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Kerfuffle

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  1. Kerfuffle

    Taking a Break

    By Kerfuffle,

    Afternoon all.
     
    As most of you would know, I've been on this forum for a good 5 years, starting as a complete weirdo before blending in nicely as time went on. Some might say I've made a lot of contribution to many discussions and therefore have been a decent addition to the community. But most importantly I've met a lot of amazing people on here and therefore made a lot of new friends over the last few years.
     
    However, in explanation to my lack of activity on here recently, I can confirm to those who don't know that I've suffered from depression for the past year. It's caused a lot of problems with some friends, through falling out or just leaving them altogether, it's caused my usual happy mood to take a nosedive and it's also affected my motivation to do a lot of things...including contributing to this forum.
     
    ...and that's why with a heavy heart I need to log out and take a break. Maybe for a month, maybe a year...maybe forever.
     
    Not that anyone here has done anything wrong and I don't want to offend or upset anyone, but I feel like I've been on this site for so long that it's just started to get pretty dull for me, not just because my motivation's been in jeopardy but also over time I just think my interest for theme parks on the discussion side of things has faded and not a lot changes on here anyway. I'm also not saying I'm done with forum life because strangely enough I seem to be settling in well over on the Planet Coaster forums where, as players of the game would know, discussion is always on point over there with new content (ie. suggestions) flying in every day.
     
    Right now I just want everyone reading this to know that this was never how I wanted things to turn out. If I were to take one thing from my time on this site it would be very simply that the majority of people on here have been some of the most amazing people I've ever met and I'm more than grateful for you guys. But then there are one or two people I've also met on here who started out great and then turned out to be fuel to the fire that is my mental health, one of those people once turned out incredible to me...and then for the past year we've fallen out repeatedly and now it's getting to the point where it's actually mentally crippling me. And I need a break from here to let this all blow over.
     
    Hope everyone understands. It's been great being on here in the long run but I'll hopefully return when the maelstrom in my head clears.
     
    Kerfuffle
  2. Kerfuffle
    Fellow mortals. If you are reading this, it means I have literally just returned from a preposterous trek within the vicinity of the most dangerous place on Earth...Skull Island.
     
    ...but of course for the most technically-minded (and gullible) of readers, this is only my report from my recent trip to Orlando.

     
    No sooner than I arrived had I had an unexpected encounter with a mysterious creature. One of Skull Island's deadly inhabitants?

     
    Anyway, the call to adventure was nigh. But in order to get to Skull Island I had other adventures to attend to...

     
    ...such as requesting some backup at Skull Island from a childhood superhero (but in all seriousness, The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman is quite spectacular).

     
    ...until finally...I FOUND IT! I knew I had struck gold and now it BECKONED me!

     
    ...Kong himself in particular

     
    No other soul had DARED venture into this unforgiving realm...hence this very conveniently placed sign.

     
    In case you haven't already guessed, Skull Island is HUGE!

     
    Almost as huge as this rather innocent looking castle next door.

     
    I heard Kong can fight a pack of dinosaurs. Does this include dragons???

     
    Anyway, to cap this all off, here's my review on Skull Island: Reign of Kong

     
    ...This gets a 9/10 from me. Spectacular ride experience, incredible amounts of detail along with a pretty decent queueing experience. Definitely worth the queue time.
     
    But that's not all! I leave you with my total ride count.
     
    Islands of Adventure:
    The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman: x5 Dr Doom's Fear Fall: x2 Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls: x1 Jurassic Park River Adventure: x3 Forbidden Journey: x4 Flight of the Hippogriff: x1 Dragon Challenge: x2 (Chinese Fireball: x1, Hungarian Horntail: x1) Hogwarts Express: x1 Poseidon's Fury: x1 Skull Island: Reign of Kong: x2  
    Universal Studios:
    Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit: x2 Revenge of The Mummy: x2 Transformers: The Ride: x2 The Simpsons Ride: x2 Men in Black: Alien Attack: x1 Escape from Gringotts: x2
  3. Kerfuffle
    "Twas on a warm summer night in 2015...when the thunder of suitcase wheels signalled the return of the (not-so) wealthy CoasterDude back to his getaway - Alton Towers. As the journey neared its end, a mysterious force was suddenly present in the road. CoasterDude impatiently demanded at the heavens why his journey had been interrupted. With a menacing demeanor, a thought reminded CoasterDude of work and college. CoasterDude cruelly dismissed his troubles and instructed his family to head back to the Towers. Scorned, the force screamed a curse; "For every branch of the Old Oak Tree that fell, a random turn of events will occur...""
    Friday 3rd July was to be no normal trip to Alton Towers. Not for a day, but for a whole weekend! At around 2:10pm we set off and by 4:30pm we were outside Splash Landings...

    ...complete with its own mine shaft!!!

    After checking in we made a break for our rooms...but not before I was distracted by the sight of the hotel's main attraction - the waterpark (which I would later find out that it had far less than my expectations).

    "Later that very same night, a ferocious storm raged...and then one mighty bolt of lightning SEVERED a single branch from the Old Oak Tree..."
    "...and true to the mysterious thought's prophecy, a random turn of events will eventually occur..."
    Day 1:
    Following the first night (complete with a pretty impressive thunderstorm), a lift ride to the hotel lobby was made accompanied by the theme tune to none other than Captain Pugwash and we were to cover the few miles to arrive at The Towers...but not on foot. The solution? MONORAIL! *cue the famous song from The Simpsons*

    Upon entering the park, there was the beautiful sight before us. Over 150 miles had been covered to get here...and we had made it!

    With no reason to take the A route into X-Sector as usual, the B route through Mutiny Bay/Katanga Canyon/Gloomy Wood was taken with one destination in mind - the Forbidden Valley...and its main antagonist - Nemesis.


    After two decent runs on this beast (which now apparently permanently bleeds clear blood), I felt the urge to fly away...



    Suddenly an unknown force dragged me mid-flight to the north of the park and I plunged into the terror of the Dark Forest! Apparently a certain number has caused mysterious disturbances within an ancient crypt...


    I sensed there must be evil afoot. I unwittingly journeyed into The Towers to find out...

    ...but my findings only brought me to an unexpected occurrence! I found myself falling into the dark pits of Oblivion...



    I had to break myself free of this curse! And the only thing for it was to be shaken out of it...literally.


    "But the story didn't end there..."
    Day 2:
    "Legend has it that CoasterDude became so obsessed with the events of the previous day that he returned to the park the following morning..."
    ...and so I did!

    My first guess that the curse had been triggered by me missing out on a few rides...including the likes of...

    But then it dawned on me. I had to use the powers of the ride that perfectly demonstrates an intense experience. The ride that was actually heavily themed. The ride...that at 21 years old would always be the top attraction. That ride was...






    "Then, CoasterDude became locked into a furious battle...of Nemesis versus the supernatural. Conducting its awesome forces in a desperate attempt to finally banish the evil power of the curse...forever."


    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Report of Day 1:
    Nemesis: x2
    Air: x1
    Oblivion: x2 (walk-on both times )
    Hex: x1
    TH13TEEN: x4 (3x consecutive rides via single rider while waiting for family to get off Rita )
    Sonic Spinball: x1
    Skyride: x1
    Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: x1 (total waste of time)
    Pros:
    - Consecutive rides on TH13TEEN were nice. (The single rider queue was literally empty)
    - Hex's new effects were cool.
    - Starting the day on Nemesis was great.
    - Oblivion's queue was walk-on
    Cons:
    - Sub-Terra wasn't open this weekend.
    - The Smiler was a rather sorry sight...although it'll always look amazing as just a twisted torrent of track.
    - Air opened later than usual due to some apparent fallen trees in one of the ride areas.
    - CatCF's existence
    Report of Day 2:
    Nemesis: x4
    Air: x2
    Oblivion: x1
    Hex: x1
    TH13TEEN: x1
    Runaway Mine Train: x1
    Duel: x1
    Skyride: x2
    Pros:
    - Nemesis was as good as ever.
    - Queues were very short again (highest queue time being 20 minutes) .
    Cons:
    - Duel was far too dark in places.
    - Having to leave at the resort at the end of the day (all in all this weekend went far too quickly! ).
    Hotel Experience:
    - Rooms were in good condition (apart from the first one which my parents were in. They were moved to a different room due to the first one smelling of vomit).
    - Food was okay.
    - Waterpark was far more dull than I hoped.
    - Lifts weren't quite what the Alton Towers Hotel have ("Mysterious Lifts")...but the Splash Landings ones having the Captain Pugwash theme tune playing was very amusing.
    - General mood of the hotel was pleasant (especially out the front of the hotel), thanks to the heavy Caribbean theming.
    Merch Purchases:
    - Nemesis ORP
    - NEME21S shirt
    - Oblivion bag
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