#happy hour with friends

[thedrarrylibrarian]

I'm so excited to welcome @phoebe-delia to the library! I've loved reading her work for a long time, and am always especially impressed by the fact that she answers so many prompts! My favorite of her series is Eight Drarry Nights at Hanukkah time every year, which are always warm and so full of love and light. I knew she'd pick a great fic, and I think it'll be a sweet and romantic start to your Valentines season. Thanks again to @phoebe-delia!

I want to start out by thanking the incredible @thedrarrylibrarian for the chance to participate in Happy Hour. You do phenomenal work, and I just really hope you know how valued you are. I fangirl every time we interact and I am incredibly honored to get to do this.

Now, on to the rec!

When our lovely Librarian asked me to do a guest rec for Happy Hour, this fic was the first to come to mind. I still gave it a lot of time and consideration, of course, but at the end of the day I kept coming back to this story.

plant me in your garden (and watch me grow) by @thehoneybeet. 5,505 words, Rated T, and make sure to check the tags to see if it’s right for you!

Malfoy walks across the grounds to the forbidden forest nearly every night, but falls asleep in class during the day. Harry can't get enough of him.

An eighth year fic.

Every fic of Honey’s that I’ve read makes me want to be a better writer, because their storytelling is so effortlessly rich. I always have at least one moment where I have to pause and look off into the distance so I can really appreciate a line and let it sink into my brain.

And this fic has quite a few of those moments for me. The descriptions here are so vivid; I felt like I was watching Drarry through a pensieve. I’m resisting the urge to quote dump here, because I think you should experience this writing for yourself in the way Honey intended it. It’s the kind of story that, in my humble opinion, can’t really be captured in a quote or two. It flows exactly as it needs to.

I adore how Honey characterizes both Draco and Harry. Draco has clearly changed after the war but has kept the same wit and fire that attracts Harry so much. And Harry is just trying to figure out how to exist in this post-war world without Voldemort after him, and it turns out Draco is a big part of his healing. It’s a joy to watch the two of them fall for and into each other.

I just looked back at the comments, because I remembered that I’d left one a while back when I first read it (which was, apparently, in September 2022? What even is time, omg). I’m going to quote from my past self, here, who called the writing “decadent,” and the story “fucking gorgeous,” “creative” and “special.” I told Honey that this fic would always have a special place in my heart. Clearly, my heart kept that promise.

I also told Honey at the time that the fic deserved a much longer, more intensive comment than I could articulate at the time. Turns out I needed over a year. This is as close as I think I’ll get to accurately expressing the way it makes me feel.

Plus, as a personal bonus, this fic happens to include some of my favorite tropes: eighth year, pining, and Harry’s never-ending obsession with Draco.

I hope you all enjoy this fic as much as I do (and that you remember to leave them kudos and a comment!) And Honey, thank you for writing something so wonderful that it stuck with me for over a year.

Love,

Phoebe

[caramelldansenu]

[dragondawdles]

the beastie <3

[jamiethebeeart]

Lineart by @ovytia-art which was such a blast to color - I love the entire vibe of all of them hanging out together so much @green-with-envy-phandom-event

[dizzybizz]

"this is regrettably the best kiss of your life, you understand?"

[mothcpu]

SALVATION IN A DIGITAL HEAVEN / CAUSE REAL LIFE IS HELL

[seagull-scribbles]

All of my Out of Touch Turts-day for easy comparison 💕

Which one is your favourite?

[1987] [2003] [2007] [2012] [2018] [2019] [2023]

[itty-bitty-sunshine]

Heard it was international father's day, so of course I had to draw the father & daughter duo of all time

[gunsatthaphan]

03/09/1998 - happy birthday to the king, the legend, the light of my life (and the actor that he is) 🥺

~ ⋆˙⟡ ♡˙⟡ ✨🫶🏻💘🫳🏻🐈‍⬛🍊⋆˙⟡ ♡˙⟡ ~

[jjoneechan]

Happy National Best Friend Day!

To the trio that sticks together through it all!

💚🧡💙📚🍏🍊🫐🟩🟧🟦

[venelona]

Songfell Frisk my beloved

A birthday gift to @ikustioa / @songfell-ut 💖💖💖

I actually colored this differently - colored and shaded everything in gray and then overlayed colors. Was fun to try but I think I'll stick with just coloring XD

[thedrarrylibrarian]

I know I always say this, but it’s always true - I am so excited for this month’s guest reccer! To say that Grace, who writes as @mintawasalreadytaken, has excellent taste would be an understatement - she is a tastemaker. I realized as I was looking through a server that we’re both in that I read Coyote Ugly (which I recced a few weeks ago) based on her recommendation first! She’s also an accomplished writer herself, so if you like her rec, be sure to check out her works.

I leave the format of the rec up to the guest reccer - sometimes people use emojis, sometimes they give the rec as bullet points, and sometimes people prefer to write paragraphs. Grace asked if we could have a conversation about this fic together, and I eagerly agreed! I’ll be TDL below, and she’ll be Grace. Just as a heads up, there are minor spoilers for the fic below the cut.

Without further ado, I present the May Happy Hour Recommendation - in conversation with @mintawasalreadytaken!

I Do Not Love You by @writandromance (228,290 words, Rated M)

In 2013, a carefully-designed Obliviation leaves Harry reconfiguring his life and identity without any memories of true love; an act that's essentially erased Draco Malfoy from his mind despite a wedding band and shared home.

In 2000, Draco had expected Pansy's relationship with Luna to bring the Gryffindors a bit closer to his orbit of quiet, carefully pacifistic existence, but he never expected to navigate such a transparent embrace into a unit of family, friendship, and love.

A mystery, two love stories, and a reminder that learning to love never has an end date.

TDL: You picked I Do Not Love You for this month's rec. Would you start by telling people who have never read it why they should give it a try?

Grace: I think I speak for a lot of us in the world of fanfiction, specifically Drarry fanfic, that we're not generally known for being chill about our obsessions. So, as someone who's read a lot of hurt/comfort and angst, I Do Not Love You stands out to me because it does a number of interesting things with its key trope, amnesia. It's a love story told backwards, and a love story that's as much about hate and how hate destroys as it is about love and how love builds.

TDL: I appreciate that you brought up the love story told backwards - I think that's one of the best parts of this story. The way, especially at the beginning, that the two plot-lines contrast makes it stand out to the reader about what Harry's lost, even when Harry himself doesn't realize.

Grace: Mmhmm, agreed. We start very firmly rooted in Harry's POV, with an eventual back and forth POVs between Harry and Draco, at opposite ends of the timeline of their relationship. So there's this wonderful tension there, right from go.

TDL: I think that's something very smart and enjoyable about Writ's writing. She's very good at creating that tension and then trusting the reader with it. She’s excellent at showing one perspective, and letting the reader infer the other perspective. It would've been easy to write from Draco's POV and get all of his angsty heartbreak firsthand, but instead she writes it from Harry's POV and we get his anger and are left to come to our own conclusions about Draco's hurt. It makes the conclusions more powerful to the reader.

Grace: Trusting the reader is certainly one of her strengths. Part of my deep enjoyment of this fic is how it begs to be re-read. It's only on the re-read that certain details, "tells" in Draco's behaviour, for example, become clear indicators of what will happen. But you need to learn them from Harry's POV first. It makes for a very fun circular read, in that way. Another way that trust is established masterfully is the contrast between Harry's anger in the present and the vignettes of his empathetic, whole-hearted earnestness in the flashback scenes. The distance between the two Harry's emotional states is enough for the reader to draw their own conclusions of how much it must pain Draco to go through this experience.

Though I will say, the angsty heartbreak moment we do get to see firsthand gets me every time. It's the most delicious stab in the heart!

TDL: I know it’s a spoiler, but will you be specific? What part exactly are you thinking of?

Grace: “I lost my husband.”

TDL: I put that quote down in my notes too - and "I didn't even get to say goodbye."

Grace: It gets to the heart of the worst part of a beautiful relationship: the fear of loss.

TDL: So we've done our favorite angsty moments. This fic, while angsty, is also really full of fun and funny moments. Does anything stick out to you along those lines?

Grace: Two stick out to me immediately. One is a callback to the Pablo Neruda quote off the top, from which the fic takes its title. "Your hand on my chest is my hand,” only Harry adds his own sexy twist to it, lol. The second is this incredibly tense moment mid-fight where Harry snaps about how long it would take to fall back in love with Draco and Draco's deadpan response of "You said 'when'" which is peak Drarry to me. That stubbornness in the face of literally anything, even the other avowing their supposed hatred.

What's your favourite funny moment?

TDL: Oh it’s got to be when we find out later that Pansy laughed at the toothbrush incident. It's just such a best friend thing to do. It felt like something I'd do to my sister or that she'd do to me and I think it added a realness to their friendship. They’re ride or die for each other, but they also laugh at each other, even in the hard times. I also love any scene Jules is in!

Grace: Agreed! The toothbrush moment was hilarious. And Jules is one of my favourite of Harry's familiars/pets-with-speaking-roles, ever.

TDL: I'm obsessed with the idea of a chameleon speaking Parseltongue! I also feel like Jules' character had a lot of thought put into it - what would be important to a chameleon? What would a chameleon notice and think in this situation?

Grace: Yes, his take on death and his sense of humour about it – that bonds Harry to him. The lens of his understanding of the relationship between Harry and his "ice queen" and the purpose of molting. It was all so well done. The fact that Jules can infer Harry's emotional state and then decides on whether and to what degree to argue about what kind of feed he requests is so spot on. Amazing characterization work.

TDL: With all of Harry and Draco’s friends and family, this fic had an ensemble of characters. Were there any other favorites?

Grace: My two favourites live on opposite sides of the spectrum. Ron, for his stoic, constant style of quiet and level-headed support. And Blaise, a true wild-card, who is ruled enough by ego to do things that endanger his relationships with both Harry and Draco, just never too much. They love him for it, even though he can be a chaos monster.

TDL: Blaise was on my list too! I thought his shenanigans brought a lot to the fic and I thought it was cool to see him portrayed as an equally important friend to both Harry and Draco that Harry saw him as someone to turn to for help, not just “Draco’s friend” but “my friend.”

Grace: The melding of friend groups, as most often happens when you're in a long term relationship, was done masterfully here. and the lines drawn in the sand becoming murky in places and crystal clear in others when a break-up looms, too.

TDL: Which brings us back to that relatable fear of loss - this loss is not just one person but friendships, community, a life and a future.

Something else that I want to mention is how immersive this fic is, even in a re-read. I knew what was coming and was still hooked.

Grace: True! It begins with a focus on interiority. We get the emotional punches first, and then the plot to underpin it. But in my view, the plot comes second to the feelings. It's a fic that invites you as the reader to put yourself into Draco's shoes. We all experience loss and so when we get thrown into this situation of experiencing what, for both of them, they consider a world-ending loss, we relate. The troubles only begin there, because after that there's still waking up every day and trying, again and again.

TDL: For a fic whose title refuses love, what better description is there for love than waking up every day and trying, again and again.

Is there anything else you’d like to add before we end this rec?

Grace: Just to say thank you for entertaining this, and for your thoughtful questions! And to thank Writ for writing this masterpiece of a painful, quietly beautiful love story. And to end on a quote – one of the ones I come back to constantly, as a reminder to self of the usefulness in trying at the things we find the most difficult: 

"Aw, don't get smart to wash off all the vulnerability, you wore it so well," he replied, eyes sparkling. As he backed towards the doorway, his arms opened wide. "Bask in the beauty of a difficult, emotional conversation." 

xoxo minta / grace

❤️ As always, if you enjoy this rec, please bookmark abd leave the author a kudos or a comment! ❤️

Lots of Love and Happy Friday!

PS - If you're interested in knowing what Grace and I are reading next, @writandromance just started posting a new Pride and Prejudice based fic. It's not complete, but chapter one went up today and we are so excited!

[pairingbrainrot]

!!!!!

(Clip starts at 3:10)

[yangjeongin]

han x tarot cards #TheHANandOnly 💙 happy HAN day!

[turtleblogatlast]

Don’t think I ever quite said what my LGBTQ+ headcanons are for the boys, so these are my current thoughts! Always changing of course but this is what I feel most strongly right now.

[perths]

"since i've met white, i started knowing what happiness was"

DEAD FRIEND FOREVER - EPISODE 11