It's not the end, is the beginning

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I like this stuff of writing my personal opinions and experiences in the hobby, so today I want to write about other subject: Does the hobby end when you don't have a wishlist or decide not to buy more dolls? 

In my case, the hobby doesn't end, is just when it begins. For a better understanding, I'm going to explain how I've been living the hobby so far, so sit down, relax and enjoy of this long post.

Homme Ducan - Dream of Doll
The "guilty" who got me into BJD's.

I knew about this hobby through a friend late 2007. She came to Barcelona for a concert and she showed me photos of a doll she was in love with and I also felt in love at sight. The handsome guy was Ducan - Dream of Doll in its versions: Homme Ducan, Elf Ducan y Black Elf Ducan. That's when we started talking about if we would ever buy a Homme Ducan, although I wasn't sure if it worthed to spend so much money on a doll xD But after a while I finally got Internet at home and was when I became more interested in the hobby and I chatted with this friend (and still chat) quite often on Messenger, and of course, we dreamed with our desired doll. And that's how my mother also got into this world because of me. She has always loved dolls, so knowing that, I began to show her photos of BJDs, how people custom their dolls... and how expensive they are. Still, we weren't sure whether to buy at least one doll each one and try, because we liked them a lot, until finally we had to assume that we wanted to have a BJD. Thus began the dilemma: How to custom them? I liked boys BJD, my mother liked girl BJD, so problem solved, my mother would get a girl and I would get a boy.

Toshi (aka Norlij)
This is the original character  in 
which my doll is based in.

Floy - Dollzone
The chosen one.

At first I though about getting a Homme Ducan and custom him as Juka/Shaura, a japanese singer that I like a lot, but didn't convince me the idea that he wears a white or a grey wig (you know I hate wigs of these colours) and neither was enough convinced about having a non original character and maybe I would have ended tired of him, so I decided to resin one of my original characters. If you didn't know, I like drawing since I can remember and have created dozens of original characters. The question was, which character to resin? Finally I decide that my bluehaired "demon" was the choosen one because I like a lot his Visual Punk look and his crazy hair  xD So I began to look for molds. I felt in love with Kalix - DOD (a limited doll which it was impossible to get unless trying on the second hand market and I was still very new in the BJD world and forums. Apart that the doll was too big for the character). I liked Van--Count Version - Angell Studio, but it was too big as well. (Anecdotally, Van-Count Version de Angell Studio got him my mother to have a boy, who coincidentally is also based in one of my original characters). I liked Gavin - Angell Studio as well, but it was too big and additionally, limited. I didn't like other molds with pointy ears because their face was too childish, their ears were too big... Overall, I didn't like any mold that suited my character and my poor friend had to suffer my search while she was suffering from insomnia because she wasn't sure about getting a BJD. Until one day I got to look Dollzone molds and there Floy was, the mold that suited my character, with its half closed and long eyes, its elongated face and its elf ears without being huge. The only fault was his sweet expression, but I didn't care. He was the one who shouted "buy me".

Moreover, my mother seek for a girl mold that could like her, but none caught her eyes. Very beautiful, but with childish face despite being SD. I can't remember how many girl molds we saw because they were many, too many. When I found "my mold", I showed her the girl molds and there was the only girl she liked as much as to say "that's the one I want". It was a Yage - Dollzone. A few weeks later, in May, we ordered her to try and see how the experience of buying a BJD was.

Previously I had been reporting on the subject of BJDs in Spanish forums,  of course, despite not being signed up for any. While we were waiting for the doll to be shipped, in August I decided to sign up for the Spanish forum BJDoll and share my waiting period with other users. Just at that time was when my friend felt in love with another BJD which turned out to be "económic" and I encouraged her to buy it because she could regret if she wouldn't do it.

The first arrival I lived. Inside was Maiko.

And finally came Maiko a 4th September 2009. It was the first time we had a BJD in our hands and the first thing we thought was "it's huge", "weighs more than expected", "has a very smooth tact" and "has huuuuge boobs", detail that we didn't like. And to end, we thought it was very beautiful xD

That same day I made the madness of ordering the Floy - Dollzone doll. I had decided that I wanted it and why to wait longer. On the 26th November 2009 he arrived. He was my first BJD, my boy, my desired doll that is still with me.

As everybody, I said "one and no more". How ignorant we are, then comes the couple, so it's not alone. And later you think about the boy or the girl if you only have boys or girls.

I remember the excitement of the first arrival, all the molds called my attention, I "wanted" all of them and I didn't know which one to choose. Even I had a wishlist, but now I couldn't say which molds were on because I can't remember all of them and my wishlist lasted barely a month, as much. But I remember that the only girl it was on was the Clovera - Dollzone to be Danielle, as has been. As for the rest of molds, I didn't get any and I forgot them. Currently I don't have a wishlist and I'm not going to have it because already I have all the characters I wanted to have. In fact, even have come characters I didn't planned to have. For me, having a wishlist indicates that those molds you put on the list you want to buy them in the near or not as near future. For what I've seen over the few years I'm on the hobby, almost all my friends and acquaintances who have a "wishlist" have been buying molds that they have on their list and have added other molds they like to buy them in the moment they think is suitable (or not), so my point of view is: "If you have a wishlist, is because you want to buy those molds and you'll buy them over time, takes a year or it takes ten". Maybe some mold won't be bought for "X" reason, but the vast majority of them.

As I've said before, I don't have a wishlist. I have all the characters I wanted to have and besides, I overstepped. I have a lot of original characters that I could perfectly have as dolls, but I refuse to do it. When I took the Christmas photo last year, I didn't feel like to take the family photo because I felt too lazy to put together my 6 dolls and my mother's 5 dolls. Having more dolls? It would be a  mental suicide and then it would be when I would abhor the hobby and I don't want that to happen.

Neither I have the urge to say "what a beautiful doll, I want it and when I can afford, I'll buy it". That fase is past. I might like various molds, although I don't even have a "lovelist" or "likelist" I don't know what to call it xD, I'm that weirdo and I've never been a person of many caprices, because admit it, to buy BJDs is an expensive caprice. Temptations of buying those molds? None. I like to see photos of molds that I like more than others, but not to have them myself. 

Homme Kirill - Dream of Doll
My only MSD.
I chose it for it resemblance the Homme Ducan

Another reason was that to have a wishlist overwhelmed me and that's why it lasted days only. Even I remember that I made it because of a topic in the BJDoll forum and never wrote it for a personal use xD Having it, made me think of those molds that I liked at the time I had it. I knew that I wouldn't buy them and have that wishlist was a contradiction because it made me think what would happen if I would buy them, so that's why I eliminated. It was as if a weight fell of my shoulders since then and it's not a trauma to see molds I like without having the temptation of buying them. Three years or so have passed since then and all I had on my "mental wishlist" was to buy a new body for Toshi, a body to complete Danielle and I still was considering the idea to have a MSD, which with I thought much before buying it and I had not decided what mold would be until I finally decided for one. It was buying the MSD and it was as if a weight fell of my shoulders. And I don't regret to have bought the molds I have although Shun came to use Toshi's old body, that I didn't want to undersell. If it wouldn't have been for that, Shun would have never come. Although I'll write in other moment why I have the dolls I have.

Kailx - Dream of Doll
The BJD I thought I'd buy at all costs
and I let the opportunity pass.

I remember that one of the molds I had on my wishlist was Kalix - DOD. I was convinced that if it would be on sale again or found it in the marketplace at a reasonable price, I would buy it without hesitation. In fact, if it would have been on sale on 2012, when the Elf Ducan was for limited time, Kalix would have come home even though it would have been an effort. Now things have changed. The mold looks beautiful, but I don't want more dolls. In fact, it was possible to buy from October to November 2013 this so desired doll and I let the chance to buy it go because I clearly don't want more dolls. I have six BJD's and I think they're too many although two of them are tiny. Although I like SD better, I don't want to have more dolls of any size, no matter how beautiful they are. In fact, Kalix wouldn't be the character I thought for him first because I don't see this character with this face anymore and I'd have to get a girl SD and as I've said, my collection is completed and closed and therefore, I don't want to start spending on dolls and all that implies once again, just the idea stresses me and makes me anxious. I don't want and neither have room for them. Indeed, I have come to a point that receiving a BJD as a gift wouldn't make me excited even though that doll would be one that could come from my non-existent list of molds I like.

I know than in this hobby (and all in general) you can never say never. I also know some people will wonder how you can live the hobby without having temptations to buy dolls; my answer is easy: put limits yourself, get used to it and being stronger than temptation. I say it's possible, even comes a time that seeing dolls tells you nothing in the sense of thinking "how cute, I'm in love and I want it". From there, what life is after shopping? Just the funniest and cheaper one. Yes, you can live the hobby without expending a cent on them. Now that my collection is completed and my dolls are more or less customized, because I feel so, I like to enjoy them, see them sitting on the dresser and bookshelf in my room, to dress them and of course, thinking in shoots and taking photos of them. I don't say I won't buy more clothes than they already have, because you never know despite they have a huge wardrobe, but those big expenses have gone and I feel better. I know I'm going to have to expend money in their maintenance (see face-up or strings, luckily all this maintenance is more economical because I do it myself. I just hope it won't happen something I can't do myself having to send them to someone with experience to do it). And from experience, I can say the hobby doesn't die when you don't have a wishlist and stop buying dolls, it's the opposite. It's just then when it starts the good part because you devote yourself to the dolls you have, your mind is only for them and you enjoy them much more and without stress.

Do you have a wishlist? Have you achieved that desired doll you felt in love with? Have you finished your doll collection or it has just begun? Feel free to share your experiences.

Thanks for your visit!