Well, I got my new account tricked out with an awesome new avatar, and now I'm just working on the mountain of sketches I have amassed over the semester! I have yet to work on them, but from here on out I will be posting all art and journals at  redheadedreptile. Thank you all for your patience and happy arting!

Hey everybody. Sorry about that premature pipe dream journal about commissions. I'm gonna give it more time before I consider going further with it. *chuckles* So I thought I'd make a statement that I'll be switching over accounts soon. I feel like as I'm moving to a new chapter in my life, and not really wanting to use a cryptic word in my name like "tokage," I've made a new account that was originally going to be exclusively adult. But I'm deciding I'm going to combine clean and adult. Since most people automatically assume "tok-age" instead of "toh-kah-geh." And given FA's inability to allow users to change their names, I had pretty much no choice but to make a new one. xD I'll let everybody know when I switch over. Until then, peace!

Hey guys! Just thought I'd drop by and mention that as of late I've been considering commissions. Granted, my art skills have kind of gone down the toilet as this last semester ate up all of my free time. I'm hoping to bring my skills back up to snuff and try to get used to using this tiny bamboo tablet on a desktop now that I have Paint Tool SAI. If I do commissions, what I really need to figure out is pricing. This is only an idea for now, but this is what I have in mind in regards to prices.

Sketches: $2 per character
Inked: $5 per character
Flat colors: $7 per character
Shading and highlights: $10 per character
Refsheets: $15

I'm also considering moving to a new account, the one I was originally gonna put adult art on. Now I'm deciding to just put it all on one account, and I feel like that requires a fresh start. It's still blank and empty, but in the coming week I'm hoping to make an avatar and ID photo. I'll keep you guys updated on when the new account is finished and when I'm making the transition over to it! Cheers!

The semester is over! This crappy semester is finally over and I couldn't be more glad! The last four years have been long and tiring. But I've done it! Well, I have only one summer class left, but overall I've done it! I'll be walking in the graduation ceremony tomorrow! Two months now, only two months before I move to Seattle!

Hey everybody! Just an update journal to let everyone know that I'm not dead. xD I've just been really, REALLY hung up in schoolwork. This is my last semester at Montana State afterall, so I've been putting my head down trying to do what I can. The only art I've managed to chug out is sketches and my skills have taken a bit of a dive. Buuuut, after I go through the commencement ceremony I'll have one more summer class to worry about and that should give me ample time to spend coloring and inking everything! I'm also working on a new revamped fursuit, once I can get in and volunteer as a test subject at the local BioScience lab. No joke. As much as I'd like a portal gun, I'll still earn about $400 bucks just to get skin cream rubbed on my stomach. xD

Hey everybody! First off, I'm back from Seattle! Now to wait a few more months before I can move there for real. xD Second off, I'm just wondering what everyone thinks about me starting an alternate account for more adult work? I'd post up anything that has to do with my kinks or other sexual stuff over there and keep this account clean. That way people who already watch me would have an option to see that kind of work.

That seems to have completely slipped my mind. Two days away from going home and I forgot to post a journal saying I'm visiting Seattle. xD Turning in job applications and resumes, and today I'm gonna look for places to live! If any of you are in the Seattle area and want to hang out, feel free to note me and I'll get back to ya! I should be here until Friday, but given some of the road conditions on the way back I might have to stay one more day. And I absolutely have to thank  Riverbreak,  R00ster, Recca and all the other awesome furs living with them to for giving me a place to stay!

Well, it appears my situation won't be as dire as I thought. After giving it much thought, I decided to drop my failing course. I'm gonna take a little extra time graduating. I'll still be going through the ceremony in May, but I'll have to stay an extra two months or so to complete the remaining upper division credits I need. So yeah, it looks like I'll be around a bit more often than I thought. ^..^

Well, as much as I hate to be alone, it looks like I have no other choice. I sat down and talked to my teachers and my grades are doing abysmal. With the semester half over, my chance of graduating hangs by a thread. At this point, I need to close off all distractions. I need to live and breathe by the textbook. This weekend will be the last time I get together or arrange any meets because my ability to graduate and get out of this state is teetering on a razor's edge. The fun stops here. It's time to get serious. Very rarely will you see me online, at least until May comes around.

Yeah. The last journal could be considered TMI in a way. But whatever. If I feel inclined to answer a TMI question, that means I'm more confident about being who I am. At least that's how I see it. xD Ask away!

Yeah. I confess. I've been hiding it for a while. *chuckles* I don't make it my entire life, but yes, it's something I have a lot of pleasure thinking about. I've felt inclined to draw some art of it recently, too. Another part of accepting myself for who I am I guess. Hey, it's the furry fandom. Everyone has some kind of goofy turn-on already. xD

I'm back to being a bi guy. xD

Seriously, I don't think I've felt this uplifted in years! I was afraid of being who I was and I suppressed these urges for so long that eventually I was starting to hurt myself and the people around me. I've finally given up all that and boy does it feel great! I feel like a new man, and I couldn't be more happy!

Exploring one's sexual orientation can be an interesting experience. You grow up, knowingly conditioning yourself to something despite other urges to do so. At this point, I wonder, am I really as straight as I say I am?

I'm going to be honest. In the past, I was exploring myself a bit. I was messing around with other guys and girls. I was free and playful without a care in the world. But, getting to the point, a few years ago something happened. I wanted to pursue other people, and someone I knew and cared about wanted commitment instead. After that, I decided I wanted to be completely straight.

Now... Given some time to heal. I'm starting to explore myself again...

Last night, I had a dream. A dream that I was having intimate feelings for a guy that I cared about. It was beyond bromance, though oddly not quite at the next level. After I woke up, I started to wonder... Have I been denying it all this time? Am I really bisexual? At this point, this is a new development. But given my experiences during my high school years, I'm really starting to think so.

I apologize for the extremely long-winded post. I feel that the dark place I am in now warrants the discussion of something positive in my life. Something I love to make and indulge in. Hopefully this journal isn't too boring.

I believe it's pretty well known that my favorite hobby is cooking. Has been for years. The best way for me to calm down is to put my focus into a certain dish. It keeps me in the moment. It's very zen.

One dish that I like to specialize in is ramen. A dish that I can go on for hours about. The intricacies and details that go into the creation of my own bowl of ramen is something that allows me to live in the moment. One on one, it's just myself and my soup. No distractions, no worries. Many people in the west associate ramen with the packages of what is basically a brick of deep-fried worms with a tiny pouch of colored salty powder that is supposed to have some kind of flavor. However, the world of ramen goes much, much deeper than a 20 cent package of instant noodles.

Like many dishes associated with Japanese cuisine, it is an adaptation of a foreign dish. Like the Southeast Asian roots of sushi and the Portuguese roots of tempura before it, ramen is adapted from a Chinese dish and was altered to the point where it is now a Japanese dish in and of itself. Not at all like the dish it originated from.

There is nothing that I miss more than wandering the narrow backstreets of Japan and coming across a small mom & pop restaurant on a dark, rainy night. A cold and damp Japanese winter made the sight all the better. A wide open door with a small counter and only five or six stools to sit at, all positioned behind a noren curtain and the warm glow of a chochin lantern. The ramen shops of Kumamoto in particular had the distinctly pungent aroma of boiling pork soup with an underlying smell of roasted garlic. Behind the counter, massive vats of soup and a separate pot of boiling water for cooking the noodles, along with partitioned toppings of roast pork slices, boiled eggs and scallions. Many of these shops were open as late as 3am to cater to the drunken crowd of salarymen who wandered the streets at that hour.

Every region of the island nation has a general set of standards for their soup. One example is soy sauce-based. Clear pork and chicken stocks seasoned with soy sauce, blended with the subtle flavor of kelp and fish-based dashi stock. The most popular of them all existing on the largest island of Honshu. The lesser-known salt based soups being more common in northern honshu.

Miso ramen is cloudy, and despite the mellow properties of the little cups of miso soup offered at traditional lunch, it's actually very rich. Miso ramen from the far north island of Hokkaido is prepared with stir-fried vegetables and a thick layer of melted lard to trap the heat in. The aroma is mouth-watering, with toppings of ground pork, corn and even butter. It smells as if somebody took a whole thanksgiving dinner and put it in a bowl.

Living in southern city of Kumamoto in Kyushu, I have developed a special love for tonkotsu broth. Unlike the mellow, simmered soups of soy sauce and salt ramen, Tonkotsu is a rich soup. Boiled for 12 to 20 hours, the fat and the marrow dissolves into a smooth and milky broth. Seasoned with salt, tonkotsu soup is probably the most unique of the bunch.

Despite these regional standards, they are only generalized categories as each prefecture has a unique take on the dish. Fukuoka and Kumamoto, residing in Kyushu, both use a tonkotsu-based soup. Though each one is prepared differently. Fukuoka's soup is richer and whiter, using more pork bones. The noodles are thin and white with toppings of sesame and pickled ginger. Kumamoto's adds some chicken bones, allowing for a soup that's still rich, but slightly mellower. The noodles are yellow and thicker. The signature topping is roasted garlic. Despite the more distinct set of local standards for ramen, every shop still feels unique. One ramen shop in the same town could use pork that is smoked with dark rings around the edges, while another shop uses braised pork simmered in a concentrated sauce. In Kumamoto, where horse meat is a delicacy, I even came across a shop or two that used it in place of pork.

It's what I described above that makes ramen a universe of its own. A bowl of ramen is like a galaxy of flavors. Brought together, these flavors make an experience that one craves for again and again. From shop to shop, the creation of an enjoyable soup takes heart and dedication. The mastery of a craft. A form of alchemy in a sense.

Every day I strive to also master that craft. Whenever I find a meat shop that has available leg bones from the pigs they slaughtered, I bring home as many as I can. I throw them into a pot, add my own ingredients to round it all out. I agree that cooking is a science. A variety of chemical reactions brought together to make one's nourishment more pleasant. However, what takes this to another level is putting love and dedication into the craft. This doesn't just apply to ramen, but food in general. Trial and error coincides with instinct and affection. Food is nourishing. Food is what brings people together. Food is harmonizing. The shops that I visited, the ramen that I tasted is reflective of the people who made it. It's with that in mind that I continue the mastery of my craft.

That's how I feel most days of the week... Every day I go to campus, do my work, go home... I have nobody to be with. My sister is often out doing things with her friends and I feel stuck. All I have to talk to are words on a screen. I don't feel happy. I hardly ever do. I'm miserable in this current state. The only time I really do feel happy is every Saturday when I am reunited with my friends and the people I care about. Once it all ends, I'm stuck again. Being all alone. Just another speck in a crowd of people interacting with each other while I sit at a table alone with nothing but a textbook to keep me company... It's those Saturdays that make me truly understand and appreciate the value of human contact. Because six out of seven days I only feel empty and alone. Unsure of my future, or whether this will all finally end soon. I keep expecting to pull through it. Every day I have hopes that I will finally manage to break through the barriers and be back to myself again... Six out of seven days a week, I put on a smile, try to endure it. But it seems like I am continuously wandering down a trail that doesn't appear to be ending...

Well, two days late. xD Well, 2013 has come and gone. I went to my first two cons ever, built a fursuit and made tons of friends! Though not exactly the best year overall in my opinion... I hope 2014 will change that! It looks to be a hopeful year for me and my future and I will be looking forward to university graduation and moving to Seattle!

I hope everyone else had a great new year, and I hope everyone has a wonderful 2014!

Hey guys. Just thought I'd let everybody know that I'm not dead. I've just had a really crappy month. The only part of FA I really have time for is the BozemanFurs page and focusing on RL friends. Online in general I've been spending more time on facebook as my art and other projects are put on the back burner.

I had to drop a class because I was so overstressed from university and needed to lighten the load. Even still, I have three term papers and a 25-page senior thesis. I'll probably remain inactive on both FA and DA until the end of finals, which will be in early December. I'm staying in contact with everybody via Facebook and skype.

I hope everybody else is doing well, and I hope to fully return by the end of the semester.

What the hell can I say other then that it was the most fun I've had all year? Holy shit. I had so much fun I needed to take an entire week to chill because I exerted myself so freaking much. xD

The only boring part was both the drive over there and the drive back. It was long and grueling, but I made it anyway! And boy was it worth it! I blew off more steam than I thought I would those four short days I was there. xD

I finally got to meet all my friends from Vancouver face to face for once!  Urbanlemur offered space in his hotel room, I finally got to meet  drekian and he was fun just getting to sit around and talk with. Aleria, Sirius, Janathun, Grey, Tiiyns, all those guys were fun to hang out with in their own unique way. I also ran into some old friends from FurIdaho like Azzy,  e3boz and  lupercus.

While this was my second time going to a con, this was the first time I ever fursuited at one. And I freaking loved it! I was surprised to see no other reptilian suiters, but as the days went on, I eventually ran into one as well as a gator and two raptors. xD I got a startling amount of praise for the suit on top of it, especially when they found out it was the first time I ever made a suit. I do have to say, I felt all warm and fuzzy by the fact that Raptor Jesus out right told me he admired it. ^..^

The real party began on the second night after I downed some of the free booze offered in a hotel room for those over 21. After that grapefruit/vodka cocktail I lost my mind in front of  riverbreak and  r00ster, threw my shirt off and partied like an animal until 2am. I then went with them to the pool area and joined a dozen other furs in a nasty, murky hot tub full of man soup. I tell ya, it's times like those where I wish I was gay. xD

I woke up pretty late the next morning, aching all over. You know what? I didn't care! It means I had a shitload of fun and I'm not gonna stop! So I popped in the last of a growler full of beer and went on my way. The fursuit parade was awesome. I got to hang out with  lupercus and  luxoriri and we even had a congo line going at the start when I also spotted  lionlotus in the crowd. By the end of the parade, I was getting a piggyback ride from Lupercus. xD

All of the panels I went to were fun as hell. Especially the nerf war and karaoke, where I got up in front of four dozen furries and sang Mr. Roboto in suit. *chuckles*

The last night was just as darn good. Though this time I hung out with  urbanlemur and  Janathun and I danced until well into 4am the next day... The day that I had to drive back home.

Sunday was a depressing day. I spent most of my extra time going to the International District to complete one of my main goals while visiting Seattle. After stock up on narutomaki, konnyaku and other things at Uwajimaya I had to run back to the con to say my final goodbyes. I was already an hour behind schedule getting out, so I needed to hustle out of there. I wanna thank my roomie,  urbanlemur for helping me jump start my truck. Apparently it died the moment I pulled into the parking lot Thursday afternoon. o..O

The long drive back was depressing. Nuff said. I just wish that it didn't have to go by so fast... Overall, I had an amazing time at RF, and I hope to attend next year! Actually, I WILL be attending next year, because I'll be living in Seattle by then! Whoo!

Well, it looks like my plan to drive to Seattle in one go went bust. I had to plan a stay in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho. A good halfway point between Bozeman and Seattle. I'm excited for RF! I'm gonna wake up bright and early tomorrow and get to the Hilton before lunch rush.

First off, my loose tooth is healing up great and is finally back in the socket! I should be going in this Tuesday to get my broken one fixed. ^..^

Alright, down to business. I won't be able to ride with the Billings Furs out to RainFurrest due to scheduling conflicts. So it looks like I'll have to drive. I have one seat open for someone to ride shotgun. If you or someone you know needs a ride to RainFurrest, then please let me know! Much appreciated! Thanks!

This weekend has been weird... Really, really weird. It all started Friday when I was cleaning up the house. After I finished I decided to do a little working out. I was using a chest expander with two 50lb cords. After I held it outstretched for 30 seconds, one of the handles slipped out of my sweaty hand and WHAM! Right in the mouth. The end result was a huge laceration on my lip squirting blood everywhere, a shattered tooth, and another about to fall out. Had to get three stitches for it. So yeah, I basically lost a part of my face, and I'm gonna go to the dentist tomorrow to get it fixed. Over the last few days I could only eat through a straw. xD

I wanna thank  bandaid406 for showing up at the hospital with me and taking me to the pharmacy to get painkillers. We just so happened to have plans for  solegat to come over and hang with us that night. Sorry it might not have been what you expected. Then again, nobody expected I would have a chunk of hard plastic hitting me in the face with the force of a 100lb compound bow xD;

On the brighter side of things, I ordered a new tablet, one that won't have as many color problems as my old one. A lenovo thinkpad. ^..^ Just in time for school.

To think, on my birthday I got this little treat. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6m_985-nr78

I used to pay attention to the anime back during the first few seasons, and despite it being corny, I enjoyed it. But I grew disinterested after I realized that they kept rehashing the same story because the younger audience is constantly replaced. Now... Finally... It seems as if the Pokemon Company is finally reaching out to the older fans like myself who have stuck with them one way or another. A serious adaptation of the game, with a cleaner animation style not unlike the artwork from Ken Sugimori. I can't wait for October to come around now!

Well, about a month ago I decided I was going to forgo my screen tablet. Because of the bad color contrast. Well, when I went back to colored pencils after going digital for two years and the more I look at it, the more I realized how clean my digital art looked. The problem is how it felt like a chore to use my bamboo tablet, which is why I used a screen tablet in the first place. Either way, I think that if I'm going to sell my screen tablet and still want to do digital that I'm gonna have to bite this bullet I have with the dissociation between a bamboo tablet and computer screen. Aaaaanywho, I'm gonna redo some of my recent submissions in digital to get back into practice. Take care everybody!

Well, I've got better news. Looks like I've finally got my creative drive back. Work and classes were getting me down most of the summer, but now I'm finally working on my projects again. Though past my deadline, I'm hoping to finally get the Cold Blooded Cook pilot episode up. I hope everybody's doing alright and I'll be uploading more drawings soon! Take care!

Off and on I've been feeling so down in the dumps... I really find myself comparing it to post-con depression to be honest. Normally, I can find things to do that can keep me occupied when I'm alone, but this last week I've just been longing for a friend to have a drink with. All I have going on is classes, and a job that I really, really enjoy. But, I have a lot of free time in between. Maybe too much free time. I would occupy myself with drawing the graphics for my show, but nothing's coming into my head no matter how hard I try. All I can think about is spending an evening talking to a familiar face, maybe a hug or two... I guess all I can do at this point is hunker down and wait it out until July. It shouldn't be too long I hope.