[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