I could never forget you, you were one of the first artist I going back in the days of deviant art and even left a little thank you and your gift service still my features submission, so thank you for everything<3

Aww, thank you very much, buddy!
Also, I'm deeply honoured that you appreciate and honour that drawing till this day - that's really cool!

Not sure how to comment on this journal, it's good to consider what the future may hold good or bad, but hopefully you stay safe and healthy for many more years.

Thank you very much! I'm happy for any feedback and... ya know, this journal wasn't made to create "drama" or some extra attention. Sometimes, you think about your own mortality and legacy and... I just wanted to express some thoughts.

well i know for sure i would never forget about you, considering how all your art is what made me shape my character the way he is (and i did borrow quite a few features from reptile too !)
you may post less content than years ago but i do still enjoy seeing the new things you come up with :3
and i do hope the next time i include reptile in a pic you will still be around !

I suppose there are many characters and sonas, which look a bit like REPTILE or "borrowed" ideas - same here! I also checked anthro lizards and dinos for reference in the past.
^^
But it's really cool that so many people love REPTILE and I'm just grateful.

Thanks for the comment, buddy.

I could never forget you, Reppy. You're a dear and longtime friend of mine for many years. I want that to go on as long as possible. ^ ^

I suppose, I just needed to hear that... ^^" THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anytime and always, my friend. ^ ^

Yes of course. You made us people excited and made us follow your creations and lore.

Who could ever forget someone with everlasting passion and talent of the Reptile Universe and many more artistic talents? And I am sure you will be honored with an online Reptile 'fanbase' and community that the most devoted fans and other creators will continue the story and art through "expanded universe" (only when they are guided based in the lore.) ^^
Just like Tolkien did with LotR and The Silmarillion. :3

As for myself, you are also one of the first people who inspired me to create my own universe: The Ghanzir Universe that features the core characters Targon, Hotara, Skaro, Agamid, and Troojhar. I joined the art-sharing website (the former DeviantART thingy, meh...) under the alias "kevindragon" and later founded TargonRedDragon, and I still remember how much you stay in touch with me until the end ^^
So, despite that it's been 17 years knowing you that much, I'll still be watching you as an artist and content creator, wherever you are.

So take your time, anywhere, and anytime. Have yourself some rest and recreation, and keep in touch with your followers. Enjoy!

Thanksssssssssssssssssss very much!!

<3 Not sure what to respond here but I'm glad you're not depressed but also seems you are going thru a lot of brain big thinking of things what were and what will come. Just be careful. Its easy trap to get yourself lost in

Yeah, this is neither a "I feel bad" nor "I need some kind words" situation... just something I had on my mind.
I am really OK!

But lately I checked some users from FA who had died... you know... and I asked myself: What happens to their galleries? What happens to their characters?
And the thought that REPTILE might be forgotten made me sad.
As long as this page exists... so will all the artworks.
^^
I was just playing with some thoughts, indeed.

To be fair I had same thoughts a lot myself. Two of people I knew for a while still on DA times died and not sure what to feel when I see old works. To feel sad they gone or happy we meet overall and overall starting to overthinking it

*huuuuuuuuuugs*

You’ve also always been one of my favourite furry artists since I first discovered the fandom in 2017! I’ll still always be open to collaborative art projects if you want to eventually draw something really cool with a unique background artist! Still really happy to hear you’re also feeling better off mentally! :)

Thank you! :3
Yeah, I really AM alright - it's just that I had some thoughts and... I wanted to get this off my chest. Also, I wanted to present this general permission that people may draw REPTILE even when I'm long gone. It's kinda my "baby" but I know how much joy he's brought to thousands of people. And some people will continue. Keep him alive!

Nice! Also thinking a tribal/retro sci-fi scenario would work really well with your main OC which might be something to keep in mind for if we eventually went ahead with a collaborative art project sometime! :)

I sure everyone will miss you if you're gone. You like one of the most beloved artists to ever exist in the world. If there's anyone that won't be missed, it's small creators like me truth be told. I hope you stay safe man and honestly hope you live all the days you can!

Hey, thank you for the sweet words, my friend! :3
And nope... even "small" people are important and meaningful. For example... what would I (or Reptile) be without you guys????
:love.

Valid Point. Hopefully I can post Artwork of my Characters on here soon. I have already written most of their stories, but I lack visual references of them. Only times will tell...

No matter what happens, we'll always love and cherish you and your werk, mate. Keep it up and always hope for the best in this madhouse of a world.

That's really nice of you to say. THANKS ^^

You're welcome po 0w0

I wish you stay with us as long as possible and you will be in good health and spirit for the many years. UwU

Awwww, me too! Thank you for the sweet wishes!

Reptile is immortal

I understand the feeling perfectly cause I often have these thoughts myself, wondering who would even notice me gone if it happened tomorrow. But I have appreciated you and your works for the longest time and Reptile was one of my first furry crushes (and is still one too).

I wish I could do more in the way of showing my appreciation for your works since I know I once upon a time had that fan fiction I had wrote. Unfortunately I lost my writing spark back around 2019 but I always had a rough plan in my head of how I wanted it to go.

Regardless you played an important part in my growth as a furry and I would be very sad if you were gone tomorrow.

I'm deeply honored and happy that REPTILE had/has this effect on people! ^^
Thanks for your words - that's way enough!!!

I'd always remember you and your art and stories. Its all been in inspiration for mine.

Thanksssssssssssssssssssss sooo much!!

Awww, "hugs you.

Well I would definitely miss you, since you were the one artist who sparked my interest in the furry (and scaly) community. So thank you for that and thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.

Awww, thanks so much! Thanks for sharing those words.

It can be healthy and valuable to reflect on those thoughts from time to time... for me, I try not to dwell too much on "how long will my creative output outlast myself" - the answer is unknowable, could be years, could be one day, and it's out of my control anyways, but for me what IS in my control, is "did I make the world a bit better of a place while I was here?" and for me, I think I've discovered that yes I did, which goes a long way toward easing my worries when that suddenly day arrives. Am I seeking out that day? no. Am I ready to meet that day with no regrets? for the most part yes.

And as you can see from above, you absolutely have made that impact with your time here I still have all your soundtracks saved on my music drive to listen to periodically to help me get through the workday, and (small world!) I just queued them up again last Friday
(also, I don't have a clear A to B to C timeline I can point to to plot my journey to figuring out who I am, but I can say that your NSFW art was some of the first not-strictly-hetero I came across)

I'm glad you're well, and I'm glad this journal gave me an opportunity I/we probably otherwise would not have taken the initiative, to let you know the influence you've had, even if it's not visible day to day

I totally agree.
Of course, I don't have control over "what to come" but I do have control over the "here and now"... how I react and act every single day. And I want to make every days worthwhile and great. ^^
Thank you for the kind words, my friend! And it's so cool that my art (and music!!) had/has such an impact and that you can still enjoy it every time.
^^
It was weird to write a journal about those thoughts... I mean... I could've just asked "Did my work had any impact on you guys?" but... I know from so many people that IT DID!!!!
And I don't seek "praise" or confirmation... but it's good and nice to talk about this from time to time as you pointed out.

So... here's to many, many new days and years to come!!!!

You'll always be my inspiration, no matter what happens! 😁

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! THANKS!

Nice, that's very cool... so many years ago!
Thanks for being a trusted fan for such a long time. ^^

I have so many fond memories of the stuff you upload

Glad you're keeping ok in general though <3

Thank you, my friend! :3
I'd like to think that people continue to have fond memories of my work... that's all I wanted. ^^

Rooting for you!

Yaaaaaaay, THANKS!!

I will never forget you. You were the reason i got into the fandom and helped broaden and improve my art skills. Your my inspiration to continue to drive myself further.

Thanks man, that's highly appreciated! :3

Glad you still around. I remember the days on Deviantart when I watched you there. I hope you enjoy the day staying on the positive side Never forgot that and I still haven't forgot about you.

Yeah, DA became kinda boring... ya know, so many AI artworks lately... and the community shrunk to a small pile. I dunno, but the same artwork gets WAY MORE comments and favourites here at FA!
FA became my main community many years ago and though I upload my stuff to DA as well... the reactions there are so small.
Thank you for the kind words! ^^

Well said and you're very welcome.

I know those kind of feelings, but you just need to remember that you've done a lot for the last... I don't know... 30 or so years for the furry community and helped a lot of people along the way. And I think that matters the most. We are all going to pass away someday and I think you just need to make stuff to be remembered. I am not an artist, but at least I can appreciate your skill and compare other artists with you, cause in my mind you are one of the best at making traditional artworks here.

THANK you for the sweet words!! :3 That's really appreciated.
*huuuuuuuuuuuuuuugs*

I fear death sometimes and can understand it. I fear if I may never achieve certain tasks in my life

Just keep us informed and do your best

I always try to do my best! ^^

I would counter with my own question and ask, "Where would any of us be without our dear Reppy?" in the first place?! YOU were the one who got me into this fandom in the first place!! The very first HIGH QUALITY artist I ever found. I could not believe such a skill could exist, Reptile was so smoking hot, I was burned to a crisp by the heat of his sex appeal. I still remember thinking to myself at the time, way back in the early 2000's "Dude, someone is actually this talented to create such an amazing character? Oh, I could never live without this community!"

I honestly think that Reptile was the very first character that I would routinely save images of and put into my brand new (at the time) furry art folder. He was literally the initial recurring character that would grace my hard drive with his presence. Of course I would visit him every night I got lonely, and he would cheer me right up, LOL.

I see you are asking some serious questions about the fleeting nature of existence and what it will mean to eventually leave this earthly realm of the life that we know. While this is a very profound question, I would counter with an answer that you are actually very lucky to have been born with such an incredible talent for drawing and story telling. What I mean to say is, that your characters and writings will live practically forever into the digital future, even after their creator has long since left this world.

50 years, 100 years, 200 years from now, people will know who Reptile was, the character and the artist. Because he made such a powerful impression on the community, especially early on when it was first forming. You have cemented your legacy as one of the "old masters" and will be rewarded with a flavor of eternal life, in the sense that your admirers will remember you each and every single day for a long time to come.

So if anything, we are super jealous of your legacy lol. Nothing to be worried about, my scaly friend. Even the stars themselves will eventually explode one day, it is the nature of the ephemeral beauty that we call the universe. Yes, unexpected things can happen, but one thing that is guaranteed is that Reptile will live practically forever as the gorgeous scaly god that he is, in the digital realm of the magic that is the furry art community.

Of course I'm not the only one who feels this way! When I first loaded this journal page, I saw my vertical scroll bar shrink to a tiny little rectangle on the right hand side of my browser, my first thought was "WOW! Look at how many worshipers are in here today! Reppy sure is getting a lot of love in his comments section!" Of course, we wouldn't have it any other way.

It's kinda cool that... I got so many people into a fandom... which I didn't consider "my" fandom to begin with.
When I created REPTILE, I had no idea of furries (and scalies) or the whole art community. I just loved fantasy stuff... lizards and dragons in particular.
Of course, I also had some creators which inspired me and which I really like - but nobody ever got ME "into the fandom".

So... after all those years... many people told me that REPTILE got them into the fandom and that's great.
Some people even said that my artworks inspired them to start drawing themselves - which is even cooler!!!
And after some time... the community started to grow on me as well.
I like everyone here.
And that's the reason why I also reply to EACH AND EVERY COMMENT!!!!!
That is really important to me.

Thanks for your large, lovely comment... the cool background info and memories.
It's cool to know that you've known and loved REPTILE for 25 years now - wow!!!!!!!!
Also, you didn't know me back then... but already loved the character. And that's also great!

I really hope that my stories and art will continue - somehow!

THANK YOU!
THANKS SO MUCH!!

Hell yeah I think it is your fandom. I always used to entertain a daytime fantasy where, if FurAffinity ever closed up for whatever reason, they would give you the keys to the castle and let you flourish as the gentle, warm-hearted patriarch of the community. A kind furry father figure, if you will. You know what I mean.

So that just means you are a natural born furry citizen, you immersed yourself into the fandom without someone else guiding you. Truly, another notch on your belt as a master level artist, that you brought yourself to the very table we are now speaking at.

Indeed, that's the reason I nominate you are Furry Patriarch and furry father figure to the fandom. Nobody else replies to each and every single comment they get, not even close, especially as a popular artist that gets hundreds of comments. It's beyond impressive, it's just beautiful and gorgeous to watch unfold on each of your uploads every month.

And I'm not the only person who thinks so. I said once before, I was in a discord chat before and the other person I was talking to both said your name at exactly the same time almost, in regards to who we thought was the overall nicest, chivalrous and most gentlemanly within the fandom. I think it came up in conversation that we were discussing how life was leaving comments on famous artists pages, and we were trying to compare notes on who we thought the most pleasurable was, and low and behold, the rest is history.

That other person was DaaTrixx, by the way, he likes you too!

The last paragraph really moved me. ^^
Thanks!!!!!
Also, I'm going to reply to your note in the next few days.

*huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuug*

Though I have no doubt that you will indeed be missed, hopefully nobody will have a reason to do so in that you'll live a very long and very happy life. x3

While this isn't really a subject I like to dwell on, it is one I have thought about concerning my own creations. Maybe someday (before it's too late) I'll make a journal like this.

Thank you, I'm planning on living a few more years!! :-D After all, I'm just 45... but still.
*returns the huuuuuuuuuuuuuug*

You're welcome, and yeah, here's to a long, happy, healthy life! x3

I'm sure we all have these thoughts from time-to-time. I know I certainly do! Nobody is guaranteed tomorrow. I have always found it sad when I feel like somebody's creation eventually ceases to get new content because their creator has passed. I guess it's good that you have written down some of your desires on-the-record now so there is no doubt!

I found your work 20 years ago before I even had a FurAffinity account back on Deviantart at the time. Your impeccable attention to detail and care in anatomy was so unbelievably impressive for it's time! There was nothing else like it that I could remember! The fandom was so much smaller back then too. Back then, I actually had the time to give long and raving comments to every picture that I liked, lol.

Even your display picture stokes delight seeing such handsomeness on display! I've always adored your scaly stud!

Heyo, thanks very much for the kind words!!!!!
Wow, you also followed and loved Reptile for such a long time... that is awesome!
And I'm glad you think that it will somehow go on... yes. I really like to think so.

I definitely couldn't forget your artwork 😃

That's great!!! So I did something right.

XD

As one of the first artists I started to follow, I'll always remember you tomorrow and onwards ^^

Thank you so much!!!!!

I could never forget about you. We talk very little, that's obvious. However, as I see your comments in many pics and whatnot throughout FA, I think you're a rawrsome person. So yeah, I think I would remember you if you're ever gone, bro. Moreover, I've learned from your critiques of other artists.
And Reptile? It's an honour that you give that permission, too. I promise you that I'd keep him safe and sound in my stories, alive even, if I ever make any involving him.
Naturally, stay safe and healthy, bro. Everything will be alright 🤗💗👌🐉

Rawrrrr... thanks so much for the kind words!!!!
Would be great if you and other fans kept him alive!
All the best to you too!

Seems like a good opportunity to thank you for your works over all the years.

I had those same thoughts and reached those same conclusions, myself.
However, you obviously have more influence over the years and therefor earned more love and 'staying power'. You showed how physical art has enduring beauty, yet you excelled in your venue int other media.

Thank you very much! :3 I'm glad you think so.

You still have a special place in my heart and memory, do not worry those toughts happen to everybody. :)

Aaaawwww... the same goes for you!!!!!
Thank you so very much... for everything. :3
By the way, I hope you're doing well!?