#HDM blogs

[stripedtabbycat]

in the his dark materials series it seems that daemons usually settle around the age when you'd start puberty (like 12-13) but i always felt like in modern times in that universe the average age would shift older. it just would make more sense for daemons to settle around the age of legal adulthood, because when you're a teenager you're very much still figuring out who you are (and most people aren't going to have a singular moment where they define their sense of self for the rest of their life, but that's not exactly what daemons settling is supposed to be.)

i think in the modern day the average age for daemon settling is probably somewhere in the mid-to-late teen years, but if your daemon is still unsettled by 16-17 you're considered a late bloomer. most people will have settled by 18. it's rare but not unheard of to still be unsettled well into your 20s, and it almost certainly varies across cultures what's considered a normal age to settle at.

[hyperpotamianarch]

Is there demand for long essays about HDM stuff here? I've started one about angels recently. Considering the reaction to my Mulefa stuff it seems like it's fine, though I'd have liked for people to reply if they have something to add.

[draconym]

Mmmmmm talk of the Catholic Church being the reason people don't touch other's daemons is something that never really was clear to me because I haven't read the books since like 2007 and instead was a part of an online daemon community talking to our daemons lmao (I still do). But that's such a fascinating thought. If daemons were real (with some changes as were debated on the forum), how would various religions feel about it? It would always be somewhat intimate, you wouldn't want a stranger running up and touching your daemon but people hug and kiss friends and family, queerplatonic relationships are well heard about now. Would the queer community be more willing to open up and let friends and others touch their daemon because the queer community is so intimate in the right time and place, it's such a fascinating thought. Would former Christian atheists have the same holdings over only partners touching daemons? Would different sects of Christianity have different thoughts? You mentioning theater and the Catholic Church has my mind running wild. Artists with daemons in general is fascinating to think about.

Also, something that's always been on my mind as a wannabe zoologist is zoos and daemons. If we take daemons into our world where there aren't talking polar bears and such, how do wild animals react to them? Do daemons smell like their human? Will a pet cat recognize a mouse daemon or try to eat it? Will a pet dog adore their human but be wary of their human's hyena daemon?

Honestly the hypotheticals of daemons both in Lyra's world and our own are fascinating to think on, and something I still think about to this day as I talk to my daemon, despite leaving that community a long time ago. Sorry for this random rambling but you have opened up something inside me lmao

I don't know about you but if my good friends always had little animals hanging out with them you bet I'd ask to pet them. There are plenty of people in the real world who have been socialized to be afraid of loving platonic touch, and plenty of people who haven't, so it's not that big a leap to imagine that in Pullman's fantasy world, close friends from more relaxed societies might briefly touch each other's daemons.

Also it's been a long time since I've read the books but I do think it's canon that nonhuman animals react to daemons as they would a human; whether the daemon is their same species or a prey animal, animals can somehow sense that daemons are human/dust and not Animal in nature, and are therefore less interested in them. So I think our pets would usually treat our daemons as they would treat the rest of us.

Anyway do keep talking to your daemon because I think it is a cool and fun way to process your thoughts. :)

[delightfullyodd]

I need to know this because of the reasons

Namely, that my hand is better now and I can draw)art

[cloverandcrossbones]

Who TF decided that the His Dark Materials (Golden Compass) books were for kids/young adults?

I attempted to read them when I was the "target" age for them and it was the first time I ever remember tapping out on a book because it was above my reading comprehension (I regularly read books that were 2-3 years ahead of my "reading level" and was generally up for a challenge so that should tell you how much of I struggled). I gave up partway through the second book, The Subtle Knife, and didn't touch them again until this year.

And, boy, am I glad I waited! There is so much to this series that would have just been totally lost on me as a kid. The way it explores theology and morality would have gone right over my head. Even now with a bachelor's degree in English literature under my belt the depth to these books astounds me.

Every chapter of the Amber Spyglass opens with a quote from Milton's Paradise Lost, or one of William Blake's Songs of Innocence and Experience, or some other theologian or philosopher or outright Bible verses. Every chapter. In a series that was regularly promoted to 10 year olds. Yes, kids can be pretty smart and I hate when adult authors talk down to them, but what 10 year old is reading Paradise Lost?

I'm not saying you need a degree to understand this stuff, but you would have to have read a lot of foundational texts to get the full depths of the references. I also ended up leaning a lot on the religious study courses I've taken (and theological education from growing up Catholic) to identify specific religious theories/schools of thought which was just fascinating. Religious groups HATE these books! They're extremely critical of organized religion and Christian beliefs especially as they are canonized by the Catholic and Anglican churches. It's a three-book fiction trilogy exploring and arguing against Milton's interpretation of original sin.

So why was this series labelled as YA? Simple, the protagonists are kids; they're 12 years old.

Why did Pullman write about 12 year olds if the series wasn't meant for them? Because the biggest theme of the story is sin and children are considered innocent. Lyra and Will are coming of age and transitioning from childhood innocence to adulthood and its accompanying consciousness/self awareness that allows us to be held responsible for sinning.

Anyway here's an entry to the literal Wikipedia page for the series that I think sums it up:

Although His Dark Materials has been marketed as young adult fiction, and the central characters are children, Pullman wrote with no target audience in mind.

[tragicotps]

Modern Masriel AU: in which Asriel forgets to buy Marisa a birthday present and makes up a fantastical story to make her laugh about it.

[iviarellereads]

His Dark Materials Index

This series is strangely important to me despite not finding it until I was twenty. My cousin mentioned it, so I borrowed the first book from the library. It ended up being a Bad Decisions Book Club entry, I was up until far too late reading it, completely enthralled.

It is in many ways a retelling of Paradise Lost, from a different perspective and with a different conclusion. It's a story about coming of age, the nature of good and evil, human agency and the systems that we allow to control us. A story about science and religion, love in all its forms, and golden monkeys.

However, this is another series where I may not read every relevant book. The main trilogy are my focus. I might read some of the short books that came after but I probably won't read all of them. And, you can't get me to touch The Book of Dust unless someone pays me generously for my time and psychological torment, because the story didn't need continuing and I haven't heard anything about it worth getting excited over.

Link index:

The Golden Compass/Northern Lights

(I will be using the North American name for the book, because it's more in keeping with the names of the other books)

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20

21 | 22 | 23

The Subtle Knife

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15

The Amber Spyglass

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20

21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30

31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38

[bruisedconscience]

OH RICO WAS THE BOMB DOT COM THOUGH I HAD OLIVER FOR A SHORT WHILE BC I TOO HAD A CRUSH ON LILLY TRUSCOTT

no nuance pick one. you can elaborate in the tags.

[graciouswings]

i cant stop thinking about how lord asriel literally murders an 11 year old boy on page and then immediately turns around and tries to get some from his ex. like have some decorum man

[your-faves-daemons]

Rules for Submission

In keeping with the worldbuilding of His Dark Materials, any characters submitted must be humans, or at the very least humanoids/have once been human (i.e., vampires or dwarves). Talking animals or ogres are ineligible.

You must include what media your character is from, preferably with their full name, in your submission.

If said character is from a media I have not seen, I will simply answer that I have not seen it. Sorry.

Real life people will be automatically rejected. A fictionalized version of a historical figure, however, is acceptable.

Anything from the TERF wizard books will also automatically be rejected.

If a character is from a settling populated entirely by animals not from Earth (such as loth-cats or flying bison) there is still a strong probability that they will be assigned an animal from Earth. If you wish otherwise, please specify in your submission.

And not so much a strict rule as a heads-up, but depending on the magic system of the media they’re from, I might go into how a daemon would interact with said magic or be affected by any developments in the story’s plot.

[clonerightsagenda]

My mother does not want to watch L&Co with me so I can proceed through it at my own pace, which means I should be done in time for the Uglies movie release. (8 episodes for 2 books? HDM showrunners take notes.) If I have time before September 13 I should really reread the series and make a tumblr poll for top TallyShay toxic yuri moments. IDK if this is accurate but I feel like they really set the trend for horrible YA wlw situationships even if unintentionally.

Hang on I should actually watch the Netflix trailer to determine how much of a shrine to haterism this blog is going to be when that happens.

[daemonsfordays]

This is one of Thom of Em's forms!

March 30, 2024 - Forest Raven or Tasmanian Raven (Corvus tasmanicus) Found in parts of eastern and southeastern Australia, including Tasmania and nearby islands, these ravens live in a variety of habitats, particularly woodlands and pastures. Foraging in pairs, family groups, and larger flocks, they eat invertebrates, small birds and mammals, eggs, carrion, lizards, seeds, fruit, and other plant foods, including nectar, usually foraging on the ground or in low vegetation, sometimes in shallow water. They may dip their food in water before eating it and cache food for later. They build large bowl-shaped nests from sticks, bark, leaves, feathers, grass, wool, fur, seaweed, and sometimes horse manure in trees, on rock ledges, or on or near the ground. Females incubate clutches of three to six eggs and both parents feed the chicks.

[joyglass]

started rereading aftg recently, first time in years, to go into tsc remembering everything fresh. And i am eating DRYWALL over here PLEASE tell me you have some fanfic reccomendations. I tried digging through ur blog so apologies if you already talked about some but i couldnt find any!! The fanart reblogs were real good though yessirr yessir. But you have good taste in writing good taste in ships i am at your mercy and thank you for your service general.

I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS!

a not at all comprehensive list of my favorites in no particular order:

Pinky Promises; or, MOM, Holy FUCK by youreyestheyglow

if you were church by treshpresh

i'd promise you anything for another shot at life by orionauriga

mouth like a bruise by wyverning

but you can make me a drink by daisyjohnsons

Night Practice by mostly_maudlin

the benefits of a broken air conditioning unit and other summer lessons by decaflondonfog

if you really love nothing by seasy33

Fear No Fall (series) by vicariously kingly (pelted) (quite possibly one of the best fanfics i've ever read in my LIFE)

First Game Jitters by NikNak22

Don't Let Me Go by Fortheloveofexy

crash positions by likearecord

Baltimore Blues by SpangleBangle

Reputation by lemonicee

Tooth and Nail by AlrightDarlin (WhoopsOK)

genus (series) by badacts (THEEE HDM AU FIC OF ALL TIME TO ME)

On The Edge Of A Night (series) by sambutwithbooks

Deja Vu (series) by elesary

Not Nothing by TheRainbowElectric

I Will Always Choose You by NikNak22

You Might Get It by likearecord

[kirjavas]

hello!

this is a long overdue about me post, which you may read or continue on your way :)

alice. she/her. 23. british

graphic designer and aspiring filmmaker

my main blog is @bookishable where i tend to post about my favourite books and films

this blog is reserved for his dark materials related ramblings, edits and the occasional gifset

feel free to tag #kirjavas in any hdm posts!

i read the trilogy roughly between the ages of 12 and 15, after being obsessed with the golden compass as a child. they became my favourite books while watching the show and rereading simultaneously

my favourite characters are iorek byrnison and will parry

my favourite book in the trilogy is northern lights

my favourite episode of the show is betrayal but tower of the angels is a close second

you can also find me on serializd and letterboxd (where i still manage to regularly bring up hdm)

you are always welcome to shoot me a message or ask about this series <3

[darkacademiaunarchivist]

intro post:

hi im Adi (any and all pronouns idgaf)

i post about whatever im into currently which happens to be a lot of things. occasional art or analysis, mostly incoherent yelling about The Character and reblogs

discord: sleepdeprivedsamosa

aspiring physicist and artist

volunteer at shw

fandoms im in

haikyuu, tpp, tma+tmagp, anxious people, sherlock and co, wtnv, hdm, fleabag, orv, purple hyacinth, link click, yoi (+figure skating generally) and more

also known as: @your9thsymphony (slightly more formal ish blog, mostly purple hyacinth and occasional yoi, where I post most of my art

[daemonsfordays]

A few things that have helped some of us:

Alarms! Set an alarm at a time of day you'll know you'll be free. Once the alarm goes off, make an intentional effort to interact with your daemon. Don't set a time limit on it. Just go as long as is natural.

Set your daemon's form as your phone/computer screen. It's a visual reminder to check in with them when you see it, even if it's just a quick "You good?" "Yup" "Cool".

Involve them in your hobbies! If you read, have them narrate for you. If you like taking walks/hikes, dedicate that time to the two of you and talk about anything. If you create art, do dedicated art to them or ask them for tips or ideas.

Make a point to tell your daemon good morning and good night. If they're the first and last part of your day, I find that tends to help us remember to include them throughout the day.

Play games! We do board games together or have them pick elements of video games and the like.

At the end of the day, they just want to be involved in our lives. We've found that, at least with our daemons, they don't have to be thought of 24/7. They just want to be involved in the things we love, in our stress, in any and every aspect of our life, even if they aren't a continuous presence <3

April 30th, 2022

Philomena...

For as long as I can remember, my daemon has been with me; helping me through stressful situations in my childhood before she ever had a name. I officially recognized her as my daemon on December 10th, 2017, and after months of using the Daemon Forum Analysis to narrow down animal forms that might fit her, she settled as a red squirrel in November of 2019.

Philomena is almost the exact opposite of me, blunt - almost rude even -, focused, loud, energetic and sensible. But she is also kind and protective, responsible and knowledgeable. I have never worried that she would abandon me or truly judge me more anything I've said or done. Her aura is motherly in a way, like a soft hand on your forehead when you're running a fever. I love watching her run around frantically when she's hyper, or feeling her snuggle up under my chin when she's tired.

But lately, our relationship has faded into an almost oblivion that pains me. For at least a year now, I've neglected her as a presence within my mind due to mental health struggles and home life changes, and as a result it's become difficult to speak with or project her. I feel her faintly now, but trying to call out to her is like screaming into an abyss.

If anyone has any advice on how to reconnect with her, I'd know we'd both appreciate it.