Shakespeare Freak

About Me: Hi! I'm Marley (37 years old, genderfluid, They/Him pronouns). I'm an actor, proud geek, American Girl doll collector, kinnie, proshipper, and fanatic fan of far too many things. Obsessed with A Christmas Carol year-round. I also juggle fandoms like mad.

DNI: ▪️ Transphobes/TERFs ▪️ Transmeds/Truscum ▪️ SWERFs ▪️ MAPs/NOMAPs ▪️ Ableists (includes med-shaming) ▪️ Exclusionists ▪️ Anti-shippers ▪️ Racists ▪️ Homophobes ▪️ Aphobes ▪️ If you think people can be “too old” for fandoms ▪️ If you think people can be “too old” for kinning ▪️ If you mock fictionkin ▪️ If you mock others for kinning spiritually ▪️ If you think people can only kin within their own race ▪️ If you think kinning a minority/oppressed person makes you an “honorary minority” or gives you the right to speak on minority issues

I’m in this virtual American Girl book club that has monthly discussions on Google Meet; we're currently alternating between the mysteries and the Girl of the Year books. For June we read Gabriela McBride’s first book. Gabriela was marketed as a dancer, so I didn't expect to relate to her (not a big fan of the dance or gymnastics girlies, just because I haven’t been that interested in either activity since like 1st grade), but it turns out most of her story is actually centered on her being a poet, which is much more my style. Even better, one of the other kids in her poetry group is named Isaiah Jordan and he's my new favorite AG character. His first words in the book are "Good morrow" and I immediately knew I was going to love him. He alternates between modern language, Elizabethan English, and Shakespeare quotes (and, in the second book, he also starts quoting Langston Hughes); he wears tee-shirts that read things like "Prose Before Bros" and "I'm handsome and a poet"; he has an afro "at least three inches high"; he carries a lunchbox that's more like a red briefcase with a lightning bolt on it, from which he eats sandwiches cut in the shape of stars and goldfish; he is super outspoken around other kids, despite having trouble making friends, but shy and anxious around his father (who is super tall and always impeccably dressed in three-piece suits); in the second book we get some signs he might be on the spectrum (his parents think he gets "too fixated" on things and needs to work on trying new things, from reading stuff other than Shakespeare to eating cafeteria food at school, and he is initially very upset by this); he's incredible and I need a doll of him like, yesterday; and AG never made one so clearly it's time for me to customize!

Here’s the thing: I really like Truly Me 113 for Isaiah’s face shape (and I’ve been looking for an excuse to adopt 113 anyways, he’s definitely my favorite boy AG so far) but I’m still learning a lot about terminology for Black hairstyles, and I’m not sure that 113’s hair counts as an afro; an image search turned up some similar styles on humans, and the phrase “curly afro” popped up in connection to them sometimes, but I’m not sure if that means “this hairstyle is a specific type of afro that is curly” or “this hairstyle is a specific type of curly hair worn by people with African roots” (I think it’s the latter, though).

Truly Me 113

Just Like You 77’s hair is definitely an afro, but I don’t like his face shape as much; it’s more rounded, where I think of Isaiah as being skinny and therefore having a thinner face, and also I think 113 is more expressive-looking, and Isaiah is nothing if not enthusiastically expressive. I could look for a 77 wig and put it on 113, but I feel it’d be difficult to find, as I think 77 is pretty rare.

Just Like You 77

I found a doll wig on Etsy that’s an afro, but I think it’s too big (looks more like 8 inches going by the doll’s scale); does anyone have it, and if so, do you know if it could be trimmed down to 3 inches (doll scale) without exposing a bunch of the “scalp”?

The wig

There’s also two Our Generation dolls, Malik and Tyler, who could conceivably work, but I’ve never been the biggest fan of OG face sculpts; they usually look simultaneously bored and worried to me.

Malik and Tyler

I’m also wondering if 113’s hair could be made to look fluffier and less curly if it were brushed out a bit with a wire brush, but I’m not sure if that would work or just ruin his hair. My final thought is that I could say that Isaiah changed up his hairstyle - I really do love 113’s hair - but I guess ideally I’d want him to be as close to his book appearance as possible.

So, my questions are: -Could Truly Me 113’s hair be accurately termed an afro as it is? -And if not, suggestions on what to do (brush it out, swap it with a different wig, use another doll instead, make his new hairstyle part of his backstory, etc.)?

🏳️‍🌈 Happy Last Day of Pride 2026 from my full 12-doll collection (and the “indoor” pets*) 🏳️‍🌈

A couple of days before my surgery, I took my entire collection of AG dolls outside for a Pride photoshoot! Samantha and Nellie were once again representing their relationship with lesbian flags; Virginia carried the asexual flag (this was her first official Pride gathering!), and Evette, Kaya, Maritza, Addy, Saige**, Corinne, Gwynn, Makena, and Josefina are being good allies supporting their LGBT+ friends. Even Flurry, Jip, Suerte, and Rembrandt got in on the fun! 🐕 

It was a VERY ambitious idea to bring everyone, and I couldn’t have done it without my friend Jacob helping me (and a large wheeled cart). We got a lot of attention in the building courtyard where we did the photoshoot; one interaction that particularly stood out was with an older gentleman who was so excited to tell me about fighting the good fight in his younger days, and he asked for two of the rainbow flags so he could put them in the handlebars of his motorized scooter (I was very happy to spare them, especially as I have about a dozen extras). It was entirely lovely.

✨❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🤎🖤🩵🤍🩷🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈 HAPPY PRIDE! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🩷🤍🩵🖤🤎💜💙💚💛🧡❤️✨

*not counting the camp dogs from Kaya’s stories, Sombrita, or any of the horses

When I couldn’t decide which doll to use as my top surgery recovery buddy (Samantha or Makena), I asked here, in 4 Facebook doll Groups, and on a Discord server for help choosing. People made some good arguments for both sides; but a few people said “Why not both?”, and I realized I do have more than one doll hospital gown, soo… it ended up being both! (Makena is wearing the recent AG hospital gown, and Sam is in the older Pleasant Company one.)

Surgery went really well, BTW! 😄

BONUS:

Surgery results!