#SD17

[calochortus]

Volks Reisner by Makoto Kojima

[metalshockfinland]

SD17 Release New Single And Visualizer 'i'm Not Innocent'

US metallers SD17 have released their new single and visualizer for ‘i’m Not Innocent’. The band shared:“I’m Not Innocent is a melodic metal song from SD17 that details the story of a veteran who fears he will not reach the afterlife based on the things he did during the war. The regrets are profound, but were a necessary evil to complete as a young man. Now near the end of life, his mind…

[small-time-hijinks]

Floris with roses. He's a Super Dollfie 17 Maximilian made by Volks.

[cian1675]

Sion with new eyes made by genkiyankii

Genkiyankii was in a phase of making a bunch of resin eyes for fun, and when she asked if I'll like some resin eyes, the first doll I thought of was Sion. I've always envisioned him with light grey/blue eyes, and he had cycled through a few different pairs of eyes over the years I've had him. I always liked whichever pair he has (until I found something better). But when the option to customise eyes came up, I couldn't resist asking genkiyankii for a pair of eyes of the same grey/blue colour that's so Sion to me, but with an extra pop in the red shiny gem pupil. And genkiyankii delivered :D

(It only took me months to photograph it lol)

[f41photo]

ストロボ使えるか試してた。ところでうちのお兄さんは龍馬くんだってちゃんと認識されているんだろうかって、うちに来て8年なのにまだ言ってる。

[weepyoldkiller]

I've owned this boy forever. I didn't photograph him for a long time because I messed up his faceup. I had trouble getting him to feel like himself again. But I finally managed!

Another older photo.

River is an Volks SD17 Reisner

Eyes are doll bakery

Top is Dorset over on Etsy

[dragonsdelightstudio]

Ooooohhh…. SD17 pattern works like a charm. I’ll be having fun making more to sell. (Snap closure)

[dollsonmain]

Shuffled some clothes and wigs around and I'm happier with Sakura, now, but not exactly happy because I don't care for the colors of that outfit.

I think the witch costume works well with those eyes and that wig makes her look more focused than the other one I had on her (by hiding her eyebrows....).

While I was down there I did some math.

To be satisfied with the dolls that currently are on display I need:

8-10 slim MSD size outfits that I actually like

2 SDC/MSD size wigs (I'm actually happy with almost all of the wigs everyone is wearing)

2 SD size outfits

1 SD13 Boy Long Leg outfit

1 SD17 boy outfit

1 17in Tonner male doll outfit (for Steve)

1 BW SD body

1 MSD/SDM head

Stupid luxury hobby.

[montydollcrew2]

Back in April I got to take Cygnus to Tenshi no Sato in Kyoto! I’ve been wanting to do this for ages and it was a really nice experience. So here’s a recap!

It was actually the second time I’d been to Sato, the first time was back in 2017 which I wrote about on my old doll blog. I was new to SD then but now 6 years later I not only was able to better appreciate the museum and the significance of a lot of the dolls in there, but I also got to experience it with a doll I really, really treasure (that’s not to say Finn (Renee at the time) isn’t important, I had just literally only just got that doll at the time).

Anyway, just like last time there are limited areas where photos are allowed, which unfortunately means no photos of the museum floor again. This is a shame because there were a lot more dolls this time - including boyhood Cecile, so it would have been cute to have a pic of Cygnus in front of his original form. It was cool to see all the Oath of Silver Coin dolls together though - it was also the first time I’d seen SD17 Captain Cecile in person, and I still want him really bad ;-;

Anyway here’s the requisite pics of Cygnus in the main meeting area at the big table. Sato changes out the flowers seasonally, and the ones during my visit were gerbera.

But the main reason I took him to Sato was to do the Omukae ceremony with him. In the 2017 post about Sato I did on my old blog, I misunderstood the Omukae Ceremony as something you could only do for Full Choice System dolls when you go to pick them up. But it’s actually something you can do for any Volks dolls regardless of when or how you got it. So what is it? It’s kind of the culmination of a lot of the fan culture surrounding Volks dolls as being alive or extensions of yourself - it’s essentially a ceremony to celebrate the bond you have with a doll. Like you’re being soul-bonded to them on the astral plane or…something. It’s incredibly extra, but I always found it fascinating and kind of charming so after a friend did it a few years back I decided that I would too at some point, because I like being able to experience the many things Volks offers. At first though I didn’t know if I’d ever have a doll important enough for me to be fitting for the sheer level of pomp and circumstance, but Cygnus definitely fits the bill.

The Ceremony is actually available at any Volks store - I witnessed one in the Fukuoka showroom several years back. It’s just a lot more special at either Sato, or Tenshi no Mado in Harajuku first due to the alters being more decorated but also due to having more space. Plus Sato has the veiled statue of Mother SD behind the alter so it is absolutely the most extra of all location options.

When the ceremony begins, they actually close the doors to the main hall to prevent people randomly coming in and potentially ruining it (especially because this part of Sato is right at the entrance). This also means that anyone currently in that area is stuck there and forced to watch the ceremony happen (although they are given warning). The doll is put on the alter by the owner, who then sits on a chair in front of it. Here is Cygnus politely wondering what is going on when he was placed on the alter.

The lights are dimmed and the Doll Advisor (abbreviated to DAD on the certificate which tickles me) enters wearing a robe. The lights are dimmed in the room, they draw the hanging curtains around the doll to hide it from view and light candles on either side of the alter, and recite a very flowery speech about your beautiful amazing bond with your beautiful amazing doll. The speech is the same for everyone other than the names of you and your doll (which can also be your nickname or handlename, so my friend got to do theirs being constantly referred to as ‘Beby-sama’), and you receive a copy of it as a souvenir card with your names written in the spaces. I had my back to the table here because of being in the seat, but when the lights were dimmed I realised I could see the table in the reflection of the glass by the alter and there were more people than I expected, and I really hope they knew the ceremony was a thing beforehand because I can’t imagine how it would feel to suddenly be witnessing this if you had no idea what was going on.

The DAD then instructs the owner to blow out the candles, which symbolises blowing life into the doll. Then the owner opens the curtains up and picks up their soul bonded doll and turns to face whatever audience has gathered. But the thing is. While they are doing the speech and all, the music is just some gentle Ave Maria type thing, but specifically at the moment the ceremony is complete - when you pick up your doll, the song changes to a different one. The Shigetas (the couple who run Volks) have very particular music tastes and have songs and playlists they use for things - the playlist at Dolpa events is stuff like Dancing Queen and other oldies on repeat and it never changes. The song they have chosen for the omukae ceremony that has apparently been unchanged since its inception is, I shit you not, ‘Tonight I Celebrate My Love’ by Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack. And -specifically!!!!!- the part that says ‘when I make love to you tonight’. This is a legendary injoke with English speaking volks fans so I did already know about this but I still wasn’t prepared for the exact cocktail of emotions you get when you’re having an extremely weird, almost cult-like ceremony and it’s weird but also touching because your OC means that much to you and then right at the end that song kicks in. I had a mask on which concealed my expression but I still couldn’t help but double over slightly when I picked Cygnus up, which I hope the staff interpreted as a sign of me being touched by the proceeding and not just me losing it at the stunningly inappropriate song. Here is Cygnus after the ceremony with the lights still dimmed politely wondering what just happened.

After that, my friend and I went to the cafe. The Sato cafe only has cakes and drinks, but the cakes are always cute and change seasonably. This time I was able to get a cute sakura roll cake. Cygnus watches on from the basket the staff give you to carry your dolls around the facility like baby kittens.

Anyway! That’s the omukae ceremony, amazing experience, unintentionally hilarious, I really enjoyed it, potentially confusing as all hell for any newcomer in my audience who saw it unprepared.

If you also want to get soul bonded to your super dollfie to questionable music choices, email Volks to inquire and make a reservation. If you want to do it at Sato, check the opening dates on the Sato calendar (it’s only open on weekends and a few other days each month) and send Volks an email, well in advance as they can only do a certain number of ceremonies per day.

[the-bjd-community-confess]

I know this might be a pipe dream, but I really want Volks to release an SD17 Aladdin as part of their Disney line. I know they're only doing the princesses, and I will die if they release a Jasmine, but I'll die a thousand times more if they release an Aladdin. Can we petition for an SD17 Disney Prince line? I will sell every organ I can to get my hands on those.

~Anonymous

[resin-popia]

I'm assuming there's a variety of shapes and sizes bjd are made in, what made you go with the doll you used for copia?

One day around this time of year (like almost a year to the day) I got the itch to go dolly shop browsing and I saw Dream Valley Cayes at Alice's Collection website:

And I thought two things:

1. Oh wow, an MSD male with actual distinct features!! Usually MSD size (Mini Super Dollfie, 40-52cm) have more bishounen/feminine/childish features for some reason. And the male dolls have these boring, thoughtless "grillmarks" sort of abs. Dream Valley company has a gorgeously sculpted male body that poses well.

2. That's Cardi's nose! Aggh! And I fell in love with his stage costumes, so let's make him!

So I went for the sculpt instead of the size. Some people collect only one size, I collect whatever I am interested in.

Here's my biggest doll I own next to my smallest, next to Cardi (52cm, on the tall end of MSD) who is still tapping his foot and waiting for his robe to be done. (At least his feet are not cold)

Biggest doll is an SD17 (Super Dollfie 17) around 75 cm, a Meeksdoll Labella. Meeksdoll is a small creator and I love her very masculine aesthetic. Her dolls have very strong features and solid bodies. He is a WIP, as you can see by his baldness (can you tell I really dislike making wigs....)

Smallest I have is this 11-ish cm ABS plastic bunny from Hujoo (no longer around!) He was $25. And sorry he's in his skivvies I was repairing his wappenrock (15th Cent German Landsknecht male kirtle) like three years ago and I never put it back on again. I promise my dolls have clothes.

Thanks for your ask!

[calochortus]

Volks Kiriko by Makoto Kojima

[metalshockfinland]

SD17 Release New Single + Video 'Defiance'

SD17 have released a new single and video ‘Defiance’. SD17 is a 5-piece American Metal band from Albuquerque, NM. Born during Covid as a recording project in 2020, SD17 evolved into a team of dedicated professionals in 2023, who met through personal contacts and the internet. With influences ranging from classic rock to modern metal, their unique brand of entertainment fuses chugging riffs,…

[daydreamingcolors]

Young version vs older version

I’m still playing around with the idea of buying another yeon ho head to put on an SD17 body for his older version and just commissioning a faceup, but then im lazy and just want to find a body that will match his mellowed tone 😭

*sigh*

Forever making doll plans

[cian1675]

Parker

[f41photo]

ずっと並べておいてたら、仲良くなってた。顔の大きさの差が意外と気にならなくなってきた。