Good 2B Big Again Journal + Kaffre talks Candy #44

Greetings once again, Journal readers and welcome back! Last month's journal was, unfortunately marred by me being temporarily regressed back into an itsy bitsy newborn kitten from October 29 until just now. While I did enjoy all the cuddling and attention that comes with being so little, I am also very glad to be three again. I missed being able to see, hear, and talk! Besides, baby formula at every meal gets old rather quickly. On the plus side, being a good kitty is very easy when you're that little so I'm expecting lots and lots of presents from Santa Claws! *rubs paws excitedly* I just hope he remembers that I'm back to my right age again when it's time for selecting any gifts... *is worried now*

Now that I'm back to my proper age again, however, I'm very excited to talk about the last two months! For starters, my dental work has been proceeding nicely and while I will need to schedule some further extractions, those are unlikely to happen until some time in the new year so I'm in the clear until January at the earliest! The 100th anniversary of the end of WWI was a suitably somber occasion an while I didn't really do anything special, I do feel that it was an extra-special Remembrance Day. Beyond that, there are a few family gatherings scheduled in December including my nephew's birthday on December 12 (the same day as MJ), but otherwise things seem to be pretty quiet. The only other thing worth mentioning is that I recently started watching Harvey Street Kids which I found entertaining - Audrey, Dot, and Lotta's personalities have all changed quite a bit from their respective comic book iterations, but feel like natural outgrowths of the series' aged up and modernized take on the classic characters and I found myself enjoying their adventures and looking forward to Season 2!

Anyway, following last month's regression-related hiatus, this month we'll be returning to our exploration of furry history with: TL 2 - Furries of the Iron Age! Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Iron Age, was defined primarily by the emergence of Iron as a material. While inferior to bronze in many ways, the fact that iron ore is far easier to obtain made the use of metal tools far more common. As noted in previous installments, I believe furries would've been less likely to war against each other than early humans so we won't go into too much detail though we should note that the advent of iron would make it far easier to equip such armies that did exist with the weapons and armour that they would require though as furries vary rather considerably in terms of bodyshape, mass production and stockpiling of such gear still wouldn't be very practical.

As with TL 1, familiar species continue to progress towards their modern forms - horses, for example, become large enough to ride which spells the end of the chariot. Similar changes manifested in other domesticate species as well though whether corresponding increases in size would affect their anthropomorphic equivalents would naturally be contingent upon the specifics of the world. Furthermore, many TL2 innovations like glassblowing, theoretical mathematics, and architectural improvements are likely to proceed pretty much exactly as they did in our world. While wind and water driven mills first appeared in this epoch as well, but saw little use as slaves labour was much cheaper. In a furry world, however, the relative absence of warfare could result in such technology being adopted earlier. Alternately, if the furries were noticeably bigger and stronger than humans, it might've never been adopted.

As far as magic goes, TL2 is where theurgy was introduced - Theurgy is where elaborate rituals are performed to achieve a state of unity with the Divine (henosis) as a means of perfecting the self. Another form of magic that appeared during this era is the power to create imbue an object with an Anima, or spark of life which could result in anything from golem-like creatures to talking brass heads. Numerology, astrology and other more sophisticated forms of divination also appear while alchemy is reinvigorated by the discovery of new materials.

Unfortunately, as nothing about this particular era seems to deviate from the real world all that much to me, I'm struggling to think of how any of it would affect Kaffre or his family in the modern day, but I am nevertheless very excited to hear what the rest of you think iron-age furries might have lived either in general or juxtaposed with RL human settlements.

Anyway, I guess that's it for this month, I'll try to post my December journal before Xmas, but given my history with such things, I'd rather not make any promises. Before I go, however, I've promised to remind everyone that lil' Jennie hosts two story-time streams on (most) Sundays @ 11AM and 10PM Eastern time. The address is www.picarto.tv/drawwifjennie I don't think you need to register to watch/listen to the stories though you might have to if you want to join the chat8.. *bye-bye hugs* And now...

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Kaffre talks Candy #44:

Name: Cheetos Snowflakes
Manufacturer: Fritolay
Size: 180 gram bag
Where Purchased: Food Basics
Description: Snowflakes consist of puffed cornmeal pieces that come in a variety of shapes that are flavoured with white cheddar and can, supposedly, be assembled into a snowflake, but most of mine were damaged in some way.
Opinion: A Limited Edition item, this product strikes me as being something like a cross between cheetos and corn twists - they have a very cheeto-like texture, but the white cheddar is very close to the buttery flavour used for corn twists. Overall, I enjoyed this snack, but am not really sure whether I'd buy them again as

Name: Maltesers
Manufacturer: Mars
Size: 100 gram bag
Where Purchased: NoFrills
Description: Maltesers consists on a sphere of malted milk cookie about 3cm across that is then enrobed in milk chocolate.
Opinion: This product is an interesting one. It was originally marketed as a diet candy for women and the centre is a type of nutritional biscuit designed for infants. Anyway, typical of Mars' products, the chocolate is of good quality, but for me the cookie is the star imparting a unique flavour and plenty of crunch. Overall, I liked this product and would definitely consider buying them again in the future.

Name: Pocky, Cookies n' Cream
Manufacturer: Thai Glico
Size: 70 gram box
Where Purchased: Cataraqui Town Centre, Snack and Lottery Kiosk
Description: Pocky consists of thin biscuit-sticks one end of which has been lightly dipped in a flavoured compound of some kind. In this case, white chocolate with powdered Oreo.
Opinion: This product is an interesting one as the 'stick' portion appears to be made from a different material than other pocky varieties I've sampled, but tastes pretty similar. The coating is mostly reminiscent of white chocolate with the cookie adding a bit of flavour, but mostly contributing to the texture. Overall, I liked this product and would eat it again, but don't know if I'd necessarily choose it over other flavours of Pocky.

Name: Pringles, Mystery Flavour
Manufacturer: Pringles Manufacturing Company
Size: 156 gram tube
Where Purchased: Food Basics
Description: Pringles consist of special potato chips made from a potato-based flour and baked in a very specific and consistent shape that lends itself well to 'stacking'.
Opinion: Despite the somewhat ominous title, these chips were fairly enjoyable having a cheesy yet spicy flavour. My first thought was quesadillas, but I suspect the actual answer to be somewhat less specific maybe nachos, or cheddar and jalapenos? Overall, I enjoyed this product and would probably buy it again were they didn't appear to be a limited time offer.

Name: Rockets
Manufacturer: Rockets Candy Company
Size: 1.8 kilogram bag
Where Purchased: Shopper's Drug Mart
Description: Rockets (known as 'smarties' to US denizens) consist of small tablet candies shaped as biconcave discs 1cm in diameter and about half that thickness. Rockets are individually wrapped in rolls of 15 pieces.
Opinion: A staple Halloween treat, rockets offer a sweet yet tangy flavour in a portable and relatively cheap package. Each colour is supposedly associated with a different flavour, but they all taste fairly similar to me though a few do have a vaguely citrus taste to them. Overall, these were better than I remember and while I'll happily eat them, they're not really the kind of thing I'd go out of my way to pick up.