Fare Thee Well, Tumblr

End of a very brief era, it looks like. I deleted my Tumblr account because I don't need another space for long posts anymore. My Mastodon instance just increased their character count from 500 to 1,500, effectively making that decision for me. I held on to Tumblr in the event they finally join the fediverse, and from there I can decide which platform to use for my online socializing and so on. Had my Mastodon instance kept the 500 character limit, I'd still be sticking around Tumblr and making that choice when the time came. But they didn't, and it's a bittersweet moment for me -- I know, what a weirdo, getting all mawkish over a social media platform. 

thanks for the great memories and amazing company

I've been on and off Tumblr for around three years now, and it's been a fun and crazy ride. I love the creativity over there. The clever jokes and posts, the deadpan humor that comes at you at a hundred miles an hour, and the images. Whether art, photography, or even AI-generated, that place is a treasure trove of intelligent, unique talent (visual, written, and other things).

This space (Blogger) will be around for a good long while, whether it goes private for a time or stays public -- depending on my plans for it. Mastodon's a godsend for someone like me, but it's not infinite, and we've already had a couple of large instances shut down for different reasons. My instance (sunny.garden) by far feels very safe, and I made sure to donate to the admin since it's their time and money that's keeping the place available for anyone who wants to be a part of it. 

But in the event something were to happen to the instance, I either jump ship to a different one, or I simply withdraw from the platform altogether and just stick around here, which is a space I have a hell of a lot more control over. That's the plan, anyway, and since Blogger's a longform-friendly platform, there's still no need for me to open up a new Tumblr account. And should I find myself down to just one place online, I'll adapt as well as I can and simply focus on writing and publishing -- as one should, really, if they're serious about improving themselves, which is a never-ending process.

But that's thinking far too much about things that might not even happen at all, so it's best to take it one day at a time. Hell, that's the overriding lesson that got branded into my brain when COVID-19 first bulldozed its way into collective consciousness, and the world stood still. I shouldn't think too far into the future. Far enough, at most, but no more than that.  

So, anyway -- many, many thanks to everyone who made me feel welcome at Tumblr. Rest assured, I'm following your accounts through Blogger's reading list feature, and I'll keep in touch. And when the day finally comes, I'll see everyone again in the fediverse, and I'll follow you once more.