Forgive me if this feels premature, but I am a problem-solver by nature and can't emotionally afford these days to let disappointments compound themselves with ongoing uncertainty.
This place is special to me, which is to say the people here are special to me--yes, even you. You're all my friends, and I want to keep my friends.
Here is one option for a (free with ads, paid if we want no ads) forum service:
https://boardhost.com/index.html
"Cellar" is available, and the look and feel are very similar to what we have now. Storage is unlimited for both free & paid versions, and the cost for "no ads" is $15/month. (For those who use Tapatalk on mobile, I haven't figured out yet if boardhost is compatible with it--but it seems logical that it should be.)
Happy to hear other suggestions if anyone is familiar with a different forum service. Even happier if it turns out that none of this is necessary after all, but UT has already done so much for us over the years and I don't think it's right to pressure him for more. If/when we set up shop somewhere else, I really, really hope he swings by.
Thoughts?