baldylox Posted June 2, 2020 Alright everyone, I've been looking forward to this for a long time now so please let me have my fun. 😉   Way back in 2010 I was collecting anime figures and anime on DVD when I found Figurefm. There I found dolls, specifically Dollfie Dreams. I'd never seen such huge figures before and they were all so lovely. I did some checking around and saw that they weren't cheap by any means. Fast forward to June that year and I happened upon a for sale listing in the marketplace on FFM. Lo and behold it is a gorgeous ( to me) DDdy girl named Manami. It was love at first sight. I messaged the owner and we struck a deal. So on June 22nd 2010, she arrived home to me.   This was the first photo I ever took of her.  DSC02435 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr  I knew how tall these girls were before she arrived but finally having her in front of me and being able to hold her was just not what I expected. She was just so cool and pretty. Here's the first time she ever went outside with me.  DSC02485 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr  I was a total noob in the hobby then and had no clue where to get clothing that fit her ( the DDdy bodies were pretty much brand new at that time and hardly anyone made stuff to fit ) so the poor girl had to stay in that one pink outfit she came with for like 3 months. XD But she wasn't worried about it and seemed to be pretty happy here with me.  She quickly became my everything. I bought her clothing and food and spoiled her rotten. I guess I shouldn't have but she made me really happy so I figured I'd do the same for her. She loves sweets but now loves cookies in particular. Here she is with some Pocky.  DSC02621 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr  Manami was lots of fun and I took her to lots of places. We went to my parents, to several doll meets and out to parks near me. She loved being outside and also loved having her picture taken. She's always been a bit of a ham. 😉  DSC05529 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr  She's also a little needy, always wanting hugs and to be picked up....  DSC07113 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr  And of course she's playful.  DSC07678 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr  I used to do lots of photo stories with her over on FFM but when that site went away so did all my stories.  I was able to move some of them here but not all the first ones. I really enjoyed doing stories but as time went by, they took their toll on me. They take time and patience and lots of planning to make work well. So I've been slow to make them lately. I used to pump out 2 or 3 a week but now if I do 1 or 2 a month I'm amazed.  BUT....  With the 10 year anniversary of Manami coming home to me and of me and her being in this hobby, I plan to change that. 😄 This month I am planning quite a few things for her. I'm going to spam the internet with her pics and story in as many places as I can. Instagram and Twitter and Discord will all be plastered with images of her. LOL And of course, she'll be all over the forums too. The reason? Simple.  Manami has led me to who I am. She's given me good times and led me thru bad ones. She's been there for me when no one else was. She has let me meet so many awesome people in this hobby and become friends with many of them. Manami has taught me all sorts of camera skills. She's taught me how to be comfortable with myself no matter where I am with her. And she's taken all my spare cash. Wait, that's not a good thing....  Anyways, I'm going to be posting pics and stories of her all month long here and I would like to hear from people on this thread about things she's done for them. Like has she made you laugh? What did it? Did she help you find some really nice outfit for your girls? Did she show you something you'd never seen before? I'd like to hear any and all stories you might have about her! I think it'll be lots of fun so please post with comments on what she's done for you!   Thanks for reading and I await some fun stories about her from everyone!  Here's a bonus pic of her yelling at me for forgetting to bring cookies to the doll meet for her to snack on. She's tough when it comes to that! 😉  DSC06440 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr    Billy 6 1 I gave up counting the girls I own, they keep multiplying and won't stop. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anna-neko Posted June 3, 2020 There is always time for some excellent Manami content, and this did not disappoint ^___^ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jezrah Posted June 3, 2020 Yay, congrats on your 10 year anniversary! 🥳 You and Manami taught me both how to listen to your girl (or boy) to find out their personality, as well as not being embarrassed of who you are, even in public. It's more fun to be yourself. I just realized that June 10th will be 9 years since I welcomed my first girl Ayano, which was before I found the original forum. My, how time flies! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ParacosmDoll Posted June 3, 2020 (edited) . Edited August 25, 2023 by ParacosmDoll Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
burokkori Posted June 3, 2020 Congrats Billy! I also used to hang out over at figurefm back in the day and definitely remember when you first picked up Manami. 10 years? Time sure flies. DD was still such a niche "figure" category back then. I've drifted off and on with this hobby through the many years but looks like you're running full steam ahead. Incredible DD family. Here's hopping you've got many more years of DD happiness to come!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baldylox Posted June 4, 2020 On 6/2/2020 at 9:38 PM, Chise said: There is always time for some excellent Manami content, and this did not disappoint ^___^ Aww thank you! There will be plenty of it this month so you're lucky! 😉  On 6/2/2020 at 11:03 PM, Jezrah said: Yay, congrats on your 10 year anniversary! 🥳 You and Manami taught me both how to listen to your girl (or boy) to find out their personality, as well as not being embarrassed of who you are, even in public. It's more fun to be yourself. I just realized that June 10th will be 9 years since I welcomed my first girl Ayano, which was before I found the original forum. My, how time flies! Thanks so much! That's great that you learned a few things from us! Listening to your doll is a BIG deal in my opinion. Giving them a voice and listening to it makes you closer and allows you to have more fun too! Oh nice, 9 years for you and Ayano! That's awesome, congrats!   On 6/3/2020 at 1:02 AM, Majikaru-Rin said: Congrats on your 10 year anniversary! Manami and her antics never fail to put a smile on my face 😊 Yay! I'm glad she makes you smile. That's very important to me and all my girls and boys. This is a hobby and hobbies are meant to be shared and FUN! Thank you for telling me that.  On 6/3/2020 at 1:43 AM, burokkori said: Congrats Billy! I also used to hang out over at figurefm back in the day and definitely remember when you first picked up Manami. 10 years? Time sure flies. DD was still such a niche "figure" category back then. I've drifted off and on with this hobby through the many years but looks like you're running full steam ahead. Incredible DD family. Here's hopping you've got many more years of DD happiness to come!! Thank you! That's really cool that you recall me getting her way back then! Time sure does fly! And yeah, I've been non stop the whole time. This hobby came along when I needed it the most and has paid me back in all sorts of ways so I'm really enjoying it and I do my best to share that with others and help whenever I can so others enjoy themselves as well.   Billy I gave up counting the girls I own, they keep multiplying and won't stop. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheWhiteRabbit Posted June 5, 2020 (edited) Aww! Love me some Manami spam  I joined the hobby about ten years ago also, and it took me two years to find my footing and get my first dolls (Rei and Chi) who I will have 8 years in October (ish...bad mom, lol). I remember always logging into Figure.fm and seeing your posts and stories along with a few other members, they really kept me working towards getting my own girls honestly... I loved seeing you take her out and about and how much fun DD's could be. I started having interest in this hobby thinking I'd never have my own doll (financial and other reasons) and it's DD's like Manami 10 years ago that kept me logging in every day that really made me work toward it. So thanks for that  Love this idea, and look forward to #MOM (mom hashtag? lol) Edited June 5, 2020 by TheWhiteRabbit Follow me on Twitter https://twitter.com/WhiteRabbit887 Follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/whiterabbitdolls?igsh=czQyZzRweG9hZDM2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Selenae Posted June 5, 2020 Congratulations on 10 years with Manami! Here's to many more! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baldylox Posted June 5, 2020 22 hours ago, TheWhiteRabbit said: Aww! Love me some Manami spam  I joined the hobby about ten years ago also, and it took me two years to find my footing and get my first dolls (Rei and Chi) who I will have 8 years in October (ish...bad mom, lol). I remember always logging into Figure.fm and seeing your posts and stories along with a few other members, they really kept me working towards getting my own girls honestly... I loved seeing you take her out and about and how much fun DD's could be. I started having interest in this hobby thinking I'd never have my own doll (financial and other reasons) and it's DD's like Manami 10 years ago that kept me logging in every day that really made me work toward it. So thanks for that  Love this idea, and look forward to #MOM (mom hashtag? lol) Thank you!  I am so happy that Manami was one small part of the reason you got your DD girls! Your family is amazing for sure but your Rei is still my favorite one out there besides my own. I just ADORE how you have her looking and that you used WS for her. Everything about your Rei is just lovely.  I appreciate your compliments and story! Manami doesn't like being part of the MOM hashtag tho, she says it makes her sound old. LOL  21 hours ago, Selenae said: Congratulations on 10 years with Manami! Here's to many more! Thank you very much!    Billy 1 I gave up counting the girls I own, they keep multiplying and won't stop. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites