Recasts, IMO
These have been a hot topic for quite some time now and the flames don't seem to die out since the drama is kept alive on the confession blogs on Tumblr. I don't really want to poke too much into that pile of mess, but since I do have an opinion on the matter, I think it'd be best to just gather all of it here, rather than try replying to every petty anon confession, which either s a troll or just something else...
In short, I'm very much against recasts. I cannot find one justification for them. And if you don't want to read about it, don't look under the cut.
Sure, I've got a steady full-time job. I have enough income to get by and afford a little luxury as well. But it is not such a 'high horse' pro-recasters want it to be. I'm not rich, and I don't go around feeling entitled to things that rich - or more wealthy than me - people can afford. I don't have high-end heels. I don't have designer gowns. I don't have an LV bag. These being things that yes, I would find nice to have, if I could afford them. But do I have replicas of any of these? No. I'd rather save and buy that Guess bag than save more to get a Vuitton. Because in the end, I can live without a bag altogether. It is a luxury item and it is not quaranteed by any right that everyone should be able to get one. This makes me sound elitist? What I hear from you is "whaawhaa but I waaant that doll let me have it!!1!". In one word: childish.
And actually, if I really really wanted a Vuitton, and Guess wouldn't cut it, then I'd just save longer. (Lucky for me I really like Guess aesthetics, maybe even more than Vuitton...) And this is a very important point when it comes to recasts. A replica Vuitton can be bought cheap, but a resin doll is still a resin doll and even a recast will cost you a 100$ or more. So when a person calling themself oh-so-poor still can afford a recast, then they certainly can afford a legit doll. Even more true the more recasts one has.
Limited sold out before you even knew about it? Or you couldn't afford it in the time period? I'm sorry for you. I really am. I wish we all could buy the doll we wanted. I know I really want that Enaibi Satyne, but can't get it :D
But. Most limiteds can be bought from the second hand market. And finding the right one can be an adventure on its own, making the doll ever more so special to you in the end. This has happened to me for example in the case of my Souseiseki.
And then there're dolls which can't be found. Deary wants a Bermann, but it is practically impossible to find one. For me, the Satyne again. But we come back to: you are not entitled to the doll. The artist has the right to decide how many copies of their work is made. Whether it is a one-of-a-kind or always available. You can't make that choice for them. Not even if you think that it'd do them better business. Their reasons are their own, and although you can voice your opinion on them, you cannot demand them to do as you wish.
It's kind of the same with 'doll not available just as I want it'. The artist doesn't have any obligation to make you your dream doll. Luckily for you, these dolls are very much customisable. Want the doll to be green? Dye it yourself. Want it to have closed eyes/open eyes/romantic eyes/you name it variation? Epoxy is your friend and modding your new hurdle. Or if you really want something unique, then why not just try your own hand at sculpting? It should definitely make you appreciate the hard work that goes into these dolls before any resin is poured into molds.
Sorry to break it to you, but every BJD is an artist doll. Volks is a big company, yes, but it is because of their wide range of merchandise, spanning way over the doll lines. The rest? Are very small companies or one person behind the flashy sounding name. Have you tried sculpting even a doll head? By traditional means or even by 3D programming? Because it is not as easy. It takes hours of time to make something that is appropriate to sell to customers. And that is true, whether the artist is working for Volks or for Island Doll.
And what if all BJD companies were big time companies? Would that allow you to steal their work? No. Stealing is wrong, nevermind from the rich or the poor. And for the record, I buy my music legally nowadays. My DVDs/BlueRays are also legit as are all of my games. I can't justify pirating copyrighted entertainment anymore than I can justify recasts.
Facepalm.
Well, maybe to elaborate that a bit. A great point was made in one confession to counter this 'argument' that went like this: even if a store clerk was mean to you, called you names, even physically harmed you, would that justify stealing from that store? No, it wouldn't. Two wrongs do not make a right. You being harassed is a whole another crime and should be dealt with accordingly. At least in Finland internet bullying is a police matter.
Now, there has been lots of claims of hate mail being received on both sides. But I have seen no evidence of it. And sorry, but I tend to believe the better (but not necesarily best ;) ) of all people until proven otherwise and until I see it with my own eyes I don't believe that Tumblr users are getting anon messages that tell them to kill themselves. If you are, report it to your local authorities. Report it to Tumblr. Turn off anon comments? You know, do the reasonable response to such behaviour?
The anti-recasters, or pro-artists, are vocal about their opinion towards recasts. But I have not seen anyone being an actual bully, besides the anonymous confession, and even those are rare. And no one knows if it really is an anti writing that. Just like we don't know if a really provocative pro-recast confession is truly from a recast supporter. So those anon confessions should just be ignored as they are.
What I think when pro-recasters call 'bully' is merely stating a difference of an opinion. Or pointing out how little sense their 'justifications' to recasts make. But this is not bullying. No matter how you would interpret this blog text of mine, this would never constitute actual bullying. Yes, I know that recent anti-bullying slogans have been "if it feels like bullying, it is bullying". But where in this text have I dehumanised you? Is calling pro-recast behaviour childish bullying towards you specifically? If so, then sorry, you don't know what bullying really is. Bullying is singleing you out for menial reasons, and then bugging you for them just to make you feel bad or to make the bully feel superior. I'm not doing either. I don't feel superior to you as human being. I'm pointing out that what you are doing is childish, self-entitled and wrong.
I'm genuinely sorry for you. That is a tough situaton and I don't think there is any one right way out of it. If you we not the one who helped/enabled them to find recasts, then I don't think you yourself did anything wrong.
I would encourage you to educate this gifter with knowledge about legit and recast bjds, so as the mistake won't happen again. If the item was bought on Ebay and sold there as a legit, you could together contact Ebay about the fraud. What I know of Ebay policies is that they are very strict with items being as described and I've heard of people winning recast cases there. You could then maybe agree with the gifter that you could get the money as a gift, and make that into egg-money towards getting the legit thing. You could then save together, or keep them informed how it is going and then show them the legit doll once it arrives.
If this is not possible, there are several ways to handle the recast. You can destroy it, so it is out of circulation. You can also donate it to goodwill so that if it is then sold forward, at least the money is going to some charity. You can keep it as a modding project or mod-test doll. Or you can keep it on the shelf to remind you that someone cares about you enough to get you something they thought you'd like. I don't even care about this last one. As long as you're not buying more recasts as a snowball effect and you're not sharing the doll in an environment that is legit-only, then you can do as you wish with the recast doll.
I believe that people can change. If you have a change of heart, mind you, a genuine change of heart, then welcome to the no-recasts side of the hobby!
Of course, with people usually only knowing you through the internet you can't expect an open-arms welcome from everyone. You have already done something immoral, people can be suspicious of you. And you have to regain their trust. Of course you don't have to tolerate mean behaviour, but I would suggest that you block all confession blogs, turn off anon comments and just focus on sharing your legit dolls on site/-s of your preference. It'll blow over before you know it. If you are mature about it, don't feed the fires and focus on the positives, you'll gain more respect than hate for sure.
Now, what to do with your existing recasts? I would have given the same options as with the gifted recast, if not for the few possible rotten eggs who have hinted that if the legit community takes this route, then they can just get all the recasts they want until 'turning their coat' to get the best of both worlds. But thenagain, this is exactly why I started this with 'genuine change of heart'. If you take advantage of the second chance given to pros turning antis, then you are still acting selfish and immoral.
When I entered this hobby in 2009 recasts were something that some obscure chinese company sold to people who didn't do their homework. And I don't know what triggered it, but a few years ago they just sort of exploded into the community. And that is something I wish we could take back...
I want to be back in the hobby that was about appreciating the new innovations of the companies and not about worrying which of those innvations are going to be recasted next. I want to learn about new starting artist without hearing news of people wanting them to be recasted sometimes even before the first actual preorder. I want to be 100% safe when buying a second hand doll.
Please, realise the damage you're doing by supporting recasters by buying their products. Stop the theft now. Support the actual artists instead.
In short, I'm very much against recasts. I cannot find one justification for them. And if you don't want to read about it, don't look under the cut.
"You've got money to buy limiteds but I'm poor!"
Sure, I've got a steady full-time job. I have enough income to get by and afford a little luxury as well. But it is not such a 'high horse' pro-recasters want it to be. I'm not rich, and I don't go around feeling entitled to things that rich - or more wealthy than me - people can afford. I don't have high-end heels. I don't have designer gowns. I don't have an LV bag. These being things that yes, I would find nice to have, if I could afford them. But do I have replicas of any of these? No. I'd rather save and buy that Guess bag than save more to get a Vuitton. Because in the end, I can live without a bag altogether. It is a luxury item and it is not quaranteed by any right that everyone should be able to get one. This makes me sound elitist? What I hear from you is "whaawhaa but I waaant that doll let me have it!!1!". In one word: childish.
And actually, if I really really wanted a Vuitton, and Guess wouldn't cut it, then I'd just save longer. (Lucky for me I really like Guess aesthetics, maybe even more than Vuitton...) And this is a very important point when it comes to recasts. A replica Vuitton can be bought cheap, but a resin doll is still a resin doll and even a recast will cost you a 100$ or more. So when a person calling themself oh-so-poor still can afford a recast, then they certainly can afford a legit doll. Even more true the more recasts one has.
"I missed out on the limited or it didn't even come out in the colour I wanted"
Limited sold out before you even knew about it? Or you couldn't afford it in the time period? I'm sorry for you. I really am. I wish we all could buy the doll we wanted. I know I really want that Enaibi Satyne, but can't get it :D
But. Most limiteds can be bought from the second hand market. And finding the right one can be an adventure on its own, making the doll ever more so special to you in the end. This has happened to me for example in the case of my Souseiseki.
And then there're dolls which can't be found. Deary wants a Bermann, but it is practically impossible to find one. For me, the Satyne again. But we come back to: you are not entitled to the doll. The artist has the right to decide how many copies of their work is made. Whether it is a one-of-a-kind or always available. You can't make that choice for them. Not even if you think that it'd do them better business. Their reasons are their own, and although you can voice your opinion on them, you cannot demand them to do as you wish.
It's kind of the same with 'doll not available just as I want it'. The artist doesn't have any obligation to make you your dream doll. Luckily for you, these dolls are very much customisable. Want the doll to be green? Dye it yourself. Want it to have closed eyes/open eyes/romantic eyes/you name it variation? Epoxy is your friend and modding your new hurdle. Or if you really want something unique, then why not just try your own hand at sculpting? It should definitely make you appreciate the hard work that goes into these dolls before any resin is poured into molds.
"I'm just going to get recasts of company dolls, I don't condone artists' dolls being recast!"
Sorry to break it to you, but every BJD is an artist doll. Volks is a big company, yes, but it is because of their wide range of merchandise, spanning way over the doll lines. The rest? Are very small companies or one person behind the flashy sounding name. Have you tried sculpting even a doll head? By traditional means or even by 3D programming? Because it is not as easy. It takes hours of time to make something that is appropriate to sell to customers. And that is true, whether the artist is working for Volks or for Island Doll.
And what if all BJD companies were big time companies? Would that allow you to steal their work? No. Stealing is wrong, nevermind from the rich or the poor. And for the record, I buy my music legally nowadays. My DVDs/BlueRays are also legit as are all of my games. I can't justify pirating copyrighted entertainment anymore than I can justify recasts.
"I turned pro-recast because the antis are such bullies!"
Facepalm.
Well, maybe to elaborate that a bit. A great point was made in one confession to counter this 'argument' that went like this: even if a store clerk was mean to you, called you names, even physically harmed you, would that justify stealing from that store? No, it wouldn't. Two wrongs do not make a right. You being harassed is a whole another crime and should be dealt with accordingly. At least in Finland internet bullying is a police matter.
Now, there has been lots of claims of hate mail being received on both sides. But I have seen no evidence of it. And sorry, but I tend to believe the better (but not necesarily best ;) ) of all people until proven otherwise and until I see it with my own eyes I don't believe that Tumblr users are getting anon messages that tell them to kill themselves. If you are, report it to your local authorities. Report it to Tumblr. Turn off anon comments? You know, do the reasonable response to such behaviour?
The anti-recasters, or pro-artists, are vocal about their opinion towards recasts. But I have not seen anyone being an actual bully, besides the anonymous confession, and even those are rare. And no one knows if it really is an anti writing that. Just like we don't know if a really provocative pro-recast confession is truly from a recast supporter. So those anon confessions should just be ignored as they are.
What I think when pro-recasters call 'bully' is merely stating a difference of an opinion. Or pointing out how little sense their 'justifications' to recasts make. But this is not bullying. No matter how you would interpret this blog text of mine, this would never constitute actual bullying. Yes, I know that recent anti-bullying slogans have been "if it feels like bullying, it is bullying". But where in this text have I dehumanised you? Is calling pro-recast behaviour childish bullying towards you specifically? If so, then sorry, you don't know what bullying really is. Bullying is singleing you out for menial reasons, and then bugging you for them just to make you feel bad or to make the bully feel superior. I'm not doing either. I don't feel superior to you as human being. I'm pointing out that what you are doing is childish, self-entitled and wrong.
"I got my recast from a family member who knew I liked dolls but didn't know about recasts"
I'm genuinely sorry for you. That is a tough situaton and I don't think there is any one right way out of it. If you we not the one who helped/enabled them to find recasts, then I don't think you yourself did anything wrong.
I would encourage you to educate this gifter with knowledge about legit and recast bjds, so as the mistake won't happen again. If the item was bought on Ebay and sold there as a legit, you could together contact Ebay about the fraud. What I know of Ebay policies is that they are very strict with items being as described and I've heard of people winning recast cases there. You could then maybe agree with the gifter that you could get the money as a gift, and make that into egg-money towards getting the legit thing. You could then save together, or keep them informed how it is going and then show them the legit doll once it arrives.
If this is not possible, there are several ways to handle the recast. You can destroy it, so it is out of circulation. You can also donate it to goodwill so that if it is then sold forward, at least the money is going to some charity. You can keep it as a modding project or mod-test doll. Or you can keep it on the shelf to remind you that someone cares about you enough to get you something they thought you'd like. I don't even care about this last one. As long as you're not buying more recasts as a snowball effect and you're not sharing the doll in an environment that is legit-only, then you can do as you wish with the recast doll.
"I'm already tainted because I have bought recasts, the antis would not accept me"
I believe that people can change. If you have a change of heart, mind you, a genuine change of heart, then welcome to the no-recasts side of the hobby!
Of course, with people usually only knowing you through the internet you can't expect an open-arms welcome from everyone. You have already done something immoral, people can be suspicious of you. And you have to regain their trust. Of course you don't have to tolerate mean behaviour, but I would suggest that you block all confession blogs, turn off anon comments and just focus on sharing your legit dolls on site/-s of your preference. It'll blow over before you know it. If you are mature about it, don't feed the fires and focus on the positives, you'll gain more respect than hate for sure.
Now, what to do with your existing recasts? I would have given the same options as with the gifted recast, if not for the few possible rotten eggs who have hinted that if the legit community takes this route, then they can just get all the recasts they want until 'turning their coat' to get the best of both worlds. But thenagain, this is exactly why I started this with 'genuine change of heart'. If you take advantage of the second chance given to pros turning antis, then you are still acting selfish and immoral.
In the end
When I entered this hobby in 2009 recasts were something that some obscure chinese company sold to people who didn't do their homework. And I don't know what triggered it, but a few years ago they just sort of exploded into the community. And that is something I wish we could take back...
I want to be back in the hobby that was about appreciating the new innovations of the companies and not about worrying which of those innvations are going to be recasted next. I want to learn about new starting artist without hearing news of people wanting them to be recasted sometimes even before the first actual preorder. I want to be 100% safe when buying a second hand doll.
Please, realise the damage you're doing by supporting recasters by buying their products. Stop the theft now. Support the actual artists instead.
I totally agree with this.
VastaaPoistaI think people don't act as well to frustration as before. I don't know, I see a lot of people saying "I want this and I want it now and I don't care if I can't or should not get it". Which is so weird to me because if I can't afford that limited doll I love, then I don't buy it. It sucks, but what can you do? I'll check the second hand market (maybe) if I have the money in the future. Or wait a re release. Or just live without that doll, I'll survive.
The recast thing has made me really scared of the second hand market so even if I tend to check Doa marketplace often, I don't buy anything.
And I also don't get why people get so hurt when you state your opinion about recasts? Pro recasts reply to these comments as if they were personally attacked, even when you try as hard as you can to be polite and you don't go mentioning names. In my local BJD group happens often so I just stopped saying what I think.
Which is also the reason why I don't have an official statement about this in my own blog (there's a few reblogs in my tumblr and that's it).
On a positive side, I've seen lots of people turn to anti recast lately, after owning recasts. I think that's good and I hope that becomes the trend.
Me too I'm hoping that once recasts stop being the shiny new thing, then people would go all-legit.
VastaaPoistaAnd that sucks in your community! :( Luckily our local forum is very anti-recast and has rules equal to DoA. Also a lot of our members (especially the new ones) are young and barely even get permission to order stuff online from abroad, so the risk of them going to buy a doll from Taobao is slim :D I actually don't recall any recast incidents happening in Finland at all... And every meet where they become a subject, it is a mutual fear of them. And I really, really hope it stays this way.
Yeah, that is quite accurate, comparing recasts to fakie-Louis Vuitton bags and such. Isn't the whole point in owning designer bags and clothes that you want t support the brand? Isn't the whole point in owning - for example - Soom's dolls that you love their style and you want to own THAT doll, not just any other doll?
VastaaPoistaI really want an Afi, but I'd rather not have an Afi at all if I can't have the _real_Afi from Soom. I think whole point in owning a limited doll is the fact that you can't just get one at any given moment. You're right. The "maybe I'll get one if luck is on my side, maybe I won't"-way of thinking is correct. I know I couldn't enjoy a fakie Afi as much as I would getting the real thing. Some might say that I'm elitist in thinking that, but hater's gonna hate. :-P
This same topic is familiar to me from anime figure collector community. Some people get fakie figures and use the same excuse "But original figures are too expensive! Fakies are just as cute!" Argh! I hate it that you can't buy figures from eBay without caution because there are so many fakes for sale. Whatever anyone says, fake Nendoroids just are not the same.
...although, I'd really like to get those fake Aoba Nendoroids just because they look so funny and pathetic compared to the real thing. :D ...if I could just be able to justify getting a fakie to myself. x3 I think it takes a certain kind of person to deliberately get a fake doll/figure.
Yeah actually I came across recasts first with the figure collecting too. I was super careful when I ordered my first figure from not one of the usual safe stores. The figure had been sold out everywhere else, but before I bought it I made sure I was getting the real thing. Otherwise I would have just bought crap.
VastaaPoistaAmen. ^^ Well said.
VastaaPoistaOne thing that irks me most about the "real deals are too expensive"-argument you hear from pro-recast people is that they don't seem to recognise that recasts may (and have already) made some real deals even more expensive.
I mean look at DollShe for example. The main reason they stopped doing their oldies was the recast issue, it simply wasn't worht it to do real deals anymore. Not only does this make these things inflate in price on the market, but if you take a look at those DollShe's new dolls, they've got all kinds of holes for silicone stoppers to help them keep poses and such - but, you know, when I look at the whole thing how they have done the stoppers and such, it makes me think did they really choose the method to enforce doll's mobility, or was there some other idea behind it too. I mean, those silicone pad-holes aren't the cheapest option. It stinks in my opinion, that they didn't just choose the most working option, than the hardest one to copy, making the job of recasters a bit harder. And I bet, they have been telling people about making a new 18m-line later, I bet they have made all kinds of little things to make copying harder. And thanks to that, they got to ask more money of the dolls because it takes more money to make them, and they need something from those hundreds of working hours they spent on designing the new body.
I mean, I don't think it's that hard to see, that few years ago if a company made a new body, it was clearly more costy than the last one. Well, nowadays, if you look at something like Fairyland's new moe-line, the body costs exactly as much as the old one. Yeah, many times the new bodies are a bit more expensive than older models from the same company, but the price difference is becoming smaller all the time, even when bodies become more complex. That has only been possible because people have been buying LEGIT dolls so much, that they have had money to design and make new bodies without having excuses to lift their prices. Naturally, amount of resin and such affect the price, but I think you know what I mean.
I don't thing dolls will ever be CHEAP, they will always be expensive, but I'd say, that if people calm down with buying recasts, and put more money toward legit ones, not only will more new companies, dolls and innovations appear, but the price of new dolls might actually sliiiiightly start to drop. Or at least, they won't get MORE expensive, but stay on par. Because thanks to those legit buyers, doll firms get more buyers. Means more money. Means better equipment, more time, innovations in casting, more room for creativity and such, which means shorter waiting time, more variation of sculpts, and possibly even cheaper dolls. That is what happened to electronics or any goods really. More people buy the stuff, more it's produced, easier it is to produce, cheaper it is to get. As this is luxury item, drop in price isn't so easily spotted but it'll be there.
So basically saying "I buy recasts because they are cheaper" is pretty much same than saying "I want legit ones to get even more expensive/harder to get than they now are". I know nobody probably thinks that when they say it, but… that's what actually happens.
Well, recast buyers don't seem to care if legit dolls go up in price, since that just makes the recasts more appealing >_<
VastaaPoistaWhat I don't understand are the people demanding names of companies which have gone out of business because of recasts. It should be enough that antis have pointed out businesses that have stopped producing dolls (or in case of DollShe, certain dolls) because of recasts. But no, it doesn't count if the company can still make a living by other means :( People should be out on the street begging before pro-recasters see anything wrong with what they are doing...
I hope the shitstorm now going on about Noble Dolls and Lillycat being recasted makes at least some sort of a difference to the attitudes. Maybe make at least a few pros see the light and hopefully give the courage to some neutrals to really come out as antis, who won't tolerate this.