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This is the one! - How do you know?

Dec 16, 2009

    1. So I've been lurking on this forum for quite a while, but I'm still very much a newbie to the world of BJDs. I don't even have my first doll up (( I currently have $21.80 US saved in my Doll Fund =_=; It's a little pathetic really )) Obviously, I'm in no shape to buy my first doll; no money and hardly no knowledge about how to take care of the thing once I get it. However, that's not what this thread is about...

      This thread is about looking for your dolls.

      I've been looking and sometimes I just know when I want a doll for a specific character.

      How do YOU know you've found the right doll? Do you base your dolls on characters or do you buy them because you like a certain wig or clothing that they're wearing, do you buy them and base characters around them. When you're looking for a specific character, how you do decide if it's the right one? Do you ever regret a specific style that you buy? Do you just work another character into it's place, or is your character 'stuck' inside of it and doomed to be in that resin prison for life? I'm asking for your feelings and thoughts, not facts o.o; I'm not crazy....really...okay, maybe a little ^^;
       
    2. I don't do pre-doll-characters, so I buy dolls that I simply like looking at and I wanna have for myself, to be able hold them in my own hands, to style them my way. With some molds, looking at other people's photos is enough. With others, it's this "I want me one too!" feeling :)

      Wigs, clothing, eyes, personalities come along later, it's an evolution process.
       
    3. I thought about making a character and trying to find a doll to match but I just cant do that. I first go by the body, then the face , then the hair, then everything else just sort of molds around that. I don't even have a doll yet but I have three completed dolls I want, though one will be here shortly ^_^. idk im weird, There isnt a proper explanation for how my mind works on these things.
       
    4. For me, this hobby is all about having three-dimensional forms of characters from my writing. When I choose a doll, it's because something about the sculpt leapt out at me and was just perfect for the character in my head. :)
       
    5. I know I've found the right doll when I really want it, wait a month, and I still really really want it. I don't like impulse buys but I am very prone to them. So for my last doll, for example, I knew I wanted her but I knew I needed to wait and see if I still wanted her when her ordering period came around again. And I still did, so I bought her.

      As to how I come to that decision, it's 90% about the face and 10% about the body and the company's reputation. Pretty simple.
       
    6. With me, it's pure gut reaction. I just look at resin faces (mostly on DOA) until I fall madly in love with one. I make up names and personalities later.
       
    7. Earlier I made a character and then tried to find a perfect doll for it. Now I've notised, that I dont like to buy my dolls from the companies, but from other BJD-people who dont want theirs anymore. My first character actually formed out in my dream, and I tried to look out a good doll. I found dolls that I liked, but those were from companies. Then just one day, I saw how there was FL Ruth girl on sale (not here on DoA) - I had looked Ruths face from FL and I liked it, but I never thought I'd get it, when I wanted it as a girl. So it was quite a luck for me. Now I'm just waiting for nice dolls to come on sale so I could fall in love with them. :'D Nowdays I form a perfect doll by finding wigs I like, and then finding doll they would look good on. Then comes character.
       
    8. For me, I have some shape of characters in mind but most of the time, I fall in love with a doll face and I might adapt the character I had to fit the doll better. Sometimes, I buy dolls without having a character and it just comes naturally.
       
    9. How do YOU know you've found the right doll?
      First I have to know what size I'm looking for. Take the last one I got, Sariel. I was looking for a child because I was looking for a specific character that had been reborn as a child. So I was looking for something small. I looked in the tiny subforum of the marketplace for ideas. I happened across the Rosen Lied Ravie and it had the perfect hands (I call them 'puppy begging') because he had a past as a puppy-dog and acted like one at times. I knew it was him because I kept going back to that thread. I checked and rechecked and when I do that and think about it, I know I want it.

      Do you base your dolls on characters or do you buy them because you like a certain wig or clothing that they're wearing, do you buy them and base characters around them?
      It depends. I have twenty-three (^^') and a couple (such as Peter) were rescues because I saw them and wanted to save them from "he just looks so sad" or "they've been in a box for about six months". Most were for characters, but some like Rehael and Mikael were bought because they were a good deal. Those two were a BOGO from Customhouse. I had no characters in mind. Now they are two of my most loved characters in my book. Had I not bought them because they were cute on the page and Mikael was a freebie, I might never have included them!

      When you're looking for a specific character, how you do decide if it's the right one?
      You just know. I do the "breath catch". I'm looking looking looking and then go "Oh!" And I know I've found it.

      Do you ever regret a specific style that you buy?
      I don't regret purchases. See below. XD

      Do you just work another character into it's place, or is your character 'stuck' inside of it and doomed to be in that resin prison for life?
      I bought the DoD Tender Zen for a different character and he never took. I knew he was unhappy no matter what I tried. He threw things, wouldn't pose, and just looked pissed. So I sat someone next to him one day and realized how different those two seemed together. Serenius perked up and Rauren seemed to smile with a twinkle. I found a new story and a new character. He became someone COMPLETELY different. I don't regret the purchase, but I don't try to force someone to be something they're not.

      If you ever wanna talk, just PM me! :3
       
    10. How do YOU know you've found the right doll?
      If I keep coming back to it, and looking at it, I know it's right. Sometimes I get a sudden "MUST HAVE" reaction - if I get that and still feel the same a few days later I know it's the right one.

      Do you base your dolls on characters or do you buy them because you like a certain wig or clothing that they're wearing, do you buy them and base characters around them?
      I have a few that developed characters before I got them - one in particular it took a while to find the right doll for. Often I see a doll and suddenly realize it's a character I didn't even know I needed. I don't base anything at ALL on wig or clothes, though. Even if the doll comes with wig and clothes chances are that doll won't wear them. I prefer to see the doll completely blank with no faceup if at all possible. More than once I've not really wanted a doll until I've seen it blank.

      When you're looking for a specific character, how you do decide if it's the right one?
      Usually I just know. Or I have a strong feeling about it and know that once it gets here I'll know for sure. I do make sure to look for owner photos when possible as well as company ones. Usually owner photos give a much better idea of the potential of the doll. So far everyone's worked out perfectly.

      Do you ever regret a specific style that you buy?
      I haven't regretted any of mine yet.

      Do you just work another character into it's place, or is your character 'stuck' inside of it and doomed to be in that resin prison for life?
      So far mine have just worked. Once the faceup is on and the doll is dressed it's pretty easy to tell if it will work or not. I have had one that took many months to get to where he needed to be - it took me a while to get him dressed right and get his faceup right, and I have a feeling he may someday evolve a bit further, but for the most part everyone has settled pretty solidly into who they are.
       
    11. How do YOU know you've found the right doll?
      I don't know how to explain it, really, I just know! I first took an interest in BJDs a very long time ago, when Volks was pretty much the only option, and DoA didn't appear in search engine results. Or maybe it did, just not in the first dozen pages. :P I started looking back then, searching for my perfect doll, and I only took a break when I was getting married and moving cross-country. When I got back online, I started looking at the dolls that had been released in the year I was absent, and the instant I saw Iple's EIDs, it was an instant decision. No more waffling over "Well, maybe that one would work if I did this, and this, and this..."

      Do you base your dolls on characters or do you buy them because you like a certain wig or clothing that they're wearing, do you buy them and base characters around them?
      They are based on my own characters, who are pre-existing. Fortunately, not every character 'wants' a doll. That's very good, since I have 30 or so active characters in my head at any given time, and a full cast of nearly 200. >_o

      When you're looking for a specific character, how you do decide if it's the right one?
      I don't decide, I just know. I've only found two that are absolutely definite, Iplehouse Luo and Angell Studio Kana. With both of them, I was looking for a doll to become a specific character, and after spending lots and lots of time looking, I saw their pics and it was just perfect! Even my husband agreed on Kana - I showed him the picture, and he said "Oh yeah, that's definitely her!" so I knew it was perfect. ^_^

      Do you ever regret a specific style that you buy?
      I don't think this applies to me, since I've not gotten my first doll yet. :sweat I'm not worried about getting a doll and having it not work out, though. If nothing else, I know that if I really can't get a doll to work for me, I can use the marketplace here to give it a new, better home.

      Do you just work another character into it's place, or is your character 'stuck' inside of it and doomed to be in that resin prison for life?
      Also doesn't entirely apply! But I wouldnever force a character into a role they weren't happy with. As a writer, that just wouldn't feel right. Since I shop for dolls with one specific character in mind, I'm not sure I'd be able to fit another character into the resin body, so I'd be more likely to sell the doll and try again with a different sculpt.
       
    12. How do YOU know you've found the right doll? Do you base your dolls on characters or do you buy them because you like a certain wig or clothing that they're wearing, do you buy them and base characters around them.

      I do buy a lot of mine for pre-existing characters. In those cases they need to be physically appropriate for the character they're going to embody, as well as give a sense of the right personality for that character. When it comes to dolls that aren't pre-existing characters they have to grab me--there's something about them that really appeals to me.

      Do you ever regret a specific style that you buy? Do you just work another character into it's place, or is your character 'stuck' inside of it and doomed to be in that resin prison for life?

      I've never had any regrets about anyone that I bought. It's very easy for me to buy dolls for my characters, because it gives me a lot of criteria to go by. It's very obvious when looking at pictures (and I look at owner pics too) whether or not a particular doll is going to work. Hypothetically, if something doesn't work, I would buy the character a more appropriate body, and let someone else inhabit the old body. Sometimes when I buy a doll that's not for a pre-existing character it takes me awhile to figure out exactly who they are and where they fit. Sometimes changing things like eyes, wig, clothing style, etc will allow me to come across a combination that really brings a doll to life and helps me to develop their character further.
       
    13. How do YOU know you've found the right doll? I had kinda wanted a doll for a long time, but when I decided to finally actually get one, it literally took me months of looking at dolls to decide. But then one day, I saw the one I wanted, and I just knew.

      Do you base your dolls on characters or do you buy them because you like a certain wig or clothing that they're wearing, do you buy them and base characters around them?

      Sometimes I fall in love with a doll, and then the character just proceeds from there, sometimes I have an idea for a character, but it's more personality than appearance. Sometimes, I just like the doll so it gets added to my list. I'm not one of those people with a very specific story in mind, I just like these dolls.

      Since you are still working on saving money, I'd say you have plenty of time to hunt around and look at molds and learn the rope for taking care of these guys. My advice: after a while all molds will start to look the same, just keep looking at dolls until they stop all looking the same and you start to recognize different molds, then you'll start to get an idea of what you want.
       
    14. First: Good luck in getting your first doll. ^^


      How do YOU know you've found the right doll?
      Every time I find the right doll I can't stop thinking about her/him and start developing his/her character in thought. I also try to get the best characterisation like eye and hair colour, style in general for him/her.
      Do you base your dolls on characters?
      No, not on existing characters. But sometimes I base them on the idea of what kind of character or species I want to have. Then when I find the doll that comes close, character and doll intervine and change each other.
      or do you buy them because you like a certain wig or clothing that they're wearing?
      Maybe it's a thing that is important for my decision. I wouldn't buy Luts Yder in white skin because I don't like the style. But I would buy him in normal skin and I think that's because he's got black hair in their promo pics. ^^;
      do you buy them and base characters around them?
      Jup.And that I do every so often again because as I change, they change, too. Not their whole character but I think of things they did together, maybe another doll add to that and so they change a bit as they would as people. They're growing with me in some odd kind of way. :lol:
      When you're looking for a specific character, how you do decide if it's the right one?
      I check back every so often and when I think it's right, it's right. ^^
      Do you ever regret a specific style that you buy?
      not yet. And I think I won't ever. They're a solid group as they are. And they stay solid with every new character because I make them. :mwahaha
      Do you just work another character into it's place, or is your character 'stuck' inside of it and doomed to be in that resin prison for life?
      all my characters are doomed. :kitty2
       
    15. When my heart goes boom-tidi-boom-tidi-boom? Yeah, that's when I know.

      No, seriously. A doll has to knock me of my feet and has to still do so after months. All my dolls are pre-existing characters (kind of), but I've realized that for me it doesn't matter what sculpt a certain character gets, as long as it is sculpt I really admire.

      Remo, for instance, is supposed to be a light-hearted tease and yet I chose Volks Williams for him, because I love that mold. Strangely enough, it works.
       
    16. How do YOU know you've found the right doll?
      you'll know~ when you're just "oh. that's the one." and you still want them after a while. but make sure you think things over! I went through several dolls before I got my first but she was always the one I fell back on when I found things I didn't like with the others. I did kinda impulse buy my Chiwoo tho...but he is my baby -w-

      Do you base your dolls on characters or do you buy them because you like a certain wig or clothing that they're wearing, do you buy them and base characters around them?
      I haven't bought any of mine so far off of characters but they have developed a lot differently then I had planned. I do have characters now that I plan to buy that I'm developing along with them...if that made any sense lol

      When you're looking for a specific character, how you do decide if it's the right one?

      like I said when you just know that's the one ;) and trust me you will :D

      Do you ever regret a specific style that you buy?
      nope~ haven't so far. I mean there are flaws I think all doll owners see in their dolls but you still love 'em :)

      Do you just work another character into it's place, or is your character 'stuck' inside of it and doomed to be in that resin prison for life?
      well Miwa was gonna be a shy little girl that didn't really socialize much, but she has totally developed a sassy attitude :lol:
       
    17. I have to agree somewhat with this, too. Sometimes the perfect mold isn't one you would think right off! Stephen is an Angel Street Zazean and they look really serious, but I had to have those big ears! Stephen as a character is a bubbly, goofy airship captain\35-year old stepfather of my main protag and he's nothing like the sculpt at first.

      But then he got face-uped and carted around enough and it does work because the ears, the serious eyes, and the mouth does smile at certain angles. It's perfect because of the age that shows in the pictures, even if he's not completely silly looking. He looks as he would as a person. O_O
       
    18. With my first boy, his sculpt really caught my attention and though I had seen photos of dolls before I saw him (I wasn't really into the hobby yet, just saw pictures on dA and such) he was the first that really made me say "I want one of those!" :D
      I have quite a few OCs that I'd love to have dolls of, but it seems that instead I buy sculpts I am really fond of, and then develop a character for that sculpt. I think what has stopped me from trying to create shells for these characters is that I haven't really found sculpts that I feel would work (and that I can afford) for most of them. They are characters that are all really important to me and I want them to be perfect if I ever decide to doll them.
       
    19. How do YOU know you've found the right doll?
      Pretty much one of two things happen to me:

      1.) I'm instantly smitten and fall head over heels. When this happens I can't get a sculpt out of my head, and have even been known to dream of said doll.

      2.) I'm initially intrigued, but it takes a bit of research to make sure the sculpt is calling to me. When this happens I search frantically for owner pictures and take it from there.

      Do you base your dolls on characters or do you buy them because you like a certain wig or clothing that they're wearing, do you buy them and base characters around them?
      They are all based on my original characters, some of which I created 15+ years ago and mean more to me than I can express in words. I'm not satisfied until I find the doll that I feel can become a physical representation of him or her.

      When you're looking for a specific character, how you do decide if it's the right one?
      They say "the heart knows what it wants." I agree completely.

      Do you ever regret a specific style that you buy?
      No. A lot of the sculpts/companies I like tend to be unpopular, however. I don't regret this (it's just a matter of taste)... but sometimes I get frustrated when I can't find owner pictures. I get over it though.

      Do you just work another character into it's place, or is your character 'stuck' inside of it and doomed to be in that resin prison for life?
      I would never force any doll to be a character that seems "unnatural" for them. If I receive a doll and it's not what I had in mind, I sell it. I'd rather it find a new home where it will be loved and appreciated than just let it collect dust here.
       
    20. How do YOU know you've found the right doll?
      Honestly, I can't describe it. It's just...a feeling. When I look at a certain sculpt, I just sort of start thinking about it. Then after coming back and looking again and again, I start getting that feeling that the sculpt is the one.

      Do you base your dolls on characters or do you buy them because you like a certain wig or clothing that they're wearing, do you buy them and base characters around them?
      Well, I have a character in mind first. I've got a basic description, and I set out to find the sculpt to fit it. Of course, I have to compromise. Most of the time, it's worked out wonderfully.

      When you're looking for a specific character, how you do decide if it's the right one?
      They fit the description? They have that look about them that screams "I'm so-and-so."

      Do you ever regret a specific style that you buy?
      No? Not yet at least.

      Do you just work another character into it's place, or is your character 'stuck' inside of it and doomed to be in that resin prison for life?
      If the character doesn't fit...it doesn't fit. I just create a new one then. ^^