Check-Up #42

 I haven't been doing much out of the ordinary recently although it has been very busy at work. The weather has been quite hot here and once again I get self conscious about my legs however starting to wear maxi skirts a lot more has helped with that some the summer months. I'm also concerned about putting on weight as everything I have seems to be that little bit tighter although sometimes that's just sitting down and I'm perfectly fine if I stand. I know if I can just lose a bit then I should be fine. 

MCM Comic Con in London was last weekend and although I had plans to cosplay it didn't quite work out due to a bout of illness the night before. I did go though but wearing a basic t-shirt and maxi skirt. I did feel comfortable though and it was nice not to have to do a quick change in a toilet cubicle and queue at the cloakroom to hand in a bag before I even got into the actual convention for once though. It did give me cause to lament that I hadn't got any new outfits though especially as I had been eying a Supergirl outfit and a Starfleet Academy uniform for a bit. I did buy something recently though and it was to do a very rare male cosplay. There aren't many I've wanted to do apart from the Tenth Doctor, possibly the 14th Doctor too and maybe Star Lord but I've put that on the back burner for now. No, this one is Number Six (or possibly just any bod from The Village) from 1960s series The Prisoner. All I really needed was the jacket and ironically it was a ladies one I ended up buying. 

Patrick McGoohan as Number Six being pursued
by Rover in a scene from The Prisoner (1967)

Staying with TV, in a previous blog I mentioned the series Smoggie Queens about an LGBTQ+ friend group in Middlesbrough which has just returned for a second series. I've been watching it this week and found it as enjoyable as the first. 

Back onto the cosplay though and I have mentioned before that I wanted to try a femme dressing service at some point well I have booked up for a photoshoot through an offer I saw at a convention so now all I need to do is choose my outfits. This will include cosplay but I'm hoping I will also be able to do a full dress and make-up experience. Thinking about it is making me a bit nervous but hopefully it will turn out ok. 

Media Blitz

Here are a few pieces of media I've been enjoying recently with some notable scenes I thought might be suitable for this blog so I thought I would ramble on for a bit about that. This was originally a short list which has gotten longer as I've put off writing it: 

Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)

This is a very enjoyable sequel from the dying embers of the DCU (more on that a bit later) but I'm just going to focus on the moment when the wizard (magical dude who gave Billy Batson his powers - played by Djimon Hounsou) appears to Billy in his dream just as he's going on a date with Wonder Woman to give him a warning. This of course means he appears with his face on Wonder Woman's body which is a lot of fun. A shame that Zachery Levi is a Trumper these days when nearly 20 years ago he was king of the nerds Chuck Bartowski in the action TV series Chuck which I fondly remember. Following watching the first film, I did contemplate cosplaying Mary Marvel.

Doctor Who: Wish World/The Reality War (2025)

Well this year's season finale was a bit of a mixed bag which sadly ended with the regeneration of the Fifteenth Doctor played by Ncuti Gatwa. It felt like we spent very little time with this incarnation and I was sorry to see him go however it looks like the next Doctor may be a woman in the shape of former companion Billie Piper. I have some scepticism around this casting and whether it may just be a bit of fan baiting but I'm not going to go into that. 

The main part I wanted to mention though is that the Fifteenth Doctor wore a few skirts over him time, albeit leaning towards the masculine rather than anything more femme, with the final episode seeing him in a pinstripe number. In Wish World the Doctor had woken up with no memory of his true self and believed himself to be wage slave John Smith who worked for an insurance company every day and wearing a very British blue pinstripe suit and bowler hat. When the spell is broken in The Reality War it's a delight to see the Doctor's more subversive take on the pinstripe suit with a vest and skirt. Very suitable for perhaps the most LGBTQ+ friendly Doctor. 

Rick and Morty: The Rick, The Mort & The Ugly (2025)

Multiple versions of the title characters have long been a staple of this sci-fi series with a whole citadel of AU Ricks and Mortys co-existing in previous episodes. This story sees the fallout from the citadel's destruction as some of the characters try to rebuild their lives. Here I just wanted to note that in a scene reminiscent of a western bar there are some flapper Ricks in the background in full showgirl garb. Maybe they are clones designed just to dance in the background (if Rick gets some kind of weird amusement out of it) or it's possible that alternate versions of the universe's smartest man just want to look pretty and dance. 

Cheerleader Camp (1988)

Cheaply made 80s horror that I only mention due to a crossdressing scene in which one pervy kid dons drag to spy on cheerleaders. Yup, best leave that one there and indeed in the past where it belongs. 

M3GAN 2.0 (2025)

I never watched the original but the trailers for this made me want to go back and see it. If you're in two minds I would say don't go in expecting a horror film akin to the original but something with a more action sci-fi flavour with a hint of MCU. I would totally watch a series with a snarky killer doll and her friends/team fight crime though and I had a lot of fun with this. I mention this mainly because of M3GAN's cute new outfit with miniskirt. I saw someone dressed like this at a recent convention and fair play to her, she really committed to it. 

M3GAN's new outfit in a scene from M3GAN 2.0 (2025)

Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004)

In my post Buffy rewatch efforts to watch the cinematic oeuvre of Sarah Michelle Gellar I watched this since it dropped on Amazon Prime. SMG was the perfect choice for Daphne blending many of the elements that made Buffy Summers such a great character namely her kick-ass skills matched with a little ditziness. This is my favourite of the two films and the scene I wanted to mention sees Scooby wearing Velma's jumper and Daphne's purple boots. Daphne herself simply comments that they don't go together but hey, nothing wrong with the Scoob trying a new look. 

Transaction (2025)

Sitcom written by and starring comedian Jordan Gray as Liv, a chaotic trans woman who starts working at a supermarket on the night shift and realises that she can't get fired. It's a lot of fun and a great premise for a sitcom. I think that we Brits seem to specialise in the kind of sitcom that makes you realise everyone's a bit shit really. No matter the struggles some have whether it's race, colour, creed or ability we all have the capacity to be a dick to everyone. It's certainly interesting to see Liv so certain in her identity but yet unsure about having surgery. 

Pretty Red Dress (2022)

Very touching drama about a family unit in south London rocked when the father is discovered crossdressing in the title garb which is used by his partner in an ongoing audition to play Tina Turner in a musical. It also ties in with the story of their teenage daughter who is dealing with her own issues around gender and sexuality. It's still on BBC iPlayer here in the UK but is worth tracking down if you have the same interest in this sort of media as I do.  

Ironheart (2025)

The latest TV offering from the MCU wasn't the best they've done but still a lot of fun as always. I mention this here only due to the appearance by Drag Race royalty Shea Couleé as nonbinary hacker Slug. 

Superman (2025)

One the big summer movies and one which I really enjoyed yet was not without it's faults. So does Superman get into the wrong phone box and end up in a dress? No but I mention it here due to Supergirl's cameo at the end. Supergirl is a character I have wanted to cosplay and seeing her saunter in with a dirty coat over her outfit made me want to do it more. 

Publicity teaser shot for the upcoming
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow film

Shulkie

Yes, it's another Marvel tie-in. 

Anyway, the new series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law dropped today and I must say I really enjoyed the first episode. A few years ago I did read the graphic novel of Dan Slott's 2004 run on the comic, Single Green Female, which I picked up in a charity shop and enjoyed it so much I bought a few more so I was really pleased to see this one pop up on Marvel's slate. Tatiana Maslany is a brilliant actress as anyone who watched the fantastic Orphan Black will know. I have also toyed with the idea of cosplaying She-Hulk as dressed in the black skirt suit of Jennifer Walters but I think it may be too much make-up for me. 

So as she's currently in the news here's a caption featuring the green goddess I did for Chelsea Baker on Rachel's Haven. I quite like it although I'm not too sure about the scream at the end. Feels a bit much now. Anyway, hope you like. 

Shulkie (2015)

Ms Marvel

Once again where Marvel goes, I follow. As Ms Marvel has presently landed on Disney + and is doing well I thought I would put up a couple of themed captions. Unfortunately I don't have the names of either cosplayer.  

This one was created for Jeannie over at Rachel's Haven and uses one of my favourite concepts - Secret Cosplay. The premise being that a person receives an envelope with a cosplay choice on they must dress as for a local convention and if they dare ignore it then the choice will be fulfilled whether they like it or not. I seem to remember creating as a way to get some quick capbacks done with a common concept I could use without doing the same thing over and over again. I have varied it and there are quite a few captions and characters I've used it with now. This one is more the classic Carol Danvers version of the character though rather than the Kamala Khan version from the TV show. 

Secret Cosplay: Ms Marvel (2018)

This second caption was created for Jay Seaver over at Rachel's Haven and was inspired by the then recent Captain Marvel movie and riffs on a more conventional bodyswap scenario.

Marvel-ous Cosplay (2019)

January Update

Well, it's a been a while since my last update. Nothing major has really happened but it's been an interesting few weeks.

Christmas was the usual family affair, always very enjoyable and relaxing few days. During the break between Christmas and the New Year I went out a couple of times for drinks with friends and even 'dressed' for it. One day I spent a sizable chunk actually getting ready. Bought a new pair of boots. Really nice black with a buckle on the side. The sort you see girls wearing that makes it look like they're just one size too big and look really nice when coupled with a dress and tights. I painted my nails again and although I still enjoy the look, it's getting to be a bit frustrating when it keeps coming off even with a coat of non-chip. Still, everything went fine with no major incidents and I got some nice compliments.

Now, New Year was meant to be a full circle for me as I was due to wear my lovely black dress to my friends' party. I was going to get new shoes and maybe try a bit more make-up proving to myself how far I had come in a year and achieved an ambition I never even knew I had. Alas, though the party was called off due to illness and troublesome facilities so it was a night in with a Marvel movie, various firework displays and Robbie Williams singing for some reason.

I've bought a couple of nice necklaces now as well and ran into a little bit of trouble while looking at belts in a second hand store when one of the assistants informed me that I was looking in womens' section and directed me to the mens'. Now, I could have made a fuss and indeed I've been mentally preparing for this sort of thing but to be honest I didn't see the worth in it and mumbled over to the mens section. She was a nice old lady only trying to help and of the many fights I could potentially face, this is not the hill I want to die on.

I've returned to work which is getting busier and more stressful by the day as I'm struggling to catch up. Last week though I saw my girlfriend and admitted my crossdressing to her and had a nice response. She's a little apprehensive although she admits it's because she really hasn't much experience of it and I'm wondering what the first time she sees me 'dressed' (probably in a few weeks) will be like. She's only the second person I think I've actually told; everyone else got the visual first. She sent me some nice texts the next day too. So that's basically where I am at the moment

Cosplay List

Since I've been thinking about it recently, here's a list of crossplays I'm thinking about:

• Cher (Clueless - yellow plaid suit)
• Amy Pond (Pirate outfit from The Curse of the Black Spot)
• Harley Quinn (Surely a must for most crossplayers. Not sure which version. Not the traditional one but perhaps Suicide Squad version)
• Scarlet Witch (Age of Ultron)
• Clara Oswald (Time of the Doctor - both outfits)
• Clara Oswald (Waitress outfit from Hell Bent)
• Clara Oswald (Asylum of the Daleks)
• Clara Oswald (Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS)
• Alex Drake (Ashes to Ashes)
• Buffy Summers (Prophecy Girl)
• Rose Tyler (1950s dress from The Idiots Lantern)
• Chiana (Farscape - more of a fantasy since all that body paint really isn't my style)
• Jennifer Walters AKA She Hulk (Business suit, green make-up. Again, fantasy)
• Peggy Carter (Perhaps army uniform or blue suit)
• Jubilee (I liked her look in X-Men: Apocalypse)
• Kaylee Frye (Firefly)

There are some more gender appropriate cosplays I've considered including: The Tenth Doctor and Castiel (Supernatural). 

The list will probably change as time goes on. 

Noticeable Styles

Just a quick one tonight (or this morning now I guess since it's coming up to 1.30am here).

A little in relation to what I was talking about yesterday there was a girl I saw on the train today. She had long blonde hair and was wearing a black cap, black top and black leggings with gold chains around the neck and pockets and some blinging trainers. I've never seen an outfit like it before and I'm not sure of the right word to use but I loved it. It was something that I would never personally wear (not all the same colour) but yet I wanted to so much; I couldn't look away. It would have been such fun to swap clothes with her there and then, it's another common fantasy for me. I also find it fascinating why people wear the things they do and when. How what's stylish and the right way to dress for one person is opposite for another. Wearing a tracksuit may be a common look for one person but another would abhor it and you could say the same about long, fancy, elegant dress.

Another style I was thinking about recently was the 1940s. I've been watching some episodes of Agent Carter. Love Hayley Atwell in her blue suit. Long pencil skirt, tights and heels, just so smart and stylish. I'm liking the show so far with a highlight being the banter between Jarvis and Peggy. There's a lovely shot of Peggy walking to work in the opening episode in her blue suit and red hat, standing out amongst a sea of men dressed in dark suits.

Hmm maybe a future cosplay, who knows.

Agent Peggy Carter surveys the office

Photograph: www.thestar.com