Today is, or was, February 20th, also known as International Pipe Smoking Day for all lovers of briars and pipe tobacco. I’ve long had an interest in pipe smoking, ever since I was a wee badger, and knew I would be one eventually. I started smoking a pipe at 28 years old, and looking back, I’m happy I started when I did. It gave me some time to mature a bit before taking up a pipe, even though I could’ve started at 18.

In celebration of IPSD, I thought I’d take a moment and talk about Age Progression, a subject that is near and dear to me. For those unaware, age progression is a form of transformation that usually ages a younger subject from about 18 to their 20’s to their 40’s and older, usually in their 50’s or 60’s. There’s a variety of methods for it to happen, normally through objects associated with older folks like pipes, cigars, old fashioned clothes, pocket watches, recliners and rocking chairs, etc. It’s a bit offbeat, and certainly not as popular as other forms of transformation.

I’ve had some discussions about the topic with other transformation fans. Quite a few of them have remarked that they find AP to be a frightening idea. I can sympathize with that, as the sudden loss of time can be a scary thought. Being in my early 40’s, I know the feeling all too well. Sometimes, I freak myself out at realizing how much time has passed already for me. It seems like only yesterday I was in college with my friends having the time of my life.

So why do I like it? For me, it comes from admiring the older men in my life from when I was a child. I think of my late grandfather, a WW2 vet that had the skills of a great tinkerer. He was a great man, and I miss his presence in my life, but I’m thankful for the time I had with him. He took care of any problems that he could, and was a very giving man.

I think of teachers, professors that gave their time and talked to me, sharing their wisdom with me as I grew into the man, err badger that I am now. I admired their experience, their confidence in who they were. I respected the time they would take out of their lives to pass what they knew to younger students.

It left a deep impression on me. I saw who they were, and thought how I wanted to have that role one day. I wanted to be the one that shared my wisdom and knowledge to those that came after me. I want to one day be the one that leave a deep impression and inspiration for younger furs and folks and pass what others have taught me to them. Maybe, through that, they would likewise have that same desire and pass what I’ve taught them to someone else.

Yes, of course I love the look. The old fashioned clothing, the tweed, flatcap, pipe, etc all encapsulate all what I want to be in life and how I want to be remembered. But it’s more than just fashion and style. It’s more than getting others to take up a pipe themselves. It’s to be a good man/badger and inspire others to become who they were always meant to be.

When I write AP stories, I’m not doing so as a way to live out some sort of fantasy of being a fat dom daddy looking to shack up with younger furs and get them to call him dad. There are some that make that sort of content, but that’s not my goal or reason for writing AP.

Instead, it is a form of wish fulfillment, but framed in making the character that is aged up into becoming fully the man that they are meant to be. In Dressing Your Age, the student becomes a loved professor that pours his passion into his students. In Another Man’s Treasure, the subject becomes a cornerstone in his community and shares his knowledge to the youngsters in his town. These characters are jumping straight into the Best Ending of their lives and making a positive difference in those around them, albeit now slower, greyer, and with some added pounds. All those things are played up with some humor, too, as that’s just how I enjoy writing it.

Some may not understand it, and that’s okay. You can just chalk it up to a badger that has an eccentric style of daydreaming. Believe what you want, but it’s the God honest truth. So until next time, I’ll be here, smoking my pipe and dreaming up tales that appeal to me, and hopefully make you smile.

Yours,
Rowan