#twas a fun era

[thebrideofreanimator]

yknow what i miss i miss my texas chainsaw massacre era. fun times fun times

[thedeadthree]

𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐎𝐍 𝐀𝐆𝐄: 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐕𝐄𝐈𝐋𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐃 ➸ irulanne . the rook .

𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐍 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐒 . 𝐄𝐋𝐅 . 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑 𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐄 .

-`. template by @kanos . coloring . icons .

✧ ― 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 (ask to be added or removed or interact 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞!!):

@pavus, @wlwaerith, @shadowsofrose, @grapecaseschoices, @nokstella

@queennymeria, @risingsh0t, @carrionsflower, @leviiackrman, @griffin-wood

@confidentandgood, @aceghosts, @tommyarashikage, @shadowglens, @yharnams

@anoras, @theelderhazelnut, @florbelles, @celticwoman, @pinkfey

@kyberinfinitygems, @cloudofbutterflies92, @carlosoliveiraa, @shellibisshe, @adelaidedrubman

@lavampira, @capelizabeth, @socially-awkward-skeleton, @statichvm, @unholymilf

@aezyrraeshh, @imogenkol, @aceghosts, @full---ofstarlight, @ellierenae

[ingo-ingoing-ingone]

Ingo and Emmet are perfectly in sync. They have to be, living as conjoined twins. The Subway Masters of Nimbasa City, the two are happy with their friends and family and trains. Of course, the universe contains chaos and random chance that can affect even the closest of people. The two find themselves in situations that neither would have ever expected, and it will test them both. Through it all, one thing is certain. Family, both blood related and chosen, will never let you be alone. And, no matter the trials, a two-car train will always continue onwards.

Update time! Still in Hisui, following the timeline of PLA! After this chapter I wanna maybe create a bit of a backlog to post all at once, and I need to decide if I should split the next chapter into 2 or not.

Please please comment if you enjoy!

No warnings this week :)

Disclaimer linked in first reblog

[hoooble-art]

Crappy MSpaint comics from 2023

[vibinsane]

You should absolutely make a Rafayel rp account! Your writing is already heavenly, and your love for him would bleed through, so it would all be a perfect fit! If you want to, of course.

anonnie, i'm— (i had already been screaming about this when i saw the notification but had a mouthful of my very late breakfast/lunch)

this is actually one of the most sweetest things i've ever gotten from an anon, especially in regard to my writing.

just everything about it 'your love for him would bleed through' 'your writing is heavenly' good lords, i need a moment.

but honestly thank you so much :(( please, have these hearts.

[anticomedygarden]

i know what i'm needing, and i don't want to waste more time

-

title from billy joel's 'new york state of mind'

slight nsfw, barely passing a teen rating honestly

-

Harry’s head whipped around when a flash of golden movement caught his eye, then sighed when he realized it was just another Gryffindor holding up a sign and not, in fact, the snitch, which had been noticeably absent ever since Madam Hooch had called the start of the game three hours earlier. 

Yes. Three hours. With no snitch. It was really starting to get suspicious.

“Potter!” 

Harry turned toward the sound of his name, ready to tell whichever one of his teammates who was about to whine that he hadn’t ended the game, that he hadn’t seen the damn thing yet but instead found himself face to face with Draco Malfoy. 

“What do you want, Malfoy?” 

Draco sneered but answered. “Have you seen the snitch yet?” 

Harry shook his head. “I’m starting to think Hooch forgot to release it.”

“But we all watched her,” Malfoy said. He scratched his neck. “I’m starving.”

“Oi! Potter! Stop fraternizing with the enemy!” Angelina yelled as she raced by them, quaffle in her hand. “And catch the damn snitch while we’re ahead!”

Harry laughed. “You know what? I could use a break.”

-

That was how the two of them found themselves on the roof of one of the spectator’s stands, brooms set aside and a plate of sandwiches between them. 

“This is nice,” Harry said around a mouthful of bread. 

Draco answered with a glare. “Don’t talk with your mouth full, you heathen.”

Harry ignored him and continued to look out across the pitch only to see a quick flash of gold-white flitzing around near the Gryffindor goalposts. He pointed. “Hey, there it is, finally.”

“Nice of it to show up,” Draco responded, though Harry would swear he heard a twinge of disappointment in his voice. 

He took another bite of his sandwich. “It can wait.” 

-

It happened again at the next Gryffindor vs. Slytherin match. They watched Hooch release the quaffle, bludgers, and the snitch, and then didn’t see the little gold ball again for another four hours. This time, they had apples and grapes in the same spot above the seats, and Draco caught the little gold ball after a grueling battle between the scarlet and green seekers. 

Then it happened again. Four hours of no snitch until Harry spotted it by the Slytherin goalposts, but only after he and Draco had a delightful little lunch in what he had come to think of as their spot. 

Then it happened between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Draco was waiting at their spot with food. 

Then Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw. Fred and George had declared they would bring their own food to the next game. Ron said he would take Felix Felicis for real if it meant a less than four hour match. 

Then Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff again. Angelina was beside herself. 

Every time, Draco was waiting at their spot with food. What the fuck. 

The next match, Gryffindor vs. Slytherin again, was the last straw. They waited for the snitch for six hours before Harry finally snapped. 

“All right, where is it? I know it’s you that’s doing this,” he said, getting up off of the rough blue shingles and brushing off his red robes. 

Malfoy, the bastard, just smirked. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Come on, Malfoy, it’s not funny anymore. I’m hot and tired.” He sounded whiny even to his own ears, but seriously. Six hours. In May. He was done. 

“Oh, you’re hot, are you?” Draco said, biting his lip. There was a suspicious gleam in his grey eyes. 

“Are you flirting? Do we do that now?” Harry asked, disbelieving. 

“Do you want to do that now?” 

A shout stopped him from answering, thank god. “Potter!” came Angelina’s voice from somewhere up above. “Catch the fucking snitch!”

Harry turned back to Draco, but he was already muttering some spell and jumping on his broom, rushing for a tiny flash of gold all the way across the pitch near the professors’ stand. Harry grabbed his broom and raced after him. 

He was too late. Within seconds, Malfoy had the snitch clutched in his long, graceful fingers up above his head, and the crowd, threadbare from heat and restlessness, gave an unenthusiastic cry, sluggishly moving toward the steps back down to the grounds. 

There was no immediate announcement of the winning team as Lee Jordan had left ages ago, but before long McGonagall was saying, “Congratulations to the Slytherin team for a 450-230 win. There is cold water in the Great Hall, and Madam Pomfrey is ready in the infirmary for anyone suffering from heat exhaustion.”

Harry started to turn his broom down to the ground to meet the rest of his team, but a hand-Draco’s hand-on his broom stopped him. 

He met the other boy’s grey eyes. “Meet me in the Room of Requirement at midnight.”

-

Who was he to deny a spoiled pureblood Slytherin that had never shown him anything but malice? He went to the fucking Room of Requirement at midnight. 

Thank god the whole dorm was passed out cold after that quidditch match, but Harry was far too wired. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what Draco wanted with him. Maybe to threaten him not to tell anyone about the whole snitch thing, though what could Harry say, anyway? “I think Malfoy, the boy who hates me, has been bewitching the famously unbewitchable flying object so he can spend time with me.” 

Yeah, no. It had to be something else. 

Eventually, he made it to the Room of Requirement and pulled off the Invisibility Cloak to see that he was standing in the middle of what seemed to be a library with stacks upon stacks of books. “Malfoy?” he said tentatively. 

At first, there wasn’t an answer, and Harry feared that Malfoy had lured him there to kill him, or worse, that he had been stood up. Then, from the back of the room: “Potter.”

Harry started walking toward Draco’s voice, dodging bookcases until he came upon a little study area, complete with two tall chairs standing around an equally tall table laden with food. 

“What the hell is this?” Harry said, perhaps a bit too hotly. 

Malfoy didn’t even blink. “I think we both know what it is.” 

He really, really didn’t. 

Malfoy sighed. “C’mon, Potter, don’t make me say it.”

Harry just looked at him, barely comprehending what this apparently was. 

Draco groaned. “Merlin, Potter, I’m in love with you! I hate it, but I am. And you are, too.”

“You can’t just announce that and expect it to be true,” Harry said immediately. Nevertheless, his frozen brain was starting to work again, and he couldn’t deny the ache in his chest or the heat in his gut. 

He stepped forward. 

So did Draco. 

Then they both surged forward at the same time, crashing together in a messy embrace. Draco’s arm ended up hooked over Harry’s shoulder, and their lips nearly missed, but somehow, it was amazing. Magnificent. It tasted like fried chicken. 

“Did you start eating the food before I got here?” Harry said incredulously. 

Draco sucked in a hot breath against Harry’s neck. “You were late, Potter. What did you expect?”

He licked a crumb off of Draco’s bottom lip. “Impatient-” He kissed the bump in Dracos’ nose. “Spoiled-” He pulled Draco closer to whisper in his ear. “Brat.” He felt Draco’s knees knock into his own, and the ash-blond whimpered into Harry’s mouth. “I can’t believe you bewitched the snitch to spend time with me. You could have just asked.” 

If Draco had planned on responding, it was lost to the sound he made when Harry slid a hand up his shirt. 

They didn’t talk much after that. 

-

“Here we are back for another match between the lions and snakes, and I think we’re all just hoping this game ends before the sun ends it for us. Although, I have it on good authority that the seekers are fucking now-sorry, Professor!-anyways, Potter and Malfoy are together,-is that better, Professor? Yep, they’re dating, so rest assured, we should be done pretty quick, I’d say.”

[terriblewritingadvice]

may people tag you if they make TWA fanart and want you to see?

Abso - fucking - lutely yes!!! Not even just fanart, if you want me to see any TWA related posts (fanfiction, general ideas, stuff you noticed in TWA that you may wanna bring into the conversation in the.... very very small TWA fandom (5? people baby!!!). yeah, anything)

[kaziaxd]

4 and 24 for gex for the recent ask meme!

Thank for the ask <3 there is a long(er) one and relatively short one, but they were fun to think about!

tw for death, hinted emotional child abuse

4. When scared, does your OC fight, flee, freeze or fawn?

Growing up, Gex would freeze. He froze when his parents were arguing down the hallways, when the creak of the floorboards in the empty house sounded just too much like someone sneaking in. He froze like a startled rabbit, staring at whatever had scared him with wide eyes. When he entered his apprenticeship, he would freeze even more - freeze to the spot, hoping he was out of sight and out of mind.

When he died, frozen to the spot in fear, something in his brain changed. Not just the physical change of becoming a kobold, but his fear changed. Now he bolts, running in whatever direction is safest. it served him well living with the kobolds, where as he didn't share the 'sacrifice yourself for the clan' ideals of the other kobolds, he needed to stay alive, and running away usually did the trick.

It's only recently that it has slowly begun to change again. Not all the time does it work, but slowly and surely, as he is no longer the smallest and weakest person in the room, he is getting more ready to fight.

24. What is an alternative life path your OC might have gone down? How different would their life be if they'd made those decisions?

Alston Garrick knelt down in front of Inquisitor Haj, feeling his mentor's proud gaze at his back.

"I would be honoured to serve you."

[my-name-is-jefferooni]

I agree. Sonic is still a teenager, despite what recent years lead you to believe, and despite being a hero he still has that little spark of annoyance within him. Idk how to describe it. But basically, Sega should allow Sonic to be more like himself, to be the sassy, impolite, speedy and kinda rude hedgehog that he was born to be.

I think people forget that Sonic was, is, and always will be a delinquent.

Yes, he cares about others and peoples property and all that. But he’s still a teenager, a delinquent teenager.

It has been stated that he does things for his own personal gain or because it’s fun. He does help strangers and people he cares about, because that’s what normal people with any common sense do.

But that doesn’t change the fact that he’s just as selfish as any other teen you could come across. Heck, I wouldn’t put it past him to break the rules more than once, like do underage drinking or even graffiti.

I think Sonic is written best when he’s (for a lack of better words) just a little impatient jerk. I think Classic Sonic is the version of him that’s written like this the most often, though I know that Prime Sonic had his moments of selfishness too.

[sircantus]

That was always fun. Logging in to Twitter or tumblr late at night and just seeing like twenty notifications from your account and thinking “oh I know what’s going on” and just seeing a bunch of different variations of “apple bottom jeans”

I am a simple man but also its rly funny— all i wanted then was some internet attention and normally best way to do that was make an interaction tweet but i was like “uhggg i make too many interaction tweets those get boring after some time” so i was like what if i just start spam tweeting the song thats stuck in my head? Said song was apple bottom jeans. But the jeans version. The screaming cries of worry/concern/suffering in my notifs were hilarious and thus the apple bottom jeans era twas born

[ach-sss-no]

First (you are here) | Next

First (you are here) | Next

Story idea that has been rattling around my brain and will not leave, but I don't want to devote the amount of time to make it a 'serious' project; I have decided to compromise with myself and make a sloppy comic that updates whenever I feel like it, will be abandoned if it stops being fun, and has badly drawn horses and will inevitably get the lore wrong (out of the bounds of what's intentionally changed for the AU, I mean).

Takes place in the same universe as a fic I wrote but you don't need to read that to understand the comic!

Pippin's letter may be difficult to read and is partially covered, so here is a text version:

Hello, dear Boromir! :) I'm so terribly pleased to hear you're finally coming to visit, I was beginning to worry you never would, and there's so much I would like you to see. I can hardly pick up my home with all of my sisters and bring it to Minas Tirith, however much I may like to! :) Please do let us know as soon as you come in. I should be delighted to act as your honor guard. I've still got the armor. ;) Your dear friend, Pippin Took <3

Fun fact: I referenced Victorian-era letters for the general vibe of how he'd communicate (it's not much different from how he'd talk in the end- other eras of letter-writing had much stricter and odder formats which you may see later); anyway, the example letters were unexpectedly vicious and I want to share them with you. Includes the line "I have a right to demand your grounds for asserting that I am an arrant flirt, a hypocrite, and concerned in more than one dishonorable transaction," and the reply "If you consider your course of conduct in deceiving your uncle, endeavoring to ruin your young cousin Charles, and attempting to elope with an heiress of fifteen, honorable, I can only say that I differ in opinion."

Oh I'm also including votes on the plot of the comic because I think it's fun. Pick Boromir's reply!

[beckettluvr42]

What's your personal hc on what Beckett's mortal life must have been like? Or just any hc that is your fav

I do actually think about Beckett's mortal life sometimes... I imagine he was actually too open, leading to his caginess and secrecy in unlife. Having learned his lesson, so to speak. I also contribute this to the fact that hiding and internalizing his attraction to men in the late 1600s, but that may be a different topic entirely.

I imagine Beckett was lower class, as he was born before the development of a proper middle class, although one technically existed. He was also born in the pre-industrial era, so he was likely very resourceful and generally has skills in making things by hand.

If you do the research, Beckett was both born and embraced during a time of rapid change in Europe. He was there as literacy rates increased, cities were built, and so on, thus he's seen the benefit of knowledge directly. I believe during his mortal life, he ached for knowledge. He wanted learn as much as he could, but was bound to live a short, laborious life if not for his embrace.

I do also think Beckett was apolitical in his mortal life same as his unlife, mainly due to the cards he was dealt, and feeling as if he was better off having no part in things he can't really change. I think he just spent most of his mortal life doing what he had to do to just get by, with Vampirism opening up avenues for him to do what he's always wanted. This to me, may be why he doesn't entirely see it as a curse.

As for other headcanons, I've always really appreciated the headcanon of Beckett being trans. I find it very easy to empathize with, as in the changing name, hiding pasts, so on. I think if there's a character it fits with very well, it would be him.

A personal headcanon of mine is that he's somewhat embarrassed of some of his bestial features, or anything he does that's "dog-like". Like when you ask him how he smelled all that in Bloodlines and he's like "what? so what?". Which is funny because I don't know if he realizes how not subtle he is about them. I mean, come on, there's a big ass wolf in the middle of LA. I also seem to recall him howling when he runs away from you in Bloodlines. I basically like to imagine him thinking "I'm not like other gangrel, I'm normal." and getting slightly offended when you point out his obvious beast behaviors. :3

MY SECOND ASK!!! thank you so much!! this one was so fun. I hope it's accurate, twas off the top of my head.

[thestarofhermes]

Behold! ‘Tis I, Fischl, the Prinzessin de Verurteilung! ‘Twas fate that led our paths to cross during one’s most turbulent of eras, and now one must test your knowledge of arithmetic to see if you are indeed worthy of the glories sung in your name! Should you succeed, one shall grant you the divine privilege of stepping foot into one’s beloved Immernachtreich!

10^x + 11^x + 12^x = 13^x + 14^x

X=?

Oh! It seems I have neglected this app for quite a while. I'm sorry for my mistake, please do not take this as an offense. I've been so busy trying to get used to life outside the island.

Fischl, the Prinzessin der Verurteilung? An introduction I'll most likely remember for some time. And you've given me a test, too! Wonderful. You've sent this question 4 days ago.. Hmh, I'm not sure if you still require an answer, but just incase:

Based on the given question:

"10^x + 11^x + 12^x = 13^x + 14^x"

I have calculated that x holds the value of 2. I'll provide a detailed explanation for further comprehension!

The first and foremost step to uncovering this equation, you must evaluate the behaviour of both sides of the equation as the x varies!

For x = 2,

10^2 + 11^2 + 12^2 = 100 + 121 + 144 = 365

13^2 + 14^2 = 169 + 196 = 365

Thus, 10^2 + 11^2 + 12^2 = 13^2 + 14^2 proves that x = 2.

Of course, with every equation, it is natural for us to question whether we have calculated the accurate result! This part is what most people find less important, but, it really is as important as the fun of finding solutions.

We can analyse the functions on either sides,

The left-hand side, f(x) = 10^x + 11^x + 12^x, is an increasing function since the sum of exponential functions with bases greater than 1 is increasing. The right-hand side, g(x) = 13^x + 14^x, is also an increasing function, with the same explanation why.

Since both functions are increasing, they can intersect at most once. From our methodical calculation, we have made it clear that x = 2 is the most reasonable conclusion because the functions f(x) = 10^x + 11^x + 12^x and g(x) = 13^x + 14^x are strictly increasing due to the derivative of each term being positive for x > 0. The most the can intersect is once. Since we found a single intersection at x = 2, it is the only solution.

Thus, the value of x is 2.

I don't exactly understand what you meant by an Immernachtreich, but from the formation of the word as a whole, I assume it is some form of Germanic language.

...

All right! I have successfully googled the meaning, and your offer seems tempting! Well, I hope my explanation has served some use to you, and everyone else. I'm still figuring out how these applications work, so there's definitely a high chance of me not responding as conveniently as you wish. I'll check if there are any other questions I've left unanswered—

Farewell! I'd find it nice to talk with you again.

[zahri-melitor]

And to sum up the DC Real Santa read: there is a LOT of Santa lore, and most of it gets contradicted regularly.

If you want pointers for a couple of the best DC Santa stories over the years, here’s my summary:

Golden Age Award: Action Comics #105. While I do enjoy the original Superman’s Christmas Adventure, the Action Comics story is just a better, more coherent plot, PLUS it contains ridiculous weight loss methods for Santa.

Silver Age Award: endless Rudolph reprints. For some reason DC really didn’t do much with Christmas during the Silver Age. I’m going to nominate Batman #239 as the Santa story that still sneaks into the Silver Age.

Bronze Age Award: this had a bunch of serious competitors, but probably the best go-to Santa story in this period is The House of Mystery in DC Special Series #21. However I also fully enjoyed The Sandman: The Seal Men’s War on Santa Claus from The Best of DC #22, for the Seal Men’s righteous frustration at Santa giving them inappropriate presents.

1980s award: Twas the Fright Before Christmas! in Christmas with the Super-Heroes #1 is probably the pick of the classic Santa appearances, but if you want to sit down with a single 1980s issue to read, get Christmas with the Super-Heroes #2 instead and just enjoy some really contemplative stories. DC hit it out of the park with this issue, there isn’t a dud in it.

1990s award: It’s the Holiday Bash era! All three issues are great, but Holiday Bash III is my pick of the bunch, and it contains the overall best Santa story, which is No Bart, There is No Santa Claus. Honourable mention to Present Tense in Holiday Bash II though, for the Darkseid’s Christmas coal delivery we all love.

2000s award: After a lot of thought, I actually have to give this to The Spectre #11-12. It’s contemplative, it does interesting things with DC lore and Santa lore, and it’s a really well told story. My runner up is probably Young Justice #40. My Christmas anthology pick is DC Universe Holiday Special #1 (2008) and it’s for the balance of characters I like, optimistic and loving stories, and gorgeous art.

New 52 award: just go read Li’l Gotham #2 and #12 for their Christmas issues. I promise nothing else is worth it.

Rebirth award: The Night We Saved Christmas in DC Rebirth Holiday Special #1. It’s Detective Chimp, it has a really fun Santa characterisation, and it’s just a rollicking yarn. However for anthology issue, I actually have to give the edge to DC's Nuclear Winter Special #1 (2017), though 2016's is also very good. Nuclear Winter just has a more coherent theme.

Infinite Frontier award: I think I’m going to give this to The Santa Copies in DC's 'Twas the Mite Before Christmas #1 (2023). There honestly wasn’t the best selection through here, but Rip and Booster having a family Christmas adventure together is always going to make me feel soft. In terms of collection - look they’re all ‘fine I guess’ really? If you’re going to read a single anthology, i guess my pick is DC's Grifter Got Run Over by a Reindeer #1 (2022) for the best mix of stories.

Thanks everyone for following along my mega posting. Next year I might actually read all the Rudolph stories (this is a lie).

[runwayrunway]

No. 40 - Southwest Airlines

One of my most requested posts, it's time to cover a carrier anyone who's flown in the US is probably very familiar with. After all, Southwest has for decades been the largest low-cost carrier in the world by both revenue and fleet size (though IndiGo is coming for that title).

Southwest's history is longer and more substantial than many may think, a central figure in the genesis of what we now know as the low-cost carrier. But one thing I think a lot of people know is their livery.

A common theme on this blog is trends in airline liveries - in particular, the modern trend towards the minimalist, sterile, underdesigned, and above all generic. As an anecdotal example, someone who lives near Boston's Logan Airport, the 16th-busiest airport in the US and 30th-busiest in the world, served by every major US airline and every major international carrier from countries within 787 range, were they to watch the takeoffs and landings, would be treated to the following...menagerie.

Can you believe these planes fly for different and indeed unrelated airlines?

Safe to say from 5,000 feet below it's a challenge to tell these planes apart. Even taxiing past them you'd need to pay attention. If I forced someone to squint I'm not sure they could identify them properly. How about Southwest?

Bam.

Southwest Airlines was founded in an era that borders on incomprehensible to those of my age bracket. The United States is a nation united in grumbling about Spirit Airlines, and most of Europe is constantly cursing Ryanair under their breath, but it wasn't always like that. The fact of a united enemy at all is new in the US. Back before the 1978 Deregulation Act, it was so prohibitively expensive to operate interstate flights that most airlines just didn't. Interstate flights were left to giant full-service airlines like Delta and Eastern, while international flights were the domain of an even more elite few - Pan Am, TWA, Braniff, and National (no, not that National, the other one) while the scrappier little companies flew short hops for commuters.

One airline which emerged in this pre-deregulation era was Pacific Southwest Airlines, commonly abbreviated to PSA, an initially tiny airline operating in California. You may recognize them from my icon! PSA is one of the single most important airlines in history because it all but invented the idea of the low-cost carrier. Beyond that, they were a Fun Airline. And while they were flying their grinningbirds all over California something else brewed in the background.

image: SouthwestArchive I have never before in my life seen such a profound pairing of undereye bags with the slicked-back hair and piercing blue eyes of a YA dystopia novel film adaptation villain, darting around to lock onto any sources of potential wealth ripe for acquisition.

In 1971 Southwest Airlines began operating flights. The company was actually incorporated in 1967 (as Air Southwest), the brainchild of then-lawyer Herb Kelleher (and two other people who nobody ever talks about because they're boring). They saw what PSA was doing and saw potential for the massive profits that could be gained from avoiding fees from operating interstate and charging drastically lower fees than the larger carriers. Unfortunately for them the larger carriers also realized this, and they were trapped for three years in lawsuit purgatory, with Braniff, Continental, and Trans-Texas Airways taking the case all the way to the Supreme Court, who apparently declined to review it, recognizing that 'they have come up with an idea that will make them make more money and us make less money' is not a particularly powerful legal argument.

And with that little hurdle over Southwest was open for business! Though they weren't quite starting out as a single rented DC-3 Kelleher very closely modeled the airline after PSA, who seemed to be okay enough with it if them helping to train mechanics at the nascent airline was any indication. After all, at this point they were both intrastate airlines fundamentally unable to compete with each other - Southwest was staying put in Texas with no reason to think this would change anytime soon. They brought a bit of PSA to the state, like the low fares and the stewardesses in hot pants and go-go boots.

So what was their answer to the grinningbird?

The rare and deeply cursed Southwest 727.

The mustard rocket. It was called "desert gold" but I think we all know that this is mustard. At this point in history brightly colored airplanes weren't even unusual either, so it would have just been regular ugly instead of ostentatious. (I mean...I like this shade of mustard yellow, honest, but I recognize that most people think this is hideous.)

Southwest kept on Southwesting from there. These days, they're massive, and the most common response on my questionnaire for best airline experiences. No comment, as I've never flown with them. Highlights of their journey there include getting a federal amendment passed because they didn't want to relocate their hub from Love Field to Dallas-Fort Worth, getting sued for only hiring female flight attendants, having the first Black chief pilot of any major airline in the US, technically legal tax evasion measures, having to invent elaborate work-arounds for the restrictions placed on them which could have been avoided by just relocating to Fort Worth, absorbing a bunch of other airlines, being the launch customer for both the -300 and MAX 8 models of the Boeing 737, and making approximately a zillion dollars. In 1990 they absorbed Morris Air, a vacation charter airline which developed innovative cost-cutting measures like e-ticketing, including high-up positions on the Southwest corporate ladder for the founders...

image: conde nast traveller Strange millionaires lurking in woods distributing model airplanes is no basis for an airline industry! ...scratch that, it does appear to be working.

...oh, for heaven's sake, there he is again. Yes, David Neeleman's cost-cutting acumen was indeed put to use at Southwest, meaning that between this and founding jetBlue he basically created low-cost carriers. I reluctantly tip my hat to the man. I would not be able to afford airline tickets without him. But he's just everywhere.

Here is my handwritten faMintly tree. Southwest is jetBlue's cousin once removed, do with that what you will. Anyway, let's hope I never have to add to this. (Not least because I already binned the piece of paper I wrote this out on.)

The turn of the century brought new things for Southwest! In 2000 they had their first major accident (a nonfatal runway overrun resulting in loss of the aircraft). Unrelatedly, in 2001 they released a new color scheme for their fleet, now several hundred strong and entirely composed of assorted models of Boeing 737.

The era of Canyon Blue had begun.

I mean, it's a statement. At this point a plane painted to look like a poisonous frog was in fact a pretty major statement. They were setting out to be an eyesore and I'm sure people were upset about this one, but to the modern eye it looks muted and unfinished. Still bluer than anything David Neeleman had made at that point, but not quite what we know today.

Okay. Yes. There we go.

This livery is meant to be the heart from their logo, the same one worn where the plane's heart might be if planes had hearts instead of air-conditioning systems, the colors unwrapped and deconstructed. And boy, is it almost violently colorful! It goes so far that it takes a minute to notice only three colors, plus white, are used in the entire livery. It's almost eyestraining, and I did have to turn the contrast down on my monitor while writing this because I'm fairly photosensitive. It's...less painful when pixels aren't involved.

So this is definitely one-of-a-kind. Well, it was. jetBlue has made choices recently. But this livery is definitely not one that gets lost in the crowd.

There's very little white or even silver on this airframe, in sharp contrast with...basically every airline. The rest of the livery is vivid and searing yellow and red, unusual shades in airlines, which tend to stick to slightly more muted schemes. And if you couldn't tell who they were by that, the big white billboard wordmark would let you know real quick. I think the white is a bit less legible than I'd like, but I'm not sure how to improve that without making it genuinely eyestrainy. At least it's large and visible, which is crucial for a low-cost carrier, instead of subtle and out of the way on the tail. That might work for an airline with a prestigious air, but that's not Southwest. Southwest is blue and yellow and red.

The main differences between the modern livery and Canyon Blue are in the placement of the logo and the colors used. Each shade is brightened significantly, which is why the once-garish Canyon Blue now looks pretty dusty in comparison. They entirely removed the blue from the tail, making it the airframe feel a little less like it's blue with accents and a little more like it's a circus tent. I do wish the yellow and red covered a bit more of the belly, but still...wow.

Some uses of Southwest Sans demonstrated.

The success of this design isn't by accident. Apparently, Southwest consulted no fewer than five design firms, and the font used for the livery and all their material (which I think looks totally fine) was actually commissioned from iconic foundry Monotype. A lot of airline liveries are designed in-house, and that can turn out fine, but Southwest clearly pulled out all the stops and it shows.

Southwest is a low-cost carrier, and this does affect the standards by which I judge their livery. They aren't here to be guided by legacy or decorum the way a flag carrier is - they're here to sell you a cheap ticket on an airline with funny cabin announcements. Circus tent with big lettering in a sea of Eurowhite? Nice, clean execution - I'd call that a job well done.

Grade: B