FAQ

1. Where did all of this stuff even come from?
   
   Japan, mostly. Everything in this site was scanned and uploaded by me for your viewing pleasure. Yes, I actually own the hard copies of everything you can download here. This collection has been a hobby of mine for close to 12 years and I have poured a lot of my time and money into it. Some of you here may still hate me from my days on eBay. Well, don't because now you get to see that doujinshi I stole from you for free. You jacked up the price on me, anyway. Jerks.
   
   
   
   
2. It must be difficult to keep track of it all.
   
   Actually, no. Everything is kept in large 3" binders arranged by series and circle, carefully labeled and catalogued. (See here and here.) The initial org was a little tough, though.
   
   
   
   
3. Now for the real questions: I really like doujinshi x and would like to upload it to my doujinshi website or forum. May I do that?
   
   Short answer: No.
   Long answer: If you like a doujinshi and would like to share it with other people you know, please link them directly to this site. It's a stupid preference, maybe, but since I went through all the trouble of scanning and uploading it, I'd really prefer if it wasn't spread all over the net. Eventually some douchehammer claims it as their own and then I get a shitload of emails from their friends and their friends' friends acussing me of stealing such and such's scans. If I end up involved in petty drama, I will shut down the site. Period. (Oh, and I name names in those cases. Just FYI.)
   If it's really that important for you, you can email me and we can probably work something out.
   
   
   
   
4. I run a scanlation group and would like to translate doujinshi x. May I do that?
   
   I'm totally down with scanlations, since my Japanese is only semi-fluent and I don't really have the time or patience to do them myself. If your scanlation group would like to translate a certain doujinshi, email me with the details (Your nickname/scanlation group name, website, doujinshi you want to translate with full information, and anything you need from me) and we'll work something out. Your scanlation will be credited with a link to your website.
   
   
   
   
5. I run a site and would like to form an affiliation.
   
   Email me, we'll set it up.
   
   
   
   
6. I would like to upload my own doujinshi to your site. Can I send them to you?
   
   Where as I'm always good to get more doujinshi, I'd really prefer if people didn't do this. It branches in with the above statement about scan credits and petty drama (see: question 3). I don't want to end up in some stupid fight for somebody else's upload. I may change my mind on this in the future, but for now, please go to http://aarinfantasy.com/forum/ if you have doujinshi you would like to upload. They have a massive library over there, also, and are always happy for more contributions.
   
   
   
   
7. I also collect doujinshi and would like to buy doujinshi x to complete my collection. Will you sell?
   
   Never. Sorry, but I've just put way too much effort into this collection to sell any of it. Also, I'm a selfish person who doesn't share her toys.
   
   
   
   
8. I would like larger scans of doujinshi x for personal use. Can you rescan it?
   
   That depends entirely on the doujinshi in question. In general, I probably can, but some of my doujinshi is fragile and/or getting on in years and the stress of scanning it once was pretty major. Feel free to ask, but please don't be disappointed if the answer is no. I'm just not willing to destroy these things.
   
   
   
   
9. Ew! You have pairing/type/circle/series x! I don't like that.
   
   Tough shit. Last time I checked I'm the one who bought it all and you aren't paying a dime for the priveledge of downloading it, so you have no room to bitch. I don't give a damn what you do or do not like. If you don't want it, don't download it. Plain and simple.
   
   
   
   
10. The title/circle/pairing of doujinshi x is incorrect. Can I correct this information?
    
    Yes, please do. As my Japanese skills are only semi-fluent (And I suck with proper name kanji), there may be some doujinshi with incorrect information. If you find something like this please email me the following:
    
    - All doujinshi information as I have it listed (Series, title, circle, pairing, page number, rating.)
    - Your corrections in the same format. If you can bold the actual correction, that'd be great.
    - Your name as you would like to be credited.
    
    I will update the information and credit you with the correction. There's no prize, though. Sorry.
    
    
    
    
11. Just what DO the ratings mean, anyway?
    
    The doujinshi ratings on this site are based more or less on the US standard MPAA rating system based on the overall content of a book. I tried to stay as consistent as possible, but there may be a few deviations, as another factor is just plain how I felt at the time I databased it. For our foreign friends, or just those who don't entirely understand the MPAA rating system, the general jist is as follows:
    
    G: May contain innocent shows of affection such as a kiss or hug.
    PG: May contain slightly more suggestive material than G, such as unoffensive nudity. (Men topless.)
    PG-13: Sometimes interchangable with PG, contains unoffensive nudity (Usually more) and/or "fantasy violence." May contain suggested sexual activity.
    R: Contains censored (Or at least hard to make out) sex and/or more explicit violence.
    X: For the love of god, don't let your grandmother find this.
    
    
    
    
12. Why don't you include a synopsis for the doujinshi here?
    
    To be quite frank, it's a time and laziness issue. I have a lot of doujinshi and I just don't want to dedicate the time to trying to write a proper synopsis after I've already scanned and uploaded the whole thing. If YOU want to write a synopsis, go right ahead. Email it to me and I will add it to the rest of the information, along with a credit to you for writing it.
    
    
    
    
13. Lucky Fluff: Just why are you doing this?
    
    I needed to justify the sheer amounts of money I spent on all this stuff. Seriously, that's the reason. Nobody is going to buy this, but I buy doujinshi for the appreciation of the art. Once this stuff has been flipped through once and added to the database, it goes in the binders and is generally never looked at again. That's a pretty big waste of money, now isn't it? I'm not willing to resell it, so my decided course of action was to share my collection with the world, in the hopes that the happiness of others downloading it would make me feel slightly less guilty about all the cost. So I hope you guys are enjoying it all.
    
    
    
    
14. I see you have something listed, but it isn't scanned. May I request it?
    
    Yes, you certainly may. Requests are how I prioritize what's going to get scanned in next, so everyone is free to make requests via the Contact section (Please see the requesting guide linked in there). Otherwise the next book to be scanned is selected via random number generator.
    
    
    
    
15. Doujinshi x is already scanned and available on Aarin. Why did you rescan it?
    
    Long answer: There may be errors or some manner of quality loss in the Aarin scan and I decided to scan it larger/higher quality/what have you. I also don't like uploading other peoples' scans, but the doujinshi was in my master database and I'm a completist.
    Short answer: Because I could.
    Shorter answer: See: question 13.
    
    
    
    
16. Why don't you scan the entirety of your novels?
    
    There's just really no point in my opinion. It's a novel. It only has one or two pretty pictures (Which I probably did scan.) and the vast majority of people who come here I assume are not fluent in Japanese. If a scanlation group wants to take a crack at a novel, they're welcome to request it. (See: question 4)
    
    
    
    
17. I just love this website. Can you help me make my website?
    
    No, because I didn't actually fully make this one. I'm pretty ass at websites and mine was made by a close friend of mine, who likely will not have the time or desire to help someone they don't know make a site without getting paid for it.
    
    
    
    
18. I love your site and would like to donate money to help with any upkeep. Do you accept donations?
    
    I do not and almost certainly will not in the future. I don't like donations, because when people donate to something, they generally expect something in exchange, some kind of reward even if it's just the warm fuzzy feeling of knowing you helped out "the little guy". I'm touched by people who have a desire to help me with my site costs, but I can handle them on my own. If I ever can't I'd likely prefer to just close down entirely. Besides, we all know any money sent to me "for the site" would just end up getting spent on more doujinshi. Although I guess that would end up on the site.
    Anyway, if you really like this site enough to want to spend your own money to keep it running, a friendly email would be far prefered. Knowing that people out there really appreciate what I'm doing is much better payment than "physical" e-money.
    ...Or at least that's what I keep telling myself.
    
    
    
    
19. There is no question 19.
    
    
    
    
20. I see you're missing one (or more doujinshi) in a series and I would like to give it (them) to you as a gift. Would you accept that kind of donation?
    
    As with money donations, the answer is no. However if you'd really like to get a doujinshi off your hands and into mine, you can email me and we'll talk out a payment.