Sunday, August 20, 2017

3 ideas that I never did (and you totally should)




Disclaimer:

Yes, I've left Animal Jam and have stopped officially writing the blog (and yes, I agree that my grammar in the old posts was horrendous). I've been gone for a while (even though it's been about a year since I've left Animal Jam) but out of curiosity I looked in the drafts today and found a few things I had already written or were work-in-progresses that I could easily finish. I thought I'd post them because there's no point letting them rot, eh? ^_^

The whole purpose of this blog is really to have a bunch of ideas to do on a rainy day or when bored on Animal Jam and I figured I'd post a few ideas here even though I hadn't tried it out personally (and, now that I've basically quit Animal Jam, never will) so that it might inspire someone else since many of my posts come from 'lists of things to do in Animal Jam' that weren't exactly tried yet, but would be fascinating if someone did. 

1. 
There's something I was always curious about - having a theatre in Animal Jam. It always interested me to see if it was really possible to gather actors and present an interesting story. 

I  planned that I would gather people in my den to be actors, pick the best ones and make a short play like an Animal Jam legend. I wondered if people would actually come to watch it and if it would ever go over well or would be utter chaos.

What do you think? Have you ever tried to have a play in Animal Jam? I don't plan on writing a post on it anymore but if you do try it, please let me know how it goes over! I might compile some comments into a post on how to do a Theatre, Animal Jam Good Times community-style. 


2. 
Animal Jam Quest - I figured it'd be tons of fun to try that someday. I totally recommend checking out the blog, it's pretty amazing!

3. 
Having a 'phantom war' with the alphas from my Alpha Training Camp idea. I would have people dressed up as phantoms and then all the alphas I've ever trained assembled in an empty Jamaa Township. I'd imagine it'd be chaotic and amazing. 



Feel free to try them!

Stay fantastic,

Stores and Fashion Shows

These are two Animal Jam 'oldies' that have been going on ever since I first started and are popular to this day.

Plushie/Toy Stores

1. Obtain as many plushies, toys (from the Phantom Shooter game) and seasonal or adventure prize items as possible.
2. Lay them out in your den, and then advertise in Jamaa Township.
3. People will come and 'claim' the item they're interested in. If you want to make it more 'official' you can have a friend or an alt standing by in the den to make sure everyone knows what they're supposed to do and to prevent 'claiming battles'.
4. When enough people have come (or you're spammed by Jamagrams asking you to put certain items up on your tradelist) you return to your den, put the claimed items up on your tradelist and have people trade for them. It's helpful to have a predetermined price in mind for certain items - such as an item with a recycling price of at least 300 gems or three 'normal' plushies for a rare plushie. Sometimes people are so eager to get something that you'll get some really interesting items in exchange (or, if they're eyeing several things, they might give you a Rare Item Monday item).
5. You can end whenever you like! Since there are often equivalent exchanges you rarely run out of items (though occasionally there's someone who wants ALL your Raccoon and Llama plushies or something like that - but they'll offer something really great for such a large amount of plushies).

Alternatively, you can do an Art Auction (for all those Masterpiece hoarders and/or amazing artists out there). I bet you could get more from an auction than just walking around in trading parties with your Masterpieces listed and, besides, people also just enjoy auctions for the competitive part.

Fashion Shows
1. There's not a lot of preparation - just have themes in mind and if you want to be more fair, you can have judges.
2. Invite people and lock your den so that no one else comes in when you have enough. Let them know a theme and give them a few minutes to make an outfit that matches that theme (such as 'Most like a pumpkin!' and a seal turns all orange and wears a green hat). Sometimes there's special rules such as no changing animals or no rares. When everyone is done dressing up, they can dance, jump or play (depending on what you specified to be the action showing that they are done). When everyone is done there's a few ways to go about it. You can either choose winners (sometimes I've seen category winners such as Most Unique, Non-Member Only, etc. that have specific types of prizes like clothing for one and toys for the other), eliminate the worst outfits, or (as is most common) both - eliminate one or two people and give the winner of that round a small prize. You could even have fun interludes like seeing which person could guess that answer of a riddle to a prize or a little raffle.
 At the end there's usually a larger prize that the all-time winner receives (either advertised at the beginning as an incentive for more people to come or hinted at that so that people partly join out of curiosity).


What's your favorite method of doing these tried-and-true activities? Stay fantastic!



A couple harmless pranks to try


Disclaimer:


Yes, I've left Animal Jam and have stopped officially writing the blog (and yes, I agree that my grammar in the old posts was horrendous). I've been gone for a while (even though it's been about a year since I've left Animal Jam) but out of curiosity I looked in the drafts today and found a few things I had already written or were work-in-progresses that I could easily finish. I thought I'd post them because there's no point letting them rot, eh? ^_^ By the way, some posts would've had pictures if they were properly completed but I decided it didn't matter enough to go out and take some (which actually is the most tedious part of writing posts).

There's some days we all need a laugh (and some other people need random strangers doing silly things in their den). I enjoy doing the kind of pranks that are fun both for you and the other person and may end up with lots of laughter (or a bemused person watching for a moment and then locking you out of their den). Here's a couple to try!

Basic etiquette:
1. If someone asks you to leave then do so immediately. 
2. Never use these to bully or harass anyone, including disrupting events someone might have at their den.
3. In short, respect everyone in your fun.



Talking Objects 

It's pretty simple: go to a random den (preferably a buddy's den) or party and hide behind an object before anyone sees you. For best results invite friends or use alternate accounts (as long as they follow the same etiquette). When the den owner comes (seeing multiple people in their den but not being able to find anyone) that's when you start chatting. If you hide properly, it looks like the object itself is talking. You can have long conversations with your fellow objects, muse on how on earth you became sentient or do whatever you like. For best results, though, leave the second the den is cleared or your object is removed before they can see your name so it really does appear that there were indeed talking objects and not people. 


''Caroling''

You wouldn't believe how fun this can be! It's simple, really - just get a bunch of people or alts (preferably dressed up in matching colors and clothing - one of my favorite things to do was to have six alts and then my real-life friend would have six alts too so there was quite a party) and all go to a random person's den all at once and sing a song. There's a few ways to do this:
- Sing all at once
- Line everyone up and have everyone say each person say a word or a couple words  (ie. 1 person says 'let' and the other says 'it go').
- Do an actual choreographed 'dance' - walking in circles, using what few actions and emoticons you can to make something quite silly. 
- Do actual caroling where a group of people in Jamaaliday clothing (not necessarily matching) stand together at a door and sing a Christmas carol. This one in particular seems to make people the happiest.

You might be locked out, or people would actually watch you. I once had someone sit and watch us, and then leave.. and then more people came... and more people.. until we had about 6 people watching. Apparently she was advertising us at her den in Jamaa Township, I guess? Some of them joined us. It's really fun to sing songs that are actually relevant to certain people - for example, there was someone who really loved Frozen (their username had something to do with it) and so we went over there in matching arctic blue colors and clothing and sang Frozen songs. It made her really happy and she actually said that it meant a lot to her since she was having a horrible day! 


Let me know how these go and feel free to suggest new harmless pranks!


A random thing to do today in Jamaa: be a storyteller


Disclaimer:

Yes, I've left Animal Jam and have stopped officially writing the blog (and yes, I agree that my grammar in the old posts was horrendous). I've been gone for a while (even though it's been about a year since I've left Animal Jam) but out of curiosity I looked in the drafts today and found a few things I had already written or were work-in-progresses that I could easily finish. I thought I'd post them because there's no point letting them rot, eh? ^_^

A long while ago, I had an interesting experience that made me wonder about how unique Animal Jam was. My koala was sitting in the Hot Cocoa Hut and staring majestically (*snort*) into the flames of the fireplace from beneath a (rather goofy-looking) hood. Someone else came in and I spontaneously decided that, since I was just sitting there, I would tell a story. And so I did - I told the story of Mira and Zios (a very common story but surprisingly unheard of by the majority of users - I appreciate how it truly does feel like a legend because it morphs slightly at each retelling, even if it's AJHQ who is retelling it). The details are fuzzy but, knowing me, it was probably in rhyme. To my surprise the person actually listened to it in full and when it was done they seemed to be quite taken with it and promised me something along the lines of "This lore is fascinating! I will retell this story to all of Jamaa! Look up my username someday and you'll find me!" It was a little.. odd, since it was a made-up story for a game about animals, but tales are like that. They make the listener slow down and think, to wonder, to see the world with a little more magic (or at least quell boredom for a time).

What about you? Do you enjoy telling stories? If you're newer, you might be interested to know that Animal Jam has amassed a lot of lore over the years (you can find most of it archived here). You can tell anything from the main stories about Mira and Zios (Mira being created, the phantoms) to the ever-changing more obscure stories about the alphas that were on the Daily Explorer or even the stories in the fieldguide that was released a while ago (note: is it still in stores? I've been out of the loop). And, of course, there's a few amazing fanfictions out there as well. So, who knows? Animal Jam may have changed since that time, but what if it hasn't? What if, if you sit next to a pixelated fire with your pixelated animal and tell a story from a culture that every player of this game is a part of there might be someone who listens?

Try it, and let me know how it goes.



Nafaria9 Interview (unfinished)

Disclaimer:

Yes, I've left Animal Jam and have stopped officially writing the blog (and yes, I agree that my grammar in the old posts was horrendous). I've been gone for a while (even though it's been about a year since I've left Animal Jam) but out of curiosity I looked in the drafts today and found a few things I had already written. I thought I'd post them because there's no point letting them rot, eh? ^_^

This is an old interview of fellow Animal Jam blogger Nafaria9. I don't know when I did it - at least a couple years ago. I think one of us had to leave so it was unfinished.

Nafaria9

Me: How long have you been on Animal Jam?

Naffy: Since 2011, about three years.

Me: What brought you to it?

Naffy: My friend told me about it.

Me: What appealed to you most about it?

Naffy: The animals of course ;3

Me: Were you on Nafaria9 at the time?

Naffy: Yep! I've been on Nafaria9 my whole life! Err, my time spent on AJ.

Me: What inspired you to switch your blog to Animal Jam from Webkinz?

Naffy: I started to play Animal Jam more, thats why.

Me: Whats your favorite AJ animal?

Naffy: I can't choose :p I like all of them

Me: And your first animal?

*Naffy switches animals*

Naffy: My seal

Naffy's cute and epic seal

Me: Do you have a specific goal or dream in Animal Jam?

Naffy: Hmm, nope not really. Just to continue my blog and keep people happy :)

Me: What is your favorite den and den item?

Naffy: My favorite den is my regular den, and my favorite item is Yellow Sweets Walls.

Me: Whats your regular den?

Naffy: What I call Alyssa's Grotto 

*changes animals into an Alyssa otter*

Me: And what den is Alyssa's Grotto?

 Naffy: The one you get when you make an AJ account (the small house).

Me: What time of year do you like best in Jamaa?

Naffy: Jamaalidays!

Me: Me too!!


(It was a draft and that's all I had).


The Complete Guide to Creating an Alpha Training Camp

Disclaimer:

Yes, I've left Animal Jam and have stopped officially writing the blog (and yes, I agree that my grammar in the old posts was horrendous). I've been gone for a while (even though it's been about a year since I've left Animal Jam) but out of curiosity I looked in the drafts today and found a few things I had already written. I thought I'd post them because there's no point letting them rot, eh? ^_^

Hey guys!

I've noticed a dire need for a new version of the Alpha Training Camp post. One more clear and concise, with less roleplaying. One that entirely equips you for making your own Alpha Training Camp. Time to fill that need! I'll go over the basic information first, and then I'll dive right into leading the camp and share my experiences. I'll tell you exactly how my camp is run and you can make your own version from there, if you like. Firstly, I'd like to introduce Juno (also known as Daredevil Arcticbrave). She is my other Arctic Wolf and is used primarily for the camp.

The Trainer of the Camp


She is pictured right next to the Juno statue. Juno is canonically the Arctic Wolf Alpha (or, at least we assume she is) and her statue can be found at the AJ Birthday Party along with the busts of all the other Diamond Shop animals. I modeled my wolf (and named her) after the statue in order to stay accurate to Animal Jam's lore (and avoid people saying 'But there's a bust of another Arctic Wolf alpha and she has a different name!! You can't be her!). I've created a personality and backstory for this wolf that she displays whilst roleplaying. It helps get the students into character and makes the whole affair more organic and enjoyable for everyone. She has a tendency to speak in Old English using words like 'thou', 'thee', 'hither' and other such words to give her some age. Her (fake) history is that she was one of the first alphas appointed by Mira and all the alphas went through her camp, were teachers in it, or otherwise were involved in it. I tend to make up little stories like 'Greely was my hardest student to train. His magic was rather unstable and he scared everyone else. I helped him perfect it' (protip: there is always someone who calls themselves the daughter/niece/sister of Greely so that always makes them happy) in order to be entertaining. Feel free to make up your own character (you can even steal Juno, since she's just a bust and no one really owns her). I suggest that your trainer is very wise, very strong (and tends to beat all the annoying people who say 'KNOCKS SWORD OUT OF HAND NO MISS') and has 0 tolerance for troublemakers. Also, give your character some skill at magic, particularly healing all the angsty injured people and breaking up fights. Talking to Mira's spirit and having flashbacks is optional.

Setting Up

Do start out your camp with a gameplan for how you plan to run it, as well as one or more dens already decorated for it!

The first den is a volcano 'waiting room' with cushions, a firepit, ponds covering up the lava and a feast table. I use the Night Sky wallpaper and Stone Flooring (it is supposed to look like a secluded cave). The edges and the entrance is covered with plants and trees in order to make it look overgrown (and increasing the seclusion). In roleplay it's a place where the young trainees rest and eat after a long journey to reach it (many of them being attacked by phantoms on the way).


While it's difficult to tell by the picture, the second den is a Restaurant den (with the kitchen and lights tastefully covered up by plants, trees and ponds). It has the same Stone Floor and Night Sky Wallpaper as the Volcano, but it has the Sarepia Forest music. In roleplay it's an obstacle course and an initiation into the camp. Trainees have to balance and walk along a fence, swim through the pond, climb a tree and leap from the tree and through the fountains. Right next to the hamock in the bottom left is a Crystal Firepit. I wait there for them to finish the obstacle course. It's a great way to see the natural roleplayers, the troublemakers, and those who have 'magical powers'. It's also a great way to weed out the people who are there just for kicks and would only be a hindrance when the camp actually begins.

The third and primary den (a Crystal Palace) is too large to picture and is fairly self-explanatory. Above is the room where everyone sleeps. The wallpaper is either the Sky Wallpaper or the Night Sky Wallpaper, depending on the time of day, and the flooring is indeed the Stone Flooring (but it looks different). The music is the Ocean Adventure Base Camp music (not entirely sure if it can be used in Land Dens, I'm able to use it in mine...?) for dramatic effect at the beginning but it changes around. It's the Diamond Shop music at night and the Adventure Base Camp music or The Hidden Falls theme during the day. I also use the Sarepia Forest and Temple of Zios themes, in order to break up the music so it doesn't get old. Besides the bedroom you can see above there is also a dining hall, lots of plants in the yard and a few, filler areas for relaxation with bookshelves, couches and a fireplace. In the caves down below I have several phantom cages, a Zios fountain and a boomseed tree (for training to fight phantoms) and I put a Sigurd bust as a figurehead on the boat. It doesn't take any fancy decorating, really, just use alpha statues and make it neat (the more epic, the better)!

Summary of the Camp:

Introducing myself in the Waiting Den
Testing at the Restaurant Den
Showing everyone around the Crystal Palace
'Lights Out' for night
Swordfighting/Archery training
Swimming/Boating
Free Time/Dinner
Sleeping
(I usually go and sneak away to a different part of the den and talk to a Mira statue or something along those lines. The trainees always follow me and roleplay sneaking around. Do be careful if you do mysterious things at night, though, because they often think you're evil and if you have an annoyingly overpowered student they might try to destroy you - it's happened).
 Storytime 
(I tell the Legend of Jamaa by the fireplace and explain how important it is to be an alpha)
Phantom-Fighting
Optional (if everything is going smoothly):
Search and Rescue
Additional Training 
Optional Additional Night/Dinner
Camp Draws to a Close:
I log onto an alternate account dressed as Peck or Greely, OR I change into an eagle dressed as Mira and appoint my trainees as alphas. 
Peck/Greely/Mira gives everyone roles, like 'Blossom, you must use your shadow powers to protect jammers and guide them on journeys into the Hive.' or 'Shadow, your role as an alpha is to fight at the front lines in the Battle for the Beacon). I may also encourage trainees to help New Jammers, fight scammers or resolve conflicts, or to protect from evil clans in Sarepia Forest.
Peck/Greely/Mira leaves, I bid farewell to the new alphas and lock the den.



And that is all! If you want to roleplay something fun feel free to try it out. It takes time, planning and lots of roleplaying (or you could roleplay less and let the students do most of the roleplaying, depending on your preferences). Not every session is perfect - I've done it a little under 10 times and you deal an awful lot with aggravating people, but when it goes well it's quite pleasing.

Have fun!