NEKO-CHAN'S ABJD F.A.Q.

First, before we get started:

Please go and view this stamp.

Thank you.



Asian Ball-Jointed Doll Chatroom on DeviantArt: here
Photography Resource - Links: here


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Who's Currently In Residence:

Loki Kitashirakawa ( 北白川 ・ ロキ )
Dream of Doll / DoT / Homme Ducan
-- godling, royalty, singer, creative mastermind, 100% musician, epic spoiler of cousins, oblivious when he really shouldn't be, avoider of inheritances/family legacies, dismayed collector of supernatural entities, eater of pudding

Seimei Abe (Abe no Seimi / 安倍 晴明 )
Volks F-30 head on a LUTS Senior Delf body
-- manipulative, possessive, perpetually sardonically amused, lawyer, reincarnation of certain onmyouji, half fox demon, pouncer of godlings, Scorpio

Bast
Luts / Kid Delf / Bory
-- 100% cat, not-as-sweet-as-he-looks

Ifrit ( عفريت )
Angel Region / Cotton Babies / Cien
-- the Bratling, Mr. Grumpypants, evil comes in small packages, hogger of beds

Ikol
Crobidoll / Refrain the Memory / Yeon-Ho B type head on a LUTS Senior Delf body
-- you'd-never-guess-who-he-is, Bastard, photographer, perpetually sadistically amused, threatener of djinns, resident (evil) Pretty Boy, Trickster God

Mephostophilis
D.I.M. / D.I.M. Love body event head / Sleeping Cloud
-- the Devil/Prince of Lies <3
** currently a floating head; saving up for a Super Gem body

Baku ( 獏 )
Dollzone / 1/4 doll / Hid
-- lurker in the shadows

Freja
Domadoll / Centaur "Uni-kkotmu" Jado
-- cotton candy fluff, awkwardly adorable, sprawler of laps, player of Final Fantasy, Seer

Caleb
Cherishdoll / Faith / Chubby-Demon
-- failure of demon familiars, wearer of overly large outfits, Pwner of ";o;", leecher of legs, Satan's Son

Akio Tanaka ( 田中昭夫 )
Dream of Doll / DoT / Sha
-- Pwnt by the Girlfriend, childhood BFF to certain godlings, gainer of psychic abilities, lover of manga and music and the color orange (and orange and black together), guru of drumsets, drinker of green tea, the resident Halloween baby, eater of Big Cherries

Amaleen Hathaway
Elfdoll / Rainydoll / Sooah
-- wrapper-of-men-around-little-fingers, deNile fisher(wo)man, Jrock group manager extraordinaire, Pwner of Boyfriend (and Brother and Boy Friends), stealer of Loki's!pudding

Talbot Muir
Volks / SD13 / Shiro Tachibana
-- Guy Who Amaleen Dragged Off To Tokyo, fixer of sound equipment, failure of languages, directionally challenged, Jack of All Trades with instruments, DVD "borrower"

Eos
LUTS Vampire Elf Chiwoo head
-- Enigma, Ozymandias, etc. etc. etc.
aka: if you don't know who Ozymandias was... look it up~
** currently a floating head; waiting for Angel of Dream body

Mikhail
Elfdoll / Rainydoll / Vampire Red
-- lover of spicy foods, collector of shotglasses, reader of Classics, shopping buddy to Amaleen, writer of poetry, Lizard King Extraordinaire, Keeper to Certain Pharaohs

Lucas
Orientdoll / So-type / Chocolate vampire (Ui)
-- claimer of cuteness, percher on shoulders, resident cookie monster, Tool of Darkness

Arawyn
Dream of Doll / DoC / Si
-- partner in crime to Bast, cat demon extraordinaire, manga fan, video game failure, mathematics genius, maker of Concoctions

His Almighty Highness High Prince Catswood Dafydd Alain Ogden of the Fair and Far-reaching Kingdom Faaine
Fairyland / pukipuki / puki pukisha
-- WTF
(I've always found it hilarious that Cat's name is longer/taller than he is! XD)

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Tomohisa Yamashita ( Yamapi / 山下智久 )
D.I.M. / D.I.M. Love / Minimee
-- Neko-chan's Fangirl Indulgence #1

Jin Akanishi ( Bakanishi / 赤西仁 )
D.I.M. / D.I.M. Love / Minimee
-- Neko-chan's Fangirl Indulgence #2

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Ryth
Souldoll / Korean Star / Lee Junki-C
-- Prince of the Hidden Kingdom

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Additional Info:

Besides taking pictures of my Asian ball-jointed dolls, I also typically engage in roleplays with their characters, too. At times, you'll often see pictures of my resin family with other BJDs, too. Because I'm lazy and I figure that this will probably be coming often, here's just a quick cheat as to who my family will be pictured with most often:

Sebastian (Seb) 'Leviathan' Archeros/Acheros
Dream of Doll / DoT / Camine -
- Loki's lover who also happens to be a demi-god and part incubus; I like calling him "Sexy Seb" <3; since he belongs to Ashhy, I'll link you to his main profile, which you can view here; in our storyline, Loki is just... omg-head-over-heels for Seb (and they're so cute together, too~~~)

Noah Caramell
Alchemic Lab // Unoa Lusis -
- Loki's little cousin; happens to be half-angel (currently a fairy and working her way up to angel status); Ifrit haaaaaaates her, and Loki spoils her to no end
** Lily also has lots more dolls and pictures, so be sure to go and check out her gallery! <3 On a side note, too, Lily has sold Noah to her boyfriend, Nate. I don't want to change much since I adore Noah/Loki interaction, but Noah is no longer 'officially' Loki's cousin--and Lily is currently working on a new, really awesome storyline for her current dolls~ ^^

Luka
Limho Mono -
- ....not quite sure what goes here since Nate is a loser-face and we haven't worked out storyline XD

Sean
DOLL SOOM - Soom - Namu -
- Sean is... Sean. XD;; *pets him and is mauled*

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Links to my main doll stores:
Dream of Doll - [link]
LUTS - [link]
D.I.M. - [link]
Volks - [link]
Fairyland - [link]
Elfdoll - [link]
Crobidoll - [link]
Angel Region - [link]
Dollzone - [link]
Domadoll - [link]
Cherishdoll - [link]
Orientdoll - [link]
Souldoll - [link]
Dollmore - [link]


Anything You Want To Know About Asian Ball-Jointed Dolls--And Then Some!:
Den of Angels (forum): [link]


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My Regular Doll Journal: [link]
-- My doll journal will have pictures, doll opening "ceremonies," full biographies, literature, etc. Please use the tag system to search for what you are looking for. ^^

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TYPICAL QUESTIONS:

What are they?
These dolls are Asian ball-jointed dolls. They come from a variety of places in Asia: Korea, Japan, and China for the most part. I do not make my dolls because... well, I'm not talented like that. Ditto goes for the clothing and the face-ups, too. If you'd like to learn more about Asian ball-jointed dolls, definitely go and join Den of Angels (given already in the links) or Google the following: Asian ball-jointed dolls, ABJDs, BJDs, dollfies.
*** some quick links for you to check out:
Wikipedia
DoA's F.A.Q.
Associated Content article
Xomba: The Who, Where, What, and Why?

Expense?
The dolls range in price depending on size, resin, site (company), and so on. The cheapest that I've paid for one of my family was $230, and that was Lucas. He was a bit pricier than a normal Orientdoll vampire because he's a chocolate-skinned vampire. The most expensive doll that I've bought was Talbot, and he cost me about $1400; this is because he's a Volks Shiro Tachibana. Volks are typically more expensive and Shiro Tachibana is a limited set doll.

That Much? For A Doll? You're Crazy!
Bite me. Different people have different hobbies; no matter what hobby you go into, you're going to be shelling out money to stay current in it. Photography and doll collecting just happen to be some of my hobbies. Remember: hobbies = expensive. You probably shell out lots of money for your hobby, and yet you don't hear a peep from me. To each their own. <3

Any Limiteds?
Loki - no; Seimei - kinda (can only purchase the FCS heads at one of the Volks stores); Ikol - no; Bast - no; Ifrit - no; Baku - kinda (he's tanned and fullset Hid the Assassin); Freja - no; Akio - no; Caleb - no; Amaleen - no; Talbot - yes; Eos - yes; Mikhail - yes; Arawyn - no; Lucas - kinda (chocolate vampires are specials); Cat - no; Yamapi - yes; Jin - yes; Ryth - yes; Mephostophilis - yes

Think You Can Sell Me One Of Your Dolls?
........................um, no. The dolls are characters that are very dear to me. I'd like to think that I won't ever give up this hobby because these characters have been with me for so very long--and my dolls are physical representations of them. IF ( and this is a very big 'if' ) I ever sell one/all/some of my dolls, I would be selling them on eBay or on Den of Angels.

Size?
Sizes vary. I have dolls that are about four inches tall (Lucas and Cat, my smallest tinies) to about 63 cm--around two feet in height--and those are most of my boys. Eventually I'd like to go higher in the height range, but none of those boys are planned for right now. Eventually... just not today. XD;

What Camera Do You Use?
I switch between two main ones. I have a Canon PowerShot SD800 IS and a Canon 40D with a 50-125 mm lens, but I never use the PowerShot with the doll pictures nowadays. Before, I borrowed my father's Canon Rebel XT with his 18-55 mm lens. Also, I sometimes use my Camray Close-Up Lens Set. You can buy your own set here: [link]

Editing?
For the most part, I edit my pictures in Adobe Photoshop CS4: cropping, adjusting levels, sometimes adding in gradients, and working with color changes... Just depends on my mood and how I want the picture to look. I don't really have a set style.

I like your pictures and the characters that your dolls are based off of. Can I use them (pictures and/or characters) in a RP/story/whatever?
No. I put a lot of time and love and thought into my dolls--their looks, their clothes, their stories. They're my characters. Go and create your own characters that you, too, will come to cherish--the time that you put into them will not be wasted and the process of creation and imagination is filled with joy. Please don't take mine from me; create something of your own that both yourself and others will appreciate, too.

Can you tell me who has done your dolls' face-ups?
Sure! A lot of the dolls have factory default, but if they have an original artist face-up, I'll be sure to say who... if I know. ^^ Loki (elisa_maza @ Den of Angels), Seimei (unknown), Bast (factory with slight requested changes), Ifrit (MachinistsChild @ Den of Angels), Ikol (factory), Mephostophilis (Quilibet @ Den of Angels - scarring and face-up), Baku (factory), Freja (factory), Caleb (factory), Akio (factory - 'cute,' I think--DoD changed their styles), Amaleen (factory), Talbot (unknown), Eos (unknown), Mikhail (factory), Lucas (factory), Arawyn (factory), Cat (factory), Yamapi (Quilibet @ Den of Angels), Jin (Quilitbet @ Den of Angels), Ryth (Junki default - factory). I'm really sorry about the dolls that are listed as 'unknown.' For those ones, I ended up buying the doll off of the secondhand market. Some sellers list who did the face-ups, but... most don't. :\ This list will be updated often, however, whenever I get a new doll or a head is sent out for a new face-up~

Can you tell me where you got your doll's eyes/wig/clothes/etc.?
...I can try? *laughs* Some stuff I got off of the secondhand market, so I don't quite know. It doesn't hurt to ask, though, and I'll try my best to answer your question(s)!

Can you tell me how to do face-ups?
Erm. Considering that my face-ups are enough to make a grown man cry... you reaaaaaaally don't want me to teach you. XDXD However! I can link to you tutorials that cover essentially everything that you'll be needing: What materials do you use?, What brushes do you use?, How do you remove a face-up?, TUTORIAL: natural face-up, TUTORIAL: dramatic face-up, TUTORIAL: gothic face-up, TUTORIAL: body blushing (beginners), What do you use for glossing?, Examples of body blushing

What else should I know?
I don't know...? XD; Ask me something and I'll do my best to answer you~ ^^

** On a last note... I don't always check the questions on the F.A.Q. If you've asked me something and I haven't replied, please just drop a comment on my Doll LiveJournal to let me know that you've asked me something here. I get email notifications for all journal comments, so I can guarantee that I'll get that notice. ^^

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DOLL SITES:
** original list here, with some links added

#
4D - [link] (so-nyeon-gi)


A
Abio Angel - [link]
Alchemic Laboratory - [link]
Alice in Labyrinth - [link]
Allegorica - [link]
Angel of Dream - [link]
Angell-studio - [link]
Angel Region - [link]
Angelregion Fair Doll - [link]
Asleep Eidolon (AE) - [link]


B
B&G Doll - [link]
Bambicrony - [link]
Bishonen House - [link]
Blue Fairy - [link]
Bobobie - [link]
Buddy Doll - [link]


C
Castle Anne - [link]
Cherish - [link]
Contemporary Artist Dolls - [link]
Cool Cat - [link]
Crobidoll - [link]
Custom House - [link]


D
Dark Castle dolls - [link]
Denver Doll - [link]
Dive - [link]
Distant Memory - [link]
Dobigi - [link]
Doll+ - [link]
Doll & Doll - [link]
Doll Factory - [link]
Doll Heart - [link]
Doll in Mind (DIM) - [link]
Doll Stories - [link]
Dolls & Friends - [link]
Dollfair International - [link]
Dollga - [link]
Dollinian - [link]
Dollish - [link]
Dollmore - [link]
Dollstol - [link]
Dollstown - [link]
Dollzone - [link]
Dolkot - [link]
Domadoll - [link]
Domuya - [link]
Dream of Doll - [link]
Dreaming Doll - [link]
Dream Realm - [link]


E
Eden - [link]
Ego Project - [link]
Elf Doll - [link]
Elysium - [link]


F
Fairy Garden - [link]
FairyLand - [link]
Fantasy Doll - [link]
Featherfall - [link]
For My Doll - [link]


G
Garden of Dolls - [link]
Gomidoll - [link]
Goodreau doll - [link]
Glory Doll - [link]


H
Happy Doll - [link]
Happyness House - [link]
Haruka Doll - [link]
Haute Doll - [link]
Huge doll - [link]
Hujoo - [link]
Hyper Maniac - [link]


I
Iple House - [link]


J
Jaime Doll - [link]
JollyPlus - [link]
Junky Spot - [link]


K
K-Doll - [link]
KazeKidz - [link]
Kondoll - [link]


L
Lai Doll - [link]
Lati Doll - [link]
Leeke World - [link]
Limhwa Doll - [link]
Lovely House - [link]
Luts - [link]


M
Migidoll - [link]
Minoru's World - [link]
Mint on Cart - [link]
Moogla - [link]
MSDoll - [link]
Mudoll - [link]
Musedoll - [link]
MythDoll - [link]


N
Narin Doll - [link]
Napidoll - [link]
N-Dolls - [link]
Narsha - [link]
Ninodoll - [link]
Nobility Doll - [link]
NotDoll - [link]


O
Obitsu/Azone - [link]
Oceanmoon - [link]
Olleaf Doll - [link]
Orient Doll - [link]


P
PeaksWoods - [link]
Parabox - [link]
Phantom Doll - [link]
Pipos Land - [link]
Pippitan - [link]
Pixydoll - [link]
Pretentious Resin Dolls - [link]
Pupaparadise - [link]


Q
...


R
Rarah Aevis - [link]
Raurencio Studio - [link]
Real Missing Link - [link]
Ricky's Studio - [link]
Roonodoll - [link]
Rosen Lied - [link]
Rozen Garden - [link]


S
Seedring - [link]
Serendipity - [link]
SinyLand - [link]
Shiny doll - [link]
Soom - [link]
Soul Doll - [link]
Spirit Doll - [link]
SSin Doll - [link]
Supia Dolls - [link]


T
Tata's Paradise - [link]
Tensiya - [link]


U
Unidoll - [link]


V
Volks - [link]
Volks USA - [link]


W
Wishel - [link]


X
X2 - [link]
Xanadoll - [link]


Y
...


Z
...


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Also, if you know of a doll store that I missed, please give me the link and I'll be sure to include it! <3