[ en ] tranceway ooc

Hey guys! We've been approached by someone named Erica about a study she's doing for her bachelor's thesis regarding online friendships created through journal-based RP. If anyone's interested in participating and being interviewed for it, an introduction and her contact information is under the LJ-cut!

~ Koji

( Study Information + Erica's Contact Information )

All the E-mails about Secret Santa have officially gone out! Go check your E-mail and make sure you received your Secret Santa giftee and go start figuring out what to give them!

If you have NOT received your giftee yet, please let me know as soon as possible, either in a comment here, on AIM, PM, anything. If I don't hear from you, it'll be assumed that you received your E-mail.

That should be about it for a few weeks though! Here's a link to the original post, if anyone needs the reference. Have fun, everyone! ♥

~ Koji

Hey there, Eway! We're still kind of early for Ewaymas, but I have a different holiday celebration for you guys. This year, we're doing SECRET SANTA!

How will this work? Well, you comment to this post with this form:

<b>Name:</b> Who are you? <b>Characters:</b> And who do you play? <b>E-mail:</b> VERY important, Secret Santas are giving their gifts via E-mail. <b>Notes:</b> Is there anything your Secret Santa should know about you?

Sign-ups will close December 1st December 2nd, and soon afterwards all participants will be sent their secret partner by e-mail. Once you have your partner, you need to come up with a present for them by December 25th. You'll then send that gift to your partner by E-mail and they will have very happy holidays because of you.

Here's a little mini-FAQ for you (but there will also be a FAQ thread like we do for the events):

What can I send as Secret Santa presents? Do I have to spend money? CAN I spend money? This is ultimately split into two categories - monetary gifts and creative gifts. We live in a magical age where a large majority of websites offer internet gift cards that can be sent digitally, and only require a name and email address. But you absolutely do NOT have to give anything that costs money. Gifts of art, fic, icons, or any other creative things are more than welcome! For monetary gifts though, we heavily suggest that you keep it between $10-$20.

( Gift Examples )

Is it okay if I don't/can't do a monetary gift? Absolutely! No matter what you send someone, it's going to be valueable because you put in time and effort, and thought about what kind of present they would enjoy. Please don't feel pressure to bust out your credit card - times are hard and not everyone even has ways of buying things online.

Is it okay if I don't/can't do a creative gift? Absolutely! Sometimes inspiration just doesn't come. Besides, it's a busy season and no one's going to judge you if you don't have time to draw the next Mona Lisa. It's the thought that counts, and gift cards can be just as meaningful as anything else.

But I really wanted to sent my Secret Santa a present in the mail! Please don't, unless it's 100% okay with your gift-ee (in other words, you'd have to reveal yourself and ask them, and if they say no then no). This is why we're not asking anyone for their real addresses - it's a little too invasive on the mod end of things, and I know I personally don't feel comfortable distributing people's addresses to random players? Not that I distrust any of you, but it feels skeevy so we're playing entirely with E-mail here.

Uh, I live outside the United States and I'm not sure Gift certificates would even work for me? Then say so in on your form somewhere! You don't have to get specific, but not every site ships everywhere, so your Secret Santa should know ahead of time if the internet doesn't ship to your evil lair on a deserted island in the Pacific Ocean. Then they'll know they should probably do DW tokens, a creative gift, or something they KNOW FOR CERTAIN you'll actually be able to enjoy.

What if I can't do Secret Santa anymore? Tell one of the mods (preferably me since I'm organizing it, but any of the others will make sure the message gets to me) so that we can do something about it. We don't want to leave anyone stranded without a Secret Santa!

It's 11:59PM on December 25th and I'm TOTALLY ALMOST DONE REALLY but it's going to be late. Help? Fess up to your gift-ee so that THEY know something's coming for them soon.

I didn't get anything - does my Secret Santa just hate me? :( NO, I'M SURE THAT'S NOT IT. If you haven't gotten anything by like, the 26th or 27th, come talk to me and I'll try to figure out what happened for you.

I missed sign-ups! Can I still play? We're keeping sign-ups open for a while (until December 2nd), so hopefully this won't happen unless we get new players in December, but just come ask me about it! There might be an opportunity to pinch-hit if someone drops out (which I'll post about if there is), or we can try and figure something else out.

Does my gift have to show up EXACTLY on December 25th? Nope! You can give your gift and reveal yourself any time between December 18th and December 25th. Try not to give them out earlier than that, please. And again, if you're going to be late, let your gift-ee know.

SHEESH, IT'S NOT EVEN THANKSGIVING KOJI. WHATEVER, MAN. I LIKE BEING PREPARED FOR THE HOLIDAYS IN ADVANCE. :P

Any other questions can go in the FAQ thread and I'll answer them as soon as possible. And remember, have fun and spread lots of holiday cheer! ♥

EDIT: SIGN-UPS ARE NOW CLOSED. ♥

~ Koji