It was the last day of MCM Comic Con 2018, the London Excel was full of around 150,000 nerds, and I was there with my groomsman, Brian, to see the cast of the Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) livestream Critical Role.
We'd tried to purchase autographs with the cast, but they sold out so quickly we didn't even have a chance! Thankfully, I had heard the night before from other nerds that you could pay at the table for additional autographs.
Me, being the chancer that I am, thought that I would be able to convince a kind nerd to buy an additional autograph for me if I gave them the money to do so.
As we walked into the Excel, Brian started having phone troubles and needed to make an important call, so I threw my phone at him and said "I have an idea. If you don't see me in 20 minutes, meet me at Noodles" and ran off.
I ran towards the autograph area hoping that I would bump into a kindhearted nerd. Instead, the staff spotted me snooping around and asked if I had an autograph ticket, before then telling me to leave.
I hid around the corner until I was lucky enough to see a lovely Scottish couple talking about getting an autograph with Matthew Mercer (the Dungeon Master of Critical Role).
Seizing the opportunity, I promptly accosted them, with the promise of money for their services. I explained my situation and asked them if they would be kind enough to add an autograph to their ticket.
Thankfully, they agreed and were talkative enough that I ended up walking with them into the autograph queue. It was there that the same staff member that had previously turned me away saw me and asked them if I was with them. For some reason, they said yes!
I paid money for the extra autograph and joined the queue with my newfound friends, who promptly turned around and completely ignored me once in the queue.
So there I was.... no ticket in sight, with a paper in hand that just read "Fiona".
As the queue moved forward, I noticed that they had put a cordon behind me, separating me from the next group of autographees.
When I was finally approaching the autograph table, I was kindly greeted by Matthew Mercer (more like starstruck!), who took my paper as I told him it was for my friend for their birthday.
After signing the autograph, we started talking about D&D and the game that I had run the night before for Fiona and Brian (remember that there was a gap behind me in the queue, so we chatted for a while!).
Just before the staff moved me on, Matt looked at me and said "are you not getting one for yourself?!" to which I shrugged and said "didn't pay for it..."
Matt then looked at his handler and scowled as he slowly reached for a second picture and began signing it with my name. If looks could kill.....
We finished our conversation (which is possibly one of the most surreal conversations of my life.... talking to the most famous Dungeon Master on the planet about a game that I ran, and he was genuinely excited to hear about it!), and I headed off.
Oh, and I did meet Brian at Noodles.... about an hour late! Totally worth it.
Skip forward to January 2019, when I gave Fiona her birthday present before I returned to uni. I regaled this story once she opened it and watched her lower lip wobble.
Fiona (practically in tears): "I don't want to say it just because you gave me something...."
Benji (with a shit-eating grin): "Don't worry, I love you too!"
