Panda

I have four pets and I consider them all my children. But one for sure I am certain considers me his mom. My dog Heston. He was a rescue dog that I brought home and he has always been really afraid of men. Because of that he acts like a scared toddler and hides behind me when guys come over. He is such a timid little guy, well, he's not really little (weighs about 90 lbs.) but he really acts like a clingy toddler., If I and sitting down and ask him "Who loves momma?" he will run over to me and give me a hug. That would be him resting his head on my shoulder and smashing his chest up against mine. He is really a sweet little boy. Of all my pets I really do consider him the baby. :catgirl: Edit: I also wanted to mention that I appreciate the effort many people have put into their responses to this thread. The beginning of this topic looked like it could turn spammy but the majority of members have been doing a great job with quality responses. Thank you. I don't think people get kudos from the mods enough. Keep up the great replies!

I really don't play the above mentioned "nerd games", but I am married to a nerd. Back in the day he actually lucked out and bought all the hardback D&D books plus the little pewter figurines and stuff from a kid in his school for $50! I guess this kid felt that D&D was too nerdy and plus it was during the heyday of D&D being considered "demonic". We still have these books and probably always will. As for Magic my only experience with it is through my friend Jeremy Cranford who is the Senior Art Director for Magic the Gathering. His job is to decide what art gets put on the cards and which artists to use. He is one of my hubby's lifelong friends. I should snag some cards from him and have him teach me about the game. Jeremy did give me one of the Vampire cards that he did the art work on, but I really don't know anything about that game. I just have the one card. I have played Call of Cthulhu on several occassions. It's pretty fun when you get a group of friends together and play all night by candlelight. All and all I wouldn't consider it nerdy, afterall all the Cthulhu faithful know when the time comes they will be eaten first. (Nerd Alert: Being eaten first is a good thing since you don't have to watch all your love ones dying. It's an honor to be eaten first!) Ok, I guess I am a nerd.

Welcome to theOtakuBoards Raccoon Chick. Please be aware that we have a rules page that all members are required to read before posting. The [URL=http://www.otakuboards.com/rules.php?"][U]Rules[/U][/URL] and [URL=http://www.otakuboards.com/faq.php?][U]FAQ[/U][/URL] can also be found on the left navigation menu. We encourage people to introduce themselves within their posts as they enter discussions throughout the boards. We would rather that than having a ton of introduction threads. Also, we have pretty high standards when it comes to the quality of posts (ie: making them well thought out with care given to grammar). Threads should generate quality conversation and discussion. If you need help with the boards the PM system is set up so you can contact moderators for assistance. Since introduction threads are not allowed I am going to lock this thread. If you have any questions please feel free to PM myself or any of the other moderators. Again, I welcome you to the boards and I hope to see you posting around the site. Have fun! ~Panda

[quote name='Dragonboym2][COLOR=Blue']Greg Ayres? He was at Otakon as well. I didn't get to meet him, but he did a little Son Goku, and Ed Elric. [/COLOR][/quote] I did want to make a correction here, the English language voice actor for Edward Elric is Vic Mignogna. Vic is a really sweet guy. I have met him and [u][URL=http://articles.theotaku.com/view.php?action=retrieve&id=579]interviewed him for theOtaku.[/URL][/u] Vic has done the voices for several anime series including Kurz Weber in Full Metal Panic, Kougaiji in Saiyuki, Dark in DNAngel and, of course, Ed in Full Metal Alchemist. [center][IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/xiao_may/stuff/vic.jpg[/IMG] Panda and Vic Mignogna[/center] I have also met Greg Ayres and he practically knocked me over when he glomped me! He is a really cool guy. I got to hang out with him at AX this past summer. He is probably one of the most fan friendly voice actors out there right now. He is such a fan boy it's not even funny how excited HE gets over meeting other anime industry celebrities! He has done lots of work including Goku in Saiyuki and Chrono in Chrono Crusade. [center][IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/xiao_may/stuff/gailgreg.jpg[/IMG] Panda and Greg Ayers[/center] I have met quite a few of the voice actors who worked on Robotech. Michael Bradley, Frank Catalano, Greg Finley, Eddie Frierson, Alexandra Kenworthy, Steve Kramer, Melanie MacQueen, Iona Morris, Tony Oliver, Mike Reynolds, Paul St. Peter, Reba West (aka Rebecca Forstadt), Wendee Lee and Dan Woren. Some of these voice actors have moved on to other acting works such as Melanie who some may recognize as "Lady Luck" in the Virginia State lottery ads and a role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Iona has worked on tv series like Moesha and does commericals too. Steve Kramer does lots of directing and voice work including working on the dub for Naruto. Tony Oliver has been in, well, lots of stuff. Gungrave, X, Lupin the Third and Saiyuki. [center][IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/xiao_may/stuff/tony.jpg[/IMG] Tony Oliver and Panda[/center] Now a special guy in my life is Dan Woren. He has worked on a bunch of different anime series (Trigun, Yukikaze, Samurai Champloo...) and movies like Star Trek: First Contact as a Borg. He is one of my very close friends and I am actually going to see him today! I do have an [u][URL=http://articles.theotaku.com/view.php?action=retrieve&id=766]interview with Dan Woren[/URL][/u] posted on theOtaku. I also have interviews with[u] [URL=http://articles.theotaku.com/view.php?action=retrieve&id=542]Rebecca Forstadt[/URL][/u] and [u][URL=http://articles.theotaku.com/view.php?action=retrieve&id=657]Wendee Lee[/URL][/u] which are all over on theO as well. Rebecca has worked on Ghost in the Shell: SAC and Metropolis. Wendee has worked in practically everything! She is best known as Faye Valentine in Cowboy Bebop. [center][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/Panda_chan_/misc/medan.jpg[/IMG] Dan Woren and Panda[/center] I have met Travis Willingham the voice of Roy Mustang in Full Metal Alchemist. He is very sweet and fun to chat with. He has done work in movies and has a fun time doing voice work. When he has the time he does make appearances at anime conventions so if you get the chance go visit with him, he really is very sweet. [center][IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/xiao_may/stuff/travis.jpg[/IMG] Travis Willingham and Panda[/center] From Ranma 1/2 I have met Miriam Sirios the voice of Akane and Richard Cox who does the voice of boy Ranma and InuYasha. Richard is a bit of a joker and Miriam is super sweet and fun to chat with. [center][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/Panda_chan_/misc/ax3.jpg[/IMG] My hubby John and Miriam (I figured you were getting tired of looking at me!)[/center] I know I am forgetting somebody here. It's 5 in the morning and my brain isn't working. :animeswea If I remember I will add to my post later. Oh! Chase Masterson! I almost forgot about her! I will get to see her later today too. She is doing a voice in the new Robotech series. She is best known for her work in Star Trek: DS9. She, just like all the other actors I have met have been very wonderful to meet. All of them are very happy to visit with fans and there really isn't a reason to be afraid or nervous meeting them. I have a picture with Chase (and all the VA's I have met) somewhere on my computer, but it's late and I am sleepy. Plus, this post is mega image heavy already. Sorry to all of you on slower internet connections!

Hi dontmakemeBLU! All threads concerning manga need to be posted in the Manga Workshop. Since this topic is best suited for that forum I am redirecting it to there. If you have any questions concerning posting or the rules of the site please feel free to PM myself or any of the other moderators on the boards. Thanks! -Panda Edit: Oops, in the time I was writing that up Raiyuu already moved the thread! :animeswea

Welcome to theOtakuBoards darkness_angel. Please be aware that we have a rules page that all members are required to read before posting. The [URL=http://www.otakuboards.com/rules.php?"][U]Rules[/U][/URL] and [URL=http://www.otakuboards.com/faq.php?][U]FAQ[/U][/URL] can also be found on the left navigation menu. We have pretty high standards when it comes to the quality of posts (ie: making them well thought out with care given to grammar). When you re-read the rules page it will make more sense to you. Double posting is also not allowed. Currently your thread is spam. I highly recommend that you re-read the rules before posting again, failure to follow the rules will result in the banning of your account. Your Mother, please do not add to the spam on the boards by replying to threads you know the moderators will lock. If you have any questions please feel free to PM myself or any of the other moderators. Again, I welcome you to the boards and I hope to see you posting around the site. Have fun! ~Panda

There are a couple of places that come to mind when thinking of funny town names. One is a small town in California that my hubby and I drive through on our yearly trek to Anime Expo. It's called Weed. We usually stop there to get gas for the car and they always have these shirts and things that say: "Get High in Weed". I have a magnet from there and bought a shot glass for my friend for her collection. The other place is in my home state of Washington. The town of George, Washington is about 1/2 an hour away from where I live. Every 4th of July they make this huge cherry pie to celebrate the holiday. I believe at one point, perhaps still today, they are in the record books for the largest cherry pie. The rumor is that the town of George, Washington is not named after the first president. It's supposedly named after the town founder's dog. :p

I need to make a clarification on what Mochi actually is. Mochi is a sweet rice cake normally eaten during the New Year's celebrations in Japan. It can be eaten plain or can come with a sweet bean paste inside of it. You can use it in soup, grill it or eat it as soon as you make it with some seaweed, soy sauce or other ingredients. Eating it fresh is my favorite since at the end of the year my family gets together to make mochi together so we have them for New Year's Day. As for what xxMissAsukaxx is referring too is the Mochi Ice Cream which comes in several different flavors. Unfortunately just asking what flavor is someone's favor is not going to develop into a discussion beyond what flavor is enjoyed. Make sure when beginning a new topic for discussion that there will be some actual discussion to follow and not just a simple one or two word response. Since I believe the topic will not develop responses besides what is their favorite flavor I am going to lock this thread. xxMissAsukaxx we also have a restriction on signatures. We ask that all members only use one image per member, per signature. Please delete two of your images. Thanks! If anyone has any questions on posting quality and/or the rules of the site please feel free to PM myself or any of the other moderators on the site. Thanks! -Panda

Welcome to the OtakuBoards Monkeyfeet63. As long as you follow the rules of the site, which can be viewed by clicking on the link in the menu to the left, you can start topics that will generate into quality discussions. Unfortunately this topic is not focused/directed towards a quality discussion amongst the members. The first post in a thread will help set the tenor of the discussion. As it stands now it appears to be more of a request for Stuart to meet up with you via AIM. Messages directed towards individual members should be sent to them via the PM system of the site versus using a thread in the forums. It is also important to make sure you post your topic in the correct forum. Discussions about the site, the rules or a particular issue of one of the forums should be posted in the Suggestions and Feedback forum and not the Otaku Lounge. If you have questions about the rules of the site please feel free to PM myself or any of the other moderators of the site. Thanks! -Panda

Since you mentioned that you want to post your art I am going to move this thread over to the Art Studio so it will be in the correct forum. ~Panda

I am totally with you guys when mentioning Grave of the Fireflies. The first time I saw it was with my husband and he told me that he will never watch it again since it was just too darn sad. I just wanted to reach through the screen and grab the kids and bring them into my home. No kids, no person regardless of age infact, should ever have to go though the suffering those two kids went though. Everything from [spoiler] the mean aunt (who I really hated), their mom dying after the fire bomb attack,[/spoiler] to the innocent things like the way they truly loved each other and the little candy tin Setsuko carried...it all made me teary eyed. Just thinking about it makes my heart sink. :animecry:

What can I say, I am such an old school anime fan that I have to say what has been said for over 20 years: Macross. Macross has a little bit of everything in it to be enjoyable to the masses. Romance, action, drama, comedy, sci-fi and of course some great mecha! It would definatly be a movie a guy to take his girl to since the romance in the movie would keep her happy while the action of the battles would keep any action movie guy happy. It's a win/win situation! The only major concern I have is the same of that of any rabid fan of an anime franchise. Will it be true to the original? Much talk has already floated around message boards about the changes to Evangelion. Names of characters, places and what not. If your favorite series or film were to be made into a live action would it still retain the same fire and feel as the original? Think about all the otaku Lord of the Ring fans or Harry Potter... they will find a million and one flaws in the movies since they are compairing them to the original, which is the books. What glaring mistake would the anime fan face when watching a live action version of their favorite series? I really would love to see a live action version of Macross but I am also very afraid to see what changes would occur if it were to ever be made.

I have mentioned this several times but I never get tired to talking about my special guy. No, not my husband. Charlie my stuffed horse. When I was in the hospital after a farming accident my parents bought me a little stuffed horse. I named him Charlie. I thought it was odd how the grown ups would giggle when I told them I had a Charlie Horse. (ha ha, get it, like the leg cramp.) Hey, I was 3 years old, I didn't know how punny it was. Anyway. Charlie has been with me since August 28, 1979...which makes him older than many of you reading this! He was with me when I was alone in the hospital room to the night of my rehearsal dinner for my wedding. Good times and bad he has always been there supporting me. Needless to say he is looking like he's getting on in years but that is to be expected for a horse of his age. I really should throw him a birthday party this year. After all, the day when he came into my life is fast approaching! I wonder if it was all the "veterinary care" (sewing up split seems, putting stuffing back in, etc.) I gave him over the years that lead me to a career in vet med? I guess I have him to thank for that too. Let me tell ya, I can suture up a wound like you wouldn't believe!

I have so many favorite quotes/sayings that mean something to me. I will just add a few that come to mind. [b]"Don't let too much time go by before telling him how you feel." Claudia Grant, Robotech. [/b] What I absolutely love about this quote is how true it can be. Relationships are so very stressful and it is especially so when you think you are in love with someone but can't find the nerve to do anything about it. For me it seems better to get things out in the open than wonder forever if you should have done something. At least if you did do something, like express your feelings, you can move on. Whether that is have them tell you to get lost or return the feeling. It's better than going on your entire life wondering "what if?". [b]"Maybe the hokey pokey really is what it's all about." Sign I saw at a friends house. [/b] I thought, hmm, perhaps this could be the answer to the meaning of life! Sometimes I think we take life way to seriously and need to step back and lighten up. What happens if life is really about having fun and all we did was stress over this, that and the other thing? It would seem really silly in the end to have wasted so much time on stressing over that stuff when we should have been enjoying the simple things in life. [b]"Any man who wishes to master the technique must bow to the Panda!" Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi. [/b] I just think it is great whenever pandas are mentioned in anything. I just think in this case it was especially wonderful since it demands that all give respect to the Panda! Now my minions! Bow down to the Panda! :p

Hi ladycathren! All anime related threads need to be posted in the Anime Lounge and not in the Otaku Lounge. Before starting a thread on a specific anime series be sure to check the Official Thread sticky at the top of the Anime Lounge forum. There you will find a link to the [URL=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=37304][u]Witch Hunter Robin Thread[/URL][/u] which you are more than welcome to join in and comment on the series. (The underlined text is also a link directly to that thread if you want to use that. :) ) If you have questions about posting rules please feel free to PM myself or any of the other moderators. I am going to lock this thread since it is in the wrong forum and there is already an existing official WHR thread in the Anime Lounge. -Panda Edit: oops! Looks like I took too long to type my response and Hack Helba moved this thread before I could lock it. Now it is up to the AL mods to decide the fate of this thread. Sorry! :animeswea On topic: I really love this series. I love to marathon it and play the series non-stop. I really like the tone and overall feel of the series. It is very somber and the dark hues used in the animation is very subdued. I really like the relationship between the members of the STN-J and the way Robin and Amon interact with each other. Definitely not the anime to watch if you want high action and lots of bright colors.

I got to see angela at Sakura-con this past April. They are really fan friendly. After their concert they set up a table, signed autographs and posed for pictures. They also sat with fans at the Guest of Honor dinner and chatted. I was one table away from them. It was really nice to see how fan friendly they were. Some Japanese artists are a bit stand-offish and wouldn't do that with the fans.

One of my girlfriends ended up giving up her son for adoption after becoming pregnant from a long term relationship. It was rapid fire bad events. He broke up with her, she was on her own, had to find a new place to live (actually lived with me for a few weeks) and figure out how to support herself while being pregnant with no health insurance. Adoption was the best route for her to choose. Needless to say this was a very difficult and heartbreaking decision, but the best one in her situation. Abortion was out of the question. She found an adoptive family who were perfect. They had a beautiful home, a couple of other children and were very caring and loving. They did an open adoption and were there supporting her through the entire pregnancy and beyond. Her son knows they all love him and want the best for him. He has 2 mommys and they both love him. Everything with his adoption is very open and honest. They send her flowers and pictures on Mother's Day and all the holidays. They invite her over for family functions and have become an extended family for her. It's really an amazing thing to see. There is just so much love and honesty that it's inspiring. Do to my health I will probably never have kids of my own. Maybe someday my hubby and I will be able to adopt and give a child a loving home. It is because of people who are willing to make this difficult decision to give their child up for adoption that people like myself can start a family.

I am totally fine with people using terms of endearment until you hear the lovey-dovey couple in the line at the grocery store calling each other saccrine sweet names...usually something ending in the letters "ie". You know, like Smookie-Pookie. Yikes, gives me cavities thinking about it! I use a few terms of endearment for my family. I call my mom and dad...mom and dad...unless I am joking around with them then they are mommy and daddy. My big brother's name is Hiroshi and I call him Hiro. My best friend Jennifer I call Jen. John I call Pup. Long story there and I am sure you guys don't want to hear it. My friend Kevin I call Kev. Pretty much I just shorten peoples names and call them that if I feel comfortable enough to do that. The only exception is my brother-in-law. His name is Nathan and I have never called him Nate. His friends do but I never have. Neither does John. It's weird. I think since John only calls his brother by his full name I do the same. As for me I only get called Panda. John gave me that nickname and now my friends refer to me by that name as well. The main focus of all my terms of endearment would be my dog Brynner. I call him Bun Bun, Boo Boo, Bear Buns, Boja Bos or Boo Bears. Sometimes when I am petting him I use them all one after the other. I know, I complain about those lovey-dovey couples yet I talk to my dog this way. I'm lame. LOL

Oh the creatures that use to live under my bed...I just know they had a taste for young Japanese girls. They were just waiting for me to dilly-dally and leave my legs hanging over the edge of the bed. Darn them!! Like many of you I had a fear of the things under my bed. When my parents use to tuck me in bed I had no problem since they would be in the room until they turned off the lights . Which of course means that I would be safely in my bed. After all we all know those monsters won't dare attack us while our parents are there to protect us. They need us alone and in the dark to make their move! When I started to turn off my lights then have to make the scary dash to bed I luckly had some help. I had this stuffed dog that I knew would protect me from the monsters under the bed. I would place him watching under the bed and he would keep the monsters from sneaking out. After he was on guard I could sleep peacefully all night since I knew there would be no way those monsters could sneak out.

I am all for LEGAL downloads. I have spent quite a few dollars on iTunes for songs. Many times there is just one song on an album I enjoy so being able to just buy the one I like for a dollar instead of the entire album that I don't want for $15 is something that works well for me. For instance I had this cheesy 80's song stuck in my head and wanted to buy it. I wasn't going to go out and buy the entire album for the one song, I just bought it on iTunes and life was good. This was a perfect system for me. I have never downloaded movies or anime of line. I have many friends who make their living in the entertainment industry and know what a hit they are taking from illegal downloads. I am not going to put my friends out of work just so I can save a couple of dollars. I wait and buy all legally licensed R1 DVDs when they are released here in the States. Plus, I prefer to watch movies and anime on the bigger screen of my television than on my computer monitor.

All and all I think I am pretty embarrassing. Most things that people would blush at or not do because they are too shy I am not. For instance: - Singing karaoke. I can't sing. I was in band in school NOT choir. I have no problems singing infront of people or in the car when I am driving. If I am in front of people I usually pick someone to sing too. Nothing like picking out someone who wants to hide in the back of the room and singing something like "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" to them! - Glomping anime voice actors and cosplayers. Most fans are content getting to see anime industry celebrities from a distance or even getting an autograph. Some people would be embarrassed to ask a stranger for a hug. Nope, not me. I need a hug. This last trip I took to AX there was a very nice Sanzo cosplayer who posed for a picture while I was glomping him. LOL - Watch anime and read manga. I know for you guys it really isn't that embarrassing, but I'm almost 30 and I would rather watch anime or read manga than be a "soccer mom". I don't have kids and I watch anime...I am sure there are people who think I need to grow up. :p - Speaking my mind. I sometimes say things just to get others around me to blush. At AX this year a group of friends and I got a room block at a hotel near the convention center. While a few of the guys were on a balcony I yelled a question at them. As I grabbed the bottom of my shirt I asked them if they would give me beads if I flashed them. They all turned bright red. I love flirting with guys who get embarrassed easily. :animenose Pretty much that is all that comes to mind right now. I am sure there is more but those are the more tame things I can talk about. ;)

Please do not resurrect long dead threads. The last time this thread was active was back in 2003! If you feel there is still discussion value in an old topic please feel free to start a new thread on the topic instead of bringing back an old thread. If anyone has questions on posting on the boards feel free to PM myself or any of the moderators on the boards. Thanks! -Panda

I have a name that causes some confusion. Gail Brightbill. People either think I am German or they think I am Native American (because of my dark hair and almond colored skin). No where in my name does it denote that I am Japanese. My husband's last name of Brightbill was originally Brechbiel but one of his ancestors changed it after moving to the United States to make it more "American". My hubby get's more confusion about his name than I do. The Brightbill/Brechbiel name is pretty common in the Pennsylvania area but not over here in the Pacific Northwest. Because of that he get's called Bill Bright alot. He hates getting called Bill. :animeangr

I am Japanese. I don't think I really need to put much more into that. I am about 5'2" tall, jet black hair, brown almond shaped eyes...you know, generic Japanese. Most of my family was born in Japan and moved here to the United States. I am one of the few members of my family born here in the States. I am married to an "All-American" boy. John's family has been in the States for ages and he is mostly of German heritage. Blonde hair, blue eyed all American boy. I love that his background has more than one nationality. I think it's really cool. Mind you I am very proud to be Japanese (no, not azn pride kind of proud) but having more than one nationality/race/heritage that you are a part of it very interesting to me. Very cool indeed. :animesmil

Japanese was my first language. My family is pretty old school and pretty much just speaks Japanese at home. If I wanted to understand my family I had to understand Japanese. This really wasn't much of a problem since I grew up with it. But starting school in the US was a challenge. My brother who is older than me had to take special English language classes so my parents made us kids start speaking only in English so we would do well in school. Unfortunately because of their desire for us to do well in school we slacked off on our Japanese and would always answer their Japanese with English (Hope that makes sense). I totally understand Japanese but my speaking is terrible since I have a really thick "American" accent. :animeswea Oh well. I do watch anime in the raw with my hubby and translate it for him. He is actually very quick at picking up new languages so he can pretty much hold his own when it comes to my family gatherings. With help from my family and learning Japanese text books he does really well. I guess after 10+ years of having my mom speak to him in Japanese he was bound to pick something up! LOL