6 Items in Store That Will Soon be Rare

Hey guys! Unfortunately, I don't have as much time to kill today, so this post will be shorter and a little less interesting. Still, I think it might be helpful.

Before we begin, a quick reminder. It would be awesome if you could go enter in the riddle contest. 

– You will win a custom Masterpiece. I will draw you what you want me to draw and give it to you to put in your den.

Here are some examples of what I've drawn before:

– I have not published the entry comments yet, but I will tell you only 3 people have entered so far. Even if you don't get all the riddles, you have a huge chance of winning. 

– The contest ends on Wednesday. 

> CLICK HERE TO SEE THE RIDDLES <

The reason why I only do 1 contest a year is that usually, not enough people enter. Even if you're not interested in a Masterpiece commission, if you enter in this contest there is a bigger chance that I'll have more contests in the future.

So... please enter. XD

Anyways, you're probably wondering about that clickbait-y title up above. Allow me to explain.

For those who weren't around for the Mira vs. Zios thing last year, a whole slew of items were released that either featured Mira or Zios. The Mira vs. Zios thing was taken to VidCon, and "Team Zios" won somehow. Consequently, all of the new Zios items got a rare tag once they left Jamaa.

Because "Team Direwolf" won this year... all of these items will get a rare tag in six days. 

At this point, I'm not quite certain how in-demand last year's Zios items are, but if they ever do get super popular it's sure to take another year or so. 

This title is clickbait-y in the sense that a "rare" tag won't automatically make the direwolf items popular in trading. However, I hope this has been a helpful reminder. 

See you guys in Jamaa!!!

P.S. Because I'm busy all day tomorrow, there will not be a post. However, the daily-post train will resume on Monday!

Nonmember by Choice

Hey Jammers! This will be a bit of a shorter post, as I have stuff to do today, but I still hope you'll still find it at least a little interesting.

So, contrary to what some of you might think from the images on my blog, I'm actually nonmember. I've chosen to be nonmember for the majority of my time on this game.

The screenshot in my signature image and on the left sidebar was from around 2012-2013 when I was starting this blog. 

This was my panda's main look during that time. 

Visually, I still like it, but I associate it more with blogging about AJ than playing AJ, which is why I use it as my blog avatar but don't play as it. It sounds weird, but hear me out.

A few years ago, I'd say that my favorite part of Animal Jam was the level of customization– instead of just picking one color for one animal like on Club Penguin or something, you can pick animal type, eye color, eye shape, pattern color, pattern shape.... 

That's still a big part of why I like AJ, but only recently I've realized that there's something else that keeps me coming back after all these years.

It's the aesthetic.

I love Animal Jam artistically. I love how the lands look. I love the dusty, earthy, vibrant, naturally textured style of stuff that has both left AJ and carried on from beta to the present day. I love the jungle-y and somehow mysterious "energy" it can evoke.

That's why I get so annoyed when stuff changes lol

I'm not gonna say it's just nostalgia (even though it reminds me a lot of the older Nat Geo educational VHS videos I used to watch). I simply love how it looks, and it's important to me.

So, back to the member/nonmember thing. I associate a lot of sparkly/"elite" stuff with membership– the name tags, the gold lock on member items, diamonds, etc. That glitz kinda goes counter to what I love most about AJ's style, so I can do without it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Figuring out how certain kinds of colors and textures make me feel has been really important in developing my own art style. I barely post any of my art here, mostly because it's rarely Animal Jam related and I usually regret putting my flawed work on the internet, but I'm really motivated to draw this summer so maybe that will change. 

Aside from artistic stuff, I don't like "maxing out" on video games anymore. On Animal Jam, I routinely recycle or giveaway items I don't want because I don't like having a lot of stuff. 

On a farming game I play (Stardew Valley), I strategically avoid upgrading my tools and only harvest the bare minimum amount of crops so I never make a huge profit. I don't like big numbers. XD

You can probably see my mentality in my AJ currency challenges. So yeah, this explains that!

I guess I use computer games to make myself feel organized because in reality it's hard to keep things neat lol

Hmm... so... what do you think about this? Why do you play AJ? Why are you member/nonmember?

Peace~

Party Details + Kakapo

(Enter the contest by July 4th to win a custom Masterpiece!!! 

I made some of the riddles easier, and added a few new ones!!!)

Hey guys! dAy SiX oF dAiLy PoStInG??? WOW. 

Let's see what IceCream Cookie Kitty has to say about this...

*pats you back on the back*

Thank you XD

Now, onto the main event of this post...

I figured out the details of this meet-up! 

I also spent far too long making those tiny panda graphics. And deciding on the color scheme.

In the case that you can't see this image, this party is on Saturday July 7th at 1:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. There are websites where you can convert EST into your own time zone, if yours differs.

It will be at my den on the server Draa. I'm currently finding some den items that will make being in a small house den a little less boring– but hey, I have Club Geoz music! 

It would be great if you could vote on the new poll to the right. I'm willing to change the date/time if a lot of you need. ^-^

Comment below if you have any questions about this. :)

In other news, I noticed something cool in Gabby Wild's Animal Hospital.

You know how there are a lot of pictures of animals on the wall? There are lions, seals, butterflies... many recognizable animals. 

This specific animal looks to be some type of parrot. That is correct, but this is no ordinary parrot...

This is a kakapo!!!

Pronounced "kar-ka-po", this is a very endangered parrot native to New Zealand. However, they were made extinct on the mainland shortly after European colonization. Today, there are fewer than 200, all of whom reside on Codfish Island off the coast of New Zealand.

Kakapo are the world's heaviest parrot (8 pounds) and are completely flightless. They are mostly nocturnal and nest underground. The image above is a male bird singing from his dug out area. It is a call to females to come and watch him dance.

Another interesting thing about kakapo– their feathers naturally smell like honey.

I immediately recognized the bird in the picture frame because I remember reading the book Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot a few months ago.

It has some beautiful photographs in picture-book format, but I'd recommend this for all ages. It follows a team of researchers on Codfish Island, and has a lot of interesting information about what they do to study and preserve the species in their native habitat. :)

See you in Jamaa, guys! Don't forget to enter the contest~

Unknown Items #1 – Animal Banners

Hey Jammers! Just to let you know, I edited the riddles on the contest post for a second time. Even if you've already submitted your entry, I've included a few extra riddles that you can answer to increase your chance of winning. Click here to see them!

If you haven't noticed already, as of today I've posted five days in a row! :D

As I've realized that it can be hard to have a very news-heavy post on a daily basis, I think today would be a good time to try out a "series" that my friend Gogreen16 came up with: unknown item spotlight!

Because the idea surfaced as Gogreen16 was talking about looking for a Tiger Banner, the first spotlit item(s) will be animal banners.

Here they all are:

These were sold in the Conservation Museum along with their corresponding topiaries until October 2013, when all the banners went on clearance and all the topiaries were moved to Sarepia Forest. 

Roughly one half of the banners are nonmember– seven out of the total fifteen. I wonder if that was strategic...?

Something interesting to note about these items: none can be won in The Forgotten Desert. 

Even though TFD ultimately reduces rarity, it sometimes appears to stabilize demand by making more people aware of an item's existence. This may be a big reason why animal banners have such low demand, despite it being five years since their removal.

Out of all these banners, my favorites are the Panda Banner and Elephant Banner. The Panda Banner because my main animal is a panda, and the yellow striped background makes me happy. The Elephant Banner because it has that same yellow striped background, but unlike the Panda, it's nonmember! 

What are your favorites? What are some more unknown items that you think deserve more attention? Comment! ^_^

P.S. Go check out IceCream Cookie Kitty's YouTube channel! They made a nice video about my Currency Challenge ideas, and they definitely deserve more views on their other Animal Jam videos. :)

Temple of Trivia PSA

Guys...

SOMEONE PLAY TEMPLE OF TRIVIA

I went on every full server today. Tigris, Congo, Aldan– every one.

This was the most full a Temple of Trivia room was:

But apart from me and the bunny, no one even did anything and left after 2 minutes.

Aside from the fact that Temple of Trivia is my favorite game, I always get concerned when stuff becomes unpopular because I worry AJHQ will pull a Club Geoz and prune it off the game– even though its existence doesn't get in the way of anything!

This might seem dramatic, but all that kind of removal does is make everyone feel like things are falling apart. 

The main point of this PSA is... it would be cool if you could play Temple of Trivia with some friends if you ever get the chance. 

I always always always want to play, but there is never a big enough group to play with. Maybe if we're online at the same time we could end up in the same game– just look for a panda with purple swirls :P

That's all for now, remember to enter in the contest! I edited that post a bit so the riddles are easier to understand. 

See you in Jamaa~

Blog-o-versary Contest (EDIT x3)

EDIT: It seems I phrased things in a confusing way, so I tried to clarify what kinds of answers these riddles/hints have. Scroll down! 

EDIT x3: I made the riddles a little more specific, again lol

Hey Jammers! I had originally planned to just be lazy today and not post, but I got inspired by those of you who dedicate yourselves to posting daily on your own AJ blogs. I wanna be like you guys!!! :D

So... the contest. At this point in time, while I'm typing this, I have no idea what this contest is going to be about, but I'll figure it out by the time I finish this post. XD

Right now I do know for sure what the prize will be: a custom Masterpiece. I like drawing, and I think giving one out as a prize could be a little more significant than a rare item or something.

For last year's riddle contest, the winner asked me to draw them a fox and this is what I did:

I learned a lot in my art class this year, so I think the Masterpiece I make for this current contest will probably be an improvement. Still, this is just an example of what I can do. 

Ok. Now the actual contest.

To celebrate six years of Animal Jam Stream, I am having a riddle contest! 

The rules are simple. Below is a list of riddles/hints that I just made up. Each riddle alludes to a certain place in Jamaa within a land OR a certain Journey Book animal. 

Whoever gets the most riddles correct will win a custom Masterpiece!

Once you read all the riddles, comment the following:

– Your username

– Your answer for each riddle/hint

– What you would like me to draw for you if you win

So no one copies each other's answers, I will turn on comment moderation and not publish any entries until the contest is over. 

Here are all the riddles! Entries are due by July 4th. Good luck!

I edited a few of these again to be clearer.

1. To the ants right next to it, an earth-colored ocean

2. Flaming blue wings

3. If you stand up here, you can look out for peregrine falcons.

4. Wooden wheel in the sky.

5. Tropical marshmallows in the jungle.

6. The castle with no king.

7. You would not believe your eyes ♫

8. Prehistory in ice.

9. The tallest you can be.

10. Someone lost $2 by the water!

11. LOL means "lots of legs"

12. I'm green and will follow you everywhere you point

13. A room to see the stars, day or night

14 (new). Two extremes exist between this path.

15 (new). Moose turned llama.

16 (new). Long ago, the sun colored history here. 

Comment down below! Over these next few days, if I notice that people are struggling, I'll add more hints. :)

EDIT: Just to clarify, the answers to these riddles are either Journey Book animals or specific areas within specific lands/rooms. Here's an example:

Riddle: Made of stone, I fly away in October.

Answer: The Mira statue in Jamaa Township!

So the answers are not lands themselves, but rather certain parts of different lands. Some of these riddles also refer to stuff within indoor areas as well. 

Because Journey Book animals are included within the landscape, a few of these riddles also refer to them. Example:

Riddle: A clock with a beak

Answer: The kookaburra in Kimbara Outback! 
(because in the Kimbara Outback Journey Book, it says that this bird is sometimes called "the bushman's clock")

I recommend that you look around Jamaa and your Journey Books until you see anything that reminds you of one of the riddles!

Weird AJ T-Shirts

Hey Jammers! I'm still figuring out the details of the upcoming contest and party, but I typed up this post last night and thought I'd publish it in the interim.

So... I don't use Instagram. A few years ago I made one just for Animal Jam stuff, but I had no idea what to post so I gave up lol

Occasionally, however, I go to the desktop version of AJHQ's IG page because sometimes I like to look at the fan art they post.

What I found yesterday was an ad for some new... interesting t-shirts.

These are definitely a far-cry from the AJ t-shirts we're used to. Exhibit A:

Unlike the above "limited edition" t-shirts, you can actually tell where this wolf shirt came from.

Typically, I don't care about Animal Jam merchandise– the only piece I own is a ragged Liza mouse pad. However, because these shirts confuse me a lot, let's look at each one and see if they're actually worth the money:

First of all, we got these two direwolf/sabertooth rivalry tees. They look like they were made to emulate those bright sports mascots. This direwolf/sabertooth "conflict" was a VidCon thing that I missed because I don't pay attention to the YouTube part of the AJ community. 

I personally wish the images were more Animal Jam-y and less generic sports team-y, but they're alright.

Next up...

*sigh*

I actually like how this shirt looks. 

It just makes me kind of sad that AJHQ still profits off of Club Geoz after they removed it. TT_TT

Most likely, the partner that designed these t-shirts just saw other AJ merchandise and modeled these t-shirts off of a vague knowledge of Animal Jam. 

Still.

bring back club geoz 2k18

This shirt is probably the most "artsy" piece of merchandise to ever be marketed under Animal Jam's name.

It's either a reference to something the designer is counting on no one understanding, or some nonsensical edginess.

And I love it.

However, that doesn't mean I'm gonna buy it– for three reasons. First one being, there is no actual photo of how this shirt looks anywhere, nor is there any description in the online shop it's being sold in. Not everyone might care about that, but my skin is sensitive to certain kinds of fabrics so I'd appreciate knowing what the shirt was made of.

Second reason:

IT'S 20 FREAKING DOLLARS

I dunno about you, but I think that's a bit much for a t-shirt I know nothing about. o_o

The third reason why I won't buy this shirt is that it looks super easy (and fun) to try to make on my own. I've been making a lot of wood block prints in my art class this year and the wolf face looks like it could be fun to carve, cover in white ink/dye and stamp onto a black t-shirt. 

I'm already gonna make a t-shirt with a print of an alien I finished this week, so why don't I also try out the wolf?

YES. I will go to the art supplies store, get some gouges, ink/dye, and squares of wood or linoleum and make some Animal Jam t-shirts!!!

I'm also especially interested of making some prints of the Mysterious Panda Banner & friends:

I'm getting off-topic. All I wanna do this summer is make prints, but I don't know if the art store near me even has printing stuff. 

Anyway, the last t-shirt:

...

Every time someone buys this shirt, Mira cries.


In my honest opinion, I don't think any of these t-shirts are worth $20. Especially the last one. I am of the strong belief that the last one is worth negative money– you should be paid if you're going to wear it in public.

That's not to say that I think the "LOST" shirt and the Geoz shirt aren't cool. I think they look interesting! Just not a big fan of spending $40 on a couple pieces of fabric.

Overall, I'm more interested in playing Animal Jam than showing people I play Animal Jam. ^_^;

Of course, that's just me. Do whatever you want. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯