Greetings everyone!  I hope you all have been well and growing strong as artists this summer!

To start off I'd like welcome !Mizuho-san as our new translator/mod!  She will be translating Japanese, Romanian (along with ^anmari and German (along with ~SilentKara). We hope to bring the best out of her as well as give her the best we can.

Be sure to welcome and wish her well!

With that being said, you'll note that she isn't on the Moderators list yet.
There is a problem with that which leads to our next point.

Apparently there is a limit to how many people you can add on your privclass lists for groups.  Since we recently lost our super-group status, we've been hit with this limit and aren't able to add Mizugi-San or anyone else to the group until we do.

If you would like to help us get SuperGroup status again, feel free to donate to me, `Reaper-X or if you're able to and really want to, you can get us a Super Group subscription directly.     We still appreciate donations and because of you guys over time, we've been able to get halfway there in points.

Thanks to everyone for supporting us up to this point. Once we get the super group subscription, we'll be getting ready to post a new CSS to spruce things up and keep you posted on the goings on with dACipher.

As always, feel free to send us a note if you have any questions/concerns and if you want, swing by the chatroom!

It is my pleasure to have you with us and I hope you'll be able to see the vision and be a part of this GIANT idea. We hope to spearhead the growth of artistry within DeviantArt and it's deviants.

I founded this group six months ago with the intention of starting on the right foot and making sure that this group could hold its weight amongst many other groups you have seen on this site. I spent much time focusing on the basic details, making sure that if I was going to start this, it would have to be a believable work of art in itself.

I only NOW converted dACipher thanks to certain events that you could say broke the camels back.

I noticed the complaining and the many, many valid points among artists on this website and decided to be one of the people to jump forth and do something about it.

As founder, I want to be able to help you, the most important aspect of deviantArt, grow into a great, confident artist. No matter what you're doing. I am more than happy to help bring you to the experts and help you be a better part of this community.

Not only do I want you to learn from the experts, but I also want you to share what you've learned with others. If you know something that another person doesn't. Share with them, teach them and take them under your wing if they are willing to receive from you.  "Each One, Teach One".

The Definition and Philosophy:

Now you may be a bit confused as to the meaning of Cipher. Some of you may know right off of the bat, others may have an idea and others may have a completely different definition altogether.

The main definition that I had in mind came from hip-hop culture.

In hip-hop culture, a Cipher is a circle of rappers/poets who perform their lyricism in either a pre-written form or by complete freestyle.

You've got your older, more experienced people who can display their expert talents with confidence. You've got the intermediates who have some skill and are trying to get better, but more importantly, you have the beginners. The guys and girls watching further back, impressed with the people inside the circle and wanting to do what they do.

This group is like the expert taking you in and saying "You like this? That's awesome. Want to do this yourself? I can teach you how."

When I looked up the definition of Cipher in regards to Hip-Hop culture, I also found the original concept that it used.

In the doctrine of "The Nation of Gods and Earths", they have a section called "Supreme Mathematics" which attatches a meaning to each number from 0-9 with "0" meaning Cipher.

Their definition of Cipher according to Wikipedia states that Cipher  (0, the letter O or any circular thing.) is a symbol of "completion; a circle consisting of 360 degrees; any person, place, or thing."

According to Urban Dictionary:

_{Cipher is the completion of a circle consisting of 360 degrees (120 degrees of Knowledge, 120 degrees of Wisdom, 120 degrees of Understanding), which is a whole. All in existence pertains to a cipher.}

If we complete the circle, that is DACipher and encourage Deviants to do their best, we all gain knowledge, wisdom and understanding in our artforms.


Long story short, Welcome to DACipher. I wish you the best.

Sincerely,
~Reaper-X (Founder and Student)