#(also yes the petticoat I made is under this and I do think it provides a sufficient ammount of poof)

[daincrediblegg]

New lady terror costume update! The skirt!

[emma-what-son]

Emma Watson Didn't Refuse the Corset Because Of FeminisM. She Did It Because Of Ignorance.

Factsoverfeelings Jan 2017: Harry Potter actress and noted feminist Emma Watson forgot to do her research after accepting the role of Belle in Disney's upcoming live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast. The media was awash in praise after Watson announced she wouldn't wear a corset in the movie... indicating that they didn't do their research, either.

See, many feminists (and fauxminists) demonize the corset as a symbol of female subjugation... which may have been true toward the end of the Edwardian era. But it's far from the whole story. Corsets have provided different shapes (from inverted cone to... insect) throughout the centuries, and it wasn't always about tightlacing and oppression. ​ For example, here's a video of Lucy Worsley, author of At Home with Jane Austen and If Walls Could Talk: An Intimate History of the Home, donning an Armada style dress. This replica outfit was worn by Elizabeth I for a portrait celebrating her victory over the Spanish Armada in 1588. Worsley is wearing a corset, which, in her own words, “isn’t at all like Victorian stays that give you a lovely waist.”

The end result is hardly a lung-restricting, organ-crushing hourglass. The purpose, here, was to be "queenly," taking up as much space as possible, projecting worth and confidence. The fact that the inside of the dress, which no one will see except the maids who dress the queen, is made of fine silk, kind of suggests that inner beauty is just as important as outer beauty. Other versions of the corset were often focused on much more practical things than queenliness and confidence. For example, warmth and safety. Wearing several layers of big, heavy skirts helped women stay warm in drafty castles — and these big, heavy skirts needed a sturdy base to anchor to. Moreover, the shape this base provided wasn't just pretty -- it also kept skirts from getting wrapped around women's legs, tripping them and causing injury, and even drowning. Throughout many eras, the corset also increased the comfort of the skirts -- those skirts were heavy. Think about how sore your shoulders would be if you wore a heavy backpack without a waist strap: 

(believe me: that waist strap makes all the difference!) ... But having a sturdy base also allowed dresses to be beautiful and elegant. I mean, here’s Lily James in Cinderella: 

And here, again, is the sad, deflated, and disappointing yellow gown from Beauty and the Beast: 

Without a corset, all the weight just kind of hangs. With a corset, it could have had gorgeous, airy sleeves and a skirt with shape and volume: 

Kind of like the Lily James/Cinderella dress -- which was stunning, magical and fantastical. But maybe it will look better on film. Going back to the history, rather than the functionality, of the corset. The male characters wear waistcoats and Gaston has a blunderbuss, which was fashionable for men of the 18th century. (Moreover, Gaston storming the castle calls to mind the French Revolution, 1978-1799.) At that point in time, French women's fashion was all about abundance. Hoop skirts, panniers, petticoats, and, yes, corsets. Court dress was restrictive and forced a proper standing posture -- but outside the court, dress had shifted to be more comfortable. The waist, at that time, was not particularly small, and stays were laced snugly, but comfortably. They offered back support for heavy lifting, and poor and middle class women were able to work comfortably in them. In fact, by the Empire and Regency periods (Jane Austen era), corsets fell out of fashion for a while. So historically, yes, she would have worn a corset. Yes, it would have been stiff, but it wouldn't have been unhealthy tight -- though the high-cut stays at the armpit would have forced her to stand up straight, with her shoulders back. Yes, it would have helped keep her warm in the winter (which is when much of the movie takes place). Yes, it would have allowed her to have "abuncance" in her dress.

Court dress, C. 1760, with wide panniers. From 1750-1775 in Western Fashion. 

Meanwhile, in England, clothing was becoming more inexpensive and durable, in response to an increasingly leisurely and outdoorsy lifestyle.) Honestly, though, this doesn't just bother me because the dress is so meh, and so many people with strong, positive memories will be disappointed by its poor construction. And I'm willing to forgive historical blunders, because it's a fairy tale. What bothers me is that this is yet another example of the "helping culture" that Christina Hoff Sommers, PhD, and Sally Satel, MD, described in their book, One Nation Under Therapy: How the Helping Culture is Eroding Self-Reliance. Undoubtedly, Watson has good intentions, here. (Or, maybe, she was afraid of being crucified by the body police if she looked too beautiful in the film.) But sometimes, good intentions have very negative consequences. As per Dear Well-Meaning Parents and Educators: Stop Giving Girls Self-Esteem Problems, most eight-year-olds don’t look at Disney princesses and start feeling inadequate. Children are experts at imaginary play — and they only learn that they “should” feel self-conscious around pretty and/or skinny women when adults teach them to.

Click the link to read the complete article.

[night-unfurls-its-splendour]

I'm watching the entire series of Game of Thrones for the first time. I've made my way to season 3, making sure to watch as many commentaries as I can. Last night I listened  to the Set Design / Costume Design commentary for S3 Ep 4: "And Now His Watch is Ended".

I know most historical costume Enthusiasts / Critics either don't touch, or make exceptions for Fantasy productions and on the whole I agree with that. But something about the Game of Thrones costumes (and how the show's popularity has impacted costume design on productions actually set in the medieval / Renaissance time period) has just really been bothering me.

(Perhaps you see what I mean here with Contessina De Bardi in Medici: Master's of Florence and her sneaky mini structured neckline)

It may be a couple of things, but lots of the ... insights from Michele Clapton shed some light on this for me. I have a few questions.

First: North of the Wall, we spend some time in this episode with The Night's Watch at Craster's Keep. Of Craster's wives, Clapton said [Disclaimer this is not an *exact* quote because I couldn't find a transcript anywhere and my sister sent back the Netflix DVD and I do not have an idetic memory - but the important parts of the comment are, in my own estimation, accurate] : "With Craster's wives I got this idea of them just having bits of rabbit, whatever they can get, woven with grass..." this raises in my mind, SO many questions.

Firstly - we ARE north of the Wall, yes? Where,  as we have seen, the ground is just about ALWAYS covered in snow, or 90% mud. So where is the grass coming from? And also what they are wearing is so clearly not grass?

This also provides a segue into my second question.

Do sheep exist in Westeros?

Why is it that this show has such an aversion to wool? Every man wearing protective clothing is wearing Leather (or rather I should perhaps say "vegan leather"). Every Hearty Weave (TM) appears to be an attempt at Linen; and every Fine Lady is wearing Silk satin, or if you're Olenna, silk brocade (in obviously hot weather, because naturally elderly ladies benefit from heat stroke).

I've not seen one woollen cloak. Not. One wool... anything really. I ask myself "Why?"

100% natural wool is wondeful. It's naturally flame retardant; it keeps you warm; it breathes well; it's soft in a light weave; it's strong in a heavy one; its water repellent. So what is with this endemic erasure of wool? Even productions like 2018's Mary Queen of Scots have had costume designers like Alexandra Byrne who, when searching for a durable fabric for cold and rainy Scotland, came out with a wardrobe comprised entirely of DENIM. Which,  as we all know is the WARMEST AND MOST COMFORTABLE of fabrics when damp. Now we all know Byrne's real reason for using denim is because it's cheap. The problem is Byrne tried to justify it by saying all of that guff about wanting a fabric that wears well in rain (Which,  I cannot stress this enough- denim does not) and, of course because denim would be "ReLaTaBLe". But I digress.

All that aside, perhaps the things that bother me most are components and composition. Which is where we get into the wooly (heh) area of me being a person with interest in HISTORICAL costume, critiquing a FANTASY series.

So let's just get this out of the way: I'm not saying that anything that the costume Department did with this series was "Wrong" [with one exception, but we'll get to that when we get to it]. I'm just going to say that I don't like the way it was approached, and my reasons on WHY. 

I think I have a modicum of justification for my opinions here because, fantasy is fantasy, yes but the concepts of "Fantasy" and "Medieval" have become so strongly connected that the line between them has become so blurred in the modern mind as to be almost non-existent anymore. We're in a strange cycle here. "Fantasy" was directly inspired by Medieval and over the years took more and more creative wiggle room because, the great thing about fantasy is, you can make it whatever you want it to be aesthetically. But as Fantasy and Medieval have become so intertwined, more and more creative license has been taken with the latter, so that the original inspiration has become beholden to imitate the art it inspired.

But I'll save my pontification on the modern eye and Medieval fashion for another post, and try to keep on track only as far as this affects my feelings on Game of Thrones.

My justification is that GoT is not just inspired by Medieval England/Europe in the broad sense that most Fantasy of the Sword and Sorcery variety is; it was SPECIFICALLY inspired by ONE ERA of English History, The Wars of the Roses [15th century] (with character inspiration from other eras, as recent as the 16th century).

The thing about being interested in Historical Fashion is, once you know it, you can't UN-KNOW it. For example, my understanding of the medieval approach to clothing composition is "Cut as little as you need to because sewing is tedious". You don't want to have to sew more than you have to because what's the point of that? Practically no clothing in the medieval period was tailored because why bother doing that when you can just sinch it with a belt, or lace it up the sides? Is any of that applied here? Nah. Because when we look at Sansa's dresses, look at those obviously machine stitched, perfectly pristine seams. ~whistles~.

I'll never throw shade at a costume department for using sewing machines, but I will shade them for not bothering at all to make clothing for a universe that has no sewing machines look like it was made in a universe that has no sewing machines.

  I can agree with not holding Fantasy series to historical standards - to a point. To wit: as long as it's believable IN-UNIVERSE.

AS FAR AS WE KNOW, the GoT universe doesn't yet have Mechanized looms. Now I know that they make some pretty unreal lace in Myr, but I just can't think of any in-universe justification for the texture of Danny's blue number in season 3.

Another thing that bothers me is the proliferation of corsets and how those corsets are approached.

Here are some historical corset facts.

• the term 'corset' wasn't widely used to refer to structured undergarments outside of France until the late 18th century (1700's). Before tart they were called "stays" (16th-17th century) or "a pair of bodies" (15th-16th century)

• structured undergarments first appeared in the 15th century, as the bodice of under-dresses(kirtles) were lined with reed or Buckram to provide back and breast support and provide a smooth surface for the gown worn over it. It also provided a foundation for multiple layers of petticoats, so the waistbands wouldn't dig into your sides.

• Structured undergarments that existed independent of a kirtle or petticoat aren't in evidence until the 16th century (Elizabethan/Renaissance) and aren't widely used by all classes until the late 17th century.

• Most 16th-17th century boned foundation garments had straps, since they didn't reach down much farther than the natural waist,  unless they were designed with a high back.

• Corsets, stays and other structured undergarments were never worn without a shift/chemise/slip underneath because...

• Corsets chafe.

• Corsets are difficult to clean, but shifts are easy to launder. Shifts protect your skin from chafing and protect your very expensive corset from the oils produced by your skin

(Reproduction example of 15th century style kirtle, from Prior Attire. Source video here)

(Sansa's... corset here has this bizarre low back and 18th century style tabs on the bottom? It also seems to lace only down to her navel. Not quite sure what's going on here, it really doesn't seem to be supporting her at all.)

The reason I hate, hate, hate the way Sansa is costumed under her...  very suit-like gowns is  because she never ever is shown (so far) wearing anything under her corset; her gowns are all long-lined, flowing and loose fitting; and show only wears (usually) one petticoat under them. So in short, I dislike that Sansa wears a corset because Sansa has NO REASON to be wearing one.

◇◇◇◇Another Thing◇◇◇◇

I want to spotlight on a little thing from the commentary that really hits on one of my larger problems with the aesthetic interpretation of this show in general.

During one of the scenes with Stannis and Melisandre, Clapton mentions that they made Melisandre's hair a darker shade of red in season 3 than it was previously. She says the phrase "sort of makes her more earthy".

Yes. Let's make the FIRE priestess more EARTHY. LET'S JUST DO THAT. AS OF THIS SHOW ISN'T "EARTHY" enough.

There's this fantastic quote I read somewhere by GRRM about how he loves fantasy because it's colorful, where real life is gray and brown and olive and dull. Melisandre is arguably the most colourful character in the show/series. In the books, EVERYTHING about her is Red. And not just red. She's scarlet and crimson. When she's introduced there's this fantastic description of her wearing flowing robes of scarlet silk with slashes in it revealing a darker, blood red fabric underneath.

That was passed up for a monotone, very simply cut red gown and I can't stop asking myself why a designer would scrap something like that without even trying to pay homage to it.

This show just sort of takes everything colourful in Martin's world and MAKES it gray and dark for the sake of Gritty Realism (TM). I suppose that's part of trying to appeal to a wider audience, but I just find it increadibly visually uninteresting.

◇◇◇◇ONE MORE LITTLE THING◇◇◇◇

Is this the sofa from the Study in Clue?

???

[astraseason]

food, clothing, & religion preferences -- as suggested by @valorwilled​!

once again under a cut for length!

food.

araceli has a massive sweet tooth-- in part because she just naturally loves sugar and sweet things, but there is admittedly more to it than that.

growing up in the northern fortress, araceli was not allowed many sweets-- in fact, much of what she was allowed to be given to eat was very limited and there would be times garon demanded she be starved entirely for acting out or wanting to return to hoshido. many of her meals early on amounted to table scraps, and it wasn’t until gunter took matters into his own hands that the situation improved.

this changed when araceli’s combat training began, but her meals were still decided for her and geared towards nutritional value rather than enjoyment. she was being fed regularly, yes, but with a goal in mind-- a malnourished soldier isn’t a very effective one, after all.

when xander, camilla, leo, or elise would visit, however, things would be different. the princes and princesses of nohr often called for tea and cakes and all sorts of delicious treats to be brought up to them while they spent time with their adoptive sister, allowing her some comforts and joy whilst they were in the northern fortress with her.

the one thing that ended up being allowed when the nohrians weren’t present was tea, and given araceli does not like coffee, jakob instead experiments with different blends for her-- the one he is proudest of is a peach blend, likely because it is the princess’ favourite.

as an adult araceli can eat whatever she likes, especially now that she has been released from her prison. she has a tendency to eat alone in her treehouse away from the others in later cycles, and there are times she has to be reminded or forced to do so; her appetite fluctuates. she will often indulge in sweets as a form of stress relief. while she also drinks to do the same, it has not become a problem. ( ...yet. if not kept an eye on, it very well could. )

she prefers nohrian wines to sake, but has a weakness for hoshidan sweets made with red bean paste... actually, she really likes hoshidan food in general and has gotten very good at handling chopsticks; to the point where she forgets that pre-choice, she’s not supposed to have used them or have followed hoshidan table etiquette for fifteen years whilst she’s visiting.

fashion.

much of araceli’s fashion preferences stem from elise and camilla-- the princesses would often dress araceli up when they visited, and she found she liked the way the clothes they picked out looked on her. however, she simplifies the outfits as her sisters have a tendency to dress her in extraordinarily cutesy fashions and she wants to look her age-- the dream is elegant and ladylike, but she doesn’t think she pulls it off very well.

in casual wear, araceli can often be seen in a full, high waisted circle skirt or dress with many petticoats and a ribbon at the back, a blouse, and a cravat. she wears full tights as opposed to ones with thigh windows, and most importantly of all wears boots outside of battle.

while she likes her fashion choices there’s also a very real reason the princess dresses so simply and conservatively: she doesn’t like exposing her body in public, not wanting people to see childhood scars and ask about them.

in hoshido, she very quickly adapts to wearing kimonos again and likes them quite a bit; they’re stiff and rigid, but they cover her and they’re gorgeous. while it’s difficult to put one on alone, araceli has made a point to learn as much as she can by herself to avoid having to let others touch her too much. she wears her hair properly tied back in a bun whilst wearing one, as opposed to her usual pigtails.

she also wears opaque leggings under the thigh window tights provided to her with her sets of armour, given garon is the one who sent the armour and she is very uncomfortable with the thought that the man is forcing her to not only run around in a long sleeved leotard but expose that much skin. it’s a very quiet ‘screw you’ and the one form of rebellion she can get away with.

as a nohr noble, she will refuse to wear the female variant, finding it uncomfortable and exposing and goes for the male version. she’ll wear female hoshido noble, but still wears the tights under it. now that the valla noble cipher cards have been released and the female variant looks more like nohr noble f, she wears the male version of that too i guess!

no matter what she’s wearing, the two constants are her eyepatch and butterfly hairpin. she may forego the eyepatch in private with a significant other, but only if she absolutely feels comfortable around them and like they won’t be grossed out by the glass eye and scarring.

religion.

araceli is not religious in the slightest! she does not worship the dawn or dusk dragons, nor any other gods izumo might worship, and actually holds the tiniest bit of contempt for them-- the dawn dragon didn’t protect her when her life was turned upside down, nor did the dusk dragon make her ordeal in nohr bearable. in addition, the people of nohr suffer constant famines and resources are hard to come by, so it’s not like the dusk dragon is doing their job and protecting those who worship them anyways.

the gods have abandoned her, she believes-- why else would she have endured three hundred years in an exercise of futility? therefore, she does not need the gods.

this also applies to araceli’s fodlan verse, as when those who slither took her underground for experimentation, she often begged and pleaded and prayed for the goddess to either save her or kill her to end the torment already. sothis, never did, of course, as she was busy being dormant inside of byleth.

seeing how the church of seiros operates on top of her own personal ordeal -- sending children to rout bandits and witness a noble’s execution as a warning that this will be them if they step out of line, to name a few things -- and just how utterly messed up the crest system is only cements her belief that there is no longer any need for gods.

regardless of fateslandia, fodlan, or anywhere else, she will not berate or judge anyone who is religious. if religion helps them through their lives, so be it. it’s just not for her.

[hellospunkiebrewster]

Hello! I recently started following your blog and it's amazing! From what i've seen you know a lot of stuff so i thought i'd ask you a question that's been on my mind for some time - How did women deal with their periods in regency era? I'm sorry but i was wondering what D&D MC would do in that time of the month, with all those dresses and stuff.

Awesome question Nonnie! It is true that yes, women didn’t have the same sort of luxuries we do now when dealing with their periods but you might be surprised that a lot of the concepts were quite similar. My full answer will be behind the cut here. Let’s talk periods!

Firstly though, I think it is important to talk about what exactly women were sporting under their skirts during the time. In a previous post I mentioned that many ladies of the time did not wear anything under their skirts. Drawers were considered unladylike and risqué as they resembled pants and a lady should never be caught in anything resembling pants, however, they were just beginning to catch on. Even many men did not wear them in the early 1800s, instead using their overlong shirts as their primary undergarment as it was thought that drawers spoiled the line of your trousers. Drawers made their appearance in 1806, but it took time for them to gain popularity for both men and women. The lack of anything under a lady’s skirts was the subject of many a cartoonist of the era.

Thomas Rowlandson’s Exhibition Stare Case, 1800.

The first women’s undergarments, pantalettes, were little more than two tubes of fabric with a tie to secure them around the woman’s waist. They may include some decorative lace at the hems, Incase they were seen by the likes of Mr. Sinclaire. This allowed for the lady to attend to her business without having to remove any layers of her clothing. It also probably provided for quite the show when a woman might be on stage dancing the can-can.

Drawing of women’s pantalettes.

So now that we know what was covering, or not covering, a lady’s business in that era we can talk about what ladies did during their monthlies. There were about three to four options, depending on your flow and means.

The first and most convenient of the options was probably what amounts to as a homemade tampon. This didn’t require you to remove anything in order to relieve yourself. A smooth stick, like a dowel, about the length of one’s little finger would be wrapped with absorbent linen cloths and sewn. Sometimes herbs or other home remedies would be included in this bundle, in an attempt to help assuage some of the symptoms that came along with one’s monthly. A long string would be attached and sewn in as well, and a lady would use the string not only for extraction but for tying it around her leg as to not leave the bloody little bundle of shame behind if she sneezed or coughed in public. These were disposable. Other tampons might be as simple as a small drawstring bag with a sponge or wadded up fabric inside. The small baggie’s contents could be disposed of and replaced and the bag reused. These would be homemade and our dear friend Briar has probably been busy when we’re out, stitching up some tampons for us.

Drawing of these “privy place suppositories” as they were called.

The second option, probably often used as a backup for ladies with heavier flows, would be to secure a wadded up napkin, made of fabric, between her legs with the use of a belt just above her hips like a loincloth under her skirt, petticoats, and chemise. This is where the term on the rag comes from. This fabric was essentially what amounted to a long strip of fabric, similar in many ways to a cravat (the tie that men would wrap around their neck and tie in fancy knots as part of their full dress) folded over itself many times, although definitely not as heavily starched and painstakingly ironed as Beau Brummell’s cravats. This basically amounted to a pad, only secured around the waist since underwear, in the modern sense, was not around to hold it in place. These, unlike their tampon counterparts, were not disposable and would be kept in a covered bucket of water in a cool, private place until the lady’s monthly was over and they could be all boiled and laundered together.

Drawing of a menstrual belt, a lot more modern than what our MC would use as this particular one was from the 1870s.

The next option was reserved for ladies lucky enough to have light flows. They would simply free bleed and wear perhaps a layer of heavier petticoats under their dresses to keep their condition a secret. This method began to fall out of practice as it was discovered, towards the late 1800s to be unsanitary to just leave blood everywhere in your clothing.

Lastly, ladies of a particular economic standing (women of noble birth, wives in the ton, and those simply with rich husbands or fathers) would quite possibly spend the days in bed, feigning a headache or other type of malady, instead of troubling themselves too much with all of that suppository, menstrual belt, free bleeding nonsense unless they really had a ball or dinner party to attend that was quite crucial and particularly enticing.

I think I’m pretty safe in assuming that you realize Midol did not exist back then. The Georgian/Regency Era is also a bit removed from the religious shame of the Puritans and Medieval Times. Before this time, pain relief was not offered and extremely frowned upon as it was believed that each cramp was a reminder of Eve’s original sin. Queen Victoria, who took the throne in 1837, was actually the first woman to publicly admit to using pain relief during labor as it was also thought of as cleansing and important to the whole process of childbirth. However, in this era, that sort of religious shame was falling out of practice and women would use herbs, tinctures, and teas to help with not only pain but also shortening their time of the month.

Women would drink ginger teas, peppermint teas, chamomile tea, and infusions of yarrow root to help with cramping. They may also use other herbs or tinctures applied to the area or taken to help as well. Motherwort, used to quicken contractions for birth, may be used to ease menstrual pain. Licorice or black cohosh depending on the season we’re used. Victorian times brought about patented medicines and we began to see actual reliable pain relief for women during their periods.

Humphries Homeopathic No. 31, a Victorian Era patented medicine for menstrual relief.

I hope this answers your question Nonnie! This was a fun one, although I think I’m getting sympathy cramps just writing and thinking about it.

[tdrcharmschool4]

Charm School Test #3: Do The Shoes Match The Dress? - Critiques

After wowing us with their unconventional accessories, we asked the students of TDR Charm School 4 to create an entire head-to-toe look using unconventional materials. Let’s see what the girls created!

Erica Strada

So here’s the story about how having 4 packs of leopard duct tape, some feather boas, some bobby pins and a dream, can get YOU this fabulous look! So I was looking through my closet for a starting base to create/build off of, and I found this ugly blue plaid muumuu that somehow has shrunk with time. I didn’t have a lot of time on my side, so there was a lot of stress, and I do mean A LOT. I took roughly 6 hours while I was at work adding the leopard tape over the dress until I ran out of all four rolls. Being poor and destitute after just having come back from a large comic convention in Tampa, naturally I figured the best thing to do is give up since I no longer had any money or tape. But that magical little voice in my head (Sally™) told me YOU CAN DO IT! So I bobby pinned about 6 feather boas to my dress and/or neck, threw together this classic ensemble, and history is born! Also, I wish I would have recorded it, but after everything was said and done. I hulked out and tore everything off my body in a fit of rage. *ANGRY ERICA UNLOCKED* So the moral of the story is leopard tape dress matched my leopard print sea shell compact. And the world rejoiced.

Analyse: Hi, Erica! I think you know a lot of the things I’m going to say, and we both know this wasn’t your best work. I’m happy and proud of you that you were able to push through even when it seemed like all the odds were against you, and that’s a huge part of what it takes to be successful on TDR, so kudos on that. Being under these kinds of situations can definitely cause the stress to push us to be creative, and you worked with what you had, but at the end of the day, it all falls a little flat. I do appreciate the coordination between the skirt, compact, and headband (which I think you said you also put tape on?), but the boas as a tactic to cover the unfinished top are a pretty big disconnect. Make sure in the coming weeks and if you’re on Cycle 10, you put as much thought into hair as you do into the look, and if you find yourself in this situation again, at least throw on a lip and some blush. Finally, when we ask for head-to-toe pictures, we need to see head-to-toe and not cut off at the knee. Again, I’m proud of you for pushing through, but we need to see you step it up going forward!

SALLY™: I’m gonna start by commending you for actually submitting this week. Your scheduling was working hard against you and a trope of TDR is that schedules tend to hinder and hurt a lot of the work on a regular cycle. However – I say that because this isn’t a regular cycle. TDR is hella difficult and the pressure amounts almost immediately on week 1. I want you to go forward in Charm School thinking every challenge someone is gonna go home and that if you don’t deliver, you could be next to the guillotine. Aside from that, I don’t have much to critique as I was essentially there when you were struggling with your concept – your unconventional material selection works well with one another but again my comments fall into the line of this isn’t a complete look – You need to cover your hands or wear nails when executing a look. Also, you have no head to toe angle so we can’t critique your heel, and a makeup look is most certainly required when you’re on TDR. I know this was a tough week, but it was a good attempt at best.

Toni: Hey Erica!! I’m glad you were able to push through and submitted to us today! While I enjoy the colors and prints I think this was lacking a bit. First off with the duct tape you really didn't do much other that just put it on the dress Iw ould have loved to see a large transformation of the material. The same with the feathers the just looked drapped on you with very little change from their orgional form. I also would have loved to see some accessories and nails as well. The pictures were asked to be head to toe and these are not. I also wish you had found time to put in work on your makeup because the point of charm school is to have you redo it week after week to improve it .

Kushboo

So I wanted to create a classic look instead of a futurist one, so I re made the hat which was a bit of a process . White plastic, black plastic, black tape and even some painted chewing gum tablets for jewelry around the hem For the dress, I used blue plastic paper, black plastic paper, cardboard, black tape, sellotape, lots of glue and ribbon. The dress started off as a cardboard cage on the floor. It wasnt as good a skirt- cage as a proper metal frame (or whatever the real ones are made of) because it kept collapsing, but I tweaked it a bit and it retained its shape. I pleated a million blue plastic bags and pasted them along the lower circumference of the cage. Then I did the same with another million for the higher rung in the cage, till the whole thing was covered. Next I worked on a black cardboard corset. I punched holes and strung ribbon thru the back to actually tie it tight , and it worked, although I had to be very careful. To the top and bottom of the corset I glued blue and black plastic bags respectively. The black plastic i tucked into the blue skirt to act as a petticoat and provide some relief to the color tones. The top half (made of blue plastic) had to be carefully cut out to create a neckline and loose armbands/straps.  I used ribbon to create hems.

Analyse: Hello, Kushboo! This is cute!! I immediately get very Ascot-Gavotte-meets-plastic-bag-couture, which is always a good thing when your concept reads visually right away! Your thoughtfulness in using ribbon and candy “jewelry” to create finished looking edges is incredibly creative and definitely elevates the look from “I’m wearing garbage bags” to “Yes, I’m wearing garbage bags, but thoughtfully.” The shape gets a little lost for me with the cardboard corset; it kind of makes you look very boxy in the middle (which is never the goal), so make sure when you’re doing a challenge like this, you’re thinking of what will accentuate your figure and create the illusion that you’re going for in the best way possible. I’m a huge slut for nails, but I think this is a case where gloves could really elevate the look (and I would be endlessly impressed by gloves made of plastic bags!) All in all though, I’m impressed with the construction of this, it looks very cool, and it definitely gives me the idea of a character, which is always the goal in a fashion challenge, so good job! Can’t wait to see what you do in the next few weeks!

SALLY™:  I love this look. Full honesty. I didn’t expect this, and what makes it work is the fact you’ve used a colour too. I was fully expecting an array of white looks this week and the fact you’ve used colour to break yourself apart from the other competitors really shows you’ve listened to our critiques and you’re really aware of what you use and do. Like it’s just CRAZY how much you’ve used but most of it is really unnoticeable, with their full affect elevating the look. You need to cover your hands or wear nails when executing a look. I’m gonna give my two cents to your makeup; it’s week three and now I’m challenging you to actually get some lashes of your own. Your boy lashes are too short and lashes will help your face come across as more feminine and will also open your eyes up too. Overall, good job this week!

Toni: KUSH!!!! I love this outfit so much!! I really love everything you’ve done here from shape to transformation of the plastic bags and so on. I think what could have helped is a bit more volume at the top of the dress around thr shoulders as well as around the butt. It could have given a bit more of a hourglass shape that you were trying to get with the corset. I love the head piece still as well and I think the two go well together. I also would have loved to see gloves or nails (which i know you tried to make but didnt get to). You’re makeup is improving week after week and its started tor really take shape. I think your big thing now is going to be darkening those darks, brightening those brights, and making sure everything is set and I (or any of the other deans) can help you with defining that while your doing your makeup if you message us. 

Luna

This is Princess Papel. She is from the Staples kingdom. Her hobbies include being paper thin, and going back to Office Depot, where she belongs. This was, by far, the hardest challenge but also the most fun! For make up, I went for the most natural I could. I used my natural brows extended (the Naomi Smalls does it) and I liked it. I did a soft smokey pink eye. Natural face for a young princess. Think of her like an equivalent of a nymph that runs around with her little feet around the forest. If the paper was made out of paper. Or inside of staples. Y'all get the point. The outfit matches the accessory in theme and concept, so because of that, I chose not to use anything conventional beside undergarment (in this case one bra, stockings and undies.) I was gonna add a pump but I decided against it, as with this light forest nymph I was going for, I didn’t look correct. I stuck with this choice and am happy with it.  The skirt is made out of folded paper, with a paper mesh elastic of sorts (that’s how paper mesh looks when not unfolded. I made each triangle from scratch and build onto itself the center part is a huge crystal quartz to tie onto the headpiece. Wrapped in small triangles. Thank you so much for this week!

Analyse: GIRLLLLL YESSSS. ~*THIS*~ is how you keep the momentum going. You started with such a strong concept with your homework, and I’m so glad that you could carry both the concept *and* the execution over to this assignment. I don’t have much to say about the look other than that there are a few parts of the skirt where the fold has gotten a little wrinkled, so I would just back in and make sure those folds are crisp, because that’s what gives this skirt it’s shape and dramatic silhouette. It’s hard to see some of the makeup because of the headpiece and the fact that you were intentionally light-handed with it, but I think with the character, you could’ve use the opportunity to have some really fun and dramatic makeup, be it a warrior paint or something very mythical-forest-creature. Going forward, I would love to see you with nails; they can very much feminize the look, and depending on the nail, can play into the characterization. My final note for this submission is that almost every time, not wearing shoes of any type will work against you, and unfortunately, this is one of those times. Overall, it’s a FANTASTIC look, and you should be very proud. I can’t wait to see what you do going forward.

SALLY™: This is such a strong look and I’m glad that it keeps getting better and better. The strength of your execution is killer and its crazy how well you’re doing in making things out of paper. The LEDs add a slight touch of colour, but honestly, I wanted more colour. To me, I was expecting more development with different colours of paper perhaps used or a new layer of paper to add some texture, but I digress. My problems are as follows; you need to cover your hands or wear nails when executing a look. Heels are an absolute must, even if you wore some sort of footwrap or fabric around them, the closed toed pantyhose kind of threw the perfection of this look off. Also, for your makeup, it kind of just blends in to the look, you want to stand out in this type of costume and not look like the dress is wearing you, and the selection of colours are too muted for this look – try to play with what would work in a dramatic costume like this, and really think about the colour story not only on your costume, but on your makeup side of things as well. otherwise, excellent work!

Toni: I ADORE THIS ALL SO MUCH!! I really didn't expect this from you and you blew me away with this submission. I think over all there is a lot of right going on here: the unconventional aspect, the shape, how it fits and looks on you. All of those are amazing. I think your choice to wear shoes (while its good that your making character choices) was a poor one because you could have done a lot with shoes to add another level of creativity like flats or ballet slippers something along those lines. I also would have loved to see a weapon of some sorts because you gave us this amazing warrior. Onto makeup it’s somewhat hard to tell form your pictures whats going on but it looks very light if there at all and I think you need to work on making sure you are building the features in the face that you want rather than just putting on makeup. 

Nikita Nox

Hi judges! So i used a LOT of paper this week! I remade my peacock tail from hangers, popcorn bags, and a lightweight shower liner, my skirt from paper imitating movie ticket stubs ‘ADMIT ONE’, and I rolled my wig to give that fluffy glamor that I adore. My bodice was a cage made of hangers as well, painted to mirror the popcorn bucket on my head, and filled with packing peanuts colored with Dijon mustard! I’m out of the concession stand and pounding the runway (driveway?) til I hit the silver screen! Thank you!

Analyse: HELLO, Mx. Nox! This is a ~concept~. This is a ~story~. This is a ~character~. Yes. The detail and thought put into every part of this look has me blown away, and you should be proud. From head to toe, everything plays into the concept. I *do* wish there was some jewelry to compliment the look, but everything else is thought out. Really the only issues I have fall into the area of construction. We talked on Facebook about the boxiness of the top, and that’s really the only silhouette issue I have here. It’s a tough reality of unconventional challenges that sometimes the material just doesn’t want to work a certain way and something like that happens. The “tickets” for the skirt are a super cute idea, and I wish they wrapped all the way around in the front as well, but it’s not the end of the world. I think adding nails or gloves will really help to bump the polish of the look up as well. The hair looks good and is much improved from last week, so I’m so happy to see the growth in that area! My final comments are about your runway: make sure whoever is filming for you films landscape, and next time if you can, try to do your runway not on stairs. I think it’ll just be more comfortable for you. GREAT job this week, and I’m excited for what you pull out in upcoming challenges!

SALLY™:  I love a real ambitious silhouette and this really excites me because of how creative the actual concept is. The inspiration is cleverly met with your unconventional stylistic choices of the bodice and the bottom with your tickets and really it’s the start of a strong concept. I saw your issue with the bodice bulk on Facebook and really I feel as if it works because of the “entirely unconventional” aspect of the challenge and really needs a few tweaks, i.e. a cinched belt perhaps (like you could’ve hot glued a giant popcorn logo made out of card onto a belt maybe?)  and the tickets could’ve been printed a bit more – the admit one is very difficult to see, so you could’ve benefitted from actually printing those out rather than drawing them on saving you a little bit of creative time for tweaks etc. With your head to toe, there’s a thought everywhere – except that you’re not wearing nails or gloves. My only critique for the entire concept is that your makeup could’ve had a little bit more red on the cheek area because your face is slightly beige, remember eyeshadow pigments can double as a blush if you don’t have any! Great job this week.

Toni: OKAY I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS. I wanna start with  your makeup because it’s whats on my mind. I think it’s getting a lot better (when i opened this It kinda looked like veronica mitchels which isnt a bad thing) I will say I think you could have worked on building a better crease becasue It just looks like eyeliner and then a block of eyeshadow color based off those pictures which is a look.... but not the best one. On to the garment I think it is stunning I love thte fantasy you’re giving. I think if you were to remake this youd want to use a normal corset and have pillow fluff instead of packing peanut and spray paint that yellow and spray paint the corset white and red to make it look more flattering. I love the improvements to the back piece I think you could have added some glitter or stones to it to amp up that glam showgirl though.I also feel that the skirt is lacking a lot of color that could have been added if you made actual ticket designs.  

Ophelia Waters

The original behind my headpiece, and it’s connection to the later-made dress/outfit, was a kind of ballerina meets wood nymph kind of look! To compliment and mimic the headpiece, I created a dress using a base dress and then embellishing and covering it with origami flowers in the same style as the headpiece, attached with hot glue! To make the whole look a bit less simplistic than the original headpiece, I decided to go with a pastel-y warm colour palette, using reds, pinks, and yellows for the flowers on the dress and mirror-ing it on the headpiece! Finally, I wanted to tie the whole look together with a warmer colour, as with the dress, for the makeup by using red/pink tones for the eyes, contour, and lips!

Analyse: OPHELIA! This is such a great example of taking feedback, applying it, making it your own, and really pushing yourself to grow. This is a cute little look, and I wish the pictures were a little closer so I could see the details of the construction, but from far away, it looks very well thought out. I love that you aren’t afraid to play with different makeup ideas and that you really use makeup as a creative outlet for the look, and I think it’ll just keep becoming more effective as you work on technique and figure out that balance of blended and defined. If your drag isn’t to wear a wig, I’m honestly not mad at that, but know that if you’re cutting out certain elements of what’s expected like that, everything else needs to get bumped up to compensate. Overall, this is a cute look and it shows a lot of creativity! Good luck as we head into the back half of the competition!

SALLY™: Hi Ophelia! I like the silhouette and stylistic choices coming into this challenge so I had high hopes you’d apply your critiques to your premade accessory and also your look. Honestly, I do like this, I think your makeup is really cut and is starting to take shape, keep practicing! My concern is that from your pictures, you honestly are too far away for me to pick at anything with criticism. I can see that the bottom matches well with your accessory extremely well and your bodice is a little Mondrian – I would’ve lost the black stripes in this look and as an addition, you could’ve painted little pixie swirls to blend in with your hair and perhaps wear a hair net to compress your hair, just to emphasise your pixie concept we talked about. Gloves or nails please for the next time you do a look – they would add so much as there’s a lot of empty space around the top part of your concept and it would’ve tied the look a bit more together. Great Job! 

Toni: I think this is so adoreable and I am so happy with what you put together. first comment is I wish your pictures were closer because its hard to see whats going on. But from what I could see I really love the shame you’ve created and it works well on your slim figure. I think you could have done a few of the little cones of paper on top of the corset to carry it all the way up. I lvoe that you addec olors to the head piece because it really brought it to life. Onto your makeup I’m glad you took my critique of your hair test and blended out the color because this looks AMAZNIG!!! I think if you had blended a bit more it would have been flawless. You also could have chosen to use eyliner to help build your eyeshape more. And just because I’m extra I think it would have been cute to put a few fake pearls on your forehead.

[bongaboi]

Revons Plus Grand, Chapter 28

Revons Plus Grand

Chapter 28:

En Marche!

The next two days for Georgette Lemare and Sadako Shimohara opened up the month of May and were focused on catering to the ladies. The owner of Paris Saint-Germain, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, took the time privately to speak with Thiago Motta and Angel Di Maria regarding their red card ejections against OGC Nice and how it seriously impacted their futures with the club.

It was a mixed bag of a wild weekend in which the women's team under Patrice Lair outperformed the men's team under Unai Emery, as they faltered 3-1, effectively ending the Ligue 1 title race before the month even began. The only solace for PSG was that would be the only trophy Monaco would win, unless Juventus did the unthinkable and were also outplayed by Leonardo Jardim's youthful charges in exactly the same way Paris were outplayed in the shade of the Allianz Riviera. This was the training schedule for the men and women.

Men's team

Monday, May 1st 2017

No training session

Tuesday, May 2nd 2017

No training session

Wenesday, May 3rd 2017

Training session closed to media

Thursday, May 4th 2017

Training session closed to media

Friday, May 5th 2017 - Ooredoo Training Centre

01:30 PM: Press conference with Unai Emery (live on PSG TV)

05:00 PM: Training session opened to media for first 15 minutes

Saturday, May 6th 2017 - Parc des Princes

05:00 PM: Paris Saint-Germain - SC Bastia

Ligue 1 - Week 36

Sunday, May 7th 2017

No training session

Women's team

Monday, May 1st 2017

No training session

Tuesday, May 2nd 2017

Training session closed to media

Wednesday, May 3rd 2017 (Stade du Batzenthal)

03:00 PM: FC Metz - Paris Saint-Germain

Thursday, May 4th 2017

Training session closed to media

Friday, May 5th 2017

No training session

Saturday, May 6th 2017

Training session closed to media

Sunday, May 7th 2017 (Stade Charlety)

3:00 PM: Paris Saint-Germain - Albi

"Futures," said Georgette as she prepared the spread for the ladies who were training on the pitch on Tuesday.

"What do you mean?" asked Sadako.

"The futures of the men look bleak, save for a few. Third."

"Third?"

"That's what Paris are starting at right now. A third place finish in the league and a possible drop to the Europa League next season. That is massive. I think Mr. Nasser made a horror mistake in firing their old manager."

"Laurent Blanc, right? Mr. Blanc?"

"Correct. All that greed and desire for a UEFA Champions League trophy has finally caught up to him. It's not looking good for these guys. Fortunately, we have the women picking up the pieces."

"The women? What about the women?"

"What about them, you say? We're helping them right now with their training and meals. They matter too. Case in point: our assistance at Le Parc on Saturday. It paid off and now we're even with Barcelona. Both teams can move on."

"Fair is fair. But still, can you imagine the fallout from a third place finish? Emery will be sacked if that happens!"

"Indeed," said Benoit Rousseau, walking in to check on them.

Sadako was surprised. "Mr. Benoit!"

"PSG can win the Coupe de France and they still will lose their manager. Same thing could happen regarding our women. Even if they win out the rest of their games, if Montpellier finish second in the league, we could be losing Patrice Lair as well. Mr. Nasser isn't a fan of being an also-ran.:

"I would imagine so," Jose said, frowning.

"So big changes could be coming to both teams, given their sharp drop in form. Both of our teams could be finishing runners up in the domestic cup finals and third place in their respective domestic leagues. It's not a good sign, to be fair. Our brand is regressing terribly. In the meantime, stay the course and focus on working with our teams, it's been a challenging year for both our sides but you are doing an amazing job preparing them for the games."

"Thank you, it is our pleasure," Georgette replied with a bow.

"And no need for a bow, this isn't like yesteryear anymore."

"Oh, sorry, my mistake."

"With that, I shall take me leave. Take care." With that, Mr. Benoit departed.

"I have a feeling that Marine Le Pen will win next Sunday," said Sadako.

"You think so, Sada?" Jose asked her.

"There is something about the Le Pen combine that draws the young voters and if you draw the young voters, you will win any election, according to what Sasha told us."

As the two of them continued to work on catering to the men and women, Lyon and Monaco proceeded to lost their first legs later that week. Lyon were smashed by AFC Ajax 4-1 while Monaco were shut out at home by Gonzalo Higuain and Juventus 2-0. Meanwhile, Bastia were hit with having to forfeit their home match to Lyon, but the brains trust had the audacity to appeal.

Midweek, Paris's women's team eased past FC Metz 2-0 away, a sharp contrast to a free-flowing, wide open affair between their male counterparts. They were expected to pass another warmup match at home to Albi before their test series with Lyon. They did that, rolling 4-0.

Bastia were also put to the sword with a 5-0 demolition job by the hosts. The Parisians would be guaranteed a spot in next year's UEFA Champions League Group Stage by finishing no worse than second place as a huge goal differential gap would make it almost impossible for the Eagles to catch up even if Nice won out and Paris lost their next two games. But as for Monaco, the Ligue 1 title was theirs to lose after putting AS Nancy Lorraine to the sword 3-0. And also on Sunday...

...something happened, forcing Sadako and Georgette to report to Mr. Benoit the next day. "Come on in," he said. The teams were off on Monday.

"What is it?" asked Jose.

"Mr. Macron and his wife are inviting you to dinner tonight since he won yesterday. He says that you inspired him during these last two weeks and he wants to reward you."

"Really? But I wasn't paying much attention and I thought Madame Le Pen was going to win."

"Unlike the Americans, we have common sense in doing business with our neighbors and the common sense of the French people prevailed. And you, my lady, played your role in making the dream possible. You and your companion, Ms. Shimohara."

"Thank you, Mr. Benoit," said Sadako.

"So, after catering to the teams, a limousine will be waiting later tonight to send you to the destination. There, Mr. and Madame Macron will talk with you of more important matters in regards to global issues that I do not have the authority to speak of. Regarding your role outside of your work with us, you will have a very clear idea. That is all."

"Thank you, Mr. Benoit," Sadako and Georgette said, bowing before leaving his office. This was the training plan for the next week for both teams.

Men's Team

Monday 8 May 2017

Rest

Tuesday 9 May 2017

Training closed to public and media

Wednesday 10 May 2017

Training closed to public and media

Thursday 11 May 2017

Training closed to public and media

Friday 12 May 2017

Training closed to public and media

Saturday 13 May 2017 - Ooredoo Training Centre

11:00: 1st 15 minutes of training open to media

13:30: Unai Emery press conference

Sunday 14 May 2017 - Stade Geoffroy Guichard

21:00: AS Saint-Etienne - Paris Saint-Germain

Ligue 1 - Week 37

Women's Team

Monday 8 May 2017

Rest

Tuesday 9 May 2017

Training closed to public and media

Wednesday 10 May 2017

Training closed to public and media

Thursday 11 May 2017

Training closed to public and media

Friday 12 May 2017

Training closed to public and media

Saturday 13 May 2017 - Parc OL

16:00: Olympique Lyonnais - Paris Saint-Germain

D1 - Week 21

Sunday 14 May 2017

Training closed to public and media

"Mr. Macron, allow me to introduce myself," said Georgette, decked in a simple white gown with petticoat. "My name is Georgette Lemare of Barenton, an employee of the Paris Saint-Germain Football Club. This is my partner, Ms. Sadako Shimohara, a fellow employee on a temporary work visa from Japan."

"Mmmm, as I would have guess, you have assimilated yourselves well," said the president-elect as he poured some wine for the four of them. "This is my wife, Brigitte. She used to be my teacher in high school. We have three step-children and they are old enough to be my siblings."

"Oh, you don't have to give out all the details," said Madame Macron. "But yes, I am pleasured to meet you all." The attendants at La Rotonde provided the full menu. Outside, there was tight security to ensure that nothing unusual took place. "You would make a fine pair of daughters, indeed."

The two of them giggled. "Madame Macron, thank you for the compliment," Sadako said. "We are late in saying this, but congratulations on winning the election."

"I came back from doing some business with Mr. Hollande, but I did have some time to entertain you at dinner," said Emmanuel as Jose sipped from her glass. Both Jose and Sada were now of legal age so they could try the wine, but they had to show moderation.

"This is very good," said Jose. "It tastes somewhat familiar..."

"Saint-Vaast, from your home region of Normandie, whose departments I carried, more or less, including Manche," he replied.

"That explains it. It's delightful!"

"Mmmm, this is good," Sadako said. "You recommend the tartare?" She had a forkful. "Mmmm, melts in my mouth!"

"It's a very popular dish, as well as the cote de veau," added Madame Macron.

"I made a mistake of holding a party here during the first runoff, but now that I took care of business, I chose to return here, but in a more low-key setting as to now take any chances," Emmanuel explained. "And I do know your real identities and position."

"You do?" asked Georgette.

"I commemorated the victory for our nation over Germany in World War II earlier today. You come from that timeline but with a different enemy and set of circumstances. You are the Witches that my advisors told me of. I thought this was science fiction lore, but to see that you do exist, I personally welcome you to this dimension of Gallia, and this timeline."

"Goodness, so you do know the fact that a rift in the continuum has forced our enemy to conspire with yours in terms of the war of terror, correct?"

"Exactly. We gathered information from the ground, the air, the armed forces and we can confirm that a major event could be happening on May 27 at the Stade de France. The threat could be worse that any one of us may imagine but I have instructed many in my circle and the media to not disclose anything on grounds of recrimination and the event happening ahead of schedule."

"You must have a very tough job ahead of you, combining military work in unique equipment while assisting one of the greatest sports brands this country has ever known," said the madame with a frown on her face before another sip.

"It's not easy being Witches but as long as we have the magic in us, we have to be brave to the very end, fighting to protect the innocent...and defeating the Neuroi to make the world safe," Georgette said. "That's our mission and it's a global one, and apparently the battle has crossed dimensions and timelines. So if it has to be all hands on deck, we need to be ready."

Emmanuel passed a folder of documents. "For your eyes only, Sadako's, and the sisters Karibuchi, as well as the rest of your squadron that will need to arrive from the other side," he said. "It is a suggested system of engaging the enemy that will be staging in Stade Saint-Denis. We will need to have your team mobilize at Fort Neuf de Vincennes to engage the threat. You and Sadako will have to do your work with your club but both of you will play a role as well in support."

"Understood, Mr. Macron," said Georgette. She looked downward at the table, fists clenched. Despite the initial wave of success, there was the threat of war in the air as the victory was seen as a blessing for the ISIS sympathizers in Seine-Saint-Denis, who were hedging on a heavy Macron victory to eliminate the Front National's threat to their planned attack.

"By the way, Georgette," said Emmanuel.

"Yes?"

He looked into her deep blue eyes. "You remind me of my step-daughter Tiphanie in terms of maturity, assertiveness, obedience. She is slightly younger than me and would pass for a younger sister but she has the charisma and confidence that you possess. I only regret that I did not have a daughter that looked and felt exactly like you after choosing to marry Brigitte. But the fact that you are here with me will do..."

"Why?"

"...because after the 27th of May, and after we celebrate our victory, if it should happen...I will never see you again. It may as well be a dream I read in a light novel from a thrift store. I want Tiphanie to be influenced by your ways of the world and your courage and kindness. I want you to be her inspiration from now on so if you happen to see her, let her know you'll always be thinking of us. Can you do that for me?"

"As you wish, Mr. Macron."

"Thank you. So, charge your glasses." They raised the glasses. "To the future of France, to the future of Gallia, and to the future of the Witches! Vive La Republic! Vive La France!"

"VIVE LA FRANCE!" they all said, clinking glasses and enjoying the spread that Georgette happily had her massive share of. It was the calm before the storm, as in the northeast corners of the metropole, of the Little Crown, plans to strike fear and desperation in the hearts of the French people went full speed ahead. Marianne send help.

END CHAPTER 28