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FlyingLion76

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Is Anyone Here?

1 min read

I haven't been on deviantart in a long time but... I feel like I can try and reach out. Is anyone listening? Anyone around? Old friends? Old acquaintances? This is Lion, the same old Lion going through... going through rough feelings. A lot of thoughts. Self doubt, self hate, mentally kicking myself for past things. Not being enough of a friend, not being good enough, not being... I don't know. Is it even worth reaching out if no one hears you?

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End of the Line

1 min read

I think this is the end of my time on deviantart. The format has changed a lot and I've already spent lots of time not on here and haven't updated long either. I won't delete the account, who knows if I'll come back and create more here. But the sites changed, I've gotten older, there's not much for me here.

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Has it really been ten years since I joined the platform? I shouldn't be suprised that an update was in order. But, if something wasn't broken or not bad, why change it? The new layouts, how you have to find things like your watch list, new works of art that you follow, is made much harder. It's like deviantart wanted to copy all the trending social media sites templates but give a big middle finger to its long time users. I guess now is the end.

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I beat and played Spiderman PS4 about a week prior to now. I kept it for longer than I initially rented it but it was well worth paying the extra money in order to complete the game's story. Man is this one of the best gaming experiences I've had... ever.

I was brought back to playing Spider-man: The Movie: The Game way back when I was younger. That game had an expanded story from the first Sam Raimi film and it introduced me to Spider-man's rogue's gallery but also featured a lot of exploration of New York. With PS4 it was the same feelings but bigger, better. New York in PS4 is huge, open world, ready to be explored and there is a lot to find and see such as secret items that expand on Peter Parker's past, criminals to fight, hideouts to take on, and other secret missions not connected to the main story. This game really made me feel like I was actually Spider-man on my missions but also in general fulfilling his role as guardian of New York City.

The story of the game feels distinct enough to warrant standing on its own continuity. Sure there are references to other Marvel characters but you don't feel the need to have read the comics. That said the game is aware of most people already knowing the story of Spider-man and so begins in the middle of his life rathr than retreading the origins. And in that it crafts its own unique take on Spider-man that isn't solely bound to exact continuity. MJ is now a reporter, Peter is a lab assistant, Miles Morales befriends Peter Parker, May is a volunteer at a homeless shelter, etc.

Mr. Negative as the main antagonist (for the most part) is really intriguing and utilized brilliantly as an enemy of Spiderman with the sadness of being a friend of Peter. But while he isn't the final boss this game really feels like it was his story. Mr. Negative while sharing the spotlight with the Sinister Six isn't outshined or an example of a wasted character. His arc along with other villains is balanced and you feel the true weight of his rage & inner conflict & the pain as Peter tries his damnest to save him. I kind of wish he could make an appearance in the movies now.

MJ and Miles Morales feel like important characters and not just sidekicks to Pete actually growing over the course of the game with him. MJ's relationship this time is also really sweet - they are amicable exes this time around yet you could swear they were still together. Laura Bailey does a great job in performance capture as MJ wanting to be her own individual who also makes change and accomplishment while Yuri Lowenthal might be the best Peter Parker. The actual rendered scenes of the two look so life like that I swore I was watching a live action movie. This might be one of my favorite portrayals of romance in any media.

The actual plot works great in service of gameplay - every fight, boss battle, and action set piece was enhanced by the tension, me liking & caring about these wonderfully brought to life characters, & the story. Not only that, similar to how Metal Gear Rising made you feel just like Raiden (an ultimate cyborg ninja) here Spider-Man PS4 makes you feel like Spider-man with his powers and all.

Overall: 10/10 game.

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M'Bari

5 min read
Earlier this year, the lion who called San Diego Zoo home for the past ten years, passed away. His name was M’Bari. He was brought over from South Africa and lived briefly in the San Diego Safari Park (or as I knew it growing up and around the time he was brought over, the Wild Animal Park) with his mate Etosha, before 2009. Etosha's brother Izu still lives in the Safari Park with a pride of his own while M'Bari and Etosha were destined for the Downtown Zoo.
 


From 09-2019 these two called Elephant Odyssey - a large area at the San Diego Zoo designed with species that were related to extinct animals that lived in ancient San Diego - home. I visited the zoo whenever I could and would go often when I was in Middle School and in High School. In fact it felt like I was there almost every week which baffled other students. But I love San Diego Zoo, the species there, its rich history. Where M'Bari and Etosha lived was at the far end of the zoo, so one could go through nearly all of it before reaching them. I always made it a point to visit these two because I liked them a lot. For a while, San Diego Zoo didn't have lions & the old enclosure was outdated. The new enclosure was very neat and in 2009 had a new King and Queen.

M’Bari was a goofy lion - he’d go up to the fence and spray pee on guests at the front or at the back when the tour bus would drive by. This is why to this day there is a "Spray Range: 7-10 Feet" warning sign at the exhibit. He loved food - meatballs and other meat snacks placed around his enclosure for enrichment. He had a great relationship with his keepers who changed over the years but whom he never forgot. His original keeper at the Safari Park actually had one day came to see him at the zoo. She was in her normal clothing and yet M'Bari recognized her immediately and was then bouncing around the exhibit trying to be with her and get her attention. Lions have good memory and love specific people even years after meeting them, those are bonds that are unbreakable.



He would follow keepers closely whenever they'd come to see him and he would always hope for treats. Usually these were given when they'd perform little tests or commands that he was trained to do so the keepers could make sure his health was okay. These included M'Bari following commands sort of like dogs and also standing up to the fence and leaning against it. Only then did guests realize that M'Bari was kind of large even for a lion. He wasn't slow minded exactly, but compared to Etosha who would solve enrichment puzzles, M'Bari took a bit longer or gave up. But M'Bari was still a good lion.

Even before actually reaching his enclosure, you could hear M'Bari's roar from very far away near other enclosures. He'd roar every day - mornings and afternoons. To let the zoo know - animals and humans alike - that this was his domain. Guests loved seeing him do this when he'd leap on large platforms or the large artificial rocks. Sometimes he would even walk to the very front of the fence where he'd be right in front of you (with proper safety barriers between you) and roar. Many times I almost had to stand back at feeling the full impact of his deep roar right at me. Movies don't really compare to how magnificent a lion's roar really is.


M'Bari was put down earlier this year sometime after it was learned that he had a massive tumor on his kidney. Keep in mind, lions - males - live to less than ten years in the wild due to a variety of factors. In captivity, reaching 20 years old isn't unheard of but even so getting near that is still old for a lion. M'Bari was 15 as is Etosha. It was decided that he would be given the best quality of life possible for the rest of his days rather than intervene due to the risks posed by trying to operate. Months ago, I did not know this as the zoo generally just announces an animal has been put down, leaving it at that.

But yesterday, I learned all this what would be behind the scenes information, from an episode of "The Zoo: San Diego". For the past several years Animal Planet went back to proper animal education roots with programs like The Zoo - which follows the ongoings at New York's Bronx zoo. The Zoo: San Diego has been airing for the past couple of weeks and has shown details and park's of my home town zoo and Safari Park that even San Diego natives like I wouldn't see. And... it was hard to watch, "A Lion's Tale" knowing that ultimately this episode likely would show M'Bari.

It's crazy that this lion I've known for ten years was on TV. I could still see him, and Etosha, and their enclosure on national television. It's heartbreaking to see what was going on with his health before he passed on. He was given as best possible a life up till his last day. New lions will come and go but M’Bari will always have a special place in my memory. M'bari will always be a good lion.


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