Hey Poptropicans, this is a guest post by HPuterpop. Enjoy!
Hi Gs (guys, gals, and of course my lovely nonbinary folk),
It’s been a while! Longtime readers of the PHB may recognize me, but for those who don’t, I’m HPuterpop, a former PHB staff writer. Recently, I had the chance to meet up IRL with two dear friends from the Poptropica community, and wanted to share those special experiences with you all. Without further ado, let’s jump into the first of two parts!
I had known them by many names throughout our 10 years of friendship — Spencaey, Captain Spencer, Cobalt, Koi. While our friendship began in the Poptropica community (including blogging together on the PHB), behind our screennames, I had come to know them as simply Spencer, one of my best friends.
One Friday evening, on April 14, 2023, the stars finally aligned for us to meet. I was waiting in my car to pick them up at the Greenville-Spartanburg airport, and the minutes leading up to our meeting felt like hours. “Why does it always take so long to get off a flight?” I thought to myself. I watched the countless people pour out of the airport, scanning each individual in hopes of seeing my friend.
Finally, after what felt like forever, they appeared through the airport doors. I jumped out of my car and gave them the biggest hug. It was a hug 10 years overdue. The feeling was extraordinary: after being so used to seeing someone on a screen, once you see them in real life, your brain gets confused and there is an indescribable phenomenon of lucid dissociation (but not in a negative way).
This was the person who, for so many years, I wished had lived closer to me. My best friend, the one who knew me better than anyone else. I finally got to see how they were in person. How does Spencer act in public? How do they walk? How do they smell (not bad, FYI)?
After an excellent Mexican dinner, we ventured to where we would be staying. My friend had opened her beautiful and eclectic home for me to use for a photoshoot for my up-and-coming clothing brand, which I’d been working on for around four years.
The house was a treasure trove of sacred geometry, fantastical trinkets, and books about spirituality and existence. A former floral shop, her property had four separate buildings, multiple stories, nooks, and crannies, and two huge terrariums in the main foyer. Every single square inch of this mythical abode was utilized in the most awe-inspiring way. “This place is magical,” Spencer kept saying as we explored.
The next day was the photoshoot. I had friends far and wide coming together to participate, and it couldn’t have gone smoother than it did.
Afterwards, me and Spence were standing in front of a large mirror in the foyer, and I had a sudden epiphany. This fantastical place I had found myself in, surrounded by my closest friends from diverse backgrounds, was a mirror of my past life on the PHB and my desires as a kid. The floral shop felt like a location that you might have found in Poptropica.
I looked in the mirror, with my red beard and goofy smile, and all of a sudden recognized an echo of the past — I had unintentionally turned into my Poptropican, Meridian Sinker, as he was all those years ago. Spencer, similarly, had matured into his character, Cobalt.
We were still the same, only now in 4K resolution. It was a metaphysical, cosmic feeling.
Come back tomorrow for Part 2, where I’ll share about meeting another Poptropican friend, Pixel, and give an update on Poptropica: Legends!
Hope you enjoyed this guest post by HPuterpop. If you did, you might also enjoy reading his ‘My Place in Poptropica’ story — the first one ever!
The Poptropica Help Blog welcomes interesting Poptropica insights from anyone in the Poptropica community with thoughts to share. Interested in writing for the PHB? We’d love to hear from you!
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I cannot wait for when you meet Pixel; I can already feel the excitement rise in me :3.