Swiftdrawer

I have had mixed feelings about fireworks over the last 8 years and have generally come to mainly dislike them for how loud they are, especially after some of the neighbors started spamming fireworks many nights in 2024 which continued last year as well. If they do cut the fireworks, that would be a shame but at the same time, the drone shows look really cool and there have been studies on the disruptions fireworks have on the likes of pets and wild animals such as the development of trauma.

Im amazed Invertigo survived the 2024/2025 off season to be honest. It has gotten so rough in the last few years that the last time I rode it, it was so bad I swore to never ride it again as much as Ive loved to ride it.

The Festhaus men’s restroom has been in desperate need of a refresh for several years now, The men’s near the junkyard coaster(the worst one in the entire park in my view) as well as the Soak City ones too. Its about time for an off year at this poiny.

Good. Thats a excellent reflection of the growing and rightful rejection of AI slop. And it will only keep going because the reasons why it all sucks are so vast that just about any person can resonate with at least one of them.

You are absolutely correct. No creative/the arts, no Kings Island. No Disney World. No Disneyland. No Pokemon. No Magic The Gathering. No Skyrim. No Minecraft. No nothing. I dont actually know lots about art history overall, its just that so many things I know have fit together like puzzle pieces especially now that Ive watched like 300 animated shows. Dang, itd be so cool to get a animated show about Kings Island.. A 4 parter special for Phantom Theater.. A debut episode about The Racer.. All that with a twist of all the rides and attractions basically coming to life so that there are sentient characters that represent them all. Could always go the Cars/Planes/Brave Little Toaster route for the likes of The Racer. Imagine how beautiful the animation would be when made with love by the efforts of animators, scriptwriters, voice actors, concept artists, and so on..

At first, I found the presence of soaps and the like pleasant as I saw that stuff at Sweet Spot but you have helped me realize the other side to it. Its clear between this and the AI slop shirts that are present that corporate doesnt care whether the products sold in stores look good and full of life. Corporate wants products that sell and thats it. Which means putting out things that are generic and/or AI slop generated instead of things that clearly had lots of effort put into them by graphic designers and the like. By working to cut costs so much, they have completely lost the points on why parks exist and why they continue to exist. If I had the power for just one day to have Cedar Flags do exactly what I want, I know precisely what kind of things I would make them make happen. Having it so they are creative people like illustrators and writers on the board of directors, for example. At least the quality of Sweet Spot treats remains excellent. It helps the kitchen and equipment for making the sweets is right there and if corporate tried to mess with what Sweet Spot has had going for so long, it would not end well. Fresh treats are important for a park to have, especially when so many mass produced treats have such a repetitive taste that is often really enjoyable at first until the satisfaction and joy diminishes as an example of the law of diminishing value. Corporatizing things only makes the world less full of life and diminishes the experiences that bring people to places like Kings Island. It is plastering a dull vibe and energy that is inconsistent with the life the arts and entertainment bring to society. And without the arts, the very meaning of what it means to be human could very well vanish. Art is ever present within Kings Island because posters, ride logos, fonts, treats, foods, drinks, inventions, rides, floral arrangements, and so on are all forms of artist expression when you get down to it. Creativity is why things like all the ride and coaster types in the world have ever been invented. Societies worldwide would not exist without creativity. And all of this is something corporate does not understand and does not want to understand.

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).