I'm alive!! + Plans for January

 

AAAAAAA I really need to apologize for the lack of posts without notice. I've kept track of responding to comments, but I forgot that not everyone looks at the comments so there's probably a bunch of you who think that I abandoned you all. I'm so sorry!!! I would never do that!! 

I just wanted to write this quick post to update you and let you all know that I'm alive with no plans of ever abandoning this blog! Seriously, even if Animal Jam somehow shuts down one day, I'll keep posting here. This little community is way too important to me. Don't you freaking worry about that xD

SO! I know it probably isn't too interesting, but I think I should update you about why I haven't posted much this month. 

It really isn't anything special, but finals this month really threw me a curveball. I had so much school stuff to do, and I still even have one more essay left to complete, so that took a lot of mental energy. 

I deal with concentration problems from time to time, so when I have a ton of school stuff to complete, I tend to neglect other things so I can focus my attention on one thing a day.

And unfortunately, it's been even harder for me to concentrate because I really messed up my sleep schedule by pulling too many all-nighters to do my finals these past couple weeks. So now I'm trying to fix that!

I guess this is kind of redundant– concentration problems have been an issue for me for a long time, so it's nothing new for this blog to have big gaps in posts. Still, in case anyone is worried, I just want you to know that there's no need to be!

Here are a few topics for posts that you can definitely expect to see coming soon by early January:

1. Part 2 of the Spookytooth's Decrepit Barn of Horrors story

2. A fun tutorial about something I discovered you can do with the Animal Jam/Animal Jam Classic app :)

3. Back by popular demand, a continuation of Berry the Koala after a 4 year hiatus!

Aaaand I also hope to make a few posts discussing general game updates, as December 31 is sure to be a big transition. 

Another goal I have for my winter break is to finally redesign this blog's layout and re-organize the pages. It's really been a long time coming, I know... ^^;

Ok guys... let's hope I can do all this! I'm gonna try real hard to fix my sleep schedule and finish what I need to do.

See you in Jamaa!

~DoomyPanda

Check out Popcornpizza25's contest~

Hey Jammers! It is... 4:15AM where I am right now. I've been up all night doing school work and preparing for finals, and I'll probably have a bunch more days just like this one this coming week :P

So! While I'm busy and don't yet have the time to do a full post yet (but I will soon, don't worry!), why don't you check out a really fun-sounding den decorating contest that's being hosted by popcornpizza25 over on The Animal Jam Daily?

It's a Jamaaliday-themed den decorating contest!

You can click this link right here to learn about all the details, but entries are due on December 20th and you could win a rare item!

I really hope you check it out!! ^^

That's all I got for now, see you in Jamaa! My semester ends soon for winter break, and so I'll be back very soon with some actual full-length posts :D

~DoomyPanda

Jamaaliday Backpack– or not?

Sia321, congrats on winning the Autumn Den Contest!!! Please comment and let me know a good time to pick up your prize!! :D

• • •

Hi Jammers!! I really need to start doing some schoolwork soon, but I remembered that today is the first day of the Jamaalidays, so I thought-- what better way to procrastinate than to write a quick post on Animal Jam Stream?

While today isn't yet update day, it seems the update is coming... gradually. I logged on this morning to see the gift calendar, but Jamaa Township is not yet covered in snow, and the loading screens were still the same. Then I logged on a few minutes ago, and the loading screens had changed. The update is coming, one step at a time!

Here is the Jamaaliday Gift Calendar:

Artists, take note– remember to log into Animal Jam on December 4th, December 12th, and December 18th for three Masterpiece Tokens!!!

Also, fun fact: you may or may not have noticed it, but the Jamaaliday Gift Calendar has looked different over the years. Here's how it looked in 2013:

I think the last couple boxes looking bigger is a nice visual touch, but I guess it also made sense for the calendar to become more gridded once AJHQ started giving out diamonds and Masterpiece Tokens. 

Anyway, I'm sure you're interested in what the first Jamaaliday Gift will be! 

*drumroll*

The Jamaaliday Backpack!!! Hey, wait a minute––

Oops. It transformed. 

The Animal Jam Wiki always updates super fast, so this was already explained when it happened to me:

...And then they added the "This glitch was later fixed" almost less than an hour ago. That's dedication right there :)

I don't think it originally happened to everyone, however, because I know vaiana70 at the Animal Jam Novel got the backpack properly. Ah well. Glitches work in mysterious ways. 

And maybe I'm just about to make this post go on way too long because I don't wanna face my homework yet :P

So, here's my opinion on these Jamaaliday items! I'm not that big a fan of the green/red/white color combination. However, what I am a fan of is when AJHQ recolors member's only items and makes them nonmember, so I'm hoping we get at least one of those this month! ^^

• • •

I think I should move on to the second part of this post now: 

On December 31st 2020, Adobe Flash will stop working, and the only way to log into Animal Jam Classic will be through the free downloadable desktop app. AJHQ made an easy-to-understand video about this, which you can watch on the Animal Jam Classic homepage.

Unfortunately, if you only have access to a Chromebook, this will be difficult for you :(

Because Chromebooks can't download the kind of app that Animal Jam Classic is, once December 31st comes, you won't be able to play unless you get access to a different kind of computer, and I know that isn't possible for everyone.

However, here is something you can do: let AJHQ know that they need to make AJ Classic downloadable for Chromebook. 

You can do this in the comment sections of recent Daily Explorer posts, in the comment sections of AJHQ's social media accounts, or you can email them at support@animaljam.com if you want. I'd recommend commenting so other people can also see! 

I think this is important for one more major reason: There are more than four ways to download AJPW, but there is only one way to download Animal Jam Classic. 

It's clear that AJHQ is not giving Animal Jam Classic equal attention because they want to divert attention to AJPW. 

However, they're both very different games, and AJPW can't fully replace Animal Jam Classic for the Jammers who love it. 

I'm personally afraid that restricting access to Animal Jam Classic is another dishonest attempt at steering people towards Wildworks' more profitable games, but I don't want this to be true. 

If you're concerned about this too, and want Animal Jam Classic to be accessible for everyone, I really hope you'll let AJHQ know!

• • •

Ok, that's all I got for now, and I reeeaaallly need to do my homework now >.<

I have way too much much stuff to do, so you might not be seeing another post from me for at least a week– but don't worry, I'll keep checking comments!

See you in Jamaa!

At some point I'm gonna figure out how to make the borders of this signature transparent instead of white...

Fluttery Wings of Sunshine

Hey Jammers! It is my fifth and last post of November. Woohoo!! Let's hope I keep this up and make even more posts in December :3

This is a quick post, and I don't usually talk about Rare Item Mondays, but...

:'D

It's beautiful...

Please appreciate this rare event: a Rare Item Monday that is not only nonmember, but is colored in a way that makes sense. It's actually pretty! Like a swirly sunset!!!

I just noticed that the orange and yellow matches my panda's Rare Scary Cat Hat, so let's see if I can make a little dress-up with this item:

:D yay

It's simple, just like all of my dress ups. I prefer focusing on colors and I don't like covering up an animal with too much stuff-- plus I only have like 15 clothing items xD

Well, I gotta go to bed now if I'm even going to have a tiny chance of actually falling asleep before 3AM. Yep, I have insomnia...

See you in Jamaa! By the time most of you read this post, it will already be the Jamaalidays :D

~DoomyPanda

Results of the Autumn Den Contest!

 Heeeeyy Jammers! I have a lot of school work to get done today– but not so much that I could bear to skip out on announcing the winner of the Autumn Den Contest B)

Masterpiece credit to peoples234

Before I announce the winner of the Rare Blue Spiked Wristband, I wanna give a shoutout to everyone who entered. vaiana70, Julieblap, Wildflower75, Rainbow000Pegasus, popcornpizza25, and sia321– thank you all so very much for participating and showing your den decorating skills! :'D

It was incredibly hard to choose a winner, because each one of your dens was so creative and unique in their own way. So, before I announce the winner, I thought I'd share a small highlight from each one!

Starting with the warm and cozy leaf shelter campsite paving the way to vaiana70's den:

And then, arranged by Julieblap, a glowing fire pit surrounded by an array of interesting artifacts:

Next, we have a really creative nonmember bed designed by Wildflower75:

And then, yet another very cozy area set up by Rainbow000Pegasus! I really like the look of the items you placed on top of the fireplace-- I had no idea it was possible to actually put things there xD

Moving on to sia321's mysterious solar powered graveyard! I wonder if you could use the clean energy generated to reanimate some zombies X)

And last, but definitely not least, popcornpizza25's magical autumn pathway! (Which wraps around the den itself, as well):

All of your dens make me feel so autumn-y! It makes me kinda sad that winter is coming soon where I am, so I only have a short amount of time to appreciate the fallen leaves before they're covered up with snow. But that's okay– I'm so happy you all helped celebrate this fall season with Animal Jam Stream :')

And now, it's time to announce the winner of the Rare Blue Spiked Wristband!

A big congratulations to...

Sia321!!!

It was a really tough decision, because all of your dens were cozy and creative enough to win at least 10 Blue Spiked Wristbands each, but sia321's den really caught my eye! Take a look:

The widely-but-evenly spaced gravestones, autumn bushes, and leaf piles make the outdoor part of the den look eerie yet peaceful. There's a feeling of there being a wide open space to walk around and appreciate the fall scenery.

The indoor area is an interesting mix of unique, quirky, and organized, with enough symmetry to look like a real place where someone might live. The stairway made out of tables is also really creative!

All in all, a truly cool den :)

Sia321– you're nonmember, so could we coordinate a time where we could both be online so I could trade you the Spiked Wristband? (For something small like a necklace, of course). Let me know in the comments when you can :D

A big thank you to everyone who entered in this contest! I'm so lucky to have seen all of your creativity with den decorating, and I will definitely be having more contests like this in the future. I could even start a winter den contest when the time comes! ^_^

I so appreciate you all. See you in Jamaa!!

Contest Extended + Newly Discovered AJ Blogs!

 Hey Jammers! I hope you're all feeling as well as you possibly can. I got a few things to talk about in this post!

First, November 20 was originally the due-date to decorate your den for Animal Jam Stream's Autumn Den Contest, but I have decided to extend it to Wednesday, November 25 to give more people a chance!

A couple of you have reached out about wanting more time, and I totally understand. I appreciate you all and I wanna make sure that everyone who wants to join the contest gets to participate! :) 

* * *

Now, onto the second important thing:

(Signature art credit to Vaiana70)

A new Animal Jam blog is on the horizon: Vaiana70's Animal Jam Novel! (Click here to visit it) :D

This is a brand-new Animal Jam blog created by an awesome person who always spreads positivity through the comments section here :)

According to Vai, there will be a new post at least once a week. You'll find posts that will help keep you up-to-date on new items, cool art, and more! 

I always really love when people start new AJ blogs. No matter how far you decide to go with them, they always make me smile <3

I hope y'all will check out the Animal Jam Novel! It's always hard for new blogs to get visitors, so I'm sure that every single pageview will be much appreciated :D

* * *

Next up, another new blog, but a very different kind! This is a blog that has actually been regularly updated for a few years now, but FOR SOME REASON I never discovered it! Until now...

I know what you're thinking: Established 2017?! Last post just yesterday on the 19th!? And I've never seen this blog before!?!?!?

Well, I guess I might have more quickly discovered this blog if I traded more. Maybe then I'd be doing more research on scamming, which is this blog's main focus– exposing different scamming techniques so you don't get fooled. 

Long story short: this is a very well-organized blog, and you should definitely check it out sometime. If you want to go to the AJ SASS (Special Agents Stopping Scammers) blog right now, click here!

* * *

I was going to continue this post by writing the second part of Spookytooth's Barn of Horrors, but it's pretty late now so I think that will be for another day. ^^;

Right before I go, I just wanted to give a big thank you to everyone who's been commenting lately! 

My favorite part of writing for Animal Jam Stream is the wonderful community that comes together in the comments section, and I want you to know that I am so grateful for each and every one of you.

I'm being serious– checking my Blogger dashboard and seeing that someone has left a comment is literally the happiest part of my day. Thank you for gracing this blog with your honest thoughts and personalities :')

See you in Jamaa! 

Wow– I've managed to write three posts in a single month, and I'm already planning a fourth and a fifth!! Maybe I'm not hopeless after all xD

Animal Jam's Data Breach – What You Need to Know

 Click here to check out my Autumn den decoration contest for a chance to win a Rare Blue Spiked Wristband! :D

The contest closes soon, and only a few people have entered, so you have a great chance of winning.

Are you wondering why you might not be able to log into your Animal Jam account right now?

Read on to figure out how to log back in...

–––

You might not be aware of this, because it's pretty recent news and AJHQ hasn't made it very public, but there was a data breach at WildWorks sometime in October and a few days ago, a whole lot of AJ account information was discovered to have been compromised.

Meaning, some hackers broke into one of WildWorks' databases and stole some user information, which they made public on an illegal hacking forum. 

Here's a segment from the notice AJHQ emailed out:

(Click here to read the full notice on the official Animal Jam website)

I know this is scary, but you don't have to panic. While there are some things you need to do to secure your account, which I will explain, it's not as bad as it could be. 

From what AJHQ shared in this notice, these are the parts of your Animal Jam account which may have been publicly shared on some illegal hacking forums.

– The email address for your parent account (but NOT the password for your parent account)

– Your username, connected to that parent account

– Your password, connected to your username (but encrypted-- meaning, hidden behind a code. This means it's harder for a hacker to figure out your password, but not impossible.)

– Your birthday (day, month, year)

– The full name associated with your parent account (your parent's name, for a lot of you)

– The billing address associated with your parent account (but NOT any credit card number or anything similar) 

While your Animal Jam username and password might have been made public, thankfully your parent account password was not, according to AJHQ. 

As a response to this, the reason why you might not be able to log in right now is because AJHQ changed your password for safety. 

If your information was part of the data breach, your username and (encrypted) password might have been floating around hacking forums for about a month now. While AJHQ only found out about this data breach a few days ago, the information was stolen sometime in October.

If your account was hacked sometime in the past month and you don't know why, this would explain it.

So, if you're like me and your password was changed by AJHQ, how do you get back into your account?

First, go to the Animal Jam homepage and click the Parents tab.

Next, click the Manage Online button.

Enter your parent email and the password of your parent account. Some of you might need to ask your parent if they remember this information. 

Because you might not use your parent dashboard much, probably a lot of you have forgotten the password for it. If this is the case, no worries– just click the "Forgot your password?" button right there and follow the instructions.

Once you finally end up in your dashboard, under the gear icon, click the Player Password: Update button. 

I really, really, REALLY recommend that you make a brand new password that is a lot more secure than your old one. 

This means your new password should:

– Be at least 8 characters long

– Be a random combination of capital letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols

– Ideally, not use any real words, or at least be a mostly random password.

I know, it's hard to remember a password that's mostly random, but it's the best way to keep your account safe.

If you know that no one else who plays AJ will be seeing it, you could probably get away with putting your new password on a sticky note on your computer. You could also hide it in a notebook.

Other than changing your password, there are a couple of other precautions you will want to take.

–  Make sure you don't use your Animal Jam password as a password for anything else, especially not the email account linked with your account. 

– In any case, change the password of your parent email account just to be safe.

– NEVER EVER EVER enter your password into anything other than the official Animal Jam website (or app). All sites/people that promise free membership/diamonds/items and ask for your login info are lying, and you can be 100% sure they just want to steal your items. 

If you believe that your AJ account was accessed illegally, you can contact support@animaljam.com or send them a help request on the official website and they can help secure it.

And if you have any questions or if you're struggling with anything, feel free to leave a comment here! I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

–––

So far, AJHQ has only made this data breach public on their official Instagram account and through emails sent to parent accounts. I can kind of understand that it would make people panic, so they wouldn't want to talk too much about it, but still– tons of players have had their passwords changed and don't know why. There are probably a lot of people freaking out right now.

So if you can, it would be great if you could spread the word about this so people know how to get back into their accounts!

That's all for now. Remember to enter in the Autumn den contest, and I'll be back soon with Part 2 of Spookytooth's Barn of Horrors! :)

See you in Jamaa~

*If you are tomboywolf and don't want your art in this post, let me know and I'll take it down! You're a great artist and I just thought it was fitting xD

Spookytooth's Decrepit Barn of Horrors – Part 1

 Be sure to enter in my Autumn Den Contest for the chance to win a rare blue Spiked Wristband!!! 

Click here to learn more :)

Welcome, wolves, koalas, snails, and dolphins alike. As well as anyone else who might be out there, hiding in the bushes. I see you...

Tonight, let us gather around this imaginary campfire in the woods, for I... have a tale of spooky horror to share with you all. 

Yeah, yeah, I know Halloween's over... but the autumn air is still crisp– with the smell of apples and pumpkins and ghosts alike!!! 

What does a ghost smell like, you may ask?

Perhaps you may find out on your journey tonight.

Your journey through the story, that is...

~ ❦ ❦ ❦ ~

You remember when the thing first appeared in the sky.

You had been out on an evening walk through the valley, just hoping to take in the fresh autumn air before it got too dark to see. You hadn't been bringing your lantern with you recently, because you noticed it seemed to scare away the bats. You loved watching them twirl through the darkening sky on their evening flutters.

But on this evening, the only thing you could see in the sky filled you with fear. A giant floating disembodied head leered down at you. It kind of looked like Liza... but not. 

You couldn't imagine she would approve of anyone broadcasting her face into the sky like that. And you also couldn't imagine why it would even be necessary.

You were about to turn around and head back to your den, but you stopped. You realized that this floating thing would be staring at you through your window while you slept, glowing five times brighter than the full moon. 

In the distance, you could see the light of a den, right beneath the projection. While you were nervous, you steadied yourself and began walking towards it. 

If you wanted to sleep tonight, you were going to need to stop this problem at its source...

As you trudged through the tall grasses and the front of the den gradually came into view, you jumped back in surprise as you saw the den's occupant staring right back at you!

"GREETINGS CHILD," he said in a muffled and crackly voice. It was a monkey... only his face was hidden within a strange cloth mask that seemed to glow from inside. You felt your heartbeat nervously quicken in your chest.

He seemed friendly enough, though. "Hello, s-stranger" you said, shaking a little, "w-would you mind turning off that sky projection? It's very bright... um.."

The monkey stared ahead. Then he looked up at the sky, and stared some more. There was an awkward silence.

Suddenly, he jumped up into the air! "OF COURSE, OH TRAVELLER, BUT ONLY IF YOU MAKE IT THROUGH ALL FOUR ROOMS OF MY DECREPIT BARN OF HORRORS! ONLY THEN MAY I, SPOOKYTOOTH, GRANT YOUR WISH!"

If you were nervous before, you were REALLY nervous now. It was getting dark, you could have just turned back around... but you nodded your head in agreement anyway. 

As you walked towards the old barn's entrance, you noticed the surrounding fence was made of bones. Perhaps you would come to regret your decision...

The monkey stops you right before you enter. Through the holes of his mask, you see no eyes. Only an eerie yellow light.

He leans forward "BEHOLD... THE UNSPEAKABLE."

You step into the first room. When your eyes adjust to the blinding light, you gasp in terror. 

You gaze uneasily at what lies before you, beginning to feel sick. 

"WITHIN THIS BARN LIES A COLLECTION OF CURSED ITEMS, EACH ONE MORE UPSETTING THAN THE LAST! HOW MANY CAN YOU STAND TO LOOK AT?" 

Your knees shake. Spookytooth cackles. You're not sure if you can survive this... but you can't turn back now. 

Turning to your left, you see––

oh no. It's even worse.

You've seen these cursed objects before. You've seen them in your nightmares, out of the corner of your eye when you think you're alone. You're paralyzed with terror as you see them now, in the flesh. 

You wish they weren't real... but they are. And they laugh. And laugh. And laugh.

Out of the corner of your eye you see something strange, and you are shaken from your fear-induced frozenness. Spookytooth struggling with his mask, almost fighting to claw it off? You quickly turn towards him, but as soon as you do, he's back to standing still.

"W-what were you doing?" you ask.

"NOTHING, OH FEARFUL TRAVELLER. MUAHAHAHA!!"

You turn back around, and while fear grips you with icy claws, questions begin to surface in your mind. What is this monkey doing all alone in the middle of the valley, collecting the most disturbing cursed items? He never did explain why he had lit up the bizarre sky projection...

Trying to steady yourself, you begin to make your way to the ladder, to the second room, when suddenly–

Spookytooth blocks the way, standing in front with arms outstretched. 

"ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO GO IN THERE?"

* TO BE CONTINUED *

~ ❦ ❦ ❦ ~

I hope you liked that! It was just a little story idea I had, and you'll be seeing part 2 coming soon. It's been a while since I wrote a story, so it's a little wonky, but I hope you found it entertaining anyway :)

See you in Jamaa!