#jly rambles

[jlyarts]

Conspiracy theory: OP of the walrus vs fairy poll is a fairy trying to figure out what is the best form to take to meet some humans

[americangirlmom]

Felt inspired to make a new AG doll dress for the first time in a while! I used this pretty ombre pink yarn and love how it turned out on Miss Kitty!

[viddywelldolly]

I've been meaning to ask this for a while now but exactly how hard is it to eye swap a JLY #4? I've never had to eye swap a doll before so my experience is nonexistent. I really want a mini me JLY #4 and I'm looking for one in bad condition to wig and eye swap. Since I have no bangs, black hair and green eyes. I have a feeling it's gonna be a while before I get a #4 so I have plenty of time to learn to eye and wig swap. I've heard Jess and #4 molds are the hardest to eye swap because of the shape of their eye sockets?

[the-halfling-prince]

Immediately thought of this scuffed up mf I saw the other day

Y'all don't even wanna see the state of her limbs. SHE'S NOT EVEN A RARE DOLL! Yeah she's discontinued but it's literally just a #29 she was available for YEARS. I could buy like 6 jly #4s for the price they want for this mf. Yeah she's from the jly era but that hardly means anything. Like this has to be a mistake.

average doll collecting experience on marketplace

[penciled-palominos]

So ive become fixated on american girl dolls over the last few days, I'm just a doll girl what can I say, I'm not a collector really other than my horse models and furbies, tho i do have plans for some more dolls to buy to just grow my general doll collection even tho i don't fully collect one kind of doll. I'm planning to only get- oh gosh i was gonna say 1/2 but im realizing i have at least 3 or 4 I really want

My list is:

Addy

Kaya

Samantha or just like you doll

[I looked a lot like samantha as a kid [still do tbh] and the idea of having a jly doll makes me really happy so finding her or a jly secondhand has been my goal as of late while searching]

And maybe Saige because shes a horse girl artist which is- literally me?? Like she was made for me and i used to be obsessed with her movie when I was a kid so its so funny to me that i forgot about her and only remembered when I saw a video and they mentioned the movies and suddenly me and my sister's obsessions with the ag dolls and their movies like all came back to me!@

Its been so awesome reliving and learning about american girls, I never actually had any, we only had our generation dolls which are a more affordable version of AG but still pretty similar.

I had a doll called Sydney Lee, she was a ballerina and I adored her but I accidentally tore her tights and i never got over it.

Man I rambled for longer than I meant,, and I didn't even touch on the AG horses,,

[sunriseverse]

okay okay wait. so. i am too far gone on sleeplessness to not just ramble therefore you all will simply have to avert your gaze from the embarrassingly self indulgent things i am about to say. anyway. i am now genuinely considering writing the jiang!my au. which i shouldn’t since i haven’t finished canon but i WANT to. specifically because i want to explore him as a character ie his constant calibration and calculation and ordering and organising. specifically in relation to emotions—telling himself he feels or doesn’t feel certain things until the conviction becomes indistinguishable from the truth. in this au his drive isn’t centred around jgs/acceptance into the jin, but rather around his siblings (wwx jc and jyl) and their happiness. so i think it would be really interesting to explore this like. whole scheming thing he has going on, his constant evaluation and ranking of threats and leverages and allies etc etc but instead of being used for “bad” (ie the plot antagonist’s benefit) rather for “good” (in line with the plot protagonists). i think it would still mean he does a number of rather unethical things—but in this case it’s very much “better my hands bloodied than theirs, if it means their happiness”. in this au sunshot/the war doesn’t happen but it’s because my/jly basically takes an “ends justify the means” approach to preventing it (possibly involving infiltrating the wen as in canon, but at an earlier date?). and then of course at the end of it all you have a man who is aware that he has done horrible things, and no one else is aware the full extent of them, so you also get a nice little bit of a sense of alienation from those around him. there would also be an element of xy because i want jly to be happy and it would add a nice little bit of angst on the level of jly not wanting the relationship to progress 1. out of fear of vulnerability (i think even in this au that would be the case) and 2. because he doesn’t think lxc could truly love him if he was aware of everything he had done, ie therefore lxc must love a mask/a man who doesn’t really exist, because jly can live with what he did because it kept his siblings safe and that’s his highest priority, but he knows (or at least believes) that to lxc and by the lan precepts, what he did is unquestionably unforgivable. i don’t have a nice neat solution to this but i think lxc pointing out that if it were him and lwj he would have done anything necessary as well could at least begin to bridge that gap. unfortunately this is all very plotty and political drama-y and i am not good at those things so as much as i want this written it will probably only stay as a concept.

[writingdollworlds]

I don't know why I clicked on this listing but I'm glad I did. This doll is sold, listed as a TLC Addy. I don't think this is Addy, and I was about to wave it off as a JLY 1, but then I noticed her eyes were light brown. I double checked and I think this is an orginal 18!

What do you guys think?

[jlyarts]

*jlyarts reblogs the angry kitten as gaetan*

*waiting to see if @jlyarts reblogs the angry kitten as gaetan*

[twopoppies]

Gina,

Can I ramble in your asks for a minute? I was thinking about your answer to an ask tonight about why Harry never denied Larry/never gets asked about it. I remember one interview in particular when they were babies where the two of them try to explain the logic behind why fans wouldnt support the two of them being in a relationship. I believe they couched it as the fans want to be with them not them to be with eachother. If I remember correctly, Louis did a lot of the talking while Harry agreed along with him. It really got me thinking of how protective Louis has been over Harry over the years. I swear that boy would have done anything to protect Harry. With all of the discourse about BBG recently, I think its moments like this where I am reminded that no matter how much stunting/bbg/or dms about Larry gets thrown out there in connection with Louis, I just hold on to that thought process. I think Louis has shown in subtle ways and very loudly how much he cares for Harry and wants him to be okay. Sorry for rambling and maybe that makes zero sense, but I just love their love so much and I really hope that someday they are able to be as open as they want to be about themselves and eachother.

Xx

Hi sweetheart. Yeah, Louis is fundamentally a caretaker and a protector. He shines when he’s able to support and lift others up. You see him do it with all of his band mates, his fans, the people he work with in his charity efforts, his siblings… and absolutely you see it with the way he is around Harry. I think it sometimes gets mistaken as self-sacrifice, but that’s not how I see him. To me, the power he has to make everyone feel and do their best is a sign of a natural born leader. He instills such fierce loyalty in the people who are lucky enough to know him — I think any one of his fans, coworkers, and friends would go to war for him.

I sometimes I think about this moment in the JLY video

Harry has been lucky enough to be the person that Louis turns to when he needs support. I’m so glad they have each other.

[superbatson]

RENEE MARINO IS IN THE CAST OF PRETTY WOMAN THE MUSICAL

SOMEONE BUY ME TICKETS TO THIS SHOW SO I CAN SEE MY WIFE

[jlyarts]

Ah fuck coloring this comic is taking a while so here have a sneak peak of a Lamb (I’ll post the full thing tmrw😅)

[americangirlmom]

Finally get to show off Kitty's new dress! She looks so pretty although it was too hot to stay outside for long (the local heat index is at 100° and supposed to get up to 108° today.)

I love how this came out! I used a really cool purple yarn I got from a mystery grab bag for the main part of the dress and a variegated sock yarn my kiddos got me for the trim. I really want to crochet more dresses in the future but my kids learned to ride bikes so I've mostly been doing outside stuff with them. My youngest kiddo turns 8 in two weeks though, so I'll probably whip up some dresses for her dolls as a gift. (Side note: if I made a few would anyone be interested in buying?)

[thesecretdollgarden]

From the Vault — Valentine’s Day Party 2011

I think I have shared a photo of Jamie from this set previously, but I finally found the rest of the collection in time for Valentine’s Day. I find these kinds of things so fun back to look on and see how my approach to doll collecting has evolved since then.

And of course, Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope you’re having a good one. I’ve always found this to be such a cozy holiday that breaks up one of the longest stretches of winter. I’ve never considered it to be first and foremost a romantic holiday, though it can certainly be that as well, but rather as an opportunity to show appreciation for family and friends. A way to say, “thank you for being in my life”. Through chocolate, ideally! And I especially loved celebrating the holiday with my dolls as a kid; it made it all the more special.

Jamie (JLY #37) gabs away and relaxes while having some sweets as Rebecca sneaks in a last-minute Valentine.

At the time, my dolls were all set firmly in the modern world and dressed to reflect that. I wasn’t much for the historical clothing at the time, oddly (that has definitely changed). I think a big part of me dressed my dolls how I would’ve liked to dress, since we were the same age. Nowadays I find it more fun to develop their personalities through the cultivation and exploration of specific styles and time periods.

I do like Emily’s outfit here. I wonder what kind of shoes she had on (she’s talking to Jamie, I believe).

Something I also like about this photo shoot is the backdrop, and I would love to have the time to devote to creating something similar in the future (there’s a lot of things money can’t buy, and time is high on that list).

Looks like Rebecca is finally diving into the chocolate. After sating themselves on sweets, I think it will be time to open the Valentines.

Thanks for joining me this Valentine’s Day for some retrospective ramblings!

(Rebecca: How come she got to do all the talking this time?

Jamie: Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll get a chance soon.

Emily: Here. Have a donut. And Happy Valentine’s Day, Dollblr!)

[imbellarosa]

For me, Lou's lyrics are pretty easy to interpet & I usually can get the message he is attempting to convey. Because he writes so candidly, you know? He really opens up and is so raw & real. That's not to say Haz isn't, I just feel like even in his songwriting, he hides his true sentiments behind embellished, overly elaborate, obscure metaphors. I feel most musicians use that space to finally let go & feel liberated to really right straight from the soul, y'know? Like Lou, he would never say the

+ things he does in songs out loud but he just lets himself go completely and it's beautiful. I think Haz is a phenomenal lyricist & I adore him to bits but I feel sad he is still so unwilling to be truly vulnerable & open with us y'know? I want to know Harry, I'm sick of Harry Styles™ the brand, the facade. The only song of Lou's that still stumps me is Miss You. I don't think you can just conclude anything based on one song but looking at HS1 too, sure it could be just fighting and drifting

+ apart and miscommunication (or lack thereof) & I feel like I was almost brainwashing into believing what people said over what my own intuition told me, everyone just drilling in: THEY NEVER BROKE UP, I felt like I was less of a supporter to think that, I felt guilty, like I let hl down almost. But as a cynic & a rationalist, it always niggled at me. I believe in the inevitable failure of 97% of relationships at that age. They just don't last. And I'm sure there's someone reading this who's

+ like, well fyi my parents were lab partners in high school and are still together with a bunch of kids. And that's great. Ah a walking paradox, being a romantic & a cynic. Anyway, the thing is, maybe they did, maybe not. Certainly, I lean towards it being very likely they did. Hardly any het 'relationships' at that age last. Now bring in two boys who are closeted and in love and in THE boyband of the era and undergone a series of absurd narratives and can't sit next to each other but are told

+ to make out with girls on NYE and hold their hands and strut about to a crowd of adoring fans as the actual person they're with is joyously playing football one minute and on the verge of breaking down the next because what if the fans like this fake relationship more, what if they like -her- more? I could go on & on, but you get the point. Thing is, maybe they did, maybe not. Does it really matter, in the bigger picture? They're together now and for once, I do have faith it'll last this time.

Also sidenote, I hope it's cool to come to your inbox and just go off tangents & rant & ramble. I mean it's kinda too late now lol 😂 but idk I swear I never intend ongoing off multiple tangents but it just inevitably happens?? Hope you can make some sense of my incoherent, mindless bs and at least find it somewhat entertaining. I like talking to you as well. You are the first person who is so open-minded & accepting of diff opinions & genuinely seems to want to hear what's on my mind.

okay well FIRST OF ALL, you are ALWAYS welcome to come rant to me goodness knows I would LOVE to hear from someone else who adores lyric analysis as much as I do! If you’re looking for anyone else to chat with, @louciernagas has some amazing analysis of her own and also adores song lyrics and might have a different take than mine! But here’s my take:

I think Harry processes stories differently than Louis, and I think it really really shows in their songwriting. For example, Harry had “raconteur” as his Twitter bio for a while, I’ve heard. ‘Raconteur’ is ‘storyteller’ in French, and my conclusion from that is that he likes to see himself as a storyteller. So he mostly writes abstract notions and large pictures and feelings and ideas that he’s felt over the years, and when he fills it in, he’s telling a story. It’s easier for him, I think, to process things if he can remove himself from it. If you look at the first draft lyrics for Lights Up that Tyler Johnson spilled the other month, they read, “lights can’t know their way out the dark running through your heart. Lights can’t help you know who you are. Do you know who you are?”. The final draft of this line reads “All the lights couldn’t put out the dark running through my heart. Lights up and they know who you are. Do you know who you are?”. I think it’s worth mentioning that the primary difference between the first version of this song and this one is the addition of a first-person pronoun in the final draft. 

Either way, this song would have been about him, and HIS self-discovery and HIS liberation, right? But the way that he chose to write it at first was without placing himself into the story. And like...I think he does that a lot. And then, of course, he does the reverse, too. He says “I” did this or “I” did that and it may not be him at all. I’ll tell you a funny trend I’ve noticed is that the songs that seem most personal to him are about someone else in broad strokes, or about himself in broad strokes. But I think it’s because it’s easier for him to tell true stories if he doesn’t have to say that they’re about him. 

For Louis, I would say it’s the reverse: he HAS to make his stories about himself because it’s the only way he CAN tell his stories. He’s learned to use his words as a weapon against everyone who thought he was too young, not good enough, not kind enough, too stupid, that he didn’t have enough star power, etc. He’s ALWAYS had to prove them wrong, and the only way he had was his music. So he SAID that they would go out and drink cheap wine until sunrise and that they lived in this *specific* apartment complex and that he would tell the truth if his partner wanted him too. He SAID that he’d like to go to the pub every sunday, if he could (and I think the music video for JLY even names the pub haha), that the reason he has done every single thing he has is for the other person. He HAD to say it, not for us, but for himself. HE had to tell the stories he needed to, and he did. And THAT is what makes his album - and all of his songs - so so special to me. They have that element of “fighting back” as well as of telling stories. 

I, personally, tell stories like Harry does. I like to talk about things I know or have experienced as if I’m coming at them from a different angle, because it’s easier on my heart that way, sometimes. Sometimes, the only way I have to say the truest things I know are to make someone else say them or to talk about them as if it were about another person. That’s kind of what fantasy is, in a way. It’s what storytelling is. But I *so* admire the autobiographical quality that Walls has to it, because I would be terrified. 

And as for ‘do I think they broke up?’ I’m very very much in the “who cares” camp - just like you! Maybe? Maybe they did in 2016 at some point. But like...as evidenced by the entire quarantine (and the last like..year and a half), they aren’t broken up NOW, and that’s what I’m gonna go on. And everything else doesn’t really matter, you know? The rest is confetti. 

[louishoney]

.

[unpleasantcompany]

I am so surprised (and super, super touched) that so many people interacted on this post!

So I’ll start with the furniture, my grandma got me both of these. She was big on OurGeneration clothes and furniture. While I love the furniture, OurGeneration clothes tend to feel a bit cheaper and I never liked the thick, plastic-y shoes, but that doesn’t stop them from having some super cute designs, the following of which are my favorites!

The furniture itself is really, really adorable. The chest was always my favorite because of the pink and cream Damask pattern and the little key that goes into the lock! I was always sad it didn’t ACTUALLY lock but I really loved the aesthetic anyway.

Next, I have some clothes that aren’t from brands. I have a rabbit fur scarf I got for Kaya while camping, an Oktoberfest hat I also got for Kaya when I brought her, a hat and pocket from Colonial Williamsburg for Felicity, and a duck costume for my JLY that my grandma got for her when I got into my first play, The Ugly Duckling. I unfortunately have no idea who the creator of the duck outfit is. Obviously, all very sentimental and I’m glad I’ve hung onto them all.

Next I have the pets. I was super into the pets for the dolls, I thought Coconut and all the AG mascots were adorable. I couldn’t find Patriot in storage, but I’m pretty sure I still have him. I also have Kaya’s sled but the two stick attachments also appear to be in the box in storage and didn’t make it home in my haul today. I don’t like to play favorites but Kanani’s seal is still one of the cutest things AG has ever put out.

Lastly, the closet itself which is full of AG stuff. I never threw away anything which at the time seemed excessive but I’m really glad I’ve hung onto some of the things I have. For example, I have the newspaper detailing Kanani’s seal rescue! Pretty much everything that wasn’t the box and wrapper ended up in this closet.

I also have many mini books and magazines! I miss the AG magazines and their tiny versions you could cut out for your doll, I had several cut outs for my girlies stowed away in here.

Lastly, for now that is, I thought I’d share pictures of some of my favorite AG outfits I was able to get! I think Felicity had one of the prettiest wardrobes, so you’ll notice that most of my favorites are her’s. I still wish Kaya had gotten more outfits as this Pow Wow Dress of Today was the only other outfit I had for her (and I think I’ve mentioned before that she’s my favorite that I feel guilty about having). I’m also very sentimental about Molly’s Miss Victory outfit

Anyway, I’m very fortunate to have had the AG childhood I did and I’m very grateful to have found a community here online that is interested in it. I’m taking a bit of a leap of faith here with pictures as I’m experiencing a weird mobile glitch where they all look the same, so I’m hoping that the appropriate pictures are in their correct spots. Please let me know if there’s anything you’re curious about seeing! There’s a lot more but I felt like I was rambling. I should have Samantha’s Middy Outfit arriving today so that’ll be another addition to what I thought was a closed chapter on my life. But here we are!

Look what I unpacked today! My childhood AG wardrobe (I actually think the wardrobe itself is OurGeneration but it’s full of old AG stuff). Super jostled and I’m thinking of redecorating the wardrobe to look more mature but you can clearly see just how much I loved my dolls by looking at this. Should I reveal more of it? Some stuff is in storage (I also had an OurGeneration trunk and I know the pets and some bigger accessories are in storage with the dolls) but I’m going to be phasing it into my room the more unpacked I get.