(My girlfriend, friend, and I, are working at a beer tasting event for free tickets. We have to pour beer for people. For some reason all the tasters think I am awesome.)

Taster #1: “Dude, you actually know your stuff. I’m going to tell everyone to come here!”

Me: “Right on, man!”

Taster #2: “Seriously you are awesome. Here’s my number!”

Me: “Oh! Thanks!”

(The taster winks and walks away.)

Girlfriend: “Did that guy just give you his number?”

Me: “Yep!”

Girlfriend: “Seriously? All I’ve gotten is drunk guys staring at my boobs!”

Me: “I also got a tip, free onion rings, another number, and those group of dudes are chanting my name all through the hall.”

Girlfriend: “I seriously have no idea how you do it.”

Friend: “Honestly, nothing is ever normal went it comes to him.”

Me: “I think it’s confidence, or I’m just adorable.”

(In the end, I never did call that guy, but I did get more tips and a drunk girl called me a teddy bear.)

(My girlfriend and I are both geeks. We are at a convention as Link and Zelda. We are currently at the costume contest.)

Me: “Come on, let’s go up and enter the pairs division.”

Girlfriend: “Why? We’re not going to win. All the other costumes are a lot better than ours.” *this is absolutely true*

Me: “Please… it’ll be fun!”

Girlfriend: “Alright.”

(We walk up and get in line. As our turn comes up, we walk across the stage and pose. I turn to her. I have prearranged something with the people running the contest and they give me a microphone.)

Me: “I have loved you since our first dance. And I want to spend the rest of my life dancing with you.”

(I get down on one knee and pull out the ring. The crowd is dead silent.)

Me: “I tried to think of some big romantic thing, but that wouldn’t be us. So here goes.”

(Holding up the ring.)

Me: *quoting ‘Legend of Zelda’* “It’s not safe to go alone. Take this!”

(The crowd starts screaming and she starts crying. She nods and a put the ring on her finger. I stand up, we hug, and I give a thumbs up to the crowd. They scream louder. We won the contest.)

(I’m at a gaming convention with a few of my friends. We play games as a team, but nothing serious. I’m gay, as are a couple of my teammates, and we are playing a friendly match against another team in a popular war-based shooter. This happens in-game through voice chat. My gamer tag is Rainboom, and I have a picture of me with a rainbow.)

Random opponent: “Hey, Rainboom, are you a [derogatory word for gay]?”

Me: “Do you mean am I gay? Yeah, what of it?”

Random opponent: “What the h*** are you doing playing a game? Go suck a d***!”

Me: “Whatever, mate.”

Random opponent: “I am not your mate, homo! Go die, you piece of s***!”

Opponent’s team mate #1: “Hey Tom, shut the h*** up!”

Random opponent: “Nuh, gays shouldn’t be playing games! They should be burnt alive!”

Opponent’s team mate #2: “Dude, not cool!”

Opponent’s team mate #1: “Grow up man! Just play the game!”

Random opponent: “F*** you lot! Rainboom can go die!”

Opponent’s team mate #2: “Just shut up. I’m gay too. You got a f***ing problem?!”

Random opponent: ”Sick f***s! Go eat s*** and die together!”

Opponent’s team mate #1: “Rainboom, this guy is all yours!”

(Tom’s teammates stopped attacking our team, leaving Tom alone. Our team decimate him, continually killing him. He continues giving me abuse, but he doesn’t get a single kill in. He leaves before the game actually finishes, entirely humiliated. Ten minutes later, in the real world I run into a stranger.)

Stranger: “Hey, are you Rainboom?”

Me: *surprised* “Yeah.”

Stranger: “I want to apologise for my team mate earlier. He’s our friend’s little brother and he was only brought because his brother was sick. He’s been banned from playing with us again though, and we told his parents and brother what he did. I don’t think he’ll doing that again.”

Me: “Aw, thanks. That’s so nice!”

Stranger: “Anyway, I thought I could buy you a energy drink to make up for it?”

(We dated for a few months after that!)

(My then-boyfriend and I are at ‘Otakon’ in Baltimore. We have just run into a Jareth cosplayer , the Goblin King character from the film ‘Labyrinth’, played by David Bowie. I am a huge fan.)

Me: “Oh, my, God! Jareth!”

(I start ‘fan-girling’ over the amazing costume with the Cosplayer, who is playing up the costume really well.)

Boyfriend: “I remember the end. Sarah was stupid not to except his offer.”

Me: “Don’t ruin it by reminding me that the Goblin King didn’t get his Queen.”

(He suddenly gets down on one knee and takes my hand.)

Boyfriend: “I ask for so little. Just let me rule you and you can have everything that you want.”

Me: *stunned* “Oh, God.”

Boyfriend: *pulls out ring* “Just fear me. Love me. Do as I say and I will be your slave.”

Me: *grinning like an idiot* “Yes. Yes! YES!”

(I grab him in a strangle hold of a hug.)

Me: “How many times did you watch that movie to remember that line?”

Boyfriend: *putting the ring on my finger* “Don’t ask, but I knew that you’d only say yes if I did something unique.”

Jareth Cosplayer: “Well played.”

(I am talking with my friends in a hallway during a sci-fi convention. As we talk, two Stormtroopers come up and accost someone dressed as Princess Leia.)

Storm-trooper 1: “Ma’am, you’re going to have to come with us.”

Leia: “Are you serious?”

Storm-trooper 2: “Yes, ma’am. We are.”

Leia: “I can’t believe it. This always happens to me!”

(Leia plays along, and allows the Storm-troopers to lead her down the hall. Suddenly, out of nowhere, someone dressed as Han Solo appears. He pushes the Storm-troopers away from Leia, and holds them back with a blaster.)

Han: “Princess, are you okay?”

Leia: “Yes, I’m fine.”

Han: “Princess…” *he turns, drops to one knee, pulls out a ring* “…will you marry me?”

(I thought it might have been a joke or a show at first, but it was real. All four of them posed for pictures for those of us who had been lucky enough to see this event.)