NICHOLAS BRENDON
NORBRECK, BLACKPOOL - CON
30th APRIL - 2nd MAY 2004

A total people pleaser...

I was both nervous and excited about Nick coming to Fusion. I mean, it's Xander you know. My first encounter with him was the photoshoot he had that Friday. I remember how I was shaking like a leaf standing there in line, watching him pose with the other fans in the queue. I was so struck on how gorgeous the guy was in real life. He shook everybody's hands and was really polite and sweet to everyone, never stopped grinning once. As I got closer and closer the urge to give the guy a hug grew stronger and when it was my turn he didn't even get the time to hold out his hand before I was hugging him. He chuckled.

Nick: "There you go..."

I let go and he posed with me for my picture, which turned out great, the best of all my pictures. I also saw him again the saturday morning shoot when he and Emma had a joined one. I didn't pull any stunts there... I promise...

I delivered my drawing in his autograph session later that day to the stewards. As I had given out the others earlier in the convention I had realized how little time I got to write notes on and such so I had prepared a little letter to give with the drawing, which I don't really remember word by word.

But it was a bit about how the show had changed my life and how I hoped this little token was a sign on how much the work he and the others did meant to me.

I had been told on advance that Nick was only to personalize his autographs on personal objects, but Nick signed both my photo as well as the photo I had with me for a friend with personalisations, which was really great, cause then my friend's birthday present would be personalized. He didn't personalize my yearbook autograph, but that didn't really matter.

I never got the chance to talk to him afterwards, but it wasn't like I had expected that I would, the other times were pure luck, as well being in a different suite, but the day after I managed to ask Sean if Nick liked the gift or not and I got a yes, so that's good enough for me :)

On the Sunday, my 20th birthday I got up the courage o ask Nick a question I wanted to ask more than anything. It was in his final guesttalk. He was a real people pleaser, doing the Snoopy dance when people asked, even danced with a little girl that asked. That was just so sweet of him. So I finished my usual questions and got the answers and ended it with the thing I wanted the most.

ME: "It's my birthday... can I have a hug?"

NICK: "Sure, you wanna come over here?"

So I went over to the floor near the stage and he jumped down, giving me a warm, big hug. I felt the cameras flashing behind me.

NICK: (in my ear) "Happy birthday"

That totally made my day. I can't think of a better way to celebrate your 20th birthday, or any birthday for that matter. I haven't found any photos of that yet, but one day I will and when I do I will pleade the person to let me post it here.


Photos of him from his and Emma's talk:

Photos of him from his own talk:

Photos of him from the closing ceremony: