The Secret Santa Event

What is a Secret Santa Event?
Secret Santa is a Western Christmas tradition in which members of a group or community are randomly assigned a person to whom they anonymously give a gift. [Source: Wikipedia]
The host of this event will assign the giftees and secret Santas. To do that it is necessary to sign up by filling out a form so the hosts know who matches best.

How long has my gift to be?
In this event are only one-shots accepted as gift. One one-shot must have at least 1'500 words.

Are posters / pictures allowed in the gifts?
Posters and pictures within the story are allowed. If you want to use posters and / or pictures make sure to send the links to them to the hosts once you finish writing the gift. The host won't upload the posters or pictures on their channel in order to include them in the gift.
Also, keep in mind that your giftee might not like to many pictures in the story. Therefore if you plan on using more than one picture in the story contact the hosts first so they can ask the giftee if it's OK.

Do I need an e-mail address to participate?
Yes. Questions and information can be given via PM if requested, but once the gift needs to be send to the host it's unavoidable to use an e-mail account to do so. The e-mail addresses won't be used for any other purpose than to contact the current Santas for this event and will not be given to a third party at any time.

Is this event for girlxboy and boyxboy lovers?
Like the year before we will host this event for girlxboy and boyxboy lovers.

Can I make friends with the other participants and read their stories before the event is over
Of course. This events main purpose is to grow closer as a fandom, find new authors and make new friends.

Am I allowed to talk with the other participants about my prompt or what I filled out on the form when the event is still on going?
It is not allowed to talk about the promps or the answers in the forms until the event is over. However, if you are making new friends, questions about the favourite OTP and the bias are allowed.

Can I upload or talk about my finished gift before the reveal got posted?
Uploading or talking about the gift (like giving away which pairing or which prompt the Santa received) is not allowed until the hosts upload the reveal on the 31^th of December. After that date are the Santas allowed to upload their work. If the Santa uploads the gift on his/her profile please send the hosts the link to the gift via PM so it can be displayed on the chapter with the gift. The Santas can even ask the hosts to take down their gift from our page


The Sign-Up

How do you sign up?
To participate you'll need to subscribe to this story. After that you can choose one of the two forms (one for girlxboy and one for boyxboy) and fill it out. The hosts will then contact you to confirm your participation and add you to the participations list. For more details please look at the chapter 'The Sign Up'.

I want to write a girlxboy but want to receive a boyxboy. Do I need to fill out both forms for that?
As this situation wasn't very common in the year before the hosts decided to split up the forms. This makes the hosts job a bit easier as they don't have to split it up by hand before the match making.
Please do not fill out both forms as doing that means your participating twice and therefore need to make two gifts. However, if you wish to write two gifts you can do so.

Why do I need to be subscribed to this event when I participate?
The subscription is necessary to hear about the latest news and to see the newest updates. If you are not subscribed after filling out the form you'll be not considered as a participant in the event until you do so. Also, please keep subscribed till the end of the event. We'll check the subscriptions until the 31th of December.

Are the hosts of this event allowed to join too?
The hosts are not allowed to join the event because they are matching up the participants. A participation of the hosts would be considered unfair to the other Santas. Therefore will the hosts not join in when it comes to the gift making for the participants.

I don't know what kind of gift I want. Do I need to give a prompt?
Last year it was decided to not provide the Santas with a full prompt. However, as it's hard to come up with an idea with only the likes and dislikes of the giftee the hosts would like you to write down one or two prompt ideas you'd like to see in your gift. It's then up to the Santa if he/she wants to follow those prompt ideas or follow a different path with your likes and dislikes.

If you need some inspiration for a prompt there are prompt generators and tumblr posts with ideas for one-shots that can help you fill out that point.


The Confirmation E-Mail

What's written in the confirmation e-mail?
The confirmation e-mail is a simple e-mail in which the host confirm the participation of the Santa. The hosts will not provide you with the answers you gave while filling out the form. However, if you want to have this information please contact the hosts and they'll send it to you in a separate e-mail.

I didn't get an confirmation e-mail. What do I do?
The host will only send the confirmation e-mails when the form is filled out and the Santa is subscribed to the event. If one of those steps isn't complete you'll not receive an e-mail. To know the exact reason why you haven't received an e-mail please contact the host.

Please consider that the host have a life next to their AFF lives. Therefore it can take up to 5 days until you receive the e-mail.


The Prompts

Can I write a rated story for my giftee?
This event will be posting rated gifts (, violence etc.) too. Those gifts will be marked as mature when they'll get uploaded in December.
When the giftee wrote in her form that she likes to receive this kind of story the Santa can start writing it. If the giftee hasn't written anything about this subject in the form are the Santas advised to contact the host so they can ask the giftee if it's OK to write a gift like that. It is not recommended to just write a rated story when there is no information about it given by the giftee on the form.

Can I add idols from other groups?
It is allowed to use idols form other groups in your story. Please keep in mind that the main focus should still be on the GOT7 pairing (girlxboy and/or boyxboy)
If you want to include other Idols please contact the hosts and tell them which Idols you want to use so they can check with the giftee if it's OK for them too.

I haven't received a prompt. What do I do?
The prompts will be sent out on the 25^th of September. If you haven't received a prompt on that day please get in touch with the hosts one or two days later so they can check where the problem was.
If you haven't received a confirmation e-mail before, it could be that you didn't sign up fully. If that's the case you won't be able to join the event anymore at this point.

I've received a prompt that doesn't fit what I filled out in the form. Is there a chance to change it?
The hosts are trying to match the participants up as good as they can. It could be that it's not possible to find a perfect match for everyone. However, the hosts try to find you a prompt that's still writeable with the informations you provided them with.
If you think you won't be able to write it at all please contact the hosts. They will try to look for a way to change it. Maybe contacting your giftee through the hosts will solve the problem.

Do I need to follow the given prompt?
The giftee provides the Santa with prompt suggestions, however, it's up to the Santa if he/she wants to follow those prompts or if he/she wants to create something absolutely new with just the likes and dislikes of the giftee.

I have a question about the given prompt. What can I do?
When the Santa has a question about the prompt or something else about the gift he/she is free to contact the hosts. The hosts will be a communication bridge between the giftee and the Santa during the creating time. Therefore don't hesitate to contact them when something is unclear.


The Check-In

What are Check-in dates?
Check-in dates are check points where the Santas have to contact the hosts to tell them about the progress on the gift. All Santas are expected to send an e-mail or a PM to the host. Those dates are really important for this event because once a problem (computer broke down, no time etc.) appears the hosts will be able to look for a solution.

The check in will be announced in the news once the day arrives and can be found in the chapter 'Timeline'.

Last year the hosts didn't really pay much attention to the check-in dates themselves. However, this year this will change as looking back at last years event there were multiple situation that could have been avoided.

Will I receive an e-mail to confirm my Check-in?
The hosts will not send a confirmation e-mail on check-in dates unless there is a problem the Santa needs help with.

I haven't send an e-mail on the Check-in days. What will happen now?
The host will have a check-in list to know if everyone contacted them. If no e-mail or PM was sent around that date (we wait for one week), the hosts will contact the Santa. The Santa has one more week to answer that e-mail. If no answer was sent back the host will automatic assume that this Santa doesn't want to be part of the event anymore. In that case they will put the prompt of that Santa into the news and look for a back-up writer who is willing to write the prompt.

I'm not able to keep the deadline. What do I do now?
If you are not able to keep the deadline please contact the hosts as soon as possible. They will help you look for a solution.

Please do not keep silent when you realize that you are not able to send your gift on the deadline.


The Finished Gift

I finished writing my gift. How do I send it to you?
When you finished your gift for your giftee we'd like you to send us the one-shot in a word document or a similar format to the e-mail account you received the prompt from. If the hosts can't open the document they'll let you know immediately. In case you don't have the e-mail address anymore don't hesitate to contact the hosts via PM.

There is a submission form as well as more information about the submission on the 'How To Submit the Gift' chapter.

Am I allowed to upload the finished gift on my account after I finished writing it?
Uploading or talking about the gift (like giving away which pairing or which prompt the Santa received) is not allowed until the hosts upload the reveal on the 31^th of December. After that date are the Santas allowed to upload their work. If the Santa uploads the gift on his/her profile please send the hosts the link to the gift via PM so it can be displayed on the chapter with the gift. The Santas can even ask the hosts to take down their gift from our page

I don't use Word. How should I send you the gift instead?
If you don't use Word you can send us your gift in a PDF too. If you aren't able to send it in a Word or PDF format please put the whole story in the e-mail without a document.

My story has less than 1'500 Words. What will happen now?
The rules are that the gift must have at least 1'500 Words. However, if you finished writing your gift and are not able to extend it until the deadline, please contact the hosts immediately.


The Upload Time

In which order will the stories be uploaded?
The gifts will be uploaded in the same order the hosts received them.

Am I allowed to comment on the gifts?
Giftees and Santas are encouraged to comment on the gifts. However, when you comment please don't make it obvious which story is yours. This event might loose it's attraction when some stories authors are revealed before the official reveal.

The gift I wrote got uploaded. Am I allowed to answer comments to it or tell people that it's mine?
You must keep it a secret until the official reveal. Comments that hint a reveal from the author will be deleted by the hosts. Please do not answer comments to the gift you wrote either. If you want you can do so once the event is over but until then please leave them be as they are.


The Reveal

The news say the reveal is online, but I can't see it. Where is it?
As the reveal list will be updated with every new sent-in story we placed the chapter with the reveal before the first gift. This chapter is invisible until the date of the reveal and will be ladled as 'The Big Reveal'.

Why is the reveal on the 31^th and not on the 25^th ?
As of right now it's unknown how many IGOT7 will join this event. The hosts might need more than 24 days to upload all the gifts. Also, wouldn't it be nice to have read all the gifts when the reveal is uploaded?

Am I allowed to upload the gift I wrote now that everything got revealed?
After the reveal got published are the Santas allowed to upload the gift on their profile. If the Santa uploads the gift on his/her profile please send the hosts the link to the gift via PM so it can be displayed on the chapter with the gift. The Santas can even ask the hosts to take down their gift from our page.

There is a mistake in the reveal. What should I do?
If there is a mistake in the reveal please don't hesitate to tell the hosts. They will try to fix it as soon as possible.

I don't want my gift to be on here after the reveal. What do I do to remove it?
To remove a gift from the event simply contact the hosts and request it to be taken down. If you uploaded it on your profile, it would be great if you could send the link to the story to the host so they can put it into the chapter. That way your giftee sill has a chance of reading it afterwards.


Drop-Out

Sadly I'm not able to continue being part of this event. What do I do?
If you are not able to participate anymore please contact the host as soon as you know about it. The hosts will make sure to find a back-up writer for the prompt.

What's a back-up writer?
A back-up writer is someone who is either already participating or someone who isn't participating from the start who wants to write a prompt for a giftee who's Santa wasn't able to participate anymore.

Will the back-up writers receive a gift too?
If the back-up writer is already participating he/she will not receive another gift. If the back-up writer is a new writer in the event he/she will be asked if he/she wants a gift as well. Does the back-up writer decides on wanting a gift will the hosts write a gift for them (DreamHighX: girlxboy and boyxboy / TheNarratress: boyxboy). However, depending on our own schedule it might be that those gifts won't be uploaded in December.

How can I be a back-up writer?
If you want to be a back-up writer please contact us once you see a prompt you want to write about on our news site.

How do the hosts look for a back up writer?
Once it's clear that one Santa can't participate anymore, will the hosts update the news site. In a short post they'll reveal that one Santa dropped-out and that they're looking for back up writers. In the short post they'll also reveal little details about the prompt that the former Santa was working on.