6 Years of Animal Jam Stream

Hey Jammers, today's my first day of summer break! :D

As I mentioned in the comments in the last post, my school had an unusual amount of snow days, which pushed the last day of school to yesterday.

Even though barely anyone came to school yesterday, I went anyways to say goodbye to my teachers. Also, I wanted to leave school on a positive note because my math test on Thursday went awfully. >_<

I was up super late studying Wednesday night. I was so proud of myself by the end! I practiced all of the concepts in the study guide, made myself a notes sheet (not to use during the test, but just to condense my ideas), and stayed so unbelievably focused for hours that I was 90% convinced I'd do well.

And... barely any of what I studied was on the test. I rarely stress about grades, but I just wanted to prove to my teacher that I could get more than 80% on a test. Right now that's the biggest score I can hope for. :T

I'll still miss my teacher a lot. Saying goodbye to him was awkward, I was about to cry lol :')

Of course though, this post isn't all just an irrelevant personal update. 

Because last weekend six years ago, I made my first post on this blog. And this may sound odd, but it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

This was back when it was way more popular to have an AJ blog than an AJ YouTube channel. For the most part, people who had AJ YT channels just used them to make videos that went along with their blog. It was pretty casual.

The main AJ blogs that I followed at the time were Animal Jam Spirit (run by Snowyclaw, who now works for AJHQ!) and Animal Jam Flash, run by WitchHatBunny/LoveLost/etc. Both were awesome blogs that are now inactive.

What really inspired me to start my own blog, however, was my best friend who made their own AJ blog. The platform they used to make it was shut down, so I can't look back at it anymore, but it showed me that joining the beloved community of AJ bloggers was possible.

I originally posted a lot more on my blog than I do now, probably because I started at the beginning of summer vacation. I got up at 5-6 AM nearly every day, mostly making short posts centered on new items and little experiences I had in Jamaa.

Here are a couple:

The Zios screenshot was from when AJHQ randomly sent out a message saying "Something cool will happen if you sleep by the Zios ruins!" and The Lost Temple of Zios was overwhelmed with people who convinced each other that that "something" was a Glove or rare item. I stuck around until my computer crashed. -_-

The other screenshot is of an item now known as the Freedom Banner (which is currently in stores) but was called the Council Day Banner when it was first released. There is literally no such thing as Council Day, so I'm assuming it originally referred to a piece of potential AJ lore that was scrapped.

As the months went by, I saw blogs come and go. I had frequent commenters who I became friends with quit AJ altogether, and it made me sad, but other cool new people came, too. 

Of course, blogging is no longer the most popular medium for talking about Animal Jam. The AJ blogging community is pretty small now, but there are still positives about that. We're closer– there's a kind of positivity that you can't always get from YouTube videos. 

A lot of people seem to think the Animal Jam community is in decline, but I disagree. The truth is that it's just constantly expanding– it seems super chaotic when you try to take it all in at once. I stay sane by trying to cultivate my own smaller piece of the AJ community with my blog. 

Maybe it's like tending a garden instead of a massive farm; because you have fewer plants to take care of, you can put all your love in and consequentially get happier plants. That's why I think being a part of the AJ blogging community is so meaningful.

Stepping back, I can imagine some people thinking it's weird that blogging about a kids' game means so much to me. I rarely talk about Animal Jam Stream with my friends, only one of my friends knows about it, and while they don't play AJ anymore I deeply appreciate how supportive they are.

I can get a little self-conscious about my blog, but all of that completely vanishes when I see all of your wonderful AJ blogs and comments. I feel so unbelievably grateful to be a part of this online community. <3

I could go on and on until I stop making sense, so I think I'll conclude this post here. But before I go, I just wanted to give a shout-out to some important Jammers who make this blog what it is.

Thank you, Gogreen16. You are one of my longest Animal Jam friends. Though you've been playing since beta testing, your ongoing enthusiasm for AJ lets me know that I'm not alone. 

Thank you, Lostfairy. I have not commented on your blog as of late, but I read every post. Your kindness and boundless creativity energize me to keep going. :)

Thank you, q1zx. I can't believe you started your blog just a month ago, it's already so amazing! You bring such energy to the AJ community that you really make me doubt the idea that AJ blogging is over. <3

Thank you, Violet AJ. Aside from running an awesome blog of your own, your wonderful comments are Animal Jam Stream's lifeblood! 

Thank you, Sarahkey8. I really admire how you reach out and interact with as many people in the AJ blogging community as you can. Keep being great! :)

Thank you, Rainbow000Pegasus. When I found your blog this year, I was astounded. I couldn't believe that you had been posting quality content nearly every day for so long! Your dedication is so inspiring. 

Thank you, IceCream Cookie Kitty. I got so excited when I saw your first comment a few months ago! I love it when new people comment. You're a cool and kind person and I'm so happy you're here. <3

...and thank you, everyone else! Everyone who comments, everyone who sends me a Jam-a-Gram to say hi, and everyone who looks at my blog at all– you are all so important to me. Animal Jam Stream isn't about me, it's about you!!! ^-^

Details about a contest and an online meet-up/party coming soon...

See you in Jamaa! :D