Your Doll's Identity - Physical or Mental?

If your doll got badly damaged to the point where it can't be fixed, would you replace it with another one that is the same, or consider it... "dead"?
Well, considering that five of my dolls are MNM fandoll heads, they won't be dead...technically. But the differences that I gave them that would make them unique to me and those that know them would be dead. I'd probably have a funeral for them and then put them in a jar and keep them nonetheless.

For my OC dolls, I would try to find them again, but considering that they are all LE dolls, I'd figure I'll end up paying much more for them than I originally did.

My boy Sakuma Ryuichi couldn't be replaced, even if he started outs as a fandoll. He developed his own personality and is definitely an individual, not to mention the circumstances by which I got him also makes him unique of all of my resinoyds. I couldn't replace him. Ever.

If you did replace it, would it be the "same" one as before with the same personality and background story?
I'd still get new versions of them, but it would be as if I started them over in a brand-new version of their RP. The quirks I gave them would change.

My OC dolls would change, but even if I was given another OE Shiwoo, Ryuichi is irreplaceable.

What if you weren't able to get the exact mold anymore and had to get another kind?
I'd find them, or I'd have them made for the most part.

My OC dolls would probably change if I couldn't get the same sculpt for them, and then I'd have to have them modified to look similar to their original versions.

Except for Ryuichi. He would be dead.

Is your doll's identity a mental thing, or based off of its physical characteristics?
My fandolls, they are definitely a mental thing as well as physical. They are replaceable, but I doubt if I ever would.

My OCs, they are physical as well as mental. I'm going to throw in emotional as well for all of my dolls. I'm too attached to them to really want to reshell them. I'd probably end up going onto new OCs.

Except for Ryuichi. He would be dead. Irrevocably. I couldn't even attempt to replace him. Ever.

Ryu

 

Especially when I first started collecting, my dolls were to be based on role play characters of mine and my wife. I didn't plan to branch out beyond those character, as we have dozens and love them all, but before long of course I began happening upon dolls that would never fit into a character I had already made, but that I wanted nonetheless because I loved what they looked like (such as my dragon boy, Roke, or Frankenstein). So the characters can be extremely important to me. I try very hard to match a doll to the character’s look. That being said:

If your doll got badly damaged to the point where it can't be fixed, would you replace it with another one that is the same, or consider it... "dead"? If you did replace it, would it be the "same" one as before with the same personality and background story? I would replace it with the same, if there was no way to repair the damage. I probably wouldn’t mind (except for the cost) unless it were damage to the head. A while back I dropped Roke and chipped his dragon ear, and my wife said she’d pay to buy me a new head. I adamantly refused. First off, the damage wasn’t bad enough to warrant that, but secondly, I really felt like it would be a different doll if I replaced his head, even though he has the default faceup. XD I feel kind of silly but I just feel that way. But if it had cracked into pieces I would definitely have replaced it as opposed to considering him dead and sellingh is body off.

What if you weren't able to get the exact mold anymore and had to get another kind? Hm... It depends on the doll. If it were one of my role play characters, I’d probably buy a new doll and try to match the character the same as before. If it were one of my ‘bought it just ‘cause I like it’ dolls, like Roke, there’d be no replacing him with a similar doll. If I bought the doll strictly for its looks and didn’t have a premade character for it, there’d be no point in trying to replace it because there aren’t dolls that look like those (Roke, Frankenstein, Chrom, etc.)

And that leads to my final question: Is your doll's identity a mental thing, or based off of its physical characteristics? Well, the character identity came first, then I found dolls that looked like the characters I had created. So..both?

 

If your doll got badly damaged to the point where it can't be fixed, would you replace it with another one that is the same, or consider it... "dead"?
I love one off my dolls since I was a girl. She became damaged beyond repair and I couldn't let go. It took me years to find another just like her. Same painting, same hair, same look/feel.
If it was another doll it would be "dead".

If you did replace it, would it be the "same" one as before with the same personality and background story? Yes

What if you weren't able to get the exact mold anymore and had to get another kind?
It wouldn't be the same thing.

And that leads to my final question:

Is your doll's identity a mental thing, or based off of its physical characteristics?
Both, but if you associate a character to a look, you'll look for the characteristics by which you know it.

 

If your doll got badly damaged to the point where it can't be fixed, would you replace it with another one that is the same, or consider it... "dead"?
I would do my best to replace the doll.

If you did replace it, would it be the "same" one as before with the same personality and background story?
Maybe a little, but for me it would be a different doll. It would most likely have a different face-up, which is how I determine their personality and background.

What if you weren't able to get the exact mold anymore and had to get another kind?
I wouldn't get a different one. I buy dolls that I find pretty, not because they represent a character.

Is your doll's identity a mental thing, or based off of its physical characteristics?
It's based off of their physical characteristics, and then I form a mental image of what they would like, how they would act, etc.

 

My dolls are just shells to embody the characters I've made up for them in my head. That being said, one of mine (My Ringdoll Rebecca) Can't be easily replaced, so unless I were to come into a big wad of cash, I'd probably consider her dead, at least temporarily.

 

I don't really have a good answer for every specific question, but here are my thoughts on the general idea I get behind this topic.

If I had to replace a doll, I would need to replace her with the exact same or a remarkably similar body and head. For example, if I had to replace my Dollfie Dream 2 Yukino, I'd consider a DD3 Yukino.

A more comprehensive example of mine would be my DDDy Alna. She's a rather unusual DD. She has a very Western look, IMO. Also, with her DDDy body, she's got a very unique look. I couldn't just go and replace her with a DD3 Aoi and expect to be happy with the results. Aoi's body is too different.

However, my dolls' characters are still plenty mental. My Alna has embraced her picturesque body, and her confident and sexy look couldn't be pulled off with a DD3 body. Personality-wise, she's very American to me. It plays a bit into stereotypes perhaps, but her face is a big part in immediately conveying what type of culture she comes from. She's a confident go-getter, and that also shows in her face with her focused smile. While it would be possible to get across a solidly American personality with a more Asian-looking face due to her being a subsequent generation (and this is a great concept which I hope to explore some day), you lose the immediate effect. However, regardless of the ethnicity, if the face isn't smiling, it wouldn't be Alna.

So, my DD2 Yukino is shy but loving.

My DDDy Alna is boisterous and confident but also kind and nurturing.

My Dollmore Model Doll Leah is a French-Japanese model (yeah, I kept that part of her background the same as Dollmore intended) with an outgoing personality not terribly entrenched in either of her ethnicities which I created for her.

My Iplehouse JID Tania was a total clean slate without any backstory that I knew of from Iplehouse. However, I used the earliest photos with the old body and the first faceup as inspiration for the type of sweet and innocent personality she would have and mixed that with my own desire to have her be a very young girl that would be the little sister of my Yukino.

So, I guess the short answer is some dolls are more one way than others, but I do mix in a healthy heaping of my own desired personality traits with some first impressions I get by seeing their faces and bodies.

 

Pretty difficult question, considering some of my dolls were created to fit that particular doll. The universe I created is beyond the dolls tho, so killing would be very difficult, but if my 2006 Dollshe SA Saint was gone and I could never get him back I would probably not replace him until I could eventually find a 2006 Dollshe SA Saint. My 1st doll was a DZ Yuu WS. After a few years he yellowed badly, so I bought another Yuu NS too replace it.

So, I think if I could replace for the same doll I would, if it's a character created prior to the doll, then I could find another sculpt to suit them, if it was a doll that developed into a character then I would wait until I could get the same sculpt.

 

If your doll got badly damaged to the point where it can't be fixed, would you replace it with another one that is the same, or consider it... "dead"?

It depends on the doll and the character. One of my dolls right now could easily be replaced with a new body and mold but keep the character. The other doll I'm more attached to her doll form and would have a hard time finding a replacement because she is limited, but I would try. I wouldn't consider my character "dead."


If you did replace it, would it be the "same" one as before with the same personality and background story?

Most likely, but again it would depend on the doll and it's backstory. I think reincarnation would be fun to explore here.


What if you weren't able to get the exact mold anymore and had to get another kind?

Most of my characters would fit several different molds. In fact, I regularly browse doll sites and note "that doll looks like -insert character name here-"


Is your doll's identity a mental thing, or based off of its physical characteristics?

My first doll is based entirely off her physical form and the grail doll I hope to someday re-shell her to be. My second doll was a OC turned resin, but I picked that OC because of the sculpt...so I guess both mental and physical.

 

If your doll got badly damaged to the point where it can't be fixed, would you replace it with another one that is the same, or consider it... "dead"?
I would cry , scold myself, and then depending on the extent of the damage replace it. The doll would be broken, but my character will live on!

If you did replace it, would it be the "same" one as before with the same personality and background story?
The character of the doll is in my head, so it would be the same.

What if you weren't able to get the exact mold anymore and had to get another kind?
I would first be devastated, and then that character won't exist in doll form again until I find a suitable replacement, but with all the new bjd that come out, and custom face ups I'll probably find a replacement.

Is your doll's identity a mental thing, or based off of its physical characteristics?
My doll's Identity has always been a mental thin except for two of (DollZone Brant & DollZone Cosmo) them because I saw them together in the stock photo, and then created a character for them, but it depends sometimes.

 

If your doll got badly damaged to the point where it can't be fixed, would you replace it with another one that is the same, or consider it... "dead"?
It would depend on the doll. My first doll has a company face up which is not available anymore and which contributes to its adorable personality. So though I love him to bits, I would probably analyse what I want from him before rushing to buy him again. Same for my other dolls. Yes, I would probably grieve if he cannot be 'reshelled' in the same mold and face up.

If you did replace it, would it be the "same" one as before with the same personality and background story? Yes, for some of my dolls.

What if you weren't able to get the exact mold anymore and had to get another kind? I would just buy a mold which echoes the original doll's personality or would totally go for something else if I cannot find a good replacement. Or I would reallocate some parts of its personality to several different new dolls.


Is your doll's identity a mental thing, or based off of its physical characteristics? It is both. A grumpy mold will not create a cheerful character. Though some molds are rather on the fence and a face up can accentuate some characteristics over others. Clothes, eyes, wigs will help me create the character too.