theory, pedophilia in the doll world shouldn't exist due to the fact that dolls are not people, and the fact that others think this way only personifies a non-living, non-human thing. But because these are dolls, and something that isn't meant to somewhat represent people (like chairs?) we tend to see portrayals of this nature 'wrong'. And that I understand. For example: if I saw a doll that looked under the age of 18 (say, like an immature-looking MSD) paired in an adult position with a mature-looking SD or animal BJD, I would think this was wrong, and there was something wrong with this person. That's my opinion, however. But sometimes, the story cannot outweigh the image, which is why I think many different BJD sites like this one will not allow dolls that look under 18 doing anything with any doll that looks over 18.

But a lot of people will defend this, and call it 'artistic', and say the images are not meant to be sexual, or to promote such themes in our society. And I agree that many may mean their creations as purely artistic. But in reality, no one can control what is deemed artistic or what is sexual to others. Everyone has their own views of what is sexual. You may see your scene of a young MSD paired in an 'intimate embrace' with an older SD as art due to their stories, and such. But to others who come upon this on the internet, for example, they may see it as something sexual, and inappropriate.

 

Hummmm... well. It takes quite alot to offend me when looking at pictures or reading stories. I am not a fan at all of the whole 'doll backstories' thing. I tried it once.. and I just dont get it. But to each their own.
Disclaimers are a must for obviously touchy subjects. It's simply common curtesy. People must have respect in knowing not everyone will be interested in your stories! Just like TV shows and books, people steer towards subject matter that interests them, things they enjoy reading/watching. And basically, not everyone will enjoy a story envolving nazis, insest, rape, ect. Just like some prefer drama over comedy. It really is that simple.

 

This kind of thing interests me. It's rare but interesting when people use stories to examine painful life situations from a thoughtful and more sensitive, human view. Now, "Lol lesbian nun" would sound like attention-grabbing, but when you do explain the story it is a touching and compelling human struggle.

I think much does depend on how a subject is approached. I have a character whose primary internal struggle is dealing with the emotional effects of six years of very brutal slavery. (this guy here ->
http://www.denofangels.com/forums/s...ya-IH-Barron-mod-LA-body-(Scar-Mods-IMG-Heavy!) )

I don't have him around cause I wanted him to be a sad tortured soul and have pathos or sympathy. I created him because I wanted to explore what a person goes through when they are horribly dehumanized by cruel treatment, and then what they experience as they try to rejoin human society. I try to tell his story without being too graphic as to what he's experienced.

Certain subject will be too harsh or controversial for this forum, no matter how you approach them, like pedophilia, bestiality, certain fetishes, or certain historical tragedies or crimes. For that there are places like private blogs or ControversialDoll.

 

Outstanding question!! I love it when I find one of these...Thought provoking and a real conversation starter!!

My goodness, as a writer of fantasy/speculative fiction that has been inspired by my dolls (and hence they are main characters) I can fully admit that I delve into some heavy subject matter. Hell, the profiles for each of my dolls consist of multiple pages of very deep back story and history. We're not talking about a paragraph or two about a character liking tango dancing, chocolate cake & long walks on the beach. I'm an adult and hence I deal with dark, adult, mature subject matter that ranges all over place.... touching on such topics as war and its ugly aftermath, politics, witchcraft (I am Wiccan so go fig), vampirism, drug use, incest, etc. All my characters are portrayed as adults (most are not even quite human), though I'm sure there are folks that still take issue with my character of small stature having a love affair with a character that is of larger stature despite her very adult physique and wardrobe. Christian concepts of Heaven and Hell/Demons don't enter into it, or Nazism...Those aren't topics I care for, but I do understand why some writers move in those directions since such topics make for compelling story telling when handled properly.

The way I see it is like this: you as a creator have the right to create what ever you want to with your dolls/stories etc. You are not physically causing harm to anyone because we're swimming in the realm of imagination. We're really talking about freedom of expression here. And freedom of expression is a good thing.
Yes: some may take offense to how some people exercise that freedom. But we all need to just get used to the concept that there are things out there that may offend us. Get comfortable with the fact that some things will inevitably make you uncomfortable!
The world was not built to suit the specific needs of one person's idea of comfort and artists are not artists simply to create art that coddles or walks on eggshells. Also note that we as artists are often examining ourselves with our art, dealing with our own internal conflicts, mental ticks & traumas...externalizing our inner demons and fears and such....This is psychology at work in so many ways...not just someone going for empty shock value.

As a writer whose subject matter meanders into all sorts of dark territory I know that some may find my works offensive. As a photographer of many things (both mundane and erotic/mature/adult) I am aware that some images may make some people "uncomfy". But that's apart of it, isn't it. That's the power of the artist: to provoke, to move an observer, to make them think, make them cry, make them laugh, make them have a conversation with someone else about what they have just absorbed...
Dag nabit, I try to handle things with finesse and not be heavy handed...but I want my work to startle you a little, I want to make you squirm and shiver. I hope my work makes you ask questions... questions of yourself, questions of others, questions of motives of the people around you, questions about the world at large.

....But I don't force anyone to read my works or look at my photography.
Just as other artists/creators don't force me to look at their works....

If I find a certain book offensive then I simply don't read it.
If I find a certain image offensive then I simply do not look at it....etc.
That doesn't mean I get to extrapolate some wild opinion about the artists mental health or dictate anything to the artist/creator regarding my feelings about it....because my feelings are relative to me.
Some things are right up my ally and some things just aren't for me, don't suit my tastes, and hence, I move on.

So no, I don't think certain subject matters of "off limits" since limits are relative.
We can't let the monster that is Political Correctness (which is so easily morphed by the needs of the individual attempting to apply it's ever changing rules) kill our ability to express ourselves.

Yes, stick a warning label on the material to let folks know what their in for.
But lets not squelch or silence artists or else the world is going to turn into a very boring place.

 

Felt like I needed to put my two cents in.

I agree with some people in here that pain and suffering can be done tastfully. I don't remember who it was (at work and typing this quickly to get it off my chest) that said that they were irritated when people put horrible things into pasts. Yes, some people do it just because they want to. Others, however, do it because they understand what it really means to the character. Every person in life is affected by what has happened to them. Experiences and pain are what shape us. I think the line from Princess Bride does it the best justice: "Life is pain. Anyone who tells you differently is selling something." Now, it is true that you can have a character without any horrible thing in their past and they can be just as interesting. My doll Madison actually has no story, she is just my doll that I love. My new doll will, but that is because she is based off of a character I play in an rp. Yes, she was kidnapped and controlled under someone because they wanted to use her powers, but it shaped who she was.

I have never had anything horribly bad happen to me. Yes, I have had some pain: depression, almost losing my husband due to poor decisions, mental and phychological abuse as well as what could be construed as sexual abuse. What happened to me could be seen as something much worse to someone else. Everyone is different, their pain is different, their outlook is different. I think the problem I have with people giving someone a tragic story is when they don't fully understand what they are putting into the story. Let me explain. I have read things that one character was raped, but it had no impact on the character himself. It was just something the character put in there because they thought it was steamy. My closest friend when I was younger was sexually abused. Did it affect her actions? Yes. It haunted her every day, I had to watch the pain that she went through as she tried to deal with it. Did I understand what she was going through? Not exactly. I had no experience with it. But because of what she went through, she swore to keep anything like that from happening to me. She guarded me from things she knew would hurt. If you think about it, would she have had the same mentality if she had had a perfect childhood?

Wow, I didn't mean to get on my soap box, but I guess my final thought is this. If you want to give your character a storyline that has something that is 'controversal', it may be better for you to research exactly what you are putting into your character. Most of my characters have something bad that happened to them, but that is because that is how they came to be the person they are today. No one is perfect, everyone has their flaws, their demons.

 

I have to agree with Foxdagon that you have a right to create whatever kind of character you want, and that you also have the right to be offended. I am by no means an amazing author, but with my story I'm trying to steer clear from angst. Why? It's simply been over done, and isn't really a challenge.

On the topic of a doll's sexuality: I think that as long as you've done research and don't post porn of it, it's fine. For example, if your best friend or favorite author or yourself are gay and you write a realistic gay character, I would probably read that. A feminine pretty boy who you stick with another pretty boy is done too much, in my opinion, and I wouldn't read it. I personally have a lesbian doll planned. She was originally Freyd's (another planned doll, hopefully a Souldoll girl) boyfriend, but he had no personality and I couldn't really build up an image of him in my head. He was a really important character, I couldn't just cut him out, so I went with the "write what you know" thing. As a female, I can write a female, so I made him a woman and suddenly her character fell into place. I definitely have to do research so I can write them realistically, and I've always wondered what it would be like to be gay. These two are my way of exploring that. Plus, I like to be original, and there are hardly any lesbian characters out there.

On the dolls that seem like pedophiles because of the size difference: This is actually a problem that I came across. My current main character is a Delf Lishe who I was going to pair off with a Dollzone tan Chen. However, I measured out the size difference on my wall and it's too much. People jump to conclusions. In fact, I think I remember reading somewhere that you will be judged within three second of walking into a room. My point is, you may want to put a disclaimer or something with their ages.

On bestiality with tinys and anthros: Anthro dolls scare the living sh*t out of me. I don't know why, but they creep me out. So I wouldn't even look at those photos.

On cutting: I personally avoid stories that glorify cutting. If it's a real issue in the character's life and not just a "Oh, my story needs more angst. He shall cut himself and that will make my story beautiful!!11!" I guess it could work. I have a friend who cut himself because of personal issues that I can guess at, but never had the heart to fish out of him. Some kids in class made fun of him saying things like, "You think you're so bada**" "Get a life and stop being such a drama queen" I just pretended to believe his lies that he liked to wear long sleeves in summer, or that he fell in some brambles and only his arms got scratched up, and I told my mom. Whoah, I'm rambling! Uh, my point was... Oh, yeah. It wasn't dramatic, sexy, or funny. At all. It was part of his character for a while, but he was strong enough to get over it. So, I guess as an obstacle it really worked. Damn, I'm contradicting myself...

I have an opinion on pretty much everything, but I've already rambled on forever.

TL;DR: If you're going to create a controversial character know your audience and research, research, research. If it seems like too much, or you're uncomfortable writing it or taking pictures, others may not be comfortable looking, and you might want to tone it down.

 

@Melorahviollet: Well said. I agree 100%.