Avatars you kept for a year are now sealed to you
An avatar that stays in your vault for 12 months becomes sealed to you the next time you log in. A sealed avatar never goes back to the gallery, no matter how long you are away.. An avatar you kept for years is part of who you are in the realm, i don't want you to lose it just because life kept you away for a while.
Sealed avatars carry a red wax seal on their corner, in your vault and on your profile. I went through the old logs and already sealed the ones you held long enough, more than 100 avatars of 53 players :)
If you send a sealed avatar away (trade it, return it to the shop or sell it at auction) the seal breaks and its next holder starts from zero. Avatars held for less than a year still return to the gallery after 6 months away.