Sylestia Secret Santa 2016





30th Dec - Gifts are sent out, Participation Raffle is posted and Returned Gifts are en route. Thank you so much for taking part! See you next year!

26th Dec - Gifts are now sent out! To do: Participation Raffle, Returning Gifts intended for Dropouts. Your patience is much appreciated :D

24th Dec - As of this morning I am no longer accepting gifts as the deadline has passed. Thank you so much to everyone who has taken part and sent lovely gifts for their matches! Santa will be visiting you all as soon as my schedule (real life + christmas permitting) allows. Merry Christmas everyone!

16th Dec - All matches have been sent out and gifts have begun to come in. The deadline for gifts to be received has now been adjusted to the 23rd of December to allow for Winter Festival items to be included should you wish. This means the date for receiving gifts will also be adjusted.

4th Dec - Entry form is now live. Taking entries until the 11th of December, post them here or Private Message them to me! Participation raffle added - everyone who enters the Secret Santa is automatically entered into the raffle.

3rd Dec - Register your interest with a post now to receive a ping when the thread and entry forms are complete! Completion due 4th December at the latest.



Thread Navigation
How it Works
Rules
Key Dates
Entry Form
Tips/FAQ
Participation Raffle

HOW IT WORKS
Step by Step


Secret Santa is a winter, gift-giving themed game in which each participant anonymously gifts another player, randomly selected for them from the list of those taking part. You must never directly interact with the person you are matched with and reveal yourself as their Santa. This is an anonymous, surprise/secret giving and that would be against the spirit of things!

Step One. Carefully read the thread and make a note of any Key Dates. The answers to many questions you might have are in the Entry Form Notes, FAQs and Rules.

Step Two. Fill in an Entry Form, ensuring to be as thorough as you can - either send it to Lavelle in a private message titled "Secret Santa Entry Form" or post it here on the thread. Consider sharing the thread with your friends!

Step Three. Wait for your match. You will receive a private message containing the username and entry form of your match. Matches are randomly selected.

Step Four. Pick awesome gifts for your Match and send them on to Elf Lavelle to begin the ultimate Santa experience. You must send Lavelle a private message detailing the gift(s) you intend for your match before sending them. This allows for accurate record-keeping and ensures everything reaches the correct people. Do not send any messages or gifts directly to your match.. For ideas, please see the Tips section of the thread.

Step Five. Wait to receive the gift your Santa picked out for you! Ensure to check your Player Trades and Private Messages. Everyone who sends a gift will also receive one. My job is to make sure that's the case!


If you have any questions please feel free to post them or message me privately at any time!

RULES
Read carefully!

1. Do not contact your match. All gifts and questions must be directed to Lavelle.

2. If you sign up you must send a gift for the Match you are given. If you do not send a gift, you will not receive one. You are considered "signed up" once you have submitted your Entry Form.

3. Deadlines are final. If you think you will struggle with a particular deadline, notify me so I can work with you. I'm more than happy to do this, the more Santas the better!

4. As this is anonymous, there is no upper limit on gifting - should your Santa happen to reveal themselves you should not pester or beg your Santa for anything further.

5. Do your best to spread cheer and be polite. Consider posting a thank you to your Santa on this thread, though please do not feel obliged to share what your gift(s) were.

KEY DATES
and deadlines


11th December - Entry Form Deadline

12th/13th December - Receive your Match

23rd December - Deadline for Match's Gifts to be logged with Lavelle

24th/25th/26th December - Receive Gifts from your Secret Santa!

26th December - Participant Raffle winners announced

ENTRY FORM
The fun bit

Copy and paste the form between the two snowflakes to enter.
Fill in all sections.
Incomplete or incorrect entries will not count.



THE BASICS
User ID:
Username:
Name:
3 sentences or less about yourself in real life:
3 sentences or less about yourself on Sylestia:
What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment on Sylestia?

YOUR FAVOURITES
Species:
Festival:
Owned Pets:
Avatar Outfit:
Avatar Held:
Tagged Themes:
Colour:
Food:

YOUR PREFERENCES
Pings for deadlines:



Notes:
User ID: Found on your User Profile
Name: The name you like to go by on the site.
Festivals: Spring/Week of Love/Fortune Festival/Summer/Fall/Winter
Owned Pets: Include links (use the "URL=" button) to up to 5 of your favourite pets you own on the site.
Avatar Items: Include an image if possible, but at least a name.Found under the "Items" section of wardobe. You do not need to own an item for it to be your favourite.
Themes: Find these under advanced search - first select a species from the dropdown, then you will be able to browse its themes in the neighbouring box and see examples. Choose up to three.
Pings for deadlines: Please indicate if you would like to be pinged on the forums when there is less than 48 hours to go until relevant deadlines.

TIPS AND FAQS
Ideas for gifting and forms



Tips for filling in the Entry Form
Remember your Entry Form is the most important part of helping your Santa pick gifts for you, so it's important to include as much information as you can and carefully read the explanation of each section.

Be aware that all kinds of players enter Secret Santa, try to suggest a range you might be interested in rather than only showing interest in high end items, themes etc. to allow your Santa to be creative in trying to choose something you'll love.

If you make an error in your Entry Form and you posted it on the thread please make a note somewhere that you made an edit so I know to update my records.



Tips for picking gifts for your Match
When it comes to finding something your Match will enjoy, be sure to read the Entry Form you're sent carefully, as well as checking out their profile and their Stables. Although you can't contact them, it's a good idea to do your best to get a feel for your match and the kind of things they enjoy on the site.

There is no upper limit (cost/number of items) on gifts, but please consider if you would be happy to receive a gift before choosing to send it - please do not sign up purely for the gift you will receive with as little effort/output from yourself as possible!

Gifts need not be entirely in (virtual) physical form - Artwork, for example, might be appreciated by your Match.

Please do not choose to gift currency as this is difficult to surprise another user with, as they are required to set up exchanges/trades to receive and a more personal gift would be more apt. It is also far more difficult for me to juggle currency from many different places than it is items or pets.

If you plan to gift an offspring from your own stock, consider messaging me (Lavelle) first to arrange for us to breed the egg in such a way that you will not be listed as the Original Owner, allowing the Secret element of Secret Santa to continue. This is less of an issue for older pets as they may have changed owner multiple times before making their way to me.



Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How do you keep track of who has sent you things to make sure they go to the right people and no one gets scammed?
A. Spreadsheets on spreadsheets on spreadsheets. Everything is logged as it comes into my account, and logged as it goes out. To help with this process, it's very important to ensure you fully list everything you are sending for your Match in a Private Message to me.

Q. What happens if my Secret Santa drops out and doesn't send anything for me?
A. If your Santa does not send gifts for you in time, they will be removed from the list and will not receive any gifts intended for them. Without extenuating circumstance, they will not be invited to take part in any further games or contests I run. You will not go without - there is a gap between the deadline for gifts to be sent to me and the day the gifts go out to allow my team of Secret Elves to do any last minute shopping to make sure everyone who took part and played fairly gets something exciting and specially picked for them.

Q. What happens if the person I was Matched with drops out after I've sent the gifts I picked for them?
A. If the person you were given as a Match is removed from the list as they did not send their Match's gifts on time, your items/pets/etc. will be returned to you. You will still receive the gifts your Santa picked for you, as you followed all the rules and it's certainly not your fault someone else dropped out. In this event I will message you to let you know what's happening.

Q. What do I do if my Secret Santa contacts me?
A. Please send me a message and let me know. This is against the rules and spoils the fun for you, so you will be assigned to a new Santa to allow you the magic of surprise!

Q. What do I do if I have any other questions or concerns?
A. Any general questions you are more than welcome to post on this thread and I will get back to you (and ping you) as soon as I can! If they're questions pertaining directly to your Match or the Gifts you're picking, please send me your question in a Private Message.

Q. Can I reveal myself as someone's Santa/Ask who my Santa is after the 22nd of December?
A. When all gifts are given out and the main post is updated to say as such, you are welcome to post on the thread and invite your Santa to reveal themselves, and they are welcome to respond if they would like to. I will not reveal any Santas even on request as some would prefer to remain totally anonymous. I would ask that Santas do try and refrain from messaging their Matches to reveal themselves even when the pre-22nd silence has passed, as some Matches may prefer to enjoy the fact they don't know where their gift came from. The best way to avoid anyone being disappointed is to check back into this thread (or perhaps general chat) after the 22nd and see if your Match is looking for you!

PARTICIPATION RAFFLE
Sign up for Secret Santa to enter!

On the 23rd of December I will be doing a random drawing from all entrants to select winners of the following raffle prizes.



250 Diamonds (2 lots to be won)
Enhanced Ny'vene Essence
Enhanced Puffadore Essence
2 Visible Tagged Winter Pine Lighira
3 Visible Tagged Carnival Iris Griffi
Epic Tagged Silver Bells Griffi
Your choice of Tagged Camellia Night Rider Aeridini (up to 9 to choose from)
Your choice of Tagged Musk Rainbow Plumeria Ryori (up to 4 to choose from)
Your choice of 2/3vis Regen Tagged Ny'vene (up to 6 to choose from)
Your choice of Tagged 3vis Non-Fabled Theme (up to 6 to choose from)



Each user may only win one raffle prize.

Enjoy and have fun!

I am definitely signing up for Secret Santa, Lav! Once everything is posted, I shall update this post with stuff I like for my Secret Santa~

Thank you for running this! :)

Here's my entry form:

THE BASICS

User ID: 7370

Username: Kalores

Name: Most people call me Kal in Genchat, so Kal or Kalores works~

3 sentences or less about yourself in real life: One of my favourite things to do in the Summer is go to the family cottage to fish, swim, and spend time with my family. My favourite fantasy creature is the Dragon, and I love cats. To be honest, I just love animals in general, and I love fantasy(I RP with a couple of friends of mine).

3 sentences or less about yourself on Sylestia: I joined Sylestia almost 3 and a half years ago. I was looking for a pet RPG/breeding site, and the original artwork for the Ny'vene was what drew me here. The awesome community and the amazing Admins are what have me sticking around, not to mention the thought and love that goes into the game! :)

What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment on Sylestia? Hmm, other than making some awesome friends here, I would have to say my greatest accomplishment would be my self designed, 6vis Max Stat Ryori project that I completed earlier this year. It took a lot of hard work, effort, and money to do so, but I am very proud of it! :)


YOUR FAVOURITES

Species: I'm going to list my favuorite species and the traits I really like and dislike on them:
-Ryori: I love Nebula, Star Runes, Tempest Traits, Ethereal Horns, Cyberpunk Wings. I dislike all skull traits, the Masks, Jesters Crest.
-Ny'vene: I love Nebula, Magma Runes, Fire Mutations, Ice Mutations, Cosmic Horns and Spikes(I designed these), Ornate Horns. I dislike all skull traits.
-Nephini: I love Nebula, Feathered Wings, Floral Henna, Fairy Runes, Sun Armor, Swirling Snowflakes, Fairy Shimmer. I dislike all skull traits, Dragonfly, and I don't care for most of the wing mutations except Feathered Wings and Spectral Wings.
-Aeridini: I love Nebula, Monarch, Frosted, Floral Henna, Sea Foam, Lily Tail, Pampas Tail, Bat Flower, Elegant Feathered Wings, Jeweled Feathers. I dislike Tentacle Wings and Corruption.

Festival: I really like them all, and it is so hard to pick, but Fall and Winter Fest are probably my two favourites.

Owned Pets: My favourites are: (this was not easy and I love so many of them)
https://www.sylestia.com/view/pets/?petid=2409455
https://www.sylestia.com/view/pets/?petid=330090
https://www.sylestia.com/view/pets/?petid=2460934
https://www.sylestia.com/view/pets/?petid=2717864
https://www.sylestia.com/view/pets/?petid=2758994

Avatar Outfit: That would be the Ny'vene Tamers Outfit(Celestial)

Avatar Held: That would be my custom Nebula Storm Dragon(Ny'vene Hatchling) Held
(this is me with the Outfit and Held)

Tagged Themes: My favourite themes are:
-Black Magic Nephini
-Magical Infusion Ny'vene
-Cosmic Ny'vene

Colour: My three favourite colours are pink, blue and purple. I do like those combos, but I also love blues and whites together, blues and greens, blues and purples, pinks and purples. I also love stary/nebula/cosmic themes.

Food: Hmm, I love steak, Japanese food, Thai food, chocolate, and homemade desserts.

YOUR PREFERENCES

Pings for deadlines: Yes please~

Bonus:
Once the Winter Festival Starts, I shall add things here that I would like from it to help give further ideas for my Secret Santa.

-Also looking for Tranquil Sunset Nephini offspring~
-I'd also love Cosmic Ny'vene offspring with the Cosmic Horns Mutation(I designed it) and Black Magic Nephini offspring with the Feathered Wings Mutation. These are just ideas, but feel free to be creative! I love surprises! :)

I would love to enter too!

I'm interested!