
After commissioning
halcy0n to draw her interpretation of a more elaborate Gothy dress for Rowena, I was inspired to take it even further for a final image that officially concludes the sequence. I love taking concepts to extremes, especially when it comes to things I love, such as Goth couture. This design is my extension of Halcy0n's extension of my original design, so this has basically become a collaboration.
Continued from this TF sequence: FIRST | SECOND | THIRD
Rowena had no sooner finished her bottle of water than she felt her thirst return. Her dress was like an oven in the hot summer sun, and her increasingly heavy hair was acting like a blanket.
With every step of her eight-inch, high-heeled platform boots -- whose ridiculousness went thankfully unseen beneath the massive frills comprising the base of the dress -- her outfit grew. Its circumference widened inch by inch while more layers of dark fabric appeared, accompanied by bows and lace trim. Even the parasol gained additional features, including a veil, which made it more difficult to carry.
"Woe be it for myself to succumb to the rigors of these burdensome accouterments," she said in a weak voice. She tightened her grip on the handle, worried about dropping it through the fingers of her slippery silk gloves. The thought of bending down to retrieve it in her current state made her dizzy.
Determined, she continued placing one foot in front of the other, slowly shuffling out of the park and toward her home. Often a passerby would falter or completely stop in their tracks upon seeing her, and the wider her dress got, the more people had to walk bigger arcs to keep out of her way. She tried to offer apologies, but her voice was quite weak from the overall weariness of her ordeal, and still insisted upon speaking in the most convoluted fashion, that her expressions of regret never made it to their intended targets' ears before they moved on.
And then some people took pictures. Rowena's blushing cheeks complimented her pale complexion, adding a small bit of color to the stark woman.
Upon finally making it to her house, Rowena grabbed as much fabric as she could and lifted the front of her dress. She was reminded of a time when she pulled a duvet off a king-size mattress. Taking extremely careful steps, she walked up the front stoop. After a bit of rummaging, she found her keys in her purse and pushed her dress through the doorway into the icy cool interior.
She pulled her shimmering white hair into the hall, as it was now dragging on the ground by several yards, and shut the door once it was all inside. She leaned with her back against the door, sighing with relief.
And then her dress and hair disappeared, along with her tall platforms, causing her to tumble to the floor.
A few seconds later, she recomposed herself and found that she was back in her original hoodie and shoes, with her hair its normal length and volume. Standing back up and brushing it out of her face, she looked around and saw no trace of her Gothic costume.
She turned her head up to the ceiling and shouted "OH COME ON!"
She wiped some lingering sweat from her forehead as she trudged up the stairs to take a shower. The mischievous forces of magic had once again succeeded in making her day out a bizarre and unnecessarily complicated experience.
"It could have at least let me keep the dress," she muttered.
The end.

Continued from this TF sequence: FIRST | SECOND | THIRD
Rowena had no sooner finished her bottle of water than she felt her thirst return. Her dress was like an oven in the hot summer sun, and her increasingly heavy hair was acting like a blanket.
With every step of her eight-inch, high-heeled platform boots -- whose ridiculousness went thankfully unseen beneath the massive frills comprising the base of the dress -- her outfit grew. Its circumference widened inch by inch while more layers of dark fabric appeared, accompanied by bows and lace trim. Even the parasol gained additional features, including a veil, which made it more difficult to carry.
"Woe be it for myself to succumb to the rigors of these burdensome accouterments," she said in a weak voice. She tightened her grip on the handle, worried about dropping it through the fingers of her slippery silk gloves. The thought of bending down to retrieve it in her current state made her dizzy.
Determined, she continued placing one foot in front of the other, slowly shuffling out of the park and toward her home. Often a passerby would falter or completely stop in their tracks upon seeing her, and the wider her dress got, the more people had to walk bigger arcs to keep out of her way. She tried to offer apologies, but her voice was quite weak from the overall weariness of her ordeal, and still insisted upon speaking in the most convoluted fashion, that her expressions of regret never made it to their intended targets' ears before they moved on.
And then some people took pictures. Rowena's blushing cheeks complimented her pale complexion, adding a small bit of color to the stark woman.
Upon finally making it to her house, Rowena grabbed as much fabric as she could and lifted the front of her dress. She was reminded of a time when she pulled a duvet off a king-size mattress. Taking extremely careful steps, she walked up the front stoop. After a bit of rummaging, she found her keys in her purse and pushed her dress through the doorway into the icy cool interior.
She pulled her shimmering white hair into the hall, as it was now dragging on the ground by several yards, and shut the door once it was all inside. She leaned with her back against the door, sighing with relief.
And then her dress and hair disappeared, along with her tall platforms, causing her to tumble to the floor.
A few seconds later, she recomposed herself and found that she was back in her original hoodie and shoes, with her hair its normal length and volume. Standing back up and brushing it out of her face, she looked around and saw no trace of her Gothic costume.
She turned her head up to the ceiling and shouted "OH COME ON!"
She wiped some lingering sweat from her forehead as she trudged up the stairs to take a shower. The mischievous forces of magic had once again succeeded in making her day out a bizarre and unnecessarily complicated experience.
"It could have at least let me keep the dress," she muttered.
The end.
Category Artwork (Digital) / Human
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 700 x 936px
File Size 730.6 kB
Ahh, there is still a part of me who'd want to live forever in a world of such complete and utter neo-Victorian dolls. Perhaps not as convoluted a speech pattern (as someone who enjoys a lot of turn of the century fiction, I can tell you it wasn't as flowery as people make it out to be), but to live each day aspiring towards becoming a total work of art in presentation and demeanor, and to be fully immersed in a world that embraces and elevates its expressions of culture and aesthetic to their fullest, undiluted by an omnipresent grind towards the mundane, the homogeneous and, if I dare to say it, cheap. I might have drifted away from it somewhat in recent years, but this image reminds me greatly of what drew me into that ideal long ago, and for that I thank you.
So! Ever since I first found out that you were planning a final stage after an already impressive stage 6, I've been all abuzz with anticipation as to how it could be topped. You sure showed me when it comes to just how deep the rabbit hole of fashion can go. In particular I observe how the bodice seems to have gone further back in time to match the massive bell-shaped skirt profile, more of a coherent mid 19th-century look. The evolution of the headgear into a full bonnet is also consistent with that era of fashion. I'm more for later bustle styles if I'm totally honest, but there's definitely something to be said for the presence of mid-century crinoline modes of dress. Your fondness of extreme hair also matches up nicely with this level of adornment, really cementing a very porcelain doll look for our finished subject, though I might have perhaps hoped for more heavily styled hair, perhaps some extra long "spaniel curls" to each side and then a monstrosity of buns and braids down the back. Perhaps something to consider if you ever come back to this to push it even further beyond.
I'll admit, after a while I was wondering if I'd ever get to see this mythical final stage, but neither of you disappointed for sure. Might have to steal some inspiration for my own extreme costume TF stories. Actually, that might be something I'll be in the market to commission soon-ish, since I've been in good money again since getting back to work. Perhaps I'll have to keep you two in mind to bounce some ideas off of when the time comes.
So! Ever since I first found out that you were planning a final stage after an already impressive stage 6, I've been all abuzz with anticipation as to how it could be topped. You sure showed me when it comes to just how deep the rabbit hole of fashion can go. In particular I observe how the bodice seems to have gone further back in time to match the massive bell-shaped skirt profile, more of a coherent mid 19th-century look. The evolution of the headgear into a full bonnet is also consistent with that era of fashion. I'm more for later bustle styles if I'm totally honest, but there's definitely something to be said for the presence of mid-century crinoline modes of dress. Your fondness of extreme hair also matches up nicely with this level of adornment, really cementing a very porcelain doll look for our finished subject, though I might have perhaps hoped for more heavily styled hair, perhaps some extra long "spaniel curls" to each side and then a monstrosity of buns and braids down the back. Perhaps something to consider if you ever come back to this to push it even further beyond.
I'll admit, after a while I was wondering if I'd ever get to see this mythical final stage, but neither of you disappointed for sure. Might have to steal some inspiration for my own extreme costume TF stories. Actually, that might be something I'll be in the market to commission soon-ish, since I've been in good money again since getting back to work. Perhaps I'll have to keep you two in mind to bounce some ideas off of when the time comes.
Thank you! I'd be happy to help with that.
I considered doing something more fancy with the hair, but lately I've been most interested with just piles of fluffy, draping locks. I think they give a more airy/floaty/phantasmic feel to her, since I imagine her moving with incredible grace. Her speech patterns aren't meant to reflect actual 19th-century speech. She's become a stereotypical poetic goth, hence why she spouts unnecessarily convoluted language.
I considered doing something more fancy with the hair, but lately I've been most interested with just piles of fluffy, draping locks. I think they give a more airy/floaty/phantasmic feel to her, since I imagine her moving with incredible grace. Her speech patterns aren't meant to reflect actual 19th-century speech. She's become a stereotypical poetic goth, hence why she spouts unnecessarily convoluted language.
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