Earth Day - Seeing the possibility of a healthy world

Hey Jammers! Early post– surprised? Well, I'm mostly here because today is Earth Day, and I don't think it would be complete for me without a post on here :)

Before we start, a little notice:

A couple days ago, after almost two years of me being too lazy to update the Codes page... it has been updated. Finally. Big shout out and apology to all the Jammers who kept commenting saying that none of the codes work, to no avail. They should all work now!

I'm going to try to find a more reliable source to find codes– I still have no clue where the people who make lo-fi YouTube videos listing Animal Jam codes even get that secret knowledge. After so many years of playing AJ, I should know by now!

Now... time for Earth Day. 

Because 'earth' is another word for clay, maybe this panda I made out of earth clay is a relevant way to enter this post:

I actually found some clay on a trail at one of my favorite parks, filtered the pebbles out, and finally got around to shaping and firing it these past two days. I'm planning on painting it the colors of the default AJ panda (white and dusty blue), but the only paints I have are not super permanent, so I dunno how that's gonna work out :0

While you might already know that you can find clay in rivers and deposits under the ground, you might not know that you can also find small amounts of surface clay on some sloping hiking trails. If rain naturally flows down a trail, there is a mini river effect and some clay is produced; just enough for small craft projects like my panda up there :)

Clay is really just any soil where the particles are tiny enough to clump together smoothly without air pockets. If you're on a trail and find patches of soil that look more red or white (or any color) different than the surrounding soil, look closely and it may be clay! 

Moving on...

You may or may not be hearing about how social distancing is clearing up air pollution around the world.

(Photo of Himalayas taken from Northern Indian state Punjab this April 2020. Image from Weather.com.)

For over 30 years, the Himalayan Mountains have not been visible from the Indian state of Punjab due to severe toxic air pollution. Now they are.

It cannot be said that the reduction in air pollution is a silver lining of the virus, because it's only temporary. Temporary restrictions are not enough for us to change our "business as usual" into something healthier.

However, the practice of social distancing is beginning to show a future of the planet that could be. 

We have all gotten used to a toxic, polluted world-- so much so that it can be hard to imagine how things really should be. 

(Photo of air pollution in Delhi-- another Northern Indian state–– in November 2019. Image from Tribuneindia.com.)

With the example of Punjab, many many people there have gone their whole lives not seeing the Himalayas from their state, and the sickening fog that hides them has become normal. Even worse, the massive amount of air pollution related sickness and death has been normalized. 

This is true all over the world to different extents. Air pollution anywhere is a problem everywhere. 

One of the biggest obstacles to fighting the destruction of the Earth is the idea that it cannot be done; that humanity is on an unstoppable march to the end of all life because people and corporations are so stuck in their polluting, destructive ways. 

Most of us cannot imagine a world that is truly healthy, so it can be hard to fight for a goal we cannot even see. 

But this temporary global slow-down in destruction and pollution can show us a glimpse of what we need to fight for. Positive change is possible.

Don't get me wrong– a temporary slow-down is not enough to heal the world. Once this pandemic gets contained, you can bet that corporations will produce and pollute even more to compensate for the gap in profit. People are social distancing with their own lives in mind, not just for the greater good– and in this instance that's completely understandable. 

(Photo of unusually clear sky in Indian city during social distancing. "A nationwide lockdown has given Indian cities the kiss of life– the sky is clearer, rivers are less contaminated, and people have awakened to possible change." Image and quote from this New Yorker article.)

I guess my message is that if the Himalayas can become visible from Punjab for the first time in 30+ years after only ten days of lockdown, positive change is more possible than we think. 

Huge polluting corporations seem all-powerful and unstoppable, but now that more people are understanding that clear skies are within reach, that clear skies  without sickening fog are what we all deserve, there is so much more potential now behind the environmental movement. 

Here is another positive impact that may be closer to home: having less cars on the road will likely mean that more baby animals will survive this season.

Because habitats have become so fragmented by humans, animals old and young have to cross dangerous places from streets to freeways in order to get to the food and places they need. Cars and other vehicles are like dangerous monsters for animals, and they can be the cause of so much death– not only in terms of the air pollution they create.

Social distancing recommendations mean that you probably aren't riding in a car as much as you used to, and you can bet a baby animal somewhere is alive or will be alive because of that. 

Something you can think about moving forward beyond quarantine is rethinking how much you and/or your family ride in a car, and how you could maybe use it less. We've all been adjusting to a very different way of life for a temporary period of time, so that could make any long term changes feel more possible.

There has never been a better time to realize that the world as we know it can change for the better if we all work together and do our part. Keep yourself and your loved ones safe, but also keep this message in your heart. 

Thank you for reading, and Happy Earth Day <3

~DoomyPanda

Tree-planting Shop + Gardens

@Wildflower, aaaaa thank you so so much!! Send me a buddy request so I can go check it out as soon as possible, I'm so happy you were so thoughtful :)

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Hey Jammers! Sorry about being so behind-schedule with posting and being online in general, I hope none of you were worried, given my history of struggling to post on time ^^; 

I'm just going through some personal difficulties right now, with online classes as the stressful cherry on top, but overall I'm alright. No worries, so onto the post!!

Spring has fully sprung (I think!) and in the spirit of the change and rebirth that happens in Springtime, AJHQ is beginning to roll out new environmental initiatives as part of their Playing4ThePlanet commitments.

What do I mean by that? If you aren't aware, Wildworks joined a big group of gaming companies in making personal commitments to use their platforms to help the environment. 

The specific commitments of Wildworks are...

(Click to read the image)

This new tree-planting shop (along with the Jamaa Journal page on it) is a slow beginning into both the climate education commitment and the planting trees commitment. I think it's pretty cool!!

What I'm curious about is what it really means by planting a tree for every new membership. Usually, when a company does that, it means donating a portion of proceeds toward some other group that plants trees. 

But the question remains: who is planting the trees? Who is taking care of them? For what purpose: to be cut down eventually for paper production while temporarily taking pollution out of the air (which goes back into the air once it's cut down), or to live out their lives, cleaning the air and helping ecosystems? I'm interested in maybe asking someone at Wildworks what this tree-planting goal exactly entails. Eventually. :P

Regardless, look at these cool trees:

I can't really decide on my favorite. Admittedly, I think they could be more detailed looking (if you compare that last one to the real tree...it lacks a little), but I'm not gonna obsess over it because AJHQ is trying their best.

If you didn't know, the tree banners in Jamaa are where you buy the trees. Unfortunately, this means there's no room to add in real facts about deforestation or trees, but it's a start.

Here are the above trees in real life!:

Bet you can guess which is which. It's pretty clear, I'd say. 

Maybe one day I'd like to work at AJHQ to bring more natural education into it. But that's a daydream for another day...

The next star of the update: the massive, unfortunately-members-only garden bundle of items:

Does anyone remember the original garden plot? The original garden plants?

Probably, because I think they may be considered rare nowadays:

Which gardening set do you like better?

In my opinion, there's no contest, because of all the visually interesting gradients in the older garden, but you already knew I was gonna say that :P

Also, if you had enough garden plots you could make a pretty nice nonmember floor! If they weren't so sought after, maybe I'd have a chance at that

Alright everyone, I have an online class in exactly 7 minutes. I'll try to actually follow my posting schedule next time! These are difficult times for everyone.

See you in Jamaa <3

~DoomyPanda

First REAL Free Membership Code! + An Unreleased Den Arrives

Hey Jammers! I hope you're all doing well and taking care of yourselves. The update a couple of days ago was surely surprising– or not, depending on how you look at it. 

I'll go over the Jamaa Journal, but in my opinion the two stars of this update are the 2-week free membership code (the first of its kind, I think) and a brand new Spring-themed nonmember den!

At first I was really surprised by this– but then I realized this is probably a gift from AJHQ during this difficult time when most schools are closed and people are staying inside. Thanks so much, AJHQ!

So you enter the code into the code box, and...

 Voila! You can be a member, for free, for two weeks.

I just realized now that Clark Stacey (AJ CEO) tried to cryptically hint at this 2-week promo about ten days ago:

I periodically check his Twitter for stuff like this, but I guess I missed this one. Dang :P

Additionally, he's said that the new work-from-home policy that is affecting Wildworks (and a lot of other businesses) is not slowing down the production of Fer.al or AJ updates. So that's some good news! 

***Keep in mind that this is the only actual free membership code in existence. AJHQ doesn't have secret free membership codes– if a code exists for free membership, you will hear about it from THEM in the Jamaa Journal– not some random Jammer who promises free membership if you go to their den.

Never give your user/password to anyone, never input it into any website other than the Animal Jam homepage itself. The only reason another site would ever ask for your account info is if they want to hack you, take your items, or even take your real money. 

So be safe, always.

With that in mind, what are your favorite things to do with membership? Personally, the only reason why I'd want a membership is so I can buy from My Shops:

If you have enough diamonds, which are easy to earn if you're patient enough to accumulate them over time, My Shops are the easiest way to get the rare or semi-rare items that would otherwise take a million years to find and trade for (especially if you're like me and don't have many items to trade).

...However, because of my big spending spree to write up that "Ideas for the Terrain Bundle" post, I have a grand total of zero diamonds XD oh well

Before we move on from the topic of membership, I had a thought recently: should certain members only dens (the older ones, like the castle or treehouse) be made nonmember? Most of the newer member's only dens that come out are MASSIVE in comparison, and are usually more popular. I dunno, just thought this would be nice. I love the treehouse and the castle den...

The next star of this update: the Spring Small House! I bet this means we'll eventually get a Summer Small House as well. I wonder what that would look like...

You can tell by the sharp, solid colors that this den design was created more recently than the Autumn and Winter Small Houses, which seem to have been older den designs that AJHQ dug up. As a result, this is probably my least favorite Small House den, mostly because the grass looks too flat and untextured like glass.

However, I'm sure any nonmember who likes the Princess Den will appreciate this nonmember alternative! 

When I first saw this den design, I thought it looked very familiar. Now I know why: it was leaked a while back under the name "yardGarden" and you could find pictures of it on the Animal Jam Wiki. There are also older images of the garden in a castle den:

It's exact! From what I gathered, the garden add-on seems to have been designed at least before 2018.

I don't condone hacking Animal Jam's files, but the Animal Jam Wiki has a great page of unreleased items and dens that are fun to look through. As an example of a gem I found, look at this:

It's a spooky version of the Princess Den! Wow. Would you ever want to decorate this den?

Moving on...

Pet lemurs are back! And isn't that such a lovely image? I love the glowing moon against the dark blue night :)

The Spring Festival has returned! Though I'll still always cross my fingers that one day AJHQ will bring back the Jamaa egg hunt...

The April Fools party is back in town!

And once again, important information for the concerned souls of Jamaa.


That's all for now, Jammers. But before I sign off, I wanted to address the elephant in the room: how are you all dealing with the virus going on? It can feel really bad to not have the structure of school, or to not be able to see friends in person. I've been feeling that struggle myself.

Feel free to speak your mind in the comment section, or if you want to rant to me in a comment you don't want me to publish, let me know. It can feel like a really lonely time, so I want you to know that I'm here for you if you need.

Thank you for reading <3

~DoomyPanda

THE BETA FONT QUEST IS OVER

I CAN NOT BELIEVE IT

I UPLOADED AN IMAGE OF THE MYSTERY FONT TO A FONT IDENTIFICATION FORUM AND I KID YOU NOT, SOMEONE IDENTIFIED IT IN LESS THAN 10 MINUTES



THE QUEST OF ONE THOUSAND YEARS HAS COME TO A CLOSE


Let this teach you a lesson, children...

Dreams do come true.

And never forget...

Jam on!

Fer.al Dragons + The Beta Font Quest Continues

Hey Jammers! So a couple days ago, I got an email notice from Fer.al:

This was probably the first actual email update they ever sent out, if you don't count the original beta-testing form.

I was hoping it was gonna be an announcement about Fer.al finally going out of beta, but I guess all good things take time, because it was just a notice that they will be accepting a new wave of players into the closed beta:

If you signed up for beta so many months ago but were never sent an invite, this could be a lucky sign!

Though, I have a funny feeling I won't be accepted. Why? Well ya see, I have two email addresses that forward email to each other's inboxes, and I may have accidentally input an email address into the beta form that was originally sent to my other email address. 

It's a small thing, so maybe they'll ignore it, but maybe they won't ^_^;

However, this email notice was not just about the new wave of closed beta invites... it revealed something new, too!

This is a screenshot from the new-and-improved Fer.al homepage. Along with the well-known kitsune and senri, it seems Fer.al players may be able to play as dragons as well!!!

This made me very excited because when I originally heard that Fer.al featured mythical creatures, I wasn't imagining dragons; they completely slipped my mind. BUT NOW... I am super excited to play as a dragon.

According to the Fer.al wiki, this is some leaked concept art for the dragon:

Super cool and sleek :0

You know, I wonder how far Fer.al will take its array of mythical creatures. 

Will they also tap into urban legends as well as ancient ones? Will we be able to play as bigfoot!?!?! That is the question we should all be asking.

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The next section of this post is all about my obsession with figuring out the name of a particular font Animal Jam used in beta testing. It sounds boring, but if the idea of seeing me go full detective mode sounds amusing, read on! X)


So, you might possibly remember around August, when I was being productive trying to redesign my blog's header:

It is almost done, I just want to add on some leafy accents to it to make it feel complete. I've sketched them out, planned to trace them digitally... and I'll do that... eventually :P

The reason why it's taken a million years for me to make progress with this is that I view my blog's layout like an art project; a visual tribute to my favorite artistic aspects of Jamaa as it's changed over the years. I wanna get to the point where just looking at my blog will make me (and you too, hopefully!) instantly happy and peaceful. 

So naturally, I was very very very particular about everything in this new header, especially the font. I gotta be honest with you– I'm tired of TikiIsland (the font in my current header right now).

You may have noticed that this font I chose for the "ANIMAL JAM" text in my new header is not TikiIsland. So what is it?

The truth is, I have no idea.

In case you forgot, or if you're new here... I actually drew that "ANIMAL JAM" text by hand based on a mystery font that was all over the beta Animal Jam homepage. I know; I still can't believe I had the patience for that. 

Here are examples of that mystery font:

In late August, I looked everywhere trying to find this font. I used font identifying tools, looked at the beta site's page source code... but no luck. I eventually came to the conclusion that this font is impossible to find because it was made specifically for Animal Jam to use.

That's what I thought... until a few days ago.

So, I was bored and decided to look up some old kids shows from the Discovery Kids channel that I used to watch when I was little. I found one called "Truth Or Scare," and to be honest I didn't remember it at all... but they used this mystery font EVERYWHERE in their show! If you look closely, you can tell.

And that show was produced a long long time ago, around 2002... so this font was definitely not made specifically for Animal Jam. Therefore, it should somehow be publicly available.

Still, beyond that it did not give me any new leads. It's not as if TV shows ever put the name of the font they use in the credits.

However, it gave me a new drive to figure out this font, and I spent hours and hours doing the following:

– Using the Wayback Machine to look at the beta site and go into its page source to see if the font name is recorded somewhere in the code. (Don't worry, it's all legal– just good ol' fashioned Inspect Element on Google Chrome.)

...and the result of that? Nothing, because all uses of the mystery font were in images, not in highlightable text.

 – Uploading image examples of the mystery font to font identifiers like FontSquirrel and WhatTheFont.

...and the result of that? Nothing. No matter how clean those images were, no matter which ones I used, none of the fonts it matched to them were even remotely similar.

– Looking up things like "tiki font" or "chunky font" or any other words that might describe the mystery font on font databases and Google Images. 

...and the result of that? Nothing, unless you count my mini discovery of a font that I recognized that was probably in an old Jam-a-Gram:

However, I tried to look at old Jam a Grams to see if I could find the one with this font, and I couldn't... which is weird cuz this font looks super familiar.

I looked everywhere, all through the biggest font databases... and I ended up with nothing.

I still have two last bits of hope: 

1. Maybe, someone at AJHQ will know what the heck the mystery font is and tell me the name. Honestly, I've become so obsessed with it that I might just pay real money for it if that's what I have to do.

2. If that fails, and I feel like it might... I will just straight up recreate the entire font for myself just so I can use it a few times on my blog. It's making me lose my gosh dang mind

Until then... this font will haunt my dreams.

                                                

Well, not all was for nothing. While I was looking around in the page source for the beta site, I found this really lovely background image that I think I haven't seen before!

It's ominous in a peaceful sort of way. I think it would be a wonderful background for me to use on my blog sometimes (maybe for Night of the Phantoms?), and I bet you can use it as a desktop image if you want!

The original file for it is big enough for that, but maybe it'll get compressed if I upload it to this blog... hopefully not.

I hope you enjoyed this earlier-than-normal post! See you in Jamaa, and remember to be kind to yourself and others~

~DoomyPanda