#needed to get this out of my system before I hunker down and draw stuff for cons and comics

[pigeon-princess]

Things are heating up in the Villa (The Water Gardens of Dorne). You could say we've created a very interesting party dynamic in our asoiaf campaign so far.

[therighteousdingo]

Game Review: Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories (PS1)

So, as of the last few weeks, I’ve been going back and buying all the old PlayStation games that I grew up with and rebuilding the collection I used to have as a child, while I build a new collection of vintage games in the process. One of the bigger games that stands out on this list, is Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories. My best friend Kaire and I were huge fans of Yu-Gi-Oh growing up and this game was kind of the proving grounds for us. We burned hours grinding through duels to get the strongest cards, plowing through the campaign in certain ways so we can unlock certain sequences and even messing around with different monsters just so we can see them in action during the animated fighting scenario that you can activate when attacking during a duel. No matter what, in the end, it was all about the cards. Starting off with little to nothing and moving up to get our hands on the likes of Blue Eyes White Dragon, Meteor Black Dragon and even the Gate Guardian. But lets get this thing on the road.

The basic facts:

There’s really not too many to place here besides the super basic stuff like the release dates and some small trivial facts.

Released in 2002 in North America but released in 1999 in Japan, a relatively large gap.

The game was released in a dual-CD packaging yet only came with the one game disc. A reason for this is unknown, but I always used it to store a page with fusions written on it to remember them when I first purchased the game and was getting used to the fuse mechanics that I’ll go over later on in this review.

This one isn’t 100% fact, but I have realized over the years that the game is only vaguely based on the anime and manga of the show.

The gameplay:

Now here’s where things get interesting, so I’m gonna be covering the controls, mechanics and the other miscellaneous stuff that’s attributed to the game. To start off with a big one, the Fusion Mechanic. Now as I stated earlier, the game is only loosely based on the anime and whatnot so the basic stuff about Yu-Gi-Oh that we all may remember, is just tossed in the air, for instance, sacrifices; there aren’t any. If you have a 3000/2500 Blue Eyes White Dragon in your hand, you can just throw that monstrous sucker straight from your hand to the field much to your opponent’s avail. Now, to balance this system, they added this mechanic where you can fuse the creatures in your hand, rather half-assed, and create an even stronger monster. For example, a weak dragon, mixed with a thunder creature creates Thunder Dragon but if you add another thunder creature or another dragon, you wind up with Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon which is 2800ATK (I don’t really remember the defense, 2300 maybe?) and is pretty much your key advantage right off the bat once you start the game. Now the thing with fusing is, although some stuff is incredibly easy to fuse and come up with, some stuff just completely throws you for a loop for no reason, wasting the cards you were attempting in the fusion (oh yeah that’s a thing, if you’re unsuccessful with a fusion, the cards are just tossed away), which can be frustrating but isn’t that bad of a complaint since there’s a Free Duel option that allows you to freely duel, win or lose, against whoever you’ve played in the campaign allowing for trial and error which is definitely whats needed in order to master the fusion system. With this being in place, they start you off staggeringly weak but chock full of cards that give simple, quick fusions, so at least the game comfortably sets you into the system to quickly allow for you to learn it. 

The campaign is utterly straightforward. There’s the option to choose alternate dialogues sometimes, but these are rendered essentially useless considering the story unfolds in the same manner regardless of what option you chose. There’s even a moment very early on in the game where you’re set against Heishin, the primary antagonist of the game, but the game literally cannot progress unless he beats you. Granted, his deck is freakishly strong, to the point where his base cards are the fusion of fusions, if that makes sense, but if you luck out and manage to beat him (Kaire did this once but it was kind of on a fluke, nonetheless we freaked out considering we were about 10) the game doesn’t progress and Heishin gives a stock dialogue along the lines of “Agh! This can’t be! Again!” and you’re shoved right back into a duel with him and the game won’t move unless he beats you. I’d quickly like to point out that yes, every instance that’s life and death or will decide the fate of the world, is decided over a duel, but I digress. Eventually you get to play as the “modern” Yugi, playing against the antagonists from the show in a random tournament. Facing Rex Raptor, Bandit Keith, Mai Valentine, and even Pegasus, you wind up back in the past as the Pharaoh’s son facing Heishin and his cronies. You have to wander around and face mages in separate temples, each one correlating with a different type and deck (Meadow, Forest, Desert, Mountain, etc.) forcing you to be versatile in your deck building skills. Each mage has different, powerful cards that they can give up when dueled in the free duel option. All of this boils down to a duel against Heishin and then eventually his higherup, Nitemare, the game’s final boss. Its dueling, dueling, dueling. Not much more.

The Looks / Music:

The normal sequences of the game, in which you pick dialogue and such, are incredibly basic, to get the job done, The bottom half of the screen gives dialogue while the top half gives you a torso shot of the character speaking. This does have the potential to kill intense moments that they attempt to get across such as Simon Muran, your caretaker in the game, telling you that the High Mage Heishin has just killed your parents and that hes taking over the entire region and oh yeah, we’re about to have to hide in this millennium puzzle for about a thousand years, yay. It just doesn’t give tension whatsoever. The music continues as ever with the scene, which is normally just regular, tribal style music that bops, and they don’t have any staunch facial movements, leaving you reading it with a slight, boorish take back. So, the story is incredibly difficult to get into on a personal or emotional level like so many other games have done just before, but that doesn’t necessarily kill the vibe of the game; its a boat load of dueling, man. There’s an option for battle sequences while you’re in the middle of the duel, which is useless in the long run, but is a cool addition to both present the power of the PlayStation and see the different monsters in the game use their different attacks. It feels good to see your Red Eyes Black Dragon blast your friend’s Baby Dragon into oblivion, now that I think about it. That’s really the only instance in which the looks are truly presented and beyond that, its basic dueling (is that getting too old to keep saying?).

Now the music, oh man, the music. Its pretty fantastic. There’s a few instances where the only mood enhancer for the entire scene is the music, its almost overpoweringly “soundtrack”. To listen to them by themselves isn’t as enjoyable as the Sonic soundtrack, for example, but its fitting for the game. The dueling music is moving and bouncy and goes with the fluidity of the dueling nicely. There’s even a cool sound that goes with the fusions of cards while they fuse and swirl. A good portion of the soundtrack for the game is entirely electronic sounding, and some even bearing a resemblance to European house music, which blows my mind; its freakin’ Yu-Gi-Oh.

The Cons:

What in the hell is up with the Guardian Stars system? Anyone whose played the game will most likely side with me when I say that this system is a wonderful idea and addition to the game but is confusingly laid out and sometimes mind numbing to decipher. The system is pretty much a temporary powerup system that plays out while dueling, giving the monster in the appropriate standing a +500 boost to AT and DF. So, for instance, fire is weak against water, right? Well is Mars weak against Neptune? Because that’s how the types and guardian stars are presented. Monsters have a choice of 2 guardian stars, which are all named after Roman gods, and some are easy to decipher; Flame Swordsman is Mars and I can’t remember the other, but that means that Mars is obviously resembling fire. This takes a whiiiiiiiiiiiile to get the hang of. Nothing is more frustrating than randomly losing an entire duel when a one-on-one goes against you because the computer knew the Guardian Star advantage and you didn’t. They could’ve simply put the type names in the system and named is something else to ease the confusion of system buts that’s retrospective. 

The other big one that I can point out is the grinding. When defeating somebody, the game gives you a card depending on a load of variables from the person you defeated, to the way you defeated them, and sometimes, how many times you’ve defeated them consecutively. When you defeat them using a lot of stronger monsters, or simply over power them, you get a POW win, which is essentially a “power” win. There’s other ways to win like TEC which is “technical”, and is difficult to do, but sometimes necessary in order to get certain cards from duelists, you have to win in other instances like, winning by your opponent drawing their entire deck. This can wind up in you dueling a certain duelist for hours just to get one card. I’ve dueled “Jono 2nd” over 60 times (W51-L9) and still haven’t received his ONE power card: Red Eyes Black Dragon. However, I’ve dueled the Meadow Mage just under 40 times and have received 3 out of his 5 stronger cards. That’s 2 duelists and roughly 4 hours later and have only progressed around 20% of the game, so you better hunker down.

This game was a pretty damn good choice when I was deciding to get the games of my past and rebuild my collection. I’ve burned more than 10 hours and will easily burn through more. But to look at is as a game altogether in comparison to other games and not with my childhood bias, 

6.5 / 10

[topazshadowwolf]

False Hope (Chapter 1)

After the human left the underground, Sans is left trying to piece his life back together with those who remain. As time goes on, decisions are made about what monster kind should do next, and how best to escape to the surface. But if they do get there their freedom, what will happen?

Written by: Topaz Shadowwolf Undertale Fan fiction Undertale is owned by Toby Fox 

Heads up: Soriel, Sans POV, my goal in writing this is to poke at your emotions Warnings: Major character death, implied suicide, homicidal thoughts, don’t expect a happy ending

AO3

Well, here it is, the first chapter of the new story. I want to thank my new beta reader again. I got the review, made some edits, and I’m so excited I knew I had to post it tonight verses waiting for the morning. Well, hope you enjoy. ;3

False Hope: Chapter 1

Life

I think the one thing that has bothers me throughout the years, and resets, is how quickly a life can disappear. You talk to a monster one day, and they are gone the next. Unlike humans, we don’t see a body to confirm it, just dust. And if the dust is blown away, then that monster is just gone. When a monster is missing, often they are assumed dead.

So, can you imagine how it felt, searching all over and not finding my brother. I told him, asked him, “stay away from the human.” I should have made him promise. But we were in a hurry.

Heh…

Naw, he is my brother; I should have kept a better eye on him. I know what he was like, and should have known he would have pulled a stunt like that.

Anyway, when I did find him, all that was left was his battle body and what dust the wind hadn’t carried off.

I’ve hear that hindsight is 20/20. If I could do it all again, well, I never would have taken my eye sockets off him. But that’s most likely a lie, since I doubt this was the first time.

I know about the resets. Not to the extent I would like, but I’m aware of their existence, and feel their influence. Often a feeling a déjà vu lets me know if I had done something before.

When it happened this time, that déjà vu, was when I was looking for my brother. This feeling came over me. It was a sick, falling feeling that nagged at me until I finally understood what it meant. This was something I had done before. And not only had I done it once before, I had done this multiple times.

How many times did I promise myself not to let him out of my sight?

How many times did I have to go out looking for him?

How many times was he dead?

  “i’m sure you’ve heard by now, y’know, about what happened with the human?” Sans sat with his back the Ruin door. It was the only place he thought of going to find some amount of comfort. Grillby’s was now a bleak, dark, place. The owner decided to stay in Hotlands with family, instead of returning after the human left. And without his brother around, Sans didn’t want to go home.

The house was just an empty space, void of happiness.

He could have tried visiting Alphys. There were still some animes they were going to watch, but Undyne has been there a lot. Right now, he wanted to avoid the fish monster. She was angry. Understandably, but it won’t help his mood. He was angry too. Guilt also plagued him, as there was more he could have done, and he was sure she knew.

“lady?” Sans looked back at the door.

“I heard…,” she replied with a soft tone.

Sans felt his eye sockets darken. “a lot of bad stuff happened, but i still watched the kid as promised.”

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“don’t be, it’s not your fault. you didn’t know they would be like that.”

“I shouldn’t have made you promise to watch over them,” she continued.

“S T O P,” Sans’s voice echoed. He then fell silent, his tired soul ached with sorrow, he didn’t mean to talk to her like that, “i’m sorry, that was wrong of me…”

“No, it’s alright. I think we are both reeling from what happened.”

“i, uh, hoped i could tell a joke or two to lighten the mood. but i can’t think of any,” Sans buried his hands into pockets and hunkered down into his jacket.

“That’s perfectly fine. I suppose my mind is drawing a blank as well,” she was always so understanding. “My dear friend,” she started, and his eye sockets welled up with tears, “you sound so tired. Why don’t you rest?”

He shivered, not from the cold, but from something else that chilled him. It was a loneliness that tore at him. If he rested she would leave and he’d be alone, he feared that, “i’m fine.”

“What if I promise to stay with you?” She asked. He wondered about that, and how she also felt. There was a chance she also didn’t want to feel the uncertainty that came with isolation. For how long she had lived alone, it seemed foolish to think that she didn’t want the company, even if it was silent.

“we can try that…,” Sans said as he looked at the door. He leaned against it, trying to get comfortable; snow slowly drifted down from above, and lightly covered him like a blanket. The tiredness within him took over, and he drifted off to the sound of her humming a song.

When he woke again, she was there as promised. They talked and sat in silence for most of the day. They would have stayed like that all day, but she insisted that he leave to get food. He gave in and got up, leaving to find something to eat; he used a shortcut to keep himself from walking the long, quiet distance from the door to town.

Snowdin was mostly abandoned, though a few people had returned. One who used to be a regular at Grillby’s called to Sans, and he just offered a wave in response before entering the shop, he wanted to avoid talking. There was no one there to run the little store, just a sign to let visitors know that she restocked and will be back again once everything settled back down. There was a box set out, asking people to comply with an honor system.

He walked behind the counter and grabbed a few cinnamon bunnies, and put them in a bag for easy carrying. Before he left he made sure to place some money in the box to pay for what he took. They should be enough to last him a few days, then he won’t have to leave the door again to see this place. All it did was bring back memories he wasn’t ready for.

Returning to the door, the lady welcomed him back. And that’s how he spent his days. She was a constant companion, talked with him, comforted him, made sure he did a few things to take care of himself. He would have stayed like that for the rest of his miserable life, but one day she asked him something he wasn’t expecting.

“My friend, by the sound of the snow fall you are describing, I fear you may end up being buried,” she said.

“naw, it isn’t that bad, just more than normal,” Sans brushed off his jacket.

“Why don’t you come in here? No need to be alone in the snow.”

“but i’m not alone, i have you with me,” he chuckled.

The lady giggled and then said, “as true as that is, why not come inside?”

He thought about it for a moment, then looked back at the door, “sure lady.”

Moving out of the way, he waited for the door to open. When he walked in, he glanced around. It was dark and hard to see, but he did smell some smoke; which hinted she must have had a fire to keep herself warm by the door at one point. When his eye lights settled on her, he smiled at the woman he had been talking to all this time. After looking at each other for a moment, they embraced. “Oh, my dear friend,” she wept.

Sans couldn’t help but cry into her shoulder as they stood there for a while. A burden lifted from his shoulders, but an unexpected exhaustion caused his bones to rattle from the effort of standing. In response, her strength became a support for him, keeping his tired body from falling. The large, paw like hands cupped both sides of his face and she pressed her forehead against his, “My dear, sweet friend… you need real food and sleep. Come,” she took his hand and started to lead him down the hall to the stairs.

“what about the door? are you sure we should leave it open like that?” Sans asked, and started to glance behind himself, when she pulled him close.

It took a moment before she replied, “I don’t think it will close properly anymore.”

She led him up the stairs and into her house. Glancing around, Sans couldn’t help but noticed how close it resembled Asgore’s place. From his chats with her, he knew that would be a touchy subject, especially now that the king was dead. Instead he just simply acknowledged who she was by saying, “never thought it was the queen i was telling jokes to.”

“I’m not the queen anymore,” she smiled down at him, “Toriel, or Tori, is fine.”

“heh, sure, tori,” he said, as the name rolled from his mouth with seemingly practiced ease. Did that mean he met her before? That he had called her that name before?

With his hand still in hers, she led him to the kitchen to get food. He made himself a meal from her left overs, all the while she talked to him. They chatted about what life was like in the ruins, which is now quieter after the human left. There were now fewer monsters here, as well as everywhere else. He started to like the idea of living here with her, he felt done with the outside world. Too much had happened, too much was gone. The pure notion of waiting out the remaining time till reset here seemed like a blessing.

Once they finished talking, and he ate his meal, she led him to her room. Sans looked at the bed then her, “you sure?” It felt weird sharing a bed with her so soon after they met in person.

In response, she nodded and wrapped her arms around him, “I know you don’t sleep well. I want to help you have pleasant dreams.”

He hugged her back, and sought something from her, something that will help him carry on. It felt like what he needed was there, but just out of reach. Was it him? Was he just too closed off to really receive the support she wanted to give?

“Shhh,” she whispered, he hadn’t even noticed he was sobbing, “it’s alright. Just rest for now.”

Due to how high her bed frame was, he literally had to climb into her bed. Huddled down into the covers he closed his eye sockets and felt her cuddle up to his back. Had they been like this before? During a happier time, had they cuddled like this? The feeling of déjà vu was present as she nuzzled the back of his skull; but, with their current mood, it lacked the warmth he longed for, that should have been there.

When he woke the next morning, he didn’t feel her beside him. He quickly sat up, panic set in, “TORI?!” Was she gone too?

When he looked over toward the doorway he saw Papyrus standing there, who smiled at him. His brother walked closer and sat on the bed, as Sans stared in disbelief. “BROTHER,” the voice that he missed so much said, “YOU CAN’T STAY HERE, AND YOU KNOW IT.”

“but,” Sans started, though he didn’t know what to say.

“I’m afraid he is right,” Toriel said as she walked into the room, “Now that you are looking and doing better, it is time for you to start moving on with your life.”

Sans’s soul sank as his eye sockets filled with tears. He should have known. Papyrus and Toriel surrounded him in a hug. It wasn’t him being closed off that denied him the warmth and love he sought from Toriel last night, but the fact they are not dwelling in the same form of existence.

“I’M SORRY BROTHER,” Papyrus said, “I KNOW YOU ARE FEELING THIN.”

“heh, i feel like i’m just bones,” Sans chuckled and heard Toriel giggle.

“WASN’T IT ENOUGH THAT YOU TOLD SUCH BAD PUNS WHILE I WAS ALIVE?” Papyus yelled, but he was clearly smiling even though he was tried not to.

Once he had the strength to move again, Sans left the house and went back down the stairs. He saw the pile of dust near the doorway that was once his friend. He stared at it a moment, then looked at Toriel, “mind if i add some to pap’s scarf? i know it isn't a favorite thing of yours, but it's a way to…”

“Not at all,” she smiled kindly.

“bro?” Sans looked to his brother.

“IF YOU ARE ASKING FOR MY APPROVAL, THEN THE ANSWER IS THAT I WOULD BE HONORED TO SHARE MY SCARF WITH HER,” Papyrus said.

Sans bent down and picked up a handful, adding it to Papyrus’s scarf. Walking out of the Ruins, he noticed the door wasn’t open as he had thought he had seen the day before. Instead there is a large hole that is still smoldering. The smell of used magic and smoke hanging in the air even after all this time. No wonder he had been so tired, it would have taken many blasters, and a lot of magic, to make a way through the door. 

Next

[howellrichard]

Your Wellness Guide for Navigating Coronavirus

To My Cherished Community,

I hope this finds you safe and well. I’ve been thinking about how I can support you and your loved ones during these difficult times. Truth is, I don’t have all the answers. But what I do have is an endless amount of love for you, so I’m going to do everything in my power to get you the resources you need to navigate coronavirus and COVID-19. We’re in this together.

I’m writing to you from my temporary home in Florida, where Brian, Lola, Tara and I recently moved to be closer to my parents. Little did I know that just weeks after road tripping down the eastern seaboard, we’d be facing an unprecedented global health crisis.

As many of you know, my amazing Dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2016. Thirteen years after my own cancer diagnosis, our roles reversed overnight. My dad, who was my rock back then and still is today, became the patient. And for the first time in my own health journey, I became a caregiver.

I’m sharing this because many folks in this community are dealing with chronic health challenges that make them even more vulnerable right now. If you’re one of those people, please know that my family and I stand in solidarity with you. We’re taking extra precautions right now and encourage you to do the same.

The other reason I’m sharing my family’s story is because over the coming days and weeks, many of us will find ourselves in similarly unexpected situations. But if I’ve learned anything from my own experiences, it’s that we need each other. In times like these, we must shed our default roles and let compassion and humility lead the way.

That means listening to the experts. And when you listen, you’ll hear what is perhaps their most critical message: To minimize the damage from this outbreak, we must flatten the curve.

If you’re wondering what that means, check out this helpful article. But here’s the short version: We can limit the speed of coronavirus transmission by practicing social distancing and other protective methods. If we don’t heed this advice, there may be a huge spike (the opposite of a flattened curve) in the number of folks who get infected at once, which could in turn overwhelm our healthcare system. (You can read about the healthcare crisis in Italy for a sense of what that could mean.)

But what does that look like, practically speaking? I know that you must have a lot of questions about how to keep yourself and your loved ones well. So I went searching for the best, most reliable advice I could find, and put together the following list of tips and resources for you. By no means is this a comprehensive list, but I hope it provides you with some comfort and clarity during this challenging time.

Your Wellness Guide: 8 Ways to Support Yourself and Others During Coronavirus and COVID-19

1. Take social distancing very seriously while also staying connected.

This is perhaps the biggest, most challenging change we’re facing for the coming weeks. But social distancing only works if we all participate. This is about protecting others as much as protecting ourselves. For every known case there are likely five to 10 undetected cases, and these asymptomatic carriers may be responsible for nearly 80% of all new cases.

For a straightforward overview of social distancing practices, check out this helpful article from Johns Hopkins. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are also reliable resources for better understanding how you can help flatten the curve.

Please keep this in mind while you’re hunkered down at home: Loneliness isn’t good for us either, so don’t cut yourself off from the world! Let’s take advantage of all the amazing technology we have access to (video chat like FaceTime and Zoom, text, emails and yes, good old fashioned phone calls!). I’ll be going live on instagram to support our community, so if you need some love please come and find me (I’m @crazysexykris).

It’s also important to acknowledge that not everyone has the ability to protect themselves equally. And not everyone can weather this storm financially, either. Many folks were already hurting before the pandemic. So now is the time to up our game as a global family. The more we follow the guidelines, the more we protect the person stocking the shelves, delivering the packages, the caregivers, medical professionals and so on. For ways to contribute, see tip #8.

2. Practice extra good hygiene.

Coronavirus has spread so far and so fast because it’s primarily transmitted through respiratory droplets (which are produced by talking, coughing, etc.). And since those lil’ droplets can land pretty much anywhere, we need to take extra precautions when it comes to cleaning and hygiene.

First and foremost, wash your hands well and often! Check out this guide from the WHO to make sure you’re covering all your bases. I also shared my own tutorial video on Instagram, which you can see here.

Ramping up our hygiene efforts doesn’t stop with handwashing, though—you can also help protect yourself and others by changing your clothes when you get home, taking your shoes off at the door, disinfecting your phone and other commonly used items/surfaces. The CDC has lots of info to help you do that, including this helpful guide for protecting your home. And here’s a great video that will also show you how to protect yourself, your home and your office space.

3. Reduce stress and stay in tune with your mental health.

The uncertainty and volatility we’re experiencing right now can be extremely stressful. You may feel overwhelmed or helpless or unsettled by the many changes in your routine. But here’s the thing—stress messes with our immunity, so reducing it is of the utmost importance.

Stay informed, but limit your exposure to news (only so much is helpful). Do stuff you love—draw, sing, dance, read! Choose activities that crowd out stress with joy and calm. Here’s a great resource from the CDC on managing anxiety during this time.

One of my go-to stress reduction techniques is meditation and you can bet I’ll be doing a LOT of that over the coming weeks. It’s how I find a sense of safety within myself, even in the most unsettling circumstances. If this resonates with you, I hope you’ll try my free Instant Stress Reduction meditation below.

4. Get plenty of rest and sleep.

Sounds obvious, but the importance of sleep is often overlooked, especially when we’re stressed or dedicating time to caring for others. Getting sufficient, high-quality sleep is absolutely critical for a healthy immune system (more on how your body builds immunity while you’re asleep here). In fact, folks who get their nightly Zzzs are better at fending off viruses. So consider this your friendly reminder to get 7.5–8 hours of rest whenever possible and take naps when you need them.

I’ve written a lot about sleep here on kriscarr.com, but my two favorite articles are The Ultimate Guide to Better Sleep and How to Sleep Better and Get the Rest You Need to Thrive. I hope you find them helpful.

5. Eat and drink for your health.

Eating a whole foods, plant-based diet is one of the best ways to promote long term health and strengthen your immune system. This is not an overnight solution, so please be wary of quick fix solutions (like products that claim to give you a quick immune boost). Instead, stick with your healthy habits and/or work in a few extra nutritious plant-based meals. Check out the recipes section of my website for hundreds of delicious ideas!

And speaking of fuel, let this also be a reminder to stay hydrated. I know that coronavirus stress might make you want to take comfort in your favorite cocktail—I get it! But please keep in mind that alcohol can dehydrate you (and heavier consumption may even weaken your immune system). Whenever possible, reach for a big, hydrating glass of water green juice!) instead. At a time when we need to drastically limit our trips out of the house, it’s important to carefully plan our grocery errands. Buy smart but don’t hoard. Consider shopping at odd hours to avoid busy times of day. If you can’t get everything you normally purchase, stay calm. You may have to improvise right now, and that’s ok. Please just do your best and don’t stress yourself out.

6. Keep moving.

While we may need to stay close to home right now, we don’t have to stay still. Keep dancing, stretching, walking, playing, etc—whatever your heart desires. Movement is medicine!

If you usually go to the gym, I strongly encourage you to avoid it for now. Lots of people touch and sweat on those machines, so it’s just not a risk worth taking. Instead, try some fun new at-home workouts and don’t forget to get fresh air (nature is healing—just remember social distancing if you encounter other people!)

7. Be wary of magic bullet claims.

Supplements can absolutely fill in gaps and enhance your immune system. They’re a powerful tool for ongoing wellness, so I’d strongly encourage you to continue your current supplement regimen during this time. For example, I’ve stocked up on my probiotics because gut health and immune health are siblings. However, I want to be clear that no supplement is a magic pill for vitality and certainly not for combatting a virus like the one we’re facing now. I’m seeing a lot of dubious claims flying around the internet that aren’t backed by credible research from supplement brands whose products don’t contain therapeutic doses anyway.

So instead of getting anxious about what to take, here’s what I’m doing instead: sticking with my regular, simple practice. I’m not rushing out to buy products I don’t know how to use or know if they’re even effective (or contraindicated for certain conditions). Instead, I’m investing my money in healthy food and focusing on the practices referenced here.

8. Help each other.

Almost overnight we find ourselves in an economy that’s ground to a halt. A lot of people and businesses in our communities are already feeling the hurt. So if you have the means, please consider some of these ways to help our friends weather this storm.

Donate to your local food bank.

Prepay for services (hair styling, home care, gift certificates to your favorite restaurant, etc.).

Foster a pet. Shelters around the world are struggling with an uptick in animals and less adoptions, which often means more euthanasia. According to the CDC, WHO and the American Veterinary Medical Association pets are not at risk of spreading COVID-19—but they sure can brighten our days. Now may be a lovely time to welcome a fur kid into your heart and home.

Take care of yourself, dear one.

I know how scary this must be for you. I admit, I’m a little scared too. But my soul fire—the one that fuels my hope and resolve—is still burning bright, and you can come sit by it whenever you need to. I am with you, as is our entire Crazy Sexy Team, and we plan to do whatever we can to help you navigate this challenging reality. We love you so very much!

Your turn: What are you doing to take care of yourself and stay connected right now? Let’s share ideas and support each other in the comments below!

Peace & all my love,

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CANTLON'S CORNER: TWO FUTURE PACK PLAYERS GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO IMPRESS THE ORGANIZATION

CANTLON'S CORNER: Two Future Pack Players GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO IMPRESS THE ORGANIZATION

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - As the 2017-18 season draws to a conclusion, two current Hartford Wolf Pack players hope to be on the roster for 2018-19. While one is almost certain to be included, the other remains a strong possibility. Ty Ronning is the one who would be almost a certainty. He signed an entry-level contract back in March and just concluded his five-year major junior career with the WHL Vancouver Giants. “It's good stuff. I love the game of hockey at the pro level; it’s exciting," Ronning stated. "Everybody has made me feel welcome. I just gotta keep working hard.” Ronning had a strong final campaign where he scored 61 goals, good for second-most in the league. It was also a new Giants regular season record. Ronning's 65 surpassed the previous record of 65 held by the San Jose Sharks, Evander Kane. Ronning compiled a total of 84 points. “Individually, it was a great season all around. It was a team that worked very hard. We hadn’t made the playoffs in a while and that was my number one goal; to make the playoffs. We wanted to get to the second round, but we lost in Game Seven (to the Victoria Royals) and that’s the way she goes sometimes. I think the Vancouver Giants have a bright future ahead of them.” His second stint in Hartford will be shorter than last year, but this time, he knew what to expect at the AHL level. “Last year I got in twelve games. I got a sniff of what it's like here. The game is much quicker, so I worked on that, and I can give myself some more time to make things happen,” Ronning said. Pack Head Coach Keith McCambridge is already happy with Ronning's performance. “I had him for just one game so far, but I had him in Traverse City (the pre-season prospect camp tournament held annually in Michigan). He gets in those quiet areas well, and he uses technique well to get those areas. He’s not a 6’3 or 6’4 guy, so when you score that many goals, it says something about your skills and we're trying to put him in areas to accent that, and utilize those skills.” "Speed" is the key buzz word in hockey evaluation these days, and it certainly applies directly to Ronning’s skill set. “Not only speed but quickness. I define that as his first three strides, those short bursts outside the zone gaining puck possession are really important.” Ronning's father is former NHL'er Cliff Ronning, and that rubs off. “Obviously, (genetics) is a part of a player. I had Adam Lowry in Winnipeg (the son of NHL'er, Dave Lowery). Those players who Dad’s had an NHL pedigree see structures and systems (a bit quicker) because they spent time with their dad,” said McCambridge. Ronning spent most of his formative hockey years in Burnaby and the Vancouver area and certainly traveled to several of his Dad’s NHL pit stops. “I was born in Scottsdale, lived in Minnesota, and visited New York when he was playing for the Islanders. He retired there (Vancouver), but overall most of my hockey has been in Vancouver (Burnaby-BCHL and Vancouver-WHL). Coming to Hartford is a quiet place; a nice town, maybe a little colder than it is in Vancouver now. It was nice to see the sun today. I want to go out and take some pictures around town,” Ronning stated. Ronning, the younger, was chasing one of his Dad’s records. The record for consecutive games scoring a goal (18 games). This season, the younger Ronning got it to eleven games and respects the record greatly. “That is so tough to do when you're actually doing it. It's a lot harder than people realize. I don’t think that record will be broken for a long, long time,” He said. Of course, following a successful parent or sibling in sports is always fraught with peril. His father was an offensive scoring whiz. In his last season of junior hockey, while he was with the New Westminster Bruins, Ronning the elder compiled 197 points and won the scoring title, but two years lost his league record for points in a season. Rob Brown, the former Whaler, had 212 points that year with the Kamloops Oilers. In fact, 14 players that year were above the century mark in total points. This season in the WHL there's just nine. Ronning is ready for the new challenge and the first step in his pursuit of being an NHL'er came in getting his first pro contract. “It felt very good to get the first one, and it's a very exciting time for myself, and they were the team that believed in me when many others didn’t,” Ronning said of his being drafted in the seventh round, 201st overall, in 2016 For Ronning, it will be an offseason dedicated to training, but he also has some travel commitments to attend to. He'll first fly to Phoenix, Arizona where he is going to visit his older sister, Caryn, who is going to be giving birth to his niece very shortly. “Going to Phoenix to visit my sister and her husband and go to New York to visit my other sister, Caitlin, who lives in Brooklyn, and I have a younger sister, Carly  who's back home.” For Ronning music is big in his family. All three of his sisters are singers. His uncle is Paul Rodgers, the bass guitarist from the highly successful 1970’s rock group, Bad Company. While Ronning can't hit the high notes, he says his voice isn't that horrible. “No, no, no, they (his sisters) got that covered. I might do well in karaoke, but that’s about it.” Meanwhile, for Drew Melanson, even at age 22, he already could be called a hockey vagabond. Melanson arrives in Hartford from the Boston University Terriers (HE), after spending three years with the RPI Engineers (ECACHL). He got his degree in three years, which is no small feat at RPI. He was able to use the NCAA rule that allows one to receive an accelerated undergraduate degree where the athlete can transfer without penalty since they would have one additional year of athletic playing eligibility. Melanson wasn’t the only player to go that route. Goalie, Kyle Hayton, did the same thing this year going from St. Lawrence (ECACHL) to the University of Wisconsin Badgers (Big 10). He also just signed an ATO deal with Milwaukee Admirals for the last weekend of non-playoff action. “I’m very excited to get the opportunity here for these next two-to-three weeks. I was at RPI for three years and the program isn’t where I thought it was going to be, or needs to be. "I wanted out, so I found out about the rule that if I graduated early, I could go anywhere I wanted. I was looking for a better hockey experience and hunkered down. I had good relationships with my teachers, fellow students, and was able to manage my courses." Despite his growing up in Paramus, a town in Northern New Jersey, Melanson grew up as a Boston sports fan. He spent his youth rooting for the Red Sox, Bruins, Patriots, and Celtics. Certainly odd for a Jersey high school student. “My Dad’s whole family is from Boston, it was great for them. My Dad saw me grow up watching me play in the Chowder Cup around Boston, and this year got to see me in the Hockey East title game, and the Beanpot. It was such a cool experience. "My Dad married into a Rangers, Giants, and Yankees family, so we made a kind of an alliance. He brought me up to root for the Boston sports teams. That's worked out okay with the Patriots, Bruins, and Red Sox winning.” Melanson is a confident and analytical person. He realizes a winger is much more suited for his skill sets as opposed to playing at center. “I don’t want to make any bold statements, but I’m confident in my ability, I’m just starting to get better. My development stalled out at RPI, that’s why I wanted to move. I've played a top two line center, a third line defensive penalty kill center. I have played many different positions and roles. Look, I had two points in like 16 or 17 games at BU at center before Christmas. I had 17 or 18 (points) after when I moved to the wing, by far I think that says where I should be. "Things you do, you just want to keep getting better. Hockey is about change, so in a period of five years, I have played on seven teams. Every year it's not the same, so you have to learn to adapt. Adjusting to new players, new systems are part of being a pro, and I’m just two weeks into it.” He relishes the chance to show his skills here and the future is pretty wide open. His first AHL point was a gorgeous redirect off a crossing play with Vinni Lettieri. Ryan Gropp finished off the play for a goal against the Providence Bruins. “Early in the game I had a similar play that nine-out-of-ten-times I made in college, but guys at this level are so good with their sticks, so I wasn’t successful. I got another chance in a three-on-two, so I made a better drive through and Vinni made such a nice play and Gropp finished it off." Melanson is a rarity. He played against UConn with two different schools and is amazed at the change of the program. “I noticed a huge difference in the talent pool and style of play. I remember the first year they played this super passive (defensive trap game) keep everything to the outside let the other team control the puck when I was at RPI, but at BU, they were up-and-down, they had two solid lines and a scorer like (Max) Letunov, a really high-end player. That program has a very bright future.” The late-season contest against the Huskies, a 5-4 OT loss, was the nadir of the Terriers season and provided a launching pad for BU, who would go on to win the Hockey East post-season conference title. “That game really killed us and we shouldn’t have lost to them. We got up 4-2 and they battled their way back and we needed those points. We didn’t play well all game and we lost in overtime and don’t any points out it. We knew right then and there that we would have to win the conference tournament to get to the NCAA national tournament. We knew we were one of the top talented teams in the country so that game was a turning point no doubt about it. We went on a really good run after that.” They certainly did. They first knocked off UConn at the Aggasiz Arena in two straight very difficult games in the Hockey East quarterfinals. BU won the Hockey East title at TD Bank Boston Garden over Northeastern and got to the NCAA Regional final in Worcester before losing to Michigan 2-1. The Wolf Pack are hoping Ronning and Melanson will lead a charge back to the AHL post-season in 2018-19. NOTES: Former Wolf Pack defenseman Kodie Curran is going from Storhamer (Norway-NEL) to Rogle BK (Sweden-SHL) next year. Two more NCAA signings as Jared Thomas goes from the national champion University Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs to signing an ATO deal for this weekend in San Antonio and a one year deal for 2018-19. Dennis Gilbert goes from the National title runners-up, the ND Fighting Irish, and signs a deal with the Chicago Blackhawks. He could end up in Rockford on an ATO deal. His former ND teammate Jordan Gross signed an ATO deal and will be in Tucson for the last weekend and AHL playoffs. That brings the total Division 1 NCAA signees so far to 137 and a total of 163 college players. Former Wolf Pack player, Tommy Thompson, was assigned on paper to Idaho (ECHL) to make him eligible for their playoff roster by the Texas Stars. He will be in Austin when they open the AHL playoffs next weekend. Read the full article