#itsbrandy

So, do not use tumblr much as a platform for myself as much as I use it to find CC content for my own game.  If you’ve not seen my CC tracker, it’s a sight to behold. But, I’m going to talk today about the recent drama with Savvysweet and Itsbrandysims because I’m really tired of just reblogging everything and I figure I might as well share my voice. 

First of all, let’s address the background to this situation. It all started when itsbrandysims decided to call out savvysweet (shelly) for using a BASE of his mesh to create some of her hairs without crediting. Now, thievery is not okay, let’s be real here, and she really should have remembered to credit, but the problem most of the community has is how this entire process was handled, which was (sad to say) not like a decent adult. Let’s talk about that:  As an ADULT, it is commonly expected that when you have a problem with someone, you need to go to that person face to face and discuss your problems with them. Children and cowards talk to other people about their issues with others. In the words of Eleonor Roosevelt:  “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” 

Itsbrandysims did not do this. He claims to have reached her out via one method but did not try any others. This is simply ludicrous. If a student of mine said “Ma’am, I had a problem with the grade you gave me, and I tried to stop by your classroom but you were never there.” I’d be raising my eyebrow. I have a phone. I have an email. I have other coworkers who can talk to me. You could have left a note. It is well known that Shelly had a patreon, discord, tumblr, and lots of friends that could get in contact with her (including the friend that outed where they got the mesh to itsbrandysims). There is NO excuse for itsbrandysims to try one method, then immediately move on to calling her out. 

As an ADULT, and a “professional” (which, if you are selling CC for the sims 4, you have a professional image to try to “maintain”), it is expected that if you are going to call someone out for something, you should have a reputation that is above reproach. Well, sad to say, you don’t, sir. Multiple people have commented the fact that your meshes look “eerily similar” to meshes from second life, imvu, and other places around the web, and have commented on your “credit” (or very vague lack thereof). In addition, you lock your CC behind permanent paywalls, which even if EA was fine with (which many indicate it probably would not be), is disgusting to the community. If you look at EA’s terms of service, in section 5: 

When you create content for the sims 4, you give all other users the right to use it, modify it and do other things to it without crediting or paying YOU. The moment you agreed to EA’s terms and created that object for the Sims 4, Shelly had the right to use it and not even blink and credit you. Is it generally expected in this community to credit people when you use their stuff? Yes. Would it have been nice for her to do so? Yes. But was she REQUIRED TO? No. 

If anything, you’re in hot water if you’re using anything from Secondlife...

And Imvu too, oops: 

This is very much akin to when I taught Preschool and a preschool student would come up to me crying saying “Teacher, she stole MY blocks!” When in reality the blocks were owned by the school, and temporarily provided to the students to use. You are literally crying over “blocks” you don’t own and whining to the community instead of dealing with it like an adult. Sheesh. 

Let’s talk about the  “instagram live” which to be honest, was even more of a circus than I expected it would be. When you have a problem with someone, an ADULT and PROFESSIONAL should not have to resort to foul language to express discomfort, discontent, or engage in discourse. Especially when you have a community that you have to be seen in a positive light in. Refusing to answer direct questions, shutting down comments when people didn’t agree with you, telling people multiple times to “suck your *insert male parts here*”, only allowing people that agreed with you to speak via audio, and not even saying the correct name for the person you are accusing was gross and childish. You’re on trial in a community and you decide to insult them? Way to win the “jury” over. If I had a meeting with a parent and my principal was present, and the parent had questions for me concerning my behavior with a student, I would certainly not dodge questions, or insult either person in the room with me by using vulgar language. That is not what an adult and professional does. But then again, I’ve just shown that you are neither.

And last, I’m saving the issue of race for last, because I feel compared to the rest of this, it’s the most sad part. This year, the black community has really come together and uplifted each other. With the various issues in the US being brought to light, one of the things I have enjoyed seeing is how the black community has shown what true brother and sisterhood looks like. They have supported, uplifted, shared, and stood for one another. But you sir, have refused to do that. Instead of uplifting a fellow creator, a black sister, you tore her down. You bullied her. You sent your followers and the public after her. You started a witch-hunt, when you sir, are a warlock yourself.

 She helped fill a very special void that was lacking in the maxis-match community, a need for hairs that represented black people and allowed them to feel they were represented. As an alpha creator, her creations didn’t “threaten” you. You should have felt honored that she was using your content to help empower fellow black players, and make them feel included and represented in a game that has honestly struggled to make them feel included. (The new skintones were wayyyy too late EA.) That alone should have given you a reason to pause and think about OTHER ways to contact her before sending your minions her way.  And with that, I’m getting off my cardboard box and putting it away. I hope Shelly realizes that her creations made a difference to people and comes back refreshed and ready to create again. I hope this helps the community realize how important it is to talk and communicate like adults to each other when problems arise, and I hope that brandysims eventually realizes his faults and comes clean and apologizes

.And perhaps, this might even cause other CC creators to realize that all of their locked paywalls, strict TOUs, and other things really don’t matter in the end, and that the community would be a way better place if we could all just talk, collaborate, share, and work together and support each other instead of arguing over blocks we don’t even own. 

Because at this point, this is the ONLY thing that’s going to remotely repair the damage you have done to your rep. Okay, so let’s talk about your second instagram live and the problems that came with it. Because I’m in a philosophical mood and feel like writing tonight. 

Okay, first of all, let’s talk about the one thing you actually seemed to learn from your last instagram live. Congrats on not resorting to childish insults, and profanity to make your point. However, this does not improve the many issues that can be found with the rest of the video: 

First, I am going to admit that I am not a communications teacher (I leave that to my father, who teaches that subject at a college level), but I have taken speech and debate in college, and have had to moderate an argument or two between people in my time. (It’s one of the many hats teachers wear.) One of the subjects that comes up in speech and debate is the topic of fallacy. A fallacy is an argument that is unsound. In this case, we have a very large one that you have decided to make.  “Yes. I “converted” (read between the lines here to mean stole) content from Imvu and secondlife. But all of the big name creators at that time did it too.” This fallacy is known as “the golden rationalization”. It’s the “everybody does it” argument that allows people to get away with bad behavior. And ironically, it signals that you KNOW what you did isn’t okay: 

Here’s the full article if you wish to read more about the subject:  https://ethicsalarms.com/rule-book/unethical-rationalizations-and-misconceptions/

Now that we’ve covered that subject, let’s talk about other points that weren’t stellar on your part.  To compound your issues, you didn’t apologize at all for anything. Nothing. Zilch. Nada. You didn’t apologize on behalf of the followers of yours who went too far. You didn’t apologize for creating two instagram live videos propagating the drama: (one, two) when @savvysweet​ wasn’t even there to freakin’ defend herself or share her side. You didn’t apologize for cussing at and insulting the community you claim to serve. You didn’t apologize for how you handled the situation at all. Nothing. Nothing that sounded like a real, sincere, and honest apology for this dumpster fire of a situation ever crossed your lips. 

I (and I’m sure others) would have much more mercy on someone who was apologetic and sorry about how this situation turned out. But instead of taking the licks and saying “okay, I messed up” you continue to act like we’re a pitchfork and torch wielding mob coming after you for no reason. No dude. That’s not how it works. We’re calling your lies and asking you to be honest and apologize. If you think this is a hateful mob, you really need to visit some other parts of the internet, because some of the hate spewed there is MUCH worse than the honest critiques you’re getting from the sims community here. I had someone today make death threats against me and my friends over animal crossing. Trust me, a few call outs on simblr and twitter is nothing. You’re getting grounders compared to what some communities will stoop to. 

And last, lemme talk about how you didn’t mention ANYTHING about people’s comments to you about EA’s rights. Because, they have them. The MOMENT you put something on the web and say it’s for the sims 4. EA has the rights to it. And the community has a right to it. You can refer to my previous post on the subject if you wish to see the exact fine print. But I find it really ironic that you entirely glossed over that fact and did not address that at all. Again, the MOMENT you say “This is a hair for the sims 4″ and upload it, it’s no longer yours. Because let’s be real, who wants to play with a Barbie purse when you don’t have the Barbie doll to go with it? Your meshes/content would be utterly USELESS without a platform to use it on. And regardless of if you use it for imvu, secondlife, or the Sims 4, the moment you say it’s for that platform, the rights transfer. If you want to maintain your grip on your content, perhaps you should...you know...create your own simulation game. Just saying. 

You know, since harassments is against their terms of conduct. Here’s a handy guide on how to report them to EA:  https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/faq/report-players-for-cheating-abuse-and-harassment/ Feel free to use the youtube video of their instagram live (which I shared the link to in my last blog) as evidence. :)