#the patreon issue

[wildmelon]

well, it finally happened, a big cc creator told me not to put their cc in my sim dumps... it's a creator i couldn't find tou for at the time (and still can't now, just tried for research purposes) so i went with common sense rules like "don't include cc that's in early access" and "don't paywall other ppl's cc" which i obviously would never do. i did change the dl to appease them, but...

i'm feeling torn between wanting to be considerate/understanding and absolute irritation at what this community has become, especially in light of the absurd influx of brand new cc creators who aren't part of the community paywalling their very first posts. i'm thinking about the text post that was going around recently that said something like "imagine if the simblr community was actually collaborative and we shared creations openly" instead of this for-profit entity it's become.

this creator's been nothing but polite so i don't want to seem like i'm after them but they're also making so much money monthly off cc that you'd think it'd be ok to use that cc. bc literally what else is a sim dump. i use a bunch of cc and it's included in the download for convenience, then people put the cc in their own game and everything is exactly the same from there-- your name on the file, your name on the cas preview.

except, of course, the downloader didn't visit your page in the first place, so you missed out on another potential patron/click (never mind the fact that the creators i use for sim dumps are intentionally bigger so people are more likely to already have the cc/know who the creator is, so you probably didn't miss out anyway).

the other thing is that anyone who won't let their cc be used in sim dumps must understand that if everyone else followed that rule, sharing sims with each other would pretty quickly become way too tedious and that entire way of engaging with the community would fall apart. how can you justify a rule that would unquestionably harm the community if every creator followed it? it's both unsustainable and ungenerous.

the bottom line is we need to reconsider how we approach creations made for this game. if you're a creator and your goal is not for your creation to be used, shared, and enjoyed, why are you even making cc? (& money is not a good answer 😀)

[yooniesim]

I'm sitting here thinking about a pretty age-old debate on simblr... the race of sims that have black hairstyles, particularly in cc preview pics.

I know it's been talked about repeatedly, but when it comes to cc previews for paid cc I think it's especially worth talking about. Some people say, well, the creator only uses a few different sim models each time, it's not like they're intending to be racist or something. It's just for convenience, because they're busy, they're hustling, they gotta pay their bills. They always use the same sim, so it's fine. But like... isn't that gross to y'all? Someone making money off of black hairstyles, but they can't even be assed to go in cas for 15 mins to make a black sim? Isn't that a prime example of appropriation of black culture for profit? Like the human aspect of us as a person is gone, it's just another part of us being advertised and sold. Black hair makes money, black hair cc is limited, it will sell and nothing else matters. It feels like black hairstyles are some kind of trend with them too, because none of these creators made them before it was possible to profit off of them... back then it was "too hard" just like now it's apparently "too hard" to make a different preview sim.

Also, it's not lost of me that when a creator does make a black sim for their previews, they're as light skinned and white looking as possible. Whether just by skintone, very eurocentric features (like they just gave a white sim slightly darker skin), vitiligo to make most of the skin light, or claiming the sim has albinism. And while some of this I'm sure is just finding that aesthetic more "pretty", I also think this has to do with potential sales. I'm going to be honest... besides engagement by black simblr itself, I've noticed a lot of posts I have get less engagement/reblogs if the sim in question has darker skin and darker hair. It's much more likely to pick up in the mainstream cc finds blogs/YouTube videos etc, if the content is for white sims or the sim has lighter skin and light hair. I don't care about engagement and simply make whatever sim I want to make, and since I do have that variety, it's how I noticed this strange trend. And with the volume of content paywall creators make, I think they noticed this too. Posts with lighter skinned sims get better engagement, and thus, make more money.

Have you ever noticed, even in paywalled cc packs, there will usually be a sort of token effect? One white sim, one ethnically ambiguous sim, one black sim. This is great if you're showing off something that will vary for different skintones- makeup and skin details, for example- but why is it always like this? And why is the variety usually only in previews for cc packs instead of solo items (like hairs)? It feels like it's all to sell better, to appeal to different demographics and say, hey, I didn't forget poc exist! Please pay for my content! It feels disgenuine, and since creators like this rarely engage with the community anymore besides paid content, it's hard to figure out whether they feel this way or not.

Personally, I don't care much what people do in their own games- I might look at them weird for a sec, but I move on, cos it's their issue not mine. But like many other aspects to this community, when it crosses over into paid content, it sparks my interest. It feels like everything, everything, is about maximizing profit now. And for the people that focus on that, that's their prerogative and all, I can't exactly stop them, but. It's just something I observed and wouldn't mind discussing with y'all.

(Note: I don't apply the "profiting off black culture" part to black creators, obviously. Also no hate to any creators that do this stuff. Be reasonable adults, please. I'm just discussing in a constructive criticism type of way.)

[wastelandwhisperer]

so I had to see what was in that mystery lootbox from offline and this is it.....😭😂

(thank you @1-800-cuupid for calling out their bs)

[melonelle]

okay but, having a dress from for rent and making a separate top and skirt from it and putting it in early access until january 15th is shameful and laughable

[invisiblequeen]

How To Send Me To An Early Grave:

Make CC

Post About CC

Show a download link that just says "Download"

nothing else

just "download"

as if to say it's free to download

Have said "download" link lead to a locked Patreon Post

a LOCKED PATREON POST

[nightospheresims]

Hey lam-z!!! maybe i’ll start following your TOU when you start following EAs! Deal?

[candiedeyess]

-ˋˏ ♡ ˎˊ˗

✩ Paywall CC Needs ✩

hello ! i recently came across and joined this lovely discord server, and would like to share it with everyone ^^

"we’re not just a paywall cc server but a cc server in general where you can share your cc finds, talk to other simmers and get help with your game if needed!! pls join if you’d like! 🥹 we love having new members!" - kichi, @grumpysims

the server's owner, kichi, and all her little helpers are super amazing ! there's channels for content from several creators who permanently paywall their cc, as well as tons of people who are happy to chat, share cc, and help with wcifs !

so, if you love sims and need help finding cool cc or mods—or just want some nice people to talk to, come hang out ! ♡

[alltimefail-sims]

CC Creators... I'm begging you...

PLEASE include the release date next to the "Dowload" link in your paywall locked posts!!

This is a public announcement lmao I'm so serious I can't be the only one who is tired of clicking "Download" just to be redirected to a LOCKED MF PATREON POST with ZERO indication of when the item/build will be released publicly! You all are not going to trick anyone into paying monthly for some pixel pants!! Just tell us when it will be publicly released in the damn post!!!

[plushiez]

“The paywallers”

*backstabber by Kesha starts playing in the background*

[grapeflavoredorange]

i swear to god i’ve been pavlov’d into feeling legit white hot rage seeing the phrase “vip early access” like i actually want to hurt somebody. one more piece of paywalled cc that’s a simple mesh edit that i have to wait until november to download i’m going to do things that’ll put me on a fucking watchlist you mark my fucking words i hate you sims 4 cc creators i hate you patreon i hate you tsr i hate you paywalls i hate you i hate you i hate you

[nicatnite88]

It has come to my attention that the wording in my bulk download post makes it seem like I am locking cc. I promise, I am not. My cc is and always will be completely free from the start, no early access. The cc included when you subscribe to that tier is either cc I made ages ago that I’m too embarrassed to post again, or cc I’ve made more recently that I don’t feel is good enough for public release. It’s essentially for private use but I throw it in the bulk folder just in case someone else likes it. If you ever see cc of mine and you can’t find a download link, just send me a message and I will happily share it with you!

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

[wildmelon]

i have an idea. if u do early access, don’t make a public announcement until ur cc is publicly released. just let it be known that you do 2 week early access or whatever, release it privately to your patrons early, then post it publicly when you’re ready to give it to everyone. it’ll feel less like coercion that way, and much more like the nice bonus that early access is supposed to be. plus if your patrons post with the cc before the public release you’ll still get your little hype but it’ll feel more like foreshadowing than purposely induced envy

[yooniesim]

Thoughts on Blenoween?

https://www.patreon.com/posts/89214568?pr=true

So... it's just the simblreen concept stolen and renamed so that it can be paywalled? Right after they asked if they could paywall simblreen and the official account said no? We really can't have one fucking thing in the community that's just for fun and isn't monetized? My thoughts are... yikes forever. Gross. Disgusting. Ew. Fucking vultures. Hopefully they rip their pants in public. That's about it.

@simblreenofficial @xldkx 💀

[wastelandwhisperer]

Call me a hater, I literally do not care, but I firmly believe that Patreon killed the Sims 4 community 💕

[melonelle]

remember when cc creators were part of the simblr community?? now they just come here to drop their ea posts on patreon and that zionist site and leave until next month

[invisiblequeen]

To The Creators/Modders Who Put All of Their CC Behind A Perma Paywall To Make Us "Shop" For It...

PLEASE

STOP

DOING

THAT