About

*** As of January 4, 2016, I am done writing here at Annalyn's Thoughts. I will neither write here nor respond to your comments. See this goodbye post for more info, if you wish. It's time for me to focus on other writing projects. I'm still aniblogging at Beneath the Tangles, so if you want more of what you've found here, feel free to check out my column there—and I highly recommend checking out my co-bloggers' work while you're at it. ^_^ ***

About Me

The latest rendition of my profile picture. The background was
boring, so I messed with it. I'll continue to improve this over the
coming months (Jan. 2015).

Call me Annalyn. If I ever publish something and get famous, I'll probably tell you my real name. In the meanwhile, I'll be here, continuing to grow and write under a pseudonym originally meant for a fictional character.

I'm a student, and not just because I attend college. I love to learn about the world, about God, about anime... about connections. Do you realize how everyone and everything in eternity creates a giant network of ideas and events, all connected to the Creator Himself? I'm just at the beginning of my life, barely tapping into it all, and I'm sharing some of my thoughts about it here. I hope you'll add your own thoughts as well!

What to Expect

My posts vary in length and level of thoughtfulness. The majority are related to anime. I'm an open person, so I also write quite a bit about my struggles and my faith.

As of February 2015, I have begun transferring my focus to Beneath the Tangles, where I have an anime column titled "Annalyn's Corner." My posts over there tend to be deep ones about anime and faith. As a result, I don't have as much time to blog here, especially during the school year.

I used to post in one of the following categories every Friday, and if I ever have time, I'll add to them again:

Rewind posts: These are about anime that I've already completed. I started this category as a low-stress way to post every week. So some of these posts are really short. But if I have more time on my hands, or I'm feeling philosophical or sentimental, these posts can get longer.

Origins posts: Sometimes, whether for homework or fun, I research interesting things related to blogging, geekdom, or anime. This gives me a chance to share my findings with you. 

I started using this avatar (or, rather,
an early draft of this avatar) in summer
2013, when I started a blog-associated
Facebook page.

Swamped posts: Even if I'm swamped with studying or work, I try to post. I might use a poem or a picture, or I might give you a short, straightforward update on what's up in my life.

The Blog's History

My posts usually include anime nowadays, but it wasn't always that way. 

I began Annalyn's Thoughts my freshman year of high school, in the spring of 2008. Back then, I called it "A Writer's Thoughts." I wrote under the name "Liliannalissa." Yes, quite the name, I know. It belonged to the main character in the first novel-length story I wrote. Looking back, the names were quite... interesting, to put it nicely, and the writing clearly came from a much younger me.

My very first post shows how young I was, and how little I knew about computers. It's amazing to think how far I've come! Now, I'm the go-to person in my family for computer information, especially regarding the internet. 

Other things have changed, too. I discovered anime in 2009 with an episode of Naruto. Even now, when I hear the first Naruto opening theme, I remember sitting in the kitchen that summer, enchanted by this "new" form of entertainment. Still, I didn't write anything about anime until late 2010, and then only on my Anime-Planet account. My first anime-related post on here came in January 2011.

Since then, there have been ups and downs. I've been too anxious, too busy, or too distracted to write for months at a time. During those months, I've ignored the blogosphere altogether, including my favorite blogs. I've been more consistent with my posts since June 2013, although school still keeps me from reading as many blogs as I'd like.

I've joined Wattpad and shared my fiction. I've made those followers wait ridiculous amounts of time for updates, too... and then finished a novel that I'd like to revise and write a sequel to.

Lydia from Earl and Fairy was my
usual profile pic for a long time, starting
in 2010. I'm still transitioning from her
over four years later.

One thing hasn't changed over the years: I am a Christian. Jesus doesn't come up in all of my posts, just like He doesn't come up in all my real life conversations. But He is my Lord. If I say anything that misrepresents Him or hurts or confuses you, please tell me. He is perfect, but I am not. I am more prideful that I ought to be, but I pray that I am humble enough to accept correction when I need it.

You

Thank you for reading! Whether you've stopped by just this once or you're a return visitor, please know that your thoughts are always welcome on any of my posts. I trust you to keep it clean, of course. I haven't had any problems with that, but I know some bloggers have. If I must, I will remove your comment in order to keep my blog PG. Please don't make me do that. I really want to know what you think, and I'd hate for something like a few swear words to keep us from exchanging ideas.