Latest Posts by waterbxy - Page 6

Dæmons on First Dates

I was thinking this morning but how first dates would be different if we could see everyone’s dæmon. We would probably all immediately leap to assumptions about how we felt about our date based on the person’s dæmon.

This led me to wonder how my dates will feel about me after I showed up with my lion dæmon trotting along beside me. I think it would be a pretty polarized response. Some people would think it was really cool that I must be so confident, while others would find it a kind of intimidating or fear I am excessively bossy and vain. 

Anyone else have thoughts on how dates would react to their dæmon?  

Daemonism things...

Not knowing what to say when someone asks about your form related jewellery.

Being careful not to answer "too fast" if asked what animal you would be.

That split second where you and your daemon are disagreeing over what to do next.

Knowing the whole journey of trying to work out if you are settled enough as a person yet to find a settled form.

Like in his dark materials is there a distance limit

The answer is sort of complicated, but there is usually a distance limit. It is incredibly painful for most people to be more than a couple of a fit from their dæmon (though it varies a bit). Early on in the book the main character experiences excruciating pain when her dæmon wanders off to do something and he was probably no more than 10 feet away. 

However, there are three ways mentioned for a dæmon to learn how to move long distances from their human. 

The first way it is possible to is to undergo a ritual separation. There are places that dæmons cannot enter, and if a person goes in there than the dæmon must be left behind until they come out. After that they can go very far from one another. This ceremony is a right of passage for witches and shamans in a lot of cultures. Though it is very painful. 

In addition, in the newer novels it is shown that people do not always get along with their dæmons. This usually reflects some deep discontentedness or internal conflict (I will not go into more detail because that is a whole other complicated thing, and I am writing up a post about it). In extreme circumstances the dæmon may run away, moving far from the person and going through the extreme pain for a while until they are used to it. 

The third way is by accident. If some catastrophe accidentally forces a dæmon to go far from their person (for instance being caught in a water current and pulled apart) then they will be able to separate.  

So to summarize a kind of long answer, there is usually a distance limit but there are instances where people and dæmons learn (or are forced) to overcome it. Though as another note, seeing someone without their dæmon is frighting for most people in the books. Its compared to seeing someone walk around with a severed head. So aside from witches, most people who can separate from their dæmon hide the fact from others. 

This was a fun question, feel free to ask more! 

It always bugged me in The Logging Adventure book how Cassie freaks out when they all morph ants, and she’s having an anxiety attack on the floor and Rachel has to hold her to try to calm her down, and the whole time Cassie is thinking ‘oh, I can’t believe I’m making Rachel hug me! Rachel hates to give hugs, she must be so uncomfortable!’

Like, Cassie, babe, sugarcheeks. What Rachel are you talking about?

The Rachel who nearly got herself stuck in a cat morph because a girl that she wasn’t even that good of friends with anymore was upset? The Rachel who was like, ‘This girl needs cuddles! I don’t care what it costs!’? That Rachel?

The Rachel who crouched in a construction site with both arms wrapped around her friends to shield and protect them from harm, but also to comfort them? That Rachel? 

The Rachel who in the future stands in the hallway of a busy hospital and hugs her cousin who has just manipulated her into hunting down their ally-turned-enemy because she feels bad for him that he has to do things like that? That Rachel?

Cassie. Sweetie. Toodlebug. I know you were hopped up on ant pheromones, but if you slander Rachel like that again I am going to have to revoke your empath license. Rachel will hug anyone who needs it and she will never feel bad about it.

would a world with daemons (whether his dark materials or any given daemon au) include everybody having near-encyclopedic knowledge of animal species because the topic comes up so much more frequently than in our universe?

Do you think Rachel ever made Cassie morph her and then try on outfits for her so she could see how they looked from all angles?

I have noticed that most characters with bird dæmons on the tv show (Ma Casta, the Master, Serefina, etc...) wear some sort of leather brace on their non-dominant arm and hand. Do you think this so their dæmons can land there without the claws damaging them?

Oh, I think that’s definitely the intention for the bracer! Physically speaking, the daemons are corporeal and they can harm you, even if unintentionally. In Northern Lights (this might be a book one spoiler if you’re a show-only fan, sorry!) when Lyra is rescued from the intercision machine, Pan is in a wildcat form iirc, and he clings to her so tightly that he scratches her, but she doesn’t mind the pain. So, there is no malice in Pan hurting her, but he still hurts her.

I feel like for birds, getting wounded and scratched would be fairly common (and something that Philman didn’t seem to consider in the books, as he usually does lmao), and the show had a very nice way of approaching that issue. I feel like birds of prey daemons are the most common ones to have to use a leather bracer, because they strike me as birds who might hurt you, even accidentally; probably anything bigger than a parrot would require a bracer, or only small birds like robins and greenfinches wouldn’t require leather bracers as they don’t have such dangerous claws. I can imagine - while we haven’t seen them on the show - that other types of daemons that might hurt or wound or even make their humans dirty, might require special gear to prevent that, and it’s also possible that padded shoulders outfit - considering the fashion of Lyra’s world ranges from victorian to mid-50s, especially in the show where women dress very 30s/40s - most birds that aren’t from gyptians, usually stay on their human’s shoulders. I can’t imagine an aristocrat with a hawk daemon using a super simple leather bracer like Ma Costa’s, so it will either be a fancy one or they’d adapt the shoulders to take the daemon.

Dæmon forms as Love Languages

Lions represent acts of service and touch. Male lions, being not as adept at hunting in open plains, provide protection while the females provide the main source of food. Lion prides also spend a great deal of their time affirming their bonds by grooming one another, to both give and recieve comfort. Lions are both practical and deeply affectionate with the people they care about, and they want to show them, and make their lives easier.

Bowerbirds represent gift-giving and words of affirmation. Males build elaborate, beautiful bowers to attract females, and then perform for them individually. Bowerbirds love to recieve tangible evidence of romantic affection, and they love to be told their partner's feelings.

Dogs crave quality time and touch; they show their love by staying by your side, and they want to show you just how much they care with kisses and hugs and head rubs. Platonic, romantic, it doesn't matter; you'll know they care by how they act.

Mute swans represent quality time and words of affirmation. They dance and call to one another to communicate their desire to mate, and they will spend a lifetime following their partners around. Mute swans are the cliché of romantic love, but it makes sense why; their devotion is clear by how they live together, work together, and find happiness together.

Túngura frogs show their love through words of affirmation and acts of service. They not only choose their partners through being serenaded, but males and females will work together to build a bubble nest for their offspring to keep them safe. Túngura frogs like to talk about their emotions, but they also like to work to provide something useful for the people they love.

Donkeys show their love through quality time and acts of service. Donkeys are incredibly social animals, and they want to spend their time with the people they love. They can also be incredibly protective, and will fearlessly defend their herd from threats. These animals show their love actively, fiercely, and constantly.

Sea otters show their love through touch, and quality time. Sea otters hold hands with other otters to keep themselves from floating away from each other; they like having an anchor, if you will. These curious animals aren't always sociable, but when they're done foraging and hunting, they like to spend time in large groups resting and relaxing together.

Colorful, witchy aesthetics for spooky season 🎃🔮

October 2020 Illustrations ヽ(• ‿ •)ノ

Finding Your Daemon

Within the daemon community you will discover that there are many ways people communicate and co-exist with their daemon. How these same individuals found their “brain buddy” is just as unique. Some may have created with intent or gave an identity to their internal dialogue, and others reached out into the void seeing what came forward, while some daemons have been there as long as they can remember or spontaneously came into their life. Before you begin, I would like you to leave behind your doubt. I know, I know, easier said than done. But keep in mind when reaching out to a daemon doubting yourself and your intuition will only hinder their progress and cause you unneeded stress. 

 Before you delve into daemonism stop and think about what you expect from this new relationship. Is it companionship, self-improvement, someone to keep you on track, or any other unlimited number of things? Is there a specific job or role you have in mind? If you don’t know or feel unsure about assigning a role, they luckily do not need a purpose to be a daemon so please enjoy the experience and worry less about the “should and should not"s of the practice. Keep in mind you may find your daemon has other plans or expectations for the relationship. They may feel what is best for you is addressing issues you may be avoiding or repressing, or they could be harsher than you had wished, or say things that can hurt. Those instances are extremely rare and far more often than not a daemon is going to work perfectly in sync with you, be kind, supportive, and our defender against negative and intrusive thoughts. If you find when you reach out to your daemon they cause any kind of negativity pause and think about if there is something you are upset with or need to work on. Is this something you can do alone or is your daemon exactly what you’ve been needing to get through it? Daemonism is about building a relationship with yourself, and while some relationships are a piece of cake others require work and are far more complex than we were expecting.

The exercise below will be focused on reaching into the void to find your daemon. This may be quick or take quite a few tries so don’t beat yourself up if it doesn’t go as you hoped. Experience in similar concepts or what an individual is comfortable with will greatly influence how easily someone may reach out to their daemon for the first time. Are you use to talking to yourself? Daydreaming? Are you more visual, verbal, or emotion driven? You know your brain better than anyone else so I recommend starting with a process that sounds familiar to you. I will also be referring to your daemon in this exercise as a single entity but you may find as you reach out you could have more than one. I recommend the standard duo pair of human and daemon as it is much easier to build your skills with a single target. This is only a recommendation, and not a rule, as I would never dream of driving a hopeful daemon away.

No matter if you believe daemons to be spiritual, mental constructs, a combination of the two, or external beings you can utilize this exercise. If these do not work for you or are uncomfortable feel free to change and adapt the method to meet your needs. If after a while you are still struggling to make a connection please seek out other methods people have used within the community. Like creating a template for their daemon’s form and personality that will change and adapt as the daemon grows. Those may connect better with you and that’s okay!

If you have stumbled upon daemonism for the first time there are many good references out there to clarify exactly what a daemon is. Here are a couple sources.

https://daemonsandanalyses.tumblr.com/daemons

https://ofthoughtformsanddaemons.tumblr.com/post/187624346048/daemonism

https://ofthoughtformsanddaemons.tumblr.com/post/159859058403/spiritual-daemonism

Exercise: Your daemon’s essence and location inside your body (Great for when you cannot hear your daemon)

Keep reading

HIS DARK MATERIALS FANWEEK 2020 day 3 ∣ Favourite dæmon / HESTER (in Once Upon a Time in The North)

Love, Simon may have its issues, like everything, but it made me cry when I first watched it because it was the FIRST time I ever felt represented in the media.

The adults in it are amazing. His parents not caring and treating him the same. Ms Albright defending him in front of the whole school.The vice principal wearing the pride badge.

Simon's reaction to his forced outing. His raw emotion, the ugly crying, him distancing himself from the people he loves.

The whole scene with the ferris wheel, I SOBBED my heart out because I finally saw two gay people kiss on screen. I couldn't see myself in them (because they weren't women) but it made me so genuinely happy.

So yeah. Fuck the people that thought gay teens didnt need Love, Simon. I've seen a ton of straight movies and , while some might be cute, I've never actually FELT anything toward them.

I thought I wasnt a fan of love stories.

Turns out, I'm just not a fan of the same love stories done over and over and over again.

Ass it turns out, I'm only a fan of love stories that I can relate to.

ok but can we just talk about how deep reggie’s abuse of his children goes? like first, we have ben, who has repeatedly established himself to be the kindest and most understanding among his siblings. despite the fact that klaus has been treating him more of a show pony than a brother for most of season 2, ben still tries to be the angel on his shoulder and offers advice when he can. he even lets it slide when klaus tells their siblings that he didn’t travel back with them, even though it’s so obvious that the remark hurt, because klaus of all people knows just how much ben misses their family, misses being alive.

but the minute klaus insinuates that he sounds just like their father, he finally shows an emotion that is anything but calm, and even goes so far as to attack his brother. this alone should be enough of an indicator as to what kind of man hargreeves was in life.

oh, and should i add that reggie just upped and decided to turn ben’s funeral–a painful occasion on it’s own–into yet another scarring life lesson for the ones he’d left behind? just imagine being shy of seventeen and having at least half the guilt in the universe weighing you down, and ben–who is right there–just wanting to tell all of them that it was “never your fault, diego, please don’t listen to him, we both know you’re better than that,” but of course he can’t, because he’s nothing more than a ghost now, so yes, welcome to powerlessness.

five goes missing and what does he do? nothing. absolutely nothing, aside from having a painting commissioned, but who’s to say it wasn’t a memorial like ben’s statue and more of a warning to the other children instead? something along the lines of look at how this brat disobeyed me; do you want to disappear, too?

there’s luther, who even after everything their father has done to them–to him, most of all–still manages to make up bland, half-baked excuses that he himself is starting to lose faith in, and all that rage and resentment keeps stewing inside him until he reaches his breaking point, rips off his shirt, and yells at his father to look at me! look what you did to me! and it’s even more heartbreaking because reggie does look, he just doesn’t care

let’s move on to allison. it was mentioned at one point that she was something of a daddy’s girl growing up, and even though we aren’t really shown much of their time together, remember when he made her rumor vanya? how she clearly didn’t want to? imagine being so heartless as to instruct a four-year-old child to wipe her sister’s precious memories, all because you were scared of being unable to control her.

and who’s to say there were no repeats after that: of allison turning people’s minds and bodies against them, every single one under her father’s orders as part of her “training”, and when allison fails because her conscience has finally caught up with her, who would stop him from hurting her?

definitely not her siblings or grace, and certainly not pogo.

moving on: oh god, klaus. it’s really not a no-brainer why his son barely has any respect for him, even going so far as to put out his cigarette in his father’s ashes as a final fuck you, because who could respect somebody who forced you to confront your worst fears at thirteen with no safety net whatsoever, even as you screamed yourself hoarse in that damp tomb, with only your nightmares for company

later on, when klaus honest-to-goodness dies and meets him for the first time after so many years, what’s the first thing reggie does? insult him. no “i imagined it’d be a few more years before you joined me here” or “are you okay? why are you even dead, son?”

instead, reggie debunks his accusations as excuses and outright states that he will not accept a single one. instead, he reminds klaus that he is–and always will be–his father’s greatest disappointment, that him never achieving his full potential was klaus’ fault and his alone.

and when klaus chastises him for being so harsh on them and leaving luther on the moon as an easy out for his shortcomings, what’s his greatest takeaway? that he should have burned every single package luther sent back to earth instead of keeping them under the floorboards. 

no apologies, no owning up to his mistakes whatsoever. 

he just deflects his child’s accusations, and even attempts to gaslight klaus once more into thinking that everything he did was to make them stronger and how dare you disobey me, i made you children what you are today and this is how you repay me? what a bunch of disobedient and ungrateful brats you all are indeed

don’t even get me started on vanya’s treatment at his hands. otherwise we’ll be here forever.

and then, we have diego. 

time and time again, diego has proven himself to be tough and capable; whose soft interior is something of a privilege bestowed only to those he truly cares for. and even though he’s come so far in life and helped so many people, the minute reggie takes a shot at him with a few select words? 

nope, never mind, he’s eleven-years-old and back at the academy again.

the man sitting in front of him may not be their father just yet but it’s the exact same words he’s heard for most of his life, the exact same weaknesses gleaned from a single glance, and even in an alternate timeline, his father just knows where to strike, every observation landing dead center like diego’s precious knives. 

(and judging from his siblings’ reactions, this speech is just a rehash of something they’ve all heard before, but it definitely doesn’t mean that it’s going to hurt their brother any less.

no, it will hurt more because he’d actually thought he was finally untouchable after all these years.)

i mean, just look at him: at the way his shoulders shrink inward subconsciously, the excited light in his eyes fading, his stutter reappearing. and despite the fact that he has spent a decade away from this bitter old man, it only takes a minute for his hard earned self-worth to crumble, and suddenly it’s so clear to us just how deep his self-esteem issues go:

because aware or not, everything diego has done and said so far (“he’s an asshole; i’m amazing”) has simply been his way of coping with the fact that no matter how many acts of heroism he performs as an attempt to live up to the “perfect superhero” mold reggie forced them to fill at such a young age, their father will never view them with anything less than contempt, not even luther who barely had to work for approval and their father’s twisted version of “love” because he used to be his loyal lapdog favorite, and that is the real reason why i’m gonna hate this jackass forever, in this essay i will

i thought the umbrella academy couldn’t get any more relatable in terms of actually understanding how siblings act but then season two comes along with shit like:

“I’m going to BEAT you and not the way you like it” 

“cHiLDrEn iN tHe bAcK” and then klaus just fucking falling over the seat. 

klaus showing up to allison’s house seeing a body and immediately going “are we burning or burying” 

five being So Done with Luther all season but still pushing him out of the way from the bricks falling

“Luther sniffs dad’s underwear” 

“You have had your possession privileges REVOKED”

and then ben going still worth it

everyone mentally rolling their eyes when diego starts talking about how he likes a girl (don’t @ me you know they were)

five pretending not to care about them but actually caring a lot™

the entire part where they’re lifting the tractor. diegos like fucking finally and luthers like we can leave you here would you like that.

diego forgiving vanya in less than a minute

the entire scene with klaus allison and vanya

everyone being like ok i understand why you would want to kill them but i still can’t let you

luthers forced smile at strangers after five yells “IM THE DADDY HERE” literally what i do when one of my brothers does something stupid in public

luther trying to keep the peace between the fives is just a whole ass mood tbh

klaus going over the ‘possession ground rules’ with ben

“klaus you’re so FILTHY” 

Ben and klaus’s little piss fight on the side of the road

“you look like antonio banderas with the long hair”

diego and luther when five shows up covered in blood

but we didn’t kill the comission! yeah that entire conversation especially “Five what did you do?”

yknow what my friend and i talked about today??? they did an entire season in 1963, with like,,, 2.5 plotlines focused around injustice/discrimination/etc..... without saying a slur. yeah they said queer, but if anything it was to demonstrate how that word has been reclaimed. they didnt say f*g, they didnt say the n-word, when in reality those words most likely wouldve been thrown around like nothing in the situations depicted.

thats how easy it is lmao. they managed to accurately depict these characters in ACTUAL HISTORICAL SITUATIONS and did so without using slurs to make their point. it’s just amazing to me because all three of those confrontation scenes were impactful and meaningful anyways without it.

i love women

shitty memes are my specialty

Y.P. Pine

The Green Candle

Not gonna specifically tag anyone...but reblog if you feel like it and put yours in the tags.

Are daemons furries? Discuss.

yeah ❤️

Rereading/reading His Dark Materials can be so satisfying as a daemian because of stuff like this; because you know exactly what it's like to have them "call you silently", because you also clock their form at any given moment...seeing those experiences in print is nice.

things that are now queer because of Love, Simon and Love, Victor

-jackets

-emails

-oreos

-benches

-christmas

-call me maybe

-prom

-motels

-coffee

-coffee machines

-cafes

-parties

-alcohol

-new york

-basketball

Aphrodite//pisces

would ya look at that, ive made a quiz. to find out which greek goddess you channel, click here! then, reblog with your moon sign & resullt 🌟

TIL “healing crystals,” which sellers market as a way to “connect to the Earth you’re fighting to protect” are predominantly derived from places like Myanmar and the Democratic Republic of Congo (known for lax environmental regulations) or from industrial-scale copper mines.

via reddit.com

‘serpentine’ a new his dark materials novella following teenage lyra and her dæmon returning to the arctic will be released this october.

love, simon (2018)

✨Daemonism week: Day 2✨

How would you describe your daemon's personality?

Doesn't need to be super detailed or anything - but of course course it also can be if you want to! - but can just be a few core words, or maybe an image or song or something that describes your dae's personality.

*feel free to reply to any of these prompts on any day - doesn't have to be the day it's posted. And feel free to reply to some prompts but not others*

#daemonismweek

Dæmon Asks

Because why not?

Name and how it was found?

Gender and reason for it?

Most stable form?

Top five favorite forms?

Describe their voice.

How much of a companion are they?

Any unusual markings?

Describe their basic personality.

Favorite thing to do together?

What do they advise you on?

Describe how they would interact with a friend’s dæmon, hypothetically.

Draw a picture of you and your dæmon together.

Write a small conversation between you and your dæmon.

(Include a question for the dæmon with this ask.)