Things I'd rather you didn't ask me...

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)


I get a lot of email. Really. Tons of it. I love hearing from fans, and I try to answer every letter I get that isn't spam and/or just plain rude. However, I do get a lot of the same things asked over and over and over again, so I finally thought it would be best if I went ahead and answered these questions here so my poor inbox didn't get so overstuffed.

Please note that any email received consisting of the questions answered below will probably be deleted without response. I respect the people who enjoy my work, but I have a life too, you know.

Question: Can you teach me how to make KiSS dolls?
Answer: Uhh, no. I'm not a tutor, and I don't know what I'm doing half the time myself. All the tips and help I can offer can be found here. I don't have enough time or patience to teach people I don't know about stuff I'm still learning. If you want a really good in-depth tutorial, try Zorro's site--he explains it far better than I ever could, step by step, with tons of pictures to help you out. Good luck!

Question: Can you tell me how to use Cel Workshop/WSVC/WCel/any other type of KiSS-making tool?
Answer: No, I can't. That's why there's documentation with those utilities (and I don't know how to use Cel Workshop myself, anyway).

Question: Help! The colors on the set I'm making are all messed up and I can't figure out how to fix them! Can you tell me what's wrong?
Answer: You need to specify a palette (unless you're doing true-color KiSS, which I don't know how to do), and the transparent color in a KiSS set is always Color 0 (which in most 256-color images is reserved for black). I use Paint Shop Pro, which is wonderful for being able to assign colors and edit palettes.

Question: Can you teach me how to use Paint Shop Pro?
Answer: No. Next question.

Question: I don't have/can't afford/refuse to get a subscription to OtakuWorld. Will you send me [name of doll]?
Answer: I don't distribute dolls by email. That's why I have the vast majority of my dolls posted here. The only dolls I don't offer for download are the very few adult-oriented dolls I've done, and if you want those, you should be old enough and responsible enough to afford an OW sub.

Question: I'm having problems downloading from your site. Can you send me your dolls?
Answer: Sorry, but no. There are downloading instructions in the Dolls section that should help you successfully download my dolls. I do not send my KiSS sets by email.

Question: I downloaded a doll from your site but I can't get it to work. Can you tell me what's wrong?
Answer: I doubt it. The download could have been interrupted, or your computer could have renamed the file, or maybe your computer just doesn't like LZH-compressed files. It could be any number of problems with your system, your connection or the state of the Web at any given time. It might even be that the particular file you downloaded got corrupted, but that's unlikely. All my sets are posted in the .lzh format that KiSS recognizes, and they are checked on a semi-regular basis to make sure they don't get corrupted. If you're having problems, the difficulty is probably with your computer, your ISP or your Internet connection, and those are problems I can't help you with. Basically, if you can download from The Big KiSS Page, you can probably download from my KiSS site.

Question: I have a great idea for a KiSS doll! Will you make it for me?
Answer: No. I have plenty of ideas of my own. I've tried making dolls for other people, but if I'm not inspired to do so, they turn out like crud, so I don't do it anymore. I usually only make portrait dolls of my friends or their characters as gifts. Most of my dolls are of my own characters--ones I created myself. I don't do well making dolls for strangers or of characters I either am not familiar with or haven't already decided to feature in a set. I'm not trying to be a bitch about it, but I don't want to put out a set that I know will not be up to my current standards.

Question: When is your next doll coming out?
Answer: When it's finished. I don't have previews on my site of dolls I'm working on because if I have time to make a preview, I have time to work on my dolls, and I tend to work fairly quickly. I'm generally working on anywhere from five to ten dolls at any given time, but I work on them when I feel like it. This is a hobby, after all, not a career. (Though I would love to get paid for doing this.)

Question: Can I use one of your base dolls in my KiSS set?
Answer: No. One of the reasons I took a year-long sabbatical was to develop a new base template system for myself so I could let people use my original templates. My old templates are here, and you can't have my new ones.

Question: Can I use a screencap from one of your dolls for web graphics/my RPG character portrait/web adoptions/Palace avatars/etc.?
Answer: So long as you give me credit for being the originator of the doll, even if you modify it, go ahead and knock yourself out.

Question: Your dolls are so gay! They suck! You can't draw! You shouldn't even be making KiSS dolls! You're fat and ugly! I hate you I hate you I hate you!
Answer: These aren't questions. These are the usually anonymous flames I get from immature idiots who are (a) jealous of my popularity and/or talent, (b) bored and trying to stir up trouble for the fun of it, and/or (c) just plain mean-spirited and trying to upset me. I'm not the greatest KiSS artist of all time, but I'm not the worst either. My dolls aren't "gay" (damn, I hate that term used as an insult). If someone doesn't like my dolls, nobody says they have to download them. I can so draw. I like making KiSS dolls, and a lot of people like my dolls just fine, thanks. Sure, I'm fat, but I'm not ugly in the least, and what does my appearance have to do with my artistic ability? I don't hate anybody, I just wish the snerts who flame me would just shut the hell up already and go find something more productive to do than flame an artist who really doesn't care what they think about her work. I accepted a long time ago that not everyone is going to like my art. As long as I like what I'm doing, I'm going to keep doing it. No one's going to scare me into not making dolls by acting like a hyperactive, antisocial, developmentally-challenged two-year-old.

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