Each character moves differently.

That's what I like in this Boys Keep Swinging [David Bowie] music video. Posture, gait, the size and shape of gestures -- all these little details develop different personalities.

I wish I could make my dolls move differently, but they don't move. Guess they'll just have to stand and sit and be still differently, which they do. Examples abound in the latest survey of small populations, where especially those in the "dolls who bug me" and "Zombieville" categories evince their personalities through their posture.

Judging from their body language, an inordinate number of my dolls appear to think that they're fabulous: Anneka, Frank 1:6, Jareth 1:6, Will, Jareth regular, Peekaboo, Lucian, Béatrice, Isabel, AJ regular. Out of all the postures in the "all my dolls" series, I most like Janvier Jett's [because she looks like she's about to speaek], Jareth's [because he looks like he's up to something, which he always is], Sardonix' [because she just looks so completely unimpressed with anyone's bullshit], Dillon [because he's just chillin' casually] and Steampink AJ's [because she just looks so serenely superior].

Fireplace!

After pining for one for quite a while, I finally found one on the DOA marketplace for $23.00 shipped, which is about how much I'm willing to pay for one. Woo hoo!

Another beautiful Dollmore Trinity: Klaire

I've been lusting after the Dollmore Trinity Elysia for a while now, but I think I just found a new lust object in their latest Trinity sculpt Klaire. Here are some blank pictures for comparison from the sculptor's Flickr. DOA's consensus is that she's unattractive, with features that are too large, strong and "masculine," but those traits are exactly the ones that attract her to me. She also has an amazing skijump nose! Elysia looks like she's dreaming, but Klaire looks like she's plotting. >_>

In good news, DOA says that Fabric Friends and Dolls allows year-long layaways [which, for a $3K doll, means $250.00 a month], but that still doesn't overcome my moral objections to direct purchase from Dollmore. GRRRARGH.

Glamazon thoughts

The more I ponder, the more I realize that the Playtoy torso will not work out. Research on One Sixth Warriors shows that other nerds have had the squishy parts on their Playtoys wrinkle, warp, rip and/or crack. If I'm spending a ridiculous amount of money to make a highly specific body type, I do not wish to use expendable squishy parts in its construction!

I may be able to salvage at least the shape of the Playtoy bust, though, by making a cast or mold of it. Or I could just use it as a guideline for additive sculpting of my own on an undetermined base.

The Glamazon now has the following designated parts: Obitsu Regular Male arms, Takara CG hands, Original Effect legs and feet/shoes and custom scratch-sculpted head [to be made eventually].

What about a base? I could use the Original Effect body, depending on its level of torso articulation and its skintone. I could scrounge a Takara Cy Girl 2.0 from my raw dolls bin. I suppose I could even use a Takara CG 1.0, but I don't like the single torso joint.

I really wish that the OE would come so I could see what I have to work with....

More initial impressions of Dollmore Trinity Klaire

Irritated by the bias against "masculine" features that I detected in some DOAers' comments on Dollmore Trinity Klaire, I have looked more closely at the remarks. A sampling are shown below:

Kitty Blue: "Not certain how I feel about her...she has some striking features but her face seems rather large compared to the others, love the make up, but the LE outfit is the same as Elysia."

Teddy: "Nice, but there's something about her eyes that doesn't appeal to me - I much prefer Elysia and Lumie."

Shawnee: "Funny, I love her eyes. It's her mouth I really don't like. It just seems too big for her face. Like kitty blue said, everything combined, her face looks too...large? for her head/body."

Stella Maris: "She looks very masculine, nope, not for me. ... Beat hard with the man stick I'd say."

nancy_schroeder_ca: "I'm not sure about the new Klaire, but I don't have room for another Trinity anyway! Maybe the next version will be better. She might look better with a different wig and faceup."

Stormlight: "Oh, the new girl is gorgeous! I think she looks a lot older than the other three. Like someone in her 20s rather than her teens."

bronzephoenix: "Oh dear, she looks so masculine to me!"

thothep: "I like all of Jude except her mouth feels too small, and now I like all of Klaire except her mouth is a little large..."

polyhymnia: "I think Klaire's face is pretty cool."

Jisatsu: "I was thinking Klaire looked so much like the first run of Narin 60."

monkeycancer: "RE the new Klaire doll, my first thought was 'guy in very convincing drag,' so I'm glad other people are thinking 'masculine.'"

jemmilly: "I like Klaire, but not Dollmore's face-up."

Despite gender policing from Stella Maris, bronze phoenix and monkeycancer, remarks seem overall more positive than I initially thought. I find it interesting that, even in a hobby where the dominant aesthetic for Asian BJDs is one of androgyny in facial features, people have limits to how much androgyny they can handle. I also find it interesting that DOAers are referring to "large," "masculine" and/or "strong" features as if they're bad things. I myself actually prefer facial features with those traits, but then again I am known for my affinity for stylized, almost caricatured headsculpts.