lilypad — 1/13/2024, 1:48:05 AM

the 3 “X”s problem

we currently have 3 “X”s - “X” itself, threads, and bluesky. we don't need any more “X”s. lilypad aims to be the third tumblr, making tumblr itself, cohost, and lilypad

what is an “X”?

an “X” is characterised by:

• completely featureless black and white theme, rarely with small amounts of blue

• owned by a huge corporation who are clearly focused on making large sums of money

• incoherent or unsearchable branding

these tropes are often made fun of, but inexplicably draw large user bases.

then what makes a tumblr?

a tumblr is characterised by:

• very distinct and coherent design style and theme

• user-focused app (themes, content, asks, etc)

• fun (mascots (see cohost’s eggbug), colour, brand accounts have a personality (see tumblr’s twitter))

conclusion

the world needs more tumblrs. go ahead and start a silly little wasteof clone, there are/were already a few (darflen, postLit). you might learn something new, and you'll definitely feel happier than scrolling the latest “X”.