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May be Time for New Journal (please read)
8 years ago
May be Time for a New JournalWell, it's May now and thus time for a new journal, but I'd like to take a slightly different tack than used in my last few journals which mostly just consisted of boring run downs of my activities for the month - very boring to write and, I can only imagine, even more boring for all of you to read.
While I've never really been the chattiest or most sociable of furs, I've been feeling rather lonely and isolated the last few months and it is my hope that a more interactive journal would afford more opportunities to chat with my friends!
That last paragraph actually came out rather whiny-sounding, but the main point is, I'm eager to reengage with the babyfur community once again and since I'm struggling with my artistic and literary output, that means journals are the best avenue to do so on a broad scale. I had hoped to foster such interaction by creating a sequel to my 'Furry World' Meme from a few years back, but questions proved too in-depth to really be addressed in point-form, therefore I've decided to try posing a single question per month to talk about with my readers.
This month's topic then is: Fur & Fashion - How would clothing differ in a world of anthropomorphic animals?
My opinion is that, since fur itself would afford some degree of protection from the elements, furry societies would be somewhat more 'clothing optional' than their closest human analogs. Also, that its role as a sign of social status would be enhanced somewhat by the fact that most items of apparel would, by definition, be a luxury designed to show off the wearer's wealth rather than for any practical purpose. Likewise, since furs wouldn't really need a lot of clothes, they'd be better able to customize what they did have to account for differing body shapes, tails, wings, etc.
In my own art one can see these principles at work in characters playing outside in just diapers and, to a lesser extent in the occasional image of characters wearing collars which I like to use as a stand-in for neck ties and similar formal wear the bells and baubles are just for fun, but in ancient times jewel-encrusted examples were common with rulers.
Your thoughts?
Thanks for reading everyone *hugs* ^w^
PS. As it's a Tuesday, feel free to ask Kaffre whatever questions you may have for him.
Kaffre talks Candy #30Name: Black Jack
Manufacturer: Tangerine Confectionery
Size: 36 gram tube (9 pieces)
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Black Jack consists of Aniseed flavoured chews measuring about 2cm x 2cm x 1cm. The pieces are black and square and come individually wrapped in a paper tube.
Opinion: A British product I'd never heard of before, but thought sounded promising! Despite the rigidity of the packaging, the unwrapped candies were surprisingly soft and offers a relatively mellow aniseed flavour which I rather enjoyed. The main faults were that the chews seemed to lose flavour rather quickly and that I found them to have an odd aftertaste that, while not altogether unpleasant, wasn't something I really enjoyed. Overall I thought this candy was OK, but don't really think I'm likely to purchase it again as there are quite a few licorice/anise flavoured candies I like better.
Name: Drifter
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 48 grams in two bars
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Drifter consists of two bars packaged side by side. Each individual bar is comprised of a wafer cookie topped with caramel and enrobed in chocolate.
Opinion: A British product I was only vaguely aware of due to Zee-Zee liking it. The bar is an interesting one with the caramel/wafer being both crispy and chewy at the same time while delivering a nice caramel flavour. Similar to 'Lion' I did find this product a bit on the dry side and would have preferred a greater chocolate:wafer ratio, but this bar is still quite good and, if it were more readily available in Canada, it might even become a regular.
Name: Kit Kat Chunky Cookie Dough
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 42 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Kit Kat Chunky: Cookie Dough consists of a single large wafer cookie (about half the height of a standard Kit Kat Chunky) topped with a substance resembling chocolate chip cookie dough and then enrobed in chocolate. The structure resembled that of an oversized segment of the classic Kit Kat, but the scale is slightly different.
Opinion: A new (possibly limited edition) bar. While the bar's filler has a pleasant flavour that is indeed reminiscent of cookie dough and a slightly different texture than the standard Kit Kat Chunky all of which made for a nice change, the overall effect of this bar is so similar to that of the standard Kit Kat Chunky that I'm finding it somewhat difficult to review. I'd certainly buy this product again, but am unsure whether I like it any more than the standard version.
Name: Pepsi Ginger Cola
Manufacturer: Pepsico
Size: 591mL bottle
Where Purchased: No Frills
Description: Pepsi Ginger Cola is a dark coloured carbonated softdrink flavoured with real ginger in addition to the regular cola flavouring.
Opinion: A softdrink reviewed some time ago, but seems to have disappeared by now. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this product tastes a bit like a cross between pepsi and a rather dry ginger ale. The ginger is fairly strong and adds a certain warmth and tingliness, but also conceals some the nuances of the cola flavour, making it taste a little generic. Overall, I thought this product was fairly tasty, but I don't think I'm likely to buy it again as I'm far for likely to just snag a standard ginger ale or cola instead.
Name: Walkers Marmite Crisps
Manufacturer: Walkers (Lays)
Size: 32.5 gram bag
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Walkers Marmite consist of fairly normal looking potato chips with a brownish cast to them.
Opinion: A brand I was only dimly aware of because it was reintroduced as part of Walkers' 'do us a flavour' event last year(along with "Beef n' Onion"). These chips are supposedly flavoured to taste like 'marmite' a yeast-based sandwich spread popular in the UK, but I've never had it and so can't judge how faithfully it was replicated here. In any event, the chips have a very mild flavour that reminds me of a very faint 'barbecue', but more savoury and with a 'burnt' aftertaste/smell. I was initially reluctant to try these due to marmite's evil reputation in North America, but ultimately I found these to be almost tasteless apart from the aforementioned aftertaste and even that grew on me very quickly. Overall, I thought these chips were OK and wouldn't mind eating them again, but doubt I'll ever buy them in the future...
Also some adapts for the clothings are pretty interesting. like shirts with holes for wings, or in the case of my skunk, scent diapers that will hold all the skunk spray if he hasn't control of it yet.
Also, scent-nulling diapers could be quite useful for a skunk society I'm sure!
One candy I'd like your review of would be C. Howard's violet mints. If you ever find any, buy them.
I've not seen the Howard's mints, but will grab them if I do. The company website makes them sound a bit like our 'Thrills', however, at least in terms of flavour... (http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5897209/).
1. What's your favourite thing about school?
2. Have you ever got gum in your fur?
3. Do you know any poems about pelicans?
2. Uh huh, but I told Momy right away and she was able to cut it out by trimming my fur just a little. The burrs were worse...
3. *ponders* No... I can try and write one though! Pelican shining in the sun! swooping, diving, having fun! Have you caught some yummy fish? Might I have one on a dish?
Also, I do appreciate the offer, but I just feel too shy to approach people that directly a lot of the time...
I do like the thought that in olden days, the working classes wouldn't have worn clothing, and it would be designed to look stylish rather than to serve a practical purpose. That might explain the lack of tail-covering - naturally, the upper classes liked to show off their tails!
I'd not really considered the vonk in my analysis, but certainly some sort of protective gear would be required to protect tails from being trod upon, closed in doors, caught on fire, etc by the working classes at some point which might also make such wear undesirable among the nobility as it implies menial labour?
Kaffre...
1. Can you play the kazoo?
2. Would you like some icecream?
3. With rainbow sprinkles?
4. What's your favorite color?
5. Would you like to sit in my lap while I zip around in my chair?
2. Sounds tasty. What flavours are there?
3. Yes, please!
4. Lots and lots. Red's always nice though...
5. That does sound fun and maybe it'll get us to ice cream faster too!
It reminds me of the MLP: FiM episode where Spike wants to come in with the girls as they prep to partake in the Grand galloping Gala. Rarity is all in a fit for a boy wanting to come in and see them 'dressing'. However Applejack mentions how they don't normally wear clothes except to special events or for special occasions.
That British Isles candy shop sounds amazing! I wish we had those hear in Pennsylvania.
Your comment on the Ginger Pepsi makes me wish I could genuinely get Lime Coke again. I loved that stuff.
The BIS is an independent shop not part of any chain. Canada probably has a higher density of British expats than the US, but I'm sure there are local import shops you can venture to in the interest of trying foreign candies and snacks if you saw fit.
True I wasn't a big fan of the Ginger Pepsi, but do sort of miss the lime version from a few years ago. Good thing about Lime Coke, however, is that if you have a Coca Cola Freestyle machine nearby you can make your own! :yum: ^w^
1. Modesty. Fur covers a lot, but it doesn't cover everything, and I suspect that civilized furries would wear at least some minimal coverings to avoid exposing themselves entirely to the public.
2. Decoration. This would apply to jewelry as well as any sort of clothing that would be worn for fashion sake. As cool or as pretty as your own fur markings may or may not be, I'd think one would get bored with it after a while if that were the ONLY thing to be displayed at all times.
3. Utility. I'm a little surprised this wasn't much touched on by other commenters, but let's face it. Clothes can be darn useful things! Pockets to hold your stuff, hats to keep sun and or rain off of your head, an added layer of protection from the elements (why let your fur get all messed up if you can avoid it?) etc.
2. Indeed that was a point I was trying to make albeit not as well as you have...
3. I considered commenting on it, but felt that protective equipment was somewhat outside the scope of this month's question. Of curse, pockets are a relatively recent invention in our world so they're not really a reason to invent clothes more a way of replacing the belt pouch you wear with your clothes...
Thanks for the thoughtful comments ^^
I like all of the types of journals you put out. Its fun to see what a buddy from the north is up too so don't sell yourself short.
As for the clothing on furs...hmmm...I guess I just imagined furs to be like humans if we had a dimensional shift. Earth furry style. So to me clothing is just one of those things that developed along with time. Humans use clothing to cover their nakedness in many areas because we have been told naked is shameful. Only in areas where it gets really cold do we need the extra layers. Heck, when working on the farm I can only take off so much before society finds it unacceptable...though without I could be at higher risk of injury as well O.O. So For furs, I always imagined a similar type deal.
As for differences. Pants would have to be much different I suppose, tails on most furs get in the way of a traditional belt line. I always imagine skirts on huskies to be funny if they did not have a cut out at the top. Flopping all over when they see someone they liked*giggles*. And as others have said things would have to be species specific. Though, that is in question as well, because depending on how furries are, chipmunks could potentially be the same size as any other animal if it were like huminoid furs, that had just the main traits of furs in human size. EG. Rhino 7 ft, chipmunks 5 ft 1in...just the normal spectrum. If it were more like zootopia then all bets are off.
Anyway hope you are doing ok these days, life has been crazy crazy for me, headed out shortly on vacation with my brother to fish for the week. Will try to catch up with you when I get back.^^ *hugs*
A lot of people do see to prefer more 'human' furs and I agree that while performing heavy labour outdoors, even in the midst of winter, even a t-shirt and jeans can become uncomfortably warm very quickly. That said, however, most human civilizations in the real-world originated in places like India, Southern China, Greece, and the Middle-East and while all of those places can get quite cold protection from the sun and heat was arguably more important and hasn't really been mentioned thus far. It is, of course, possible that people invented clothes in warmer climes and simply kept using them, but my basic point I'm trying to make is that clothing doesn't just protect against cold, but rain, wind, insects, dirt, and even minor injuries like thorns though I suppose fur helps in all of these instances as well...
Trousers are an interesting situation and there's an argument to be made that a world without non-anthropomorphic horses or similar riding beasts would never have developed them at all - certainly robes and skirts are more tail-friendly which could explain the seemingly high incidences of cross-dressing among furry characters though this could be skewed within the babyfur community due to the use of hand-me-downs and the fact that dresses make diaper changes easier which is why, until about 100 years ago, little boys wore gowns or frocks until they were toilet-trained.
The possibility of different sized furs is somewhat beyond the scope of this discussion, but is a topic I hope to get around to soon. For what it's worth though, I also favour having size differences exist, but within scaled to human norms.
Anyway, I hope you have a nice vacation. I look forward to hearing about it when you get back! *more hugs*