Dom & Karpbria present: The (Relatively) Short Notice London Meetup!

Originally Posted by Shikarpbria

Because you insisted. :<

Touché.

Eat breakfast. :3

I'll see what I can do, breakfast-wise. :>



So since it's only three more days until the big day, maybe we should all agree on some kind of meeting point where we'll gather and at what time we gather there. :>

So uh, yeah. How/where are we gonna gather exactly? I'd kinda like to know soon. Like, within the next 24 hours or so because after that I won't have access to the internet anymore. :<

Dom was saying to me earlier he was getting to the meet at 1pm, but that others would be there earlier.

I would also like to know:

What time the generic meet-time is,
Where exactly in London Excel we'll be meeting,
Should we be brining anything each like in 2007?

Originally Posted by Esh Dee

Dom was saying to me earlier he was getting to the meet at 1pm, but that others would be there earlier.

I'll be at Liverpool Street Station at 8:30 or so.

(Though I'd be more than happy to just roam around the city for a few hours before the meetup. :> )

Where exactly in London Excel we'll be meeting,

I'd like to know that as well. And soon, if at all possible. :<

Should we be brining anything each like in 2007?

I'll be bringing Dutch biscuits if I remember to. :>

So I'm leaving in an hour and I still don't know exactly when and where we're going to gather so somebody please quickly fill me in plz? :<

Well if I'd had access to a computer over the last couple of days I'd halp or something, but I've had to put my laptop in to have its HDD repaired because it was like "i feel like dying today" a bit ago.

If Geert is bringing Dutch biscuits, then I'm most certainly bringing my Australian ones.
(yes, they're just original Tim Tams, but still. :<)

Dom: would you be able to message me or something at some point (if I don't get my laptop back and get a hold of you sooner) about the current plans? o:
I could probably make my way to Charing Cross for any respective on-train meeting upnesses or something, if that's a good idea or so.

I'm bringing crisps, and lots of them...

This meet was fun and all things cool!

Was absolutely fantastic meeting you all! Sturge made his way the adventurous way as he always does! It really was appreciated that you made it Geert! And thank you for the stroopwafels and present for dodi! I'm sure he'll appreciate it =)

The meetup was a fantastic success! Dom made yet another ZU meetup banner which he proudly held as I took a photo of him standing next to Link! We also have footage of a poor woman being chased around the convention by a zombie and a scary guy teaching a group of no-hopers how to do some Japanese club dance! xD

all can be found here, CLICK ME

Aww, I wish I could've been there. >_< It looks like you all had a barrel of fun. Unfair!

oops.

I'll upload the couple of photos I took (and one by accident!) when my camera's charged o:

Copypasta from the Imperium:

MEET-UP WALL OF TEXT THINGY:

So last Friday I headed off for England. I immediately started it off on the right foot by not being able to find a spot for my bike at the station, eventually settling for placing it against a street light a block away (and hoping it would still be there once I'd get back), heading back to the station, and arriving on the platform just in time to see the train leave without me. I was not amused. Killed some time playing Pokémans while waiting for the next train. Not much else to report about the journey to the port aside from the fact that Rotterdam is not a very cheerful place and there was a guy sitting on the next bench that seriously looked like a corpse from a certain angle. Reached the port, got on the boat, found my hut, and killed some time out on the deck looking at all the lights of the docks, and at the ship's bar having a drink and some crisps.

Next morning, I woke up, ate breakfast, left the ship and bought a train ticket to London. Had to take a bus for half the journey which was remarkably uncomfortable. I was sandwiched between a remarkably ugly guy that was constantly making out with his girlfriend that, from behind, looked far younger than him, and an incredibly noise kid plus retinue. Also, leg-space was non-existent. The bus took me to Manningtree, which is the most innuendo-y place-name I've heard in a long time. From there I took the train to Liverpool Street St. in London.

Walked a small round around the station. Would've walked more were it not for the ♥♥♥♥ty weather and the fact that I was hauling around a ♥♥♥♥ing massive bag filled with crap. I returned to the station and made my way to Charing Cross using the Tube, because I vaguely recalled hearing something about Domdom meeting Shikambria there. At this point I had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to be doing so I made a phone call to Domdom who gave me Haret's phone number who I then called, who was at the Expo so I decided to just go there. One Tube ride to Tower Hill (I think) later I found myself trying to figure out where to go for the DLR only to see a group of people in outlandish clothing and bizarre hairstyles that could only be heading to the Expo, so I just followed them. Got onto the DLR, and suddenly found myself on a train where the people that knew what "anime" is outnumbered the people that didn't, which was an entirely new experience for me. I made my way to the Expo, where I looked around, saw some funky cosplaying (one of the first things I saw was a Wolf Link and a Midna), and headed to the place where I could buy tickets. So I just neatly made my way to the back of the tickets queue.

I spent the next four or so hours in there.

And when I say, in there, I do not mean in the expo. I mean I spent the next four hours IN A ♥♥♥♥ING QUEUE. GYAAARGH.

Yeah, the queue was ♥♥♥♥ing huge. Massive. Gargantuan. Ginormous. Like, there aren't actually any words in the English language to accurately describe just how ♥♥♥♥ing massive that queue was. And after the first queue there was a second queue. Really. The queue was so big it had to took up almost half as much room as the actual expo. The queue was one of the single most excruciating experiences of my life. I lost The Game more times than I can count, got Rickrolled, and nearly got hit by a paper shuriken made from a page from the Death Note. Also, I was still hauling my huge-arse bag around.

I reached the actual Expo, looked around for a bit until Haret noticed me and beckoned me to come over. Asia was busy being a better artist than you could ever hope to be so we didn't get to properly say hi until later. I got myself a copy of the booklet Asia was selling which was awesome, and other than that I just recovered from the ♥♥♥♥ING QUEUE. I think Domdom was the first to join us, followed by Esh Dee, and then Shikambria, though I'm not sure anymore. Anyway, it was really, really awesome seeing Esh Dee, Dom, Asia and Haret again (I could hardly recognize Esh Dee because he had completely different hair than he had when we met in '07), and it was also really, really awesome to finally get to see Shikambria.

Speaking of Shikambria: he's as adorable IRL as he is on the forums and if I were gay I'd totally have the hots for him. He's also remarkably camera-shy and would constantly try to avoid getting his picture taken, which made it all the more fun for me to try. He also claimed that he thought London was really warm even though he's from Aussie Land and he was totally freezing. Totally.

Esh Dee was an awesome hug-machine. He hugged a zombie and some of the zombie blood stuck to him so I think he's going to become a zombie now as well. :<
It was really great to see him again. He's an incredibly fun guy and I imagine that whenever he's present at a funeral everybody will be having the time of their lives. :>

Domdom is an awesome guy, who has invented the concept of the subsidized hug. I imagine that in a few years, they'll be as common as mobile phones. It was really great to see this coolness-radiating guy again. :>

Haret was the first ZU'er I saw at the meet, and it was awesome to see him again. He's an incredibly warm and friendly and generous guy, and he's just really awesome to be with. Pity he couldn't bring either his brother or his wife, though. :<

And finally, Asia, well, she's Asia. She's deserving of a Single Best Person In The World Award. Also, I got a signed copy of her booklet. I think that means that, technically, my life is now superior to yours in every single conceivable way. :3

After the Expo, we all left and got dinner (kebab, specifically) and then we took a group piccy. After that, Asia and Haret went to Brum Town again, and Esh Dee left as well. Me, Dom and Shikambria took the DLR, and we split up at Tower Hill station. I took the Tube back to Liverpool Street, and from there I took the train to Manningtree, where I was supposed to switch to the train to Harwich.

I say supposed because I actually ended up on a train to Ipswich. Oops.

This wasn't a major problem, really. I could just get out at the next station or something and get a taxi to Harwich, and I may well have been home a day earlier if it weren't for the fact that the train I was in was delayed by forty bloody minutes before reaching its next stop. And I was too indecisive to actually get out at that stop. So I got out at the stop after that, got a taxi to Harwich, and completely failed to reach the boat in time. I ended up spending the night in a ridiculously fancy hotel (by my standards, at least) and next day, I took a nice comfortable bath and made my way into the town.

The weather was positively great. Took a bunch of pics of the town and tried to get a few of myself as well though I'm not sure how well they worked out. Harwich is a nice little town and I really enjoyed my stroll. I ended up getting some way-overdue breakfast at a random restaurant aptly called "Jenny's Restaurant" on the main street, then made my way towards the port, while taking some more pics of the scenery along the way. At the port I got a reservation for a cabin on the boat that night, and I spent the time until then trying to get onto ZU using a compy at the terminal building (which failed. :< ), looking at the sunset, and after that, playing Pokémans while drinking cola and eating crisps. I got the Pokérus. Yay!

After that, I got on the boat, had dinner, played some more Pokémans, enjoyed the lights of the docks on the deck, met a guy who was travelling all the way from New goddamn York, and had a drink and some crisps.

Next day (that's today, for the record), I got off the boat only to be greeted by a dark grey sky. Took the train home and on the way there it started to rain. Blegh. Ah well, at least I had fun. ^-^

If I had a way of jumping over an ocean, I would have been there! I could have met all the cool guys. ;_; (and Asia of course!).

Next one, I'll be there. *shakesfist*

Curse you, fishstick! May all your pokemans evolve into magikarps! D: You're not allowed to have fun when I can't.

Sturgy, your write-up makes me feel like I was there :3

What Asia said was right - two years is far too long.
Next meet less than that much time apart I hope!

Originally Posted by Liolio

Curse you, fishstick! May all your pokemans evolve into magikarps! D: You're not allowed to have fun when I can't.

*points and laughs*

(but seriously I demand you attend the next meet-up)

Originally Posted by Domdom

Sturgy, your write-up makes me feel like I was there :3

That may well be because you were. :3

Originally Posted by Esh Dee

What Asia said was right - two years is far too long.
Next meet less than that much time apart I hope!

I demand another meet-up before Shikambria leaves for Aussie Land again. :3



Also, I have uploaded my pics.



See also: pics of my adventures post-meet-up. Including vanity.

Firstly, I'd like to apologise for not coming to this meet-up, my decision to come was quite late and after informing my sister, she said she had already booked a hotel room and entry badge things for the Expo, so I'm sorry for that ;-;

On another note, I'd like to thank SacredSturgeon for the R shaped chocolate, nearly injured my tooth biting this beast .. and also a big thank you to Shikaino for the timtams...which are hidden somewhere.

I hope we really do have a meet-up before Shikaino goes back to Aussie land, might be the only opportunity for me to see him.

A few days after Shik left, my mother was like "you know if you'd wanted to go too, we would have paid :O"

;_______;

EVERYONE COME TO AUSTRALIA.

From the looks of it, Dom and SD are not too much taller than me. This pleases me!