video ; un: a.solo

[hopesparks]

[ Anakin woke up this morning and, compelled by his Warmblood nature, decided to give a short lecture. The video opens on Anakin, who is sitting a rug in his living room. His Omen snoozes peacefully behind him. He's even wearing the closest approximation to traditional Jedi robes as he can find.

He looks calm, but there's a trace of warmth in his expression. ]

I noticed that a lot of people here don't know much about the Force or the Jedi. I have some spare time this morning, so I thought I could explain a little bit.

The Force is an energy field that is generated by living things and binds them together. On one level, it's not much different from how anything with mass produces gravity. It's not something you do consciously, and it's not something you have control over. There are people who have a stronger connection to it than others do. We call them Force-sensitives. Someone who's Force-sensitive can tap into the Force and call on its power in various ways-- telepathy, empathy, precognition and prophecy, and telekinesis. For example-- [ He holds out one of his hands and a cup of water floats from off-screen. It hovers for a moment before he uses telekinesis to set it down next to him. ] You can't learn Force sensitivity-- you're born with it or you aren't. But even if you can't feel it, you're still connected to the Force and, through it, every other living thing.

[ He flashes a brief, small smile. ]

The Jedi-- and many others-- believe that the Force is much more than that. It can offer strength and wisdom to those who tap into it. But it has both a light and a dark side to it, just like every living thing.

[ He summons the water glass to him again and passes it from hand to hand using telekinesis. It never touches his palms, instead hovering a few centimeters above them. ]

As Jedi, we consciously choose to draw our power from the light-- compassion, hope, selflessness. We preserve life as much as we can. [ His expression flickers to something sad for a moment. ] Even though sometimes we're forced to fight one person to protect another.

[ He feels the weight of the lives he's taken. Choices he's made. But he shakes that thought away, though the gravity of it lingers in his expression for a moment. ]

It sounds cut-and-dry, but it's not. When you're angry or scared or grieving, it's easy to draw on the dark side-- rage, greed, selfishness. It's easier and faster, but...

[ He brings the glass to hover in front of himself. For a moment, his expression changes slightly and the glass shatters violently. Pieces fly across the room and his Omen snaps awake for a moment to assess the danger. It then gives him a Look and goes back to sleep. The pieces start to float up again, slowly fitting themselves back together as he continues. ]

... there are always consequences.

[ The glass is reassembled, but is still very much broken. He holds it together for a moment before letting it fall apart again. The tinkling of glass falling to the floor breaks the silence. ]

That's why the Jedi focus so much on self-control. Once something is done, it can't really ever be undone.

[ Anakin shrugs. ]

That’s just what we believe. I’m not trying to give a lecture about morality. Our way isn’t the only way-- the Jedi know this and aren’t conceited enough to assume it’s even the only good way.

Anyway, I hope that helped. I’ll try to answer questions, if you have them.

Otherwise. [ He smiles. ] May the Force be with you.

Comments

video; un: aeaea

[terraphile]

[ As tired as she looks, thanks to all these nightmares, Sersi has paid attention to the entire post. She smiles gently as she flips the video on. ]

I'd been wondering a bit about it since I first heard of it. Thank you for the in depth explanation.

[ She means it very sincerely. ]

There seem to be quite a few people here who are familiar with the Force, aren't there?

[hopesparks]

[ Anakin smiles. ]

You're welcome. I'm glad it was helpful. It's something I've known so long that I wasn't sure I could explain it well.

[ He nods. ]

There are a lot of people from my home galaxy here. But the Force isn't really well-known back home outside of the Jedi and Jedi scholars.

un: eudaimonikos; video

[eudaimonikos]

Hi, question. I'm very old, and apparently that makes me sort of "alarming to sense" in the Force? What's that about?

[it's because he's like literally the age of the universe, a pertinent detail that he evidently has not seen fit to explain! also maybe because he's a demon. who knows.]

[hopesparks]

[ Anakin frowns thoughtfully. ]

I'm not sure. How old is "very old?"

video; un: justanadventurer

[aetherweaver]

This 'Force' sounds very much like the aether in my world... but I'm a little curious. If you only draw on one side of it, wouldn't it put the other side of it out of balance? Perhaps I'm presuming a bit too much - I know that it's likely not exactly like aether...

[hopesparks]

[ "Aether?" He files that away for later. ]

No. The Force amplifies what you already have. It can fall out of balance on a large scale, but that is because of what is given to it, not what is taken away. War, for example, tips the balance closer to the Dark.

video | un: sds

[fogsong]

What sort of consequences? [ Sharon's understanding of the Force and its two sides are limited but she knows the basics. Her own powers and relation to what others might call darkness have made her much more sympathetic to the dark side. ]

[hopesparks]

It varies, but it usually degrades someone physically and mentally. The physical effects I know of are rapid aging and illness, but that's a severe case of someone who had used the Dark side for decades. Mentally, someone might become paranoid and single-minded. Their perception of the world becomes clouded by their negative emotions.

[ Contemplatively: ] It's a little like the symptoms of corruption in the Trench.

video; un: jk21a

[hearuthinking]

I heard about the Jedi from Obi-wan. So y'all have powers, like we get with our blood, and that just comes naturally?

[He hesitates a bit. What this kid is saying about anger and grief makes him worry a bit] But as long as you don't tap into the dark side, it ain't a bad thing to be angry sometimes, right?

[hopesparks]

Yes, though some of the blood-based powers here are a little different than our natural abilities. Plus, not every Force-sensitive has the same skillset.

[ He smiles, getting a sense of where that's coming from. ]

Anger is natural. It's how you deal with it that matters. Part of our training is learning methods of dealing with negative emotions.

Video | UN: ClickClickBloom

[onekindsoul]

I've seen and heard a little about the force while Maul and Obi-Wan have been here. Or at least it's been a little hard to avoid, but I appreciate the whole run down on it. It sounds like a really neat sort of power-

It kinds of reminds me of a power back from my home that sort of runs off the same sort of philosophy you guys run by. At least the desire to preserve life over taking it.

[hopesparks]

What sort of power, if you don't mind me asking?

text post

[xiaoxiuya]

Holy shit, a real live Jedi.

[Shen Yuan's in bad shape from the nightmares. He was trying to distract himself with his omni -- and it looks like he found something good. Still, he doesn't want to be rude or mess up this person's day, so he tries to come up with a reasonable excuse for his interest.]

I heard stories about your Order, when I was a kid. The Jedi were truly impressive in both their command of the Force, and the good they tried to do with it.

...Is Solo your given name, or your family?

text un: a.solo

[hopesparks]

[ He decides to be polite and respond with text as well. ]

It's my family name. My full name is Anakin Solo.

It's nice to hear that people still say good things about the Jedi from the past.

un: GoldenFlowers, video

[the_obedient_servant]

I notice that barring "selflessness" and "selfishness", the light and the dark don't contradict eachother at all. Compassion and hope often spawn rage and greed. When I see someone I care for hurt by someone else, I am motivated by my compassion for this person to inflict harm on the one who hurt them out of rage. Or if I am hopeful for the future, I might seek fortune or happiness rather than being content with what I have at present.

I assume all force wielders have dark and light inside of them, but do they bleed over often? Or do the Jedi seek to control their compassion and hope so as not to tip over into the dark?

I imagine I'd be far more suited to the dark, but I'm curious.

[hopesparks]

[ Anakin listens to Chara carefully, weighing their words seriously. ]

The line can get thin, true. But I think that the examples you gave illustration how selfishness can distort positive feelings. Harming someone who hurt a friend of yours is an attempt to bring some peace or satisfaction to yourself, isn't it?

It's a natural response, though. And feeling angry or upset isn't forbidden. Instead, Jedi are taught to control emotions rather than letting them control us. If we strive to do something out of compassion but that something involves hurting another person, we have to ask ourselves if we're really motivated by compassion.

Video; un: lothrat

[ezra_of_lothal]

[It's Ezra, also in robes of a similar style, as he is usually his habit, although today his are tunics are deep green and his tabards are golden yellow. He grins widely, and enunciates with relish-]

Anakin. My man. My fellow Jedi. My brother in spirit.

..Did you wake up feeling extra brave today, or just decide to choose chaos?

[He's teasing, but this sure has the potential to be a messy can of worms, is all he's saying. Then his expression fades into more seriousness.]

No, but really. Good run down.

I'm happy to field questions too, of course.

[hopesparks]

[ Anakin laughs. ]

Well chaos usually chooses me, so I thought I'd get ahead of it this time.

[ A small shrug. ]

People seem to be pretty receptive so far. Besides, I have the opportunity to speak for myself without anyone or anything distorting my message.

[ Looking at you, politicians. ]

Video; UN: Cuddlebunny

[lightthedarkness]

Soooooo, I have a question, and I don't know if it's rude or not but I really don't understand it and my only source has been Maul... Is it okay if I ask?

Accidental Video; un: lothrat

[ezra_of_lothal]

If you're asking a question in good faith - and I can't imagine you wouldn't be, Usagi-san? Then it's not rude. Questions are good.

[And Maul is...not the greatest source for some things.]

I, personally, am pretty much always happy to answer questions. So go for it.

video; un: lookingforshinsengumi

[tealeafs]

[ There are multiple reasons as to why Chizuru is drawn to this display over the Omni, really. It's partially due to how it looks, with all the powers being used - something that seems so novel and amazing to the girl, even though she's been here for months now.

But there's also the fact that some of these terms sound familiar to her. She's heard someone use them before, and it only makes her more interested about the explanation, patiently listening to it all before replying. ]

Um.. Sorry. [ Apologizing in advance, like that's something she has to do for asking questions about this lecture. Chizuru can't help it, it's in her nature. ] But it sounds like Jedi have a really big responsibility on their shoulders when you consider everything you've talked about here.. Am I right to assume that?

[hopesparks]

[ He gives her an encouraging nod. He doesn't mind the questions, and he doesn't want people to think he's adverse to them. ]

Yes. But it's one we've chosen for ourselves. It's the way we've decided to best serve the Force.

[abornfighter]

[She's heard a few things about the Force, due to knowing Obi-Wan, Ezra and Maul. But only what's come up in a natural conversation. Not an explanation about it quite like this.]

Thanks. This was a helpful explanation. Are the Jedi a religious group, then?

[hopesparks]

More or less. A lot of people refer to us as "monks" or "warrior-monks." [ Wryly: ] Or "space wizards."

video: un; an.observer

[thisislife]

[Lexi looks fascinated, eyes wide]

So, I have a question and kind of a dumb one. Can this place's blood abilities influence one's use of the Force? I guess I mean for example, I'm a Darkblood. Theoretically, I should be able to use telekinesis, even though I'm pretty sure I'm really not a Jedi. But if a Jedi had Darkblood, would that make their telekinesis stronger or would the two cancel each other out?

[hopesparks]

[ He smiles. ]

It's not a dumb question. I'm a Warmblood, so I haven't noticed any changes. But some others I know are Palebloods. They find their ability to sense others' emotions are stronger but their other powers are a little weaker. It's almost like it re-balances their innate power to match their blood type a little better.

Video | un: notbatman

[saltyadam]

I've heard a bit about your order, but it's good to have additional context.

Though I do wonder, is there a point of no return? [He gestures vaguely towards the repaired but obviously still broken glass.] I understand that you must all sometimea lose control and have to reign yourselves back in, but is there a point at which you can't tap into that light source anymore?

[hopesparks]

[ Anakin pauses, giving it some thought. He'd done this to educate others, but the feedback so far is giving him a lot to consider. It's interesting and he's rather enjoying it. ]

In theory, no. But the longer you draw on the dark, the more difficult it is to break away from it.

[ He tries to think of a good way to put it. ]

It warps someone's mind and distorts their perspective. Kindness goes from genuinely wanting to help someone just because they could to being a little less cruel than usual.

Video; un: darkness

[survivalthroughhate]

[Maul has his arms folded when he starts the video and there is a very skeptical tone in his voice.]

That is a highly optimistic view of the Jedi if ever I have heard one.

[hopesparks]

[ Anakin doesn't even bother with a proper Jedi response.

He rolls his eyes. ]

Sorry if I don't take the opinion of someone whose username is "darkness" very seriously.

video; un: amidala

[democratically]

[Distracted? Possibly. Padmé will classify it as priorities.]

Your omen- a tusk cat?

[hopesparks]

[ He hadn't been expecting that, but the mention of his Omen makes him smile. ]

Yes. Her name is Silva.

[ Silva wakes up enough to acknowledge Padmé before curling up again. ]

She's very... laid-back.