A Slightly Less August Journal + Kaffre talks Candy #42

Greeting once again loyal journal readers and welcome to another August Journal! It won't however, be quite so august as last year's as my bathrobe is in the wash and I'm out of bubble fluid for my pipe so we'll just have to conduct in diapers and t-shirts as usual though I did manage to procure juice for everyone! August, like the last two months has involved spending more time than usual away from home and, correspondingly I faced the similar challenges - eating too much fastfood resulting in being poor and feeling crummy, and having somewhat limited access to my computer. Fortunately, with September soon arriving my brother's children will be back in school and I will have more time to myself once again!

On somewhat less serious front, my save data on MKX became corrupted, forcing me to start over - PSN saved my actual achievements, but I do need to unlock a lot of the in-game stuff again (Krypt and so forth), but I can't really say I mind too much - it actually seems pretty fun so far though that might not last. I also recently bought Sims4 I've never played the franchise before and there was quite a steep learning curve (my first two sims died...), but I am slowly getting the hang of it, I think. Also, is it just me or do all of the 'Toddler' sims seem really bratty even with maximum stats?

I has also hoped to participate in the open playtest of Pathfinder 2nd edition, but a combination of not being able to assemble my usual group and not generally liking the content of the new game seems to have put the kibosh on that idea, but did get me thinking once more about my Babyfur RPG. That project fell to the wayside not just due to my laziness, but also because it was conceived as a vanity project and I'm not really sure what sort of campaigns, if any, people would want to run with it which makes it difficult to design appropriate mechanics therefore I'd like to ask you al directly: What sort of campaigns should a babyfur themed RPG be targeted at?

For this month's topic of conversation, I've decided to try something a bit new and try looking at different historical epochs through a Furry lens. Obviously, this will be less useful to those of you whose furry characters are the result of genetic experimentation, magic, aliens, or what have you, but hopefully it will prove a fun point of discussion anyway. Since I'll be using Tech Levels from the tabletop RPG GURPS for organizational purposes, we begin at TL 0 - The Stone Age of as I like to call it: Cavefurries

The first question we must ask ourselves concerns the furries themselves - are only modern species represented or were there furries based upon various megafauna long extinct in the modern era? This is a tricky question as while it can certainly be fun to include species no longer extant in the current era, it does raise the somewhat unsettling question of what exactly happened to the furries based on those species. A corollary to this is whether stone-age furry tribes consist of only a single species or incorporate many different types of fur. Due to differences in preferred habitat, I don't think all species would be found in every region, but do feel that furries would be wise enough to take advantage of the different skills possessed by the various furry types and so multi-species bands would be quite common.

The next thing to look at relates to the development of technology and how that have been affected by the different capabilities evidenced by furry species. Kaffre, for example, has a warm coat of fur and some handy claws so he items like animal pelts or flint knives would be less important to his survival than they would've been to early humans. Agriculture, for example, may have taken longer to develop for species who can simply graze on grass and leaves while the other technologies such as the bridle might appear early since the furries can test new designs on themselves. Fire is a trickier topic as while many furries can indeed keep themselves comfortably warm via fur and feather, readily digest uncooked food, and possess keen night-vision, not all species are equal in each of these regards. Most birds, for instance, have poor low-light vision and would doubtless appreciate being able to see predators approaching.

As part of this new approach, we can also examine reexamine topics covered in previous journals in a new light. Did prehistoric furries wear clothing for decoration or just go naked? Did they coexist with 'real' animals or were all lifeforms anthropomorphic? Careful readers of my previous journals will know my thoughts on both of those points, but I am excited to hear what the rest of you think life might've been like for the first furries. Also, whether you like this model for my Topic of the Month feature and what time periods you'd like me to discuss once I've reached the current era under GURPS?

Well, I guess that's about it for my august journal. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment it's much appreciated! *hugs* I'm not yet 100% sure what September will hold (beyond a Dentist Appointment on the 18h), but I'll try and get that month's journal out even earlier if I can!

Now I proudly present...

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Kaffre Talks Candy #42

Name: Barq's Cream Soda
Manufacturer: Coca-Cola
Size: 355mL can
Where Purchased: Sunshine Variety
Description: Consists of a transparent carbonated beverage flavoured with vanilla.
Opinion: A product I'd heard of, but not actually seen before. Vanilla is definitely the predominant flavour, but there's something else too presumably the grape juice cited on the packaging or possibly the PEG (polyethyene glycol) in any case, it has the same 'bite' as the brand's famed rootbeer. Overall, I enjoyed this item and will probably buy it again depending on the availability.

Name: Coca-Cola, Orange Sorbet
Manufacturer: Coca-Cola
Size: 500mL bottle
Where Purchased: Sunshine Variety
Description: Consists of a dark coloured carbonated beverage flavoured to taste kola and orange.
Opinion: A product I'd never seen before and scooped up. The beverage provides a refreshing citrus taste that's very distinct from the more common lemon and/or lime, but nevertheless tastes surprisingly good combined with Cola. Overall, I enjoyed this product and would buy it again if it were available. At the very least, I can create my own using the Freestyle machines at my local Wendy's...

Name: Kit-Kat (Mint Cream & Cookie Smash)
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 140 gram bar
Where Purchased: Shopper's Drug Mart
Description: This product consists of a fairly standard-looking Kit-Kat bar except that the wafers are 'shorter' and are topped with a white mint-flavoured substance.
Opinion: An item I'd never seen before. The overall effect is pretty similar to the standard variety Kit-Kat. The chocolate seemed a bit darker than usual, but it didn't have the characteristic bitterness of dark chocolate and the cream added a nice hit of mint flavour there was a bit of crispiness and cookie flavouring to the cream as well, but they weren't as noticeable as they might be due to the usual wafer cookie. Overall, I liked this product and might buy it again.

Name: Lays Grilled Cheese Chips
Manufacturer: Lays
Size: 170 gram bag
Where Purchased: Shopper's Drug Mart
Description: This product consists of fairly standard looking potato chips with a slight orange cast due to the flavourings used.
Opinion: A limited-time product I decided to snap up. These chips are intended to taste like a grilled cheese sandwich so, appropriately, cheddar seems to be the dominant flavour which is certainly a positive with me. One minor source of disappointment, for me, is the inclusion of ketchup flavouring as well - a flavour I'm not so fond of though it's not actually too bad here as the acidity is mitigated by the cheese. Overall, I enjoyed this item and would probably buy it again.

Name: Tic Tac (Bubblegum)
Manufacturer: Ferrero
Size: 98 gram container (200 pieces)
Where Purchased: Walmart
Description: Tic Tacs consist of small cylindrical candies with rounded ends. These particular ones are yellow and have the face of cartoon character Bart Simpson printed on them.
Opinion: A new product I decided to sample for review. The tic tacs are just as hard as I remember and not particularly substantial even when eating several at a time. As promised they feature a fairly strong bubblegum flavour. While not exactly unpleasant, however, the taste is very reminiscent of very cheap bubblegum of the sort that was once bundled with Hockey cards. Nevertheless, it was certainly an interesting product and nice change from the usual mint and orange flavoured candies.