La Belle Dame Sans Merci

Today is the birthday of my dear Lamia. (Not the doll's, but the character's.) And since I made a photoshoot with the help of one of my friends, Fru, I thought I show you the result. =) I hope you'll like it~

John Keats:
La Belle Dame Sans Merci

Ah, what can ail thee, wretched wight,
Alone and palely loitering?
The sedge is withered from the lake,
And no birds sing.

Ah, what can ail thee, wretched wight,
So haggard and so woe-begone
The squirrel's granary is full,
And the harvest's done.

I see a lily on thy brow
With anguish moist and fever dew,
And on thy cheek a fading rose
Fast withereth too.

I met a lady in the meads,
Full beautiful, a faery's child:
Her hair was long, her foot was ligh,
And her eyes were wild.

I set her on my pacing steed,
And nothing else saw all day long;
For sideways would she lean, and sing
A faery's song.

I made a garland for her head,
And bracelets too, and fragrant zone;
She looked at me as she did love,
And made sweet moan.

She found me roots of relish sweet,
And honey wild, and manna dew,
And sure in language strange she said,
"I love thee true!"

She took me to her elfin grot,
And there she gazed and sighed deep,
And there I shut her wild, sad eyes---
So kissed to sleep

And there we slumbered on the moss,
And there I dreamed, ah! woe betide,
The latest dream I ever dreamed
On the cold hill side.

I saw pale kings, and princes too,
Pale warriors, death-pale were they all;
Who cried---"La belle Dame sans merci
Hath thee in thrall!"

I saw their starved lips in the gloam,
With horrid warning gaped wide,
And I awoke and found me here,
On the cold hill side.

And that is why I sojourn here,

Alone and palely loitering,

Though the sedge is withered from the lake,

And no birds sing.

30 Day BJD Challenge - Day 6

6) Biggest size you own? (Have held/seen/like)

I own two SD-sized dolls. Gloria is 58 cm, Lamia is the taller, he is 61.5 cm. And he looks even taller with his boots on. xD (By the way, I'm planning to purchase a 72 cm tall doll - in the faaaar future, far far away...)

Once I had the opportunity to see a - probably Soom - sculpt which was 72 cm tall - and he was HUGE. ='D  

30 Day BJD Challenge - Day 5

5) What/who was the very first BJD you saw?

I have totally no idea... I mean, I can't remember the sculpt nor the company, not even the doll's name, unfortunately... I saw him at an AnimeCon and the only thing I can remember is his dress and his hair and that the owner was carrying a parasol with her to protect the doll from the sunshine. It happened nearly 6 or 7 years ago...? But I think that was the first time I saw a BJD in real life. I looked them up a bit after this occasion, and as far as I can remember, the first page I found was the Luts company's site. 

(Oh my God, it was so long ago, I feel really-really old right now...)

30 Day BJD Challenge - Day 4

4) What/who was the first BJD you ever owned? Do you still own them? (Who is your planned first?)

Well, it depends... ='D If we consider the first doll as the first "full doll" then it's Lamia - however I received Gloria's head five days before Lamia arrived. So technically, she is my first... But Lamia would be really jealous if I considered Gloria as my first doll - so let just say that Lamia is my first one. And I'd never ever sell him. =) 

30 Day BJD Challenge - Day 3

3) Post a picture of all your dolls! 

There you go!

Buuuuut, I have a better photo... Their faces are not quite visible though... 

I hope you like it. =3

30 Day BJD Challenge - Day 2

2) Do you own any? If so how many and if not, do you have any plans to at the moment?

Yepp, I do! =D Two lovely SD dolls, Lamia and Gloria. ^^

Lamia is a Doll Family-H Xiangyi, and Gloria is a Volks Lorina. 

Currently they are my crew, but I must confess I have some plans for the future... For the very far future, but still. But my wishlist is not the topic yet. =P

30 Day BJD Challenge - Day 1

1) Why do you like BJDs?

Short and simple answer:

Because they are gorgeous.

Long and complicated answer:

Well, it's a bit hard to tell... There are several reasons mixed together in me when someone asks a question like this about BJDs (or any other hobbies I do). The first time I saw a BJD in real life the doll immediately took my breath away - he was so lovely, realistic and I thought I could gaze at him all day long and discover new and new details on his face, his hair, his body, dress, and his character.

And that's the other main point: the character. In my opinion, all these dolls have a character, a story, a "personality", a unique aura. For me, they are embodying my beloved fictional characters whom I make up to create a story to tell, or for my own entertainment. And I think lots of owners do the same with their dolls.

Or there are some owners who use them as models for photography or drawing or sewing - or maybe for all of these together. It's a way of creating art and it's extremely inspiring! Also the fact that BJDs are so variable - you can change their eyes, their wigs, even their bodies - is great and makes the dolls so unique.

And at last it's a fact that they have a great aesthetic value. They are sculptures with moveable limbs basically, so they're a kind of artwork - that's why my short and simple answer to the question 'why do I like BJDs?' is that they are gorgeous.