And the Winner is...

Hey Jammers! As you might have noticed already, comment moderation is OFF and I have published all of your commented entries on this blog! Once again, you can now comment directly onto a post without waiting for your comment to be published. 

This poorly edited graphic is an achievement for everyone who followed me throughout the Riddle Contest and throughout the world of Jamaa. I'd like to thank all of you with a shoutout! 

Jammer187rvg
lightlavender
mayathepug
Shyanne Slettebo 
Arcticstar8404
theoneameratsu
Cherrywookie
bucolic
pørcupine
sarahkey8
lostfairy
Puppy44285
Nuclearwolfy
iluvsnowdrop
minigirl21
Dinolil1
Creationfall
Nidoderpgaming
Manglefnaffox2
logbas3
Clockworklion
tessie23
Kriptocept
Winterbuck
Doglady88722
Taygirl31

Thank you! Thank you all for entering my contest! It's the first one I've had in all my five years of blogging where this many people showed up– a whopping 26! It might not sound like much to more popular bloggers or YouTube people, but it's a ton for me. 

Maybe you've looked through all the comment entries by the time you're reading this, to compare answers perhaps. You might have noticed that not everyone on this list commented on this blog.

I might not have told you this before, but I actually "advertised" this contest on the Animal Jam thread of the forum site Chicken Smoothie. 

By that, I mean I just posted a link to the contest on the forum topic so some Jammers who don't read my blog could join in on the fun. Nothing big, just thought you should know.

(Psst... If you have a Chicken Smoothie account, feel free to PM me or something. My username there is DoomyPanda, same as on AJ.)

But enough of that! I'm sure you're dying to know who really won the Journey Book Riddle Contest. In my opinion, you're all winners at heart, but of course there is only one person who will receive a custom Masterpiece. 

Before I announce the big winner, I just wanted to say that I am incredibly impressed with your knowledge and ability to connect clues and answer riddles. You all did so well that I was convinced that there would be multiple people to answer the most riddles correctly and that I'd need to just randomly pick a name out of a hat. However, this contest turned out to have one clear winner.

And, my friends, this winner is...

...

...

Puppy44285!!!

With a whopping 9 out of 11 answers correct, Puppy wins the contest and will receive a custom Masterpiece as their prize! 

I think Puppy forgot to tell me what they want me to draw, so I'll contact them for details. ^-^

Congrats, Puppy44285! You have an awesome ability to answer riddles! :D

If you're curious as to what the official answers of all the riddles were, here they are:

Sarepia Forest - "Who has gills but does not swim?"

Answer: Mushroom
My explanation: The ridges beneath the cap are called gills!

Mt. Shiveer - "I am blue and green. My friend is brown and white. My other friend is red. What are we?"

Answer: Partridges
My explanation: Partridges can be all those colors!

Crystal Sands - "He dies on the shore and lives in the sea. He gets a growth ring every year, but he isn't a tree. Who is he?"

Answer: Sand Dollar
My explanation: Sand dollars are commonly seen dead and hardened on beaches, but they are very active and beautiful underwater. Each year, they get a ring around their shell!

Coral Canyons - "You hear my sound and you turn around, but I'm the one who's afraid!"

Answer: Rattlesnake
My explanation: Rattlesnakes shake their dry tails like a loud rattle, which can scare a lot of humans nearby, but rattlesnakes rattle when they are very afraid themselves-- not necessarily to bite you! They are very shy.

Crystal Reef - "I'm the deer of the sea, but I won't run away-- I'll sting!"

Answer: Staghorn Coral
My explanation: "Deer of the sea" is a play on the name "Staghorn". Staghorn Coral are known to sting their prey!

Bahari Bay - "Who is the ice cream of the Bay?"

Answer: Kelp
My explanation: Kelp is commonly used as an ingredient in the mass-manufactured ice cream you see at supermarkets. Weird, right?

Deep Blue - "You think I'm the Sun. The Sun won't touch my fins. That's perfect for me."

Answer: Hatchetfish
My explanation: Hatchetfish confuse predators with their bioluminescent bodies. When a predator looks up at a hatchetfish from below, they think they are the Sun!

Kani Cove - "I can hold my breath longer than you."

Answer: Cormorant
My explanation: Cormorants are birds who live and nest on land, but dive down deep into the water to fish and collect nesting materials! So yeah, they can probably hold their breath longer than you.

Appondale - "I see far in a flat line,"

Answer: Meerkat
My explanation: Meerkats have horizontal-shaped pupils, giving them excellent vision of the savanna they call home.

Kimbara Outback - "With fine membranes of skin, I do what you cannot."

Answer: Sugar glider
My explanation: Sugar gliders are small mammals who use fine membranes of skin under their arms as "wings" to fly! Well, they glide, but I don't think you could glide with arms alone.

The Lost Temple of Zios - "I am always looking, keeping track, keeping my eyes peeled,"

Answer: Monitor lizard
My explanation: The riddle is a direct play on the name "Monitor"! To monitor something is to pay attention to it, as the riddle describes.

--

I can't thank you enough for participating in this super fun contest! I will definitely hold more like this in the future.

I have a bunch of schoolwork to tackle this week, as evident by this post being three days late. I'll try to update this blog as often as I can, but I don't know if I'll have an internet connection this weekend because I'll be going away.

Nevertheless, Jam on! I hope to see you in Jamaa! :D

Riddle Contest Day 11: The Lost Temple of Zios!

Happy Earth Day! Well, today is the last day of the Riddle Contest. I'm a little sad to end it– it's just been so much fun! :')

Before we begin the last leg of our journey, here is just something to clarify that a few of you have been curious about:

If you get a message saying something like "your comment is awaiting moderation" and it doesn't show up on the feed, that is totally normal! I have seen your comment– I just won't publish it until the complete end of the contest so people don't copy each other.

Here are the rules for people who are new to this contest:

As always, here are the rules of this contest for those who are new to the party, or those who just want to refresh their memory:

Every day of the contest will focus on one land in Jamaa. There will be a riddle about one animal from that land's Journey Book, and it will be your job to guess which one it is!

Whoever answers the most riddles correctly will win a FREE CUSTOM MASTERPIECE! 

Answer every riddle to give you a better chance, even if you're not sure of the answer. Even if you haven't answered the previous riddles yet, you can answer them any time up until the end of the contest on April 23rd.

- Link to Riddle #1

- Link to Riddle #2
- Link to Riddle #3
- Link to Riddle #4
- Link to Riddle #5

- Link to Riddle #6
- Link to Riddle #7
- Link to Riddle #8

- Link to Riddle #9
- Link to Riddle #10

Prepare to enter the dense, mysterious jungles of The Lost Temple of Zios...

The air grows more and more humid as you enter The Lost Temple of Zios. In the middle of a tall, ancient forest, The Temple of Zios is a clearing alive and active with the rattling, singing, and rustling of animals, misting through the dark leaves.

In the middle of this clearing lies the felled statue of Zios. You stand before it, pondering its age and deep significance to Jamaa. A faint blue glimmer twirls around Zios' hollow eye. Is it a trace of his magic? You wonder just how "gone" Mira and Zios truly are...

A few insects zoom past your head, some big and some small. You've found that since the beginning of your journey through Jamaa, your irrational fear of bugs has died down considerably. Now, they just seem like little fairy-animals rather than little monsters. You laugh as a dragonfly lands on your nose. They examine you thoughtfully with glimmering eyes before continuing on their way through the Temple.

You move through the misty land over to a large river. Perching on the bank, you gently twirl a stick through the surface. It's a little hot and humid– no, it's really hot and humid. Water vapor clings and puddles on every surface. The river itself is strangely cool, even this deep into the jungle...

In a moment of unrestraint, you jump straight into the river!

The cool water is a bit of a shock at first, but as you paddle across the surface you are sure that you regret nothing. It's a lot better than being humid!

You float on your back for awhile, listening to the voices of animals near and far. You think you are dreaming at one point, because you hear a voice addressing you very clearly right into your ear.

"WAKE UP!!!!!"

 You immediately jolt upwards into a sitting position, no longer in the water. "Who's there!?" you call, looking left and right.

"I'm hidden," a voice whispers, "you can't see me."

You sigh. "Why did you pull me out of the water?"

"I thought you might drown," it said matter-of-factly.

There was an awkward pause. "Oh. Well... thanks. I think I was okay, though. That was still nice of you."

All that can be heard for a minute is the song of a distant bird.

"Are you curious about what I am?" asked the voice.

You thought for a moment. 

"Who knows..." suggested the voice, "maybe I'm Zios himself."

Alright, now you were curious. "What are you?"

"You think I'll just tell you? Ha! That would ruin the mystery."

"I guess it would. Could you spare a hint, O Mysterious Voice?" you ask with mock reverence.

The voice responded a little awkwardly. "Well, yeah, but... I have a question, first."

"Sure, ask away."

"Would you... be willing to take me with you to Jamaa Township? I've always wanted to visit, but I've been afraid of getting lost. Would you guide me around?" 

You smile, "Of course! I was going to the Township anyway. I can definitely be your guide!"

"Oh, YAY! I'm so excited! Here is the hint:

"I am always looking,

keeping track,

keeping my eyes peeled"

And so, your journey through Jamaa comes to a close as you and your new friend walk through the trees into the bright Jamaa Township, knowing very well that your adventure is far from over. :)

HINT: Look in your Journey Book!

*Comment your AJ username, your answer to the riddle, and what you would like me to draw for you as a Masterpiece if you win!*

Thank you so much for making this contest so fun! You can answer all the riddles until tomorrow night.

See you in Jamaa!

~DoomyPanda

Riddle Contest Day 10: Kimbara Outback!

Hey Jammers! Once again, I hope you're well-prepared for another fun day of the Riddle Contest. I can't believe it's already the 10th day... after today, we'll only have one more land to explore! ⚆_⚆

I can promise you this, however: more contests of this sort WILL come in the future!

As always, here are the rules of this contest for those who are new to the party, or those who just want to refresh their memory:

Every day of the contest will focus on one land in Jamaa. There will be a riddle about one animal from that land's Journey Book, and it will be your job to guess which one it is!

Whoever answers the most riddles correctly will win a FREE CUSTOM MASTERPIECE! 

Answer every riddle to give you a better chance, even if you're not sure of the answer. Even if you haven't answered the previous riddles yet, you can answer them any time up until the end of the contest on April 23rd.

- Link to Riddle #1

- Link to Riddle #2
- Link to Riddle #3
- Link to Riddle #4
- Link to Riddle #5

- Link to Riddle #6
- Link to Riddle #7
- Link to Riddle #8

- Link to Riddle #9

Remember to pack some water, because we are about to venture into the beautiful-yet-sweltering Kimbara Outback! 

(If you want to skip the short story and get straight to the riddle, it's at the bottom in big bold letters.)

Past the relatively small plateau on which you stand, the land seems to stretch on for eternity. Endless dark green bushes stretch on and on until they gradually fade from view. 

From the top of the boulder you have managed to climb, you see the hazy image of a mesa that resides in the middle of the flat landscape, towering with the power and mystery of a fortress. It seems to be of a much higher elevation than the plateau on which you stand. You wonder what kinds of creatures reside so far away and so up high.

In this outback, you have already met the elusive tiger snake. You were so overtaken with the beauty of Kimbara that you were a little too clumsy for your own good. You drank all your water at once, leaving none for later, you tripped and fell a few times– and you almost stepped on a tiger snake! 

Luckily, the tiger snake left the situation unharmed, and you left the situation without getting bitten, but since that moment you have been careful with every step.

You marvel at the bright colors of the earth beneath your feet. The ground has been bombarded by sunlight so much that it has begun to take on the blazing color of the Sun itself. Not many animals are outside of their shaded burrows or leaves, so the outback appears initially empty, if not for the constant stir of secret life that keeps you on your toes.

A thirst begins to build that you hope won't become dehydration. You curse your wasted water bottle and you move toward the river in the middle of the plateau. Cupping cool water in your hands, you realize that this river is the reason for such a concentration of diverse life amidst miles and miles of flat desert. It makes the refreshing water in your hands seem all the more special.

Suddenly, your drinking is interrupted by an accusing voice from across the water. 

"Who drinks from my river!?"

You look in the general direction of the voice, a little startled. Your eyes lock onto a mat of thick leaves. "Who goes there? I didn't know you owned this river, isn't it for everyone?"

"Yes, it is for everyone," the voice scoffs from behind the leaves, "but only for my loyal subjects. You are not from Kimbara Outback, as evident by your reckless consumption of precious water."

"Hey, I've learned my lesson about the water, okay?" you reply, a little embarrassed, "And did you just call yourself the king of Kimbara Outback?"

The voice replies matter-of-factly, "Yes, I am. So great am I to rule over this fine land!"

"This land is fine, indeed, but can you really call yourself the born leader," you motion to the landscape around you, "of all this?"

The voice stuttered angrily, "O-of course I can! No one has already, and my subjects all love me. Isn't that right, tiger snake?"

"The king rocks!" hissed a small voice from inside a distant burrow.

You raise an eyebrow. "Ok, so you're king. What do you even do as king?"

"I just do what everyone else does, only I am declared king of all I survey," the voice proudly answers, "I also get to wear a tiny hat."

"Eh... fair enough," you shrug, "you sound like a good leader. Oh mighty king, what trials might I face in order to become one of your loyal subjects?"

The voice responds thoughtfully from behind the thicket of leaves, "Since you are not born of Kimbara, you shall complete the daunting task of... correctly answering a riddle! Then, you shall have the honor of citizenship in my fine domain."

"Bring it on!"

The king of Kimbara tell you this:

"With fine membranes of skin,

I do what you cannot.

What am I?"

HINT: Look in your Journey Book!

*Comment your AJ username, your answer to the riddle, and what you would like me to draw for you as a Masterpiece if you win!*

Sorry for the late post. I started in the morning, but then I had to go do something and finished it at night.

Get ready for tomorrow, when we will finish our adventure in the leafy green heart of The Temple of Zios! 

See you there!!! :D

~DoomyPanda

Riddle Contest Day 9: Appondale!

Hey Jammers! Get ready for the 9th day of the Riddle Contest~ :D

As usual, here are the rules for those who are new to this contest:

Every day of the contest will focus on one land in Jamaa. There will be a riddle about one animal from that land's Journey Book, and it will be your job to guess which one it is!

Whoever answers the most riddles correctly will win a FREE CUSTOM MASTERPIECE! 

Answer every riddle to give you a better chance, even if you're not sure of the answer. Even if you haven't answered the previous riddles yet, you can answer them any time up until the end of the contest on April 23rd.

- Link to Riddle #1

- Link to Riddle #2
- Link to Riddle #3
- Link to Riddle #4
- Link to Riddle #5

- Link to Riddle #6
- Link to Riddle #7
- Link to Riddle #8

Today we will continue our adventure through Jamaa, making our next stop in the grassy savannas of Appondale!

You resurface on land from the ocean and deeply breathe in the air with a gasp, feeling the jarringly bright sun on your face... and the giant mud puddle you are now completely submerged in.

"What the heck!?!?" you think to yourself, trying to shake the mud off. Remembering the world map you had glanced at prior to beginning your adventure, this shouldn't be possible. Kani Cove was all the way on one side of the map while Appondale was directly opposite! 

You churn your way through the mud and reach the dry land. The sun is so powerful that already, the mud is beginning to dry. It is itchy at first, but soon it begins to come off more easily.

You rest against the bark of a tree in the shade to catch your breath. Once you are able to relax, the sun begins to feel less violent– equally as strong as before, but no longer as jarring. You feel the grass beneath you, each blade thick with stored water. You are unsure of how often it rains in this land, but it is surely not as much as you are used to.

Birds flutter through the trees and glide through the ever-reaching sky, calling out songs that travel forever. You are overwhelmed with joy in the space around you, there is just so much to explore– but you are so in need of rest that, despite your excitement trying to wake you, you drift off to sleep, relaxing against the tree's cool bark...

...

A dream unfurls around you of a land of cool, purple sand. Trees that reach into the sky for miles are peppered across the earth. Standing before a bright yet comfortable sun, you notice a sleeping animal at the base of each tree, some small as a cockroach and some large as a wildebeest. Some animals were so small they were invisible to your eye, even as you approached across the sands to get a closer look. Each a creature all the same, native to Appondale. 

You hear a voice that wraps around each leaf in each tree, originating from deep in the ground. 

"Guess what I am, from one riddle alone," it says to you. 

You reply, "Sure I will! Tell me the riddle," 

The voice says to you,

"I see far in a flat line,"

HINT: Look in your Journey Book!

*Comment your AJ username, your answer to the riddle, and what you would like me to draw for you as a Masterpiece if you win!*

Tomorrow, we will explore the vibrant Kimbara Outback! See you there! :D

~DoomyPanda

P.S. If you are new, just know that the reason why there aren't any comments on these posts is because I have comment moderation on until the end of the contest. All comments are seen by me and taken into account, and will be published after this contest is over. It's just so people don't copy each other and make the game less fun. :)

Riddle Contest Day 8: Kani Cove!

Hey Jammers! I hope you're ready for another exciting day of stories and riddles. Particularly for today, just one story and one riddle, of course! =^_^=

I'm looking at the comments you're sending in– I'm really happy to see that many of you are having as much fun with this contest as I am! I don't think I've ever had a contest on this blog that has been this fun and this successful. 

We're on Day 8 right now, so with the exception of today, we only have three lands left to cover! It's crazy, right? :')

I had said that this contest would end on April 22nd, but that was a pretty haphazard estimate. Even though the last riddle would be published on that date, it now seems more realistic for the official end of the contest to be April 23rd, just to give people extra time to answer any riddles they might have missed. What do you think?

As usual, here are the rules for those who are new to this contest:

Every day of the contest will focus on one land in Jamaa. There will be a riddle about one animal from that land's Journey Book, and it will be your job to guess which one it is!

Whoever answers the most riddles correctly will win a FREE CUSTOM MASTERPIECE! 

Answer every riddle to give you a better chance, even if you're not sure of the answer. Even if you haven't answered the previous riddles yet, you can answer them any time up until the end of the contest on April 23rd.

- Link to Riddle #1

- Link to Riddle #2
- Link to Riddle #3
- Link to Riddle #4
- Link to Riddle #5

- Link to Riddle #6
- Link to Riddle #7

We will continue our adventure through the land beneath the waves. Get ready to look for treasure in Kani Cove! Or Crab Cove, if you speak Japanese...

(If you'd like to skip the short story and get straight to the riddle, it's at the bottom in big bold letters.)

You enter Kani Cove through the small dark cavern at the highest point of the Deep Blue. After exiting the deep water, the Sun– the real Sun –greets you with full force! It's a change so dramatic that even underwater, shaded by countless thick reeds, you need to shield your eyes for a minute.

After your eyes adjust to the well-lit water, you almost gasp at what you see: a sunken pirate ship!

You immediately swim over to explore. Swirling in a curious circle around the corroded mast, your suspicions are confirmed. The skull and crossbones symbol is incredibly faded, but closer inspection reveals that yes, this is indeed a pirate ship.

...And boy, do you get incredibly excited when you see the old treasure chest half-buried in the sand!

Instantly, you dart over to the chest and try to wedge it open, but your joy turns to disappointment as you realize that sadly, it's locked.

You begin to wonder if there might be a key hidden somewhere...

Searching around the perimeter of the ship's body proves to be tedious. The more you swim through the thick hanging reeds, the more small hidden places of the ship present themselves as possibilities. It's just overwhelming how much there is to search!

Your eye is drawn to the small phantom insignia on the back of the ship. Swimming over to examine it further, your mind begins to desperately wonder if the image marks a hidden compartment where the key might be hidden. You imagine four hidden bolts holding a small plank of wood. They only need to be unscrewed or broken in order to reach the hidden compartment. Maybe the compartment not only contains the key, but also a captain's log complete with a treasure map to ANOTHER treasure sealed in a bottle! You get more and more excited with each possibility...

...until you realize that the back of the boat is completely flat, with no protruding bolts or planks or anything at all to signify a compartment. There's just no chance of it. 

"Darn..." you think to yourself in defeat. You sadly drift down to touch the sandy ground of the cove. A few shrimp walk by with their many legs, ecstatically searching through the sand for treasures that might be hidden. 

You stare at the old wooden chest as it catches the watery light of day. "I wonder what kind of treasure is in there," you think to yourself, "Anyway, I bet it's just full of Gems or Diamonds... either way, they wouldn't be much of a treasure. I don't have much use for them..." You try to console yourself with this assumption. Maybe you were better off not spending hours upon hours searching for a key because the treasure might not be as grand as you'd hoped.

What would be a cool treasure?

You ponder that question. Truthfully, you don't know for sure.

You lean back against the worn wooden hull of the ship, wondering how much time you've spent here. The sun has since moved away from its resting place on the old chest, now preferring to scatter itself across the thick blanket of reeds that cloak much of the sandy floor. The layer of gold-lit green stretches from the skull-and-crossbones flag all the way into distant invisibility, like underwater moors. 

"Maybe Kani Cove is the treasure..." you think to yourself with a smile. A few snails slowly make their way across the shadowed treasure chest, leaving light trails behind them.

Suddenly, you catch a flash of movement from within the nearest reeds. A thought occurs to you that you had not yet asked any local creatures where the key might be hidden. You begin to swim over toward the edge of the thick carpet of reeds. "One more try, no more..."

The reeds seem to wriggle as you get closer– and then abruptly still themselves. 

"Uh... hi," you begin awkwardly, clearing your throat.

The reeds waved slightly as the creature answers. "Hi,"

"Do you know where the key to that treasure chest might be?"

The creature sighs. "Newcomers are always asking me and my friends where that key might be, and I always have to be honest and say that I truly have no clue. Sorry to disappoint you."

"Oh no, it's totally fine. I was just a little curious if you knew, is all. I'm just happy to be here!" you reply with a smile.

The reeds shake with happy laughter. "I like your attitude. Typically, newcomers leave right after they hear the truth and don't come back! It's nice that you're one of the few who can appreciate the beauty of this place," 

"Thank you!" you say, "might I ask what kind of creature you are?" 

The creature hesitates before answering. "Hmm... you know, I could just leave these reeds and show you, but I think it would be more fun to see you guess!"

You stare at the reeds and try to guess, but nothing comes up. There are just so many creatures that could be hiding behind those reeds! 

"Might I have a hint?" you ask.

The reeds ripple with a comical sigh, "Alright, fine, but one hint is all you get...:

"I can hold my breath longer than you!"

HINT: Look in your Journey Book!

*Comment your AJ username, your answer to the riddle, and what you would like me to draw for you as a Masterpiece if you win!*

Our exploration of Jamaa's oceans has concluded, so tomorrow we will be back on land in a very different place: the diverse savannas of APPONDALE! I just can't wait! :D

Good luck with this riddle!

~DoomyPanda

Riddle Contest Day 7: Deep Blue!

Hey Jammers! Welcome back to another exciting day of the Riddle Contest~ <(^.^)>

Before we get right into things, I just wanted to rephrase something that might have been missed by a few people: 

It's important that you answer as many riddles as possible in order to win. 

I've just been getting a few comments asking if it's okay to answer multiple riddles. My answer is that you should-- in fact, you most likely will not win if you only answer one! Just wanted to clear that up before we start. :0

If you're new, here's what this Riddle Contest is all about: Every day of the contest will focus on one land in Jamaa. There will be a riddle about one animal from that land's Journey Book, and it will be your job to guess which one it is!

Whoever answers the most riddles correctly will win a FREE CUSTOM MASTERPIECE! 

Answer every riddle to give you a better chance, even if you're not sure of the answer. Even if you haven't answered the previous riddles yet, you can answer them any time up until the end of the contest on April 22nd.

- Link to Riddle #1

- Link to Riddle #2
- Link to Riddle #3
- Link to Riddle #4
- Link to Riddle #5

- Link to Riddle #6

Get out your scuba gear, because we're about to make our descent into the very deepest part of Jamaa, the Deep Blue...

(If you want to skip the short story and get straight to the riddle, it's at the bottom in big bold letters.)

The water gets darker as you slowly sink into the depths of the ocean. A gradient of dark blues and violets soon overtakes the remaining aqua of Bahari Bay in a magnificent swirl. The pressure increases its push on you.

As your eyes begin to adjust, a very different kind of life takes shape within the darkness; a kind of life you aren't used to. 

Long, phosphorescent teeth glint like stars in their own bioluminescence. Despite your initial shock, the bearers of those jaws leave you be. They eat creatures much smaller than you. In fact, they themselves are smaller than you. You let them pass by you through their dark world, following their own paths through the water to find each other.

You feel grounded beneath your feet, and you realize that you have reached the bottom of the ocean. Maroon tube-like creatures cluster together in families by a vein of underwater magma, delighting in its heat. 

The lightless water is frigid. If you close your eyes, it really does feel like you are lost in the abyss of outer space. There is a sense of being lonely, so far away from home...

...yet, you have never been closer to Earth than you are now. You open your eyes to the fish around you, no longer in outer space, but in one of the most mysterious and beautiful ecosystems in the world. 

Wrapped in the cool blanket of darkness, you spot a ghostly pale fish that almost makes you gasp. A coelacanth, a rare and ancient fish who calls the deep water their home, peers out from behind a rock formation. Their soft eyes catch the light of magma.

You no longer feel afraid of the fish around you. The deep ocean is a place very different from the land you are so familiar with. These long-toothed and pale-eyed creatures are not monsters, you realize, but are only different because their environment is different. Their eyes are pale and blind because there is not much to see in the dark, and their bodies are strangely shaped in order to thrive in such high pressures. 

95% of the ocean is unexplored, you think to yourself. 99% of the deep water is unexplored. So many beautiful and amazing creatures live here, in an underwater land like outer space, where the shining lights of fish scatter like stars through a sparkling and dark universe.

You look up from the ocean floor and see a particularly bright light far above your head: the Sun. You wave goodbye to the fish of the Deep Blue and lift off towards the light of the land. 

Rising, the Sun grows bigger as you reach it and the water grows brighter. You look down at the depths below and smile at the little bright eyes.

You turn your head back up and suddenly realize that you are right next to the Sun. Its light blazes right next to you. 

"What's going on here? Am I actually in outer space?" you say aloud, quickly realizing how dumb that second question was. It's still fairly dark, but you can just make out the shape of a gulper eel a little way away. Nope, still underwater.

Suddenly, the "Sun" speaks to you. 

"Hello, land-creature," they begin, voice echoing off the rocks, "Because you don't seem like much of a threat, I'll let you in on a little secret... I'm not actually the Sun."

"Then, what are you?" 

The shining creature seems to laugh, a strange and sweet sound so deep underwater. "I won't tell you, but I'll give you a riddle as a hint,"

They tell you...:

"You think I'm the Sun

The Sun will not touch my fins

That's perfect for me"

HINT: Look in your Journey Book!

*Comment your AJ username, your answer to the riddle, and what you would like me to draw for you as a Masterpiece if you win!*

Tomorrow, we will be swimming into the lost ruins of a pirate ship in KANI COVE! :D

Thanks for participating in this contest, and remember to answer as many riddles as you can in order to win! ^-^

See ya later!

~DoomyPanda

P.S. Notice how the riddle is a haiku? ;D

Riddle Contest Day 6: Bahari Bay!

Hey Jammers! Welcome to Day 6 of the Riddle Contest. ^_^

Before we begin, I just want to say thank-you to Arcticstar Jamaa for the compliment on my short story! Because it was in a contest entry, I can't publish it yet, so I just wanted to thank them here. :)

If you're new, here's what this Riddle Contest is all about: Every day of the contest will focus on one land in Jamaa. There will be a riddle about one animal from that land's Journey Book, and it will be your job to guess which one it is!

Whoever answers the most riddles correctly will win a FREE CUSTOM MASTERPIECE! 

It would be in your best interest to answer every riddle to give you a better chance. Even if you haven't answered the previous riddles yet, you can answer them any time up until the end of the contest on April 22nd.

- Link to Riddle #1

- Link to Riddle #2
- Link to Riddle #3
- Link to Riddle #4
- Link to Riddle #5

Today, we'll dive down deeper into the blue Bahari Bay...

(If you want to skip the short story and get straight to the riddle, it's at the bottom in big bold letters.)

You enter Bahari Bay through a small underwater tunnel. As you paddle through the reeds, you become aware of your need to breathe. You swim upwards and break through the water's surface with a deep gasp of air. Gripping onto the weathered wooden ladder, you look up at the blue sky over Crystal Sands before taking a deep breath and plunging back beneath the waves once more.

You notice that Bahari Bay seems to have a slightly lower depth than Crystal Reef, so the creatures who populate the area are quite different. Where Crystal Reef had a lively and visible community of coral, Bahari Bay has an almost endless forest of seaweed, waving gently with the tide. Although it obscures your view of the darker water, you see many flickers of fins and tails from between the reeds. This underwater forest seems to provide protection to a diverse city of fish by concealing them from view!

Your gaze travels up the cliffs of blue-black rock inhabited by the more visible citizens of the Bay, from the ancient, earth-toned barrel sponges to the families of happy clams who periodically part their shells to feast on passing plankton.

As you're looking up, you catch sight of something strange on the bottom of the floating wooden dock. You swim upwards in its direction-- careful not to bump your head on the dock, of course.

The strange thing you saw turns out not to be a group of intricately clustered barnacles, as you had previously thought, but a written inscription!

You read through it carefully, once and then twice. Written in messy handwriting, it seems to be some kind of riddle!

It reads:

"'This riddle is crazy,' you might say,

but I'm dying to know,

which creature is the ice cream of the Bay?"

HINT: Look in your Journey Book!

This riddle is admittedly a little harder than the others, but I know that you have the power to solve it! :D

*Comment your AJ username, your answer to the riddle, and what you would like me to draw for you in a Masterpiece if you win!*

Again, if you have already told me your Masterpiece request in a previous comment, you do not have to repeat yourself again. 

Get ready for tomorrow, when we will continue our underwater expeditions into DEEP BLUE!

I believe in youuuu!!!

~DoomyPanda

Riddle Contest Day 5: Crystal Reef!

Hey Jammers, happy Save-the-Elephant Day!

 We're almost halfway done with this contest, so I'd like to give a big thank-you to everyone who has participated so far. Here it is:

THANK YOU!!!!!

(Haha... get it? "Big" thank-you? Haha... haha... ugh. -_-)

Seriously though, I'm so happy with the turn-out of this contest. It seems to me that it's really fun for some of you! I think I might do more of these in the future.

As always, here's a brief description of this contest for those who are new to the party:

Here's what this Riddle Contest is all about: Every day of the contest will focus on one land in Jamaa. There will be a riddle about one animal from that land's Journey Book, and it will be your job to guess which one it is!

Whoever answers the most riddles correctly will win a FREE CUSTOM MASTERPIECE! 

It would be in your best interest to answer every riddle to give you a better chance. Even if you haven't answered the previous riddles yet, you can answer them any time up until the end of the contest on April 22nd.

- Link to Riddle #1

- Link to Riddle #2
- Link to Riddle #3
- Link to Riddle #4

Today's journey will take us underwater to the blue waters of Crystal Reef. Without further ado, let's DIVE right in! 

(If you wanna skip the short story and get straight to the riddle, it's at the bottom in big bold letters.)

Without hesitation, you jump right into the cool water with a big splash, and a totally new world opens up to you.

The bubbles clear and unveil countless colors. You gape with wonder as those colors transform before adjusting eyes into the diverse forms of many water-breathing creatures-- too many to count! 

Of course, the majority of the creatures you see are animals that seem more like plants, clinging and subtly shuffling among sand and rock. More free-swimming fish are hiding in the deeper waters, you presume. 

Although the creatures you see aren't as physically mobile, there exists the energy of a bustling town in these waters. Like a Jamaa Township for invertebrates. 

Soon the water feels so natural to swim in that it begins to feel like air. You glide through this alien-yet-familiar landscape like you're flying, looking down at the myriad of creatures living together in harmony. To your surprise, you spot a sand dollar. You've never seen a living one before now, so you swoop down to get a closer look.

The little sand dollar shuffles slowly across the sandy floor of Crystal Reef. Upon closer inspection, you're amazed to see thousands of tiny feet, each taking tentative steps to gradually carry the little sand dollar to all his destinations. At one point, he seems to shyly wave at you with all his many appendages. You smile. The pattern on his back looks a lot like a flower. 

Suddenly, a voice!

"It's a terrible shame that people mainly see sand dollars as mere ornaments. They're wonderful when you get to know them, really."

That voice did not come from the sand dollar. You swivel your head around, trying to gauge its source.

"I wouldn't go looking for me, if I were you. You might accidentally get stung," the voice echos. 

You realize that you probably wouldn't be able to tell this creature's location from sound alone. The water distorts their voice so thoroughly that it sounds like it's coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once!

"I can't figure out where you are, so could you at least tell me what you are?" you call out. 

The mysterious voice responds, "I won't tell you, but you can guess. I'll give you a riddle...

"I'm the deer of the ocean, 

but if you get too close, I won't run away--

I'll sting!"

HINT: Look in your Journey Book!

*Comment your AJ username, your answer to the riddle, and what you would like me to draw for you as a Masterpiece if you win!*

Keep in mind that you do not have to repeat your Masterpiece request if you have already written it on a previous riddle.

Tomorrow is Day 6, where we will continue our exploration of the ocean in BAHARI BAY! :D

See you there!

~DoomyPanda

P.S. I may be nonmember right now, but as soon as the contest winner is announced I will buy a membership and get right to work on the winner's Masterpiece.

P.P.S. The Biweekly Masterpiece contest will be announced late. 

P.P.P.S. Go check out video of sand dollars alive underwater. It's so cool!!!

P.P.P.P.S. I just learned that "bahari" means "sea" in Hindi. I also learned that the "kani" in Kani Cove means "crab" in Japanese! How cool is that?