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Congratulations to polaroid for winning this week's Pet Spotlight! Stop by and check out their page!

Look, it's been a tough year. It's really hard to be funny at times like this, when it's felt like April 1st for 84 years, but I'll do my part on this sacred day!

Take a look at my monkey, he's funny! He has really helped my emotional well-being. He likes being held. I like to give him a good squeeze. He's the color of a nice ripe eggplant, which is my favorite vegetable. He's not really a monkey, but I didn't know that when I got him. He's actually just an image drawn on a computer! But then, aren't we all?

Come get a hold of my monkey for yourself. HAPPY ELWOOD DAY!

Congratulations to ate for winning this week's Pet Spotlight! Stop by and check out their page!

Congratulations to Berti for winning this week's Pet Spotlight! Stop by and check out their page!

Hey everyone! We're trying something new with the Pet Spotlight, and we need your help to test it.

The Problem

The spotlight queue has gotten really long, with some of you have been waiting years for your pet to be reviewed. That's not fair to anyone, and it's not sustainable. I want to fix that!

The Idea

Instead of staff being the only ones who review pets, we're opening it up to the community. You can sign up as a Spotlight Judge and help review nominated pets. Esmerelda — yes, that Esmerelda — is running the show.

How It Works

For Judges

• Visit the Pet Spotlight and click "Review Pets"
• Click "Become a Spotlight Judge" to opt in
• You'll be shown pets to review — up to 5 per day
• For each pet, you check off criteria:
  • Visual Design
  • Story / Character
  • Treasure Chest (does it fit the vibe?)
  • Minion (does it fit the theme?)
  • Name
  • Completeness
• Give an overall star rating (1-5)
• Leave optional written feedback for the owner
• Earn 50,000 sP per review
• Work toward four new Spotlight Judge achievements

For Pet Owners

• Your pet gets reviewed by multiple community members
• You'll receive detailed feedback on what's working and what could be improved — delivered personally by Esmerelda (she has opinions)
• Pets that pass community review go straight into the winner queue

The Rules

• You can't review your own pets
• You can't review your friends' pets
• Your reviews build a reputation score over time — reviewers whose scores align with the consensus gain more influence
• Pets need agreement from multiple reviewers to pass or fail (no one person decides)

This Is a Pilot

I'm starting with just 5 pets from the existing queue. This is a test run to make sure the system works and feels fair before we open it up to everyone.

We will honor the results. Whatever the community decides for these 5 pets, that's what happens.

We Want Your Feedback

After you've tried it — whether as a judge or a pet owner — please reply to this thread and tell me:

• Was the review process clear and easy to follow?
• Did the criteria make sense?
• Did the feedback feel useful (for owners)?
• Was the sP reward fair?
• What would you change?

Your feedback will directly shape the final version of this feature.

What's Next

If the pilot goes well, I'm planning some improvements and changes to the system:

• Seasonal themed spotlight competitions tied to holidays (Morostide, Luminaire, etc.)
• Top 3 seasonal winners with special trophies
• More rewards for active judges (reactions, avatar borders)
• Opening the full queue to community review
• Potentially moving back to more winners being drawn more frequently (we've got over 300 pets waiting to be judged!)

Head over to the Pet Spotlight to check it out!