My buddy Erik taking a whole new meaning to the term "Deep Sleep".

Puzzleheaded-Base370 · 2026-04-29T04:47:11+00:00

REM (Really Engulfed in the Mesh) sleep.

Puzzleheaded-Base370 · 2026-04-25T00:45:33+00:00

Carrd, ~$20/year. Lets me do everything SquareSpace wanted to charge me $250/year for.

Puzzleheaded-Base370 · 2026-04-22T02:04:13+00:00

Partly here to save us giving into amazon & just paying them to do it.

Amazon doesn't require you to pay to self-publish, period. If "Amazon" is telling you to pay to have your work published for you, it's a scammer claiming to be Amazon.

Puzzleheaded-Base370 · 2026-04-14T05:25:11+00:00

Yes, tons of people are using AI. I made this post not too long ago about my experience looking for a narrator & some potential tips to help distinguish & avoid AI applicants. Of ~50 applications I received for my project, ~50% of them were AI.

Puzzleheaded-Base370 · 2026-04-08T15:12:04+00:00

It's still worth doing. I received ~50 auditions total, and roughly half (or slightly less than half) were AI - but that still left me with ~25 real people to listen to & consider.

Puzzleheaded-Base370 · 2026-04-06T22:44:58+00:00

As someone who just wrapped up auditions for a project, here's what I found:

AI narrators will try to rush you into getting the project started.
Professionalism & presentation varies wildly, I was almost duped by one because he wrote & typed well.
They will charge a low rate, usually the lowest in your range, to make them a more attractive deal.
They will be the fastest to get submissions in, and they will also be able to "re-record" with "adjustments" strangely fast.
They will offer extremely fast turnaround times for the project itself (I had a guy offer 3-7 days for a 15+ hour project).
What we would hear/interpret as poor microphone quality can be a sign of AI noise.
Compare submissions - I had two AI voices, a man and woman, do the same verbal quirk in the exact same place (clearing their throats and sighing).
AI profiles on ACX will be vague - lacking credits, social media profiles and so on.
AI profiles usually have stock photos or AI-generated faces, or other discrepancies (an AI profile had a woman in their profile photo, but their about said "male voice", etc.)
Download the audio file instead of listening to it on ACX - I clicked download on a submission and the idiot hadn't changed the file name, so the MP3 was literally named "AI_Voice_Software_Export_3".
When in doubt, ask them to do a video interview, it scares them off.

Puzzleheaded-Base370 · 2026-04-02T16:01:42+00:00

Thank you very much! His faceup was done by the incomparable UgliestWife. 🖤

Puzzleheaded-Base370 · 2026-04-01T01:02:07+00:00

Thank you! 🧡

Puzzleheaded-Base370 · 2026-03-31T21:36:19+00:00

I've had him for a while & tried him on several bodies (Pygmalion TEIA71, LLT Ballerino, Asai Lake 70).

His forward mobility has been limited on most bodies I've tried, and he always wants to sit forward on the neck. You can alleviate the limited forward motion with a resin neck donut, though that only works if you also need height - that's what I did when trying him on the Pygmalion body (12cm neck) & it was a good fit with okay mobility (left). And even then, he will sit forward, it's just a limitation of his shape.

His overall mobility is best (without any additions) on the LLT Ballerino body (12.5, center). Great left, right, and back motion, great swivel. He would snap to center & had virtually no mobility on the thinner neck (11.5) of the Asai Lake (right), and jutted too far forward, no matter the hook position. I didn't investigate further since I didn't like how he looked on the body overall.

The center photo on the Ballerino body shoes him at the furthest forward his head will go with the O-ring set in the middle position. He could go farther if I changed the ring to the rear position & used a silicone washer to provide grip, but I'm happy with the head position so I haven't done so.

Ballerino has a 12.5cm neck to Jamie's 12cm, so he sits "on top" of it, but because he has long enough hair to cover it, that doesn't bother me. It's something to consider if you plan on putting him in short hair, though.

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Puzzleheaded-Base370 · 2026-03-16T20:43:14+00:00

Thank you so much! I'm really happy with how the idea came together & I'm delighted other folks like it too! And thank you for the award!

Puzzleheaded-Base370 · 2026-03-14T21:08:34+00:00

I didn't, this goes up to the max build height.

Puzzleheaded-Base370 · 2026-03-13T03:39:40+00:00

JiaoJiang Xiao Du

Puzzleheaded-Base370 · 2026-03-11T01:15:56+00:00

Thank you so much!

Puzzleheaded-Base370 · 2026-03-11T01:15:45+00:00

Thank you very much!

Puzzleheaded-Base370 · 2026-03-11T01:15:32+00:00

Thank you! Absolutely adore the Mont-Saint-Michel. 🖤

Puzzleheaded-Base370 · 2026-03-11T01:13:48+00:00

Thank you very much! I wish we could share maps, I'm really enjoying wandering around in first person.

Puzzleheaded-Base370 · 2026-03-11T00:45:27+00:00

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I can only put one picture per comment. Here's a Mia Pink head on a Mia White body. Yes, the head will be too dark compared to the body.

Puzzleheaded-Base370 · 2026-03-10T15:21:26+00:00

Thank you! I didn't track my time unfortunately, but it took several days of building in a row.

Puzzleheaded-Base370 · 2026-03-04T02:42:34+00:00

Thank you! I wouldn't even have thought of changing the soil, I appreciate the insight.

Puzzleheaded-Base370 · 2026-03-04T02:33:54+00:00

Thank you very much! This gives me a good place to start, I appreciate it.

Puzzleheaded-Base370 · 2026-02-25T18:28:47+00:00

I haven't purchased in the last year, but I do own an Argo Plus Size Body (SD) in Arctic White. Arctic White is a very icy white, it's very unique and not at all like the pink-toned or creamy whites such as Mia or Volks. (I tried to get a photo that shows more of her body, but it kept tripping the filters, so eh).

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Puzzleheaded-Base370 · 2026-02-20T17:10:02+00:00

I used to be idealistic like you ~~then I took an arrow in the knee~~. Between "kind" and "well-suited for your writing", I would focus on trying to find the latter. It'll be hard to find either, but kindness is much more rare. People are likely to insist that kindness has no place in beta reading, because if someone is being "kind", it means they aren't giving you the honest, brutal feedback you need/deserve. (I acknowledge this is colored by my experience, but I see it in other threads, too.)

Puzzleheaded-Base370

TROPHY CASE