According to this website, the last time I wrote a blog post was August 13, 2021. That doesn’t really count, though, since that post about the final season of Final Space and YouTubers selling out isn’t so much a blog post, as it is a transcript of a video essay. Ignoring video essay transcripts, the last bit of writing I published on Badda-Bing Badda-Blog was on January 3, 2021, and about the celebration event surrounding the release of One Piece’s 1000th chapter…which I only wrote because a canvassing company sent me some embargoed — and therefore cool — information.

Prior to this, my last genuine blog post went up on June 5, 2019, and was a tabletop game review I drafted for a friend of a college friend, who I think might be in a cult now? I’m not totally sure as I’ve fallen out of touch with them, because every time we touch base they try to get me to join what really seems like a cult. This means that the last time I wrote about something on this blog solely because I wanted to express my thoughts or feelings on a given subject through this medium was…May 25th, 2016.

Jesus Christ. TIME!

So, I’ve been bad at blogging. In my defense, I’ve written some great stuff for some stellar outlets since 2016 (*cough* *cough* portfolio link *cough*). Looking back at the last time I blogged regularly, I can also confidently say that I’m a much better writer now than when I was 20. Which I know isn’t much of an accomplishment, but hey, that’s one more insecurity I can put to bed at least. However, most of what I’ve written since 2016 is stuff that I’m not particularly proud of. Granted, a lot of those listicles, uncredited YouTube video scripts, and product reviews were pleasant to write and about topics that I enjoy; but at the end of the day they were freelance assignments that helped me make rent and made me feel like a real writer.

Now that I have a job that pays me enough to live comfortably, I don’t have take whatever freelance work I can get anymore and can spend more time writing about what I want in the way that I want. Recently on my podcast, Voluntary Viewing, my co-hosts called me out for being overly negative about the media I experience. While I object to the suggestion that my review of a show/movie/game/book/etc would be anything less than fair and correct, there is a kernel of truth to their comment.

I realize now that in a lot of my freelance entertainment writing, I was required to be overly positive. Most content mills — which feels like most online outlets today — just want to cash in on people’s appreciation or nostalgia for a property by offering a milquetoast opinion that won’t ruffle any feathers. While some places do thrive on hate clicks, in my experience most editors and site managers don’t want to deal with that drama. It was cool being able to write about what 10 kaiju in the Godzilla movies are the strongest; but it sucks that Godzilla being number 1 felt like a foregone conclusion; and ranking giant monsters on how strong they are is the least interesting conversation you can have about the Godzilla franchise.

Also, while I wouldn’t trade the experience of making that video script for anything, that video now has nearly 5 million views and I was only paid 50 bucks for my effort. I’m doing pretty medium now! I don’t need to hustle to put out an underpaying creative compromise just so I can make rent while not feeling like a fraud. I’ve made enough people upset with the writing that I believe in at this point that I can confidently say I’m a real writer. So I should be making more if I’m going to sellout (my Twitter DMs are open), and I can get weirder with the writing that I really believe in.

All of this is a long way of saying that I promise to be genuine in all of my writing on this blog going forward. I want to write the kinds of things that made me fall in love with this craft and I’ve decided that Badda-Bing Badda-blog is the place to do that. I’m still going to put out an occasional Top 10 listicle and chase SEO trends when they align with whatever my current interest is — after all, I want this blog to do well and, let’s be honest, everyone loves a good top ten post/video/take. I bet there isn’t a single, internet accessing person under the age of 35 who hasn’t seen some kind of “X Things From a Thing You Like, RANKED” work in the past month. They probably left that page after not liking the first two picks or growing board with it, but they still clicked on it and that counts! Someone got, or should have gotten, paid because of that click and I want some of those clicks coming my way!

So yeah, I will chase trends with my writing here. I’ll try to chase those trends in an interesting way, though, and space those kinds of posts out with more niche stuff that I can’t write about in any capacity elsewhere online. In this writing I’ll be ecstatic about the things I genuinely like while respectfully calling out their faults, and critical of the things I don’t like while still giving them credit where it’s due. I know, this seems like the bare minimum for a blog, or any outlet online, but it does feel like so many places that talk about media and world events strive to appease a target audience rather than be authentic or unique.

I’m going to be me on here. I hope people like what I end up writing — I really hope whatever I write turns out to be good — and I especially hope I don’t abandon this effort midway through the year. So then I think the only thing left to say is that I hope I inspired whoever’s reading this to check out whatever I publish next week; which’ll be way less self indulgent than this post.

If I didn’t, thanks for stopping by anyway and good luck with the rest of your 2022.

Badda-Bing Badda-Bye.