#sdc toki

[resinteapot]

[highdio]

hello. first of all, i wanted to say i'm in love with your dio analysis. i think i agreed with everything you've written about him so far. you're truly amazing at getting his character! anyway, i wanted to ask - do you think The World's power fits dio (like his personality, life, etc)? and how? i'd love to hear your thoughts over that. if you answered such question in the past i'd love to be linked. have a nice day!!!

First of all, thank you!! for that.  Yes I definitely think The World’s power fits Dio (and there’s a scene in SDC where Enya tells Dio his Stand is a guardian spirit that’s been protecting him his entire life, which I kind of love the idea of).  Za Warudo’s my favorite stand so this reply’s a little long and freeform:

For me, it’s always felt like Dio’s been motivated primarily by 2 things – freedom and mastery – and Za Warudo’s timestop taps into both of these.  First off, Araki’s explained Za Warudo’s timestop as the manifestation of Dio’s desire to be free from the constraints of Time. That’s a nice parallel to his becoming a vampire in Pt.1, it’s like first Dio mastered time by becoming immortal and then later on he’s actually able to force-stop time and to move through it alone.

One of the cool things about the timestop power is how it creates a stage - not a stage like an actor would have during a performance (it’s sort of the opposite since Dio’s actions during the stop are unobserved), more like a stage in the sense of a space where Dio can take advantage of everything that’s around and set up the most effective and diabolical way to attack. The reason Dio’s been such a formidable adversary is b/c he’ll use anything and everything that’s around him during a fight.  The timestop really exploits this fighting style, creating a space where he can set up elaborate attacks on his victims. 

The World’s power feels like it’s been custom-built as an enhancement to Dio’s improvisational fighting style.  And Dio’s a villain with a strong sense of play - he likes toying with his opponent - so obv The World’s perfect for enabling that too (ie, Polnareff on the stairs). The idea of the timestop setting up a type of gamespace is cool too because it relates way back to Dio’s love of chess in Pt.1, so much so that he literally uses the phrase “Checkmate” after setting up his multi-knife attack on Jotaro.

All this ties back to this idea of mastery, The World’s power lets Dio hone and test out both his skills and his limits.

Personality-wise, the idea of a space in which only one can move relates back to Dio’s confidence and arrogance, really.  Dio consistently thinks of himself as a man who stands alone and at the top, and during the timestop that’s pretty much the case.  Stopped time is Dio’s alone.  That’s why he gets so unnerved when Jotaro moves just one of his fingers a little during that stop, it’s like a personal affront to Dio because no one should be even allowed to approach his level.

(fwiw another element in line with Dio’s persona is it’s audaciousness. “Toki yo Tomare” is a command-type phrase, Dio’s directly commanding Time itself to stop.  It’s notable that Dio’s less-confident Part 7 counterpart, Diego, doesn’t use that “yo” command.)

And then there’s just the strength element. Araki talks about how when he wrote Pt.1 he asked himself, “who’s the strongest man in the world?,” the way a child would ask.  In Pt.3 and with Za Warudo it’s like Araki’s applying that same question to stands, asking, what’s the strongest stand power in the world?  In later Jojo parts the timestop becomes one of many OP powers but in Pt.3 it’s so huge that it’s almost unthinkable. So it’s like both Dio and his Stand have their genesis in this same question.

And ZW’s power is physical.  I get the sense Za Warudo’s timestop isn’t just a matter of its master exploiting the flow of the timestream (I think of Kira’s Bites the Dust that way, it’s like Kira and Killer Queen and everyone else slip back through timestream). With Za Warudo though, it’s as if the Stand’s physically forcing the gears of Time to a standstill. It’s drawn this way:

obv it’s figurative but Araki’s emphasizing The World’s raw strength here. 

And there’s other stuff, like how elements of The World’s design create a mechanical, robotic impression (versus Star Platinum’s more organic design).  Dio’s got a stand that looks a lot like an unkind machine, it feels symbolic of Dio’s own ruthlessness and cruelty.

Anyway that’s a lot of my thoughts on it.  Thanks for the ask!

[resinteapot]

Volks PS Normal/Fair comparisons, 2004-2021.

Photo 1 taken in indirect natural light, photo 2 taken with flash.

Top row, L-R: Isao Nanjou 1st, 2004; MSD-F-05, 2006; SDC Miko, 2006; SDC Toki, 2009

Bottom row, L-R: SDM Mako, 2015; SD Saki/F-59, 2021; Adaption Model F-55, unknown, cleaned by Volks 2023.

Now excuse me while I re-wig all these bald heads...

[resinteapot]

Taken at my parents' house.

Marin is a Volks SDC Toki head on a MSD girl body

[resinteapot]

2nd hand MSD girl unboxing

Warning: doll nudity ahead

Bought her and an SD13 boy from Dolly Teria. They got sent in 2 boxes taped tightly together and it took a while for EMS to get them out of Japan, but they arrived safe!

Here’s both boxes open, safe and secure with extra bubble wrap

My Dollmore Liebe Klum waiting for new friends after more than a a decade! You can just see the accessories I bought beside her, also all enclosed in little bits of bubble wrap or tiny bags

Here’s her box, nice and safe in the bubble wrap. I was very pleased with Dolly Teria’s packaging

Box without tape. A few creases from the folds, but considering the age of her body (single joints so definitely MSD rather than SDM) a bit of wear and tear on the box is to expected

My girl in her bubble wrap coccoon

Coccoon gone, but still mummified, and mummified means safe!

Her little hand. I think I bonded with her straight away because I just sat there and let her hold my finger for a few minutes. Her last owner seems to have put nail polish on her so that’s something I’ll have to figure out how to remove safely

Unwrapped! She’s a bit yellow but I dont mind. Her yellowing is even anyway. She doesn’t sit super well probably because of her body’s age, but she’s got kips in her shoulders and her arms pose well

Head unwrapped and popped an old baby doll shirt on her. Excuse the bad lighting - hastily taken photos in my bedroom because I was excited to unwrap her! Her faceup is in pretty good condition apart from the fading on her right eyebrow. After looking up her headplate on Tenshi no Kishi, it seems she has a SDC Toki (originally male) head on her MSD body. The attitude in the face is what drew me to her :)

And here she is with a wig on next to my Liebe. About 13 years and my 2nd doll :)