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2025: The Rocking Boat (Europa Park, Germany)
‘The Rocking Boat consists of an 8 passenger vehicle modeled after a small boat. When the vehicle enters the water where, appears to be untethered and freely floating, but it’s actually connected to a track. Power comes from a submerged drive motor that enables permanent control of the position and speed of the boat. The craft’s chassis has special machinery that provides rotational degrees of freedoms, enabling it to rotate suddenly without the risk of sinking or capsizing. This means that future water-based attractions at theme parks can have the boat rocking to a simulated wave, avoid hitting a sea monster, being pushed down a waterfall, and lots more.’
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Now: Fire in the Hole (Silver Dollar City, USA)
‘Silver Dollar City today announces the new groundbreaking $30 million FIRE IN THE HOLE indoor family roller coaster, the largest in the Midwest. Located in the newly incorporated Fire District, FIRE IN THE HOLE doubles the size of one of The City’s most popular areas, already home to Station No. 3 firehouse and a collection of family-friendly attractions. Just ten months ago, the 1880s theme park, Silver Dollar City revealed an additional $30 million investment in new guest experiences and improvements, hinting at further development in the next five years. Tripadvisor, the world’s largest travel guidance platform, recently announced Silver Dollar City, located in the picturesque Ozark Mountains, as the number one amusement park in the United States based on traveler reviews and ratings.’
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2025: Garage Pocatalitix (Parc Asterix, France)
‘This new roller coaster, most likely developed by the German manufacturer Gerstlauer, promises to offer a unique experience with its rotating cars, allowing riders to enjoy a different view each time they ride. The coaster is expected to feature both indoor and outdoor sections. The spinning coaster will replace the National 7 attraction, which was closed and dismantled in November 2023. The concept art for the spinning coaster reveals a vibrant design inspired by the iconic characters and themes of the Astérix comic series, particularly focusing on the character Pocatalitix, a cart merchant from “Astérix and the Chariot Race.”’
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2025: Ghostly Manor (Paultons Park, UK)
‘The ride is a collaboration between multiple companies; Mack Rides will provide the ride system. This system, named a “Gameplay Theater“, utilities a revolving theatre system with an interactive system manufactured by Lagotronics Projects. The ride will feature scenes on the in and outside of the ride systems, with seats being able to rotate between scenes. These scenes will utilise both physical sets and media based contant, with the theming designed by the Leisure Expert Group and build by Themics Philippines. Both the digital media and physical sets are also tracked in a live computer system along with the current location of every gun and thus every rider. This allows guests to shoot at and interact with the environment without the ride needing lots of screens and/of physical targets, improving the immersion and interactivity of the ride.’
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2025: Inka Park (Peru)
‘Along the coast of Peru the first world-class theme park destination of Latin America comes to life. Here you will be invited to a great adventure in an amazing world, rooted in Latin American culture and stories. The engine and catalyst of the total mixed-leisure development will be a theme park with over 50 themed immersive attractions, embedded in a natural setting. In this theme park you are welcomed to the world of the Inkas, filled with mysterious ruins, archeological adventures and lively Inka cities.’
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2025: Rapterra (Kings Dominion, USA)
‘Kings Dominion in central Virginia is to open Rapterra, the world’s tallest and longest launched wing coaster, in 2025 as part of its 50th anniversary season. The 145-foot-tall, 3,086-foot-long coaster is inspired by a fictional bird of prey called the Jungle Hawk. Manufactured by Bolliger and Mabillard (B&M), Rapterra’s design puts riders on either side of the track, offering an immersive experience that simulates flying. The journey begins with a powerful launch, accelerating riders to 65 miles per hour in four seconds. Guests will also enjoy a dive loop, a series of aerial manoeuvres, and three inversions.’
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2025: Aquila (Mandoria, Poland)
‘The Mandoria indoor theme park in Rzgów near Łódź, Poland, has announced a new roller coaster for 2025. The coaster, which will be called “Aquila”, is going to be a launched coaster from Vekoma with a 445-metre-long track embedded in an almost 25-metre-high tower. Shortly after leaving the station, the coaster train, which has space for up to 20 passengers, will accelerate to 70 km/h before going through rapid twists and surprising turns. Mandoria will look like a 16th-century trading town and, thanks to the construction of the massive tower, the rollercoaster will travel its entire route indoors.’
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2025?: Hossoland (Poland)
‘Poland’s coastal region is set to welcome a major new attraction in 2025: Hossoland, a sprawling 40-hectare theme park featuring an array of high-quality attractions, imaginative themed zones, and family-friendly entertainment. Dutch design firm Jora Vision has taken the lead in crafting the park’s four unique themed zones, including a Viking area and a seaside fishing village. Jora Vision is renowned for its ability to merge storytelling with immersive environments, and the creative team is drawing on Poland’s rich culture and history for inspiration. To bring these themes to life, Hossoland has partnered with two respected ride manufacturers: Mack Rides and Vekoma. Mack Rides, a German company known for innovative coaster technology, is supplying some of the park’s major attractions. Meanwhile, Vekoma, a Dutch manufacturer recognized for reliable and thrilling roller coasters, is contributing several signature rides.’
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2026: Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift (Universal Studios Hollywood, USA)
‘Universal Studios Hollywood announces its first-ever, high-speed outdoor roller coaster, “Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift,” will join the theme park family in 2026. The dynamic new thrill ride, themed to Universal Pictures’ blockbuster film saga, Fast & Furious, will elevate the guest experience with innovative and technological achievements never previously employed in a roller coaster. The state-of-the-art ride system is being uniquely designed to immerse guests within the high-speed Fast & Furious universe. Highlights will include groundbreaking 360-degree rotation of the individual ride vehicles as they rocket along an elaborate track meticulously constructed with sound reduction technology for a breathtaking, superior experience. These attributions will create a seamless sensation of drifting cars as guests spin in motion at furiously fast speeds.’
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Now: Danse Macabre (Efteling, Netherlands)
‘Efteling attraction Danse Macabre allows visitors to dance to the piece of music of the same name. On a large, 18-metre-diameter turntable with six smaller turntables on top, there will be six choir stalls in which a total of 108 visitors can be seated. The large turntable will rise, tilt and fall, spinning like a coin before falling flat. Danse Macabre’s ride system is unique and has never been built anywhere in the world. This spectacular type of attraction is a combination of a so-called thrill ride and immersive show technology. In close cooperation with Efteling, supplier Intamin developed the attraction.’
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2025: The Wizard of Oz Precinct (Movie World, Australia)
‘Warner Bros. Movie World in Queensland, Australia has revealed more about its upcoming Wizard of Oz-themed land, billed as the world’s first. Due to open next year, the new land will contain two rides – a suspended coaster and a boomerang racer. The suspended coaster is called ‘Flight of the Wicked Witch’ and offers a top speed of 67 km/h, a top height of 19 metres, and a 454-metre-long track. The boomerang racer is called ‘Kansas Twister’. This features two racing tracks of 225 and 220 metres long, a top speed of 58 km/h, and a top height of 22 metres.’
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2025: The Flash: Vertical Velocity (Six Flags Great Adventure, USA)
‘Six Flags Great Adventure will be opening North America’s first Vekoma Super Boomerang, The Flash: Vertical Velocity. This coaster is the first-of-its-kind in North America and only the second in the world, making it as unique as the iconic speedster who inspired it. Strap in and speed off aboard an intricately designed train inspired by THE FLASH’s suit in a race like no other. Experience micro gravity as you run upside down, almost 100 feet off the ground. Zoom through a 180-degree twisted drop followed by a Zero-G roll back to the vertical tower, reaching speeds of up to 59 miles per hour. The train pauses, and then, just like THE FLASH, you change directions on a dime and rush backwards along the track.’
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2026-2027: Real World of Minecraft (US, UK)
‘Merlin Entertainments will invest $110 million in its first two “Minecraft”-themed attractions, which are expected to open between 2026 and 2027 in the U.S. and the U.K. In these “Minecraft” spaces, visitors will find first-of-its-kind concepts for guest accommodations, food & beverage, and retail, as well as “Minecraft” rides, as announced Nov. 19, 2024. Merlin has not yet revealed specific locations for these attractions. ’Minecraft’ is the best-selling video game of all time, and this world-first will see fans experience its thrill and creativity in real life, in ways they’ve never imagined, at theme parks in leading tourist destinations.’
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2026: Super Flume (Carowinds, USA)
‘Coming to Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2026 is the Super Flume, a massively large water ride – manufactured by WhiteWater West! It will have two turnables, a double down drop, near 90-degree mega drop, and, for the love of God, a huge final drop!’
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2026: VidantaWorld’s BON Luxury Theme Park (Mexico)
‘Mexico’s Grupo Vidanta this week revealed details about its new theme park in Nuevo Vallarta. A reported US$1.3 billion project, VidantaWorld’s BON Luxury Theme Park will offer five new Vekoma attractions, as well as rides from Intamin and Mack Rides, and the park is schedule to open in 2026. The park will be located on more than 150 acres at the VidantaWorld resort in Nuevo Vallarta, which includes the recently opened VidantaWorld’s BON Park Hotel.
‘VidantaWorld’s BON Luxury Theme Park is a monumental leap forward in the world of entertainment, redefining what a theme park can be as the world’s first all-generations luxury destination. With its seamless blend of cutting-edge innovation, abundant natural beauty, and unparalleled luxury, VidantaWorld’s BON sets a new global standard for experiential entertainment. Our collaboration with the industry’s leading visionaries ensures VidantaWorld’s BON will not only captivate guests of all ages but also establish itself as one of the most iconic and transformative destinations in the world.’
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2025: AlpenFury (Wonderland, Canada)
‘There is a mountain that inspires legends. A village that reveres the elements. And a force that refuses to be contained. This is AlpenFury, Canada’s longest, tallest and fastest launch coaster sporting nine inversions along 3,280 feet of track that weaves through and around the park’s signature Wonder Mountain. With a height of 164 feet and a top speed of 71 miles per hour!’
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2025: Universal Horror Unleashed (USA)
‘Universal Horror Unleashed is an upcoming 110,000-square-foot (2.5-acre) Halloween-themed attraction under construction at Area15, an entertainment complex located in Las Vegas, Nevada, and in development at Universal Studios United Kingdom. Announced in January 2023, it is the second Halloween-themed experience from Universal Destinations & Experiences, after Halloween Horror Nights. The attraction is set to open in 2025.
‘Unlike Universal’s seasonal Halloween Horror Nights events, it will be a permanent and year-round fixture, occupying a 110,000-square-foot (2.5-acre) space. On March 8, 2023, NBCUniversal’s theme park division Universal Parks & Resorts changed their name to Universal Destinations & Experiences. Construction began in October 2023, with the walls erected by December 18, 2023. The attraction will open in 2025 and consist of four haunted houses, based on The Exorcist: Believer, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, “Universal Monsters”, and “Scarecrow: The Reaping”.’
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2025: The Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf’s Revenge! (Busch Gardens Williamsburg, USA)
‘Decades ago, a terrifying wolf swept through a Bavarian village, turning townsfolk into werewolves and leaving the town in ruins. Now, 40 years later, the annual Festival of the Silent Bells seeks to honor that haunting past. As the festival begins, the village is eerily quiet, but soon, unsettling sounds emerge—footsteps, low growls, and the glint of bright red eyes. The wolf has returned. An exhilarating adventure through the German countryside awaits guests in 2025 when riders become the beast on Busch Gardens’ all-new inverted roller coaster. As the sound of screams and the echo of a howling wolf creates chaos in the familiar town, riders will experience over 2,500 feet of track traveling up to 40 miles per hour while bolting through the streets of an abandoned Bavarian village.’
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2025: Mission Bermuda (Futuroscope, France)
‘Mission Bermuda consists of a mix of scenic boat trips and the aquatic variation of a roller coaster. Installed on an area of 1.38 hectares, it will include a large exterior part and an interior. The course will notably be punctuated by two falls, one of 15 meters and the second behind, a rapids zone and an elevator. The Rocking Boat transport system is developed by the famous German company Mack Rides. This mixed system allows movements at height with high speeds and strong sensations. Movements in pools or canals without the water current being the vector of movements, which can appear unexpected, mysterious, integrating perfectly into the scenography of the course. Mission Bermuda will be the first of its kind in operation in the world.’
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2028: Rocky Range Adventure Park (Alberta, Canada)
‘Described as “celebrating the heart of the old west,” Rocky Range Adventure Park in Alberta will be a $2 billion, outdoor amusement center with 300 acres of rip-roaring rides and bronco-busting attractions located outside Mountain View in Cardston County. “Our goal is to provide guests with an immersive and unforgettable experience that captures the excitement and adventure of the Wild West. We want to create a destination that celebrates the rich history and culture of the prairies. From the rustic architecture, immersive entertainment and the riveting rides, every detail has been carefully designed to transport guests back in time.”’
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2026: World of Frozen (Disneyland Paris)
‘Disneyland Paris has shared first-look images of the World of Frozen construction site, unveiling the new land’s rising buildings aptly covered in snow. The French theme park wrote on Instagram alongside the images: “First snow of the season️ means the first snow at the construction site of World of Frozen, opening in 2026 at Disneyland Paris. Unveiled in the new pictures are the snow-capped castle in Arendelle village, as well as the Clock Tower seen in the Frozen films, and more buildings covered in snow. World of Frozen is part of a €2 billion expansion plan for Walt Disney Studios Park, which will become Disney Adventure World when the Frozen-themed land opens.’
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2027: New Space Mountain (Tokyo Disneyland, Japan)
‘This all-new Space Mountain will entail a reimagined plaza that will create a reimagined area of Tomorrowland. It is expected to open in 2027 and cost approximately 56 billion yen–that’s nearly $500 million. The new Space Mountain that will maintain its original concept as an indoor roller coaster, but will have enhanced performance and immersive special effects that will give guests even more thrills on this exciting rocket ride. The new Space Mountain is expected to be of a similar nature as Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT, albeit with a different ride system and no Marvel connection. Meaning it’ll be a ‘story coaster’ with a large gravity building–very different from the legacy Space Mountain rides.’
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2026: Enchanted Greenhouse (Six Flags Qiddiya City, Saudi Arabia)
‘The Enchanted Greenhouse invites guests into a mesmerizing greenhouse where nature and magic come together. We’ve developed a system that’s intuitive yet deeply engaging. Guests will use specially designed magical dew sprayers to reveal hidden creatures, transform plants, and unlock surprising effects throughout their journey. This offers a unique “hide-and-seek” style of interactivity that encourages exploration and collaboration. The nature of the interactivity promotes a sense of wonder and discovery, perfectly aligned with the ride’s themes of enchantment and transformation.’
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2027: Bison World, A Legendary Experience (USA)
‘For over a year, Jamestown, South Dakota business leaders have been smitten with the idea of building an amusement park along Interstate 94 to accompany the existing National Buffalo Museum and attract tourists to a region without many major draws. Now Bison World is a finally a 60 million dollar reality. Scheduled to open in 2027, the park will feature bison-themed rides, attractions and entertainment venues.’
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p.s. Hey. ** Dominik, Hi!!! Re: the film thing, it will ideally be a done deal in the next several days. Holding my breath. Love thinking that that podcast was rather reductive, G. ** hsnkktobg, Hi! I will, I will. I have some cued up. That piece you’re writing sounds really interesting. I have read a bunch of Coover, yes, and I too was saddened that he passed. I did a blog post about him last year if it would be useful at all. It’s here. But I don’t think I know ‘Open House’. I’ll get on that. Oh, if you think a copy of ‘Flunker’ could arrive to you safely via the mail, I could send you one. If so, give me an address. You can email it to me ([email protected]) if you prefer. Thanks! I’m happy to get to talk with you. ** Misanthrope, Ah, but can you be absolutely sure that none of your boyfriends were escorts? Mmmm? I like social media to see what my distant friends are up to and to find out about new books and movies and stuff, but other than alerting people to a new blog post or liking some things, I try to stay invisible-ish there. And I use the ‘unfollow’ option with some frequency. Jinxing: you can’t be too careful is my motto. ** jay, Hey. Happy you liked them too. Right, yesterday when I was searching for escorts for the next post, there were three escorts who … let’s just say looking a little too exactly like Timothee Chalamet, and one of them even had a bunch of fake rave reviews. That game of your recommendation is now my next game as soon as I either finish or get too stuck in ‘Paper Mario’. Emo, awesome. I miss Emo. I used to live right above this shop, April 77, that was where all the French Emos bought their gear and/or hung out mopily, and it was a golden time. May your Emo walkabouts go viral. Everyone, Here’s a Cloudflare avoiding trick from jay: ‘I fully close down my browser, go into Incognito mode, and then it allows me to comment after Cloudflare verification.’ Try that? Thanks, pal. ** James, Hi. Most of the artists who make things like the little house artist does end up stuck on Etsy selling their things to grandmas. Dennis is a boring name. The only good thing about it is that it’s sinned spelled backwards, and that’s not even that cool. Yes, thank Whoever for the internet in that regard. I mean, the blog, I mean, where would I be without it. ‘It feels like if I pull at the edge of it until the whole thing is in the light of day it’ll turn out to be a poem’: That was almost a poem in and of itself. If I can’t manage to hit something today, I’ll at least hit something up. ** Poecilia, Hi, Poecilia! I hope you don’t me barging in on your comment to James, but I wanted to say hi. ** Steeqhen, Hi, Steeqhen. Ah, I see, yes, about winter’s effect. I think winter has the opposite effect on me, I don’t know why. Maybe because I grew up in the land of non-stop warm-to-hot weather, so it has that nice effect of, say, when you’re hungry and open a refrigerator door. At this point, about 95% of the music I listen to is electronic, which is odd from a former lo-fi indie rock dude. I’ve heard of the Nealon novel — it seems kind of viral — and I’ve read Edna O’Brien, but not a lot. Cool on your booked trip. Yeah, I’m here and will be happy to meet you. Maybe you can be carrying one of those signs like people in the airport that says ‘Dennis’. Or maybe not. ** Joseph, Hey! You managed to sneak back in! Awesome to see you! I’ve been wondering what you were doing way out there. Your book is out! Amazing! And I can have it with a mere click. I’m so excited. Everyone, The fine, fine, and double fine writer Joseph Goosey has a new and wonderfully titled book out called CASEY ANTHONY, RENOWNED TRAPEZE ARTIST, and for sure it’s great, and you can either order the paperback or download the eBook for free by clicking this link and then clicking on the appointed spot once you land. Awesome! And majorly awesome to see you. ** HaRpEr, I hope your presentation today makes your previous one seem like chicken feed. That sounds tough, I mean characterising your work. I absolutely 100% prefer to talk about my process rather than what it means, and not just because I don’t know what it means and feel like it would be presumptuous to think I know what it means. So, yes! Literary trek like … what? Bookstores? Sites of historic literary activity of note? Nice you read ‘Horse Crazy’. Gary and I did a book tour together because ‘HC’ and ‘Frisk’ came out at the same time from the same publisher. It was unsurprisingly a strange trip. For sure, I had to publish three novels before I stopped being referred to as ‘the new Burroughs’ or ‘the son of Burroughs’, etc. That was so annoying. ** Justin D, Thanks! Fingers are crossed and hopefully magically so. Happy you were charmed by her work. My yesterday? A bunch of negotiating and arguing related to the possible film problem breakthrough. A spate of running around doing things in the Soho Studios section of ‘Paper Mario’. Sore-ish legs because the elevator in my building is broken again for the billionth time. Stuff like that. Anything shiny or even matte happen to you today? ** Darbz.⛄️, Hi! This LA amusement park, Knotts Berry Farm, used to have one of those ‘mystery hill’ attractions, except it was called ‘Mystery Shack’. Same deal with the mysterious gravity-altering forces except, in this case, it was just that they designed it so you got all disoriented and thought — or rather were supposed to think — that the tilted floors that made you unsteady on your feet or fall were actually flat. It didn’t work, but it was fun. RIP Mystery Shack. You did tell me about that carnie. That stuck in my memory, of course. Same thing when we were shooting our film: There was me and a few other vegans, and the cook on set was a total dolt with no ambition, and so we vegans had to eat nothing but fucking jack fruit and Ritz Crackers for a month, morning, noon, and night. I’m speaking with my stoner LA roommate tonight, and I’ll pump him. Hi to Frankie! The pigeons don’t seem to like the area around my windows anymore. I haven’t seen them in ages. They found some cooler neighborhood. Digging your art and art concepts. Total encouragement. ** Thomas Moronic, Hi, Thomas! Chuffed that you like her houses. Paris is missing you, or at least its least fluent denizen. How’s everything? New novel in the can yet? ** nat, Hey. Thank you, and thank you again. Yeah, the Masters are pretty boring. I’m never tempted to do a Masters post, that’s for sure. You can fix the grammar once your stomach’s your slave again. The joys of editing. That’s a bubble butt, right? I’m never completely sure what guys mean when they say they have bubble butts. I always think they must look like they’re about to pop. ** Right. Today I am indulging my amusement park obsessed side by clueing you all in to what the world of amusements parks has in store for you in the near future. See you tomorrow.
Now available in North America 
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These are wonderful, thank you for sharing. I think the UK has this sort of mental block on rollercoasters, given that really horrific accident on the “Smiler” ride that happened a few years ago. At least, I remember that accident, because one of my close friends was in it at the time (but mostly unharmed), it’s possible that it’s largely forgotten by everyone else.
I do just wonder about the people who catfish as someone like Timothee Chalamet, and why they’d pick potentially the most famous man on the planet. Like, surely if you’re trying to trick people, you’d want to use some obscure celebrity actor who nobody is going to recognise? Maybe I’m missing the point somewhat, I’m sure there’s a reason they do what they do.
Yeah, Emo is a great aesthetic, it’s very fun. I know the drummer from the main emo band died recently, so I think it’s had a minor resurgance. My local gay bar is doing an emo night tonight (for unrelated reasons to the death of the MCR drummer, I imagine), which I’m going to attend anthropologically. I’m probably just going to borrow my full-time emo friend’s clothes, given that skinny jeans / combat boots / a half-ironic emo shirt isn’t going to cut it for an emo-specific night.
Hmm, other than that, I’m going to try and find a copy of this film called “Love is the Devil” about Francis Bacon that someone I follow online with an excellent tastemaking blog has been posting about recently. Anyway, have a great day, see you!
Hi!!
Some of these amusement parks look quite ambitious! I’d absolutely visit Ghostly Manor, Danse Macabre, and Universal Horror Unleashed. Maybe the Minecraft one too. Which ones are your top picks?
Please let us know about any film news! I’m keeping my fingers tightly crossed just in case!
Uhm, the podcast made me so mad, haha. I hate it when an interviewer is unprepared or ignorant when it comes to the very subject of their interview. It’s disrespectful and makes it very difficult to take the project seriously. I don’t care about differences of opinion; if anything, those can make a conversation more exciting – but only if all parties know what they’re talking about. This entire episode felt like a few guys “shooting the shit” about something (and someone) they knew next to nothing about.
Love leading me to a store where I can buy the exact journals I dreamt up for myself for 2025, Od.
World of Frozen at Disneyland Paris does look pretty cool I must say, despite my never having seen any of the Frozen films irl. The €2 billion revamp seems exciting in itself.
There’s a new project in the works called Dundee Radio Club and they are putting on a “listening festival” in the New Year. Have sent them the new episode of Play Therapy v2.0 in case it may be of interest.
Oh yes, it’s typing probably an indulgently long comment o’clock. Everyone’s favourite time of day B]
Theme parks have never been my thang. I’ve always been bad with loud places with a lot of people. And rollercoasters are one of those ‘just, why?’ things for me. My friends from secondary (and back in primary, for that matter) were all way more into theme parks than me, and I just didn’t/don’t get the appeal. I’ve this deathly fear of whatever ride always having a mechanical fuck up and leaving me disabled or dead. When I was a littlun in primary we’d go to the same park at the end of every year, but I do have fond memories of that. I only ever went on the teacups, a tiny ladybug ride for kids way younger than me, and my favourite ride of all – the bench. Maybe it’s the Puritan in me but I can’t help but think all this money could be being put towards something better.
But, Dennis, in the immortal words of erudite urban poet PGF Nuk : ‘Waddup?’
Selling cool cutesy craft things to grandmas certainly isn’t the worst way to make a living. And if a grandma has tastes that coincides with yours, that’s one cool grandma.
Fret not, there are other cool Dennises – Dennis the Menace is a true model of British boyhood. Apart from that, I actually am struggling to name any other Dennises. Sinned is cooler than semaJ, surely.
Absolutely, God bless the internet. Fucked with it, fucked without it – it’s terrible and I love it. Lord knows I’d be far more plain and uninteresting without it. One shudders to think what a world without DC’s blog would be. You possibly might never have met all these really cool and nice commenters!
Woops, always embarrassing to say something that incidentally sounds like poetry. I had this image of a rabbit in a hat, you know, like a magician’s, but just with its ears poking out. You know, a hint of what something might be, but not the whole thing. I’ve a tendency to latch onto hyperspecific analogies and take them too far – most of the time, people don’t follow, but when whoever picks it up and follows my idea through, it’s wonderful.
Ooh, hitting something up sounds fun. And as long as you’re in this corporeal realm, there’s plenty to hit. I hit my hand on a cupboard shelf earlier today, for instance.
Wednesday afternoons usually presage a sinking in my mood which lasts until the end of Thursday and can sometimes sneak over into the weekend. Hope it doesn’t prove too terrible.
May France grace you with innumerable nice French things – are you likely to ever go to any other country in the future, for whatever reason?
Adios, until probably tomorrow evening!
P.S. jay, heyheyhey, and – even – hey. MAN I was so much happier at 12 than I am now, but also unaware of the many cool things I am now very into. I’ve played just the tiniest smidgeon of a Halo game – 3, I think? And Percy Jackson seriously has adolescents in its thrall. It’s still stupidly popular, and even my peers at college won’t shut up about it sometimes. I think I am a little bit snarky about ‘growing out of’ that stuff, I’m often jokingly deriding the guy I sit next to in English about his tastes. Is it *REALLY* so much to ask for another 17 year old who’s into erotically-charged, ethically dubious scifi and niche modern queer culture?! (Yes. Almost certainly, yes. Yes it is.)
I remember Spore. Never played it, amused by the many abominations people have made in it.
I can NOT draw (well), but most of the queer teens I bump into these days are artists. They’re almost always big into drawing, and those who write mostly produce fanfic (which I’ve engaged in with varying degrees of ironic distance, so I’m not judging). I know it’s a very teen thing to think but they all seem the same – quite homogenous – all like the same music, games, talk the same – it does a feel a bit hugbox-y, hivemind-y at times. Every time I see someone type ‘:3’ I am filled with *inordinate* rage.
People find the funkiest outlets for processing trauma. Something incongruous about a dude talking about war when there’s probably anime or Hank Hill or Shrek avatars running around in the background. (Attempted) Physical intimacy in VRChat is so sad, pathetic, and because of this, funny to me. Some people take it far too seriously, you wonder what life must do to a person to send them down the ‘I’m gonna pretend to have sex on VRChat’ lane. I get what you’re talking about with the friction of this – we’re meta dudes, we comprehend meta things like this. Meta Men UNITE
When I was younger some of SCP was too wordy for me, I didn’t quite get the whole point of bureaucracy’s bloated text. What helps make them more interesting isn’t just the articles, but the fact that there are stories/tales, groups, it’s its own whole universe – which I’m thinking about giving another go.
I made an account for the site – from what I remember, there’s this mini, like, interview, thing? Maybe not an interview, but I remember it being more serious than just email, username, password. Some sort of vetting, I remember thinking ‘this is pretty thorough for a website account’ – when I was younger, and for whatever reason lied about my gender. Don’t quite know what ~14yo James was trying to achieve with that one. Anyway –
Creepypastas – Slenderman has been the source of many amusing memes and inside jokes with my friends, and Ben Drowned just scared the shit out of me when I was a kid. Do you know Marble Hornets? An acquaintance recently(ish) told me to check it out.
I do have some other Ballard novels on my shelves I ought to get into (here comes the inevitable phrase) AT SOME POINT. Yet another cool James to add to my list of cool Jameses, of which there sure are many.
I guess I’m the opposite, I’m more into character, for which I probably have Shakespeare to blame, than society. One of the main reasons I read is because it lets me get to know people far more interesting and far more quickly than real people allow. I think I’ve had enough Burroughs for one boy, but I’m afraid I would have to call myself a fan of him. Even if he does go a bit overboard on that whole buggery, erotic asphyxiation, substance abuse thing.
Gosh I’m tired.
The pater’s not as literary as he used to be, poor chap, he’s all nonfiction/wargames these days, but he can still provide good conversation about most writers I’ll bring up, even if I have to (smugly) correct the occasional misquote from Shakespeare, or whatever. Many of my books used to be his, and the foundations/bulk of my literary taste has been inherited from him: Eliot, Pynchon, Burroughs, (New Wave) s.f, etc.. But sure, as The Youth are wont to being, I imagine my tastes are more out there than his. Certainly more internetty and gayer, not do him a discredit – Kramer, Sade, Acker, he could be edgy. Don’t think I’m quite at the point where I’m going to bring up my interests in ReadOnlyMind, teehee.
Malfi is still on my spec., but I do King Lear (which I love, though my fav Shakespeare is R/J or The Tempest or Richard II or oh God there are several).
Aw, hurts my heart to see my beloved Skyrim dissed ;(. Maybe it is boring, but Skyrim’s very calming to me. Many fond memories just walking around at night and looking at the sky and defying gravity with my horse. And if you want glitches, Skyrim is definitely the game to look to.
I’m at the current emotional stage where my thoughts when listening to HANL are ‘damn, cheer up dude.’
I think I’m conscious of sounding a bit effete, my giggles are guilty of being girlish and squealy. Most know I’m gay, or can work it out. It’s apparently obvious.
See you at the next oasis of internet queers o/
Yeah, I get what you mean about being happier at 12 – I don’t really know if emotions at that age are comparable to adult emotions, so I’m not sure I can really project my current emotions onto how I was at that age, but I get what you’re going for. Huh, it’s cool Percy Jackson is still popular, I guess. I think I live with two guys who religiously play Fortnite, and one guy who really likes very fan-servicey anime, so I get what you mean about not having people who share your taste. I guess I just try and stay open to cross-pollination via tastes, it’s led to us all collectively watching some fun TV as a group.
Haha, I know what you mean about homogeneity. I think I’ve just come to accept that all I’m going to see for a month is, for a current example, Mouthwashing, or something like that. I think a lot of people like the same things on a surface level in order to communicate with their peers, but all of the fanfiction/fanart people probably have unique tastes deep down. Yeah, I think it’s specifically the attempt at physical intimacy failing that I find fascinating.
Ben Drowned is weirdly scary, yeah. I think I just love the combination most creepypasta has in regards to subtle horror with really generic shocking horror, it really tickles my brain. Marble Hornets is something I know about, vaguely, from a distance. I always found the Slenderman stuff less interesting personally, I liked the self-contained stories much more. I really remember smile.dog getting in my head, the “jumpscare” at the end of it is something I remember really fondly.
Oh, your dad sounds awesome, haha. I get what you mean about “getting to know people” via fiction, all my favourite books are a little like that. I prefer there to be a bit of a boundary to understanding though – be that the story being related by someone who doesn’t quite understand the events (a la Bataille), or someone who actively lies (a la a certain blog-master). Oh, I should’ve clarified I meant Skyrim was boring in an interesting way – I think being bored by something can be an excellent experience. Anyway. Tomorrow!
Hell yes! A Netherlands IP address worked wonders (using a free VPN service and France is considered “premium”). The Cloudflare shit doesn’t come up at all with this, which I think is how the Paris one was described, so there’s another tip for anyone having trouble. Thanks to all the more technologically inclined folks who figured this out.
Even after I switch back, my news home page is in Dutch now though. And I think I’ll leave it like that. I might learn something.
Thanks a trillion for the shout out on Casey Anthony…! I very much hope you and anyone else here who bothers to glance at it get something out of it. I had a blast editing it and am super grateful to GJ Shipley for digging this thing up and tracking me down.
I don’t live too far from Carowinds and love a good flume ride, if I’m still around in 2026 I’ll be sure to pay it a visit. The mockups for Bison World make me smile.
One a recent post I was unable to comment on I saw you wanted to go to Cedar Point in Ohio. I went there as a kid many times living in Ohio and my kid-self highly recommends it.
Have a lovely Wednesday night!
Hey sorry for disappearing again for the better part of this week. My sleep schedule is wrecked so I’m exhausted all the time. Mostly spent my free reading ‘Murphy’ (which I’m loving, becoming a real Beckett-head) to procrastinate studying for an exam I have tomorrow. I’m considering making a substack to replace that blog I made ages ago w my zine on it since people seem to use that site more. Idk. I’m also missing Paris dreadfully but the news from France seem scary. Hope you’re okay. It’s all become such a shitshow everywhere in the world. Let’s hang in there, xo.
Will you travel to any of these attractions next year?
Glad to hear that the film is heading towards a more positive space.
Thanks for letting me know about the podcast. I knew it was in the works, but I haven’t had a chance to listen.
Here are two of my recent reviews, on Joshua Oppenheimer’s THE END (https://gaycitynews.com/the-end-film-review-singing-dancing-apocalypse/) and Luca Guadagnino’s QUEER (https://gaycitynews.com/queer-luca-guadagnino-classic-gay-novel/).