Flaws, scratches, marks! Oh, no! But have they changed how you feel?

Just yesterday afternoon Tempest (rs Lu) took a face first dive 3 feet of the kitchen table on to tile floor -_-; I heard it happen and I thought 'well there went her mermaid ears and probably half her fingers'. I nearly went and got the super glue before even going to check on her. Weirdly enough I wasn't freaking out or anything (shock maybe lol) But when I did go see she was miraculously un-damaged! I was happy but it made me realize that even if she had been damaged I would have kept her tried to fix her

 

See the thing is freak accidents do happen. I mean what if someone wasn't watching where they were going at say, a doll meet and they ran into you. Death grip on your dolly or not if you fell the wrong way something could still get broken. Heck you could even fall on to the doll and damage it. The way you say it all damage can be prevented.

Once again accidents happen, It's sort of sad to think that any damage on my dolls would lead some people to think I don't truly care about my things.

 

But there are plenty of people who automatically assume that those of us who are very particular about our dolls never touch them, keep them in cabinets, and imply we don't love them, what with all the "scratches and rubs are signs that a doll has actually been loved!" being said.

I said I'll never understand that mentality. It's true, I won't. But I don't really care how someone treats their dolls, unless it is in relation to how well I think they will treat my dolls when handling them or being near them.

 

It doesn't panic me--the thing about abjds is that unless you're talking about a major dolly trauma, small stuff is easily fixed. I do worry more about the custom faceups that I didn't personally do--it just means I take a few extra precautions, but I don't do less with them. Part of the reason that I don't freak out much is just an awareness that things like faceups and blushing aren't permanent, and eventually they'll all have to be redone or at least touched up. The guys with the faceups I did I don't worry about much at all, because I can easily redo them if need be.

You're right on about accidents. No matter how careful someone is, you can't plan for everything--sometimes it comes down to sheer bad luck. I really am careful with my dolls (and really it shows considering I have a lot of older dolls with their original faceups completely intact), but I would be lying if I said that nobody has ever taken a spill. To assume that it only happens to people who aren't careful enough is setting oneself up for potential shock later when bad luck falls. Really I think there's a lot of people who probably fall in between the two extremes--their dolls aren't in bad condition, but they may not be quite as pristine as they were out of the box--no major trauma has befallen them, but they've been handled a lot and have maybe had a few minor mishaps in the line of duty which is really pretty understandable, I think. It's also not irreparable damage that ruins the doll, either.

 

That doesn't seem like a freak accident to me. If the person holding the doll is aware of their surroundings, they'd notice someone randomly running at them fast enough to knock them down. I really don't care if you or others break, scratch, etc... your dolls, hell you can shatter it with a sledgehammer for all I care and if that makes you love them more, all the better. I dislike the fact that people are saying those of us who don't break or scratch our dolls are somehow less involved or don't love our dolls as much. If I'm going to leave my doll for a minute, I'm going to sit them down on the table rather than have them standing, if I'm taking dangerous pictures I have a spotter and make sure the doll is as stable as possible, if there's an area my cats frequently sleep/climb on, I'm not going to leave my dolls there, if I'm carrying my doll in public, I'm mindful of it so no one does bump into it or try to grab it. Are these things somehow anal and overly careful? They seem like common sense to me.

 

One day, I caught my cat nibbling on Clovers' feet. She now has three, neat little dents in her left foot and four on her right foot.
But I've grown to like the little holes.I don't see her any differently. The feet aren't that big of a deal. I've even thought of blushing them to make them look like little...cuts or something.
Now..her face is a whole other issue....
I do take really good care of Clover. People are getting too huffy over the issue of 'Doll in a cabinet/being played with/ perfect/imperfect.' Calm down. Everyone on this site loves their doll/s in a different way. I happen to love my dolls aforementioned foot damage, but that was unavoidable. I can't keep constant watch on my cat or my doll. This thread is about accepting a dolls flaws, not arguing on the proper care of a bjd.

 

I've had dolls since 2004, so of course things are always changing--scratches, wearing on faceups, little stains here and there, yellowing...

But no, these things have not changed how I feel.

I don't LIKE all the wear and tear, but I still love my dolls.

 

I didn't say "dirty and broken", I said "little bumps, smudges, scratches". I think the keyword there is "little". If you can keep things pristine, hey, more power to you. I can't, so I don't let little things bother me, or I'd be bothered all the time.

 

At first I thought this thread was funny and sweet, and then the horror came...oh well. In any event, although some would say that there are no accidents and that people who have them are just morons who weren't careful, I beg to differ. I have over 30 BJDs, I've been collecting for about 5 years now, I do not treat my dolls preciously, nor am I abusive. I had my first dollie accident (guess my rates will go up now) last week, involving a broken finger and a nice new scar. Fortunately it was on a doll whose character already had a scar, so although the incident itself was upsetting the damage was not tragic. Oh, and he got a lovely Orangebabydollie ring to cover his finger damage, vain thing that he is.
Sometimes an accident is just that, no reason to judge a person's character by it.

 

You can't seriously think you can control all the variables in every situation you and your dolls are in. Sometimes things can happen very quickly and unless you so happen to have cat like reflexes or be of the spider man persuasion sometimes there is nothing you can do.

I try very hard to treat my dolls very carefully and I fully take responsibility for my previously stated dolly accident. I will never leave her standing without her stand again. That was stupid of me and had anything been broken I would have paid the price.

Also, I don't remember saying that you have to 'break or scratch' your dolls to love them, other than a small patch of blushing missing on hound my doll are all in pristine shape. All I said was that accidents can happen regardless of how super duper ultra prepared you are. They are after all accidents.

 

I would categorize myself as one of those who put a pretty high standard on keeping my dolls in good condition. Once I sold an entire doll because I broke one finger and I couldn't find a replacement part. I really cannot tolerate damage like that.

But recently my favorite doll fell on a box and damaged his face. It was slight, but bad enough where the face will never be the same. So, I considered selling the head and getting a new one. But for some reason I couldn't do it, because it wouldn't be the same head...it wouldn't be that same one I won on Y!J one early morning, that same one that my friends got to know before we all graduated and scattered...in the end, the collection of experiences on this one particular head was more important to me than replacing it for something pristine. In the end, I knew that getting a new, perfect head really wouldn't increase my level of satisfaction or happiness regarding this particular doll. It was a balancing act in the end...if it was a different doll, it probably would've ended up for sale as soon as I uploaded photos.

 

I know when I first got Fran I was a nervous wreck about her falling over and getting damaged. I'd scrimped and saved so much to get her and I just couldn't stand the thought of her getting 'hurt.' I go through the same phase whenever I get a new doll home. For the first several months, I'm nerodic about them being safe and secure.

But then time goes by, I settle down and of course, things happen. Fran fell while I was experimenting with night shots in my front yard. Landed on the cement sidewalk and not a nice ding in her forehead. I sanded it as best I could, but she must of landed on something sharp cause that sucker is deep. I felt bad of course, because I worked hard for her. At the same time though, accidents do happen and I do my best to prevent them but I'm not going to panic anymore if something get's dinged.

I still worry about Vanessa's body since it's so dainty compared to my other dolls. And Zander's ears I'm always worried about since their so long and pointy. So I guess you could say I'm in a weird half-way point between a nervous wreck and not really minding. As long as the structural integrity of the doll isn't damaged and the 'flaw' isn't really all that noticeable, then I'm usually pretty good about letting it go.

 

My dolls are all secondhand in part or whole. I found that trying to be very careful and using the company face shield that came with one of my dolls actually *damaged* his faceup--it left him with two scratches on his cheeks. They may be just scratches in the MSC coating, but I won't know until I redo his faceup. I have been putting that off (while his brows have been simply flaking away over the years) because I so much liked his original faceup, and it probably can't be duplicated. So, in the meantime, these scratches have become scars in his back story. As with those older beauty-green dolls who have changed over the years, this is part of his persona now.
I also don't like the fact he has magnetic parts that pop off too easily. I feel terrible that some of the fingers have got broken during such incidents; I fix them and try never to let it happen again. Such parts just can't be replaced.
I have been keeping an eye out on cabinet-style alternatives to the reasonably safe shelf where he lives now. It's difficult, considering various restrictions on space and other uses. That said, he isn't going to get locked up where I can't see him and think about him, or his fellow resin folk.

 

This. Seriously, why does every thread along these lines have to turn into a debate on who loves/takes better care of their dolls *sigh*

You can't prevent life occuring, you just can't, regardless of how careful you think you are. The bottom line is you're either lucky and manage to keep them undamaged, or you're unlucky and don't.

Good luck to the people who like their dolls as minty fresh as possible, but don't imply that the ones WITH damaged dolls are heinously careless and lack common sense because it's just not true and kinda rude. There's a world of reasons behind damage and you can't possibly judge every situation with that outlook.

 

Well my main doll has scars as part of his characters so any more would be bad O_o. But I like to keep my babe's in good condition but more then anything it's just because i haven' gotten the time to fix something on them. Some dinks and scratches i'm ok with but if it was a major deal I think i'd have to fix it.

 

two of my dolls are rescue babies ^^ they came to me with battle scars, and i nursed them to good health :3 they have their chips and marks and scars, but they're clean and modded into their character- it's a good reminder for them to be humble XD they came from humble origins. And cleaning the marks and scars bought me closer to them- each little ding is patched with love My dolls will never be cabinet dolls.

Edit: oh God, Ash, shut up or you'll be banned- the people here can be jumpier than toddlers on caffeine D;

I don't mind 'cabinet babies', but I refuse to be lumped in as 'irresponsible' - my Okita Souji has a broken hand from his being handled while I wasn't there. That's not a reflection on my skills as a 'parent', and I understand that it was an accident. I was upset, but it's okay- I'll replace the hand. At the moment, he's wearing a bandage, and it's kind of nice- his fingers move now, he has a really soft hold. Anyone who dares to call me a bad owner will get the sharp edge of my tongue- my dolls are loved and used and show it, but they're still in remarkably good condition, considering how much time they spend with me, with friends, with animals... I could sell them at retail, easily, not that i ever would.

 

And on the flip side I don't see why those of us who might even prefer to keep our dolls just sitting on a shelf ( ie "cabinet babies ) to look pretty, need any sort of 'good luck' with that. I certainly adore my boys just as much as anyone who picks up and plays with their dolls daily and it's not as though I sit here pining to hold and touch them yet don't out of fear for ruining them (save for my one airbrushed boy I mentioned earlier but even he still gets proper play time if I really feel so inclined).

I really don't care how other people chose to play with their dolls or how they view them. Their dolls, their rules and unless a doll is completely and utterly filthy and trashed I probably wouldn't really even notice any small marks and whatnot and certainly not make such judgements on its owner.

 

Early on with my first boy, when I restrung him, the tension of the elastic caused the back of his head to crack. At first I had a little "Oh boy" moment but thankfully, one of the wonderful people here on DoA replied to my help thread with an offer to fix him for me. She did a wonderfully strong fix and under his long wig, it's hardly noticeable.

This is also the doll that has taken a dive off of a high table at a meet onto the hard floor, taking another doll with him (Both dolls were okay), topples over at least once during every photo shoot (usually onto something hard) and has been fine every time. I think the only damage that would cause me to really freak out was if he did any damage to his face like breaking his nose.

I find that all these crazy accidents he's been through make me love him all the more and the repair to the back of his head reminds me of how long he's been with me and how much I love him. I could have just gotten a new head but I feel that he wouldn't have been the same. Most damage isn't beyond repair in my book and there are so many talented modders on this forum that could help were Lance and I to have another dolly disaster like his first 'injury'.

 

I like how the more careful people get to be the bad guys when it was the "I didn't spend $300 on a doll just to leave it on a shelf!!" people got huffy preemptively.

If I spend money on something, of course I want to take good care of it. I've had dolls since 2004. Never dropped, broken, chipped, scratched, rubbed, etc. etc. etc. anything on them. If I did I would be pretty well horrified and want to fix it ASAP. Just like I would want to get a stain out of an expensive dress or mend an expensive bag. Nice things should be cared for with a bit more attention than inexpensive things.

And no, you can't account for all accidents, but you can sure try. (The worst advice I see is to keep one's dolls on a high shelf. It makes me want to dive forward and say "Noooooo" in slow motion.)

 

I inspected Meredith's body while restringing him and he his getting a little old (I do not know how old his body is but he his quite used XD), there are some discolouration and I am quite sure he has yellowed, he as small scratches here and there but nothing big... and his faceup was made by me so its really not that good....

I really do not mind... just makes me know I'll have to wash him thoroughly if I ever sell him XD

He is the only "oldy" I have right now, the only other being 1 year old (O__o already ? XD)
So they did not have time to get anything xD

I would be sad if one of their faceup (For those that have custom/default faceups) chipped or anything... but I would ind someone to bring it back to its original state ;3

At least they wont end like my barbies.... in the end only the heads were left with no body and hair XD