Aikea and Gelydh have their own site...

[Zazazu]

That or they are just majorly pissed at Thomass. It's all to the same end.

[glasscigarette]

Whatever works, Z.

[aikea_guinea]

We're generally malcontent with TSR in general.  I can't even go there without getting irritated as piss, and that's on top of the already massive amounts of continued pent up rage at Thomas & co.  (Oh how I wish I had time to get into all that right now...)    

In all honesty there were certain creators on that site that would do things that would just piss me off, but now that we're on 'the outside' it's inexplicably a thousand times worse.  They're the sort of things that if they were on any other site I wouldn't even have paid any attention to it, but when there's the ever-lingering possibility that they would be made into FAs it really changes things.

I'm thisclose to changing the texture portion of our TOU to match the mesh portion (will probably do so tonight at some point).  The longer we've been free, the better it's been, and the less I want to see the things we give away freely end up on someone's work on a site that has such a harsh isolationist attitude (and this is coming from someone who would gladly be a hermit if I could get away with it!) along with so many other negatives.

[redisenchanted]

Hurrah for aikea! I'll get a little fangurlish now. I love your stuff now that it's free. I always thought it was good, but just never bothered to plunder it. Now, I snap up almost everything you make. It's just beautiful!

Feel free to rant whenever you like. The pathetic replacements they've been trying to replace you with are truly laughable.

[glasscigarette]

Allow me to fangurl as well. I was just about to upload a self-Sim using one of your outfits, BTW. 

[Hecubus]

The longer we've been free, the better it's been, and the less I want to see the things we give away freely end up on someone's work on a site that has such a harsh isolationist attitude (and this is coming from someone who would gladly be a hermit if I could get away with it!) along with so many other negatives.

Even hermits have a sense of freedom and coopration - TSR must get "Does not play well with others" on its report card. It will be interesting to see if TSR takes down items that use your meshes. (My bet: not.)

[falln_angel]

God, I can't believe they're still making you guys miserable. (Well I can actually, this is TSR after all, but it pisses me off!) I used to jokingly refer to them as a cult, but the more of these stories I hear the more it seems like the reality, what with the threats of what will happen if you leave, the harassment after you leave... But at least you're out of there. And you've found a bunch of people who see TSR for the toxic community that it really is (which is sad, because it seems like there are a lot of really nice people in there too, floating around in all the filth). I'm tempted to say just ignore them, but that just sounds insulting coming from someone who's only ever witnessed this stuff from the sidelines. But I will say nolite te bastardes carborundorum, because it seems to fit. I'm sorry you fell in with such a petty and spiteful crowd. I'm sorry that your break from them wasn't as clean as it should have been. But hey, you're out now - it can only get better from here.

[aikea_guinea]

Ahh... now I have more time to vent, and have had such a wretched day that we can go ahead and call the venting therapy.  (Though my bad day is completely based on Real Life stuff and not simulated... we can pretend, though.)

Firstly I just want to make it clear that we've had pretty much zero contact with the 'higher ups' at TSR since we got our things made free, and that's completely fine by me.  So there hasn't been any overt attempt at making us miserable; that's all been me being irritated just by stepping foot on the site.  falln_angel, you're so very right about there being some really nice people there caught up in the muck.  It makes me deeply sad, really.  I really liked 99.9% of the people I worked with on that site.  (The .1% I didn't I still remained professional with, even if I was grumbling to myself.)

So, onto the venting and some further expansion on to the goings on around the time we left... I apologize in advance if I end up repeating things I said in my initial 'why I left TSR' statement.

As many of you have already guessed, it was Windkeeper who was the 'well-known FA' I spoke about earlier.  Whether this is true or not I can't say for certain, but Thomas's exact words to me were 'What I'm asking you to do is what windkeeper did,' which was to 'fade away' from TSR without actually coming out and saying she'd left.  Whatever the real reasons for wanting someone like her to just fade away may be, I can't help but feel (as I'm sure many others must) that it's just another way to milk a bit more money out of someone.  Otherwise why wouldn't you just let her retire with dignity and set her items to free?

Speaking of, that brings me to Tiko.  Just before we left, we were told that he'd recovered from his appendix bursting but wouldn't be able to return as an FA.  What completely pisses me off to this day is that there's been no mention of this anywhere on TSR as far as I'm aware.  There are still a hell of a lot of people who are worried sick that he never recovered at all, and for what?  To get more money out of his work?  You don't have to give out tons of personal information to let people know he's unable to continue his work as an FA.

On to Anita now.  One of the first things Thomas said to me when I'd emailed him that Gelydh and I were quitting was 'So I thought get rid of Anita and we'll solve the rest.'  I assume that was when they'd worked out the whole 'let's say you've stepped down from TSR and the sims completely' bullshit.  Gelydh and I didn't want to leave TSR just because of her, so this had almost zero effect on us whatsoever.  Obviously, she's still around, which many of you have gathered from the lack of 'dramallama explosion' on other sites.  She's still there behind the scenes trying to talk people into becoming FAs and telling them not to talk to me.  (Really, though... how 'elementary school' can you get?)  I'll cut this short because that woman doesn't need any more attention than she already gets. 

Speaking of which, you guys here at PMBD have more pull at TSR than you think.  Back when I'd lodged several complaints against Anita on behalf of the FAs, Thomas's response was more or less 'What will the pirates say if we fire her?'  I got the impression that anything TSR did was based off that same mentality.  In other words, what you all might say held more sway than what a large group of FAs felt.

I'm afraid the wine I've had is kicking in now and I'm starting to lose focus, so if you have any questions or whatever go ahead and ask.  I'm so beyond caring at this point.  I'm sick to death of being judged based on where I chose to post rather than the interactions I've had with people 'face to face,' too.  Just because I'm 'venting' here doesn't make me any different than I was three months ago.  (Well... not in any huge sense.  My 'paysite vs. freesite' standing has changed somewhat...)

ETA:
redisenchanted, it makes us both so stinkin' happy that everyone can use our stuff now if they want to!  Thank you so much for your compliments on our work!  Honestly I still can't believe so many people like our stuff... *blushes like mad*

[Redikolous]

Your stuff is extremely well made! 

The thing with Tiko makes me angriest.  Instead of making people feel better that he's recovering, they'd rather everyone be worried that he died. Nice. 

And I'm sorta jubilant about the pull factor.  They really don't justify being pay, and the empty argument shows up in their business strategy.

What did happen with Windkeeper, to maker her "fade away?"  Real Life problems, perhaps?  Or the pay argument?  Does anyone at TSR know?

[Paden]

Where's that damn fangirl emotie when ya need it?? Honestly, I think your stuff is great and am so happy that anyone and everyone can now download it, you've made many a down load junkie bliss out!

[deelink]

I am totally blissing out Aikea! Your stuff is ever so great now that it's free! And you've taken your time and fixed things, because you are under no pressure and are doing it out of love! And it shows! You are so awesome

*ahem* TSR are poop. They have the management skills of a drunk gnat. I can't BELIEVE the way they shun people out of information, isn't that a true indication of TSR being a totalitarian corporation, rather than a community? Why people stay there.. I'll never know.

[strix]

I'm sorry you're still being put through this, but not surprised, after reading all I have about TSR. And letting many people worry desperately about others unnecessarily is even a new low for Thomass et al, that really is a vile thing to do to people for the sake of a money. And my download folder hates me since you both went and opened your new site. Hates me! I think I've yoinked pretty much.... everything, I think. All of your work is just so beautiful. And now the new terms of use! *gets fangirl all over the place*

[Anouk]

Disgusting, but not unexpected.

[Beth]

I'd wondered what had happened to Windkeeper!
Gosh, that's shocking, not just for her, but for you too. After everything you've all done, really they've just thrown you away like a piece of rubbish :[
Shame, whatever respect I had left for Thomass (which was, may I add, very very low as it was, has just totally gone.
Well them comments have been deleted from Wind's GB (KatCat's comment), didn't have a peek at Tiko's though.
*waves at KatCat cos we now know she reads here*
It took some patience to write all of that. I tend to try and stray away from things that make me angry, but it took a lot of patience for your writing and we really appreciate that.
I've decided that nothing of mine will get uploaded to T$R anymore, not that any of my shite's good, but, yeah.
I admit I havent had a chance to look at your site yet Aikea (I have to go hospital :[) but I will as soon as I get through the door!

[Charlotte]

*waves to Beth*  Do you check your PM's dear?