#endrina

[nocturnus33]

The meaning of mistletoe by Endrina, first volume of The secret language of plants. @llendrinall I have read this charming story several times. The voice of the narration, with its fairy tale reminiscence, is something I really like. Endrina is a great author, it is worth reading their novel length fics.

Typeset by Lindsey P. For those inexperienced in fandom, this story can be read for free at AO3.

What I like:

It's quite a simple binding, but something in it remind me of the old editions of my childhood. Reading it give me a special kind of joy, it's both, the comfort of this story and the childhood-like feeling this tome brings me while holding it

What I could do better:

I had problems with the guillotining of the edges, but went ahead [I had already lost a lot of material with a failed first printing]. I couldn't say what happened, but - for me - that mistake gives a Je ne sais quoi to the edition that I love. I don't know why, but when I was a child, back in the 70's, I had many books with the same feeling. The paper was a bit thicker than usual, and the edges weren't perfectly cut. I didn't realize, until I sat down to read this edition, that this binding conjures up memories of my childhood.

Special thanks: During the process, I had a severe case of printer hiccups (Or binder's brain hiccups, to be more precise) but @getfuckedblr hold my hand and helped me.

@llendrinall 

[If I learned to bind, you can do it too. It's not that difficult... ok a little at first, but it is doable. Don't buy fic binds, ok? It spoils fandom's fun]

[getfuckedblr]

my completed bind of the secret language of plants!

this was one of the hardest fics i’ve bound yet; the small spines really worried me, and didn’t come out perfect, but i’m pretty happy with it! i made mistakes with the wording on the spines, and the guillotine is still very hard to use LMAO so all of the book blocks are different sizes. but i just make sure the cases are the same size bc good enough is good enough u know?

[bubu0h]

The secret language of plants Series by Endrina

The Meaning of Mistletoe

American Mistletoe. Phoradendron flavescens (1925) by Mary Vaux Walcott

The Meaning of Dandelions

Dandelions by Bertha Wegmann

The Meaning of Geranium

Geranium argenteum (1781-1793) by Nikolaus Joseph Freiherr von Jacquin

Floriography

Album of cut-paper flowers Pl.01 (1835) by Ellen W.

[dewitty1]

Life skills outside the curriculum

Endrina @llendrinall

Chapters: 11/11

Fandom: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter Characters: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Remus Lupin, Order of the Phoenix, Death Eater(s), Narcissa Black Malfoy Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, No Hogwarts, Don't copy to another site

Summary:

It was "Witch Weekly", of all people and organizations, the first to notice and comment on The Boy Who Lived’s absence from the ranks of first years at Hogwarts. The magazine went on to elucubrate that the young hero was studying at a foreign school, possibly Beauxbatons or Holzschuhkäse.

Excerpt:

They were coming out of an exhibition on post-war pop art that Draco hated. It was still a bit chilly out there, spring coming late this year, and there was a faint drizzle in the air.

“Anyway, you can’t just rely on message to make an impact if your technique is so poor. Unless you have a really strong message, which they don’t, because their message was that nothing makes sense. So at least show some skills. If the medieval can do it, you can too! And the use of colour was so simplistic and unimaginative that…”

One moment Harry was half listening to Draco’s usual vehement tirades and the next he had turned deaf and was struck by… by the thought of Draco’s existence. By that mad, opinionated boy who had to be so passionate and argumentative about everything. A boy who insisted on getting proper silver for the earrings hooks and snuck little good charms on every piece he crafted and who brewed him potions and was so belligerent because he actually looked at everything.

Harry was so suddenly and violently overcome by emotion that he just had to grab his face with both hands and kiss him.

“Gah” said Draco when Harry’s lips landed on his, and after the kiss “don’t interrupt me!��.

And then he seemed to think about it and kissed Harry instead.

꒰˘̩̩̩⌣˘̩̩̩๑꒱♡

[dspd]

Endrina on AO3 is going to be the reason I leave this earth.

I don't think I can handle her depiction of Percy Weasley.

[silkhy-john]

It’s really fun to read a fic and go “I want to bookmark this” (it’s already bookmarked) then “I want to leave a comment about X” (I already did. Twice.)

Also “you already left Kudos here :)” LET ME LEAVE MORE

people always talk about leaving comments on ao3 like it's a nice thing to do, or the best way to encourage writers to keep writing, or overall like it's how you Do Your Part in fandom

and yeah, all those things are true, but having spent the past few months leaving enthusiastic comments on as many things as i can, i have a different perspective

you should leave comments on fics because it's fun

taking the time to stop and focus on what i like about a story has made me way more aware of what's going on in stories and what i like about them. there's bit more actual comprehension and appreciation and not just beaming content into my eyes to fill time

i like noticing cool little things in fics, or riffing on funny events. i've never been very good at speculating or picking apart characters, but sometimes something clicks and it rocks.

and of course it's pretty nice when you get a response and it's clear you've made another person happy

so yeah, you should leave comments for your own sake, too. it makes reading better!

[kid-called-crow]

God, I'm such a sucker for clairvoyant characters. Let them take the world upon their shoulders. Let them see someone's death and know there's nothing they can do to stop it. Let them collapse from the sheer power of their prophecies. Let them always be two steps ahead of everyone else. Let them be disoriented and so, so tired of being a seer. Of carrying that burden alone. Let them reference things that won't happen for another month. Let them be quiet and subtle but always in the plot, always leaving the right tools for unlucky travelers who wouldn't need them for another week. Let them grief eons before a tragedy even begins. Let them know the ending and still fall.

Just...let them.

[tenacious-minds]

I’ve been listening to endrinas the language of flowers fic, and in the authors notes of chapter 1 of part three, they mention how the book never explained how Sirius got his wand back, and my immediate reaction was “I always assumed they never bothered to take it off him”.

[mutant-distraction]

Rheyn Endrina

Queen of Sheba orchids is one of the rarest plants on earth,only found in parts of Western Australia.

[nocturnus33]

The meaning of dandelions, by Endrina. This is the second volume of "The Secret Language of Plants".

As with most of my bindings, this book is "not perfct" at all, yet it joins my bibliographic collection of beloved imperfections. I like how it turned out despite everything.

This tome is full of errors due to my lack of concentration. I think I should change the name of this blog to "Adventures of an ADD fic binder". As some of my worst ADD days, yesterday wasn't the best day for me to try anything! The thing is, I had a great time binding this weekend, so no amount of mistakes will take that away. I still like my little green book.

Unlike volume 1, this time I remembered to put the headbands, yet I forgot the bookmark. More importantly, I got the series name wrong on the spine!

What I like?

I like the green cover, and how it looks next to its companion, the yellow tome. Likewise, the little dandelion seed on the back cover really charms me.

What could I have done better?

Apart from placing the correct title of the series?, I could have transferred the HTV with less temperature. There are plate marks on the cover.

I should have added the endpapers - I had them ready and forgot!

Plus, add the bookmark.

For those with little experience in fandom, this fantastic fic can be read for free on AO3. Just remember to leave a constructive comment for the author.

 @llendrinall 

[llendrinall]

Dear Endrina

I am once again finding myself reading the secret language of plants, and I was wondering.

Are you still writing? Fanfiction, original fiction or others?

I would love to check out other things you are writing (if not already in ao3).

Is there any fanfiction authors your were inspired by for your work? I haven't really found anybody who writes just like you managed to do.

I am a big fan of your work and it always cheers me up reading your stories 😊 thanks for sharing with us all ❤️

Hello, dear.

I am writing, but I am not posting. There are many reasons why: less time, less energy, less fandoms that pique my interest, etc. I won’t detail them all reasons here. I dislike the idea of posting unfinished works so I have nothing to show. I will say that I am working on a collection of (fandom) stories and when I got your ask, I stole a couple of hours to other tasks and wrote 900 words. Nice! Although what started as 7 stories has grown to 16 so I don’t know when they will be ready.

As for other works or authors, funnily enough I had been meaning to write a couple of posts about books, so I will just do it here.

Endrina’s list of very nice books

Quality is subjective so the main criteria here is whether I have re-read these books, whether they had something to drawn me back.

Original fiction

Terry Pratchett.

Every Pratchett fan easily admits that his first books are not very good and that there is no good point to start reading. You simply pick a book, plunge into Discworld, and figure things as you go. Pratchett’s turn of phrase if excellent. Pratchett’s examination of morals is even better. Because it’s fantasy, Pratchett has not been taken seriously. He is too juvenile, too funny, too unserious. But he is also a master at making readers grow a political conscience.

The post I was meaning to write was a comparison between Pratchett’s witches (Weyrd Sisters, Witches Abroad, etc.) and some other author’s witches. Ok, it’s JKR, but I didn’t want it to be a direct attack on her or her character. It’s just a comparison of the content.

In Harry Potter the wizarding world is hidden. The reason given is that muggles would be demanding favors nonstop. Later I think it is implied that muggles may be dangerous to wizards. In Discworld, however, magic is perfectly public. People do demand favors from witches (and wizards, but less so) and people are a threat to magical folk. One of the Tiffany Aching’s books (aimed to younger readers, but still excellent) opens with an imprisoned witch about to be executed (she frees herself, of course, by magical and mundane means).

The thought came to me regarding anesthesia use during labor. I am sure that in Harry Potter witches don’t experience pain giving birth, but they don’t share that gift with muggles.

In Harry Potter, magic folk let non-magic folk suffer.

In Discworld, magic folk understand magic as a duty, while accepting that there won’t be thanks or appreciation. If you have the ability to save a sheep, to remove someone’s pain, to make their passing easier, you must do it.

It’s surprising that school libraries would ban Harry Potter and not Pratchett, because he is the one with potential to bring people to the left.

Naomi Novik

How to describe the Temeraire series? They are very good, they have dragons, they are populated by people who feel very real.

The first book is dedicated to building a fantasy world. So cool. So exciting. It would look so nice as an HBO MAX show! They would blunder the second season, but the first season would be excellent.

The next eight books ruthlessly deconstruct the first one. Much like Pratchett, Novik takes an idea and asks, “but how can this work?” and, often, the answer is “by the suffering and exploitation of poor people”. And she (like Pratchett) will drag the answer to the light.

The third book, Gunpowder war, is my favorite because the structure is crisp and neat. Three places, thee different environments, three challenges. You go from movement to arrest and back to movement and afterwards you feel like having completed a videogame.

Agatha Christie

She, like Pratchett, is not considered a “proper” author. I suspect it’s because she is a woman and because her books are accessible. There is this bias against books and stories that many people can enjoy.

Being a British woman born in 1890, her writing does have some ideas that seem outdated, especially regarding foreigners and Jews. But it’s ameliorated by the fact that all her characters are individuals. Each one of them is a distinct person rather than a stand-in for a whole group. So when in Lord Edgware Dies a Jewish woman is described as greedy an ambitious, she is still given enough personality that it seems like a “her” problem rather than a group trait. I don’t want to completely excuse or handwave it. Occasionally there are racist undertones. But they are still way less obvious that many modern works.

For a long time, every October/November I would read one of her novels to get in the Autumn mood, but lately I have found myself reading her “out of season” and wondering why her call was growing stronger. I realized recently it’s because in her books people don’t enjoy killing. Oh, someone is going to die. Perhaps more than one person. But the murderer kills because a) they expect to inherit, b) they are guarding a secret, c) they are in love, d) a variation of the three. They don’t enjoy killing, is my point. They don’t do it for pleasure. There are no elaborate and inventive ways to torture someone and desecrate a corpse. I find that I am very tired of recent trends in which a psycho killer tortures young women and taunts the police.

Also, Christie is very compassionate towards women. Some women are good, some are evil, some are adulteress, some have relations with married men, some get pregnant while single. In the latter case, the tone is more of “it happens” rather than “what a slut”. It is no ideal, it means trouble and social exclusion for the woman, but it happens so Christie doesn’t moralize about it. (And in Hallowe’en Party there is a single mother who is treated as perfectly normal).

I said earlier her characters are distinct individuals. Christie’s strength lies in voicing varied psychological profiles. Her two main detectives (Poirot and Marple) read as asexual (no matter the forced heteronormative that TV/movie adaptations try to push). Poirot also is a clear case of OCD and… it’s fine. That’s how he is. There are also some great ADHD characters. There is whatever was going on Ms MacGinty is dead. The main suspect is clinically depressed or something, I don’t remember well.

People are varied and allowed to be weird, and I love it.

(Occasionally, a couple of lesbians will pop. Sadly, because these are murder mysteries, one of them may die. But it doesn’t read like a Bury Your Gays trope)

Miguel de Cervantes

This one is not like the others because there is a lot of scholarly work about Cervantes. So much so that he is taken as a Very Serious author when, in fact, he is Pretty Funny. Think lines like “thus came a man riding a donkey, although it may had been a mule, there is no consensus regarding the animal, except it was probably grey of coat. The man was carrying a basin on his head.”

Having some political and cultural context helps to enjoy Don Quixote, but it is not a sine qua non requisite. For English, I like Grossman’s translation.

(Also, this is almost never mentioned: Miguel de Cervantes and his brother were suspected in the murder of a high class nobleborn who was a known sexual harasser. And it shows. There is a chapter in DQ that could very well be titled: Incel Culture, let’s not).

Fanfiction

Astolat

Astolat’s stories follow the pattern of the Common Man falling for the Enlightened Man. This tickles something deep in my brain and I love it.

The Common Man may not be so common. He may be a renowned warrior. He may be a hero. He is only common when opposed to the Enlightened Man (who may be a woman, like Brienne of Tarth, fantastic). The latter is someone with their third, fourth and fifth eye open. Someone who understands magic and, what’s even more difficult, morality. Someone who knows. What they know may vary, but the knowledge is there and with it a certain sense of being removed, of not fitting in the world. So they are surprised to attract the desperate interest of the Common Man.

Other things to like: clever construction of plot, deep and surrounding worldbuilding with just a couple of strokes.

Owlet

Her Bucky (MCU) series is fantastic, but the first work, This, you protect is particularly good. It is funny, it is healing, and it’s an interesting example of how to enthrall people. Most fanfics have sex, it is almost a requisite. Some readers will reject a story if the promise of hot scenes isn’t there. Well, This, you protect doesn’t have sex. It has coffee concoctions and grilled cheese sandwiches, and they are so satisfying that you won’t even notice there is no sex.

Scaramouche

I haven’t read her latest works (I am bit tired of the MCU and Steve/Tony doesn’t work for me) but I have read her previous work, specially the Supernatural fics, and enjoyed them thoroughly. The setting of her stories is imaginative yet familiar. No matter how alternative the AU is, it always feels natural and real, as if she had been a long time there and knew every place and every aspect.

The hoyden

Her DP9 and XMen fics read like silk. I don’t have another word. They are delicate and soft and they flow. They feel luxurious.

[bubu0h]

Life skills outside the curriculum by Endrina

Black Circle (1916) by Kazimir Malevich

[cinturon-cadena]

Aaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!!! I love it so much!! Thank you @insanelyadd <3 <3 <3

Yes, Endrina (little gremlin on the left) is my head mate's OC by the same name! Lumia (overly enthusiastic nerd on the right) is mine!

Go check out Addy's art!! Their Skele Chara AU is absolutely adorable! And the rest of their art is absolutely amazing!! Go check them out!!!

The prize for the first place winner in my 5k follower raffle was @cinturon-cadena ‘s OC and their headmate’s OC. :>

[a-sunset-outside-my-window]

fic rec friday

The Meaning of Mistletoe

by Endrina on Ao3

“Just… tell me. Tell me what is going on, Snape.” What was going on was that Severus Snape had no trouble tracking down one Petunia Evans, now Dursley, to a little town in Surrey where he saw how exactly she was treating her nephew. Which somehow led to last night and Severus knocking on Lupin’s door with a toddler half-asleep in his arms.

so time totally got away from me this week so I'm a tad bit late with the fic rec but I hope the fic makes up for it

when I first read this I couldn't stop reading until I was done and I love love love this fic so much! It is part of a series and I recommend setting a weekend aside to read all the works in it in one sitting because you won't be able to put it down (at least I wasn't lol) this is also one of my rare snupin fic recs but since romance isn't the main focus of the fic I feel like it can be enjoyed by most everyone.

favourite tropes included are:

remus raising harry potter

heavy angst

but also hurt / comfort

found family

domestic cuteness

severus is sort of an uncle to harry

getting over prejudice

harry is the sweetest little bean

werewolf lore

feels

sort of friends to lovers

some lore

fluff

so many more things but they happen in other fics in the series

some drarry and platonic wolfstar in later installments

as always leave lots of love and kudos to the author and have an amazing rest of the day <3

[tearsofrefugees]

El Paso, Texas, US

Jolimar, an 18-year-old migrant from Venezuela, shelters her two-year-old son Gail from the cold and blustery weather as they search for an entry point into the US along the bank of the Rio Grande river in El Paso. A controversial Texas law that would criminalise unauthorised entry into the state was placed on hold this week by a federal appeals court.

Photograph: Adrees Latif/Reuters

Endrina, 32, from Venezuela, holds her four-year-old son, Keylor, as a dust storm hinders migrants’ efforts to find an entry point into the US.

[dewitty1]

Fic Recs Wrap Up - October 2023 ꐑ(ꐌ◡ꐌꐐ)࿐࿔࿓[¬º-°]¬･*ᕐ ̆̈͜͡ ᕐ ોु✩°｡⋆:.｡. .｡.:*･ཥ•̬͡•ོཤ゜ﾟ･*☆ʔ•̫͡•ཻʕ

Nothing Like the Sun by Lomonaaeren

Harry finally realizes that he has trouble keeping lovers both because of his looks and because he isn’t very good at sex. He does what he can to alter that, but it seems he’s never going to be good enough to satisfy a wizard lover. When Draco Malfoy offers, Harry thinks a casual relationship with him might be the solution to his problems. But he should have remembered one thing: when it comes to Harry, Malfoy has a problem staying casual. Rec Post

And Still I Dream by greenmegsnoham, Yoro_Kobi @greenmegsnoham  @gaudium6191

Draco was beyond frustrated with the school’s preferential treatment of sports programs over the arts. Determined to collect what is due, Draco must come toe to toe with the ever incessant thorn-in-his-side, Varsity Basketball Captain, Harry Potter. Though Draco may not receive the financial support he’d been hoping for, he just might get a boyfriend out of it instead… OR When you Dream a Dream, it just may come true… Rec Post

Curiosity, Wonder, Spontaneous Delight by cloudings

After Harry hears some rumours about Malfoy, he becomes more and more curious until he just has to get some answers. Malfoy is more than prepared to give him anything he needs, just as long as he gets something back in return. Harry’s not sure why he’s surprised that it’s something moderately illegal. In which Ron continues to get far too many eyefuls, Hermione has had quite enough with everybody, and Harry’s not sure why enemies to friends to friends with benefits isn’t enough for him. OR Harry becomes incredibly curious, and somewhere along the line ends up accidentally falling in love with Draco Malfoy. Because of course he bloody would. Rec Post

Romp and Circumstance by wolfpants @wolfpants

Since the war, Harry Potter has gone from Saviour to Scoundrel—not that he’s complaining. With a schedule full of gorgeous men, alcohol, and late nights, why would he want to change? Enter Draco Malfoy: beautiful, sharp, and completely untouchable. When Draco comes to Harry with a proposition to help him attract an engagement, Harry’s up for it—after all, how hard can it be not falling for his former nemesis? Very hard, apparently. Rec Post

A Shower, A Meal, A Nap, and A Shag by chickenlivesinpumpkin

Harry’s supposed to be alone in Grimmauld Place…so why is there a Malfoy in his shower? And what’s Harry going to do about it? Rec Post

Sunseeker by shiftylinguini @shiftylinguini

Harry is a struggling writer. Namely, he is struggling with: writing his next book, dealing with his agent, finding a decent tea strainer, fielding his friend’s concern over the aforementioned book, and figuring out who the cat loitering in his garden belongs to. He also has a slight liking-Malfoy problem. Okay, he has a massive liking-Malfoy problem. Rec Post

A Life Worth Remembering by Writcraft @writcraft

Severus Snape wakes in St Mungo’s, to discover that a potions accident has wiped the last forty years from his body and mind. Just twenty-five years old, Severus is reliant on Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, now both in their forties, to help him fill in the missing decades. As Severus tries to navigate a much-changed world, Harry and Draco struggle with a secret of their own. Rec Post

New Message by Mosrael @mosrael

Harry Potter has a crush on his roommate–like, a BIG one–but he can’t say anything to him, can he?! Naturally, he does what any early 2000s young adult would do and asks the internet for help, and gets a lot more back than he expected. Rec Post

Life skills outside the curriculum by Endrina @llendrinall

It was "Witch Weekly", of all people and organizations, the first to notice and comment on The Boy Who Lived’s absence from the ranks of first years at Hogwarts. The magazine went on to elucubrate that the young hero was studying at a foreign school, possibly Beauxbatons or Holzschuhkäse. Rec Post

Here are a few more fics I've read recently that y'all might like to check out as well!(ノﾟ∀ﾟ)ノ━☆ﾟ･*:.｡. .｡.:*･.*･｡ﾟ*:・ﾟ✧

Howlr by partialtopotter @partialtopotter

Howlr is the new dating application enchanting Witches, Wizards and Everyone in between. Are you looking for the one or a one-night stand; it’s all here folks. Howlr is sponsored by Weasley Wizard Wheezes, the same team that brought us the Spellular just two years ago. Ginny Weasley, famed chaser for the Hollyhead Harpies, swears by the app, ‘guaranteed to make sparks fly,’ she says. The magic awaits you!

where all the veins meet by eight_of_wands @saxamophone

It's the summer of 1998. The battle is over, and Voldemort is dead, but Harry still has more questions than answers. Who is he without a piece of Voldemort's soul in his head? What is he supposed to do now? His friends try to help, but the only thing that can hold his attention—one of the only things that ever has—is Draco Malfoy, out on parole and weirdly hanging around the British Museum. As they keep running into each other, Harry sees that Malfoy is different, and he wonders if he can be someone else, too. Featuring rumpled band shirts, poker games everyone hates, fumbling sex, and a Harry going a little mental over how wands even work.

The Secret's in the Telling by Verayne @veraynes-blog

Draco Malfoy suffers the unthinkable when he is turned into a werewolf. How is he supposed to live any kind of life afterwards, especially when Potter continues to stick his unwanted nose into things?

Wherever You Go, There You Are by Anonymous for hd-fan-fair/HD Career Fair 2023

Four years after the War, Harry still fights to save the wizarding world. Only, he’s traded prophecies and duels for fundraising and politicking. Worried that he’s burning himself out, his friends sign him up for a week-long muggle relaxation retreat in the mountains of Snowdonia. The last thing he expects to find there is Draco Malfoy, his old school rival, working as a yoga instructor. How on earth is he supposed to learn to relax when Malfoy’s meant to teach him? Rec Post

Connecting Lines, Connecting Crimes by Anonymous for hd-fan-fair/HD Career Fair 2023

Magic is going haywire after ley lines all over the world are mysteriously failing. A cross-border Task Force is set up by the League of Wixen Nations with Expert Cartologist Draco Malfoy and Ley Line Specialist Pansy Parkinson being called in from Britain to work with Magi-Geographers Harry Potter and Parvati Patil in India. But can they get to the root of the issue before it’s too late? Rec Post

Full Fathom Five by  Anonymous for hd-fan-fair/HD Career Fair 2023

“Draco Malfoy is not a merman, and he does not perform for an audience in a tank,” Hermione said crossly. Harry had thought this would be just an ordinary holiday… Rec Post

( •ॢ◡-ॢ)-♡ I hope you enjoy these fics as much as I have! Happy reading, y’all! xoxo, Carey  (◍•ᴗ•◍)♡ ✧*💜💙💚💛❤💗💕💖