Rediscovering Jamaa: The Flag Shop

Hey Jammers! I mentioned this idea I had awhile ago to make a series of posts giving tours of some underrated rooms in Jamaa. I decided to start this series today, kicking it off with a tour of The Flag Shop!

Entering the Flag Shop, you'll probably be able to tell that this room is much unlike any of the others in Jamaa– maybe even in real life, too. I've never heard of an actual flag shop before!

True to its name, there are tons of flags here. Covering the ceilings, decorating the walls, and of course, within the shop itself.

With the addition of four created flags (the Jamaa flag, the Peace flag, the Phantom flag, and the Pirate flag), there is a total of 114 country flags for sale.

While I counted up all the flags, I also noticed a couple of errors. For instance, the Ecuador flag is only a shade lighter than the Colombian flag, and it's missing its crest. 

I'm not being critical, just practicing the AJ blogger tradition of picking out details that no one would notice anyway. XD

Fun fact about the Jamaa Flag: it was designed by a Jammer named Mythical Arcticstar at the very beginning of 2012! Here's the original entry, unedited by AJHQ:

The Jamaa Flag is probably my favorite flag in the Flag Shop, but my favorite real-life flag design is probably Sri Lanka:

The downstairs portion of the Flag Shop offers even more surprises:

Among other places, you can shop for flags by clicking this adorable cash register. It took awhile for me to realize that there are two Gem symbols at the top of it. XD

There's also a simplified model of the largest legislative building in India. Look at the real version:

Cool detail, huh? There's a lot to say about these underrated rooms in AJ.

It also might be worth pointing out that the entire bottom floor of the flag shop might just be hanging off the bottom of the wood platform it rests on. 

Or not. It doesn't look like a very wise building decision. XD

Overall, the Flag Shop is a pretty classic underrated building and I hope it never goes away. Not many people visit it, so it's a nice non-laggy meeting place for you and your buddies!

What underrated room should I talk about next? Comment below~ ^.^

~DoomyPanda

3 Fun Things to do On AJ

Hey Jammers! Do you wanna know something weird about my posting schedule? I typically remember to post after I have a dream involving Animal Jam. 

For instance, last night I had a dream that Animal Jam added a new gemstone currency: jade. Just like diamonds, jade could buy "limited edition" items, but jade was rarely and randomly rewarded. In my dream, I got jade twice but wasted it all on a plate of croissants. </3

That dream taught me a valuable lesson: extra gem currencies are a bad idea at this point in time. It also taught me that I should remind myself to post more so I'm not haunted by Animal Jam nightmares. 

Anyway, onto the subject of this post. Because it's not an update day, nor is it a day where anything particularly interesting is taking place, I thought I'd provide you with a few ways to pass the time on Animal Jam. First up: sending confusing Jam-A-Grams.

Alright, so if you don't know what I'm talking about, or why this would be entertaining at all, hear me out. The list of phrases nonmembers can put into Jam A Grams is limited– there's really not much you can say. 

However, recent updates have given us a surplus of short, less specific phrases that can be used ominously on their own. 

If you're bored like me, try to make the weirdest JAG possible within the limits imposed by bubble chat. Send it to a weird friend who'll understand, or a random person, but this isn't about harassing people, so don't spam their mailbox or anything.

Step 1: Choose a Jam-a-Gram that most people have forgotten about, or maybe never knew existed.

Step 2: Find a vaguely ominous thing to say in the Bubble Chat menu. Here are a few:

 

Step 3: Choose some kinda weirdly specific stamp, like a mushroom or a magnifying glass. 

Step 4: Tada! 

If that doesn't sound fun, don't worry. I organized this post from least to most fun, so the best is saved for last. ;D

Have you ever wished you could predict the future? Well, why not pretend!

If you're a member, you'll be able to answer more than Yes or No questions, but nonmembers can also participate with this because Yes, No, and Maybe are all in the bubble chat menu. 

This is really fun! Just try not to hurt anyone's feelings, ok? :)

Last, but certainly not least, is a game that someone in Jamaa Township taught me. 

I'm not talking about Pairs on its own, but a game you can play alongside Pairs, or any other multiplayer minigame. 

It's simple: whoever loses the minigame gives the winner an item as a prize! 

The catch is... the item does not have to be rare, and the winner is not allowed to complain. 

Like all other things in this post, this game can be nonmember-inclusive, if the prize can be traded rather than Jam-a-Grammed. 

Try it with a friend today! :D

More posts coming soon,

~DoomyPanda 

Staying Positive About Mediocre Updates

Hey Jammers! I meant to post earlier, but I had to focus on finals and school stuff– y'know, the works. 

Today was the first time I checked my Blogger dashboard since before the update. And oh boy, what an update:

...

You know...

I'm just gonna pretend I never heard about this.

All I can say is that somewhere up in AJHQ, some 50 year old man at a meeting said "You know what The Kids will like? You know what is not just an overused, overworked, stale meme just begging for death? DABBING!"

Still, maybe this isn't so bad:

The dance is unusually well-animated– just look at that fluffy mane! And it's not immediately obvious that it was inspired by a dead meme. In fact, it looks like it might not have even been intentional. I mean, it probably was intentional, but what matters is that it isn't obvious. I can ignore it if I try hard.

This gif and the one above were found on the AJ Wiki

In the course of writing this post, I have pretty much changed my opinion on the Clydesdale Horse's actions. The animation is really smooth! I'm just gonna pretend the dabbing never happened. I suggest you join me.

Generally though, my opinion on the new animal avatar stays the same: I don't see the point of another horse when there are so many different kinds of animals in the world to choose from! 

C'mon, AJHQ, we've waited years. When will we finally be able to play as an aye-aye and dig worms out of rotting tree branches?

My patience is waning, AJHQ. 2018 IS THE YEAR OF THE AYE-AYE

In other, way better news, all land/ocean Base Camp adventures are nonmember now!

Excellent! Now I won't need to borrow my brother's account to play Greely's Inferno!

Other adventures that are only accessible through the World Map are still member's only, like The Forgotten Desert. Although, there isn't much incentive to making TFD nonmember unless AJHQ decided eagles should be for everyone. Personally, I don't think that will happen. I'd imagine a lot of Jammers buy memberships so they can play The Forgotten Desert so they can get closer to the ~beta rares~

Also, some news from the Alpha HQ/mansion: the artifact collected from the ancient underground city has randomly vanished.

I tried checking the Forgotten Archive for clues, but all I got out of that visit was that AJHQ still hasn't noticed this glitch:

Ah well. We'll find out next update, I guess.

Sometimes, we get mediocre updates. Personally though, I don't think they signify a gradual decline in the integrity of AJ. A lot of annoying things have happened, but I've found that I can ignore a lot of them so they don't get in the way of my enjoyment of the game. 

I do the same kinda thing at school: instead of being sad about all the homework I get, I try to instead focus on how lucky I am to have some close friends in my classes. 

See you in Jamaa, guys. Maybe we can't make the whole AJ game and community perfect, but we can do our best with the little group of buddies we have :)

~DoomyPanda

Clearance Items & Animal Videos

Hey Jammers! I don't normally talk about items on this blog, mostly because it's hard for me to post every time there's a new one. Still, I thought today it might be useful for you to go through all the items that will soon be leaving Jamaa for an unknown period of time. 

Jam Mart Furniture:

Jam Mart Clothing:

Diamond Shop:

Also, this item is not on clearance but its name made me laugh a little:

*Warrior cats flashbacks*

Den Emporium:

And now, for something a little different. Because many Jammers have forgotten about the many cool animal videos that come and go every day, the next part of this post will include clearance videos. 

Sarepia Theater:

All of you better watch that bobcat video XD

Brady Barr's Theater:

What is a wombat? A lovely marsupial, that's what. Go appreciate them at Brady Barr's lab today!

Tierney's Aquarium Theater:

So many things to learn, so little time! So before time runs out, go grab some digital popcorn and watch some beautiful animals. :3

You know, as I was wandering around Jamaa, I walked into many interesting yet empty rooms. Paws n' Claws, the Conservation Museum, the AJ Explorer's tent...  all beautiful, all underrated.

Even though Jammers tend to circulate around Jamaa Township, there's so much more to see, so many curiosities...

For instance, who or what is in this portrait hanging in Gabby Wild's Medical Center? Maybe if more people went exploring around the area, the mystery would be solved.

Because of all this, I thought of a new post series. Rediscovering Jamaa, a series of posts touring and appreciating underpopulated rooms in Animal Jam!

Does that sound interesting? Comment below if I should start that this weekend!

See you in Jamaa,

~DoomyPanda

Nonmember Octopus Costume + AJ Horse Theory

Hey Jammers! Yesterday was the latest update– one not as eventful as others, but there are still some interesting things to be said about it.

The Jamaa Journal opens with a brief recap of the events of 2017 following the August renewal of the Zios statue, suggesting that 2018 will continue the pattern and be a very lore-centric year.

Personally, I love all the new lore stuff– the Forgotten Archive is a wonderful thing to have accessible –but I'd also like to see more educational content about nature emphasized. I'm sure there can be both! 

In other news of interest, a new outfit was announced on the third or fourth page:

I had first assumed this seemingly random outfit was just gonna be in the Diamond Shop, but no! It's in Jam Mart Clothing! Better yet, one third of the outfit is nonmember:

I was originally disappointed because shoes like these typically look really chunky and weird on pandas, but the Genie Shoes actually make a nice octopus costume. xD

PSA to all my nonmember panda friends: if you're in a fashion contest and the theme is "octopus," these Genie Shoes will let you win for sure!

Next up, we have a rather unexpected and unanticipated new animal:

Another horse?

I really wonder why AJHQ decided that a slightly different horse avatar would be a good addition to the game. The only thing I can come up with is that they released an Arabian Horse into Play Wild. 

Maybe... AJHQ is trying to reach those kids who play those horse-specific online games like Star Stable? I guess having a ton of vastly different animal avatars to choose from widens your audience. 

Do you guys think that Jammers who get Clydesdale Horses will get to play Jamaa Derby with them?

The Heatwave Party is back as well! You know, this has always been my favorite party. Around the time I first joined, I liked to get a strawberry smoothie from the Heatwave Party smoothie machine and pretend to drink it. 

On a slightly related note, have any of you had strawberry juice before? I haven't had it in a packaged form, but when I make strawberry cake I marinate strawberries in sugar until their juice comes out and it's sooooo good. I always imagine that when I get a pixelated Animal Jam smoothie.

The items at the Heatwave Shop are, refreshingly, the same they've always been:

Aside from a couple decorations, the Heatwave Party as a whole has not changed much in terms of design. I think many other Jammers can agree that having just enough visual stability in a beloved game is pretty nice.

At the moment, I feel too winter-y to even think about a heatwave, but if you want a visual vacation to a warm summer-y beach, stop by the Heatwave Party today!

See y'all in Jamaa~ ;D