December Update

Well, things have been quite busy recently.

I've bought a couple of tops recently too. One of them is a wonderful jumper which has part of a shirt underneath with a pixie collar and oh I wish I could wear it to work. I'm unsure of the actual material but it's so lovely. It's funny that now I've started to buy more I've started to get a bit more cagey. I wonder if I should not go in those stores for a while in case someone 'catches on' or if I should stop buying things altogether because now I've reached that point I wonder if it's worth it all. What's the point of having nice clothes and not getting the use out of them because I only dress once in a while and it's not like I actually go out in them. This hasn't stopped me feeling that I want more though like a nice skater dress or a tight knee length skirt or a new black skirt. It feels that a new world has opened up a little this last year or at least one I'm allowing myself to be part of.

I had a family Christmas and it was as nice and as filling as usual. Enjoyed this year's Doctor Who as well.  

I've started reading some more TG fiction recently as well but I should be doing some separate posts about that hopefully soon. I've also been writing some. I wanted to write a Role Exchanger story about an office Christmas party and put it up here in time for Christmas but sadly that wasn't to be but I;m still working on it and if you're on the Haven part of it has already gone up in caption form. 

Here's a little snippet though. It may be a bit rough at the moment: 

Disclaimer: The Role Exchanger concept is the property of Morpheus and the original stories can be found at Fictionmania. The below is my own work. 

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Natalie and Tim were talking in the corner. Tim put down his drink and headed for the door. “Back in a minute, just going for a smoke,” he said as she sighed. They had been going out for 6 months now and one of the only things they disagreed on was his smoking. “I told you, you should get one of those vape things,” she replied. “Nothing like the real thing,” he added. “Well, enjoy the rain,” she smiled as a blue light caught her eye. “I won’t,” he said, walking down the stairs. The lingering smoke from Tim’s jacket, now resting on the back of the chair suddenly set something off in Natalie. Usually she found it a turn off, it used to get right up her nose, but now there was something so warm and familiar about it. She grabbed the jacket, put it around her shoulders and headed outside after Tim.

Sheltering from the rain, Tim just about got his cigarette lit but started coughing as the disgusting taste spread throughout his mouth. It can’t be the brand I always buy the same? Why was the taste so terrible? How had he managed to smoke this much for the last ten years? Suddenly Natalie appeared from behind him. “Say, um, maybe I out to try one. I never have before,” she said meekly. “Here, knock yourself out,” Tim sighed, passing her his still burning cigarette. He felt frustrated and smoking was supposed to relieve that but perhaps he was better off without it. Natalie seemed to be enjoying it though and indeed it felt like a comfortable and relaxing old habit to her. This was great; all her frustrations seemed to drift away. What hadn’t she been doing this before? “I think I’m going back inside and get some food, are you coming?” Tim asked. “Actually I might stay for another,” she replied, already thinking of nipping to one of the nearby shops for her own pack. “ Here you go,” he said, pressing his half empty pack and lighter into her hand. “Enjoy the rain,” he added, heading inside.

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Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1971)

I think I mentioned this film in an earlier blog but today I gave it proper watch after having it on my DVR for the last couple of months so I thought I would do a quick blog. 

This is a sex-swap Hammer horror take on The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson which has to be the granddaddy of all transformation fiction. The film was written by Brian Clemens who sadly died earlier this year and who wrote for many great TV shows including The Avengers and The Professionals. 

The story is set in Victorian London and sees workaholic scientist Dr. Jekyll begin work on an elixir of life using female hormones. The potion turns him into a beautiful but deadly woman whom he passes off as his sister 'Mrs Hyde' whenever anyone asks. Jekyll is forced to continue killing young women to continue his research and as Hyde becomes the dominant personality, she takes over the killing to sustain herself. The two personalities battle for their body and things reach a head over the Spencer family who live upstairs. Jekyll begins a friendship with doe-eyed Susan while Hyde falls for her brother Howard. Ultimately the police catch up with Jekyll after his latest killing and he falls to his death from a rooftop caught in mid-transformation for ever more while his hastily written confession burns in the lab. 

This is an entertaining Victorian mash-up which includes the elements of the real life stories of grave robbers Burke and Hare and Jack the Ripper which Jekyll becoming the feared Whitechapel killer. Although he isn't named as such (and is only referred to as The Ripper once) all the elements are there from the top hat and cloak and the removal of organs with surgical precision. I think there's even a Sweeney Todd reference. Sadly, we don't see Jekyll in drag after changing back but we do get Hyde in a dressing gown. Martine Beswick is brilliant as Hyde in a succession of red dresses (starting with a curtain) symbolizing her bloody birth, talents as a murderess and sexuality. Hyde is her own separate personality rather than being just Jekyll in female form. The first transformation is marvellous too as we seamlessly switch from one actor to another.

Sexual repression is often a theme with TF stories and here Hyde is the more sensual but after the transformations also wake Jekyll up to his feelings for Susan. There is a lovely moment though when Jekyll reaches out and touches Howard's face; confusing his feelings as Hyde becomes more dominant. 

This was an enjoyable movie overall. 

November Update

I have earth shattering news today! 

I walked into a shop and exchanged money for goods! Incredible isn't it. 

OK, so it's not that incredible but after having moaned on here before about my failure to buy female clothing in shops but today I succeeded in buying a couple of skirts in a two different shops. One is a long peach skirt and the other is short black and had ruffles on it. tried them on and they look lovely. I just need some more suitable tops to go with them now. 

I've been thinking more about cosplay recently since some friends of mine have started doing it in the last couple of years and if they start doing more I am considering joining them at more conventions. Their enthusiasm has made me what to do things properly because I do tend to slpa together something last minute either due to having left zero prep time, suffer chronic indecision or my bottle goes. Perhaps I should start planning a bit more. i would still love to do the red Clara dress and accessories. The ultimate cosplay for me though would be Cher's yellow plaid suit from Clueless. I saw a skirt the other week and considered buying it even though it would have been too small but it got my interest back up so I went looking online. I may be able to get one custom made so I'm seriously considering it. Not sure where I would wear it though but I do know a cinema where they show it occasionally so it could receive a outing there. 

This leads me on to TV and Scream Queens which I've been watching recently. Wonderful outfits. There's always something thrilling about a bitchy Queen Bee with a stylish wardrobe and Emma Roberts is brilliant as Chanel. I've also been watching and still loving DC's crop of superhero shows along with the always stylishly dressed Felicity Smoak from Arrow and Caitlyn Snow from The Flash. Can't say I'm totally getting into Supergirl but it's still a decent show and Melissa Benoist is a wonderfully enthusiastic lead.  

October Update

Well, Halloween came and went. No dressing up for me though. Didn't get invited anywhere and didn't feel like dressing up anyway. I bought a new dress recently though and it actually fits this time. Makes me look a bit pregnant though but I'm sure I can change that.

Went to a convention recently too, only for a few hours, but the cosplay on show is just amazing and makes me want to step up a bit and actually do things properly. Part of it is still fear I guess. Not sure when I'll be cosplaying next but hopefully I can put a bit of time into it.

I keep meaning to do a Fashionista column but I will say that one thing I've seen about that I'm loving recently is a nice black jumper or polo neck coupled with a tight pencil skirt and tights.

Fetishes

Last month I posted about possibly dressing again for an 80s disco thing. It was something I had been thinking about for a bit but ultimately I didn't in the end. I left it a bit late and once I got to the thing it probably wasn't the best place to do it anyway although there were a few people about in fancy dress and it would have made me feel better I guess.

As far as CD goes, I've ordered another dress and I've even been dressing on the odd occasion in the evening, usually in a skirt and tights. Physically going into a shop and buying things is still a problem which I guess I need to overcome. I've also been checking out a few videos by Vera Wylde on YouTube recently with some good tips. One of them being that shop assistants either think you're buying for a wife or girlfriend or they just don't care. Of course, it's hard not to fee that all eyes are upon you and that everyone in the shop has 'guessed' what you are or that the shopgirls won't have a good snigger about it after you leave the store.

I think it just feels so taboo and that you need to de-fetishise it which is why I like to dress sometimes in the evening, to make it feel normal to myself. One a season four episode of RuPaul's Drag Race Sharon Needles, when having to dress a burly bloke for a challenge, advised him that "we don't fetishise the clothes" and that's really stuck with me or a few months. It needs not to be a taboo thing, in the mind anyway. It's just clothes after all and I need to believe that.

Oh, and I've now broken my record for most blog posts in a year since I started in 2012 so that's something anyway.

Doctor, Doctor

Ok, so not much to report lately but there are a couple of things I thought I might mention.

Firstly, the new season of Doctor Who has started and I LOVED Clara's outfit in the opening two parter. A cute green dress with white polka dots. Possible new cosplay but there's so many with Clara. I would still love to do the red dress from Asylum of the Daleks. Apparently Jenna Coleman's quit now too so i wonder who my next fashion icon will be.

Doc Martin is also back on TV which for those that have never seen it is a comedy drama about a grumpy doctor in a small Cornish village. There's always a gaggle of teenage girls wandering around in short skirts or tiny shorts wearing lots of coloured bangles and bracelets and feathered earrings and stuff. Oh, to be one of those girls.

Now, after my recent confidence boost I find myself wondering about dressing up for an upcoming disco/70s and 80s night near me. I could get some coloured tights and a tutu and stuff, go a bit Cyndi Lauper. Not sure i would want to walk through town like it thought but who knows, we'll see. I've been a bit down recently especially where work is concerned so it would be great to get a lift.

Why?

As I said last time, there was a photo of me up on a social media site for a while and last week was the first time that I saw some of my friends for a drink and most people took the opportunity to ask me about my TARDIS outfit with question being why the hell I did it. I don't really have an answer beyond "because I thought it would be cool" or just a shrug of my shoulders and nobody pressed me on the issue. I doubt I would ever admit the truth, can't really hear the words coming out of my mouth.

I was asked if I would wear the outfit to another gathering later in the month and I admit I did consider it but first of all I would be a bit wary walking through the town up to the station dressed like that never mind central London. Of course, it does sound quite tempting to me and it might depend on the future circumstances but not this time around. As nice as my friends are, I would just be made fun of all night and the regular jokes would be trotted out (although I have had some compliments about my legs). Although I'm always looking for excuses (I would love to wear a skirt suit to work one day perhaps under the banner of 'for charity') to dress, I don't want it to be like this.