#judy blundell

[legends-expo]

Happy birthday to Judy Blundell! The master of telling the journey of the apprentice. ✨

[blogmollylane]

Currently reading: Strings attached by Judy Blundell

[dk-thrive]

Anyone who has lost someone by inches will recognize the struggle to push through despair and affirm the dogged endurance of love.

Judy Blundell, in her book review of The Shore titled “In This Shore Town, Everything Is Not All Right” (NY Times, May 24, 2022)

[featheredtrex]

Who decided: the Jedi thinks attachment=love?

In 2011, a year after the release of Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force, Jason Fry – who worked closely with Wallace – published a lengthy essay in Star Wars Insider on how Anakin Skywalker’s fall was “provoked by” the Jedi Order’s “aversion to emotion”, asserting, Yoda’s “cold” advice about accepting death as a natural part of life, and the cessation of fearful grasp on things in life was “useless”, and at the end, “it isn’t Jedi teachings that save the galaxy, but bonds the Jedi tried to forbid – such as love of a father for his son and a son for his father. Emotional attachments, in other words.” Fry praised the novels of the Expanded Universe, namely works by Karen Traviss, stating, she  elaborated the Jedi attitude toward love and emotion, but ironically enough, he claims, another author did that, too: Jude Watson, or, to use her real name, Judy Blundell. Strangely enough, Fry only speaks of the doctrines altered by Traviss, and disregards Watson’s explanation on the rule of not forming attachments. Ms. Traviss defined the Jedi’s definition on attachment - as “putting personal relationships first, caring about the people you love so that it influences how you act” and it “affects your judgment.” According to her views, this is identical to “loving commitment” and “love” - which, as you can see, raises some troubling questions, but that’s not the topic of this post. Now let’s see, how Judy Blundell writes about attachment in her novel.

“Ferus Olin: It seems so hard, Master. To have so many beings who are important to me but not to be attached to them. I don't understand what is meant by "no attachment."

Siri Tachi: It's not so hard to explain. To love without wanting to possess or influence. To cherish without keeping. To have without holding.

Ferus Olin: I understand, Master

Siri Tachi: No, you don't. It's not something to understand. It's something to strive for.”

(Ferus remembering a conversation with his Master, Siri Tachi, in "Last of the Jedi: Secret Weapon.") 

This is a nice example, how big the chaos was in the Expanded Universe, and how it slowly drifted away from George Lucas’ vision: while Blundell’s version of the Jedi doctrine on attachment was in line with Star Wars as Lucas sees it, still, it was quickly buried under Traviss books, or it was ignored by other authors who - just like Ferus Olin - didn’t understand what non-attachment actually means. And damage was done: with Jedi Path and the article, the fallacy of No Prisoners become the dominant narrative in the Expanded Universe - other works were ignored.

[pancreasnostalgia]

A City Tossed and Broken, by Judy Blundell. I remember when I first learned about the Great San Francisco Earthquake and being fascinated by it so when Scholastic announced the Dear America reboot, I was hoping for a diary on this topic. Of all the events I had on my wish list, this was the one that came true.

Since I read it for the first time after it was released, I have also read the Sunfire story, Nora, which is also about the earthquake. The two have very similar plots, making me wonder if Blundell had read the older story. It’s also interesting that even though it’s normal for names to be repeated in the series, they ended up with two Minnies.

Goodreads star rating: 4/5

[anicarissi]

Night reading

[bookmama]

New adult fiction from Judy Blundell!! The High Season is out in May! That cover is giving me all of the good Summer Reading vibes 💙📚🌴🏖 Thank you @randomhouse for sending this awesome Advanced Reader's Edition!!!

[paigeypaige19]

I understood the word ‘swoon’. It felt that way, like 'sweep’ and 'moon’ and 'woo’, all those words smashed together in one word that stood for that feeling, right then.

Judy Blundell, What I Saw and How I Lied

[legends-expo]

Time to take it back to 2001, with the anniversary of the release of the first Jedi Quest book, The Way of the Apprentice! Was this anyones first foray into Legends content? The series chronicled Anakin's journey as Obi-Wan's Padawan between Episodes I and II, providing some much needed context to their relationship - in fact, book seven will tell you all about the famed gundark incident!

[blogmollylane]

Currently reading: What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell

[srzei]

“Sometimes you’re looking so hard at who you love that...you miss things. Big things. Because you’re trying to fit your love into the kind of thing you want it to be”

- The Sight, Judy Blundell

[212travel]

“The world is full of places I haven't been.” ― Judy Blundell

[give-niehuaisang-a-gun]

He was underneath every word and every thought now. All I could think about was when I would see him again. It was the first time I knew what that kind of hunger, terrible and magnificent, was like. It was so much more than the words I heard in movies.

-What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell

[legendsliveon]

Artist / Costumer Guide: Ferus Olin

Ferus Olin is a main character of Jude Watson’s (a pen name of Judy Blundell) chapter book series Jedi Quest and Last of the Jedi. He also appears in the Rebel Force YA series by Alex Wheeler. Ferus spent his youth training to be a Jedi, but left the order before the rise of the Empire. After leaving the Order he found himself drifting until he came across a man named Roan Lands on the planet Bellassa. The two quickly became friends, and started a security business together. Following much speculation, Blundell confirmed via Twitter in 2015 that she had written Ferus and Roan as a couple, and that they were married. (Due to the fact that these books were published in the early 2000s by Scholastic, I do not fault Blundell for waiting so long to make this official. There is enough evidence in the text that this was her intent all along, and I would guess that what she did write is as much as Scholastic would allow back in the day)

When the Republic fell and was replaced by the Empire, Ferus and Roan founded a rebel cell on Bellassa in opposition of it. News of their exploits on Bellassa reached Obi-Wan Kenobi through gossip in a cantina on Tatooine, and Obi-Wan decided to go and assist Ferus in hopes of preventing him from getting himself killed. With Obi-Wan’s guidance, Ferus created a haven for other Jedi on an asteroid hidden in an atmospheric storm, and became involved with the early years of the Rebel Alliance. Obi-Wan eventually assigned him to watch over Princess Leia on Alderaan, and although he was away when the planet was destroyed, he sacrificed himself to save Leia and the other rebels a year later when they were apprehended by Darth Vader.

Costume Notes: 

1. The flightsuit is the same in both the armored and non armored version, the collar is just down when not armored. When not armored, the flightsuit is open slightly, and a cream or white v-necked shirt with a mandarin collar popped up is visible. The flightsuit has two rectangular chest pockets with flaps. Overall the flightsuit style is very similar to Luke’s ESB look.

2. When armored, the jumpsuit is entirely closed and the collar is popped up. The left wrist guard is cylindrical with red/black/red/silver coloring· The left shoulder bell is silver, underlayered black piece with red trim· The chest armor is segmented silver plates on front and back with attached black and red underlayer.

3. He has two (or more) brown leather-like pouches, and his saber attaches to his belt with a ring clip rather than the PT era covertec style clip.

4. Ferus has a distinctive blonde streak at the front of his bangs.

Art by Tsuyoshi Nagano, Chris Trevas, Drew Struzan, and John Van Fleet

[lost-generation-lights]

Truth, justice...I always thought they were absolutes, like God. And Mom. And apple pie. But you could make apple pie from Ritz crackers. You could make cakes without sugar. We learned how to fake things, during the war.

Judy Blundell, What I Saw and How I Lied

[legends-expo]

Photo by Bekah Marie Photo

When Subtext Is Text, Musings On Ferus Olin

It's the end of Pride month, and Legends Con Executive Director Katherine is taking the opportunity to talk about one of her favorite characters (and most recent cosplays), Ferus Olin. Ferus is one of the canonically queer characters in the Star Wars Legends timeline; and is, in her humble opinion, one of the most interesting representations of a queer character within the Star Wars universe.

Ferus comes from the Jude Watson books, first appearing in her Jedi Quest series and later leading the series Last of the Jedi. He also appeared in the Rebel Force series as a supporting character. All three of these series are Scholastic chapter books, published between the years of 2001 and 2010. They are progressive for their time in many ways, but are ultimately also a product of their time in how Ferus as a queer character is defined on the page. The line between subtext and text can be debated, but we have author confirmation via Twitter that Ferus is gay and married to Roan Lands. Roan was referred to as Ferus's "partner" throughout the Last of the Jedi and Rebel Force series. With these books being written throughout the 2000s, that was the current terminology used for gay couples at the time- and marriage was not even a legal option within the United States.  

The term partner is really only the beginning of the signs we see in-text that Ferus and Roan are a couple. The most interesting of those to me is this passage from the first book in the Last of the Jedi series. Obi-Wan has just rescued Roan from Imperial prison after both Ferus and Roan were arrested for leading rebel activities and separated within the prison. As part of the misadventures that occurred with Obi-Wan and Ferus after that, they are forced to temporarily leave behind the planet Bellassa where Ferus had been living with Roan. While in space Ferus and Obi-Wan talk about how Ferus resigned from the Jedi Order (that’s another story entirely, I don’t want to get too off track here)

“It doesn’t matter,” Ferus said. “I walked away. It was the most difficult thing I ever had to do, but in a way I’m glad it happened.”

“You’re still a Jedi, Ferus.”

“No,” Ferus said slowly. “I’m not. I can never really be a Jedi again. Not just because I left the Order.” He looked back in the direction of Bellassa. “I have attachments.”

“Once there was something I wanted, something forbidden by the Jedi code,” Obi-Wan said. “Qui-Gon said something to me then. He said, maybe in a different galaxy things will change. The Jedi will change. Here is the change Ferus. And I think… in the new order, attachments will be a strength. Maybe this is how the galaxy will be saved. So yes, you are still a Jedi.”

Obi-Wan is referring to events of the Jedi Apprentice books, also by Jude Watson, where he entered a brief romance with one of his fellow Padawans, Siri Tachi. Obi-Wan and Siri decided to end their relationship due to the Jedi code, which led to that conversation with Qui-Gon. In the text this is Ferus saying that his relationship with Roan is outside the bounds of the Jedi code, and Obi-Wan draws a parallel to a romantic relationship of his own. I personally would call this plain text rather than subtext based on both the context in-universe and the context that this was written in 2005.

Throughout the story there are more signs that while subtle, Ferus and Roan’s relationship is romantic. It's the way they tease each other, care for each other, and little snippets about their life together-

Read more on our Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/post/When-Subtext-Is-Text-Musings-On-Ferus-Olin-K3K8MRUH1