FYI

[cleolinda]

I just did a guest post at geekgirldiva's blog that is, in fact, a new installment of the Secret Life of Dolls. (Full disclosure: links to dolls on Entertainment Earth have my affiliate ID.) It's not one of the "three or four entries" I said I had to get through; rather, it's a lead-in to the next one. Excerpt:

"Who's that in purple?"

"That's, uh... Catwoman?"

"I wanna be a catwoman."

Elizabeth pointed to Catwoman's precipitous neckline: "Is that--can you actually see her articulation?"

"Uh... maybe when you're older, Lyra."

ETA: See "More from the Secret Life of Dolls" for another dolls-browsing-dolls entry (I believe this is the first time Elizabeth, one of the dolls considered, is mentioned).

ETA 2: This is as good a time as any--I'm thinking of putting together a Secret Life FAQ, so if you have any questions...

Comments

[glenvorian.livejournal.com]

It's so great to see the spotlight on Elizabeth for a bit - and to see her laughing.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Well, now you see why I said I had a lot I had to get in before we revealed The Package. I needed to show people moving forward emotionally (omg dolls, srs bsns) before someone new joined the ranks.

[gorgeousnerd]

The more I see Edward Dollen, the more I like him. It's a really good thing I don't have any money.

[shia-labeouf.livejournal.com]

windowshopping with the girls. sigh.

[emmaorgana.livejournal.com]

That was a really nice little breather er, "episode".

I like Elizabeth... *goes to rewatch Pirates*

[amaz0n-princess.livejournal.com]

LOL! Dolls browsing for dolls! It was a great entry, and a fun treat for a Friday night. :) Thanks!

[sushixpack.livejournal.com]

Hee, I wanna be a catwoman :D I love little Lyra.

If another future-seeing doll is wanted, ALICE DOLLEN IS EVEN MORE APPROPRIATE. I really hope she gets released soon.

You will need the rum.. don't forget the pie!

[sneaky-minx.livejournal.com]

What does it say about me that the first thing I thought when I saw the Catwoman doll was "Alright! Her boobs are normal sized!"

[flamingtoilet.livejournal.com]

Not liking that cowl though.

[barrelgoddess.livejournal.com]

Yay, more Elizabeth! =D

[flamingtoilet.livejournal.com]

It's like the Heroes webisodes, kinda.

[manekikoneko.livejournal.com]

The Catwoman exchange was my favorite part of the post. :D

[evilbearhunter.livejournal.com]

Hey Cleo, could you post this in your next linkspam? Aaron Allston, who writes Star Wars books, had a heart attack and just underwent quadruple bypass surgery. His family is looking for blood donors in the Dallas area (http://www.suvudu.com/2009/04/a-message-about-author-aaron-allston.html). Besides being an excellent writer, Aaron is a great guy and friend. If anyone can help out, please, please do.

[wolfsilveroak.livejournal.com]

You have got to get this. (http://www.entertainmentearth.com/prodinfo.asp?number=TRT9TODD01) If only for the amusement factor with Faramir2.}:P

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I don't watch DW/TW, though, so I wouldn't know how to write him. (People keep telling me "Just have him sleep with everyone," but you know, I gotta have more than that.)

[le-brouillard.livejournal.com]

That Tia doll is so awesome! She was one of the best parts in those cracked out sequels, even if she did turn out to be like, an evil monster or whatever.

Question: how much of your writing of these characters do you try to make true to the originals vs. making them your own? Of the characters I know I think Lyra is the closest to the books.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Really? I was concerned I didn't have Lyra close enough.

I think because I didn't go into this expecting to write about them for so long, I didn't really sit down and work on keeping them in character to their source material(s), which I wish I had done now. Mostly because when you get end up with this many dolls--twice as many as when I started--using the original characterization helps keep them separate and well-defined.

Part of it is that I write them based on the way the actual doll looks. (Crazy-hair bitchface Anna is a good example of this.) If I'd known I was going to get this deep into it, I'd have tried to write her more like Movie!Anna, you know, with more Fauxmanian diction. I think the Arwens have more original-character personalities in my mind, mostly because I needed a way to distinguish them. (The same with the Faramirs, particularly Faramir Two, although I try to work with "Faramir who has daddy/brother issues and a Faramir who is the opposite of that" as a baseline.) And I would really like to write Elizabeth closer to the movies, but it's like I would have to go back and watch them again to get Keira Knightley fixed in my mind instead of a doll who vaguely resembles Celine Dion.

(Well, and then there's Lizzie/Anna. I kind of hate the idea of pairing everyone off exactly according to canon, and I thought they'd hit it off well, based on the original characters.)

Eowyn's kind of a mix--I felt like the books were more about her pride but the movies were more about her loneliness, so I tried to work with the latter, you know, that she might be vulnerable to something like an obsession with Twilight, but occasionally her pride would (and will) flare up.

Edward's very easy--I've got the book, the movie, and "Growing Up Cullen" (which is pretty much fanfic canon) to pick and choose from, so I could easily write two different Edwards two different ways and still have them be reasonably "in character," which is why I'm not worried about potentially having two Edwards (or two Bellas, or two Alices).

Hm. So the answer, I guess... it's kind of like, "I try to keep them in character except for when I want to try something different, or need to distinguish two of the same character." That's nice and consistent, isn't it?

[tinkcph.livejournal.com]

Is it just me, or should the part of the Catwoman doll totally be played by either Lauren Graham or Cobie Smulders?

[ppyajunebug.livejournal.com]

BWAHAHAHA that was exactly what I needed right now! I miss Elizabeth and the dolls rating dolls...so excited for the package reveal!

[anonymeet.livejournal.com]

I used to LOVE Barbies and played with them until I was way to old do so legitimately.

And now, while I love SLOD, I don't actually collect dolls and have never wanted to invest in them. And I'm not really into Tomb Raider. I never played the games and I only casually like the movies, when they're on TV and nothing else I can bear to watch is on.

But I kind of dig that Lara doll like crazy. She just looks like she can break you in half. She's got some nice weapons. Man, now I wish that's what my Barbies looked like . . .

[jadis17.livejournal.com]

makes me sad I haven't heard about a Jasper Dollen. He could help keep things calm.

[roseredhoofbeat.livejournal.com]

Oh man, Anna would FLIP HER SHIT over a Jasper Dollen...

[nik-bella.livejournal.com]

for FAQ, will you be answering things that can be found just by looking around on the SLoD link to the right?
(as in, I was wondering something, going to submit it as a FAQ, but then easily found the answer ---->)

[channonyarrow.livejournal.com]

You know what would be great in a FAQ? I mean, not that it's FA, or a Q, far as I know, but I keep trying to look at that teeny pic of Fugagorn and figure out what you mean that his face is smushed on one side. I think I see it, but I really don't see it on, uh, Purple Arwen, I think it is, and I didn't get Anna's Valeri-fro until the pics with the tinhat (which was awesome, btw). I think you're using the promo stills for their minipics?

So I guess what I'm saying is some really basic pics of what each of the dolls really looks like would be cool, but obviously if you're thinking of a FAQ you've got a lot on your plate that you're getting asked a lot already, and pics are kind of time-intensive.

[cherrysakura5.livejournal.com]

yay I needed a SLoD post today!
I think this makes the first time that Pan has a line maybe I'm wrong but I've never seen him talk until now. I like how you bring out Lyra, she doesn't need sugar that girl can talk her mouth off. I liked a scene in the movie where she's hiking up besides Iorek Byrnison and talking about Lord Asriel. So I can see Lyra doesn't know about Lord Asriel begin her father or is it just a habit of hers calling him Uncle?
I knew your Elizabeth doll didn't look like Keira Knightley, it was on the back of my head all this time. Lizzie really does look like Celine Dion.

[stephandra.livejournal.com]

I have been waiting for a new installment, so yay! I, for one, think that Elizabeth needs a Will Dollner. Plus, Anna needs something to distract her from The Littlest Edward, and a Dollner would certainly accomplish that.

I'd like to know an order and occasion of acquisition for some of the original dolls. That is something for a FAQ, perhaps?

[bronweeny.livejournal.com]

Clearly, I'm going to have to get out the rum.

maybe there'll be a drunken punch-up that decends into them all crying about how much they love each other.... that would be pretty sweet...

[ailaes.livejournal.com]

Those earrings are gorgeous[on your twitter].

I've had to tear myself away from the Lara Croft Tonner. I sooo much want her, yet have no monies. Cause I know I'd want the other outfits as well. Le sigh.


It's good to see Elizabeth laughing. They so need to make up and the rum might be a good idea.


You do realize we're too invested in your dolls, yes?

[risti.livejournal.com]

There may already be an answer to this, but I am trying to convince a friend to read these entries, but would like to give her an easy starting point to say "click here, that's the beginning, and then here's links to the rest in chronological order". I've poked around your wiki, but I'm kind of wiki-challenged (in that I scorned them while the rest of the internet was embracing them, and am now forced to play catch up) and I couldn't figure out how to find something like this.

[threeparts.livejournal.com]

Try this. (http://cleoland.pbwiki.com/The+Secret+Life+of+Dolls#Fullentries) I like going through the older entries, and I still can't believe that so much has happened since Cleo first mentioned that Eowyn and Arwen had "already broken one jar of pens". <3

[mercurywater.livejournal.com]

I don't like catwomans mask....
Holy crap-a Tia Dalma doll! (Davy Jones and Tia were my favorite part of the movie)
Lara Croft doll! *SQUEE* Get her Cleo, please!!

[stardreemer.livejournal.com]

Yes! Lara Croft is awesome!