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casualavocados · 2 months

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Will had begun to turn and call out, to keep them quiet: "Now you must keep the bargain. Look after the wounded people and start repairing the buildings. Then let the boat tie up and refuel." He knew that it would take a minute to translate that and let the message spread out among the watching townsfolk, and he knew, too, that the delay would prevent their relief and anger from bursting out, [...]. The bear watched and saw what he was doing and why, and understood more fully than Will himself did what the boy had achieved.

— The Amber Spyglass; Chapter 8

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radio-charlie · 3 months

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Problem with His Dark Materials (there are several, but this pertains to how adaptable it is for a netflix show script or something) is it loses half its point once you sanitise it for the G rating, and that's precisely what producers would have to do to get it into the family-friendly young people categories.

Not all of it has aged well, but some of it has become more necessary than ever. Was reminded of this during the scene where Iorek finds a certain person's body, and then the scene right after that.

In this world bad things happen to people who do not deserve it and things move on, relentlessly. Good people die and their deaths are honored in ways that only make sense within the confines of their strange, complicated relationship with the people who find them, and the rest of the world continues to fuck, eat, shit, and kill, and whirl around in a dance both vibrant and savage. Evil people do terrible things but ultimately play an indispensable role in something too great for anyone to see until they have done what it is they were put there to do. It is not a neat, soft, and just world. But imo it is the one that is the most important for young people to understand, because the more sheltered must know it exists, and the less fortunate must feel a hand guiding them through it.

Instead of things like this, we have Disneypixar zombie productions and hero complex narcissist factory media where qpoc are thrown in to justify their frankly unjustifiable existence lol. Everything soft but nothing real, nothing kind.

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nellie-elizabeth · 1 year

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His Dark Materials: The Intention Craft (3x03)

Oh boy, I can't wait for episode four, I have a feeling it's going to make me a little weepy. But let's talk about this one first!

Cons:

The effect on the Gallivespians is... weird. They've got the scaling situation going, but it doesn't ever really feel like they're in the same place? Like when Lady Salmakia is talking to Lyra and Will, it doesn't feel like they're actually physically near each other. And the scene where she attacks them, angry about the knife being broken, it really did feel like the kids were flinching away on cues from someone off-camera, not to an actual living person existing in their environment.

Mary Malone... it's strange that we're not making progress quicker with her. She's on her journey, and I know where it's going, but there are five episodes left the show, and we're just now getting to the point that I think of as the beginning of her story? So I don't know, that's a little odd, pacing-wise.

Also odd for pacing was to have Balthamos come back for like two seconds just to say "oh, you're going to the land of the dead. Okay, bye, then." I guess I'm glad to see him, but not really sure what the point was there.

Pros:

GOD, everything with Asriel and Marisa is so juicy and interesting. They really did steal the show for me this week. Asriel has control over Marisa, has her at his mercy, and yet Marisa cannot fully be controlled. The moment when he laments, why can't you be what I want you to be, was honestly so powerful and I think encapsulates so much of what this relationship is. There's a deep passion and intensity of feeling between them, but ultimately he cannot fully respect her, and she cannot consent to be subjugated. I love that Lyra's parents have what at first glance seems to be very gendered conceptions of parenthood: Marisa is the one frantic for their daughter's safety, while Asriel is impatient about the whole mess. But then you think back to their history with her: neither is a nurturing, supportive parent, but Asriel was at least willing to see her and admit to the family connection, while Marisa hid in shame, only entering Lyra's life when she feared that her own research would lead to her daughter's harm.

Asriel is so intense: his motives are, I think one could argue, good, in the sense that the Magisterium is evil and what they claim to worship is no good either. And yet we watch him torture an angel to get a message to Metatron. We see what a controlling, dismissive, inconsiderate person he is at his very core. His passion, however, makes him so interesting to watch. He's not some sort of pedestrian evil man grabbing for power wherever he can get it. And Marisa certainly isn't just her ambition, either. The look they share, as Marisa escapes on the Intention Craft, is one of mutual understanding; a strange, angry respect. I can't wait to see the end of the story play out between them. It's bound to be such an intense moment.

Will and Lyra are similarly moving to watch, albeit in a very different way than Coulter and Asriel. The warmth of their friendship is so obvious, and then when there's conflict between them, you get the sense that it hurts precisely because of how much they care for and trust one another. Will doesn't fully understand Lyra's plan to go to the land of the dead, but ultimately he's going to back her play. Yes, his father told him to bring the knife to Asriel, but his mother always told him to help a friend in need. Their hug was beautiful, and I'm already getting weepy about what's going to happen at the end of this show. It's gonna screw me up big time.

It was cool to see Iorek helping Will to reforge the knife, although I think they're cowards to not show Iorek's big huge meaty bear paws holding forging tools. That's kind of all I have to say about that. It's sweet seeing Iorek and Lyra together, and Lyra using the alethiometer again after so long was a treat as well!

I'll stop there. After I watch episode four, we'll already be halfway through the season. Say it ain't so!

8/10

#review #his dark materials #his dark materials review

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ryttu3k · 1 year

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Some thoughts on His Dark Materials 3.05 and 3.06 - No Way Out and The Abyss! Spoilers for the rest of the series below.

I absolutely goddamn adore how they did everything with the Mulefa. Mary’s development from “...I’m following a talking elephant” to “these talking elephants are my besties, actually”, to how they handled the wheelpods, to the babies - but my absolute favourite thing was how they did the subtitles! Things like the Mulefa speech melting into English, but into a much more limited English to show Mary’s grasp on it, to how it just becomes more and more fluent, until she and Atal are just... chatting. Talking. It was so cool.

Completely understand why they redesigned them, too. The diamond-shaped thing would have been, hm, complicated, and this way they felt much more real. And the wheelpods really did look fun. Like rollerblading!

Land of the Dead was proper eerie. Really glad they kept in Will’s reaction to being separated from his daemon, because like. They have to build up Kirjava somehow, even if he didn’t feel it immediately like Lyra and Pan did. The set felt deeply claustrophobic (even if it did vaguely remind me of a Doctor Who stage set) and oppressive, and seeing poor li’l Roger so... lifeless was genuinely upsetting. Got a bit emotional at them talking about their adventures, Roger remembering more and more, seeing the flashbacks of them as little bitty kids (I guess they filmed those when they were doing season one?), and him just... coming back to life. Storytelling as identity!

I don’t know. “Tell them stories” is one of my favourite fictional aesops.

Adored the reunion with Lee. Look I know Lin Manuel-Miranda has been a... controversial choice, but I think he’s fantastic, and I’m so glad Lyra got to see one of her two dads again (the other is Iorek, obviously. Asriel whomst? He’s lost parental rights forever tyvm). And Will’s reunion with John just felt... so much more loaded. Like Lyra seeing Lee again just felt warm and cozy like a hug, but there was so much weight between Will and John, many more things to say. Apparently it was filmed months after principle filming due to John’s actor’s availability, which was why it felt much more self-contained, but honestly I feel it was pretty important for them to have that time. Also built up the concept that you can’t stay in a world that’s not your own for too long, which gives the viewer the thought, “Oh, okay, so Lyra and Will will have to visit each other via windows, they can’t actually stay together.” When the reveal about closing all but one window comes, it’s gonna hit like a truck.

The Abyss was horrifying. Metaphysical l’appel du vide and all. They played up how it’ll be a major part later on well, I think. Seeing Sergi being pulled in, Ruta’s complete helplessness... yikes, genuinely unsettling. I do like that Serafina explained exactly what was going to happen to Ruta, her soul falling forever. Keep that in mind, viewers! It’ll be important later!

Loved Gracious Wings’ rescue, too - I’m not even sure she knew why she did it. The whole thing plays on this big... trusting your intuition to do the right thing, even if you don’t know why you did. Which works very well with Lyra and the prophecy, actually.

Harpy-related note - it did disappoint me that they cut the Lyra/liar part, especially since it felt foreshadowed with the bureaucrat in the holding area. I just wanted to see Lyra come to that realisation that they wanted the truth. Ah well.

Going through the door... emotions. Bye, Roger ;_; Bye, Lee ;_; (I know he originally joined the fight, but I’m guessing they just wanted to streamline the story?)

My desire to slap Asriel continues to grow. Holy shit, dude. His war is going ‘successfully’ but he’s also kinda. Breaking a hell of a lot of eggs to make that particular omelette. Lowkey wish Mrs Coulter had punched him tbh.

On that note, her character has taken such a fascinating turn! Genuinely much more sympathetic - trying to talk for her life in the chamber, her terror and determination trying to stop the bomb (and her success! She pulled out the targeting mechanism so it could only use Lyra’s last known location, and Lyra kept moving, so it missed!), her despair when she believes Lyra is dead... standout scenes, I think, are after she returns to the camp. There’s the wonderful talk with Serafina, where Serafina talks about how Lyra being Eve is a good thing, a transformative thing, because look at how much she’s transformed, and that beautiful scene talking to her daemon. She’s making peace with her own soul again!

Anyway, Mrs Coulter/Serafina.

The contrast between her and Asriel is really interesting. They start out with like, Asriel is the cool uncle/dad who’s doing cool things, and Mrs Coulter is Evil Incarnate, and they’re both... just changing to be significantly more morally grey (or, well, outright terrible). Mrs Coulter is realising she does care about something/someone, she has a daughter she’s realising she actually does love, someone else to care for other than herself. She’s reconnecting with her soul. Asriel, on the other hand, is going into a downward spiral, becoming obsessive and callous, and any love he actually did have for Lyra is just... not a priority any more. Even Stelmaria is more absent. I really wanted to see her reaction to learning that Lyra was dead :-\

Just two episodes left!

#his dark materials #hdm spoilers

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ladyorlandodream · 1 year

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unnecessary comment on His Dark Materials season 3 (still have to watch the last episode) contains spoilers if you haven't seen everything yet so I found this season too much accelerated, I felt like there were a lot of cuts and things not explained I found the first two seasons to be really better I understand very well that filming the whole third book in just a few episodes is really complicated (and I should re-read the trilogy again), but I feel that there are some logical links missing between some parts, like deleted scenes Baruch barely appears, you don't have time to know him before they kill him in the Land of the Dead I remember Lee fighting against Specters and that not all the dead people passed over to the other side…some fought with Asriel (or am I remembering wrong?) the birth of the Authority is not worthily explained…Lyra and Will destroy the cage that contains him, but until then It is not told that Metraton took him as a hostage. So we see this elderly angel die as if nothing had happened The death of Ruta without a minimum of pathos from people Lyra's parting scene with Pan...I remember terribly poignant in the book, excruciating pain, and Daphne, I'm sorry to say, this season she doesn't seem to show much emotion while in the first two seasons I found her fantastic in the role I hoped for more scenes between Mary and Atal (I loved the Mulefa story in the book) good points: Iorek always remains my favorite and the final scene between Asriel, Marisa and the Metraton…that's how I imagined it in the book and it was done even better in the TV series. I cried. It was on point. perfect.

(going to watch the finale)

#his dark materials #this is just my opinion

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aquitainequeen · 2 years

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Lyra please for the ask! :)

they are soooooo cool looking: Every time I see Lyra in her Arctic furs and holding the alethiometer, I get a little rush of joy 🥰

if they were real I would be afraid of them: Or rather afraid of the trouble she might get herself into!

they're like a blorbo to me: She is that!

they're deeper than they seem: 'You got witch oil in your soul.'

i want to carry them in a handbag like a tiny dog: And by that I mean carry Pantalaimon, in his white ermine form. Same being, same thing.

i'm mentally ill about them: Her story in The Amber Spyglass puts me through the wringer 😭

they work better as part of a dynamic: Roger. 😭 Iorek. 🥰 Lee. 😭 Will. 😭😭😭 And, of course, Pantalaimon, both as an excellent double act and: "Her dear soul, the darling companion of her heart, to be cut away and reduced to a little trotting pet?"

they've never done anything wrong in their life <33:

"Deceptive, that’s what you are, child.”

Lyra was hurt.

“I en’t never deceived anyone! You ask…”

There was no one to ask, of course, and Ma Costa laughed, but kindly.

“Can’t you see I’m a paying you a compliment, you gosling?” she said, and Lyra was pacified, though she didn’t understand.

#thanks for the ask!!#🥰#lyra silvertongue #lyra belacqua #his dark materials #hdm #pantalaimon

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miloscat · 10 months

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[Review] The Golden Compass (PSP)

His Dark Tie-in Game.

Wayyy back in 2016 I played the DS licenced game for the Northern Lights movie. I still haven’t seen the film but the PSP game is a decent way to follow up the Arctic animal companion game Never Alone, thematically. The DS game was unique among all the released versions; every other port was made by Shiny Entertainment. Remarkably, they put out the same game on PC, Wii, PSP, PS2, PS3, and 360.

The PSP might actually be the format it’s best suited to, with its cramped level design and disjointed gameplay. Or to put it another way, every other port was hampered by game design decisions built around the limitations of the weakest platform. My experience did suffer from mid-level loading and frequent audio hitches, not to mention the less-than-ideal PSP thumbstick. But there’s some kind of charm to the relatively low-res textures that are trying to capture this detailed fantasy world.

This version of the game certainly does a better job adapting the film than the DS game did (although apparently the structure of the game is based on a version of the film prior to a last-minute edit that rearranged the third act), with a richer 3D world and a mix of in-engine cutscenes and FMV movie clips. There’s spoken dialogue throughout with Lyra and Pan’s actors reprising their roles and everyone else with decent soundalikes, while the gameplay has a try at representing different tones and scenes with its various states and modes.

The problem is that none of these modes is well executed, at all. When it’s Lyra 3D platforming it’s clumsy, with a bad camera and no drop shadow. When Iorek is brawling it’s shallow and repetitive. Lyra and Pan are sometimes called upon to do “evasion” sequences of boring QTEs, while Lyra’s silver-tongued conversations are presented as gauntlets of tedious (and difficult!) minigames. These latter two also have a set of consumable items to make them easier, although you get totally loaded up with more than you’d ever need.

I do like how Pan has different forms that let him buddy-up with Lyra for different abilities: the ermine takes on precision actions and can scan your surrounds for interactables and lore, with the cat you can dash and climb, the hawk lets you glide Pathless-style, and the sloth(!) can grab and swing on poles. They’ve also added bits to the story which I always love to see in a tie-in game, although it’s mostly in the form of new boss characters for Iorek to fight, like an electro-tank, a magic shaman, a super-hunter with a wolverine dæmon, the witch-queen, and a heavily armoured flamethrower guy. But the strongest sections of the game are when it slows down and Lyra can explore an area, take in the detail they’ve packed in to make it feel real. These “adventure game” feeling parts also spotlight the alethiometer feature.

The eponymous device has a complex series of symbols, which Lyra gradually learns more about. This is often represented by picking up a big glowing collectible in the world, but there’s cleverer occasions where an object in the world will grant you the understanding of one of the three meanings of an icon, representing how Lyra’s life experiences are giving her deeper wisdom which leads to more accomplished use of the oracular object. You can then ask it prebaked questions, whether for plot or fleshing out the lore, using the meanings you’ve discovered and filling in gaps as a player by induction or intuition. Sadly this does then lead to another boring minigame, but there’s the core of a really interesting dynamic here.

Due to the nature of the story the back half is very action-heavy when Iorek becomes playable, although they move a section of this to the start of the game, I guess for a more exciting cold open. But it’s rarely engaging enough to not become frustrating or dull, even with how varied the gameplay styles are. Every individual part is stilted and ends up dragging, so ultimately the game feels like it both skips around and plods along. The sprinkling of good ideas, occasional cheesiness, and the strength of the source material can sometimes shine through, but on the whole... what a mess.

#the golden compass #shiny entertainment #review #psp #his dark materials

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adamwatchesmovies · 1 year

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The Golden Compass (2007)

While I didn't enjoy this film, that doesn't mean you won't. No matter what I say, the people involved in this project did it: they actually made a movie. That's something to be applauded. With that established...

The last line of The Golden Compass promises a sequel that never came. I could’ve told you it would never materialize on opening night. While there are times when the source material shines through, this picture is chained to the seafloor by endless exposition, too many characters, an underdeveloped world and more than one lazy scene.

In an alternate universe where people’s souls reside outside of their bodies in the form of animal companions called daemons, the Magisterium, a powerful church-like organization, dominates the world. Orphan Lyra (Dakota Blue Richards) lives with her uncle, Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig). When he defies the Magestirium by announcing the discovery of other worlds - worlds in which the organization may not rule - he incurs their wrath. Lyra is led away from him by the wealthy and powerful Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman) but not before obtaining a truth-telling device called an alethiometer. Armed with this “golden compass”, Lyra sets to warn her uncle of the Magestirium’s plot against him and locate missing children said to have been kidnapped by “Gobblers”.

When you try and quickly summarize Philip Pullman’s “Northern Lights” novel, it sounds all sorts of jumbled, doesn’t it? And we didn’t even get into the fact that daemons can talk, the sentient polar bears, flying airships, and witches. At 113 minutes, this film is way way too short. So much dialogue explains who this person is, what that device does, what happened back then, and so on. It may help the audience understand but makes for rinky-dink character development opportunities. Even with the abundance of clunky exposition, I still can’t tell you what “dust” is, what it does, or why the Magisterium is afraid of it.

Another problem comes from the titular device. The alethiometer isn’t merely a pocket-sized lie-detector, it can basically tell its owner ANYTHING as long as they interpret the symbols on its face correctly. No need for detective work, uncertainty or trial and error, just pop it open and Lyra knows exactly where to go next. It’s mighty convenient to get the plot moving from one point to the next but makes for dull storytelling.

The plot erupts out of the sea of confusion and boredom only when the picture introduces us to Iorek Byrnison (voiced by Ian McKellen), a disgraced polar bear prince living in exile. The furry beast is a breath of fresh air. He raises your hopes. Surely, this is the turning point, the moment where the film stops merely hinting at its potential and begins actually paying off? It does, until we’re back to the plot about the Gobblers - whose identity you decipher easily and early on. It all builds to an underwhelming climactic battle that's even more of a let down when we find out the villains’ motivation. These are some of the most ambitious baddies we’ve ever seen in any movie. Their goals are so lofty, they’re utterly laughable.

The one thing The Golden Compass has going for it are the special effects, which is why it earned itself an Academy Award… right? Admittedly, they’re both convincing and varied with fantasy vehicles, talking animals and otherworldly locations but it’s nothing that’ll blow you away. Honestly, I listened to Transformers fans complain FOR YEARS that their beloved film was snubbed because it was based on a toyline. Seeing this? It's hard to disagree.

Rumours flew around that religious groups (perhaps even the Catholic Church itself) pressured New Line Cinema into abandoning the franchise. If that’s true, they wasted their time. The Golden Compass is ambitious (Christopher Lee appears in a single scene as a character who would’ve surely become more important later) but should've focussed on getting one movie right before setting its sights on a whole series. (On DVD, February 1, 2019)

#The Golden Compass #movies #films #movie reviews #film reviews #Chris Weitz #Northern Lights #Nicole Kidman #Daniel Craig #Sam Elliott #Eva Green #Ian McKellen #Dakota Blue Richards #2007 movies #2007 films

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alwaysahiccupandastrid · 3 years

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His Dark Materials Season 2, Episode 3 - Rambling/Thoughts (SPOILERS)

You all know the drill by now, bullet points etc. Etc. I may miss some things out because I’m just rambling and going off what I can remember, please bear with me!

Lyra getting ready to go and see Mary but not telling Will omg honey no you should tell him things!

I started laughing at Pan protesting about the bag and then Lyra cutting him off by closing it XD

Will was reading THE LETTERS :’( John Parry loved Will and Elaine so much I’m-

Mary is trying to protect Lyra even though she’s only known her for a day, and I am all for it, I love that Lyra keeps picking up surrogate parents like this 😂

“What a wonderful moustache” - OMFG LYRA 😂 and the little smile afterwards - GOLDEN

Lyra was doing so well at lying up until she slipped up about Will :/

Oh god the police are after Lyra AND Will now, that’s not good D:

I shouldn’t have laughed so hard at the “police” guy chasing her and shouting at one of the people at the university “STOP HER”, only for the response to be “NO RUNNING!!”

Oh honey no, not in Boreal’s car!

Also Pan in a bird form somehow managing to keep up with the moving vehicle is a thing?? Okay??

As soon as Lyra got out of that car, I was like “HER BAG. ALETHIOMETER. HE TOOK IT” - AND I WAS RIGHT?!?

IOREK IOREK IOREK

The fact that the ice caps of Svalbard are melting because of the tear in the sky and the heat emitting from it, and now the bears are running out of food :(

I love how Iorek was walking away and then when Kaisa mentioned Lyra he immediately turned back around 😭 that bear loves and cares for her so much I can’t-

Will seeing that there’s someone in the tower... oh god it’s happening soon, IT is going to happen soon...

Lee looking bored and as soon as the drunk guy finished talking, just going “... Well that was QUITE a story. ANYWAY...” 😂

That fucking lemur dæmon, can we just not?!?

As soon as that guy started spouting about heretics and everything, I immediately was like “run Lee, go!!!”

I audibly screamed when Lee got shot at

In his defense, he was shooting in self defense but also he feels so guilty at killing a man :(

Hester watching as the lemur dæmon faded into Dust omg

I audibly screamed again when the Monkey grabbed/smacked Hester like I literally was so scared??

Lee admitting that he loves Lyra and that he will do ANYTHING to protect her 😭

“My life is only a tenth of hers” - IM CRYING

That torture scene though was so scary omg

Deadass though, Mrs Coulter is so scary, I know I keep saying it but Ruth Wilson is so gOOD

Lee talking about how his father used to beat him, and how because of it he can take a beating... my heart is so broken. I’m so upset.

But then it happened to Mrs Coulter too??? Oh dear lord my heart can’t take this series I’m-

Hester comforting Lee after him being tortured was so damn sweet

“It’s been a long time since you’ve talked about him” “I know” “you did good” JUST RIP MY HEART OUT IT WOULD HURT LESS

LEE AND HESTER TOUCHING HEADS ASDFGHJKL

I love the contrast of Hester comforting Lee vs the Monkey hesitantly just taking Mrs Coulter’s hand, almost like he’s afraid to. It’s like he doesn’t know how to comfort her or something??

Also the fact he took her hand 😭😭😭

Mary giving her niece and nephew musseli bars and being like “it has chocolate, it’s bad for you, I promise” 😂😂😂

The fact that Lyra tried to hide the fact she was crying when Will found her omg 😭 I love them

WILL AND LYRA WENT TO THE CINEMA OMG JUST LIKE IN THE BOOK?! I THOUGHT THEY’D LEAVE THAT PART OUT IM SO HAPPY

Lyra: *eats popcorn* // Lyra:... *eats more popcorn* // Lyra: This is disGUSTING *eats even more of it*

Will admitting that he was worried about Lyra 😭😭😭

THEY WERE WATCHING PADDINGTON THE MOVIE ARE YOU SERIOUS BBC

Pan peeking his little head out of the bag to watch the film was so cute omg

This scene was basically just a good-hearted murder boy and a feral wild girl on their first date and I’m 100% all for it

And also Pantalaimon watching Paddington bear? Absolutely the crossover this hellfire of a year needed :3

Mrs Coulter helped Lee escape??? I’m... so confused??? But also I kind of understand because she told him to keep Lyra safe so...

Like I really love the complexity that this show and Ruth Wilson are bringing to Mrs Coulter, I’m so for it and I really love it

MARY IS MAKING A BREAKTHROUGH I HAVE LITERAL CHILLS

The fact Boreal has security cameras and knew exactly when Will and Lyra were outside his door o_O

Boreal is just a NASTY motherfucker dear lord

Lyra FINALLY realizing that she’s met Boreal before at the party back in London though like omg finally

“I want you to get something for me” OH SHIT THE KNIFE THE KNIFE THE KNIFE

THE PROMO FOR NEXT WEEK OH MY GOD OH MY GOD WILL IS GOING TO GET THE KNIFE, HE’S GONNA FIGHT AND WIN IT, AND WE’RE GONNA MEET JOHN PARRY OFFICIALLY OMG OMG

#hdm #his dark materials #lyra silvertongue #lyra belacqua #will parry #mary malone #iorek byrnison #mrs coulter #marisa coulter #lee scoresby #hester #pantalaimon #lin manuel miranda #ruth wilson #dafne keen #amir wilson

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thelivebookproject · 3 years

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Talking Books With @foxingfae!

[What is this and how can I participate?]

Important note: I haven’t changed or edited any of the answers. I’ve only formatted the book titles so they were clearer, but nothing else. Because I’m incapable of shutting up, my comments are between brackets and in italics, so you can distinguish them clearly.

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[Image description: a square titled “Know the blogger”. Name & pronouns: Liv, she/her; country: United States; three adjectives to describe her: sensitive, intelligent, and understanding /end]

1. What is a book you associate with the colour white?

When I think of white books I think of The Cruel Prince by Holly Black because of its striking cover. I wanted to pick it up as soon as I saw that gold crown popping off of the white background, before I ever knew what it was about. Then I read it, and loved it, and it’s one of my favorite book series! Though, another book that comes to mind is The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman because of the wintery setting in parts of it, and my favorite character Iorek who is a talking polar bear.

[That’s so curious! I can only associate The Golden Compass with dark blue due to the cover. Wintery setting = white makes perfect sense, but my mind refuses to see it!

And I agree, The Cruel Prince is just amazing!]

2. Last book you added to your TBR?

In the process of checking my Goodreads to see what I’d most recently added to my TBR, I came across a new release called Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder, that I had to add. The one I added just before that though was A Dance With the Fae Prince by Elise Kova. I’ve been on a big fae romance kick lately and I’m just finishing up her book A Deal With the Elf King.

[Fae in general are great and I’m always up for recs! I’m writing down Elise Kova as we speak to check later...]

3. Do you like "blind dates" with books? I'm thinking when libraries/bookshops wrap the book up and just give you a little summary about its key features but you don't know anything else about the book.

Having worked at a bookstore for the last three years I actually prefer setting other people up with blind book dates than I do going on them myself. I love seeing how excited people get about them, and they’re so fun to wrap and write teasers for! I’m a bit picky when it comes to picking out books for myself so I like to go in a little more informed. However, I think it’s really fun to receive them as a gift, especially if it’s something a friend loves and wants to share with me.

4. How often do you receive book mail?

My book mail is kind of all over the place. I often buy in books in groups. I keep a list of titles I want to get next and then when I have some disposable income I’ll grab them up together, but wait a while in between those splurges. I do use Book of the Month most months (I skipped July) so there’s almost always at least one a month coming in. I just have so many books on my shelves (and kindle) waiting to be read that I’m trying very hard to be cognizant of that before buying more, though sometimes I’m less successful at that than I’d like to be lol

5. Which author has yet to disappoint you?

This one is tough! I’ve read a whole bunch of Stephen King books (17 I think?) and I do consider him a favorite of mine, but he’s definitely got some real stinkers in his oeuvre. I’d probably have to go with Ruth Ozeki or Holly Black then, but I’ve only read two and three of their books respectively. Those five all got perfect scores from me though, and I’m waiting patiently for future releases from both of them!

You can follow her at @foxingfae and here is her LinkTree for the rest of her social media platforms (TikTok, Instagram, etc).

--------------------------------

Thank you, Liv! This was great and I really missed interviewing people.

#talking books with #booklr #thelivebookproject #july 2021

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septembercfawkes · 4 years

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7 Point Story Structure Explained in 5 Minutes

Hi there! Today we are doing a basic introduction to and breakdown of 7 Point Story Structure--all in ~5 minutes.

This is a great story structure to learn when you already know the basic, basic story structure:

And are ready to go a little deeper, without doing a deep dive into more complex approaches like The Hero's Journey or Save the Cat! (Or other, more complicated renditions of 7 Point Story Structure.)

And a lot of best-selling writers stick to this structure alone.

It doesn't seem like anyone knows definitively where this structure originated. Some say here. Some say there. Dan Wells, a best-selling writer, is sort of famous for (and sometimes misattributed for having come up with) it, but he says he learned it from a role-playing guide book, but I've also seen it in other places. It's used a lot in screenwriting.

It's also worth noting that both Larry Brooks and K. M. Weiland use a rendition of this structure as well.

While some, like Wells, use the term "Plot Turn," others, like Brooks and Weiland, use the term "Plot Point." (You know how writing terms are--not regulated 🙄) So please note that they mean the same thing, should you listen to people talk about this structure. So let's get to it.

7 Point Story Structure

Hook --This is the starting of the story. It includes the setup, which grounds the audience. Who is this story about? Where is this story taking place? Everything you need before problems really take a turn.

Here, the protagonist will start in a state that is the opposite of where he ends up (typically). Plot Point 1 -- At Plot Point 1, something enters the story that challenges the established normal and leads the protagonist to go a new direction. This shifts the story from the Hook section and gets it on course to hit the Resolution at the end.

Pinch Point 1 -- A pinch point is what it sounds like. It's a key moment where the antagonistic forces apply pressure to ("pinch") the protagonist. It reveals to the audience that the antagonist is a legit force and foe. Typically, this pressure forces the protagonist to take further action. It forces her to step up and try to solve a problem. Midpoint -- The midpoint is the moment the protagonist decides to move from responding to acting. Since Plot Point 1, he's been responding to what's happening. Here, an event leads the protagonist to become more proactive at defeating the antagonist. This happens at the middle of the story. Pinch Point 2 -- Another pinch from antagonistic forces that is worse or more dangerous than the first. Now or eventually it leads to a moment where it feels like all is lost. Plot Point 2 -- This is the final turn to the end. Here, the protagonist gains something significant that will help with the climax. He rushes to defeat the antagonistic forces.

Resolution -- This is the climax of the story, where the protagonist achieves (or fails) in her goals. She usually ends the story in a state opposite of the Hook.

A Note on Ambiguity Concerning Plot Points 1 & 2

Story structure can be more complex than this (as I mentioned), and as a result, you may see places where Plot Point 1 and Plot Point 2 are defined a little differently by writers. For clarity, I'm going to break this down a touch further.

Plot Point 1 Ambiguity:

After the story's setup, something unexpected enters the picture that disrupts what's "normal." You may have heard this called the "inciting incident," a "catalyst," or the "Call to Adventure."

This moment eventually leads the protagonist to choose a new path forward.

In some cases, this happens back to back. Prim has her name called out, and almost immediately after, Katniss volunteers.

In other stories, there may be entire scenes between those moments. In The Hobbit, Gandalf comes and invites Bilbo to go on an adventure, but Bilbo doesn't actually choose to go on the adventure until quite a bit later.

I have heard some writers refer to the former as Plot Point 1, and others refer to the latter as Plot Point 1.

What matters is that you understand that something enters the story and disrupts the normal, which leads the protagonist to choose a new path forward. This may happen back to back, or it may be spread out.

In some approaches, Plot Point 1 is seen as the moment where the protagonist definitively moves away from the established normal--when there is no turning back--and begins the new journey into the main conflict.

Call them what you want, but understand these different moments.

Plot Point 2 Ambiguity:

Likewise, at the end of the middle, two things usually happen:

The protagonist has an "all is lost" moment, where after a big loss, it seems like there is no way they can succeed.

However, soon after this, they gain something that empowers them, and that allows them to move forward toward the climax.

Some writers call the former Plot Point 2, while others call the latter Plot Point 2.

What matters is that you understand that the protagonist suffers a painful loss before gaining something empowering (usually).

Example: His Dark Materials

Hook -- The story starts in Oxford, England, with Lyra who has a daemon named Pantalaimon. We are introduced to her world, which is a parallel of our own.

Plot Point 1 -- Mrs. Coulter arrives to take Lyra to live with her in London. After Roger is kidnapped, Lyra chooses to go with Mrs. Coulter, in the hopes she'll help her find Roger. (Worth noting is that Lyra is also given the alethiometer and told it was her uncle's)

Pinch Point 1 -- Lyra discovers that Mrs. Coulter is actually the head of the General Oblation Board (a group linked to Roger's kidnapping), so she runs away.

Midpoint -- After gaining more allies (Iorek and Lee Scoresby), Lyra and the Gyptians are now more proactive on their quest to rescue those kidnapped (and for Lyra to reunite with her uncle).

Pinch Point 2 -- Lyra is captured by villains and sent to go through intercision.

Plot Point 2 -- When it seems like Lyra has no escape from intercision, she is rescued by Mrs. Coulter, which then allows her to rescue the other children, including Roger, who accompanies her on her journey to find her "uncle" (she is empowered by freedom and an ally).

Resolution -- Lyra helps Iorek regain his place as rightful king. She takes the alethiometer to Lord Asriel (her "uncle"), who later uses Roger for an experiment that opens a gateway to another world, which Lyra chooses to go through.

And that makes up our five-minute explanation.

If you want to see the pros and cons of this structure, continue on.

Strengths & Weaknesses of 7 Point Story Structure

One of the best things about 7 Point Story Structure is that is has clear moments that focus on the antagonist--the pinch points. This means it asks writers to consider what their antagonists are doing, which I think sort of gets clouded over in the other story structures. When stripped down to the essential basics (like here), this structure is straightforward and easy to identify. I mean, two of the terms get reused. Simple. But that leads me to what I consider are some of the problems. The term "Hook" is misleading, in my opinion, since not everything in that section is actually a hook. Writers are often told to begin "with a hook," which means an actual hook. Of course the Hook should have an actual hook (and multiple), but outside of this structure, nowhere else have I seen setup and exposition referred to with the word "hook." I think that makes it confusing, and it adds to the ambiguity of writing terms in the writing world.

Likewise, I think the term "Resolution" is problematic. Oh yeah, sure, there are other story structures that use that term to include the climax, but most I see these days, don't. I mean, I guess it makes sense, since much of the climax is about resolving problems, one after another, but I feel like it's misleading because it combines climax and falling action into one, and I feel like those are two very separate segments. And I think most of us today are taught that those are two different segments.

So overall, while it's a great structure to use, keep in mind it has ambiguity issues.

Other Story Structure Approaches

This is just one approach to story structure. However, in my opinion, all the structures actually overlap, more or less. In the future (likely months from now), I'll show how superimposing them will give you a more comprehensive and accurate view of structure--great for plotting, writing, revising and troubleshooting.

Learn about The Hero's Journey structure

Learn about the Save the Cat! structure

Learn about a hybrid version of 7 Point Story Structure

#writing tips #writing tips and tricks #nanowrimo #writeblr #writing reference #fanfic #story structure #7 point story structure

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jillcfan · 3 years

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The Bonds of Friendship

Out of the dark the little boy came, hopeful and frightened, whispering over and over….

“Lyra, Lyra, Lyra,”

Behind him were other figures, even more shadowy than he was, even more silent. They seemed to be of the same company and of the same kind, but they had no faces that were visible and no voices that spoke; and his voice never rose above a whisper, and his face was shaded and blurred like something half-forgotten.

“Lyra, Lyra,”

Where were they?

On a great plain were no light shone from the iron-dark sky, and where a mist obscured the horizon on every side. The ground was bare earth, beaten flat by the pressure of millions of feet, even though those feet had less weight than feathers; so that it must have been time that pressed it flat, even though time had been stilled in this place; so, it must have been the way things were. This was the end of all places and the last of all worlds. “Lyra.

Why were they there? They were imprisoned. Someone had committed a crime, though no one knew what it was, or who had done it, or what authority sat in judgement. Why did the little boy keep calling Lyra’s name? Hope. Who were they? Ghosts. And Lyra couldn’t touch them, no matter how she tried. Her baffled hands moved through and through, and still the little boy stood there pleading.

“Roger,” she said, but her voice came out in a whisper, “Oh Roger, where are you? What is this place?”

He said, “It’s the world of the dead, Lyra. I dunno what to do, I dunno if I’m here forever, and I dunno if I had done bad things or what, because I tried to be good, but I hate it, I’m scared of it all. I hate it – “

And Lyra said, “I’ll get us out of here, Roger, I promise. And Will’s coming, I’m sure he is!”

He didn’t understand. He spread his pale hands and shook his head. “I don’t know who that is, and he won’t come here.” He said, “And if he does, he won’t know me.”

“He’s coming to me,” she said, “and me and Will, oh I don’t know how, Roger but I swear, we will help. And don’t forget there’s others on our side. There’s Serafina, there’s Iorek and they will come, they will,”

“But where are you Lyra?”

And that she couldn’t answer, “I think I’m dreaming Roger, was all she could think of to say.

Behind the little boy she could see more ghosts, dozens, hundreds, their heads crowded together, peering close and listening to every word.

“And that woman,” said Roger, “I hope she isn’t dead, I hope she stays alive, as long as she can. Because if she comes down here, then there’ll be nowhere to hide. She’ll have us forever then. That’s the only good thing I can see about being dead, that she isn’t. Except I know, one day…

Lyra was alarmed. “I think I’m dreaming, and I don’t know where she is,” she said. “She’s somewhere near and I can’t wake up, I can’t see her – I think she’s close by, she’s hurt me,”

“Oh Lyra, don’t be frightened, If, you’re frightened too, I’ll go mad,”

They tried to hold each other tight, but their arms passed through the empty air. Lyra tried to say what she meant, whispering close to his little pale face in the darkness.

“I’m just trying to wake up -and I’m so afraid of sleeping all my life and then dying – I want to wake up first. I wouldn’t care if it was just for an hour, as long as I was properly alive and awake – I don’t know if this is real or not, even – but I will help you Roger! I swear I will!”

“But if you’re dreaming, Lyra, you might not believe it when you wake up. That’s what I’d do, I’d just think it was only a dream,”

“No!”she said fiercely, and stamped her foot so hard it even hurt her in the dream. “You don’t believe I’d do that Roger, so don’t say it. I will wake up and I won’t forget, so there,”

She looked around, but all she could see where wide eyes and hopeless faces, pale faces, dark faces, old faces, young faces, all the dead cramming and crowding close, silent and sorrowful.

She said, “Why do you look like that? Why aren’t you miserable like them? Why aren’t you at the end of your hope?”

And he said, Because, you’re Lyra.”

Then she realised what that meant. She felt dizzy even in her dream; she felt a great burden settle on her shoulders. And to make it even heavier, sleep was closing in again and Roger’s face receding into shadow.

“Well, I … I know there’s all kinds of people on our side, like Dr Malone…. You know there’s another Oxford, Roger just like ours? Well, she …I found her in … She’d help…But there’s only one person really, who….”

It was almost impossible to see the little boy, and her thoughts were spreading out and wandering away like sheep in a field.

“But we can trust him Roger, I swear..” she said with a final effort, “Because he’s Will…”

Anyone who has read The Amber Spyglass will realise the above is the conversation which Lyra has with Roger, at the beginning of the first eight chapters of the book. This small extract pretty much sums up everything that is beautiful about this story. It shows how even now Lyra’s loyalty to Roger is absolute, there is nothing she wouldn’t do for him. It also shows us her admiration and love for Will and the total faith she has in his support, in anything she has to do. It’s the essence of what this story is all about, the bonds of friendship we create in our lives remain there in death life and separation.💖😢

#spoilers #the amber spyglass #philip pullman #lyra belacqua #roger parslow #will parry #bonds of friendship #loyalty

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caitlinsnicket · 4 years

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Jealouslee

Request: Hello! Can I please request a fiction with a jealous Lee Scoresby? Thank you!

Warnings: Maybe a curse word, attempt of drugging someone (not graphic), violence, drinking.

Characters: Lee Scoresby, Hester, Iorek, Y/N, D/N.

Pairing: Lee Scoresby x Y/N.

A/N: (D/N stands for Daemon Name). Did you understand the joke on the title? Jealously? Lee? JealousLEE? I’M SO FUNNY. sorry. Here’s it! I hope I wrote something you’ll like! Honestly I missed Lee, I might re-read his book. Anyways, feel free to like, reblog or comment, and requests are open!

Lee is not a possessive man.

He swears he’s not. He’s proven that to you many times and keeps doing so every day in your relationship. Since the beginning of it he made clear that he wasn’t easily made jealous, and honestly, that was a breath of fresh air from your previous relationships. He also knows that you can handle yourself, especially in dangerous situations.

But he can’t help but feel his blood boiling. at the sight in front of him: another man, who you probably didn’t know, trying to make conversation with you. He wasn’t very tall or very handsome, but neither was Lee, so it made his hands twitch. He was bending over slightly to her direction, looking at her like she was a source of light.

And she was.

Lee always thought that Y/N L/N was one of the most beautiful, breathtaking women he’s ever met in his whole life, like some kind of goddess. It was distracting to be around her, so he couldn’t blame the guy ogling her. What he could do though was fantasize about his fist against the stranger's face. As the music got louder, Y/N had to scoot closer to hear what the guy was saying.

Hester started stomping her feet on the top of the table.

“For god’s sake Lee, just stop watching and do something, before I do it. I’m going crazy with your thoughts” she said as she chewed some of the food on display in the table.

“Nah. She’s just talking to him. Conversation. She can do that. I’m her boyfriend, not her owner” he stumbled in his words as the alcohol made its way into his system. He would pass out if he kept drinking so much.

He drank another glass.

Now, Y/N was laughing. His hands turned into fists, and Hester made a little squeak and stomped again, making the plate move in the table. Just when he was about to ask another cup, you got up and headed to the bathroom. A sigh of relief left Lee’s mouth, and he ran a hand on his hair.

“You should stop whining, Scoresby. If you are uncomfortable, you should just tell her. Hester does not seem to like it when you bottle your emotions up”.

Lee jumped on his seat. Of course, after those drinks and being distracted by your little chit-chat with Mr. Not-That-Handsome, he forgot that Iorek was there too. The bear looked bored, staring at Hester who still seemed angry. Lee wondered if he would bite the head of the stranger off if he asked to.

“I’m trying to give her space. That’s what a healthy relationship has to have. It doesn’t matter if-”

He didn’t finish his phrase because, across the room, the stranger had a small flask on his hand, and he was dumping something in Y/N’s drink.

Hesters squeaks almost seemed like growls now.

Iorek said something, but Lee couldn’t hear: he just got what he wanted. A reason to beat that guy’s ass, and the best part? You would thank him later.

As he dodged people to get to the guy, he didn’t see you getting out of the bathroom, nor the look of confusion on your face. He just kept walking and dodging until he got close enough to tap on the stranger’s shoulder.

“Excuse me, what’s your name?” Lee asked, trying to keep himself under control while Hester stared at the man’s daemon with the same ferocity Iorek had on the battlefield.

“Alex. Now, wha-”

“Alright, Alan” he made sure to put as much despite as he could in his voice “I’m only saying this once. You get out of here before I kick your ass and I’m not telling the pretty girl you were trying to drug her, or I’m going to get some of your bones cracked, okay?”.

He seemed concerned for one second, but then a smug smile bloomed in his face. Hester was in position now, and she was going to jump on the guy’s daemon- a brown dog of some sort- at any second. Lee’s hands were tingling to just hurt him a little. Not much. Just a little.

“Who do you think she’s going to believe in? Besides, you couldn’t hit me. I’ll even let you try, come one!”

Something blooms into Lee’s chest, like pure happiness. He can actually fight him. And no one is going to tell him he’s the wrong person! So, he does what he’s been wanting to do since the night started;

“With pleasure!” and he connected his fist with the guy’s face.

Then everything happened in a blurry, punches and drinks and blood and screams, and Iorek growling and Hester biting and then, the cold.

They were outside, him and Y/N. D/N licked Hester’s head and they spoke to each other lowly, while Y/N checked Lee’s face for more scratches. His nose was bleeding, his ribs hurt, but the worst part was Y/N’s silence. She was avoiding his eyes.

“Let me explain-”

“I don’t care. I was just talking to him. It was just a conversation, you didn’t have to hurt him that much! I’m very disappointed, I thought we were over this, and you Hester” she turned to their daemons in the ground, who were still tangled in each other “I thought you were the reasonable one. ANd waiting for me to go to the bathroom? That’s really mature of you...”

She kept rambling about the same things, and Lee waited for her to finish talking while watching their daemons interacting. She was mad at him, yes, but she was also concerned. He felt warmth spread in his chest, and he held her arms gently to make her stop talking.

“I was jealous, yes. But he was also putting something in your drink. I just... used the situation”.

That made her stop. She seemed mortified, but then her expression turned cold and D/N growled.

“I’ll be right back”.

She went back inside the pub, leaving Lee and Hester outside, managing the damage the guy had done to them. Then, some shouting came from the inside of the place, and Lee considered going back inside, but Hester was mad at him, so he decided not to push.

Then, Y/N and D/N got back out, she holding her hand that seemed to be injured, and D/N cursing the people inside the pub. Before Lee could say anything, she pulled him closer and kissed him. As usual, he felt dizzy, holding her close by her waist and letting himself drown into her. She sighed happily when they separated.

“I’m sorry for yelling. Thank you for protecting me” she whispered, her eyes soft.

“What did you do?” Lee asked, taking her hand and looking at it, analyzing her bruised knuckles.

“I punched him. Hard. Now, let’s go back to the balloon and patch you up”.

“Can we cuddle?”.

She laughed Lee’s favorite song in the whole world. He would punch anybody any day just to hear it.

“Yeah” she held his hand “we can cuddle”.

#His Dark Materials #HIs Dark Materials Imagine #hdm #hdm imagine #lee scoresby #lee scoresby imagine #lee scoresby x reader #lee scoresby x y/n

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oakleystreet · 3 years

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L Y R A B E L A C Q U A

DÆMON: Pantalaimon, a pine marten.

BOND: Split.

HAIR: dirty blonde.

EYES: blue.

AGE: 6 months during LBS. 10-11 during NL. 12-13 during TSK and TAS. 15 in Lyra’s Oxford. 20 in TSC.

BIRTH: 1985. (between July, August and September, according to the Timeline).

NATIONALITY: Brytish. (English).

STATUS: Alive.

Lyra Belacqua was born to Marisa Coulter and Lord Asriel, a product of their affair.

After Marisa’s husband, Edward Coulter, tried to kill her and was killed by Lord Asriel, who then lost everything he had, Lyra was taken into government custody and then placed at the Priory of Godstow in Oxford by Lord Nugent, the head of Oakley Street.

There, Lyra was taken care by the nuns for a couple of weeks before the Great Flood happened. As she was being hunted by Gerard Bonneville, a physicist who wanted to get hold of her to likely trade her for scientific freedom to research Dust, Lyra was rescued by Malcolm Polstead and Alice Parslow, and they set out in Malcolm’s canoe, La Belle Sauvage, for London.

During their time in the flood, Lyra was taken by the Sisters of Holy Obedience, but was promptly rescued by Malcolm. Eventually, they reached a fairy island and met Diania, a fairy who tried to steal Lyra by feeding her fairy milk. Malcolm tricked Diania and recovered Lyra, and once again they were back in the Flood, on their way to Lord Asriel in London.

When they arrived in the city, the CCD forces that had been looking for them were caught in a conflict, as Lord Asriel and Oakley Street agents made their way to rescue Lyra and the children. Lord Asriel returned with them to Oxford in a gyropter, and left Lyra under the protection of Scholastic Sanctuary at Jordan College. There, Malcolm left with the Master of Jordan, the Alethiometer he took from Gerard Bonneville, which would pass into Lyra’s possession ten years later.

“Secundum legem de refugio scholasticorum, protectionem tegimentumque huius collegii pro filia mea Lyra nomine reposco.” Asriel said. “Look after her.” “Scholastic Sanctuary? For this child?” “For my daughter Lyra, as I said.” “She’s not a scholar!” “You’ll have to make her into one then, won’t you?”

— Lord Asriel, chapter 25, La Belle Sauvage.

Lyra grew up in Jordan College, under the guardianship of Dr Carne, but personally being cared for by Alice Lonsdale. She had a rather carefree life, being an natural leader and befriending most children from the region, from gyptians to town kids to college children. At one point, Lyra was responsible for invading the Costa family’s boat with her little gang of children and she often played war games with these particular groups of children. At the College, her actions were observed by Bernie Johansen, the half-gyptian pastry cook, who reported back to the Costas, who then reported to John Faa, as a favour to Lord Asriel.

She grew up believing Asriel was her uncle, and he made brief, sporadic visits to see that she was well cared for. Lyra was informally educated by the scholars from Jordan, and she had very little interest in learning as well, and as a result her education was flawed, filled with gaps, and yet in certain areas unusually specific, as Jordan College was meant to be a higher education institution.

When Lyra was ten or eleven years old, she sneaked into the Retiring Room out of curiosity, but ended up seeing the Master of Jordan poison the decanter of Tokay meant for Lord Asriel. Upon Asriel’s arrival, Lyra revealed herself in order to save him from drinking the poisoned wine and Asriel employed her as a spy during his presentation to the scholars, hiding her in the cupboard. During this meeting, Lyra was introduced to the concept of Dust and she saw the City in the Sky in Lord Asriel’s photograms.

(to be continued)

Lyra, prior to her daemon settling, had the innate skill of reading the Alethiometer without needing to consult the books. This skill was likely attributed to her status as child of the prophecy and she lost it after her return from the Land of the Dead and Pantalaimon’s settling.

Lyra is considered very small for her age. She is also said to be strikingly beautiful, enough to draw the attention of passersby.

During their adventures, Pan and Lyra had to separate when she visited the world of the dead. By doing this, they acquired the skill of separating like the witches do.

Lyra still takes Alethiometer classes with Dame Hannah Relf. She also had a brief dalliance with Dick Orchard - the boy who could spit further than anyone else - who also happened to have been a childhood crush of hers.

Lyra uses the name Silvertongue among friends, although she is still legally and widely know as Lyra Belacqua.

Her Alethiometer was given to her by the Master of Jordan, after Malcolm gave it to him. It had belonged to Gerard Bonneville, who stole it from a monastery in Bohemia; the monks had also stolen the Alethiometer from a traveler who had taken shelter with them. The history of the instrument is tied to the fact it had been often stolen, Lyra being the first owner in a long time who had actually received it as a gift. (TSC, chapter 7)

Lyra can use the new method of reading, but it makes her feel sick and often refuses to use it. She is yet to understand the connection between the method and the daemon.

Lyra’s major is unclear, but she wrote an essay at one point about the Patterns of Trade in Arctic Region with particular reference to independent cargo balloon carriage (1950-1970) (click here to see the Extra letters from OUATIN). In that same letters she mentions “Econ Hist,” and how it must be that subject as there is no other way to examine her knowledge about the alethiometer. It can be assumed she was majoring in Economic History.

At one point, Lyra mentions the Count and Countess Belacqua, her alleged parents who died in aircraft accident. It is unclear whether they were real people or made up by Asriel to cover his own identity as Lyra’s father.

DÆMON RELATIONSHIP

Chaotic, friendly, constant banter, harmonious. Good communication and synchronized behaviour in feelings and actions. (HDM)

Chaotic, aggressive, constant disagreement and sheer unhappiness. Lack of synchronization in feelings and actions; lack of communication. (TSC).

FAMILIAL TIES

Lord Asriel: father.

Marisa Coulter: mother.

Marcel Delamare: uncle on her mother’s side.

Madame Delamare: grandmother on her mother’s side.

Dr Carne: legal guardian under scholastic sanctuary.

FRIENDS & ALLIES

Roger Parslow

Miriam Jacobs: colleague.

Hannah Relf: mentor.

Malcolm Polstead: former teacher, ally.

Alice Lonsdale: caregiver and friend.

Iorek Byrnison: friend.

Serafina Pekkala: friend.

ROMANTIC TIES

Will Parry: old flame.

Dick Orchard: old flame.

ENEMIES & RIVALS

Olivier Bonneville: rival.

Father MacPhail: enemy.

Father Gomez: enemy.

Pierre Binaud: enemy.

AFFILIATIONS

Jordan College: safe haven.

Oakley Street: allies.

Bud Schlesinger.

Anita Schlesinger.

The Eastern-Anglia Gyptians: allies.

Farder Coram.

Ma Costa.

John Faa.

St. Sophia’s College: alma mater, educational.

Magisterium: enemy (during HDM), antagonistic (during TSC)

Consistorial Court of Discipline: violent.

La Maison Juste: antagonistic.

The League of St. Alexander: suspicious.

The Daemonless People: friendly.

Princess Rosamond Cantacuzino: friendly.

Vaclav Kubiček: friendly.

Nur Huda el-Wahabi: acquaintanceship.

#ch: lyra belacqua #type: scholar #affiliation: republic of heaven #affiliation: jordan college #origin: brytish #daemon bond: split #daemon type: mustelid #unsourced file

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himbowashington · 4 years

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Taking your friend Lee’s place in a mission to protect him (or trying to at least): Part 1

(If you guys like this one I can expand it into a longer series just lmk also if you have any Lee requests or head cannons my inbox is now open for them!☺️)

When things start to get really dangerous, especially for Lyra, they start taking desperately needed volunteers to both guard/travel with her and the compass

It’s a dangerous job you all know it but it’s still disheartening to only see three or four return in a group that left with ten members

You’ve all come to realize it’s basically a 50/50 chance at best even if you’re extremely lucky

You are not one of those extremely lucky people

But you believe in the cause

After a few runs the volunteer pool is pretty much decimated

That means when they need to move Lyra again safely they need more volunteers than they have

This leads to what you see as stupidest most suicidal action you’d ever watched

Lee stands up with Hester to volunteer

Lee can fight well and hold his own but his place is in the sky and to move Lyra they have to travel by foot which requires a different set of fighting skills all together

before the selections are approved the crowd is able to volunteer for someone if they feel like that person could better serve from the command post as long as they agree to go in their place

That’s why when Iorek calls for any “last takers” you shift forward, speaking up so that the whole room can here you clearly, “I will go in exchange for Lee” you say

Lee’s head whips around so fast oh my god he is visibly shocked

He looks you dead in eyes and gives the most confused look you’ve ever seen

You make your way to the front

Lee is still eerily silent but he and Hester both watch you the entire way

You eventually settle standing shoulder to shoulder with Lee and the other volunteers

you stare straight ahead while Lee continues to openly stare at you trying to get you to say something first. Nice try

Then right as you think you’ve succeeded Lee blurts out “excuse us for a second” and basically hauls you to the side by the arm

You can here people whispering to each other as they watch this unfold

“What the hell are you doing?” He whispers harshly, his southern accent thicker and harder to understand from his stress

“Could ask you the same thing” “I’m protecting Lyra” “so I can’t too?” “You know that’s not-“ he pauses to take a breath, trying to calm himself down and run a hand nervously through his hair

“You know that’s not what this is about.” He says finally, in the most quiet voice you’ve ever heard from him.

“How’re you going to fight on the ground?” You question he scoffs, laughing bitterly turning his head to the side to break eye contact

“Same way I fight in the sky. Fighting is fighting. Hester and I don’t need your pity we can take care of ourselves just fine.”

“I know you can but I can fight better than you.”

“No you can’t -“ he is interrupted mid sentence by your attack, caught of guard you easily flip his moment against himself as he tries to counter twisting his arm to pin him against the wall

Hester laughs, and so do you even if it’s just a soft chuckle.

“What now cowboy?”

#lin manuel miranda #his dark materials #hdm hbo #hbo his dark materials #lee scoresby #lee scoresby x reader #my post #fic #lmm #multipart fic

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kibibarel · 3 years

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more bbc his dark materials thoughts pls

thank you for asking ok FIRST OF ALL...i have mixed feelings on how the show takes so much focus away from Lyra to give extra scenes to the adult characters. i guess it’s a big-budget HBO show and they’re trying to appeal to a different demographic and you don’t want the adaptation to be exactly like the original books...but so many of the extra scenes are either unnecessary or confusing. also says to me that the showrunners think that viewers can’t relate to or sympathize with child characters so they have to be constantly cutting away from her perspective to show adult characters brooding over nothing in a way that does nothing to improve the story? ok..........

i think the only example of a character getting extra scenes that i actually liked was Ma Costa because she’s actually like a fully fleshed out (and likable) character in the show, while i don’t remember her having much depth in the books...the rest was hit-or-miss and often actively frustrating to watch. i’m not very far in the show yet so maybe this will actually pay off in a satisfying way later, but the fact that they introduce Will and have Boreal fucking around in our world so often so early is extremely disorienting in my opinion (i’m also watching it with my mom, who doesn’t really remember the books, and she is constantly asking me for clarification on things or just complaining that she doesn’t understand what’s going on...so it’s disorienting for viewers unfamiliar with the books as well)

as i mentioned before, i think most of the actors are embarrassingly miscast. Lin-Manuel Miranda as Lee Scorseby is probably the worst offender...he gives Lee this cocky annoying bad boy vibe that i don’t remember Lee having at all??? ugh it’s so bad...

on that note—hot take: Ruth Wilson may be very sexy but she is a TERRIBLE Marisa. on top of just plain not looking the part (Marisa is supposed to be this sweet-faced, youthful-looking, ethereal beauty...again, Ruth Wilson is sexy, but she just doesn’t have the right vibe in her look imo), there is no subtlety to her performance at all. not surprising however after she said in that one interview that the role was “not deep” because the series is “just for kids” lmao...ok Ruth but it could be that deep if you like. cared...she’s only like the most complex and intriguing character in the series and also an icon but go off i suppose...it continues to baffle me that i see people say they think she makes a good Marisa (even superior to Nicole Kidman’s portrayal in the movie??!?!) because i find her to be SO poorly casted in basically every regard. BOOOOOOO

the only casting choice i think is any improvement from the movie is Serafina. she looks great. i also think Roger, Will, the gyptians, and Magisterium and Jordan College characters are fine...but that’s about it. so far everyone else has been unrecognizable to me as the characters they are supposed to be playing. i don’t even like Iorek’s voice because they also gave him this habit of making wisecracks during moments that are supposed to be tense like he’s a character in a Dreamworks cartoon and oh my god why is it like this............

#Anonymous #long post #they even gave extra scenes to the child-cutters in Bolvangar...? like ok......how does this benefit the story #i did cry when Billy died though i'll give it that. the CGI is also nice

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