#thank you for the descriptions

[bonuscatart]

[Plain text ID.

Y: your name

A: address

P: phone number

P: password

Y: your plans

End ID.]

[canisalbus]

I kidnapped ur long-nosed cat for a sec

.

[uncanny-tranny]

Learning to internalize the message above, but art is in all of our bones. If you feel afraid to create art because it won't be "good enough," it's worth it to explore why you feel that fear. Creating art is one of the basic impulses of people, and if you want to create art, then you absolutely must.

[noodles-and-tea]

You’ve just got this real magic, capturing the sunshine summer of childhood in the tiny Pines twins. Like I am fully convinced I could show the overcast sky one of your pictures of Stanley and the sky would be like. Pack it up clouds, time to get back to the sun.

Ohh thank you :(((((

[danmeichael]

shen jiu's brother is exposing STERNOCLEIDMASTOID ALSO KNOWN AS THE SCM (PICTURED IN DRAWING) in addition to being implied to be exposing THE JUGULAR NOTCH BETWEEN HIS TWO CLAVICLES (COLLARBONES) SOMETIMES ALSO REFERRED TO AS THE CLAVICLE THOUGH IT IS OUT OF FRAME for every beast on the peak??? like some kind of harlot????

[jagalart]

Hue 16

[daydreamycrustacean]

Alt outfits. Playing dress up with him like he´s a barbie doll.

[martineisling]

Almost done with my yearly listening of TAZ Amnesty so here’s the mains w/ their special friends and weapons!!!

[Image description: digital art of the cast of TAZ Amnesty. The first image shows Duck, holding Beacon nervously. Minerva is in the background, smiling confidently. Duck is a fat, light-skinned man in a park ranger uniform. Minerva is a slender, dark-skinned woman, with a shaved and tattooed head.

Second is Ned, smiling and gesturing with the Narf Blaster slung over his shoulder. Boyd is in the background, grinning ominously. Ned is chubby with light skin and a gray beard, wearing a scarf and jacket. Boyd has light skin and short black hair, wearing a bandanna around his neck.

Last is Aubrey, smiling confidently and conjuring a small flame. Dr. Bonkers sits on her shoulder, and Dani is in the background, smiling gently. Aubrey has brown skin, a slender build, and red locks, wearing a denim vest with a rainbow pin. Dani has light skin, and blond hair in a braid. End ID.]

[starryemeralds]

pines pines pines!!!!!

(reference is this art by joe pitt)

[Image description: digital art of the Pines family from Gravity Falls, posing for a photo. Stan has his arms around Dipper and Ford, with all of them grinning. Soos is making a peace sign, and Mabel is sticking out her tongue. Wendy has a relaxed smile. End ID.]

[shimmershy]

[Image description: digital art of Chara and Frisk from Undertale. They're posing for a photo together with matching friendship bracelets, each of which contains half of a red heart charm.

Chara has pale skin, and flowers growing on their hair and hands, with a sunset aroace flag pin on their collar. They're smiling and waving, with their other arm around Frisk's shoulder. Frisk has freckled brown skin and curly hair, smiling and winking as they make a peace sign. End description.]

Valentine's Day post except there's no romance, only bestie vibes.

[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.

[veinsfullofstars]

💙 MetaDede Week 2024 Day 1: Sworn Partners (Free Day) 💜

(ID: Kirby series fanart, four-panel comic, of Meta Knight being exhausted and King Dedede offering a solution. Transcript in Alt Text. END ID.)

Partially inspired by this post by @das-a-kirby-blog.

Next Day | Prompt List (made by @mtddweek)

Started 07/31/24, finished 08/05/24.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

"What do you mean their name isn't Beef?"

(for @moondal514)

[forgotmysword]

“Wild Geese” by Mary Oliver x “Dungeon Meshi” by Ryoko Kui

Inspiration under the cut<3

This was heavily (completely) inspired by “a little creature who loves you” by wtfoctogon on ao3 (@wtfoctagon/@possamble on here) and the way they write falin. The second i saw this quote i thought of falin and their story. When i asked if it would be ok to post this they said its the same quote they had in mind when writing her😂 Sadly i am not the genius i think i am, wtfoctogon is just that good at creating such a beautiful and clear picture of falin. I cant imagine there’s very many of you who haven’t, but if you like farcille and haven’t been reading this story you should drop everything and go read it right this second

[snobgoblin]

alt text by @orphanbird95

[chocostrwberry]

Ooohhh when is there going to be an akumatized luka?

RIGHT NOW!! :D

Heartrocker is Akumatized Luka, after breaking up with Marinette. 💔

His music creates supersonic waves!

I’d like to think that a special song also makes civilians to fangirl over him, but he’s not interested? He’s just over them/doesn’t want their attention (even though he’s creating them) and he just wants to find Marinette and use his powers to make her love him, or obsessed with him like he kind of is with her. He sends the fans to go find Marinette while he focuses on trying to take the miraculous.

It’s not the right thing to do, but he thinks Marinette doesn’t care about him at all, although he loves her to his core. She didn’t show up to his concert, lied about it, then didn’t even try to protest their breakup. So clearly he’s not over her and wants clarity, which causes his Akumatization. Ofc the breakup was over multiple instances of lying, but the concert was the final straw because she promised him she’d be there, and he was going to perform an original song he wrote just for her.

He ends up putting Ladybug under the same spell, and he’s about to take her miraculous before realizing if he does, Hawkmoth will take away his powers and he can’t get Marinette to love him again. So he ends up just having a depressing therapy session with her, where she convinces him to hand over his akuma object and he can’t be akumatized anymore after that!