Best Lightsider Criteria

What makes a "Best Lightsider" winner - the character:

Selflessness

Opposition to evil acts

Willingness to act

Courage and steadfastness in the face of evil

Principles that they will not compromise

Some form of wisdom

Dedication to the path of good

Probably a demonstrable heroic quality




What makes a "Best Lightsider" winner - the writing:

An excellent lightsider character generally has a philosophy of being good. Sometimes it's as regimented as the Jedi Code, other times, it might be a more personal moral outlook; often, it's a mixture between the two. The character's understanding of their philosophy should really be apparent in the writing, in some capacity. In a young character, this can be still developing; in a more experienced character, this has probably been refined over many years and struggles. This needs to go beyond dogmatically quoting scripture, to a deeper understanding; they need to understand what it means, they need to be able to adapt and apply their philosophy in any situation.

Being a lightsider is not always easy. The challenge of upholding their morality should be apparent in the writing. For example, with a young character, or one new to the practice of being good, this may show as moral questioning, of difficulty figuring out the correct path, or of the struggles between the moral choice and emotional impulses that may disagree with that. With an older or more experienced character, this might show as a wisdom gained through experience, through a clear evidence that, in the past, this character has faced difficult decisions and has developed a way of applying their philosophy in a practical way. In all characters, though, there should be some recognition that sometimes, doing the right thing is sometimes difficult, and costly. The Jedi typically exemplify the philosophical aspect of this in their Trial of the Spirit.

A good lightsider is committed to their path. They may have vices, they may have struggles, they may even lose themselves from time to time, but they should not fall from their beliefs easily. Sometimes they are broken. Sometimes they fall from grace. For those that do, the path to redemption is long, hard, and usually, full of guilt, self-recrimination. If the character has fallen to the dark, then the regret that comes with that should carry with them. Above all, a good lightsider should show a resilience to being corrupted; they should show that they will uphold their beliefs and principles even when it causes them pain, difficulty, even when they are hurting or feel angered.

A good lightsider will die for their beliefs. They will face a situation where death is a possibility, and do so willingly. When facing the embodiment of evil, when facing wrong, they won't easily relent, and if it comes down to only two choices, death, or allowing evil to win, then they'll willingly choose to die. This is not about a writer's OOC preferences with regards to their character and death; it is about the IC personality of the lightsider.