I’m not sure if anyone will read this—or care—but I really want you to know: I love your likes.
Recently I’ve seen some pretty out there (wild) takes on this subject, so I’ll say it again: I love your likes.
I’ve read at least one post (on a very large blog) going in the other direction, with someone saying they appreciate likes and reblogs equally. I appreciate the sentiment, but honestly it would be disingenuous for me to agree with that:
1. This is not a large blog, and reblogs do increase the chances of someone else seeing and appreciating something I’ve spent time making.
2. It is thrilling to know you like something I made enough that you want to put it up on your virtual wall.
3. Sometimes reblogs come with very kind comments or tags, and when someone takes the time to put words to their appreciation for something I’ve made . . . well, to me, that really is the best—that’s the MOST fun part about reblogs, to me.
(@figsr very frequently gives me kind comments in her reblogs, because she is very kind. I still remember @clintbeifong’s “you made WHAT” tag on my very favourite GIF-set I’ve ever made.)
(As an aside, I like it less when people slip in that they don’t ship my OTP. I am an adult—like, born in the ’80s—making GIF-sets and writing fan fiction (or any fiction) for the first time in my life because I fell down such a rabbit hole for these characters, and I am literally the only one guaranteed to read your tags. So it’s so unnecessary!)
But I will say it again for those in the back: I love your likes.
I love knowing that you saw and appreciated something I’ve made! I will admit that I personally am a bit of a reblog slut. When I joined this site in December 2021 (yes, just for these two lovely science nerds!), I was as chock full of anxiety as one could be; I did not want to make any mark here. All I did was like things to keep track of them. Then I liked a bunch of stuff (because I liked a bunch of stuff!) and got blocked by an account by which I had not wanted to be blocked, presumably because my blog was empty and (especially given the format of my username) I looked like a bot.
So I reblogged a few of my very favourite things (so I would look like an actual human being!), and then it was just an incredibly slippery slope to where before long I was reblogging basically anything I could scrounge up that was GSR-related. Seriously, if you were one of the half dozen or so people following me two years ago this time, you will probably know that a lot of that stuff was not of the highest quality by recent standards, and I reblogged a lot of it (and still have a bunch of it waiting in my paused queue, to be honest).
But I know that’s not how everyone engages. I know some people reblog only their very, very favourite things—or nothing at all. And so I want to tell you again: I love your likes.
If you frequently “like” (my) creations for Sara Sidle + Gil Grissom (or William Petersen), regardless of whether I have followed you back (sorry—honestly tell me if you want and I will happily follow back!), I almost certainly recognize your username, and I am always super, super happy to see you in my notifications.
So . . . yes, in conclusion, and for the sake of clarity: I love your likes. 💛💛💛
