Charlie Cox experience at Philly Fan Expo 2023
So LET”S TALK ABOUT ME MEETING CHARLIE. I’m actually going to make two posts - this one just about my experiences with Charlie, because they were incredibly meaningful and deserve their own post, and then another one about the rest of the con!
I’m going to talk about Charlie first, because of how amazing the experience was, one of the best I’ve had, especially at the autograph table. I’ve done photos, gotten autographs and such before from other celebs - from niche voice actors I loved to people like David Tennant - but this felt Really Really Big. Obviously, I was nervous as all hell because holy shit Charlie Cox, my favorite actor whose work altered the course of my life. I won’t lie - I’d been practicing what to say to him in case I freaked out, but I’m happy to say that everyone who reassured me it would go great, because he was so, so genuine and kind, were right.
The photo op happened first (and thank you to everyone on tumblr guiding me where to go, cause I was LOST about where that was happening), and that went fast. By that point in the con hall, I’d already ditched my Jessica Jones jacket and gloves cause holy shit it’s hot and I am a creature of snow and ice, and my hair was a mess, but honestly I didn’t care, cause there he is. You don’t get long, but he made the most of it and he was SO sweet. Ya’ll, he asked my name, said my name as he shook my hand, and called me ‘my dear’ in that beautiful voice.
I was literally on the moon, but it was time for the big question:
Will he hold the red thread from TRT?
So in a quiet, nervous, soft author voice, I asked, ‘would you be ok with holding this end of the thread?’
HE FUCKING DID.
HE HELD IT.
HE HELD. THE. RED. THREAD.
I’m fairly certain he doesn’t know about the fic at this point - he wasn’t sure where to hold it until I told him, but he loved that it lit up! AND THEN HE PUT HIS ARM AROUND ME AND I GOT TO PUT MY ARM AROUND HIM BACK.
I’m fairly certain I’m dead in the photo. My soul had left my body. I had ascended. I saw Jesus and he looked like Charlie. I had achieved fic author heights never imagined. My brain filled with enough serotonin and dopamine to sink a ship. I didn’t care that I was hot and sweaty or that my hair was messy or that my cosplay didn’t work out like I’d planned. I had been blessed.
also look at that forearm holy shit
I floated outta that gd room ya’ll. I’m pretty sure @wonderlandmind4 did the same. WE FROLICKED OUT OF THAT HALL LIKE
But things got even better at the autograph table, and I had one of the most touching experiences ever.
not me tearing up thinking about it.
That line was long, but I kept getting glimpses of him and I could already tell he was enjoying interacting with people, and he was making sure everyone got their bit of time with him instead of letting anyone rush people through. He was so happy looking, laughing and grinning, high fives and fist bumps for kids, chatting with fans. Which made me feel a little more confident.
I know some people wondered if I’d tell him about TRT, and I’d already decided I wasn’t going to. Instead, I really, really wanted just a second to tell him what his work as Daredevil had meant for me, as someone who became disabled around the same time Matt did as a kid, and who related to... a lot of what Matt went through in the show. I’d practiced it over and over again, and there was only a fifty percent chance I wouldn’t start crying while telling him, and I wasn’t even sure I’d have time to tell him depending on how much time we had.
He made time.
I got up to him with my art print holy shit he’s even more beautiful in person and his eyes are STUNNING. He said hi, and asked my name so he could personalize the autograph if I wanted (DUH, YES PLEASE), and he apologized about the line after we shook hands. I jokingly told him it was fine since I’d driven hours to get here. A little time in line wasn’t a bother. He even loved one of the buttons on my lanyard - the button of Matt wearing a heart crown specifically! And as he was writing, I knew this was my chance to tell him. He was still signing, so I just decided to go for it in case I ran out of time.
“I just wanted to tell you,” I said quietly, “as someone who became disabled as a kid around the same age as Matt did—”
And then he did something I didn’t expect, something I’d rarely seen anyone do, famous or not, and something I’d never had an actor or artist do for me.
He immediately set down the pen, leaned in close over the table, and made direct eye contact, while giving me the most genuine, gentle, encouraging smile I’d ever seen.
In that moment, I knew everything in him was listening, that he cared about what I was about to say and recognized that this was important to me, and that he’d closed the distance to make this conversation just... us. It felt personal in a way I’ve never experienced at a con or signing.
Just like that, I wasn’t afraid to tell him what I’d wanted to.
“And as someone who related to... a lot of what Matt went through, his struggles in the show, and especially the dark parts of season 3,” I said, more confidently now, “I wanted you to know that all the work you put in, the way you played it, the way you played Matt and treated it seriously, seeing that helped me process and heal from a lot of my own trauma and pain over what I’ve gone through with my illnesses. What you did was important and it really helped me. So I wanted you to know that, how much that meant to me, and to say thank you.”
The whole time I spoke to him, he kept direct eye contact, and didn’t look away once. He didn’t get antsy, or look like he wanted me to hurry up (which I’d have understood, cause damn, these are long days for him). He listened, fully engaged and leaning in, his eyes warm and soft and kind but incredibly serious. I’m not sure how often he’s been told something like this—a lot, I expect; his portrayal was just that good, and I know it was important to a lot of fans—but what I was trying to tell him clearly meant something to him. I felt heard, seen, and understood.
Charlie really does care about his fans. It isn’t an act. I’m sure of it now.
“Thank you, truly,” he said, just as quietly but with that honest smile, eye crinkles and all, and seeing it in person, that close up, I swear the room felt ten times brighter. “Thank you for coming to tell me that. It means a lot, the idea that something I did meant so much and that it could help you. I’m so grateful that you were able to come visit and tell me.”
We shook hands after that. He wished me a good day and I told him thank you again, and that was that. The interaction only lasted maybe a minute, but it meant the absolute world to me, as did what he’s done as Daredevil. And now he knows that.
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what would happen if you abandoned puppyboy! floyd? like just said “oh come follow me outside and stay here :D” and then dissapeared
Omg T^T poor puppyboy Floyd... he believes you as well because he knows you wouldn't do anything to hurt him, so he trusts you wholeheartedly when he gets into the car with you. Nothing feels amiss until the both of you reach a considerable distance from the house and you park the car in some empty street deep in the city. You walk a little ways further until you stop and tell Floyd to wait there. But Floyd tries to follow after you when you walk away and you turn around and tell him to wait; you say you'll be back soon, but for the first time Floyd hesitates in believing your words. He tries to follow you again and you snap at him to stay, so he listens, albeit while scuffing his shoe on the ground and pouting.
He waits until he can't wait anymore, until he's taking the way back to where he's certain the car is still parked. If this is because he ate your dessert, he said he'd make you a new one! If this is because he's been too clingy lately, he'll ease up. He'll do whatever you want; he loves you! But the car is not there, and you're gone. Floyd realizes that you've left him all alone in the big, scary city and he has no sense of direction because he's never been in the city by himself. You've always accompanied him. For once in his life, he feels lost. He doesn't cry because he's certain there must be some mistake. Shrimpy would never abandon him. Surely not! But as the day gives way to night and Floyd's spent hours walking in what feels like circles, always returning to the place where the car once sat in hopes of seeing it again, it becomes clear that you aren't coming back.
At some point, perhaps he runs into catboy Jade and the two of them survive together for a while before they're taken in by a certain overworked, always-exhausted businessman (Azul). Floyd's goal is to be reunited with his Shrimpy. Jade's is to explore and, now that Floyd keeps talking about this Shrimpy he adores so much, eventually settle down in a comfortable home (preferably your home because it sounds so quaint).
This doesn't mean Floyd forgives you, though! He feels so hurt and betrayed and angry, so when he sees you next you'd better be ready to make it up to him with many apologies because he isn't going to let you get away so easily.
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So I noticed a parallel between one of Pearl's lines and one of Iris's:
Pearl: I... I really am useless! I didn't even manage to burn the letter properly as my mother had asked of me... Such a simple thing... And I couldn't even do it right...
Iris: But I couldn't get you to give it back... I failed at something even as simple as that. Six months passed and I still couldn't get it back from you.
And it just got me thinking, again, about how crucial they are to each other's development and healing after the events of BttT. Like, yes, Pearl is surrounded by people who love and care for her, but none of them really understand what it's like to have loved, and to keep loving, someone who has wronged others close to you. None of them understand what it's like to feel guilty to have failed that person, even when you know you shouldn't have helped them, nor what it's like to carry these conflicted feelings of love and guilt with you in silence for the rest of time because you can't talk about it. That person was evil. They're a monster. You love them, but you shouldn't. No one understands... except Iris.
Iris, who would have given her life for Phoenix but still feels guilty over failing Dahlia. Iris, who's lived most of her life knowing the sins of Dahlia's past but still says she loves her the moment she's allowed to speak of her. Iris, whose first instinct after her failure was to hide herself away from everyone who loved her, just like Pearl's was. Iris, who can look at Pearl and see so much of herself reflected back that she understands implicitly what it's like. How much pain Pearl is truly carrying with her. How much unspoken grief.
And Iris, who can look at Pearl and see how senseless it really is, yet how inevitable, and hold her through her sorrow while also gradually letting go of her own misplaced guilt because she sees now, truly, how that helps no one and hurts everyone. I'm thinking about Iris and Pearl, who were sisters before they even knew each other and are so alike in so many tiny, significant ways that it's nothing short of a miracle, and I'm thinking about how they're the last pieces of a broken family, but they make the strongest link. I'm thinking about Iris and Pearl.
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