#i really appreciate the time and effort it takes when gifmaking

[lorenlily]

insp by @withered-rose-with-thorns post here

here's my favourite creations from this year (of course limited to fandoms i'm in and what i've come across throughout) happy new year to you all <3

hunger games catching fire by @celine-song beautiful colouring and i love the scenes chosen it's a beautiful capture of the film

from 1.05 / 3.10 by @fromville such a great find, i never would have caught onto this parallel and the contrast between the grey and blue is so pleasing! really makes me wanna rewatch season 1

day 24 horror sequels by @scre6m i love this movie so much and the shading and hue of blue is so so pleasing

day 7 best of 2024 from season 3 by @taiturner i love the layout of this and it captures season 3 so perfectly its brilliant

emily bader as lady jane grey by @connell-waldron emily bader is gorgeous but the lighting and colouring here is simply stunning

doctor who spare part by @igotthecharnelhouse i've never heard of this and seeing the history of the cybermen laid out here is incredible

my lady jane 1.07 by @scinnlaece i absolutely love this scene! and the colouring here is so so pretty i love it so much!!

jade herrera 3.03 by @lukaskyle i loved seeing jade lose his mind this episode and this set bringing out the white and reds is so so so beautiful, its incredible how you coloured this!! its stunning!!

slow horses 4.05 by @acecroft i'm so glad someone giffed this scene, and the colouring is stunning, i love the highlighting of the blues

are you often surprised with yourself by @jennasommers lizzie saltzman my beloved you have captured her perfectly and i can't stop staring at the final gif, it is so painful, so pretty!!

lotrweek - the road goes ever on by @lady-arryn this set is mesmerising from the colouring to the font to the placement of each gif in the set there aren't enough words to describe the way you captured the beauty of this world! magnificent!

i don't understand how i can miss him if i hated him by @shesnake the gasp i let out the first time i saw this set, what a painful parallel and you have laid it out so perfectly

the unquiet dead by @lonelygodinthetardis season 1 of nuwho there's an innocence and radiance there between nine and rose that you've captured so well with this colouring

the hunger games by @buffonia i love screencap edits so much it reminds me of the creations when i first found tumblr i really really love this set it makes me feel so nostalgic

don't be alone doctor by @henley-reeves the scene choices are perfect and i love the rage radiating from the doctor highlighted in these shades of orange! this set feels exactly like the quote "he's like the night and the storm in the heart of the sun" in the best way

notes on self destruction by @sdktrs12 the blending is gorgeous, the quote is perfect, it's a perfect breakdown of shiv in the final season

prompt #2 heartbreak by @graciesabram well break my heart you did with this set! the song choice, the font, the blending, the colouring its stunning

peaky blinders 3x04 by @kittenonpluto i love this scene so much and the colouring here i love the blues you brought out its gorgeous

day 4 favourite family by @alexisrosemullens everytime i look at this i find something new i love! the layout is perfect its so creative i love how we have all the seasons and the colours match them so well

clara oswald under the lake by @doortotomorrow i love the colouring here so much its such a pleasing set with the two faceless shots at each end. its really pretty

thomas shelby peeking through windows by @thomashelbyswife a set i didnt know i needed and i love the colouring here and how it highlights the contrast of the warm and colder tones between shots

rins 1k horror celebration by @gracesledomas this is my favourite set for the movie ever!! its gorgeous! i love every scene choice and i love the colour palette its beautiful

james beaufort and ruby bell by @laurens-german what i love about tumblr is taking a shot, highlighting and capturing it and this set it simply radiates that warmth so well

twelveclara + im your man by @commiebeatle the scene choices, the font, the blending all in this shade of green!! its so incredible and i think the 2nd and 4th gifs are my favourite

merthur week day 3 symbolism by @ughmerlin i love love this set! the overlay of the tarot cards, the blending, the grey and gold colouring its so so beautiful and the middle gif its such a perfect scene choice!

severence 1.05 by @holocrone i love this scene and i especially love the way you played with contrast in this set! its so good

winter in gotham by @simoneashley this is so pretty i love the blend from light to dark there's a great stillness captured in these gifs!

day 5 favourite arena by @jakeperalta i was so ready for this day (because who's favourite arena is anything but) and this set captures the beauty of it so perfectly. i love the layout and the cascade from the light and the orange into the green into the dark and the blues!

and just knowing that everything should end... by @tolerateit this was a perfect way to capture the end of succession! the scene choice is incredible, i love the warm tones and i love how you added in the 'was it underlined or crossed out?' into the writing here

monarch legacy of monsters 1.03 by @brotherconstant i need more past scenes of these three!! what i love so much about this set is the way you played with the layout and highlighting the separation between the characters in these shots! its brilliant!

twelfth doctor 9.01 by @fluffylord the colouring here!! i love it so so much! this is simply a gorgeous set (of the best doctor yes im biased)

too sweet, hozier by @cilly-murphy this set is gorgeous! i love the font choice! i love the orange and grey contrast! choosing to have the grey scenes as a blended gif i love that so much! its simply stunning

charmed 6.05 by @sophsun1 i see piper and chris i love! but especially these gifs with the colouring bringing out the greens from pipers outfit to the background its so satisfying so pretty!

new year, new fonts by @cal-kestis the fonts! i love them so much! the yellow and oranges here are so beautiful but what i love most is the way you blended the gifs its so seemless and i love how that links to the ending of the film and whats to come with btsv

panem's guide to troubled birds by @alinaastarkov this whole set is so intelligent especially with the scene choices. i love the contrast of the coloured gif with the grey rip out uncovering those vulnerabilities. its a really masterful set i love it so much!

twelve and bill by @expelliarmus the colouring of this scene! theres so much warmth radiating from it and the contrast of the greens coming from the light! its like someone took my dream home colour palette and brushed it over this scene! and your tags i agree!!!

eyes: the trio by @indestinatus i love this so much! the colouring and the stillness being captured so you can really take in their eyes! i love the graphic with the fonts overlayed as well. its amazing!

percy jackson and the olympians season 1 by @nataliescatorccio this is such a beautiful set. i love the graphics chosen for each episode. i love the vibrancy and the colours chosen for each episode. the layout with the blending in the main gif really captures the big moments. its amazing and so thoughful.

sunrise by @olympain this is simply stunning! the gradient from one scene to the next! the colouring is gorgeous and it really brings out the warmth of a sunrise!

piper and leo by @futuristicson i'm stunned because of how dark this scene originally is! the colouring is so so amazing how much brightness you have brought to this scene

billy, keiko, lee + hands by @gaal-dornick i love how you played around with gif dimensions and the layout of scenes next to each other! its so thought full to anyone that's watched the show!

this is your legacy... by @gaal-dornick its so impressive when you come across a set that captures the essence of the conflict within a show! the way you've played around with the font style and size and the scene choices it so amazing how you've captured the show in these gifs even down to the colour palette. i love this so much!!

[jisuto]

Answered all the asks here:

thanks so much I appreciate it!! it's always nice seeing compliments like this, to be acknowledged and get recognition <33

yeah it sucks when you just want people to have decency and not go around stealing :// but I definitely won't delete everything

ikr and YEAH that anon is crazy writing that all up and thinking it somehow makes sense. thanks and I was thinking about trying out Bluesky but looks like they only allow Tenor gifs so we'll see. and same not only for us gifmakers but I see it often with fanartists too, I don't get how someone can act so out of line and attack them for no good reason

aww tysm and right, it doesn't cost anything to be nice and not be a jerk. yeah I practically fell into a coma since I stayed up playing smt3 LOL

yep typical anon hate that doesn't make an iota of sense but it's easy to block. EXACTLY like everyone does not want to have anything stolen this isn't a hard concept to understand?? I want my stolen gif removed but that anon completely twist it into NOT TRANSFORMATIVE lol can't argue at all and grasping at straws. yeah just bc it has no monetary value doesn't mean there wasn't any effort or time put into it, so many free pieces of media are still precious. I'm doing much better now thanks <3

it's not my first rodeo dealing with people like this but I know I'm in the right. yeah it's always so tiring to deal with idiots however I feel better now and thank you for the kind words!! I know and some people spend like 4 hours to make a single gif, it doesn't take a few minutes to run it through an online converter that's not even half as good. yeah that's the usual argument against them of "it's easy to make so why do you have to steal it if you can do it yourself just as easily?" like it's the only dumb defense thieves have that still doesn't make sense lol just take accountability for once in your life. it's a shame a lot of those blogs are purely built on stolen work

omg a fantranslator I always adore you guys TRULY unsung heroes, thanks for your hard work and sorry that happens to you as well ;w; translating isn't easy either and thank you, the recognition means a lot to be noticed. yeah there's a reason why watermarks are used and it's extra scummy to erase proof who created it. I like your honest input and yeah I love making gifs but it always annoying to see this happen. happy to hear that and thanks so much ദ്ദി(｡•̀ ,<)

yeah absolutely insane someone typed that up and sent it, truly can't understand or have any basic decency. it's not hard to press that button but NOPE GOTTA GO REMOVE MY WATERMARK AND REUPLOAD IT INSTEAD

exactly and they think they're somehow in the right, they're not a clown but the entire circus

hey it definitely means a lot to me when I see praise for my work no matter what!! thanks so much and I'll do my best

yeah that's why all my recent gifs now have a new watermark to prevent them cropping it out or like half of it gets chopped off. leeches will always be around so I had to do that change. thank you a lot, it's very uplifting to hear that!! it's just really frustrating when this happens and Tumblr changed their policy so it's extra annoying to deal with. there was a few instances here where I sent messages (very similar to that in the reblog) to people to remove my gifs they edited and they ALL did plus were polite about it. most people are fine but the handful who do are a real nuisance and really makes it worse. but I'll do my best to be optimistic.

REALLY NO WAY LOL THE SELF-AWARENESS LMAOOOO how petty and thanks for sticking up for me <33 yeah it's unfortunate but I won't let it dwell on me too long

yeah for someone thinking it's nothing to be concerned about and then proceeds to have a meltdown like that hmmm and yeah that's pretty standard for people like that, having any basic sense and not being a idiot is apparently asking too much. thanks for the reassurance and kind words!

I looked at the form but I think I'll email support first to see if they can just remove the repost and if not, I'll see if I can submit that instead then and thanks!

oh it's fine, I can still block anon asks and they can't send more without actually using their own blog, which is fine since they can't hide behind anon anymore. tysm and yep, they have no ground to stand on with such trash takes like that

same I'm not sure how anyone can think I'm somehow in the wrong LOL and I'm flattered thank you so much <33 I really do my best to play it from start to finish and have extra save files in between so I can go back to redo anything or choose something different. exactly and awwwww thanks I'm glad <33

tbh based on their response to an earlier ask, I think it will just waste my time trying to do that. I'm just going to contact support and see if they can delete it instead. I really don't think they'll learn their lesson and showed no guilt for their actions. Earlier I skimmed through and yeah.... looks like it's just full of reposted stolen content

OMG SAME YOU'RE RIGHT I CAN TOTALLY SEE THAT?? have you seen that news story of some AI "artist" getting mad that people were stealing his wOrK and filed a lawsuit ACTUAL WILD WEST SHENANIGANS RIGHT THERE

...... I'm not surprised, but I'm also very surprised wtf the rabbit hole just keeps getting deeper and deeper yeah there's nothing to salvage from this jfc

hey thanks a bunch and I gotta preserve those classics while knocking those ancient childhood memories back into you guys <3

and that's it! thanks for all the lovely people sending these in and I'm genuinely amazed to see such huge support, I am really glad and more at ease. once again, thank you everyone <3

[oyeixcher]

gifmaker / cc wrapped 2023

I have been tagged by @soonhoonsol and @khaotunq to post my fave and most popular gif sets I've done in 2023. This is interesting because I got tagged in two different fandoms where in one of them I'm like pretty new in so I have to do a bit of extra mentions and stuff to keep it even :) Thanks to both of you for tagging me, I really appreciate it. Anyway here we go

I actually only gotten back into giffing properly in March and therefore started this tumblr to keep it clean and tidy and all my reblogs and stuff are on my main @lucky-cat-cafe. So for this tag I will have to skip the first two months (You can check my archive if you want to see everything from last year). March: Most popular: Wooyoung & Yunho dancing to “Good Luck” by Beast Favourite: Hyungwon being the cutest most precious bean April: Most popular: a tie between San and Bang Chan Favourite: I think a tie between San and Hyungwon May: Most popular: WooSan by A MILE! This is my most popular post of all year. Can not believe I even have one gif that reached 1k Favourite: Joohoney's Freedom set. Too much effort tho June: Most popular: Changkyun ✦ OVERDRIVE OFFICIAL MV TEASER #2 Favourite: I would say the first two birthday gif sets I did (Shownu & Yeosang). I really like them but after a while it was too much pressure and I stopped them. July: Most popular: Choi San Birthday Gif Set Favourite: Hyungwon August: Most popular: Song Mingi Birthday Gif Set Favourite: Hyungwon September: (The month were I got dragged into a new fandom which I mentioned before haha) Most popular: S.Coups Favourite: Choi San because GAWD!! Special mention: Sand, aka my favourite boy of all time. Fight me! (I never wanted to watch Thai dramas but I have been loyal to First Kanaphan for 4 months now) October: Most popular: FirstKhao (oooh I didn't think I'd have a popular one in that fandom but I forgot about this one) *heart eyes* Favourite: ^this one but to make it fair I'll also choose WooSang because there are a few boys whose smile I absolutely adore and First and Wooyoung are definitely in the top with Kihyun and Yunho November: Most popular: Hongjoong ✧ The World Ep.Fin : Will Official Trailer (will I ever be over this comeback? Probably not) Favourite: Gaipa in Moonlight Chicken Episode 1 (also been loyal to this boy and branching out to other series...look at me go) December: (I did 65 gif set in this month...what is wrong with me lmao) Most popular: Felix ✦ Louis Vuitton Favourite: Yunho and Wooyoung because they are so dear to my heart Well this has been fun. Here's to a good 2024. I will continue as I ended the year. I will not continue the birthday gif sets, which is sad but they take too much effort and time and I need to get back to other things that aren't giffing so I need to slow it down a bit. I will continue my regular gifs the way I have been doing now. There will be more FirstKhao stuff for the people who have started to follow me from the Thai drama side of things and I will continue my rewatch of Only Friends and giffing all the scenes (and other shows once I'm done with that). I will continue my MV series for Ateez and Monsta X and whatever else comes across my radar. Thanks to all the people who have started to follow this blog when I was brand new and for sticking with it. I honestly don't know who I want to tag for this because it's already 2024 and I don't know who has been tagged and who has done it so if you haven't been tagged and want to do this, consider yourself tagged by me. Thanks again to @soonhoonsol and @khaotunq for tagging me 🖤💜

[glitteringstardust]

i hope everyone is having a lovely day today!! ^_^ i just wanna say i'm sorry if any requests ever don't get done or take a while--this blog technically has 2 mods but one of them doesn't really check in on it much anymore for various reasons, so i do mostly run it on my own. it is what it is and i'm not looking for other mods. but sometimes i just don't have much motivation or inspiration aaaand also tumblr definitely eats asks sometimes, which is why i also wanna say don't be afraid to ask for an inbox check if you've been waiting for a bit (i believe 2 weeks+ is what the pinned post says). i love running this blog though and i know i've disappeared for crazy long periods of time before, but i regret every time i did that and do not plan to let it happen again anytime soon. making stimboards (and stim gifs when i'm in the mood to do so) is just such a fun creative outlet and way to share my appreciation for things i love!! especially as someone who is a bit of a fandom gifmaker but cannot draw and can barely write. i know some people don't really Get stimboards and that they may look silly and low-effort to those people but i love them and i always love seeing new people start to make them.

[sheryl-lee]

I just want to say thank you for all the posts and asks you've been dealing with lately. Not only do you speaking out for better support for gif makers, but you talk about how we need support from non gif makers. it's hard, even if you do simple gifsets, it's hard to put effort into work and put it out there in hopes that others will take notice to it. i've been giffing for 10 years and it can really bring you down if you don't have some support. thank you for being so kind and strong!

of course!!! it's truly the least i can do. there are so so many talented creators on this site who have inspired me and who always have my back, whether it's to support me or help me or say something kind in the tags. gifmakers are the backbone of this site and it upsets me to see the very talented and amazing human beings i follow and interact with be continually taken advantage of. one thing i don't stand for is reposting, especially when my mutuals’ gifs are being reposted.

the current climate on here and on social media in general does inhibit this self-interested and competitive mentality and it can be so easy to fall into that - to only be concerned about notes for the sake of clout rather than engagement, to put yourself as a creator first at the expense of your fellow creators. and i really don't want to ever fall prey to that, especially when others on this site (like you!) have never hesitated to be kind and supportive, even when they don't even need to be.

at the end of the day, i love creating and i love sharing what i post with people who have similar interests, and i love engaging with what other people post, too! that's what makes tumblr feel like home to me. and i *always* appreciate those who do reblog my gifs rather than repost, or leave a kind comment, or send an ask, or continue to follow me - it means so much to me! but i also am very aware that there are a large amount of people who don't do that, and who use this site and disrespect the users that provide them with the creations that help keep fandoms - and tumblr - alive. and those people infuriate me to no end, and, when i'm feeling particularly cynical, demotivate me or make me want to quit altogether. both of these things can be, and are, true. i do hope that if we continue to talk about it and spread awareness to new users or those who simply don't know that reposting is wrong (and that gifmaking is a skill that takes a lot of time and energy and practice), it can help even in a tiny way. i want to be optimistic, as hard as that can be sometimes.

but,,, enough ranting from me fkdjffdfdjk thank you for sending this my way, and for being so kind! i hope you're having a wonderful day/night ❤️

[handofkings]

sorry, i don’t usually make these type of posts but i just really need to say this.

i’m very tired of the way people treat gifmakers.

without gifmakers you wouldn’t be able to reblog gifsets of your favourite characters. maybe discover something new. maybe make friends with the people reblogging those gifsets.

so please. i beg you. do not repost other people's gifs.

reposting is not the same as reblogging. reblogging is what this website was made for.

if you want to add an already existing gif to your post, just use the tumblr gif function when making a new post. you can search for the gif that you like and tumblr will automatically link it to the original post.

you could also try to make your own.

ask your favourite gifmaker for tips. more often than not they would love to help, link you tutorials, maybe even exchange messages and talk about the gifmaking process.

don’t want to make your own?

that’s fine. use the tumblr gif function.

do not repost them to other sites. if you do, ask for permission first. give them credit. show them your appreciation. do not repost.

i don’t think many people here understand the effort that goes into making gifs.

you need to get a high quality video file of the thing you want to gif. sometimes that means getting dvds from sites like ebay. it can be tricky and expensive.

you need to use a professional photography software. that could also cost money.

you also need some experience with the software. which a lot of people don’t have. some gifmakers spend a lot of their time learning.

it takes time, money and knowledge to make gifs look good just so you can share them and hope people will like them.

but most of the time people won’t even bother leaving notes on your post.

they’ll take the time to save your work on their phone and repost it to other websites with no credit.

they will get defensive if you patiently ask for credit.

they'll leave hate in the tags.

and they still expect gifmakers to keep feeding them content.

i just. don't get it. sorry.

[bikananjarrus]

now look. i like to tag things so i can find them later/keep things organized, etc. so i'm not saying i've never liked something, meaning to go back and tag it later, and have forgotten about it. but i always try to go back!

and if i see gifsets, art, a fic, a meta post, but also text posts or memes that made me laugh, i reblog it!

and yes - gifs/art/fic/etc. deserve a lot of love bc a lot of love and effort goes into making them. but sometimes those text posts and memes that seem just silly and, 'oh who cares if they get reblogged' well those deserve attention too! i want to know if i made you laugh or smile or brought you joy! even if you don't add tags (which you are not required to, but it is fun to get little commentary in the tags when ppl do leave them!) a reblog shows your appreciation too! and better yet, reblogs share the post around so even more people can see it and appreciate it.

like let’s look at some numbers. i took some of my posts from this year and last year with higher numbers of notes, and the difference between number of likes and reblogs is embarrassing honestly.

only 20% of these notes are reblogs:

24%

16% like come on now......

19%

my post with the best engagement is this one (lotr fandom ily) with 44%! but that's still not even HALF. still, this is what more posts should be looking like! this is what they used to look like!

one more example is this one. which, at first, doesn't seem so bad! initially it looks like 38% of the notes are reblogs!

EXCEPT!! 10 of those reblogs are from me. this is a post about a fic i wrote, and 10 notes are from me reblogging my own work bc it's a fic i'm really proud of and i want people to see it. and if you took away those notes, that drops the reblog engagement all the way down to 15%.

artists, gifmakers, writers shouldn't have to reblog their own stuff over and over again in the hopes of more engagement. like i'll reblog my own posts bc i like them and think they're fun or bc i had something good to say! but that's the main reason i should be reblogging my own posts. not bc if i don't engage with my post, no one else will.

if you complain about fandoms being dead, but don't actively engage with the fandom and creators in that fandom, then you're part of the problem. who cares if that show aired 5 years ago - reblog that fanart! who cares if that movie is from the 80s - reblog that fic! pretty gifs, even if you haven't seen that show/movie/etc - who cares, it's your blog and you enjoyed looking at the moving pictures - REBLOG IT!!!!

reblogging is super easy, especially if you don't want to take the time to tag. just a couple clicks on desktop and one click and drag on mobile. and i just think we all need to get into the habit of reblogging again, because otherwise there's going to be nothing fun to reblog anymore.

people need to start reblogging posts again i’m so serious. like it’s getting dire out here.

[daniclaytcn]

i...don't understand why some people get so pressed when gifmakers ask people to reblog stuff.

sure, no one is entitled to reblogs, and no one can be compelled to reblog posts. but also realize that the lack of engagement with their content will cause content creators to put less and less effort in their work and eventually stop making stuff all together.

this really isn't about notes. reblogs are literally the only way to share content efficiently on this site, especially now with the tagging system being fucked up. and all it takes is the press of a button - and you can even delete the post later if you don't want it on your blog! it's not a tall order to reblog something if you appreciate it enough to leave a like.

again, you don't have to. but while gifmakers don't gif solely for the notes, it becomes harder and and harder to justify spending so much time and energy on something no one wants to engage with. so don't reblog if you don't want to, but also don't act like we're asking for the moon. gifmakers come on to this site to post content for free, with a shitty tagging system, people discoursing in the notes, people leaving unwanted criticism, being morally policed for the stuff they choose to create, and oh yeah, the depressing likes to reblogs ratio. i think asking people to simply hit a button is the least one could ask for.

[tuiyla]

Hey, Happy New Year!! I wish you had been on the Glee fandom back when the show was airing; you'd have encouraged me to try to see things differently with your metas instead of just dismissing every one-shot character or absurd plotline that never went anywhere. You certainly gave me a newfound appreciation for certain chunks of S3 and S4-S6 as a whole. And your fancy gifsets are *chef's kiss* too but I guess they could only exist in the 2020s so thank you (and all the other gifmakers) for being here and keeping the fandom alive with this new giffing style bc it must take so much time and effort to make them look so gorgeous.

So anyway could you please rank the Glee seasons? Based on whatever standard you'd like - personal preference/enjoyment, whether the year was a good one for your faves, the actual writing and whether the plotlines were well-executed, etc.

Hey Anon, Happy New Year to you too! This was such a kind message, thank you so much. To be honest I don't wish I was here then haha just because I know how intense it all was and I would have burned out so quick. And I think we need this distance from the show to be able to analyze it in such ways. But! I'll take the compliment of course and I'm very happy if my ramblings can bring about new perspectives and appreciation. That's more than I could ever ask for.

And thank you for the kind words about giffing, too! It's become my primary way of adding to this fandom recently and it's always nice to see it being appreciated. I still maintain that I only do it because I want to and it's fun, but feedback is nice of course.

On the topic of Glee seasons, well I have a feeling that'd be a different ranking every day so take this as a very fluid list. It's also a mushed-together one because I kinda wanna consider several aspects, my personal enjoyment as well as what we'd call "good writing" in a more, though not completely objective sense. I'm happy if I can encourage appreciation for seasons 4 to 6 if only because it really irks me when people pretend there's a clear-cut divide in quality, though on previous lists I've also ranked the first three first and the later seasons last. So with that in mind, strap in:

Season 2

This is the easiest to decide. Season 2 is that sweet spot, imo, where we still only have three writers and therefore a semblance of consistency but it feels like a larger world with more developed characters than season 1 did. There are issues, sure, and I could go on and on about major gaps in all Glee seasons. But season 2 feels the most like Glee, to me. There's infighting and an overall arc and fun one-off themes and tributes. The focus is still too Finchel heavy and the Wemma drama throughout is meh, but those are general problems in Glee. I feel like, more than any other season after it season two has a beginning, middle, and end, and some of Glee's strongest character arcs. Scratch that, in Kurt and Santana we get the two strongest arcs of the series. And the way Karofsky's story builds on and makes both of these better, chef's kiss. And the whole Glee club feels much more like the dysfunctional family they are and there's more of an effort to include every member. Basically it's my fave and imo, the best, for many reasons. We could get more in-depth with this one day.

After no.1 is where we start going "Idunno" but I'll try to establish a ranking.

2. Season 4

I'm not sure if placing season 4 second feels quite right but ranking the other seasons above it doesn't, either. Look, it's a very flawed season of television. There's a clear shift between the two halves. For the better, but still. Santana took way too long to go to NYC. The most fascinating dynamics happen in two lines of dialogue and then entirely off-screen. The Lima-NYC split was not thought through. But it's by far the season where I can tolerate and even like Finn the most. It's arguably Santana's best. It brought me the newbies, my beloveds. Amazing group numbers. The best the New Directions have ever been as a group. Good one-offs, some crimes against humanity, surprisingly few duds. Will fades more and more into the background, bar wedding drama. No clear direction or purpose but a vibe of ND becoming a new sort of family and the alumni struggling. Waaaay too many characters and the season is worse off because of that but, somehow, it still kinda works. It's a ride.

3. Season 1

Sigh, listen, season 1 is the big struggle for me. If I muster as much objectivity as I can, it's the best-written and generally well-put-together season. Even when the back nine changes direction a bit, it's still a much more cohesive unit than even season 2. It's a good season of television. It's also one I saw all the way back in 2010 and said "uhm, no thanks, that was fine but I don't need more Glee." It's missing that je ne sais quoi, imo, that makes Glee truly great. And maybe truly bad, too, but that's part of the show's appeal and I still find season 1 one of the least engaging whenever I watch it. And there are many reasons, from my infuriation with the disproportion of singing to Finchel shenanigans to Quinn's storyline, and, of course, the lack of Santana. I still rank it in the top 3 just because I can't overlook how strong it is from a purely, this is good TV perspective, but make no mistake it's far from being among my personal faves. Deffo not the one I wanna be rewatching the most. It's so good in some aspects but I know what else Glee can be and yeah, that's messy and makes my blood boil but at least it makes me feel so much more than the Finchel features and Finn-Will bonding moments of season 1. Based on this you might think I should rank it lower. Maybe I should. I think I'm just being so hard on it because I know it's considered to be the best by many and it's just, not that for me. I only put it in the top 3 begrudgingly.

4. Season 3

Season 3 is impossible to rank and I feel bad putting it above season 6 but I can't lie and say it didn't have good stuff. I'm actually really curious to find out what parts of it you appreciate more now because of me haha because I feel like I'm always so hard on season 3. Because it sucks. I hate s3A so much. It pisses me off like no other season. But damn, it has the good stuff too. Some of my favourite GCVs, for starters. Nationals, graduation. All the nostalgia and sting of that. The underdogs winning. The end of an era. So much more Santana. (Soundtrack-wise, anyway.) The Troubletones. What did it cost? Everything, but we got it. There's a clear arc, it just takes a million detours. The most controversial season for me, personally. I wish it never existed. I wish it was so much better. I'm a different person for having witnessed it. Everything wrong with Glee but maybe everything great with it, too. The new writers? Not a great idea. An inevitability. Season 3 is a dumpster fire and quintessential Glee, dare I say even the peak of it in some ways. It makes me wanna choose violence. We should move on.

5. Season 6

Sweetie I'm so sorry for ranking you so low, I'm usually a season 6 defender. It's been too long since I've seen it to confidently be able to say that it's good, though, and it just very much feels like the swan song it is. I'll be completely honest, it's also the lack of Santana for me. Sure, she gets her own arc on the side but I'm not a 100% happy with how they bid her farewell and any given episode of Glee is just way less appealing to me without her in it. But putting the Santana of it all aside, season 6 fully leans into the insanity of Glee in its final season. It's also a breath of fresh air, of postmodernity and a new generation and goodbyes that feel as authentic as they could be at this point. It's... like a post-finale. It's surprisingly real about the concept of the aftermath. A fascinating case study of the show's identity, its underdog obsession, what it means to deconstruct that. It's also just a bit boring, innit, compared to earlier shenanigans. But still, season 6 defender over here.

6. Season 5

I really didn't think I'd rank season 5 last, again, because I always used to and I actually appreciate it a lot more these days. But it's a case of not wanting any of the others to be last. Season 5 seemed like as good a sacrificial lamb as any. I think it's that, much more than season 4, it doesn't feel like one season, not even like one show. And it's understandable, of course, because production and the people behind it went through hell when Cory died. Looked at through the lens of grief, it's a fascinating season. And there are aspects I really like but aspects I despise, and unlike season 3's controversy I also find a lot of it just dull. Now, this might change when I eventually rewatch it but as it stands I just don't feel as strongly about wanting to defend season 5 and I do season 6. It's great when it's great but it's lukewarm so often. There are also way too many character assassinations happening and part of me will never forgive dropping the newbies like that. And all of me will always be mad about Santana's/Naya's treatment in season 5B.

[fatalism-and-villainy]

@aeide-thea:

yeah—i LOVE analytical critique and am frequently sad that fandom’s attitude towards it, ime, is largely neutral-to-actively-hostile (insofar as it’s perceived to be Negativity that’s ~harshing other people’s squee~)

Real!! In general, a big factor in how willing I am to engage with a piece of media in the long term, fandom-wise, has to do with how "good" I think it is in terms of craft. And I'm pretty much always inclined to pull something apart and examine all its different moving parts, and analyze the story in terms of its construction and stylistics.

Fanfiction-based fandom can be incredibly hostile to that kind of analysis - I'm thinking of that awful post that goes "lol, who cares if something's a plot hole, just make a headcanon like everyone else" - those are two different types of engagement, and one is not a substitute for the other! Similarly, back when the Star Wars sequels were airing, I saw a lot of sentiments that went something like "stop complaining that the story wasn't written the way you wanted and write a fanfic instead." Again, different forms of engagement! (That was especially frustrating because I always wanted to say to the people making that argument, "Wow, I'd really like to be on your side here, stop being an obtuse blockhead about the mere concept of media critique and demanding that everyone engage with fandom the way you do!")

That's all a bit more specific than the problem I'm articulating here - my experience isn't that fandom is hostile to meta in general (I mean, again, I get more interaction with and compliments about my meta posts than I do with fic!). There is still a pretty active meta culture in my fandom. But I don't see meta get appreciation in broader discussions of fandom. There aren't many shoutouts to meta writers the way there are for, say, fic writers or gifmakers; there's no sense that I'm doing others a favour by sharing meta the way there is with fic; there's not the same expectation that I can push my meta posts in front of others and say "hey, I wrote this, read it!" when that's seen as fine and expected with fic. Meta in general, I think, is seen as something ephemeral, or something that's still in its primordial form (I'll never forget the person who claimed meta was basically the same thing as fic, but in an unfinished form), rather than something actively crafted that takes time and effort to write (which, by the way - it does!).

Man, getting back into fandom is really hammering home for me that in my heart of hearts, I'm a meta person, not a fic person. I was first enticed into fandom primarily by meta, I joined tumblr because I liked reading meta threads of back-and-forth conversations, and when I'm highkey interested in a piece of media, my first impulse is to want to devour all the analysis and commentary on it, wherever it falls on the scale of formal to informal.

And I mean, I enjoy writing fic! I read fic! I'm not categorically uninterested in fic. But I just don't have the same kind of memory for fic - who wrote it, what was said, etc. - that I do for meta. And I don't go back and read fics over and over nearly as often - whereas if there's a meta post or thread that I really like, I'll read it over and over and sometimes memorize the whole thing. (Yep, I'm autistic!) It's just fulfilling to me as an approach in a way fic on its own can't be. (And honestly, most of my fic is prompted by meta impulses - no matter how id-based the premise, my approach is usually doing a deep dive into character, themes, etc.)

I like my fics, for the most part, and I think writing them fulfills me in its own way. But I also like my meta posts, and mini essays, and what have you. And while I know you can post meta on ao3, I never feel like there's the same emphasis on meta as something I should take pride in, something that I poured work and thought into, something I can hold up as discrete works I've created for a fandom. Never the same expectation that I should want to promo that, or that I'm doing people a favour by posting it publicly. Even though I actually get more compliments and feedback on meta I post here than I do on fic! But so many spaces, or ambient fandom discussions, assume that fic is or should be everybody's primary form of engagement. Which can be... alienating.

[privateraelle]

idk but i'm not feeling tumblr rn.. it's a constant doubt whether to post or not bc i don't know how my sets will do. the ratio of reblogs seems to be lower than ever

oh..i feel you anon. it's been hard getting back on track and posting sets that feel relevant somehow. it's all about the reblogs and it does suck when you put so much effort into something and then it doesn't get the attention you hoped it would. it's happened to me and it's happened to every artist/gifmaker/writer in the fandom. and i get that some people don't like reblogging stuff or they have anxiety about spamming their followers' dash and it's okay, of course, but it's just how this stupid hellsite spreads content and it's not really fair for us nor the people who prefer likes over reblogs.

i think tumblr's a nice site (sometimes) but it should really change its politics and allow likes to boost posts and appear on people's dashes as if it were a reblog. i get that it would make tumblr less tumblr-y and more instagram-y but it's sad to see creators like you being discouraged to post, you know? so fixing this is important for a big ass part of tumblr.

anyway, from the bottom of my heart, i'd really like to thank the people who take the time to like and reblog my posts. liking posts is okay and sharing them with your followers is even more appreciated by us who struggle to bring content to tumblr, so thank you and i love you <3

[ruanbaijie]

38 and 47 for the gifmaker asks, please? ♡

hi anon!! thanks for stopping by to send this (｡･･｡)

38. What are you really excited to gif that isn’t out yet

*deep inhalation*

HAO YI XINGGGGGGG  (aka immortality aka 2ha drama adaptation)

47. Any advice for novice gif makers/people who want to start making gifs

answered here! but just a few more I can think of: don’t be afraid to try new things and styles! and it’s really okay if you can’t find a particular giffing style of your own, we all change the way we do things as time passes and as we take new things as our inspiration ꈍ .̮ ꈍ sometimes it can get demoralising when the effort you put into making something doesn’t translate into a proportionate amount of appreciation, but giffing is one of those things where the process also matters~ exposure and notes are important, but so are finding fun and relaxation (whatever fits for you) during the process, and most importantly the love you have for that particular show/ person/ group in the first place (⺣◡⺣)♡*

gifmakers’ ask game: please yell at me! ☆=(ゝω･)/

[iridescentides]

‪20, 24, 31, 42, 46, 47 :)‬

thank you for sending these Katie!

20: Mac or PC?

PC! i pretty much take any opportunity i can to shit talk apple products. i’m an android and pc bitch forever. i have an ipad, so i know the differences between the interfaces and apple is just so much less customizable. i need my freedom! the only downside to not having a mac is that i can’t screen record with kmplayer.

24: 480p 720p 1080p? What is the minimum quality you’ll gif from?

720p is the lowest i will go usually. it’s just super frustrating and not even worth it to use video that’s less than that bc the gifs will be ugly and grainy and do that weird fuzzy wall thing. i have files of that’s so raven that i really wish i could gif, but they’re like 480p and i just can’t put myself through that.

31: Do you schedule/queue posts or do you post right after you’re done?

always queue!!! i will NEVER post a set immediately unless i genuinely hate it and don’t want it to be seen, or if it’s time-sensitive like a request. i always schedule my stuff for at least the next day, but sometimes months in advance (for when i go back to school/work and need to keep my blog active). i also generally schedule stuff to post between 1pm and 4pm PST bc i read that that’s supposedly when this site is the most active. keep an eye out bc sometimes i will tag my long-queued posts with stuff like “this post has been queued since (date) so hello future!”

42: How is your gif folder organized? Is it organized at all?

my folder is just organized by the name of the show/movie for the most part. my gif psd folder isn’t organized at all, though, i just keep it alphabetical. and i never delete anything bc i tend to go back to certain gif files to see how i did specific colorings or effects.

46: Ever gotten a really sweet compliment over a set?

so literally every time emma (@oliviasrodrigo) reblogs any of my sets i CRY bc she’s so sweet and kind and makes me feel so appreciated! i get so excited for her to see my gifsets bc she always leaves nice comments. i don’t deserve her!

also colleen (@summercohen) is super sweet as well, and i specifically remember when i posted my very first barry gifset, she reblogged it multiple times and said so many kind words!

47: Any advice for novice gif makers/people who want to start making gifs?

so i included a “random tips” section in my gif resources masterpost, but i think the most meaningful advice i gave there was to follow and uplift other gif makers. every bit of positivity you put out comes right back to you. when you make an effort to support other people, they will want to support you. and that’s what makes this whole experience so fun.

questions for gifmakers!!!

[tayloralison]

I know it's probably not as exciting to make gifs anymore since the fandom on tumblr is getting smaller but I just hope you know that my eyes literally light up when you post a new gifset, and there are only like a total of 5 gifmakers who i have that reaction to! and it's not just the gifmakers that know what well-made gifs look like- i've never made a single gifset but i've been on stan tumblr for 8 years now and i recognize good gifset when i see one lol like i'm so picky about what i reblog.

[and the fact that you get these gif requests shows that there are many others (who are probably not gifmakers themselves) that enjoy your creations! so yeah i just wanted you to know that your efforts are appreciated a lot by everyone on here, not just by me! i'll forever reblog everything you make, keep it up!! :)]

hi thank you so much omg ?? you're so kind!!!! I actually love making gifs so much because I usually make them when I'm taking a break from things and I love lovee coloring - plus, I'm actually relatively new to giffing, it's been a while but only really during the lover era I've become more experienced and so for me rn, there's soo much fun in giffing. especially coloring because when I made gifs for other fandoms (like harry potter) I did pale coloring and so coloring bright and vibrant had been new and fun!!! but sometimes the notes do get to me, especially when I spend a long time on a set, and it just sucks :((

But I'm so so grateful that people like you motivate me, by adding a nice tag or sending me an ask!!! I cannot explain how much this means to me omg thank you so so SO much!! you're incredibly sweet 💜💜💜 I adore you so much like truly thank you for this 💖💖💖💖

[kyloren]

What kind of comments on gifs are okay and wouldn't be hurtful to gif makers. Like can i appreciate a movie or character they gif?

Definitely. The thing is, the reason some people found my vent post relatable was because we gif-makers check our activity page for comments a lot. In the same way authors cherish comments and interactions they receive on their fics, we appreciate and love it when someone says something positive to us. Comments like “this is nice”, “interesting”, “pretty colours”, etc. send us over the moon. So appreciation of a movie, character, etc. make us very happy.

Imagine a scenario: a gifmaker makes a set of a show A involving character B, and someone reblogs it and says ‘ugh, this show is trash, it’s so dumb, this character is a dick and probably killed puppies’. The reaction this will elicit will be a negative one -- ‘why are you here? why are you telling me, on a thing I worked hard on, that you hate what I like? why do you think this is okay?’

The reason why gif-makers -- any content creators, really -- tend to be touchy about what people add in reblogs is this: Content that we make is subjective, it takes time and effort, and we usually make content of the things we like.

[hoshees]

can I just say your gifs are so pretty and I wish I could be as good as you omg, I'm not putting myself down or anything but I definitely aspire for my work to be as nice as yours!!

wahhh omg!!! this is so nice of you!! thank you so much ☺️ idk who you are ofc but i think the best thing to do as a gifmaker or any content maker is to just keep making!! there’s a quote from henri cartier-bresson: “your first 10,000 photographs are your worst”... and that’s something i really remembered since i read it as a teenager (i was pursuing photography and still do!). it’s not to say that your work is ever bad, but that you’ll improve the more you make, and that it takes effort! 10,000 photos doesn’t seem like a lot to us in the digital age, but for someone who shot and developed 35mm film, that’s a big deal. and he’s not saying those 10,000 went to waste, but rather that they’re a necessary step to making the things you want to make—that meet your own standards, even. i know this is a really long-winded response to an anonymous compliment, and i know you said you weren’t bringing yourself down, but i guess the point i’m trying to make is that you should focus on your own journey as a creator and while it’s wonderful to be inspired by others, don’t compare your work too much ok?? there’s still times when i post something and i’m like... wow this isn’t good... but then i just have to remind myself that not everything will be. sorry sorry this is so long omg but thank you again i really appreciate your kind words so much ☺️💕 i hope you have a lovely day!!