#guardians of whills

[short-wooloo]

I'm always a little confused by people saying they want to see Force groups other than the Jedi (and not like, in addition to the Jedi, what people often mean is INSTEAD of) because like...

A. This is Star Wars, the story of Jedi, if you're not here for Jedi, why are you even here?

B. Most other Force groups are just Jedi-lite (or sith-lite when dark siders), they don't really have all that radical or different views from the Jedi, usually it's just differing traditions

(And before anyone says it, no to any "both sides of the Force/don't use the dark or light", insert Han tfa gif here, you're either a dark side group or a light side group, that's just how it works, hence Jedi-lite/sith-lite)

C. Speaking of traditions, most non-Jedi force groups (aside from dark side ones) are just Boring

The reason we almost exclusively focus on Jedi is they're one of the only non dark side groups that actually goes out and does things, diplomacy, crimefighting, peacekeeping, etc are aspects of the Jedi most Force groups just don't partake in, at best they're active in their localities but for the most part other Force groups are content to simply watch as the galaxy happens while remaining uninvolved

[iracundiias]

CHIRRUT ÎMWE "There is more than one sort of prison, Captain," Chirrut said. "I sense that you carry yours wherever you go." Baze laughed again, but there was no boisterousness this time- just a coarse, hollow sound. Cassian frowned and turned back to the lock and the cavern. It was some minutes later that he realized no one had told Chirrut he was a captain. - STAR WARS: GUARDIANS OF THE WHILLS

[mirrorofliterature]

chirrut isn't sure if he likes the jedi temple.

sure, they are great scholars and warriors, but -

but.

when he refers to baze as his husband, they act oddly. they get even weirder when he references his mother's cooking, or buying a trinket on coruscant to take home to his little sister.

he is a guardian of the whills. he is sworn to serve the force

but that doesn't mean -

serving the force and loving people are not mutually exclusive, and the way some jedi act about attachment is simply concerning. they say they obstain from attachment, but they live and breathe for the republic.

chirrut sighs, walking through one of the endless gardens in this luxurious temple - they have nothing but this opulence - the breeze ruffling his cloak.

the guardians of the whills are part of the very fabric of jedha.

the temple does not feel like it is on coruscant; it is like it is in another realm altogether.

he stops, hearing the feather-light footsteps of another.

chirrut can feel the force, the way it is the life-blood of the universe, weaving between every nook and cranny.

but he cannot manipulate it like the jedi. the guardians of the whills is largely philosophical. the jedi scoop up most force sensitive, anyway, although they leave jedha alone.

'who are you?'

it is a young boy; suspicious, naturally. the force convention has been made up of scholars, not younglings.

and the jedi have so many younglings. too many too young, chirrut sometimes thinks, but it is not his place to disparage another religion's practices.

'a guardian of the whills,' chirrut answers the inquisitive boy, 'from jedha. we follow the force... differently to the jedi, but we are all one in the force.'

the boy comes closer. 'you can do that?'

chirrut nods. 'you can do that.'

the jedi are inescapable.

the guardians of the whills are not.

the wind whistles, again.

chirrut spends the rest of the afternoon talking to the young jedi, a boy named anakin skywalker, who is curious and reticent and -

lonely, chirrut thinks, to be here in the gardens alone, talking to a stranger.

the conference ends. chirrut gives anakin his comm number - the boy wanted to learn more about other force traditions: he is like a sponge, constantly seeking more information.

chirrut wonders if he is wasted on the jedi: there had been little give or take on their part throughout the conference. a boy that asks that many questions could so easily be quashed under their inflexibility, their dogma, their strange, no-attachment compassion

the conference over, they are to return to jedha

but first, he says to baze: 'do you want to go to tatooine?'

baze snorts. 'what's there to do on tatooine?'

chirrut's next words are carefully chosen. 'slavers. it's where a jedi padawan I talked to was from. and the jedi left his mother behind in slavery after freeing him.'

baze sighs. 'that's fucked up. yeah, I'm up for fucking with some slavers. some of our humanitarian missions have been a little too peaceful, recently.'

chirrut smiles, warmth flowing through him.

it has been a while since they took part in directly rooting out evil.

he leaves the jedi temple behind. he learnt barely anything of value, but it gave him his next humanitarian mission:

cleaning up their messes.

honestly, what kind of religious order takes the kid but leaves their family behind in slavery?

chirrut wonders about their definition of compassion. it is hollow, cracking.

the force is clearer once they leave coruscant behind.

what chirrut doesn't know, will never know: his one act of compassion will save both the jedi and guardians of the whills from complete annihilation.

[live-with-love]

Guys I finally got to read the Guardians of the Whills novel and OH MY GOD I absolutely love the depiction of Chirrut and Baze's respective grief and anger manifesting in different yet similar ways throughout the book.

How Baze's anger started and grew from the injustices caused by the Empire and fueled his desire to fight back but also hid a deep, strong grief for what's left of his home to the point that he lost his faith in the Force entirely. Meanwhile, Chirrut's sorrow for Jedha's suffering made him even more determined to ease that suffering and keep holding onto his faith in the Force, but he was also angry at himself for being powerless and unable to stop the escalation of violence and war on his homeworld.

There is a whole paragraph from Chirrut's pov describing how the word "no" embodied Baze's cynicism nowadays and how pained he felt about Baze's lack of faith, but there's also Baze noticing the pain behind Chirrut's smile and mentioning that he couldn't remember the last time Chirrut being happy.

Both Chirrut and Baze had their differences and were stubborn in their own ways and they argued and fought, but that only makes their whole relationship and the complete understanding and sheer trust between each other all the more beautiful. They both had a shared conviction towards their cause of protecting the people of Jedha and Chirrut found Baze's presence reassuring and Baze only laughed at Chirrut's jokes. There are even more details I've didn't cover but the devotion and commitment is just undeniable between the two.

[shield-and-saber]

"He rarely collected much, but this didn't bother him. Collecting charity was the by-product, not the intent. It was the excuse, and it placed him below the stormtroopers' notice. He sat, most days, to listen, and to learn, and to try - as he had for so long now - to feel the living Force moving around him."

chirruttttttt 😭😭😭

[bluerhapsodist]

The Disciples of the Whills first came into being on the moon of Jedha, honored by the arrival of Jedi Knights who came to gather kyber crystals from the planet to use in their lightsabers. While their counterparts, the Guardians of the Whills, arose to protect the Temple of the Kyber from thieves and train like the Jedi themselves without drawing on the Force, the first Disciples saw themselves as caretakers and scholars, studying Jedi lore to apply in their daily lives. Even with the eradication of the Jedi and the rise of the Empire, the Disciples did not lose their practice, but went underground and kept the memory of their heroes alive for the next generation.

A Disciple’s Circle is a gathering of the Disciple of the Whills. They come together at the end of each week to recite the Jedi Code, to pray and meditate on the Force, and to deliver food and clothing to those in need. The Circle appoints a different lector each week to read from the Jedi texts, organize prayers and songs, and oversee the distribution of charitable offerings.

The Heart’s Fire robe is the public attire of a Disciple of the Whill. It is made from homespun fibers and dyed a shade of crimson to represent the Jedi as the “heart” of the Force in action. Disciples see their robes as not only a sign of devotion to the Force, but as a sign to others that they are available for help if called upon.

The breviary is a holobook carried by the Disciples when attending a Circle and kept at home. Each holobook contains a copy of the Jedi Code, the Guardian’s Mantra, other ancient scriptures, and a collection of prayers and hymns.

The Four Pillars of the Disciples of the Whills are meditating on the will of the Force, collecting alms to give to the poor, rendering aid to those in need, and not giving into the “three poisons” of fear, anger, and aggression.

A pilgrimage is a sacred undertaking that each Disciple hopes to fulfill within their lifetime (provided current events and galactic wars permit them to do so). There are five major sites across the galaxy where a Disciple might travel and offer their aid in preserving: the Crystal Caves of Ilum, the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, the Temple of the Kyber on Jedha, the Old Ruins of Ossus, and the Warriors’ Memorial on Ruusan.

Kyber crystals are seen as sacred extensions of the Living Force. Many Disciples wear them in pendants around their necks or as a charm bracelet. Disciples will often pass on a kyber charm to their children when they come of age, to safeguard them on their journeys through life. Later on, hiding them from Imperial Inquisitors and stormtroopers becomes key to the Disciples’ survival.

Jedi lightsabers and artifacts are treated with great care when they come into the Disciples’ possession. Some make an effort to return these items to the original owner if they still live and can be found. Others bring them to a Guardian of the Whills to safeguard them. The Disciples have dealt with some beings in their ranks who attempted to turn a profit on the black market or claim these prizes for themselves.

Life events celebrated by the Disciples of the Whills include births, weddings, and funerals. They also celebrate the departure and return of pilgrims. At birth, children are consecrated to the path of the Whills through a ceremonial blanket swaddling and baptism. When they come of age, a full Disciple receives a kyber charm from their family or mentor, and they vow before their Circle to honor the Jedi Code and the Four Pillars of their faith.

[jewishcissiekj]

dgnvfgdnsdfdgb I love Chirrut and Baze

[tlmtwelve]

June 15, 2024: Chirrut Îmwe

[starrysyndulla]

I just finished the Rogue One novelization and excuse me what the fuck

[dio-icarticaae]

tagged for WIP Wednesday by @mamawasatesttube (a month ago. yikes) This is from the sequel to I wanted everybody else in the world to know it (but I ain't ever gonna let 'em take my life from me). I hope to have it finished sometime in May or June, since I need to see what happens in Andor S2 for some details. Tagging @loisinherlane @heart-0f-a-rebel16 @radioactive-earthshine @lena-hills

Jedha and the Holy City did not experience the long hand of the Empire immediately after the Republic fell, but the news of it had a chilling effect anyway. Jedha was an isolated place, towards the edge of the galaxy. There was no such thing as travel or trade passing through to go elsewhere; there wasn’t much further to go. Instead, Jedha welcomed travelers who made the pilgrimage specifically to Jedha and all that the Holy City had to offer. These pilgrims consisted of every kind of religious order and individual on a spiritual journey.

A not insignificant number of them were Jedi, though. They were the rare group passing through to somewhere else in most cases; apparently the route to the Jedi’s supply of Kyber wound its way through Jedha, so many a field trip of Jedi on their way to or from there stopped in the Holy City to make a trip to the Temple of Kyber and visit the Guardians of the Whills. They were welcomed gladly into the city and the temple, and their presence was a joy.

Baze had even had the honor of seeing a young Jedi find their crystal at the Temple of the Kyber instead of where the Jedi usually found them. It had been an amazing experience. In his years as a Guardian of the Whills, Baze had become quite fond of the groups of eager younglings and harried Padawans and Knights chaperoning them.

But there would be no more Jedi in the Holy City.

The official news was that they were traitors to the Republic – now the Empire – and executed as such. Baze could clearly see that that was nonsense. The truth of what had happened was unclear – whispered rumors swirled around, contradictory and confusing. The Holy City was not confused on one aspect, though: this was only the beginning. Things were going to become far, far worse.

[humbug220]

[mirrorofliterature]

'jedi bashing is chinese propaganda'

I'm sorry what now -

also, I'm australian :)

and I don't even bash the jedi. I critique them. for their flaws. lovingly. because I yearn for their reform like luke did in the eu, not complete annihilation.

there's a guardians of the whills fanfic set in jedha and their training system in it is just. chef's kiss I think chirrut and baze could have saved the jedi order singlehandedly

[dramyhsturgis]

In my latest “Looking Back on Genre History” segment on the StarShipSofa podcast, I discuss Guardians of the Whills, Andor, and local resistance in Star Wars.

[shield-and-saber]

"No was the word that seemed to define Baze Malbus these days, all the more since the Imperial occupation had begun. No, and in that word Baze Malbus was saying many things; no, he would not accept this, whatever this might be, from Imperial rule to the existence of a Jedi in the Holy City to the suffering the Empire had inflicted upon all those around them. No, ultimately - and to Chirrut's profound sadness - to a faith in the Force."

oh thanks, i'm gonna be sick 😃