Hi everyone,

It’s difficult, in a way, to know how to write this post. Each year, at around this time, I usually publish a quick post wishing people well in regards to school returning. But unlike previous years, education for the foreseeable future is certainly going to be very different; if you’re like me, or most other students in the United Kingdom, you’ll probably be returning to a physical building with lots of social distancing precautions. Many others may be shifting to online learning with daily calls and classes – imagine predicting that in last year’s post!

It’s understandable to be nervous about it too – I go back tomorrow, and I certainly am! Perhaps it’s new faces, lessons, new buildings, or even just precautions after months away from school. It took me a couple of weeks to settle in last time, and it’s completely okay if that’s the same for you, even if the return to school is something you’ve been looking forward to! I suspect that most emotions now will be fluctuating between excitement and nervousness, and that’s understandable – that’s why it’s so much tricker to write this one!

The last few months have had their ups and downs for everyone, and I’ve definitely not been an exception to that. It’s okay if you didn’t achieve everything that you may have hoped to – as dramatic or horrible as it may seem, just surviving it is something to be genuinely proud of. But in regards to the next few months ahead: good luck, stay safe, and enjoy it all you can – for all of schools’ challenges and stresses, of which there are many, I hope that the last few months have helped you discover aspects that you appreciate more.

As for the update on this blog, at the start of this year, I estimated that this would probably be my last year blogging. For the last few months, even though I’ve lost most interest in the actual game, I’ve been delaying that decision until September. I’ve never quite framed it in this way before: I joined Club Penguin just under a decade ago, aged really young. Since then, through some string of fate, I became increasingly active in the community, starting with Penguin Lodge chat to social media, and by some chain of coincidence, managed to start this blog and met a handful of wonderful people who have really helped keep me sane over the last few months.

Regrettably, it is my belief that those chains of coincidences have almost run out – people will generally recognise that the “closer community” has been fading for a while. I’m not sure what Club Penguin holds next, but on that decision, it feels better to be upfront: while it wouldn’t be right to lay out a precise timetable, any decision would probably be when I’m completely comfortable and certain, rather than just one for the sake of “waddling on” when I genuinely enjoy blogging.

I’ll conclude on those chains of coincidences: we may never fully understand them, but good luck, people and memories come randomly. I’ve had a lot of good fortune in this community, and for all its challenges, I couldn’t imagine going through this lockdown without that. The next stage with schools re-opening will bring their own struggles, but I hope that you’ll be able to get through them too!

Best of luck,

-Torres 126

I’ll start by prefixing this post with a disclaimer that the content of this post isn’t really related to penguins at all. There is precedence for this kind of post though! Some people may remember another fan-blog from a few years ago called Club Penguin Memories, and more specifically, a series there called “Trainman1405 in Real Life”. Even when I was younger, I was always appreciative of the raw honesty that was conveyed in those posts.

The majority of this post will relate to my personal experience, but it feels wrong not to acknowledge the deadly nature of a pandemic, and the tragic inevitability regarding loss of life. I’ve been fortunate (?) enough that I’ve only experienced that sharp and deep grief just once – incidentally, exactly six years ago today – but such days remain permanently seared in your memory. I can still recall that morning vividly: the Saturday soccer game at primary school, the tears, the phone calls and the flowers. My deepest sympathies and condolences extend to anyone suffering through something similar now.

Something more likely to be impacting people are the effects of each country’s lockdown. As Alastair Campbell put it, coping with those effects is a challenge which every single person around the world is simultaneously facing at the same time, and that’s predominantly why I’ve wanted to write this post for a while.

It’s been 17 weeks since the British government took the necessary decision to close schools in England to stop the spread of coronavirus. By that time, that decision was almost predictable, and the instant reaction to the confirmation of schools closing by the Prime Minister in his 5pm press conference was relief.

Since then, like thousands across the country, I’ve received no schoolwork and had practically no contact with my teachers, and consequently, I suspect that I’m not the only one either to slip into having practically no routine beyond waking up at a reasonable time. The hardest question (maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but one of them at least…) posed to me so far has been “what have you been doing for the last few months?”.

My answer tends to be paraphrased lyric from a popular Prince song:

Seems that I was busy doing something close to nothing but different than the day before

-Prince, Raspberry Beret (1985)

Because, for me at least, that’s the reality; it’s true that I’ve coded a lot, from websites such as a random coronavirus slogan generator to a variety of things on WordPress.com, and tried to do so daily, while also watching a lot of documentaries, working on this blog, and accidentally rewatching every episode of some cartoons, Yes Minister, and old mermaid shows.

But for me, filling time has probably been the biggest challenge, along with the occasional loneliness. I suspect that for many in our community, the uncertainty at the end of May, amplified by Disney’s intervention and what felt like the opening of Pandora’s Box, made that time even rougher. But in truth, the waves of sadness are much more…random. For me, they tend to be days in which I don’t even open the curtains, and more frequently, probably end up doing nothing.

I recognise that I’ve been banging on about this for months, and it’s been on this blog’s home page slider, but I genuinely fear for the hidden impact the last few months have had on people – my questioning of “how are you” has increased significantly as a result. I sincerely hope the kind-of waves of sadness aren’t prevalent for you in these times. If they are, I wish you well. A lack of routine for months can thwart close to anyone, and though I’ve certainly been fortunate in the sense that I’ve been pretty comfortable, that desire for something more normal has been especially strong lately.

Equally though, as hopeful as I am that things will slowly start to revert to normal, I won’t deny being awake at 3am wondering whether the re-opening of schools won’t be the magic bullet that I sometimes imagine it to be; you tend to look back more fondly on times once they’ve passed, and in my case, though I’m looking forward to things, I do think back to the winter night before my French writing exam where I had broken down in tears outside a supermarket due to school issues, and you do wonder if things will work out. But although lockdown has provided much time for reflection, it’s important to stay optimistic: things can only get better, right? It’s just a matter of hoping for the best in the things that we are powerless over, while also maintaining gratitude for the positive things now.

I recognise that the thousands of people reading this blog each day will primarily be seeking uplifting content, so this is a pretty significant change to that, and not one that will happen regularly! But if this post contributes in bringing solace to even a few individuals going through a rough time in reminding them that these are challenging months, helps in digesting the random and wild thoughts which lots of people are having, or just makes someone ask another person how they’re feeling, it’s worth it.

Best wishes,

-Torres 126

Welcome to the new Club Penguin Mountains!

The decision to change themes is one of the most agonising for a blogger. Finding a perfect theme is tricky, and Harmonic, the previous theme, has been a remarkable theme. It’s been used on this blog since January 2017, but it’s time for it to be replaced. I wanted to quickly explain why!

The reasoning is a combination between the desire for change, but primarily that it’s been retired for several years now; for example, it contains a feature called Skrollr that’s hopelessly outdated for modern browsers, and was causing several issues scrolling on mobile. When I first announced the theme switch, mobile support was the primary reason behind it. This is a modern theme that enhances that support.

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The new theme is Ashe! Immediately, you’ll probably notice the slider that will be updated regularly so you can immediately see the main news on the island. Distributing information as quickly as possible is the key aim of this change, which is why you’ll also see a message on the top of every page as to whether mascots are online (though it needs refreshing to update). This feature is still in progress though, so may have some issues. A few other changes have been made too, such as with some mascot trackers!

I should note two things. Firstly, this theme is temporary; after two years, whatever happens then, there’ll probably be a switch back to the old theme! Secondly, this shouldn’t be perceived as a reflection of my commitment to the game. Instead, I’m simply just using a new theme as I’m now able to!

Plenty of changes can still be made, and I really hope that you like the new design – if you have any feedback, especially criticisms, please let me know! Thank you!

-Torres 126

As I’m sure you’re aware, today is Club Penguin’s 14th Anniversary, and as always, there’s a lot going on as a result! Jet Pack Guy and Sensei have already visited Club Penguin Rewritten with new backgrounds today, and Aunt Arctic is confirmed to return.

However, something a little different is ongoing soon. At 21:00BST/16:00EST, Screenhog will be streaming! In case you’re unfamiliar with him, he is the original Club Penguin artist and had a huge role in the game.

Update: at the time of writing, the stream is ongoing and it’s great fun – Screenhog is playing some classic tunes, many from Club Penguin!

The livestream will be available above, and in it, Screenhog intends to play some music and answer questions, and it should just be an enjoyable time.

Be sure to check it out!

-Torres 126