#people will wanna pose their silly little dealer holding stuff

[sungam-supo]

So apparently the creator of Buckshot Roulette just launched an official Dealer plushie campaign.

No seriously- this is real.

I'm curious to see just how accurate and silly this is gonna luck if fully funded. I'm more curious to see how the floating hands are gonna be done.

[beedaleebjd]

Psssst do you happen to have any tips or beginners links for newbies who are interested in getting in to the BJD hobby? 👀

*SOFT SCREECH* ALICE COME DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE WITH ME... /CLAMBERS FOR

This is a very slap-dash tips post, because a full fledged crash-course would take me much longer than a day to assemble. I think this could get someone started, but I can always answer specific questions if you have them in the future. ❤️

BJD 101: For a rundown of definitions, terminology, and origins of the hobby, I highly recommend checking out the Wikipedia article. (Warning for old vaguely spooky doll photos) I honestly wish I just read this when I got started, haha. It’s not everything, but it’s definitely a start.

Study! Read as much as you possibly can!! Especially terminology and maintenance. I highly recommend watching a bunch of unboxing and review videos- it might seem silly, but they're really helpful to get an idea of scale, how they function/pose, and how they look and feel when handled by a human. I also recommend trying to find owner photos of dolls you’re interested in, because sometimes the store photos are limited!

Join a community! Consider joining a forum like den of angels or a facebook bjd group like BJD Addicts! Exposure to the hobby is really helpful and you learn way faster. It’s fine if you’re shy, you don’t have to interact if you don’t want to- I like lurking DoA for the valuable tutorials and threads on doll brands I'm interested in. Tip: You can view some of DoA’s threads without an account by searching "[subject/doll of choice] den of angels" in google, but i got tired of that pretty fast. Signing up takes a few weeks to get approved but it's worth it for all the knowledge, even old archived stuff.

Window-shop until you drop!! I think the number one regret in the hobby is 'too many dolls, not enough time to love any of them'. So I HIGHLY recommend making wish-lists. These help a lot with avoiding impulse purchases and buyer’s remorse. There are a loooot of dolls out there, so if you've seen a huge majority of them, you'll be more picky.

For me, wishlists include both dream/grail dolls, tentative desires i’m not sure about but want to remember the name of, dolls I could never afford but feel validated writing down somewhere, and also cataloging info- measurements, wig/eye/shoe sizes, resin colors, price, current availability, dealer websites, etc. it becomes such a godsend when you shop for them. you’ll thank me later!!

I spent a lot of time browsing dealer websites like Alice's Collections, Legenddoll, Denver Doll, DOLK Station, etc- I linked some of those here. This is to see what my tastes are. Not EVERY doll company will go through all or any dealers, but it’s a good start!

If you’re the social type, going to conventions or local bjd meetups can help with getting an idea of your preferences! I accidentally walked by one at sakuracon last year and got to hold an MSD and an 11cm tiny, and that was REALLY helpful for me to realize I DID like those sizes. If other doll owners will let you hold theirs, I totally recommend it! (Always ask first, of course! Not everyone is comfortable with it!)

Go!! Slow!!! if you think you're taking it easy, go even slower. i'm so serious. it's so easy to get dazzled, over-eager, or totally overwhelmed by this hobby. especially if you have a habit of hyper focus/special interest tenancies like i do. 

Patience is a virtue anyway: If you’re not buying second-hand or in-stock dolls, you will be waiting a while for your doll. Anywhere from a few months to a year, depending on the company and how backlogged they may be at any given point. Dolls are usually pre-order and take time to be made.

Some people like to just buy sculpts and let a character ‘come to them’, which is absolutely valid so if you wanna just go on a feeling that’s great!! i totally can’t afford that route most of the time, so I spend a lot of time mood-boarding for my potential dolls using pinterest and my own art to see just how in love with an idea i am and highly recommend it. I’ll ramble about this in another post soon.

Budget! They are not very cheap like 10-20$ fashion dolls at wal-mart, so those new to the hobby may be shocked.This hobby is an investment and an indulgence/luxury, as with most Nice Things. But don’t be discouraged! There are affordable dolls out there, a lot of Dealer websites offer layaway plans, and the second-hand market is always circulating things!

Here is a DoA list of dolls that are under 300$. 

Note: Size of dolls often scale with price, so the bigger it is, the more expensive (and HEAVY) it will be. Some videos on BJD sizing here and here, but Flickr is crawling with height comparisons as well.

Craft or Not To Craft: Are you team 'i'm gonna sew/craft stuff/do wigs/eyes/faceups for my doll' or team 'i'm gonna buy clothes/props/faceups/wigs/etc from other artists!'? I know most people end up being a little bit of both, but these things both cost time or money (or both) so you wanna think about that in the overall price when you're considering a doll. It seems intimidating, but really, it’s the responsible thing to do. I’d rather plan for it than have a naked sad doll to feel bad about. Some personal recommendations below helped me get started:

Wigs: Monique Gold Collection wigs are affordable in the 20 dollar range, and have incredibly soft fiber! (You can find a lot of these available through ebay sellers as well)

Eyes: Lemonjellyshoppe and CandyKittenEmporium have some incredible eyes and also do custom orders!

Sewing Patterns: DGRequim on etsy and SproutyDoll have both been very nice to use and easy understand and modify to fit your doll!

When you’re savvy on the sizing of your dolls and if you’re comfy with secondhand sales, Facebook groups like BJD Addicts Sales & Commissions, BJD Lovers Sales, and BJD Adoption has a lot of people selling BJDs and accessories, oftentimes discounted for de-stashing or collection overhauls!

In addition to the other dealer sites I linked before, Dollmore (which also has an ebay shop) has a lot of options on everything! 

Rec@sts and the community- This is a veeery hot button topic, but you’ll probably see a lot of it the more you get into the hobby. I don’t want to talk about it a lot because of the negativity it attracts, but to sum it up: BJDs are essentially commissioned art pieces. They are hand sculpted by an artist or small group of artists, and then cast in resin and refined and strung by hand. There are people that will cast copies of them and sell them for a very cheap profit. To put it simply, it’s theft, and it effects the livelihood of people that make a living of their art. A lot of companies stop making dolls because they can’t compete anymore. Most official doll/art related conventions (LDoll, Resin Rose, etc) ban rec@sted dolls, as well as DoA and several of the facebook groups. Be sure to read all the rules of groups/forums you join them.

A lot of people come into this hobby unaware of this and buy a bootleg doll on sites like Ebay or Aliexpress, and then get turned away from the community without understanding why. There are understandable circumstances that cause someone to end up with a bootleg doll, but it’s also important to respect the artists and creators that share their art with the public.

On that note: Sometimes people will resell 2nd hand dolls as legit when they are not. Be careful about who you buy second-hand dolls from. Also, keeping certificates of authenticity (CoAs), receipts, and original packaging is must if you ever plan to resell your doll!

I... think that’s everything major I can think of... at least enough to get someone started? I know a lot of it is a bit vague, but if you wanted my opinion on a certain brand or size of doll or budgeting tips if money is tight, I’d be happy to give my personal preferences on that separately!! But otherwise, good luck and happy treasure hunting! ヾ(＾-＾)ノ

[sabrinaprotectionsquad-blog]

AU Yea August 31 - The Spectacular Ladybug

@auyeahaugust

Day 31 - dealer’s choice

Decided to upload the beginning of my Ladybug is Spider-man AU. a silly idea which turned way more elaborate than originally intended. Might do a whole series. 

This is the end of Au Yea August, it’s been a blast. I’ve written a little over 80.000 words for this event which is SO wild, never written even close to that amount before. It’s been a little stressful but a lot of fun. I’m sad I missed about 10 days but still, awesome stuff.

”30 bucks” Gabriel Agreste stated coldly, reviewing the images on his desk.

“30!? But the ad said 100 for each!” Marinette protested, the photographs she’d taken were good, dynamic and perfectly framed, she couldn’t imagine what was wrong with them.

The serious looking man sighed deeply, lighting a cigarette slowly and looking up at Marinette from his chair.

“Maria was it?”

“Marinette sir”

He waved his hand in a ‘whatever’ motion. “Marinette, if I ask for pictures of Brad Pitt do you know what I want?” he asked coldly, pausing to inhale a breath of smoke, Marinette didn’t answer, figuring he was going to tell her regardless, which he did “I’m not looking for him smiling for a photographer with his wife, if I wanted that I would just take it from his Instagram. No, what I want Marinette…” the way he said her name was condescending and harsh. The blue-haired photographer wished she could look away from his stern, iron gaze, but he held her eyes with his. His cold stare threatening her to even dare look away from him. “- are pictures of him leaving the house of one of his seven mistresses at 4 in the morning; at a party with a nose full of cocaine; having sex with a sandwich.” Marinette almost smiled at the last line, but Agreste’s expression let her know he was dead serious.

He placed a hand on one of the pictures Marinette was proudest of, perfectly posed in mid yo-yo swing, he slid it forward towards her “I do not want pictures because I want to admire her costume choices. I need pictures because I need stories. Ladybug helping an old lady over the streets might make a nice fluff piece in the community papers, but here at the Daily Bugle, we expose the truth, our readers expect us to shine a light at the news and expose the naked, sinful facts.”  

Marinette felt her blood freezing as Agreste took another drag of his cigarette without ever breaking eye contact. She felt exposed, fearing that his glaring eyes could somehow see through her clothes at the red, dotted costume hiding just under her wrinkled suit. She’d faced several villains since she first jumped in spandex, but she’d rather face an army of superhuman lizard people than have to even think about what would happen if this man was somehow able to figure out her identity.

“But… what if there are no… sinful facts sir? Maybe she really is just a hero?” she half smiled at the unamused man in front of her.

Gabriel sighed deeply, putting out his cigarette “heroes don’t wear masks. There’s only one reason to hide yourself from the world, because you have something to hide. Even if Ladybug actually believes she’s a hero, she’s still inspiring any unstable person in New York to jump in their mom’s stockings and hit the streets with their father’s gun. If she really wanted to help she would join the police or stay out of it and leave it to the professionals.”

Marinette could feel herself shaking, she wanted to tell him off, to convince him how wrong he was. But if she tried to he might suspect something, it was already risky to start taking pictures of herself, she had to keep her identity secret no matter what. Agreste took out a notebook and started writing in it, breaking eye contact with Marinette for the first time since he looked up from her photos. It gave Marinette a chance to finally breathe, to find her confidence a little bit again.

“Maybe she has a reason!”

Agreste ripped the piece of paper out of his notebook and collected all but three of the pictures, then gave that to Marinette.

“Show this to Alya outside, she’ll pay you.”

Marinette took the things handed to her instinctually, she needed more money than this measly hand-out, but at least it was a start. She boiled with the need to tell the smug bastard off but she decided to swallow her pride and walk away like an adult.

“Oh and one last thing. Don’t meet your heroes. They will always disappoint you.”

Marinette closed the door to the office behind her then sighed heavily, she felt like she’d aged 5 years in the short conversation with the ruthless editor in chief.

She unwrapped a hard candy and popped it in her mouth, the sweet treat filling her mouth with strawberry and mellowing out her body. She’d always had a sweet tooth, but after she became Ladybug sweets had become like an addiction, she could influence her mood with candy, she could even get drunk off of it. She told herself not to overdo it, but it was hard to actually live by.

“First time meeting Gabriel?” a friendly amused voice rang out from next to her, Marinette hadn’t even noticed someone sitting so close to the office. The voice belonged to a brown and red-haired woman, she wore large glasses which framed her face, a dark brown lipstick to match her beautiful dark skin. She wore a women’s business suit and her long hair was partially braided, running back into a bun.

She looked like the type of woman who spends 3 hours getting ready for her shift at 6 am, the kind of woman who had her things in order. Meanwhile, Marinette spend her nights patrolling the city, slept until noon, threw on a t-shirt and pants and maybe remembered to brush her hair before putting it in the pigtails she’d worn since grade 4.

“uh, yea… he’s a little intense” Marinette smiled back at her.

“Don’t let him get you down if he bought your pictures that means he loves them, though he’d never admit it. Here, let me take care of it” she reached a handout and received Agreste’s note, reading it over quickly.

“Sheesh, you’re gonna have to take a lot more photos if you wanna afford that Lamborghini.” She smiled up at Marinette, handing her three ten dollar bills.

Marinette half smiled as she received the money, thanking the woman and turned to walk away dejected, knowing she wouldn’t be able to pay rent this month either.

“Hold on there girl, let me see your pictures” the wonder woman of the business world called her back. Marinette tried putting on a brave face as she faced her. She handed her pictures down to the woman who began inspecting them professionally. Looking at the workplace beauty Marinette couldn’t help but compare their age, she definitely wasn’t older than Marinette, she might even be younger, and she looked like she had her entire life together. Maybe she’d spend less time eating radioactive ladybugs, but it wasn’t like Marinette’s life had been on the fast track before then.

“These are good! You’ve got a real way with framing. I’m Alya by the way” she extended her hand to Marinette who was all too happy to shake it and take the praise, it was nice hearing someone other than her parents complimenting her photography skills.

“How did you get these? Some of our reporters have been chasing that bug for weeks without getting a good shot like this!”

“oh uh… the trick is to let her come to you” Marinette chuckled awkwardly “I keep up with reports on where she currently is and try to guess which way she’ll leave, then sometimes I get lucky” Marinette knew someone would end up asking her about it, she was glad Agreste hadn’t been the one to do so, his intense stare would have made her forget the line she practiced at least twenty times in the mirror.

Alya whistled impressed “you’ve got a real sense for this!”

“according to Agreste a real sense for this would mean finding people f… having sex with… sandwiches” saying it out loud she felt so silly, how in the world could he have said something like that with a straight face, more importantly, how could she possibly have listened to it with a straight face!?

Alya burst out laughing “right that was a fun news week!”

“Wait! That actually happened!?” Marinette asked horrified.

“Oh Gods, no, but because of an editing mistake, two stories lay on top of one another in a way that made it read like that. Thankfully we caught it in time but we all use it sometimes, y’kno, workplace banter and such. Just glad no one was fired.” Alya smiled heartily at Marinette, giving her a sense that the wonder woman in front of her was actually really kind, she really was the whole package.

Alya tapped the pictures contemplatively “you need money right?”

“Of course but I’ll tell you now, butt-stuff is extra,” Marinette said jokingly making Alya laugh.

Alya got up and opened the door to Agreste’s office, Marinette swore she could feel a chill coming from inside the monsters den, she couldn’t believe Alya could just rip the door open without even knocking, wasn’t she afraid he’d eat her!?

“Hey Gabe, I’m taking pigtails to the gala, I need a good photographer k?” Gabe? The man sitting in that office could be called many things, but Gabe could not possibly be one of them.

To Marinette’s surprise, Gabriel walked over to stand in the door, taking in the two women.

She could feel his judging eyes sizing her up even more than before, an unhappy twinge at the corner of his lip. “It’s your call Alya. It might do you some good Marinette, to see what a real hero looks like. Though do wear something more appropriate, you’ll be there to record the news, not make them.”

Marinette wanted desperately to tell him off again, but she was painfully aware that she looked like a hobo that walked in off the streets; she didn’t have a leg to stand on.

“Yes, boss” Alya winked at him, making finger-guns playfully as he disappeared again into his office.

Alya smiled broadly at Marinette who could only chuckle back nervously.