Michikaru
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It's been too long. Time for an update.
4 min read
Ugh. I haven’t updated this journal in forever.
How is my life? Seriously, it majorly blows. I’m trying to work through a few of my bad situations -- financial wise and with a friend’s mother. I’ve been working on getting my act together and had spent my entire Spring Break just cleaning the house and getting things done. Having my environment cleaner has helped me a lot with my thoughts. For some odd reason, I’m thinking better.
I once had a few walls full of Anime pictures and a gigantic “Japanese Animation” sign taped to my back wall (it went right across the entire section). I’ve taken the bloody thing off my wall several times, -- it has been there for well over a decade, -- but my walls always looked empty afterwards, so it always ended back up right after. This time however, I took everything down, and felt cleaner. Less Cluttered. It was a new perspective I never had before, and am now grateful for having.
Classes haven’t been going well. I’ve slacked off too many times already. I still have a chance to make it up, but I’m already thinking about dropping a class. I hope I don’t have to take another semester at community college, and I sincerely doubt my father would enjoy it much either. I am also worried about how I am to pay for my University fees, as I’ve stupidly spent up all my savings. Another thing, my car is in need of repairs, and I am reluctant to tell my father for fear of his wrath. His anger isn’t a pretty thing and tends to put a big damper on my self-esteem. A slow as my esteem is already, I’m working hard to have more confidence in myself.
My doll making is turning out great. I hadn’t had much time to work on it like I would like, but I am ecstatic with my improvements. I may have to re-do the legs because I’ll need the legs to be hollowed-out at the thighs. This way the figure will be able to balance well when standing and holding poses. I do not believe I’ll be able to hollow-out the solid legs I have now. So the idea is to use un-backed Sculptey in the middle of the Paperclay that way the mushy material will come out well with the Paperclay is dried. All in all, I’m positive I’ll have the legs done right this time around.
In sewing, I’ve started to make little doll messenger bags to be sold for $20 USD apiece. I now have enough material to make quite a few. I should hope this would add some much needed income into my savings. I just need to put aside some time to make them. Though, when I do have the time to spare, it is usually ends up with my face in a book or on the computer screen reading fan fiction.
The latest fan fics I’ve read are two very great stories from Elpin. They were found on Fanfiction.net. Not that I ever leave outside the place. Very rarely do I do. Anyway, I spent all of yesterday and then in my biology class (Bad Michi!) today reading both “A Gentleman's Gentleman” and “Branded For You.” Both of these stories are very good, and I recommend them if they follow you brand of interests. **enter goofy grin here** Of both, I really liked “Branded for You.” I’ve always enjoyed the triad coupling of Harry/Severus/Draco. The dynamics is very intriguing and very rarely do I find someone that can build a plausible plotline and still keep the characters within their character (No OOCness).
Well, that is it. This silly journal is now up-to-date.
Later,
Mira
How is my life? Seriously, it majorly blows. I’m trying to work through a few of my bad situations -- financial wise and with a friend’s mother. I’ve been working on getting my act together and had spent my entire Spring Break just cleaning the house and getting things done. Having my environment cleaner has helped me a lot with my thoughts. For some odd reason, I’m thinking better.
I once had a few walls full of Anime pictures and a gigantic “Japanese Animation” sign taped to my back wall (it went right across the entire section). I’ve taken the bloody thing off my wall several times, -- it has been there for well over a decade, -- but my walls always looked empty afterwards, so it always ended back up right after. This time however, I took everything down, and felt cleaner. Less Cluttered. It was a new perspective I never had before, and am now grateful for having.
Classes haven’t been going well. I’ve slacked off too many times already. I still have a chance to make it up, but I’m already thinking about dropping a class. I hope I don’t have to take another semester at community college, and I sincerely doubt my father would enjoy it much either. I am also worried about how I am to pay for my University fees, as I’ve stupidly spent up all my savings. Another thing, my car is in need of repairs, and I am reluctant to tell my father for fear of his wrath. His anger isn’t a pretty thing and tends to put a big damper on my self-esteem. A slow as my esteem is already, I’m working hard to have more confidence in myself.
My doll making is turning out great. I hadn’t had much time to work on it like I would like, but I am ecstatic with my improvements. I may have to re-do the legs because I’ll need the legs to be hollowed-out at the thighs. This way the figure will be able to balance well when standing and holding poses. I do not believe I’ll be able to hollow-out the solid legs I have now. So the idea is to use un-backed Sculptey in the middle of the Paperclay that way the mushy material will come out well with the Paperclay is dried. All in all, I’m positive I’ll have the legs done right this time around.
In sewing, I’ve started to make little doll messenger bags to be sold for $20 USD apiece. I now have enough material to make quite a few. I should hope this would add some much needed income into my savings. I just need to put aside some time to make them. Though, when I do have the time to spare, it is usually ends up with my face in a book or on the computer screen reading fan fiction.
The latest fan fics I’ve read are two very great stories from Elpin. They were found on Fanfiction.net. Not that I ever leave outside the place. Very rarely do I do. Anyway, I spent all of yesterday and then in my biology class (Bad Michi!) today reading both “A Gentleman's Gentleman” and “Branded For You.” Both of these stories are very good, and I recommend them if they follow you brand of interests. **enter goofy grin here** Of both, I really liked “Branded for You.” I’ve always enjoyed the triad coupling of Harry/Severus/Draco. The dynamics is very intriguing and very rarely do I find someone that can build a plausible plotline and still keep the characters within their character (No OOCness).
Well, that is it. This silly journal is now up-to-date.
Later,
Mira
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Happy New Year!
1 min read
Happy New Year!
This calls for a celebration. After taking Art History 3 times, I finally passed. I wish I never have to see another Art Hist. class again. I might go insane if I do.
I've been working on making my patterns again. I want more room and money to make my Dolls. I've been working on Chaos this winter break. He is looking good, but I cannot seem to find a blasted camera to take pictures of him. Either way, I have to make the joints on him before I make the molds.
I am taking 5 classes this semester. Joy! But this is my last semester, so I'll need to start thinking about what University I'll go to and what I'll major in. This also means I'll have to start looking for a new job too. I really want to keep my job… But I work at the college and I need to be a student to work. I'm not looking forward to leaving.
This calls for a celebration. After taking Art History 3 times, I finally passed. I wish I never have to see another Art Hist. class again. I might go insane if I do.
I've been working on making my patterns again. I want more room and money to make my Dolls. I've been working on Chaos this winter break. He is looking good, but I cannot seem to find a blasted camera to take pictures of him. Either way, I have to make the joints on him before I make the molds.
I am taking 5 classes this semester. Joy! But this is my last semester, so I'll need to start thinking about what University I'll go to and what I'll major in. This also means I'll have to start looking for a new job too. I really want to keep my job… But I work at the college and I need to be a student to work. I'm not looking forward to leaving.
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Elitism in the BJD world
5 min read
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Elitism in the BJD world
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Ok, since getting into the BJD hobby I've been surprised at how 'elitist' (and I use this term very loosely) it can often be.
For example, you can SEE the disdain in someone's face if you show them a doll with a badly done faceup. It doesn't matter to that person that YOU love it, only that THEY think it's bad.
It seems that many people are quick to say "it's my doll, I'll do what I like with it" but even quicker to look down on someone else doing exactly that.
There's also the issue of Blythes/Pullips etc. Now, I know they're not BJDs and therefore not allowed on DoA which is fair enough - but I was shocked when I went to a general doll meet and the Pullip owners mostly segregated themselves from the BJD owners, even after they were invited into the group. It wasn't until later when someone said (rather rudely I thought) 'so are the Pullips allowed to get photographed too?' EVEN THOUGH someone had asked for everyone to come together because there was a distinctive split going on I was quite... taken aback by it.
I don't see why there should be an issue or a need to have any difficulty accepting anything or anyone in the doll community. Step back a moment and take a long hard look at ourselves.
At the end of the day, what are we all? Full grown adults playing with DOLLS. Now, I love my dolls very much, and would be heartbroken to lose them for any reason, but realistically I KNOW they're only dolls. Granted more expensive and sophisticated dolls than Barbies or whatever, but definitely no reason to believe we're somehow any better than any other person, doll collector or otherwise.
It makes me very sad to feel nervous when going to doll meets that I or my dolls might not be accepted by everyone else. And although everyone's only ever been nothing but nice to me thus far, I hate that the nervousness is still there and that I feel I NEED to be accepted by everyone else. I love to get together with people for photoshoots and I love meetups a lot - I wish I could go to more of them! But I still hate the fact that I feel I have to prove myself.
And that's because of the elitist attitude. I have to look carefully at my dolls and make sure they're wearing their most flattering clothes, and that their hair is done right. My girl has a missing eyelash and I was mortified to admit that it had come off and I'd been too lazy to glue it back on... Even though everyone was REALLY nice, and no-one even minded or noticed she'd lost an eyelash I still felt nervy.
And this topic has stemmed from my thoughts about the 'Should limiteds or oneoffs be modified or split into pieces?' debate. Because I think that if you've paid good money for a doll you should be able to do whatever you like to it. Obviously, it makes little sense to actually fork out a fortune for a limited/ooak then change it completely but if it has the basis you want to work on then why not? And part of the 'elitist' sense I get from BJD fandom is that other people seem to think they should be allowed to dictate what people do with their own money or their own property
That's what I think anyway.
I'm not trying to upset or offend anyone, and I don't mean to if I do, I'm just giving my views based on 9 months in the hobby from what I've observed both here and in person. I'd love to see what other people think - is this a widespread thing? Or is it just me? Do you agree/disagree with my observations/opinions? Why?
Go forth and debate
(I did search to see if there was a similar thread and couldn't find one so.... >.>)
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I wanted to post, but the mods closed it before I could.
Here is what I wrote:
I hate elitism.
It's been almost a year now since I started collecting BJDs. When I got my first one, a Doll-Zone, I was so excited and wanted to show him off and play with other collators with my doll. I went to my first meet up, and was too shy to do anything but chat with this one girl…
Anyway, a few minute in, a few other people join in, and one girl looked my way, and said, quite flippantly, "I won't have came to this meet up if I knew there was too many greens." It made me so very disheartened, even more so when I didn't know what to say in my defense. It didn't help that this same girl shunned me through the entire meeting.
I nearly gave up on the hobby, if I wasn't so infatuated with my doll.
What would you do in this situation?
It might help others if they find themselves in a similar situation.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'll be able to post it in 3 monthes...
Elitism in the BJD world
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ok, since getting into the BJD hobby I've been surprised at how 'elitist' (and I use this term very loosely) it can often be.
For example, you can SEE the disdain in someone's face if you show them a doll with a badly done faceup. It doesn't matter to that person that YOU love it, only that THEY think it's bad.
It seems that many people are quick to say "it's my doll, I'll do what I like with it" but even quicker to look down on someone else doing exactly that.
There's also the issue of Blythes/Pullips etc. Now, I know they're not BJDs and therefore not allowed on DoA which is fair enough - but I was shocked when I went to a general doll meet and the Pullip owners mostly segregated themselves from the BJD owners, even after they were invited into the group. It wasn't until later when someone said (rather rudely I thought) 'so are the Pullips allowed to get photographed too?' EVEN THOUGH someone had asked for everyone to come together because there was a distinctive split going on I was quite... taken aback by it.
I don't see why there should be an issue or a need to have any difficulty accepting anything or anyone in the doll community. Step back a moment and take a long hard look at ourselves.
At the end of the day, what are we all? Full grown adults playing with DOLLS. Now, I love my dolls very much, and would be heartbroken to lose them for any reason, but realistically I KNOW they're only dolls. Granted more expensive and sophisticated dolls than Barbies or whatever, but definitely no reason to believe we're somehow any better than any other person, doll collector or otherwise.
It makes me very sad to feel nervous when going to doll meets that I or my dolls might not be accepted by everyone else. And although everyone's only ever been nothing but nice to me thus far, I hate that the nervousness is still there and that I feel I NEED to be accepted by everyone else. I love to get together with people for photoshoots and I love meetups a lot - I wish I could go to more of them! But I still hate the fact that I feel I have to prove myself.
And that's because of the elitist attitude. I have to look carefully at my dolls and make sure they're wearing their most flattering clothes, and that their hair is done right. My girl has a missing eyelash and I was mortified to admit that it had come off and I'd been too lazy to glue it back on... Even though everyone was REALLY nice, and no-one even minded or noticed she'd lost an eyelash I still felt nervy.
And this topic has stemmed from my thoughts about the 'Should limiteds or oneoffs be modified or split into pieces?' debate. Because I think that if you've paid good money for a doll you should be able to do whatever you like to it. Obviously, it makes little sense to actually fork out a fortune for a limited/ooak then change it completely but if it has the basis you want to work on then why not? And part of the 'elitist' sense I get from BJD fandom is that other people seem to think they should be allowed to dictate what people do with their own money or their own property
That's what I think anyway.
I'm not trying to upset or offend anyone, and I don't mean to if I do, I'm just giving my views based on 9 months in the hobby from what I've observed both here and in person. I'd love to see what other people think - is this a widespread thing? Or is it just me? Do you agree/disagree with my observations/opinions? Why?
Go forth and debate
(I did search to see if there was a similar thread and couldn't find one so.... >.>)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
I wanted to post, but the mods closed it before I could.
Here is what I wrote:
I hate elitism.
It's been almost a year now since I started collecting BJDs. When I got my first one, a Doll-Zone, I was so excited and wanted to show him off and play with other collators with my doll. I went to my first meet up, and was too shy to do anything but chat with this one girl…
Anyway, a few minute in, a few other people join in, and one girl looked my way, and said, quite flippantly, "I won't have came to this meet up if I knew there was too many greens." It made me so very disheartened, even more so when I didn't know what to say in my defense. It didn't help that this same girl shunned me through the entire meeting.
I nearly gave up on the hobby, if I wasn't so infatuated with my doll.
What would you do in this situation?
It might help others if they find themselves in a similar situation.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'll be able to post it in 3 monthes...
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Whatever Entry 2
2 min read
Hello!
An update in my most eventful life.
I failed the Art History Test #2, but I still have a chance at passing this year if I do all the extra credit. I have my second paper due soon, and have yet to start it. I must get my butt moving. I have the extra credit assignment bump my Test #2 grade up one level ( a D to a C) due Thursday.
I failed Government Test #2, because I really couldn't keep my mind on memorizing the 4 pages of notes (11 pt, .5 margins). I'm behind in my ITSC's work, but I'm not too concerned. It's just another one of those "Things to Do" in a long list of things.
I am just this close to finishing my doll. Seriously! I just cannot seem to find the time to do the last few things – fixing some muscle tone, and then start on the mold boxes. I finally have enough supplies to make the mold boxes; Foam board, Super dough, and Silicone rudder. I just need straws now.
I have to get rid of some of this FABRIC! OMG! That is the goal. I want to get rid of half of my fabric supply. But every pattern I make doesn't fit well. It is very frustrating. I want to take some sewing classes too. My own costumes look like crap too. I might as well pay $100 for a nice Cosplay costume. Than wear the crap I make. (T__T)
And that is the end of my most eventful life, until next time.
An update in my most eventful life.
I failed the Art History Test #2, but I still have a chance at passing this year if I do all the extra credit. I have my second paper due soon, and have yet to start it. I must get my butt moving. I have the extra credit assignment bump my Test #2 grade up one level ( a D to a C) due Thursday.
I failed Government Test #2, because I really couldn't keep my mind on memorizing the 4 pages of notes (11 pt, .5 margins). I'm behind in my ITSC's work, but I'm not too concerned. It's just another one of those "Things to Do" in a long list of things.
I am just this close to finishing my doll. Seriously! I just cannot seem to find the time to do the last few things – fixing some muscle tone, and then start on the mold boxes. I finally have enough supplies to make the mold boxes; Foam board, Super dough, and Silicone rudder. I just need straws now.
I have to get rid of some of this FABRIC! OMG! That is the goal. I want to get rid of half of my fabric supply. But every pattern I make doesn't fit well. It is very frustrating. I want to take some sewing classes too. My own costumes look like crap too. I might as well pay $100 for a nice Cosplay costume. Than wear the crap I make. (T__T)
And that is the end of my most eventful life, until next time.
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Whatever Entry
1 min read
Wooohoo…
An Update in my most uneventful life…
Failed my second Government test, passed the re-test for Intro to Computers, MUST pass next week's Art History Test. Two weeks to pull a 6 page research paper out of my assss. Yet another test for Intro to Computers tomorrow. Joyful.
I believe "Collage" means "Mass Consumption of Starbucks." I seriously hated the stuff before I entered college. Now it's like a life line for me. I should own stock there.
I'm working a bunch this week. Like 25 hours. Seems like everyone else can't work, so I am. (Great Halloween Holidays.) And Joy of all Joys, I have Costume Failure. I believe I can only make doll clothes… just not the pants. I've been working a few years on making these pants. I'm thinking about buying a program. My ultimate goal, doll pants that fit, umm yeah.
That's what I should be doing after school today. Try and make some clothes and then sell them. RAWR! And then some doll foods and things.
An Update in my most uneventful life…
Failed my second Government test, passed the re-test for Intro to Computers, MUST pass next week's Art History Test. Two weeks to pull a 6 page research paper out of my assss. Yet another test for Intro to Computers tomorrow. Joyful.
I believe "Collage" means "Mass Consumption of Starbucks." I seriously hated the stuff before I entered college. Now it's like a life line for me. I should own stock there.
I'm working a bunch this week. Like 25 hours. Seems like everyone else can't work, so I am. (Great Halloween Holidays.) And Joy of all Joys, I have Costume Failure. I believe I can only make doll clothes… just not the pants. I've been working a few years on making these pants. I'm thinking about buying a program. My ultimate goal, doll pants that fit, umm yeah.
That's what I should be doing after school today. Try and make some clothes and then sell them. RAWR! And then some doll foods and things.
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