Shacknews LoL

Going to play DNF now brb

Hi. I heard this thread popped up and want to jump in briefly, for my sanity, to share something I said elsewhere on this. But I figure someone who is openly trans and was previously part of the shack for decades needs to say something. So fuck it, here I am:


Look. People can make their own choice regarding this game. But fuck the ones out there minimizing my own personal belief or fuck anyone that speaks out about what trans people need that aren’t Trans themselves. That don’t live the reality many of us do live in.

I have to keep an extra 6 month supply of hormones on me at all times and maintain regular contact with my friend in Canada in case I need to seek asylum. I get scared every time I walk out the door or interact with strangers by myself because there is a good chance ever time I could get physically attacked or verbally abused. I push through it but the fear is there. This is all normalcy for the vast majority of trans people in the United States and fuck if I’m one of the lucky ones in that at least I have a stable job and friends that support me. My mother has disowned me, my father is slightly estranged, I’ve lost a close friend and seen others get physically hurt.

And if I and other people in the trans the community ask people to consider whether or not to buy a game based on the extremely transphobic actions of the person who is going to get royalties out of the game, and they minimize me over something as small as a game boycott, then how the fuck am I going to trust them to be there to really truly back me up when something serious happens and my life is on the line? I can’t. And I’m not saying people are bad if they decide to buy the game. A bunch of them aren’t. But, I’m sorry, if you are aware and make that choice then I am simply going to not engage with you as I’d rather put my limited energy into the people I know I can trust to be there for me.

It’s harsh, but it’s the reality I am forced to live when my very existence and rights are being constantly attacked on a daily basis. And very few people will actually do what is necessary to stand up and help despite us asking for help constantly. And it fucking sucks.

Again, I don’t hate you or think you are a bad person if you engage with that game. I just chose to not engage with you over your choice. And that’s ok. If you feel bad about that, or that it’s a personal attack, then perhaps you need to look closer at yourself. You made your choice and I made mine.

That’s why I left the shack. It’s not worth my time fighting the fight here to make it better. I tried and got marginalized regularly. I even got marginalized and attacked when I tried to compromise and approach certain topics from both perspectives to try and find a middle ground. And you are right, a video game is small in comparison to bigger issues out there, but then it should also be a small ask on my part to have you consider spending your money elsewhere for a better cause than personal entertainment with a property owned by an extremely vocal transphobe.

Anyway, play the game or don’t. I just wanted to share my personal perspective (and one shared by many other trans people but of course not all, as I feel like there needed to at least be an actual trans voice saying something here.

This is a very good article to read to better understand why engaging with anything Harry Potter is problematic. I suggest taking the time to do so if you haven’t already then decide what you want to do. You’re all adults and I’m not going to stop you. And I’ve said my peace.

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/jk-rowlings-anti-transgender-stance-and-hogwarts-legacy/1100-6501632/

Part 2

On the dev side of things, we are currently running a Closed Alpha test of the new version of Shacknews.com. This next update is the first time I will truly leave my mark on how the site will function. I have been working on this for years, and I hope to launch later this month. Shackers will be able to express themselves like never before. We will have a Shacknews Direct video presentation that will run on the day the new site launches that will provide details and an overview, so be sure to tune in on our YouTube or Twitch channels.

Shacknews celebrates its 24th year in 2020. and this has been one of the toughest years of my life. I have been on a medical leave of absence from the Shacknews editorial team since early September, and it does not seem like I will be coming back to my role of editor-in-chief anytime soon. My health is in a precarious state, and I have to dedicate myself to getting better. This is requiring lifestyle, diet, and exercise changes. Progress is a lot slower when you get older, so this past month has been quite frustrating. It has been equally frustrating to be unable to perform my editor-in-chief duties at Shacknews to the best of my abilities. Managing Editor Bill Lavoy and Reviews Editor Blake Morse have both assumed the role of Co-EICs during this period, and I thank the whole team for their hard work.

I will continue to be involved in Shacknews special projects, and I look forward to participating in some of our annual streaming events like Extra Life and GOTY when the time comes. Sadly, I will not be participating regularly in the weekly Twitch shows like Wide World of Electronic Sports, The Shacknews Dump, or Late Night Army.

I think it is important to reiterate something that I mentioned above. This place, Shacknews Chatty, remains our most-viewed page on the entire website, and it is growing again. The true heart of the Shack is here in our community, and everything that we will be pushing out in the next few months has been designed with you in mind. I look forward to everyone getting their hands on the new site, and I will be working with 3rd party devs once we have a more stable build to make sure we don't break the mobile apps too horribly when we push the update live.

I appreciate the well wishes from many Shackers who have reached out to me during my leave of absence, and I hope you will respect my privacy when talking about my ongoing health issues. It is my full intention to return to my post as EIC of Shacknews, but I think the worst thing I could do is come back too early and have to go on leave again.

I will end this long ass livejournal post with some suggestions on how best to support Shacknews:

Follow and share us on social media:

https://twitter.com/technosucks

Subscribe to our Twitch channel:

https://www.twitch.tv/shacknews

Subscribe to and watch our YouTube channels:

https://www.youtube.com/shacknewsgames
https://www.youtube.com/user/GamerHubVideos

Subscribe to Shacknews Mercury:

https://www.shacknews.com/mercury/overview

Sincerely,

Asif Khan
CEO of Shacknews

https://d1lss44hh2trtw.cloudfront.net/assets/editorial/2020/10/lola-chairpet-of-the-board-best-dog-ever.jpg

I think there's a tendency for people who act as peacemakers in dysfunctional or abusive relationships to try and live day to day. We walk on eggshells hoping that nothing terrible happens, or that the peace is kept so we can have our version of a happy relationship. When something does happen, we try to soothe the irritated one, ignore the insults, show affection, accept blame, work harder at making things just right etc. etc. Just to get by until the eruption fades. We live day to day and in doing so it is easy to lose sight of the bigger picture.

Living day to day like this also makes this all seem kind of normal. This is life. This is what a marriage/relationship is and they require work. There are times when things will get really bad and for a while we think, "This is bad, I'm not happy and I should really end this relationship." But the doubts creep in, complacency dominates and the fear of being alone, losing material goods, damaging the children, losing friends, explaining to everyone what happened starts to dominate and we think, "This is life. this is what a marriage/relationship is like and they require work." Rinse and repeat.

I know I suggested that NukeWinter march over to his wife and end it ASAP. Of course that is much easier said than done. Much. Frankly, I think it's pretty much impossible, so I apologize to him for even saying it, because it might make him feel weak or ashamed at his lack of action. I've learned that shame is such a powerfully negative force in our lives and none of us need any more of it. Sorry man. I am so, so sorry.

I think usually actions towards freeing oneself from a bad relationship require triggers. Something dramatic and earth changing has to occur to shake us free from routine. Hopefully, the trigger doesn't involve violence or betrayal, but sadly that's often the case.

The trigger that set the ball in motion for me happened about 2 years before the divorce began.

I'd taken on the peacemaker role in the family, regularly absorbing abuse and being an emotional punching bag for my ex wife. But I persisted just like I described above. One day we were having a party at our house. The new backyard was awesome and all of our friends were there. We'd spent a lot of time, money and effort to make it. I even built the outdoor tables by hand. My ex came up to me and said, "I was just telling Couple XXX how nice it was that you built these tables." She gave me a kiss on the cheek and went off to hang out with other people. I felt great. It was nice getting the rare compliment from her. Just after she left, while I was standing behind the male in Couple XXX, I over heard him say, "In all the years I've known them, this is the first nice thing she's ever said about him."

His wife was looking at me when he said it to her. I caught her eye and went inside. I sat upstairs in the bathroom for about 10 minutes and just cried. I'd known for a long time that my ex would regularly slag me in front of friends and family. Any compliment given by an outside party was met with a negative one from her. But I'd just swallow it and think, "Well, they know me better than that." But this was too much. It was all crystalized right there. Everyone knows. Everyone can see me. The shame and embarrassment were overwhelming.

That's when I started resisting. Stopped trying to peacemake so much. Started taking mental notes of all the slights, all of her abuse, all of the cutting remarks and started building a wall. I started drinking more. Started sleeping on the couch voluntarily. Withdrawing. Becoming restless. I still didn't act on it though. That required another trigger, but I'll save that story for another day.

For NukeWinter and anyone else who might be in a similar situation; It's so hard to break out of this. There is so much fear and shame holding you back. Don't feel bad. You are not alone. You are loved, if not by your spouse/sig other, then by your family, friends and hopefully yourself. I know I said not to wait, and to act now, but that advice is bullshit. I might as well say, "Just go be an astronaut, it's easy." Do not feel ashamed at the situation you're in and your inability to get out of it yourself. So many of us have been there and are there now. All I can really say is keep an eye out for things. Start making notes, mental and physical and periodically rehash them. Try not to forget what's happened and recognize that you are worth more than you think.

Maybe I'm more cynical than some of the Bernie supporters, but it didn't really matter to me which Democrat got the nomination. At each of their cores is a candidate that has roots in inclusiveness, and who is offended by the idea of "Real Americans tm" The important issue to me in any presidential election is that the party that caters to the ~30% of America that hates minorities, gays and women's rights doesn't win. That the party that is actively against scientific evidence and rational thought, the party that adheres to dogma and the notion that America was better pre-civil rights movement loses.

The rest of it is small potatoes in comparison. Fiscal conditions fluctuate over time. Trade agreements are both good and bad. Money not earned now, can be earned later.

However, rights and liberties, once lost, are much tougher to regain.

Nope. Don't. Don't film people in the bathroom with your smartphone for Shacknews.

[deleted]

lol Props for being a decent dude and calling him out. What a creep.

[deleted]

I was going to nuke this for being so retarded, but instead I'm going to try and get something through to you people.

Do you fuckers enjoy games? Why are you people here? This is a gaming website. This constant childish whining about consoles and PCs and DUUUUUUUUUURURRUDDDDUUUUUUUUR. What the hell is wrong with you people? This is my official warning, I'm not speaking on behalf of the other mods here, I'm about to start nuking the unholy fuck out of posts like this. They are stupid and part of the problem. If you like games on the pc, good for you you beautiful snowflake being bastards. No one else gives a shit. Console gamers, no one cares which multinational corporation you want to give your money to because the other corporation doesn't properly express yourself as a modern woman on the go. All of you shut up and quit being so goddamned retarded. I think people who like games on their phones might be the last people out there who like games.

PS if any of you post about global warming I hope you get spinal meningitis for Xmas.

PPS old and busted vs the new hotness sucks a bag of hot dicks as a user name.