===Output===
Sooner or later, everyone will pry my fingers from the raft I cling to, and watch me drown. Everyone except you.

This is for you.

===Output===
Just.

It seems to me, that in my life the most turbulent times are when things begin to settle, the calm before the storm is more severe than the storm itself. The hectic pace of here-to-there life becomes routine, and it is when I am faced with challenges out of the ordinary instant reactions spectrum, something that requires preparation beyond that of simply instinct or ability, that difficulty truly enters my life. As things begin to slow down, I can find no peace in the time available to me. My thoughts scatter when they are needed to be focussed, and my body grows weary of the complacency of my situation. Despite travelling great distances almost daily... I fear I'm going nowhere. Fast.


I thank you for reading my nonsense.
It means more to me than you think.

Go in Peace to Love and Serve Yourself.

===Output===
FEATURED ARTISTS
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Tuesday, August 12
Continuing along the photography line of things, this feature is a quick shout-out to the ever lovely Stacey (that's Stacey with an "e"), a very talented photographer from Australia who is "pursuing the dream", which is an incredible sentiment in and of itself, so it only seems fitting that Stacey is incredible too. Some very interesting contemporary photography, with some most excellent models. If you're looking for photography with genuine feeling infused with charm and sense, take a stroll through the gallery of this wonderful artist, drop a line and say hello. She doesn't bite... much.
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Friday, June 12
A good friend of mine for some time, and welcome source of affable cheer and good natured humour. Not only that, a remarkable photographer, with a very unique approach to his work, =Necroantics's gallery contains some incredible images, and is well worth keeping an eye on. If you like interesting and alternative images, with a twist of horror and the deliciously disturbing darker elements of modern photography, give his gallery a look, you might be (un)pleasantly surprised.
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More Artists To Be Featured Soon!
Ours is as much to share the works of others as those of ourselves.

===Output===
Stasis
It's time to get back into the swing of things in terms of life, love and location. I've been incredibly busy of late, managing only a few submissions. I have many other commitments and constraints upon my time, and the time I have been spending working on pieces has been largely fruitless.

Currently the agenda is based around Sydney, and getting out and about now that I have restored my finances, today is the SkyWalk and Restaurant in the city, which should prove an incredible experience. Who knows, perhaps I shall even manage a photograph somehow.
Also on the cards is Germany in 2010, purchasing some property as a residence and managing some stable work in the interim. Then, back to the drawing board for some more tough decisions.

I'll leave you with some reflective thoughts on Carpe Diem; "Seize the day". Whilst this might seem like good advice, to energise and enthuse, it's actually hideously erroneous. Aside from translational ambiguity, Seizing the Day is a poor strategy. Is it not folly to blindly attack, to rush forth and capture? And once in control, to bind it, grip it tightly and employ force? Etymologically, it makes sense... to assault the day and give it your all, to conquer, to live and be exhilarated by victory. I disagree, a day is not an enemy, nor a territory... it's fragile, delicate and uncertain. To rush forth into the day with enthusiasm is a simple-minded approach... do not seize the day, embrace it. The tighter you attempt to hold something, the more it shall slip from your grasp and be lost unto you. You can't hold a butterfly in your fist...

Do you disagree? Say So... I enjoy being wrong.

===Output===
Favouritism
Recently, I have been considering the issues of insincerity and superficiality, and its consequences here. The issue of "thanks" or ("tnx" as the case may be), and occurred to me that there is a reason for the "fav and run" (your words, not mine). It comes down to several factors, in two separate scenario's.

Scenario 1: The Artwork is incredibly popular.
When a submission has many favourites, adding that piece to your favourites is really, a futile gesture. One in a thousand is hardly a respectable statistic. We want to feel appreciated, we want to feel accepted and praised, and an artist that has risen above the level of personal involvement with his direct supporters is not going to give you that. Sure, they might appreciate another number, but they appreciate the collective of their success more, no matter what they say. It is simply how the mind works... When one realises this, they simply press the button, enjoy the artwork, and move on. They might add another comment to a list of hundreds that have all gone unanswered. Praise falling on deaf ears.

Scenario 2: The artwork is not actually a "favourite"
I think this is a very common occurrence. A viewer can drag and drop to a collection from the thumbnail (for instance, in their DeviantWATCH or browsing). One can simply click the button, indicating in that they like the piece. In reality, it's not a favourite, it's just a "oh, that looks nice". And while that is all well and good, the artists then feel compelled to thank every single person (a task I do not envy) who presses that button. It is very odd, that an insincere gesture, falsely labelled as a "Favourite". Often, users have thousands of favourites, and it is simply an inversion of the previous scenario. One in thousands. One of many. A moment of limited significance.

Whilst it may seem I am being overly harsh on this type of behaviour (especially when I myself do something very similar), I am not. It is simply how the majority chooses (or do they simply follow the lead of those following their own lead?) to behave. And again, that is fine... it is unchangeable as the tides, and there is no point complaining about, merely interesting realisations to be had in understanding it.

And so, to that end, I formulated a measuring system for the interaction between artist and viewer, with each possible action being ranked relative to the others.

1: Favourite - the simplest gesture, a press of a button and nothing more (this is often combined with any of the below, and ads some small value to the interaction)
1½: Collection - A slight effort involved in the drag-and-drop, so higher.
2: Basic Comment - Something short, 10 words or less: "I like it"
3: Commentary - A short sentence included "... the colours/lighting/framing etc"
4: Analysis - Developed response, with attempted communication with artist (I like how... how did you... what did you keyword: you)
5: Input and Direct communication - any combination of the above, and a Note to the artist themselves, in appreciation of a particular piece (such as providing requested feedback) or their gallery/portfolio as a whole.

I have no doubt made mistakes in the above, and am willing to change it with your assistance. Speaking of which, I do not know where a "feature" (artist
and individual piece) would come... and any input regarding that would be much appreciated.

===Output===
Thanks largely due to my own dissatisfaction with my previous submissions, I have "pruned" my gallery somewhat. Several Revisits turned out poorly, and the works are mostly abandoned. The technical knowledge gained from my experiments (much of which has not been submitted) has shown up some serious flaws in my previous techniques, and they have been improved, so my future works should in theory, be technical improvements. This means less render issues, higher-resolution images and a major tweak to my original vectoring for symbols. However, one revisit I am very pleased with is "Contamination Explosion".

I would also take this opportunity to thank all the support I have recently received, in no small part due to the seemingly endless generosity of =katon241162 who was kind enough to Feature my works in his journal. I thank you all who showed your support, and I would like to collectively extend a warm thanks to you all, in addition to the Notes I sent out to many of you.

Alas, I have had no time for thinking lately, and must devote some more time to my mind, at a sacrifice of my art. However, should you be interested, I still have several works in progress which should be uploaded within a few days/weeks.

===Output===
The time is upon us, once again. Saint Valentine's Day, the celebration of Love and Commitment, of Remembrance, of Loss... it's so odd that some people need a reason to be affectionate, some people need an excuse to show tenderness. Is it really "Love", that lofty ideal, not the degraded and corrupt version we have today, is it really "Love" to express emotion through what is essentially pointless materialism? Valentine's Day is another over-commercialised event that seeks to exploit the vain, the vulnerable and the vicious. A Rose on Valentine's day is not as special as a Rose for no reason... it's spontaneity versus simply conformity...

===Output===
It has been said countless times before that DeviantART is declining, becoming overrun by non-contributors... and it occurs to me that this is largely a reflection of Art's place amongst the youth of today. It is not too grave a generalisation to state that the youth do not appreciate art, they are far too narrow minded, too selfish and too obsessed with their own worlds. And, apparently, it is contagious...
I know I am trumpeting old news, and so I shall not linger on this unsavoury matter. Rather, I would like to think that the increasing degradation of this artistic landscape makes the outstanding works all the more exceptional... and those of new and unrecognised artists all the more tremendous.

===Output===
I suppose I should include something about my art, and maybe even a Friend Feature, however, I prefer to let my art speak for itself, you just have to be listening.
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And as for a friend feature:
is currently my photographer of choice. He's from that funny little place up there called Australia, and his gallery is exceptional. Have a good look around, it doesn't get much better than Katon... you'll want to visit Australia after, he's got a talent for amazing professional photography, even though he's surprisingly new at it.
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===Output===
Gaza... Israel... it's rather funny how it's got so popular really. DeviantART is littered with "For Gaza" and related works. While it's a nice gesture, the same thing has been going on for decades. No amount of 50X50 avatars is going to stop the missile attacks on Israel or the retaliations. Neither will it bring back the casualties of war. It's a gesture, symbolic but ultimately futile. Unless Hamas or the IDF commanders use DeviantART, you're not going to achieve anything. For decades, public opinion has been wide-spread apathy and dismissal, and the fact of the matter is, even if DeviantART placed For Gaza on the front page, it won't change. The world doesn't care... not about you, not about me, not about Gaza... why? Because the world isn't run by you or me... the world is run by the world...


===Output===
Some of you may wonder what I truly am. Am I just a name, no more real than a flight of fantasy?

But then again... What are you? You are a series of responses, outputs to inputs, solutions to perceived problems, a set of chemical signals whizzing around inside the mind. Does that make you real? Are you defined simply by your physicality, or something deeper?


===Output===

Abandon your Sanity, it will aid you no further here. Why carry the chains of your prison when you need to run?

Do not fear for it's safety, for nothing shall harm it.
Do not worry for it, for it shall join mine.
Do not search for it, for it will not return.
Do not look back, for behind you is silence, and the silence is screaming.

Abandon your Sanity, it is no longer of use.