#but making the costume was so fun

[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.

#everyone say 'thank you togas' for not including a long tangent about evil rimmer in red dwarf 5x05 #Our Flag Means Death #Togas does meta #and yes these principles DO fall apart slightly in s2 and i DON'T like those costumes as much #don't get me wrong they're fun and gorgeous - but generally a bit less deep and more inaccurate. so. :( #I'm not sure this really says anything new about Our Flag but I just needed to get my thoughts out #i hate hate hate Gritty Period Drama costumes they're so boring and so ugly and so wrong #god bless OFMD for using more than 3 muted colours and actually putting men in heels (and not as a shorthand for rich/foppish villainy) <3 #looking at that Tudors still is insane like they really will go to any lengths to not make men feel like they've got bare legs XD #image descriptions in alt text #and yes i DID just sink about two hours into those so you'd better appreciate them

[dvmb-4ss]

No cuz you don’t fucking understand

Look at his fucking suit bro.

DO YOU SEE THAT?????!

DO YOU FUCKING SEE THAT???!

MILES FUCKING COPIED THE “fly ambiance down the side” FROM AARON’S SUIT. DO YOU FUCKING GET IT???! DO YOU UNDERSTAND.

AND THEN EVERYONE FUCKING MADE FUN OF IT.

“It looks like your bleeding from your armpits.” Count your fucking days Peter.

#miles morales #aaron davis #into the spider verse #across the spiderverse #uncle Aaron #I had to cease all activity after realizing this I literally just shut down #I was in the middle of drawing Aaron in costume and I noticed it and just #shut down #made a tiktok post that’s pretty hype rn #but yeah like #oh my fuckin god #the idea of miles memorializing Aaron in his suit and then everyone making fun of it is just so heart breaking

[tarufai]

#spiderman #deadpool #spideypool #comic #I did this for a class #an ENGLISH class #but we're learning about comics as literature and for the most recent paper we had an option to make a comic #and the main theme we're studying this semester is power so i made this #anyway I forgot how goddamn hard these two are to draw #I hate how complicated their costumes are like its so unnecessary #but I also think this is the most accurately I've drawn them #and they looked consistent through this whole thing #so I'm really proud of myself #and yes this is gay but i'm imagining that in this scene they don't realize they have feelings for each other yet hee hee #some of these were fuckin hard angles too what was i doing to myself!!! this was hard af!!! wtf!!! #and to be honest i drew all of this yesterday and today!!! that was so much drawing!!! og my god!!! #but it was fun he he #except i will always hate the webs on spideys costume. hell world #they have to look such a specific way and it is not easy #enough rambling. enjoy #also sorry im reuploading this because i had accidentally colored in one of spideys speech bubbles as yellow

[hallowclave]

Small but knowing wxs

#project sekai #tsukasa tenma #emu otori #nene kusanagi #rui kamishiro #wonderlands x showtime #my art #u can tell who got drawn first and who got drawn last that’s all I’m saying #based on their initial unit outfits but with many creative liberties taken #tsukasa was a pain in the ass bc his outfit is boring but I mainly focused on his gay little Diamond belt #originally his costume was darker hence the dark outlines but it didn’t read as his initial costume so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ #emu got stripes bc 1 her sock 2 her dress skirt. had to include the orange and red in her hat tho lesbian dress reigns supreme #nene got polka dots bc they’re cute that’s it #& rui I just had fun with #oh their makeup is based on their world link card suits 👍🏻 does not read well w the hair but what can u do #one day I won’t draw super tiny on a canvas that is normal sized and have to do the crop of shame #but it is not today #one day I will also make a serious drawing again probably but I am lazy

[pa-rou]

a continuation of office worker mumbo and hotguy, inspired by that tag asking if he reads hotguy x reader. OF COURSE HE DOES

#hermitshipping #redscape #mumscar #gtws #goodtimeswithscar #mumbo jumbo #parou sketches #office worker mumbo au #this..au? is so random and fun and i love it kjdcjksjd #i still have no idea of how they would actually meet tho #would he meet scar out of costume first? #man. im making this up and even i dont know

[higgsbison]

incredibly deep elder scrolls prepare to cry lorecrafting, watch out it's very tragic

#sheogorath #haskill #tes oblivion #tes skyrim #tes #did I make this just to shit on skyrim's costume design #partially partially #I was also possesed #jyggalag obviously made you his sleeper champion and gave you a fashion sense so mid it transcended daedric influence #the daedric prince of being very fun to draw #my art

[beebundt]

(2016 ➡ 2024) i wanted to compare my first colored drawing of charlie (my oldest active OC) to now for fun but damn. this is kinda fucking me up rn and thought it might be interesting to share my embarrassing kid drawing with you all too. i think it's always cool to see where we start from and i always forget how much ive changed since then

#fun fact. she started out as a doctor who oc. and then i got embarrassed abt that and made her into a “superhero” oc #bc i was just getting into miraculous ladybug at the time. the first pic is her superhero costume i was trying to make #i was cringe but i was free. wipes tear #also for the ppl who have been following me for a LONG time. if you've ever seen me called her weave or weaver #that's bc her “superhero” name was time weaver 😭 and i kept perpetually shortening it as time went by LMAOOO #idk what to do with charlie now but she's still so dear and near to my heart #i just turned into a hot space lesbian and kept adding hair and muscle to her. LOL #bee buzzes #charlie #my ocs #oc #ocs #original character

[arealtrashact]

Read your tags for your Spider-Verse art, (love it btw, SCREAMING, OMG) Supposedly the time between ITSV and ATSV is one year and four months.

But Wiki suggests that two years had passed since. Wiki also says that Gwen joins the SS in Feb with ATSV taking place in April,, I hope that satisfies your curiosity- shrug

This does satisfy my curiosity, thank you ! That seems like a believable amount of time to thaw the glacier that is Miguel O'Hara.

( Somewhat... )

#miguel o'hara #across the spiderverse #gwen stacy #Gwen's complete lack of respect for grown-ups is so funny to me #calling Miles' parents by their first names #making fun of Miguel's costume / whole look when they first meet #Gwen the little ill-mannered homeless hellion #long post #trashtalk

[sneez]

some viktors in czech and polish folk costume and a less specific miscellany from the past few months :-) i have to draw very very small with this pen which feels appropriate for him

[id: two pages of digital drawings done with a fine pixel brush. the first image is a series of coloured drawings of viktor standing in a variety of costumes. common articles across the outfits are puffy white shirts, colourful breeches, embroidered waistcoats, and decorative flowers. in each drawing viktor is smiling and leaning on his cane. the second image is a selection of drawings of viktor standing and sitting in various poses, looking generally cheerful. in one he is sitting next to barbie, who is smiling at him. the text beside it reads ‘Barbie (they are friends)’. end id.]

#artwork #arcane #how do i tag him again #viktor arcane #barbie is also here i cant remember exactly why i drew that but i think it was inspired by something icarus said #we agreed that she would be a great friend and save him from his fantasy tuberculosis. i am certain about this #ive been drawing him in folk costumes because it always makes me happy to see people talking about his accent and claiming he is from #wherever they are from. i think it is so cute #i've mostly seen people say he sounds czech but im sure ive seen someone make him polish and i love polish folk costume so i needed #no further justification #this brush is so fun it makes me very messy and loose which makes my art much less polished overall but it's very enjoyable working this way #Ned Love Lines #anyway i hope you are all doing well my friends :-D sorry ive been so absent as always im in the middle of exams but ill be back soon #kissing you all on the head

[kinnbig]

Nodt Nutthasid as Big ↳ KinnPorsche the Series - episode 2

#big's no good very bad day continues - but this time he gets to make fun of porsche in a mermaid costume #i love him so much 🥰 #kenbig by episode #kprewatch2023 #kinnporsche #kinnporsche the series #big kinnporsche #big kp #nodt nutthasid #darcey.gif #darcey.txt #kinnporsche.gif #bl.gif #kinnporschesource #asiandramasource #uservik #userpharawee #taggingmarion #i never know who to tag in these things pls lmk if you do/don't want me to tag u in stuff!!!!

[kogglyuffs]

fuck everything *jumps into the valentines day fanmade costumes bandwagon*

#digital art #my art #fanart #cookie run #cookie run fanart #cookie run ovenbreak #crob #cookie run art #crob fanart #crob art #ROGUEFORT DESERVED THAT COSTUME DONT @ ME #IM SO PISSED IM SO MAD GRRRGRGRGGRRGG #but what can we do anymore except fanmade costumes #also gave some to bp and sorber bc wynaut :)) #these be kinda fun to make ngl #cr ovenbreak #crob roguefort cookie #roguefort cookie #butter pretzel cookie #sorbet shark cookie

[detectiveforfree]

whats the point of being a baby/teenage costumed superhero if u?? cant have fun on one day when wearing costumes?? is a requirment????

also extra barry&hal, before i realized that barry is canonically pouty when his sidekick is stolen by green lantern lol

#wally west #kid flash #dick grayson #robin #dick & wally #dc #you cant argue with me that circus brat dick grayson who most likely observed many cultures would not take wally his new shiny best friend #on an offer of having fun during halloween?? with colorful costumes and candy and a lot of anonimity to be whoever you want??? #all of their outfits are also perfectly functional so they could just drop everything and dive into action if need arise #imagine a tiny superman fighting like batman/robin and a baby green lantern running faster than a blink #alfred and iris helped make the costumes. batman was very against it but he was worn down by double puppy eyes and is secretly finding it #adorable while barry is finding it adorable very loudly

[arseniy-arsenicum33]

Season 9 Hermits as DND heroes and villains... (Mostly villains)...

The Dungeon Master... The Warden Wrangler... The Frost Warlock... TangoTek...

The Gorgon King... The Statues Sourseress... The Undead Sculptress... ZombieCleo...

The Immortal King... The Forgotten Ruler... The Wealth Hoarder... Ren the King...

The Bone Mage... Axe of The Screaming Void Wielder... The Musical Necromancer... XisumaVoid...

The Vampire Lord... The Treacherous Backstabber... The Keeper of Vaults... Mumbo Killsalot Jumbo...

The Cursed Knight... The Honourable Hero... And His Inner Demon... WelsKnight...

The Elven Archer... The Magical Baker... The Mattress Store Owner... GoodTimesWithScar...

The Dwarven Warrior... The Realm Liberator... The King Slayer... ImpulseSV...

The Forest Protector... The King Maker... The Leshy... BdoubleO100... This whole project started long ago with an ask by @theshadiertwin two months ago... Shockingly, the Idea of using a DND-character creator for creating actual DND-characters instead of little vignettes never occured to me... But I really wanted to model every Hermit first... If you have any ideas of what class each hermit can be, please tell! And I will be making a part 2 someday... Bdubs one has a little bit of a backstory... It's conceptually based on this model of Inscription-Leshy Bdubs by my good friend @randomtotallyrealgirl... But made more akin to slavic view of Leshy as a Forest Guardian... It's not a cultural appropriation, if it's my culture... Rens also from slavic folklore, he was inspired by Koschey the Immortal who conquered death, hoarded enormous amounts of wealth and spent his forever life by withering over it... You can use them freely, play as them, put them as npcs in your homebrew, come up with stats and character builds, go nuts! And there are some nice secrets, if you view them in 3D... I just need to add them to the growing google doc of my models... And actually post said doc on my blog... Yeah... Soon...

#tangotek #zombiecleo #renthedog #xisumavoid #mumbojumbo #welsknight #goodtimeswithscar #impulsesv #bdoubleo100 #hermitcraft #hermitcraft s9 #hermitcraft fanart #hero forge #Just so you know I had the Warden model BEFORE the entire 12 Xisumas post... #The Xisuma costume in that post is based on THIS model! #Xisuma and Gem are my most modeled Hermits... And I just keep adding to the pile... #Tango with Warden keeps crashing my hero forge if I up the rendering quality higher... Sorry... #Rens throne is made from shields and briefcases and was made BEFORE Gems ship... #Please do tell me about your hermitcraft-dnd headcanons... I would really appreciate that... #Making villains is more fun... But please give me some hero ideas... #Hero forge I beg you to add snakes in the horns category it would be so sick! #Two post in one day what is this? #I am tidying up my workspace and posting what wasn't posted...

[eiyuuou]

*rifling through a book of 80s slang* uh err bodacious :)

(no scanline vers. Under the cut, ID in ALT)

#nightwing #dc comics #dick grayson #discowing #nightwing fanart #this was originally a not pixel art full body redesign of his costume #but it was making me angry so I turned it into something that makes me happy (discowing) #maybe my redesign will emerge… when I’m no longer driven to kill over it #god willing <3 #this was a fun chance to play with scanlines and 80s patterns too which was fun^^ #mine

[fossilizedhysterics]

mild suggestive humor ↓ . . . .

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more funnies.... i cant be stopped

#mildly suggestive #very glad ppl seem 2 be enjoying these #they r a lot of fun for me to make #also!! i think ive finally found a patton design i like #which is good #experimented w virgils hair also and i like it but idk if ill ever remember 2 do it again #also im sure some1 out there is wondering why i draw every1 in their canon outfits EXCEPT for remus #and the answer is that i have personal beef with his outfit #and absolutely refuse to draw it ! #its a great costume i think its designed very well i just hate drawing it #+ im mad its so complicated which means i will probably never get to cosplay him #intruality #dlampr #<- only IMPLIED technically. but it was fully my intention #intrumociet #<- is that the ship name for them?!?! fuck if i know #dukeciet #mociet #sanders sides #sasi art #remus sanders #janus sanders #patton sanders #logan sanders #virgil sanders #no roman this time... i really dont have a good grasp on him as a character so its harder 4 me to find posts that remind me of him #tss #ts sides #sanders sides art #my art

[blamebonk]

We need more love for the purgatory boys!!! Could I request for wacky purg boy shamtoolery?

sum scenarios,,,like wine drunk simeon and unwilling fairy luke,,,and somewhat hairy raphael,,,

#hiii HAHAH #i'm back yaaay #making solomons wizard costume was so fun tbh i might draw it again #sorry for poorly drawn chest hair WILL happen again #i know some of the anatomy is janky i just have been messing with this too much #as usual sob sob #obeyme #my art #request fill #obey me simeon #obey me luke #obey me solomon #obey me raphael