#* the force

[jedaiisms]

*/ THE FORCE – effects of the dark side

The Dark Side of the Force, though natural and residing within everyone and everything just as the Light does, never comes without a cost. Where the Light brings healing and life and hope, the Dark brings pain and death and despair, even to those who use it.

Even the lightest touch of the Dark Side is damaging, though its effects may not be felt at first. If one continues to turn to the Dark Side, the damage will continue to build up until its effects are permanent.

effects on the mind.

Because the use of the Dark Side relies on tapping into negative emotions, it has a very negative effect on one’s mental health, and almost always leads to depression, anxiety, and other issues. One may go about using the Dark Side pragmatically, attempting to go about it without the emotional attachment, but such an attempt is ineffective—the Dark Side needs emotion to feed off of and grow, and it cannot be utilised at its full power without tapping into emotion. This causes the person to dwell upon those emotions and, naturally, they begin to dominate their minds.

effects on the body.

While slightly touching the Dark Side will have little physical effects, the use of it in battle will cause pain throughout the body. Because of its nature, the Dark Side causes real, physical damage to the body its being channelled through. The more strongly one relies on the Dark Side, the greater the pain. For one committed to the Dark Side, this provides an advantage—the Dark Side thrives on pain, and a Sith or Dark Jedi will use that pain to increase their strength in the Dark Side, and so on goes the cycle.

Those who are committed to the Dark Side are also able to counter the damages by further embracing it, and using it to knit the damages back together in order to survive when they really shouldn’t be able to, supporting and strengthening themselves through their emotions and the Force alone.

However, those who resist falling to the Dark Side bear the entirety of the pain and damage caused to their bodies. It’s because of this that those who have the greatest conflict between light and dark often are the most battered by the Dark Side alone.

effects on the spirit.

The Dark Side damages not only mind and body, but also spirit. Often, if a force user is not attempting to conceal it, another perceptive force user is able to tell if they have touched or used the Dark Side just by reading their Force Signature. It creates a rough spot in the Force, almost like an open wound. In time, these disruptions can fade and become less noticeable, but depending on the manner in which they used the Dark Side, they could be permanent.

visible corruption.

The most noticeable mark of Dark Side corruption is a yellowing of the irises. This is a permanent condition—a Dark Sider’s eyes will remain yellow for the rest of their life once they’ve changed, barring any kind of unusual interference. However, yellow eyes are not the first stage of Dark Side corruption.

First, the skin will gain a sickly pallor, either slowly or quickly, depending on the intensity of the use of the Dark Side. This is often unnoticeable or easily passed off for something else. The irises will then turn yellow after the Dark Sider has given themselves over completely and without restraint or regret to their hatred. It does not have to be for a long time, only a few moments is necessary for the damage to be done. Once the eyes have turned yellow, a Dark Sider will experience some light photosensitivity.

As time passes and the Dark Sider becomes even more embroiled in the Dark Side, the pallor will increase, and the eyes will appear bloodshot as well as yellow, with some of the veins around the eyes and on the face darkening.

It often takes some time before the eyes fully change to yellow. It happens in stages, a few flecks of gold appearing first and gradually taking over the entirety of the iris. However, the change can also take place in mere moments, such as when one relies upon the Dark Side to survive, or when one’s fall is particularly swift, certain, and painful. Regardless, yellowed eyes are often seen as a definitive point of no return—at that point, the Dark Side has a hold on them, and it is unlikely that they will return to the Light.

concealing corruption.

It is almost impossible to conceal Dark Side corruption, outside of wearing a mask to cover the yellowed irises. However, some powerful Sith are able to create an illusion of a natural eye colour. For the most part, though, a force user wishing to conceal their use of the Dark Side will go about it methodically, careful to never fully give in to hatred or rage, allowing it to simmer beneath the surface but not letting it out until they have no choice. Most Dark Siders, however, care little about this, and allow the changes to occur.

healing the wounds of the dark side.

Most of the effects of the Dark Side can be healed in time, if one returns to the Light and allows themselves to heal. This process often takes a very long time, and not everything can be reversed—yellow irises will always remain yellow, even after one has returned to the Light. Pain can be decreased or eliminated entirely, depending on how deeply one falls, and the pallor can decrease. One’s physical state can be returned to nearly how it was before touching the Dark Side, though they will always be slightly physically weaker. This can be mitigated through the Force, though—the Light Side can be just as strengthening, if not more so, than the Dark.

[jedaiisms]

*/ THE FORCE – parts of the force

Traditionally, the Force is thought of as a single entity composed of many parts. There is Light and Dark, Cosmic/Physical, Living, and Unifying. Each part of the force concerns different aspects and different parts of the universe.

the light & dark.

The Force is an inherently neutral entity that can be used for good or evil. The division between Light and Dark was not always known of—and, indeed, there is a question as to whether any true division exists. And, in truth, the Force is not divided into these halves. There is the Force, commonly seen as the Light, which is in fact a neutral power, and the corrupted Force, what is known as the Dark Side.

What is known as the Light Side of the Force is simply the Force in its true, uncorrupted form, and it is neutral—many abilities and qualities that are considered part of the Light can be used for good or evil, to help or to harm, such as force suggestion and telekinesis. Aside from an attunement with the Force as a whole, the use of the Light Side has little effect on the user.

The Dark Side is not an inherent part of the Force, but rather, a corruption of it. The Dark Side began when ancient Force users sought to use their powers for their own gain to control others and to gain wealth and power. By channelling the Force through greed and hatred and rage, it was twisted and corrupted. The power gained through this corruption was immense, but the cost great for both the force users and the galaxy as a whole. Many, though, accepted that cost for the power it offered.

The Dark Side is unnatural by nature, simply part of the Force which has been altered and twisted into something that wasn’t t here before. Evidence of this comes from the habits of force users themselves. If the Force truly were split into Light and Dark, one committed to the Dark could feasibly utilise only the abilities of the Dark Side. However, Dark Side force users frequently use techniques associated with the Light Side. The Dark Side is merely a supplement, a channel through which to obtain selfish and hurtful desires.

The true divisions.

Though there is not a true, natural division between the Light and the Dark, the Force is still naturally divided into two main parts: the cosmic force and the living force.

The Cosmic Force consists of the very energy of the Universe itself, from power and electricity to the energy that binds molecules of matter to one another. It is this binding energy that allows a Force user to manipulate their surroundings. It also is imprinted upon by all of time, altered by the past and present actions of beings and creatures and natural events, however, here is where it begins to bridge with the Living Force.

The Living Force is made up of the life force of all beings, creatures, and other living things. It is through being in touch with the Living Force that a force user can empathise with the life around them, or in the galaxy as a whole, and influence that life, such as through a mind trick.

When a living thing dies, its energy returns to the Cosmic Force, and likewise, when one is born, their life force comes out of the Cosmic Force. Through this, everything is connected in a ceaseless cycle, and every one thing is a part of everything else.

the third part.

The Cosmic Force and the Living Force are the only true divisions within the Force, but there is a third part as well, which is a combination between the two. This is the Unifying Force.

The Unifying Force deals with the imprintation upon the Cosmic Force by the Living Force, laying the foundation of the past as well as for the future. It is from the Unifying Force that precognitive visions come, as well as psychometry, and other temporal and vision-related abilities.

The Unifying Force is the place where all parts of the Force meet—Cosmic and Living, Light and Dark—and the results of these meetings.

balance within the force.

Some might think that to create balance within the Force, Light and Dark must be equal. But this cannot be further from the truth.

The Force by nature is balanced. It is only when it is corrupted by the Dark Side that the balance is disrupted. Thus, to create balance within oneself, it does not mean that one must embrace both Light and Dark. On the contrary, one must shun the dark and achieve peace.

Every person has the capacity for both Light and Dark, and it is all but impossible for a force user not to touch the Dark Side in some way by using the Force through negative emotions. It is for this reason that the Jedi Code instructs emotion to be released as a whole. However, this does not mean that it is wise to shun emotions entirely, as this often leads to them being bottled up, which allows the Dark Side to take hold more easily. Rather, one must feel their emotions, accept them, and not allow their actions or path to be influenced or controlled by them. By doing so, they will remain free from the Dark Side.

It is only when one is free from the Dark that they are balanced.

[jedaiisms]

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