An encounter with the Full Metal Alchemist

On Saturday, March 19th I hosted an exclusive dinner for voice actor Vic Mignogna (best known as Ed Elric from Full Metal Alchemist) and members of his fan club. This was something that I had been planning for a while and I had called The Cheesecake Factory in advance to confirm that they would take our reservation. I was assured that they would but when it was the day to actually make the reservation, I was told that I couldn't because our party was too large and they only take reservations during lunch hour. Needless to say, I began to panic.

Dozens of emails were all ready sent out to Rangers and I arrived at the mall early to try to find another resturant who could accommodate our party. No one would. Now that plan B failed it was time to move onto C.  I would still meet everyone outside The Cheescake Factory and once they all arrived we would take the party to the food court around the corner. The plan worked and Vic arrived to a cheering crowd bringing fellow actor Todd Haberkorn (who plays Ling on "Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood) . I went to greet him, introduced myself and told him the situation. Unfortunately Vic had some news of his own; he had a prior commitment and couldn't stay for dinner. Vic also inquired why I didn't attend the anime show (and jokingly pulled my hair and pretended to choke me) and invited me to the show the next day as his guest. I promised to attend in the morning before traveling to Philadelphia for a photoshoot (how could I say no?) and he made the call to make sure I would get into the show. I accompained Vic as he addressed his fans, expressing his love and appreciation for them and apologizing that he couldn't stay. He did encourage us to remain and have dinner with the fellow rangers and then proceeded to take pictures and sign autographs. If anyone wants to witness a true display of fan appreciation, this is the man to watch. He is genuinely gracious and generous to his supporters and was sure he spoke to every person present. In true Vic fashion he gave out plenty of hugs and kisses (yes, I got some too). It was considerate of him to spend time with us even though he could not stay and also bringing Todd as an added bonus.

Afterwards us Rangers shared dinner and it was wonderful to get to know each other and make new friends. One of them even gave me some scented soaps as a thank you for organizing the dinner. Sunday morning (after getting very little sleep because of a current cold I'm fighting) I threw on my Zatanna costume (and went with a very different look; wavy hair and natural makeup because I had the shoot afterwards) and headed to the anime convention with my ex husband. At the front desk there was a pass waiting for me courtesy of Vic and we were lead to the room he was in. Head of security, Kiwi was there to take care of us and I got a great big hug and kiss from Vic when he was able to come over. He asked how the dinner went, wanted to make sure I got into the show okay and thanked me for organizing the dinner. I was incredibly grateful for his generosity for getting me into the show and had a fun time shopping and talking to con goers. When it was time to leave, I thanked Vic again and he said he hopes we will meet again soon. I hope so too.

After my vintage shoot (I loved it!), it was finally time to go home and rest. The dinner didn't turned out as planned but with a little faith, perseverance not to mention an incredible guest of honor, it turned out beautifully and I got to attend the show as his guest. Safe to say, things definately turned out amazingly well!

P.S.
I got a Ed's State Alchemist pocket watch!!!

God Bless

xoxo
Victoria