It was recently brought to my attention that a group of individuals have decided they have ultimate authority over all sims creators and web site owners. This group has decided that anyone who creates content for The Sims 2 must distribute 100% of their content freely and failure to comply with this rule will result in "punishment." Those who run websites that are subscription based or that offer donation sets (like I do) will and have had their content purchased and then redistributed freely by this group. They distribute these files on a website hosted in a country known for fraudulent and criminal websites and that is outside US and EU laws. These second-raters have not only stolen my donation sets but have stolen the content of nearly every paysite in existence. The leader of the group told me that I should be more than willing to shell out my personal money for bandwidth (which he contends costs only $8 per month) and all other expenses related to object creation and distribution. Failing that he will continue to steal and redistribute any content I or anyone else attempts to charge for.

My first reaction was the take my site to a 100% subscription format but then I would be subject to the arbitrary "punishment" of this group - unless I charge a very high subscription fee in which case my files would safe but no one would be willing to pay the fee I would have to charge to ensure their safety. Besides, I don't want to charge for my content. I did not start my own site to get rich or even supplement my income, that's why 99.9% of my content is free. However, I will not have this group force me to do anything against my will and I will not play by their ridiculous rules.

What this group evidently doesn't have the mentality to grasp is that there is a third option which I am going to exercise - I will merely pull a John Galt. I am under no obligation to share anything I create with anyone. I will NOT have a group of low-life second-raters dictate the terms under which I can distribute what is MY WORK, MY EFFORT, and MY CREATIVITY nor will I allow them to dictate how I choose to spend or not spend MY MONEY. To this end, the contents of this website will be available only until December 1. After that point ALL sets will be permanently removed. I will delete all of my content from MTS2 and TSR. I will not allow these people, or anyone like them, to hold my work or my website hostage. I will continue to post pictures of my creations as I have no intention of halting all object creation on my end - I just will refuse any and all requests to share what I create. I cannot trust that *anyone* out there is not apart of this group so I have assume that everyone is. There is nothing more infuriating than to think that I may have sent a thank-you note to someone who donated only so they could steal my files.

Creating for The Sims 2 was and is a hobby I enjoy and I will continue to create as I have done for over a year now. I will make my meshes available on TurboSquid.com. They will NOT be free or even cheap. They will not be merged, sized, placed, UV Mapped or textured, for The Sims 2. They will come with a requisite EULA agreement limiting the manner in which they are used and disseminated.

If you are a site owner and/or content creator I highly recommend the same course of action. Ignoring these people is the same as agreeing to abide by their rules. I am not willing to do this.

IT IS ABOUT INTEGRITY - MY INTEGRITY AND THAT OF EVERY CONTENT CREATOR OUT THERE.

I WILL NOT BE FORCED TO SHARE MY CONTENT ACCORDING TO THE WHIMS OF A SECOND-RATER. NOT NOW, NOT EVER. MY CONTENT CAN ONLY BE DISTRIBUTED ACCORDING TO MY WILL AND MY WILL ALONE SO LONG AS MY METHOD(S) DOES NOT VIOLATE THE RULES OF ELECTRONIC ARTS, INC. OR MAXIS. SINCE J.M. PESCADO REMOVED MY FREEDOM TO CHOOSE HOW I DISTRIBUTE MY WORK I HAVE CHOSEN TO NO LONGER DISTRIBUTE MY WORK. IT'S THAT SIMPLE.

What is a black hat? It is a type of hacker that does not operate within the boundaries of the law. A black hat is often a malicious hacker who seeks to tamper with and / or exploit a program, file, server or other media (hardware or software) for personal gain or just for the fuck of it. White hats, by comparison, are "good guy" hackers (who work to improve security). Grey Hats fall in between.

The leader of the group who is stealing files suggested to me that I did not know what a black hat was when I mentioned (repeatedly) that I would love to find one to fuck up the files he's serving with some very nasty viruses. Unfortunately for him I know very well what black hats are. My husband, depending on your perspective, is one. If my husband did not have a high security government job this would not be a discussion and the files on that site would have been infected with a series of viruses designed to destroy a computer - not merely correctable by a format and reinstall. Once he went legit I had to remove myself from any and all contacts with 'undesirable' types and most foreigners. J.M. Pescado and everyone who downloads those stolen files should consider themselves lucky that this didn't happen a few years earlier Than again, you never know when an old friend may crawl out of the woodwork or when a bunch come to town for a Black Hat Convention (I can damn near throw a rock at that hotel from my balcony). I can't stop J.M. Pescado or those like them but I can fuck with stolen goods all I want. Consider yourself warned.

OH AND DON'T FUCKING EMAIL ME TO ASK FOR THE LINK TO THE SITE IN QUESTION. WTF IS WRONG WITH SOME OF YOU PEOPLE?!?!?!?!

The following screenshots were taken in the Work-In-Progress stage. Please visit each set's page for the final result screenshots. And no, you can't download the files.

I need no warrant for being, and no word of sanction upon my being. I am the warrant and the sanction.
— Ayn Rand, Anthem

My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute.
— Ayn Rand, Appendix to Atlas Shrugged

You know what the best part of this is, if there is one? Knowing that I caused people to utter the question "who is John Galt?" Oh does that make me giggle every time I think about it. Who is John Galt indeed.

Oh, and just be glad this protest removal of work is confined, at the moment, to my Sims 2 fansite. Just imagine if the captains of industry and the geniuses of this world decided to tell the "average" and "below average" people of the world to fuck off. I'm counting the minutes until Atlas Shrugs.

IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT RETAIL SIMS SHUTDOWN: