Hey Everyone, it’s been a while. Several whiles.
Okay, a truck-full of whiles.
There are several truck-fulls of reasons for my silence, most of which I can’t really formulate into sentences. Imagine that: a writer struggling with worlds; a human struggling with… human-ing.
I have a feeling this post will largely go unread, and that’s okay. It’s mostly a stream-of-conscious / just chatting / let’s have a cup of tea piece. But for those of you who are here, I want to ask you and myself something: should I branch out?
I’ve been considering posting more than just anime and otaku pieces here at Annie-Me— a thought that’s been percolating in my brain for some time now. You could say it’s gotten to a roiling boil at this point. My reviews, opinion articles, character studies and the like have always had a personal touch to them. I’m not afraid to tell you guys about my mental or physical illness, my struggles with grief and loss, or my relationship troubles. Well, that’s a lie. I am beyond scared, but I tell you anyway.
Why?
The marketer in me argues for value proposition: she jumps on her soap box with her laminated banner and matching t-shirt to proclaim my unique perspective and cultivated insight. And—sorry, Ego—that’s just not true. There are better anime blogs on WordPress, with better content and creativity. You know them; I know them. And while I’m practiced at writing, I struggle to remind myself that I specialize in spoken word poetry, fiction, and some creative nonfiction. These are really a far cry from blogging.
Truthfully, I share because I want to create genuine content and genuine connections. When I write my posts, I write as if I’m talking to one of my friends (which is what I consider all of you, btw). I want you to know what I was thinking and feeling when I was watching a series. I’m vulnerable, but it’s this vulnerability that adds to authenticity, builds trust, and sometimes can change lives. I want to propagate what anime has given me: a family and a home; a light in the seemingly endless and oppressive darkness; a hand to remind me I’m not alone with my experiences, thoughts, and feelings.
That want transcends my anime reviews— it floods my mental health: from training my cats to be ESAs and PSAs, to my bullet journaling, to the teas I drink, to the books I read, to my performance poetry. Hell, it goes past that to the binder of resources and worksheets for grounding and crisis management. Even the YouTube channels and Twitch streams I watch or the music I listen to. I want to share it all. I want to help as many people as I can, while I can.
The marketer in me is protesting loudly with a sign to match. And I question where all this content belongs. Blogs are successful (i.e. they reach the people who benefit from reading the writing: the consumers) when they have a niche market. A target audience. Surely this anime-oriented site should stay that, full of all its otaku-goodness and nothing else.
But then, what is the alternative? Another blog? Two? Three? More? I can’t see myself maintaining more, not with the other projects I have going on, or the (potential) new job I (might) be getting. And if that’s not an option, what do I do? It’s hard to know, which is why I’m finally creating this post. To you reading this: would you be okay if I added non-anime content, or would it be off-putting? Would you get too frustrated or annoyed and unfollow me? Most of you guys are bloggers, too. Have you ever thought about branching out and adding more (seemingly unrelated) posts?
Thanks for reading, for being here after these months. Things have been so difficult, and will either get 10x better or worse in the coming day(s). So I thank you for your patience, for your support and kindness. Y’all are really a lovely bunch.
Watch on, Annieme-niac!
Annie
P.S. I’m workin’ hard on several anime pieces and lemme tell you, some series are 🔥🔥🔥
Annieme 