I'm going to cut right to the chase on this one as it's something very serious that the staff and I really need your feedback on. We have all been discussing the current way that we do the FA and are finding some issues that are difficult to overlook. At present the process to create, prepare and release a new FA set is not only tedious, but expensive. Paul has been working on a way to make part of the load a bit easier - allowing the staff to upload an item and have all the colors automatically generated. We've hit a lot of snags getting it to work properly and that's what has held up the release for this month's new set. I do believe we're close to getting it all sorted and when we do that will help a lot. (Previously the staff were having to save each color individually and it was very tiresome!)

But the other issues don't really go away with just that one fix. The main problem we're having is the sheer amount of items necessary to achieve the level of customization that we want. You've all seen the "accents" tab, now imagine that Jess has to draw all of those tiny pieces separately and we have to color and upload them all separately, too. We have a coding fix in mind for this, too, but it would be better aided by what I'm about to say...

We want to completely scrap the current FA and start over from scratch. But before you panic, please hear me out! This could be a very, very good change for the site and we would absolutely do our best to bring back revamped versions of the sets we have. Part of the problem is that most of the FA art was done ages ago when the site had no direction and so a lot of it just seems very out of place at present. Since we have Jess redoing most of it anyway, it's also costing us money that could be better spent elsewhere. For instance... Adding races that aren't an overlay of the main base, but are completely their own thing. Avatars would be done very similarly to pets, allowing you to collect patterns like you would genes. Different races would be like different pet species, with classes to further aide in unique appearances. Do you like CYO pets? What about CYO outfits?

There's so many possibilities that we don't have with our current system. There are some downsides however.
• If we do remove the existing art and start over we will have fewer options available until we bulk up our inventory.
• Facial features and hair will be tied to your race, allowing you to swap them out. You will also be able to swap out held items, but Sets will no longer have multiple items that you can mix and match. You will, however, be able to decide colors for everything (from buttons to ribbons) and as I mentioned patterns would be available to make sets even more customizable!
• We will need the help of crowdfunding to accomplish this change. I know we just had a Kickstarter not too long ago, but this is a change that was not budgeted for. However, the staff and I can't handle this alone. I can't handle it alone. For this site to be successful we need help from our fans. The Kickstarter would focus on allowing us to have start up art (races, outfits, and patterns) as well as modify the coding to allow for these changes. We would have a smaller goal than our first Kickstarter - around $1500.

One very important thing I want to note: Yes, Members would be compensated for whatever clothing is in their inventory! We're well aware this is a big, scary idea, but we have talked about it pretty thoroughly and we feel it's going to be better in the long run. Even still, we want your feedback and input on this so that we can make it as smooth on everyone as possible. We'll do what we have to in order to make sure any transition is an easy one.

Please direct your questions and comments here!

Thanks everyone for hearing us out! I really hope we can get things worked out! Please don't hesitate to post in the thread above!

...And a Happy New Year!

Okay so this news post is almost two weeks late in coming! But we've been working through the new system and trying to get everything squared away behind the scenes! Not only that, the holidays and cold/flu season have slowed us down as well! I'm pretty sure every member of staff has been sick, some of us twice, in the last few weeks! But not to worry, we're all on the mend and getting things done, despite being horribly behind schedule!

What We've Been Accomplishing:
• We have officially revamped our color palette for the site! We now have a grand total of 140 colors shared between pets and avatars!
• Bug fixes have been implemented for the new FA Wardrobe and the layout design for it has also been finished. We're waiting on the full layout to be completed before these changes are made live on the site.
• Our shiny new pet and breeding system is in progress! Beta testing will be available soon (more details further down the post)
• We're making release schedules and events for the future! We know there's not a whole lot going on and updates are sometimes scarce, but we're working to build up a queue of sorts that will allow us to make releases and keep you all better informed!
• In addition, Lockette has been working on social media updates. Including special posts to announce birthdays and even a member of the month program!
• Kickstarter rewards are still in the works, please continue being patient as we get everything lined out. I will be contacting our backers with some form of survey to collect information needed to deliver your incentives!

We have a couple other announcements, but I think the most exciting of which is the decision to implement baby stages at some point in the future! Ryou has already sketched out all the pets, here's a couple of our cutest ones I thought you all might enjoy!



To answer a few of the questions you might have...
• Yes, you will be able to "freeze" babies to prevent them from growing up.
• This means we will be having adult versions done of the wendigo and majouneko! They will be unveiled as soon as they're finished.
• We are not releasing this feature yet. It's going to be at least a few months before we can have the budget to have all the art done and the coding implemented, but it is part of our long term goals and something the staff are all very excited about!



In addition to updates we're very happy to present our holiday celebration! Here's what we have in store for you!



This will be our first annual Secret Santa event! Right now it's going to be for FA items only since the pets aren't quite ready to be released, but next year we hope to have a ton more options for gifts! To find out more please visit the official thread as operated by Lockette and her Helpers!

Jess has been working very hard on our FA releases this month! In addition to simultaneously working on an art revamp, which everyone should be pleased to hear is going to include making all of our items unisex! This revamp is going to be bit by bit. Each month we'll release a new set and then revamp an old set at the same time.

Also, please don't be alarmed by the difference in shading, as part of the revamp Jess will be redoing all the old art in a style that's a little easier to mimic so that in the future switching artists won't be such a big deal. Unfortunately, due to real life commitments Sapphie was unable to continue working on Origins. We wish her the best and hope that someday she can come back to us!

Now, on to the sets! These have not been uploaded to the site yet! But should be available in the next few days! (we're sorting out a minor issue with the uploads)



Pretty fantastic looking aren't they?! Please give Jess a round of applause for her hard work!

Ryou has also been hard at work on the pets and as such, I have a very special little friend to share with everyone. The Christmas Mouse is available now as a special, limited release! A few important details about this pet and how you can have him in your Haven!



• This is a single stage, non-breedable pet that can only be obtained in the month of December.
• Unlike other pets, this will be one of our Color Your Own (CYO) bases. That means you may color it yourself or get a friend to color it for you. No line edits.
• He costs $10 per use. For example, if you would like 4 uses of the Christmas Mouse your total would be $40. (Deals listed on the buy link below!)
• As part of our special celebration, we are offering 10 Coloring Slots from our new gene/colorist artist Markaleb. There are some sub-rules as follows:
â—‹ Limited to one slot per user - Yes, you may purchase slots for your friends!
â—‹ Slots are $15 each! This includes both the coloration and the mouse!
â—‹ We will be hosting a special raffle where we will giveaway 2 additional slots! This raffle will be free to enter so that everyone gets a chance at a mouse!
â—‹ Here's the link to the Christmas Mouse Raffle!
• To purchase your mouse please use this link! Deals not valid toward Coloring Slots.
• We will be having one more contest that will allow you to win a Christmas Mouse! More details in this thread

I really feel like I'm forgetting something, but if I am, I'll just make another news post and tell you all about it then! I hope you enjoy the festivities and have a safe, merry holiday season!

You hear that? It's the sound of opportunity knocking! As Paul has finished coding up the FA features we have decided to offer the chance for users to beta test it! How does it work? Well I'll tell ya!

1) To be eligible for beta testing all you need to do is purchase $10 or more worth of Jade Blossoms.
2) When your purchase goes through, send a PM to Lucille with the amount and the email address you used.
3) I will send your JB along with a link that will give you access to the new wardrobe!
4) Use the link and enjoy the new features! If you notice a bug go to the Bug Fixes and use the appropriate thread (once it's made).

What changes will you be seeing?

1) Multiple Avatars
2) Drag & Drop Reordering
3) Save Designs
4) Name (and rename) Avatars
5) Select Skin (no longer an overlay!)
6) And more!

What are you waiting for? I honestly have no idea!

This is not going to be a long beta testing! It ends Tuesday the 22nd at 11:59pm CST

I'm gonna keep this one brief, I just wanted to point everyone around to a few things happening on the forums!

First off, NaNoWriMo is in full swing! You can come participate or just cheer us on in this thread! There's some great prizes for winners, so if you fancy a challenge, come check it out!

Second, our very own Kalika is running a fun banner contest! She's giving away 50JB to the winner, which is some serious dough! Read More Here Events are great ways to earn prizes and have fun, do keep an eye on our C.A.G.E.R. section!

Last, but not least! We are accepting moderator applications! Apply Here We will be deciding over the next couple weeks or so.

That's it for now, more news will be on the way so keep an eye out!

Mmm delicious! Maybe it's just because our rainbow got sprinkled with a heap of success?! Whatever the cause, we couldn't be more happy to have reached our funding goal on Kickstarter! Whoo-hoo! We will be sending out surveys to collect pertinent information over the next week or two and will keep everyone updated about their rewards!

Just because the Kickstarter has ended, doesn't mean the opportunity has! For the next couple of weeks we will be unofficially extending the Kickstarter offer. All you need to do is Paypal me (lucille.haden at gmail.com) with the amount you would like to pledge and I will add you to a separate list. We'll continue adding to the total in the hopes that we can hit that first stretch goal! This is a temporary arrangement that is meant for latecomers or those who didn't have funds in time! If you would like to increase or change your existing pledge, you can do that as well within this two week time frame. However, you can't cancel or decrease your pledge. We're not offering refunds, just extending the opportunity and hoping to help the site out a bit more in the process!
This offer ends on the 15th of November at 8:01am CST!

I also want to assure everyone that just because we didn't reach the stretch goals doesn't mean we won't get there eventually. These features will just have to take a back burner or be put into a regular release queue rather than being released all at once.

Over the next week or so we will be diving right into the work. Our aim is to get the avatar coding all updated and finish up our new layout! We will also be releasing previews of the Gene starter packs and the pet palette! For now I have a little surprise for all of you... a preview of some artwork that Ryou did for our new layout! Pretty awesome isn't it??



So many great things are in store! We're so excited to be able to share them with you! Expect more updates soon!