We Met Thanks To Loki

After a week and a half of hiatus, I’m back to tell you why. Veronika, a friend from Germany, and I finally met, and we did it thanks to Loki. I know that writing that we met thanks to Loki is a bold statement. But after four years of virtual friendship it happened: we met, we clicked, and we rocked London. But before I go into more details, just go back in time four years. At that time, I created a Loki fan page on Facebook for fun. However, it boomed quickly, and I needed help. I saw two beautiful girls that would be the perfect Admins, and I invited them. One of them was Veronika. She said yes, and four years later she jumped on a plane, and we met in Gatwick. Thank you, Loki!

This is madness, but the perfect kind of it. You can imagine how extremely nervous I was waiting for her at the airport. I was wearing a Slytherin tie and holding my wand in one hand. Prepared to play the Harry Potter soundtrack as soon as I spotted her, I couldn’t hold my breath. We were going to meet in a couple of minutes! It all seems surreal until you’re cosplaying in an airport trying to do magic for a friend you haven’t met in person.

Veronika had created a countdown online so we could start getting nervous together. You know, 30 days left until meeting up, then three, and finally one. It still doesn’t feel like it when you’re in the train bound to Gatwick. You start to panic when you have about some minutes left, and you can feel funky looks on your back. Yes, Slytherin all the way, and with a wand. And why? Because the next day we were going to the Wizarding Studios. (More on that in the next post.)

When we met, it was all sparkles and unicorns. I swear, it was terrific! The fear of silence vanished, and we started talking about all sorts of things. And we didn’t stop until she took her plane back to Germany. I know, it’s crazy, but it’s the right kind of crazy.

We were burdened by the glorious purpose of meeting someday, and when it happened, it was a blast. As soon as we got home and left her luggage there, we went for a walk around Brighton. The small walk turned out to be ten kilometers of giggles, laughter, and shopping. She also discovered how annoying the seagulls can be, and how unpredictable the UK weather can get. We ate a lot (tons and tons of good food), and we saw almost everything in town that our feet allowed us to explore. Exhausted we decided to give slumber a go, and prepare for the big day in London.

She brought me lovely presents: Mozart Kugels, Mozart Chocolate, a 2018 Summer Convention Limited Edition Nearly Headless Nick Funko Pop, and an Alice in Wonderland diamond poster that she made. Diamond stitching is sparkly and incredibly addictive. But it’s also time-consuming. The poster that she brought me is enormous, and I bet she’s been working on it for hours. Guess who is going to frame it and put it on a wall? (Also, the picture I took doesn’t make it justice).

Our mischievous plan was to walk (yup, again) around London until our sweet time for Wizarding World came. So, the morning would be for London and the afternoon for Harry Potter. Ah, what a magical day! So, we started at Picadilly. We would be walking around until arriving at Forbidden Planet to buy more geeky stuff. We saw geeky shops all the way, and we enjoyed some cool cupcakes after eating in a Pret a Manger.

We found weird chocolates, and the M&M shop just disappointed us deeply. You can see all the same merchandise repeated over and over. However, we found a very fancy tea shop that caught our eye.

If you’re into tea, maybe a £3,200 teapot will thrill you. TWG has the most amazing teas from all over the world. It’s super fancy, and it has the most fantastic tea sets. The Slytherin teapot was pricey and the cups too, but we also found an expensive tea that will make your head explode. In such a place you need to buy some tea so that you can take it in your fancy mugs at home. (Moomin mugs are beautiful mugs.)

We also had to take a quick look at Lego. The figures in the shop are incredible. Sherlock was there, and even the Big Ben. This shop gets super crowded during the weekends, and you have to queue to enter in it. So, if you’re a super fan of Lego, consider going during a weekday.

We also found Agatha Christie’s statue, and more interesting shops along the way, until we finally arrived at Forbidden Planet. We ignored all things Harry Potter, since we were going to the Wizarding World Studios in less than two hours, and saw all the other geekery. By the time we went out of Forbidden Planet our feet were smashed, but still had a long way to go!

As a good Slytherin, I was prepared with my tee and my wand. And we decided to go a little bit in advance to chill in the coffee shop before starting our adventure. Don’t worry, since I’ll explain all about it next time.

I started collecting Funko figurines thanks to Loki. He was my first figurine, and I couldn’t leave him alone, so I had to buy a second one. Loki hasn’t just started my Pop collection, he has also provided me with good friends. There’s always fear when you devirtualize someone. It gives you the chills since you have no idea if you’ll click or not. We clicked, we rocked, and we had a wonderful time together in Brighton and London. Veronika came for only some days, and I wished it had been more.

So you see, fandom is a good thing. It’s tricky since you can end up with more Pops than you can count. However, it can be a blessing since it can bring you joy and excellent friends in your home! [To be continued in the next post: Harry Potter Warner Bros Studio Tour, Wizarding World.]

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