Hello, it's me, the pinnacle of bad decisions!
If you wanna read about my adventure of getting these autographs, it's under the cut.
So, in 2022 Charlie was at a comic con in Germany and I got his autograph on my Daredevil art. Alas, anxiety struck me tongue-tied and I didn't get it personalized. I have been agonizing over this missed opportunity ever since, so I have been on the lookout for him to come to a con close to me again, so I could rectify my fuck-up.
Now, last weekend he was at For the Love of Fantasy in London and my wonderful friend @worm-on-a-swing enabled me to fly over for one fucking day, go to the con, and ask him to personalize his old autograph. Gosh, I'm too old to be doing this shit. I left work early on Friday, drove to Cologne, flew to London, got picked up by my friend and their husband, we went to the con on Saturday, and I got up at 3 A.M. on Sunday, so I could catch my flight back at 6.30 A.M., and then I drove back home. It was. Certainly a weekend. But totally worth it.
And Charlie was a fucking angel. Like. Seriously. It's not normal how nice this man is. And meeting him a second time I had my anxiety a bit better under control and even managed to talk to him a bit. But maybe that was because my friend and their husband were there as my emotional support humans, because I was a right mess, lol.
He greeted all of us with a fist bump, complimented my hair (he is just that nice, okay??), and asked how our day was. And then he realized that he had already signed the art I brought, so I had to explain what happened last time. He was very kind about personalizing it, asking me where and what to write (anxiety struck again and I just agreed to everything he suggested, 'cause brain bluescreened).
And then he asked if I paid for this. Uhm. Yeah, of course I did, otherwise I wouldn't even have been able to queue for an autograph/my missed opportunity to get it personalized. He was a bit shocked and immediately offered me to pick one of the promo pictures on his table to get signed as well. But! I was prepared for this opportunity (I had hopes, okay??) and brought my Gustave art. I said that I actually had something else to sign for him and asked if that was okay. He said yes and I gave him the Gustave art, and, guys. He was so surprised and happy to see it?? He asked me where I got it and I told him that I made it. Gosh, he complimented it so much, called it beautiful, it was so nice. My fragile confidence got quite a boost, but at the same time I wanted the ground to swallow me whole, 'cause I got compliments, lol.
When he was done signing and personalizing it, I asked him if he wanted my spare copy and he very enthusiastically said yes! Like. I don't care if it ends up in the trash or some box in a basement afterwards (I'm not delusional, he probably gets so many gifts from fans at cons that he can't and won't keep it all, I'm not holding it against him—or maybe he does keep it all, who knows?). I will just pretend that he really wanted it and wasn't just being nice.
I didn't get a picture or selfie with him, 'cause I chickened out—and I don't like looking at pictures of myself, so it would be wasted anyway. I still haven't looked again at the one I got in 2022. Alas, regrets are setting in and if I get an opportunity again, I might actually get a photo with him again. We'll see.
