Happy (day after) World Animal Day!

 ...and happy Mid-Autumn Festival for anyone who celebrates it too!

For World Animal Day, AJHQ added a page in the Jamaa Journal that actually has a really nice message:

"There are many animals we know of because of their charisma and beauty, but each and every animal plays an important role in their native ecosystem! Remember the animals outside the spotlight too!"

:')

I'd comment, but I don't think I could have said it better. I like the details they added. I don't think a Jamaa Journal page from a couple years ago would write something like that.

The monarch butterfly is also really sweet:

Aww..

I love bugs ^^

For some reason I had it in my head that World Animal Day was the 4th. Classic me.

But no matter, it looks like a whole bunch of people are celebrating today, right over...

...HERE!!!!!!!!!!!

Club Geoz has returned.

And weirdly... no Jamaa Journal page about it? Here's all we have so far:

Guitar phantom :0

What if, even though phantoms are really bad at spelling... they were really good at playing guitar?

I wonder what the device Graham used to get readings on the lines of power would look like. Someone should draw it :0

So the power is a bit weaker now, with no eclipse to block out the sunlight like in 2017. That would explain how it's just glowing around the fountain.

Ok, you were just here-- where are you off to now, Greely, you funky sorcerer?

So from what I've heard, there is some unusually complex storytelling for AJ going on over in AJPW.

The lines of power have been aggravated over there too, though it's been said outright that the phantoms are doing it using music. There's conflict among the Alphas (not just Greely vs everyone else!), some themes about the importance of darkness as well as light, AND a game where you can pick dark vs. light to potentially decide whether or not Alpha HQ gets blasted? 

AJPW is a different world than Classic and I'm not active over there, but it sounds awesome. I've loved seeing the world of Jamaa grow over the years, and I think many people have also been clamoring for more lore exploration.

The most detail you can find in AJC right now is actually a message (left by Greely?) left right outside Club Geoz:

What's going on in AJC just hints at what's been told clearly in AJPW, but there's still a bunch of interesting subtle changes here to think about, too. 

Like how the lightside items are Juno's color scheme, and are being sold in the Phantom Vortex alongside their armor with what seems like an 8 day clearance countdown to... something, maybe? 

And how Appondale has been darkened like it was during the 2017 eclipse:

And how the Appondale path that normally goes to Balloosh, doesn't anymore:

And this in Balloosh:

Also, not sure if this is new this year, but you can win a nonmember Phantom Vortex by beating level 5 of the Night of the Phantoms game:

Dang. I've played AJ so long, I remember when a 2012-2013 promotional video/image from AJHQ showed a phantom vortex inside a small house den and I was filled with wonder xD

I'll see if I can find that at some point, might be cool to link here.

Kind of surreal to see the Pillow Room here, but I can't say it doesn't fit. Without removing Alpha HQ, this layout makes sense for Jamaa Township in my opinion. 

If the Pillow Room only ended up becoming the roleplay wild west because it's easy to get to, maybe Club Geoz will become the new wild west and the Pillow Room will finally fulfill its destiny as a chill room of pillows. That'd be optimal.

They say the phantoms are using the lines of power to make Jamaa Township more twisted than ever before... but really, they're just doing the construction work the Alphas couldn't be bothered to.

Remember to thank a phantom today, Jammers.

Because once again, my panda can finally return to her rightful place on the green couch at the back of Club Geoz.

See you in Jamaa!

- DoomyPanda