Lord Asriel arrived too late to stop the bomb. Its shockwave set the intention craft swinging in midair like a pendulum, and he clutched the controls tightly, not allowing himself to hope. Stelmaria, in the seat beside him, peered into the chaos, her predator’s eyes piercing the chalky toxic smoke, the whirl of witches moving in to attack. With the control rod in her mouth she couldn’t speak, but if she saw something, Lord Asriel would have known—her heart would have leapt in both their chests.
He landed the craft and moved closer on foot to investigate the wreckage of the power plant. The coal-spirit fumes hurt his eyes, and he swore the reek of piety hung in the air. There were cries of hurt or panic coming from somewhere, but roar of the nearby cataracts deadened the sound.
Hope arrived unbidden. It did not leap. It trickled, soft and dreadful, like a crack in an old dam. Stelmaria lifted the monkey, skinny and drenched and limp, in her terrible jaws. A moment later, they found Marisa among the debris, with an expression of passionate determination frozen on her unconscious face. He gathered her in his arms.
Her eyelids fluttered, a little moan came from her lips, and her breath was sweet to him in this awful place. Through the stink of sweaty furs—did this organization so obsessed with the eradication of filth not even allow their prisoners to wash?—he recognized the familiar scent of her perfume. One grubby hand, nails torn, reached weakly up, and clutched at the lapel of his greatcoat. He squinted, trying to clear his stinging eyes.
Until it was replaced by relief, Lord Asriel had not known he was afraid. When he felt it pierce him, weakening the stout edifice inside, threatening to crumble his resolve, he almost wished that he had found her dead.
His Dark Materials fan week 2021, day 4: A favourite moment in The Amber Spyglass (Asriel rescues Marisa at St.-Jean-les-Eaux)
In a valley shaded with rhododendrons, close to the snow line, where a stream milky with meltwater splashed and where doves and linnets flew among the immense pines, lay a cave, half-hidden by the crag above and the stiff heavy leaves that clustered below.
1 - Very few people have pets in Lyra’s universe because they don’t have the same need for companionship since their daemons are always there for them. This isn’t to say that daemons act as pets, because that just isn’t true, but rather having someone there to talk to who literally IS a part of you and understands literally everything that you’ve been through, even the darkest moments, negates the need for the type of companionship that pets bring
2 - All animals in Lyra’s universe are treated with the utmost respect. There are more animal welfare laws, and while they are strictly enforced, they usually don’t need to be brought up because people have a higher level of respect for animals than those in other universes.
I think this would be a thing because people would have more empathy for animals since their daemons, though different, cause humans to associate animals with their companions.
Granted, there is still the meat industry and it does exist and is okay, as well as fur trapping, hunting, etc. However, within those industries / lines of work, I feel like the animal welfare would be of a higher standard than that of our own universe.
3 - THIS MAN
IS GOOD AND PURE AND NOTHING BAD EVER HAPPENED TO HIM IN HIS LIFE AND HE WOULD MAKE THE BEST HUSBAND.
My collection of books by Philip Pullman. <3 These books are the very best. I love reading about Lyra and Will :D And this world is just all kinds of amazing. Sigh. The best. <3 I cannot wait for his upcoming book, The Book of Dust :D It will be perfection, I’m sure. Waiting might kill me, though. But so excited. Also! Letter! I’m dying a little bit because Philip replied to my fanletter :) And it is the best thing in the world. So much love.
JOMP Book Photo Challenge || February 25 || Ripped My Heart Out: The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
“Oh, Will,“ she said, “What can we do? Whatever can we do? I want to live with you forever. I want to kiss you and lie down with you and wake up with you every day of my life till I die, years and years and years away. I don’t want a memory, just a memory…”
“No,” he said. “Memory’s a poor thing to have. It’s your own real hair and mouth and arms and eyes and hands I want. I didn’t know I could ever love anything so much. Oh, Lyra, I wish this night would never end! If only we could stay here like this, and the world could stop turning, and everyone else could fall into a sleep…”
the enchanted sleeper - main focus on the hunt for lyra (will, the magisterium, asriel and co, perhaps iorek) as well as mrs coulter and her extreme parenting skills. big lyra episode along with the dream sequence
the dragonflies/the gallivespians - the two sides converging on the cave and lyra and will’s escape. intro to lord roke, tialys and salmakia as key characters who have access and insight into both sides
the forge/wheels/oil and lacquer - dust and knife episode, paralleling mary’s experimentation in the mulefa world with iorek repairing the knife. building up to lyra and will’s journey to the world of the dead
the suburbs of the dead/the world of the dead/ lyra and her death - big trauma episode probably frequently cutting back to asriel and marisa
no way out/midnight - some of the geneva stuff will probably be shown in the world of the dead episode but i think it will be split up for the maximum anxiety factor with the explosion. finishing up leading the ghosts out before the battle
the battle on the plain/the clouded mountain - pretty much just fast paced fantasy battle HYPE
morning/marzipan/there is now/tell them stories - play the serpent, abyss scene, STORIES, full of hope and love and bittersweetness before the inevitable heartbreak
