What is a Character to You?

The only premade oc I have that I would want to shell is really fantastical, so that wouldn't be the cheapest option...
I do have character concepts for each of my dolls and a general idea of who they are and what they like, etc. I've done just little snipets of stories, but nothing serious, it's just for fun ^_^

 

That's pretty much what I do. None of my doll characters are characters I had already made in my head or wrote about, although I might end up writing about them AFTER I get the doll and create a personality for them. I do have a couple that are based on pre-existing tv/game characters, but none based off of my own writing.

*oh, except I will be using my fiance's doll to model my D&D character in the future....

 

My first doll, a Ringdoll Sol [Alex], had a character created for him and it didn't pan out. He's got a name, but that's it. And, I'm not even that bonded with him, although there is a sentimentality with him. My third doll was similarly received. I bought him on a whim, then thought he might work as a younger version of a pre-existing character. Nope. That failed and he's edging toward the chopping block with the first doll.

My second doll, a Dollshe Saint/Resinsoul hybrid [Ethan], filled the role of a pre-existing character I created, who I was already bonded with. Same again with my Impldoll Azalea [Sam], LittleRebel Ethan [Milo], Pygmalion Robin [Bailey], and incoming Dollshe Grant Phillippe [Jax]. As something of an author, I have a long list of characters I would love to shell into dolls, but that'd just get too expensive and overwhelming. So, I've stuck with one group from one story, to keep from getting too ridiculous. Although, there are a couple of 'special cases' I might shell later down the line. A couple of years or so. But, my main goal is a group of five. Two are already full dolls, with a further two heads here already. I just need to source three bodies from somewhere and they'll be complete. So, I'm kind of close to my goal.

At the same time, I have two pre-existing pop-culture characters I want to shell into dolls. I have one here already, steadily working on sewing him some costumes and crafting props, and the other is on layaway. I've had these planned for years, from around the time I joined the hobby. They've been almost 7yrs in the planning, in fact. There have been other pop culture characters I wanted to shell over the years, do my interpretation of popular characters, but they were passing fancies. Now that I'm getting back into Marvel, I'm remembering that I wanted to do a Hawkeye doll and a Captain America. I might do the costumes, once I get good at sewing, but I don't think I'll ever do the dolls fully. The costumes could be Halloween specials or something. But, those ideas have come and gone, while the two I'm working on currently have stuck with me.

I will close by saying that I have found it far easier to have well-established characters already in place, as opposed to crafting a character for a doll. It's true of Alex, who I've continuously struggled to bond with, and Ethan & pals, who I've adored from the moment they were delivered into my hands.

 

To me, character means the doll has a particular voice, or mood. Sweet, sassy, confident, childish.... stuff like that. When I bought my first I had been looking at her for almost 2 years before I took the plunge, but I didn't have anything planned except her name, which took a really long time to find! Nothing seemed to stick. Anyway, when she arrived and I saw her in person, her expression and the way she posed informed a lot of her character. I found out she actually looks upset when wearing red- so she doesn't wear red Having this character lite (as someone else put it) helps me create and purchase for the doll, and because I can say, 'well those shoes are really cool, but would she wear them?' I save a lot of money!
I use that same thinking when it comes to new dolls. When I find a sculpt I like, I try to see if I can make them into a character that would inhabit my world, and if not then I put that sculpt on a someday maybe list. If I can think of a place for them, then they get placed in my priorities list and I shuffle them around until the doll I want most ends up on top I save up slowly, and I don't allow myself to do layaways which allows me to smooth out some character points (like they're so-and-so's brother or mentor or best friend, they do these kinds of work/hobbies) and that also helps me make sure I still really want the doll.
So mostly what I use characters for is a way to curb my spending, and make sure I'm only buying what I really want!

 

For me, I mostly define my dolls’ characters as their general personalities and styles. With my Iplehouse girl, I honestly had no real plans for her and felt out what poses and outfits seemed to fit best with her. With my most recent girl, I knew I wanted a petite grumpy girl so I decided on a MiniFee and got the Mirwen sculpt because I felt I could get the best expression out of a faceup on that sculpt. I don’t have any stories or in-depth writing about them. I just figured out their names, their personal style, and a general personality. I use that to pick outfits, furniture, and poses. Even with this small version of a character, I still feel like they’ve grown and evolved over time.

 

I usually don't really have characters for my dolls, because most of my own characters are anthroes/furries. It's cool that nowadays there are actual anthro dolls available as well, so maybe I could shell some of my characters!

 

X

 

My plan for my dolls is to have a little out of each column. I plan on making one or two of my OCs, Loki (Marvel) and I really want to get one of the Iplehouse female dolls and have her become her own character. I create a bunch of my own characters, so I guess it's natural for me to want to have them come to life.