Your doll's "Fingerprint"?

This is such a great thread! How to answer? I usually have a really clear picture of how I want my lot to look once the particular doll in question has told me their name. I make a little rule for myself never to buy a doll without first knowing its name. It seems to work well for me doing this. I've never had a complete uturn on any of my dols altho ishtar hard a very different wig in mind from the one chosen for her. Orriginally she was in a light grey wavy wig, but I went to a meetup and someone had a bright blue one for sale, I tried it on and it just clicked. Her clothes didn't change but the wig just seemed more her.

Jaegar my h ducan also has a definate personalitly out the box, the other ducans I've met look sexy,sultry, whereas mine looks downright haughty, like he feels superior to everthing...kinda works for the char I had in mind for him.

I think I just have an over active imagination as I see the sculpt and I just know them and the person they want to be.

Does that make sense?

 

Some just get pulled out of the box, butt naked, bald, and eyeless, and are already brimming with personality. (Marcus, my Soom Sabik - even insisted on his name.)

Others have been a search for the perfect sculpt to embody a given character, and the personality has grown and deepened over time since arrival, though already posessing some of the "feel" to begin with. (Ichigo, my first doll - Iple House Soo Ri back in '06.)

A few, very few I've found with me, are still drifting, looking for a persona. Most of the time, these get sold after several tries to find that inner spark. But I do still have one that refuses to talk to me, but so far, I'm being more stubborn than he is and he's still on my doll shelf. Still can't even settle on a name yet, but I'm not quite ready to sell him either. If we keep going around and around, and all he does is frustrate me, then it will be time to move on.

I've also had times where I saw the doll for sale, knew exactly what they would be, and then when they got in... they flatly refused to go along with me. Some I've kept, and we went the way the doll insisted, but others have since moved on.

It's always an adventure though, from start to finish!

PS - and I found the title made me itch to make fingerprints on one or two of the boys too! Glad to see I wasn't the only one!

 

I was lucky in that Sanyu's 'Fingerprint' really did match the character she's based off of. She just seems to kind of smirk or glare, one or the other. I don't know what it is. She very much just seemed to have 'Sanyu's' real personality right out of the box. She has that touch of attitude. She likes sitting with her arms crossed. She likes standing with her thumbs in her pockets, and her head seems to almost always favor one angle. She just kind of looks up at you with a 'Yeah so?' look most of the time. I think it's really the poses she favors + something in her face that gives her the attitude. And it's not like total punk attitude either, just the right amount of attitude for the Sanyu character. (Who isn't a 'punk', she just doesn't like adults. XD To her, Kids are fine. Adults are jerks.)
The perfect fingerprinted dolly for her character.

 

I'm actually having trouble with this issue lately...

I have an OC from way back that I thought to resinify and bought a doll that I thought would match her character. And well... the promotional pictures deceived me completely (hey, it was during an event! It was too good to pass up to wait for owner pics... ) and it turned out the doll had such a strong, sexy personality that her face-up(?) implied that didn't match my OC at all... And my boy from one of my stories needed a body really badly for some time now and after contemplating for a while, I chose my boy over this new girl whom I had accidentally made a character for.

Now I'm sure that once I sell her I will never be able to get her again and was planning to sell her before I unintentionally bond with her too much but I'm already feeling sort of... heartbroken.

Augh... I know I shouldn't be. He needs, NEEDS body.

 

Well really even if your doll arrives with a factory face-up it's still not going to be identical to other dolls of the same mold. It's the nature of hand done work that no two things will ever be exactly the same.

As for the deeper issues, some of my dolls arrived perfectly fitting an idea I'd gotten when first seeing a photo of them & others took a while to develope their own identities. Then there're always those odd few that I think are going to be one thing & they end up telling me that they're something completely different.

Since my dolls aren't meant to be specific pre-established characters, it's always interesting to see what they evolve into. There are some who still haven't developed distinct personalities or found their proper place in my little universe. I usually end up selling those since no real bonding has taken place. As for the ones that stay, there's simply some indefinable thing about each one that really speaks to me.

 

As someone who primarily buys second hand dolls I have noticed that the history of a doll seems to creep into it's character no matter what your intention. Even after wiping off it's previous paint or changing/repairing previous modifications there will always be a ghost of something in the doll that does not go away with fresh modifications or paint. It's history then becomes it's fingerprint - at least to me.

 

When I first took my Amethyn out of the box, she seemed to have perfected what Lauren Bacall called The Look; chin tilted down, looking up at you through her lashes, and I knew she was going to be a little coquette. Even now, she always seems to be looking at me with an expression that reads, "You love me. How could you not? I'm adorable." I didn't have a character picked out for her before her arrival, just a concept (mischievous pixie), which she has fulfilled quite nicely.

 

I spent three years trying to find my first doll. I knew exactly what character I wanted to represent but I was on a fixed income. I tutored for a year to get enough money to buy him, even though he wasn't exactly the doll I wanted for him at the time. I originally wanted a Volks Captain Cecil but just couldn't afford him and the limited Luts Elf Shiwoo was already unattainable but then Luts came out with the dreaming Shiwoo head in it's extras and I decided to just put him together from the "parts" section. I was still a bit nervous about the outcome but once he came to my tiny college apartment, I put the silver wig on, and painted on his telltale facial scar - it was perfect. There's a funny imperfection in the mold on his leg that left a scrawling indentation in the upper thigh that matches well to a branded scar on my original character's thigh. Some things were just meant to be. ^.^
My friend Akamar tried to make a Bayla doll as well since she likes the character so much. I even baby sitted said doll for a time. He was also a Shiwoo but there was a very distinct difference in the two that didn't come from just the difference in paintjobs. Maybe it was just my imagination, but the doll I originally obtained to be Bayla better fit the role than the one she'd gotten for hers.
I don't think I'd be able to give up any of the family of dolls I've collected so far. A lot of time and effort goes into finding just the right model and others just seem to come together. Each have a charm all their own, though some of my friends just find them a tad creepy. There are a lot of molds where you can tell by the photos that giving them a personality will be hard.. like some drawings.. they just lack a soul or look a little lifeless. I believe that so long as the sculpting is from a sound and passionate artists, there will always be a soul there to breathe. Whether or not you get along with them, however, is a completely different story. XD

 

My dolls do not have finger prints. I check.

 

Apollo's 'fingerprint'? His haughty-ness.

Edward's 'fingerprint'? Same as the above...his big brother. But his is more of the bratty nature.

Apollo appealed to me much more after I brought him home. His sweet smile and smexy-ness... -grins-

 

Miyuki (my modded SA Pado) is quite stuckup. In fact she completely took me by surprise with that attitude. I was expecting this sweet pretty thing. Occassionally though (when I change her wig) I see a very wistful sad girl...but usually...she is very angry and haughty.

 

I've always thought my Kid Delf Litchi was very special. All the pictures I have seen from the company and other owners, she just seems so sweet and innocent. Not my girl. I think I could change her eyes, her hair, and paint her face 1000 times, and all I would be able to get out of her is "Alpha Brat". She is my bratty swan among the other ducklings of her mold.

 

My AS Liera seemed free-spirited. Also what drew me to the mold was that she wasn't simply "cute" but also had an air of elegant beauty.

My banji... was cute. And tiny. And dainty. Until I got her. She was always a bit sarcastic, and now proves to be quite cynical and moody.

My next doll I want, Elliott, I deliberated over for months and months before I could finally pick a mold. If I was only going to get one boy doll, I'd want him to be the type I'd love to bits, and be a sweet, normal guy. In think the limhwa mono sculpt fits pretty well for him.

 

Hm, well .. the original plan for my School A was for him to be a little snarky and mischevious, but when I got his head in the mail - completely unpainted, never been touched - he just seemed to be very smiley and cute..! So, rather than 17-ish as intended, he ended up 12, and generally cute/cheerful/playful. He's come to be the dearest to my heart, though, so.. even though things didn't end up as originally planned, it's all okay

 

I cant tell you how long ive waited to get a doll and answer this question. I have my boy now so i finaly can XD

Now...on the outside Sade seems like a complete mean, vain, egotistical, homicidal (lolz), JERK FACE. XD;;; (trust me, i thought that for a loong time)
So when i bought my doll, i was planning to make him Sade, and i was completely expecting him to be kicky, randomly try to hit people, shoot death glares every 10 minutes, and give me one heck of a time in general (because thats just how sade is XD)

But when i got him..He was the exact oppisite...Well besides him looking quite upset with me when i first got him out of the box and refused to put his clothes on of course but anyway. Since i've had him, ive come to realize that insted of him being Sade's "bad" side...Hes actually his "good" side (which, i love dearly >w< ) Most of the time when i look at him he always looks so sweet and happy to be with me, which i usualy smile at because he brightens up my day~ And at the same time, i DO see alot of the "bad" side in him at times XD like when im trying to take a picture of him and it seems he doesnt want to, or when im moving him around to much he tries to fight me and locks his arms to his sides XD

One time in paticular, (and my favorite moment ive had with him so far) I was trying to un-bend his knees when i accidentaly got my finger pinched in his joint QUITE HARD, i yelped and jerked my finger away and i had torn some of my skin i was more conserned of his knee snapping in the wrong direction though. But imidiately after that i couldnt turn his head up to look at me! (his head was turn down in an "emo" type pose) He absolutely wouldnt budge!! I tried as hard as i could without being too rough (scared i would break him) and i couldnt do it... After about an hour, and me holding him and snuggling him (yes...i snuggle him ) he FINNALY looked up at me with his big sad purple eyes. It was just about the sweetest thing ive ever saw >w<

So to end this rant, Sade is very special the way he is to me.. Ive come to see his personality alot the past for weeks ive had him and i wouldnt have him any other way im actually a bit reluctant to get him a pair of horns that he is suppose to have im afraid they might make him look mean, or change him somehow...i know that sounds dumb but i seriously am a little worried Also, im horribley sorry for the wall oh text Ah well..

-Fangirll4life

 

I am really enjoying reading about everyone's dolls' "fingerprints!" It's so enjoyable to see what different uniquenesses people see in their dolls~ &#9829;

I didn't really plan much for the arrival of my doll. Historically that's how I've been with toys--a character or feeling tends to develop once I see them, and that's that.

However, that didn't really happen! When my package from Rosette Doll arrived, I opened the box and moved aside all of the clothing and accessories... and when I saw her delicate face, I felt nothing! I started to get really worried, because I had already bought her a few wigs. (When I saw the promotional pictures and fell in love with Violet's sculpt, I immediately thought she needed blonde hair and brown eyes~ &#9829 "Oh no!" I worried, "What if I shouldn't have bought these wigs for her?! Maybe it is good that I don't have brown eyes yet..." Then I placed the blonde wig on her head, and when I looked at her I felt like there was a glimmer of something. It was like her eyes looked up at me and she seemed to say, "This is an improvement, but still not right."

I decided to go ahead and find eyes for her. Until the eyes arrived, I felt very little connection. It felt like I knew there was something there, but she just wouldn't communicate. She didn't have a name for quite some time, because nothing seemed right. I almost thought she would be named Rose, which is so common and seems too coincidental for someone attending a rose-themed Rosette School... u_u;; Once her dark eyes were in, though, everything seemed to fall into place.

Part of the problem seems to be that she is very withdrawn. I guess I had kind of thought she would be a lot like me, since she is my doll after all and I want us to enjoy each other's company. However, my doll is not so cheerful and up-beat--she is quiet, pensive, and very serious. I have those traits to some extent, but with her it is much more extreme. A few times I have had her sitting near me while I watch a movie, and I know that if she could talk, Claudia would be sighing heavily and politely bemoaning that it is lighthearted trash, or too violent, or not suitable for a young lady. I do try to be polite myself, but she is much more of a young lady--proper Victorian indeed!

I'm hoping that the more I wait, the more I will learn~ n_n It's fun! &#9829; I certainly think she wouldn't be like any other Rosette Doll Violet.

 

Wow...after seeing more replies, I'm actually surprised that first impressions on seeing the website photos and the real dolls are different. O.O

Apollo's an AOD Gu. And seriously, the mould didn't appeal to me. It looked weird and ugly...the photos. But after looking and purchasing from the local distributor, I was rather surprised it was actually the same mould. I thought I was purchasing a totally different doll at first.

But during the period of paying the instalments, Apollo was starting to warm up from his cold and indifferent attitude to me to teasing, bratty, haughty and even the occassional crybaby faces.

Recently I've changed his face-up and he looks rather sweet in it. And 2 days ago I bought him a long white wig and he loves it. He kept giving me the 'I'm so smexy and I know it' look.

Edward, DZ Mo-3, is still being paid for. Same local distributor. I've been visiting him a lot with Apollo. He was totally chosen on impulse. I was looking to order a Luke from DZ instead, but the local distributor was complaining to me that the girl who ordered Mo-3 and some other stuffs decided not to purchase him afterall. So her deposit forfeitted and I was allowed to play with him to cheer him up. He was rather sad.

After a bit of talking to and teasing, he smiled. So I fell in love with him and deicded to get him. He's looking happier these days. Much much happier. But he starts giving me his bratty haughty attitude when Apollo's there to visit. If not, he's sweet and gives cute smiles...

So...at first I thought it was just me who felt that Mo-3 was so cool that the room freezes or that Gu was ugly and haughty...hmm...well...seems that there are other people with similar experiences...

 

When the BJD's are nude and bare, stripped they look like empty vessels.
For me, it's the style, the general overall look, but mainly clothes and wigs make a big difference in fingerprinting.

 

This is so true! I got my Volks Michael Dark Prince from a member in the San Francisco Bay area. I had intended him to be a British aristocrat, but straight out of the box he was a film noir private detective with a bottle of bourbon in the bottom drawer of his desk. I think it was from living in California. So instead of Melrose he became Marlowe.

 

LOL! I love that Merangel! It's nice to see a fellow fan of both film noir and the famous gum shoe here!

I must confess to often being rather "oooh pretty" most of the time when I choose a doll, there's no character in mind, and usually no grand plan of where they might fit into my collection.

So far the only exception to this was when I fell for Black Melody Narsha, who from the first moment out of her box was clearly meant to be the ghost of my Volks Heath's little sister. It's a tragedy really...poor little Angelica just didn't survive the bought of fever that Heath has always blamed himself for exposing her too. Actually, Angelica bears her brother no ill will and thus only haunts Heath in the most sweet and benevolent manner she can.