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Shelling OCs vs. "Their own character" dolls vs. "Canon" dolls

May 3, 2019

    1. I almost always have an OC in mind when I order a doll. There are a few that I ordered without an OC in mind for them, but then I used the wait time to develop an OC, so I knew who they were before they got home.
       
    2. I guess I learn about them because I only collect spirited/haunted dolls. I like to see how the individual spirit likes to express without any preconcieved odeas of who they are because I habent met them yet ya know?
       
    3. I have had a combination so far. My first doll and another doll I purchased are characters from a show and a game respectively. I find it a bit difficult to find clothes and accessories for my one since it’s like I’m searching for very specific things to fit an aesthetic I have no control over.

      One of the other dolls I’m still waiting for is going to be shelled into one of my OCs. While still difficult to find things that fit my perfect image, I can bend my vision a bit or think, well this isn’t exactly what he would wear but he wouldn’t mind. I have a bit more control over that. I plan to shell another OC of mine as well when I find the right sculpt.

      My most recent doll was a secondhand doll I fell in love with. I didn’t have any initial plans for him so I let his character speak to me and tell me what he wants. I found this actually more difficult than shelling an OC because now I’m going through multiple wigs and eyes waiting for the right one to speak to me.
       
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    4. I have "their own character" dolls, which maybe eventually become OC characters in their own right. I also base a design and concept around the doll itself- eg, I intentionally create a character after a doll is purchased, which is a bit different from an "own character" doll that just comes together as pieces are assembled, as described in the OP

      I also have secret option d, which is that there is no character :lol: or just a very very loose concept, not even able to be called a character.

      I dont feel strongly about any method over another. I would consider shelling an OC, but right now I don't have any strong OCs I'm interested in shelling (and making "their own character" dolls is helping me open some of those creative doors again). I personally wouldn't consider having a cannon character doll, but that's because I don't have any fandoms I feel strongly enough about to want to own a character from it.
       
    5. This is mostly what I do. I think it a horrible task to hunt down a sculpt that could become a particular pre-existing character (the very idea of the amount of sculpts I'd get through becuase they didn 't work is horrifying!!!!). It's a much nicer process to get a doll, get them painted, find the right wig and eyes for them, and find out who they are as I get to know them.

      Once, I've had to go looking for a doll to shell a character from a favourite series books (after an existing doll announced herself as being that character's sister, so I was the stuck with the horrible task of finding a sculpt that would work as the second sister). And I' very glad it's only happened once.

      Once I had a pre-existing idea for the character of a doll, and from the moment she arrived, she simply wasn't going cooperate and be the character I had planned (that was ome years ago and hte character I had planned has never been realized in resin).

      Teddy
       
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    6. Most of mine are developed as I build them. Though I'm working on the Baron from The Cat Returns. I've found trying to shell a pre-existing character to be almost impossible. I can never get them right.
      So I find dolls I like and let them develop
       
    7. In my case it is a mixing between 1 (shelling a pre-existing OC) and 2 (The doll becomes its own character as bits are added).

      I always create OCs that I find sculpts to embody but most of the time I have to adjust the character (small things like different hair color or color palette por clothing) when they arrive home because they do not usually fit exactly in the character.
       
    8. For me I am one of the few who get the doll then figure out who they are. I see a sculpt I like, I plan, look at second hand markets, earn and save, and get the doll (If everything works accordingly). Then I let them tell me who they are.

      My first doll was a Luts Tiny Delf Dorothy with elf ears and white skin. I wrote a story all about her world, life style, social class, interests, and her conflicts. When I got another Luts tiny delf, she wanted to be part of that world as well. I had written them together when another doll wanted to add to the mix.

      I've long since scraped that story and moved on to MSDs and SDs but I still remember how much fun it was to create a world and have the main character in a 3D form. I still have that world building in my MSDs and SDs. Only one of my dolls I've gotten came from an already made OC, (The best friend of a doll story I made).

      Because of this method of creating doll characters as I get the dolls, I have a lot more transitioning then most. I have dolls that move from character to character, idea to idea, and from story to story. Finally something will stick and the journey getting there is something I really enjoy. :3nodding:
       
    9. I think I have a mix of all three. Finding out that "characters" and "back stories" were made for an owner's doll was news to me. (I'm a hobby newbie) Originally, my girl did not have one. However, after giving it much thought, I developed a personality, style and story for her. I have always been a fan of Naruto's, byakugon princess, Hinata. Her shy personality and wit and especially her physical features. I wanted those to be aspects of Yoko's character. Overtime, as my wishlist of dolls grew I either made up in my mind what character my wishlist doll could "play" in Yoko's story OR, the story developed more characters that I decided I wanted dolls for. Characters such as Yoko's future love interest and best friend.

      I do have one SD boy who, at the moment, isn't quite a part of the storyline but is still related to the characters. He has his own style and personality but is only mentioned as a half brother to one of the main characters. I'm sure I will add more dolls to my collection who will not be a part of the story but still 'related' in some way to the characters, just to tie everyone together :)
       
    10. I've done all three. My first doll is an OC of mine that's a "standard" doll from a company. He was perfect the way I got him, gift wig, company face-up and all. The other OC I got as a doll, I had the head made by DIM after some drawings I made.

      Most of my dolls are "well, let's see who you wanna be". I'll see a doll, go "oooooh, pretty, must have!" and if I buy it, try different things until something sticks.

      And as for the third one - I've only started recently (early this year) to try to turn a doll into a "character doll" (as in - OC from a specific TV show/movie/book/comic/etc.). I had no idea, before, how much fun it can be to look for stuff and make stuff that'll contribute to The Look (as in - getting the doll to look right). Starts with the general shape of the face, lips, eyes, nose, etc. (it's a human-based doll, so that's important), the right face-up, wig, type of clothes (I'm not trying to recreate a specific look for the doll as far as clothes go, but the outfits still have to "feel" right). Honestly? I think I'm having more fun with that than I've ever had in the doll hobby, up until now.
       
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    11. I do all three! Some dolls are picked out for specific characters - either full characters, or vague ideas of ones. The most obvious example is Boris and Nadya, who're based after the leads in a short story I wrote that's actually been read by someone who isn't me/my alpha reader. I'm a bit different from most people here though - my characters often don't have actual facial designs so much as vague concepts that can be readily changed - Boris now and the Boris from drawings in 2014 don't look anything alike! Some dolls I picked because I love their look, like Island Doll Veranoen and Altair - I designed their characters around their looks and fit them into the overarching plot. And now, I just got my first canon/fan doll! He's based off an anime character, so making the clothes and wig is a pain, but it's really nice to have a specific design to follow for everything, especially the faceup! I'm planning on at least two dolls from the same series, so I guess I can safely say it's going well. I do get more nervous about the overall look of my fan doll, though - there's so many amazing BJD based off this series, both fan and official, that I feel that even my best won't be good enough. :sweat
       
    12. I do a combination of all 3.:)

      #1. A good 75% of mine are based on pre-conceived characters. I come up with an idea for an OC and hunt until I find the perfect sculpt (this can happen fairly quickly or, as in one case, take an entire decade!)

      #2. The other 25% falls into a more “grail” category for me...that is “oh my gosh, I have to have this sculpt no matter what!” When that happens, I’ll go on a lengthy search (or if it’s a recent release, find some magical way to do a long layaway) and then let the sculpt speak to me while the search or layaway is ongoing. By the the time they’re completely paid for, their character will have developed fully in my imagination.

      #3. This only happened recently for a “grail” I discovered. When I saw her I instantly envisioned a persocom character based on the manga series “Chobits” by Clamp, which has always inspired me. She will have my own spin on her character of course, so technically she’ll be original, but she’s definitely based on the world depicted in that series.
       
    13. I do all three. I started out just doing my OC's, but my fourth doll was kind of based off an OC but became his own thing.I've a had a few like that since, BUT I sort of consider those to be my own original characters once they're all sorted out...so I often think of 1 and 2 as the same.

      I had tried many times over to do dolls based off already existing characters but none worked out until I started doing DC / Batman villains. I added a few heroes (and John Constantine - lets face it, he's neither), and those have stuck around, and sort of dominated my collection. It's kind of like @Khell said, I had no idea how much fun it would be to have already established characters, and shop around for all their necessities until I found the ones that worked for me. I love it.
       
    14. For me it was an odd journey. Chaeri is an OC, but every time I shell her she's a bit different. In her current MSD incarnation, she's very sweet, bit also more sassy and assertive than she was before. Maybe it's the fact that she has a more neutral expression, or maybe it's because she's bigger (45 cm as opposed to 30). It might even be because she's a "genuine" BJD, purchased through mail order and everything, as opposed to something bought off a department store shelf. She simply seems to have a more independent personality, though we're as bonded as ever.

      Hi, I'm Emby Quinn and I'm one of those crazy doll people.
       
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    15. My dolls are mostly the "their own character" type. I'll see a sculpt I love and slowly get an idea for a character and build that character around the design of the sculpt! I have a few though that are shells of pre-existing ocs and one that I'm strongly debating on getting to shell another. Personally unless it was made to be the character w/ a fullset of them I don't really think I could do a canon character doll? I'd die for the Wei Wuxian doll Loongsoul did, but it's sort of like figure collecting to an extreme level for me lol I don't think I'd be willing to go through the process of customizing a doll to be a canon character unless they're a character I absolutely ADORE.
       
    16. I mostly seem to be a type 2 person with this. While I've tried shelling an OC of mine, it just... Didn't work for her sculpt and skintone. It seems to come easier for me if I buy some stuff for the dolls beforehand, then do some experimenting with who they are, then settle on who the doll is.

      Personally, I love it when people shell canon characters -- there's this one person on Instagram who has modded Minifee Seorins as Edward and Alphones Elric from FMA, and I absolutely ADORE them. I think they might have a DoA, too? But for myself, I worry I'd have the same issues as shelling an OC if I tried to do that. Still, it'd be neat to have a BJD of Broly from Dragon Ball. I'd love to have a Granado doll for that purpose!
       
    17. I prefer to let the doll turn into it's own character concept. I don't really have any OCs, not the way I used to anyway. I have tried to have plans for what I want my dolls to be, but so far both dolls have had their own ideas, completely different from my original plans. Ludo was supposed to be a dark skinned Icelandic boy named Narfi, Liam was supposed to be the Hawai'ian goddess of the sea. Instead, I've got a nonbinary angel girl and a trans Irish medical student. :sweat

      I am helping my girlfriend shell a character from our favorite j-drama, and I also plan to shell a character from the same drama.
       
    18. I few months ago, I'd say I was the OC-shelling kind of collector, but I think I'm going through a mid-life crisis as a doll collector and questioning everything! My plan was to shell my three magical girl OC's as SD dolls, but after two years in the hobby and not feeling like I'm making much progress, I don't know so much. My preconceived characters all have distinct body types from one another and have skin-tones that range from tan-to-brown. I just find it so, so stressful to try and find the perfect face and the perfect body and to color match them and hoping they aesthetically match each other and finding clothes that somewhat match what's already in my mind...

      I think I'm leaning more towards being a type 2 kind of collector, as in letting the doll develop a character of it's own. My two tiny kitties Colette and Muffy have really stolen my heart with how much personality they exude on their own. They've even got a little story going on now.

      I have a lot of admiration for those that go all in with shelling OC's and characters. It takes a lot of patience!