New Template

As you can see I edited the blog a bit early for November. The music still needs to change, so let me have your patience! ^.^

Airplanes and Creatures

Hey Jammers! Today is Rare Item Monday! Today's RIM is a Rare Scary Halo.

 

It doesn't really look scary to me. 

Also, we have two more returning items:

Creature Masks! I love Creature Masks! ^.^

And Airplane Wings! I love Airplane Wings! ^.^

Yeah. Whew.

Did you know there is a Beta Creature Mask? Only few people have it.

Also, today I will un-postpone the Portraits. I can continue to work on them again. :)

Oh! And today is Jammer of the Week, isn't it?

Today's lucky Jammer is....

 

partyanimalzz is my best friend in real life. I've known her since I started playing AJ, and I introduced her to it. She's really funny and cool. ^.^ She owns the blog Animal Jam Non Member, along with her cousin pupp1266.

Don't worry, I've got y'all signed up for hopefully someday. :P

Gotta hurry! Okay, now for Weekly Animal Fact:

 

I decided to do something on ravens because as I was scrolling down my buddy list for partyanimalzz, I accidentally clicked on her. :3

Wow...we're almost up to 30,000 views! :O

Keep viewing and Whipping! Bye!

Nafaria's Lessons #1-The History of Scamming and Hacking

I'm sure we've all had enough.

But "we" doesn't refer to all of Jamaa, does it? No.

"We" refers to the people who are sick of drama.

Of course, there's various types of drama around Jamaa.

There's the love drama and friend drama, for example.

Then there's item drama, the biggest type of drama and the fastest at spreading. 

You can't go a day without seeing this type of drama. I've seen it. You've seen it. We all know what it's like.

Terrible stuff, indeed. There's the good side to this drama, but there's a bad side. A huge bad side.

And we all know what that bad side is.

The bad side is called "scamming and hacking". Whoever gave birth to this side must have some very horrifying history and genes. o.o

Anyway, I'm pretty sure we've all felt the feeling someone gets when they get scammed or hacked. A mix of sadness and anger can make an ugly mood, can't it? 

But why did this have to happen? When did scamming start? Why are people so-gulp-rarethirsty?

Let's travel back in time.

Let's travel back into the time when AJ first started.

Ahh. Those days.

Heh, most of us don't even know what it was like.

Luckily, we have information on what the view of Beta players was like from past ones, such as pizzadrop, supermonkeys, snowyclaw, and Meloetta385. 

The first weeks of Beta period were spent playing games, telling stories, and making buddies. Just how it should be today. 

Unfortunately, there was no type-chat, Journey Book, oceans, JAGs, or any of the colors on our animals we use today. There was a lot of unavailable features. And, there was no Membership. 

There also was no trade system.

That was invented in later Beta. Early Betas were taken out of stores for whatever reason. People went crazy for these items. Too crazy.

Too crazy enough that people became thirsty for rares. These people had no heart. They just played Animal Jam to get rares and become famous. They didn't care if their best friend burst into tears and had a broken heart. The first scamming methods were made. 

At that time, nobody really knew what these people were up to, so they were scammed. Over the course of the days and weeks, more and more people thought scamming would give them rares like Wheaten Terriers give licks. They were right-and because so many players are scamming, the whole world of Animal Jam is at stake. 

You might think some scammed Jammers are innocent, and they should be. But some are rarethirsty, and that causes them to be scammed. It's win-win. When you care for rares and fame so much more than friendship and fun, you're more likely to be scammed than anyone else in Jamaa. Because YOU want the item they are "giving away".

Then hacking came in. 

I'm glad that I didn't know what the first hacker did for all this time. That was until I found out everything.

Scamming was bad, alright-but hacking was worse.

The first hacker could have been the most vicious and heart-breaking player Jamaa has ever had. He must have hacked thousands of Jammers. Thankfully, this dude is no longer playing. You can't even search his username. 

But he did something much worse than hack players. He did something so wrongdoing that Animal Jam-and possibly even Smart Bomb Interactive-could fall into smithereens. I mean it. AJ could have been closed-forever. 

Here's the big part. Grab some popcorn. You might be so shocked if you haven't heard of this before.

THE FIRST HACKER HACKED ANIMAL JAM.

Point said.

I'm not kidding. 

lolkingcentury1 did this horrible thing. He's done it. And he was banned for it. His account was erased. The first hacker did something not even Taxe or dens could be able to do.

Think of the time when everyone knew he had hacked AJ. I would have been so freaked out I'd have almost quit. Back in those days, I remember hearing about him, but I never really understood him. But now I'm older and wiser, and I do understand. 

Now compare that time to today's time. Sure, today's time is bad enough-but I personally think that the time of Century was scarier. 

Groups of people who wanted to be as rarethirsty as him followed in his steps. They started little by hacking people. So far, I don't think anyone has gotten farther. I'm sure SBI has more protective locks by now. 

Let's stop right there, alright?

It's time for an imagining moment. 

Imagine that all of the rares and Betas were wiped out of the entire game. Zip. Gone. 

Now imagine you are a rare-item collector and work hard for your rares because you find it fun. You don't scam or hack. You spend time with your buddies. You are a normal Jammer who has a hobby for trading. That's no bad thing. 

But how would you feel if all of the items you worked for were gone? Would you quit?

Think of the other people who a rare-collectors. Do you think they'd quit?

More than 75% of Jammers work for rares. It's a very popular hobby throughout Animal Jam. I believe lots of people would quit if rares vanished. 

If these people quit, they'd stop paying for Memberships and stuff from AJ Outfitters. Why? Because they'd want nothing to do with AJ.

If Memberships weren't paid for, AJHQ wouldn't earn any money to pay their workers. AJHQ is not run by robots. AJ is an online kid game run by humans. Humans need money to feed their families and pay for shelter. 

This is why Animal Jam has to leave you with a sad heart. They don't want anyone to be sad, of course. But it all fits in. Everyone and everything has their place in Jamaa. Even scamming. 

I hope you all take this post into consideration. And I want you to remember that rares aren't something to mad about. They are something to cherish. They bring Animal Jam together. If you believe that rares cause scamming and hacking, they don't. Pixels can't do anything to anyone. Only the scammers and hackers do it, not rares.

:) 

Bat Brains

Hey jamming Jammers! Did you have any weird dreams last night? I've had plenty of weird dreams before. Once I dreamed that my school owned some flying cows, so they put them in a green barn. Sadly, the farmers were a bit close-minded, so they forgot to put on a roof. The next day the cows flew away. Lol.

Anyway, today we have two new/returning items:

Bat Glasses (returning) and a Brain Helmet (new)!

The Bat Glasses are so original. Did you know that they used to be very, very valued?

The Brain Helmet is one of the top 10 weirdest items in Jamaa, don't you think? But, the Epic Solar Hats totally beat it off. Those sun, moon, and star hats that were introduced to the Summer Carnival last time make Brain Helmets look like sawdust. :P

I've got some more trading drama found:

 

Why can't Jamaa be the place it once used to be, where there was no crimes, hacks, scams, etc.? 

Well, I guess Jamaa needs its bad and its good, but why can't Jamaa have more good than bad? The bad is cutting the history and time of Jamaa away and labeling all those paper bits "rares". 

Ugh. If you want to learn more about this, and why we need rares and why we don't, go to the AJ Rare Item Handbook. You can view it by clicking on the "Rare" plaque on the side of the blog.

Anyway, my sister, dolphin91051, was playing a few rounds of Best Dressed, and spotted this glitch:

 

Poor, poor panda.

Oh, and thanks to my good friend, there's a new code-STAYSAFE. It awards you another Online Safety Plaque.

Well.....umm.....bye for now!

Re: The Black Pearl-A Story I Wrote

The Black Pearl

A story by nafaria9

Note: This story is based on a dream that I had one night.

Once upon a time, there was a wonderful land named Jamaa. In this land, animals laughed, played, and socialized with one another. Each animal lived in peace for many years, until the dark phantoms came. The Alphas, Mira's (the Mother of Jamaa) and Zios' (the creator and Father of Jamaa) helpers, tried to fight off these terrible creations, which could soon lead to chaos and destroy Jamaa. The Alphas, along with hundreds of brave animals, had won the battle of the phantoms. Not much later, a darker and more powerful evil force crept into this world.... 

It was a sunny day in Jamaa. Everyone had at least something to do on a normal Jamaa day: chatting with buddies, playing in the arcade, swapping items for items, or exploring and searching for mysteries. But it seemed like today wasn't as normal. Everyone was talking about the new Poondamilia Amusement Park. This exciting playground for younger animals had really caught on! The Jamaa Journal even had wrote an article about it! A mother snow leopard named Blooming had just moved into Jamaa with her daughter Blossom. They had settled into a cozy den next to a wolf named Admiral. They were buzzing about the news together, too! "When the park opens, would you like to go?" Blooming asked. "Yes, mother, please!" Blossom anticipated. "Alright. Goodnight, dear." Blooming tucked Blossom in her bed and sent her to sleep. 

"Wake up, it's time to go!" Blooming shook Blossom like crazy. It was about 6:00 am, which was very early for a young leopard. Surprisingly, once Blossom woke up, she was super excited. After about 30 minutes or so, both leopards were ready to visit the Poondamilia Amusement Park. 15 minutes later, the snow leopard family arrived at the park. The activities board was a map of the park and what to do there. The snow leopards agreed on the Liza's Bounce and Clubhouse, Greely's Gem Hunt, Peck's Art Area, the Rope Swing, and the Mineshaft Coaster. They also planned to stop at Graham's Snack Shoppe for lunch. 

Blossom was having a blast. So far, she got to hop at the bounce house, search at the gem hunt, paint at the art area, and swing on the swing. The last thing left to do was ride on the Mineshaft Coaster-an attraction where you sit in a mine cart and takes you on a slightly bumpy ride through Kokeekoo Rainforest. It was 4:47 pm in Jamaa, which meant the ride may be dark and spooky. "No way am I going in there!" Blossom exclaimed. Blossom had a fear of the dark, but her mother soothed her down. "It'll be okay," she said. "I wish I could come with you, but only one cart per jammer. I'm very sorry. I'll be waiting for you at the end!" Blossom had been persuaded. Her emerald eyes lit up. Blooming patted her and said her good-lucks, and strolled down to the other end of the ride. 

This ride must be long! Blooming thought. It had been over the maximum time of the ride, and only a few young jammers came out of the end. 5 minutes later, Blooming began to worry. It wasn't just for her daughter-it was for the rest of the kids, too. Blooming didn't have bad eyes-she saw the huge line. But it was time for everyone to be out, and the park would close soon. Some employees were already shutting down the rides and packing their bags. Where could Blossom be? 

Blooming rushed over to a koala named Baron Happyboy. "Excuse me, but do you know when the Mineshaft ride is going to end?" she asked. "It should be shut down by now, did the employee not do his job?" Baron was confused. "Only a few jammers returned," Blooming explained. "My daughter, Blossom Arcticflower, never came out. Do you know what happened?" Baron saw the worried look on Blooming's face. He sighed. "Well, there's one thing I've heard of," he began. "A wolf named Major Canyonpride was just hired a few days ago, when we were giving out the last of the jobs available. He's sort of strange. He makes up the craziest rumors. One of his first tales was the Mineshaft Coaster was being haunted by a floating, black eyeball called the Black Pearl. Not really anybody believed him, but what you say might be a clue to seeing if this nutcase is correct." Blooming gasped at the thought of the Black Pearl. Was this legendary eyeball the causing of the absence of her daughter and all the other animals? 

"Thank you for the information," Blooming said gratefully. "I must get on that ride and see if the legend is true-and to save the jammers!" "Go right ahead," Baron offered. "Our employee must have fallen asleep." So Blooming ran over to the ride, settled in a cart, and cranked the lever. The cart slowly rode down the wooden track, and entered the mysterious jungle. Cawing parrots and gobbling monkeys irritated the snow leopard mom, but not as much as she would have been. Right now, she was too scared to think about anything but the eyeball. 

A dark, scary hiss came from behind a bush. Out came a pitch black eyeball with a small, snowy white pupil. Blooming screamed and jumped out of the minecart. The eyeball floated at high speed, charging after Blooming. The ride had ended, but the eyeball was so close to its victim it kept on going. "MOM!" a familiar voice shouted from the starry night sky. Up ahead was Cosmo's Treehouse, where all of the young jammers who had never come out of the rollercoaster were hiding. "MOMMY!" It was Blossom who was shouting! "I'm coming!" Blooming ran as fast as she could, sweat dripping from her forehead. She climbed up the wooden oak ladder, and slammed the creaky door shut. "That was close," she said, wiping her head with her paw. "Is everyone okay?" Everyone screamed when the Black Pearl broke into the treehouse. "Hhhhhand over zee young onesssss," the ball hissed. "I might consssssider ssssparing you." "I'd rather die!" Blooming yelled bravely. "So be it, zen," it hissed again. Although the eye wasn't a mouth, it creepily could talk. A huge, gusty wind shaked the treehouse, and it collapsed to the ground. 

THE END (That's when I woke up. This is a true dream.) 

I don't think I should write a Part 2. You see, the way I ended (or my dream ended) the story was for a reason. This story is after we defeat the phantoms, so it is in the future. The reason my dream and story ended the way it did was because the Alphas needed to fight off the Black Pearl. If this dream was made into an Adventure, that would be so awesome for me, fun, and would completely determine whether the Black Pearl won or we won. A Part 2 would just mess up the whole concept here.