#National flags

[ottombak]

National animal of Estonia 🇪🇪

[94shasha]

स्वतंत्रता दिवस

[afrotumble]

[barkingbonzo]

(via "MEXICO Gifts, Stickers & Products" Sticker for Sale by mpodger)

[oplefilm]

Flag of President of Thailand

Emblem of President of Thailand

[tmarshconnors]

Vexillology: A Lifelong Love Affair with Flags

Vexillology is the study of the history, symbolism and usage of flags or, by extension, any interest in flags in general.

Flags are more than just pieces of cloth waving in the breeze; they are symbols of identity, history, and culture. For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by them. This passion for flag vexillology began in my childhood, sparked by two experiences: watching the Eurovision Song Contest and spending holidays with my grandparents.

One of my earliest memories of flags is from those summer holidays when I would travel with my grandparents. We often found ourselves at airports, waiting for flights, surrounded by travellers from all over the world. 

To pass the time, my Grandfather and I would play a game: who could name the most flags? He was a great teacher, and I quickly became captivated by the variety of colours, symbols, and designs that made each flag unique. It wasn't just about naming them; it was about discovering the stories behind them. I was enchanted by the idea that a simple flag could carry so much meaning, representing entire nations and their histories.

The more I learned, the more I wanted to know. I remember scanning the departure boards at airports, not just to see where the planes were going but to match the destinations with their flags. Every trip became an opportunity to add to my growing knowledge of flags, and that game with my grandfather turned into a lifelong passion.

Another source of my love for vexillology came from watching the Eurovision Song Contest. Eurovision isn’t just a spectacle of music; it’s a festival of flags. Each performance, each vote, is accompanied by the flag of the competing nation, and for me, it was like a second game of identifying flags on screen. Countries I had never even heard of were suddenly part of my consciousness, their flags as recognisable to me as any pop song. This annual event became more than just a music competition it was a parade of national pride, where each flag represented a people, a culture, and a story.

I became curious about why each country chose the colours, symbols, and designs they did. Why did some flags have stars while others had stripes? What was the meaning behind the use of red, white, and blue on so many national flags? The answers often led to fascinating discoveries about history, geography, and politics. 

As I grew older, my love of flags deepened, and I began to appreciate the subtle language they spoke. A flag is more than just a pretty design; it is a statement. The tricolour of France, for example, represents liberty, equality, and fraternity, values born out of the French 

Revolution. The Union Jack of the United Kingdom symbolises the union of England, Scotland, and Ireland through its combination of crosses. Meanwhile, the bold colours of African nations, such as Ghana’s red, yellow, and green, often pay homage to Pan-African unity and freedom from colonial rule.

There’s also the complex and elegant symmetry of flags like Japan’s, with its minimalist red circle on a white field, representing the sun. Or the intricacy of Nepal’s flag, the only non-rectangular national flag, which consists of two stacked triangles representing the Himalayas and the hope that the country will live as long as the sun and the moon.

Flags are a shorthand for history, telling stories that would take books to explain in just a few symbols and colours. They evoke emotion, pride, and sometimes even controversy, depending on the story they tell and how people interpret them.

What I love most about vexillology is that it bridges the personal and the global. On the one hand, it brings back warm memories of those days spent with my grandfather, playing our flag-naming game at airports, and of Eurovision nights with their kaleidoscope of flags flashing across the screen. On the other hand, it connects me to a wider world, one in which every flag I encounter is a new story waiting to be uncovered.

Vexillology has taught me that flags are not just static images they are living, evolving symbols that reflect the people they represent. From new nations forming their identities to older ones reaffirming theirs, flags continue to play an essential role in how we see ourselves and each other.

My love of vexillology has become a way for me to explore the world, both past and present, from the comfort of a flag chart or a televised contest. What started as a fun game at airports has turned into a lifelong fascination with the symbols and stories that flags carry.

Whether I’m watching Eurovision or travelling abroad, flags remind me that there’s always more to learn and discover and that sometimes, a simple design can speak volumes about who we are.

[ah-xun]

[stone-cold-groove]

Former flags of nations of the world - Uruguay.

[rightnewshindi]

आजादी के जश्न के लिए हर घर तिरंगा अभियान शुरू, 2800 डाकघर बेचेंगे 1 लाख राष्ट्रीय ध्वज

Himachal News: आजादी का जश्न मनाने के लिए इस बार भी हर-घर तिरंगा अभियान की तैयारी शुरू हो गई है। हर घर तिरंगा का जश्न मनाने के लिए पिछली बार की तरह इस बार भी हिमाचल के करीब 2800 डाकघरों के माध्यम से करीब एक लाख राष्ट्रीय ध्वजों का विक्रय करेगा। इस बार डाकियों के माध्यम से बाजारों, शहरों व गांव-गांव तक तिरंगा पहुंचाने का कार्य शुरू करेंगे। प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी ने एक बार फिर हर घर तिरंगा…

[glamrockmike]

he levitates at the foot of greg’s bed all night

[batfambrainrotbeloved]

I love being in my writing research era

[bizarrelittlemew]

PROUDLY PRESENTING:

The Unofficial OFMD AO3 Wrapped 2024

sponsored by my love of fandom community, a passion for data presentation, more hours in photoshop than I am willing to admit, and inspired by the Good Omens AO3 wrapped

images used are either official stills or screencaps from episodes and the Vanity Fair lie detector video. everything edited by me :)

a few additional stats:

79 works had more than 100k words, with an accumulated 16 million words, meaning 1% of works accounted for 21% of words

At a reading speed of 300 words per minute, it would take 174 days and nights to read all of the OFMD fic from 2024 - or, if you read for 11.5 hours every day for a year, you'd be able to get through it all!

The most tagged sex acts for explicit fics were (in order): Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Oral Sex, Anal Fingering, and Hand Jobs

271 works were tagged "Art"

details about data collection and analysis ⤵️

All data was collected on January 1st, 2025. I limited search results within the fandom tag to works updated between 2024-01-01 and 2024-12-31. Works started earlier but updated in 2024 are therefore included. Works added and deleted again during the year are not accounted for.

I manually typed data from the AO3 search into Excel, so there may be errors and inaccuracies due to the limits of the AO3 search function, authors' tagging choices, and typos (sorry lmao). There is probably an easier way to do this but idk I was bored and didn't mind. Graphs were made in Excel.

For the total word count estimate, I collected the exact word counts of all works above 100k, then gathered data on the number of works within pre-selected word count intervals and multiplied the number of works with the average of the interval (for each interval). The total sum and cumulative graphs for both number of works and word counts are presented above.

I made posts on tumblr and bluesky asking people to nominate their favorite tags from 2024, and included as many as I could.

This is just how I chose to present the data - I hope it makes sense and I'm open to questions!

[mr-and-mr-mitchell]

Shows that got cancelled despite being good, popular, and having tonnes of potential to go on to become classics:

Kaos - 1 season - Netflix - Ends with set up for a following season

Shadow and Bone - 2 seasons - Netflix - Season 3 was already mostly written when cancelled

My Lady Jane - 1 season - Amazon Prime - Story not resolved, set up for a second season (in fact the show shows you what's supposed to happen in the second season)

Half-Bad: The Bastard Child and the Devil Himself - 1 Season - Netflix - Main story wrapped up but easily open enough for a second series exploring the world

Star Wars: The Acolyte - 1 season - Disney Plus - First series feels mostly like set up for a second series we'll now never get

Dead Boy Detectives - 1 season - Netflix - Set up for a second series with a minor cliff hanger and an open continuation for the characters

Lockwood and Co - 1 season - Netflix - Potential for a second season

I Am Not Okay With This - 1 season - Netflix - Story not properly resolved, needed a second season

National Treasure: Edge of History - 1 season - Disney Plus - Story concluded, but lots of potential for a second season

Gentleman Jack - 2 Seasons - HBO Max/BBC - So much more potential, it had so much real life basis it could have followed

Our Flag Means Death - 2 Seasons - HBO Max - I actually liked the ending we got, but I feel like the show had more potential, particularly with the crew

First Kill - 1 season - Netflix - (Not one I watched, it was on my tbw but it got cancelled and I didn't see the point)

Grease: Rise of The Pink Ladies - 1 season - Disney Plus - So much more potential And Insult to injury they've all but wiped it from the platform

A running theme for these shows are that they have a pretty high amount of LGBT rep, with a lot of these shows centering on queer characters and stories, as well as representation for POC. There are also a lot of fantasy/supernatural shows.

I just find it fascinating that there seems to be a lot of similarities between most of these shows.

[barkingbonzo]

(via "MICRONESIA Gifts, Stickers & Products (S)" Sticker for Sale by mpodger)

[oplefilm]

Royal Lao Revolutionary Party Flag

Lao Revolutionary Party Emblem

[plasmapop]

28/04/24 • catullus 51 translated via the international code of signals

BC 1 Can you communicate with the aircraft? NE 5 You should proceed with great caution; hostile vessel sighted NH 1 Are you clear of all danger? EA Have you sighted or heard of a vessel in distress?  ZL Your signal has been received but not understood. QF I cannot go ahead MBP Onset was sudden.  PG 2 I am dazzled by your searchlight. Extinguish it or lift it. [IB 4 The extent of the damage is still unknown.]  MHB Tongue is dry. YS I am unable to communicate… DV 1 I am adrift. MBE The whole body is affected. IX Fire is gaining.  FD 1 My position is indicated by rockets or flares. PG I do not see any light. EP I have lost sight of you. MY 2 It is dangerous to proceed on present course. AE 1 I wish to abandon my vessel, but have not the means. GC 2 I have searched area of accident but have found no trace of derelict or survivors