My life with action figures - an interview with dieastra by dieastra

[dieastra]

I want to take part in selenic76's Fandom Fest!

So, I basically interviewed myself. This is what happened:

If you don’t mind me asking - how old are you exactly?

I turned 40 last year - why do you ask?

And you are still playing with dolls?!?Well, yeah. Guess I have kept my inner child, and I love it. I don’t intend to grow up anytime soon, I have way

Comments

[dieastra]

Thank you, glad you liked it, and hopefully found time for the rest!

I was in fact specifically asked to write something about my action figure stories. And I thought long and hard and found that a long article might be quite boring. Then I got the idea with the fun interview questions, and I am quite proud of it!

But as you can see, I really could talk like forever about this ;) If someone visits me, I show him all the figures and the awesome mini accessories. So much to squee over.

I admire what you and others do for your cosplaying, I have a friend who made a Dark Archer costume and also got the right bow to go with it. That is either lot of work or lot of money, and I have seen great costumes at conventions. I also know people who go one step further and buy original costumes from the series for lots of money.

I'm not much for dressing up. In my corner of Germany we don't really do carnivale, while in orther regions it is even a public holiday. I loved to make costumes as a child, but again the most appealing part was for me to think of something, and then to think of things I could use for making what I wanted. The inventing, the macgyvering, the making something out of nothing. One of these days I have to scan the picture of me in the selfmade Winnetou (an Apache Chief) costume. I made even the hair myself with a sieve and lots of black thread knotted into it.

But once it was all finished and the big day has come? I felt odd walking around in it. I never had any wish for acting or performing or playing a role. I'm so honest and never lie, I just can't pretend! It was the same when I set up my doll house - once I had it all decorated I had no idea what to play with it.

If I worked for a theatre, I would be more interested in prop making, or for movies maybe in location finding and changing. I once visited a filming site here in Dresden, where they had changed a modern street into one from the Sixties. So many small details you would not even see on screen, it was awesome.

[jackwabbit]

Haven't read it all yet! But I will.

And that's a cool way to do this. Very clever!

And you should talk forever about it. It's cool and it's you.

Thank you. I enjoy cosplaying. But you are correct. It is either a lot of time or a lot of money in many cases (though it doesn't have to be either if you play your cards right). As for buying original, that's cheating in my opinion. At least for wearing them. You buy a set costume, that's a display piece/for a collection. It's not for wearing.

I'm with you. In enjoy the making of the things more than the wearing, though the wearing is its own reward sometimes. And it makes for fun pictures! But the figuring things out is the best part. The learning.

I'm with you on setting up toys. I used to set up huge battles with my G.I. Joes, then just take them down and set them up again. The actual playing? Not so much. But figuring out the best place to put the sniper so he'd have the best shot? Yeah, I liked that. But as for me personally? I live my life in fantasyland. I pretend all the time, and I'd love to act in any way. I likely won't, but I love the idea of it.

Oh, and yes, set making would be fun, too!