I thought this would be a good opportunity to make another blog post about my personal life not in relation to writing/reading! 

I have a lot of hobbies, the main ones are BJD (Ball Jointed Dolls), Pokemon (Collecting), and Video Gaming. Today, I'm going to delve into the world of BJD!

BJD have been a passion of mine since about 2007/2008 (Got my first one in 2008). The picture to the left is of my doll Yuri, who is like one of the loves of my life, haha. I've had her since 2009. She's a Luts Delf Cerberus Project Dark Elf Soo Vampire or DESV for short. It's quite a mouthful, but she's a gorgeous doll. Ball Jointed Dolls (at least of the Asian variety) gained popularity in Japan with the company Volks. From there many, many companies have sprung up from Japan, Korea, China, Europe, and even the US! Nowadays they come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. A key component for these dolls are ball joints (as described by the name), strung with elastic, and more often then not, are made with resin, but ABS plastic has started gaining more popularity in recent years. 

Part of what I love with these dolls are the customization ability. They can look however you want. Change the hair, change the eyes, change the face-up, until you're happy with them. It's therapeutic in a way. 

Something that has popped up, unfortunately, are recasts. What is a recast? It is a bootleg copy of an existing doll. Someone takes a doll that someone worked so hard on, makes a mold of it, and then sells them for their own profit while doing virtually no work of their own. Basically, they're stealing. 

For some reason (*cough*entitlement*cough*) these have been gaining popularity as a cheap alternative. Please, please, do not ever buy a recast. These companies are mostly 1-3 people, but for some reason, people think they are big corporations like Walmart and can handle the loss, but they can't. If you want something cheaper, you buy a cheaper doll or you just don't buy it. Please don't be so entitled that you think you have a right to something, even if it means you have to steal the design. Some companies are buckling under the strain that these thieves are placing on them. I wish people would see the harm they are doing. 

If anyone is interested in knowing the legit cheaper alternatives, I'm always happy to steer you in the right direction! 

Support artists! Never buy recast!

So, while trying to think of a topic to make a post about, I decided on something that has been on my mind a lot recently. Rejections. No one is a fan of them, I mean, it sucks for someone to be uninterested in the story you poured your heart and soul into. The first couple were like punches to the gut (especially since they were two of my dream agents), but I tried to shake it off. (And now I'm going to have that Taylor Swift song stuck in my head...) 

I tried to convince myself that it was fine and it didn't hurt every time I got a subsequent rejection. As someone with depression and anxiety, even with my medications, I can still feel that monster of doubt creeping over my shoulder, ready to just attack me and tell me that I'm not good enough to be published and that I should just quick. 

But, I just chop him in the neck and try to hold my head up (Which would be so much easier if he stopped putting his dead weight on it...). I adore my characters and their story. Without getting any feedback from agents (I know they are very busy people!) I don't know what it is that doesn't appeal to them, but I can't automatically assume that it's because I'm a bad writer. Any number of things could be holding me back.

I want to believe in my writing and myself. So what if my pile of rejections makes JK Rowling's look like a post-it note? One day I'll find someone to be a champion for my work. 

​I can go the distance!