Inspiration for a Character?

I don't have any dolls yet (hopefully I can order my first one next next month), but I have made a little character for her, and also for the 2 dolls I planned to buy after her.
I don't go into details that much. I know what styles she will wear (cybergothic) and what colours (pink/white and maybe pink/black too). I have already got an idea of her hair (self-made pink dreadwig) and that's about it. She'll be friendy, little bit arrogant sometimes and a party animal.

I leave the rest black, so I can fill it in when the doll arrived. But because of her clothing, I assume she'll look a lot like me (clothing only, I have a very different personality )

 

well for Moren,I had already made a character,but when she came,she twisted the character and made it her own

For Aleister,it's when I saw him I knew he'd be fit for the character I had already made for a LARP. He had the face, the look and he even has the attitude lol

I guess that I have some characters made before hand,but sometimes like Moren,the doll ends up twisting the character to fit herself/himself better.

 

I purchased the doll before I figured out "who" she would be, but right after ordering her, I read a series of books. I just loved the main female character and it was like this voice shouted out to me -- that's who she's going to be... And once I decided that, it felt really right. I also feel quite strongly that she's not going to be "in character" all the time. So even though I don't have her yet (4 more payments) I already feel like her personality is evolving past the character I have planned for her.... It will be interesting to see how it all turns out.

Also, I'd love to find a mature male doll (part elf) (60+ cm)to be the main male character, who is her love (and eventual husband)....

 

Well...one of my dolls is a fandoll so he doesn't count. But my other doll's characters were inspired by the mold or default pictures. ^^; Usually it'll start off like "hum...this mold looks really sad...his character will be a sad one." and then go from there.

 

Well, most of mine were inspired by the doll, themselves. However, Malic, my next project doll, is based directly off one of DnD concept characters. I thought the idea of Malic up on my own in the first place, so I don't know it that counts, but I plan to make him into a doll. Complete with family, in fact. He's a Merg, half mermaid half anything else. He's going to need LOTS of modding and painting, but he's going to be glorious. Still though, I'm not sure if he qualifies for this tread. Sorry, I just like ranting about him! ^_^

I also have a head set aside for a young Link doll. I just need a body for him, and then I will have a little Link all for my own!!!! Sadly, I can't claim originality on Legend of Zelda characters. Oh, if I could. But I can not. Sigh.

 

Sometimes it just happens randomly, sometimes they appear when I plan it out o.O

Like one of my most FAVORITE characters Ginger. She came out of NOWHERE after I finihed watching Rugrats and scarface came on. o.O;

 

My poor dollies are all gonna be inspired by characters from my favourite game Megaman X (ok, I like the fanfics better than the games but still). Of course, I've made some changes like hair colour (blonde to brown) and relative size but the basic personalities are similar. Guess they're just my twist on them.

 

Ok so I’m slowly starting to think up my Zoey's story, before she gets here (I have a long wait) and I’m wondering how many of your dolls, have your personality? Do you make them tiny versions of you? do that have their own distinct personality?

I wont know till she arrives, but I think shes going to be super girly

other than basing them off an existing character, how do you come up with their life story?

 

I don't have a doll yet, but I have a few dolls planned and they each have a little personality profile already written. I have noticed that I tend to put a little bit of myself into each of the characters. Like one of them hates dogs, one loves tulips.. one is shy and sweet, another is funny and hyper. I also like to include things that are definately *not* like me (like being outgoing or creative...)

I guess its the combination of traits that makes the characters interesting to me....

 

Well, my girl isn't here yet, but my imagination began racing the second I saw her mold. (Soom Beryl). She looked out of my monitor, and just... caught me. Looking at her pictures, I began imagining her moving around, and she told me that the company pictures aren't her. Not in the least. "I'm not a bad-ass," was one of the things that kept sticking in my head. So I kept thinking about it, and her, purchased her, etc. While at work one day, I was thinking about her, then her name just leaped into my head... Jehremya Sabriel. As for her life story, I keep thinking of things about her, and she's.. speaking back, for lack of a better term. She's told me what modfications she wants on her already, and what wig she wants, and everything. It's kind of fun, and makes me feel a little like a nutter.

 

I'm an old tabletop and MU* gamer. I have a small mountain of weird characters running around in my brain at any given moment. A few of the dolls I have planned will be based on those -- doubtless the weirder ones.

That doesn't really explain where they come from exactly. Usually, characters I made for whatever required one came from an extended round (or several) of 'what if?' played in my brain during idle moments that eventually turns into a personal history. I'm sure there's a better and more elegant way of explaining that, but that's what the process boils down to, just one little seed of inspiration or two and 'what if?' until I fall in love with the idea or scrap it to start over again.

 

With my MSD I just kinda bought her because she looked like a cute lolita type....after I got her face up done and he wig styled and put her in a couple outfits I realized she has a very strong and cranky personality and is not at all the sweet little girl I imagined. Her life story however isn't real defined...she hunts zombies, but that just kinda came about one day....I just kinda make it up as I go along and I've had her for 4 years now! I'm getting a DOC in the future to go with her and he'll join her in her adventures, but I haven't decided much about his story yet either...

My second one though~ A friend and I were talking and she wants a BJD so we made the plan to sort of get them to go together. We started working on their characters and backstory and we just kinda got going....now they have pretty elaborate histories and a whole story.

The two dolls I want next though are based on characters of mine from my own stories and Role plays so they have pretty thought out stories already. The dolls just happens to be perfect for those characters heh

 

The personalities/characters of my dolls just spring from my imagination. Sometimes they are tweaked from the dolls themselves, sometimes something from my past, sometimes something I've seen right here on DoA. For instance, I saw a gorgeous photoshoot with dragonfly lights a few months ago in the gallery and that made my imagination start flying towards really wanting an elf character who I imagined I'd name Dragonfly. I found the perfect sculpt and when I was done with her face-up, costume, and setting (oddly, not a dragonfly in sight) I suddenly realized she was actually a genie. Her name is now Jinniyah (meaning: female genie.) So I guess you could say that my wild imagination can be held in check by the doll's own particular ideas.

My Carnaby (CP AESoo) and Ashbury (DIM R Asiam) are named for famous streets in the flower-child era of the mid to late 1960s. They portray the wild self-expression and innocense of that era. Their characters and names were already well defined before they arrived...I chose specific sculpts for the exact look I had in mind for them.

My Gothica is a sweet, romantic, rather melancholy ghost from Northern England. This particular Dollfie Dream, painted by Evenstar, had multiple owners who could not seem to bond with her, but I had always adored her whenever I saw her photos and jumped at the chance to purchase her when I could. Her character was based on my hubby's and my love of watching ghost related shows late at night on TV, particularly the British show, "Most Haunted".

My Sacrisity is a steampunk girl whose look I'm still working on (got to make a bunch of cool clock-work gadgets for her and her setting.) I already had her modded Luts sleeping El head (which I had actually purchased for a male character that never quite came to fruition.) So I was looking for character inspiration for this head when I stumbled across a wonderful thread here on DoA about steampunk. Turning my El into a neo victorian/steampunk girl was the perfect answer. She took to the persona like a duck to water. Obviously she was always meant to be female.

My Dollstown Lucille, Chantilly Rose, is my newest member (currently being given a face-up) but her character is already set. She is a remnant of my past...a sad-faced little girl who somehow clings to hope regardless of the circumstances surrounding her. She will live in a setting that is a tribute to my dear departed grandmother who overcame so much during the Great Depression in the US in the 1930's. Chantilly Rose is all about maintaining hope and innocense in a difficult world. But although I had a mental image of her with very pale eyes and pale hair, she had ideas of her own and I found myself buying her a black wig and dark eyes in spite of my pre-conceived plans. It's funny how the dolls sometime take over with their own ideas...even before they arrive!

 

well my boy like many characters started in a very long ongoing RP with friends, when I got into BJD's they seemed perfect to actually have him around.

but my next doll will probebly be based more on an idea than a character background.

 

Blegh.. this post was a thread.. OTL;;; But it was moved here. o_O Didn't realize this was here lol. So.. eh.. nevermind my post.

 

Pretty much all of my dolls have decided for me who they will be some when I see pics by their previous owners in their sale posts and others when they arrive esp if new from store or factory. Never been able to say this is who I am looking for and find the doll to suit it. Guess I want them to be themselves not other way around.

 

Eh, I had a character in mind for Hansel but he turned out to be completely different. Sometimes I think these dolls just seem to come with personalities all their own and it's best just to let them be want they want to be. : |

 

I usually can look at a doll I'm interested in, and ideas start forming from their facial expression and what sort of personality I can garner from the company photos and, occasionally, owner photos. Picara's character was established as a rather nice, happy young girl from the smiley, innocent pictures on Volks' website, but it wasn't until I saw owner photos of Kun that I realized what a variety of emotions could be conveyed by that face mold, and her personality instantly became more complex and melancholy.

Of course, even if something like that gets established before the doll even arrives, it does get harder (at least for me) to keep them sticking to a certain set personality. Sometimes what you have in mind and what sort of ideas you get from having the doll itself just don't match up. XD

 

Even though I'm still waiting on my first doll I can see how it would be difficult to keep to the character you have in mind especially when you actually get the doll. I mean for me now I'm having a hard time because anything such as hair color can change the character of your doll so I'm having a hard time finding things that will fit the character I made for him. Lol, thats not even counting once I get him if I change my mind.