"The differences between the dark and light side of the Force are myriad - though, honestly, focuses from other artifacts is in some ways more complicated, since there's more kinds of artifact than sides of the Force."

"The dark side of the Force is what I and all Sith draw on. It is what I will be training you in. The light side is what the Jedi use, and what Starkiller uses."

"The Force surrounds, permeates, and makes up everything in existence. Its exact nature is hard to describe in the way I could describe how gravity functions, but - the basic concept that it's everywhere is enough for now. Everything the Force can be is held within every point it touches. So, you have both the light and dark side of the Force in you at once."

"The sides are... Ways the Force behaves, effectively. That's the only thing we can really prove. There's theories past that - Plagueis and I think Baniite Sith tradition in general holds that they're two distinct wills, and that the dark side pours into us when we open ourselves to it, and it directs us. That doesn't square with my own experiences, not entirely - only with a small subset of them."

"The dark side behaves violently. It surges, and it moves in sudden and immense wells of power. It tries to do everything you intend with it at once, damn the consequences. It hides itself, too, almost paradoxically - the dark side is immensely difficult to detect when it isn't bursting forth. I think this creates the effect Plagueis has noticed - that, usually, the dark side is barely noticeable, and it only reveals itself if you make yourself into an outlet for its surge. With mastery, you can direct that surge and hold onto it for longer times - which makes it feel like you're becoming a vessel for its will, constantly."

"This powers bleed over into what it's easy to get it to do. It's very easy to cloak yourself in the dark side, and it's annoyingly hard to use the dark side for any sort of reliable far viewing. It's easy to use in sudden explosive bursts - which means it's trivial to use for violence. It dislikes doing small, careful things."

"Some places and items can feel strong in the dark side consistently, though that's in truth only a small subset of things attuned to the dark side. Those are like the site of continual volcanic eruptions, making them constantly in a state of extreme turmoil. Most things attuned to the dark side are instead like a well under a thin crust, nearly undetectable until you disturb it and cause its eruption."

"The light side isn't much like that. I can't touch it, not directly, but - Starkiller's been able to describe some of what it feels like to her. She struggles to get it to do anything but small, careful things, and it's rather insistent about revealing itself and everything around it. She's annoyingly prescient because of that. And, with constant effort to hide herself - and my help cloaking her actions - she's viciously effective at slow sabotage."

"How you reach for the Force determines which side responds to your call, and the more you use one side, the more that becomes... Engraved in you, in a way. The ways most people reach for them also reinforce their basic nature."

"At least nowadays, most initially reach for the dark side through a sudden burst of overwhelming emotion, coupled to vicious whims. Anger and fear are the easiest paths for this - especially for humans and near-humans, I think - though many other emotions suffice just fine. As you gain mastery, it becomes easier to reach through pure intent, so long as your focus stays sharp and your control iron. Turbulent emotions and losing personal control make it easier for the dark side to well up within you - and are immensely dangerous for you. The dark side doesn't care if it destroys you as it vents through your body."

"The light side, on the other hand, is reached through calm focus and serenity. Starkiller's told me that the first time she felt it was while she was standing in one place and watching those around her, keeping her mind placid and letting it fill with observations. Strong emotions and sudden whims disrupt her hold on it, apparently, as does self-deceit. She's never known it to be painful or dangerous to use, though she's exceptional in many ways - a major one is that she taught herself, which very few manage."

"You can use either side in ways it isn't specialized towards, of course, though it'll likely be a struggle when you're first learning."

"...Think the dark side's probably a better fit for me."

"You don't seem the serene kind, no."

"Or the patient kind."

"More prone to sudden bursts of insight than constant observation."

"That's a much more flattering way to put it."

"I'd have to insult myself to say dark siders are unobservant."

"You're definitely not that."

"I've worked hard for my wisdom."

"Of course."

Hair ruffle. "Getting you to draw fully on the dark side the first time might be hard - and we'll want to not be around anything we want to keep intact at the time."

"After that... It'll be a race for control."

"Are there any control things I can practice in advance?"

"There's meditations I'll guide you in. Increased self awareness will help, as will self control and sharp focus even during extremes of sensation - emotions and physical sensations both work, there."

Nod nod.

"That's something we can start on today - and proving you can wield the dark side is something I want you to do before formalizing your apprenticeship and giving you the right to call yourself Sith."

"I'll still teach you before that, of course, but - that's one bit of tradition I'm keeping to, here."

"Makes sense. Can't really be a Sith if I can't touch the Force."

"It'd be very irregular." 

"We can start you on the relevant exercises once breakfast is cleaned up, though."

"Kay."

Danni will start on cleanup, then.

She watches with a small smile, then leads Danni over to one of the more spartan training rooms, reviewing what Danni's background in meditation is as they walk. 

She's been sporadically keeping up with the basic exercises Palpatine had given before they faked her death, and done more with Mandalorian-style trancing, both before combat and during it.

"Alright."

"The first time you pull on the dark side..." Hum. "The easiest will be if you have anything you've been holding yourself back from doing - any urge that's been boiling under your skin, desperate to get out. Anything you've been suppressing, or refusing to face, especially."

"Sounds... psychologically healthy."

"A lot of Force users are fucked up people. Possibly all of us, really."

"And that first time the dark side properly flows through you - it's exhilarating. You won't be able to stop yourself from acting once the gates are open, and I wouldn't recommend trying. You will lose control, and at that point it's better to relinquish yourself than have it torn forcefully from you."

"No matter what you're doing - no matter how horrendous or offensive to you - you'll enjoy it. No boundary or care or moral code will hold you back. Your hands will shake, and your heart will race, and the world will feel like it belongs to you. Like you're all powerful, and any thought of weakness or hindrance is a mere brief fantasy. You'll escalate with every moment until there's nowhere left to go, and then if your energy isn't already burnt out, you'll tear yourself apart with what's left."

"It's a high worse than any drug, and the crash will be hard, no matter what happened. Breaking your own moral code makes that worse - blame and withdrawal are a nasty combination. Satisfaction makes it gentler, at least mentally."

"Wow."

"It's more pleasant than not, once you start getting used to it, and once you get a handle on directing when you draw on it, even if you can't yet reliably hold yourself back while it surges through you."

"That's one of the most dangerous points. The dark side isn't kind."