Too many? (Dolls in drag, / relationships, etc)

that's exactly what I'm trying to say! it's the portrayals that are trendy and some people are getting tired of seeing it.
I'd be fine with it if it wasn't shoved in my face like it is on my end. (not saying it's shoved in everyone's face. but it is in mine)

 

PinkPlushii: Not all anime is very realistic either and of course yaoi falls under the category of anime. This is like saying that all gays are flamboyant boys which is not always the case, i have gay friends you would have never thought they are really gay (ie. they're "manly" looking) and my brother is metrosexual (he likes to take care of his appearance, he even shaves his legs!) and straight as an arrow, again we're stereotyping and generalizing.

But I understand what you're trying to say about the portrayal thing. I don't watch yaoi anime but I do read a lot of yaoi manga, there are some really good gems out there that don't follow the heartless seme- girly uke thing and are very realistic, I think this is what's getting most people annoyed by yaoi. You should read titles by Est Em, Saki Aida, Shiuko Kano, Yayoi Neko oops, I'm getting off topic =__= Just one more thing I'd like to say- Don't feel ashamed to do what you really wanna do just because other people don't accept it, if that was my case I wouldn't be into BJDs!

 

I rather agree with the first post. there seems to be a huge portion of hobbyists doing gay couples. I think alot of it is trend. Its popular so many buyers get two gay lovers before getting a guy and a girl. Kind of like two cute guys with no need to buy the two girls I suppose. It does save money.

The same goes for the goth/punk look that many many dolls have. Most dolls have those clothes so those are the clothes people getting into the hobby buy.

But, I think it would also be foolish to buy clothes that are different just to be different. It is just as much a waste of money as buying something that is popular just because it is popular.

Personally, my little boy is going to be very Victorian inspired because I've always love Victorian style and culture. I actually wanted to make Victorian clothes for myself but its hard to translate the patterns made in the 18 and early 1900's into patterns for myself. Hoping i'll have more luck with my doll lol!

 

Well, first of all, the reason I am here "wasting my time on things I don't like" is because this is the debate forum, I love debating, and I'm having a great time so far. 'Nuff said.

To be fair, the only times I'm ever in the gallery section of the site is for the picture requests and the databases. I hardly ever go into the photostory forum except to post my own stories once in a while. As for one of the many reasons I hardly ever go there, you nailed one already: I'm not going to waste my time on things I don't like. Most of the photostories I've tried to read have bored me because they are overly repetitive and they just don't grab my attention, and that's not limited to yaoi/shonen-ai. Even the hetero couples can get overbearing because it's always the same personalities in the same situations with similar dialogue and scenarios.

The reason I am here debating is because I understand, like many others, that the photostories forum is pretty much composed of 70% gay male couples. This isn't me seeing what I want to see, it's a bunch of us collectively acknowledging it, sort of like a group awareness.

I do move on and be happy when I see things I don't want to see. But this is a debate, where the whole point is to state our opinions and explain them to the best of our ability. Apathy isn't necessary here.

Sure, except in retail stores it isn't possible to nor are you allowed to change the music yourself, and you aren't allowed to wear earphones while working. Your point is moot.

If you hear the same 20 songs on repeat every single time you work, you're going to get bored of the songs eventually and want to hear something different, but you obviously can't change the songs. This is what my metaphor was trying to explain.

I don't care if it doesn't stop, I don't care if people make these photostories, It's not my buisness and it has nothing to do to me. I'm not tired of yaoi and I'm not tired of homosexual relationships. What I am tired of, as I have explained several times so far, is the same repetitive homosexual doll characters with the same personalities in the same scenarios with the same clothing styles and the same boring everything. There is NOTHING wrong with homosexual dolls AT ALL and I don't care if people create them because that's their choice alone. All I am doing, and have been doing, is acknowledging the fact that these same repetitive homosexual doll characters with the same personalities in the same scenarios with the same clothing styles and the same boring everything take up a MAJORITY of the photostory forum and that this fact deters me from visiting said forum because I know that none of it will grab my attention as far as the story/characters/scenarios go. If this is STILL not specific enough, please tell me. I'm so tired of if people twisting my words and assuming what I'm thinking even after I have explained myself ten times over.

Again, I'm not tired of yaoi or homosexual dolls. I'm tired of the boring, repetitive homosexual characters that lack originality, NOT the homosexuality itself.

I DO avoid the photostories I don't care about. But this is the debate forum where we are supposed to give our opinions on a topic and debate our side. If it weren't for this debate thread I would have no reason to be stating my opinions here at all.

 

I just want to say that you've pretty much summed up exactly how I feel about this. Thank you

It's not homosexuality that's overdone, it's the overwhelming amount of same boring stories that just happen to have gay male dolls.

 

I'm sooo sleepy right now, please excuse my bad grammar~

[cari] This is like when I go to YouTube to watch my favorite video from my favorite musician and there's a lot of negative comments about the video,that's when I ask to myself why people don't go to see their fave artists instead of flooding other vids with negative comments. I'm just the kind of person who ignores what I don't like, but I don't expect everyone to be the same, that's why I said what I said, although I wasn't specifically referring to you or this thread but to everyone in general. So debate as much as you like, though the same thing will repeat itself.

As for the popularity contest, it doesn't matter who started it or how long it has been around. Some things are going to attract people's attention and some things aren't. And yaoi is one of them. Very well then, I get your point, this is all about originality but remember that ideas are not wholly original, they are just an evolved version of another idea. So in the end nothing is completely original, some people just pull it off better than others.

 

LexehAnn, thank you, I'm glad what I'm saying is starting to make sense

Why people feel the need to give their negative opinions on something when they were not asked to offer that opinion, I don't know. But this is the internet, where freedom of speech has virtually no limits, and there really isn't anything wrong about them posting negative opinions or critique unless the OP has stated that they shouldn't.

In a nutshell, everyone has conflicting opinions on one thing or another, and expecting them to keep those opinions to themselves is unrealistic.

 

I also agree with everything [ cari ] said. It's not that homosexuality is right or wrong, it's just that it has become a stereotype in "doll characters" that seems to be a specific trend. Before long, it all blends together. The metaphor about the same songs on a radio station and not being able to change it is an excellent one. The same can be said about characters with "tragic pasts", "mixed species", etc. It's almost to the point where being "different" isn't different at all. Some people were amazed at a doll meet I attended when I explained my boy's personality being just an average guy who likes to be a guy and charm the ladies. You don't have to have cliched flaws in a character to make them dimensional.

Does this mean people should stop? No. Does this mean it should be banned and shame on you all for liking it? No. As already stated, this is a debate forum. You ask for opinions, and you get them. Folks are not going to all agree--there'd be no debate otherwise.

 

Maybe I'm extremely naive in my thinking...but I honestly just don't even see whats to debate?
There are always going to be aspects of things in life that you don't agree with... just because you don't agree with something or don't like it doesn't mean it should just stop existing.
I personally am not a fan of most Anime in general. But I don't fault my friends for enjoying and spending their money on dvd's and manga... I just don't watch it with them, and when they're reading their manage I have a novel.
I honestly think it's just that simple. If you don't want to see drag or male/male relations in dollsthen don't look at them. Let people enjoy what they like and you can promote/enjoy what you like.

For myself I think I prefer male on male doll relations, mostly because I find myself more attracted to the male sculpts and would rather look at the males dolls then alot of the female ones.

 

I myself is a punk lolita, so I dress some of my dolls in punk styles, and on occasions, one of my boys will dress as a girl.
I think its what we like that counts, If we want them to dress in a certain way, then dress them in that way.
I wont make ALL of my dolls punk though, sometimes the clothes just wont look nice on them, I ussually choose what might look good on them, like Kanon, I made her wear punk, but I felt like it wasnt her style, so i make her wear gothic lolita or other styles. punk lolita just doesnt suit her character well.
I choose clothes that I think look good on my dolls and suit their character, im fine with the whole punk,crossdresser,etc. trend, though, I do wish to see more dolls in different looks..

and I only have one doll that has a tragic past and is a vampire, half-vampire and half-human actually. and he is happy now, not traumatized or whatsoever.
the rest are just normal humans, Kazuya is a guitarist of a rock band, Kanon is a model for various magazines,brands,etc.,Maru is Kazuya's lil bro and Sun-Hi is just like one of those cute little girls that threaten you to play dressup with her. xD

 

Yes, the people who know me are aware I think Doll Yaoi is done to death and back.
Is that likely to change, Nah probably not.
Does this mean I hate gays? No, I don't hate gays.
I also think Doll Goth/loli/shota/Punk/Raver is too common, but there we go again- Opinion.

I don't see the debate, since there's nothing Yea or Nay at stake here. We're not here to debate whether homosexuality is wrong/right/allowable/whatever, We're talking about the trends with dolls.

Drag/Yaoi and Punk/Goth/Loli are currently very popular, but I don't have a say in what other people do with their dolls- the dolls are THEIRS. I do what I want with mine and I am happy.

 

I really like this debate, i thought i was all alone in this idea.

I personally have mixed feelings on the done to death thing. Sometimes, it feels as though there are maybe only 4 or 5 ongoing photostories with heterosexuals as the main characters, but then again i've accepted relationships invloving women to be in th minority already.

I think its more the people with flamboyantly gay and/or crossdressing dolls are more active in the galleries cause something about their personalities is more flamboyant also?

What do you all think? and sorry if thats not entirely cohesive, it sounded more intellectual in my head.

 

I probably am one of the minorities in saying, yeah. Cross-dressing homosexual girl-with-penis men is way overdone. But that's your own thing. Not mine.

I probably have a very unusual/uncommon niche. I have a doll who's personal story revolves HEAVILY around the Western Front during WW2. You know how hard it is to find paratrooper boots for a doll. I know the military-look is somewhat popular for dolls here, but, I mean....what I got? That is a VERY specific niche.

 

Personally the things I see over-done are:

1. Pictures taken with camera phones. Seriously, I am so sick of those. They're crappy and I'm tired of loading 3 posts full of blurry pictures just to see that's what they are and click the back button.

2. Paranormal-y stories. Someone's always able to read minds, was a past minion of a God or something like that, gets old pretty quick.

Things I would like to see more of:

Childish things. Most photostories are so dramatic, involving mature characters, romance, twisted pasts, etc. I'd like to see more photostories of kids just hanging out watching TV or exploring to see what's new in the kitchen, even adults just doing the daily things. A soap opera using dolls is very over-done and dull to me.

 

Oh my goodness. I have to say I agree with what you say. A lot of things are overrated...and on a side note, I absolutely love your background stories for your characters. I think they are sio creative and neat, not like most stories here at DOA. That makes them interesting..because they are different. Not stereotypical.

Though, I will say. I do have a gay boy. But will all my characters be gay? No. Its his personality, its also a large part of my life. I have no problem with gayness. I dont see the debate int his, either. XD

I'd say I dont get tired of dolls sexuality, but I do get sick of some styles. Like what was said in the quote above, I think gothic is very overdone. I still like it, and find it beautiful, but I get tired of finding dod's dolls that are gothic.

Whatever works for you, works. Go with it. If I wanna see it, I'll click it. If not, maybe I'll click anyway and like it. Who knows. I dont think its really worth setting a debate for or even a thread about it. xD Thats okay though, we all have our opinnions right?

 

I've noticed something interesting in regards to the so-called 'trend' scenario- have you ever noticed that sometimes, especially in the anime and video games community, when you start to fall out of a fandom, you look back and see 10 people who are just jumping into it?

I loved yaoi. Loved it. Any and all boy pairings made me squee my little head off.. y'know, when I was 13. Even 16. What happened? I grew up, got a boyfriend.. yaoi not so exciting anymore. Its okay, good sometimes. Done to death? Depends on how you look at it.

Fact of the matter is, its not the same people doing the same story 100+ times for years and years.. its new people each time, with the same passion for the same idea, just starting out on their new story career.. and yes, they all seem to follow the same format. Why? I learned a new metaphor tonight- 100th monkey syndrome. When something is discovered by 99 monkeys, the 100th monkey will already know it. This happens very, very often in crafting circles, and story writing.

I think this also has alot to do with the type of person who owns a doll. Not everyone has the desire to own these dolls, and although the drives may vary slightly, we're all of a certain kin. There's some little switch in our brains that these dolls flick on for us that doesn't happen for those outside the fandom. Generally, like minded people have similar switchboards, similar things that flick them on. The concept of sexual ambiguity, the idea of girly boys and tough girls, androgyny.. This is a switch that most of us share or have at least hedged in our lives.

Some of us take that hedging into our hobby worlds, hence.. lots of yaoi. Hetero couples can be just as popular here though for another switch shared by many of us- hopeless romanticism. My theories are based on observations in my own life and the lives of those around me. I do alot of 'people watching' at conventions and see duplicates of the same type of person constantly. Don't think that I'm saying "we're all copies of each other" because that's not what I'm driving at- You can make 1,000 identical switchboards, but if just one switch is flicked differently from one board to the next, they're all individual.

My point? There will always be poorly written yaoi stories by hopelessly romantic little girls (and boys, I don't judge) for as long as people exist, but its the few and far between good stories that make it worth wading through the mass for. Everyone can write, but not everyone can write well, and that has always been and always will be.

As for dolls in drag (boys in dresses especially).. y'know, I think there's just a control issue there Kind of a "its my dolly and he's gay if I want to" situation.

 

I think there's alot of similar dolls and trends because alot of the people in this hobby have similar interests and aesthetics. Therefore there's going to be alot of people who like the same type of look or image for their dolls.

Personally, I don't care what anyone else does with their doll it's their choice. But I am tired of all the girly guys or overly masculine guys, like soom's dolls. I like ball jointed dolls, and I love my dolls, but there are alot of companies and molds that I just don't like. I also dislike the same type of look alot of people do. The side swept emo hairstyle on guys, and the trend to leaving your doll's shirt open cause it's so "sexy".

You guys know what there's not enough of? 70-80s style prairie dresses. Yeah that's right! Like the ones gunne sax used to make. They're awsome.
But, seriously. I kind of feel like there's not enough girl dolls, other than that it'd be nice to see some variety. I have 2 girl dolls. My msd's look changes alot, but my yo-sd is pretty consistent. She's gothy and an owl. I'd love to see more yos that aren't so cutesy. Some more variety on goth dolls as well. Not just the typical leather 'n fishnet goth. There are tons of different types of goth and hardly any of them are used for dollies. Goth isn't just black lipstick and eyeshadow~

 

This thread confuses me but whatever. Wow my Nagihiko is a stereotypical "fantasy" doll, who wears Victorian clothing, is gay and dresses in drag for living...I could care less if people get tired of seeing me post him all over DoA, just don't click on my posts. I'm not doing it b/c of a trend, I'm doing it b/c I love fantasy, drag queens/kings, I'm gay, and I sometimes wear Victorian clothing.

I think most dolls represent a little bit of their owners, so perhaps there are "too many" owners into these trends

 

Does anyone here really think that someone would spend hundreds of dollars to make a yaoi doll couple just to jump on a bandwagon? People who commit that much money on a hobby do it because they really like it.

And pretty much everything has been done to death in this hobby. From J-rock/pop-dolls, to fantasy-looking dolls. And yes, gay dolls has been done to death as well. Am I bothered by it? Nope, not at all.

Just because something has been done to death should mean I couldn't do it anymore, or else be criticized and labeled as someone just following a trend? What kind of a hobby is that?

If that ever becomes the accepted view in this hobby, then I feel sorry for the poor sap who started to get in to this hobby recently. Because she wouldn't be able to create or buy elf/fairies/insert any magical creatures here, victorian-era dolls, goth dolls, J-rock/pop dolls, etc etc.

 

Isn't it a bit like real life, you wake up every day to see the same things happen here and there, this is just the doll side of the real world, as for trends.. I agree with what people say people in this hobby tend to have the same intrests so the same "trends" will apear, not every drag doll had the same personality, not every gay doll has the same personallity.... just like real life ... if you don't like the gay trend, don't read the photostories or watch those threads... I must admit I'm sticking up for my Rufus here but then Fiebe just hates everything to do with relationships.... why should I change them because some people aren't liking the ''trend''

My view in short : every doll has it's own personality , part of the trend or not they will never be the same !