Check-Up #37

Yes, 37 in a row (little Clerks reference there). See, I can get blogs out before the end of the month. I have got another I want to do about some stuff I've been watching but I wanted to get this one done while I still think of it.  

I went to a convention today and I was just thinking about the amount of prep I did for it for, well, not much really. Today I was Belinda Chandra, the latest Doctor Who companion, from the 1950s set episode Lux in which she wears a very nice yellow dress (please see below picture). The dress itself was good although the one thing wrong with it was that it was very generous in the chest department and despite the ravages of middle age, I really don't have much of, if at all, boobage. I tried pinning it back and I suppose the only other solution would be to wear falsies but I'd never done that before and can't be bothered to be honest. The dress is also backless which meant I would be showing more skin than usual so I got up early and did as much shaving as I could do. This is despite the fact that I bought a white cardigan to cover my shoulders. So I needn't have done so much shaving but part of me thought I might do a photo at some point although I would also say that perhaps not even the sudden heat death of the universe would have been warm enough to make me take the cardie off. Welcome to gender dysphoria. 

The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu)
take in a movie in Lux

The flip side of this though is when I tried the costume on all at once including the white shoes (which I had originally bought for Cher Horowitz) and I just felt so good. My hair is a bit longer and fluffier at the moment so that helped. Again only the lack of boobage let me down today. It was one of those moments when I remembered the feeling that made me want to do this over and over again. I felt so pretty in that moment. After a few arguments in the office at work recently when trans issues have come up it was a reminder of why I still like to do this. It also reminds me that I really should speak up more. 

So why did I do it? Basically to walk around a lot of stalls for 2 hours. Literally 2 hours. I changed clothes in a a small tent (luckily no-one else wanted to use it) and had some overpriced food so why bother? I felt wonderful walking around though. I carried myself a little differently and felt a bit like a proper lady as my heels clacked on the bare floor. The same heels that my feet are now recovering from. I had some nice comments and someone even asked for a photo which was nice. I've also just realised that this is a growing trend of companion period costumes I have (see also Rose Tyler's 1953 dress from The Idiot's Lantern and Ruby Sunday's mod dress from The Devil's Chord). This one I bought specifically because Varada Sethu, who plays Belinda, was at the convention.  

Elsewhere I also went to Birmingham for a talk. Despite travel issues I managed to get there ok but I needed to catch a cab which is how I ended up standing outside a rock pub wearing a t-shirt and red maxi skirt, trying to hide next to a mural. I was expecting a text or call from the driver as he drew near but this didn't stop the paranoia kicking in and me dashing across the road to ask a couple of taxi drivers if they were here for me which prompted one pub patron to shout "What are you doing?" at me. I almost had my face in my hands screaming "I don't know!" (please note I took this a more lightly than it sounds like I did. It's almost sitcom like). As I got in my cab I was treated to a rousing chorus inviting me to either get my tits or my dicks (plural?) out for the lads (still not sure which one it was). Charming. 

Apart from breaking a bracelet this weekend while trying it on in a store, that's about it. I will say though that I am taking the chance to dress more often while going out which does mean lugging a bag of clothes into work but I have found a nice secluded space to change. I will just leave you with a couple of stories I'm following at the moment:

Fake It Until You Make It by tithug - Another tale on The Changing Mirror, this is a fun, ongoing bimbofication story about a snooty literature graduate being taught how to 'fit in' at her new job at a local salon. 

The Underwear Situation by Lost Mind - not quite sure where this is going but it's an interesting mind control tale as Tom's roommate Rebekka tries to change his mind about her - and her underwear. 

Back to the 1960s

 I've always enjoyed time travel programmes, films and captions and one of my favourite times is the 1960s as I love the fashions. Well, at least I thought it was until I looked into doing this and found I hadn't done that many. It's either this or the 1980s so I guess we'll have to see. I've even done a brand new cap for this post!

The below caption was created for the August 2016 caption contest over at Rachel's Haven which had the theme 'Time travel'. The title derives from The Who's album and movie Quadrophenia. Reading it again, I quite like the story in this of a world weary time traveller suddenly being given some free will back. 

Modrophenia (2016)

The below caption was again created for the Rachel's Haven caption competition. Now we are in April 2022 and theme is 'Possession in Either the Past or Future'. Obviously I chose the past and I quite like the idea of using a new phone app to insert someone into a photograph. I love the outfit the girl is wearing in this one too. The only thing that could be improved is the name of the band 'The Pop Cats'. I'm sure there must be a better one. The title is taken from a British sci-fi anthology series from the 1960s. 

Journey to the Unknown (2022)

And now to the newness! I've been toying around with AI recently and this is one of the random images I came up with. I enjoyed writing all the 1960s slang. The idea of a time travel portal in a diner is derived from a Stephen King book and TV miniseries 11.22.63. Neither of which I have actually read or watched but I keep meaning to although I see the series is now 9 years old! Afficionados of British sitcom may also remember the 1990s Nicholas Lyndhurst starring Goodnight Sweetheart. The premise was that a TV repairman was able to travel back to the 1940s by using a specific alleyway (Ducketts Passage) in London. I'm quite pleased with my final line on this one too.   

The Beachcomber Café (2025)

Stories Stories Stories

 I just wanted to note a few stories that have caught my interest this month. 

The first is Infinite Worlds. I have started looking into this through The Changing Mirror and it's an AI driven storyteller in which creators can add certain scenarios and the player can continue on through the story either via prompts given by the AI or those written by the player themself. I'm getting quite into it at the moment and with any sort of AI story I like having the input and opportunity to shape the story. I've also been wondering whether or not to try crafting a storyline myself and I'm intrigued to know what the process is. 

Speaking of my own creations, I recently put my short story (or more of a vignette I think) Christmas Morning on The Changing Mirror and although it has views I have 0 comments on it. I'm not sure whether I like this or not as I do rather worry about comments and what other people say and even on this blog I get a bit anxious. Since I started doing captions on Bluesky I haven't had much there either but then it did take time to grow even on Twitter and then I wonder when I started to worry about it so much. I guess social media does that to you and I should really just create stuff for me first. In some ways erotica and fetish can be quite niche; I could write something that pushes all my buttons but no-one else would get it. Indeed I've done that before with captions and it's a great compliment to be told that not only did you hit someone's buttons correctly but you may have invented a few new ones which is something I've been told before. Always nice to know someone is reading though and likes what you do.  

Here are a couple of new ones I've also been reading:

Bimbo 101 by Sissy Girl Sammi - a man is turned into a bimbo by his witch stepmother who is giving him lessons on how to be one. There are only 2 parts up at the moment but I'm hoping more will be soon as this is certainly one that interests me. The idea of being taught how to be like someone has always chimed with me especially if it's someone in particular. 

The Succubike by Heather J - Fun story about a motorbike changing men into bimbos. 

In other news, I've bought a few new things. A red dungaree dress which is quite nice, a black maxi skirt and a dress which consists of a black and white striped top and black skirt. I also bought some new Star Trek cosplay recently and wore it out at MCM this weekend which was quite fun although being surrounded by so many people make me wonder why I worry about it so much.  

Check-Up #36

 I've meant to write this one for a while but I keep getting sidetracked by other things. First of all a bit of fashion stuff, recently I've been buying some more stuff: a black maxi skirt with a pleat, a black dress covered in blue and white flowers and a gorgeous red dress, a darker red with a pleated skirt and a roman kind of style. I will probably never have the opportunity to wear it but it's nice to have in case. I do get pangs of doubt now about buying more stuff as I maybe I feel I have enough however I have trouble getting rid of clothes especially my guy stuff which I probably should given how things are going. A couple of other things I've noticed recently too is that more people are wearing coloured tights especially burgundy and extra buttons seem to be back to, the sort that don't really do anything. I've always liked this, especially on skirts, as a kind of rich, preppy girl style look.   

Last month I went to a convention which was a lot of fun and gave me the opportunity to dress up a bit, basically for the whole weekend. I cosplayed as Missy from Doctor Who and as Glinda from Wicked. I loved being Glinda so much! She's not a character I ever thought of doing before a friend took me to see the movie. In fact I did end up trying on the cosplay with a bleeding finger I never spotted before and had to get undressed while trying not to get blood on my clothes. As someone who doesn't dress that brightly it was odd to be dressed in purple and pink and basically be the brightest one there. While not the most forthright person I did my best to chivvy my friends along in a very Glinda style. I had some much needed assistance with my hair and make-up and was called 'Miss Glinda' for much of the day. It was one of the best times I've ever spent in cosplay. 

A friend of mine who is also non-binary said that while they are prepared to present male for work reasons I obviously hate it which is apparently a difference. I think I agree with that. I think dressing male now is so ingrained that there are certain things I'll never stop doing but it's beginning to grate on me more and more.

Check-Up #35

Ok so I wanted to do a brief section on some television I've been watching recently so this may be a bit reality show heavy. 

RuPaul's Drag Race

This year's Drag Race is reaching its finale and this year I've been quite taken with transwoman Lexi Love. I'm not sure that she'll go ahead and win the actual title as there are a few strong contenders this year (although one has just been given the boot which was quite the surprise). I've loved her Werk Room outfits as well and she managed to beat Snatch Game! Notice I didn't say 'win' but she managed to lose in such a funny way that Ru saved her anyway which, after all these years, is surely a game changer. You can be bad but as long as you somehow manage to be funny with it then you'll scrape through. I didn't think her impression of Gilbert Gottfried was all that bad though but as ever it's just that she didn't do much with it. I'm not sure I could either, truth be told, never one much for improv. She has been very funny in other challenges though and had a lovely tender moment when her mum came on during the Drag Families challenge and used her pronouns correctly for the first time. Good luck Lexi!

Lexi Love in a promo shot for RuPaul's Drag Race season 17

The Apprentice

The Apprentice is also entering its finale week and I've already expressed my sadness that Aoibheann Walsh didn't continue (I mean even the coat she left in was fab) and since then there has been some notable fashion from contestants Mia, Anisa (who made it to the finale) and Amber-Rose. In fact I did see Anisa wearing one of Aoibheann's dresses a couple of time throughout? Did she leave it behind? Did they both have the same dress? I've thought about this more than I should have done. One challenge that she would have slayed though is the fashion challenge and in this one I was pleased to see Mia making a passionate argument for skirts and dresses for men as forward fashion. Unfortunately this didn't quite work out for her and, despite being a very strong candidate, she was fired. Despite the crop top, jacket and skirt she designed looking quite high fashion perhaps it was the fact it was made out of parachutes didn't work. The other team had very basic outfits but sailed through on their commercial viability and introduced the concept of a scrunch bum (nope, I didn't either) to a grateful public. It's hard to know if skirts would have been a winner anyway with most of the male populous understandably turning their noses up at the very concept anyway.  Then again whenever the idea of male skirts comes up they usually turn out to be a bit grey and utilitarian.  Perhaps if they had been designed differently, which brings me on to my last section...

Screenshot from The Apprentice Series 19 ep 10: Fashion
(left to right: candidates Mia, Anisa and Jordan alongside a 
model wearing their parachute skirt) 

Doctor Who

Yes, it's back! Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor is no stranger to fashion and indeed in his first full story (The Giggle aside) The Church on Ruby Road he was wearing a kilt which also represented Gatwa's Scottish roots. In the first episode of the new series (and in the promos) The Robot Revolution he wears a long blue pinstripe skirt which looks quite nice. It's this kind of garment that does look more like a male skirt (at least as a concept) should be, made of a hard wearing material, with pockets and worn with trousers but at least with a pattern. It will be interesting to see if the Doctor wears anything similar during the upcoming series. 

Ncuti Gatwa and Varada Sethu in
a publicity shot for Doctor Who

Also, I previously mentioned sitcom Smoggie Queens on here which I really enjoyed and am now pleased that it's been renewed for a second series.  

Clueless: The Musical

 Recently I had a couple of days off and took the opportunity to see a couple of shows in London. Previously I've mentioned Inside No.9 and I went to see their new stage show Stage/Fright which was very good but I also went to see Clueless: The Musical. 

I've probably talked a lot about Clueless before and how it was an influential film for me growing up. In fact I think at one point I was writing letters pretending to be Cher (not posted of course, just a fun thing) and drawing pictures of how I thought I would look in some of the outfits (which are still in existence and I'm torn on whether to destroy or not). Anyway, I rewatched the film the night before I went and it's still a lot of fun. It did also strike me that in this day and age you probably need a Monty Python style caption blinking 'SATIRE' at several points as there are a lot of gags particularly to do with mobile phones that would sail over peoples heads these days but back then they were more of a status symbol and you had to be wealthy to afford one. 

I was please to see a few people at the musical in Clueless inspired outfits and I myself was wearing a yellow plaid skirt, yellow cardigan and a pink 'Bronson Alcott High' t-shirt. I did stop short of the white knee socks though but I would really have wanted to do it if I didn't have to travel on the train and I still feel a bit self-conscious about that sort of thing.

Emma Flynn as Cher Horowitz in Clueless: The Musical
Photo by Matt Crockett

Overall I enjoyed the musical and may see it again as I note the songs were inspired by 90s music genres so I may have to listen again to properly appreciate them. The outfits were good too, not quite the same as their film counterparts but still recognisable. For example, Cher's iconic plaid outfit (above) has been redesigned with a cropped jacket and a blouse/shirt with tails out with additional beret. Cher does wear a beret sometimes in the film but they've added it more here and I quite like this look. The main actress, Emma Flynn, certainly has a good history for playing Cher having played Elle Woods (Legally Blonde) and Sandy (Grease) previously. Actually I've also noticed how serendipitous her name is. It also made me notice how much people on stage work shifting bits of set and scenery around and how props were adapted for example a sofa being changed into Cher's white jeep. 

I did finally get the shoes for my Cher cosplay so I've now got a bit more enthusiasm to do that at a show at some point this year. I've also made a point of wanting to go back to the source material and read Emma by Jane Austen (which Clueless is based on). I did watch the 2020 film adaptation with Anya Taylor-Joy (in which she also wore a yellow dress in tribute to Clueless) but I haven't seen the 1996 Gwyneth Paltrow version as yet. 

Pink Library #14: Candy's Hearts

Valentine's Day has been and gone but here is a nice little bimbo transformation tale I came across last week.

Candy's Hearts by BimbosAndDolls

It's interesting sometimes when you read something and imprint your own thoughts and preferences onto it. I think if I was writing this I would have ramped up the differences between the two and maybe made Amanda a but frostier towards Candy and even look down on her a bit which would make her transformation into her bestie a bit sweeter. I've always leant into the 'They will become what they hate' style of writing a little bit more: nerds to popular girls, frugal guys to bratty shopaholics, prudes to sluts etc. 

Just to be clear, I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with the story or how it could be 'improved' but I found it interesting thinking what direction I would take it in personally. This is still in that wheelhouse though with the transformation being a the 'plain jane' to bombshell change however it's also clear that by the end of the story Amanda seems much happier as bimbo Mandy than as her overworked previous self. It's a fun little tale that I really enjoyed.

Here are some other tales I'm following at the moment:

Bikini Beach: My Dumb Sapphic Summer by Emily Safeharbor - A woman accidentally swaps places with the bimbo lead character of a cheesy 1980s lesbian movie.

The Chav Next Door by Elsie - a teenage boy moves to a council estate and falls in with a gang of chav girls.

Marc's Secret by Dani Sweets - a man discovers that he seems to be unconsciously crossdressing.