#lot philly

[pastafossa]

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.

#Philly Fan Expo #Charlie Cox #Daredevil #he HELD THE THREAD ya'll #my fanfic author life is now complete #and honestly as a fan i don't know if any other experience will ever top those moments I got with Charlie #he is so so kind and warm and wonderful #the way he immediately stopped and gave me his full attention when i started to tell him what it meant #i just had to stop for a second and collect myself because just... #he was *listening* and despite all the noise and chaos i suddenly had his full attention #the way he leaned in so the conversation felt like it was just us and the way he cocked his head and focused on me like #i can't think of a single celeb or interaction like that where i've felt that much like what i was saying to him mattered #(that's not dissing the other actors and celebs i've met. they've all been wonderful! but charlie definitely has a special kindness i think) #and i can now say having been that close to him and having spoken with him over something fairly serious #he is literally one of the kindest celebs i've met and the most genuine #you can literally see the warmth in his eyes when he looks at you. he's *legitimately* happy you're there to talk to him or see him #maybe one day he'll find out about TRT. i'm honestly not sure #but even if he doesn't at least I got a chance to tell him how much what he's done has helped me heal #from a lot of really... really hard things in my life #and according to a friend (who I didn't even know was there but spotted me talking to Charlie from another line!) #Charlie did indeed stay until WAY late signing everyone's stuff so that no one missed an autograph #he said his estimation of Charlie just shot way up because even hours later he was still taking his time with each fan that came up #Charlie has absolutely solidified as my favorite actor and one of the nicest people I've had the pleasure of meeting

[philyaoi]

as someone who wasnt here at the time (was a fan from about 2011-2013) what exactly defines the "softlaunch era" pre-coming out that i hear you and others refer to?

you've come to the right place cuz this is the era when i truly became a Phannie... "gay softlaunch" is generally considered 2017-18, but to be more specific it was october 31, 2016-june 13, 2019!

before they came out this was also referred to as "post-baking universe" referencing the halloween 2016 monster pops video that had an (at the time) abnormal amount of raunchy humor and just general derangedness. nothing like it is today, but that point felt very significant and dan even brought it up in liveshows like yeah idk what happened there and when phil called a peach an ass in a gaming video dan said "we live in a post-baking universe" (i believe fans coined the term tho).

people have also called it the "glass closet era" which is a divisive name for a lot of people cuz "glass closet" can be seen as kind of a mean term and it implies like, stereotyping or speculating or the "we been knew" behavior dan had talked about in BIG. which i understand that feeling, but i don't think that's what was happening, because the way i see it was queer flagging. ways they could show a little bit who they really were without saying it just yet. they weren't Out out, but they were just like. openly talking about attraction to men and finding men hot and not calling it a Man Crush or anything. dan would bring up queerness more often in liveshows, which hes mentioned queer artists and stuff before but now it was also making jokes about like.. being in a gas leak man porn fantasy in his first livestream of 2017 LMAO. phil would make a lot more innuendos, which hes always done, but now he wasnt pretending like he didnt know what he was saying. dan started wearing a single hoop earring on his right ear. this is an old school form of queer flagging, in The Olden Days (im too lazy to look up when but like my 70-something year old history teacher knew about this) if a man had an earring on his left ear, he's straight, and if he had one on his right, he's gay. that one's pretty subtle if you don't know much about queer history and there were Great Debates over whether or not we should take it to mean he is gay, but personally i saw it as like. he was letting us know without needing to say the G word out loud just yet!

i think a really important part of this era was even outside of directly discussing queerness, they were both trying to become more authentic online and figuring out how to do that without compromising their own privacy. dan stopped straightening his hair and rebranded and opened up about his mental health. phil's authenticity journey seemed a bit slower and wasn't as overt or seemingly drastic as dan's was, but it was happening! he changed up his hair!!! which yes its kinda silly to talk abt dnp's hair but the emo fringe was Their Brand. phil in particular said that, the emo fringe was a comfort place but he was feeling like he was trapped in having it forever because it was Who He Was, so it was a huge deal for him! he opened up a little bit about his physical health, both of them were a bit more honest about all the stress and anxiety they were dealing with (the mukbang is a pretty good video where they talk about that and an interesting one to watch in retrospect) and their whole 2018 tour was themed around whether they should Give The People What They Want or do what they wanted to do.

god i talk too much ANYWAY then dan disappeared in 2019 and phil was manning the helm for a good five and a half months and then the Big Gay hit! the Hard Launch Era if you will :) and now i would say 2023-present is the Unhinged Era so i have no clue what the hell their next move is gonna be...

#ofc there were also signs before 2016 'wtf even is your sexuality' #but at that point there was still a veil over everything ykwim? #myrambles #also sorry im such a phillie i like barely mention dans authenticity journey BUT I JUST FEEL LIKE #IVE TALKED ABT IT A LOT BEFORE SO IDK WHAT MORE I COULD SAY #softlaunch

[softerbaseball]

[1000] unbaptized by your kisses

#i have a lot of feelings about them and you should too #nick castellanos #kyle schwarber #philadelphia phillies #baseball #mlb #a softer world remix

[saintxgerard]

Oh my god they performed Vampires Will Never Hurt You… Oh my god they were chanting ‘Mikey’… Oh my god Gerard was screeching… Oh my god..!

#sorry im a vampires will never hurt you girlie #this is. a lot for me #gee way #frank iero #ray toro #mikey way #gerard way #mcr #my chemical romance #my chem #mcr gee #mcr gerard #mcr frank #mcr ray #mcr mikey #mcr tour #mcr philly

[mattstrahm]

PHI vs OAK | June 17, 2023

#bryson stott #alec bohm #philadelphia phillies #mlb #baseball #mlbedit #baseballedit #my edit #userf #gonna be able to be a lot more normal about these gifs than i was about the clip with audio #the hiss and groan that took place during gif two was uh #anyway fir and i's gifs are starting to look the same idk how this happened

[swiftlark]

why’d you have to make me want you? why’d you have to give me nothing back?

eliza’s top 100 ships 45/100: dennis reynolds + ronald “mac” macdonald

#THIS IS SO UNSERIOUS #i’m giggling a lot to be honest #do not take this seriously #macdennis #macden #iasip #it’s always sunny #it’s always sunny in philly #eliza’s top 100 ships #dennis reynolds #mac macdonald

[towost]

i am unable to draw lately

have a hemmy doodle,,

#sparklecare #hemera philly #the girl #the plant lover #the!! #i adore this fox a lot #:3

[hemeruni]

Continuing off this post I wanted to draw more objectum Hemmy.,., It’s just very comforting

My design for this fox continues to change even though single posts, I REALLY need to work on another reference sheet again… expect that as my next post

If it isn’t then throw stones at me till I pass out or something idk /silly

#my art #sparklecare #hemera philly #ramblings #I’m going to reblog this one a lot I really like it

[ricketycr1cks]

Love going through my drafts it really is the duality of man

#a lot more of them are less coherent than this #for reference #I have 42 drafts and I genuinely forget what most of them are #iasip #it’s always sunny #it’s always sunny in philadelphia #source: iasip #it’s always sunny in philly #mac mcdonald #dennis reynolds #iasip mac #iasip dennis #dee reynolds #charlie kelly #iasip charlie #iasip dee #macden #macdennis

[secondsofpleasure]

a lot / 3.4.2024

#philadelphia #philly #graffiti #tags #streetart #buildings #empty lot #construction

[indiecareau]

Sorry I just

It looks BAD but I had a vision (they hugged after this don’t worry we’re all good 👍)

#sparklecare #my artwork #indiecare au #hemera philly #uni cornelius #get hemmroonnnnedd AGAIN nerds #hemeruni #guys I draw other characters I swear I just like these two a lot #I PROMISE I’ll draw other characters please don’t throw bricks through my windows

[pjsforestkid]

“You’ve gone from a 6 to a 9”

Stop flirting this is an emergency!!

#fighting my toughest battle as a Phillie right now #it will be fine it will grow on me he has a lot of styling options it’s just not my favorite (brown quiff) #but I know we’ll never get brown quiff back so it’s ok

[angesaurus]

So what do you moms call “underwear”?????? I call them undies or underwears usually. A mom at gymnastics was talking about underwear with her 3 year old daughter and kept using the word “panties” and it made me cringe so hard?!?! 😂😂😂😂

#I wonder if it’s a Philly thing though #a lot of people use words that I could never 😂😂😂😂😂 #philly suburb transplant here

[gaylos-lobos]

there is so much symbolism in the grimwalkers being craved out of wood, the same way Caleb craved out a wooden mask for Pip when he was younger. the fact that he craves Caleb standins out of it, that Caleb craved Pip into the person he would become eventually. the way he always tries again with the grimwalkers.

cause if it worked with him then why shouldn’t it work with Caleb?

#also thinking a LOT about the fact that the grimwalkers wear masks. that their mask resembles a golden bird. #the same golden bird of the gravesfield symbol. the same golden bird that Caleb is (was). #<- especially considering how at on point his deer mask was still wooden while the grimwalkers was already golden. #how taking off the mask represents for the grimwalkers self actualization and breaking out of the cage. #but more importantly breaking out of the role assigned to them by belos. and how pip still wearing the mask. it’s imagery having melted int #his actual appearance shows how the role. the person. Caleb raised and craved him out to be #have killed the person that could have been and used to be. #*has not have #how their love for each other killed the other. #found this in my drafts again and it’s over a month old and ngl i was onto something here. #meta tag #philly cheese steak #toh #emperor belos #philip wittebane #caleb wittebane #wittebane brothers #grimwalkers

[starbuck]

well. i booked the fancy restaurant for Thursday so i can’t back out of it…

#eating alone in a place i’ve never been before is LITERALLY the worst #but i can’t convince someone to come to Philly with me EVERY time #so we must simply Do It Alone and Do It Scared #for the record - it is Not actually that fancy #it’s just fancier than most things around where i live #city places just seem automatically fancy to me a lot of the time #but i’m still excited #it should be a fun time #i will have my book and it will be FINE! #i’m rooting for myself

[socialprawn]

for ppl who followed me from bg3 shenanigans -im still not over them btw :V I just need to push through act 3 so i can make up my mind with the mood of it all-

my main art these past few years is my vampire story, who is about moira and her partner thom exploring what it means to be a creature of the dark 😎 it's inspired after me playing vtmb obviously (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧

I also love mass effect, dragon age, fallout games... all the classic rpgs

#just lil note in case cos i got a lot of followers from phillis and im rly grateful (●ˇ∀ˇ●)