Yes, its come to be that time for me as well, and while we can all agree I've said this before, this time I mean it. Zmud is unlicensed, and after this I'll be blocking dios and officials in my web browser.

I've always thought of MUD's like a party where you have fun. When the party is great, you forget about everything else going on and completely immerse yourself in it. This departure has nothing to do with immortal conspiracy, nothing to do with changes to the game, and everything to do with you folks reading this, the players. CF in particular and MUD's in general are becoming the party where everyone there is an asshole. How long do people stay when the house is great, the beer flows freely, but the participants are 95% asshole? Players out there who I think are doing things the right way know who they are. God knows I am far from perfect IRL or IC, but I can honestly say I was never a complete ####head player. Lately I've been logging off from CF shaking my head at how many assholes now populate it and wondering why I continue to play it. The answer is simple, and to continue the party analogy, CF has an awesome house, the best beer, and great music, and not only that, but I felt comfortable there. However the point has come where I am not really the age to party any more, and even if I was, the sheer #### involved just to get to have some fun is just not worth it anymore. I no longer feel comfortable coming to the proverbial party and there is only one reason - there are too many assholes there.

At some point in your lives you, the other players, need to remember that CF is a game designed to be 'fun'. It isn't about killing the most people, having the most gear, or even having the best RP. In the end 'fun' is the goal of every player and immortal. When players go above and beyond normal means to make sure an experience is unfun for another player, you push people away and they leave with a bitter taste in their mouth. This goes for immortals as well. CF doesn't have the new blood coming in fast enough to match the rate that any number of issues are turning veteran players away with.

Now I may not be the 'big name' or 'badass' that will make some of you wake up with this little spiel. I'm not a Challen or a Jhyrbian or a Nepenthe who can force people to instantly take that look in the mirror. Ask yourselves though who it is going to take leaving your party for you all to realize you are being assholes. Not IC assholes, but assholes as players. I am not talking about "one time I did some cheap kill blah blah blah". I am talking about those of you who seem to find enjoyment ####ing other players over. You know who you are, and the community does too. The ones who are always chaotic-psychotic killer RP, constantly flame people on either of the forums, and are consistently negative in every possible interaction.

This speech has gone on a bit longer then I intended, but I do want to say you immortals did a great job building a world that is both rich and complex as well as challenging. I hope you all can find a happy harmony in gameplay/fun for both yourselves and the players in the future. Lastly I hope you angry, unhappy players that find enjoyment pissing others off get a clue, or get hit by a truck. Take your pick and best of luck to those of you in the community who don't fall into the asshole category.

Shadowmaster out.