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| rankingssbm = [[MPGR 2019]]: 19th | | rankingssbm = [[MPGR 2019]]: 19th | ||
| bestrankingssbm = [[SSBMRank 2013]]: 6th | | bestrankingssbm = [[SSBMRank 2013]]: 6th | ||
| winningsssbm = ~$14,018.18 | | winningsssbm = ~$14,018.18 | ||
| realname = Aziz Al-Yami | | realname = Aziz Al-Yami | ||
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| country = United States | | country = United States | ||
}} | }} | ||
'''Hax$''' (pronounced "Hax Money"), informally known as '''Hax''', is a ''[[Melee]]'' player based in Manhattan. He used to solo [[main]] {{SSBM|Captain Falcon}} with the [[Alternate costume (SSBM)#Captain Falcon|pink costume]] (commonly known as Captain Fabulous); however, in early 2014, he switched to solo maining {{SSBM|Fox}}, and was widely regarded as the most technical Fox player when he was still active. In April 2016, he went on a indefinite hiatus due to having a calcified FCU tendon, which was left untreated because no surgeon was willing to remove it. During this hiatus, he began working on the [[B0XX]], a controller designed in a similar vein to the Smash Box by Hitbox, after having tested the Smash Box and finding it unsatisfactory. He has also slowly made a return to competitive ''Melee'' as of March 2017, having finally been treated for his hand problems. He would attend various ''Melee'' events showcasing the potential of the B0XX, and spent a long time balancing it to be as fair to a GameCube controller as possible. By 2019, he was considered to be playing at a level similar to when he played on a GameCube controller. | '''Hax$''' (pronounced "Hax Money"), informally known as '''Hax''', is a banned ''[[Melee]]'' player based in Manhattan. He used to solo [[main]] {{SSBM|Captain Falcon}} with the [[Alternate costume (SSBM)#Captain Falcon|pink costume]] (commonly known as Captain Fabulous); however, in early 2014, he switched to solo maining {{SSBM|Fox}}, and was widely regarded as the most technical Fox player when he was still active. In April 2016, he went on a indefinite hiatus due to having a calcified FCU tendon, which was left untreated because no surgeon was willing to remove it. During this hiatus, he began working on the [[B0XX]], a controller designed in a similar vein to the Smash Box by Hitbox, after having tested the Smash Box and finding it unsatisfactory. He has also slowly made a return to competitive ''Melee'' as of March 2017, having finally been treated for his hand problems. He would attend various ''Melee'' events showcasing the potential of the B0XX, and spent a long time balancing it to be as fair to a GameCube controller as possible. By 2019, he was considered to be playing at a level similar to when he played on a GameCube controller. | ||
Hax was formerly ranked 2nd on the [[New York City Power Rankings|New York City Melee Power Rankings]] and 19th on the [[2019 MPGR]]. | Hax was formerly ranked 2nd on the [[New York City Power Rankings|New York City Melee Power Rankings]] and 19th on the [[2019 MPGR]]. | ||
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On June 2021 Hax was indefinitely banned due to repeated and refusal to stop committing defamation deemed to constitute harassment violating sections 2.2.1 and 2.3.3 of the CoC.<ref name="Hax Ban" /> | On June 2021 Hax was indefinitely banned due to repeated and refusal to stop committing defamation deemed to constitute harassment violating sections 2.2.1 and 2.3.3 of the CoC.<ref name="Hax Ban" /> | ||
As of February 1, 2024, Hax$ has been permanently banned from tournaments due to repeated slanderous and conspiratorial accusations made towards {{Sm|Leffen}}, and other community members, with Hax's persistent reinforcement of these statements, multiple instances of inciting harassment, failing to take sufficient accountability for his actions, and refusing to abide by the terms of his return to local events.<ref name="Hax Permanent Ban">{{cite web|url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Dg-R86Zz_toB3EbfvGCJ4wvJTwyQyRlunCh-P1_HCV0/edit|title=Hax's Permanent ban}}</ref> In addition to allegations of doxxing<ref name="Willy P personal statement" /> and stalking.<ref name="DarkGenex Document" /> | As of February 1, 2024, Hax$ has been made permanently banned from tournaments due to repeated slanderous and conspiratorial accusations made towards {{Sm|Leffen}}, and other community members, with Hax's persistent reinforcement of these statements, multiple instances of inciting harassment, failing to take sufficient accountability for his actions, and refusing to abide by the terms of his return to local events.<ref name="Hax Permanent Ban">{{cite web|url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Dg-R86Zz_toB3EbfvGCJ4wvJTwyQyRlunCh-P1_HCV0/edit|title=Hax's Permanent ban}}</ref> In addition to allegations of doxxing<ref name="Willy P personal statement" /> and stalking.<ref name="DarkGenex Document" /><ref name="Hax stalking statement" /> | ||
==Tournament History== | ==Tournament History== | ||
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===2019-2020: Partial resurgence=== | ===2019-2020: Partial resurgence=== | ||
Hax had a rough start to 2019, placing 17th at [[GENESIS 6]] and only winning some smaller tournaments. The Summer MPGR placed Hax at 25th in the world. Hax's results began to pick up in the summer when he got 9th at [[Shine 2019]], he then went on to place 3rd at [[Mango's Birthday Bash]] beating {{sm|Hungrybox}} in the process. This led to Hax's being ranked at 19th, 19 places better than in 2018. At the start of 2020, Hax attended [[GENESIS 7]] where he was knocked into losers early by {{sm|Leffen}}. He beat {{sm|SFAT}}, {{sm|Westballz}}, {{sm|PewPewU}} and {{sm|Shroomed}} for the opportunity to play {{sm|Leffen}} again, in which Hax won 3-1. Hax placed 4th at [[GENESIS 7]] after being reverse 3-0'd by {{sm|Hungrybox}}. This placement also qualified him for one of the few invite spots to {{Trn|Smash Summit 9}}, where he placed 7th. | Hax had a rough start to 2019, placing 17th at [[GENESIS 6]] and only winning some smaller tournaments. The Summer MPGR placed Hax at 25th in the world. Hax's results began to pick up in the summer when he got 9th at [[Shine 2019]], he then went on to place 3rd at [[Mango's Birthday Bash]] beating {{sm|Hungrybox}} in the process. This led to Hax's being ranked at 19th, 19 places better than in 2018. At the start of 2020, Hax attended [[GENESIS 7]] where he was knocked into losers early by {{sm|Leffen}}. He beat {{sm|SFAT}}, {{sm|Westballz}}, {{sm|PewPewU}} and {{sm|Shroomed}} for the opportunity to play {{sm|Leffen}} again, in which Hax won 3-1. Hax placed 4th at [[GENESIS 7]] after being reverse 3-0'd by {{sm|Hungrybox}}. This placement also qualified him for one of the few invite spots to {{Trn|Smash Summit 9}}, where he placed 7th. | ||
==Playing style== | ==Playing style== | ||
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|- | |- | ||
|{{Trn|The Come Up 2023|g=SSBM}}||April 22nd, 2023||4th||—||—|| | |{{Trn|The Come Up 2023|g=SSBM}}||April 22nd, 2023||4th||—||—|| | ||
|- | |- | ||
|{{Trn|The Coinbox #61|g=SSBM}}{{OnlineIcon}}||May 16th, 2023||3rd||—||—||$900 | |{{Trn|The Coinbox #61|g=SSBM}}{{OnlineIcon}}||May 16th, 2023||3rd||—||—||$900 | ||
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|- | |- | ||
|{{Trn|The Coinbox #66|g=SSBM}}{{OnlineIcon}}||June 27th, 2023||2nd / 344||—||—||$1,000 | |{{Trn|The Coinbox #66|g=SSBM}}{{OnlineIcon}}||June 27th, 2023||2nd / 344||—||—||$1,000 | ||
|- | |- | ||
|{{Trn|The Coinbox #68|g=SSBM}}{{OnlineIcon}}||July 11th, 2023||1st / 296||—||—||$1,200 | |{{Trn|The Coinbox #68|g=SSBM}}{{OnlineIcon}}||July 11th, 2023||1st / 296||—||—||$1,200 | ||
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|- | |- | ||
|{{Trn|The Function 3|g=SSBM}}||November 11th, 2023||4th / 259||—||—|| | |{{Trn|The Function 3|g=SSBM}}||November 11th, 2023||4th / 259||—||—|| | ||
|- | |- | ||
|{{Trn|DreamHack Atlanta 2023|g=SSBM}}||December 15th-17th, 2023||1st / 130||—||—|| | |{{Trn|DreamHack Atlanta 2023|g=SSBM}}||December 15th-17th, 2023||1st / 130||—||—|| | ||
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|} | |} | ||
==Controversies== | ==Controversies== | ||
===Evidence.zip 2=== | ===Evidence.zip 2=== | ||
On June 4th, 2021, Hax posted a two-and-a-half-hour [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKixeJmH2MQ YouTube video] and accompanying 136-page PDF file titled "Evidence.zip 2",<ref>[https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZBIB0pdC2-CuFL0-2JsRyjurKmv4JfJm/ Hax's evidence.zip 2 PDF]</ref> <ref>[https://archive.org/stream/evidence.zip-2-smashbros/drive.google.com/file/d/1ZBIB0pdC2-CuFL0-2JsRyjurKmv4JfJm/view/Evidence.zip%202_djvu.txtclaiming Hax's Evidence.zip 2.pdf archived]</ref> in a tweet that it would "decide the fate of the entire ''Smash'' community."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/ssbmhax/status/1401025253564895235|title=Initial Tweet}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeUf6S_b-_U|title=Evidence.zip 2 reuploaded}}</ref> The video, named as a sequel to the archive file that was used to advocate a ban for {{Sm|Leffen}} back in 2013, alleges that Leffen has mentally abused several people in his quest to become the best player, having been leery about him ever since his first interactions with him on SmashBoards in 2011. He urged the community to reconsider whom they were following and alleged several claims, or "charges", against Leffen: | On June 4th, 2021, Hax posted a two-and-a-half-hour [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKixeJmH2MQ YouTube video] and accompanying 136-page PDF file titled "Evidence.zip 2",<ref>[https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZBIB0pdC2-CuFL0-2JsRyjurKmv4JfJm/ Hax's evidence.zip 2 PDF]</ref> <ref>[https://archive.org/stream/evidence.zip-2-smashbros/drive.google.com/file/d/1ZBIB0pdC2-CuFL0-2JsRyjurKmv4JfJm/view/Evidence.zip%202_djvu.txtclaiming Hax's Evidence.zip 2.pdf archived]</ref> in a tweet that it would "decide the fate of the entire ''Smash'' community."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/ssbmhax/status/1401025253564895235|title=Initial Tweet}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeUf6S_b-_U|title=Evidence.zip 2 reuploaded}}</ref> The video, named as a sequel to the archive file that was used to advocate a ban for {{Sm|Leffen}} back in 2013, alleges that Leffen has mentally abused several people in his quest to become the best player, having been leery about him ever since his first interactions with him on SmashBoards in 2011. He urged the community to reconsider whom they were following and alleged several claims, or "charges", against Leffen: | ||
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*Leffen used the fallout following the [[2020 Super Smash Bros. sexual misconduct allegations|wave of harassment allegations back in July of 2020]] to usurp the follower base of players that had been accused to present himself as a leader and safety net for people that had been mistreated by top players. | *Leffen used the fallout following the [[2020 Super Smash Bros. sexual misconduct allegations|wave of harassment allegations back in July of 2020]] to usurp the follower base of players that had been accused to present himself as a leader and safety net for people that had been mistreated by top players. | ||
The video drew massive derision and backlash from the community, believing the accusations to be without merit or proof, with many in particular condemning Hax's choice to analogize Leffen to political figures such as Adolf Hitler and accuse him of trying to establish a "totalitarian regime". Nevertheless, there is also a small group who claim that Hax's video has merit, if not tainted in overly dramatic language and comparisons, and they claim the community has a history of being overly forgiving of its best players as a reason to not entirely dismiss Hax's accusations. Leffen himself posted that he was unsure of his next course of action and would be speaking to a lawyer.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/TSM_Leffen/status/1401031413143642112|title=Leffen on Hax's post}}</ref> Hax would eventually private the video, which has since been reuploaded by multiple smaller channels. | The video drew massive derision and backlash from the community, believing the accusations to be without merit or proof, with many in particular condemning Hax's choice to analogize Leffen to political figures such as Adolf Hitler and accuse him of trying to establish a "totalitarian regime". Nevertheless, there is also a small fringe group who claim that Hax's video has merit, if not tainted in overly dramatic language and comparisons, and they claim the community has a history of being overly forgiving of its best players as a reason to not entirely dismiss Hax's accusations. Leffen himself posted that he was unsure of his next course of action and would be speaking to a lawyer.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/TSM_Leffen/status/1401031413143642112|title=Leffen on Hax's post}}</ref> Hax would eventually private the video, which has since been reuploaded by multiple smaller channels. | ||
PracticalTAS | Notably, PracticalTAS made a summary, analysis, and commentary of Hax's 136-page PDF file into a 12-page document, plus an 4-page addendum.<ref>[https://twitter.com/PracticalTAS/status/1401392261502545922?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1401392261502545922%7Ctwgr%5E477ad97038a6e68b5916fda8d6f98ab8bd66ce62%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.redditmedia.com%2Fmediaembed%2Fntf2s0%2F%3Fresponsive%3Dtrueis_nightmode%3Dtrue PracticalTAS summary, analysis, and commentary of Evidence.zip 2.pdf]</ref> | ||
In response to the video, on June 9th, Beyond the Smash banned Hax from attending {{Trn|Smash Summit 11}} in any capacity,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/BTSsmash/status/1402767685637722113|title=BTS's ban on Hax}}</ref> citing safety concerns and believing the video promoted harassment and threats. | In response to the video, on June 9th, Beyond the Smash banned Hax from attending {{Trn|Smash Summit 11}} in any capacity,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/BTSsmash/status/1402767685637722113|title=BTS's ban on Hax}}</ref> citing safety concerns and believing the video promoted harassment and threats. | ||
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On June 21st, 2021, {{Sm|iBDW}} accused Hax for downplaying and making fun of iBDW's story of being sexually assaulted by his own mother.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/iBDWSSBM/status/1407082926337150976|title=iBDW's initial post}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sro2d0|title=TwitLonger — @iBDWSSBM: Hax's Rebuttal}}</ref> iBDW also tweeted that he attempted to retrieve evidence to support his claims from Facebook messages, but that Hax had deleted the relevant messages.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/iBDWSSBM/status/1407774396656324611|title=iBDW saying Hax deleted Facebook messages}}</ref> Hax responded in a series of now-deleted Tweets, accusing iBDW for faking the story in order to gain Hax's sympathy as well as taking his comment out-of-context.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://imgur.com/a/cr4nMjM|title=Hax's response, archived}}</ref> | On June 21st, 2021, {{Sm|iBDW}} accused Hax for downplaying and making fun of iBDW's story of being sexually assaulted by his own mother.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/iBDWSSBM/status/1407082926337150976|title=iBDW's initial post}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sro2d0|title=TwitLonger — @iBDWSSBM: Hax's Rebuttal}}</ref> iBDW also tweeted that he attempted to retrieve evidence to support his claims from Facebook messages, but that Hax had deleted the relevant messages.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/iBDWSSBM/status/1407774396656324611|title=iBDW saying Hax deleted Facebook messages}}</ref> Hax responded in a series of now-deleted Tweets, accusing iBDW for faking the story in order to gain Hax's sympathy as well as taking his comment out-of-context.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://imgur.com/a/cr4nMjM|title=Hax's response, archived}}</ref> | ||
Due to both the iBDW and Leffen controversies, on June 21st, {{Sm|Tiramisu}} announced that Hax was banned from the Melee Online Discord server.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/SSBM_tiramisu/status/1407140198048219137|title=Hax's online ban | Due to both the iBDW and Leffen controversies, on June 21st, {{Sm|Tiramisu}} announced that Hax was banned from the Melee Online Discord server.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/SSBM_tiramisu/status/1407140198048219137|title=Hax's online ban}}</ref> | ||
Following the accusation and ban, as well as the evidence.zip 2 controversy, Hax posted a TwitLonger on June 23rd, in which he apologized on how he handled both controversies and claimed to "exonerate" himself from iBDW's claims.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sro2bu|title=TwitLonger — @ssbmhax: Apology, self-imposed hiatus, and exoneration from @iBDWSSBM's claims|accessdate=2021-06-23|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20210623181226/https://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sro2bu|archivedate=2021-06-23}}</ref> However, he refused to backtrack on any of the accusations made to both Leffen and iBDW. In particular, he reiterated how iBDW falsified many parts of his story in order to salvage their decaying friendship, and after that failed, iBDW went on to make several defamatory statements on Hax to try and ruin his reputation. Hax concluded the TwitLonger by once again apologizing for his behavior within the last few months and stating that he was willing to ban himself for 3 months due to how he initially handled iBDW's accusations. Hax then posted a second TwitLonger a few hours later, in which he further responded to iBDW's rebuttal, paragraph by paragraph.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sro2ju|title=TwitLonger — @ssbmhax: Response to @iBDWSSBM's TwitLonger|accessdate=2021-06-23|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20210623224625/https://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sro2ju|archivedate=2021-06-23}}</ref> Hax concluded this TwitLonger by asking iBDW to both contact him in private and dismiss his claims against him, lest he take legal action against him. | Following the accusation and ban, as well as the evidence.zip 2 controversy, Hax posted a TwitLonger on June 23rd, in which he apologized on how he handled both controversies and claimed to "exonerate" himself from iBDW's claims.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sro2bu|title=TwitLonger — @ssbmhax: Apology, self-imposed hiatus, and exoneration from @iBDWSSBM's claims|accessdate=2021-06-23|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20210623181226/https://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sro2bu|archivedate=2021-06-23}}</ref> However, he refused to backtrack on any of the accusations made to both Leffen and iBDW. In particular, he reiterated how iBDW falsified many parts of his story in order to salvage their decaying friendship, and after that failed, iBDW went on to make several defamatory statements on Hax to try and ruin his reputation. Hax concluded the TwitLonger by once again apologizing for his behavior within the last few months and stating that he was willing to ban himself for 3 months due to how he initially handled iBDW's accusations. Hax then posted a second TwitLonger a few hours later, in which he further responded to iBDW's rebuttal, paragraph by paragraph.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sro2ju|title=TwitLonger — @ssbmhax: Response to @iBDWSSBM's TwitLonger|accessdate=2021-06-23|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20210623224625/https://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sro2ju|archivedate=2021-06-23}}</ref> Hax concluded this TwitLonger by asking iBDW to both contact him in private and dismiss his claims against him, lest he take legal action against him. | ||
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===Ban from events=== | ===Ban from events=== | ||
In June 2021, on the same day as iBDW's final announcement, several TOs from many US states signed a document<ref name="Hax Ban">{{cite web|url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qrO5TlLztX-9s7cI78_EfWNepIaHkwVa3379mC_glrw/edit|title=Hax's indefinite ban}}</ref> | In June 2021, on the same day as iBDW's final announcement, several TOs from many US states signed a document that banned Hax from their tournaments, and his name was added to the Global Ban Database.<ref name="Hax Ban">{{cite web|url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qrO5TlLztX-9s7cI78_EfWNepIaHkwVa3379mC_glrw/edit|title=Hax's indefinite ban}}</ref> The ban was made using the previous [[SSB Code of Conduct Panel]]'s 2.2.1 (Level 2) and 2.2.3 (Level 3) offences and was deemed indefinite. | ||
The ban reasoning can be summarised as follows: | |||
# The accusations were deemed baseless, particularly comparing Leffen's presence as a totalitarian regime, the belief that Leffen solely called out ZeRo for personal gain, and saying that Leffen would prefer ZeRo was dead following his suicide attempt. | |||
# The calls to deplatform Leffen constituted incitement for harassment, and his fanbase response shows that this incitement has teeth to it. | |||
# Hax$'s refusal to recant the statements and double down, only deeming the flaws as "tactical errors", show a lack of remorse for his actions and that these were fully intentional, not simply mistakes. | |||
Under the rationale of the accusations being baseless, considering the 4 hours of content and the 136-page document, these remarks were deemed extremely severe and constituted an indefinite ban from events. | |||
Notable events banning Hax$ include [[GENESIS]], {{Trn|Shine}}, [[Phoenix Blue]], [[Riptide]], [[The Big House]], and [[DreamHack]]. Outside of several US states, Hax$ is also banned from Austrian, British, Finnish, and Portuguese events, as well as Melee Online events. | Notable events banning Hax$ include [[GENESIS]], {{Trn|Shine}}, [[Phoenix Blue]], [[Riptide]], [[The Big House]], and [[DreamHack]]. Outside of several US states, Hax$ is also banned from Austrian, British, Finnish, and Portuguese events, as well as Melee Online events. | ||
As of February 1, 2024, Hax$ has been permanently banned due to repeated infractions.<ref name="Hax Permanent Ban" /> | As of February 1, 2024, Hax$ has been made permanently banned due to repeated infractions.<ref name="Hax Permanent Ban" /> | ||
===Evidence.zip 3 & ban appeal=== | ===Evidence.zip 3 & ban appeal=== | ||
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Hax's final accusations targeted Leffen's social media behavior, particularly the alleged dishonesty of his profile bio's and him blocking anyone attempting to discuss the allegations on either Twitter or his [[Twitch]] stream. He restated a claim from evidence.zip 2 that this behavior exhibited a degree of narcissism and psychopathy indicative of the {{Iw|wikipedia|dark triad}}, something he believes those who testified in evidence.zip were worried would eventually "erode" the ''Smash'' scene. Hax also condemned Leffen for allegedly letting this behavior rub off on people like Jisu, who went silent on social media for several days after Technicals' video on Sky Williams and never offered a proper response to it, whilst blocking anyone that attempted to discuss it. Hax concluded the video by admitting that accusing Leffen of creating a "regime" is extreme, but alleged that there was no better way to describe Leffen's actions. | Hax's final accusations targeted Leffen's social media behavior, particularly the alleged dishonesty of his profile bio's and him blocking anyone attempting to discuss the allegations on either Twitter or his [[Twitch]] stream. He restated a claim from evidence.zip 2 that this behavior exhibited a degree of narcissism and psychopathy indicative of the {{Iw|wikipedia|dark triad}}, something he believes those who testified in evidence.zip were worried would eventually "erode" the ''Smash'' scene. Hax also condemned Leffen for allegedly letting this behavior rub off on people like Jisu, who went silent on social media for several days after Technicals' video on Sky Williams and never offered a proper response to it, whilst blocking anyone that attempted to discuss it. Hax concluded the video by admitting that accusing Leffen of creating a "regime" is extreme, but alleged that there was no better way to describe Leffen's actions. | ||
The video was criticised primarily for the same reasons as "evidence.zip 2", with onlookers expressing skepticism for a myriad of Hax's claims. Many argued that Hax's videos were indeed defamatory, with them believing that the claims and motives are out of character or even extreme. Others have criticised Hax for repeatedly using the original evidence.zip, believing that Leffen has changed and the antiquated nature of the document makes it questionable to cite. Finally, the video was criticised for comparing Leffen to Donald Trump as an allegory to paint the former as "totalitarian" | The video was criticised primarily for the same reasons as "evidence.zip 2", with onlookers expressing skepticism for a myriad of Hax's claims. Many argued that Hax's videos were indeed defamatory, with them believing that the claims and motives are out of character or even extreme. Others have criticised Hax for repeatedly using the original evidence.zip, believing that Leffen has changed and the antiquated nature of the document makes it questionable to cite. Finally, the video was criticised for comparing Leffen to Donald Trump as an allegory to paint the former as "totalitarian". Nevertheless, a fringe group has chosen to believe Hax, particularly those who are fans of Technicals who believe that there is precedent for Leffen manipulating situations for his own benefit, as well as believing that Hax should not have been punished at all for his videos and public statements. | ||
===Continued ban appeals, apologies, & partial unban=== | ===Continued ban appeals, apologies, & partial unban=== | ||
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On July 25th 2022, Hax issued a public apology to Leffen, Jisu, and others affected by his conduct resulting from evidence.zip 2.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CALXaO1ETCo Apology to Leffen]</ref> In the video, he revealed that he was suffering from alcoholism as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a bout of psychosis. He also apologised for his comments on the #MeToo movement, citing his black and white thinking as a contributing factor. He revealed that since these events, he had been sober for 9 months and has been working on his personal issues. Hax would later private this video. | On July 25th 2022, Hax issued a public apology to Leffen, Jisu, and others affected by his conduct resulting from evidence.zip 2.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CALXaO1ETCo Apology to Leffen]</ref> In the video, he revealed that he was suffering from alcoholism as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a bout of psychosis. He also apologised for his comments on the #MeToo movement, citing his black and white thinking as a contributing factor. He revealed that since these events, he had been sober for 9 months and has been working on his personal issues. Hax would later private this video. | ||
On January 1st, 2023 | On January 1st, 2023 Hax was probationally unbanned from NYC Melee after agreeing to only appeal to be unbanned in private with TOs, among other clauses.<ref>[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_qBOMKYLdtPKXrnqoQZ2w8wiaHPNbv2O9J2fK-vvkEs/edit Hax's Probationary partial Unban ]</ref> Outside of NYC Melee Hax would be unbanned on the discretion of the individual TOs and Organizations, in which Hax would attend several majors and regionals outside of NYC Melee. | ||
On 28th October 2023, Hax$ released a ban appeal and apology video on his YouTube channel,<ref>[https://youtu.be/4TGnw3W2FcM Oct '23 Ban Appeal]</ref> apologising to Leffen, tournament organisers, and more. He also discussed the progress he made in the 2 years since his ban. Despite breaking his unban agreement to not make public ban appeals the video was mostly positively received as Hax seemed to take accountability and showed remorse. Hax would later private this video. | On 28th October 2023, Hax$ released a ban appeal and apology video on his YouTube channel,<ref>[https://youtu.be/4TGnw3W2FcM Oct '23 Ban Appeal]</ref> apologising to Leffen, tournament organisers, and more. He also discussed the progress he made in the 2 years since his ban. Despite breaking his unban agreement to not make public ban appeals the video was mostly positively received as Hax seemed to take accountability and showed remorse. Hax would later private this video. | ||
===Relapse, doxxing, perma bans, and further apologies=== | ===Relapse, doxxing, perma bans, and further apologies=== | ||
Hax$ would release another ban appeal on 21st January 2024, restating many of the same claims that originally got Hax banned years ago<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR9A70YKxf4&ab_channel=Hax%24Archive Jan 2024 Unban Plea]</ref> wherein he also leaked the testimonies from the original 2013 [[Evidence.zip]]. The ban appeal was later unlisted and archived on a separate channel. A week later, on January 28, 2024 Hax$ would release a video titled "The Truth",<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn_J19CgFzo&t=476s&ab_channel=AzizAl-Yami "The Truth"]</ref> in which Hax makes further claims similar to what he has made in the past and continued to link the leaked Evidence.zip testimonies. This resulted on Jan 23, 2024 Hax being re-banned from the NYC Melee Community, as a result of breaking multiple clauses in the unban contract, including preventing public ban appeals, and violation of COC rules 2.2.2 & 2.2.3.<ref>[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bM5Rhc2ZRePWEzWAdAu_iUwZpQgjvPIUG7MfF_Rv99w/edit Hax's Ban from NYC Melee]</ref> | |||
On | On Jan 27, 2024 Willy P, the Head TO of NYC melee, made a personal statement regarding the Hax NYC Melee ban decision.<ref name="Willy P personal statement">{{cite web|url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yjv20zx1279TcGaQGMeLvu1iz_MLwpe82MCV9Z0Kzkg/edit|title=Willy P personal statement}}</ref> Willy P explains why they ignored the first ban appeal video, which violated the unban agreement, even know many parties hax showed the video before release tried to convince Hax to not post the video publically and speak with TO's privately, they choose to ignore it as a violation as it seemed to show Hax improving and accepting responsibility. But then the next showed a backslide from his previous one, with the vast majority of the video focusing on restating claims about Leffen, and also showed unsealed private documents, plus revealing full legal names of the people who wrote the transcripts, doxxing them. He released these testimonies without permission, and also unlisted or deleted previous videos where he had apologized to Leffen. Willy P states states this showed Hax losing the progress they had hoped he made. Furthermore, the document states: "I do not believe Hax himself encouraged the threats or harassment against others, but whether intentional or not, when your consistent actions have consistent consequences, it is up to you to correct that, or to plain stop those actions", further stating "At the end of the day, if NYC Melee doesn't act on its word in enforcing the rules we set into place, we are arguably enabling this type of behavior. He would constantly use our unban as a sign of his progress, but when he starts violating the clauses we set into place that just doesn't make sense anymore." With Hax showing no sign of significant growth over the period of several years, and no reason to believe Hax would get better after the x number infraction, Hax was voted to be unanimously banned by NYC Melee. | ||
On | On Feb 1, 2024 a new ban statement was made that permanently banned Hax.<ref name="Hax Permanent Ban" /> The cited reason for the indefinite ban to become a permanent ban was in the new ban statement "In the period of Hax’s indefinite ban, the onus was on him to demonstrate that he wouldn’t repeat his offense, take accountability for his actions, and demonstrate sufficient change. He has instead repeated his offense, not adequately taken accountability, and ignored the recommendations of those who he seeks to appeal to. This includes violation of the provisional unban requirements outlined by his local tournament organizers, as described by NYC Melee" and further stating "Hax’s lack of sufficient remorse for his actions, incitement of harassment campaigns targeting other people, and his pattern of doubling down when confronted, even by tournament organizers who have tried working with him for years, makes his presence fundamentally toxic to the scene’s health".<ref name="Hax Permanent Ban" /> | ||
On | On 7th March 2024, Hax$ released another apology video<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_--ksDQd2c Apology to Leffen, My Friends, and the Melee Community]</ref> where he apologises to Leffen and deemed his past behaviour "self-destructive" and discusses his previous relapses and decision-making, believing that none of what he did was honourable and was arguably an orchestrated harassment campaign. {{Sm|Mew2King}} notably comments requesting an unban of Hax$ on the basis of his own harassers not being banned at all, and in June 2024, went on to make a video on the matter.<ref>[https://youtu.be/_httcMT7Ri0 Mew2King video]</ref> On May 13, 2024, Hax would make another apology video "Regarding My Ban" where Hax asks to be unbanned someday.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VliN-J-K10&ab_channel=AzizAl-Yami Regarding My Ban]</ref> This video would later be unlisted. | ||
=== Hax's mental health revelations=== | === Hax's mental health revelations=== | ||
On 30th May 2024, {{Sm|DarkGenex}} released a statement regarding Hax's ban, detailing, among other things, a bipolar disorder diagnosis, hospitalisation, and suicide attempts, coming from his failed ban appeals. Additionally, DarkGenex recounted private handlings of Hax's ban, where Hax is shown to have harassed multiple TOs, including going to a post-venue bar to try and appeal his ban.<ref name="DarkGenex Document">{{cite web|url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jHUTly72RUao3APv2AN550Lk2UrGwKaeLUaCBerzRGA/edit?usp=drivesdk|title=DarkGenex Re: Hax & Mental Health Document}}</ref><ref>[https://x.com/CrispBit/status/1796219316565639316?t=jR6bokuO3rDLcKzWBakECA&s=19 Further corroboration of DarkGenex document and added details]</ref> | |||
The | The document would be made privated in response to Hax's mother threatening a lawsuit. This is in spite of Hax stating "I was the one who supported him publicizing that document". and claiming "the situation was a misunderstanding by other family members of mine and has been resolved" despite the document still being privated long after Hax posted this.<ref>[https://twitter.com/ssbmhax/status/1798048376090746980 Hax defending DarkGenex document and confirming it's authenticity]</ref> | ||
The general consensus in the community with the revelation of just how severe Hax's mental health issues are is Hax participation in the community, beyond Hax's infractions to others, was and is not good for Hax's own mental wellbeing. With a notable example of this is from Zain tweeting "Personally, I believe that a movement like FreeHax is damaging and plays into Hax’s idea that his ability to play Melee is a matter of life and death. In my opinion, unbanning him serves as a bandaid for a much larger problem"<ref>[https://twitter.com/ZainNaghmi/status/1804549730665459978 Zain statement]</ref>, said quote taken from a larger statement. | |||
Since the perma ban Hax has made extreme statements showcasing his poor mental health on X, Examples of quotes are as follows: | |||
* "I’m genuinely fucked in life at this point, as I made all of my lifelong friends through it and so it’s impossible to rebuild."<ref>[https://twitter.com/ssbmhax/status/1823363722615611812 Hax quote Tweet 1]</ref> | |||
* "For the past 6 months, my mother and I have been completely stranded from society." and from the same tweet "I’ve been hospitalized 4 times due to the stress I’m under causing me to repeatedly faint."<ref>[https://twitter.com/ssbmhax/status/1822164920990941587 Hax quote Tweet 2]</ref> | |||
*"Every passing day is worse than the last. I lose friends, I lose my sanity, and I lose income."<ref>[https://twitter.com/ssbmhax/status/1796521475463418156 Hax quote Tweet 3]</ref>, | |||
*"Please understand that a permanent ban effectively removes me from society and leaves me with no future."<ref>[https://twitter.com/ssbmhax/status/1804597168679891300 Hax quote Tweet 4]</ref>, | |||
*"The situation I'm in is akin to death, and it can only be salvaged with a "reset" on the ban situation. I beg for mercy in this time of need."<ref>[https://twitter.com/ssbmhax/status/17965214754634181564 Hax quote Tweet 5]</ref> | |||
The above statements shows someone with severe mental issues beyond what is reasonable for someone being banned. Most people in the community believe that Hax being unbanned would not fix Hax's mental health issues, with the mental health issues themselves being unrelated to the ban and being a good reason for Hax to not be unbanned, beyond Hax's many infractions. With a good faith interpretation, Hax's mental health is so poor he can't return to the scene until he gets better, and with poor faith interpretation Hax is attempting at extreme emotional manipulation declaring his, and his family, entire life is ruined by not being able to compete in Melee. This specific argument of financial ability does not make much sense as Hax has spent more of his career injured or banned instead of actively competing, where Hax has never made a professional income from Melee, especially for his high cost of living NYC region. Hax has also shown no attempt at therapy or improving his life situation, claiming his only possible source of income is through Melee, and saying it's impossible to have social interactions outside of competitive Melee. | |||
=== Post perma ban appeals, and stalking accusations=== | === Post perma ban appeals, and stalking accusations=== | ||
On 30th July 2024, Hax$ released a ban appeal video, specifically regarding his perma-ban in January 2024.<ref>[https://youtu.be/0S6LeugSbro?si=SVjwm9UNbgzbNAYz Melee Community Permanent Ban Appeal]</ref> He brought up a claimed issue with getting private responses from TOs regarding how long his indefinite ban would be, due to ambiguity between the 2 year ban and indefinite clause. Due to an inability to get responses, he argued that, despite agreeing to only make ban appeals in private with TOs as per his probational partial unban agreement, his public ban appeals were justified, and that a 6 month ban would have been more justified. Given these factors, Hax deems the ban as "cruel" and that, in spite of his own faults, there were mistakes on both sides. In the video, when Hax makes his argument Hax cites his old ban statement instead of Hax's current ban statement, ignoring his relapse repeating some of his original claims, which was the main reason he was permanently banned, for being a repeat offender, not for making another ban appeal video.<ref name="Hax Ban" />Furthermore, there was no ambiguity between the two-year ban and indefinite ban, as the original ban statement<ref name="Hax Ban" /> clearly states the ban to be indefinite, not a two-year ban, as the case was so extreme with Hax's refusing to apologize or even stop doing his defamation even after a month of negative backlash. This is also a moot point as again Hax is under a new ban statement, making the old ban statement irrelevant to him being unbanned, as hax is under his new perma ban statement.<ref name="Hax Permanent Ban" /> | |||
On 31th July 2024, a day after the previous video, Following criticisms from {{Sm|Radar}}<ref>[https://twitter.com/radarssbm/status/1818430253058212040 Radar Statement]</ref>, which to summarize is that Hax is two-faced still saying to TO's in private that he still believes his original claims while also saying something else publically<ref>[https://twitter.com/willypNYC/status/1794122939912114638 Hax private statement different from his public statement]</ref>, that Hax deflects responsibility to TOs instead of taking accountability, and no mention of his behaviour behind the scenes, such as ongoing stalking and harassing of TOs and community members<ref name="Hax stalking statement">{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/willypNYC/status/1819933789549732118|title=Hax stalking statement}}</ref> <ref name="DarkGenex Document" />, Hax released a follow-up video clarifying points raised, including stating Hax feels he is not a true repeat offender. Furthermore, Hax explicitly condemns Technicals, Dramatubers, the FreeHax# movement, and the harassment his videos incited. Hax then asks to be put on final probation. Finally, Hax declares he going too discuss being unbanned in private with the relevant parties.<ref>[https://youtu.be/cxxbU2r9WsY?si=AGcA3pgJDcnlBJay Permanent Ban Appeal Part 2]</ref> Rader notably says Hax made no calls for Rader to not be or stop being harassed by Hax's followers, despite the friendship and help he gave Hax in the past<ref>[https://x.com/radarssbm/status/1818681012110680486 Radar Statement Addendum]</ref> Both of these videos were unlisted within three weeks after posting. | |||
=== Hax tweets, stalking behavior, and mental health spiralling=== | |||
After these post-perma ban appeal videos failed to garner much attention Hax would make several public tweets further about his ban. On Aug 1, 2024 Hax decries his ban as unjust and that he is no threat to anyone, declaring he only doubled downed due to him not getting clarity why his two-year ban was on year 3, ignoring the fact Hax's original ban was never a two-year ban but an indefinite ban<ref name="Hax Ban"/>, or the fact Hax was unbanned at many tournaments at the time. Hax Further states he has no idea why anyone would want himself to be banned as he declares he is the hardest worker for the longevity of the game.<ref>[https://twitter.com/ssbmhax/status/1819119452467929579 Hax decrying ban]</ref> Of course Hax decrying his original ban goes against many statements he has made in the past. | |||
on Aug 4, 2024 Hax responds to the stalking allegations<ref name="Hax stalking statement" />. He calls the accusation defamatory and that he only harassed venue staff, refused to leave the venue, and got banned by the venue, because he thought he had permission to be there. And Hax said he only accidentally joined the private work discord of the students of the person he is stalking. Hax then confesses stating "I’ve circumvented your blocks - yes that much is true" about Hax sending "countless" people to send the stalked party private messages on Hax's behalf, guilting them into doing so. Hax then declares he is not being respected as he deserves he should be getting, and that he has done so much for the stalked party stating "...I've done so much for you that you don't seem to realize" and saying that the stalked party is now riding the success of Hax himself. Hax then states he is still willing to make amends with the stalked party, before calling him a coward.<ref>[https://twitter.com/ssbmhax/status/1820267164131057760 Hax's stalking rebuttal / confession]</ref> Notably Hax didn't tell his followers to not harass the stalked party like how Hax specifically mentions not to whenever talking about a person on Twitter around the same time. The Stalked party says he is still being ongoingly stalked and harassed.<ref>[https://twitter.com/willypNYC/status/1819954638075953173 Stating they are still being stalked]</ref> | |||
After attempting to make amends with NYC Melee by admitting no fault, essentially admitting to stalking behavior, while declaring NYC Melee's successes are due to himself and that they are just riding his coattails didn't work, on Aug 11, 2024 Hax tweets asking to reconcile with NYC Melee again. Hax apologizes again and says they can still fix things.<ref>[https://twitter.com/ssbmhax/status/1822599224749359154 Hax asking to reconcile with NYC Melee]</ref> | |||
==Trivia== | ==Trivia== |