How Did Your Doll Get its Personality?

I can feel it. When I look at one of my dolls I can just... sense the personality. I can hear their voice and the patterns of their speech and actions in my mind.

 

I usually develop a character long before I have a doll for it, but they come about in different ways. I'll give examples. Hector, my Spiritdoll Celtis's character, was in part based on a bard I'd made as a back-up character when I played Pathfinder, but my witch I played never died so I didn't get to use him. He was also partially based on my lovely Facebook friend Alejandro Rose-Garcia, better known as the musician Shakey Graves. He got his name from Dr. Muñoz from Lovecraft's short story "Cool Air"as well as some backstory of him being previously pre-med in college.

The doll I have on the way's character is 85% based on a dream I had. His look and personality came from that and I managed to find a doll with killer cheekbones that looked like he did in my dream. Bits of his backstory was a bit inspired by a series of Molly Harper novels I read, though certainly none directly and in a sort of weird, hard to explain, way, like that I really like the name Richard or 'Dick' as a nickname, and that he once owned a small landscaping business.

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It was also a touch inspired by a show that only aired one season last summer that I can't remember the name of because it gave me the thought that his ex was a cop.

So basically, it's a strange winding road.

 

Fun question. So my first doll showed me who she was. I thought she'd be sweet and adorable so when I got Her, so I put her in a pink wig and cute dresses and now I know that wasn't her. As I played with her she frustrated me. Never wanted to do what I was trying to get her to do. Be it keep her head and eyes straight or sit or stand. She just did what she wanted when she wanted because sometimes she'd say stand and keep her head straight. So I learned she was a brat. She was spoiled she was a me first kind of girl. She loved attention she was playful and like to look cool.
My second doll gave me no real trouble. She sat she stood but she didn't seem to like my first doll as one day her strings just went and she slapped her across the face. I learned my second doll was conservative quiet lady like and very catty when it came to my first doll. So yeah my dolls tell me who they are. Neither one ended up as planned. I'm excited to see how my third one turns out.

 

Because my dolls are part of a story set on the planet Darkover (from Marion Zimmer Bradley's books) I've identified which dolls I already have which can be particular characters, so the personality is already there in the character and its about which doll fits. I have ordered a Limha Sujan to be a central figure to her character and story are already set ... but her personality will grow and develop. The story is going on in my head the whole time - maybe I'll see an accessory which adds to the story, or the doll herself suggests something to me. All this means I might just possibly be a teensy weensy bit obsessed!!

 

I've always liked girly dolls because im not girly at all, so for some reason i see my girls as girly with pretty tops etc but for some reason to me they all love reading so they each have books (I LOVE reading lol) so that could be why

 

I think their personalities come from within myself. I feel like their personalities are my responsibility. I like the ambitious, confident and playful personalities so that's why some of those traits show in my dolls.