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Starwaia

Does anyone else miss the "Forging Force" and other stories?)

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Starwaia

I was looking through the SMD site just now and updating my onsite wish list (I find it easier to keep track of what I actually want, so I was clearing out some things I wasn't as interested in and adding others), and I came across Justice's product page. She still has a story up, in particular one of the ones about "Forging Force". I remember back when I was first reading all these I could somewhat understand why people would call them "bad fanfiction" writing-wise (though I did like them somewhat, I was embarrassed about it, also that was when it first started being "unfashionable" to like Smart Doll), but I was caught off guard by this one and it made me smile and feel pretty good. I miss that.

Nowadays Danny seems to churn out dolls and new designs, which is great because innovation and cute dolls, and Not Great because it's harder to get specific dolls if there isn't much warning, or conversely, a delay while several of the previous dolls are in production, or even demoted to the prototype garage... but also because it doesn't seem like he puts much thought into any specific character anymore. I like some of the stuff like with Moment, but I really miss some of the early stuff. If too many dolls are released around the same time I understand why a story/character write up for every single one would be difficult. But I miss that. I hope I'm wrong and I'm just not noticing as much for some other reason.

I get that he's super busy releasing all those dolls and I don't want to complain that he doesn't force himself to overwork more or anything like that! And yeah I know people reacted really negatively to the stories so that's probably why he hasn't done them so much (not to mention he doesn't always seem to follow that advice he gives in the stories- "stay strong by not letting the haters get to you" indeed-- and I don't mean this in a mean way, I really wish I could suggest it to the man himself, out of concern/wishing that things were better for everyone, but I don't want to get in trouble in Smart Doll Land... and if this is too related to personal stuff for Danny, mods feel free to edit it out), but reading the old stories has made me more nostalgic and I wish that there hadn't been such backlash over them, only because it seems like a lot of the spirit of SMD seems to now be spent... elsewhere. I hope I don't get banned for saying that since I love the dolls and the innovation and I still do even now. I'm hoping to get more SMDs someday when I have the funds and I still stalk the new clothing releases because they usually look pretty cool. Cinnamon Infinity is gorgeous and I'm seeing more things I like about the Cocoa dolls... bleh I need money xD

But anyway! If you remember a story you particularly liked, do you wish he still did stories like that? Or do you think the stories were extra/unnecessary? Or something in between? What do you think of the "Forging Force" idea, if you've seen those stories(Unity, Trinity, Justice and maybe others I'm forgetting were involved)? Do you think it was cheesy or hopeful? At the risk of seeming too political(and this doesn't have to be discussed in length, just a thought I had), how do you feel about how some of the stories reflect the "you can achieve anything if you just put your heart into it" mindset that some figure is too privileged? Because I want to believe things like that, but I also recognize that I have a lot of privilege... but I like the idea of being able to do things if I just "apply myself" and "ignore the haters". I liked the new Kizuna's story in particular but I doubt someone these days could just get a job working as a waitress or whatever it was so easily and be financially stable, even putting a ton of effort into the job itself. But honestly IDK

ok. ramble over. stories. like 'em or leave 'em? it's 4 am and I've been up all night so I'm sorry this isn't super coherent ^^'

Edited by Starwaia

Got less time to do doll stuff and more time to procrastinate. I'll try to be active here more discussion-wise but no pics or news for a while, unfortunately. Being busy sucks.

Currently watching BNHA, on season 4 and obsessed! (being in a fandom late makes dodging spoilers an issue tho :()
More into Nendoroids than BJDs rn, but I'm waiting for a grail of mine and also hoping to get back into that stuff soon!

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Eiko82

No one is ever gonna hate you or ban you for liking Smart Dolls. I honestly wonder where people get this idea from. 

As for the stories, I liked them when they were short and only mentioned some basic personality parts like Felicity's. I didn't really care much for the longer stories like Justice or Serenity's. When it comes to dolls, I like to create my own stories. 

Edited by Eiko82
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Living at my place: Rise (DD Rise Kujikawa), Chie (Smart Doll Mirai) and Aisha (Smart Doll Kurenai)

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Katsudon

I think having inspiration for a project is fine. I got a bunch of dolls I want to make based on legends or stories or fairy tales I like. I even want to make one sculpt based on a creature from a short story I wrote.

Personally, I could take or leave the stories. And I'm sure people would feel the same about anything I make if I manage to get going. ^^; There are other doll makers out there who have a lot of back story for their dolls... can't remember the name but one had a couple of tardigrade dolls XD and I just ordered some doll kits from a maker who has written a novel with their dolls.

Unfortunately, the just world fallacy stuff I can't really get behind ^^; (also it's fight, flight, freeze, and fawn. Not forfeit... because that's the same as freeze - your body floods itself with hormones so you don't feel as much pain when you're frozen and getting eaten. tmi but hey, having pain therapy and ptsd therapy means going over the "lizard brain" twice at least XD. Yes I know I'm finicky!)

PS. I would totally love to make dolls of my comic characters, but my drawing style is... it just doesn't work in 3D.

Edit: I don't know if this effects your purchasing decisions, but as you mentioned Justice, the last time I checked things which were low stock she was listed. ^^;

Edited by Katsudon
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Tira

Personally, I liked the Mirai-related story stuff the best, since it seemed like the most developed setting, if that makes sense. Generally, though, I either create my own character for my dolls or base them on a fictional character I’m strongly attached to, so the original story is only important if I bought a doll of a favorite character (like Rin). So even if they’re intended to be a specific anime character, I might change them.

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Starwaia

That's totally fair, and I also tend to write my own stories for my doll characters. It's moreso the idea that each character meant something and was made for a reason that I miss, but I do understand that a lot of things have changed for the brand and I get that it's not really the norm for doll companies to give their made-for-customization dolls their own stories. I don't think people have to follow the stories on the dolls' pages though, I just thought it was a nice touch. And I do wonder whether Danny lost interest in writing them or if the reactions people had caused them to be dropped, which would be unfortunate in various ways, especially considering that the subject matter was "don't let the haters stop you from doing what you love" (relevance of the term "haters" in 2020 notwithstanding). It would be a shame if the backlash caused that very same mantra to be given up on, but then again a lot has changed for the company/brand and a lot of this probably belongs in the "debacle" thread.

 

Though, a lot of people get dolls of specific characters and don't change them, like the Miku or Luka etc. DDs, and then there are people that make them completely their own. With Smart Dolls I tend to mentally base my characters as being "related" to the originals, in a similar sense to @K-2's photostories(which was what inspired me to do so) but not the same and they've kind of developed their own space. Megs of Mels is still Melody, and Felis is still Felicity, and until recently they had the same customization as their defaults (I just did a wig swap lol). In their story Smart Doll is not "canon" but I still based them on the ideas I got from their sales pics. I didn't use the stories on the site, but they did contribute a bit to my "feel" for the characters. They've definitely evolved more though.

Funnily enough, I still consider Danny Choo to be their "creator" in a sense, not exactly a "father" but they still have some connection- like I "adopted" them, though not in a serious or even literal sense. People would probably find that weird though.

 

I also see a lot of Smart Doll fans on Facebook and Instagram do something similar, making the characters/dolls their own but still basing them on being "Smart Doll". I guess this could be something unique to SMD though given the climate of the fanbase. In a way it might limit creativity, but I love seeing people's interpretations of the dolls and characters and it's pretty cool to have that shared community, despite any issues that might arise.


Got less time to do doll stuff and more time to procrastinate. I'll try to be active here more discussion-wise but no pics or news for a while, unfortunately. Being busy sucks.

Currently watching BNHA, on season 4 and obsessed! (being in a fandom late makes dodging spoilers an issue tho :()
More into Nendoroids than BJDs rn, but I'm waiting for a grail of mine and also hoping to get back into that stuff soon!

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magique

I liked the little OG story he had for Mirai and Co. because it seemed to be the most developed. However, it's definitely as if it's been left to the wayside. He stopped selling the little orange uniform and characters like Chitose have been revamped to look totally different! His newer stories that try to impart some moral lesson tend to be rather cheesy so I can't say I miss 'em. 

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Mame

I really miss the Mirai Millennium ( I think that's what it's final name was, it had many) story! It's what made me intrested in SmD. I remember back then he had little sprites at the bottom of his personal website. They were some of his original characters ( Mirai, Kizuna, Kanata, Haruka, Chitose, Eiji) and new SmD ones ( Ebony, Ivory, Harmony, and Crimson). I think he was trying to fit the newer characters into the story cause they all had Moekana illustrations and such.( I remember there was a thread on the old forums about the SmD boys, and apperently, Danny stated Crimson was supposed to look """agressive"""") But unfortunately that fell wayside and half of them aren't even sold anymore :/. As for the newer dolls, I really liked when he put a little blurb about their personality( for example, ' Summer is a sporty active girl with a smile that can brighten anyone's day' or something like that lol.)  For some reason, with already named characters I can't change them from their original source, so all my Smd will (or do)keep their original names. When he put the blurb, it gave something to start with, but still allowed for creativity. The stories with lessons were eh. They were kind of just, things DC had experienced but told through that certain doll. Also here's a picture of moekana Crimson that I saved on my phone from January 2017! Found it on Danny's instagram.( I would put it in a spoiler but it wont let me ×_×) 

IMG_4184.jpg

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BottleStar

😂sad-laughing because I'm still writing fanfiction for Mirai Millennium even though now it pretty much null and void. 😩

And his OG story was always evolving. I remember one of the very first mentions of the story, Haruka got kidnapped by some guy called the white man and Mirai had to chase them into the past to get her back- or something like that? 😡IT'S BEEN YEARS AND WE STILL DON'T KNOW WHO THE WHITE MAN WAS!!!!! I don't even remember if the time travel plot line even stayed in the story.

😅Does anyone else remember this, but me?


I remember when he was always looking out for manga artists who could potentially draw it as a comic series someday. He left a comment on my art once asking if I had any comic experience, but that was back in the late-2000s/early-2010s and I hadn't at the time. 🤔Maybe I should finally just draw out one of my fics as a comic? I remember his old site said doujins were allowed, so...

Edited by BottleStar
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RainbowNanaki

I will admit I personally was not a fan of the more "in depth" stories on the character pages, as the writing was very amateur and tended to clumsily incorporate elements of whatever philosophy book Danny happened to be reading at the time. I'm also very tired of the constant messaging I have seen throughout my life of "If you just work hard enough, you can accomplish anything!" because for the vast majority of people, that simply isn't true. I preferred the shorter character descriptions, like Infinity's blurb mentioning her love of kickboxing and not much else. It's a great starting point for people who want to use the original characterizations as a starting point while still leaving plenty of room for new ideas.

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He/Him --- I like making stuff --- Please don't make sexual/lewd comments about my dolls, thank you!

 

At Home: Tyler (Akira 2nd), Adrienne (Smart Doll Mirai Cortex), Bryan (Smart Doll Eiji, cinnamon ver.)

Waiting For: Nothing atm

Wishlist: Smart Doll Crimson Kai in tea skin

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HazelMaze

I don't particularly miss them, I'm in the same camp of enjoying the smaller blurbs.I never mind a little characterization with my dolls, but I found the stories a bit off putting sometimes,as if I was stuck with that characters baggage so to speak.

Though I prefer them over the long lectures on instagram we get instead now XD( Of course no offence, but sometimes I feel a little "hit over the head" with their messages)

I find with Smart Doll, the general vibe is that they are meant to stay exactly as they are, and as they were written.So a bit of breathing room to imagine /whatever/ brings in more if that creative outlet for me.

I think it would be interesting to see all the stories together in one place!

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Katsudon

Tbh all the stories and all that just melted away when I got my doll. She looked so gentle... she became mine when she took her place in my heart. (idk if anyone else gets that, but my decision making on which dolls I get is very driven by my emotions. Dolls have to have a certain something that tugs at my heart haha. So they all become very personal to me)

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Katsudon

Argh, it won't let me edit a quote into my post, so sorry for double posting ^^;;

On 8/12/2020 at 10:10 PM, BottleStar said:

I remember when he was always looking out for manga artists who could potentially draw it as a comic series someday. He left a comment on my art once asking if I had any comic experience, but that was back in the late-2000s/early-2010s and I hadn't at the time. 🤔Maybe I should finally just draw out one of my fics as a comic? I remember his old site said doujins were allowed, so...

Go for it! XD I love seeing comics! So let us know if you do :3

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BeyondTime
On 8/15/2020 at 7:23 AM, Katsudon said:

Argh, it won't let me edit a quote into my post, so sorry for double posting ^^;;

You can select the quote box and copy / paste it into the edited post. The feature is a bit glitchy, I find I need to copy not cut, and sometimes it takes a few tries to get it to work. 


The difference between Dollfie Dreams and Heroin? Heroin is illegal, Dollfie Dreams probably should be.

“Empty wallets, full hearts.” That’s probably an apt description for the effects of DD addiction

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Starwaia
On 8/13/2020 at 3:05 AM, RainbowNanaki said:

If you just work hard enough, you can accomplish anything!"

I think part of the reason I got really into those stories was because I really wanted to believe that sort of thing. Especially now since I'm starting to run into some of my life's limits, it would be nice to think I can just power through. It made my gradual disillusionment with Smart Doll (and Danny) very hard emotionally, which is part of the reason I try to seek out positive stuff about Smart Doll- I think part of me still wants to fully immerse myself in believing that still. I've kind of always been a sucker for that sort of thing, and it resonates with me personally because that was a big motivation for a lot of my life, even when it has demonstrably... not been accurate. Growing up with privilege yet having a chronic disability is a mixture that seems to have left me very susceptible to that narrative, unfortunately.

I think another part of why I liked the old stories was because they do read like fanfiction, and I get nostalgic for the "cringy" style that was typical of young teens, Danny being older notwithstanding. A lot of the positivity in fandom these days involving "write what you like" and "cringe is dead" or whatever the term, is something I like to see and so I tend to appreciate this stuff more than perhaps I should.

I do like the shorter blurb-type stories for the dolls like Infinity and Felicity. I guess overall I just wish that Danny was still willing/able to put more focus on the individual character as opposed to "churning them out" or however it can be described. I know he has a lot of releases and in general the way the company seems to be all about releasing new doll after new doll(and not allowing time between for people to save up, but I guess that's business), but a lot of what I miss about (my perception of) the "old Danny" and older Smart Doll stuff is that there really seemed to be a lot of heart put into them and it doesn't seem quite as much now. I do still get excited for new dolls (currently torn between Resilient Tea and Monday Tea) and I like to follow for new stories and posts. So honestly idk at this point how I feel about the whole thing.

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Got less time to do doll stuff and more time to procrastinate. I'll try to be active here more discussion-wise but no pics or news for a while, unfortunately. Being busy sucks.

Currently watching BNHA, on season 4 and obsessed! (being in a fandom late makes dodging spoilers an issue tho :()
More into Nendoroids than BJDs rn, but I'm waiting for a grail of mine and also hoping to get back into that stuff soon!

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