#dollmaker theme

[queersrus]

dollmaker theme

[dollmaker theme]

for @seraphim-coinz 's event, prompt two !

partnered with our other blogs @dollilian, @objectumluv, @systiveboxes, @skelatomy

(nick) names:

anna, albert, auguste babog, branford caruusada

dukkemager, doliwr, david, despina eaton faith, foreman, francois

hori james, jumeau, jan, julia, jusaburo kukullberes, kuurcakci, kukolnik, kathe, katherine, katharina, kruse, kumiko

lialiecnik, lutkar, lelyte, lalkarz, lyalkar, lili, lucy manika, morton, marque, miura omolankidi

pupfaristo, panenka, pierre ryujo, reborn, rebirth, reborner simon, shizuka, sasha

vasily, vittoria yartsana

1st p prns: i/me/my/mine/myself

di/dolle/dolly/dolline/dollself mi/make/maky/makine/makerself

2nd p prns: you/your/yours/yoursef

do/doller/dollers/dollerself mo/maker/makers/makerself

3rd p prns: they/them/theirs/themself

do/doll, doll/dolls, doll/maker, doll/creator, doll/designer make/maker, maker/makers

titles:

the dollmaker, the maker of dolls, the doll designer, the doll creator, the doll carver

*one who dresses dolls, one who makes dolls, one who creates only the daintiest of dolls

*one can be replaced by any prn

[sowinsza]

✿**The Dollmaker's Secret**✿

☻In the small village of Tuckvale, there lived an old dollmaker named Elias who owned a peculiar toy shop. Children would often visit his store to marvel at the lifelike dolls he created. Each doll was unique, with intricate details and mesmerizing glass eyes.☻

☻One day, a young girl named Lily ventured into Elias's shop. Her gaze fell upon a beautiful doll that looked just like her, wearing an identical pink dress. Enchanted by its likeness, Lily begged her mother to buy it. The dollmaker seemed reluctant but eventually agreed.☻

Lily adored her new doll and spent all ☻her time with it. As days passed, her appearance started to change. Her once rosy cheeks grew pale, and her eyes took on a glassy sheen.☻

☻Meanwhile, in the shop, the doll that resembled Lily had vanished. In its place stood a new doll, with dark hair and green eyes - much like the next child who would visit the shop.☻

☻Years passed, and rumors spread about the strange disappearances of children in Tuckvale. Eventually, an old woman went to confront Elias. Upon entering the shop, she saw dolls that resembled all the missing children, including one that looked like the young girl she had once known - Lily.☻

☻In a state of shock and disgust, she ☻demanded answers. Elias revealed that he'd discovered an ancient method to transfer the life essence of a child into a doll, granting them eternal life but robbing them of their humanity.☻

☻Horrified, the woman ran to the village center, rallying the townspeople. They marched to Elias's shop, only to find it deserted, its shelves barren.☻

☻Years have passed since the dollmaker vanished, yet rumors persist in Tuckvale of dolls with lifelike eyes peering through windows or appearing on doorsteps. Some say the dolls are searching for the man who stole their souls, while others believe it's merely a cautionary tale for children to behave...☻

✦sorry that its a little short, i really rushed this one a little, btw sorry i was gone ✦

[mothinabottle]

very interested in more May the Dollmaker content!!

And you'll get more!

.

.

.

When I actually figure out how to convey her character better...

(Warning, rambles under the cut)

May is a tricky PC to work with, mainly because she is the beginning of everything and the force that pushes the whole story.

She is not only a PC, but a character that heavily influences the other PC's decisions. Has seen it all, experienced it all so her children would not. Another player, practically.

Hana and Kari's design is heavily inspired by her goals. Their routes also come from May's original failures . The galaxy theme is also recurrent, another reason as to why Jordan's cape has a galaxy in the inside at night.

Being so expressive and honest (grimacing, obvious gestures), she is also tricky to draw because I am not really into drawing, and she requires a lot of effort to convey her story and personality. Interacts with too many characters I still need to design. And that includes NPCs that dont have a defined story in-game (Mainly Jordan)

In resume: May might start making some cameos in the other PC's comics first. Telling their story is somewhat telling hers. And telling her story also means pulling headcannons out of my ass for other NPCs (and Idk if ppl would really like that) that don't have enough lore or dialogues for me to represent them well enough.

And honestly, I could ramble about who she is for a loooong time, but that isn't interesting to anyone, is it? :p

[viviane-lefay]

Santari & Dagan as Arien & Tilion

"The maiden whom the Valar chose from among the Maiar to guide the vessel of the Sun was named Arien, and he that steered the island of the Moon was Tilion. In the days of the Trees Arien had tended the golden flowers in the gardens of Vána, and watered them with the bright dews of Laurelin; ... but Tilion was a hunter of the company of Oromë, and he had a silver bow. He was a lover of silver, and when he would rest he forsook the woods of Oromë, and going into Lórien he lay in dream by the pools of Estë, in Telperion’s flickering beams; and he begged to be given the task of tending for ever the last Flower of Silver. Arien the maiden was mightier than he, and she was chosen because she had not feared the heats of Laurelin, and was unhurt by them, being from the beginning a spirit of fire, whom Melkor had not deceived nor drawn to his service. Too bright were the eyes of Arien for even the Eldar to look on, and leaving Valinor she forsook the form and raiment which like the Valar she had worn there, and she was as a naked flame, terrible in the fullness of her splendour."

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion, p.99-100 (Of the Sun and the Moon and the Hiding of Valinor)

~*~

I've finally found Dagan and Santari's perfect Tolkien-verse counterparts - and *gasp* they're no elves, but maiar (ainur, the "gods" according to lore, of which the maiar are the "lesser" ones).

I'm a bit surprised I didn't think of this sooner, as it is such a nice choice for them - especially looks-wise.

For those who are wondering ... yes, I said Dagan looks like an elf to me, but the most common form that ainur choose to take is an elven one, so I guess that still counts. And since Tilion is the maia of the moon it's pretty much the Dagan Space Elf - theme again, lol.

Concerning personality and traits - it's actually the opposite, as Dagan's the fiery one here, and Santari the serene one. Same regarding force-potential - Dagan is clearly the more powerful one.

But while he is also smart, Santari is the one with the brilliant mind of a genius, so I'd say here's an Arien-esque trait.

And last but not least - I just love that this is one of the great, archetypal male - female, two halves of a whole, lovers combinations (in astrology, sun & moon is the soulmates / twin flames combo, for instance), which I totally dig - especially when it comes to OTPs of mine.

So, yes, I'm very pleased with this choice. =D

[astrumocs]

not at all. its not like it hurts them yea? what do you do with the dolls exactly?

[Prev Ask for Context]

"Well, not physically at least. It might perhaps cause some emotional distress, but it's nothing to get so upset about really. It would be much less stressful if they didn't fight me on it."

"That was the reason they lost their arm, you know? During one of my earlier and weaker possessions, they fought my control at a bad time-- The person I'd been about to do my work on attacked them quite viciously before running off like a wild animal."

"Ah, as for my dolls, I collect them~ I cannot rest until my collection feels complete, I know that the last pieces are missing and wandering about out there, somewhere."

"Any dolls that I don't keep I sell for supply funding and the like, I don't care much about who buys them or for what purpose, only about the fact my work is appreciated enough to be bought."

> He's blushing a little bit about how much he loves just thinking about his collection. Yikes.

[cluepoke-archive]

I need to get back into cosplaying..

[mechahero]

Joy! More pagedolls be upon you (dollmaker link)

[aldo-is-missing]

…

Don’t sing if you want to live long…

They have no use for your song…

You’re dead…

You’re dead…

You’re dead…

You’re dead…

And out of this world…

[mynnthia]

compiling my headcanons for what video games dungeon meshi characters would like, if they were gamers in modern day

some taken from this post and my reblog additions there. added more characters, with some suggestions by friends/mutuals (marked by *asterisk ).

this can also be a games recommendation list based on your fav/most relatable characters too, if you want

characters that are not are included are bc i dont have ideas for them. if i only list the genre name but not any specific titles, its bc im not familiar enough with the character/genre to pick a specific game.

this list is, of course, biased towards games im more familiar with. feel free to ask me to elaborate on my choices or make suggestions in the comments

Laios' party:

Laios: plays lots of Monster Hunter. loves Spore but he doesnt often play past the tribal stage. likes Pokemon but he's more focused on catching the pokemon than following the story. played WolfQuest and DragonFable back in the day. enjoyed the concept of Bugsnax but wasn't interested in dealing with the NPCs

Marcille: mainly Dwarf Fortress, RTS games, some colony sims. but also sometimes The Sims, and dollmaker dress-up games. i could see her also enjoying Rollercoaster Tycoon and making elaborately-themed parks. might also occasionally indulge in some visual novels if she's in the mood for narrative she has Stardew Valley so she can have something to play co-op with falin, but its not a game she plays a lot of otherwise. when playing with falin, marcille micromanages the farm to maximize productivity, and does the decorations

Chilchuck: puzzle games and hidden object/escape room games as a video game-equivalent to finding/dismantling traps and lockpicking. i think he'd also enjoy Bejeweled.

Senshi: mainly Wii games and Cooking Mama. occasionally plays Snake on his 15-year-old nokia phone. i dont think he would enjoy games like Overcooked or restaurant manager games, because he likes to take his time making food, not stressing about customer service

Falin: some *Legend of Zelda games – she likes the exploration aspect in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, maybe also some of the toon zelda games like Minish Cap or Wind Waker she also plays Pokemon (*Pokemon Go when she's traveling), and i think she would enjoy some indie games, like Penko Park or Chicory: A Colorful Tale. plays Stardew Valley co-op with marcille – falin mainly takes care of the animals, mining, and picking the crops. occasionally makes improvement suggestions that marcille didnt think of

Izutsumi: i could see her enjoying games with parkour mechanics, like *Assassin's Creed, or Mirror's Edge. or maybe something simple but requiring cat-like swipes, like Fruit Ninja. despite her impatience, i think she could also enjoy action games with interesting longer narratives, as evidenced by [this omake] (relevant portion pictured below), so maybe *Final Fantasy 7 – my friend who's familiar with the game said "she’d find Cloud and Vincent relatable"

[ID: a dungeon meshi omake, where laios' party watches a nightmare monster manifest marcille's dream. there are snippets of dramatic soap opera-like dialogue. the rest of the party are initially enthusiastic but get bored over time, meanwhile izutsumi remains enthralled]

Kabru's party

Kabru: definitely Crusader Kings. maybe also some rpgs with relationship/faction mechanics, such as *Fire Emblem (one of the older ones or FE:3H) or Fallout: New Vegas (hes maxing out the speech stat asap) i think he would also enjoy mystery games like Pentiment and Return of the Obra Dinn – he would love the process of getting familiar with the many characters and deducing "who did what" in both games.

Rin: she takes pride in being an indie gamer (translating her disdain for upper class magic academy mages -> disdain for AAA games). given her chain-lightning magic in canon, i think she'd enjoy games with AOE-type magic, so maybe games such as Vampire Survivors. my mutual also suggested she might enjoy indie mystery visual novels like *Paranormasight, and that her AAA guilty-pleasure would be *Final Fantasy 14 – that rin is "a hardcore ff14 raider. would join PUGs and shot-call every week. #holm and diya might also play ff14 casually with rin but holm would be fishing mainly"

Mickbell: mainly Bethesda games like Fallout and Skyrim– enjoys the bootstrapper power fantasy in them. the type to go out of his way to pick up all the loot he can, to later sell

Kuro: enjoys the same games as Mickbell, but for the open-world exploration and investigation factors

Toshiro and Tansu's party:

Namari: her interest in fighting and weapons could translate to brawler/fighting games and action games with a focus on weapon stats – so maybe *Street Fighter, *God of War, and/or *Dark Souls. might play *Monster Hunter with laios but for the weapons. i could also see her occasionally enjoying truck simulators

Toshiro (Shuro): has the perseverance for soulslikes and other high-difficulty action and/or metroidvania games, but would take his time overthinking item/weapon synergies sometimes. given [his fondness for bugs], i could also see him enjoying Hollow Knight

Tade: would enjoy the cute aesthetics and lighthearted gameplay of Animal Crossing and Katamari. would also like idol anime rhythm games

Kiki: i think she would enjoy horror games such as Resident Evil, but would play it while super chill. i dont have much reasoning for this aside from vibes

Canaries:

Mithrun: plays Doom. got into Hollow Knight but still hasn't finished it because he keeps getting lost. senshi introduces him to Cooking Mama later on, which he finds surprisingly therapeutic

Cithis: plays Hitman and enjoys staging elaborate accident kills. i think she'd also enjoy The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood, with her background as a devious fortune-teller

Fleki: surreal indie games like Hylics. also plays Team Fortress 2, and is a scout main. occasionally joins lycion in Animal Jam

Lycion: active WolfQuest and Animal Jam player. occasionally joins fleki in tf2

Pattadol: plays Stardew Valley – shes comparatively a normie, but on the meticulous side. she would enjoy perfecting her in-game farm

Otta: plays Genshin Impact. the serious reasoning is because of her (earth) elemental magic and how genshin has an elemental magic system (from my understanding. ive never played it). the joke reasoning is how some genshin players play to collect "waifus", and how otta goes through a lot of women in her dating life

Other:

Leed: runs her own guild in World of Warcraft

Winged Lion: god-games like WorldBox or Simmiland. and Darkest Dungeon (this ones mostly a joke)

Thistle: plays the original Plants VS. Zombies. also plays Minecraft and is very serious about it, but hasn't updated his game in years (translating the fact hes a 1000-year-old kid frozen in time -> playing "slightly old" games popular in the early 2010s)

[ID: tweet reply by twitter user ranchuppi – "thistle calls it lord delgal's server but he is the only mod. whole royal family is locked in spectator mode. Hell. living hell on earth."]

[discardead]

··· ··· ··· ✧✦✧ ··· ··· ···　Old Machinery, Mechanic things, Dolls, and Lolita Fashion themed NPUT list

﹒﹒﹒　Requested by @nomkiwi

Dollita. Rosadoll. Dollithia. Porcelie. Frills. Vinlicate. Antoinette. Dollette. Lacey. Lain. Laine. Ribonette. Lacelune. Lovelace. Cutesyine. Frillocke. Locklace. Mechabelle. Dollique. Rustaline. Charmlace. Velvette. Metalisse. Copper. Russell. Rustique. Lottie. Luciel. Roch. Amir. Verdell. Blanche. Francoise. Victorine. Valvoria. Timorelle. Pendellia. Machinique. Dolly. Ethel. Stamford. Otto. Auto. Cyril. Chantilly.

doe/dolls. ge/gear. mae/machine. fri/frills. fi/frill. lae/lace. porce/porcelain. rib/ribbon. shwe/hwer. hwe/hwim. thwey/thwem. bo/bow. joi/joints. bjd/bjds. cu/cute. cyu/cyute. cwu/cwute. kyu/kyute. co/cogs. tick/tock. rus/rust. clo/clock. twick/twock. ste/steam. cha/charm. chi/chiffon. lo/lolita.

dollgears. machinedolls. gearedolls. steampnk. machinairy. deardoll. deardclly. dollpunk. dolljoints. cogsndolls. rustyd-ll. rustydoll. clocklita. dollike. autodoll. steampnklita. dollitas. steamedoll. clockwwrk. clockwcrks. pocketdoll. lacelita. clunylace. chantillace.

The [noun] in Frills. The Doll. Prn* Porcelain Beauty. The Lolita Doll. Prn* Timeless Beauty. The Vintage Doll. The [noun] who Dolled-up. The Dolled-up Darling/Lolita/[noun]. The [noun] with rusty ball-joints. The Clockwork Doll. Prn* Porcelain Heart. The Frilled Marionette. Prn* Mechanical Melody. The Dollmaker's creation. Prn* broken music box. Prn* Antique Beauty. The Dolly Lolita by the Clocktower. The [noun] in Gears and Cogs. The Cutest Lolita. The [noun] dressed in Laces. The Clocktower's Doll/[noun]. Prn* ticking Rhythm.

[blueskittlesart]

pleeease give a review for infinity nikki ive been thinking about downloading it but i dont know if i have the space and if its worth it to clear some up for it !!!

as someone who spent HOURS on flash-based dollmakers as a kid, i absolutely love it. the gameplay hits somewhere between dressup game and open-world RPG, in that there's a large botw-like open map to explore, but the express purpose of exploring it is to unlock new clothes for your character. The exploration itself feels very calm and cozy most of the time, with the emphasis being on small collection tasks like fishing, bug-catching, and foraging. again, all of this is specifically to craft new outfits for nikki which you can both coordinate with no limitations to wear in the open world and use in scored styling contests with npcs, some of which reward you with game currency and some of which help you progress the story quests. the only place where i feel the gameplay truly suffers is in combat. you have one attack, and it's a ranged shooter, but there's no aim-assist whatsoever, and the mobile joystick isn't NEARLY sensitive enough to justify this. aiming in combat is one of the most difficult parts of the game, and nikki can only take 5 hits before she dies and has to respawn, making combat decently frustrating. However, there are very few places where combat is strictly necessary in-game, and both of the boss battles i've done so far had hitboxes large enough that it wasn't an issue; it's really in the open world against hordes of smaller enemies that the lack of targeting becomes really frustrating. other than that, though, the controls are fairly well-designed and intuitive, especially if you've played similar games before.

The clothes themselves are the star of the show, of course. I've yet to see a single clothing item in the game that I don't want. there's a good mix of fancy intricate outfit pieces and basics to obtain early-on, and without even touching the gacha you can coordinate some really cute outfits via in-universe boutiques and quests that reward you with clothes. Even the very obviously themed ability outfit sets that you craft early on almost always have a few pieces that are easy to mix and match with, so there's a TON of styling potential even for free players! As for the gacha, it's actually one of the more generous games i've played in terms of rewards and pity systems. My one complaint so far is that the 5-star gacha outfits especially seem to be very accessory-heavy, meaning it's possible to pull shoes, multiple necklaces, gloves, socks, and hairpieces before ever pulling the dress they're very obviously designed around. there is a pity mechanic to prevent this, but it requires you to pull a few too many times before your guarantee imo.

The story is ridiculous in a good way. It kind of reads like a 2000s-era barbie movie to me right now, in the best way possible. there's an amazingly predictable sexy villain, cute little flying creatures that follow you around, and every conflict is, of course, solved via clothes in one way or another. My absolute favorite thing about the writing, though, is how blatantly earnest it all is. at no point does the game poke fun at its own wacky concept or even attempt to make some self-aware joke about it to the player--it plays everything completely straight, and in this aspect it almost feels MORE self-aware. it knows that the kind of person who wants to play a dressup rpg is also the kind of person who does not, under any circumstances whatsoever, want to be questioned or made fun of for their love of fashion or their engagement with that game. It very much feels like the devs know that they're working with primarily girls and young women and a subject matter that those girls and young women are often looked down upon or made fun of for seriously engaging with, and so it promises to engage EXTRA-seriously to make up for that. (side note: there's one point in a story quest where, when asked to make a wish, nikki wishes that all girls never get cramps again. that was when i knew this was a game that knew its audience.) If I wanted to nitpick, i might say that every quest so far has sort of felt like an increasingly ridiculous trading sequence--you learn what you need to do very early on, but you'll always spend several hours of gameplay encountering obstacles and doing other smaller tasks to circumvent those obstacles so you can reach your original goal. this might annoy me more if the game was trying to market itself as a serious RPG, but it seems very self-aware to me, and despite how i'm describing it none of the quests ive played have actually FELT tedious. I think the fact that it's such a wild concept to begin with gives the writers a bit of leeway in how they handle the story quests, and because I as the player am aware i'm playing a dressup game I don't really expect quests to immediately get to the point and let me fight something. I will say that there are certain things that aren't super intuitive especially if you aren't a seasoned gacha rpg player, particularly the features relating to advancing your skills and the styling points of your clothing. though the game does technically explain what you need to do, it doesn't explain the RELEVANCE of the feature, just that it exists, so I had to lose multiple styling contests before I realized i could upgrade my clothing to get higher scores.

The final thing I'll talk about is performance. I'm playing the game on my iphone 13, and the performance is.... not great, i'm ngl. Off the bat, if you play the game on a mobile device, you're going to be getting a HEAVILY scaled-down version of the terrain graphics. all of those screenshots you see online of beautiful terrain full of flowers and particle effects are from ps5s or custom pcs. truthfully, the mobile app looks like a game from 2012 and it will still turn your phone into an incinerator. I've also encountered multiple graphics bugs, some during pivotal scenes, and I get consistent lags when playing for longer than a few hours, likely due to the strain on my phone's hardware. it's also an INSANE battery drain, so i only play when my phone is plugged in. All that being said, the game has been out for less than a week, so visual bugs are inevitable, and the developers have stated that mobile optimization is a priority, so hopefully we'll at the very least no longer have to overheat our devices to play it soon. Also worth noting, from what I've seen the rendering of the CLOTHING doesn't suffer AT ALL on mobile devices. presumably they sacrificed terrain rendering to allow for such beautiful texturing on the clothing itself, which, given that the clothing is the main focus of the game, I can't fault them for. Basically, if you're going to try to run an unreal engine game on your iphone, be aware that it will run like an unreal engine game on an iphone. and prepare yourself to have to let your device cool down every few hours.

tldr: i love the game so far. i'm really excited to keep playing and see where the story goes, and I think they should make more games for girls <3

[oc-tournaments]

This is a blog dedicated to running OC tournaments! A new theme will be decided every time, decided by the followers. The first theme will be chosen by me, and is as follows:

GOD'S FAVOURITE PUNCHING BAG!

Note: Does not need to actually be a God! "God" refers to you, their creator, who enjoys putting them in situations.

To submit an OC, please read the rules below carefully before submitting!

I will be accepting fandom OCs and personal story OCS! However, for personal reasons I will not be accepting Harry Potter/Wizarding World, Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss or Homestuck OCs. This rule is firm and will not change.

You must submit a description of your OC and why they're God's favourite punching bag for them to be eligible!

The size of the bracket will be determined by the amount of submissions we receive.

No real people/canon characters can be submitted.

Be civil! ANY hostility towards other people or their OCs will result in being blocked and banned from interacting with any tournaments. This blog is not intended to breed hatred, but to showcase people's OCs and to generate new likings towards them!

You may submit up to three OCs, but only one per form! You will have to name your Tumblr blog to submit an OC, but you can request not to be named in the polls.

Self propaganda is allowed and encouraged, but hate propaganda towards other people's OCs is not allowed under any circumstances.

Your character must have some sort of reference image. Picrews and other dollmakers are allowed, but faceclaims are not.

The closing date for submissions is May 30th!! Please reblog and share to any friends who may be interested in submitting an OC <3

And please bear in mind this is my first tournament blog, so be kind in any criticism you may have of how I run things.

Fill in the form below to submit!

NOTICE: SUBMISSIONS ARE CLOSED! TOURNAMENT PREPARATIONS ARE UNDERWAY!!

Relevant blogs tagged for reach under cut! So sorry if you didn't want to be tagged, don't feel pressured to reblog <33

@tournament-announcer @variouspolltournaments @sekaicards @the-most-design-of-all-time @autism-rizz-tournament @ocquestionaday

[nobodysuspectsthebutterfly]

Thoughts about the supposed direction Rhaena's storyline is going in Hotd and the apparent Nettles erasure? Disappointing but... I can sort of see where they could take it? Idk... looking at grrm's posts in hindsight kinda makes me even more disappointed if he is as well (he just can't get his adaptations right atp but idk)

Well. Pre-ep7, we're still pending any Rhaena-Sheepstealer bonding, but I'm basically 😑🫠 about the rumors. (I dislike borrowing trouble, I'm not even sure how many of the rumors are true -- actually I'm pretty sure many of these supposed "leaks" are straight up lies -- and yet. Still *disgruntled meh* and *"we're all fine-everyone's fine here" dread*.) Rhaena is one of my more beloved F&B characters (it's the Sansa parallels, I can't help myself), and Nettles has been a super fave since TPATQ and TWOIAF. (Particularly TWOIAF, since the Burned Men fire-witch reveal; heck, I think my little dollmaker is still one of the few fanarts of Nettles in the mountains.)

I mean, sure, I understand that Rhaena's book storyline during the Dance, where she's offpage from basically the start of the war until nearly the end of it, socializing in the Vale and waiting for her egg to hatch, would be difficult to adapt in an action-oriented visuals-oriented television show. (Like Rhaenyra this season sure isn't just catatonically crying from Luke's death until Jace's.) And I'm glad Rhaena's getting more to do, and I'm glad it's directly addressing her feeling slighted and ignored by her family since she doesn't have a dragon. However...

I do not want Rhaena merged into one character with Nettles! I do not want Rhaena to have Sheepstealer and not her hope-for-the-future (doomed hope, and yet) baby dragon Morning, that hatched for her. Also note how pink Morning, worn as a fashion accessory, so suited Rhaena's coquette personality vs her sporty, adventurous twin sister... I mean, I've said before, I understand adaptations can be different, this still wouldn't make HOTD even close to a "loose adaptation".* But I do not want this adaptation to lose Rhaena's personality that I loved.

Or for that matter, to lose Nettles's character, and her importance to the themes and worldbuilding of ASOIAF. (See also.) And her importance to the plot -- but god knows, they're doing all sorts of things with Daemon and Rhaenyra on this show, toxic romance or what have you, who knows if once Daemon reaches his emotional breakthrough or whatever at Harrenhal this season, if they want to backslide him into a cheating plot in S3 while Daemon is again stuck in a castle for months.** Nevertheless, I'd be deeply disappointed to lose scenes like "as well as her dragon, the girl had taken to riding Daemon", or the last morning in Maidenpool scene... and um, you can't really fit Rhaena in there, or if you did, it would certainly put the lie to the ship denialists' "he just treated her like a father, platonically bathing naked together!" (Also the pretty blatant fake S3 leaks including one where Rhaenyra decides Rhaena has betrayed her... are pretty blatantly fake, sorry.)

And then there would be the frankly racist erasure of the one book black character. "Oh but the show made the Velaryons black, so it's not erasing, it's adding more!" No, sorry. (1) I was and am all for adding more racial diversity to the show and especially to Valyrians, but face it, when you take the book's secondary character Velaryons, two who get killed off early and are portrayed as lesser to the "true" Daemon/Rhaenyra marriage, and make them black, you've already done a lot of hinky damage there. (2) What, it's that hard to write three distinct black girls with very different personalities and one from an incredibly different background? I don't see Addam and Alyn getting merged. I don't see Aemond and Daeron getting merged. I don't see Hugh and Ulf getting merged. But I'm not really one to speak here, for this particular discussion I'd point you to @ride-thedragon and @venusintheblindspots-blog and @chrkrose, among others, they have many many posts on this subject in far greater detail and better argued than mine.

OK, so. I still have hope that Nettles -- even if not cast for this season (sorry y'all, that extra is an extra) -- may appear next season, and all this worry will turn out to be a tempest in a teapot. Per last report from the HOTD panel at SDCC, the rumor of Rhaena and Sheepstealer definitely doesn't happen in ep 7, though, yes, there's one episode after. And if it does happen... I'll be strongly disappointed. Deeply, deeply disappointed, and probably far more suspicious of future adaptational changes. But, for me at least, it's not a dealbreaker like GOT S5 was.*** I won't be happy at all about the storyline, but I would like to think the show will remain high quality re themes and character and all. Time will tell, though. Time will definitely tell.

As for GRRM, when his complaints seem to be "wild dragons shouldn't be in the Vale" and "the heraldry with four legs is wrong", well, I struggle to see that he's that disappointed in the adaptational changes. Believe me, I am well used to reading between the lines re GRRM and adaptations, something like the fact that he's not visiting the HOTD writers' room when he's in the UK is nothing. Catch me if at Worldcon or his Oxford lecture in August, GRRM again says that he could write a whole novel about Nettles, or if actually says something about non-Valyrian dragonriders, ok?

*I was just reading up on The Beast (2023) vs Henry James's “The Beast in the Jungle”. lol HOTD doesn't compare. Don't even think it, man.

**You know, this reminds me of how the Dance in F&B is not paced very well for individual characters, they keep going offscreen for months at a time. From shortly after Rhaenyra's crowning to the Fall of KL, Daemon just sits at Harrenhal and occasionally ventures out into the riverlands. From shortly after the Fall of KL until the Battle Above the Gods Eye, Daemon just... sits at Maidenpool and occasionally ventures out into the riverlands (with Nettles). Yeah, obviously a show would need to write more for him to do, he's a main character.

***Thank god HOTD isn't the sort of exploitative shitshow that GOT was. All y'all thinking it was a better adaptation because of your nostalgia goggles (and/or shitty memory) need to actually reread the books (especially AFFC/ADWD) and then submit yourself to the real-world misogynist and homophobic nonsense of S5-6 again, ugh.

[yandere-paramour]

recently was introduced to this dollmaker app pocamate and I of course had to make the yanderes (and me with Ata^^)

I could not for the life of me remember what Asteria looks like, and it's hard to make characters look older in the app, so Asteria and Jamie might look a bit off

AHHHHH IT'S MY BLORBOS!!!

Okay so I think Noelle is the most accurate like that is CLEARLY her, she's so winter themed, she's got Nightfall from SpyxFamily energy

But the Atalanta is so good too! I love that you've made her look so masc, I love it, she's amazing and you compliment her so well!

Vivien so happy! He's got his heart eyes on so you KNOW he's thinking about you, I think he's baking you something or crafting something for you, I love him so much!

Asteria and Jamie are SO CUTE!!!! Jamie is such a shy little guy, so cute, and I noticed his eyes are the same as Ata's! You remembered! And Asteria's hair is the same as Ata's just longer which is accurate af

I love this!!!

[ninja-muse]

The Dollmakers by Lynn Buchanan is the most original fantasy novel I've read in a good while. It doesn't follow a familiar plot structure. It's peopled by characters rarely seen but true to life. It tackles its issues, themes, and conundrums without turning them into morals or even necessarily reaching conclusions. The magic has been done before, but also not this way. The world, while familiar in some aspects, also feels fresh and different.

Did I like it? I'm not sure. But I definitely think it's worth picking up.

Because this book is so different, it's hard to encapsulate. The premise of a young woman determined to prove herself and gain the job and status she deserves sounds like it should launch a novel of revenge, of conquest, or of an underdog—but this doesn't. A story about magical dolls designed to fight ravening monsters sounds like it should be about great battles and increasing odds—but this isn't. This also isn't a story about a stranger upending a small town, or mentorship, or political conflicts, or even a mystery. Instead, there are elements of all those things, but this novel is too character-driven to fall neatly into boxes. Shean of Pearl is simply going to do what she thinks best and we're along for the journey.

The complexity of the plot is mirrored in its characters. Shean is capable of kindness and delicacy and righteous anger, but she's also tactless and self-absorbed and unwilling to listen to reason. There are brave characters too afraid to interact with society, kind mentors who fail in their mentorship, sour but welcoming villagers, wandering scholars who hold themselves apart until they don't, rule-abiding citizens who can't value originality, thoughtful people who come to snap judgements, and a host of other people who are flawed and complicated as anyone of us might be in their place. There's nobody I can point to and say, "Here, she relied entirely on a trope."* Buchanan's character work is arguably where this book shines most.

As for the themes and issues, I've grown used to fantasy and science fiction with clear morals, clear good guys, and clear political points. Again, this isn't that sort of book. You have to get well into it before you see what Buchanan's talking about on that level and she's more interested about raising questions and pointing out problems than she is in solving anything. We and her characters are left with things to think about, and with introspection. And no, I won't say more than that. Spoilers!

This isn't to say that this book is without flaw. Mostly, on that front, I found Shean's emotional journey a little sudden and jerky at points, with greater or quicker character growth than her personality led me to expect, and there's one particular moment near the beginning that felt exaggerated for the sake of demonstration rather than being true to character. The rest of my problems, and what's holding me back from saying, "This book was amazing!", I think stem from how different this book is. Is my grumble at that minor character's reaction due to weak writing or because they're so perfectly poised within their world that of course they don't act like a "normal" character? Is this plot line wrapping up too neatly or are we being set up for a sequel? That sort of thing. I should point out this is a debut novel and these are issues I've run into with debut novels before—but at the same time, this is much, much more polished and subtle than a lot of debuts are.

As for the magic and the world, I've run on too long to cover them much, but the doll magic is lovely, the monsters are fascinating, the idea that every nation has its own entirely separate culture and magic is familiar while the details are not, and in general, it's all very strong. Buchanan has a lot to play with and I'd happily read more in this world whether or not there's a direct sequel.

To sum up: this is a very strong, very interesting, very unique debut fantasy. It's a novel to mull over and one I'll be sorting through my feelings for. If you're interested in smaller fantasy stories, fantasies that take their time, or are tired of current fantasy trends and plot types, you should absolutely give this one a look. Buchanan's going to be an author to watch, I think.

* apart from third-tier non-speaking characters, like waiters or shopkeepers

[heraxic]

re8 as classical music

badly explained cause its 2am and i dont know musical terms.

Btw if anyone has any notes or other songs that would fit them id love to see it-

Ethan: Tchaikovsky - Marche Slave

Slow start, Ethan is unknowingly ensnared in a trap. As he realizes the danger Rose (and himself) are in the song becomes tragic and determined. Fastpaced strings, frantic beats —like prey escaping from predator— keeps escalating into something more and more insurmountable. A hopeful jingle is heard as Ethan finds out he can still save his daughter. A heroic theme plays as he overcomes the horrors despite it all (a sense of control over the situation is marked by highpitched anxious flutes superimposed by a deep stable horn). Then comes the first faceoff with Miranda who taunts him and Ethan’s tragic hero theme comes to a grinding halt as his heart gets pulled out of his chest. The drums pick up again and the little soldier is off to his final battle.

Mia: Claude Debussy - Clair De Lune

Sadly the real Mia doesn’t appear much. In the Winters home, Ethan writes that Mia doesn’t want to talk about what they went through in Louisiana, which leaves him with a lot of questions unanswered. In the flashback where she desperately tries reaching out saying ‘𝘺𝘰𝘶 matter’, she still can’t help keeping secrets- maybe out of fear that Ethan wouldn’t let it go (being extremely persistent) and they’d never return to normal. The song is heartbreaking and sad as she struggles coming to terms with the guilt and grief over what she’s done and what the one she loves went through because of it. On a last somber note, her child, who takes after her father both in looks and unresolved powers, is all she has left.

Rose: Saint-Saëns - Le Cygne

A little girl whos only ever known unconditional, all encompassing love. Even before her birth, it was known that her life would be full of uncertainty. Though stolen away for possessing powers she’s not even aware of yet, she continues to live and provide a beacon of hope for her family.

Chris: Richard Wagner - Ride of the Valkyries

Comes in the dead of night and rains hell on the Winters home. In his eyes, he’s doing the right thing, but has made himself the villain to the one he was trying to protect (victorious trumpets superimposed by high fearful strings). The transport gets intercepted by Miranda and the music falls. Once Chris finally explains himself to Ethan they’re allowed a brief bit of victory (steadier horn) as their combined efforts take down Miranda’s last line of defense (Heisenberg). In the end, Chris has to live with the victory of taking down the megamycete, the guilt and grief over Ethan’s death/sacrifice, and the troubling news from BSAA. A tainted victory.

Alcina: Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake

Appears first as a noble elegant socialite. She’s at the height of her power, owns a castle and three daughters and believes herself to be Miranda’s favorite. It’s business as usual, calm serene music. Suddenly an outsider has made his way into her home, killing her daughters one by one. She reaches out to Miranda, who only cares about the stupid ceremony, and realizes everything she knew was a lie. Anger and frustration builds. The music deepens, falls and rises again as she transforms, tries taking revenge on Ethan and fails, having lost everything in one evening.

Bela, Cassandra, Daniela: Rimsky Korsakov - Flight of the Bumblebee

Self explanatory. Hurried, manic and playful.

Donna: Tchaikovsky - Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

Entrancing but with eerie insidious undertones. Fitting for the childlike dollmaker and her little porcelain friends. Ends with a fast and chilling theme for the twisted game of hide and seek

Moreau: Edvard Grieg - Hall of the Mountain King

Quiet, lumbering and slow. Ethan takes the Rose flask back easily; threatened with losing Mother Miranda it very quickly escalates as panic sets in and Moreau throws everything he has at him. The music swells and ends with a bang.

Karl: Aram Khachaturian - Masquerade Suite

A bold start. Right from the beginning he exudes arrogance, charisma and danger. He plays nice in front of Miranda with a waltz that picks up in intensity when putting Ethan through his first gauntlet. Then the tone gets deeper and quieter for a moment, as he plots in secret; it’s finally time to set his plan in action. It’s a race to the finish line as Ethan tears through the other lords, unknowingly playing right into Miranda’s plan. Realizing he could be a particularly useful asset/ally, Heisenberg puts him through the second gauntlet. The music is sadistically playful as he tests his will and endurance. Upon failing to recruit Ethan, the music picks up for the third gauntlet and ends with a bang, as Karl dies at the hands of Miranda.

Duke: Georges Bizet - Votre Toast

A friendly face unfitting in a place such as this. The upbeat and energetic theme sticks out like a sore thumb among the others. Whimsy and grandiosity acts as a brilliant facade for his enigmatic true nature. Though the jolly merchant schtick may be a lie, he always delivers on service.

Miranda: Sergei Prokofiev - Dance of the Knights

https://youtu.be/bBsKplb2E6Q?si=jnSpMO-bIhEcjJzb

Immediately imposes a sense of authority and dread. The dark theme plays over and over as she performs the same cruel experiments expecting different results, though it only succeeds in remowing her further from humanity. She imagines a world of pure bliss in acquiring her child, which at this point is as illusory as chasing the holy grail since she’s never satisfied. When she hears of Rose she schemes her way into the Winters home, elated to find the perfect vessel after a century of searching. She steals the child away, leaving behind a trail of destruction that finally catches up to her.