this is very funny bc i went to a class on gay cowboy bondage that discussed hypermasculinity in the practice and basically made this exact point but like, unironically
I know we’re like shitposting about the apparent and imminent demise of Twitter but I can’t help but feel like a library is on fire. So much fandom history is potentially going to be lost. I know screen shots and all that are forever and there are tumblr master posts but there’s also something about physically going to Louis’ account and seeing AIMH right there. Or Liam’s snake habitat tweet. Or Niall’s last night was a great night but no one talk to me tweet. All of baby Larry’s lovesick nonsense. IDK man. It’s fucking depressing.
A probably incomprehensible, certainly incomplete list of what you need to know; whether you’re coming from a different platform or discovering Larry for the first time.
My credentials
Hello! I’m Emmu. I’ve had tumblr since… 2008? Maybe 2009. I moved over from deviantArt and used Tumblr as a personal art blog for many years. I joined the One Direction fandom in 2014, so my 1D blog has 8+ years at this point. That being said, I will get on my soapbox a bit during this. Please excuse me, I’m quite passionate about cultivating a happy and healthy fandom.
What makes Tumblr different
The biggest thing that makes Tumblr, as a site, different from Twitter or Instagram is the rejection of algorithms. The “following” tab on your dashboard is in chronological order (and if it isn’t, you can – and should – change that), and the “for you” tab is both a recent feature and rarely used. Tumblr has very little algorithm, and the algorithm they have isn’t very good. It means that you’ll get the most god awful ads you’ve ever seen on this site, because they don’t utilize your data well. And that’s to your advantage.
Tumblr is a great place because you can curate what you see more than other social media. The people that you choose to follow are the only people that you see on your dash (unless you choose to follow tags, which I guess is an option? @lululawrence says “it is and it used to not do anything unless you went to the search page and then it would like autofill your followed tags options, but NOW they take those followed tags and plop them on your dash... SOMETIMES. usually only on mobile. but if there's only one new post in the tag, it shows you that post OVER. AND OVER. AND OVER AGAIN. IT'S SUPER ANNOYING ACTUALLY. SO I STOPPED FOLLOWING TAGS. lol anyway”).
So, the site is in chronological order. This is its biggest selling point.
There is also the opportunity for long posts. Masterposts. Things that are searchable without having to read through pages of screenshots or condensed twitter threads. You can write a whole lot more without worrying about character limit. People publish whole fics on here (I suggest ao3 for that, but tumblr is technically an option!).
Another important thing to know about tumblr is that the archives on tumblr run deep. There are newer larries here, and a lot of them, but you can also find older larries. People whose 1D blogs go back to 2010 or 2011. You can dive into the archives and read firsthand accounts of what was happening with One Direction or larry at that very time. Doing a bit of research means you find cute fetus pictures of the boys, but also you’re able to figure out for yourself whether something actually happened. Rumors always seem to spread quite easily and fandom memory always seems impossibly short, but here on tumblr you’re able to find out for yourself. That means the next time you hear about how xyz thing happened a long time ago, check out some of those archives and see what you can find.
Also, my personal favorite part of tumblr is that old posts are just as valid as new posts. Find a masterpost about RBB and SBB from 2015? Go ahead and reblog that; bring it back to the circulating dash. People will love that. Find a fanartist that you really like? Search through their tags, reblog anything you want. It’s not considered stalking or weird in any way. We love bringing back old posts here. Tumblr is a website where you’re not meant to just talk about the present.
The cultural difference between Tumblr and Twitter
Speaking of the ways that tumblr and twitter are different, let’s talk for a moment about the 1D fandom in particular.
I’ve held this theory for a while that the twitter (and instagram) algorithm is fracturing the fandom. Because twitter is so dependent on the algorithm, people are more likely to split apart and join smaller and smaller communities based on smaller, more specific opinions. Tumblr, being a place where you don’t just get a post on your dash because someone else liked it, doesn’t have those smaller cliques. There are larries, and there are antis.
(if you get really in the weeds, there are also larry shippers [who don’t believe they’re together but like to read it in fic], and houis [who think they were together but broke up], but I just don’t hear about them as much).
While I do occasionally hear about blouies on my dash, for the most part this is a culture that exists primarily on other sites.
On another note, because tumblr doesn’t have that handy algorithm, we have to work to make it a more active space. Likes don’t do anything here for anyone other than you, and it doesn’t really change anything about what you’ll see on your dash. Think of them more like the bookmark setting on twitter or instagram. Reblogs are necessary to get anything spread. Anything that you enjoy, or that looks interesting for any reason? Reblog it! That’s the only way other people will see it! And leave a happy comment in the tags if you’ve got one (more on that later).
And, while lurkers do exist in this fandom (and we love them), it’s important to get an icon and blog header that make you look like a real person. People on tumblr have long been in the habit of blocking shady blogs, mostly because of a bot problem, so if you want to lurk, you have to look like a lurker. Maybe reblog a post or two to establish yourself, and make sure you don’t accidentally look like an icon-less bot posing as a sugar daddy.
How to set up your account
Okay, so you’ve got a tumblr. Let’s take a minute to fix up the settings so that you’re not getting, well, the worst version of the site.
My advice is to start by going into your dashboard preferences and:
Turn off the best stuff first (it’ll just show you things you’ve already seen)
Turn off “include stuff in your orbit” (you’ll see terrible posts that are mostly NOT in your orbit)
Turn off “Included based on your likes” (again, you’ll see posts you hate)
Turn off “shorten long posts”. It’s a ridiculous setting that, like many things on tumblr, had potential but was rolled out in an incredibly unhelpful and user unfriendly way.
Once you’ve got that squared away, go into filtering and block any tags and content you don’t like, as that is always proper fandom etiquette. Not seeing things you don’t like is your responsibility, not the responsibility of the person posting them. I personally suggest adding the topics you don’t want to see to both the content list and the filtered tags list, as that gives a much better likelihood of posts that are particularly unsavory for you getting caught by the filters. Please also note this might need to be done on both desktop and the app separately as, depending on where tumblr is at the moment, these filters do not always carry over from one application to the other.
Now scroll down to tumblr labs. These are their experimental things. Some are good! Some are very bad. They do change, though, so this might get out of date pretty fast.
Personally, I enabled fast queue
And disabled everything else
ALSO, an important note, if you are using the apple app, you need to go in and turn off the adult content filter. No idea offhand where that is, but it means posts that include tags like “mine” and “girl” are blocked. It’s ridiculous.
Who to follow and how to find them
So, you’ve got a new tumblr and need people to follow. This makes sense! To really fill up your dash, I’d suggest the following
Find one person you like. There’s a good chance you know at least someone from twitter who also has a tumblr, so you can start there. If you’re not from twitter, or are looking to start fresh, you can dive into the search function (I’ve never tried finding someone this way myself, but searching larry stylinson or something similar would probably get you started)
Find the people they reblog from and check out each of their blogs! Follow people that make you happy
Follow some update accounts! Thinking of some off the top of my head, there’s @HLUpdate, @Stylesnews, @dailytomlinson, @HLDailyUpdate, or @neilswaterbottles (there’s definitely more though).
Follow some fanart or fic rec accounts!
I’d always suggest @1d-fanart or @hlcreators for art.
For fic, you could check out @hlficlibrary, @ficsyoumayhavemissed, or @thelarriefics.
Or, recurring fic fests! @onedirectionbigbang or @wordplayfics, which happen every year.
And if you end up not enjoying someone you’ve followed? Unfollow them! It’ll make you happier.
How to interact with posts
Tumblr is all about tags. Do you have a comment or thought? Reblog a post and say your thought in the tags. That way anyone you follow will see it, and the person who made the post will see it. This way a post doesn’t end up with a lot of cluttery additions that don’t mean a lot to the average person reblogging it, but if you browse the tags of posts you’ll find lots of interesting things. Tags can be used to keep track of things, too, of course — some people tag all pictures with who’s in them, or tag art or fic with tags that mean they can find them again. Tags are versatile! But reblog, don’t just like, and tag! The more you interact, the happier content creators are!
What not to do
Don’t repost. If you see something you like on tumblr, reblog it. Even if it’s a really old piece of fanart (like circa 2011). Reblog that old post! Reposting means people don’t get credit, and it doesn’t link back to them. That’s not cool, and in the long term makes fandom less happy.
How to cultivate a happy and healthy fandom
Send happy anons! Ask how people are doing, do question memes, say how much you loved fic/art/edits, etc.
Reblog art. Reblog fic. Reblog what makes you laugh. The more you reblog, the more other people see, the more the fandom moves! Content creators just want their things seen; every time you reblog, their phone gets that little notification and you’ve given someone a bit of happiness.
Unfollow people who annoy you. Follow people who make you happy!
If someone has a take about 1D that you don’t agree with, don’t tell them or send them argumentative anons. Find people who will agree with you, and complain to them privately. Or make your own post, not shading anyone, just presenting your own opinion and theories!
Remember that everyone is a real person. Cut them some slack when you find them being annoying. But also, unfollow. Curate your dash.
Picture this, Keep driving as the second single on May 6th, I baptised this song as the fish song from HsH.
so we have the boy leaving Eroda in the boat, at the same time we have shots of Harry driving around in the coast of Penzance (yes i’m still not over those sightseeing of him in the winter there). we have clips of all the thing that he mentions on the lyrics like in the teaser, planes flying, coffe and eggs and Hash brown. During the chorus when he sings We held darkness and withheld clouds he’s back on the boat in the middle of a storm, big waves and rain and he falls of the boat, but he’s with the fish. The music video shows a silhouette coming out from the water and the last scene is Harry driving a car holding someones hand over the gearshift Should we just keep driving?
anyway i cant believe there are still people out there who dont think zayn and liam are in a relationship when:
zayn has been in love with liam since i can even remember
THE PAIN
:(
:( :( :(
he knows liam’s entire music history
:)
liam was in in love with zayn too but it took him a while before he figured it out (see tattoo section for more)
x, x
this masterpost
the vegas fight happened….. which led to the beginning of their relationship where we can see them being all loved up:
itunes x, x, x, x
germany x, x, trying to walk and early bird gets the worm was about zayn and liam, not louis and harry, x, x, :) :), x, x, x, x (germany is even more painful than the yougeneration video)
just as many ziam vids have been deleted as larry vids (e.g. x)
it’s you before she happened
zayn titled his his entire album in alternating capitals just to disguise the sHe
zayn whispered brave???? when he wasn’t even meant to be describing liam???? this isnt the only time they’ve fawned over each other either/showed how in love they are:
zayn’s always been there helping liam out
liam had a speech dedicated to zayn’s singing basically every night in the tmh tour
they call each other babe
they’re literally attached at the hip
?????
?????
the soft waist touching??? x, x
liam is zayn’s teddy bear???
they influence each other :( and have the same interests :(
i need to stop (pls note the lap sitting)
:(
flirting galore
what is this
this wasnt even meant for public consumption he just wanted to tell zayn he loved him :(
kisses? jealousy? liam only letting zayn touch his head???
!!
larry AND ziam mirroring and again, and again
more body language!!!
:) :) :) (see section u in particular - liam can’t get comfortable)
they get jealous too
they love each other
liam looked distraught every time the z*rrie “engagement” was brought up (and shook his head when someone asked zayn if he was sure: x)
liam said thank you when someone congratulated zayn on his engagement
this happened??
all this happened too (including liam saying the rings are gonna get lost)
see i like your skirt mary’s vids for more
but zayn and liam are probably most definitely engaged if not married:
:) :)
zayn gave liam a cartier love bracelet
they both have rings
liam’s ring (x) which he replaced with a ‘4′ tattoo which represents an angel aka zayn
zayn’s ring which he replaced with the tattoo below:
zayn has a mandala tattoo which pakistani brides get aka they are marRIED
liam’s already married :) :) :) (to zayn if u hadn’t caught my drift)
whilst we’re on the topic of tattoos:
we are the quiet ones is about zayn and liam
zayn literally has liam’s name tattooed on him
zayn literally has liam’s outline tattooed on him?? dont @ ME
roses are very important to the boys (liam even got them tattooed TWICE and they mean ‘i love you’)
‘i figured it out’ and you and i
liam figured out that he’s in love with zayn and you and i is their song - it’s so important to him that liam got the lyrics tattooed :) (from x)
liam always sings this song to zayn too (x, x,) and zayn sings it back
their tattoos match :), x
both have constantly made reference to having beards (see: zouiam beardy boys, zouiam ‘progression of beards’ (go to 4 mins in), zouis ‘you grew a beard’ ‘i do have one actually’ ‘so do i’),
liam… literally had…….. beard….. auditions……
p*yzer 1.0 is shady as fuck and p*yzer 2.0 is definitely fake
z*rrie is fake
also the niall/s*phia weirdness
s*phiam is fake as fuck and rbb predicted the breakup with a 5 day countdown
do i even need to explain why ch*am and z*gi are fake
z*gi and z*rrie are the same relationship
so many fake relationships
rbb predicted bg with ch*ryl aka colgate
x, x, x
forced beard moments happen (x)
(thanks @liamzaynmasterposts for ur resources!!)
also zouiam avoiding girl questions led by liam
“c’mon then, c’mon” is a thing (i.e. a literal confirmed ziam kiss)
also the toothpaste kiss!!
:) (from x)
they constantly share/match clothes (esp on red carpets)
their in laws love them, and their friends love them too
they all hang out :)
a lot
zayn’s aunt constantly likes ziam posts on ig
they have pets together (x)
liam does not have a baby :)
that’s a post in itself so tl;dr liam shaded and predicted bg by calling a doll thrown on stage a fake baby multiple times, along with louis
they both support the lgbtq+ community
liam cowrote on home and end of the day which are lgbtq+ anthems e.g. :)
x
x, x
they are still!! together!! (because zayn leaving was a stunt and all 5 boys are still friends)
liam’s constant positive talk about zayn since zayn left 1d (x, x)
he even said i love you zayn during the ot4 history performance on txf (don’t @ me it happened)
:)
sure sounds like they’re on bad terms!!!!
they still love ziams news :) wonder why :)
they! are! together!
:)
they communicate through their clothing
liam wants to collab with zayn
ziam linkage in the media
lyric parallels (get low and fdtd)
x
???? niall?????????
this needs a point all on its own
they kissed at an award’s show
ziam in comparison with larry?
why louis and harry’s closeting worked, but zayn and liam’s didn’t
they ARE TOGETher
full stop
this is definitely not an extensive list (there’s has definitely been more stuff but this is already long and i can’t include everything because there’s too much) but if u wanna add something feel free
also look at i like your skirt mary’s videos
tl;dr according to soph: mom exists therefore they are together
tl;dr they are in love; always have been, and always will be
credit to @rogueandeskimo and the ziam gc (in particular @softestziam, @ziam-is-golden, @xxsincerely-insanityxx, and @marvelsziam) for helping me massively
A month ago during the “soundcloud is going down” scare I wrote a script that basically downloaded my entire corner of SoundCloud at incredibly abusive speed and got bandwidth-banned for a month since CloudFlare detected it as a mass DDOS (which is fair I mean I was downloading like terabytes of data)
kianamaiart
yousharknotpass
gummygunk
gamechangershow
romaincrisis
germansingergirl
stormborns
