#Recast Confession

[the-bjd-community-confess]

I need to rant!

Whenever I used to search eBay for a good legit used doll, I would sort by price. I would stop when I got to the $200 range because that is where the 1/3 BJD recasts started. A couple years go by, and had to stop in the $300 range. I was thinking that is crazy because of how many legit BJD's even in the 1/3 range are under or around $300. Today I go on eBay to check the second hand market. I hit the recasts, 'pretty boy, bjd' gift' at close to $500. WTF? Do these people even realize how many 1/3 legit BJD's are close to $500 in price range? Who caused this? All those people that keep buying from these recasters instead of legit dolls have allowed the recasters to raise their prices to the prices of legit dolls. And people are still buying them? It's no longer an excuse of 'because it's cheaper' These people are literally paying the same amount for recasts, that I do my legit dolls. Wake up and smell the roses people. Recasters are bad!

~Anonymous

[musubiki]

recently thinking about the tcwg episode where mochis mob spell finally starts running out. apparently its maximum possible usage is 10 years (which they find out from pom) and appearently tiramisu put it on her too soon,,... when they ask her she says "Oh...you were such a cute kid I didn't want to wait too long!!" while pinching her cheeks, and suddenly theres a few more people at school who are like "Hey...I never really noticed but...Mochi is kinda pretty, huh?"

for the people who start to notice, they chalk it up to "Maybe she hit puberty late...?" or something, but regardless she has 1 or 2 more people actually ask her out, and lime starts to realize how much it bothers him

[frameconfessions]

Rhino's iron skin should be recastable without having to wait for the cool down, same with Valkyr's warcry.

.

[of-his-dragoon-ways]

Pro recast owners can be annoying sometimes, call me an elitist gatekeeper offline and see what happens. You're not welcome at meetups, I hope you realize that, unless you create your own recast friendly ones. Just keep in mind that recasts are NOT welcome at official events like ResinRose. I will not hesitate to call you out, go ahead and call me a bitch but I want to preserve the community.

[kosomolski-dolls]

"I see a pretty feed, I hit follow! [No matter if they have recasts]"

OK, nice if that works for you, but for me, it immediately "taints" the beautiful feed. There's enough pro-artist photographers out there who I can follow.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

https://www.tumblr.com/raven-at-the-writing-desk/765084948516503552/maybe-we-simply-underestimate-how-difficult-and?source=share if i'm not mistaken Jamil idk in what book i think 5 mentions smth about how different his and Jade UM are, but on my opinion imagine this irl if someone tells you to jump you'll probably do so bc in your perspective is smth easy but if someone tells you to give them the most honest true or a piece of your mind you will filter it or even lie some people spoil it and say something they're truly thinking yeah? after that they're usually more careful around the person that made them spoil those thoughts which is how Jade's UM probably works he doesn't like telling you his UM bc if you knew this random person is smooth and makes you feel safe enough to tell them a piece of your thoughts even when you know they're dangerous as hell you will be wary you will try to held your thoughts tight to you

[Referencing this post and this post!]

Aaaaah, you’re talking about 6-60! The way Jamil describes it, his UM, Snake Whisper I refuse to call is Snake Charmer allows him to “control […] a target’s will.” Jade’s UM, Shock the Heart, differs in that is useful for “[extracting] very specific information from a target.” They’re both magic that manipulates the mind, but specialize in different aspects of it.

I think an issue with comparing the jumping to confessing is that jumping is a very limited example of what Jamil’s magic can do (whereas a confession covers a large span of information). Jamil has a LOT more range than that, and seemingly no limits imposed on him. He even suggests that he could achieve the same results as Jade if he uses Snake Whisper or gives orders in a certain way. So… Jamil’s UM still comes off as purely better than Jade’s. It can just be so much more.

How far could Jamil take his commands? I feel like there should be a ceiling to what Jamil is able to get others to do if there’s limits to what Jade can make people confess. Like, what if something really strongly goes against someone’s moral compass??? Is Jamil still able to order his victims to like… go to ANY extreme if he wanted?? Including murder?? Surely at some point the target’s will would kick in and push back against Jamil’s control??? And how is Jamil able to get the subjects under his thumb again after they’re already cognizant of his UM? Shouldn’t they be able to better resist him…? But no, apparently his UM hurts them if they put up a fight?? Again, this is something Jade lacks. I feel like Twst should have just said “it’s harder for them both to successfully recast their UM on the same people after one use”; this would make sense (because targets would be more wary of making eye contact with them) while better equalizing the two spells. You would be equally as unlikely to trust someone who makes you speak the truth to them as much as you are someone who makes you act as they command.

The other thing is, I think we’re assuming a lot of energy and effort is put into retrieving information (which may very well be true!), but we’re also assuming that forcing others to act a certain way is less demanding of energy and effort. I feel like that isn’t the case at all. Yes, finding secrets in your memories, filtering them, and sharing takes considerable executive function to achieve—but so does planning movement and behaviors, then executing them. Your brain and muscles have to coordinate to figure out what you’re going to do and say… as well as what to NOT do and NOT say. This, too, is also filtering and refining, and it’s just as complicated as the systems involved in Jade fishing for the truth.

Lastly, I also feel like sharing usually hidden details isn’t an absolute; it could be dependent on the circumstances such as emotional state. For example, if you’re charged on anger or sadness, you may be more loose-lipped than you would be at a neutral state.

Those are my thoughts, anyway ^^ Very interesting stuff, I can’t believe we actually haven’t talked that deeply about this topic until very recently (ie this month)!

[kwanisms]

please note that I am no longer actively writing for monsta x and that by putting this groups in the 'archive' does not necessarily mean I will stop writing for them entirely. Any series originally planned for any members in the archive have either been put in the vault or recasted.

🔞 many of these works contain sexual content (18+ mdni) 🔞 ♤ — angst :: ♡ — fluff :: ♧ — smut ✍ — ongoing :: ⊝ — hiatus :: ⊗ — discontinued :: ✓ — completed

— oneshots

»» Anniversary Gift ♧ s. hyunwoo

➥ 7.1k ; Y/N's boyfriend Hyunwoo takes her on a trip for their anniversary ― to a private island just south of Jeju.

»» Makeup Sex ♧ l. jooheon

➥ 4.3k; Jooheon has been ignoring Y/N recently and she finds herself missing him more than usual.

»» Give it a Chance ♧ i. changkyun

➥ 8.2k; after weeks of flirting with her, the infamous 'fuckboy' that has been invading Y/N's workspace has a chance to sweep her off her feet at another bar and after seeing him in a new light, she's tempted to let him.

»» Time for a Change ♧ i. changkyun

➥ 2k; Changkyun is known on campus as being a huge flirt and a bit of a fuckboy. Little does he know, his next target, Y/N is not the sweet and innocent girl everyone paints her as. After hooking up with her on several occasions, Changkyun realizes he has feelings for her but does she return the sentiment?

»» Jealousy ♤♧ i. changkyun

➥ 5k; Changkyun is Y/N's best friend and she notice how distant he’s become since she befriended the rest of his members, especially his hyung, Kihyun.

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════

— drabbles

»» Drunken Confessions ♡ s. hyunwoo

➥ 891; after her roommate, Hyunwoo, calls her drunk from the bar, Y/N goes to pick him up and bring him home only to realize she has to babysit him before he falls asleep.

»» Don't Listen to Them ♡ l. minhyuk

➥ 577; when Y/N visit her boyfriend and realize he's down in the dumps over what some so called fans have been saying about his newest piece of ink, she decides to tell him that she doesn't think that way and how much she loves all of him, including his tattoos.

»» Stay ♡ y. kihyun

➥ 694; Y/N has hidden Kihyun's pants in hopes of making him stay at her place instead of leaving for practice like he's supposed to.

»» the Interview ♡ l. jooheon

➥ 1.3k; Jooheon is just ready to get this interview over with so the group can finally get some food and rest, until his eyes land on the person conducting the interview… Y/N.

»» My Girl ♡ i. changkyun

➥ 698; Changkyun sticks up for his S/O when he overhears some stylists mocking their Korean speaking capability.

»» Rainy Days ♡ i. changkyun

➥ 786; when her plans with Changkyun go awry due to a thunderstorm, he shows Y/N that a day spent inside is just as good as a day spent outside.

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════

— miniseries

»» the Bet: 01 | 02 | 03 ♧ ⊝ s.hyunwoo

➥ --; after learning the man she thought loved her only started seeing her as the result of a bet with his friends, Y/N's life is put in jeopardy when his boss, and her father’s rival, learns about the relationship.

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════

— series

»» Give it to You ♧✓ ot7

➥ 25k; after making a secret pact, Y/N is tasked with bringing seven souls to her boss in exchange for her freedom. will she be able to follow through and end their lives or will she disobey her orders and pay with her life?

ⓘ DISCLAIMER :: MONSTER/ALIEN FUCKER ENTHUSIAST ⓘ ©️ kwanisms 2018 - 2025 | all works on this blog are protected under copyright. Do not repost, continue, or translate my works. All graphics made by me.

[buffyfan145]

I got the first 2 episodes in of "Rings of Power" s2 and they were amazing!!! 😀 Worth waking up at 5 am to watch. LOL I still got ep 3 to watch and will this afternoon, but need to get my thoughts out here behind a cut, but so happy with s2 so far. Not tagging all the characters, as it seems to think too many is spam, so hopefully this goes in the tags and I talk about most.

First off, I loved seeing Sauron's backstory in ep 1!!! 😀 I mentioned before in my other posts that I'm a fan of Jack Lowden's and it was great getting to see him after the version Adar knew. I only expect Jack back in flashbacks if he's able, even more so seeing a new interview with Charlie this morning assuring fans that he won't be recast. The whole prologue explained so much about what happened with Adar, and then Sauron reforming eventually into Halbrand. Also confirmed he really was going to Númenor on his own, and his meeting with Galadriel really was by chance so those theories he planned it all along were wrong.

Charlie's doing amazing too both as Halbrand and now as Annatar. I loved all the shoutouts too to "The Silmarillion" and other 1st Age stories about him, including him being The Lord of the Werewolves and able to talk with that wolf. Then the Bible references as we knew about the Annatar transformation scene looking like Jesus and angel paintings, but also the "Let My People Go!" scene fit with Moses and especially the "Prince of Egypt" movie, which I love too. But also realized at times they way they're doing (and Tolkien wrote) Sauron rising from nothing to being aids to kings is so similar to the Bible story of Joseph, and the musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" (which my high school did an amazing version of that music my junior year of high school LOL). So I loved all of this and everything we saw with Celebrimbor in ep 2.

Then with Galadriel!!! 😀 OMG, first I have to mention about those Haladriel scenes!!! We knew the rings were going to connect them, as well as their mental bond in general, but now she's seeing visions and knows Sauron is in Eregion and saw him there. Plus, hearing him call her name in that vision, and confirming that she can read his mind, and him hers (as he knew the rings worked). Then the big one where Galadriel confessed to Elrond about how she feels about Halbrand/Sauron (and still used his Halbrand name) and it clearly was showing us that she fell in love with him by using that flashback to the "I felt it too" scene, and that's why everything that happened and being deceived hurt her so much. And Elrond knows now, which is why he and Gil Galad are being like that to her now as they don't trust her around Sauron anymore and think she'll turn. Loving that we're getting scenes about Haladriel even if they both are actually in the same place.

Then I loved the scene with the rings and showing they are good and worked to help restore the elves. Absolutely love Círdan too and being a mentor to Elrond. Him talking about more 1st Age characters and their flaws was great too. LOL

The storyline with The Stranger, Nori, and Poppy is great too. He's got to be Gandalf. I thought this the whole time but every scene I see of him just confirms it to me.

Pretty sure Ciarán Hinds' character is one of the Blue Wizards. The show did supposedly get the rights to use the Blue Wizards stories that Tolkien wrote in "Unfinished Tales" and one of the 2 Blues went evil in the 2nd Age in Rhûn, similar to how Saruman did in the 3rd Age. So I'm pretty sure that's what we're seeing him and that he found a cult with the Mystics.

Then loved seeing more with Durin, Disa, and the dwarves. It's setting up Sauron/Annatar giving them the 7 rings, and the making of the Doors of Durin too. Also very cool seeing Narvi too and the female dwarves having facial hair similar to more male elves having long hair (this didn't bother me like it did other fans but cool to see them add it). Though also really sad about the singing not working.

So now getting ready to watch ep 3 this afternoon and I saw from the description that it involves other characters we haven't seen yet from s1, and then I'll be caught up till ep 4 next week.

[slycooperconfessions]

"I had no issues with the art style or animation of the movie teaser, the real deal-breaker for me was the fact that they recast Sly's voice. He just has such a distinctive sound and it's weird to hear it coming from someone else. I know like none of the original trilogy cast were common/big-name voice actors, but honestly that's where a lot of the charm came from to me."

Confessed by: Anonymous

(Same! It's instantly noticeable. ~Mod)

[justforbooks]

The American No by Rupert Everett

Ideas pitched by the actor down the years that never got the green light are brilliantly recast here as wry short stories… and a script

Not so long ago, Rupert Everett was sitting outside Bar Italia in Frith Street in Soho when the conga line of Hare Krishnas that frequents this part of London appeared from around a corner, jingling their bells like “transcendental morris dancers”. In days gone by, Everett would sometimes recognise a face en route to nirvana: “club world crashes” of his acquaintance often repaired to the Krishnas’ cafeteria, the better, as he puts it, to swap their methamphetamine for cucumber raita. But on this afternoon, he saw no one familiar until, just as the line was about to disappear again, he suddenly caught sight of a producer he’d last seen at the London office of a Hollywood studio.

“Rupert!” exclaimed this man, tambourine in hand. And then: “Hare, hare, hare!” – words that could hardly have been more doleful in context. The fellow in question, a straight white guy of a certain age, had been fired by the studio and, at a complete loss as to what to do next, had duly taken his place in this apricot-tinged, dhoti-wearing human caravan, eager to help broadcast its message of peace, love and saag aloo. Briefly, the two of them talked of a script of Everett’s – it had been rejected by the same studio – and then the line moved off again, until it was only a “swaying smudge” heading towards Chinatown.

Everett’s account of this encounter appears at the beginning of his new book, and it’s full of kindness, even tenderness (“off he ran, backpack bouncing, tiny ankles in large trainers…”). At this point, you realise, his feeling for failure is a writerly gift, throwing a navy shadow over even his funniest and most scabrous lines, with the result that the reader may not know whether to laugh or to cry. But then, as anyone who has read his three memoirs will know, he’s hardly a stranger to disappointment, its cruelty as familiar to the actor and director by now as wig glue and first-night nerves.

He had the idea for his new book in the long moments after the Hare Krishnas passed by. Feeling somewhat on the scrapheap himself, it occurred to him that he might as well turn a few of the ideas he’d pitched down the years – ideas that never got the green light – into short stories. But what is an “American no”? The collection is named after a term, invented by a pal, for the emotionally evasive but nonetheless brutal way Hollywood types have with those who are in search of a commission. In the flesh, they love-bomb you, telling you how “psyched” they are. Once you’re safely elsewhere, however, you’ll never hear from them again – the American no. As titles go, it’s quite perfect. An uncanny bleakness rises from this book, one that brings to mind not only Scott Fitzgerald and Shirley Conran’s Lace, but also the empty, agonising feeling of having been ghosted by a guy you really liked.

It comprises seven stories and a script (the last of which, extraordinarily, is for a TV series based on Proust’s In Search of Lost Time). One has to do with a Paris funeral gone badly wrong, another with a Russian countess, a third with the deathbed confession of a woman who upped and left for India in the 1850s. But the crazed masterpiece of the collection is a long story – almost a novella – called Cuddles and Associates, about a group of struggling actors in 80s Hollywood and what they’ll do (anything!) to survive. If Netflix doesn’t turn it into six episodes, there’s no justice. Think Succession, only with agents and the threat of straight-to-video hanging over everything like LA smog.

In the end, though, I didn’t read The American No for these stories so much as for the bursts of pure Everett, revealed as he introduces each one. Here he is talking to John Schlesinger about what went on in a certain hotel room during the filming of Midnight Cowboy (“I was in heaven”); and here he is fighting for the rights to Graham Greene’s Travels With My Aunt (“each time I inquire of the hard-headed agent I get the same rebuff, while she distributes Greene’s work with abandon for interesting reinterpretations – I’m being polite – like Brighton Rock”).

My love for Everett’s books is hardly a secret. But still, let me say it again. He is a brilliant writer: opulently gossipy as few are these days, but also truthful, witty, wise and stoical. As soon as I have an opportunity, I’ll be quoting him on why older actors “always” overact, but for now, all I can say is that he’s wasted on those fools who turn him down for parts; who fail to return his calls or to read his scripts. If his talent is unwieldy, there’s also tons of it going spare.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[aspiringwriter1111]

Hallmark PSA

I know since it's coming on the holiday season, I'm going to start seeing a lot of Hallmark slander.

But here's a little known fact.

Hallmark is actually really really good.

WAIT WAIT DON'T LEAVE-

Let me explain!

The movies people usually associate Hallmark with are the "old" ones (2020 and back). I bet after seeing how cliche and unhealthy they were, you didn't see a reason to watch them again after that, am I right??

But you knew them well enough to know they weren't worth your time and sanity.

Girl in a high stress job goes to small town, learns the meaning of Christmas, and then cheats on her also stressed out boyfriend back in the city with a hot cocoa making stubbly kind of rude lumberjack man then quits her job and moves to Vermont or something.

Yeah, they don't do those anymore.

At all.

I'm serious.

A part of it is that there was a purge. A year or two ago, there was a new Christmas movie company in town. All the actors that didn't like the forward direction Hallmark wanted to go in, left and joined GAC.

(Great American Family, or as I like to call it GACK. The movies are exclusively awful old Hallmark style, but Republican, badly decorated, very white, and also much worse.)

GAC took all the problems away from Hallmark, and made movies out of them. Hallmark, now cleansed, is pumping out cinematic greats that I WILL be rewatching every Christmas.

The whole of Hallmark was Recast, save for the best of the best fan favorites (Like Lacey Chaubert-)

They have plus sized actors now and people of color, cast as main characters on a regular basis.

Half of the movies aren't even romance centric anymore, instead focused on life, and moving forward, but when they are, they're really well done, and actually healthy.

If you know me (which you don't), then you'll know I hate unhealthy relationships. Especially when they're treated like they're okay. I will pick apart ANYTHING over toxicity in a relationship, wherever that might come from.

I used to hate Hallmark movies, because they were predictable, unrealistic, flawed, and toxic.

But now the characters talk with each other, and they don't get in the others space without permission. If there's an accident and it does happen, it's not used as a plot device to move the relationship along. It's not treated in a "OMG hot guy is literally right in my face!!! I've only known him two minutes and I hate him, I'm in love!!"

It's more of an, "OMG I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to do that at all, im so sorry, I'm so sorry- *Immediately backs away*"

I can't even begin to explain how much better they are now.

To further prove my point, here are some gifs of Three Wise Men and a Baby, one of my favorite Christmas movies ever:

Just listen to this one.

It's about three brothers, one of which is a firefighter (this is important). A baby gets dropped off at the fire station, with a note. The firefighters name is on it, asking him to look after the baby until Christmas.

This is not his baby.

This IS a joke throughout the entire film.

They have no idea who dropped him off.

So they end up taking care of him for a week, and seriously bonding with him. The make his first Christmas ornament with clay, they do a holiday photo dressed to the nines.

They talk about how hard it is to actually take care of a baby, and how hard it must have been for their mom doing it alone.

Talking about how their own dad left, and finally processing that trauma together.

Their mom confesses that if she didn't have support, she may have done what the babies mother did. How she must be going through such a rough patch, and building empathy for her.

All three of the brothers go on complete cathartic emotional journeys about it, and all the other issues in their life.

I can't do it justice.

It's called Three Wise Men and A Baby. I'm begging you please go watch it, you will NOT regret it.

I CRIED SO MANY TIMES YOU HAVE NO IDEA.

I'm tearing up now just thinking about it oh my gOD-

The ending just sent it home for me, so I won't spoil anything.

Its amazing. I can't explain the whole thing, I seriously beg you please go watch it.

And, if you're more into comedy, I present to you Haul out The Holly:

A Christmas comedy starring your very own Gretchen Weiners!! Abso-fucking-lutley HILARIOUS.

It's about a woman, just broken up with her boyfriend, and coaxed into going home for the holidays. Here's where it gets interesting.

Her parents are the head of the Christmas neighborhood watch, something that has plagued her since childhood. Her childhood friend has now taken over the position, as her parent ditch her for retirement on a beach someplace, and she's left stuck, having to decorate against her will.

She wants a nap. The neighbors want her to carve ice sculptures. And her nutcracker apparently isn't up to code.

Includes: Girlboss and male wife power duo (madly in love), insane chainsaw man with way too much time on his hands, the ML an anxious wreck, and many, many, MANY MORE.

Another recent movie was built around a woman who is an astronaut (She's mixed) who was about to finally go to space (The goal shes been working on her entire life) She got into a car accident and her eyesight was impaired. She's currently grieving the loss of her dream (like, actually grieving, she took three months off-).

Her company asks her if she wants to do an exhibit in the planetarium for Christmas, that she doesn't have to, but she can if she wants to take her minds off of things. She says yes, and ends up working with the planetarium director on an exhibit about the sun and it's connection to Christmas through how people used to celebrate with the sun (I don't remember exactly, but it was explained thoroughly, and i think pagan???)

She and him don't constantly argue, or be angry at each other. They cooperate. They show genuine interest in each other. It's actually adorable, and it's also not just about them.

She meets his daughter, who is a wheelchair user. She asks why the Female lead isn't in space if she's an astronaut, and the FL tell her it's because of her eyes. The daughter tells her it's okay, because she'll never be able to go to space either, even if she wants to, but she can still enjoy it from Earth.

I'm not even doing it justice.

By the end of the movie, the FLs eye problem doesn't heal. Nothing is miraculously solved. But the ML and the FL are now dating (After the best, slow paced, healthy, communicative, collaborative bonding freaking ever-) ALL OF THE CHARACTERS HAVE FULL BLOWN EMOTIONAL JOURNEYS THAT ACTUALLY MATTER.

SHE GRIEVES.

HER BROTHER FINALLY FIGURES OUT ITS OKAY FOR HIM TO DO WHAT HE LOVES, AND THAT HE'S NOT A FAILURE FOR IT.

THE ML LET'S GO OF THINKING HES A BAD PARENT.

AND MORE.

There are soft bits, nothing is cliche, nothing is icky or gross.

It's healthy, it's cute, it's emotionally driven, I'm actually learning about things I didn't know before, and amazing.

And all the new ones are either like this or better than this. I could name over ten, but I can't even explain how good they are.

Some of the are still a little dark ages, but it's only every one out of six or seven.

Hallmark movies from 2022 and onwards are 5 star television, and you can't convince me otherwise.

[the-bjd-community-confess]

Hello, Oldie Chinese Diaspora Anon™️ here. Where is the “loudest anti-recast voice” from? This confession reminded me of something interesting (and makes me feel very old at the same time). There are a lot of aspects to the recast market (and yes, Econ Anon, I hear you! It’s a market thing! 👍 ) and part of it is geopolitical. I guess that’s where I come in.

Let me walk you back to the late 80’s when China first opened its doors to the world. At that time, because of Chairman Deng’s policy of “letting a small group of people get rich sooner”, the Eastern seaboard opened itself up to foreign investment. However, one should never forget that China is a totalitarian, Communist state. It meant that “the law” is prone to changing, the government owns most large industries and through the ways of loans, the government also has a backdoor to most businesses. I still remember the blatant accusations of what we used to call the “Chinese honeypot” scheme. The government (or some government-funded businesses) entice foreign investors to set up factories along the Eastern seaboard.

Part of the agreement to receive government subsidized benefits was to hire more than 50% local labour, and this included the managerial staff as well. In the beginning, a lot of the early investors reported that they were earning hand over fist because of the cheap labour. But after the first wave, investors were being expelled out of the country one way or another, after being stripped of their assets and their trade secrets. I still remember multiple family members (and business friends of these said family members) recounting stories of foreign bosses catching their Chinese managers stealing trade secrets and deliberately sabotaging equipment when their aims have been fulfilled. In some cases, actual honeypot traps were set up so the bosses would be set up with adultery (which was a severely punishable crime at the time) or saddled up with a Chinese wife. To cut the horror story down, China found itself where it is today through alleged systematic and government-sanctioned intellectual theft. It is no wonder that the Chinese boomers are not known as big sticklers to copyright law. In many ways, they are still the ones in charge. Folks like Luo, for example.

However, just as a coin has two sides, the closed-in totalitarian state also fostered an “ever-inward” culture. Children born to these boomers were taught on a steady diet of nationalism and extreme self-centredness. These are considered to be virtues. Their children, the Gen Z, have even more of the same cultural upbringing, bolstered by being the “only child” of “only child” parents. As a consequence, there is a lot of internal cohesion based off of nationalism, which translated into a specific type of cronyism that is hard to fathom. Most of us have heard of the term “rabid fans” – for an old fogey like me, I think of Deadheads caravanning across the country to catch the next concert. Folks these days are probably more familiar with the fans of famous singers such as BTS and BlackPink and the hijinks they were up to from time to time. In today’s China, on the other hand, pretty much every fandom can boast their own “rabid fans” – from Apple Fanatics to a self-professed fan groups for an actor/singer/artist to… well, BJDs. When I say “rabid fans”, it’s because I cannot come up with any other word for this behaviour. If you can think of a better descriptor, please let me know.

I lurk in Chinese “BJD Circle.” And this fanaticism has its highs and lows. The lows are plenty and serious – people will refuse to sell second-hand dolls to newbies because “they don’t speak the lingo”, for example. The faceup artists are known to smash heads if they are found to be recasts. Scammers and questionable behaviours are “hung” out in the Tucao bar for a public lynching - and because most people in the circle frequent this Tieba, it’s basically a court of public opinion. Thanks to the social credit system, if you are lynched through a virtual struggle session, your ability to be a part of this circle becomes so diminished that you are shunned. And due to the fact that you need your real name and information to set up an account for all transactional platforms, it’s easy to get doxed and cyberbullied. This self-righteous fervor expanded outside of China and was brought under the spotlight for the first time in 2020, during the “Milk Tea Alliance” incident (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk_Tea_Alliance Note: in the spirit of full disclosure, I came from one of the Milk Tea Alliance countries. )

What about the highs? The “high” point in this self-contained lynching culture is internal self-policing. The Circle acknowledges that people who are just entering the hobby may accidentally buy a recast. But in order to be accepted into the circle, you have to prove that you have completely given up your recast dolls by “whitewashing” yourself here: http://c.tieba.baidu.com/p/6882408381 (Content Warning: very broken dolls, hammer, fire) If you get caught having a recast doll, you will be shunned. Your businesses (as a faceup artist, seamstress, wig maker, etc) will also be boycotted. In short, the self-policing is slowly squeezing Luo’s business out of China, for better or worse.

Which is why on Luo’s business website (https://chinabjd.en.alibaba.com/company_profile.html) China is no longer its biggest market, which we alluded to here: It took me a long time to try to hunt down why would North America be the second largest market while China itself makes up a small portion. It wasn’t until I came across this post http://c.tieba.baidu.com/p/7792470874?pn=1 that it made sense. It was first posted in the April of 2022, from a Chinese national studying abroad in Japan. This person was surprised that the international market was flooded with Shuga Fairy dolls while another person chimed in stating that a lot of “Westerners” asked if Shuga Fairy dolls were any good. Other folks chimed in that Shuga Fairy dolls were found in a lot of international platforms while another one mentioned that the same doll sold for a higher price overseas.

Then it made sense. For what it’s worth, the Chinese’s closed, cronyism “Circles” have managed to keep most of the recasts out of the hobby. Sure, recast-friendly/neutral circles still exist, but they are in the fringes and having some difficulty interacting with the rest of the hobby as a whole (to the point having difficulty buying doll items from Xianyu stores. Store owners will refuse to sell their wares to recast owners). But that’s not the same with North America. It’s a land where information is scarce(r ), the market is not nearly as saturated and there are a lot more folks who have simply never heard of a BJD before. It’s much easier to con a largely unsuspecting crowd (which explains why recast dealers really work hard on that SEO) into buying something that they thought was “just an expensive toy”.

So, for the folks who think “the US has the loudest anti-recast voice”… I am really, really sorry. You can’t argue with the numbers (or Econ Anon, for that matter). The US is the second largest mark for the recast market. And there are some really compelling reasons why this is so.

P.S. I am not familiar with the Russian market at all. So please, don’t ask me why Russia is the largest market for Luo and his company. Thanks in advance.

~Anonymous

[blackmarket-playlists]

New metalcore 2024 under the radar from Australia and New Zealand!

Playlistcover: BRIDGE LEFT TO BURN from Sydney

Playlist on Spotify, hand-curated; songs from 2024 only.

Feat. fantastic songs and bands - in alphatecial order:

• AEONS (Perth) – 2,347 monthly listeners

• Alienist (Wollongong) – 4,767 monthly listeners

• Allocer (Perth) – 201 monthly listeners

• Alterth (Sydney) – 49 monthly listeners

• Among The Abyss (Melbourne) – 31 monthly listeners

• As Colours Fades (Tamaki Makaurau, New Zealand) – 1,056 monthly listeners

• Bad Party (Brisbane) – 1,807 monthly listeners

• Bridge Left To Burn (Sydney) – 536 monthly listeners

• Broken Earth (Sydney) – 5,389 monthly listeners

• Bury Me (Sydney) – 220 monthly listeners

• Chasing Titans (Auckland, New Zealand) – 52 monthly listeners

• Confession (Sydney) – 9,520 monthly listeners

• Crave Death (Brisbane) – 1,416 monthly listeners

• Cultists (Sydney) – 3,268 monthly listeners

• Danger! Earthquake! (Sydney) – 109 monthly listeners

• Daybreak (Perth) – 5,823 monthly listeners

• DEADNERVE (Brisbane) – 721 monthly listeners

• DEADSKIN (Melbourne) – 7,211 monthly listeners

• Deathbeds AU (Canberra) – 5,381 monthly listeners

• Elision (Sydney) – 9,626 monthly listeners

• End It All (Perth) – 2,225 monthly listeners

• Enter the Hollow (Sydney) – 58 monthly listeners

• Graves (Wollongong) – 1,540 monthly listeners

• Gravitate (Melbourne) – 698 monthly listeners

• Heartline (Adelaide) – 4,755 monthly listeners

• Identity Error (Melbourne) – 1,120 monthly listeners

• Into The Vain (Melbourne) – 1,420 monthly listeners

• Jupiter the Giant (Melbourne) – 431 monthly listeners

• Kerosne (Sydney) – 105 monthly listeners

• KIN. (Adelaide) – 901 monthly listeners

• LIAR (Melbourne) – 2,515 monthly listeners

• Lies Within (Auckland, New Zealand) – 172 monthly listeners

• Life Pilot (Adelaide) – 619 monthly listeners

• Lost Beneath (Townsville, North Queensland) – 1,694 monthly listeners

• Mitchell Mantell (New South Wales) – 46 monthly listeners

• Native Tongue (Townsville, Queensland) – 183 monthly listeners

• Oceans & Omens (Perth) – 344 monthly listeners

• Orpheous Omega (Naarm/ Melbourne) – 3,153 monthly listeners

• Outsider (Adelaide) – 6,312 monthly listeners

• Pale Flag (Auckland, New Zealand) – 144 monthly listeners

• Primrose Path (Perth) – 303 monthly listeners

• Recast (Sydney) – 4,061 monthly listeners

• Revoid (Brisbane) – 6,505 monthly listeners

• Rise From Ashes (Melbourne) – 46 monthly listeners

• RVN//NT (Brisbane) – 354 monthly listeners

• SAME PAINS (Brisbane) – 2,230 monthly listeners

• Saving Face (Melbourne) – 7,406 monthly listeners

• Seek Misery (Melbourne) – 1,249 monthly listeners

• Severed (Hobart/ nipaluna) – 69 monthly listeners

• Shell of Me (Queensland) – 283 monthly listeners

• Shokan (Brisbane) – 212 monthly listeners

• Silver Fang (Melbourne) – 4,989 monthly listeners

• Starve (Melbourne) – 5,404 monthly listeners

• Sundreamer (Melbourne) – 130 monthly listeners

• Synthesis of Self (Auckland, New Zealand) – 991 monthly listeners

• The Ascended (Melbourne) – 360 monthly listeners

• Vilify (Newcastle, New South Wales) – 2,982 monthly listeners

[katnissdoesnotfollowback]

🔥 Happy Birthday Katniss Everdeen 🔥

What's your first impression of Katniss after reading or watching The Hunger Games?

Do you find Katniss likable? Do you think her characterization is realistic?

What do you think the strengths and weaknesses of Katniss?

If today, you can make new movie/series adaptation, who would be suitable as Katniss? Based on visual description and acting talents.

Thank you :)

@curiousnonny

This actually from last year @curiousnonnyblog because I just... year it's been a bit of a ride the past year.

Okay so! Confession time. I am an unabashed Everlark shipper, but honestly? I fell in love with Katniss first. I loved her so much that when she was suspicious of Peeta throughout the first book, so was I. I took her word for it. If this guy was shady in her mind, then I didn't trust him either. Somewhere between her saying that she tried to drown Buttercup because he'd be one more mouth to feed, the line "District Twelve, where you can starve to death in safety," and her frantic volunteering for Prim, I was 100% behind Katniss. She was just so delightfully prickly, but also... caring. Compassionate. She tried so hard to present this front of badass, untouchable survivor, but then she tries to be kind to Madge when Gale's a jerk. She tries so hard to comfort Prim, and she just seemed so darn lonely that I wanted to hug her.

There are many aspects of her character that feel realistic to me, but I want to focus on one that maybe doesn't get a lot of attention (?). I could be wrong about that lol. I know there are a LOT of oldest children in this fandom. Welp. I'm a middle child and I am here to tout the realism of Katniss thinking she's responsible for literally everything in Prim's life to the point that she volunteers to take her place in a death match because "Prim's afraid of her own shadow." But also... my dude, we younger siblings are not nearly as helpless and dependent on you older ones as you want to think we are.

Do I think Prim had a real shot at winning the Games? Mmmm not really, but that has less to do with the Katniss's perception of Prim and more to do with the reality of their situation. At fourteen, Finnick is the youngest Victor ever and he had a boatload of sponsors, which Prim likely wouldn't have been able to garner.

So that aside, Katniss tends to see Prim as more helpless and more perfect than she really is. Prim proves her mettle in small ways through the rest of the series. She seems "bland" or "too perfect" because that's how Katniss portrays her. In reality, Prim has bite. She sasses Plutarch Heavensbee, she takes on the role of healer beside her mother which... Katniss herself admits she's not good at that because she's squeamish about blood and pain. Prim just dives in to deal with it, proving that she's got way more of a spine than Katniss sometimes gives her credit for. And then she runs into combat as a medic at age thirteen. Without hesitation. Basically, Katniss doesn't know her younger sister as well as she thinks she does.

Anyway, I find that older child syndrome aspect of Katniss's personality supremely realistic.

I don't know that there is someone who'd I want to see recast as Katniss if they were to remake the movies or if they actually made a series like they should've in the first place. Mainly because I'm not familiar enough with the current young actresses out there. Because I live under a rock where celeb culture is concerned. I'd rather see someone young and relatively unknown be cast, though, so she could grow with the series and it wouldn't be a blockbuster franchise that's more about the names in it than their ability to portray the characters.

Thanks for the ask, even if it took me ages to answer this one!

<3 kdnfb

[arthurpendragonlove]

I still think that Sam will confess to Jaggers murder and go to jail to save Alexis. The way things are going right now makes it a likely possibility. Or maybe it’s just wishful thinking cuz I don’t want Sam to be killed off.

Honestly, I can understand that. I think it's something Sam would do to save her mother, but yeah. I think spoilers keep hinting that she's going to die and that's what articles have said. Maybe they'll eventually bring she and Spencer back at the same time? Both recast, of course, because Nicholas Chavez is busy with Ryan Murphy shows (I'm sure he'll cast him in more) and I don't think Kelly will WANT to come back with how she's been treated.

[chaifootsteps]

You talk about hh/hb and ld if i remember correctly so CONFESSION i hope rocky gets recasted in season 1 of lackadaisy....nothing against him pwrsonally ofc hes fine i just associate him too much with angel dust to enjoy his role as one of my favs...</3

(PS, I'm kidding.)