Did a pretty thorough search of Google and this forum, and the solutions presented to my exact problem haven't helped, so here I am compelled to register!
Issue 1: Lightbox effects no longer load when photos are clicked, rather the photo loads directly in the browser window. Example from my site: http://www.guntonfilm.com/stills/on-set/
Images are hosted on NextGen Gallery Version 3.0.1. The plug-ins' built-in Lightbox effects are ineffective. Using Easy FancyBox Version 1.8.5 instead is ineffective. This is a recent issue, and I know plugin updates are usually to blame. To troubleshoot, I disabled all plug-ins except those two. Nope. Tried the "Save Header Area, Save Center Column, Save Footer" technique. Nada.
Then, after backing up all my custom Atahualpa options, I uninstalled and reinstalled the theme. The page linked above is what my site looks like with down-to-the-bone default settings. Lightbox still not working.
Switch theme to Twenty Fifteen... BOOM! Works perfectly.
Issue 2: Jetpack's Sharing Buttons. Now, this is currently not on my site because I disabled Jetpack like every other plug-in to troubleshoot the Lightbox thing. But when it was activated, I had social sharing buttons at the bottom of every page and post, hidden until you hovered over the "Share" button, at which point the Facebook, Twitter, etc buttons would emerge underneath. Except that, at the same time Lightbox effects stopped working, hovering on "Share" also stopped cold.
I'd appreciate any assistance, there's not a single theme I like more than this one. I need my endless customization!
Atahualpa Version 3.7.24
Wordpress Version 4.9.6
NextGen Gallery Version 3.0.1
Browsers tried: Chrome, Safari (cleared cache of both)