From a newsgroup post dated April 17, 2009:

I just watched the new trailer for “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” and thought they’d made the movie look unrelentingly dark. Which it may be. But that got me thinking about Dark Lords in general, and about their usual esthetics, which are pretty goth.

Ever notice that most goths are under thirty? They tend to outgrow it eventually.

So now I’m imagining a Dark Lord who’s conquered his world, and has been running it for a decade or so, who gets bored with all that darkness.

“Yes, General, I know I was the one who dressed your men in all-black uniforms. I don’t care. I’m tired of them. As of the first of the month I expect to see the troops in pastels. Now, send in my Imperial Architect — I want to talk about cutting more windows into my throne room, and I had better not hear another word about load-bearing walls.”