WildWorks is Trash Again + Some Jam-a-Grams

Hey Jammers! Eek, it's been over a month since my last post. ^^;

This semester of school has been super challenging for me in a lot of different ways, so I've been pretty stressed out just trying to get work done. Though even through my gaps in posting, I'm still here! I check comments every couple of days.

And while I'm busy focusing on other things, sometimes your comments help me learn what's going on in the world of Jamaa:

Or in this case, the world of WildWorks' long list of horrible mistakes TT_TT

The day I learned that WildWorks was re-using Fer.al graphics and user data to push its player base into a shady game that runs on NFTs/cryptocurrency... I had a project for my animation class to edit. I ended up needing to spend the whole night working on it because it was so hard to focus on editing when I was just so disappointed.

For those who don't know, NFTs and other kinds of cryptocurrency have a terrible impact on the environment. They require huge amounts of electricity, produce huge amounts of e-waste (electronic waste), and put massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. They are exactly what we don't need right in the middle of a climate emergency. 

So... this just in, WildWorks: you stink. 

I'm frustrated that I have so much emotional attachment to a game about nature run by a company that obviously just doesn't care about the Earth at this point.

That's all I have to say about Cinder. I don't really have the mental energy to write anything more about it.

EDIT 1/1/22: But wait– there's more! Wildflower75 just alerted me to this AJPW Jamaa Journal page from April 2021:

(Screenshot from Rainbow000Pegasus' Ultimate AJ Blog)

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Well, guys...

I only got one thing to say about this:

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While I know it doesn't make anything better, I don't want my first post in over a month to end on an entirely sad note. So here's a small content update I noticed in AJC:

A handful of cute older Jam-a-Grams seem to have returned–

Fun fact: the 'Friends!' one is based on an older JAG that was illustrated in a really pretty way–

The wolf JAG is also based on a cool older one too–

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the newer one also used to say 'Join our wolf pack' but they removed the text? I wonder why.

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That's all the content I have for this post today, but one more thing–

While WildWorks may stink, this little corner of the Animal Jam community brings me nothing but joy. 

All of you are kind, awesome people, and I appreciate every one of you. You are what makes this place special! :)

I'm gonna end this post now, but I hope the last few days of 2021 are all good days for you, and I'll see you in the new year!

New AJC Thing: 2-Step Verification

 Hey Jammers! Another quick post here. You know how I pretty much never talk about updates unless it's one of those rare times where something actually new comes to Animal Jam Classic? Well, today is one of those times!

2-step verification is a form of extra security that you can choose to add to your account so even if someone gets your password somehow, they'll still be locked out. You'll also get notified about any log-in attempts, so you can know when to change your password just in case. 

Button in settings that opens the Parent Tools page in your browser

2-Step Verification option in Parent Tools

It's kind of wack that hacking has become such a problem on AJ that 2-step verification makes sense, even though this is just supposed to be a fun and low-key game. 

It's the trading system, man... it's gotten way too intense. The Item Worth Wiki values some items at 100+ spikes, and the community has just gone with it for reasons unknown. With trading feeling unaccessible to so many people, it almost makes sense why some would want to steal items.

I'm not going to turn this post into another item rant, but I still think that a lot of problems would be solved if AJ items had rarity labels that were based off the actual number of that item in the game. It'd make trading a lot more fun and scamming easier to avoid :)

Alright, that wraps up this post. See you all in Jamaa!

A Spooky Surprise for Nonmembers

No matter what you've decided to do on Halloween, I hope you're all having a fun and safe day/night!

This is just another quick post, because the homework never ends ^^;

But! I do have some good news, courtesy of jrl4547, who posted about it first on their AJ blog here. 

Apparently, without AJHQ letting anyone know... 

The Haunted Mansion was re-released as nonmember this year!!!!! :O

A part of me worries that it was a mistake, and that they'll just smack the member's lock back on it as soon as they realize it. But I don't think so... I'm betting it was purposeful, because this is the smaller version of two haunted dens. The other one, the Epic Haunted Manor, is like this one, only with a bunch of extra areas. It makes sense to me that the smaller one would be nonmember– otherwise, why have both? 

A big thanks from us nonmembers, AJHQ <3

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Ack, today is my favorite holiday, but I admit I'd be feeling a lot more Halloween-y right now if I didn't have a midterm to complete this very night >.<

But you know...

Every day can be Halloween. 

If you want to dress like a vampire and carve a jack-o-lantern in November...

Or December...

Or March...

et cetera...

literally no one can stop you. No one.

Think about it, Jammers B)

And stay spooky...

Short Lil' Post

Hey Jammers! I'm gonna be honest, I don't have any planned content today, but I wanted to write up a post anyway today, mostly to check in and let y'all know I'm still alive and thinking about AJ Stream ^^

Let's see... what to talk about?

This past contest went super well (as I'm sure you're aware), so I'll be definitely sure to host more in the future– hopefully before the end of this year? We'll see how it goes. So far I've gotten the prizes to two out of the three prize-winners. (If you see this jrl4547, let me know a good time to meet on AJC so I can trade ya!)

Also, a small heads-up: you might possibly be seeing a guest post from a different person on here at some point soon-ish! While I'm definitely not planning on making Animal Jam Stream a multi-author blog, Blackstanford3 told me they were interested in seeing what it's like to write a post or two, so I thought why not. :)

In other news... a couple different things from Jamaa:

I like how people have been creatively false-advertising their My Shops to get people to go. I wonder what the people who rushed over to Captain Arcticmajor's den were expecting... kidneys on sale for 2 diamonds a piece? Well, either way, this tactic worked on me. I guess a part of me wondered if AJHQ made it possible to sell organs while I wasn't looking xD

And here's just a Masterpiece I found that made me smile. I think it's the tiger's face that got me.

That's all I have for now! 

See you in Jamaa, and I hope you have as great a day/night as you can. c:

And the Results are...

Hey Jammers! I'm running on only 1 hour of sleep! AAAAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA––

But don't worry about me– I'll just try to keep this post short. And then I'll sleep. X)

After we all got to see the amazing creativity of everyone who entered the shopkeeper contest, it's finally time to see which three characters got the most votes– and which three Jammers will get to take some prizes back to their dens!

But first, each and every one of the entrants deserves appreciation!

★ Thank you Rainbow000Pegasus, for creating Kelpinn. Aside from their super well-rendered soft shading, Kelpinn as a character just makes me smile. They have such a sweet and subtle expression. I can imagine them bringing some much needed energy to the undersea lands with how they'd run Flippers n' Fins! 

★ Thank you Rivero, for creating Mystic. I think you really rose to the challenge of creating a shopkeeper to run what's probably the most obscure and least-visited shop in all of Jamaa! It's like you took the entire Basement of Secrets and turned it into a character– one look at their design and I can imagine Mystic feeling right at home watching over the quiet, damp underbelly of the Chamber of Knowledge.

★ Thank you Wildflower75, for creating Reylyn. I'm struck by the dynamic pose, the beautiful colors, and how Reylyn's quirky and interesting backstory just completely matches the character that exudes from the art you drew. The vines are a great addition too– you definitely have an eye for design!

★ Thank you jrl4547, for creating The Statuekeeper. I can tell how much thought and care you put into creating it, because its story and art just come to life for me whenever I look at it. They're just an amazing character. I love how you incorporated pieces of Jamaa lore in as well, and elaborated on how these underwater Alpha statues actually get made. The Statuekeeper adds so much life to Marine Marvels!

★ Thank you Blackstanford3, for creating Winter. The little details and quirks you added make Winter such a distinct and fun personality– she honestly feels like she could be a real person! And beyond that, her design is awesome– the white and grey of her fur go really well with the red jacket, the butterfly cap (which should really be made a real item), and especially the reindeer slippers which somehow go so well with Winter's character. 

★ Thank you vaiana70, for creating Yuri. I'm always noticing characters for their expressions and poses, and Yuri's gentle smile and subtle lean forward definitely stand out to me for how they express her personality! The sweet and simple 2D way you laid out the colors of your drawing express the gentleness of this character even more. I just love the idea of a friendly seal covered in sprinkles welcoming travelers to the Hot Cocoa Hut. 

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Y'all are all winners in my book. I'll always remember each of your shopkeepers whenever I visit their shops around Jamaa :)

As for the winning characters from the voting process... it's finally time to look at the results! 

*drumroll*

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Congratulations everyone! 

Blackstanford3 will get the 1st place prize for Winter, Wildflower75 wins the 2nd place prize for Reylyn, and while Rivero has won 3rd place for Mystic, they have told me in the comments that they prefer the prize to go to jrl4547, creator of The Statuekeeper!

The three of you will get your prizes for AJC or AJPW, depending on which you chose in your contest entry form c:

Please let me know in the comments the best days/times for you to meet me in-game so I can trade you your prizes! I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

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An unrelated note before I go:

Tkaranto has written a really excellent post on their blog (The Animal Jam Bubble) about their experiences having an AJ account hacked, as well as some important tips for how to cope with that happening and how to prevent it moving forward. 

Likely due to the data breach last October, I've unfortunately known a handful of people who have lost items or their entire accounts due to hacking. If this is something you're concerned about, I really recommend you give Tkaranto's post a look! 

> Click here to read the post on The Animal Jam Bubble <

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Thank you all for making this contest so fun, and I'll see you in Jamaa!