#not me coming out of my gifmaking hiatus to make this | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

seoschangbin · 5 years ago

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Hi hi, it’s ya gal Rachel! To start off, this isn't really a follow forever but more of a mushy love fest. I was going to do this back in October when my blog hit 2 years but then with everything that happened... 😞✌ figured it wasn’t the best time! But since it’s the new year, I just wanted to spread some love to start off the decade, especially towards all the lovely people who have made my 2019 a little bit happier ♡ Thank you to everyone for making this such a fun & amazing year; thank you for supporting my gifs & graphics and interacting with me; overall, thank you for making Tumblr fun again! So to all my moots and followers, I’m wishing you all a very happy and wonderful 2020!

I wanted to take some time as well to write some messages to all my mutuals - seeing you guys on my dash + all your work (if you’re a cc) is such a joy and I admire all of you very very much! Thank you for putting in the time to making gifs/graphics/fic/etc. and I hope you won’t mind if I gush about you a little, even if we’ve never spoken hehe! Under the cut in alphabetic order.. she’s a long one sorry!

@00hj | karen!! angel!! first of all, everything u make is just the cleanest cutest thing ever, i truly want your brain!.. u are such an incredibly talented gfx creator and i get heart palpitations every time i see ur work!! i adore u so much n ur tags are also so full of sweetness n purity and 😞💕 i just want to give u a hug!! + the way u always say hi to ccs in ur tags when u rb their stuff. cute!! pure!!

@01degree | joanna!! first of all... thank u for filling my dash with so many groups, some of which i almost never get to see 😌💕 ur brain being multi af like me.. chefs kiss! also! you make such clean and nice gifs please don’t ever doubt that laskjd!! 2020 joanna stops saying her gifs suck! idk how u make them so clean but legends only! bls remember to be kind to yourself this year! 💕

@1095 | nicolle!! i haven’t seen you around recently but i hope everything is okay and you’re doing well! i have to say that your graphics are absolutely INSANE i don’t know how you do it!! the colours.. how it all comes together.. amazing! ur career as a graphic designer will be a good one 😌👍 secondly your urls are always so cute nd nice!! and thirdly back to number 1.. i just love everything you make so so much bls come back to us 😖

@3noracha | falak.. ur the fandom’s gem.. the sharpening on ur gifs takes my breath away everytime + the colouring.. omg chef’s kiss!! i didn’t know you before you came back earlier this year but i’m so so glad you did come back bc u are so full of love 😳💗 you make the cutest graphics as well and are just radiate so much positivity 💞

@bamgchan | henri! still my confident car selfie king!! so glad i found you through sagey.. i love all your content (ur graphics.. always so well put together!) and the way you interact with people is so full of energy and positivity and i adore that! i hope 2020 treats you well 🥰

@banghans | ollie!! all of ur content.. ur gifs! amazing.. wonderful.. iconic thank you for providing so much hq content for the rest of us peasants 😌💕 your love for chan and jisung is also so pure n cute when u rave abt it 💞 bls stop being so hard on yourself and i love reading about how you’re always striving to be better to yourself! i hope 2020 is a good year for you 💖

@binnieseason | emily.. a loss for binnie stans that you’re gone 😔 anyways i hope to see you back sometime because you make such nice gifs + the colouring on them.. so pretty and clean.. how to be you! i hope things are okay with you and that you’ve been well!

@cb-97s | miss li! y/a novel protagonist herself!! li you’re a burst of sunshine in my day and i love chatting w u! your love for chan.. too pure 😭 every time i talk to you i’m like.. dang.. she’s real.. ppl get to see her for real! might force u to meet me irl 🤷‍♀️ also queen of gfx.. always so clean.. 😍 i know it’s been a stressful year for you but i hope 2020 brings you happiness and love 💞 love u!

@changbeanie | hi ruby! ur graphics are always so intricate n pretty + the colouring on ur gifs.. so pretty 😭💖 thank you for providing like 90% of the changbin content nd keeping me well-fed 🥰 ur always so sweet to ur anons as well and are just a lil ray of sunshine ☀️

@changbinie | jo.. what even is there to say abt u.. still can’t believe i got u into skz.. CAN’T!!! thanks for suffering w me and dealin w me wakin u to talk abt middies.. + changbin arms.. i love u a little i think (?)

@channie | hi fishy! ur one of the very first skz blogs i ever followed back in 2017.. we ancient 😌🤙 i know you’re not too active anymore but all of your gifs have like. the prettiest colouring ever idk how you do it! i hope you’ll come back to us

@elfminho | min! i love the way u tag skz in your tags.. so cute 😭 star boy!!! cute 😭 ur gifs are also lovely as well �� i think ur one of the first skz blogs i followed when i starting using this blog again n i’m glad i found ur blog bc i adore u 💞

@glowsvt | grace.. my little baby! i wish i could just !! get into ur brain how lovely nd wonderful of a human you are.. have more confidence in yourself! 😣 you make wonderful graphics.. ur style! cute! and you have such a sweet and good heart!! i love when you ramble about things and always appreciate how you take the time to reach out to me despite how busy you are 💕 thank you for being a real-life angel, i hope 2020 is good and kind to you 🙇‍♀️💞

@hanjisungz | britt!!! nerd squad let’s go!! you’re such an angel, the way you treat everyone who talks to you with so much kindness and positivity makes me want to cry!! ur truly just the cutest sunbeam and just such lovely lovely human!! thank u for puttin up with my late replies and how boring i am 😭 i also adore your gifs and icons.. which you know.. but always.. chefs kiss to them!

@huiracha | marie... first of all skz AND ptg? great, amazing, fantastic combination... galaxy brain 💞 secondly, u make such SUCH nice gifs 😭 ur prob one of my fav skz ccs and all ur pretty chan comp sets.. always look forward to them! thank u for also bringing me ptg content i never see enough of them 💕

@hwang-hyunjin | agnes!! ur topaz settings r always insane and they make your gifs look amazing!! + the colouring u do is always so beautiful!! the combo rly makes ur gifs so distinctive nd pretty💞 ur edits too!! just lovely 🥰 also the fact that we’re also moots on our mx blogs.. amazing.. i love a staybebe!!

@hyunjins | godleigh???? still one of my fav gifmakers ever!! perfect colouring.. sharpening.. best brain! 💞 rmbr ur skz x prince series... still think abt it sometimes.. wish i could be half as brilliant as u! i’m so glad we started talking bc u are incredibly funny and fun to talk to and i love witnessing ur breakdowns even though they’re probably way funnier to me than they should be 😭 love that u vibe w me and we can be mean together 😭 thank u for giving me this url 😭 thank u for being my friend, u truly are like. half the reason i enjoy being on this blog 😭 you’re wonderful and i love u a lot! sorry for clowning u sometimes! i hope everything sorts itself out soon bc u deserve some peace nd happiness 😩 and i wish u nothing but the best for this year and hope that the next year will be filled with good things 💖

@ifbin | mikaela.... u know i could talk abt you forever right???? ur graphics.. bro 😭 literally my fav gfx ever on this site.. u have such a vibrant + clean style it’s so sexy 😭 literally am in love with everything u make.. every time i see it i’m like 😳💖 also you’re such a sweetheart in your tags i can’t with you... spare friendship miss 💍

@jeonginz | bri! honestly.. i think you’re my oldest mutual from when we first started our blogs during survival era #ogs? 😳 when i found out you were nctmark... mind blown... anyways all your content is AMAZING even though u dont make as much for skz anymore msdg but ur dedication to all ur sideblogs.. galaxy brain 😌

@jinlix | kelly...!! still gazing at u across the river i love love love u!! how to purchase friendship? ur just the purest snowflake and a wonderful person with the cutest tags... ur love for hyunjin.. CUTE 💞 all your graphics are so pretty and clean as well.. dragonlix gfx never forgotten.. 😳 and you’re rly just a little angel!! 💞

@kim-woojins | emma, i know that you’re gone and closed pretty much but if you come back to this! just wanted to let you know that you were my fav woojin cc and i hope you’ll consider coming back someday 💖 your gifs.. always amazing! plus, you’re such a kind person and i hope everything is okay with you and things have settled a bit! sending you lots of love 💕

@kittylixie | moon.. honestly one day i just started seeing ur content everywhere.. ur gifs are so clean and pretty and just! mwah! you’re always so quick to gif as well i don’t know how you to do it! all the stuff you choose to gif as well.. best moments 💖

@kmwoojins | sagey.... still don’t really know how i came to be following you! 😩 but i’m so happy i am because you are so pure and sweet and i adore adore adore you!! 💞 love how welcoming and lovely you are as a human and still laugh every time i think about how shocked you are about jo and i... 😌 anyways i adore your graphics and you, thank you for just being such a lovely human, you were a wonderful part of my year 💖

@leeminho-s | hi lia! i know we only became moots recently but all your gifs.. so pretty 😳 and we never have enough minho content.. thank you for providing 😫 i’m sorry i don’t know much about you yet but i just wanted to say i admire your gifs so much and hope you have a wonderful start to the new year!

@minknows | hi thien! first of all.. your name.. so lovely 😳 secondly.. the colouring on your gifs is always so pretty and good 😭❤ the sharpening too.. 😔 just!! chefs kiss to it all, would take a class on how to gif from you 🙇‍♀️

@nochous | dez!! we haven’t interacted much on this sb of mine but hehe i loved our convo on my sf9 blog.. still always thinkin abt you calling kun daddy 😭 you’re such a fun person to talk to and i hope everything is okay with you since you’ve gone on a semi-hiatus! i hope we’ll have another chance to talk soon, sending you some good energy for 2020 💗

@prodskz | hi neha! i feel like you took a hiatus sometime this year (??) where i didn’t see you on much but i’m happy to see you a little more active on here now!! u provide such nice content + for some reason i rly rly love your icon 😭💗

@realstraykids | miss em.. secret santa FATED us 😔💕 anyways i adore you, we are the core of fantastay culture and this will forever unite us 😌 i’m vibrating at the thought of their comeback 😖 ANYWAYS you are such a friendly and lovely person and i enjoyed getting to talk with u so much over the past couple of weeks 💖 you’re one of my fav gifmakers honestly your mv aesthetics swap.. as i said.. 😭 amazing iconic showstopping! + the colouring on all your gifs.. so pretty 😭

@seungminhos | to quote you. you are far too funny to be a gifmaker 😣 but then who would provide all the good seungmin content.. 😞 you’re such a force of nature on my dash and i love reading all your thoughts bc you are Funny.. and your love for seungmin + how you always want the best for him is pure!! our sporadic interactions too.. always enjoy them 💕 even though i know you’re stressed about being on here sometimes, i want you to know that you’re wonderful and i appreciate all you do to bring more seungmin on our dashes 💗 pls stop threatening to delete your blog, i would be devastated 😫

@seungminsmile | aurora!! the one time i was about to have a seungmin breakdown and went to you... hehe you’re such a cutie and very grounded person (imo!!) and you make the cutest little graphics.. the little doodles.. how do you do that!! 😳 and now that you’re making gifs.. Queen! i hope your first semester went well! 💕

@seunie | hello nia!! i know we are still new moots but you are such a pure soul.. just ur blog title.. angel! you radiate so much love and sweetness 💞 your gifs are always so vibrant + colourful as well and bring a bit of colour onto my dash just like you! hopefully we can speak in the coming year, i wish you the very best! 🥰

@skzbffie | rayana... all ur gifs... bro.... how to start a rayana religion... amazing 😍 ur gifs are always so clean + i can recognize them by the subtitle font you use.. u always choose the best moments to gif honestly how to be u! honestly ur tags are fun to read too don’t judge me i am just an admirer and fan of u 😭

@skznta | miss sierra! idk how to put it into words but you... goddess of goodness? you truly radiate so much positivity and happiness and it makes me so.. uwu (for lack of better words).. you’re so so cute over all your love for science and i’m glad we got to bond over that! the way you’re always striving to learn more + improve yourself.. u inspire me 😳 you are also an incredible cc and thank you for bringing so much joy into the fandom and my life!! i feel very grateful to have gotten to know you a little this year 💞

@thechanboys | jem.. u are a GEM... 😭 the way i got u for secret santa i’ll never get over it!! you are just such sunshine and so fun to talk to and 😳💞 if u ever wanna abandon bin for me.. 😌 my fav number one chan/bin stan..! i’m so happy you got into skz this year and i’m gonna try my hardest to get you into some other groups hehe 🤧 anyways, you are incredible, lovely, wonderful, amazing i love u jem!! 💖

@tinyjisung | bea! honestly.. we are moots on like 3(?) blogs our multi selves.. galaxy brain... i know ur more active on ur ateez blog but i wanted to write abt you here anyways because I CAN! 😌 but i love all that good san content you provide + you just seem like a very calm n fun person 💕

@virgolix | nina. you’re such a cute person filled with love and you just spread so much positivity and good energy! you treat everyone with so much kindness and it’s so nice to see 💖 and if i can rave about your gifs for a minute... they are unreal 😫 the sharpening.. colouring.. always so amazingly clean + pretty + vibrant!

@wonstal | hi hi! okay.. i adore all your content, you have the cutest colouring ever!! + topaz settings.. so pretty 😖💞 even though we started off as moots on my mx blog, i’m so glad you got into skz and ateez + will be on your sweet merry way to sf9 soon 🤞 i’m glad we’ve just started chatting a bit because you seem super fun and i’m excited to get to know you better! i hope 2020 treats you well darling 💖

@yongbells | iana.. hope everything is okay with you always and sending you lots of love! i miss seeing you on here but i hope you’re taking good care of yourself 💗 also.. gfx queen... 😖 you’re SUCH a ray of sunshine.. the way you always tell people how much you love their creations is so kind and all of your own gfx are some of the most beautiful things ever 💖 we are so blessed to have you in this fandom 😩

#rachel.txt #oh man.. this took me a while to write but i hope u guys are oke w my messages 😭#i adore u all v v much and sending u all warm wishes for the new year + new decade!!#thank u all for making this my fav sideblog #+ to my followers i love u all and wish u the best year yet as well 💖#if i missed anyone.. bls feel free to shoot me in the head #if we're moots + ur not here i missed u bc i am an idiot. bls dm me immediately so i can tell u how much i love u

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izystan-archive · 5 years ago

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Hey I know that feeling and honestly it’s not your fault- sadly when it comes to content it either disappears in the tags or some other superfluous factor, but your frustration is definitely valid; the best advice is just don’t do this for anyone else but yourself (because you should be happy making the gifs) and maybe join a network; but otherwise I love your content and I hope that sincerity could be almost as good as notes,-signed a gifmaker who has been there

Thanks anon. I was afraid that I would get a bunch of backlash if I talked about my own feelings since when people see my url they think, “oh it’s that gifmaker.”, and like I just didn’t want people to see me rant and think, “oh what? Hes using this blog for something other than to post gifs? Unfollow/soft block.” And I’m glad someone else gets it.

I’ve joined a lot of networks but like idk it doesn’t seem to help. Prolly cause they’re really small rn and they just need time to grow, which is fine, and that’s not to say I dont appreciate being on these networks because I do—a lot. Sincerity is just as good as notes for sure, but once you’ve had a taste of popularity, it’s really hard to wash that taste out of your mouth. For me, that popularity became like heroine is to a drug addict (okay that’s a really fucked up analogy in hindsight but idk how else to describe it).

Like I posted a wonder girls gif set one time pre hiatus and it got over 3k notes. I didnt even think that was fucking possible. To someone like me that has dealt with low self esteem issues and still deals with them even now, how could I not become addicted to the popularity? Still sincerity is just as good as notes even now, but there’s always a part of me that wants to taste the sweet nectar of popularity again every time I post an edit. And when that hunger isn’t satisfied, I get pissed off.

I know as well that there’s a bunch of people who have seniority that have a large and loyal fan base of followers, as opposed to me who is still recovering all of my followers after being away for so long. I would tag them but I think that would be rude, plus I’m sure most people who have been in the kcommunity on tumblr long enough know who they are so I don’t think it’s necessary. I feel like I’m constantly in a hopeless competition with these people just because it’s really hard to beat someone who has a loyal fanbase.

I also think the reason why I don’t get many notes is because no one reblogs anymore. I’ve noticed that the demographic of tumblr has changed a lot. In the past, i would get as many likes as I did reblogs, but now i get more likes than reblogs. The problem with this is that without reblogs, content doesn’t get spread. If content doesn’t get spread, no one will notice it. If no one notices it, you’re not getting notes. I would be satisfied if the demographic of tumblr was the same as it was before my hiatus, but it’s not, and as a result it makes it really hard for me to appreciate the sincerity of the people who actually take the time to reblog it.

And tbh I’ve always hated it when people just like my shit but they don’t reblog it (no offense to the people who follow me that do this! I still love and appreciate you ❤️) because to me a like is just like, “oh I like what you post but I don’t think it’s so good that it deserves to have more people to see it.” I know that’s probably not the case, which is why I once again sincerely apologize if anyone who reads this part gets offended; thats just how it feels to me honestly. That being said I won’t apologize for being honest in stating how I feel because if I’m not honest then who will be?

So I guess TL;DR: sincerity matters to me greatly, and I appreciate it just as much, if not more so than the notes I get, but once you’ve had a taste of popularity it’s really hard to get that taste out of your mouth and not want it again and again, especially when your self esteem is constantly in the gutter.

Okay I’m done.

#sorry to bombard you like this anon #i just had a lot of feelings about this and ive been so scared to share because i didnt want to lose followers or offend anyone #and im sorry to anyone who got offended by what i said #anonymous #replies #shit izzy says

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shookethbrooketh · 5 years ago

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my “post-coming out universe”

i’ve been in this fandom for over two years, and i can honestly say i’ve never seen it quite like this. in its fundamentals, absolutely nothing has changed, and absolutely nothing should change, but as you dig into it, so many things have changed (undoubtedly for the better) that will never be exactly the same again. i’m making this post solely for my followers because i feel like this is a sort of a milestone for me as a member of this fandom, especially because it’s a point in which the entire fandom is becoming active again. i basically want to lay out what, going forward, i’m going to make this blog, and my experience in the phandom, into. can’t blame you if you don’t give a shit, but i’d recommend giving it a read if you’re someone who’s followed me for a long time. <3

tldr;

i changed my url as a way of moving forward from unhealthy habits

my content won’t be changing much, although i’m taking on the position of Queen of Respect

seeing the phandom rally together this week and seeing dnp return to the internet in general has made me excited to bring back the energy i used to have for dnp without the obsession

i’ve grown a lot during the hiatus and i’m very excited to bring that growth back here to become a more authentic and healthy content creator and person

my url urls are fucking HARD, man! i’d like to take a moment in this post to apologize for randomly changing my url AND theme because i know how much confusion that opens things up to, and i’m also not the type who likes to change urls (again, confusion) but a part of me felt like it was sort of necessary.

the evolution of a url is quite an interesting track to follow imo. i started on this website with the url “phaniltontrash”. yeah. then i switched to “phanisthetearinmyheart”, which i can’t decide if is better or worse. then i switched to optimistphan, which was my most Iconique™ url, but i feel like it just followed the old classic mold of “word-phan”, and that’s not what i wanted. so i landed on heartthrobphilly because, when i chose this, heartthrob was an amazing video, and watching it, and watching how open dnp were in it, made me really, really happy. looking at my url made me smile. but since then, this blog has fallen nearly as inactive as the boys themselves, and i even considered abandoning it, until dan came back. now that this has happened, i feel like heartthrob is almost insignificant. it’s something tiny in the path that led, for the boys, up to this, and it feels almost empty now. this url, however, makes me smile every time i look at it because i remember how proud i am of him for allowing me to use it in the first place. furthermore, i feel like the video has changed some of my general views (which i’ll discuss later) and a brand new url and theme is the best way i can think of to move forward into a completely new era. now onto the future :)

my content in the past, i’ve mostly been a shitposter, but i’ve dabbled in editing, gifmaking, and writing. i’m writing two fics for the phandom reverse bang, and after that, i’m probably going to retire from writing. it’s not something i personally love like i used to, and i don’t want to spend my time doing something i don’t love. mostly, though, my content will remain the same. shitposting was one of my favorite things from the past era of my life, and i’m dragging it right on with me into this era. however, i feel as if some of my past content borderlined acceptable, and i think this video has instilled in me a new sense of right and wrong in terms of content. moving forward, this blog is respect central! queen of respect!! hell yeah!!!

my energy one of the things that’s kept me from this blog in recent months was a lack of energy, or at least energy directed towards this blog. the phandom was dying, and dan and phil weren’t providing. that’s no shame towards them; it’s simply fact. i had no motivation to post, so i simply didn’t. but this week something truly magical happened. when dan tweeted that he was uploading, i made a shitpost, and it had over 100 notes by the time he posted. when i saw how it was gaining, i nearly started crying, not because of the notes themselves, but because, for the first time since 2018, the phandom was really, truly HERE. it resembled old times--the times that actually made me HAPPY to be a part of this fandom--and that gave me inexplicable joy. the joy continued as, after the video was posted, i got texts from people i haven’t spoken to in months and people i haven’t spoken to about dnp in years. the video was such a unifying force in the phandom, and seeing us all act like a real community again is really inspirational for me. it makes me feel like this is a place where i want to be again, and i’m going to be here. i want to bring the energy back and really, truly become a phan blog again. i want to interact with people, i want to answer asks, and i want to post ACTUAL content. i feel ready to bring the old energy and bring back the old times.

my emotions it’s odd to say, but i’m really, really glad dan and phil went on this hiatus. while i began to lose interest in them in the recent weeks and months, i noticed how unhealthy my relationship with them was. i put too much of my happiness on them, on this fandom, and, worst of all, on my popularity within this fandom, and it was really, really unhealthy. personally, i believe this break was decided on by dnp not only because they needed it, but because they knew that before this could happen, we needed it too. moving forward, i believe that i’ve gained what i needed to from this hiatus, and i’m ready to go back to where i was, but for the right reasons. i’m ready to become invested in this fandom again, but never to the point where i can’t take a step back. i’m ready to become someone who creates content for fun, not because i feel obligated to.

so, yeah. that’s what’s changing here. thanks for reading if you bothered to <3 i love you guys

#not ph*n #blog stuff

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babblingblondegenius · 6 years ago

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Felicity Megan Smoak-Queen rules the roost aka the Queen residence

We been knew that Oliver will do anything she says and William should know by now who runs the world (or will, once she gets Smoak Tech launched). EPISODE SPOILERS AND SPOILER-ISH SPECULATION AHEAD...

There’s an old saying ‘If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy!’ and clearly having had Moira Queen as a mother, Oliver knows this well. So when mama Felicity says no pancakes until we talk, there will be no pancakes. In the interest of full disclosure, it took a while for William to grow on me. I blame the writers (for more than I could ever possibly write about but let’s focus on William right now). But tonight I was #TeamWilliam. As much as it hurts him to hear, Oliver needs to know how his decisions have affected and do affect his family. He is so worried about redeeming himself to the team and the city but he needed to start with his wife and son. So I truly appreciate that they gave William a voice.

William not only used that voice to call out Oliver but to call his grandparents. I don’t believe William did that to lash out at Oliver (okay, maybe a little) but to regain control. William didn’t have a say when Oliver sent him away in season 4. William didn’t have a say when Samantha died and Oliver assumed custody in season 5. William didn’t have a say when Oliver cut a deal with the FBI at the end of season 6. Felicity had talked to William about the realities of this life and fallibility of Oliver Queen. Felicity, more than anyone, knows that Oliver defaults to making decisions alone and isn’t always forthcoming with the truth. Felicity chose to leave when Oliver didn’t tell her about William and didn’t include her in his decision to send him away forever. Felicity chose to stay even though Oliver didn’t tell her about the sacrifice he made for the team. And as Felicity knows well and William has learned, loving Oliver Queen isn’t always easy.

Of course in true Arrow fashion, the timing is bizarre. William lived with Oliver (and then Oliver and Felicity once they were married) for all of season 6. Their apartment was shot to smithereens during dinner. Oliver outed himself as GA, went to prison for what was supposed to be a life sentence, and William went with Felicity into witness protection, where they were attacked. Instead of going to live with his grandparents, he is sent off to boarding school. Last episode, he was pissed at Felicity for that decision and now one episode later, he decides he wants to have a normal life?!? Kiddo, that’s not possible with these two. :/

One of the best parts of the episode was Oliver defending Felicity to William’s grandparents. Felicity has cared for and treated William as her son. She was willing to die fighting Diaz to protect him. She has loved and nurtured him and I’m very glad that Oliver recognizes that. And I think William does too.

I’m a fan of horror movies so I was really looking forward to seeing Stan terrorize the team. Except I wasn’t nervous or on the edge of my seat like I should have been. I was bored because the flash-forwards have sucked all the suspense out of the show. TBH I probably wouldn’t have really cared when DD got her throat slit regardless but I already knew she wasn’t going to die. I thought they might kill Curtis so I was just confused when it didn’t happen. I am a little concerned how much I related to Stan. He was wielding a knife but dropping some major truth bombs about NTA to Oliver. They aren’t your friends and you shouldn’t trust them. Preach it Stan. So while I loved Oliver, Felicity, and William working as a team to take down Stan without anyone else’s help, it kinda sucks Stan isn’t the big bad and it looks like Diaz is back next week. Yawn, no surprises there.

Arrow did drop a couple of ‘surprises’ tonight, if things the fandom has known for months count as surprises lol. The first surprise was Arrow letting Curtis live. I’m okay with it since he did me a solid before he left and gave Felicity his part of Helix so she is now free and clear to establish Smoak Tech. #finally!!!! The second surprise is that Felicity is pregnant / Mia is Olicity’s daughter. The Olicity baby is on her way. This has been a long time coming....

...especially for Oliver. Oliver may have been conflicted about his dual identity way back when but he knew if he ever let himself have a life beyond the mask, that life would be with Felicity and their own genius ninja babies.

However, since we have barely seen Oliver look at Felicity onscreen since winter hiatus, I’m gonna need the writers to provide proof of the conception. ;) #theonlytimeflashbacksareacceptable

These are both huge developments in Felicity’s life and both will be part of her legacy. I am keeping my fingers crossed (and expectations low lol) that the writers will show Felicity being a kick-ass mother-to-be as Overwatch and the future CEO of Smoak Tech. There is no doubt in my mind that she can do it all. I’m just terrified after the last two episodes where she has been overlooked for her contributions, not deputized and completely separated from the team that the pregnancy just gives them more reason to sideline her. I hope I’m wrong.

I also hope I’m wrong about the very bleak picture that the flash-forwards are painting for Olicity. It seems they are estranged from both their children. The fact that Mia asked if William had dated Felicity means Felicity is single and that means that Oliver is dead. It appears at this point that Oliver will be Oliver and sacrifice himself in the season 8 crossover which is right around the time when Mia will be due (talk about angst on top of angst) and Felicity will have to raise Mia alone. Arrow asked a question in season 6 that I thought we got an answer to when Oliver went to prison.

But this scene wasn’t talking about prison, even a life sentence. It was talking about a more permanent removal of Oliver from their lives. What happens to Felicity Smoak without Oliver Queen? I think Arrow intends to answer that question in the upcoming episodes. Clearly, a world without Oliver is a dark dystopia but I believe Felicity will honor the dead by fighting, continuing the mission that Oliver began and trying to help the city as best she can. Oliver is the love of her life; she has been in love with him from the start and she will honor his legacy until the end. For the record, I’m not waxing poetic about this speculation. I want Olicity to have the happy-ever-after they deserve. After seven years of investment in this journey, I hate the thought of Oliver dying so young and never getting to live the life he so desperately wanted. I hate the thought of Felicity feeling scared and alone like she did in witness protection, only there is no reprieve.

Nope. Not freaking acceptable. Give these two their own version of the Queen mansion; Olicity raising their kids in a happy and loving home; in a city that has recognized them as heroes and is safer because of them; Felicity running her tech empire, and Oliver cooking for his family and doing whatever makes him happy and fulfilled. Let our heroes live long lives to see the fruits of their labor and the difference their sacrifices made. <3

As always, thank you to the fandom’s amazing gifmakers! :) 6x11 gif credit: Felicity Smoak gifs and 6x18 gif credit: M-Art Revenge

#long post #longer than expected #and not as ranty #the thought of smoak tech and the olicity baby has dulled my anger lol #arrow spoilers #arrow speculation #olicity spoilers

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sebastiianstan · 6 years ago

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Tumblr content school: why you don’t always get notes and how to (potentially) get a bit more

So in recent weeks, I’ve seen quite a few posts floating around that centre around the same subject: content creators, mainly gifmakers, not gaining followers as quickly as they would like to and/or not getting as many notes on their original content as they would like to. Most recently I’ve seen people share their like-to-reblog ratio, with a call to users to also reblog content instead of just liking it, which would result in more exposure and recognition for the creator.

Now, while all of those feelings are perfectly valid and you’re obviously allowed to post whatever you like on your blog, the conversation around this is quite unnuanced and, at times, a bit uninformed. I’m not claiming to be some kind of expert, but having been a content creator (gifmaker) on this platform for quite a few years, with my own small share of popular gifsets floating around and having built both my own blog an two fansites/group blogs to at least moderate success, I do think I have a certain degree of insight re: getting notes, so I thought I’d put in my two cents. Please note that I’m not making this post to be condescending in any way, or even to tell you what to do/how to create content, but I thought I’d help as much as I can, based on my own experience.

Below the cut are 1. reasons why I think gifsets don’t always get the number of notes you wanted/expected them to, and 2. tips on creating and posting content in a way that will potentially get you more notes.

Why you might not be getting (a lot) of notes

So let’s start with some general trends re: gifsets not getting as many notes as you’d like/expect, and not as many as they would have maybe a few years ago.

1. Tumblr is past its peak

Based on experience, I’d say fandom Tumblr reached its peak in 2015-2016, and was riding that out in 2017. I’ve mainly been a Marvel blog in recent years, so I can’t speak for other fandoms, but Tumblr was... wild in the lead-up to and aftermath of Captain America: Civil War (2016). Wonder Woman (2017) was a similar situation on the DC side of things.

New Marvel releases (like Ant-Man & The Wasp, Avengers: Infinity War and probably most notably, Black Panther) still get a lot of traction and fandom definitely isn’t dead on Tumblr, but I feel like 2015-2016 were definitely peak years. I only recently returned from a year-long hiatus; I stopped being active in late 2017 and even then my dashboard wasn’t quite as active as it was a year before that. Upon returning here about a month ago, most of my mutuals from back in the day had also become inactive and a lot of gifmakers I used to follow were not creating content anymore.

So it boils down to this: I think it’s very likely that the amount of active users within your fandom has diminished significantly as compared to two years ago. A set that may have gotten 10k notes within a few days in 2016 might now only get half of that.

2. The URL thing

This is a sad truth, but it does seem that having a semi-canon or canon url does at least help with getting a larger amount of notes on your content. I have no tips on getting a canon url (I got very, very lucky with this one), but this is a simple observation I have from over the years. Url trading/selling has basically become a genuine business due to this - canon urls are in high demand.

More importantly, what I can say is that it’s smart not to change your url too often. Becoming a popular content creator on this platform is basically the same as building a brand - and a brand has an easily recognized name. Once you have a url you are happy with, try to stick to it for a while. When you change your url, links break on reblogs of your old gifsets, by the way.

3. The like-to-reblog ratio has always been unbalanced

For as long as I can remember, posts have gotten more likes than reblogs. If your ratio is 2-to-1 or 3-to-1, trust me, you are doing perfectly well for yourself! Again, as with my first point, this might have gotten a bit more extreme since 2016, but it’s not a new thing.

4. Popular users support each other

Obviously there’s nothing wrong with this (in fact, I love that we all support each other), but yes, in general big/popular blogs are friends with each other and tend to reblog each other’s content, which can be discouraging for smaller or aspiring content creators on the platform.

However, please be aware that these big blogs built up the following they have by posting content for years and it just takes time. Also, know that most users on here actually really enjoy being tagged in your posts - so if you gif a movie or tv show you know a popular user (that you follow) likes, tag them in it and if it’s high quality content (I’ll touch on this later), they’ll probably reblog it.

Tips on getting more notes

Alright, on to part two: my personal tips on getting more notes. These are strictly based on my own experience, and as a repeat of my disclaimer earlier: I am genuinely trying to share my knowledge; none of this is with the intent of being a condescending know-it-all.

1. Don’t look like you’re complaining

No matter what the intent behind your post about your lack of notes and/or followers is, it’s very likely you’re going to come off entitled or ungrateful. I’ve personally unfollowed multiple users who post consistently about reaching their next thousand, who make angry/frustrated posts when their followers don’t increase as quickly as they’d like to, when they lose followers, etc. I understand that the hustle is frustrating, but posts like these are really quite annoying for your followers; you’re complaining about followers you don’t have to followers you do have, who are then more likely to unfollow you because it looks like you’re complaining. Your mutuals might understand why you’re posting this, but others probably don’t.

When it comes to posts about like-to-reblog ratios, which I’ve seen a fair few of recently, please consider a couple of things.

When you ask people to reblog your post instead of liking it, you are essentially telling them what to put on their own blogs.

A lot of users on here have carefully curated content; while some users simply blog about everything they like, others stick to a certain set of subjects/movies/tv shows. If they see a post they like that doesn’t fall into those categories, they’ll give it a like to keep track of it and show their appreciation, but won’t put it on their blogs. You can’t tell people to reblog something they don’t want to.

You’re essentially asking people that you do not really personally care about to do something for you. Most of the likes you get on your post are likely from people that you do not follow yourself. I’m not saying that you hate your followers or don’t care for them, but you can’t really ask anything of a user that you don’t even follow yourself.

Look at it this way: Tumblr is basically a mini society, with its own market in the form of content creation. The ones who have a few thousand followers, and who get a few hundred or a few thousand notes on their posts are already the lucky ones. If you’re a user who gets hundreds/thousands of notes on their posts (even if it’s not as many as you like or deserve), you should keep in mind that the vast majority of users on here are small blogs that don’t have the traction that you have. If you post a screenshot of the like-to-reblog ratio on a post that has 2k notes, they’re going to think, “what on earth are you complaining about?”

Posts like these can really only backfire. I don’t think it’s likely that a lot of users will suddenly start reblogging instead of liking because of them. I know those posts are getting traction, because your mutuals and fellow content creators understand your frustration (believe me, I do too!), so they reblog/like/comment on it, but you’re essentially in an echo chamber of content creators. Anyone outside of that circle will not understand it and might unfollow you because of it.

2. Quality

Another disclaimer: I’m not implying that the people who have made posts about notes/followers don’t make HQ gifs. This is simply the “tips on getting notes” section of this particular post, so that’s what I’m doing. Veteran gifmakers can skip this section because I won’t be presenting anything new here.

Here’s the thing: high quality gifsets get notes. I know that what constitutes a HQ gif is subjective, but there is a consensus on this amongst big blogs, so I will summarize it below.

Make gifs from high-quality video sources. If 1080p is available, use that. Don’t gif from videos below 720p. Also, the larger the t*rr*nt file, the higher the quality. If a 1080p t*rr*nt from a movie is under 2GB in size, it’s probably not decent enough to gif from.

Use the new dimensions. Tumblr changed from 500px to 540px over 3 years ago now I believe, and all the big blogs use these dimensions. I rarely see sets like this anymore, but some users do still hold on to the old dimensions. Obviously, you should do what you like, but know that you’ll get more notes if you make the switch.

Do not skip frames. If you use screencaps, extract 25 frames per second. If you are an ‘Import video frames to layers’ kinda gal, like me, import all frames.

Sharpen your gifs! It makes an insane difference. My faq section links to a sharpening action.

Your frame delay should be 0.05. If you have a low amount of frames, you can get away with 0.06, but do not make your gif any slower than that. It will look unsmooth.

Go for natural coloring, where you simply brighten up the gif and enhance the colors (beware of whitewashing tho). I know that using PSD’s from resource blogs is tempting, but it’s very likely they will not work for the particular scene you’re giffing. It’s best if you learn to color yourself and adapt your coloring for every set. Also, it’s up to you what you think is pretty, but extremely vibrant and extremely pale coloring isn’t very popular anymore. Natural is the way to go. (This is with the exception of those gorgeous color edits people have been making recently. Y’all are queens & that shit is hard to make yo!)

If your gif is larger than the 3mb limit, NEVER sacrifice colors in the ‘Save for web’ window. Always delete frames to lower the size of your gif.

Just saying, but Photoshop CS5 has been known to make the best gifs.

For beginners out there, please don’t be discouraged. I’ve been making gifs for years, and they were absolute shit in the beginning. It just takes time to learn, but if you stick to it, you’ll get there.

3. Concept over quantity

Allow me to draw a comparison with YouTubers here - I think we all prefer YouTubers who post one well fleshed out video a week (for example, Safiya Nygaard) over YouTubers who post an okay video every day.

I think a lot of users think the way to get notes and followers is to post a gifset every day. This probably does work to an extent, but I personally think it’s better to come up with original concepts that you post every few days.

When you watch a movie, you can make five gifsets out of scenes from that movie, or you can come up with a concept. For example, parallels between scenes, parallels with other movies, the best lines of a certain character, etc. This takes more work, but sets like these are highly appreciated because they’re original, and they tend to get more notes.

This doesn’t apply to new releases, as you are probably among the first to gif a particular scene, but if you’re giffing a scene from a movie that’s been out for a while, you’re very likely not the first to do it. People will see it, realize they’ve already reblogged something very similar, and keep scrolling. But if you come up with a new idea, that’s what’ll get you more traction.

To give you a personal example; I recently rewatched all of the cap films. Now, I could have giffed popular scenes like “I could do this all day” or “I’m with you ‘til the end of the line”, but that’s been done before... a lot. Instead, I came up with this, and got 6.5k notes. I haven’t posted that many new sets on my blog recently, but posting content like that has gained me some followers and new mutuals.

4. Timing

All this requires is keeping an eye on your dashboard and taking note of when most of the people you follow are online. I sometimes see European content creators posting their sets smack dab in the middle of the day. Lemme tell y’all something: the Americans are sleeping.

I’m in timezone GMT+1. My dash wakes up around 5pm. I never post before 6pm - I’ll post anywhere between then and midnight, so feel free to convert that to your own timezone. The scheduling feature on posts comes in handy if you’ll be asleep or at school/work around that time.

If you post when Tumblr isn’t active, your set will drown in all of the other content, so be smart about timing.

5. Strategic tagging

It seems that a lot of users still don’t know this: only the first five tags on your post show up in tags on Tumblr. Anything past the first five will only be useful for your own tagging/archiving system, but will not show up in any tracked tags.

So first point: always use the most prominent edit tag for the fandom you’re posting in. Examples are #marveledit, #hpedit, #filmedit. These are frequently used, and often tracked by big blogs.

Second point: figure out who the big fansites/group blogs are, and if they track a tag, tag them. Make sure you follow them, obviously. If your post is funny, you might wanna tag bob-belcher (#bbelcher) as well - this blog is popular across fandoms and posts content from all over!

Third: tag users who you think will like your post. Don’t be thirsty with this. Again, only do this if you follow them. Tagging 2-3 users is ok, but don’t be out there tagging 8 to 10 blogs on your post. Not only is that a little pointless (because only the first five tags will show up), it also makes you look thirsty. Users might not appreciate this, and ultimately might not reblog your post because of that. Also, try not to tag the same users on every single one of your posts.

6. Popular content

If your fandom is niche, so is your content. That’s perfectly fine; don’t feel pressured to post about anything that isn’t your passion.

But if your goal really is to get more notes and followers, create content from fandoms that are big on the platform. Examples are Marvel, Harry Potter, Star Wars, film blogs, etc.

7. Join a fansite/group blog

Every big fandom on Tumblr has one or multiple fansites/group blogs. I recommend you figure out who they are for your fandom, and apply to one that’s accepting new members. You’ll likely get in if your gifs are HQ.

I know this sounds a bit counterintuitive, as you’ll be posting content on another blog that will be getting the notes and followers from it, but it actually is a good way to gain more exposure. These blogs have large amounts of followers, and they usually allow you to reblog your own content to them, as long as you’re active. I think it’s a great way to get your content out there.

Alright, time to wrap up this post. I’m not personally calling out anyone who has made posts about followers, notes, like-to-reblog ratios, etc. I’ve seen at least 15 of those posts in recent weeks so I’m just reacting to a trend I’m seeing, by presenting a potential solution to a problem people seem to be having.

My last tip is this: if notes and followers on Tumblr are making you feel down or frustrated, maybe it’s time for a little hiatus or a step back. In the end, you are not getting paid for this and your popularity on the platform has no bearing on your real life. This is supposed to be a fun outlet for your passions and interests, not a source of frustration and anger. Don’t take it too seriously! You’re doing amazing sweetie.

#resources #i guess?#idk what to tag this as #usermichelle

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