Figure collecting: how it all began.

I wanted to get into figure collecting since I was a teen. And since it is a rather expensive hobby, my parents talked me out of it.

One of my "Grails": Sonico Hot Limit Ver. She is so dynamic and cheerful! I am not a fan of "impossible outfits", but this one looks fun.

And then, one day, grown-up Lana remembered her old dream and the character who impressed her so much. She started with a humble prize figurine, but it was just the beginning…

When I was 16, I befriended a geeky young adult (she was 21-23 at the time), and I jokingly called her "auntie." She introduced me to figure collecting through her Super Sonico figures. Back then they were very pinup-like and innocent (Everyday Life line), especially prize ones. I fell in love with her immediately, but local stores didn't offer anything Sonico-themed, and I couldn't place orders via the Internet. So I was watching my friend get all the pretty stuff I couldn't afford, and I was sincerely happy for her.

Later on, connections severed, geek stuff forgotten, life tried to shape me into a typical "good" woman. Life failed miserably, and instead of becoming a "good" woman, I became a free-spirited artist. Every now and then I saw figures photos in my feed but was still convinced that this is far too expensive. I already had everything I wanted!

And then war turned everything upside down.

I knew that my death was something that could happen at any moment. Each air raid alarm reminded me of that fact. This is the moment when you understand that yes, even though you donate to the cause and help as much as you can, there is still you in the picture. And you can die without fulfilling your dreams, no matter how trivial they may seem. These are still dreams. These can still bring you a faint glimpse of happiness and help you to live through one more agonizing day.

At the beginning of 2023, I placed my first order. Super Sonico "Queen of Blue."

Before I continue, I brought all 20 of my figurines with me to Bulgaria. That's how important this hobby became for me. While 20 seems like a huge number, the majority of them are so-called prizes: the cheap ones (20-30 EUR for a figure).

My collection grows slowly for a multitude of reasons. First of all, I am not tied to some particular title. I am not an anime fan; I simply enjoy beautiful things, and figurines are particularly beautiful! I don't care about the character at all. Sometimes I don't even know who the hell this is. I love intricate details of hair and outfits, poses with the attitude, and gorgeous paint jobs. Looking at my ladies (and a few gentlemen) brings a smile to my face.

Secondly, I am not a coomer. While I love some eroticism and sassy attitude, I dislike overly lewd poses and situations. I may buy a figurine with a provocative pose; I will not get one that is explicitly sexual (masturbation, sex imitation with different objects, etc.). No sex-shaming, but this type of content is not for me, thank you. I have a few "cast off" figurines, but I do not strip them and do not allow visitors to strip them. They are beautiful as they are, with their clothes on. The most important factor for me is the quality and the attitude. I don't like boring "just standing" or "just sitting" poses; I want to feel some movement; I want to see a story behind them!

While I wish I had more diversity in the body types of my ladies, let's move on to reason number 3. I want the character to look like a mature man/woman. I hate loli and all PDF bait. I wish I could have an interesting figurine of a lean/skinny girl, but gosh, this body type is only possible for everything loli-like. NO.

And, finally, this hobby is expensive indeed. I have set a rule of "not spending more than $300 for a figurine twice a year," and I do exactly that. I purchase one figurine for my (upcoming) birthday and another for Christmas. That's it. This is art, and while art is a necessity for an artist, one should think about financial safety first, especially living as a refugee.

In the end, I am rarely interested in new releases. They don't look interesting enough for me personally. And even if they do, I prefer to buy products from the aftermarket rather than preordering them. Quality control nowadays is total trash. I will have a new addition to my collection soon, and the store owner saved me from a terrible mistake. I was certain that the bigger scale would indicate high quality, but unfortunately, I was mistaken. But we'll talk about it later, when I have my beautiful muse at home. She is huge! 27 cm for a seated pose is not a joke. I can't wait to witness all this beauty and to share it with you.