CB Prizes: A User Guide

[Vhale]

There is an old saying that I never quite got when I was a kid, a Friend in need is a friend indeed. I would think, huh? Already my friend, right? But what it basically means is when you have something people want and they think they might get it, they are super nice to you. It's when you say no that things get colorful. I think any of the prize winners on the forums will be thankful of this thread, in that regard

 

I'd like to think the vastly increased number of winners and all the new releases this past year will help too. When prizes first came out after all, a lot of people were done collecting. So what else to do but collect ever harder prize stairs? But now that we all likely have goals we haven't met, we've got options! Options are good.

[WraithZephyr]

And as for the eggs they may produce - I have a way of dealing with that as well...though I've a strange feeling if I reveal said method - I'll be called crazy by most members of the cave.

Congrats. I think you would only be called crazy if you were going to neglect/bite/zombie-fy the offspring ROFL.

[Katie92]

I'm a bit shocked as to how nice people have been in regards to the Raffle. I have gotten a handful of PMs about eggs - but everyone has been nice and apologetic about bugging me.

 

As for dealing with my win - once I saw my prize, I made my breeding plans and have no intention of altering it (I'm someone who tends to do set mates for her dragons, usually limiting it to one or two partners in most cases).

 

And as for the eggs they may produce - I have a way of dealing with that as well...though I've a strange feeling if I reveal said method - I'll be called crazy by most members of the cave.

Called crazy or not, it's cool you've found a creative way to deal with them!

[dragongrrl]

There is an old saying that I never quite got when I was a kid, a Friend in need is a friend indeed. I would think, huh? Already my friend, right? But what it basically means is when you have something people want and they think they might get it, they are super nice to you. It's when you say no that things get colorful. I think any of the prize winners on the forums will be thankful of this thread, in that regard

 

I'd like to think the vastly increased number of winners and all the new releases this past year will help too. When prizes first came out after all, a lot of people were done collecting. So what else to do but collect ever harder prize stairs? But now that we all likely have goals we haven't met, we've got options! Options are good.

You pushed my semantics button!

 

I've always taken that the opposite way - when you are down, have problems, are in need, someone who sticks with you and is there for you despite your troubled circumstance, they are a friend in truth, a friend indeed!

 

Someone who only wants something from you is not a friend. It is the one who sticks by you in times of trouble who has earned the badge of friend. <3

 

That's what that phrase means to me.

[WraithZephyr]

You pushed my semantics button!

 

I've always taken that the opposite way - when you are down, have problems, are in need, someone who sticks with you and is there for you despite your troubled circumstance, they are a friend in truth, a friend indeed!

 

Someone who only wants something from you is not a friend. It is the one who sticks by you in times of trouble who has earned the badge of friend. <3

 

That's what that phrase means to me.

I think the context under which the statement is made determines if it is a good thing or a bad thing.

[Amazon_warrior]

You pushed my semantics button!

 

I've always taken that the opposite way - when you are down, have problems, are in need, someone who sticks with you and is there for you despite your troubled circumstance, they are a friend in truth, a friend indeed!

 

Someone who only wants something from you is not a friend. It is the one who sticks by you in times of trouble who has earned the badge of friend. <3

 

That's what that phrase means to me.

I tend to view it like this too. And the opposite is "fair-weather friends" - the people who flock about when times are good, but vanish as soon as times are hard...

[Vhale]

I think the context under which the statement is made determines if it is a good thing or a bad thing.

Agreed /nod

I didn't see it the other way until I got burnt a few times. Then it was like, oh...

/accidental hijack

/nudges thread back on topic

 

oops!

 

Btw, if any prize winners want view bombing services I'd be happy to put their egg in my sig on FR or Yarolds.

[Shadoe666]

Thanks for the advice, not trying to show off or anything (nevermind, yes i am) but I won a second place this year and this has helped me . *didnt have any idea that my egg will get so many views and that I might want an open egg slot* *also has no idea what that yeti thing is doing on my preview box/post.*

[Amazon_warrior]

Thanks for the advice, not trying to show off or anything (nevermind, yes i am) but I won a second place this year and this has helped me .  *didnt have any idea that my egg will get so many views and that I might want an open egg slot* *also has no idea what that yeti thing is doing on my preview box/post.*

*hugs* Congrats! Your prize (when you get it) should be protected, but yes, you'll need to be careful with your other babies.

 

The lil yeti thing is what happens when you write "a-l-o-t" (without the hyphens) instead of "a lot".

 

ETA: I really don't know about the space thing, but it seems like a really good idea - it would suck horribly if you didn;t get your prize because you were scroll-locked...

 

ETA2: What Commander Wymsy said. ^^

Edited January 13, 2014 by Amazon_warrior

[Wymsical]

Thanks for the advice, not trying to show off or anything (nevermind, yes i am) but I won a second place this year and this has helped me . *didnt have any idea that my egg will get so many views and that I might want an open egg slot* *also has no idea what that yeti thing is doing on my preview box/post.*

To know for sure that the advice I gave has been taken to heart by at least one person makes me happy.

[Fiona]

I'm also glad that prize winners are finding this thread helpful. When Amazon first mentioned she was thinking about posting it I thought it was a great idea.

 

Congrats on your prizes, folks.

[PiscesWolf]

I read through all of this and it helped me a lot on my decision of doing a Trades/Gift list with my lil shimmer! So thank you very much all of you for the helpful advice! <3

 

 

[Amazon_warrior]

I read through all of this and it helped me a lot on my decision of doing a Trades/Gift list with my lil shimmer! So thank you very much all of you for the helpful advice! <3

I'm thrilled that you found it helpful! Congrats on your prize, may you have lots of fun with him/her.

[prpldrgnfr]

Hiya, Amazon! I decided to out myself, and want to thank you, Commander Wymsy, and everyone else who contributed advice. It's been *very* helpful!

[whitebaron]

I did not win, but still need to stop by and say: its rare,that i've seen such perfect advice on trading and lists.

[Syphoneira]

You pushed my semantics button!

 

I've always taken that the opposite way - when you are down, have problems, are in need, someone who sticks with you and is there for you despite your troubled circumstance, they are a friend in truth, a friend indeed!

 

Someone who only wants something from you is not a friend. It is the one who sticks by you in times of trouble who has earned the badge of friend. <3

 

That's what that phrase means to me.

 

 

That's the meaning exactly - it's not just the meaning you've taken from it, you have it right.

 

A friend in need is a friend indeed, because they are right there when you need help, which is what a real friend is.

 

This is the first time I've EVER heard of that being taken the other way around, lol.

 

 

 

 

Edit: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary...a-friend-indeed

 

English definition of “a friend in need is a friend indeed”

a friend in need is a friend indeed

saying

› This means that a friend who helps you when you really need help is a true friend.

(Definition of a friend in need is a friend indeed from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

Edited January 14, 2014 by Syphoneira

[Amazon_warrior]

Hiya, Amazon!  I decided to out myself, and want to thank you, Commander Wymsy, and everyone else who contributed advice.  It's been *very* helpful!

You're very welcome, m'dear! Thrilled that you won.

 

 

@whitebaron: Thank you. I tried. <3 to the others that contributed, too.

Edited January 14, 2014 by Amazon_warrior

[dragchick1997]

Thank you very much for the info! I haven't read through it yet since I have a ton of homework to do, but it's good to know other prize winners are in the same boat I still have no idea what I'm going to do with mine tho lol :'D

[Amazon_warrior]

Thank you very much for the info! I haven't read through it yet since I have a ton of homework to do, but it's good to know other prize winners are in the same boat I still have no idea what I'm going to do with mine tho lol :'D

You're welcome! Take your time, there's no rush - you haven't even got your egg yet!

[Taintedtamer]

Very helpful, I might bookmark this topic for future reference/use.

[Aamaranthine]

Hmmm, I read most of the posts in this thread and took a while to make a decision if contribute or not.

First of all, excuse my English.

 

I was one of the five gold Tinsel winners back in 2011 and it was a huge shock for me. Because I never won anything before the DC contest. I made the mistake that I revealed myself the first day as I wanted to make sure I understood the email well. You can imagine how many people started to talk to me. I had no friends here before this Tinsel madness, especially because of the language problem.

 

Suddenly I started getting tens and hundreds of PMs. So many people pretending to be friends, trying to be nice. Random gifts nearly every day. There were fake friends who got their Tinsel and wanted more, there were "friends" who gave my name away to others who asked for more Tinsels, all that topped with crazy number of beggers and traders. Some people couldn't accept the "no" and kept PMing me, some people went on after blocks via e-mail, some people "only" sent one more message with a very rude content.

 

I won't lie, I was pretty close to quitting DC and had a few long breaks after that. I have never seen so much hate.

 

I wish this thread was there when I won.

And sometimes I feel like posting all those names of "so called honorable DC members" who showed "their best" in their PMs to me, if you get what I mean. I bet you all would be very surprised.

 

My advice to new winners:

Don't be naive as I was. Most people who would PM you since now on just want your prize offspring. They will try their best to pretend being friends and/or send you gifts.

Put a bold statement in your sig regarding your trading/gifting habbits. (And get ready for tens of PMs from people who ignore that.)

Keep some eggs for yourself now when they are rare (not after gifting 12 of them)

 

My advice for others who PM with trades:

Imagine you have to deal with tens of PMs every day (most of them aren't even polite) and you should reply all of them staying nice.

Imagine you get hundred of silly trade offers (here, my 5th gen metallic and CB pink for your 2nd gen prize) and after saying a clear no, you get five more PMs (crying, begging, insulting) for each of those. Answer all of them. Stay nice.

Read the owner's siggy, profile or any other info possible regarding the trades. If their lists are closed or no trading is possible and you still want to send a PM, you should have a really good reason. Otherwise you might be blacklisted and lose the chance to own their 2nd gen forever.

[Amazon_warrior]

*hugs Aamaranthine*

 

Thank you so much for your input and for sharing your experiences. I can't imagine how tough it must have been being one of the original winners. Thank you for your (well-written!) advice. Do you mind if I link your post in the first posts?

 

You've reminded me of something I've been wary of touching upon too - the subjects of gifts and "gifts" (that is, bribes). And it is tricky, though I tend to be more cautious of "surprise" gifts (especially very high-value things) from someone I've never spoken to before, whereas a gift from someone I've interacted with or gifted eggs to in the past (just regular eggs, not Shimmer eggs necessarily) I usually accept as a true gift. I suppose the key thing is that if it feels like a bribe, it probably is. And a gift with strings attached (e.g., the person who gifted you starts expecting or demanding something in return), is NOT a gift. Though if they called it a gift in the original communication and it was a one-way transfer, there is NO obligation to return it or send them anything in return. However, that sort of situation gets messy fast and it's better to just not accept the "gift".

 

The gift situation makes me feel very uncomfortable because I know there is a strong culture of gifting on DC, with a lot of people who gift just because they love to make people happy, and I feel bad that I have to be a little suspicious all the time, but that's the way it has to be for me to stay sane.

Edited January 17, 2014 by Amazon_warrior

[DragonNighthowler]

*hugs Aamaranthine*

 

Thank you so much for your input and for sharing your experiences. I can't imagine how tough it must have been being one of the original winners. Thank you for your (well-written!) advice. Do you mind if I link your post in the first posts?

 

You've reminded me of something I've been wary of touching upon too - the subjects of gifts and "gifts" (that is, bribes). And it is tricky, though I tend to be more cautious of "surprise" gifts (especially very high-value things) from someone I've never spoken to before, whereas a gift from someone I've interacted with or gifted eggs to in the past (just regular eggs, not Shimmer eggs necessarily) I usually accept as a true gift. I suppose the key thing is that if it feels like a bribe, it probably is. And a gift with strings attached (e.g., the person who gifted you starts expecting or demanding something in return), is NOT a gift. Though if they called it a gift in the original communication and it was a one-way transfer, there is NO obligation to return it or send them anything in return. However, that sort of situation gets messy fast and it's better to just not accept the "gift".

 

The gift situation makes me feel very uncomfortable because I know there is a strong culture of gifting on DC, with a lot of people who gift just because they love to make people happy, and I feel bad that I have to be a little suspicious all the time, but that's the way it has to be for me to stay sane.

I can understand the feeling. Don't know if you remember the eggie I gifted you back then, the even gen with holidays. I admit I was very hesitant to send it to you, I had planned to do so for a while, was just waiting till I got the eggie, and then you caught Luckiest Catch.

I was worried it would seem like a bribe, or something, which was never the intention.

 

But this things sadly happen constantly, even in real life. When I got my first car, you guys can't imagine how many "friends" felt entitled to get a ride whenever they wanted. Someone I refused to drive home (because it was waaaaay off my route), even said she was not taking a Taxi because you have to pay for them, whereas a private car, you don't have to pay anything. Don't need to say that "friendship" lasted very little, but it made me feel like trash.

 

Anyways, I have a lineage you might be interested. I'll send you an eggie sometime this week, if you'd like.

[lilacamy931]

There are some solemn words to be had here and the first prize winners such as yourself, Aamaranthine, really had it hard that first raffle (probably still do). Glad you haven't stayed away from DC long as it is a fun collecting game with beautiful sprites.

 

Unsure but as awareness has increased to now the 4th release, hope it is at least getting easier for winners to know the approach. I do and did contact CB prize winners (especially that first year) and can't thank enough for the 3 x 2nd gens (as well as 2 x 2nd gen fails recently received thanks to generous owners) - I really tried to stick to reading profiles and staying respectful and hope to continue to do so.

 

I will hold hands up to contacting winners, one of the new winners chatted and guided them straight here, I believe it gave them the knowledge to move forward with *fingers crossed*- so there is good to be had even amongst all those pms begging/pleading/being rude. Also now there is the harassment sticky this should really highlight to those how to behave and also give those being harassed an opportunity to report if it becomes necessary.

 

As to gifting it is awkward. Some genuine gift - others try for that wriggle in...

 

To put the gifting aspect in a bit of perspective - before I went on hiatus I had a lot of lovely eggs from trades/gifts to me. When I came back, there was so much good to be had from them, especially as can't decide lineages. I decided to try and put mine to good use gifting to random members old and new (much of the approach if there is a need fill it) and the responses can be surprising (mostly good) but some possibly surrounding why I would help in first place especially with perhaps a 2nd gen gold or silver, etc. So swings and roundabouts, what yours won't produce for months on end, mine just gave me an egg that could be of use to someone

 

That is just my 2 cents from chatting to random people/gifting/trading -advice go on your gut feeling and if concerned get 2nd opinion friend/other winner. Also the people change with time and hopefully learn

 

 

[Amazon_warrior]

I can understand the feeling. Don't know if you remember the eggie I gifted you back then, the even gen with holidays. I admit I was very hesitant to send it to you, I had planned to do so for a while, was just waiting till I got the eggie, and then you caught Luckiest Catch.

I was worried it would seem like a bribe, or something, which was never the intention.

 

But this things sadly happen constantly, even in real life. When I got my first car, you guys can't imagine how many "friends" felt entitled to get a ride whenever they wanted. Someone I refused to drive home (because it was waaaaay off my route), even said she was not taking a Taxi because you have to pay for them, whereas a private car, you don't have to pay anything. Don't need to say that "friendship" lasted very little, but it made me feel like trash.

 

Anyways, I have a lineage you might be interested. I'll send you an eggie sometime this week, if you'd like.

Well, it's about using common sense. And I've been around the forum for a while and consider you to be someone honourable. So as far as I was concerned it was all above-board and proper.

 

And yes, regrettably it's not a problem just on this site. Winners of RL lotteries definitely discover they have more "friends" than they ever knew they had... (And while private cars don't charge a fair, it's only polite to offer to pay for the fuel if it's a long journey...)

 

Oooo, thank you. PM me about it?