Fantasy for Dolls - Issue 16 The Story of Felani Part II

Felani was born in a small village deep in the forest. Her people were a hybrid mixed between orc and elves and they were outcasts not accepted by the orcs nor the elves for their existence.

But over time, it was discovered that this unique blend made for excellent warriors.  The elf in them made them good with swords and bows and arrows with the ability to be stealthy and sneak up on an enemy.  The orc side made them incredibly strong and resilient.  And so her village became enslaved and her people were drafted into siege wars, often at the frontlines where very few survived against masses of soldiers. Her parents were some of the last sent out, and before they left, they gave her a Peridot necklace as a symbol of their true love.  Her parents didn't survive, and Felani was left all alone.

Felani knew her days were numbered and set out on a plan to escape.  She trained in the day time, and worked on blending in with the trees in the night to escape the guards in the camp. And when the time was right, she slipped right out of the camp and escaped deep into the forest.  When she was tired of running, she climbed to the top of the tallest tree and looked out into the night sky.  She closed her eyes and felt the cool breeze and the wind fly through her hair.  She was free and ready for her next adventure.

Felani kept traveling farther and farther away, hiding herself amongst the trees and trusting no one.

Until she came upon a strange village and the sounds of laughter, music, dancing and a strange species called the Hoo-mans.  

As she hid herself away, she watched the villagers carry on around the fire. Her heart filled with happiness and she wanted so badly to join, she could feel herself moving forward. But she wasn't sure if she would be accepted or feared with her green skin and her long pointed ears which were so very different from hoo-man characteristics.  So she took a step further back into hiding and the leaves rustled.  But this caught the notice of a villager as the leaves moved, and he called out "There's someone there!".  The music stopped and the villagers all turned and looked.

"Come out where we can see you, we mean you no harm." The villager said.

Felani stepped out timidly from the bushes for all to see.  The hoo-mans grew silent and the music stopped.  Felani was unsure what would happen next in the uncomfortable silence. They gasped as they saw her green skin and her sword and shield. Knowing how this looked, Felani kneeled down and gently set her sword and shield on the ground. "I am not here to harm you." she said. "I heard your music and laughter, and just wanted to see."

The villager spoke, "Forgive us, we have just never seen anyone like you before and we have to be careful of strangers in these parts."

Felani closed her eyes, finding the bravery to speak.  "I am an orc-elf half breed.  There is no one like me any more, I am the last of my kind." She dropped her head humbly.

The villagers looked at each other and nodded.  The villager reached out to Felani.  "We have heard tales of the siege wars and your people, we didn't think any of them were left.  You are welcome to stay with us, and you are worth protecting. We would be honored if you joined us." He motioned to Felani to sit at a place near the fire and signaled the music to begin again.

She sat and smiled at the music. The villagers all gathered around her admiring the patterns on her skin and her long green ears.  They marveled at all her white freckles and long black hair.  She was truly beautiful in their eyes and Felani felt she had found her new family amongst the hoo-mans. At last she had found acceptance, freedom, and happiness.  There would only be more adventures from here, but at last she was free to choose.

The End

Felani's Character Design

Concept and Design:

I drew upon very rustic and tribal elements for my concept. My thought was that as a warrior Felani would want to blend in with nature as much as possible and her wardrobe needed to be functional and logical.  I kept with very natural tones such as black, brown, green, and tan to stay within the palette of her skin and body tones.  This would allow her to blend in with trees and bushes easily.  Her green skin and ears are typical of an elf/orc half breed's description, retaining the beauty of the elf in her face and coloring. Her dark hair was braided from this inspiration pic which we mentioned in the previous issue. I chose the Willow in Black Wig for her hair.  Willow is designed for braiding - often used as a Kaya replacement, but you can actually do many braiding styles without showing any wefts, so it was perfect to do this side braiding style against the scalp.

Armor:

Elven armor is very detailed and luxurious, but Felani was a half breed and her village was very rustic and poor.  It was more likely that she would have made her armor and wardrobe out of scrap pieces of leathers, and things among the village.  I drew inspiration from early Viking or Medieval pieces which always had large protective shoulders.  I pictured Felani as a cunning type of warrior where she would often observe an enemy camouflaged nearby before she struck and that she was fast and agile, able to run to or run away as the scenario dictated.  I wanted her to be able to crouch, bend, squat, climb, etc in whatever she was wearing, so it kind of developed into a type of football shoulder pad looking frame.  Female warriors are almost always depicted with a crop top style in armor to make them "sexy" but I found that unnecessary for an AG doll so while it is a shortened armor from the men's armor below, she is covered to the waist.  I made the armor from a woven beach hat visor which I cut up into pieces.  Then I decorated it with pieces of velour tan piping velvet and pieces of a very soft green sweater's sleeves which I used as an edging.  The sweater looked almost like moss to me, and it's color was almost a dead on match for her skin color. I then bias taped all the edges in black and added velcro and snaps to get the armor on and off easily.

Clothing:

Felani wears a very high miniskirt made from soft woven knit and hanging tassels fashioned from a snood and bordered with the velour tan piping I used on the armor.  The tan on the armor and the skirt top match the boot color so there is fluidity of color throughout the outfit.  When I was finished, it reminded me very much of native grass skirts which are often paired with crop tops or bando tops.  This gave me the idea of the top style for under the armor as it fit close to the body and wouldn't add any bulk to her outfit. I chose to keep her top at waist level because the armor went down to the waist and it adds a layer in between the cloth body and the basket weave of the armor.  I also pictured that when Felani didn't want to wear all her armor and gear, that her "under" outfit of the bando style top and skirt with tall boots would be a fashion she would be comfortable walking around in for casual settings. Or even if she wanted to dip her toes in a river on a hot day, it's an outfit she could easily wade in the water in.

Necklace:

The necklace is the only piece of luxury that is on her body.  She's not a princess nor a chieftan's daughter, so it only made sense that she would have such an item if it was a gift.  There are many references to orcs in caverns or mining deep in the earth but not many mentions of rich orcs, so this gift would be very precious and very rare - an engagement token or a symbol of great love.  Originally I did draft a love story in which Felani falls for Hargoth, a champion warrior of her kind and Hargoth gives her the jewel, however having only one orc/elf hybrid doll made, I struggled in presenting a story with two lovers with only pictures of Felani to show.  So ultimately Felani's parents gave her the gift before they were drafted to the siege wars. Felani - meaning "the one to die for" still applies because it is likely that her parents volunteered to go to the siege wars before her to give her time to escape.  Felani's necklace was handmade in our studio.

Boots:

Originally, I actually planned on her being barefoot as most native and tribal references are.  But I kept thinking of her as a warrior Funand running through the forest and caverns and even climbing trees and it seemed very unlikely that she was doing all that activity without shoes.  I settled on the fur boots, because they seemed a dramatic reference to a moccasin which seemed fitting.  The studs on the front seemed like a protective element to block sharp objects and I added the tassels on her boots to match her skirt.

Belts:

It seemed essential that she would at least have some sort of utility belt.  Given that she was a tree climber and orcs are often found in trenches and even climbing in siege battles, I thought it only fitting that she would carry some rope.  This way she could aid her self into getting in and out of high and low places.  She needed a resting spot for her sword when not in use as well.  The armored belt piece protects her mid section from arrows and blades in battle and connects to the shoulder armor pieces to form her armored over structure. 

Felani has been listed for purchase on our website here.

 Felani has been custom dyed from head to toe with airbrushed patterned skin designs on her arms, legs, feet, hands, and face.  Her face-up make-up has been hand painted and detailed by Doll Maker's Notebook including eyelids to match her skin tone.  Felani is now in flawless condition, completely restored to collector condition.  She is an exclusive OOAK doll that will not be repeated 1of 1 and as the story says, the only one of her kind in existence.

Felani's proceeds will be going directly to our Save the Dolls campaign to help broken dolls in need.  Felani is the ultimate example of transformation for this cause, and it was only fitting that she was made to help her fellow dolls get the care they need.

The Felani Doll Comes with:

Doll with Wig and Elven/Orc Ears

Shoulder Armor

Camouflage strapless bando top

Knitted tribal skirt

True Love Peridot Stone Necklace

Hip Belt with Leather Rope and Sword Holder

Tan Faux Fur Boots with Studs and tassels

Felani's Sword

Felani's Shield

Special COA certificate

Fun Facts

Felani's sword and shield were adapted from a Carpatina set called Adam2 Knight Accessories and can be purchased here.

The shield was modified for an AG arm/hand to hold it at the back and clear rubber bands are needed for her to hold her sword in battle.