Fondest Greetings - Introduce Yourself Here!

Okay, Raphael -- sorry about that.
Will do.

No harm done. I just want to make sure this is a safe environment for everybody

R.

Admin here. Making this post a sticky so people can use it to introduce themselves as they join the forum.

I also ask that all new users (and returning ones too), visit the Rules forum to get acquainted with the guidelines as originally established.

R.

Hi, I'm Tango - nice to see a forum again after almost two decades! Looking forward to phan discussions that don't get magically shuffled by social media algorithms.

Welcome back Tango! Forums are great for keeping discussions organized, right?

R.

Hello there,
Keepcalmandbrewtea here (some know me as Doc or DocTy as well). Fan of the Phantom of the Opera since August 1989. My first show was in Vienna with the full original cast, minus Piangi. Second round in London, quite a few years later, with Earl in August 2007. As for Phandom? I am quite a newbie... pandemic shoved me right into it and I like it a lot. :-)
Looking forward to hours of perusing old posts!

Doc

Benvenuto Doc! Happy to have you here!

Hello everybody! Been a long time since I've been here, MaskedLion was the name then, and my usual name all over the net. Very old Phan, big time.

Welcome back Alexiel!

I am a fool; I went and posted a topic before introducing myself.

Hello! My name is Lillian and I've loved POTO since 2007 when I rented the 2004 film from my local Blockbuster Video (and then proceeded to read the book and see the show and then read and watch and listen to every single adaptation I could get my hands on, as one does).

I kind of cycle through phases of community involvement ranging from "Very Involved" to "Total Recluse" but presently I am cycling back to "Very Involved."

Current phannish activities include:
-Listening to the Dutch Cast Recording on repeat.
-Trying to help my partner get a phanzine up and running. (Yes, on paper and everything!)
-Researching phandom history.
-Making a Category 5 Nuisance of myself trying to track down these three missing episodes of the All Things Phantom podcast.

I am very happy to be here and I look forward very much to interacting with y'all!

Welcome lollians!

I'm so excited to re-join an old school message board! I've been adrift on Tumblr and Instagram and it's just not the same.
I've been a Phan since 2001 when I was a moody high school sophomore. Like a true Old Millennial, I'm nostalgic for the old
days of dial up and GeoCities fanfiction websites with black backgrounds and red font. Now that I'm in my mid 30's with a full
time job, rent, bills, boyfriend, cat, and aging parents to look after...I'm starting to wistfully reminisce on the days of fandom.
I'm sure a lot has changed in the land of POTO since I've been out of the loop and it makes me a little nervous about jumping back in. Nevertheless, I'm thrilled to be here!

Welcome back Amyable_Nature! It's pretty quiet here nowadays, but I'm hoping it serves as a chill little oasis for phans old and new.

Thanks, Raphael. I've always been a fan of your artwork, by the way

I'm browsing my old posts and cringing a bit at how opinionated I was, mostly in the direction of making sure I had the "right" opinions. I'm so ready now to dive back in with a refreshed perspective on things. I think the catalyst for it was when my boyfriend had his own nostalgic trip down fandom memory lane and started re-falling in love with Kiss. He was so excited when he figured out Paul Stanley was the Phantom and right away, my knee-jerk reaction was a snooty "oh, he wasn't classically trained so it was stunt casting and he can't hold a candle to -insert approved list of everyone's favorite Phantoms-"

But he forced me to get over myself and watch a bootleg from Toronto and no, he's not classically trained. But I'm so moved by how he took the role to heart and how much it resonated with him, and I can also truly appreciate his approach to the part even if it is in contrast to what I'm used to, or "supposed" to prefer.

That was eye-opening, and really kicked off my "I want to get back into Phantom" phase. (We're also going to see Kiss on tour in August because of it.)

I hope things pick up more but if not, it was good to have a chance to revisit the old chats and take stock of things.

See you around!