Because even if the dice gods had been on their side and the Magpies kicked ass, they still attacked two Halovars and a member of the Revolutionary Council. The rebellion would be officially kicked off, and they still don’t have the supplies they’re waiting on from Timmony. Azune and Hal would have to go into hiding. There would be no chance of getting backing from the Council, because one of their members had been caught in the crossfire.

And in terms of public sentiment, none of the witnesses would have any context for what happened. All they saw was the Halovar forces walk up to a tavern and get met with a hail of crossbow bolts. The Photarch could spin that any way she wanted, and the Magpies would have a hard time countering that narrative.

But instead, what everyone saw was two Halovars, forty soldiers, and a Council member get sent scrambling by a stern word and a bit of lightning from Thaisha. There’s no way for the crowd to interpret that beyond “The Halovars don’t have as much control of the city as they want us to think. The Lloys, and the Druids, still hold more sway here.” It’s an incredibly humiliating setback for the Halovars, and it’s caused friction between them and the Council that the Schemers can exploit. And for the Magpies, it’s bought them crucial time to wait for reinforcements and continue laying the groundwork for the rebellion.

and EVEN WHEN things were more muted/neutral, the neutrality was OFFSET by ACCENT COLORS and HIGH CONTRAST between the wood tones and everything ELSE

ALSO AMERICAN COLONIAL INTERIORS POPPED OFF, Y'ALL (IN TERMS OF COLOR/COZINESS)

PEOPLE USED WHITEWASH AND COLORFUL TRIM OR EVEN JUST COLORFUL FURNITURE IF THEY COULD AFFORD TO DO SO

AND DON'T GET ME STARTED ON FRENCH AND BRITISH AND AMERICAN WALLPAPERS

"ELIZABETH" YOU CRY, "WHY ARE YOU BEING SO EXTRA THIS MORNING?! IT'S MONDAY"

Because, my friend, my war on GREIGE will NEVER end.

Historic interiors were filled with LIFE and LIGHT and COLOR. ALWAYS HAVE BEEN.

Part of the reason we don't see a lot of textile art is because, frankly, textiles tend to degrade over time - especially ones that had utility! And yes, pigments and weaving and dying all boosted the expense of things, when we were finally reliably block-printing fabrics and broad reams of paper, it was no longer just the wealthy who could afford pretty patterns!

In the Americas, a far wider variety of pigments also became available because of the abundance of... well, a shitton of flora and minerals, some of which weren't as common in Europe.

WHY THE HIGHLIGHTER COLORS? you ask.

CANDLES.

Those colors reflect candlelight and natural sunlight REALLY WELL.

Humans LOVE bright colors, it's NOT just a thing for kids. We live in a brilliant, vibrant, multifaceted world. We ALWAYS have.

(If ever you have the opportunity to visit the Stencil House at the Shelburne Museum in Vermont (pictured above at 3, 4, and 5), I highly recommend.)

And that's before you get into American painted murals:

No subscription. Just program.

On your computer. You got to use it forever and ever and never had to worry about it going away.

Because it was physically on your computer. As a program. That you actually owned. Not because you got it separately, but because it was a standard inclusion with your computer.

I'm sorry but I'll just never get over it. I remember when companies cared about their products being usable out of the box. I remember when our things belonged to us.