The Beginning

London's Note: If you already know what BJD's are, skip down to BACK TO THE POINT. If you already know what Homestuck is, skip after I'M GLAD YOU ASKED down to WHAT I AM DOING. If you are familiar with both HS and BJD's, go to WHAT I AM DOING.

So, under siege from the monsters of the land of Whining and Begging, otherwise known as my friend, I have started this here weblog to document my progress. Progress of what?

I'M GLAD YOU ASKED.

You see, I am a collector and modifier of those great expensive pretty playthings known as Asian Ball-jointed Dolls, known otherwise as BJD's. I have great passion for these costly hunks of resin, as they are an amazing artists medium. They are beautifully sculpted, hand casted pieces of art, fully articulated (sort of like one of those artists manikins), and since they are made of resin, they're drillable, sandable, paintable, dyable, and completely customizable. Their heads and eyewells are hollow, so you can change the eyes, and they are bald, thusly being coiffed primarily with wigs. They are strung with elastic, which enables them to stand freely and hold virtually any pose. Bjd's come in many sizes, usually corresponding to their age, so that they all look about right next to each other, no matter which of the hundreds of companies they are from. I will be working with MSD size, which is to say, one roughly the dimensions and maturity of a thirteen-year-old, and which stands 42cm tall. They are EXPENSIVE, depending on the company, but for this project I am using the very cheapest girl on the market, at a mere $140 USD.

BACK TO THE POINT.

I'm a huge fan of Andrew Hussie's online comic Homestuck. It is an epic masterpiece, still ongoing, and consists of not only static pages, but gifs, flash animation cutscenes with fan-provided music and art contributions, and functioning minigames. It is not so much a comic as an EXPERIENCE. The story is incredible, playing along the lines of a game, with each page being the direct result of a typed instruction, but soon one realisesthe story is much deeper.

Act five, HIVEBENT, is the beginning of this project. It concerns a race of aliens, which serve a dual function as both internet trolls and, well, a species of troll. They are well developed, interesting characters, all at the age of thirteen, and are A-DOR-A-BLE, with grey skin, yellow eyes, elfin ears, and the trademark candycorn-esque horns, each corresponding to the zodiac sign on their shirt. There are twelve, one for each western astrological sign. They reside on the planet Alternia.

WHAT I AM DOING

...is making a Troll Doll. No, not the hideous little fuzzy-headed sort. I will be choosing, ordering, modifying, and hunting for the proper attire and such for a BJD model of the troll girl Kanaya Maryam. I choose her because while she isn't the most interesting character, she is the most interesting DRESSER, the only one who doesn't have a strict uniform of zodiac t-shirt and one type of boring bottoms. For this project I have a list of things I must do, and will include them as a checklist at the bottom of each of my posts. I'll be posting updates and pictures every step of the way, as is custom in the BJD community, so that if there is something to be learned, it shall be.

CHECKLIST
[ ] Choose a Sculpt
[ ] Purchase Doll
[ ] Find Eyes (gonna be tough to find orange sclera!)
[ ] Find Wig
[ ] Find, Comission, or Personally Sew Default Outfit
[ ] Find Shoes
[ ] Recieve Doll
[ ] Modify Mouth to Include Fangs
[ ] Modify Nails to be Longer and Sharp
[ ] Make Horns!
[ ] Do Faceup (paint her face)
[ ] Blush Her Body (paint body to be more lifelike)
[ ] Something I Forget Now But Will Likely Remember Later
[ ] Finish!
[ ] Decide Next Project! (Let's see how hard we can make my wallet cry.)

Any questions, suggestions, flames, or general comments you'd like to make without having to make a blogger account can be directed to my email, Azzies_Pants@live.com