[7C All stars eventually fade into nothing, and similarly, so will my involvement with Massive and its quasi-sister publication, Quantum. [7C In my opinion ascii has always been and will always be under-appreciatedby the majority of the scene's denizens. Excluding the famed eras of groups suchas Endow, s0ap, and Trank, the ascii scene has received recognition only from those who have partook in it. Unfortunately, this dismal reality is only worsened by the seclusion that results from having a separate irc channel (#ascii). Instead of once existing as an integral portion of the entire computerart scene, we have now become a distant, and often viewed as less important, sub-scene. Let's face it, if either Karma, Mimic, or Remorse died one day (regardless of the cause) no one outside of the small group that makes up the ascii scene would care. Indeed, today's ascii scene is far different from that of times seemingly long ago when almost everyone in the computer art scene enjoyed viewing the latest ascii packs. Although the quality of ascii art has gone sharply upward, the quality of the ascii scene experience has been consistently on the decline, with no positive end in sight. [7C When I created Massive it's purpose was twofold: first, to try and pick up the level of excitement that I felt was missing from the ascii scene, and second, to give me something to do besides drawing and idling on irc, which had become my routine. In both aspects, I think that Massive was a success; I received an enormous amount of encouragement and support from fellow ascii artists, which leads me to believe that, at least temporarily, Massive did make the ascii scene a bit more enjoyable, and up until this point organizing Massiveand releasing it gave me more of a sense of purpose in terms of the time I devote to the scene. However, while I am continously receiving support (now for Quantum, not Massive), the appeal of putting an emag together has gradually faded until, at this given time, it has become more of a chore than a labor of love. As I frequently tell others, if something comes in between you and what others expect of you, it's time to remedy the situation. In this case the immediate remedy is my departure from the creative staff of Quantum and my promise that I will no longer be associated with any ascii oriented electronic magazines (namely a Massive revival or existing/future publications). I simply no longer have the commitment necessary to continue. [7C Several people have taken the success of Massive and ran with it -- mostnotably Empty with the second incarnation of Tyrone and Palmore with the ongoingresult of the Cyberia/Massive merger, Quantum (unless he choses to stop releasing it, which I seriously doubt will happen). There is also Black Jack's Lost In the Translation, which is not exactly a full fledged emag, but (in my opinion) is fun to read nonetheless. So, in other words, those of you that enjoyed Massive really are not going to miss much. [8CThis decision has been a hard one for me to make, but I am convinced that it is better than any of the alternatives. In conclusion, I would like to thank all of you who have helped out with the production of Massive and Quantum in any capacity. At the risk of forgetting people I am only going to list those who consistently contributed and encouraged me early on: Black Jack (for those much needed articles), Gravedancer (for art, articles, and encouragement), Mankind and Antik (for helping out in every possible way that they could), Meatpod (for early contributions and encouragement), Palmore (for the dedication you have shown in putting Quantum together), and The Prodigy (for early, early encouragement and help). [6C -- Pariah (pariah@alienz.org) [6C [8COh, I almost forgot: this decision is part of several changes which I will be making over the next month or two regarding my current position in the scene. When it is all said and done it might surprise and/or upset a few people,but I feel that it is time for a change of routine. SAUCE00The End Pariah 19990116