#fedi

If you wanna broaden your horizons beyond Tumblr you can find yourself a spot in the fediverse. You find yourself a server (they're called instances) that runs mastodon, akkoma, Sharkey or other software. If you have an account on one, you can post on there and people on other instances can see those posts and vice versa*.

Features vary per instance but include custom emoji, queer moderation staff, allowing nsfw content, no algorithm, no ads (donate!) and a better attitude to accessibility

tumblr is not the queerest place on the web

I talk about Mastodon every so often, so I tend to want a quick "and here's how to join" guide I can link to. Here it is! (updated June 2025)

First: the fandom side of Mastodon is great. There aren't a lot of us, but it's cozy and well-moderated. We have nice conversations and fun events. I'm currently running a daily mini prompt game and a character tournament, we've had ship bingo games go around, and danmei read- and watch-alongs pop up every so often (there are a TGCF readalong and a Winter Begonia watch-along ongoing). It's a bit like a cross between Tumblr and a Discord server.

Also: YOU CAN POST PORN. Full-on cocks in holes and everything! Or you can easily avoid it, because marking it as NSFW is required, and the filtering options are excellent.

Anyway. How to join:

The server I recommend is blorbo.social. It's an 18+ multifandom server, and it allows personal posts as well. The mods are fandom people who care about fandom creators (attributing works, preventing harassment, etc.) There is a 3,000 character limit per post (about 750 words, a bit longer than this post).

If that sounds good, here is a walk-through to minimize confusion. Of course, please do what you want, but I find that a lot of people want to be told what to do here!

Don't look at the app store yet.

Sign up on the website (blorbo.social/auth/sign_up) in your browser. No need to write an essay, just mention fandom

Wait for your approval email

NOW check the app store. If/when you want an app, search for "Ice Cubes" (on iOS) or "Moshidon" (on Android) (not "Mastodon")

When the app asks, your "server" or "instance" is "blorbo.social"

(You can also just use the website - I'm adding app instructions because everyone seems to want them!)

Add something to your profile to show that you're a real person, just like on Tumblr: you can add a profile picture and bio, and you can make your first post! You can introduce yourself and list tags for your favorite fandoms (it can be as simple as "hiiiii I like #TGCF!"). Pinning that post is also good.

Follow a bunch of people and hashtags, since there's no algorithm. You can search for "xieliansbignaturals", if you'd like to follow me!

From there, you'll figure it out! I'm very happy to answer questions, but I don't want to load this post with so much information that it's overwhelming.