WEEEEE lil life catch-up

hello hello, jammers!

iiiit's popcorn speaking, back with another post c: 

this post is going to be extremely random, so there is your pre-reading warning HAHAHAHH. 

to start us off, i recently found this old little manila paper sketchbook kind of thing that was shoved at the back of a shelf, and i decided to try using it again! i used to really enjoy art and painting back in maybe 5th grade(??), but stopped because i kept getting frustrated with my art not getting up to my standards (and looking back i realized how atrociously high they were 💀💀). but i thought about doing some sort of sketchbook tour for a fuller post! i'm currently focusing on realistic animals.. i can't draw people for the life of me ahaahhha. i've also really gotten into using watercolor! i like the lighter look it gives to different pieces, and it's the paint type i've found easiest to work with c: 

*edit: it's 10:41 on a Saturday, and i just finished this turtle drawing with colored pencils that i started at 7:36 this morning ':D i got motivated to finish it AND I POWERED THROUGH. i was proud of it though, and just wanted to include it in this post. a little appetizer to the future post B) 

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i hate what i write sometimes 

anyways, here's a picture! the lighting is bArBaRiC, so apologies in advance. 

MY SISTER DECIDED TO NAME HIM HERBERT WHAHAHAJG

and moving on, i have this little extension set on to my laptop called Momentum, and (assuming you're using Chrome as your web browser), it simply edits your "home page" and filters out a new background. you can also add little to-dos at the bottom! what i'm really trying to say here is, i like the background i got today :D (edit: this post has been worked on over the course of weeks so i do realize that the date this is published doesn't match the date of the screenshot)

anyways, just a little somethin' i wanted to share c: if you'd like to download it from the Chrome Web Store, here's the link: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/momentum/laookkfknpbbblfpciffpaejjkokdgca (y'all i promise it's an official website, i don't know why someone smashed their keyboard at the end of the link 💀💀)

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i am sorry for the post delay! it's been a pretty brutal month/week; i have JV soccer every day of the week now, and i play on a club team (basically a sport organization arranged by my city) that practices every Tuesday and Thursday. on top of that, i just took 2 of my 16,000 (pff, more like 8) last week, so we're just in the home stretch now. to those currently studying/taking their finals, YOU GOT THIS :)) 

that will wrap up this mini post! thank you all for readinggg, and to those who haven't had their spring break, have fun! mine actually starts a bit later than usual, April 1st O-O

toodles~~~~~

~popcorn

3 Trading Tips for Jammers

hai hai jammers! 

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before we get started with today's post, i want to quickly say thank you for the comments on my latest post(s) :')) you all are so sweet and welcoming, and i am beyond beyond grateful to get to know such wonderful people ehehe

today's post is going to be on topic of one of the most popular Animal Jam "activities"... ✨trading! alas, trading has very much evolved from when it was first introduced to the game in March 31, 2011, and it can become an annoyingly toxic community if you don't have a solid understanding of it. 

here are a few tips that i've picked up in my Animal Jam trading experience c:

Tip #1: know your worth! 

i think this is an extremely important part of trading.. you won't know what you 'deserve' if you don't know the worth of your items!

and, finding the worth is fairly simple. i personally use the AJ Worth Wiki to check the rarity, because of the amount of participants on the site. if there's a spike in the worth of rare nerd glasses, for example, the wiki is usually right on that. it's something i've always used and found successful, and i hope it does the same for you!

*small note: you've probably seen jammers in Jamma Township, or Coral Canyons, asking "how much is my list worth?" (or something similar). while this is usually a fast solution, i strongly do not recommend it because of risk of scamming, especially if it's an item not listed on the AJ Worth Wiki. asking someone the worth gives them full control over what your next decision is, and i don't want anyone getting the short side of the bargain. that is just my point of view though, if you ever want to do it, go ahead c:

tip #2: try not to engage in arguments

oh, i know from personal experience how hard this can be. trading something you know is fair for something else, only for the other to decline, can be extremely frustrating. however, it's not worth your time. arguing over one trade (not only) wastes time for you and the other involved, but also heightens the anger and toxicity surrounding the trading community already. all in all, if you trade something fair and it gets declined, just move on! another jammer will most likely have the same item in the future~

tip #3: always use the trading system

i think many long-time jammers already know, or have heard, this tip before; it's widely mentioned because it's a very common scam strategy. it's pretty similar to those "gift me and i'll gift you back!" kinds of scams. if a jammer has suggested avoiding the trading system, kindly decline. i'm not saying everyone that doesn't use the trading system is trying to scam you, but it's always good to be cautious and alert when you see something like that ^^

aaaand those were my tips! 

before i end this post, me and my family recently went skiing and we had to travel over some mountain ranges to get to our destination.. which resulted in me getting some pretty cool pictures :D

the pictures i got definitely didn't do the views justice, but it was too beautiful for me to not snag a few w-w. i'm no photographer, but i just thought that was a cool lil thing that happened this winter ^^ i've always been pretty fascinated by mountains.. they're gorgeous assets on this planet, and i think we should recognize that c:

also, Doomy is celebrating their 10th anniversary of Animal Jam Stream with an art raffle! here's the post if you would like to check it out :] >> https://animaljamstream.blogspot.com/2022/02/art-raffle-time-mastertracks-title-music.html

have a great upcoming week, and i will see you all soon!

toodles toodles~

~popcorn 🦄