#may jilychallenge 2024

[charmsandtealeaves]

Hockey and Headaches

Sequel of sorts to this @jilymicrofics  (which will be becoming a micro-oops at some point in the future once I've finished my other current WIPs). Written for @jilychallenge 2024, Muggle May. Prompt: University Football/rugby/field hockey training is open to the public, on a very hot day star player A takes a shower from a water hose and B walks against a lamppost because B might have been staring. Partner @eastwindmlk

Read on AO3.

“I still don’t see why I have to attend a bloody hockey match when I could be having a lie-in,” Peter grumbled, shuffling along a good three paces behind the rest of the group. The bags under his eyes were a deep purple, his hair uncombed, and he still had a ketchup stain down the front of his shirt from the night before, completing his look of hungover dishevelment. 

“Pete, it’s one in the afternoon. You did have a lie in for fucks sake.” Remus rolled his eyes and gave him a disdainful look. 

“It doesn’t count if you didn’t go to bed til 4 am!” Peter bit back.

James was beginning to wish they’d left Peter asleep and drawn a dick on his head, given he had done nothing but whinge since they’d left his place. Pausing only briefly to throw up into some unfortunate person’s hydrangea bush after Sirius had wafted a Gregg’s sausage roll under his nose. 

“Oi! Can you stop bickering and focus on the task at hand, please? We’re here so Remus can introduce me to his hot friend. We’ve just got to spot her first.” James grinned, scanning the crowd of fellow Hogwarts Hockey supporters for a flash of red hair. 

“One, her name is Lily which you know, two she’s not my friend per se. We have a working relationship that I’d rather like to maintain because she’s good so please don’t be an arse. And three, she’s probably already on the pitch by now.”

James stopped abruptly and Peter slammed into the back of him. “The pitch? Wait, you mean she’s on the team?” 

Remus sighed. “Yes, James. That’s why I suggested we ‘bump into’ her here.” He stood on his tiptoes and craned his neck to see over the rows of supporters. “The girls are warming up, so we want to find a good vantage point before the game starts.”

“Right-o, let’s get near the front!” James bounded off, forcing his way through the crowd and not caring who he jostled, Sirius hot on his heels. 

Reaching the pitch guard rail he had a much better view of the players on the field. He spotted Lily almost immediately towards the eastern end of the pitch, her red hair tied back in a ponytail and face scrunched in concentration. She was running warm-up drills with another member of her team, passing the ball back and forth between each other while a third player, a blonde, tried to intercept them.  

There was a spray of sand from the artificial turf as the blonde’s stick skidded across it before connecting with the ball. Lily cursed loudly and rubbed her face against the shoulder of her shirt, undoubtedly trying to free flecks of sand that had lodged themselves in her eye. 

James kept walking east along the guard rail, his eyes fixed on her as she made her way over to the sidelines blinking rapidly and swearing under her breath to where a coach was waiting with a length of garden hose. His gaze was still fixed on her and the hose water that was carefully being trickled down her face and the front of her shirt, when he collided, head first with full force into a floodlight lamppost.

[jilychallenge]

Don't forget to submit your @jilymicrofics for May's Mystery Microfics (click the link for more info & the promptlist.) It is a lot of fun, so hope to see you all there (commenting, guessing etc) And then spend the month May guessing while you write, draw, moodboard, paint, sing, collect songs or whatever takes your fancy for this year's May Jily Challenge ;-) All without your shirt on if the weather permits, and definitely styled Modern Muggle (but love is it's own kind of Magic, so let's not forget to sprinkle some in).

Each pair of creators will receive a prompt from us to spark your ideas. You are always free to use and interpret your prompt as loosely as you want.

how to enter:

please reblog this post by the 3Oth of April tagging with what you'd like to make (for example #one-shot, #writing, #art, #drawing, #mood board, #playlist etc. You can be as vague as or specific as you like)

At the beginning of the month, we will assign you a partner and you will receive your prompt (here or on the JilyChallenge Discord- dm for an invite). Keep an eye on this blog or Discord and please check your messages on Tumblr.

Each creator makes their own creation, collabs are encouraged but not the aim of this challenge. 

(optional) please follow the jilychallenge Tumblrblog for updates.

(optional) join the Jily Challenge on Discord (send an ask for an invite) for beta help, chatting and mental support.

when posting: 

creators should try to post their entries by the end of the month (What to do when you miss the deadline?)

please tag your partner and the jilychallenge in your post (including the theme and your prompt, if possible)

we will reblog all entries tagged #jilychallenge

if you post your art or story on ao3, please add it to the collection of Jily Challenges 2024

If you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to send us a message or ask! If you have an idea for a theme for an upcoming month we'd love to hear it!

[jilyawards]

The Jily Fandom Rec List 2024 is a compilation of Jily stories our readers want to keep an eye on for this year's awards.

JULY

Genius (completed, 4.3k) by @petalsthefish. Rated M.

After Lily breaks her iPhone, she finds herself at the Genius Bar on Valentines Day, and an old flame is there to help her in all things technology and romance.

That Summer (WIP, 13.3k as of 31 July 2024) by @thecasualauthor. Rated T.

In which James and Lily spend the summer in a house by the sea. (and fall in love in the process)

to dream the impossible dream (completed, <1k) by @emeralddoeadeer. Rated T.

From Tumblr prompt asks: “I called you at 2am because I need you.”

Only Nineteen (completed, 2.2k) by @petalsthefish. Rated M.

Lily and James discuss what to do about Lily’s unplanned pregnancy during a forced holiday up north after a mission went wrong. My prompt for the May jilychallenge was “Skinny Dipping” and I decided to make it skinny dipping but with angst because I needed a good cry

The Bath of a Lifetime (completed, <1k) by @chierafied. Rated M.

James wanted a stiff drink, a hot bath and to lounge on the couch by the fireplace. The drink seemed unlikely. The couch was a possibility. But he’d definitely be getting that bath.

star light, star bright (completed, 9k) by @gigglesandfreckles-hp. Rated G.

It's seventh year, somehow, that clinches the case, claiming the grand prize in the annals of Lily Evans's misfortunes. Because, as it turns out, harbouring feelings for James Potter while also navigating the precarious terrain of friendship with him is a fate crueller than death. [or: James keeps accidentally touching Lily and she's about to lose her mind]

December's Valentine (WIP, 16.2k as of 31 July 2024) by @stonecoldhedwig. Rated E.

Sometimes, a one-night-stand with a guy off Tinder is just that: a one-night-stand. No lasting feelings, no strings attached. It's the kind of thing that's easy to get your head around when you're trying to get your heart around the end of a relationship. Sometimes, it's not that simple. Sometimes, you're a journalist, and you get assigned to write a piece on an up-and-coming restaurateur, who just might be that one-night-stand from Tinder that you can't stop thinking about. And sometimes, to make matters worse, the two of you get snowed in... **** Or: Lily shags James, and thinks she'll never see him again. Right? Wrong.

The Smallest Men Who Ever Lived. (completed, 7.3k) by ninazenikcult. Not rated.

The time has come for Lily to leave Cokeworth, and with it, two of the smallest men who ever lived; her father and Severus Snape. But leaving the town where she has been trapped for years and exchanging it for an idyllic new life with James proves more difficult than first thought.

My Life's Blood (completed, 18.2k) by @ohmygodshesinsane. Rated E.

James Potter, Duke of Peverell, lingers on the outer edges of the Prince Regent Regulus's court, steadfastly plotting his overthrow. When the Prince Regent's new bride, the lovely Lily of Innsbruck, arrives, a formal introduction leads to James's realisation that the folk tales are true -- and that if he fails to contrive a way to stay at the princess-to-be's side, their lives will be forfeit.

Check out the previous months' recs too: January, February, March || April || May || June

[petalsthefish]

My May 2024 @jilychallenge prompt was “skinny dipping” and I was paired with the beautiful @thelighthousestale !! Weirdly enough, I took a fun prompt and destroyed it with angst. Read the tags and notes on A03 about the triggers, please. I also wrote this tonight and it has not been edited meticulously so pre warning this could 100% suck lmao ♥️

It was nice to feel things; she had been partially concerned that she forgot how to feel anything at all.

Naked, she slipped her body into the spring. Cool water took the air from her lungs immediately. The weightlessness was a welcome feeling after carrying the world on her shoulders. She sank in deeper, mood slightly improving.

Red hair floated around her as she blew bubbles in the crisp water, her green eyes fastened on the man coming up the ridge line. She didn’t scramble to escape and throw her clothes back on. There was only one man she knew it could be, because he was here with her.

He stopped ten feet from the waters edge, noting her discarded clothes. She was only visible from the nose up. James Potter’s face contorted into a small smile, which made the new scar on his face look deeper than it was.

”This reminds me of that late night down by the lake in seventh year,” he said, “only it’s much cooler today.”

”There are also significantly less clothes.”

Read More

[tedwardremus]

Tranquil Solitude (Until You Came Along)

Written for May 2024 @jilychallenge Prompt: I thought I went skinny dipping alone but oh my god this beautiful human is also here naked and I am a fool Partner: the amazing @petals2fish

Without thinking, Lily let out a startled scream and instinctively dove deeper into the water, seeking cover behind a large branch that extended into the pond. It offered little cover from the humiliation of being caught in such a compromising position. "Oh! Alright, Evans?" James called out, his voice tinged with amusement and surprise. Lily's heart raced as James's voice echoed through the trees, breaking through her moment of panic and embarrassment. She peeked out from between the gaps in the branches that concealed her naked body. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "What are you doing here?" Lily shouted back, trying not to sound panicky or nervous. James stepped closer, a crooked smile playing on his lips as he shrugged casually.  "Can't a man enjoy a walk in nature? What are you doing naked?" His tone was teasing, but a warmth in his eyes softened the teasing edge.

[jamesunderwater]

Tidbits:

you can call me james or jamie. trans, autistic, adhd, witch, writer.

multi-fandom blog run by a multi-shipper. my main fandoms are: avatar the last airbender, legend of korra, marauder's era harry potter, doctor who, she-ra and the princesses of power, percy jackson, & bbc merlin

i do write and post smut, just as a content warning. minors be warned.

don't put up with transphobia/terf/transmed shit, racism, antisemitism, ableism, sexism, and the like.

itsjamespotter on ao3

**for anyone triggered by harry potter content, i try to tag all harry potter related posts with #hp, so you can block that tag**

Tumblr Fic Tags:

Jily

Prongsfoot

Dorlene

Smut

AO3 Highlighted Fics

Dead to Me [playlist] [tag] - 91,625 words - jily, angst, hurt/comfort

I saw a quote once that said: "How many times have I loved a thing, just because you loved it? Including me." This story is about love, but is not to be confused with a love story. It's about the love we should have had. The love we don't think we deserve. The crooked love we settle for. It is about how, in letting others love us, we learn to love ourselves.

Call and Response - 6,685 words - first war, hurt/comfort, minor jily

A series of vignettes showcasing how, despite his own personal tragedies, James Potter never fails to show up for the ones he loves – which might be his greatest strength and his greatest weakness. Set in a world where James and Lily never got together in school, the Marauders, now twenty, are fighting in the Order at the height of the war. Consider this my love letter to James “would have died rather than betray his friends,” “would have regarded it the height of dishonor to mistrust his friends,” “until the very end” Potter.

Risky Behaviour - 997 words - canon jily awkward smut

Lily is determined not to get distracted during rounds again. Written for @jilymicrofics Mystery Microfic May Prompt 27: Risk banner by @eastwindmlk! <3

The Couch Chronicles - 3,118 words - canon jilypad fluff

written for the lovely @annabtg as part of @jilymicrofics's 2024 Jily Gift Exchange, and inspired by this fanart.

Jily Microfics, Feb 2024: An Academic Rivals Montage - 6,550 words - canon-compliant Jily, pre-relationship

Witness as James comes to terms with all of Lily Evans's levels, and Lily comes to terms with what is most likely not a heart murmur.

Bring Your Kid to Work Day(s Never End When Your Godfather is Sirius Black) - 2,012 words - good godfather sirius black

Written for Good Godfather Sirius Black Fest. Day 11, prompt: bring your kid to work day.

Just This Once - 6,196 words - jily, muggle au, gratuitous smut

When they were teenagers, James Potter promised his best friend, Sirius Black, that he would never, ever touch his sister. Lily Evans promised herself long ago that she would never, ever give into her feelings for her brother's best friend. But maybe…just this once?

Completed Fics August '23 - Present

Jily: An Unexpected Ally - 910 words - canon-divergent trans James Potter, cw: transphobia

When James gets outed as trans by Snape, everyone starts treating him differently. Everyone except Sirius, Remus, and Peter, of course - and, to his surprise...Lily Evans.

Prongsfoot: where you belong - 1,207 words - canon-divergent trans prongsfoot, hurt/comfort(ish)

Sirius is finally moving into the boys' dorm room, where he belongs. Written in celebration of Trans Day of Visibility <3

The Potters/Jily: The Raven-Haired Prince - 1,630 words - Potter family fluff, fix-it fic

He's just a little boy who wants a bedtime story - but no, not like that, and wait, it must include this, and above all, never forget, the prince must be raven-haired. Written for @jilychallenge March Challenge: Fairytales

Jily: Dying Fires - 2,146 words - canon pre-relationship jily, hurt/comfort

In fifth year, James attempts to comfort Lily by a dying fire - but finds this will require restraint on his part in a number of ways.

Dorlene: Promises to Keep - 1,142 words - dorlene; canon first war; angst

Marlene and Dorcas have run out of ways to say goodbye.

Jily: Sweet Seventeen - oneshot - 792 words - canon school years, fluff

James is dating an older woman. She loves snow. He loves... well, it's too soon to say it.

Prongsfoot: here comes a thought - oneshot - 634 words - psychiatric unit AU

sirius is just one of those kids you can't fix. no one has ever thought otherwise. until james potter.

Jily: you are my heaven - oneshot - 1,815 words - soulmates AU, jily reincarnated

What, you thought all they got was a few years together? this is for anyone who has watched what dreams may come (1998) and it's a wonderful life (1946) and is also a pisces. 'cause you get it.

Jily: Happy Holiday, You Filthy Potters - oneshot - 6,098 words - fix it fic, jily never died AU, married smut

"jily christmas family fluff!" but with sex on the stairs.

Prongsfoot: "truth is i'm so damn in love with you i don't know what to do with myself" - oneshot - 804 words - canon first war, one bed

prongsfoot + near death experiences + trapped with only one bed + gay pining

Prongsfoot: "you have no idea how long i've been wanting to do that" - oneshot - 1,017 words - muggle AU, transmasc Sirius Black, bathroom smut

prongsfoot + a locked door public bathroom on my knees trying to make you scream vibe

Prongsfoot: not going anywhere - oneshot - 2,341 words - song fic, canon death, grief

when they were boys, james potter made sirius black a promise. and not even death can make james potter break his promises.

Prongsfoot: i don't even know where you end and i begin - oneshot - 482 words - first war, canon death, grief

Remember when we were such fools? And so convinced, and just too cool? I wish I could touch you again. I wish I could still call you, friend. I'd give anything.

Jily: Tall Dark and Glasses - oneshot - 3,292 words - coffee shop AU, fluff

Tall Dark and Glasses (or TDG as he is more affectionately known) is the mysterious, painfully good-looking stranger who has been frequenting Lily's favorite coffee shop for months now. But despite having an embarrassing acronym for him, Lily, a burned out STEM major, is too comfortable being a wallflower to go up to him herself. Thank god for playing cards, I guess.

Prongsfoot: I Only Breathe When You Breathe - oneshot - 643 words - first war, angst, hurt/comfort

Sirius and James and a nearly fatal order mission. Don't worry, it isn't gay at all.

[jilychallenge]

March Jilychallenge 2024

We really hope that February’s sweet fluff did not cause you to have cavities because, again, we have a sweet, cute theme of…

FAIRYTALES

It may be a rendition of a classic fairy tale, like Cinderella, Snow White or the Sleeping Beauty or any other lesser know fairy tales like The Juniper Tree, Bluebeard etc! Or it may even be a fairy tale of your own making set in a fantasy world! All we want is for our James and Lily to live their Happily Ever After!

To sign up:

• please reblog this post by the 1st of March tagging with what you'd like to make (for example #one-shot, #writing, #art, #drawing, #mood board, #playlist etc. You can be as vague as or specific as you like)

• At the beginning of the month, we will assign you a partner and you will receive your prompt (here or on JilyChallenge Discord). Keep an eye on this blog or Discord and please check your messages on Tumblr.

• Each creator makes their own creation, collabs are encouraged but not the aim of this challenge.

• (optional) please follow the jilychallenge Tumblrblog and @jilychallenge2023 for updates.

• (optional) join the Jily Challenge on Discord (send an ask for an invite) for beta help, chatting and mental support.

when posting:

creators should try to post their entries by the end of the month (What to do when you miss the deadline?)

please tag your partner and the jilychallenge in your post (including the theme and your prompt, if possible)

we will reblog all entries tagged #jilychallenge

if you post your art or story on ao3, please add it to the collection of Jily Challenges 2024

[charmsandtealeaves]

@jilychallenge | March 2024: Fairy Tales | Prompt(s): The Italian fairy tale The Three Enchanted Princes, and the scenario: person A is a member of a ship’s crew traveling to faraway lands who discovers person B as a stowaway.

Read The Stag Prince Across the Sea on AO3. Rated T, 4.4k

The realm of Hogwarts had lived for decades in a carefully negotiated harmony between the leaders of the four clans. However, when the time came for son to marry daughter, the Slytherin King refused to offer his daughter's hand to any of the other grand houses’ suitors. As the Slytherin King departed the shore, bound for the ship that would allow him to escape across the Green Sea, he cast a curse on the great families. “Let ye be marked. Marred by tooth, hoof, and claw. May your sons never be fit for any bride!” Slytherin invoked an ancient magic, which transformed each family's eldest son into creatures under the light of the full moon. The Kings searched far and wide for a cure to no avail while trying to keep secret the wrong that had been done to them. Years passed and with them grew a sense of unrest, a kingdom on the precipice of collapse…

[charmsandtealeaves]

2023 Year In Review

I first did this post last year after getting back into the swing of fandom and thought it would be cool to see what a difference another year has made. This year saw the creation of the @jilymicrofics & @jilymicro-oops blogs respectively, which will have their own review post in due course. Looking back I once again managed more than I thought I did this year.

Let's start with some AO3 Stats:

User Subscriptions: 103 Kudos: 2,732 Comment Threads: 781 Bookmarks: 594 Subscriptions: 315 Word Count: 267,425

All of which had a significant increase compared to last year which makes me a little giddy!

Now it's time for an AO3/Tumblr Breakdown:

Jilychallenges: My goal for this year was to complete every @jilychallenge month this year, and I did! (I'll link a proper master post here later.)

January, Firsts & New Beginnings: One and One is Two February, Butterfly Moments: Feelings Keep Running the Red March, Soul Mates: Ties That Bind April, Letters, Notes & Texting: Meet Me At The River May, Mothers Day: Mothers Day Mix-up June, Winter: Ice Breaker (@jamesunderwater collaboration!) July, Summer: Midnight Dip August, Movies & TV Quotes: A Reason To Fight September, Back To School: Sugar Quills November, Nostalgic Tropes: The Exchange Principle December, Holiday Calendar: Mistletoe Mishaps

@jilytoberfest: I didn't contribute to this as much as I wanted to this year 😢

Discord G & M Jilyexpress Trains, M Tumblr Jilyexpress Train Masquerade Event: Laundry Day Romcom Event: Love Birds

Jilymicrofics Prompted Fics:

Snap One Time Thing (and its sequel: No Such Thing) Runner's Stitch Summer Rain How Times Have Changed The Entire February Prompt List Behind The Tapestries Gift Exchange Event, for @startanewdream: The Owl and the Pussy Cat Mystery Microfic May Event: Darkest Before Dawn Early Mornings

@mppmaraudergirl's Blackevans BFF Week

Detention With a Difference Padfoot's Nose Knows Something Black and Blue

Collaborative Projects:

Stripped Back To Basics, with @athenasparrow Ice Breaker, with @jamesunderwater

Completed One-Shots:

Supreme Pizza With Extra Mushrooms Rose Tinted Glasses Lily Evans Doesn't Believe In I Love You's Evans Guide To Quidditch (and Seducing James Potter)

Completed Multi-Chapters:

Brown Boots & Breakfast Bagels Revenge Tastes Sweeter, a gift for @joyseuphoria Call Me By Name & Incoming (The CMBN Universe)

Ongoing Multi- Chapters:

Wake Me Up (When September Ends) A big thank you to @annabtg for helping me edit this fic!

Goals for 2024:

Finish Wake Me Up (When September Ends)

Another year of jilymicrofics + their events

As many jilychallenges as I can feasibly manage

Work on + publish some other backburner WIPs

~ Ray

[tedwardremus]

Tranquil Solitude (Until You Came Along)

Written for May 2024 @jilychallenge Prompt: I thought I went skinny dipping alone but oh my god this beautiful human is also here naked and I am a fool Partner: the amazing @petals2fish

Without thinking, Lily let out a startled scream and instinctively dove deeper into the water, seeking cover behind a large branch that extended into the pond. It offered little cover from the humiliation of being caught in such a compromising position. "Oh! Alright, Evans?" James called out, his voice tinged with amusement and surprise. Lily's heart raced as James's voice echoed through the trees, breaking through her moment of panic and embarrassment. She peeked out from between the gaps in the branches that concealed her naked body. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "What are you doing here?" Lily shouted back, trying not to sound panicky or nervous. James stepped closer, a crooked smile playing on his lips as he shrugged casually.  "Can't a man enjoy a walk in nature? What are you doing naked?" His tone was teasing, but a warmth in his eyes softened the teasing edge.