For months I had expected to be able to afford to attend MCM Expo this October in London and that I could even cosplay but a few things I didn't expect had meant I couldn't afford to to attend so I had to let my friends and myself down.
Early into last week I was asked in the early morning if I was interested in a ticket to MCM Expo as they had a spare ticket that would go to waste otherwise, I said yes as I had recently received some unexpected money and paid for my own travel etc, I also checked if any new guests had been added and indeed there had been a lot more added compared to the week before.
I have always checked for guests at each Expo as back in 2009 I attended my first MCM after wanting to attend for a few years before that and I had recently discovered a love for voice acting, Troy Baker more specifically. I had tried to find him all day and was experiencing the weaker and more tired body of a three week post op body and my grandad had promised to take me to MCM as incentive to be brave enough for the operation in the first place.
We spent all day trying to find him but never did, I had a good time but left disappointed and after four years I had come to the conclusion he would never be back, I would never get that opportunity to meet him and be able to express how happy I am when he has a part in a game or something I watch or even in music as he sings too.
When I checked the voice acting I saw Troy Baker, utter shock and disbelief entered my mind instantly and I double checked, triple checked and got people to check I had not finally gone loopy and tried to envision him on their site but I wasn't wrong, he would definitely be there.
The morning of the expo my excitement was numb and I was more convinced than ever that he had probably cancelled or that I wouldn't find him again, something would go wrong so I would just enjoy being able to show my friend what the Expo was like and enjoy being a photographer for the day and have a big learning experience with my camera as I had not taken pictures of cosplay before.
We couldn't find where the first Troy Baker signing for the day would be initially but we found it half an hour before he was scheduled to be signing things at the Warner Bros. stand as he had recently finished doing the voice for the Joker in Batman Origins, I waited for over an hour to be able to meet him and panicked initially as I had nothing for him to sign that I could frame later on but thankfully some posters were being handed out and I received one for him to sign.
My friend went ahead of the queue after looking around the hall while I queued and took a picture of Troy Baker as I couldn't see him while I was in the queue once it got started as there were many people waiting, I couldn't believe he was actually there in flesh and blood but how could I deny it when my friend had just gone ahead and taken a picture? Everything hit me at once and I knew how a fan girl felt like for the first time in my life.
The queue was exciting, my feet ached but I was fully awake despite my lack of sleep in the few days beforehand, once I got about twenty people before my turn I was in more shock when I witnessed Troy in person, right there and in front of me, he was really there and I was hit with more shock and the occasionally moment of squeeing in realisation.
Once I was third in the queue I started getting extremely nervous and panicky, I had been waiting for this moment for what felt like many years and I had been reciting what I could tell him in my short space of time, I had never been in this situation before and had actually thought about turning around and running out of the hall but I knew I would hate myself for it.
I have always loved Troy for his voice from the moment I started playing Tales of Vesperia, his voice suited the main character and it sparked my interest in knowing who was actually behind that voice and discovering the stuff he had done before that and in the future too, I wasn't particularly interested in his music career but I may be more interested in the future. When I was close enough to hear that voice of his I was even more excited and nervous because I hadn't thought about him having a voice in person.
I stepped forward when it was my turn and I couldn't breathe, I had to remember what I was there for and said hello then told him my brief story about missing him four years ago and how happy I was when he wished me a happy birthday via Twitter last year, he had taken the opportunity to have a drink and looked genuinely surprised, he took my hand and sung to me then signed my poster.
I then asked if it was okay for a picture with him as I had handed my friend my camera in case I wanted or could even find a place to process a picture within an hour so I could come back later and get that signed at the signing you had to pay for later in the afternoon (I had decided that as the queue had tripled since I had joined, I would be kind enough not to take someone's opportunity to meet Troy for their first time) and he happily obliged to even stand up for me and continue his singing while comparing our heights.
Other fantastic voice actors had also attended but I couldn't help myself be focused on Troy as he was the first voice actor for me to show that much interest in before I grew to love other voice actors and learn to respect what they do and their love for it.
I once again thank my friend for giving me the opportunity of a life time or at least it felt that way, my mind has still not caught up. I had even made the effort of wearing a necklace that was important to me as my only friend from America made it and I bought it from him a few years back, it has sentimental value to me and gave me that strength to not run away, stutter or say something stupid.
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