Or: Let’s Discuss the REAL Issue Here in the Sims Community
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I’ve seen the argument again and again: “You don’t have to support them if you don’t want to. You’re not entitled to someone’s content.”
It’s not about being entitled to content. NO ONE is “owed” content. Period.
It’s about the situation that paywalls put the community in and it is about respect–paywalls foster a division between the people who have money in the community and those who don’t, and it breeds attitudes of undeserved superiority and entitlement on the part of the permapaywall “creators.” It’s not harassment to point out that these people are toxic as hell and it doesn’t help that people keep defending them, but then do nothing for nothing for us early-access and free creators.
This whole fucking mess is REALLY about treating people fairly and having respect for the community and other artists. The fact that permapaywall defenders are so hung up on the materialism of it is proof enough that this community has a serious problem.
I am an artist and a creator and a member of this community too. Do I not matter because I am not ~a brand~, or because I am not ~luxe~ and popular enough? Are the people who download content somehow less deserving of respect than CC creators? Permapaywallers do not deserve to act as though they are above being held to account for how they treat others, for lying about where their CC comes from, and for acting entitled to people’s money. Again, it is about treating people fairly and permanent paywalls will do nothing but divide a community whether or not someone chooses to support them.
God forbid someone shares something with someone who cannot afford it, and then they get doxxed and have their privacy violated as a result. How is that fair or respectful? They PAID for the content. They BOUGHT it. It was a business transaction, end of. So, why is that someone not worth having their privacy respected, but a permapaywaller can get away with such behavior simply because they put items up for download?
I will say it again and again: This is about how we as a community intend to treat each other and permapaywallers are not above being held accountable for their actions, PERIOD.
NO ONE IS ENTITLED TO CONTENT. AND NO ONE IS ENTITLED TO MONEY.
This is an unpopular opinion, I know, but allow me to clarify what I mean by that.
No one is “owed” content. If a creator isn’t feeling up to doing x, y, or z projects, the community should be respectful of that. They should not demand an artist’s time and they should be considerate of an artist and their life outside the computer. Artists SHOULD be compensated for their work. So many people want to take advantage of people offering commissions and freelance work to get something for cheap/free.
HOWEVER.
No one is entitled to someone’s money. Especially not when the product(s) provided is/are derivative. If a friend shares a set on a Discord server because a lot of people can’t afford the permapaywaller’s prices, and that person gets doxxed simply because they shared a product THEY BOUGHT with people who were unable to pay for it themselves… Who is in the wrong, here? The person doing the doxxing, obviously, because it is a direct intent to violate a person’s privacy in retaliation for sharing a product they paid good money for.
Bottom line: People should not be punished for sharing CC they bought with actual money and people should not be punished for not having money to buy it to begin with. Putting a derivative work up for download does not mean you have the legal right to treat people like shit, harass, or violate a person’s privacy, in retaliation for sharing your content.
Now time for some strawmen!
“You don’t have to support those people.” Yep, I sure don’t. And the problem with that statement is the ignorance of the broader culture around permapaywallers and their “brands” and exclusivity.
I’ve noticed a disturbing trend in the Sims community in the last 5-7 years, which is where the most exclusive and popular content becomes the predominant content in builds shared widely across multiple platforms. I see free content creators’ work get sidelined because God forbid the latest felixandre or harrie set not be featured in someone’s build, because we all want to suck up to the big name creators and builders, we all want to be exclusive to get those notes, etc.
It’s become harder and harder to find and promote free content because people seem to just not care if it’s not posted as a CC Kit and if it’s not bougie and exclusive enough. And if you can’t admit or even be bothered to see that non-exclusive creators are getting sidelined by this, then I don’t know what else to tell you. (And before someone says, “you’re just jealous”–I’m really not. I have a day job and I also maintain anywhere between 55-65 patrons and have done since 2020. I don’t have anything to prove to anyone, to the point that I’m willing to give my early access content away if someone is excited enough and is nice enough to ask for it before the 2 weeks are up.)
“Artists should be compensated for their work!” Yes, they should. And don’t you dare act as though that means anyone who monetizes content is suddenly above being held accountable for their actions. Don’t you DARE use the sanctity and respect creators deserve as a platform to gaslight people into thinking toxic and aggressive behavior is OK. Consumers are taken advantage of just as much as freelance creators, usually by the biggest companies or, in this case, the people who make the most money–and usually with meshes that have been proven to be stolen or converted and then lied about.
“I don’t blame people for going after pirates!” No artist worth their salt is going to be okay with violating people’s privacy–ie, breaking the law–simply because someone shared their pixels after purchasing them.
I’m gonna say it louder for the people in the back:
No artist who is actually a real proper creator would be okay with breaking the law simply because someone else shared content that was purchased from them.
“But it’s piracy!!” You don’t seem to care about that when you ask for the game crack to TS4, or literally any other game or free download. Also, it isn’t piracy to copy and paste a file that is based around derivative work that is actually owned by a proper company (in this case, EA). That’s like saying it’s piracy to repost a fanfic you commissioned, with proper credit given to the original writer. You bought it, it’s yours, and just because other people’s eyeballs looked at it doesn’t mean the original creator loses out on traffic or revenue.
As long as credit to the original creator is given, derivative work is not piracy. It is literally just free advertising.
When someone subbed to my Patreon and threatened me with spreading my early access content, I thanked them, and offered to refund them the money. You want to pay me money to spread my content around? Fucking SURE. That is literally advertising and I’ll let you do it for free.
“You’re hurting the artist making their living!” If they’re such a damn good artist and creator, they should join actual communities and websites who make a real living creating 3D models. Plenty of people DO do this as a job and they make actual good money doing it because they’re good at what they do. The reason a lot of these people aren’t doing that is because they use assets and free softwares based around EA’s Sims 4 coding and they take 3D models other people have made and convert them. So, no, it’s not actually hurting anyone for that reason either.
Strawmen are done now.
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At the end of the day, this is about what kind of community we want to build and how we ultimately want to treat each other. The fact is this community DOES need to reckon with how it treats its creators and how the creators treat the community.
Paywalls are dividers between the haves/have nots. Trying to deny that juxtaposition and its cultural/psychological effect just makes people look thoughtless and short-sighted. We need to be more supportive of each other period, and that means not kneecapping or dividing ourselves. It means not cheapening the heart in CC creation by putting more importance on content than on the community itself.
The community has fallen over itself (in large part) for “luxe urban luxury” exclusive CC. But I think it would be silly to just blame that on immature people/kids when it’s really a result of the capitalist nightmare we’re living in. It’s like blaming a fever on wearing too many layers instead of addressing the infection as the source.
As for how to change that… well, I don’t know, honestly. I really don’t know where to go from here. But what’s important now is that we bring these issues out into the air for discussion.
We need to figure out where we’re headed as a community and how we want to treat each other going forward. And we need to figure out how we’re going to deal with the people who don’t want to play nice with the rest of us.
And, to the people who disagree and don’t want to be mature or civil about this: Just like you say we don’t have to buy CC, you don’t have to read this post, or participate. Go run along back to Twitter or wherever it is you want to be rude and snide. I don’t care. I have a life and a full time job and I also know what grass feels like. Take time to pet a cat or dog, touch some grass, tell someone you care about that you love them. It’ll do you some good.
John pressed the button again. Taking a deep breath. It was unusual for security - or at least Major Barrymore - to notbe at their station … ? He pressed it harder:
“HELLO!!! Is there ANYONE who can hear me??! Could you let me OUT please?!”
.
Even the static cut off abruptly in answer. Along with the power.
John leaned against the door. Knocking his head back and breathing hard. His eyes attempting to adjust to the almost perfectdark.
.
The past ten minutes had all been a blur.
He was still holding a mask … though he hardly remembered why,now. He dropped it. Scrubbing his hands through his hair.
He was just outside the clean room. Suited up to deal with the world’s first and only glowing rabbit … not exactly top security …
.
The doors had locked down before he had even heard the alarm! No time to follow safety protocols or even to ask what had happened … before he was locked in?
.
John heard the sounds of running, far down the hall and made to stand up. Checking through the narrow glass again.
Not that he could see his hands past his face.
.
He blinked and to his relief a red glow appeared. The emergency power. Kicking on exit lights down the hall, most likely.
Why it had taken this long, was a mystery …
“Hello?” He tried again, banging on the locked door with his fist and shaking the handle. He knew it was an exercise in futility … but he could at least try …
His ears picked up a faint movement outside the door … and he stopped. Looking out again at the soft red glow. Trying to distinguish anything that might be moving?
The red glow.
Did it? … feel closer … ?
John squinted his eyes, attempting to see better …
Then -
Out of strain -
He blinked.
.
The red glow blinked back.
.
John nearly jumped out of his skin! Hopping away from the door.
He was two meters away in one swift movement. Hands outstretched in a steady shielding gesture.
He heard movement again. Nearing…Shit!
.
He wasn’t entirely sure whyhe was worried. Nothing but a blow torch could get through that door …
. and yet …
.
The door handle jiggled. Causing John’s spine to tingle.
.
A rumble and clawing sound followed.
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John ducked under the nearest table. Trying to steady his heart rate and calm his breathing …
Nothing could get in! Nothing … he told himself … But he was powerless to move as he heard the steel twist. He groaned - as ten centimeters of steel and mechanisms flew open on nowuselesshinges!
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John held his hand over his mouth, trying to silence the rising panic.
HOW???!!!
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There was a low rumble like a growl … and the soft padding of bare feet across the linoleum … John’s neck strained as he held himself tight against the wall. Mind slipping into a slowly gripping terror …
… There was nothing in Baskerville that was dangerous? Was there?!
.
10 Minutes.
Was that really all it had been?
.
.
“Jooohhhhhhhnnnnnhh …”
The name reverberated through the room as if a search … John caught a gasp and held his breath for three seconds. Unsure if he had just heard his own name? Or was it a trick of his overactive mind?
He risked a glance from beneath the table …
Watching … as the movement seemed to slow … ? The soft red glow blinking, more and more. Shaking … as if … whatever it was … was unsteady … ? Stumbling? Fumbling against cabinets, counters In the dark …
Lost … ?
“Waaaattsson!” The deep baritone shattered the silence. A loud thud making the doctor in John jolt to attention. There was no mistaking it this time! He had heard correctly.
… and something had just hit the floor like a ton of bricks!
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John risked another hand forward. Slowly crawling into the room …
… as the FULL LIGHTS came blinking back on throughout the facility. John froze.
He could hear the pop and whir of electricity once humming through wires …
But now he could see.
Lying on the floor of the room was a man.
.
Not large.
Tall, but thin? …
and soft … somehow?
Fragile.
.
.
Lost.
.
His dark curly hair was matted to sweating temples …
Bare chested and wearing only torn suit trousers … and nothing on his feet? He should by all rights be freezingin this room??
.
“Help me.”
The voice drew John back down. Softly kneeling by his side … A barely audible whisper now … Torn from a man who was curling up. Shutting down.
John watched in confused silence. His mind confirming the rapidly reached sleep status. The action of the eyelids fluttered with the tension of REM sleep. Breathing calmed to a dream-like state …
.
He reached out a hand … the skin was hot to touch.
As he pressed and tested various points across the body for vital signs and eyed for any wounds … he could find nothing amiss besides the still alarming thermostasis.
This?
Thiswas the growling creature that had just opened a high security steel door by ripping it off the wall?
No.
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John pulled back. Looking around in haste as his eyes fell on the medical kit. He needed something more.
He glanced again at the sleeping form.
His heart told him to protect … even as his mind was considering ways to lock the doors again and call for backup …
He decided to make a rash decision.
Hoisting the man onto his shoulders … John carried him out of the emptied facility to his waiting land rover.
.
.
And as he turn the key in the ignition,
He wondered …
How quickly could he get to the nearest hospital? And how long would he be in lock down, for this breach of security?
