Chatterbox: In This Month's Issue

January MCU

Welcome, everyone, to the first MCU of 2024, the January MCU! (hopefully I'm on time!) We’ve made it to a new year! Woohoo!!! (releases environmentally-friendly confetti) I’m your host this month (and for the first time), Moon Wolf, along with my AEs, who will hopefully not be causing trouble throughout this.

-Definitely not me! I’m the only sensible AE around here!-

_Very arguable, Lyra. I know plenty who have more sense than you._

(coughs) Alrighty, we need to get on with the introductions! 

-Lyra, she/her, the most sensible AE here, no matter what the others say, and the first!-

_Hey everyone! I’m Aries, he/him, excited for my first MCU!!!_

~Um…I’m Crescent, she/her.~

=Pleased to meet you all. I’m Callisto, he/him.=

*Aand I’m Astra!!! She/her, and super excited for this!!! A new year and everything, I mean. What’s not to be excited about?*

.A lot. Most of them being all the chaos and trouble that’s going to be created. I’m Orion, he/him, ready for all the new year chaos..

-I don’t think I can make it through this MCU with all of them.-

So maybe it wasn’t a good idea to do this all in person. Anyways, let’s have a moment of silence to appreciate Ella Starburst, creator/founder of all these amazing MCUs! We wouldn’t be here without you, Ella! Thank you! :D

Moving on, we have the important dates of January, thanks to CelineBurningBright (and her AEs). 

Jan 1: New Year’s Day!! ***YAYY!!!! That beautiful day when it’s a fresh new year and you haven’t failed all your New Years’ resolutions yet!*** §«wow, way to start this off on a positive note»§

Jan 2: World Introvert Day!!!!!!!! &*reads a book in celebration* *was going to read a book anyways but who cares*& .Woohoo!. 

Jan 3: National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day (not to be confused with National Chocolate Covered Anything Day, which was Dec 16) *Mmm delicious!*

Jan 4: National Spaghetti Day

Jan 5: National Bird Day *Love that!* -In particular…?- *Nope!* Rainbow's Birthday (Rainbow) .Happy birthday!. *(begins to sing happy birthday really off-tune)*

Jan 6: National Cuddle Up Day ¥+ooh Celi I know who you want to cuddle up with, huh?+¥ *blushes furiously* Emb, just-just stop talking ¥+Celi has a squ-uish, Celi has a squ-uish+¥ (mostly put here bc I think there’s not enough teasing about squishes in media… huh, that should be a National day! :) )

Jan 7: National Old Rock Day

Jan 8: National Bubble Bath Day

Jan 9: National Word Nerd Day!!! *geeks out* =Hooray for the nerds!=

Jan 10: National Houseplant Appreciation Day §«…and so we commemorate this day to honor all the sad sad tales of once perfectly happy plants who were taken from the wild to have “a better life” suffocating in some dusty attic relying solely on irresponsible human beings to insufficiently wate-»§ ok um yeah moving on!

Jan 11: National Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friend Day ***Yayy!! *steps in a-* *** ¥+ok and I’m gonna stop you right there…+¥, National Secret Pal Day, Human Trafficking Awareness Day (wear blue!)

Jan 12: National Hot Tea Day ***but what about cold tea? Like dong gua cha... s o  g o o d...***

Jan 13: National Sticker Day! Yayy! §«YEAH THAT’S RIGHT STICK IT TO THEM SHOW ‘EM WHAT YOU’VE GOT!»§ ¥+umm Myri I’m not sure that’s what-+¥ §«AND I DON’T CARE!»§ Magnus Chase's Birthday (Rainbow) (and mine, actually)

Jan 14: National Dress Up Your Pet Day!! ¥+those poor pets… :(+¥

Jan 15: Martin Luther King Jr. Day, National Hat Day, World Snow Day

Jan 16: Appreciate a Dragon Day!!! ***yayyyyy!!!!! *is a (Chinese) dragon btw* *** ::/*is also a (Chinese) dragon so is also excited you just can’t see it*\::

Jan 17: Ditch New Years Resolution Day ¥+but then doesn't that go against the whole point of New Years Resolutions and setting positive goals for yourself to commit to and stuff?+¥ ::/just roll with it I guess\::

Jan 18: National Thesaurus Day! *geeks out again* ***wait what kind of dinosaur is that again?***

Jan 19: National Popcorn Day... when I think of popcorn nowadays I think of ski lodges... and then I think of death >:)

Jan 20: National Penguin Day!!! ¥+*holds up a sign that says “I <3 gay penguins”*+¥ *** *holds up a sign that says “I <3 penguins in general they’re just so CUTEEEE!!!!”* ***

Jan 21: National Squirrel Appreciation Day!!! *** *did you know that every time Celi sees a squirrel, whether on the drive to school, on the soccer field in the middle of a game, or in her backyard, she gets way too excited and drops everything she’s doing and proceeds to just stare at the squirrel for the next hour or so? And let me remind you that this is EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.***  ok, that’s true  §«Ahh squirrel stalker!!»§  but they’re just so cute! ***like penguins? *holds up sign again and parties* *** ::/like Clem? *raises eyebrows knowingly* \:: *** *turns bright red* arghh Saffyyy why do you have to tease me about this every time we’re on the MCU?? In public?? Why couldn’t you just at least tease me at home in private if you have to bring it up?? *hides in Corner of Embarrassment like in the last MCU again* *** ::/*shouting over to the Corner of Embarrassment* cause it’s my job as a big sister to torment you every chance I get the moment I find out you’ve been shippppeeeddddd!!! :DD\::

Jan 22: National Answer Your Cat’s Questions Day =True, I should do that.=

Jan 23: National Measure Your Feet Day (not to be confused with I Love My Feet Day on.. umm.. August 17)

Jan 24: National Compliment Day

Jan 25: National Opposite Day ***you know what wouldn’t it be fun if on this day we had all the AEs on one thread and they had to act completely different from how they normally act cuz it’s official opposite day and all and ooh! also I could just watch from a distance completely unaffected cuz my personality is basically everything combined, and ack it would probably be so hilarious-*** umm, no, let’s not

Jan 26: National Green Juice Day

Jan 27: International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Jan 28: Nico di Angelo’s birthday!! (Rainbow and CelineBurningBright), International Lego Day

Jan 29: National Puzzle Day

Jan 30: National Draw a Dinosaur Day (or @Peregrine F, a bird!! Also deinonychus yes :) ), School Day of Non-Violence and Peace, Yodel for Your Neighbors Day

Jan 31: National Backward Day (which yes is different from National Opposite Day), National Hot Chocolate Day, Inspire Your Heart with Art Day, Scotch Tape Day, Eat Brussel Sprouts Day ***nEvEr***

Now we have our LMWAY, and last month we asked you what you want to change this year about yourself.

Hawkstar says: I would like to be more confident, and less shy whether I'm at home asking for something, walkin around in public, approaching someone, or knocking on somebody's door. _Great goals!_

WiLdSoNg says: I want to be better at putting less pressure on myself. =Always important.=

Pangolin says: I want to push myself outside my comfort zone and have more experiences! I want to join school clubs and sports teams, take up new hobbies, and just put myself out there more :] ~Maybe I should do that more as well…~

Amethyst says: Write something that I've been trying to write for a few months, finish my two ongoing solo writes, and do more things in general :> -Great to practice writing.-

Anyways~ The Advice Column! We asked how you keep your new year’s resolutions and we got some fabulous advice!

WiLdSoNg says: Take small steps. Keep your resolution with you in your mind, or if it's helpful a little piece of ribbon around your wrist or even paper. Try not to get frustrated. Little steps are good! Work to feel proud of those and then you'll look back and see how far you've come. -I’ll keep that in mind.-

Pangolin says: More often than not, when people think of New Year's Resolutions, they think of exercising and eating healthier and stuff like that. I'm not saying that ISN'T necessarily important, but you shouldn't make your resolutions feel entirely like a chore. I've found that if you have some resolutions that you enjoy, you're more likely to actually stick with the rest of your resolutions. for instance, you might want to practice a skill, or learn a new hobby, or something like that for 2024 :] *Yep! So this year, I want to practice hiking more and being outside!*

Amethyst says: As pangolin said, make resolutions that you feel you can and want to keep; write them down and reread them every now and then. .Great tips!.

So now, I hope you’re up for some jokes to start off January! 

_Like how you’re the most sensible AE here, Lyra._

-It’s not a joke! I actually am!!!-

=Honestly, none of us are sensible here. All of us cause chaos.=

-Just a few more than others.-

Ahem, I hope you’re done here! Because we have some amazing actual jokes provided by you all:

Pangolin says: why shouldn't you kiss someone on January 1st? it's only the first date. why was the snowman upset? it had a meltdown. *oh no! (laughs loudly)*

Hex says: Why was the snowman upset in January? I don't know, but he was having a meltdown.

What do some couples do in the first month of the year? Get Janumarried.

Computer 1: "It's New Years... what's your resolution?"
Computer 2: "Same as always... 1024 x 768." =lol=

Next up, we have our LotM! All these locations were wonderfully amazing! 

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):

WiLdSoNg! It’s always nice to go to “the woods! On a bluebird winter day”, especially now.

Pangolin! “Beneath snow-laden boughs” is the perfect place to be in for all your wintery thoughts.

In Third Place…

Hawkstar! A “snow moon on frost waters” feels really nice and poetic…

Coming in Second Place… 

Rainbow! “Dancing with snowflakes” sounds so nice and playful, perfect for January!

And lastly, First Place…

Amethyst! With “sun-touched drifts of ice”! This location just sounds so pretty and majestic. Congrats!

*If only we were actually in one of those places, instead of stuck here at home.*

~I honestly prefer being at home, to be honest.~

After that, we have this month’s playlist, provided by Seadragon~

New Year's Day, Taylor Swift

January, Morgan Clae

Rain Again, Alison Brown

January,  Loving

Snowfall,  0neheart and reidenshi

~(Puts on headphones and listens to playlist, nodding along)~

*Woohooo! New music!!!*

.Woohoo! *plays the January playlist on full volume*.

=Orion, you’re seriously going to break my ears.=

.But they’re good!.

=That’s true.=

*(singing loudly along with the playlist)*

Moving on to the quotes! First up, we have inspirational quotes, given to us by Hawkstar.

"Keep your face always toward the sunshine- and shadows will fall behind you." - Walt Whitman

"Don't follow your dreams, chase them!" - Unknown

"It is always the simple that produces the marvelous." - Amelia Barr

"Don't stop when you're tired. Stop when you're done." - Unknown

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream." C. S. Lewis 

"Believe you can and you're halfway there." Theodore Roosevelt

~Super inspirational!~

Next, the CB quotes, thanks to Blackfooted Bobcat~

This month, I was blabbing about books to my friend, but I spilled my inkwell and got pudding all over the place! Then crickets started chirping at my sorry attempt at humor, and I knew I had to get back down to earth. -pangolin

la-di-da-di-da, totally not me reading fanfics instead of doing my overdue core hw... Could never be me - Rainbow

Anyone else ever listen to a song and just ~explode into a puddle of emotion~? -Poinsettia

I did glass-blowing yesterday!! the glass ornament I made is super lopsided and is the color of pond scum, but I love it so much :D -Darkvine 

Did dinosaurs exist?: obviously, what do you think pigeons are? I was nearly attacked by one yesterday. Do you believe in a higher power?: yes, how do you think I was spared from that pigeon attack? -pangolin

Do you believe in a higher power?: Only as a literary tool to use ambiguously in poetry - Silver Crystal

(In response to someone saying they’re bored): Write the word "I'm bored" in as many different fonts as possible. Or say it in a creative way like "I'm as bored as a lonely white cloud in the middle of an empty blue sky." -Moon Wolf (thanks btw!)

"are you Swiss like the cheese?" "no, I'm Swiss like the army knife"  -Hex 

Once, I was on a high mountain where I could see the entire valley below, including little cars on the freeway. And I put my hand up, and waved at the world. -Lyric

my brother went into the kitchen right as our mom was scheduling his teeth-pulling appointment. the look on his face though XD - Darkvine

sometimes i contemplate identifying as pan rather than bi just so that when pride month rolls around i can just go by PANgolin on here rather than spending time coming up with some witty bi pun for my location box - Pangolin 

Last but not least, the book quotes from Hawkstar!

"For most of Cricket's life, her best friend were books." Wings of Fire, The Hive Queen

"Even before he got electrocuted, Jason was having a rotten day." Heroes of Olymups, The Lost Hero

"Sophie had waited all her life to be kidnapped." School for Good and Evil, Book 1

"The creatures of Dwarf Forest knew to avoid Dead Man's Creek tonight if they valued their lives." The Land of Stories, Beyond The Kingdoms

"In 1864 Caddie Woodlawn was eleven, and as wild a little tomboy as ever ran the woods of western Wisconsin." Caddie Woodlawn

"Elwin and Ro were crouched beside them, in a middle of some bizarre showdown. The ogre princess held several stuffed animals with her sword pressed against their throats, while Elwin seemed to be using telekinesis to make a dozen shimmering vials hover around Ro's head." Keeper of the Lost Cities, Stellerlune

_Amazing!!! Love those quotes!_

*Awesome way to start off the new year!*

-Especially with these spectacular quote choices!-

The book of the month is Inside Out & Back Again from yours truly once more.

~Inside Out & Back Again~

This book is in verse, and it's about a 10-year-old girl named Ha who lives in Saigon during 1975, the Vietnam War. She has to escape to the U.S., to Alabama, by boat from the only home she's ever known, and her beloved papaya tree. How will she ever be able to leave Saigon? And will she be able to adjust to a whole different life in Alabama? An excellent book I recommend for new readers and rereaders. It comes along with a new sequel as well, called When Clouds Touch Us.

Alrighty! Lastly, (if I’m not forgetting something), we’ve got threads to check, provided by Pangolin:

CaC: 2023 favorites of the year, posted by Hawkstar (http://www.cricketmagkids.com/chatterbox/chirpatcricket/node/562109) Fill out the form (because we as CBers LOVE forms) to share your favorite colors, movies, books, etc of 2023! I'm sure this'll be interesting to look back on a year from now :] *ooh favorites! Ack but they're sooo hard to choose, especially animals!*

BaB: Lesser known books/series, posted by WildWolf (http://www.cricketmagkids.com/chatterbox/blababoutbooks/node/560304) Pretty self explanatory; it's a thread for talking about your favorite books and series that don't get the recognition they deserve :D -Perfect to add to all our book wish lists-

DtE: Silly Confessions, posted by Scuttles (http://www.cricketmagkids.com/chatterbox/downtoearth/node/561568) Share silly secrets and lighthearted confessions here! If it turns out you actually did take the last cookie, I won't judge. .Oh, like that one time Callisto-. =Nope, nope, nope! Don't tell them, Orion!= 

PP: Song lyrics that speak to you, posted by Kitten (http://www.cricketmagkids.com/chatterbox/puddingsplace/node/446854) This thread was posted a few years ago, but it's still relevant! It's so cool seeing what lyrics people associate with themselves. Music really does bring people together :D ~It really does.~

Inkwell: Screenwriting Thread!, posted by Lyrics (http://www.cricketmagkids.com/chatterbox/inkwell/node/561661) Whether you're a seasoned screenwriter, a movie lover, or a writer looking to try out a new medium, this thread is the perfect place to discuss the art of screenwriting :D _3, 2, 1, and action!_

Kyngdom: Art Thread!, posted by Ronan I (http://www.cricketmagkids.com/chatterbox/kyngdom/node/221256) Share Kyngdom related artwork here, whether that's portraits of characters, illustrations of scenes from RPs, doodles of maps, or anything else :] -Really good place to check out on your free time! I even managed to convince one of Moon Wolf's Kyngdom charries to come by and say a word. Introducing…Kalisse!- ~Hi everyone! I'm Kalisse! Unfortunately I can only stay for a greeting, but you can go check me out over at Kyngdom!~

Speaking of which, a quick shout out to Kyngdom, the island just off the coast of Inkwell, waiting for you to come. Here’s the Ultimate Guide if you’re curious and want to get started by Hazel C.~http://www.cricketmagkids.com/chatterbox/inkwell/node/404640. A shorter version by Poinsettia~ http://www.cricketmagkids.com/chatterbox/inkwell/node/543756, and a Traveler’s RP made by Pangolin that’s an excellent way to get started if you’re confused about everything~ https://www.cricketmagkids.com/chatterbox/kyngdom-rp/node/560533. Hope to see some of you there!

*Hooray for Kyngdom!!!*

And with that, I sign off unto a new year, of 2024, on the Chatterbox, wishing you all a happy new year! (more confetti and applause) Farewell until next time,

Moon Wolf

-Lyra, still the most sensible one out of all the AEs-

_Aries, still totally opposed to Lyra’s claim_

~Crescent, trying not to get involved~

=Callisto, to a new year!=

*Astra, cheers for everyone! Don’t forget those new year resolutions that probably won’t be kept (at least in my experience)*

.And Orion, to 2024 on CB!.

(disappears in confetti)