Except Escape From Pompeii already took that theme.
Project 2022: Pantheon
- Thread starter Shane
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I'm sorry, but I think theming a second major ride to Vesuvius would just be incredibly lazy. Surely we can be more creative than that...
Festa Italia is supposedly an area celebrating the return of Marco Polo to Europe. This narrative creates ample opportunity for importing lore from cultures BGW could normally never integrate. Considering Festa Italia currently contains attractions themed to a Greek/Roman god, a fictional Italian daredevil, and Rome's totally famous rapids, I believe that this golden opportunity has, thus far, been completely squandered by the park.
So what does Marco Polo offer us? Potentially a lot. He recounted a lot of, well, total bullshit, from his travels. Some examples I found from a few minutes with Google...
Festa Italia is supposedly an area celebrating the return of Marco Polo to Europe. This narrative creates ample opportunity for importing lore from cultures BGW could normally never integrate. Considering Festa Italia currently contains attractions themed to a Greek/Roman god, a fictional Italian daredevil, and Rome's totally famous rapids, I believe that this golden opportunity has, thus far, been completely squandered by the park.
So what does Marco Polo offer us? Potentially a lot. He recounted a lot of, well, total bullshit, from his travels. Some examples I found from a few minutes with Google...
- Cynocephali
- A race of vicious, half-human, half-canine creatures
- Also written about by another Italian explorer, Giovanni da Pian del Carpine
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[They] have heads like dogs, and teeth and eyes likewise; in fact, in the face they are all just like big mastiff dogs! They have a quantity of spices; but they are a most cruel generation, and eat everybody that they can catch, if not of their own race.
- The Ruc
- A huge eagle that could carry an elephant in its talons
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The people of those isles call the bird Ruc, and it has no other name. So I wot not if this be the real gryphon, or if there be another manner of bird as great. But this I can tell you for certain, that they are not half lion and half bird as our stories do relate; but enormous as they be they are fashioned just like an eagle.
The Great Kaan sent to those parts to enquire about these curious matters, and the story was told by those who went thither. He also sent to procure the release of an envoy of his who had been despatched thither, and had been detained; so both those envoys had many wonderful things to tell the Great Kaan about those strange islands, and about the birds I have mentioned. [They brought (as I heard) to the Great Kaan a feather of the said Ruc, which was stated to measure 90 spans, whilst the quill part was two palms in circumference, a marvellous object!
- Unicorns
- These were almost certainly exaggerated rhinoceros sightings, but designing a creature after Marco Polo's description of them would be pretty horrifying.
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There are wild elephants in the country, and numerous unicorns, which are very nearly as big. They have hair like that of a buffalo, feet like those of an elephant, and a horn in the middle of the forehead, which is black and very thick. They do no mischief, however, with the horn, but with the tongue alone; for this is covered all over with long and strong prickles [and when savage with any one they crush him under their knees and then rasp him with their tongue]. The head resembles that of a wild boar, and they carry it ever bent towards the ground. They delight much to abide in mire and mud. 'Tis a passing ugly beast to look upon, and is not in the least like that which our stories tell of as being caught in the lap of a virgin; in fact, 'tis altogether different from what we fancied.
So, I've been thinking of ideas for the theme of this ride and I think my best one is the Harpy. It has great potential from the standpoint of a mascot, it's thematically appropriate as a flying mythical creature, and it is vaguely Italian.
Also, it's 2019 and the park needs a female mascot to be more inclusive.
Also, it's 2019 and the park needs a female mascot to be more inclusive.
Who's to say Addie will even still be around in 2020? ?
Anyway, I don't know if @Thomas found any specific stories that would be interesting to make a harpy work (and offer an interesting name?), but I'm pretty onboard with that idea regardless. It's a well-known mythical creature that hasn't seen much (any?) theme park adoption and it seems to fit with a very tall, very fast roller coaster too.
Anyway, I don't know if @Thomas found any specific stories that would be interesting to make a harpy work (and offer an interesting name?), but I'm pretty onboard with that idea regardless. It's a well-known mythical creature that hasn't seen much (any?) theme park adoption and it seems to fit with a very tall, very fast roller coaster too.
To be fair, the only distinct male character we have is Apollo. All the others we assume genders.
I’ve only seen it used at Terra Mítica in Benidorm, Spain on the Labryinth of the Minotaur dark ride.
That's exciting. We get to be grains of salt.
I mean it could be interesting to have different trains be different spices. Maybe.
How about “Inferno” inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy. It’s one of the most influential and significant Italian literature pieces and there would be tons of theming potential. It was also written around the same time of Marco Polo’s life if we want to tie it into that
It’s not a mythical beast exactly, but it is a mythical story/journey which I think fits into BGW.
And there’s currently no major coaster with that name. If only the track could be red or orange...
It’s not a mythical beast exactly, but it is a mythical story/journey which I think fits into BGW.
And there’s currently no major coaster with that name. If only the track could be red or orange...
They should theme it after Aradia, the goddess of witchcraft. It could have a very mystical aesthetic.
Uhhh Nemesis Inferno exists.
Yeahhhh but that’s NEMESIS Inferno. So it’s different ?
And that is themed around a tropical volcano. This would be a journey through hell. The back and forth section over the launch track could resemble a struggle to escape
Yeah I’m sure the Christian fundamentalists would be delighted to see that theme
If we stick with Marco Polo why not "Paiza" - the golden ticket Khan gave him to insure safe passage. Yes, that's actually a Chinese word, but it looks Italian. ? Metallic golden trains and you can buy a miniature version of the Paiza in the neighboring gift shop. (Merchandising! Merchandising!)
But, with Busch (seemingly) leaning toward invasions, duels, etc. then why not another da Vinci invention - "Balestra gigante" (we'll just say "Balestra") I can imagine the coaster as da Vinci's giant crossbow. You go up the top hat, then backwards pulling back the bow strings...then "fire!" ...you're a crossbow arrow flying thru the trees!
But, with Busch (seemingly) leaning toward invasions, duels, etc. then why not another da Vinci invention - "Balestra gigante" (we'll just say "Balestra") I can imagine the coaster as da Vinci's giant crossbow. You go up the top hat, then backwards pulling back the bow strings...then "fire!" ...you're a crossbow arrow flying thru the trees!
The "flew too close to the sun" story of Icarus seems way too close to the mythos of Phaethon–the theme of Apollo's Chariot.
View: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt3hzXUl35x/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=yppm3ocscqml
So Griffon and Alpengeist are now canonically male.
Uhhh yeah that’s been known for a while.
Verbolten and LNM are the only female coasters in the park.
Verbolten and LNM are the only female coasters in the park.
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