First round

This was one of the few categories in which Taylor managed to actually learn something. He knew, or at least he thought he knew, the capital cities of many of the larger or better known countries. He hoped that there would not be any minor, more obscure states among the questions.

What is the capital city of Brazil? Initially the contestant wanted to answer Rio de Janeiro, but then he realised that it was not among the possible answers. But Brasilia was and that was his choice. Correct. What is the capital city of Ghana? Ehm… Baku? WRONG. What is the capital city of Chile? There were two answers that sounded Spanish, but one of them was Buenos Aires and Taylor knew that it was the capital of Argentina. So he chose Santiago instead and it was Correct. What is the capital city of New Zealand? Taylor had read about it, but forgot the answer. Fortunately for him there was only one name that sounded English. Wellington. Correct. What is the capital city of Sudan? Maybe Banjul? WRONG.

“Two mistakes, Taylor,” the host exclaimed, “a decent start, if you want to become a bimbo. Draw two transformation cards.”

“Corset and Sex Change.”

“Sounds like a perfect start!” Frank commented, as the audience clapped enthusiastically.

“No, thank you,” Taylor replied drily, clearly not sharing their enthusiasm, “I don’t mind the corset, but I want to remain a man. I want to discard the Sex Change,” he stated firmly.

“Draw two new cards then.”

“Waist Narrowing and Body Hair Removal.”

“There you go! You have one of the desired transformations already. And imagine how slim your waist is going to be with the narrowing AND the corset.”

“I believe I am slender enough, but I guess I have no reasons to complain,” the contestant replied, in a somewhat resigned tone.

“Exactly. Into The Chamber you go.”

Taylor was seriously stressed out when he initially drew the Sex Change, even though he could discard that transformation. Apparently his self control was not as effective as he liked to believe. Ultimately the three transformations were not bad, even if the corset sounded a bit odd. If the future transformations were equally harmless, Taylor hoped he could avoid the worst kinds of humiliation the show had to offer. He calmly entered the device and closed his eyes. His entire skin began to tingle lightly. The sensation was quickly followed by the feeling of his waist getting slimmer, almost immediately followed by external pressure. For a moment Taylor almost panicked, because suddenly he had issues with breathing, but swiftly everything returned to normal. The itching was gone, but the corset remained; though its presence no longer felt so restrictive. The door to The Chamber opened and the contestant stepped out; he was greeted with a round of applause. On the large screen he saw the results of the two transformations which had focused on his waist. The corset was stylish and fit the rest of his outfit surprisingly well. Tyler did not focus on the style though, but on size. He managed to get an hourglass figure even with his narrow hips, all thanks to the impressively slender waist. The corset was really tight, but not uncomfortable; the contestant did not feel as if his motions or breathing were limited. He admired his almost unreal shape for a moment, until Frank spoke.

“Welcome back, Taylor. I see that you like the result of the transformations.”

“Yeah… it’s nice,” the contestant replied, as he began to walk towards the panel, “and surprisingly comfortable.”

“The Corset transformation is more than a fashion statement. It had altered your body as well, although not as significantly as the Waist Narrowing. Wearing tight corsets will restrict your movements only in a limited manner and you’ll be able to breathe freely. It’s not a return to the Victorian Era and you won’t even need to give up any sports.”

“That’s very reassuring,” Taylor replied with a genuine relief in his voice.

“Hopefully it’ll boost your confidence before the second round. Pick the category.”

“****.”