#god I'm so bored

[sephrotus]

When you doodle from reference

When you when

[megsiepoo]

I guess I'm making this a series now? Lol

Possessed Lamb sketch at work

[evl-qn]

l.eo s.uter as the huntsman tho 👀

[bitegore]

If you want to know if I'm trying to go to sleep, check how many times in a minute I go off and online

[lemonbreelnd]

reading fic in class. call me teachers pest

[musicaltheaternerd142]

Momma had a chicken. Momma had a cow. Dad was proud, he didn't care how

[sheerakk]

[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.

[ponhey]

since I'm still waiting, here's a list of random characters I think won't be the minister, and how much I would like them to be :

Sasha james, I miss my girl, 10/10

Tim stoker, no thank you, 3/10

Dan stoker, why ? 0/10

every michael ever, neutral, 5/10

jurgen leitner, please let this man stay dead, 2/10

melanie king, don't want her to work for the govermnent, 0/10

rosie

jane prentiss 🪱/10

agnes, no.

people I think might be the minister and how much I want them to be :

elias bouchard, might be too obvious, but I like the bastard, 5/10

Annabelle Cane, would be soooo fun, 10/10

Peter Lukas, neutral, 5/10

Gertrude robinson ? unlikely, 3/10

if one of them is the minister, someone owe me a snack

[robertphilip]

There's an awkward "first date" silence between them, the kind that suggests there isn't going to be a "second". Giselle tries her best to keep the conversation going.

[crimeronan]

there's a secret world of beautiful human interaction that opens up when you're a delivery driver who's nice to restaurant workers. two days ago a lady at a donut shop gave me a free donut and coffee for breakfast because i was a doordasher picking up an enormous order at six in the morning. an old man in a hotel lobby at 2 AM fervently told me "be safe out there" as i was leaving. the same happened with a guy working at a 24-hour mexican place at 3 AM. (i imagine being a woman-thing doing deliveries in the middle of the night worries people.) sometimes i tell mcdonalds workers, "it's okay, take your time," and they'll wilt with relief like "girl. you will not BELIEVE the night we're having." i talked to another doordasher while we were waiting to pick up orders from a fast food chain and he showed me some ridiculous messages from his last customer like "can you Believe this lady. UNREAL." i feel like a character in a video game who knows all the secret thieves cant nonsense to speak to people in the criminal underworld, except it's just like. knowing all the words that suddenly turn off the customer service persona in the NPCs.

[notthequiettype]

watch now on prime

[louferignojr]

[anxiousapplepie]

Question, do all the Housemaidens and Travelers meet the Change God? If not all of them, who do you see as the ones that do, because I can see the Change God prasing Sif while condeming Bonnie one world while prasing Bonnie and condeming Odile in the other.

Also the fact the Travelers cam straight up confess to meeting god is funng given what happens in OG, and would love to see everyones reactions to it.

Ps, do you think the Change God is harder on any Traveler in particular, of treats them all with the same level of contempt and amusement?

Also, heard you were sick and wishing you best in recovery, love your Role Swap concept and what it has spawnes!

YES! I so very badly need all the Housemaidens and Travelers to meet the Change God. Everybody needs a turn getting praised and a turn having the hottest spotlight on them like "whaddya think you're doing bud" But the Change god wouldn't always treat the Traveler with sardonic teasing. I think they'd treat Traveler!Bonnie like a funny little puppy learning how to do some clever tricks. Traveler!Isabeau wouldn't get condemned, he'd be more like... "my dude my boy my main man what are you doing. you done goofed but you're smart enough to get out of it. c'mon. you can do it. It's not that hard!!!" TRAVELER!MIRA. HOWEVER. She gets the Special Treatment for being God's most anxious crab and it's gonna haunt her a lil more than the average "I met a God" encounter. I'm so sorry Mira, you are somehow just as bad as Sif was when you get stuck in a timeloop. You are still the favorite though, even when you abuse the fabric of time and space to help you cope with your impostor syndrome. Also ta mate! <3 still sick and low on energy, but the worst is over and all that's left for me to do is fight insomnia and get some of my roleswap thoughts out of my head

[eternally-tired-muffin]

experimenting with styles! definitely not to procrastinate

[tntduopolls]

complain aaaalll you want you little shits, you will be getting difficult choices and many of them and your pathetic little fingers will quiver as you sacrifice your dignity to pick the lesser of two evils, you know why????

BECAUSE YOU MOTHERFUCKERS CHOSE TO MAKE HIM A FUCKING BRIT!!!!

I am manifesting foul plagues upon each and every one of you scoundrels who saw a charcuterie board of options and chose British.

I mean honestly, BRITISH?????

order may, MAY perhaps be restored once I feel satisfied that you lot have the dignity to choose wisely. you have been warned.