SweetiePie08

Because Maul couldn't hate Sidious. You understand that, right? His master had always controlled him, would have killed him immediately if he thought Maul posed a danger to him.

Maul only allows himself to hate Sidious in Episode 8, of 10, of his solo series, 'Maul-Shadow Lord', after he is explicitly told that Sideous wants him dead.

And sure, he wasn't actually trying to surrender to the Inquisitors, that was always a trap so he could pull the cave down on their heads, but Sideous left him alive last time. Sideous left Maul enough space to scratch out a criminal empire, and the next time he reaches out, it's two Inquisitors who are so desperate to find Maul, the thing they ask Devon when they catch her is where he is.

And Maul's not stupid. The only reason he stays on Janix is because he's been directed by the force that he could find one here. He does, even causes her to fall, but Maul has to monologe to himself in the dark, hallucinating, with his legs broken, before he can allow himself to think of destroying the master who has never, never cared for him.

The thing most people don't seem to understand is that Maul values a warrior's death. Him denying it to Kenobi in "Twin Suns" is about the sharpest rebuke he has in him. He can be very eager about dispensing them to all of his opponents. He leaves Gar Saxon and all his warriors to a warrior's death, and if the expected reinforcements-if they get captured instead of killed-that's up to them. The only think Maul will consistently offer to those around him is a warrior's death. And Kenobi did not give him one the first time.

You see, the proper thing to have done would be to jump in after maul. Or impale him proper, after cutting his legs off. Then he could have died, and the universe would have been better off for it.

But Maul wants to stay alive. Not based off of the choices he makes, the risks he takes, but in the way every animal does. If he had let go of his hatred, in the garbage pit of Lotho Minor, everyone would have been better off, But the instinct at the heart of all creature is to live, so Maul decided to live, at least until he could kill Kenobi.

It's so cruel, what the holocron's showed him. He asked for hope. Any hope at all, and he got Tatooine. Maybe the vision meant Skywalker-Maul figured it out easily enough after all, but what it lead him to was his death. The last hope for him, dying in the arms of the man for whom his hatred has sustained him-because of the terrible mistake he made, and because he could not hate his master. He finally got his warrior's death.

There is never any justification for someone putting their hands on you in any way without your consent short of immediate risk of harm or death.

If someone tells you that "the way I'm acting is your fault because you know that doing X thing would make me do it and you chose to do it anyway" is just fancy bullshit talk for, "I know my behaviour is wrong, but I don't want to be held responsible for it so I'm pushing it on you"

Nothing good ever, ever comes from someone who tells you, "I don't want you talking about our relationship with anyone". This person cannot handle accepting responsibility and processing criticism so they need you to never, ever question them. That's easier if they control the narrative and your friends aren't there to cut in.

Nothing constructive comes from screaming.

"It's not like that all the time" is optimistic and sweet, but the truth is, it shouldn't be like that at all. Sweet words and gifts and gestures don't erase being frightened for yourself or for your loved ones. That is not normal. Don't minimize it.

It is not healthy or normal to be genuinely afraid of saying "no" to someone, for any reason at all. Violence, outbursts, retaliation, anything. You should not have to be afraid of someone's reaction to your boundaries.

You are not responsible for saving anyone. Even if you love them. Even if they have nobody else. At the end of the day, if they want to hurt themselves in any way, they will, and you can't stop them forever. People need to want to improve before they can actually improve, and if they're threatening to harm themselves to keep you around, they're using your love to hold themselves hostage. You do not decide their choices for them, and they don't get to shunt that off on you.

I think of the first draft as an armature.

If I was making a beautiful bronze statue, I would need to make a clay model first. And, depending on the shape, before I even got out my clay I would need to get some good thick wire and create a basic shape for the clay to adhere to, so it doesn't all fall down. Once I have this essential 3D wire frame, I can start building and subtracting and refining.

But if I try to refine on just clay, it won't have enough of a core to hold it up. I'll sculpt a beautiful hand only to have the whole arm fall off and go smush.

The armature isn't the sculpture. It is the frame you build the sculpture around.

The first draft isn't the novel, it's a sort-of-novel-shaped thing that will hold up everything you build and beautify later.

You guys finally got my butt in gear to post the final product.

I'm gonna bribe the officials, I'm gonna kill all the judges It's gonna take you people years to recover from all of the damage

The earliest depiction we have is what the throne room looked like under Sozin's rule, with open windows, ornamented pillars, a golden relief of a dragon behind the throne with steps leading up to it, a flat ceiling, and a patterned carpet along the walkway towards the throne. This is likely what the throne room looked like before the 100 Years' War, an architecture inherited by Sozin prioritizing the impression of regal stature and power to those who visited the Fire Lord through dedicated artistic decoration and grandiosity.

The second depiction is what we have during the original series, the throne room of Azulon and Ozai, the room of a monarch overseeing the longest imperial project in world history. A number of differences appear immediately: the replacement of the decorated carpet with a war table and the utilitarian ornamentation on the pillars now more numerous in amount, the lack of open windows, hardwood floors below a vaulted ceiling, the dragon now rendered as only a face behind the throne itself, a pagoda behind a walk of flames separating the Fire Lord from those below him. This is a room designed to intimidate, to impress upon visitors that the Fire Lord is a god among man overseeing an empire unlike any seen on this earth before, the pillars confining you within his presence such that you dare not to look away lest you feel his wrath.

The third depiction is that of Zuko, having rebuilt the palace into something prioritizing scale above all else. The full-body dragon relief sculpture and the ornamental decorations on the pillars return, alongside steps and carpet leading up to the throne and open windows to let sunlight in. Zuko's reign is characterized by a restoration to the design principles of previous Fire Lord, supplemented by monumental architecture reminding me of projects such as Versailles Palace or Taj Mahal dedicated to legitimizing an absolutist monarch's rule through a demonstration of architectural might. However, the elimination of elements designed to intimidate emphasizes Zuko's desire to position himself as a more approachable and benevolent ruler, lacking the utilitarian dedication to warmongering shared by his predecessors and the greater open windows literally demonstrating a willingness for transparency.

I’d also point out that Zuko’s throne room is full of people consulting with him on important matters. This is the first we’ve heard about a Fire Lord’s council. This means Zuko isn’t making decisions alone, unlike his predecessors. He’s taking the needs and opinions of his citizens into account.

But this is still pretty soon after the end of the war, in the grand scheme of things. There’s probably still pro-imperial sentiment in the Fire Nation, most likely in the upper class. Zuko had to do a lot of work to legitimize himself as ruler in the eyes of the Fire Nation. The domineering architecture, particularly the high rise of the throne, is his reminder that this is HIS rule now and they’re doing things his way.

I agree with the last reblogger who said this is probably a deliberate show of status, and I think it makes sense in universe.

A hundred years of war and superiority ideals will not leave a country easily, and no ruler is able to rule entirely by themselves, or to change systems overnight.

If Zuko wanted to introduce meaningful and lasting change he’d need to learn how to work the maze of politics and the politicians, and that’d also mean speaking a language they’d understand. Presenting himself as powerful and worth following — though with different values from his predecessors — would definitely be a necessity.

“Rebranding” may seem like a high cost, but the cost of operating with appearances that send a message that undermines your intentions are much higher.

I think it’s worth noting that we interpret this scene with western eyes. In the modern West, the cultures tend to be a lot more informal, and even ceremonies have a less rigid structure, we’re also primed to be distrustful of anyone presenting themselves as “above”, and all authority is inherently seen as temporary and up for questioning.

That is vastly different from how Fire Nation culture is presented in the show. They have a very rigid hierarchy, are much more formal, and the rulers are validated by religious leaders and spiritual beliefs. This setup actually makes sense if you take those things into consideration.

I also really like that this room has a more “natural” feel to it.

In the previous rooms, the Fire Lord was implied to be in control of the entire environment, the rooms felt claustrophobic, even if they were large, because they were enclosed and decorated in dark colors, and the only light source was the fire, an element that also affects the temperature, and that the Fire Lord commands. The goal was clearly to show control.

In this new room, we have a spacious room, and it is flooded in sunlight. The designs on the columns resemble flames but they also resemble petals of a flower. There are fire basins around the throne, but they are not the main light source, in fact, their placement is more like what you'd see in an altar.

It reminded me of the episode of the Sun Warriors, where Zuko and Aang have to climb many steps to reach the place where the original benders connect with them, even the design of the dragon behind the throne is similar to the scene with Ran and Shaw.

It seems to me, like this is a room designed to invoke a different kind of authority, not of control or outright threat, but one that inspires awe and devotion.

It could mean the Fire Nation experiencing a period where spirituality has a greater influence, it could mean Zuko trying to bring back pre-war values, where fire is understood as an element of warmth and life, instead of destruction, like he learned in his arc.