A Long Overdue Goodbye

I haven't posted here since June. I started a long, sentimental goodbye post in the fall, but then I got distracted. So here I am.

The short version:

I'm officially done writing on this blog and officially done reading comments. If you want to check out more of my writing, see my column at Beneath The Tangles, where I write about anime and Christianity alongside a great team of fellow Christian anime fans.

The not-so-short version: 

I started this blog in May 2008. I was a freshman in high school, not even 15 years old yet. A lot has changed in the past 7.6 years. I started to struggle with depression and anxiety and continued to struggle with them until after I graduated high school in 2011. I was a train wreck, so I took a year off before college—which I started in the fall of 2012, as a math education major.

After trying various classes and thinking through my talents and dreams, I became a creative writing major at the end of 2013 (creative writing—stories and poems—is the reason I started this blog in the first place, but I later doubted that writing could have a big place in my life). Earlier in 2013, I started my first weekly column, and I generally kept to my blogging schedule here until I started a column at Beneath the Tangles in February 2015.

About a month ago, in December 2015, I graduated from college with a major in Creative Writing and a minor in Biblical Studies. I didn't get a ceremony yet—I'm walking with my classmates in the spring—but I've completed my undergraduate studies.

It's time to officially move on from Annalyn's Thoughts. But to what?

I'm still aniblogging. I post weekly at Beneath the Tangles—my column is called Annalyn's Corner. I love being part of the staff there. You can hear some of the reasons why in the latest podcast, if you want—it's easy to identify my voice, since the other four ladies at BtT weren't able to participate.

The links over on the "Connect with Me" page are still valid, too (as of this post, at least), so you can find me on Tumblr and Twitter if you want. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about my Facebook page for this blog. I might keep it going, just so I have a way to connect with Facebook folk and share my BtT blog posts without using my main account. We'll see.

Annalyn's Thoughts will always be dear to me, full of precious memories—like a combination of a physical location and a journal. I did a lot of growing up here, gained a lot of confidence, learned a lot... Someday, I may start a new blog. But I think it's important that, should that happen, it's a fresh start.

To those who have read my blog up until now: Thank you! I've really appreciated your support. It means a lot to me that you've taken time to read my writing and even comment on occasion. Thank you for your kind words over the years. Those of you who have commented are a part of some dear memories here, so special thanks to you.

Summer Goals Update

It turns out I can't balance work, volunteering, three weekly blog posts, a healthy lifestyle, and fiction writing. Go figure. I'm human, and my track record for balancing multiple things isn't great. I suspected this day would come, once I started my job. So I'm going to remove the column status for Summer Viewing and Summer Reading. When I have time, energy, and the material to write such posts, I'll do so. When I don't, I won't even bother with a Swamped post.

Anyway, here's an update on my reading, viewing, writing, etc. goals:

Summer Viewing: I still haven't continued Free! Eternal Summer. I plan to... but that's work to watch. I have to think in order to appreciate it, since appreciating it doesn't come naturally. I'm fairly caught up with all current sports anime—just a couple weeks behind on Daiya no Ace—and with Ore Monogatari. I'm also re-watching Hunter x Hunter (2011). Innocent Gon makes me smile, but when I think of what he goes through later... it's bittersweet.

Summer Reading: I'm still working on The Professor and the Madman. There were several pages, maybe a chapter, dedicated to the history of dictionaries. Yeah, it's pretty fun. No, that wasn't sarcastic.

Blogging: See first paragraph. But my column at Beneath the Tangles is going strong.

Fiction: I was supposed to start revising my screenplay at the beginning of this week. I haven't touched it. I have, however, started brainstorming new story ideas... barely. Yeah, this is one reason I'm letting go of some blogging.

Work: I scoop a lot of ice cream, make a lot of milkshakes... my right wrist was starting to make me nervous with twinges, but I've been careful, and I think it will be fine.

Volunteering: I'm over halfway done with the 120 hours I needed this summer!

Fixing sleep pattern: hahahahahaha... I keep saying it will happen, but nope. And I accepted a coffee from my coworker earlier this evening... whoops. At this rate, next semester's 9:00 am classes are going to be really, really hard for me. I know I have over two months to change, but still...

So yeah. That's what I've been up to. I knew my goals were a bit too lofty, but it was worth a shot. I'll probably drop in for Summer Reading and Viewing posts from time to time—just not weekly anymore. 

Thanks for reading! I hope your summers are going well. I know for some of you, it's probably just started. 

Summer Break Blogging Plans

It's already been over two months since my last post here... wow. I haven't gone that long without posting on here since spring of 2013. But I can't say I feel bad. In the past few months, I've had plenty of writing projects to keep me busy.

My column at Beneath the Tangles keeps me accountable to think more critically about anime and faith, and I enjoy it. I have a lot of freedom with where I take each post, but I usually end up going deep. On several occasions, my Saturday morning journal and prayer sessions have related to the next Monday's blog post. 

In other news, I turned in Draft 0.9 of my screenplay last week. I can't quite consider it the first draft, since several scenes are still just outlines. But I will finish it in the next few weeks! Then I'll set it aside for a couple weeks to let it cool off before I start revisions. This project started as homework, but now that the semester's over, I can take it as far as I want. I think it might work better as a book, so I'll probably rework it into novel form, starting later this summer. I might start a prequel, too. Thanks to the prewriting homework, I know the main characters' parents' generation pretty well. They intrigue me. After all, they're the ones who let the kingdom fall into so much evil.

So, that's part of my plan for the summer. But I have other plans, too, and I think I'll use this blog to keep me accountable to them. I'm such a terrible procrastinator, I have to be kept accountable even to fun things. 

1. I'll finally watch some of those anime I keep saying "I'll get around to" (Free: Eternal Summer, Psycho Pass, a few Miyazaki films...). Also, I'll get caught up and stay caught up on my sports anime (I had to let some of them go in order to focus on school). To that end, I hope to run a weekly column throughout break to keep me accountable. Maybe I'll title it "Anime Report." I'll tentatively schedule it for Fridays, but I can't set anything in stone until I know where and when I'll be working this summer.

The sticky note on the shelf is for anime: old shows to try or to
finish, shows I'm already following, and shows to re-watch.

2. I'm going to read. I already have two piles, labeled with sticky notes: "Summer Reading: Non-Fiction" and "Summer Reading: Fiction." The second sticky note also lists books I plan to check out from the library. Once such library book is The Name of the Wind, the first installation of the Kingkiller Chronicle. I just started re-reading it, and I plan to read its sequels. However, I need a little help re-awakening the bookworm in me. To that end, I'll start a weekly post series, in which I say something short about what I'm reading. 

3. I will write fiction! In addition to expanding and revising the screenplay I wrote about above, I hope to start brainstorming a new long story (I'm not sure if it will be a screenplay or a novel). Maybe I'll come up with something more lighthearted this time. I'll also refine a short story I wrote for a different class this past semester... and look into contest possibilities. I should probably write another short story this summer, too. 

I know I won't get to read and write everything I hope to. I need to get a job, after all, and I like to spend time with family. But I'll make a concerted effort, and blogging will help keep me accountable. So, here's a tentative blogging schedule... I'll at least hold to it this week:

Wednesday (tomorrow/tonight): Summer Reading. First up is The Name of the Wind. It will be a very short post, I think.

Friday (maybe 7ish PST): Anime Report. Don't know what will go on there this week, but I suspect it will involve a sports anime or three.

Monday afternoon: As usual, a post will go up in my corner at Beneath the Tangles.

We'll see how my volunteer hours and eventual job affect my plans in future weeks. 

What are your goals this summer? Do you have a to-read or to-watch list? Maybe we can plow through some of these titles together. 

Announcement: I'm Joining Beneath the Tangles!

Hey there, folks!

Next month, I'm going to start writing regularly for Beneath the Tangles. I am really excited about this. Seriously, you should have seen me walking around during the last couple days. Between agreeing to write for Beneath the Tangles and thinking about Kuroko's Basketball, I have been doing a lot of smiling... and giggling... and talking to any friend or family member who will listen.

I've written guests posts for Beneath the Tangles before, and in September, I even participated in their podcast. But this time, I'm signing on as a staff writer. I'll have a column (possibly biweekly, but I'm planning on weekly), and I'll be able to write at other times throughout the week as I have the time and inspiration. 

What does this mean for Annalyn's Thoughts? 

I'm going to shift my focus from this blog to Beneath the Tangles. My posts there will take priority. I will not abandon this blog entirely, but my regular Rewind/Swamped posts won't be as regular anymore. Eventually, they might trickle to a stop. It's not reasonable to expect myself to keep a schedule on two blogs... not if I want to maintain my GPA and sanity.  

What, exactly, will you write there?

I'm not bringing "Rewind" and "Swamped" over there, but other than that, it will be similar to what I write here. I'll write about anime and be myself while I do so... Though I'll probably take a little more time to edit, and I'll actually plan ahead. The change of scene will affect my topics a bit, but overall? I'm me, and anime is anime. 

When do the changes begin? 

Our plan is for me to start my column at Beneath the Tangles by the last week of February. That means there's still almost a month before things really start to change. I'll remind you, both here and on social media, when the time comes. In the meantime, I will continue my Friday(ish) posts here.

Why are you so excited about this?

First, because Beneath the Tangles, and TWWK/Charles in particular, encouraged and influenced me when I started aniblogging. Second, I admire the way TWWK and the rest engage online anime fans, both Christians and non-Christians, in conversation. I have been on the receiving end of that ministry. It's long been my prayer that, somehow, God could use my writings to minister to others to even a fraction of the extent that Beneath the Tangles has. So, obviously, I'm beyond excited and honored to step onto this blogging platform and write alongside my brothers and sisters in Christ.

A longer answer: 

I can't imagine aniblogging without knowing about Beneath the Tangles. When I tell offline folk about what I do online, and why it's important to me, Beneath the Tangles inevitably comes up. It shows up in my essays, too—even one for Literary Criticism, since I practiced critiquing (analyzing and interacting with) anime long before I thought about critiquing written literature. 

When I was seventeen, just beginning to explore the community of online anime fans, I started to write reviews and blog posts on Anime-Planet. I used what other people wrote on Anime-Planet as reference, and I learned a lot. But other A-P reviews didn't encourage me to bring my faith into how I thought about anime. I was starting to connect anime and my faith in my journalling time, but I was ready to for more. That's when I met TWWK in the A-P forums and started following Beneath the Tangles. 

TWWK was the first person I found to model a Christian approach to anime and the online community. My pastors never brought up anime, forums, or blogs when they reached the application part of their sermons. My parents, who were (and still are) two of my most important models for the Christian walk, weren't online in the same way I was. I had to apply Biblical concepts to my new hobbies on my own. It wasn't entirely impossible, but it wasn't ideal, either. We are meant to work out our faith in community, to support each other, and to teach each other through both action and word. As a teen and a new aniblogger, I needed encouragement and examples. TWWK and Beneath the Tangles provided that. Plus, I discovered other Christian-based aniblogs through Beneath the Tangles. 

Over the past four years, I've watched Beneath the Tangles grow. The site gained more bloggers, each bringing their own valuable insight to the table. The ministry extended across other media, too, such as Tumblr. Last August, Japesland, one of BtT's bloggers, started hosting "The Tangles" podcast once a month. Throughout all the changes, the folks at Beneath the Tangles continue to speak truth and love. I know I'm not the only one who has been both encouraged and challenged by what they have to say.

So yeah, that's why I'm so excited to join Beneath the Tangles. 

Readers, thank you for sticking around. I know some of you just started reading my blog in the last couple months. The fact that you spend time reading my posts means a lot to me. I appreciate every one of you, and I've enjoyed connecting with each of you as you've commented or otherwise reached out to me. I'll keep posting something here at Annalyn's Thoughts, and I hope you'll stick with me through this transition. If you haven't already checked out Beneath the Tangles, then don't wait for my first post! You'll find a lot of great posts and resources over there, and I encourage you to check them out.

Replay: Top Ten Posts of 2014

Halfway through 2013, I committed to blogging at least once a week. So far, I've (barely) managed to keep that commitment... although I had to push the designated blogging day from Thursday to "sort

Three of this year's most popular posts are
also, at the time of this writing, the most
popular this week. It doesn't always happen
that way.

of Friday night, depending on where you live." Thus, 2014 represents my first full year of weekly blogging. In the past year, some new readers have popped up and said hello in comments. I want to thank all of you, no matter how long you've known about my little blogspot, for the time you've given to read my thoughts. It means a lot.

Anyway, here are 2014's ten most popular posts.

1. Sports Anime: The Favorites, the Blahs, and What Defines Them (May 21, 2014)

If you've stuck around my blog for very long, you know that I'm a sports anime fan. This post gives my (now outdated) ranking of sports anime, complete with explanations. I also included a list of qualities I look for in a good sports anime. Since I posted this, my rankings have changed a little. For example, I've re-watched Cross Game and Big Windup!, so I now remember how great those are. 

This post jumped in popularity thanks to Lauren at Otaku Journalist. She puts together weekly lists of geeky links. One week, she was searching for a sports anime-related link to include. She announced this on Twitter, I gave her a link to this post... and ta-da! Instant popularity. I knew Lauren's blog was popular, but the number of people who checked out this post gives me a better idea of just how popular she is. I'm thankful she decided to include my post among her links!

2. Rewind: Clannad (January 4, 2014) 

When I write Rewind posts, I often just reference my memories, old posts, or any recommendations I might have written on Anime-Planet. This time, I decided to change things up: I embedded my Tweets about Clannad into my post. People seemed to really like the result. My Tweets show my evolution from a skeptic to a fan. I wrote my post about Clannad After Story the same way, but it didn't gain the same kind of popularity.

3. Gon's Dark Version of Redemption (May 28, 2014)

Four of my post popular posts this year were about Hunter x Hunter. I guess that shouldn't be surprising. It's a great anime, and it just finished this past year. Plus, these were some of my deeper posts this year. "Gon's Dark Version of Redemption" has spoilers for episode 131. 

4. Divine(ish) Characters Clash in Hunter x Hunter (May 13, 2014)

5. Anime-Planet Just Got Even Better (February 28, 2014)

Anime-Planet teamed up with Crunchyroll, Hulu, and others, so we could watch anime without leaving A-P. I was pretty excited about the idea of my favorite anime websites teaming up. I haven't actually used the video streaming feature on Anime-Planet that much, but I liked the idea. And when my post was shared on the Anime-Planet Facebook page, I got a few more views than usual.

6. Hunter x Hunter and Moral Sides (May 7, 2014)

I'm no longer happy with this title, but it's too late to change it now, so oh well.

7. So Swamped, I Forgot to Post (April 19, 2014)

I'm reluctant to include this link. I watched incredulously as this post gained views. It's just a filler Swamped post. Doesn't even have a picture to search for in Google. Really, guys? Did you really want to read this? 

This is a screenshot of Killua, Gon, and Pitou during one of the most
memorable scenes of Hunter x Hunter. I won't explain, for fear of spoilers,
but this scene impressed me. (ep 116)

8. Despite Suspense Abuse, Hunter x Hunter Develops Well (February 26, 2014)

There was a point, at the very beginning of 2014, where I got annoyed with Hunter x Hunter's pacing. I felt that suspense was overused. Around episode 116, the anime seemed ready to pick up again, and I wrote this post.

9. An Introvert's Guide to Boundaries and Friendship Behavior (July 2, 2014)

The title of this post plays on an anime title, The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior. I'm glad this post was popular enough to land on this list. It was used as a talking point on Beneath the Tangles' second podcast. I had fun discussing both anime and introversion with Japesland and Kaze.

10. Rewind: Brother's Conflict (February 7, 2014)

Before you bother watching Brother's Conflict, read my post. Or read another review. Or at least consider these few sentences to be your warning.

---
And that's it! I had honorable mentions, but I decided to leave them out. If you're interested in last year's top ten posts, click here.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Origins: Blogs (Part 3—Conversational Writing and Conclusion)

This is the last of a three-part series on the history and nature of blogs. In the first post, I wrote about blogs' early history and popularity growth. The second post included research from linguists (language scholars) about blogs' genres and grammar. This last section, excerpted and slightly modified from a research paper, covers the conversational elements of blogs before, and then concludes the series.

- - - 

Blogs are more personal and casual than most printed work. They are also more interactive, which is why many bloggers and academics refer to "conversation" in the blogosphere. Eric E. Peterson, a professor of Communication and Journalism at the University of Maine, finds this description troubling. He explores the topic in his 2011 article for Language@Internet, "How Conversational are Weblogs?" He acknowledges that bloggers often use a conversational tone, but cautions that the interactions on and between blogs do not truly constitute conversations. [Because, obviously, there is only one definition of "conversation," and we all know that the meanings of words are set in stone and never evolve at all… oh, wait.]

Unlike face-to-face conversations, blogs are non-linear and discontinuous in contact (Peterson). Responses to posts and comments are not immediate, and certainly not simultaneous. Bloggers write their posts uninterrupted by their audience's feedback, and if clarification is needed, it must happen across posts. Similarly, the context around posts is not immediate, but instead something that "both writers and readers must work to produce," usually by writing and reading serval posts over time.[I'd like to add that, in the aniblogosphere, our context grows with anime, other blogs and news sites, Twitter, and whatever else we share in our online experiences.]

While blog content is not a conversation, it is still conversational. Bloggers are writing to a large audience, but by using a conversational tone, they reach individuals in a more personal way. This attracts and keeps readers. It's not a new strategy, as Peterson points out. For decades, radio personalities have amassed listeners by speaking in a "for-anyone-as-someone" way, as if they were sitting down with each listener individually. Bloggers adopt an informal, frank style that readers perceive as "authentic, direct, and truthful" (Peterson). Of course, frankness, whether spoken or written, does not automatically confer honesty. But the popular perception remains. As a result, blogs attract millions of readers, many of whom feel a personal connection to their favorite, conversational bloggers.

The blogosphere has come a long way since the first online diaries of the 1990s. They vary widely in genre, purpose, and author. Blogs, though clearly a written form, have aspects of speech in their language. They are informal, even conversational, in style. They are not subject to the standardization process experienced by most published material, and their syntax and grammar reflects that.

- - -

So, there you have it. As bloggers and blog-readers, we're part of a form of communication so interesting, it's a topic of much conversation study and discussion among linguists. It took a while before they could all agree that the "blog" is a medium, not a genre. But even the slowest of them eventually arrived at that conclusion. And some of them think our often unconventional grammar is fascinating. Basically, they recognize that all of us in the blogosphere are part of something linguistically awesome. Or something like that. 

- - - 

Sources:

Peterson, Eric E. "How Conversational are Weblogs?." Language@Internet 8 (2011): n. pag. Web. <http://www.languageatinternet.org/articles/2011/Peterson>

Origins: Blogs (Part 2—Linguists, Genres, and Grammar)

Over a month ago, I posted about blogs' basic history. Most of the post was excerpted from a research paper I turned in last semester, called "The Linguistics of Blogs." You might want to check that out before reading this, but you don't have to. I'd like to share more of the same paper today. Did you know that, in the past, some linguists tried to shove blogs under the diary genre? I think that they all know better now. It's interesting to read their studies and articles—they think so hard about blogs, which I now consider to be a natural part of my life.

The rest is excerpted, with slight edits, from my essay.

- - - 

Blogs meld historical means of communication with modern technology. The result is unique, but some have still tried to fit it in more traditional categories. Many, especially in the blogosphere's early days, considered blogs to be a development of the personal diary. Laurie McNeill's 2005 article "Genre Under Construction: The Diary on the Internet" is based on the premise that blogs are "simply another kind or function of the diary genre, one particularly well-suited to contemporary diarists" (McNeill 6). Certainly, there are similarities. Like diaries, blogs have dated entries, which usually appear in chronological order. And many blogs do fit into the diary genre. In 2006, David Crystal wrote that the genre, which shows "a narrative account of events in a blogger's daily life… has been the fastest area of blog growth since 2001" (Language and the Internet 242).

However, blogs cannot be confined to a single genre. Crystal proposes a spectrum of blog purposes, with personal diaries on one end and corporate or institution-based blogs on the other end (Language and the Internet 240). Blogs can be written by one person or many, and some are run by companies. They may have no central theme, or they may focus on certain hobbies or political positions.

[At this point, most of you are probably thinking, "well, duh." But stick with me. A group of academics recently completed a study to prove that there are multiple blog genres… yes, it sounds like proving that  not all fruits are apples, but they took it very seriously. Read on.]

Last December, Dr. Alex Primo, Gabriela Zago, Erika Oikawa, and Gilberto Consoni of The Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul published a blog theme study in Discourse and Communication. In this study, they developed 36 subcategories of themes found in a sample of almost 7,000 posts. A few of the most common themes were technology, politics, mass media, and visual arts (352). The study only used Brazilian posts, but its broader conclusion applies across cultures in the blogosphere: blogs are more varied in theme than ever. "The online practice of self-expression" is no longer a sufficient model for explaining blogs. Further, "The view of blogs as a genre is also misleading, as it confuses medium and genres" (Primo et al. 355).

While blogs cannot be confined to any genre, the diary genre does show its linguistic freedom most clearly. Unlike traditionally printed work, blogs contain "freely written prose," untouched by standardization and editors. In his Internet Linguists: A Student Guide, David Crystal notes that syntax online is generally the same as offline, which some evolution according to the new mediums, or "outputs," as he calls them. He does, however, single out blogging as an output  where "some interesting syntactic developments could be taking place" (67). 

Crystal writes, "It is a syntax that reflects the way writers think and speak." Standard sentence divisions rarely come naturally in thoughts. Thus, "there is the unconstrained use of the dash to mark a change in the direction of thought, ellipses to show incompleteness, and the use of commas to mark pauses in rhythm" (68). At the same time, bloggers may leave out punctuation they consider unnecessary or troublesome, such as apostrophes. The grammar is unconventional, but present (69). A few similar styles appear in literature, such as James Joyce's stream of consciousness writing, but that is the limit. 

Even Joyce's work endured a level of editing and standardization. With blogs, however, there is no filter between author and reader except what they put there themselves. This kind of free, unmediated publication was normal in the Middle Ages, before standardization. In Language and the Internet, Crystal refers to "the spontaneous letter-writting of the late Middle Ages, for example, or some of the manuscript accounts of law-court proceedings…" Then, in the later part of the 1700s, grammar and usage manuals rose to power. These institutionalized "standard language," which became totalitarian "when publishers developed copy-editing procedures to ensure that their newspapers, magazines, and books conformed to an in-house style" (Language and the Internet 245). Of course, bloggers are not free from the influence of standardized English, and even the least conventional posts contain elements learned in school and recreational reading. And there are bloggers who "would be mortified if their text appeared in the blogosphere with a missing apostrophe" (246). Still, no matter what kind of grammar bloggers use, blogs, especially personal ones, stand separate from printed work in an important way: they are "a variety of writing intended for public consumption, which appears exactly as the author wrote it, which is not constrained by other genre conventions, and which privileges linguistic idiosyncrasy" (246). 

- - -

There's another small section of my blog linguistics paper, but this is enough for now. When I first researched this, I couldn't help but think of my own blogging habits, as well as some of the blogs I like to read. A lot of what Crystal said about ellipses and dashes is right on track. He didn't mention strikethrough, a formatting device that I've seen bloggers use for a humorous touch (or other purposes), and which is not replicable in spoken communication. But I can't expect his books to cover every cool way bloggers communicate. 

And so, another Origins post is finally done and posted. I hope you find this information at least half as interesting as I do.

- - -

Sources:

Crystal, David. Language and the Internet. 2 ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University, 2006. Print.

Crystal, David. Internet Linguistics: A Student Guide. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2011. Print.

McNeill, Laurie. "Genre Under Construction: The Diary on the Internet." Language@Internet 2 (2005).

Origins: Blogs

I take blogging for granted. But, when you think about it, it's a pretty special medium. Many of us have found a sort of community in, or at least connected to, the blogosphere. We express ourselves in unique ways, through words, pictures, links, and videos, without going through an editor or another mediator. Some bloggers find a huge audience worldwide, and some just pique the interest of a handful of readers--but it's the right handful.

Last month, I mentioned a research paper about "blog linguistics." I learned a lot about the history and character of blogs, and I found it very interesting. I figure that some of you, especially those of you who blog, might be interested, too. The next few paragraphs are a modified portion of my final paper. The modifications include in-text linking to any online sources. Honestly, this just scrapes the surface of what I learned. The really interesting stuff came later in the paper, but I don't have time to post all of that tonight. I hope you're interested enough to want more, because I'd like to continue in two weeks.

---

About nineteen years ago, before the word blog existed, website owners began adding "diaries" to their sites. Now, there are over 152 million blogs online (Gaille). In 1997, the word weblog appeared, coined by Jorn Barger on his Robot Wisdom Weblog. The term usually applied to "daily lists of annotated links to other sites, without extended commentary or personal narratives," but it soon absorbed online diaries into its definition as well (McNeill 2). In 1999, Peter Merholz used the phrase we blog in the sidebar on his site, and blog quickly became used as both noun and verb. Blog hosting tools like Blogger appeared the same year, opening the blogosphere to anyone with access to the Internet, including those without HTML skills or money (Language and the Internet 239). Example: Me and this blog.

As is usually the case with Internet technology, blogs evolved at a fast pace, especially once coding skills were no longer required to create them. When David Crystal wrote his first edition of Language and the Internet in 2000, blogs weren't even on his radar. Five years later, he dedicates half a chapter of his second edition to the topic. By 2003, Crystal writes, an estimated 1-3 million active blogs were online, and some estimated that the number doubled every six months. Two years later, estimates rose, commonly citing 12-15 million blogs, with 4.5 million new ones sprouting within four months. Only about one fifth of these blogs remained active, but when one blog died, many more took its place (Language and the Internet 246). In the eight years since Crystal published his second edition of Language and the Internet, the blogosphere has grown even more, to include over 150 million blogs.

Blogs give a voice to individuals who normally don't have one in the public sphere. Some hold controversial opinions that would not survive the moderating mandated in printed journalism. Most lack the influence and resources to publish their work in print. Now, a new range of perspectives on important topics has a chance to be heard by the public. For example, deployed soldiers and Iraqi civilians have contributed to debate over the war on terrorism (Language and the Internet 241). 

My sources didn't explore fandom blogging at all, let alone aniblogging. But it's hard for me to imagine anime fandom without this kind of outlet for expression and debate . . . 

aaannnd . . . I am out of time. Internet connection failed me for a minute, so it will probably be Saturday everywhere in the US except Hawaii by the time I get this up. Sorry for the lateness.

---

Sources:

Crystal, David. Language and the Internet. 2 ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University, 2006. Print.

Gaille, Brandon. "How Many Blogs are on the Internet." WPVirtuoso. N.p., 20 Nov. 2013. Web. 28 Apr. 2014. <http://www.wpvirtuoso.com/how-many-blogs-are-on-the-internet/>.

McNeill, Laurie. "Genre Under Construction: The Diary on the Internet." Language@Internet 2 (2005): n. page., Web. 28. Apr. 2014. <http://www.languageatinternet.org/articles/2005/120>.

Guess what? Blogs have "Unique Linguistic Character"

Okay. That's it. I can't take it anymore. I need to write.

I'm researching blogs for an English class, and I can't stop thinking about my experience in the blogosphere. It makes me want to read aniblogs and write, even though I really don't have the time. So, here. I'm rebelling against my responsible self for just a few minutes. I want to write and share my reactions to what I'm researching, and I want to take longer than 140 characters (those of you on Twitter have seen some of my thoughts).

That top book's useful, along with one I'm
renting on Kindle, Internet Linguistics: A
Student Guide.

To my amusement, some of the academic articles - even recent ones - refer to blogs as "weblogs." This is their fuller and older name, and rarely used outside of these kinds of articles. I suspect that these scholars are out of touch with their subject, despite their good insights. Then again, perhaps they must translate from informal lingo to academic-ese for the sake of their fellow academics' comfort and understanding.

I have, however, found one very well-informed author, David Crystal, who uses more common terminology. I'm using a couple of his books. He acknowledges the diverse ways blogs are used, unlike some, who can't seem to move beyond the diary analogy (granted, some of what I've read is quite old in internet time, but Crystal recognized the diversity even back in 2006). He appears to be on of only a handful of experts on Internet Linguistics (that is, the study of language as used on the Internet).

Crystal and others say blogs have "unique linguistic character." Our posts can't be fit into the same box as most printed writing, and, obviously, blogging isn't the same as speech, even though we love to use words like "say" and "conversation" for what we're doing. So blogs require a separate analysis... as do other forms of Netspeak - which I've been able to read a little about.

Oh, and by the way - did you see my use of ellipses and a dash in the sentence above? Yeah, linguists find that kind of thing notable, 'cause it's so different from what gets into standardized print.

I'm having fun with this research... but the 6-8 page paper is due in less than 22 hours, and I haven't even finished the pre-writing stage. And there are other things due tomorrow, too, so I'd better get back to work.

So Swamped, I Forgot to Post

Wow, this is a first. I completely forgot to write a Rewind post, and Friday is now over. My apologies for the lateness... I actually had a few spare moments to write, too. Well, sort of. It's probably good that I forgot. I have a huge research paper due next Friday, and I haven't even done the research for it. Other homework demanded my attention the last couple weeks. And other homework continues to demand my attention. So, really, writing a post would have been an unwise use of my time and brain energy. 

In a couple weeks, I'll be on summer vacation. Finally, I'll be able to write more! I'll need to read several weeks' worth of other people's blogs, too, to see what I've been missing. I look forward to it. In the meanwhile... there's sleep. And homework. And I need to spend some time journalling, too. When I'm stressed, I need to sit with my journal and my Bible even more than usual, and I haven't set aside the time. Plus, it's Easter weekend. That should give me extra motivation to get my priorities straight.

Anime-Planet Just Got Even Better

I know it's Rewind day, but I'm putting that post on hold in order to make a special announcement. I'm a little late on the ball, so many of you already know this: Anime-Planet now streams full episodes of anime thanks to a partnership with Crunchyroll.

I'm watching Naruto Shippuden on Anime-Planet. I never
thought this day would come, but it has.

Just in case you aren't aware, Anime-Planet is one of my favorite websites. I talk about it so much, it has its own tag here on my blog. It's a great way to keep track of what I watch and to get and give recommendations. But it's more than a tool; it's a community, and a very important part of my online history.

I don't hang out in the forums there anymore; I got busy with real life and elsewhere on the web. I also got bashful about returning after leaving so suddenly. Still, if it weren't for Anime-Planet, this blog wouldn't be what it is today. That website introduced me to online community. Just like a physical place, that website has become a part of who I am, a source of nostalgia, warm fuzzy feelings, and an occasional wince when I remember awkward moments.

That's why I try to make recommendations at least on occasion, and why I rely heavily on ratings, recs, reviews, and blogs by Anime-Planet users when I'm considering an anime. It's why I follow Anime-Planet on Facebook and Twitter, and why I'm excited to give what help I can to promote the new feature.

The full press release is on Anime-Planet, with follow up from the overlord, Sothis, so I'll just comment on a few things.

On the Feature Itself

I like that I only need to go to one website for most of my anime needs. When I go to Crunchyroll, I usually have Anime-Planet open at the same time, anyway. I also like that as soon as I watch the latest Daiya no Ace or Tonari no Seki-Kun, my list will update. I've often wanted to update my anime list, only to find that Anime-Planet hadn't registered the latest episode count. This should help with that.

There is one hiccup I've found, though. The video on Anime-Planet doesn't have the same options listed for quality. That doesn't matter if you're not a Crunchyroll premium member or have consistently good internet speed. I do have an anime membership, and I get 1080p streaming automatically. My internet can't always support that quality, especially when there are other people at home using the network. If I want a smooth viewing experience, I often have to go down to 480p. I can't make that change when watching on Anime-Planet, so I won't get to make full use of this feature.

Still, overall, this looks great! And there's a link directly below each video to the anime's discussion thread. This may coax me back into the forums. While I do comment on Crunchroll videos from time to time, those comments aren't a good way to discuss much.

A Couple More General Notes

Anime-Planet is a site by anime fans, for anime fans, and it shows. Kim Cameron, better known to most of us as Sothis, is the founder and overlord of Anime-Planet. Yes, overlord. The press release says "CEO," but that brings to mind long polished conference tables in skyscrapers, people in stuffy suits, profit, and big corporations... none of which describes Anime-Planet.

Profit is not the goal of this site, and it's clear in the little courtesy things. For example, Sothis doesn't assume that we want everything automatically updated for us. Everything is opt-in. This applies to connection with Twitter (you know how some websites automatically tell Twitter everything you do, until both you and your followers are annoyed and you finally disconnect your Twitter account? Yeah, Anime-Planet does not do that - so I've connected my account without fear of abuse). And it applies to the new feature, too: we can choose for our "watching" lists to automatically update when we watch Crunchyroll videos, or we can stick to our manual ways.

Sothis is the chief developer of this website, and she integrated Crunchyroll with A-P with help of only two other people, one in particular, known as Xesxen. This took a long time, and she's been giving us hints of a big change for a long time. She's been great about communicating without giving away the secrets. I've been curious about the update since months ago, when we could no longer scroll through character lists on each anime's profile page (now, we have to click "see all characters"). More recently, she gave us a visual hint on Facebook. I'm sure she enjoyed watching our guesses and mounting excitement. The hint showed a corner of a Crunchyroll video player, and I suspected that Anime-Planet would be able to give us full episodes. Still, it's so different than anything this site has offered, I told myself not to assume anything. Congratulations, Sothis, you have successfully surprised your users, to put it mildly.

The most amazing thing? This isn't even close to the end of it. Check out what Sothis said at the end of the announcement:

"As the press release hints at, we have some really exciting stuff coming up in the future. We originally planned to hold some of it back until the big redesign was done, but as that's still some months away, we'll likely have another big announcement to make shortly. Stay tuned, and thanks as always for your support of A-P!"

Part of me is wary of big change because, well, I'm a little emotionally attached to this place. But I've decided to trust Sothis, and I'm very excited to see what comes next!

ABC Award

Judge (Nick Kwan) of Moar Powah! nominated me for this award two weeks ago (read his ABC list here). I decided to participate... and then I realized how hard it actually is to write 26 things about myself using letters of the alphabet. I mean, I like writing about myself. I blab about myself all the time, but this was still difficult. Thus, the long delay in posting.

Anyway, here are the rules. I'm actually going to follow the "nominate" rule this time, even though I'm normally too shy to do that kind of thing. I spent a lot of time on this, so I can't let the chain end!

1. Download the award logo and add it to your acceptance post.

2. Nominate a few fellow bloggers and share the award.

3. Since the award is ABC, take each letter of the alphabet and use it to tell something about yourself.

Annalyn's Alphabet

A is for Anime-Planet. I talk about this website a lot, partially because it introduced me to the online anime community, and partially because it's useful. It might not have the most comprehensive collection of anime information, but it's still the site I go to the most, whether it's to get anime recommendations, make recommendations, or simply keep track of what I'm watching.

B is for blogosphere. I love that word. And twitterverse, and aniblog, and fangirl, and otakudom, and all the words that fans have adopted and merged to describe things in their world. I'm in a class about the English language right now, and we've discussed the development of language and the way words are changed and added over time. When the professor asks for examples of compound words, I want to say, "fangirl! fanservice! fanart!" When he asks about vogue affixes, I answer, "-dom is popular! Otakutom, geekdom, fandom..." He asks how the word "complex" has changed over time, and I immediately think about brother and sister complexes. I love the vocabulary I see used, so it's hard not to talk about it in class... I'm pretty sure everyone in that class would count me as an anime geek. Oh, and that's another thing - not everyone sees "geek" as a compliment! 

C is for Creative Writing. Part of the way through last semester, I finally switched my major to English: Creative Writing. I'd been messing around with undeclared, Business: Information Systems, and Math Education. I even thought I might enjoy history and perhaps a political science major. I finally came to my senses and realized that what I love to do could actually be a part of my studies and my future career. I have two English classes this semester, and I'm enjoying them. 

This is my first time taking out my pastels in a long time. I enjoy
this. Especially when, like now, I'm procrastinating on homework.

D is for Dango. I have never had a Japanese dango, but after watching Clannad and Clannad After Story, I sing about them every day. So far, I have the first five lines of "Dango Daikazoku" memorized. By the time I finished writing this post, I only had two and a half lines left to memorize. Of course, I'm learning the shortened ED version, so that it seems less overwhelming. Yes, I know this isn't impressive. But I don't speak Japanese, I'm not an auditory learner, and I don't make a habit of memorizing songs, even in English. The only other songs I have purposefully set out to memorize since middle school choir will come up under H. Also, I really like to draw members of the Dango Daikazoku. 

E is for Elements of Style. This is one of my favorite handbooks on grammar. I haven't carried it around or referenced it as much lately. That probably isn't a good thing. Now that I'm an English major, I should be relying on it and similar resources more than ever.

F is for fan. This is what I call myself: an anime fan. "Otaku" seems to imply a little more obsession than I have, and I feel it would be presumptuous of me to take the title on. Similarly, I'm not sure I qualify as a "geek," even though I identify with "geek" culture. People from real life don't typically peg me as a geek or even an anime fan. Apparently, I'm good at blending in (maybe it's because I like makeup, and I'm too much of a tightwad to spend money on clothes with anime-related prints). Then, of course, they get me talking, and then I'm pretty sure they think I'm obsessed (they clearly haven't met any true otaku, or any of the people online who awe me with their knowledge).

G is for Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet. This wasn't a top favorite anime of mine, but I did write one post on it over the summer. Another post idea has been floating through my mind ever since I first watched it. I can't shake the picture of all those Hideauze babies, and I know I'll eventually have to write a post related to it, even if it leads me down a controversial path.

H is for Horrible Histories. I discovered this BBC show via YouTube, and I can't tell you how many hours I've spent looking up the shorts and music videos clipped from this show. Thanks to Horrible Histories, I now know all the monarchs of England since William the Conqueror (which is sad, considering I couldn't list all the presidents of my own country, especially not in order). I've also memorized George IV's song, and most of Richard III's (hey, I had to sing something under my breath while I washed tables at work). When our history class covers a topic mentioned in one of the Horrible Histories songs, I post the video on Facebook.

I is for Imagination. I like to imagine characters of mine in the everyday scenes around me. I know Lila would be sitting quietly to the side, perhaps chatting with those around her, while her brother stood nearby, wishing he was somewhere else. Also, coming up with something for all 26 letters of this alphabet is taking imagination. 

J is for Jesus. He's too important in my life not to be mentioned. He's the best man a girl could ask to have in her life, and as one with the Father, he's the only God worthy of the title. Even though I often disobey and ignore him, he's faithful, and our relationship continues to grow. Even now, He's watching me type this, and I like to think He's smiling.

Season 2, episode 6: Kuroko does something awsome (again)

K is for Kuroko's Basketball, one of my favorite currently airing anime. I get pretty excited during Seirin High's games.

L is for Long. This post is taking me a very, very long time to finish.

M is for Math Education. When I started college a year and a half ago, I was a math ed major. I was absolutely positive I wanted to teach math. Then I decided I didn't want to teach after all, which meant I didn't have any use for more math classes. I switched to a double major - math (because I wasn't ready to let go) and Business: Information Systems. I soon realized that, while I honestly enjoyed my economics class, buisiness wasn't for me.

N is for Naruto. Yeah, I know that was too easy. If you're new to this blog, I'll fill you in: Naruto is what got me started on anime fandom back in the summer of 2009. I still follow Naruto Shippuden, finding what joy I can in the fillers and fangirling over the main plot. However, I have not seen any of the movies, and I've only read the first volume of the manga. The movies and the manga are harder to legally get my hands on, especially since I don't want to spend the money on it. One of these days, I'll probably watch some of the movies. 

O is for okay, or O.K. I like to spell the word "okay" out when I'm writing. I feel like OK interrupts the flow of things. It's like a bright, blinking orange sign in the middle of a peaceful garden tea. But it's not wrong. In fact, since OK stands for oll korrect, it's perfectly proper to slam those two initials in the middle of an otherwise lovely paragraph. So I can't get all fussy about that when I edit, unless someone tries to use both "OK" and "okay" in the same work. I might consider "OK" to be an eyesore, but it's a matter of taste - just like zebra stripes or lawn gnomes. 

P is for Princess. Sometimes, I pretend I am a princess. I tell myself stories of adventure and romance as I lay in bed at night. I'm not a princess as often anymore. At least, I'm not one in my stories. Outside of my stories, I'm a princess and I know it. Not just the type that sits in the tower (although I have a story for that, believe me), but any type of princess I want to be.

Q is for Queen, which naturally comes after princess. Actually, I feel a little silly for not noticing this lovely fact before. Sure, it's a coincidence that Princess starts with "P" an Queen starts with "Q," but I still find this interesting.

Ground beef, pees, carrots, spinach, beef ramen, and one egg.
Delicious.

R is for Ramen. This semester, I moved out of the dorms and dropped my meal plan. Now, I have Top Ramen multiple times a week. Before you get concerned or judge-y about my eating habits, know that I love ramen nights. In anime, I noticed characters often add ingredients to their instant ramen, especially eggs. I'd seen a friend add an egg to her ramen once, but I'd never tried it. So I decided to Google the topic, and I found this article. This article opened my horizons. I don't refer to it much. Instead, I experiment on my own. Now, as I told Tumblr, I am a ramen evangelizer, seeking to tell the world the good news of instant ramen's potential.

S is for Sports anime. This might be my favorite genre, which is not something I ever expected to be true. Action, fantasy, and adventure have always drawn me, no matter what medium of storytelling is used. But sports? That's unique to anime, although my enjoyment of Kuroko's Basketball and others has made me more open minded to the topic in other fiction, and perhaps even real life. 

T is for Tumblr. It's been a couple weeks since I got one, and I still can't decide whether that was a good idea. I will say this, though: when I get several likes or a reblog, I see why people get so addicted. 

U is for United States of America. That's where I live. To be more specific, I'm on the mainland, so not Hawaii. That's about as specific as I'll get on my blog or Twitter, even though any stalkers can probably narrow it down to at least a time zone based on what I've said around the web. 

V is for Verbose. I'm a bit verbose a times... okay, a lot of the time. What can I say? I like words, and, like I mentioned at the beginning, I like to talk about myself (probably more than I should). Still, believe it or not, I value conciseness. When I'm very serious about my writing, I make liberal use of my delete key (after I've saved the more verbose version, of course, just in case I cut too much).

W is for Wattpad. I posted a few stories on Wattpad.com. Then I told my followers that I'd write a sequel to one of the novels. I finished that novel a year ago. All I have for a sequel is a chapter and a lot of prewriting. I feel somewhat sorry about that. 

X is for X TV. Apparently, that's the only anime I've watched that begins with X (I checked my Anime-Planet list since I was desperate to get this done). Well, I started xxxHolic, but I must have gotten bored, because I dropped it. That was back when I had less patience.  I remember liking X, and I remember that there was action. But I watched it some time before I got an Anime-Planet account, so I don't even have a star rating to look back on.

Y is for Yes. Yes, I am stretching to find words for all these letters.

Z is for Zip. That's the name of my first truly "special stuffie," a black and white cat my grandma gave me when I was six. Before Zip, I didn't play favorites; my newest stuffed animal always got to sleep with me. I think I felt like being attached to a special stuffie was a requirement for a kid. Eventually, I really did get attached to Zip, although she had to make room for BB two years later. BB became my top favorite and accompanied me when I got my baby K9 teeth pulled out. Both stuffed animals came with me to college. I don't need them, of course. But they help make this place home, and they're good for cuddles.

-
So, the last time I did something like this, I was too shy to nominate anyone else. But you know what? I spent a ton of time finishing this post. So I'm going to nominate people. If none of them want to do this, that's fine.

Okay. Let's see who I can come up with who hasn't already done this (or whom I've seen nominated by someone else). If I don't nominate someone who wants to do this, I'm sorry. Your name either slipped my mind, or I was too shy. Pick the option that offends you least. Both come from my quirks and have nothing to do with what you've done. So speak up if I should have nominated you!

Cajun Samurai at The Cajun Samurai
Frank at A Series of Miracles
Zeroe4 at Beneath the Tangles
R86 at Beneath the Tangles
Japes at Beneath the Tangles (Hm... I'm starting to see a pattern here...) or Japesland
Everyone else at Beneath the Tangles (I like you, but I realized that I'd have to inform all of you that you were nominated, and that's... kind of overwhelming for me, especially since some of you apparently don't have Twitter, which is my safe place... oh, and Charles has already been nominated by other people).
Rob at Christian Anime Review
Tommy Phillips at Anime Bowl

If you wish I hadn't nominated you, well it's your own fault for being a nice person and commenting or talking to me on Twitter... just kidding. You don't have to do this if you don't want to, or if you're too busy. Though, if you're less verbose than I am, this probably won't take you as long as it did me.

Liebster Awards/Questions from Another Blogger

Rules:
1. Link back to the blogger who nominated you
2. Answer the 11 questions given to you by the blogger who nominated you.
3. Nominate 11 other bloggers I'm too shy.
4. Go to the blogs you nominated and notify them of your nomination.
5. Give your nominees 11 questions to answer.

Silvachielf of The Geek Clinic nominated me for this well over a week ago. I can't believe it's already been that long... but Christmas break has been busier than planned, and rule #3 made me hesitate until I crossed it out. Sometimes, being shy means I become a rebel and break the rules. This is one of the times.

11 Questions from Silvachief

1. If you were no longer able to blog about what you do now, what would you blog about?

I'd blog about books and movies, I suspect. I'd post poems and bits of stories. I'd probably write a lot more about my faith (yeah, I know I already write about that, but I'd probably have a different target audience, so what I include would be slightly different). Oh, and I'd love to write to Christians about how we live out our faith online.

2. What is your favorite quote from an anime/visual novel/other?

Um... that's hard. I looked through a list of quotes I have on my desktop, and none of them stuck out to me. There are probably some buried in my blog posts that I'm forgetting. The only quote that really comes to mind isn't from an anime or anything like that, but from a show from the 80's: The A-Team.

"No means the same thing in over three quarters of the civilized world. For the life of me, I can't figure out why you have such a terrible time getting a grip on it."
- Minor character, whose name I didn't catch. The A-Team, Season 2, Ep 10

3. If you could gather everyone on your blogroll in one place, where would it be and why?

An anime convention. I've never been to one before, and several people on my blogroll would be able to show me the ropes. Plus, there would be plenty to do, so it would be easy to avoid awkward standing around and such. Our shared interests would probably help us skip the scary pleasantries and go straight to talking about the fun stuff. But still, a group of people... and if I'm the one doing the gathering... I don't do that. I don't initiate get-togethers very often. When other people initiate it, it's less stressful to me. So, really, I'd be happy with gathering anywhere, so long as it was safe and I wasn't responsible for it.

4. A 2-way dimensional rift has opened outside your house. Which fictional universe would you want it to connect to? 

Middle-Earth. Specifically, to the Shire in peaceful days long before or after Frodo had the Ring. It seems like a lovely place to relax.

Now, if I were to pick an anime universe, it would have to be Naruto's. Why? It's the first place on my mind, of course. Also, I could get all sorts of juicy insider pieces to share on my blog. Maybe even write a book about it.

Wait a second... it's a 2-way dimensional rift. Meaning people from Naruto's side could come over here. Nuh-uh. What if someone from the crazy Uchiha clan decided to cross? Or someone of Orochimaru's ilk? Even Granny Tsunade could be a catastrophic guest if she had too much to drink. I do not want to be responsible for that.

So, actually, I'd prefer it if the rift opened to Kuroko's universe, or maybe a universe that included all the sports anime I've watched. I think I'd actually keep an eye on professional sports in such a world. And, since it's not fantasy or sci-fi, I wouldn't have to worry about some evil villain (or drunk Hokage) messing things up here.

5. What is the story behind your avatar name?

A while back, I was playing with names for a story idea (one of many story ideas that flopped after the first scene). I liked "Annalyn" for one of my characters. It sounded pretty, it fit the mood, "Anna" means grace, and "Lyn" means beautiful. I thought I was being somewhat original, too, by combining the two names. By the time I thought to Google "Annalyn" to see how popular the name was, I was already stuck with it on multiple platforms. First, it was my name on the game Realm of Empires, and I held onto it after that. I sometimes wish that I had a less realistic username, because people might assume my real name is Annalyn, and it's not. But this is part of who I am now, and I won't replace it.

6. Do you have any phobias, fictional or otherwise?

I hate making phone calls, especially to people I don't know well, especially if I'm asking for something. I often map out exactly what I'll say if they answer, and what I'll say if it goes to voice mail. I don't break down in tears before calling anymore - actually, I think I only did that once. But it can still be traumatic if the circumstances aren't right.

7. If you could conquer any one country, which one would it be?

Sealand! It's small, and I would not be responsible for many subjects. I'd probably ignore the handful of citizens, unless they wanted to help me convert the place to an introvert's haven. Alternatively, I'd conquer some oppressed country that I believed I could truly help. I'd enjoy kicking a tyrant out.

8. Which super power would you like to have?

I'd like to fly. Then I wouldn't have to drive to school when I start commuting. I dislike driving almost as much as I dislike calling people. I think I could get over my discomfort with heights if it meant I didn't have to drive. Of course, I'd really need to fly at a decent speed for it to be worthwhile. Otherwise, I'd like to turn invisible.

9. If you could be any other fictional race, which would you be?

I'd be a hobbit. No, an elf of Rivendell, with access to books and history and pleasant waterfalls.

This is Ridgy. He's 3/4 Bichon Frise, 1/4 Yorkie, 100%
spoiled prince.

10. Which 3 animals would you most like as pets?

A dog. I have one already (my family has three total).

A cat (if someone else took care of the litter box).

A ninja dog. Those don't count as pets.

Nyanko-sensei Actually, I think he's above being called a pet, too.

A tame polar bear. Of course, I'd need a proper place and food for him. But ignoring all the practical details, I think a polar bear would be really nice to snuggle with. Plus, I'd never have to worry about crooks. Polar bear would protect me.

11. You find yourself in the waiting room at The Geek Clinic. Why are you there?

I've clearly gone nuts. The Geek Clinic is a blog. If there is a secret waiting room that I don't know about, it is virtual. So either I'm crazy, or I'm stuck in the internet. Help! Get me out!

--

Well, that was fun. Some of these questions got my imagination going. Thanks for the nomination, Silvachief!

Moving on now...

Questions for YOU

There might be a few blogs that I'd link to here, but the ones I'm not too shy to nominate either (a) have lots of followers already, (b) have already done this at least once, (c) haven't been updated in a while, (d) would look lonely here because I wouldn't come up with more than one or two links, or (e) multiple of the above. So, I'm going to list questions below, and if you want to answer them on your blog, I hereby nominate you! Just make sure you let us know in a comment, so the other readers and I can see your answers. I'll then edit this post to link to your blog. Or you can answer some of the questions in the comments below. Or in Facebook comments. Or anywhere.

1. What's one thing you've learned from blogging? Maybe it's something you learned about yourself, or anime, or blogging, or humanity. I'd love to hear!

2. If you've seen (or read) Attack on Titan, which branch of the army would you be in: Survey corps, Garrison, or Military Police? Why? If you haven't seen Attack on Titan, what rock were you living under this summer? Or do you just avoid violent shows?

3. What anime/manga/etc. character would you like to have as a roommate?

4. Do you promote your blog across multiple social media platforms? Which ones do you prefer? (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+....)

5. Is there an anime that you always find yourself recommending to your friends? A title that you practically command people to try?

6. Anime-Planet, My Anime List, neither, or both?

7. Are there any terms used by otaku that you still aren't sure you understand well enough to use? Can you easily incorporate words like "yandere" into conversation?

8. What do you like most about your current blogging platform?

9. What do you not like? Do you every wish you'd chosen a different platform?

10. If you're on Twitter, how do you feel about the appearance of pictures in the home feed? Do you miss the days when you had to click on a Tweet in order to see the picture? If you're not on Twitter, why not?

11. All the anime you are currently watching (or will watch during the next season) are in danger of suddenly ending. There will be no episodes after the one you just watched, and even that will soon be wiped from the internet. You have the power to save one show, and only one. Which do you choose?

--

Consider yourself nominated for the Liebster Awards. Or, if you don't want to answer all the questions, you can answer one or two in the comments. I'm really curious to read some answers!

The Winner of 2013's Post Popularity Contest!

I may be slightly odd. Okay, I know I am, but everyone is odd compared to someone's idea of even, so it would be odd if I weren't odd. So, odd or not, I want to share the winners of a contest you didn't know existed - a popularity contest between over 50 posts for the position of "The Most Popular of 2013." The competition was fierce, and it was based on the sheer number of views. Newer posts got no handicaps, even though they've had less time to accumulate reads.

Current standings for the week. The bottom
three spots are occupied by some of my most
greedy 2012 posts.

As you've probably noticed (unless your observations skills are as unreliable as mine), there are always four posts listed to the right, under "popular posts." Those are the ones with the most views in the past week. I look at it as a competition between posts, vying for attention. Often, old posts from 2012 (or even 2011) take at least three of the four spots. It's completely unfair, if you ask me, especially since they get a lot of their views from people who want screenshots. It's time for them to step down and give the newbies a chance at true popularity.

Sometimes, a newer post elbows its way to the top, and stays in the top four... until 8 days after it was posted. For example, as I write this, "Rewind: the Wallflower" has first place. Second, third, and fourth places are held by greedy 2012 posts, so it's a little lonely. Unfortunately, it will probably fade into near oblivion by Saturday.

I decided to only list the top ten posts of the year, perhaps with honorable mentions. But, as of December 30, 2013, when I made this list, there were three posts tied for 9th place. They all got to be included. Lucky them.

Without further ado, the grand prize for "Most Popular of 2013" goes to...

1. "My Little Monster: Unconditional Love" - posted June 22
As I watched My Little Monster, I noticed similarities between Haru's love for Shizuku and God's love for me and others. God loves us because He chooses to, not because of anything we have to offer. Similarly, it seems that Haru loves Shizuku for no reason except that he's chosen her.

Congrats, post! As a prize, you get... well, uh... maybe a few more views? Uh... yeah, let's go with that. Moving on....

Runners up:

2. "Watamote and Feeling Left Behind" - posted Aug. 11, 2013
In which I wrote about growing up, feeling left behind, and the most angst-filled show of the year, Watamote. I didn't end up finishing the show, but that was a story for a different blog post, one that didn't make the top ten.

3. "A Soul too Big to Comprehend" - posted June 28, 2013
A post about Soul Eater and connections I made about it. First, I noted its absurdities. Like the creepy sun. Then I thought about Lord Death's giant soul, Maka's limited perspective, God, rules that shouldn't be broken, and Genesis 3. When I wrote this, I'd seen about 13 episodes. I'm a lot further along now, although I still haven't finished. I guess I'll make that my New Year's Resolution: Finish Soul Eater! And Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. That's my second resoultion... don't look at me like that! I know I should be long done with it by now! I got distracted, okay? Besides, that's not what this post is about. Pay attention to the other winning posts. They'll feel left out. 

4. "Hi. I'm a Christian Aniblogger" - posted Oct. 1, 2013
I feel like we Christian anibloggers are part of a rare breed. When I'm online, there's support. I know who many of the other Christian anibloggers are, and you obviously know me if you're reading this. But when I talk to people offline, I realize how few of us there actually are in comparison to the total population. I have to slow down, explain what I watch and write about, and define terms if they're willing to listen. In fact, anibloggers in general don't exactly have dominant numbers, even though it can feel like we do when we're all online Tweeting and reading and commenting.

5. "Naruto is Back! (again)" - posted July 19
I predict that this post will be one of the greedier ones from 2013. When those 2012 posts fade away and 2014 posts scramble for the top, "Naruto is Back!" will do its best to block the way. People tend to search for pictures of Naruto characters. This post doesn't have a ton of substance to it. Mostly, I simply dissolved into one of my rare fangirl states as I celebrated the end of another bout of fillers. Looking back at my statement about Tobi, I notice the obvious hints about who he really was. Sheesh. I can't believe I didn't see it! Then again, maybe his real identity was in one of the spoilers I read, and I was suppressing the memory.

6. "Phases of Fandom: Enjoying Cheesiness" -  June 2
I'm only really talking about the top five posts, but I wanted to comment on this one, because it was sort of a new beginning for me. It was my first post in five months, but after this, I blogged with renewed energy. Since June 2nd, I've rarely gone more than a week without posting, even after school started back up. That's a new record!

7. "Dear Extroverted Friends" - Nov. 10

8. "Chihayafuru 2, Friendship Changes, and Finishing Thoughts" - July 9

9. "Rewind: Hetalia" - Oct. 4

IX. "Advice from Anime: Join a Club" - Aug. 25

九. "Rewind: Lucky Star" - July 25

10. "Gargantia: What it Means to be Human" - July 11

Well, that was fun. Please join me in congratulating the lucky posts. Round of applause, everyone!

Seriously, though, 2013 was a great year for blogging. Or at least, the last six or so months were. I've enjoyed posting more regularly. It's encouraging to realize that I can (sort of) consistently meet deadlines and quotas I set for myself as a writer. I've enjoyed meeting new anibloggers this year, too, and reading more from anibloggers I knew before. I haven't had as much time to read blogs or write posts as I might like. Fiction writing has been pushed aside, too. I'm learning about balance and priorities. But I've made progress in how I juggle various responsibilities and hobbies. By this time next year, I hope to be doing even better.

Thank you for a great year of aniblogging, everyone. I look forward to seeing what anime and blog posts come in 2014. Happy New Year!