June MCU! Whoa, lizards, it’s been a while. Welcome back to the CB’s most loved feature, as well as to the chaos of our very own Inklings! Introduce yourselves, guys~

|What?? Me??? What have I done??|

{It’s all right, I’ll do it for you. –}

|NO WAIT|

{Too late, I’m afraid. The bouncy little guy who doesn’t want to introduce himself is Eri, the Electronic Recording Instrument, while I am Aldebaran, the star. He/him, and very open to shipping with girls *winks*}

|Oh dear. Excuse him, he’s going through a pHaSe as never before, and as such is rather you know.|

Guys, these are introductions, not opportunities for banter/arguments/trying-to-settle-for-once-and-for-all-who’s-going-to-get-the-green-sofa-cushion-next-time.

|They aren’t?! You’ve got to be joking.|

Just please get on with the introductions in an orderly fashion–

[I will. I’m Valerian, he/him, new to the MCU scene, so this is exciting!]

^Vireo, she/her – you all probably remember me, at least. I’ve missed you :)^

Justin especially, as we all know. Anyway, hello!! I’m Cierra (pronounced Sierra), she/her, the life of the party. Also excited to meet you all!!

{Wait, the life of the party is mE :0}

We’ll say that it’s both of us for the time being, but at some point we’ll have to decide fully~

/Silvan here, she/her. I’ll just quietly cause chaos by insisting no one disturb my reading :]/

*Hi guys, I’m Agate, she/her, the Writer. To keep things simple, I’ll probably be participating very little, but I’m here nonetheless!*

~And lastly, hi, it’s Ibis. Happy to be back!~

All right, we’ve managed the introductions (barely…) vice.verses.virue was supposed to host this month, but unfortunately wasn’t around to do so :/ Let’s also have some silence for Ella Starburst, founder of MCUs. Thank you, Ella Starburst!!! We’ll always appreciate your contributions <3

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And we’re well on our way! |Don’t count your chickens…| {Seeing as how she doesn’t have any, that might be rather difficult.} Hmm… chickens… is there any way I can weave that in? Most improper, having stray bits of banter lying around. Most nonconformist. And we are never that because this is 2025 and society demands that we all think exactly alike *sniffs*

[Oh, no, we’re not noncomformist; that’s definitely not us…]

I hope you’re joking?

Shriek!! Joking!!! That’s also not kosher >:0 Anyway, I’ll resign myself to the inevitable and proceed to Important Dates. They’re courtesy of Seadragon:D

Jun 1 Say Something Nice Day & first day of Pride Month {Something nice to who? Myself? That should be easy}
Jun 2 Leave the Office Early Day /I’m outta here. You can keep the chaos/
Jun 3 Repeat Day, Gun Violence Awareness Day
Jun 4 Hug Your Cat Day
Jun 6 Drive-In Movie Day, National Doughnut Day fRoZeN ^II!^ [Kudos to you if you understand]
Jun 7 VCR Day
Jun 8 World Oceans Day, Best Friends Day
Jun 9 Donald Duck Day
Jun 10 Iced Tea Day ~glug~
Jun 11 Corn on the Cob Day
Jun 12 Red Rose Day *looks dreamily into the distance* My love is like a red, red rose… |Oh dear, here we go|
Jun 13 Sewing Machine Day
Jun 14 Flag Day, World Juggling Day |*juggles a flag*|
Jun 15 Father’s Day, Nature Photography Day |Happy birthday to youuu– oh wait that’s the wrong song| [*snaps a photo of a father*]
Jun 16 Bloomsday
Jun 17 Eat Your Vegetables Day [denied]
Jun 18 International Picnic Day, International Panic Day ~Help help we went on a picnic and now Eri’s gotten bitten by a turtle and Agate lost her notebook and the ants got into the sandwiches and—~ /I can see why these two dates happen to fall on the same day/
Jun 19 Juneteenth, Sauntering Day
Jun 20 Summer Solstice (Northern Hemisphere)/Winter Solstice (Southern), World Refugee Day, Take Your Dog to Work Day ^Whee summerrrrrr! I’m going to take my dog on vAcAtIon >:D^ |I object to your grammar but not to the sentiment|
Jun 21 Daylight Appreciation Day
Jun 22 Onion Ring Day
Jun 23 Typewriter Day
Jun 24 Swim a Lap Day
Jun 25 Please Take my Children to Work Day {Oh… my :0}
Jun 26 Chocolate Pudding Day
Jun 27 Helen Keller Day
Jun 28 Tau Day
Jun 29 Camera Day [*sighs* *fetches camera* *snaps more photos*]
Jun 30 Meteor Watch Day

June is Pride Month, and also Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, PTSD Awareness Month, and Immigrant Heritage Month.

Thanks, Seadragon! Next up, we have… er…

{“The Incredibleness of Me”}

|*buries Alde in a deluge of sofa cushions*|

{*sighs* *retires from the scene in general*}

Right, we’re going on to Threads to Check, courtesy of, yes, you’ve guessed it~ Who else?

[Yes, Amethyst and her cryptic messages…]

You and Eri and Adle have no sense of subtlety. She’s talking about herself.

|We’re going to have to stick together… we’re outnumbered, in fact :0|

{Armistice?}

|Truce.|

{*shakes hands over it*}

~Hooray!! Now let’s get back to the real MCU.~

Chirp at Cricket:

Mark 1 New CB Experiment Thread, created by Zealatom: https://www.cricketmagkids.com/topic/mark-1-new-cb-experiment-thread/ A fun thread where you can fiddle around with all the new features of the Chatterbox and see what they do!

Fruit SI, created by Peach: https://www.cricketmagkids.com/topic/fruit-si/ Have you always secretly wanted to be a fruit? Do you want to profess your undying love for a particular fruit? Don its name, guess, and be guessed! ~I’m a tangerine, ofc.~ I’ll take pomegranate! Best of fruits:D {Not at all. BOW TO THE KIWI–} [Whoa :0 *bows*]

Blab About Books:

Book Log 2025, created by Celine BurningBright: https://www.cricketmagkids.com/topic/589853/ Track your reading process while picking up recs from other people’s lists! For lovers of books, i.e. all CBers. /And me!/

Down to Earth:

Spring Fling AE Party, created by INK ☆ TEA: https://www.cricketmagkids.com/topic/spring-fling-ae-party/ After all the months of no CB, your AEs can finally catch up with their friends and partners!

Trains and train encounters!, created by Sinusoidal: https://www.cricketmagkids.com/topic/trains-and-train-encounters/ Share funny or intriguing stories about our favorite mode of public transport, and read about others’ experiences! |toot toot|

Pudding’s Place:

Song of the Week!, created by Hawkstar: https://www.cricketmagkids.com/topic/song-of-the-week/ Without having to commit to listening to a whole album or playlist, you can share your favorite songs and expand your reportoire by listening to the favorites of other CBers! ~cARLOS BAUTE~

Inkwell:

Echoes of Elpídastia: SoloWrite, created by Aliferous: https://www.cricketmagkids.com/topic/echoes-of-elpidastia-solowrite/ A new solo write, still open for charrie submissions :)) At least, I don’t know if it will be when the MCU is actually posted, but you can read along anyway…

Magic Wolf RP, created by Moondrop & Celandine: https://www.cricketmagkids.com/topic/580057/ An adventure like none other, which I believe is still open for charrie submissions. The Shadow Wolves, Halite Wolves, and Fern Wolves live together, but, though they don’t know it, discord is already entering their alliance…

Kyngdom:

Nobyl RP, created by Poinsettia: https://www.cricketmagkids.com/topic/542334/ Our ongoing adventure in the forests and ballrooms of Kyngdom, with new charries welcome anytime. Are you ready to risk everything? Are you ready to dive into the unknown? This is for you. (Note: New RPs and more activity on Kyngdom would be deeply appreciated! It’s very quiet at present :/)

Thank you, me :p ^You’re appreciated, you’re appreciated.^ If you don’t want to take the time to go through all these threads yourself (which you certainly aren’t going to do right nOw, anyway, because you’re in the middle of an MCU and that takes all one’s concentration) ([especially our MCUs, which seem to me to be singularly chaotic and complicated]), we have some pre-selected quotes! Thank you, WildWolf!!

“if the moon is made out of cheese, what is jupiter made out of? leftover cinnamon toast crunch milk? or cinnamon and vanilla swirl ice cream? i don’t know…it just kind of looks like ice cream or cinnamon to me.”
-vice.verses.virtue on Random Thoughts

“I’m gonna decorate the throne room with neon green yarn. Don’t trip!
*runs with a ball of said yarn*
*continues running*
*trips*”
-The Pacifist on LtP |Ooh don’t get me started on the greatness of green yarn >:P| noooo we’re not going to

“Throw back to the time I was at the Strong Museum of Play, in Rochester NY, and I was in the pinball room, sitting on the giant pin ball bc why not. And this girl, she looked about…12? And she comes RUNNING over to me.
She stops and just goes, “I love your ouftfit!” crying, tears, I put so much effort into my outfits. It made me so happy 😀”
-Ink Tea on Random Thoughts

“yo whats up yall im typin this on my phone at a friends place cause we’re havin a sleepover 🤩”
-Thunder on Random Thoughts

“My first Cbversary actually passed in March. It didn’t feel like a long time at all. I love this place, and I’m so happy it’s back up 😀”
-Amity, on Random Thoughts

And on that note, since we’re all so happy that the CB is back, we’re going to proceed to LMWAY! ^A slight deviation in the whole scheme of things, but we’ll let it pass.^ Last month we asked you, “Not only is this our first MCU since the CB shut down, but the CB’s 17th anniversary is on June 18th! This month, we want to hear your favorite thing about the CB, or what you missed most while the CB was down.” (And btw, tysm to pangolin for posting the MCU questions! :D)

Moon Wolf says: “My favorite thing about CB and what I missed when CB was down is the wonderful and accepting community of writers and poets, who have shaped my writing quite a lot.”

WildWolf says: “The thing I missed most about the CB is the people. I was constantly wishing I could chat with everyone!!” {We aRe very special}

Thunder says: “Well, the thing I missed most while the CB was down was that so many cool things happened, and I really wanted to tell y’all right away. I also missed my friends on here so much!”

Seadragon says: “Kyngdom, and kind of the whole CB in general–just how nice it is to be talking to total strangers about whatever you want to talk about.”

Hawkstar says: “I missed the people! Not knowing how everyone was, nobody to talk with… Plus, without the Poetry Contest, I had almost no inspiration to write poems!” [Ah, the wonders of a supportive community :)]

Thank you, everyone! Now, to get back to quotes–

Tbh, I’d rather get back to the chickens.

/Ooh, yes, the chickens. Or, even better, chicks!/

|Chickens??? I don’t follow.|

{The ones we weren’t supposed to count, remember?}

~Oh, right. Though I actually don’t think it’s very sensible to not count your chickens – after all, if you don’t, how do you know how many you have?~

[Er… common sense??]

^I don’t think that would work, unfortunately.^

{Anyway, you’re just supposed to not count your chickens before they’re hatched. It’s different.}

So we’re not to know how many chicks we have??? Not fair >:0

|It doesn’t say anything about not counting your eggs.|

~Let’s just see what oThEr inspirational quotes we have this month…~

I don’t think I’ll be able to get over the disappointment about the chicks, but all right.

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Oh, right, I’m the host. Right, inspirational quotes *consults things and shuffles papers around importantly* These are all June-themed, provided by Moon Wolf! Ty, Moon Wolf:)

“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” – John Steinback
“Openness may not completely disarm prejudice, but it’s a good place to start.” – Jason Collins
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” – Oscar Wilde Wait, so I can’t be my favorite book heroine? Aww :/
“Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes the conditions perfect.” – Alan Cohen
“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” – Martin Luther King Jr. |*raises fist* Vive la revolucion!!|

And let’s hurry on before the AEs start up with something else. We’ll proceed to, let’s see, um… *goes blank*

{*takes over with singular ease, poise, and charm* I’ve got it, don’t worry. Next up is An In-Depth Study of Emoticons Vs. Emojis. We will, of course, conclude that emoticons are far superior, as they very obviously are.}

[Negated!! I’m Team Emoji for life.]

^Emoticons are clearly superior! There’s no way you can think otherwise.^

Team Emoticon for the record~

|Emojis!! Because I like them, which sentiment is doubly reinforced by the fact that sibling rivalry is thus kept alive.|

{We aren’t officially siblings, as a matter of fact.}

|Practically, and anyway that’s not the point. Let the battle commence *blows trumpet*|

Oh dear. Could we go back to the chickens? Or at least to book quotes?

“Sadie,”Dad said firmly,”Do not call the Destroyer of Souls Poochykins.” – The Serpent’s Shadow

“Music for everyone. You say that like it’s a bad thing. But I find it to be a very cool thing. People are so divided in the world, you know? It’s a miracle to offer something that so many can all agree to like.” -Somewhere Only We Know ^Yes, until one gets into questions of Fanny Lu vs. Fonseca…^

Some books should be tasted
Some devoured
But only a few
Should be chewed and digested thoroughly
-Inkheart |Ooh, I wonder what books taste like?| [ERI–]

Iko rolled to her side, clasping her metal grippers over her chest. “Prince Kai! Check my fan, I think I’m overheating.”
-Cinder

It’s natural to doubt your true love when you do not know if he is young or old. – The Last Ever After ^Luckily, I know that Justin is young, and furthermore very handsome <3^

Thank you for selecting these, Hawkstar! From here, of course, we go straight on to… *drumroll please*… Book of the Month. ~Because tradition.~ This is from Poinsettia!

The Patron Saint of Second Chances, by Christine Simon

Signor Speranza is the mayor of the sleepy Italian town of Prometto. One day, due to a plumbing disaster, he is informed that he will have to fix the plumbing – too costly for the little town to afford – or allow the town to be evacuated. Signor Speranza can’t abandon the people of his hometown, so he desperately sets about trying to raise the money for the pipes. He thinks he has the perfect solution – spreading a little rumor that a famous actor is going to be filming a movie in the town. Everyone gets excited and invests, and it looks as if the money may just be raised… but hilarious hijinks get in the way at every turn, not least when the actor himself turns up after all. Will Signor Speranza be able to save his town?

This book is full of warmth and humor, with lovable characters, vivid writing, and a plot full of twists and turns that captures your attention from start to finish.

~Also recommended by your hosts! It’s a very good book :D~ *sighs* Italy… {Hmm, if he’s a mayor, I wonder if he could shed some light on the Great Chicken Dilemma?}

Next up… Monthly Playlist!! Oh, heavens, this one was also provided by me (actually being taken by surprise here :0) No Carlos Baute, which is good for all you long-suffering readers and very bad for my reputation among my AEs…

~wHaT you didn’t include Carlos Baute?? But – but – ~

But he’s so romantic

{Do I suspect a crush?}

not really

Songs, before anything else unprecedented happens, such as me losing my papers. So impossible, really, thank goodness. Let’s see… um… where’s the Monthly Playlist??! Aldebaran, did you take the playlist??

{What? No.}

|Declaring my innocence right here and now.|

*dives through papers* But where–

[Woo, paper fight!!]

Noooo–

^Too late, I think.^

Oh, well, here’s the playlist anyway, underneath all the papers that were snatched for the purposes of warfare. Here it is~

~Llorar Es Una Locura (To Cry Is Crazy), by Fanny Lu
~Summer of ’69, by Bryan Adams
~Yo Quiero Bailar (I Want to Dance), by Sonia & Selena
~I Don’t Wanna Wait by David Guetta and OneRepublic
~Dancing Queen by ABBA

~Young and sweet, only seventeeeeen~

|*pauses in the midst of hurling paper to gaze dreamily into the distance* Lyra…|

Yay, peace! For our advice column, we said, “Summer is finally here, and while that means a well-deserved break from school, it also means HEAT. What are your favorite strategies for keeping cool in the warmer months?” Here are our replies.

Moon Wolf says: “To keep cool, eat ice cream! Classic summer treat where you can’t go wrong.” |Especially chocolate!|

WildWolf says: “I’m writing this while it is extremely hot, actually… my suggestions are eat/drink cold and refreshing foods, take a cold shower, or find the coolest spot in your house (like a basement) and set up a reading area :DD” /Me in entirety :)/

Thunder says: “Go inside, get a water bottle, put it in the fridge for a little bit, take it out, flavor it if you want to (I use Crystal Light), and then enjoy your day.” [Chilled water is, without doubt, the best :D]

Seadragon says: “Drink iced water or tea, possibly with lemon in it, and go swimming.” Lemon and ice and swimming are a very cool combination (and the pun is intended)!

CelineBurning Bright says: “eat lots of ice cream and fruits (watermelon is an awesome summertime fruit!!)!!” {munch}

Next, Joke Column! The AEs seem to have been busy making them all through this MCU, instead of sensibly waiting for the proper place and time (soundtrack, included for your benefit: What? We nEvEr make jokes! ^Serious and reliable, that’s us.^ {We’ve never once failed you in your hour of need–})

“My jokes are like school in June. No class.” ~Moon Wolf |Ah, beautiful. Funny, and a reminder of our approaching vacations >:D| [Also known as the day of doom for everyone else]

“What do ninjas wear? Sneakers!” ~Thunder And what sneaky sneakers they are

And we’re finally almost at the end of this very long, unruly, hosted-by-the-wrong-person MCU! The last item on our miles-long agenda is Location of the Month, which we now have the pleasure of presenting to you.

*drumroll* Honorable mentions!

Thunder, with “Makin’ videos and vlogs with my bff’s”!

Why: Half of summer is spending time with people you like and enjoying vation to the full, and this captures this very well:) ~Unfortunately, it doesn’t fit in the location box– Oh, wait, there’s no more limit! Our most infallible way of judging LoTMs – gone :0~

Hawkstar, with “Cannonballing into summer with a giant splash”!

Why: It’s very summer-y, and very evocative! We love the excitement and the imagery, as well as the pool connotations:)

Third place: WildWolf, with “reading in a shady hammock”!

Why: SuMmEr… This encapsulates the vibe of vacation perfectly:)

Second place: CelineBurning Bright, with “green grass and bunnies”!

Why: Because pluff! We just might be personally prejudiced in favor of this one because we love the bunnies in our own backyard who start appearing in spring/summer, and because we love all bunnies so very much <3

And finally… *another drumroll* First place: Moon Wolf, with “a starlit path weaving through lavender and moonbows”!

Why: This is poetic, beautiful, and deeply descriptive of a summer night – the fragrance of lavender, the stars, the moon, the vibe – so it checks all our boxes. Congratulations!:D

And with that, several days later than was wanted, we conclude our MCU. |What already? No fair :/| Thank you all for reading – we hope you enjoyed it!

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Guys? Sign off please–

What? I thought we were already finished.

^Sign off? Why??^

Because we’re traditionalists, remember?

{It’s my pleasure, really. Farewell, faithful readers! We’ll see you again later. Signing off, Aldebaran,}

~Ibis,~

/Silvan,/

[Valerian,]

|Eri,|

^Vireo,^

Cierra,

Amethyst,

and about five million chicks who got in without anyone noticing them!