Swiftdrawer

Yesterday was kind of a dozzy. Zephyr was still disassembled. The geese have really made their presence known. Racer was doing low speed operations with only one train around 12. Invertigo, The Beast, Drop Tower, and Adventure Express all closed. Still had a good time there though, many of the lines were just repulsive looking so ended up doing things like Woodstock Whirlybirds.

Skyline was the same as ever but they gave my sibling so little cheese while on mine, I got a little extra. Instead of often giving guests 2 packs of crackers a whole bunch as they did last year, they only gave one. Thats not a big deal but worth mentioning. Other than that, O tried the neopolitan ice cream sandwich at Sweet Spot. They prepare it fresh for you, having the ice cream stored in their big walk in freezer and everything. It was really good, cookies were warm and everything. The staff at Sweet Spot were awesome and caring and attentive yesterday.

It sucks that it appears they used AI slop to generate recolored versions. (Its best to not say AI made this and that because AI slop doesnt make, making requires deliberate efforts by hands or keyboards/mouses. Something generate isnt made, its just generated. Its like how AI art doesnt exist. Something cannot be art if again, it wasnt made with any actual effort from a thinking mind put into it. They could have just hired someone to recolor it all for the merch. I went to a trade school for digital arts and became a digital arts whiz to an extent. Im sure I could have done it myself to be honest. I dabbled enough on like Adobe Illustrator over the years before graduating to know you can alter images and artworks in ways you can make them all black and white for example with just a few clicks of a mouse. But thats not all. Using the paint bucket tool would have also been a easy way to recolor. It wouldnt really take that long especially with the cartoon style of the promo art. Dang, KI/Six Flags management know nothing about digital art tools, do they? Thats actually a problem. Youd think they wouldnt need to know anything about them but if the last 4 years has proven anything, there is a societal lack of collective knowledge about art related processes. And that affects things in so many ways that I can only dream of fully understanding all of those things at the moment.

Not surprised it isnt as iconic. That said, iconic things dont become iconic overnight. It usually takes months or a handful of years for that to set in. Once its had time to really set in, we shall see. I will be sure to share my thoughts when I finally get to ride it myself. For now, I will remain patient.

Only did Diamondback and WindSeeker. Lines were pretty bad even with at least a quarter to a third of people there consistently being in line for Phantom Theater. I almost completely doubt anyone who came didnt come to at least try to ride it but I know better. Seeing a wide range of possibilities and all that. But yeah, it was still a good time overall. Line for Skyline moved fast despite only one register being open. Disappointed I didnt get to do PT last night but theres a reason my friends know me as being patient. I can wait. Ive been building my patience for well over half my life. Though I still dont like waiting 30 minutes or more for rides. Waiting on long lines when I was a teenager was not exactly enjoyable despite me being such a persistent thinker.

Fair enough. Im being a bit expansive, willing to consider all possibilities when it comes to my reaction to the ride. From what Ive pondered over the things that are my favorites of something, there are numerous variables that determine what one’s favorites are or arent. Ive had the same favorite pizzeria since I was little despite having some of the best deep dish pizza around which my favorite pizzeria does not offer, for example. I could go further. Miitopia, despite me since going on to play Baldurs Gate 3 and other amazing MMORPGs since I first played it in 2017 is still one of my favorite games. Associated sentiments and memories, enjoyment over a long period of time.. So many variables. Anyone liking Phantom Theater over Pirates isnt the most likely possibility but it still very much is a possibility. But in the end, it doesnt really matter that much. I dont really compare things I like that much anyway. I like what I like without thinking much on what I prefer. I have a hard time picking a top favorite in most categories so I just dont do that and choose to say my favorites. I’ll like Phantom Theater for what it is and compare it to Boo Blasters since it replaced it but other than that. Plenty of space for liking a large pallet of dark rides in my noggin. Plenty of space.

Is it just me or is the Adventure Port music bopping more than before? Not sure, didnt go to the main park that much last summer and only went 3 times between Haunt and Winterfest.

Glad I got to see it for myself today! Looks fantastic and they had people in all arms not long before closing!

Was able to come up today due to calling off work to attend a coworker’s funeral. My deceased coworker loved roller coasters, loved Kings Island so I get to go in his place whenever I go up now. Ive come to terms with his death, Im happy I got to know him and then learn a lot about him today. Unfortunately, I was unable to get on Phantom Theater but I saw the exterior at last and Im impressed. It looks awesome! The merch cart is pretty great. Im excited to be able to ride it eventually and when I do, judging from what Ive seen here, its likely to become my new favorite dark ride, maybe even beating out like The Haunted Mansion, Pirates Of The Carribean, and Great Movie Ride(RIP).

Just distract yourself with anything you can. Books, video games, you name it. Tbh, I turned off my watch history on YouTube after clearing it completely so the video suggestions I do get are not tailored, theyre based on what other people are watching besides whatever video youre watching. It is so tempting to go in and watch something like that but you gotta resist. Seeing it in person for the first time will be all the sweeter if you avoid most if not all spoilers which is why Im avoiding spoilers. My job has been giving me less weekend days off than usual since late January which means I have no idea when I’ll get the chance to see it for myself. Its almost like upper management are just messing with me out of sheer whim to make my job less appealing than it already is. Anyway, Im only going to look in this thread further while avoiding spoilers. Tag goodness this forum has a built in spoilers feature. It takes serious willpower to again, avoid spoilers but you can do it. You just gotta want to avoid it badly enough.

This is really creative. Popcorn is usually a treat that is its own thing in its own container. But they have done something here I never even imagined on my own or really seen before that much if at all: a sweet treat where popcorn is essentially the topping. It should be interesting in a tasty way.

Yes. I remember that very well. Shake Rattle & Roll was gone for the 2014 season and I cried because it was gone. To this day, Shake Rattle & Roll is one of my favorite flat rides. That year during Haunt, they put some construction themed haunt stuff at Shake Rattle & Roll’s footprint. That was also the first year I went to Haunt more than once and wasnt really scared. First time at Haunt for me was in 2012. Who knew it would only take 2 years for me to become brave enough to try it again. Monster was gone for a season either in 2015 or 2016. It was weird to have the Monster just gone like that.

I see

I see. I remember panting after reaching the breakrun multiple times on Firehawk. Yeah, I had no idea there was hard cushion there, in part because Im like Velma Dinkley, I “cant see without my glasses”. That phrase is a bit of an exaggeration but near sightedness is no joke even so. Waiting a couple minutes to return to the station as was normal was always alright for me. Kept my head exactly where it is for the most part and everything. I loved Firehawk, the only thing that really sucked in my opinion about it was definitely the sun in the eyes on sunny days going up the lift.

I know that you could, the fact that some of the targets and animatronics went dead threw me off lol. Even when the ride stopped for a bit, including that one time I only just recalled now where I was definiteky stopped longer than normal, I rarely ever got more than like 750 points on Boo Blasters xd. Ah, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, you got lucky where you got stuck on that!