#flag description

[evenlyevi]

Happy pride! I offer you some bunnies on cakes!! 🌈

[anistarrose]

Imagine, for a moment, that your internet just stopped loading images one day. Your dash might look pretty different (and less usable), but at least you can still make posts — whether about your internet situation, or about completely unrelated topics.

Now, imagine that one or more of your posts blew up, to the tune of hundreds if not thousands of notes. Imagine people started adding images to your posts.

Imagine your post circulating almost entirely in the form with four or five images attached, and with everyone in the notes laughing about those images — except you, who started the post in the first place, who can't even see those images because you're trapped in Tumblr's loading gradient hellscape.

You're excluded from any further conversations on your own post, because someone added a mystery image with the caption "don't leave this in the tags," but you have no idea which set of tags it is, and can't tell if it's one of the good takes from the tags or one of the horrible takes from the tags. You're excluded from the Tumblr users playing with JPEGs like dolls. You can try to guess the contents of the images based on people's reactions, but it's hard. And no one adding images even seems to notice the irony.

This is, of course, a real problem plaguing Tumblr users with regularly slow internet. And it's also a huge, insidious problem plaguing blind and low vision people who rely on either screen readers, or image descriptions in combination with enlarged text on their device.

People with disabilities around comprehending images, people who have images (or gifs) disabled due to photosensitivity, and many others are also affected.

If you add an image to a post without either alt text, an in-post image description, or even both for maximal inclusivity, you don't know if OP — or the person whose tags you're peer reviewing, or whose reply you're screenshotting — will actually be able to see it. From their perspective, you might just be shoving a mystery rectangle in their face, expecting them to be able to guess — or responding to them without them being able to know.

Imagine being on the receiving end of that expectation constantly. Imagine how isolating that must feel.

We need, collectively, to stop making assumptions that everyone we interact with online will be able to access, physically see, and mentally process images. The assumption that disabled people are vanishingly rare and statistically shouldn't really need to be considered is an assumption of structural and/or implicit ableism.

Write image descriptions. Write image descriptions for every image you post, if you're able — but if you have limited energy, or you're still learning, you should at least start trying your absolute best to describe images you add to other people's posts. If you're starting a conversation, even an online conversation, you should make your best effort to be accessible.

So: Write IDs, especially if they're as simple as just text, like screenshotted tags (link to guide). Write IDs even if you think the best ID you can write is too short, or too incomplete (link to post explaining why even "bad" IDs help).

Write IDs in general (link to a huge compilation of guides). Challenge ableist assumptions and inaccessibility.

[cuddlytogas]

So I accidentally almost got into an argument on Twitter, and now I'm thinking about bad historical costuming tropes. Specifically, Action Hero Leather Pants.

See, I was light-heartedly pointing out the inaccuracies of the costumes in Black Sails, and someone came out of the woodwork to defend the show. The misunderstanding was that they thought I was dismissing the show just for its costumes, which I wasn't - I was simply pointing out that it can't entirely care about material history (meaning specifically physical objects/culture) if it treats its clothes like that.

But this person was slightly offended on behalf of their show - especially, quote, "And from a fan of OFMD, no less!" Which got me thinking - it's true! I can abide a lot more historical costuming inaccuracy from Our Flag than I can Black Sails or Vikings. And I don't think it's just because one has my blorbos in it. But really, when it comes down to it...

What is the difference between this and this?

Here's the thing. Leather pants in period dramas isn't new. You've got your Vikings, Tudors, Outlander, Pirates of the Caribbean, Once Upon a Time, Will, The Musketeers, even Shakespeare in Love - they love to shove people in leather and call it a day. But where does this come from?

Obviously we have the modern connotations. Modern leather clothes developed in a few subcultures: cowboys drew on Native American clothing. (Allegedly. This is a little beyond my purview, I haven't seen any solid evidence, and it sounds like the kind of fact that people repeat a lot but is based on an assumption. I wouldn't know, though.) Leather was used in some WWI and II uniforms.

But the big boom came in the mid-C20th in motorcycle, punk/goth, and gay subcultures, all intertwined with each other and the above. Motorcyclists wear leather as practical protective gear, and it gets picked up by rock and punk artists as a symbol of counterculture, and transferred to movie designs. It gets wrapped up in gay and kink communities, with even more countercultural and taboo meanings. By the late C20th, leather has entered mainstream fashion, but it still carries those references to goths, punks, BDSM, and motorbike gangs, to James Dean, Marlon Brando, and Mick Jagger. This is whence we get our Spikes and Dave Listers in 1980s/90s media, bad boys and working-class punks.

And some of the above "historical" design choices clearly build on these meanings. William Shakespeare is dressed in a black leather doublet to evoke the swaggering bad boy artist heartthrob, probably down on his luck. So is Kit Marlowe.

But the associations get a little fuzzier after that. Hook, with his eyeliner and jewellery, sure. King Henry, yeah, I see it. It's hideously ahistorical, but sure. But what about Jamie and Will and Ragnar, in their browns and shabby, battle-ready chic? Well, here we get the other strain of Bad Period Drama Leather.

See, designers like to point to history, but it's just not true. Leather armour, especially in the western/European world, is very, very rare, and not just because it decays faster than metal. (Yes, even in ancient Greece/Rome, despite many articles claiming that as the start of the leather armour trend!) It simply wasn't used a lot, because it's frankly useless at defending the body compared to metal. Leather was used as a backing for some splint armour pieces, and for belts, sheathes, and buckles, but it simply wasn't worn like the costumes above. It's heavy, uncomfortable, and hard to repair - it's simply not practical for a garment when you have perfectly comfortable, insulating, and widely available linen, wool, and cotton!

As far as I can see, the real influence on leather in period dramas is fantasy. Fantasy media has proliferated the idea of leather armour as the lightweight choice for rangers, elves, and rogues, a natural, quiet, flexible material, less flashy or restrictive than metal. And it is cheaper for a costume department to make, and easier for an actor to wear on set. It's in Dungeons and Dragons and Lord of the Rings, King Arthur, Runescape, and World of Warcraft.

And I think this is how we get to characters like Ragnar and Vane. This idea of leather as practical gear and light armour, it's fantasy, but it has this lineage, behind which sits cowboy chaps and bomber/flight jackets. It's usually brown compared to the punk bad boy's black, less shiny, and more often piecemeal or decorated. In fact, there's a great distinction between the two Period Leather Modes within the same piece of media: Robin Hood (2006)! Compare the brooding, fascist-coded villain Guy of Gisborne with the shabby, bow-wielding, forest-dwelling Robin:

So, back to the original question: What's the difference between Charles Vane in Black Sails, and Edward Teach in Our Flag Means Death?

Simply put, it's intention. There is nothing intentional about Vane's leather in Black Sails. It's not the only leather in the show, and it only says what all shabby period leather says, relying on the same tropes as fantasy armour: he's a bad boy and a fighter in workaday leather, poor, flexible, and practical. None of these connotations are based in reality or history, and they've been done countless times before. It's boring design, neither historically accurate nor particularly creative, but much the same as all the other shabby chic fighters on our screens. He has a broad lineage in Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean and such, but that's it.

In Our Flag, however, the lineage is much, much more intentional. Ed is a direct homage to Mad Max, the costuming in which is both practical (Max is an ex-cop and road warrior), and draws on punk and kink designs to evoke a counterculture gone mad to the point of social breakdown, exploiting the thrill of the taboo to frighten and titillate the audience.

In particular, Ed is styled after Max in the second movie, having lost his family, been badly injured, and watched the world turn into an apocalypse. He's a broken man, withdrawn, violent, and deliberately cutting himself off from others to avoid getting hurt again. The plot of Mad Max 2 is him learning to open up and help others, making himself vulnerable to more loss, but more human in the process.

This ties directly into the themes of Our Flag - it's a deliberate intertext. Ed's emotional journey is also one from isolation and pain to vulnerability, community, and love. Mad Max (intentionally and unintentionally) explores themes of masculinity, violence, and power, while Max has become simplified in the popular imagination as a stoic, badass action hero rather than the more complex character he is, struggling with loss and humanity. Similarly, Our Flag explores masculinity, both textually (Stede is trying to build a less abusive pirate culture) and metatextually (the show champions complex, banal, and tender masculinities, especially when we're used to only seeing pirates in either gritty action movies or childish comedies).

Our Flag also draws on the specific countercultures of motorcycles, rockers, and gay/BDSM culture in its design and themes. Naturally, in such a queer show, one can't help but make the connection between leather pirates and leather daddies, and the design certainly nods at this, with its vests and studs. I always think about this guy, with his flat cap so reminiscient of gay leather fashions.

More overtly, though, Blackbeard and his crew are styled as both violent gangsters and countercultural rockstars. They rove the seas like a bikie gang, free and violent, and are seen as icons, bad boys and celebrities. Other pirates revere Blackbeard and wish they could be on his crew, while civilians are awed by his reputation, desperate for juicy, gory details.

This isn't all of why I like the costuming in Our Flag Means Death (especially season 1). Stede's outfits are by no means accurate, but they're a lot more accurate than most pirate media, and they're bright and colourful, with accurate and delightful silks, lace, velvets, and brocades, and lovely, puffy skirts on his jackets. Many of the Revenge crew wear recognisable sailor's trousers, and practical but bright, varied gear that easily conveys personality and flair. There is a surprising dedication to little details, like changing Ed's trousers to fall-fronts for a historical feel, Izzy's puffy sleeves, the handmade fringe on Lucius's red jacket, or the increasing absurdity of navy uniform cuffs between Nigel and Chauncey.

A really big one is the fact that they don't shy away from historical footwear! In almost every example above, we see the period drama's obsession with putting men in skinny jeans and bucket-top boots, but not only does Stede wear his little red-heeled shoes with stockings, but most of his crew, and the ordinary people of Barbados, wear low boots or pumps, and even rough, masculine characters like Pete wear knee breeches and bright colours. It's inaccurate, but at least it's a new kind of inaccuracy, that builds much more on actual historical fashions, and eschews the shortcuts of other, grittier period dramas in favour of colour and personality.

But also. At least it fucking says something with its leather.

[transcendragon]

Decided to fix some transphobic posts @fixing-bad-posts style. I find it the most therapeutic thing I can do when I run into transphobia in the wild. I put image descriptions in the alt text. Note: the “try testosterone” post was screenshotted on a different post and I edited that post screenshotted it.

All photos used are my own, image descriptions in alt text.

[blitzwhore]

HELL YES

They said in the comments that these are all canon 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍 happy pride to us holy shit

[bizarrelittlemew]

strong contender for my favorite line + delivery of the episode

[uncanny-tranny]

Whenever people who are entrenched in diet culture talk about how terrible chemicals are, I just want to whip out this:

[ryegarden]

t4t angels inventing new love languages by making constellations out of each others bodies

on my redbubble!

[ID: a digital drawing of two angels on a deep blue background, surrounded by stars, one angel has moss green skin, three faces and firey red hair. They're covered in tattoos and have two wings extending from their back, and six on their head. The other angel is resting their hand on the first ones thigh. They have sky blue skin and golden scars dancing across it, with long deep forest green hair in twin braids billowing out behind them. Their wings are the same shade, two fluffier ones arching out from their back and two smaller ones from their head. Both angels are visibly, deliberately trans. The image has a delicately drawn border of wings, stars, and foliage, reminiscent of medieval manuscript illustrations. End ID]

[capricorn-0mnikorn]

Thinking about the intersection of Disability & Queer Identities

This variation of the Disability Pride Flag popped into my head:

Taking inspiration from the Queer Chevron Flag (also originating here on Tumblr):

Queer Chevron Flag entry on the Pride Flag Fandom Wiki.

[zombpawcoins]

▞▞ . caninekin / canine therian flag !

[pt: caninekin / canine therian flag ! end pt.]

[ Image descriptions: A flag with seven equally-sized horizontal stripes. The stripes form a gradient from brownish dark grey to light brown, muted white, then to a light, muted red-ish colour to a red-ish, muted orange. The image on the left has the Theta-Delta symbol — a symbol combining the Greek letters Theta and Delta, and is usually used to represent therianthropy. The image on the right does not have the Theta-Delta symbol. End description. ]

since i didn't see any flags for specifically caninekin, i made one myself :3

[winecovered]

　⟢　Pastel Goth　𓃉

A presentation flag for pastel goths! This may relate to jirai kei, or other pink / black based fashions! Might also connect to feminine fashion, taboo themes within clothes, or similar!

　— For @coinfight 2024 . Revenge attack on @pinkish-angel! Not a gender, 8 points!

[Plain text start. Pastel goth. A presentation flag for pastel goths! This may relate to jirai kei, or other pink / black based fashions! Might also connect to feminine fashion, taboo themes within clothes, or similar! For coinfight 2024. Revenge attack on pinkish-angel! Not a gender, eight points! .Plain text end]

Complex flag without symbol, simple flags without lines:

[lavenderedward]

[ID: Gifset of Stede from Our Flag Means Death standing at the front of The Revenge. The camera zooms in on him until it is shown that he is crying. He takes a minute to collect himself before saying, "My family's here now. At sea." then walks off. End ID]

OUR FLAG MEAS DEATH

1.01 | "Pilot"

[alexpression]

Gays really love running away instead of being vulnerable with each other, huh?

[onewolfaday]

[ID: Digital artwork depicting three wolves from the shoulders up, one black wolf, one typical gray wolf, and one arctic wolf, all snuggled together with their eyes closed happily. The arctic wolf has a bandana with the blue-red-black pi poly flag, and all three are wrapped in the purple-red-blue golden heart poly flag as if it were a blanket. the background is pale yellow. End ID.]

159. poly wolves!

[ryanyflags]

xenoman (xenogender man), xenowoman (xenogender woman), & xenoenban/xenoban/xenban (xenogender enban) flags :D

As far as I'm aware, there's nothing about the xenoboy, xenogirl, and xenby flags and definitions that couldn't be used by people who use man/woman/enban over boy/girl/enby. But the boy/girl/enby versions are the most popular / basically only what the terms are known by, and I feel like in general there's this tendency to more diminutive terms, so I thought it would be nice to have specific man/woman/enban varients. (I personally don't like calling myself a boy or an enby, and the fact that the majority of terms only have boy/girl/enby variants, or are most well know as that, can be a bit annoying. So I think alt man/woman/enban terms and flags are important.)

-

I didn't come up with xenoman and xenowoman, but I think I'm the first one to use xenoenban/xenban. (Later edit: also added xenoban alt term, I don't remember why I didn't include it to begin with lol)

As for the flags, I used dark blues to represent men, dark pinks to represent women, and yellow, purple, black for enben. The other colors are from the xenogender flag. The main blues, pinks and 3 nonbinary colors are also shifted a bit to fit with the color palette/style of the xenogender flag.

Each term/flag has 3 versions: 2 gradient symbol versions (the gradient colors of each are taken from their base flags, and the 2 variations have the gradient in a different color order), and plain stripe versions. They all mean the same thing, I just couldn't decide what looked prettier.

[s-lycopersicum]