This story is not really fanfic, but rather a fanfact story. It's pretty
long but some have said that it was what they had experienced too. So
just print it out and read it in bed (like I do with most of the long
emails, LOL) or just take 10 mins and read this. I feel I need to tell
someone else other than two of my friends.

----------------------------- The Lion's King
------------------------------------------------------
Prologue
-------------
I first lived in Richboro, Pennsylvania where I had many friends and had
many good times. I used to run in the farm fields with my dog, play in
my fort that my dad had built for us, and played in the stream flowing
besides our property. My friends would come over and we would sit under
the apple tree and eat fresh apples right from the vine. Christmas was
spent with all my family and friends just resting in front of the
fireplace and watching television. My birthday was a special event for
everyone I knew and people throughout my school would say happy birthday
to me. All my teachers loved me and they all saw me as a great student.
Then things changed…

Elementary and Middle School
-------------------------------------------
One day, my parents came to me and said that we were moving to a
different house soon. They said that this area was getting too
overcrowded with people and they wanted to get “away from it all.” How
could they do this to me, I thought. I have a gazillion friends here and
my life is just great! Why would they do such a thing to me? All these
thoughts went through my head at that very second but then faded away,
as do all problems when your life has been just “peachy” so far. They
took me to the building site of the new house. We all nicknamed it
“House at Baus,” since the house was to be located on Baus Road. The
construction began and soon enough we moved to the new house.

Half way through second grade was when I moved. I entered the classroom
and the teacher told everyone to great me. Naturally, not having social
skills developed yet, I backed away and did not want to be part of the
class. But I stayed that first day and the teacher seemed nice. We went
out for recess and I met some people already. But none of these people
were nearly as good of friends as I used to have. The only person that I
perceived as a good friend was a kid by the name of David Cruz. But he
was soon gone out of my life when his parents broke up and he moved to
Philadelphia. I still hear from him now and then. So most, if not all,
of my elementary school life was spent in seclusion because I had no
one.

We all entered a new world when we elevated ourselves to a new level of
thinking when we entered middle school. I was still alone and depressed.
Three and a half years had passed since that dreadful day of the first
day in my new school. And here, for a little bit, nothing got better. In
fact, things were worse. People taunted and patronized me more then ever
before and more then I could handle.

I think the great Creator was on my side one day early in my sixth grade
year out of the darkness and chaos that I had been feeling. One day, I
was in English class and we were going to work on a story and as usual I
had no partner. But there was this other kid that I saw that was dressed
in the “dorky” sweat pants that I usually was dressed in. He didn't have
a partner either so our teacher put us together. My natural reaction to
roll my eyes and sigh was the same thing he did. I asked him what he was
into and he said he liked Star Trek and I was taken back since I hadn't
found anyone that actually liked Star Trek like I did. He showed me his
trading cards and we started to talk about ourselves. He was a library
helper and he said that I should do it with him. So I agreed and I asked
him if I could sit with him at lunch. He agreed with me and asked me my
name. I naturally replied and asked him his name and he said “Carl
Ohrberg.”

Carl was my first true friend I ever had since my original school. It
was truly a blessing by the great Creator that I met him because after
that my grades went up and I started getting involved in school. I was a
library helper and I got on honor roll for the first time in eighth
grade. He taught me how to do math and how to organize myself both
materially and mentally. It was because of him that my mind started to
whir again after four years of darkness and seclusion. I started to
think on my own and I started to get more and more intelligent. My
teachers started to like me again. I got more pride and self-esteem. We
both got into this amazing phenomenon called computers and we both
bought computers and traded games and other things. I changed my social
appearance and some more people started to notice me. I changed how I
dressed from worn tee shirt, sweat pants, and “Roo” sneakers to Nike
shirts, jeans, and Adidas sneakers. I finally got up enough guts to go
to the last school dance of my eighth grade year and I met a girl. Its
as if someone from the outside reached into my soul and flipped my life
around.

Then something happened that would change my life forever…

>From Middle School to High School
--------------------------------------------------
The Lion King came out around just three months before I went into
summer vacation. My sister bought the soundtrack tape and I overheard
some of the music. I regarded The Lion King to be “just some kid's movie
for Disney to make more money on.” But since I like listening to music,
it sounded pretty good to me so I asked my mom if we could go see The
Lion King. She agreed to take us after it was re-released into the
theaters.

A week before we went, I saw the previews for it and I sat there just
staring in amazement. But there had been other movies that did that to
me and they turned out worse then they seemed. So I just thought it was
one of those things where I couldn't trust a “book by its cover,” so I
dismissed the feeling as easily as I let it excite me.

We went to see it in June. The whole movie was one big emotional roller
coaster. I went from sad, to happy, to betrayed, to bewildered then back
again. After it was done, my parents asked me if I liked it and I said
it was a pretty good movie. I felt slightly depressed because of the
movie as we walked out of the theater but nothing I hadn't felt before
with other movies. I just passed it up as another one of those feelings.
“It's just a kid's movie,” I kept saying to myself that day. Little did
I know…

I went into the biggest fit of depression ever. I started drawing in
class and my grades started dropping again. At this point, I really
didn’t care about much else other than thinking about why such a “dumb
kids movie” was affecting me so much. I bought the soundtrack and the
Rhythm of the Pride Lands to try to make me feel better. That summer was
full of depression and darkness once again, but my friend Carl and my
girlfriend Jesse stood by me even though I didn’t tell him about it.

Then high school started…

High School
------------------
I entered high school at ninth grade (since some schools do it
differently). Again, another transition has taken place in my life. We
were all in a different world. I still lived in depression though and I
didn’t know why such a “children’s movie” as The Lion King would get me
so depressed. I seriously thought of getting professional help. I kept
visiting my guidance counselor about my life problems and how I wanted
to do so much in such little time. This wasn’t the real story though. I
just was trying to find an alternate route around The Lion King’s effect
on me to see if there was an easier answer. My relationship with Jesse
faded away. For some odd reason, people started to call me Simba as if
it were my real name. People would come up to me and say “Hi Simba!” and
I didn’t even know them. I tried to persuade people that my name was
Chris but people kept calling me Simba. I wasn’t sure why but I just
finally gave up on trying to beat them. So I just admitted to people
that my name was actually Simba.

My grades started to drop again. I started to get fed up with my
handwriting because, to put it blatantly, it sucked. I was looking for a
new style both out of the boredom of depression and because my grades
would go down a couple points on every assignment because the teacher
couldn’t read my handwriting. So I looked around for a new style that
people could read and I was comfortable with. I tried my mom’s writing
and I did okay at that. But one night, I was reading the Disney’s
Adventures: The Lion King magazine for the billionth time when I noticed
Disney’s signature. Since I love to draw, I started practicing that as a
new style and I slowly implemented it into my normal, everyday
handwriting.

That summer, something inside me started to change. We went to the shore
at Cape May in New Jersey. I brought my CD player and my Rhythm of the
Pride Lands CD. Any free time I had I listened to it. I started to get
some weird ideas that maybe if I just sat on the beach and closed my
eyes that I’d feel better. So I tried it, and for the most part, it
worked. Some old and long-forgotten feeling started to rise. We took a
trip to the northwestern states to explore and as we traveled around, I
had much more time to think. The beauty of the place just astounded me.
The awesome power that it took to create that place made my eyes water
and my stomach tumble with awe. Again, that old and long-forgotten
feeling started to rise. It was almost as if I could actually feel
myself maturing.

Tenth grade started and I began to draw the Disney characters a lot,
especially The Lion King. I still thought about seeking help on having
this “children’s movie” affect me so much. It was like a brainwashing
control was set upon me. I met another girl named Shaughna and she was
the best. I did love her and we had a lot of good times together (room
for a fanfic here, hehe). It also was then that I met Derick. I wasn’t
sure about him at first since most of the friends that I made had since
moved away or broke contact with me. But there was something different
about Derick. Something I didn’t even see in Carl. I wasn’t sure what it
was at first but as I got to know him, I found he lived on a most
original concept. He preferred to be with people that were different.
>From this, another best friend arose. It was also around this time that
I met another friend, Slash. I knew that name before I knew his real
name was Andy. He was quiet and I really didn’t know what to think of
him. He didn’t say much until I said something out of place, which then
he would start arguing with me which is where I get my better arguing
skills from.

The summer I felt alone. I had to break up with Shaughna because she was
moving to Wisconsin. I wished she would have stayed but that was neither
her decision nor mine. So again a relationship went down the drain in
vain. I was heartbroken and depressed even more after this.

Eleventh grade started and a game named Diablo came out and all I did
was play it with my friend Slash. I would sit at the computer for hours
on end playing the game like it was an escape over The Lion King’s
affect and changes on me. I would go over people’s houses with my
computer and do nothing but play Diablo and chat with the people on
Battle.Net. And then another game, StarCraft, came out and I switched to
that and that’s all I did was play StarCraft and chat online with
people. I did like the games but I think it seemed such an easy escape
from the affects of The Lion King.

Into the beginning of twelfth grade, I was still playing StarCraft. By
this time, computers were a natural subject to me and drawing was
something I did so much that it was as natural as walking. But I still
was depressed as usual. Things were not getting better. However my
grades have since improved greatly. I felt it necessary to learn more
since I believe that knowledge is truly power. My friends, including
Carl and Derick, didn't know of my depression yet.

One night, I got into a fight with one of the local chat members of our
private channel online. I got so mad at him that I just burst into a
fiery oblivion. It was like a blackness had been covering me all this
time and The Lion King had irritated that blackness by attacking it with
small rays of hope. Finally, the light burst through the thickness of
the blackness and I blew up. I knocked my computer over and went outside
and took a walk. I looked at my past and who I was. I raised my eyes to
the setting sun and saw, within the light, myself. I stopped walking and
looked at my feet and then raised my hands and looked at them. For the
first time, I asked the question “Who am I? Who am I trying to be? What
have I become?” I noticed right then and there that The Lion King had
changed my life forever for the better. A simple story, an African folk
tale, had turned my life around. I finally saw what I had become and I
decided that was it. Ever since that fateful night early in my twelfth
grade year, I have been different.

Present Day
------------------
I am living a full and happy life again. Since the release of Simba’s
Pride, my real name "Chris" has been forgotten and people call me Simba.
I'm not sure if I like the fact that Chris is gone but I can't get rid
of it anyway since it's what I've been born with. On the other hand, I
like the name "Simba" so much more so I just tell everyone that my name
is Simba. I’ve found out why they call me Simba now. Not only do I love
The Lion King to infinity and back, but also people strongly agree that
the character of Simba and I have very close personalities. One person
said to me that if he stuck Simba and I together, we’d act as brothers.
The actual meaning of the name Simba means one who constantly tries to
make themselves better in mental, physical, and spiritual aspects and is
one who is genuinely caring for others and has a good focus on life and
is a natural leader. My philosophy on people looking down on that is if
they don’t like my preferences in what I want to be and what I like,
then I don’t have to respect their preferences and I can call them
anything I want. Most of my friends have nicknames (such as Demon
(Derick), Crimson (Carl), Slash (Andy)) and their own preferences and I
respect them. From all this that I have learned, I have decided not only
do I not mind being called Simba, but I want to be called Simba.

I have started a book on my own religion called Sutopia. So far, it’s
only a small scripture but I plan to have it on the Internet soon. I
have two great friends now. Carl is still with me and Derick is the
first person that I’ve told this story to. I’ve been accepted to the
college of my choice, Pitt University for the College of Computer
Science and Information Systems. Since February in eleventh grade, I’ve
been in martial arts and trained hard to lose the extra pounds that I’ve
gained from eating too much from depression and from sitting in front of
the computer playing games hours on end. I have a job now and am saving
up for a student exchange program to Australia with the YFU (Youth For
Understanding) Exchange Student Program. My plans for my future are to
graduate college with my masters in computer science and information
systems, get a good job for a couple years, start my own business and
stabilize it, quit my job and go to Sheridan University in Canada to get
my animation degree, and then try for a job at Disney animation.

My Interpretation of The Lion King
-----------------------------------------------
I have finally figured out what I saw in the Lion King that changed my
life around. First of all, if it wasn’t for The Lion King, I would have
never bought that issue of Disney’s Adventures and my handwriting could
have still been the same old chicken scratch. Second of all, if it
weren’t for the Lion King, I would have never remembered who I am. I
would have never reached the maturity and level of thinking that I have
now without it. Sometimes I get frustrated on trying to explain the
importance The Lion King has to me to other people. They just see it as
another kid’s movie and they think I’m weird because I go against the
normal trend of society. But, as me and my friend Derick say, “It is
perfectly normal to be different” and “just be yourself.” The Lion King
changed my life forever and, for one, I can’t change that and, for
another, I’m glad and proud that it did. I will no longer let people
control my life and my decisions. I gladly accept suggestions and
advice, but under no circumstances will anyone tell me what to do just
because they feel they are superior to me.

The last and final thing that I must mention is Nala. For four years, I
have thought myself weird because I felt feelings toward a cartoon
character that signified true, pure love. From the first time I saw her
on the screen, I saw her beauty, both inside and out, and knew that’s
the kind of person I want to marry. Nala, although a cartoon and a lion,
is the most beautiful creature I have ever seen in my entire life and
she has the brightest and most compassionate personality that would make
anyone melt under her power. I took a pledge that I would never marry
anyone that didn’t have the pureness of Nala’s qualities. I can reach
any height of intelligence, any pinnacle of power, any outlook of
success… but without someone like Nala to share it with, it’s worthless.

In Conclusion
-------------------
To end this story, I have gone from a small, scared cub not knowing what
lies ahead but having fun to a cub lost in his past and his downfalls to
growing up and facing my fears of coming back to the kingdom of my life
to taking back control over my Pride Lands. Now, it’s just a matter of
making the climb to success… to the top of Pride Rock. And when I get
there to my destiny three things will run through my mind:

I will reflect…
I will remember…
I will roar…

by: Simba Canuso


To: The Lion King and Disney Productions for creating the movie that
changed my life forever for the better.

Quotes from: "Pride Rock, a reflection"

-- Simba Canuso
ICQ  : 3546725
AIM  : Dragondomo
Email: dragondomo@fast.net
Site : www.purelionking.org (coming soon)

Quote: It's perfectly normal to be different.

# Extremely proud Official Nalaholic and soon-to-be staff member
# Founder of "The Lion King and Simba's Pride" web ring
------------


Here's another fanfact that I derived from my feelings after I wrote
"The Lion's King." It's much shorter but it has a lot of meaning in it.
Perhaps this could guide you on your ways.  :)

----------------------- The Story -------------------------
    Everyone at one point in life or another asks themselves who they
really are. They look in the mirror and wonder where they came from, why
they’re here, and what purpose they hold in the great cosmos. To them,
life is a torn fabric that they must mend constantly to make themselves
better people. They don’t see that the fabric is supposed to be torn and
that people will never be perfect and no one can really be the model of
a utopian world. These illusions will never become realities, but still
people dwell on trying to be perfect.

    The only way someone can survive these depressing thoughts of the
fall of self-perfection is to reach deep within and pull out the life
force that binds all of us together as one. This force is real and is
what has held all human kind together since the beginning of our time.
We all see life today as something that is plain and everywhere. But
when we take a good look at the creation that we are, we are not plain.
We are unique among the entire cosmos. We are unique between ourselves.
And most of all, we are unique in that we have survived for so long.

    Now is the time for hopes and dreams to become a reality. This is a
revolution in which everyone can be who we always wanted to be.
Perfection is not to look good or to be perceived as a powerful person.
It is the unique life force that we all carry with us like a mother
carries her baby. If you can find yourself at peace with yourself and
the extreme forces around you that penetrate through your soul everyday,
you are then perfect.

    Perfection is what everyone wants. But the perfection that I said
you can gain is not of neither flesh nor public figure, but of the kind
of person you are. At the pinnacle of perfection is a new beginning of
the reason for living. At this pinnacle, all people achieve what they
always wanted to do. They accomplish what no other like them could
accomplish. They transcended all the people where they left the road of
destiny. At this moment in time, a factor in which all things can not
escape, they achieve their hopes and dreams.

And then they are born.

-- Simba Canuso
ICQ  : 3546725
AIM  : Dragondomo
Email: dragondomo@fast.net
Site : www.purelionking.org (coming soon)

Quote: It's perfectly normal to be different.

# Extremely proud Official Nalaholic and soon-to-be staff member
# Founder of "The Lion King and Simba's Pride" web ring
------------

+Founder, and only member of L.O.S.T.-- C.A.U.S.E (League Of Simplistic 
	Technology--  Creating All Unforeseen Solutions Evident)
+FCOS Lost & Found Clerk 						ICQ # : 12915153
+Amateur Artist/Writer/Musician						AOL IM : Rindimo1
+Bachelor  ?  <=7	 		Webpage: 
http://www.lionking.org/~rindimo/index.shtml
+ Honorable Member of the Pride Keepers.
"One thing nothing can destroy, is our pride deep inside we are one!"

*********************************************************************
Well don't stop.  Whatever you do, don't stop.  Because as soon as you
			stop, you're forgotten.

			        - Mageuzi
*********************************************************************