#one sells barbie dolls one sells clothes and one is like the barbie stores in real life

[percentstardust]

the thing about barbie is that she walks around wearing her accessories and clothes. even things not designed by her. it is her brand and she will endorse it always. she even sleeps in pajamas. she wears t-shirts with the barbie logo on it. it is her being a girl boss. it’s her saying this is MY BRAND. this is mine. i built it. i am going to let everyone know this.

[dnpanimationstudioclone]

Meet Velvette📱🧶

Meet my take on Velvette! I had LOT OF FUN with this one! She’s reviewing Pentabucks newest drink!(being its top influencer can get you it for free!)

My Velvette’s more involved with social media/advertising/trends rather than owning all of Hell’s fashion indurstry. She’s basically a social marketer/influencer who uses her influence to support and advertise a lot of the overlords and high influence peoples businesses, products and services. She’s def still into fashion, I imagine she has something like a Bergdorf Goodmans, luxury end store and probably collabed with other fashion brands). I also see her own some fo the trendiest resteraunts, clubs, beauty salons, etc. def sewn herself into big brands!

I’ve heard she was suppose to be a doll because her pilot look mouth alluded a bit to stitching and wore frilly clothes.

so I ended up making her a rag doll! Doll’s are very popular to sell, especially to sell additional objects such as fashion, accessories, etc. Basically she sells herself out to the public eye 👁️. There’s also a bit of sewing terms that fits with social media such as “Pinned”, “Threads”, etc.🪡📍

And rag dolls are known for their adaptability(perfect for trend setting Vel)! I styled her outfit as a kinda tweaked modern outfit of Raggedy Anne/Andy’s outfit. The jumper and black booties. Restyled into a more flashy romp jumper and heeled boots 👢 Even made it to her name, VELVET!

Ngl many friends of mine have said she gives off Monster High vibes(I feel like 2000’s cartoons def inspired me). As well as Lalaloopsy!!!!!!! I was also a bit inspired by OG Millie’s outfit(love the double straps).

Put her in two shades of brown for a patchwork vibe! Another thing I’m going for with the rag doll theme is to allude to insecurity. I imagine she came from less glamorous origins. Didn’t have porcelain dolls like Charlie or plastic Barbies like all the other popular and rich girls, but simple rag dolls and stuffies. No matter how hard she tries to be like perfect porcelain or pretty plastic…she’s cursed to be seen as just some raggedy rag doll💔. I also imagine her death had something related to becoming…torn up(I imagine it wasn’t a pretty end)…

For this look, went with bubble braids made from balls of yarn 🧶 She has all kinds of hairstyles, from yarn, cotton, stitch on wigs and even real hair(from scalps of those who got on her nasty side, @a-sterling-rose suggested this). There’s even a type of hairstyle called “yarn braids”.

Wears fake nails 💅. Gel, acrylic, she’s made of cloth so she can adapt to any kind.

Gave her actual ears 👂 (added them on herself).

Clout Glasses 😎.

For her color scheme, @the-burd-lord suggested I'd go with RGB theme, colors on display screen(Vox is the leader and a screen) Ngl I was conflicted what colors to go with for the vees(Primary, Red blue purple etc). But then I realized when u mix those colors u get those other colors and then I decided to give the Vees two main color themes for each. One for show, the other their true colors! Velvette likes to use green, magenta and purple, for a visually pleasing vibe, light green and magenta for sweetness with purple/gold for luxury, but truth she’s a vain, envious clout seeker who has and will do less than ethic things for the likes. The two colors r also a mix of Val and Vox’s colors(uses them, advertises them to advertise herself!)

Played around with a assymetry color vibe for the envy vibe, thats she’s two faced 🎭. Having a deceptive social media personality like Miss Heed(less lovey dovey).

@lovesart23 video on Velvette really helped me consider what to do with her, like her beign Envy theme(she’s a clout chaser afterall). I LOVE her use of purples and greens for her! I also really dig the eye theme which mine in a sense does too. In this case, button eyes.

Added more weight on her a bit, to give off a more rag doll type body(especially with the limbs 🦾🦵)

Gave her black purple eyes with pink and mint button irises. Got Pin eyelashes 🪡📍

Her her a needle/selfie stick. Good for selfies, fashion emergency and stabbing people!

What do u think? I’d love to know💖

I’ve also done the Hazbin Gang, Mimzy, and even her associate, Vox 📺.

[setewbro]

It's honestly depressing to see fast fashion stores like Primark with entire Barbie collections. You know these clothes were made unethically. That while the movie can be praised by it's minimal feminism subject, women in the global south are not even being payed a living wage to produce Barbie merchandise.

I'm not even trying to be like "Oh, you, person who watched the movie and had fun is at fault" thats not a productive criticism. It just genuinely upsets me. So much Capitalism Realism. So much "feminism" while oppressing real life women. I think we should be angrier about how capitalism steals our struggles to sell them back to us and continue that very oppression.

I loved playing with barbies when I was a kid but everytime I think about this movie for more than 2 seconds I want to explode everything. It's not just a case of Barbie being propaganda movie to sell dolls. It's directly contributing to the oppression of women when they are the ones being exploited for us to be able to buy pink barbie tshirts. I hate these contradictions. Jesus Christ I need to eat breakfast.

[ghastlyfilters]

𝐇𝐂𝐒 𝐈 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌 𝐁𝐎𝐘𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 !!

pairing(s): implied randy meeks, billy loomis, mickey altieri + stu macher x gn!reader

warning: none, though some hcs that i have written might be a little modern than others!

RANDY

• Idc what y’all say, this man is OBSESSED with Funko Pops.

• Honestly, I feel that he’s well aware of the fact that he has an interest for collector’s items.

• Bro.. he would squeal if you took him to places like HMV or Hot Topic.

• When he was informed that the Video Store (his workplace) would begin to sell some Funkos of infamous movie characters since that was literally the whole theme of the place, he died off. HE. DIED. OFF.

• Billy and Stu have occasionally dropped by to rent some more horror movies, also teasing him about the pops and telling the whole store it was a.. kink? More Stu’s bad way of putting it, shall we say..

“Can you take their clothes off?” Stu asked curiously.

Randy began to get flustered as Stu proceeded to take the small statue out of the box, knowing he’d get another harsh telling off if his boss found out it was Randy’s “friends” ruining stock.

“They’re plastic dumbass,” Billy remarked. “It’s practically molded onto their figure.”

“Can you guys please sto-”

Stu snorted. “Well you can take the clothes off Barbie dolls and shit like that, can’t you? They even have parts.. uh- you know?”

“Wha- no, these aren’t like that-”

Randy was cut off once again as Billy spoke up and wrinkled his nose in disgust at the taller male. “You really stripped the clothes off of dolls just to investigate when you were a kid?”

Randy and Billy both shared the same look as Stu grinned wickedly.

…

And then it came. “Don’t ask questions you already know the answer to.” Yep. Classic Stu.

• Wherever this mf goes, he always ends up eating a bag of potato chips. Nor you or his friends know where he pulls them from, but he does, he just does..

BILLY

• There is so much I could say about Billy Boy here..

(He’d most likely tell you to go fuck yourself if you called him that. Well, depending on who you are lmao)

• If you are the kind of person who loves that shitty trending pop music, you are probably better off hanging out with Stu for the day. Because Billy HATES it.

• He’s not particularly into heavy metal, i’d say more grunge. Stu bullies him for it but gets an ass whooping later so, eh.

• If he gets woken up in the middle of the night, he’s one cranky fucker about it. This man prioritises his sleep. He almost broke the cable to the house phone after Stu kept calling him one night, complaining on how he couldn’t sleep and that he wanted to go somewhere. After Billy not being able to get back into dreamland, he gave in. Pretty sure Stu ended up choosing the McDonald’s drive thru, much to Billy’s annoyance.

(That shit happens way too often but hey, who doesn’t like late night drives?)

• Billy wants a piercing but at the same time, he doesn’t? He’s not sure if he can really commit to it or not, but he does think people with piercings are cool!

• Plus his Dad would probably kick him out over something as stupid as that. Billy would just tell him to get bent either way lol.

• He can be quite a germaphobe. Sick people scare the living FUCK out of him.

• You have a cold? Aw, pity. DO. NOT. APPROACH. BILLY. LOOMIS.

• Stu accidentally sneezed on him once and Billy literally felt his heart stop. He showered about three times that day.. maybe more? Fuck knows, man.. 😭

MICKEY

• Something about him and the song Paparazzi.. IDK WHAT IT IS BUT IT JUST.. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

• He’s very open about his opinions, as we all know. If you dissed his fav movie or TV show, bam bam bitch he’s gonna answer you and he ain’t gonna be so fucking nice about it.. 🫡

• Literal Beyoncé stan. I swear whenever her music is playing and y’all are at a party, he def wants to have a lil boogie with you.

• Mickey is the one person you know to have a weird, WEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIRRRRRD obsession with black coffee..

HE LOVES IT A LITTLE TOO MUCH, YK?

• You, Mickey and Randy were all out at the mall once and some little girl ran up to him saying he looked like Edward Cullen?

Randy just had no idea how kids had the balls to say whatever the fuck they wanted, meanwhile Mickey didn’t know whether to take it as an insult or not..

“Vampires who sparkle like a fucking Hello Kitty sticker? Wow, new name for ya, Mick..” You giggled.

• Really spoiled, bratty girls with all their designer gear is a big no no for him, he just hates them.. 😭

• You catch him watching all the true crime documentaries. He even has books about America’s most popular serial killers. TONS, of books.

STU

• This man, THIS MAN RIGHT HERE FOLKS!!

• Stu is literally every personality combine. Like a lab experiment gone wild, honestly.

• He asks you the weirdest questions sometimes. They are so random and beyond unexpected lol.

“Wait, do you think clowns can also honk their di-”

• Stu has the most ridiculous obsession with boobs. Randy now calls him the titty monster anytime Jamie Lee Curtis shows up in the horror movies they’re watching.

• He was BORN a dog lover.

• Annoys Billy anytime he gets a new girlfriend.

• I can picture him eating anything blue raspberry flavoured he can find. CANDY GOO, BLUE SOUR PATCH KIDS, YOU NAME IT😭😭

• Has the best snack cupboard no one else can compare to having in their house.

• He’s the kind of guy to stick his tongue out to kids in public just so he can get a giggle out of them!

• Loves it when him and the gang go out to the cinema. Which is more often than you’d expect.

• Has like, the LONGEST list of cinema snacks when y’all are paying to get your food.

these men all have their differences, but all expect one thing. THEY BE FINE AS HELLLLLL (anyways, hope you enjoyed this little list of hcs i have for my favs. HAVE A GOOD DAY!!!!!!! :D

[lucythornwalter]

In Greeting and Introduction:

In 1986, Pleasant Company unleashed the American Girls upon the world, and nothing has ever been the same. If you’re between the ages of 25 and 40 (sorry, Gen Z, but this is really a millennial phenomenon) and were at any point in your childhood aligned or identified as a ‘girl’, you probably have memories of decadently arranged extra-wide catalogues coming in the mail, or slim box sets of six books with names like Samantha Learns a Lesson or Changes for Kirsten, or visits to a toy store that was more like a luxury hotel, or – if you were especially lucky – unwrapping a long and heavy box on your birthday or on Christmas to reveal a much-anticipated new best friend. Even if you weren’t subjected to the rigors of late-twentieth-century girlhood, you probably knew something about this brand thanks to the way it took hold in the hearts and minds of an entire generation of – ha! – American girls who went to school with other American children and often brought dolls and books and catalogues and trip reports back with them.

So, what exactly was this brand?

1986 is a fascinating year in pop culture, and one I’ve been personally fixated on for over a decade. It’s the year of the (first) death of Optimus Prime in The Transformers: The Movie, the year of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, the year of Phantom of the Opera’s spectacular West End debut, the year of Labyrinth, the year of Hellraiser. If you outgrew American Girl and trended toward the weird and darkly gothic, this is a year you’re intimately familiar with, whether you know it or not. Fitting, then, that it’s the year the dolls were born.

The story goes that educator Pleasant Rowland, in the process of attempting to buy dolls for her family, found herself frustrated by a perceived gap in the market. While baby dolls served as proxies for burgeoning parental instinct, and fashion dolls served as more mature aspirational figures (or, in many cases, adult stars of complicated child-crafted soap operas), there were no dolls that girls could look upon as peers. I find myself skeptical of this claim, largely because mythical doll origins are often hilariously selective and inaccurate – for one thing, Barbie was not even close to the first adolescent/adult fashion doll for little girls – but it is consistently cited as one of the concerns in developing the line. With that frustration to chew on, and inspired by a visit to Colonial Williamsburg (a living history museum focused on life in America in the immediate years preceding the Revolutionary War), Rowland developed the concept of the American Girls. These would be eighteen-inch cloth and vinyl dolls portraying distinct historical figures living in different eras of American history, each with their own name and family and backstory. She worked with author Valerie Tripp to develop the identities of each girl, and then launched the brand under her new company, Pleasant Company (which is such a clever idea for an instantly recognizable corporation) with three dolls ready to go.

Now, there are American Girl stores in multiple malls, and when I was a little girl there were near-mythical American Girl Places in Chicago and New York and I think somewhere in California, but when Rowland began her business model was entirely by mail with no brick-and-mortar location to visit. Little girls and their families became aware of the existence of these dolls and their stories when catalogues that quickly became iconic arrived in the mail once every few months, and despite the high prices of everything from the dolls themselves to the books telling their stories, they bought up everything Pleasant Company had to sell. Rowland had a bona fide hit on her hands.

She had launched the brand with three characters – Kirsten Larson, a Swedish immigrant and pioneer living in the Minnesota Territory in 1854, Samantha Parkington, an Edwardian girl from a rich family living in New York in 1904, and Molly McIntyre, a Scottish-descended girl from a solidly middle-class family living in Jefferson, Illinois in 1944. Each doll, when ordered, came with a book bearing their name, and there were two additional books available for purchase alongside the collections of themed accessories and furniture. This number quickly expanded to six, all bearing similar names and reflecting similar themes across multiple decades. In 1991, a fourth historical character joined the lineup – this was Felicity Merriman, a gentleman’s daughter from 1774 Williamsburg. After her was Addy Walker, introduced in 1993, a fugitive slave who escaped to Philadelphia with her mother and lived there in 1864. Next in 1997 came Josefina Montoya, a rancher’s daughter living near Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1824 with her father, sisters, and extended family. In 2000, Kit Kittredge of 1933’s Cincinnati, Ohio joined the lineup. And lastly, at least for this analysis of my own history with the brand, in 2002 we have my dearly beloved Kaya’aton’my of the Nez Perce, living with her tribe in pre-contact years in 1764.

There are other American Girls. Mattel bought out Pleasant Company and has slowly been hollowing out the brand’s credibility, but it persists. Other historical dolls have been introduced, and many of them sound just as brilliant as the ones I grew up with. But those eight, those “original” eight, were my American Girls, and it’s their stories I want to examine, and their impacts upon my life that are still felt. Kit’s resourcefulness and adaptability when her father lost her job helped me when I was twelve and my father lost his job, Felicity’s determination to find the right balance between gender nonconformity and gender conformity inspired me to never settle for being forced into a box I didn’t fit, Samantha’s fierce loyalty to her friend Nellie was a balm to my prepubescent closeted lesbianism, and Kaya’s connection to her tribe and their traditions and culture gave me something to cling to in the midst of my rootless, forcibly assimilated indigenous childhood. (Yes, I’m indigenous, no, I’m not really going to be making my writing and blogging about an #ownvoices kind of thing, because we should get to be nerds and have the same access to privacy that white people have, but it’s relevant here and it’s relevant in my original fiction because it’s part of me.)

Of course, growing up and getting an education means looking at your past again with a wiser, more critical eye. Historical education has changed a lot since 2002, and has changed even more since 1986. The stories of the American Girls are both narrative and informative, intended to capture realistic-feeling moments in time that are grounded in real historical events and practices. How do they hold up to the standards of 2024, nearly two decades since I grew into Brontë and McCaffrey and Hugo and Dumas and Homer? How do they feel to me as an actively reconnecting indigenous lesbian whose perspective on America is very different now than when I was a child and my family tried hard to pretend we fit in? Are their books and wider stories even any good?

These are the questions I’m seeking to answer in this series of blogs, which I’ll be calling The American Girls and Me. Each fortnight (that’s every two weeks) I’ll examine a different girl, starting with her main books and going forward from there. The first series of book blogs will be published simultaneously here and on my Patreon page, completely free to read and open to the public. After that, Patreon will get things a week before they’re published here, but I’m not looking to make a serious income, so if you pay me the exorbitant price of $1 you will get to see things whenever they’re posted or you can wait for seven days to catch up. There will be some Patreon-exclusive bonus content once every couple of months, though, plus when I start publishing my original fiction it will be there alongside here, so if that sounds interesting maybe consider giving me a click?

My cutoff year is 2005 – that was the last year I asked for and received an American Girl doll as a present from my grandmother, and that was the symbolic end of the American Girl era of my life. I may take a look at the two American Girl movies that came out in 2006 and 2008 and adapted the stories of Molly and Kit respectively, but I didn’t go to great lengths to watch either of them. I was too busy rewatching The Curse of the Black Pearl and Van Helsing and The Revenge of the Sith to care about people who were now three and four years younger than me, and my own visions of both girls’ lives were too precious to me to risk a bad or disappointing adaptation.

Okay, then, what exactly will I be covering?

Like I said above, I’ll start with the stories. All eight girls, all six books + their “Looking Back/A Peek Into the Past” chapters. I’ll talk about my childhood impressions, my connections with different narratives, how those have changed now that I’m in my thirties, and places where I think the books have aged particularly poorly or particularly well.

After that, we’ll look at their short stories pre-2005, and see what those add to or detract from the canon of core story beats. These were in some cases published over a decade after the books finished up, and the tonal or thematic differences should be interesting to note.

Once the fiction is finished up we’ll look at each doll. I’ll talk about my experiences with the ones I personally own, and examine their accessories and artifacts in-person, and if it’s a doll I don’t own we’ll be looking at the catalogues from 1998-2002, which can safely be considered something of a golden age for the brand. That’s how I experienced several of the dolls, and therefore that’s what I’ll be revisiting

Next, I’ll be taking a look at nonfiction books – each of the original eight girls got a Welcome to [Name]’s World book issued for their era in American history, taking the nonfiction historical context chapters and fleshing them out to give more detail and explain more about how the lives of our girls fit into the story of the country as a whole. These are apparently extremely high-quality for children’s history books, and while I never had them as a child I definitely want them now.

Finally, having finished up books entirely, we move on to crafts and ephemera. Each girl got a paper doll set, and most of them also received a craft book and cook book. There were theater kits for pretend play as well, but I’ll be excluding those for purely practical reasons – they’re often the hardest to find, and I was never interested in that kind of pretend play with these girls.

This will be a long, involved, organized blogging project unlike anything I’ve ever really done before, but I think it will be a rewarding one. These girls are like my sisters, even those with wildly different life experiences than my own. They were a fundamental part of my childhood. They deserve to be remembered and discussed, and this era in my life deserves to be loved.

After all, I, too, was once an American girl.

[desertdollranch]

What a week it's been. Woke up to horrible political news on Wednesday, and had to take a social media blackout for a few days just to stop being sick to my stomach and reminded of what a nightmare we're all facing here in the USA. Then more than a foot of snow fell, and my electricity kept flickering on and off all night. So I'm trying to focus on the positive things in my life as best as I can and try not to let the stress overwhelm me.

So let's talk dolls.

Last weekend I attended the Albuquerque doll show not as a buyer, but for the first time as a vendor.

My mom came over with a huge carload of things to sell. We had two tables and still didn't have enough room for everything! Most of what we sold came from her and her sister's collections, since both of them are clearing out all their 18 inch doll stuff. They are only interested in Barbie these days and so everything else had to go. I don't share their interest in Barbie and am still thoroughly enjoying my 18 inch dolls, so I did get to have first dibs on their merchandise. I didn't end up picking anything besides a couple of American Girl books.

I actually didn't sell very much, but truly I didn't bring a whole lot of things to sell anyway. Mostly some extra wigs of various sizes, off-brand doll clothing that I priced at $1 per outfit, and a few thrift store dolls (of various brands) I bought and then decided not to keep. Now I have to list my leftovers for sale online, which is overwhelming to think about, considering how hard I worked to get everything ready before the show only to have to put in even MORE time and effort to get anything sold.

Overall, selling at the show was a tremendous amount of labor for not much financial reward, so my mom and I agreed that we're never doing this again. It's so much more fun just attending the show as a buyer. And selling online is by far easier and more profitable.

But I did meet a lot of very nice customers, and that was the best part. That's something that doesn't often happen online! Everyone I sold to was wonderful. Not one person I encountered was rude or unpleasant. The other vendors I talked to were lovely as well. There were a few sellers who make/buy/sell dolls and toys year-round and do it for a living, but a lot were collectors like me who were just selling parts of their collections to make room for new additions.

Speaking of new additions. The only thing I bought at the show was a Gotz doll.

She's an 18 inch Hannah doll from 2008. She was unbelievably inexpensive (they're around $100 or more brand new), so I was pretty surprised to see her and many other Gotz dolls at her vendor's table still for sale after closing time when I swung by. Her vendor was delighted to see Hannah go to a happy home.

I may or may not make a post advertising the stuff I'm selling. I usually do okay by just listing on Mercari and letting buyers come to me. I'll decide once I'm ready whether it's worth the extra effort posting them here too.

[pinkienova]

I FINALLY GOT 2 BARBIE DREAM BESTIES DOLLS! 💕 i debated about redressing them a lot but teresa’s outfit was so eye-bleedingly red that- yeah I redressed them after all.

some things I want to add: compared to a monster high g3 doll, the limbs move so much more smoothly! I’m not scared to rip an arm out!

however- out of box, thier hair requires work. With teresa, a few sprays of conditioner was enough but Barbie’s pink strands were so paper-like that she needed a full on wash AND conditioning. I’d also recommend buying the dolls irl. Sadly the store near me didn’t sell Barbie Brooklyn, and I can’t find rene ANYWHERE not even online, but seeing the dolls irl I could see that there’s some misprint danger :,) hell if you look at my Teresa, her eyebrow has a misprint but she looked better than the other one in the shelf…

it’s awesome tho that Barbie clothes fit them without help from Gummi bands or something.

[starseneyes]

Chenford - Lucy Chen / Tim Bradford - The Rookie - Season 5 - Ep 10

"The List" Or, as I like to call it, "Lucy has the giggles".

Y'all, this one SLAYED me, and I can't wait to jump in with you!

SPOILER ALERT: This Meta will spoil every delicious second of this episode and reference past material from the show (and will majorly spoil the end of the film Serenity. Sorry about that). Please proceed with extreme caution... or don't, if you are ready to be spoiled.

Shall we? Let's get things started!

Fashion Barbie Runway Show

Look, I had a couple Barbies growing up. And while they weren't my favorite toys, I understood the draw of dressing up your handsome Ken doll and fashionable Barbie in fun outfits. And, let's be honest, Barbie always had more variety than Ken.

So, it seems fitting that Lucy and Tim are struggling to choose the perfect outfit for their last first date ever.

Yes, I said it. Tim and Lucy are on an Endgame path, and they are completely aware of it.

Anyway, we see Lucy pull up every significant outfit she's ever worn around Tim (special shout out to the costume department for keeping those around and not selling them off, yet). There's the double date dress, the dance dress, and later the green dress from Lopez's wedding. It's a feast for Chenfordians.

SIDE NOTE: And we have to talk about Tim's bedroom. The crew put a lot of thought into it. Remember, Tim's been married before, and got to keep all the furniture. So, everything matches in tasteful, boring beige (as compared to Lucy's flamboyant, color-filled apartment).

I love that Tim has slippers. I don't know why that detail made me so happy (and the clothes sticking a little haphazardly out of his laundry basket in the closet), but those details help paint a side of the man we've never really seen before. Domestic Tim.

Tim's going through a smattering of the exact. same. shirt. in seventeen colors. And, look, I'll give him props that he has some variety in color to match whatever his date's wearing, but it's terribly on-brand to me for Tim to find the shirt that works and run with it.

Plus, this MUSIC!? "I was overthinking. Are we linking?" Tim and Lucy are definitely overthinking.

Side Note: I am LOVING how they are both tossing the discards on the bed rather than re-hanging them. Because they are so indecisive that they can't bring themselves to completely rule something out, even if they tell themselves that's not the one.

And Tim with the store-bought hangers that he never replaced? Because he probably thinks they're, "Perfectly fine hangers"? I was rolling.

Tim's finally had enough and he picks up the phone to dial Lucy.

Watch. Lucy's. Face.

Girlfriend knows she is taking forever to pick her outfit. She opts for the lie.

"Hi. I'm almost there." "No. No, you're not."

Look. At. Her. FACE! Look at that glee on her face. Because he knows her. She doesn't have to lie to him and worry what he'll think or how he'll react.

"No. I'm not. Sorry. Um, are you?" "No! Uh, look, does this restaurant have a dress code?"

See that twinkle in Lucy's eyes? It's the same twinkle when she laid hands on Tim's radio a few episodes back when he was newly single and she was about to be. Lucy's quickly cooking up a plan.

"Uh, no. I mean, you could wear cargo shorts, if you wanted."

Evil, evil girl. But, oh, how I love this. We're seconds into their first conversation of the night, and they are establishing right away that Tim and Lucy are still Tim and Lucy.

Yes, they're adding a layer to their relationship, but the underpinnings that have been so painstakingly stitched together over the past five-ish seasons remain.

"Really?" "Yeah, I mean, what does it matter as long as your comfortable?" "Nice try." *giggles*

Did. You. Hear. Her. GIGGLES?!

I know I'm pausing a lot on this Meta (and we're about a minute seven into screentime), but that's because this is so insanely delicious that I can't help myself.

I'm the girl who watched in agony hoping for Janeway and Chakotay to have an open-ended end to their romance only for the show to hook him up with 7of9 at the eleventh hour. Besides Mulder and Scully, that was my first major ship. And, to be honest, both left me with some serious trust issues.

So, I went into this episode hoping I would be wrong about so many things. And, folks, I was wrong about so many things. But, we'll get to that later.

Right now, our girl Lucy Chen is giggling because she tried a "gotcha" and he called her on it. And she is so relaxed in this moment that she can embrace the giggle without worrying about any of the boundaries.

Though there are physical boundaries in place (we'll get to those later), the emotional boundaries have completely come down. They're flirting. They're teasing. And it's all out in the open (at least between them) without restraint.

This is unhinged, untied, undone Tim and Lucy from an emotional standpoint. And it's f'ing beautiful.

Also, can we talk about Tim Bradford? I mean, we've seen him happy in relationships, before, but have we ever seen him beaming like this? I don't think so.

"That was clearly a test, and you should know better than to test the master."

Lucy's face is pure, "Yup, that's my boyfriend. He thinks he's so fly" and I am here for it!

Also, Tim in Gold Toe Socks?! I'm fairly sure that's what he's wearing, and that little detail of having super durable, super comfortable socks is so bloody Tim. We don't usually get to see his socks, and I LOVE these little details.

"What are you wearing?" "Yeah, uh, I don't know, yet. But I do have a lot of outfits that I am not going to wear. So..." "Look, well, we are running low on time. Traffic's getting ugly."

Oh, Los Angeles, how I detest your traffic. I once flew into LAX and my ride was two miles away when I called them from the street. Two miles.

One hour later they picked me up. I kid you not. Los Angeles traffic is some of the worst I've ever seen. I remember we went into the office (one of my clients) and it was a ten mile trip that took almost two hours. I am not built for LA traffic, and Tim's line sent a shudder of remembrance down my spine.

Lucy, my lady, it's time to pick a damn dress.

"Yeah, totally. I, it's silly, I just need to make a decision... Ah, yes! The green dress. It is decided."

It was the dress she wore the first time he asked her to save a dance... the first time she had the flicker that he was interested in her as anything other than a fellow officer and former boot. This dress holds significance between them, and it'd be lovely to rewrite its history so it's no longer the dress she wore when Jackson was murdered, but the dress she wore the first time she went out on a date with Tim Bradford.

"Great. Well, I'll see you soon."

He's imagining her in that dress. Remembering her in that dress. He couldn't help himself, even back then. He'd drank in every move of her hips, every hug of fabric against her skin as it swished toward her.

You can see that smile, again. The dazzler. He's dazzled by her, and they aren't even in the same room. That's the power this woman has over him. And he's done resisting its pull.

"Okay. Bye."

She hangs up on him and the music is soft, gentle, hopeful.

Then... nope. She yeets another dress onto the pile and we're back to square one.

The Most Romantic Restaurant in Town

Look, I don't know if this was the director or the script, but sweeping in on all those couples, and the flower arrangements, and the hanging, but dimmed lights? This is a couple's place. This isn't where you take your work friend for dinner. This is where you take your future wife.

And Tim's brought his future wife. But, oh, the boy is feeling awkward now that they're finally out together. Tim sneaks a look at Lucy and she chuckles. She can feel his unease.

"It's good bread." "Yeah. It's such a nice assortment."

Y'all. The Rookie team... we see you! We see you calling out the fan-created Crumb-o-Meter that made my first episodes watching this bloody ship all the more delicious. If you wanted us to know you're stalking our psychotic, borderline-obsessive *ahem* tweets and posts... message received. We'll keep up the good work!

But, seriously, in this moment the awkwardness is on point.

Transitions in life are tough. I'll be honest that with most of my boyfriends, I dove in. With Ernie, he asked to kiss me and we dated for two months (before he dumped me on my birthday over the phone the week of prom). With Sean, he said there was something between us and kissed me in his kitchen. That relationship lasted two weeks because he was moving away.

And before the summer ended, I was locking lips with Travis—whom I'd just met—and I dated him for over a year before realizing we had absolutely nothing in common and I was a stooge for jumping in without taking stock of the situation, first.

So when I met Matthew in the middle of my breakup with Travis... I wanted to do it differently. We spent the summer getting to know one another as friends. I took a romantic relationship completely off the table. Through emails (yes, email), AIM messages (I know... totally dating us), and group dates, I got to know him better and better. We had a budding friendship by the time we finally started dating.

Not the three or so years of Lucy and Tim, but I knew there was something different about my relationship with Matthew from the go. We took everything slower. And I'm so glad we did. It gave me time to savor every second.

Lucy and Tim both know that this is different, and there's a level of awkwardness there as two friends attempt the transition.

"Why is this so weird? We've eaten together literally hundreds of times." "Because our other meals only ever had the promise of being shot at afterwards, you know, not naked time."

I have to be honest with y'all, I did not see Tim saying that. This line leaked early via a journalist with an advance copy (so saying that it "leaked" isn't exactly true since it's the journalist's job to hype up the fanbase). But the journalist didn't attribute the line to either of them. I was shocked to find this came from Tim.

But in the face of the awkwardness they're feeling, it makes sense that he would be searching for words and land on the least romantic ones, God bless him. (Yes, this might seem like a variant on "God bless his heart" but, trust me, in the South they are two very different things. I truly feel for the guy!)

"Naked time? Please, I mean, we've seen plenty of naked people after we ate." "That's not what I-" "No. No. No. I know. I know. I know. I feel like I might... I might just need you to reset your expectations a little bit. You're not going to see me naked for... a while."

I have to stop this here for a couple of reasons. One, Lucy touches Tim's arm when she's saying, "I know". We watched in 5x08 where she struggled not to touch him when they were sitting together outside. Here, on their date, she isn't shying away from that. There's an ease between them, even as they're discussing what might be considered a delicate topic.

Two, I love the way that Tim smiles with her after "a while". There's an ease to it. I can see him having some naked time expectations after she bloody invited him in when they were both seeing other people. But he's listening to her, and he's accepting what she wants wholeheartedly, without question.

So, I don't think Tim was unreasonable in his thought process, originally. However, what I love about this is what happens next.

Also, I love the way that Tim reacts the same way he did to Chris saying he wanted Tim's thoughts—surprised, but ready to listen. It's those little details of this reset that mean so much to me.

"I mean, I don't want to rush into that. I wanna take things slow... go on this date, maybe a second date, have our first real kiss. I just don't think we should jump into bed together just because we know each other so well. Right? I mean, do you?" "No, I... Agreed."

I'm puddling on the floor right now. Y'all, you don't know what consent means to me. I have too many stories for this Meta (y'all'd be running away from me so fast because I wouldn't get to the Chenford for another six pages or so if I got started). But, as a victim of abuse, this is so important to me.

Lucy is setting the expectations here for her and Tim. And he's accepting and agreeing to them without question. This is how it should be, people.

Also, Lucy starts with telling Tim that he's not going to see her naked for a while, but she's also simultaneously telling him that someday he will. This isn't a short-term thing for either of them, and she's making that abundantly clear.

The one thing about Tim is that he knows about all of Lucy's previous relationships (save Nolan) that have happened during her time as an Officer. He knows that with Emmett it was all physical, basically. With Chris, they were "great together" but there was no substance. He's seen how she treats relationships, and, honestly, she hasn't done it with the greatest care or eye toward longevity.

In this speech, Lucy isn't only defining parameters for their physical/sexual relationship. She's also subtly communicating to Tim that she wants to put care into this relationship. She wants to build it up together, the same way they have their friendship. Lucy is telling Tim, "I'm in this for the long haul".

Watch his face just before he says, "Agreed". It's about more than just agreeing to what she's saying, and offering her that much-needed affirmation. It's about making their first major decision together as a couple.

She didn't have to ask him to chime in. Her body is her body and her choice. But she wanted to know that they were on the same page, and he had the opportunity to show her that he is.

In a long-term relationship, communication is the most important binder. Romance is great, but sometimes when you have flames coming out of your ears, you're not that interested in stolen kisses. Passion is great, but when you're cowering on the floor, breaking in half over tragedy, it won't get you anywhere.

Solid communication is the most essential building block to a relationship that lasts. And in this scene, Lucy has told Tim that's what she wants with him, and he knows enough to realize what she's saying beneath the words.

Lucy's face is filled with the same consternation as it was on "it's not worth the risk". She's worried how Tim's going to react. And both times, he reassures her.

It's so brief, so brief, but watch Lucy's eyes after he agrees (and this is all Melissa O'Neil). She's relieved.

As soon as they started talking to one another instead of making small talk, they returned to what has made them great all along���their foundation of understanding one another deeply, and not being afraid to call the other out, or reset the expectations.

Watch the awkwardness evaporate with that… It's the lack of communication that put them on edge. Well, almost all the awkwardness.

"Are you worried someone from the station's gonna walk in?" "What?" "You are!" "No, I-" "Wow." "What are the odds?"

I love this so much. Lucy's calling Tim out, and he's actually a little embarrassed. It's adorable. Tim and Lucy have completely gotten over the awkwardness.

Just in time for... I'm sorry. Are you for real? Seriously? I was just enjoying this adorable couple and y'all couldn't wait for the guests to leave for the night before having it out in the kitchen? Yes, the kitchen is a volatile place, but these two are dating here! Ya know?

Fine. Fine. Have your bloody knife fight. But did anyone else notice how Tim really really didn't want to get involved? He kept hoping for an outcome that wouldn't require them, but the second that dude grabbed the knife, Tim whipped out the gun and badge while Lucy went for a cloth napkin for the wound.

Truly, these two are a power couple, already!

"What are the chances someone from the station walks in now?"

And, too fast for real life (but perfect timing for the joke), the blue and red lights catch Tim and Lucy... red and blue handed.

Look, these two have got to stop racking up reports with both of their names on it when they're not supposed to be together. First Lucy's apartment when Chris was bleeding out, now the restaurant attack.

What on earth will Angela have to say to Timothy now!? (please, please let us find out, soon!)

And what is with these two and knife-attacks-to-the-arms ruining their moments? It's not a good trend.

But can we talk about Lucy's dress? YOWZA! When she stood up and I saw all the amazing back cut outs in addition to the front, I just thought, "Wow, Melissa O'Neil is FIT" and "Lucy looks incredible on this date".

Tim's no slouch, either! The patterned shirt he went with was the best thing in his closet we saw, and I'd kill to have a stomach as flat as Eric Winter's. Well, not kill. I don't want to be arrested while commenting on a cop show. That'd be a little too on the nose.

Before We Move On: I have seen a lot of feedback on the interwebs of people accusing Lucy of inconsistency between 5x01's "Do you want to come in?" and 5x10's "I want to take this slow."

First off, a human being can change their mind about a situation at any time and it not be considered a character flaw or "out of character".

Some nights I'll tell my husband, "As soon as the kids go to bed, you are mine" but by the time the kids go down, I'm too tired to move, let alone engage in "naked time". Does my husband accuse me of being an inconsistent character? Hell, no!

Listen, you can always change your mind about wanting or not wanting sex. We need to get rid of the mindset that if you were hot and bothered one time you're supposed to be permanently hot and bothered, or you're a tease or something. It's an insane way to interpret the situation.

Secondly (yes, I'm finally getting back to the Chenford), Lucy in 5x01 didn't know Tim was emotionally invested. She knew he was physically attracted to her, and she decided to take a leap in the moment. To live in that moment based on the information available.

Even when she's confessing in 5x08 that she's afraid of leaving her "safe" relationship for Tim because it could ruin the most important relationship in her life, she didn't know how he felt.

Yes, she is the one who shut down that talk in 5x01, but that's because she was assuming instead of listening and letting him finish. And assumption is when these two get in trouble (see "naked time" above).

So, in the fullness of her new knowledge, Lucy has made a different decision. She knows that this is endgame as much as he does (though I think he's still so surprised to see Lucy so at ease with all of it considering her history of keeping guys at arms-length after her ex cheated on her while she was living with him).

And it's perfectly okay to change your mind. Lucy changed her mind. Tim amended his expectations to match her wishes because when he does make love with her, he wants her to give herself fully with no trace of anxiety or fear holding her back. He wants her to feel completely cherished, and loved, and he'll wait until the moment she is ready. That is the magic of the moment.

Lucy Chen said, "Not, yet" and Tim said, "Understood. I'm not going anywhere" without saying so many words.

Tim went in with the knowledge that she twice jumped him (girl can be thirsty/assertive), and that she once invited him in.

It was definitely a possibility that they were getting naked after this romantic dinner. He was looking forward to peeling that skin-tight dress right off of her.

But the second she said that wasn't the plan, he rolled with it. And that's sexy as hell.

"This is not strange. Coworkers eat together. It's a thing." "At the most romantic restaurant in town?" "Right."

Our intrepid duo is scrambling. Lucy was making fun of Tim's paranoia over them being caught together, and within thirty seconds they were caught together.

And now it's the fallout. Before, there was no obligation to tell anyone anything or come up with a cover story. Now, they have a choice to make.

And I need to shout out to the director and DP for the staging of this scene. I love Tim and Lucy in their little spot, slightly removed from everyone else, and the sweeping shots where the noise picks up of the chatter of their fellow officers.

The fact that they have Tim and Lucy backed against the wall (heh) means that nobody can cross behind them, and the camera's positioned so we don't have people crossing in front of them. It allows us to focus on them singularly as a pair versus everyone else in the mosh-pit of police work.

"Well, I mean, we could come clean."

Watch Tim's face. It's not that Lucy's had to hide her previous relationships (besides Nolan... and I keep hoping Tim knew something at the time and didn't say anything because he doesn't want to talk about personal stuff in the Shop). But, Lucy's not one to bring dates to events and whatnot.

They've been on one half-date that was interrupted by an assault that resulted in an arrest. And Lucy's talking about letting everyone know that they are officially a couple. That's huge.

Tim can't believe what he's hearing. And even if it's not the right decision right now, it says something to him about how Lucy sees this... that she's not letting one botched date get in the way of them. She's not going anywhere. For goodness sake, she was the first to make them a "we" here!

But... still... there are some issues with coming clean.

"Are you ready for that? Are you ready for Smitty's commentary on us dating or the "ohs" every time we walk into the roll call room together?" "Or, we could lie."

Oh, honey, no. Look, you're a killer UC. We know that. But, when it comes to the people you know and love, you are a terrible liar.

My mind immediately flashes back to Season 1. "You're good at a lot of things. Lying isn't one of them." "You think I'm good at things? Can I get that in writing?"

Like, Lucy, honey. Nooooo. Let Tim do the lying for the both of you. He lied to himself for ages about how he felt. He's a much better liar.

And, to clarify, I understand why they feel they need to lie right now, and it's their relationship. But Lucy shouldn't be the one talking when they do it.

"Uh, yeah, we were there, uh, investigating a tip and then this whole other crime popped off." "Yeah, Lucy's C.I. was convinced they were dealing drugs." "What?" "What?" "Nothing."

Maybe neither of you is good at lying. Yikes.

"Boss wants to see you. Have a safe one."

Oh, Nolan, you don't even realize how scared these two are of walking into that office.

And, I must say that I was wrong, again. Look, folks, I admit when I'm wrong. It's hardwired into who I am because of how I grew up. When this scene dropped, I thought something might be missing, but now I see it was the way they edited the two shot to alternating one-shots that made me think I was missing something.

So, The Rookie, 2. Rachel 0. (and I'm going to lose again, at the end. Stay tuned!)

Tim holds the door for Lucy as they make the transition. I saw on Twitter that Eric Winter insisted on this, and looking back at their relationship, there have been several other instances where Tim has held the door for Lucy. So, this is absolutely in character, and I love that EW insisted upon it. Those little details make the character.

"I think you know how I feel about coworkers dating."

Yikes, Grey! Not even letting them settle into their stances before ripping the band-aid off. And, yes, I'm creating this commentary based on my first time watching the pan-and-scan version of this scene from Twitter.

Because, Rachel was not prepared.

Tim and Lucy glance at one another. Here we go.

"When I started, no one thought much of it. But things have changed. We're more aware of how power dynamics can skew things. Even the most innocent of relationships can be a distraction."

Watch Tim's hand slip off his watch as he fidgets. Tim can be very controlled, and very good at hiding his emotions. But I don't think he was ready for this conversation this soon. Lucy resettles over and over, pressing her lips together as the listens.

And this two-shot is so much better than the split screen they had to do for Instagram formatting. I love seeing the two of them together, united, but mirroring one another's positions while facing Grey—the authority figure behind the desk.

Right now, there's an inequality between Grey's position and theirs. Tim and Lucy are unable to sit and he is permitted to sit and lord over them, like royalty. Grey is the final word, and he's staring down at two very nervous officers.

"Hey, trust me, I get it. We spent 12 hours a day together. Feelings are bound to develop."

Tim looks over to Lucy. She feels his gaze and looks back.

"But we can't afford even the hint of impropriety." "We couldn't agree more."

"We". There it is, again. Some people put a lot of weight into this, wondering if Lucy is afraid that Tim is going to break it off. But I don't think that was ever the issue.

They both know eventually they won't be able to work together as they have... it's impossible. But they want this to last as long as it can.

Tim is saying "we" couldn't agree more. Not "I". Lucy doesn't have to worry about him giving up on her. But I think she knows he's willing to do whatever it takes for something he believes in—and he believes in them.

"Good. Look, I don't want to be the old guy interfering with peoples lives, especially their love life, but this whole Aaron and Celina situation has me worried." "The Aaron and Celina situation."

Tim's surprised face is adorable, but Lucy rolls with it fairly well. They turn to look out at Aaron and Celina. As they do, the camera shifts to a three shot, Grey now standing behind them. They're on a more level playing field, here, flowing with the scene.

Gosh, I love Robert Bella's style as a director. He really lets the camera breathe with the script. I haven't been this excited about a television director since Robert Duncan McNeil started working on Chuck after debuting as a director on Star Trek: Voyager.

Lucy sneaks a glance at Tim, trying to gauge his response before they turn around. He finally meets her eyes with a quick, "Well, that was close" look as they turn back to face Grey.

And, look, I think Grey is on to them. He's not a fool. But, he's also outlining a lot of thoughts in this scene, if we try to see it as him sending them a message.

He's not saying don't date. But he does remind them of the power imbalance (Tim's her SO and a Sergeant). Yet, he calls out the need for Aaron to establish his reputation and for Celina to get through her Probationary period without distractions.

Tim and Lucy will have to deal with their power imbalance.

"Oh, the irony." "Are you gonna talk to Aaron?" "About his love life? Can't wait." "When are you gonna talk to Celina?" "I can't tell her not to date a cop. That is so hypocritical. Oh, I'm gonna get Nolan to do it." "That's cheating." *giggle*

This whole exchange makes me so happy. Here are Tim and Lucy operating as a duo, tasked with a job, and Lucy finds a way to get out of the uncomfortable situation. Tim's "That's cheating" hearkens back to every bet they've ever made.

The subtitles have Lucy saying "mm-hmm", but I swear the first time I heard it (first thirty times I re-watched the scene), it was a giggle. I'm going with giggle.

Because this is the episode where Lucy has the giggles.

"You and Celina dating?"

And Tim, with the subtlety of a Rams fan at a 49er's bar on game-day, reminds us why there's no personal talk in the Shop. Tim's really bad at it.

I'm not going to transcribe Aaron's full response, but I love the way it set Tim on edge. I've talked, before, about how Eric Winter is one of those actors who acts through his fingers and toes. Bruce Willis is one of those, too. Just watch his feet in the early scenes of Die Hard. It's beautiful.

So, when Aaron starts talking about direct reports in a not so subtle hint that he knows all about those types of relationships, Tim gets nervous. It's not that he's afraid of being found out. But the more he's reminded of their biggest issue—one of them will have to leave.

And, don't get me wrong, the show'll probably find a way to work around that by taking Tim out of her chain-of-command but keeping him largely tied to the established team. But right now, Tim's fidgeting on the wheel.

And I swear when I watched it live I thought I heard the engine speeding up with Tim's anxiety.

"Remember this morning when dating in secret was our biggest problem?" "That feels like a million years ago."

Excuse me, ma'am, but isn't your camera on your chest recording everything you say!? I've always been worried about what they say near cameras, but Lucy's throwing caution RIGHT out.

"Did you talk to Aaron?" "Yeah." "And?" "He neither confirmed nor denied." "But?" "But he pointed out that it wouldn't be problematic because he's not her superior and doesn't fall in her chain of command." "Oh."

I get why they don't want to face it. Right now, they only see that as a separation. Those 12 hours a day where they've gotten to know one another, and have been able to see one another, and check on one another, and keep tabs on the other's welfare... gone.

It's a lot to lose even if they get to keep each other.

"Are you sure about this?" "I'm sure he's gonna kill her if we don't do something. Where's my distraction?" "It's ready and waiting."

I can hear Lucy in my head, "I don't like Plan B." But she understands that this is what needs to be done, and that this is their job. Sometimes, they have to put themselves in harm's way, and that a tragic occupational hazard.

But I love how this illustrates that they can still work together, even with the new layer to their relationship. Tim and Lucy are still Tim and Lucy.

"That's the signal."

And the trust that Lucy would be the one to hear the signal, and get everyone else ready to go. They've worked side-by-side for years. They have a natural rhythm there that's been earned. I totally understand why they don't want to lose that.

But it's inevitable... that day is coming. And neither can face it just yet.

"We both can't get out at the same time." "Okay, then you go first." "There's only room for one of us to be a hero, here, and I outrank you." "Sir, with all due respect, Lucy will kill me if I let you die, so I'm dead either way." "Get out of the Shop, Aaron!"

We've seen Aaron comment on the Tim/Lucy thing directly and indirectly, but this is flashing neon lights compared to those other times. He's basically saying, "She will literally murder for you, and I know it, and I don't want it to be me."

And I have to stop to applaud Aaron's ingenuity in finding a way to save Tim, too. Tim accepts his fate. He's military-trained, and he's a seasoned cop who understands the risks he takes every day.

But it wasn't his day to die, my friends. Not today.

"Well, I'm glad you didn't die."

This. Transition! I'm salivating over that transition from one scene to the next, through the glass. I'll admit, I'm a big fan of scenes that overlap and allow us to trade from one conversation to the next. It has always made me feel more like the world was real, and we were walking through it rather than bouncing around through non-stop scene-shifts.

No, you can't do this all the time. It'd become tired out. But, I love the choice, here. Again, I don't know if it was the writer, the director, or someone else who saw the opportunity and seized it, but I'm so glad they did!

"You owe me a redo on our date." "It's what gave me the will to live."

He's needling her. He's so needling her and it's so adorable. I know they have a lot of incredible scenes in this episode, but this one gave me all the feels.

This is secret dating era at its finest. Walking side-by-side and speaking words just for the other while knowing there's so much more going on under the surface. And I am here for it!

I love how he looks at her, waiting to see if he's going to get a reaction. Oh, she gives him a reaction!

"In my mind, I'm hitting you right now." "That's good to know."

Heart. Exploding. The cuteness!

PAUSE: Before we get to the end scene, can we talk about Nyla and James choosing Angela and Wesley to raise their daughter!? As soon as the conversation came up I was screaming at the television, "Pick Angela and Wesley!" And I'm so glad they did.

The power couples of The Rookie really got to show up and show out this week, and I wanted to acknowledge these four, too, even if they're not the focus of our Meta.

"I've been falling apart these days," says the music as we transition to a crane shot, establishing twinkle lights in trees (and those hanging bulb-style ones that I've been coveting for my new backyard ever since we moved in).

We sweep past the... is that a food truck!? Was I actually right about one thing in this bloody episode!? My only prediction that came true was that Tim and Lucy would try to have their date, things would go wrong, and they'd end up at a food truck. I'll take the win since everything else's been a loss for me, predictions-wise.

The Rookie 2, Rachel 1.

We sweep over to Tim and Lucy in the most casually-intimate (it's a thing) position with those high stools. Tim's got his let completely wrapped on the other side of Lucy's, and one of hers is crossed with a foot on his chair.

They don't wear fashionable clothes. Lucy's hair isn't styled. The conditions are less structured and more beautifully chaotic, like the twinkle lights dangling just shy of perfection—but no less perfect in that imperfection.

Tim and Lucy are at ease.

This is the heart of Tim and Lucy's transition. Before, they were trying to do it without all the information on the table, and within the confines of what they thought they needed.

Instead, they've found themselves in metal chairs exposed to the elements, facing the less-than-romantic view of a parking lot, and they couldn't be happier.

I must observe that they don't eat or drink a thing during this scene. The props are simply props, and I always find it fascinating when a scene calls for actual eating versus the implication of eating.

"Streets of Vietnam." *giggle* "That's where we ended up."

For some reason, the caption says "Treats of Vietnam" even though Eric Winter clearly emphasizes the "S" on "Streets".

But, if you're following along and hard of hearing or deaf, I wanted to make that clarification. His words, indeed, do match the signage on the food truck.

And Lucy is giggling, again.

"So, I guess this is our official first date." "Mmm, last night was. For sure. I mean, it's a better story for the grandkids."

Watch. Tim's. Face. He dated Ashley for ages before finding out she had no interest in marriage or kids—two things that mean a lot to him.

And Lucy, beautiful Lucy, is telling him on their second date that she can't wait to share this story with their grandkids.

And I've seen people say, "Oh, what happened to taking it slow?" Welp, you can be in an emotional place separate from a physical place, and that's just fine. She wants to savor every second of this.

This relationship is full of "last firsts". Last first date. Last first kiss. Last first time sleeping together.

If you knew that going into a relationship, wouldn't you want to savor every second? Really live in the moments to form lasting memories rather than rushing through?

"We've got grandkids, now." *giggle* "Nice."

Ooooh, the giggling has got me in a chokehold!

And I'm floored by the confidence Lucy has with Tim. Before, we saw so much hesitation from her in taking big steps, especially with Chris. Hell, I don't know that I recall her ever calling him her "boyfriend".

With Tim, none of that exists. Yes, they had some butterflies to get through in the beginning. But part of what makes this relationship work is how it has been earned and built.

They didn't start day one of their Rookie/TO relationship making moony-eyes at one another. They built layers over time, like the most beautiful crepe tower cake.

Yes, I know it's a weird metaphor, but I like baking shows. And the best part about a crepe tower cake is that you make each crepe one at a time before binding it to the others to form a stack. And sometimes the crepes aren't the prettiest. You might burn one a little. But it still goes into the stack, and it still helps build a beautiful finished product.

Tim and Lucy have built this relationship bit by bit. That's why everything rings true so effortlessly, now.

"Do not break into that car."

I. Started. CACKLING. Much as the cold open had me in stitches, this is the line that slays me every time. Crochety, worn-out Tim comes out on that line.

It's like, "Look, do you see this stunningly gorgeous, amazing, tough-as-nails woman beside me? I'd like to have one date, just ONE where I'm not pulling out cuffs for work purposes".

"Hey, moron!"

Foley artist, I love you. Or if it was recorded audio at the scene, I love whoever did that because even the SOUND of the metal clanging as the perp retreats had me in stitches. This was such a beautiful moment for so many reasons.

First of all, Tim is always going to be Tim. Thank God. I abhor when shows destroy the characters the second they get in a relationship (no, I'm not naming names... Metas make you squeel and laugh. We don't need the negativity, here).

Second, Tim just made the choice to be a man instead of a cop in this moment. Now, if it was a dangerous criminal, I'm sure Tim would have done something, as he did on their first date. But, for Tim "Supercop" Bradford to choose the girl... it's such a huge metaphor for what's coming.

Tim's job has seemed like the most important thing for so long, especially since he finally went after Sergeant, and continues to work despite being eligible for Retirement. But some things matter more.

Friends, Lucy matters more.

"You know, he's just going to break into a car in a different neighborhood." "Well, then some other cop can arrest him."

Pause. Just pause right here and look at Tim's face as he gazes upon Lucy. That twinkle is back in his eyes. And, yes, I'm aware it's probably studio lights set up for this shot. Don't ruin my magic!!

But Tim Bradford is finally looking into the eyes of a woman who will love him as much as he will love her. She will call him on his bullshit, care for his wounds, follow him into the fire, and stand by his side through whatever life throws at them.

They both knew that when they took this leap, they could never, ever go back. It's a constant plunge into the unknown, and with every level deeper they go, it only cements their bond.

Tim and Lucy were never going to work as friends-with-benefits, or a casual thing. They're Endgame. And they both know it.

He reaches for her face with his left hand. The same hand that wanted to hold her face the first time they kissed, but hesitated. He's telegraphing his moves and giving her space to pull back, to tell him to stop, to let him know she's not ready.

But Lucy is ready for this next step.

His right hand resting somewhere between her knee and thigh, the other hand tangling in her hair as he gently tugs her toward him, he leans in for their last first kiss—together.

And Lucy smiles before their lips touch, because this is so damn sweet. This is the beginning of yet another phase for them. And as they share that beautiful moment, we fade to black.

And here we have the last thing I was wrong about—the episode didn't end with Lucy covered in blood.

Look, I called the kiss (so I hope that balances things out a little), but I have a lot of ship trauma. For goodness sake, look at Wash and Zoe from Firefly/Serenity. He wasn't a leaf on the wind... he was a corkboard for the world's largest push-pin.

So, I was pleasantly surprised we faded out to black with our favorite couple intact and happy.

One thing that The Rookie has done really well with its core relationships is allowing them to face issues as a couple.

Nyla and James were rockstars at the bank, but they also worked through the very real issue of who should care for their child in the event of their death. That's something all parents grapple with.

And then Wesley and Angela working through the conversations of when (and whether) to add children to their family. I suffer from infertility, so all three of our children were planned for, prayed for, and provided by nice doctors with catheters and egg timers (I wish I was joking about that last part).

So whatever Tim and Lucy are going to face, I have confidence that they will face it together. They aren't going to suddenly stop communicating, break up, and date other people. This is Season 5B and as of yet, there's no assurance of a Season 6. It's the perfect time to cement them as a couple, explore the obstacles they overcome, and allow the fans to bask in the breadsticks (double breadsticks according to the Roll-o-Meter).

Because, y'all, we ATE.

As always, thank you for reading. This one was a lot of fun to watch and write. And, special shout out to my husband who let me squirrel away for the hour (which is right at our kids' bedtime) so I could squeal in real-time!

See y'all on the next!

[dollsonmain]

Stuff I Did Buy - expanded

Articulated bodies yay.

The 90's Barbie and the broken Basics doll (chunk of her neck is missing but oooo steffie face) were in a ripped-open bag. There probably were more dolls in the bag at one point but I didn't feel like looking at every doll that I wasn't interested in to find which ones did and didn't have price tags.

Very 90's mermaid. I don't know what her deal is, yet. I'm getting old and can't see the marks on their backs anymore.

My Goodwill has been bagging small toys lately so to get one thing I might want, I have to get the whole bag. Everything north of the yellow pony was bagged together. $3 for the Extra Mini (articulated body yaaaay) and a bunch of other stuff that's going right back to Goodwill.

I wanted the fancy fakie but she didn't have a price tag, so I found a bag of other things that was ripped open and shoved her in. The purple and yellow fakies were in there, too. the pink one with the ice cream butt had it's own sticker. That one kind of reminds me of Strawberry Shortcake dolls.

That yellow electronic pony stinks.

Some weird-ass, flat backed rubber dolls with rubber clothing. Or soft vinyl. I don't know. I haven't been able to make myself touch them, yet. I know I'm not going to like it.

I moved a toy there and touched tape residue and about died.

And a bin that I didn't want, but there were no carts even though the store had only been open for 20 minutes.

I can always use a bin, though, so don't feel bad about it. They sell Dollar Tree bins for $3... This is not a Dollar Tree bin.

I had gone for yard work pants and didn't find anything that I could justify destroying when someone else might need them and could use them. Then I went to Walmart and looked at those men's work pants that are $40, but when I held a pair with a too-big waist up to my thigh, the leg couldn't even get halfway around.

Got some $10 lounge pants instead. Might end up wearing them to lounge in instead of for yard work..... I've gotten too big for a lot of my other lounge pants.

[sissy-feminized-into-ballerina]

Sister’s Reaction

“What’s that? My little brother’s secretly been playing dress up whenever he thinks he has the house to himself?

You’ve been dressing up in my clothes?

Wearing my knickers?

Stretching my leotards?

Now that I’ve discovered your secret you hope I’ll go clothes shopping with you?

You want me to start calling you Amy?

You hope I’ll treat you like a real sister?

You want me to use she/her pronouns for you?

All the time?

You’ve known you wanted to be a girl since nursery?

You’ve been building up a collection of girls’ toys and clothes for years using the pocket money from your paper round?

You would like me to show you how to apply makeup?

You want to paint your nails?

You want to grow out your hair?

When that’s done you want me to show you how to braid it?

You hope mum will accept you as her second daughter rather than her first and only son?

You think your male friends at school and on the football team are rude and mean?

You won’t mind losing them if they don’t accept you?

You hope mum will agree to transfer you to an all-girls school?

You hope they will let you wear a girl’s uniform?

Including a gingham pinafore dress in the Summer?

You hope you’ll make new friends at your new school?

After 4 years on your current school’s football team you want to throw that all away so you can join the local ballet studio with your big sis?”

You want to donate your cleats and other football gear in general to Goodwill so a real boy can appreciate them?

You want me to take you to the dancewear store in town where I can use my loyalty card to get you great discounts on leotards, tights, slippers and tutus?

You want me to hold your hand when we enter for reassurance in case someone is mean towards you?

You adore the blue leotard I’m wearing but hope to find one of your own in pink?

You intend to use all your saved-up birthday money on buying the biggest, pinkest tutu the shop sells?

You’ll practice your dance moves everyday rain or shine until you’re good enough to take part in the studio’s dance recital later this Autumn?

You don’t mind that this will involve dancing in public in a tutu?

Possibly in front of your old friends if they’re there to watch their own sisters perform?

You hope I’ll invite you to my friends’ next sleepover party so you can get to to know them?

You don’t mind that you’ll be the youngest one there meaning you’ll be treated like the group doll?

You think you can convince the older girls there to watch girly cartoons with you?

You’ve been getting up super early recently so you can watch episodes of Sofia the First while we’re all fast asleep?

Your favourite episode was the one where she met Snow White?

Snow White’s your favourite princess even though you haven’t seen all the other Disney movies yet?

You want to make sweeping changes to your bedroom upstairs?

You want to repaint your bedroom walls pastel pink?

You want to stick floral decals onto them?

You like the funny shape of your racing car bed but want to replace your current F1 racing stripe sheets with a Snow White comforter set?

You want to cover your new bed in soft animal toys so you won’t feel alone and frightened in the dark at night?

You want to sell all your action figures and boy legos to make shelf space for your secret stash of Barbie dolls and Lego Friends sets?

You want to replace that Scalextric dad got you with a doll’s house for your Barbies?

You hope I’ll play ‘dollies’ with you even though I outgrew mine years ago?

You’re going to write a letter asking Santa for all the animated Barbie and Disney Princess movies for Christmas this year so you can complete your collection?

You want me to go see the new live action Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie with you when it comes out in cinemas?

You hope a doctor will put you on hormone blockers when you’re old enough so you won’t get mutilated by the effects of puberty against your will?

You’re so excited I found out your secret since now you can be the girl you’ve always wanted to be?

I really can’t believe any of this…

.

[zannia]

The shelves thus far!

🩷The Barbies! Lashana Barbra and Daphne. Barbie dolls stopped coming with names so I had to come up with my own. (I hate dolls not having names tbh)

🩷Monster High Scaradise Island. Really thought this line was cute, waiting for a huge sale to consider buying Heath (no one on FB Marketplace sells boy dolls). Venus is there because she met them in the show at Scaradise island (had no space on the other MH shelf)

🩷More Monster High. Mostly signature dolls + monster ball. Oh and monster fest Clawdeen (she's just leaning against the wall because i ran out of stands and she refuses to stand on her own.)

🩷Mini dolls! Crybabies BFF & Magic Mixies Pixlings so far. I have the hardest time trying to hunt down the crybabies and I want more pixlings.

🩷 Rainbow High. I love these dolls so much sad about the rebranding because the new dolls are so hideous unappealing to me. There's still plenty i want to get but these are so annoying to get on the 2nd hand market NIB

🩷 Shadow High. Sad they've been discontinued but i really love fantasy skin tones. These are also impossible to find NIB on the 2nd hand market.

🩷 O.M.G! Love these so much and how easy they are to find in thrift stores, mercari, goodwill, and flea markets.

🩷 Bratz! The only two I own. A birthday gift from 2022 🥰 I want to get more but I'm not paying $60+ for an unarticulated doll with missing clothing/accessories. I'm hoping one day I'll come across one in the wild at the thrift store or something. I want more but they're sooooo annoying to collect rn.

🩷 Also 2 Bratz chairs, both NIB one full price (🤢) and the other found on fb marketplace. I def want more doll furniture/playsets but i don't have much space to work with.

Just my shelves as of 2024. I'm two years into this and wow there's a lot of dolls. I went a little overboard in 2022 & early 2023 💀 but super happy and love all the ones I have. Wanted a visual archive for when i eventually move shelves around or finally get new furniture to display them on. Also interested in what my opinion will be in a few months/years if I still like my collection (or collecting in general?) or which dolls fall out of favor etc etc.

[newlyy]

Show me them dolls!!

Ok so first, right off the bat, I round the corner into the toy section and find two myscene dolls!!!!

Not in their original outfits obviously, but still not fucking bad for a thrift store that usually has nothing in the way of toys. And I also got the doll on the right. I haven’t identified her yet (I don’t think the dress is hers), but I thought she was pretty and wanted to learn more about her. And they had a 90s generation girl dance party Barbie, but I already have her, and she was missing everything except a shirt and necklace, so I left her.

But then, I keep looking and find a bratz horse!

And Polly pockets!

They’re the bigger 2000s ones with the rubbery clothes. I probably would have bought them on their own, but what really convinced me was that white purse in the case on the left. I was like I KNOW that’s a bratz purse

And these are the bratz accessories that were in there. I think the pants and hat are from Wild West kiara maybe? Which would also explain the horse. And believe you me, I searched up and down that toy aisle trying to find the implied bratz, but there were none 😔 oh and this littlest pet shop hamster thing was in there too

And then finally I found this plush Barbie Swan lake unicorn thing

Which I’m kind of eh on, but I might wash and fix her up and sell her. And then this old hamtaro hamster thing that I need to do more research on, but was intrigued by

So not fucking bad!!!! I only happened to go in today because I was dropping off a package next door. I think someone definitely donated all of their 90s/2000s toys cause there were a shit ton of beanie babies and stuffed animals from the 90s, like lady and the tramp and 101 Dalmatians, Bambi, that kind of thing.

[capostone]

Week 5: Ok fine, I'll make stuff (sort of)

This week mostly consisted of figuring out what kind of forms I'd potentially want to use, and what I'd be saying with each one. That started with just going through Pinterest and picking the images that I liked the most to make a collage out of. There wasn't any particular message or goal, I just wanted to do it to look at things relating to the topic that I liked, and to make a cute assortment of pics.

This primed me to think up three potential projects.

Dress up in different alt/generally eccentric alt-inspired outfits and vlog the experiences of how I'm treated in them vs. more "normal" clothes. This would be somewhat inspired by Nikki S. Lee's various "Projects" as she did attempt to assimilate into various subcultures as closely as she could. I wouldn't be trying to do the exact same thing, but this is a definite precedent for this sort of idea.

Make my own dream clothes and document that process/what it is about them that makes them "dream" clothes. I'd need to learn to sew for this, but I'm happy to do that. I've been inspired by Miochi's designs, particularly the I Dropped My Keys coat (https://www.miochi.store/product-page/non-nsme-yet). They make their dream clothes, one-of-a-kind pieces, and I think it's a solid precedent for the sort of thing I'd be trying to do, though maybe slightly less complex. While they sell these clothes, they're all part of a project Miochi is currently working on about designing the dream clothes they've wanted since they were a child, rather than being limited to what's available premade in stores.

Make a life-sized interactive paper dress-up doll game with me as the paper doll. This would definitely need some iterating, as I'd need to decide on sizing, materials, and how realistic I'd want the doll/clothing to be. Lots of considerations. I found Sylvia Kleindinst (https://buffalo.com/community/the-enduring-art-of-paper-dolls/article_c9d54462-a434-11ee-a8f9-3b080b2b2193.html), an artist, former art teacher, and paper doll collector and designer, as something of a precedent. She has a passion for paper dolls and how simplistic, accessible, and customizable they are, even compared to normal, mainstream dolls like Barbies. I'd love to use this sort of project to work out the difference between personal perception and expression, and how others view me and would style me, and what that means. I made this absolutely insane mock-up just to get an idea of what kind of options there'd be.

I'm still working on exactly what POV I want to investigate, but I'm getting there. Coming up with some potential project ideas really helped me zero in on the ideas I'd be most interested in investigating. This is a bit of a shorter post, but I did less thinking and more doing this week, so there's kind of just less to describe compared to the past few weeks.

[rosecreer]

The World Domination of Barbie: How the Sales of the Movie Became it’s Success

Mattel and Warner Bros. have partnered up with various consumer brands to provide exposure and almost world domination of Barbie pink to keep the movie in consumers minds even if they don’t plan to watch the film. With the limited-edition release of Barbie pink in luxury clothing and even food brands, Mattel encourage sales for the movie which now has a worldwide responsibility to be a massive success.

“For merchandisers, it’s only good if the movie is a success. If the movie is a thud, everyone is going to be putting a lot of pink merchandise on sale.” according to Allen Adamson of a marketing and branding agency.

The iconic doll has had her reign since 1959, and has been a massive success ever since creating a doll universe and even several animated movies all a staple of many late 1990s early 2000s children. By releasing movies, children would want the outfits Barbie wore in the film, even the sets and pets too. By continuously revitalising and reinventing Barbie’s looks and growing the Barbie universe, any child could start to love Barbie at any time, and one Barbie outfit could never be enough...

The live action Barbie is no different with Mattel releasing reinvented Barbie and Ken dolls inspired by the film.

“Clothing and jewelry makers such as French fashion house Balmain and jewelry maker Kendra Scott, pool float-maker Funboy and home-sharing service Airbnb have all teamed up with Mattel to create Barbie-themed products and experiences. Airbnb has a listing for a one-night stay at Barbie's Malibu Dreamhouse, while department store Neiman Marcus is exclusively selling a Balmain x Barbie collection. A hoodie from the limited-edition line retails for $1,350.”

Having characters like Barbie come to the screen takes a huge responsibility on representing positive and important teaching topics. Setting an example through a beloved character.

“Barbie's impact on the construct of femininity, for better or worse, is immeasurable and worth exploring in adulthood. Like the men who sit religiously through every Marvel and DC film, women deserve to take a piece of their childhood with them as they age. Given the unrealistic expectations society sets forth for women — in part because of Barbie — it's the least Hollywood could allow women to do: reclaim our girlhood.” - Alyssa Capri

If I am to look into merchandising behind animated character, it is important to reflect on the successes of characters that have inspired productions and how marketing and cinema go hand in hand in creating a popular character.

www.cbsnews.com. (2023). Seeing pink: Brands hop on ‘Barbie’ bandwagon amid movie buzz - CBS News. [online] Available at: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mattel-barbie-themed-merchandise-brand-partnership/ [Accessed 24 Jul. 2023].

Film. (2023). Greta Gerwig’s Barbie Breaks Every Single Hollywood Rule About ‘Toy Movies’. [online] Available at: https://www.slashfilm.com/1346454/greta-gerwigs-barbie-breaks-hollywood-rule-toy-movies/ [Accessed 24 Jul. 2023].

[letters-to-lgbt-kids]

My dear lgbt+ kids,

I wrote this letter about gender being a joy-centered experience - and in this one, I want to go into detail and share some specific things with you that give me joy or make me feel euphoric as a bi trans man.

This will be a somewhat self-indulgent letter: my therapist suggested that I write a list like that for myself, so I can look at it on bad days or after painful experiences, and remind myself of positive things. I figured that it may be interesting or inspiring to some of you as well - just keep in mind that these are my personal experiences and not meant to represent anyone but me.

So, without further ado, here are some random "Oh gosh, I love being a man, I love being bi, I love being me, I love being alive" things:

- There are many songs that make me feel that way. In fact, there are so many that I made a whole "Gender Euphoria" playlist for myself. Some of the songs in it are self-explanatory, some are connected to personal memories and a few are just Gender Vibes for a reason I myself don't even understand. All of them make me feel good.

- Clothes shopping. More specifically, going into a clothes store and heading straight to the Men's section without making up some excuse (to the person I am with or to myself) or "accidentally" ending up there. I remember so many shopping trips as a child that ended with both me and my mom in tears because we have been in this store for literal hours and still haven't found one single piece I am not absolutely refusing to try on... and now I walk in, find like five pieces in five minutes and actually have to stop myself from finding more? Clothes are fun and that keeps being a delightful surprise for me.

- Talking about stores and child-me: Hey, young me, do you remember that time you saw that yellow toy car in a store and you wanted it so badly and you got that Barbie doll instead? Guess what I just got you. Hint: It's yellow and it's just as fun to play with as you imagined it to be. Nobody, absolutely nobody, can stop you from getting a yellow toy car when you are an adult and there is something deeply healing and freeing about that realization.

- While trying to look as hypermasculine as possible can be fun, interacting with (or even just looking at) other men is a beautiful reality check, and that goes double for other queer men. Gay and bi men, even the cis ones, have all sorts of gender-fun, and experimenting with clothes, hair, hobbies, language etc. in ways that are not strictly hypermasculine actually makes me feel MORE connected to manhood rather than less.

- Everything that has my name on it is an automatic need. Do I need a new cup? No, the cupboard is full. Do I need a cup that says Oliver? Yes, yes, yes, desperately so. I finally understand why gift shops sell so much stuff with names on it. Turns out, stuff with your name on it is a must-have when you actually feel connected to your name.

- I feel like my name needs a separate bullet point. Shoutout to myself for naming me Oliver. I am an Oliver. I couldn't be anything but an Oliver. Oliver is a freaking awesome name for me.

- When I look in the mirror now, there is a dude looking back at me... and that just happened, slowly, over time. I just realized it the other day when I stood there in the morning and heard myself think "Wow, dude, you sure look tired" and there was just this sudden feeling of... warm, comforting normal-ness? I didn't even think about gender, didn't need to have any internal discussion about the fact that I am a man, I was just thinking about the bags under my eyes. It was a given that it is a whole-ass dude who has those bags.

With all my love,

Your Tumblr Dad

P.S: While writing this, two random encounters popped into my mind and made me smile, so I will share them here as well:

- A group of Gym Bros (the bodybuilder type, probably had more strength in their little fingers than I have in my entire body) all greeted me (very much not the bodybuilder type) with a loud and enthusiastic cheer of "Hey, bro!", "What's up, bro!", "Bro! Nice to see you!", "Bro!!". May have briefly considered not clarifying that we don't know each other and just let them adopt me as their (much, much smaller) bro.

- A very polite, elderly gentleman asked about my gender, immediately apologized and asked for my pronouns instead, explaining that his grandkids taught him that "the young people don't do gender anymore" and he thinks that's fantastic, he is just very old and forgets his manners sometimes.

[kosomolski-dolls]

Ok, I'll tackle a few questions, and see if I can tackle more tomorrow.

Good place for buying clothes and wigs: you can check the various dealers out there like Alice Collection, Legend Doll, or New Clover singing (Google should bring you right to these sites if you search for them). Etsy used to be great and there are still a lot of artists selling over there, but I would check the sellers to see if they maybe have an external page or Instagram listed, since prices might be lower there. I know a lot of people buy clothes and wigs from TaoBao, but you'll need a proxy afaik to buy from there. AliExpress is also great for some cheaper clothes, but I would advice to check the stores before buying. If they sell dolls, it's probably a fake and I try not to support these people.

There are a lot of dolls that don't have sculpted muscles! Doll family H comes to mind from my own collection, Charmdoll, too. I think my Asleep Eidolon boy doesn't have any either 🤔 i need to check the others, but generally I'd say, go and check the dealers, there you can see many different companies. LegendDoll let's you sort by body, too!

As for faceups, there are lot of good tutorials/ videos on YouTube, you can look for Faceup or Custom Doll, the materials are pretty much the same. You'll need a sealant (many use Mr Super Clear, but there are alternatives as well, though except for airbrush ones I haven't really tried a lot of these), something to blush (could be air brush and paint, most newbies prefer soft pastels to brush on), paint (i started with water colour pencils, by now I use gouache paints as they're easy to clean up before dealing). For scars, you can paint them on, or if you want something more 3D, you can use pva glue for example, or you can use tissue paper + glue for more textured ones, depending on the look.

You can commission an artist of course, and a lot of them also offer work on bodies, like tattoos, body blush, and scars.

Storage. I keep my dolls in a separate room from my cats and in a cabinet (it's an IKEA Billy shelf with glass doors and UV protection foil on the glass).

As for the question of resin vs vinyl. Both will stain, but vinyl stains A LOT easier, and stain removal from resin is pretty easy (give it a good scrub with a magic eraser sponge and it will be as good as new), while it's a damn process on vinyl, needing chemicals to remove it, and even then you might still have remaining stains. Both will also yellow, though in my experience, Resin yellows faster. You can prevent it to a degree by keeping the dolls out of direct sunlight, though they will yellow over time by aging.

But resin and vinyl dolls are very different. Resin is heavier, vinyl dolls are lighter. Vinyl often (! Not always!) Is cheaper. Vinyl dolls more often have anime features, while resin dolls often have more realistic looks. Again, there are exceptions to this. Resin dolls are usually strung with an elastic while vinyl dolls have a skeleton. Vinyl dolls usually are easier to pose because of this.

As for yellowing and getting a new doll. Unless you put your doll in the bright sun, the yellowing shouldn't be that bad. Usually, the colour just shifts from rosy to more cream coloured. I have many dolls that are yellowed (usually due to them being really old, but some yellowed because I like to keep my dolls out of the dark and take them out in the sun for photos) and it's really not that bad.

Be careful with 1/6, because it can mean 2 different things. Correct 1/6 scale is not compatible with 1/4, it is Barbie scale, so very different proportions. But in the bjd community, the child dolls are often referred to as 1/6 when in reality, they're also 1/4 scale, but... well, children. They also sometimes are referred to as YoSD. I'm not quite sure what your question is here, because you pretty much answered it yourself. "1/6" or "YoSD" size is what you want to look for if you want a toddler for your dolls.

If you have more questions, feel free to ask!

My various BJD questions in a single post

I have multiple Questions about BJD’s and I’ve decided to make a single post to ask them all so it’s organized and not a massive mess

You can answer my questions in the replies or reblogs, and feel obligated to answer them all if you don’t have an answer eheh~!

What is a good place for buying 1/6, 1/4, and 1/3 sized clothes? (For girl dolls and boy dolls)

A good place to get fantasy-colored wigs for dolls? (1/6, 1/3, and 1/3 sized dolls)

Also, are there any boy BJD’s that don’t have sculpted on muscle? Also for size about 1/4 or taller if possible.

Tips/tools to use for face-ups? Or is it better to “commission” the face-up from an artist? But then how would I get the couple scars I’d need for the character I wanna make that are on his body… would that be in the face-up category? How would I go about making/commissioning the fac-up since I’d need body scars I don’t know how to make myself?

What’s a good way to store the BJD’s so they don’t get ruined or broken? Especially if you have 3 playful cats.

And finally, which is better in the long run, a vinyl doll or a resin doll? Considering things like staining and yellowing I’m scared to get a doll because I don’t want it to be ruined. If it yellows in let’s say a few years where I could easily order a new dollie then it’ll be okay. One of my dolls is gonna be in strictly darker colors and I do night want them to stain.

Also, along with the previous question. For resin dolls, what would be a good doll/size to get a toddler-like body? I have a character I wanna make but he’s a toddler so I need the toddler-y body proportions. I’d like him to be 1/6 scale so his two older sisters can be taller than him.

Any help is greatly appreciated! I can’t wait to get my first BJD and I wanna know everything for my first BJD, and future BJD’s I get. I also seen there are chairs and stuff for BJD’s and I’d love to get some to use with my dolls eheh~