* 𝚋𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚊𝚕𝚊𝚡𝚢

so i’m sure some of you know this already, but i’m a film/video-game composer (or at least would like to be). so, just for funsies, i decided i’d go ahead and do a little thing for practice. so, 

send me 🎵 and any star wars planet 

                                                 * ADVENTURERS *

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.

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.

Between every Master and their Padawan, a special force bond is formed. A mental link between the two, that allows them to work seamlessly with one another, and even to communicate. In many cases, it’s simply a communication of feelings, but in the case of a particularly strong bond, conversation can be held telepathically with little to no effort. Often a Padawan and Master can feel one another’s emotions as well as physical pain, and are able to easily locate one another, unless one is deliberately shielding themselves from the other, or their connection to the Force is somehow disrupted.

abilities of the bond.

Empathy is the most common mark of a training bond. Emotions, feelings, and pain can be shared across the bond, and are shared to a slight degree by default, though unexpected pain can come across quickly—a Padawan will be able to feel their Master being stabbed or shot, as though they’ve obtained the wound themselves, unless their Master anticipated the wound and shielded the bond. Masters can tell when their Padawans are upset or anxious, or particularly happy, and vice versa.

Telepathy comes with a particularly strong bond, and Master and Padawan are able to mentally hold a conversation with one another. This is all but impossible if they are shielding anything at all from one another, though, so they must be completely open with one another to communicate telepathically—something that is only rarely achieved.

The strongest of bonds can also show a deeper kind of empathy in which the participants are actively able to sense what the other is sensing—to see through their eyes, hear through their ears, or smell, taste, and feel what they’re feeling. This is even rarer than telepathy, though, and very few pairs have ever reached this level of a bond.

forming the bond.

The training bond tends to form naturally, through mutual training sessions and becoming more attuned with one another through the Force, but officially, it is the Padawan that initiates the link. It may take months, or even years, for a training bond to form, and if the Padawan has doubts about their master, a true, strong bond might never form until they are resolved. There must be mutual trust between Master and Padawan, and the Padawan must feel safe enough to be fully vulnerable around their Master. Once that level of trust is achieved, the Padawan will reach out to touch their master’s mind, and the two will forge a connection in the Force, entering a state of mutual meditation in which they share thoughts, feelings, and emotions.

growing the bond.

As the Padawan’s training continues, the bond will continue to grow. It begins rather weak, like a single thread in the Force, but as Master and Padawan grow closer, more and more threads are added until the bond is like a strong cord. The pair are able to maintain a connection even in circumstances where a deep connection to the Force is difficult to reach.

ending the bond.

It is more of a well-followed tradition than a strict rule, but training bonds are often unravelled directly after a Jedi’s knighting ceremony, based on the idea that the new Knight will bond equally with all of the Jedi, rather than favouring only one. Following the knighting ceremony, the new Knight will spend a short time with their former Master in private—from a few minutes to several hours. Occasionally, the process takes days, if the bond is particularly complicated. They will once again enter a state of mutual meditation, and slowly unravel the bond, detaching themselves as Master and Padawan, but maintaining a connection as fellow Jedi Knights.

keeping the bond.

Occasionally, however, the former Master and Padawan will elect not to unravel their bond. This is often frowned upon, as it is seen as attachment, and signifies a lack of readiness to be knighted. Those who do choose to maintain their bond will usually not make that fact widely-known, and many who do opt to unravel it at a later date. A maintained training bond has its advantages, though, including emotional closeness and an increased compatibility in combat, but because of the bond’s sheer strength, this can be to the detriment of other relationships—especially relationships between a new Knight and their future Padawans, though many will unravel the bond before taking on a Padawan of their own. It is said that a Padawan who does not unravel their training bond remains a Padawan forever.

severing the bond.

A ritualistic unravelling is not the only means by which a training bond can end. The bond can also be severed. This happens, most commonly, through the death of one or the other. However, it can also be severed in other ways. If Master or Padawan turns to the Dark Side, they may choose to break the bond, or the other might break it to avoid being tainted. This could also occur if one of them leaves the Jedi Order, though many will at least attempt the ritual unravelling before leaving, or if one wishes to simply break the bond for another reason. Occasionally, a powerful Dark Side user can break the bond between two others, but this is very rare, and is much more easily accomplished by killing one of the two.

*   about  this  blog

this is a lore/worldbuilding sideblog for star wars. created by cinna and affiliated with mstranakin and its sideblogs. this is not a rp blog, and exists solely as a hub for headcanons and worldbuilding posts that apply to the star wars galaxy as a whole. 

though this blog is affiliated with an rp blog, any posts on this blog, be they headcanon/lore posts, graphic edits, or otherwise, are available to be reblogged by anyone, rp-blog or personal. if you wish to incorporate any of these headcanons into your rp portrayal, i will not only allow, but encourage it, provided that you either reblog my post or, if making your own post incorporating my headcanons, link to the relevant posts of mine and tag my blog (i’d like to see how people further develop my headcanons). feel free to build off of any of the material here. 

feel free to follow this blog, but i will not be interacting with anyone on this blog. if anyone ever has any questions about anything, you can go ahead and poke me on my main blog. 

*   worldbuilding   masterlist

the force

PARTS OF THE FORCE EFFECTS OF THE DARK SIDE

the jedi order

TRAINING BOND