This is a narrative I wrote when in 2019 after the event.
Thursday, March 14th started out as a normal school day, until my phone showed a text from “Mom.” It read, “The cast of Stranger Things is going to be at Comic-Con.” That was enough for me to jump at the chance for this experience, as I was not planning on going.
My mom said, “You could have gotten a photo with Finn.” (Finn Wolfhard is an actor from the show). Changing the course of the week.
After this new information I decided to find confirmation, so I searched for news of their appearance. I typed “Comic-Con 2019 Seattle” into Google. The Emerald City Comic-Con came up. The website had plenty of information about the event. After scrolling for a while I found a section called “Guests” and clicked on it. Listed there were 4 of the Stranger Things kids and other people.
On the list, I saw Caleb Mclaughlin, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, and Sadie Sink. Just when I thought I was going to convince my dad to take me to a photo with Finn Wolfhard, I saw something else; or should I say someone else. Someone I have seen in my favorite movie franchise, for years. Rupert Grint. For those losers who don’t know he is Ronald Weasley in Harry Potter, part of the golden trio. I just about lost my head. I had the opportunity to get a photo with Ron!
I immediately texted my dad saying, “I NEED A TICKET TO COMIC-CON.” I preceded by expressing the new information I had just learned, like the fact that famous people will be there. That was when my mind was made up, I was going to Comic-Con and getting a photo with Rupert Grint even if it was the last thing I would ever do. I was on a mission from that point on.
Wanting to get more details I asked my dad, “If I wanted to get a picture with someone famous, how would that work?”
He said, “We just sign up ahead of time and pay. Then, you just show up and get your picture.” I really wanted to do it and it sounded easy enough.
Once I got home, I wanted to get straight down to business. My dad pulled the website up on the big computer, where he had been working only a moment ago. Searching through the website more brought us to “Buy Autographs and Photo Ops.” Here we found Rupert Grint, and his costs. A photo was $120 while an autograph was $115. I was most definitely getting a photo.
My dad made me pay for it because I have a job, so I have to buy my own cool stuff. In all with tax, it cost me $138 to get my dream photo. It was totally worth it though, I didn't care about the price.
The night before, we had a family meeting. My mom was supposed to bring my bag of clothes then but she forgot. Good thing I have slowly been leaving stuff at dads for just this incident, and so I would have choices. That also meant that I didn’t have my card. I left it in my purse at moms. Dad ended up paying right there and then. After, he just took $140 out of my account in return. I was robbed of $2! I guess it’s fine though because he would end up paying for my ticket. It will be the tip of my gratitude.
Now that that was settled, I was out of my mind excited. But I still wanted more. I was not buying another photo though. With any luck, I could convince my dad to buy a Stranger Things photo, and I would just hop in. My dad had to continue working and I had bothered him enough, so I went back to my room.
Once I had returned to my room, I texted my mom. She just responded with “Did dad sign you up?”
“Yeah, I just talked to him. It only cost me $138.” She just asked about why dad didn't pay. To which I said that he was going to buy my ticket. That helped her train of thought.
Being the good mom that she is she asked, “Did dad sign you up? You have to sign up for a slot.” I was already so excited and she didn’t want my dreams to get crushed (they could have sold out).
I said “ IT’s FRICKEN RUPERT GRINT!” in excitment.
“We got it.”
“Oh good,” she responded
“Are you excited for me?”
“Yes. You wouldn’t even know if I didn’t tell you.”
“That’s true. Thank you, mom. I am forever grateful. Love you.”
It was finally time to leave. We got in the car and made our trip to Downtown Seattle.
In the main building there were crowds of people everywhere. Some were in cosplay while others stuck to a normal look.
We headed to the show room in the main building.
We walked through the doors and that’s when the main experience began. All around were stands up selling art, merch, and toys from popular Pop Culture things. There was a lot of comic book stuff, I mean it was Comic Con. That was not the selling point for me though. I was there for my picture obviously, but I also wanted to find some Harry Potter merch or Funko Pops.
We walked up and down the aisles looking at things. People had different creative things to sell at their booths. Throughout, I kept looking at the ECCC app because I still longed to get somewhere with a Stranger Things actor. At 1:00, there were options with photos with Sadie Sink or Caleb McLaughlin.
I looked at the Finn Wolfhard options but the closest time was during my Rupert photo so it would not work.
I told Dad about my research and he agreed that we could go at 1. That would be in a little bit though, so there was still time to look around.
When the time came, we headed to the hotel (where the photos would take place). In the photo room, there was a rack were we could put anything that was not wanted in the photo. I put my scarf on there because it was a Harry Potter thing, and I wasn’t feeling the crossover.
In the tent stood Caleb McLaughlin. I was a little star struck but managed to walk forward. My dad shook his hand, introducing us: "Hi, I'm Dan and this is my daughter Ella."
Caleb put his arms around us. I didn't know what to do with my arm. I thought about putting it around him, but I didn't know if that would make him uncomfortable or something. I just let it sit there in the air. There was a flash and we were walking out "Bye." We retrieved our stuff from the shelf and walked out of the tent.
There were big printers all lined up. There was also a rope, so we went to go around that. On the way, I snuck a quick peek into the next tent over. Sadie Sink was stood there taking pictures with fans. It felt cool to see her too. Once photos were printed they were laid out in front. We got our photo and followed the arrows out.
After the first photo, we went back to the convention for about 30 minutes, before returning to the hotel.
To go up, we used an elevator. It lead us up to the same floor as before. There were a lot of people around this time. People were already lined up for the Rupert Grint photo op.
Different lines were set for all the sessions. Ours was session 5, so we found the end of that line. It was quite a wait.
During the wait, the line for photos with Finn Wolfhard passed by us. One person said "Is this all to get pictures with that ginger kid," while they looked at my line. It was really funny, so I texted it to the group chat. They seemed to enjoy it.
Toward the time of the photo, lines started moving. We were taken past the room where I had gotten my first photo. The line kept moving forward and I was getting really excited. When looking around, I saw someone dressed up as Professor Slughorn. I wish I had asked them for a photo.
The line was moved into a room with a giant tent instead of 2 like the one I had seen before.
Dad talked about how people did different poses in their photos. I didn't know what I could do though. I was thinking Ron, Ron, Hmm. I remembered that he has a certain grin about him.
We were moved into the tent and I spotted him. Rupert Grint, stood before my very eyes. For the second time that day, I was star struck. It was as if I was taken out of my body and put into a completely different world. A world filled with a bright glow, where dreams come true.
Dad held my stuff because he would not be in the photo. No way in hell was I going to let him take my moment away.
People moved up, took their photo, and left. One after another, until I was at the front of the line. I was both nervous and excited. The worker next to me said "don't be shy, come closer." He must have been used to all the people in awe. I wonder how he himself could keep it together. In his position I'd probably be a little loopy from excitement.
The person up walked off and I walked forward. It was my turn! I got closer to the god before me. Upon reaching him I say "Will you do the Ron Grin?" That is what I had decided on, thinking it would be the most authentic and memorable. He responded (to me!!!!),
"Yeah, of course." He looked down at me and said this. I actually talked to him and he listened and responded! I looked forward, toward the camera. There was no need to adjust my face because I already had the brightest smile on. Not, that I noticed. At the time I was very distracted.
A flash showered the area and I was walking off, not completely thinking straight. I glided along like a current from a river.
One last longing look was cast behind me to the actor.
Outside of the tent were the printers again. I was very happy with my photo. A case was not needed this time because I could slip it into the folder we had gotten before. It was nestled in back to back from the photo before.
Our current destination would have been back to the main building, where Alex was, but I stopped Dad mid walkthrough. I had to make dreams come true. “Dad, can I buy an autograph with Finn Wolfhard. After, looking on the ECCC app for the hundredth time today, I saw that there was autographs with him in a few minutes (4:30).
“Yes.”
Over shopping counter I used my card to buy a ticket. Dad asked “Will there be something to sign up there?”
She said “Yes, there will be free photos that you can get an autograph on.”
The autograph was to the doors to our left. We went in to wait.
The room was gigantic. Everyone who would be doing the autographs had a stand in there. There ropes placed between different lines. Curtains were up to separate sections. The Stranger Things kids were all in the same section.
Dad and I got a little lost at first because there was so much going on in the room.
The sign we were looking for said “Finn Wolfhard.” We stepped behind the last person in line. He was not there yet, so we were all waiting. The people in front of me had School Books or Stranger Things books. I didn’t even know those existed. Some people in other line’s had Funko Pop’s. That would have been a good idea, had I known we would be here.
I gave mom an update. Here is our text conversation while I was in line: “I suppose you can’t snap a pic of Finn with your phone.”
“No photography.”
“Awww. I figured.”
“It’s fine though, u get to talk more during the autograph than the picture.”
“Oh. Well that's cool. Weird that you couldn't do the pic and the autograph at the same time. What are you going to ask him?”
At that point, Dad caught my attention. I looked up and saw a familiar face from television. His hair was curly and he was tall. His cheek bones were very defined and sharp, like they could cut through me with a smile. He held a plastic water bottle. His eyes skimmed the line as he was sitting down. We made eye contact for a second. Locked in a one second trance, I melted to the floor. I was a puddle of joy and sparkles, like a portal to the place I had been before.
The other kids were there too. To Finn’s right was Caleb Mchlaughlin. Then, next to him was Sadie Sink. Lastly farthest to the right, next to the curtain, was Gaten Madarazzo. Above all the stands were signs that had their names and “Stranger Things.” Finn’s sign also listed “IT.”
My eyes carefully skimmed all of them, while I pointed them out to dad. I had to get good mental pictures to scroll through later.
Slowly I got closer and closer to the young actor. I was near the front, and getting really excited. The girl in front of me was getting her Stranger Things book Signed. Huh, I didn’t know those existed.
I looked at the photo options while she had her turn. There were 5 laid out. One was a Portrait of Finn with a red background. That was the photo used on the ECCC website for him. The others were from IT and Stranger Things. Although I love both, I went with the Stranger Things one were he was holding a radio and talking into it. My theme was more Stranger Things, so it made more sense for me to pick that one.
Two women were working there, behind the photos. One said “Do you want your name.”
“Yes”
“What is it?”
“Ella”
My name was written on a bright yellow sticky note and plastered onto the photo.
The girl before me left and I moved to my right, toward Finn. He was sitting down and waiting to sign. The women passed the photo over. I knew I had to act fast to get the full experience. “What is your Hogwarts House?”
He seemed to ponder that for a second. “Hufflepuff.
I responded “That’s cool, it’s J.K Rowling's favorite house.”
He continued and lifted his pen to talk. (More time, score!) “I used to hate it and wanted to be a gryffindor because they are so cool. Then I realized that they are all selfish and overrated.”
My dad, who was standing behind me to the right, laughed at the last part.
He asked “Is it your house?”
“Yes.”
His hands finished the signature. Up in the top left corner he had wrote “To Ella” (when it was first passed to him). His writing was pretty messy and his signature is his initials in messy cursive.
The time had come to leave. As we walked off I said “Thank You.” He was busy with the next person, but did look up at me.
Dad and I walked next to the curtain and around the curtain to the doors. “That was cool.”
Having finished with the Hotel we head toward the escalators, which were now working.
Down on the crosswalk back to the hotel, Dad took my photo and moved the sticky note that had my name over to cover and protect the signature. Then, he slipped it in front of the Caleb photo. That way, I could still look happily at my Rupert photo.
All the super exciting stuff had ended but we still had a few isles of booths to look through. We found Alex, and continued the day.
I will remember this day forever. March 16th, the day I met Rupert Grint. My dad was so understanding about everything. Without him being so open and patient with me, I would not have been able to experience this amazing event.
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