Donations for 2023/2024/2025

[StringTheorist]

Thanks, ROPE_GULCH
My browser doesn't show the "https://" for some reason. It used to. Maybe some option I set/reset.
My browser is Mozilla Firefox.
I add my thanks to Chad for nursing the web site back to health. And to all who have helped him.
ST

[bondagefreak]

Thanks, ROPE_GULCH

Rope_Gulch?

I think you mean blackbound, no?

[handcuffed_boy]

Hi, I can't believe that I actually donated money to keep this site going, maybe this was 2 or so years ago, I don't remember how much but a decent amount. I never heard a thing back from you, no acknowledgement or email back or anything. Happy that I did my bit, but for that reason I wouldn't donate again. Cheers. (Oh and, for my trouble, it looks like I am not even a registered user here, only on the intermediary list!)

[bondagefreak]

Hi, I can't believe that I actually donated money to keep this site going, maybe this was 2 or so years ago, I don't remember how much but a decent amount. I never heard a thing back from you, no acknowledgement or email back or anything. Happy that I did my bit, but for that reason I wouldn't donate again. Cheers. (Oh and, for my trouble, it looks like I am not even a registered user here, only on the intermediary list!)

Hello @handcuffed_boy
I normally refrain from answering absurd comments, but I'm afraid this one really tops the 2025 charts. I should point out that the exchange would have been far more cordial and courteous had you chosen to share your concerns with the staff directly. But since you appear intent on humiliating us in public, allow me to return the favour.


The entitlement in your complaint is frankly baffling. You did not donate money to a cause or to support a person in need, or even for charity. You contributed to keeping a website YOU use hosted & running. This site is not the responsibility of one individual. This site does not run ads or run a subscription paywall. This site is kept hosted via anonymous and purely voluntary contributions. Hundreds of us have contributed to keep it running - because we enjoy our time here and think it's worth keeping around.

You did not do anyone a favour by contributing to the site hosting. You did yourself a favour because, at the time, you didn't want to see this site go offline.

The fact that you expected a personal thank-you for - as you put it, all the trouble you went through - suggests that you feel otherwise. It suggests that you feel you are doing someone a favour and that finding the funds to keep the site hosted is the responsibility of one person rather than a collective and purely voluntary effort.

P.s- I contributed to the hosting of the site many times as well. Perhaps you should send me a thank-you note, since it seems, by your logic, that I did you and everyone else on here a favour.

(Oh and, for my trouble, it looks like I am not even a registered user here, only on the intermediary list!)

Your second grievance is every bit as outrageous. 'Registered Users' is the basic group for users with less than 10 posts - AKA users who have just passed the anti-spambot probation phase. Those users have no PM access.

You complain that you are only in the 'Intermediary Users' (which is the group for users with 10-100 posts, with full PM & Board access) and that you are not in the far more basic 'Registered Users' group. That's fine. Since you want to go back to the "Registered Users" group, we'll demote you back to that group. First time in 15+ years of being here that I've seen someone complain about advancing to a "higher" rank and lamenting no longer being in a user group with very limited access. Crazy times indeed.

UPDATE: As per your own demands, you've been removed from the 'Intermediary User' group and demoted back to the 'Registered User' group. Should you at some point wish to be in the 'Intermediary Users' again, you will need to make the request publicly, since the group you asked to be in does not have access to PMs.

[WhereAmI]

Great reply @bondagefreak .

[handcuffed_boy]

Hi, I can't believe that I actually donated money to keep this site going, maybe this was 2 or so years ago, I don't remember how much but a decent amount. I never heard a thing back from you, no acknowledgement or email back or anything. Happy that I did my bit, but for that reason I wouldn't donate again. Cheers. (Oh and, for my trouble, it looks like I am not even a registered user here, only on the intermediary list!)

Hello @handcuffed_boy
I normally refrain from answering absurd comments, but I'm afraid this one really tops the 2025 charts. I should point out that the exchange would have been far more cordial and courteous had you chosen to share your concerns with the staff directly. But since you appear intent on humiliating us in public, allow me to return the favour.


The entitlement in your complaint is frankly baffling. You did not donate money to a cause or to support a person in need, or even for charity. You contributed to keeping a website YOU use hosted & running. This site is not the responsibility of one individual. This site does not run ads or run a subscription paywall. This site is kept hosted via anonymous and purely voluntary contributions. Hundreds of us have contributed to keep it running - because we enjoy our time here and think it's worth keeping around.

You did not do anyone a favour by contributing to the site hosting. You did yourself a favour because, at the time, you didn't want to see this site go offline.

The fact that you expected a personal thank-you for - as you put it, all the trouble you went through - suggests that you feel otherwise. It suggests that you feel you are doing someone a favour and that finding the funds to keep the site hosted is the responsibility of one person rather than a collective and purely voluntary effort.

P.s- I contributed to the hosting of the site many times as well. Perhaps you should send me a thank-you note, since it seems, by your logic, that I did you and everyone else on here a favour.

(Oh and, for my trouble, it looks like I am not even a registered user here, only on the intermediary list!)

Your second grievance is every bit as outrageous. 'Registered Users' is the basic group for users with less than 10 posts - AKA users who have just passed the anti-spambot probation phase. Those users have no PM access.

You complain that you are only in the 'Intermediary Users' (which is the group for users with 10-100 posts, with full PM & Board access) and that you are not in the far more basic 'Registered Users' group. That's fine. Since you want to go back to the "Registered Users" group, we'll demote you back to that group. First time in 15+ years of being here that I've seen someone complain about advancing to a "higher" rank and lamenting no longer being in a user group with very limited access. Crazy times indeed.

UPDATE: As per your own demands, you've been removed from the 'Intermediary User' group and demoted back to the 'Registered User' group. Should you at some point wish to be in the 'Intermediary Users' again, you will need to make the request publicly, since the group you asked to be in does not have access to PMs.

I don't know why you want to take revenge on someone who has contributed money to the running of the site. Please can you put me back in the intermediary users list in that case, as I didn't understand what that meant.

[bondagefreak]

I don't know why you want to take revenge on someone who has contributed money to the running of the site. Please can you put me back in the intermediary users list in that case, as I didn't understand what that meant.

Revenge? Hardly. You did not know what the groups stood for, and instead of asking, you chose to publicly lament the group you were in (with an exclamation mark!) as though you were the victim of some unfair treatment. Groups are entirely based on the number of posts. The system automatically takes care of sorting users into different groups.


I've reinstated you back to the Intermediate Users group. Your group will automatically change again when/if you hit 100+ posts.

In the future, I suggest either you address your concerns directly to the staff or ask to understand something instead of lamenting supposed unfair treatment in public. Whether or not it was your intention, your post came off as an attempt to publicly humiliate us for our supposed poor treatment of you. Naturally, this will provoke a defensive response.

Almost all donations over the years have been anonymous. No one person has been the beneficiary of these donations. The Mods and Admins are volunteers. The beneficiaries were all forum users, including yourself and myself. The cost of hosting this place is not one person's responsibility. Hundreds of us have chipped in over the years. No one has received personalised thank you notes. We are all beneficiaries.

[tiedinbluetights]

Thanks @bondagefreak and the entire admin and mod teams, as well as all the people who have donated over the years to keep this forum going. It is much appreciated.

[Xtc]

I feel I should also point out that to the best of my knowledge, in the past, @chadmc90 has had to get his hand in his pocket to keep the site going. When that came to light, the contribution fund was set up.