i didn't read as much fic this year as i wanted to, but i did do a better job of bookmarking the fics that stuck with me! some of these are from 2025, some of these are just some that i discovered this year as i've continued acclimating myself with the talents of the fandom!! (i am, after all, only in year 2 of hanging out in this corner of the internet.) so, once again, in no particular order...my recs for you to consider reading in 2026.
ps here's my rec list from last year!
i'll be fine, i'll be good by @kay-elle-cee
- i have recced this one on other occasions over the last year, but it deserved a place here because it is truly The Slytherin Lily Fic. and by that, i mean it's the only one i've read and the only one i see myself reading. kelsey is one of those people who could quite honestly write my least favourite trope ever and i'd still give it a go. she's that talented. this one is no exception and is one i've gone back to multiple times over the last year!
breaking through the clouds (feels impossible now) by @jilyxz
- okay. OKAY. i need everyone to read this fic. i've gushed quite a bit to jasmine about it, but truly...i need EVERYONE to be gushing to her! this is her debut fic and it's truly one of my most favourite things i read all year. it's a wip, but each chapter is so obviously a labour of love for these characters. she just Gets Them in a way i need absolutely everyone to witness. also, as someone who came into the jily scene last year...getting started with writing (whether it's first the first time ever or the first time in a fandom), can feel scary. so give her and any new authors you know of lots and lots of love xx
December's Valentine by @stonecoldhedwig
- i'll never stop laughing at james's sex puns. i can't, i won't. i refuse to even try!!!!!! this is peak modern au jily and the setting is just...perfect??? you know when you read a fic and you're just like, "god these characters are so meant for each other" and i mean...maybe that sounds dumb, because isn't that always what we want when we read fic about pairings we love? sure! but it doesn't always happen that way, does it? anyway, i wanna print this out and make a, like, coffee table book out of it and put it out every christmas for visitors of my house (not my young children) to read and love as much as i do
Just Keep Your Eyes On Me by @crossingwinter
- housemates-to-lovers is a vastly unexplored trope within the jily fandom...that i adore!!!! this one does it so so well. the pining, the marauders' banter, the hilarious mystery of james' job (i really love that bit so much). a fun 50k+ one-shot. ha!
songbirds in springtime by @ohhevans
- okay so the hardest part of this rec list was my having to choose only ONE of pen's fics. idk if anyone gets jily like she gets jily. but i ultimately had to go with this one, because it was my birthday fic and made me cry actual tears. jily and fleamia in one place. what more could a (this) girl want?! genuinely, pen's gorgeous prose paired with her just Getting james potter and lily evans (paired with!!!! her being my actual FRIEND) is a spectacular thing to witness. please read everything she has written ever and then get back to me and tell me what was your favourite. (i mean, tell her, too, but if you tell me, i can relay the message)
Come morning light by @startanewdream
- hunger games adjacent jily? idk how else to describe this tbh. i don't like the hunger games. but i loved this beyond reason. and it's not actually hunger games. JUST READ IT and you'll understand. arranged marriage and forced proximity are a couple of my favourite things, especially within universes like this one. lastly, the morally grey albus dumbledore agenda is alive and well in this fic and i loved the slightly twisted, haunted, creepy nature of this dumbledore.
someday we'll know by @startanewdream
- read the tags on this one!!! my bookmark said this and i'll leave it here because i have nothing more to say about this brilliantly heartbreaking fic: resurrection stone jily. rip my heart out and throw it into the sea please. gotta go kiss my husband real quick and tell if he ever leaves me i’ll kill him again
I Can't Read Your Mind (Though I'm Trying All The Time) by flowrday
- a potter family dynamic i can fully support and get behind! ahhhHHHH. the mutual pining in this one is especially good and you all know how much i love a good fake dating sitch. i'll just never get tired of the "hey mum, look at this beautiful, smart, clever girl i'm bringing home to impress you, no i'm not in love with her lolllll why would you SAY THAT"
Ice Baby by elixirsoflife
- i’ve never read a soulmate story before to my knowledge! and honestly i'm not entirely sure if i’ll ever read more because it's possible that this delightful fic has woefully misrepresented them all and set me up for failure anticipating as wonderful an experience as THIS EVERY TIME? not sure if it’s possible tbh. so bloody cute. 'the cutting edge' was my favourite movie when i was a teenager so this really set my ice hockeyXfigure skater heart alight.
fields of feverfew by @apalapucian
- a second hunger games related rec on this list? madness!!! but thus is the power jayne has over me. if she writes it, i read it...and this one was such an incredible use of that freewill. i always love the little beats of blackevans that shine through her jily fics and this particular story had one of my favourites. also, as someone who is squeamish, this wasn't overly gory, which is something i am always hesitant about when it comes to hunger games aus. truly, though, the focus of this fic was on the characters first, setting second...and i loved loved loved it!!!
Golden Love by GwenMontrose
- i honestly may have recc'ed this last year, i don't remember, but i reread it this year while doing some research for my jily tennis au (coming soon!!!!!) and it's just SUCH a bloody delight. i don't care if you don't care about tennis or swimming or the olympics or whatever. read this. my precious babies!!!!!!!
i don't know why i like you (but i do) by @firefeufuego
- maybe my favourite fic of 2025?! idk, but i think about it at least once a week, which is kind of...insane. right??? i rarely see enemies-to-lovers done in a way that makes sense for my understanding of the dynamic and characters of jily. but this fic does it splendidly. also, i grew up in oxford so this scratched my niche homesickness. anyway, this fic has absolutely everything i love. no notes!!!!!
hold me like you mean it by emerqldv
- fwb jily!!!!!! tis the season!!!!!! like, sorry, but i'll never be normal about these two idiots falling in love on accident again and again (cue charli xcx or whatever). I JUST LOVE THEM!
my top 5 jily recs on ao3! (not able to link them but ill try again later)
1. the last enemy series by CH_Darling [i think everyone has read this but still reccing it. INCREDIBLE. prob my fav fic ever. the series is still a WIP but first 2 are completed. VERY long and VERY slowburn. canon complaint. more focused on the boys and the story as a whole rather than pure jily but still great. enemies to friends to lovers. multichap.]
2. Edge of Seventeen by micster [complete. slow burn. sixth year jily. lily centric. beautifully written. platonic lily x sirius which is great. slight wolfstar. multichap.]
3. The Price We Pay by posessingtheproperspirit [wip, slow burn, wolfstar and jily. sixth and seventh year. canon complaint. multichap.]
4. feel like a fool (waiting for you) by sunsickjune [complete. seventh year jily. bsfs to lovers. mutual pining. idiots in love. slow burn. multichap.]
5. this side of the universe (bare and brief) by emerqldv [slow burn, muggle au, childhood bsfs to strangers to friends to lovers. long one-shot.]
So, in an attempt to hide from my stress and quell my Life and Times withdrawal I went through everything we know about Chapter 37 and made myself a little guide. Here it is for general viewing pleasure (and I will update it when we get more information/excerpts!)
shoutout to AO3 authors who write 100k fics for free while juggling mental illness, academic burnout, 3 jobs, and a deep-rooted need to fix fictional people.
AKA my all time favourites as certified 10-year-reader of Blackinnon fanfictions.
Disclaimer: there a lot more fanfics I enjoyed and saved on ao3 or ff.net, and also here on Tumblr, these are just my personal favs/the ones I’m attached to for some reason. If you’re interest in finding more, check out my account on ao3 to see my bookmarks, you’ll find lots of other writings + also on my account here in my reblogs!
If anyone has recommendations, feel free to share :) new content is always appreciated by me <3
Multichapter fanfics:
The Last of Us by PadnProng. Set entirely in the First Wizarding War. Incredible Sirius' characterisation. It isn't finished but I love it anyway!
An Unexpected Attraction by thegingerhairedlass. MY ALL TIME FAVOURITE MARAUDERS FANFIC. It goes from Seventh Year to the Potters' death. Devastating. I sobbed so much the first time reading it and to this day I still have problems going through the war chapters. Anyway, it's not Blackinnon-centric but there is a lot of Sirius/Marlene here + Marlene is a very relevant character + Marlene and Sirius are written beautifully, both as character and as a couple. I will never stop recommending it, it's incredible. I feel like it's not really known bc it's not on ao3, but I think it deserves the world (it also pains me that this is not a big Marauders ff like others bc there is no Wolfstar...such a shame!!)
Sirius Black and the eleven times he fell in love with Marlene McKinnon by VellaNikola. I LOVE this one. I don’t know how many times I’ve read it, it’s so so so good. I love their chemistry here + how their history is portrayed. It feels really close to my personal hc.
Saudade by matrixaffiliate. Collection of drabbles/one-shot.
AUs:
London by SilverThestral. Muggle London AU. I've reread it so many times and I'm so sad it was never finished :( but it's worth it!! (multichapter)
Everybody Lives and Nobody Dies by polverine. The title says it all. It's so sweet and comforting. I love these type of AUs. (multichapter)
Don't cry by polverine (oneshot)
Father's Day Redux by polverine. Sirius as a dad will always get me, I'm sorry! (oneshot)
The Book by padfootagain. 'The Notebook' AU. (multichapter)
Toes in the Sand by AmeliaDarkholme. I love love love this one. It's angsty but has a happy ending. I always come back to this story! (long oneshot)
A Motorbike, a Sprained Ankle and an Angel in a White Coat by Queen_IvyJ. Warm and funny :) (oneshot)
A Good Team by hagiasofia. Blackinnon raises Harry AU. (oneshot)
Glimpsing Happiness by matrixaffiliate and EnthusiasticSloth. WW2 AU. Do I need to say anything else? (multichapter)
Alew by SeriouslySam. Blackinnon raises Harry AU. (multichapter)
Arcane by SeriouslySam. Voldemort wins AU. The author just started publishing this story, but the plot is very intriguing. James and Lily are alive, and so is Marlene. I can’t wait to see how it goes on! (multichapter) Sidenote: all stories from this author are incredible and Sirius is written perfectly, which for me is great because Sirius will always be my favourite character.
Cassie McKinnon and the Hidden Truths by anylouze. Blackinnon daughter AU (aka one of my favourite AUs) (multichapter)
One-shots:
Fireside by m00nydogs. Hurt/angst/fluff/smut. Marlene and Sirius' first time. It's literally perfect.
Redamancy by SeriouslySam. Very sweet!
Homeland by hagiasofia
Dangerous Words by liiilyevans. Because I'm a sucker for smutty Blackinnon eheheh.
Haunted by polverine. Sirius has visions of Marlene in the days approaching his death. Very sad, but I love the concept.
Window by matrixaffiliate. An after-life one-shot where Marlene (and Lily and James) watch over their loved ones after death.
Wake Up Your Sleeping Heart by hagiasofia.
can you feel the flame (her fading glow) by more1weasley. Another one-shot I read more times than I’d like to admit. Simply incredible!
Parental Guidance by more1weasley. Sirius telling about is crush to Fleamont. So cute and warm.
How do you like your eggs? by TheFeatheredQuill. Short one-shot but very cheeky, funny and fluffy.
@seriouslysam8 @matrixaffiliate @thegingerhairedlass @anylouze I don't know if the other authors have a Tumblr account!! <33
ok I'm having a bit of a shit week (I'm aware it's Tuesday), so I have been retreating to my happy place, aka Hanging Out With James Potter.
In the spirit of maybe making someone else's shit week a little less shitty, here is me impulsively sharing a random TLE3 scene.
with the eternal caveat that everything I share could completely change in the final draft. 🙃
Excerpt from The Last Enemy: Marauders’ End
The door swung open and James sauntered in. “All right, very funny,” he said, dropping himself in the armchair and kicking his feet up on the trunk that served as Sirius’s coffee table. He gave them an amused, exasperated smirk that suggested they were all in on the same joke.
“What’s funny?” said Sirius.
“Come off it. I know it was you.”
Sirius and Lily exchanged a confused look.
“What are you talking about, mate?”
James rolled his eyes, dug into his pocket, and pulled out a crumpled letter. Then he cleared his throat and read imperiously: “Dear Mr. Potter. We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected as Head Boy of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Despite your rather colorful school records — nice touch, that — the Headmaster feels that you have exhibited exemplary courage, creativity, and leadership skills — pah! — We are certain you will…blah, blah, blah, responsibilities, blah, blah. Very clever. Very authentic. I’m impressed, really.”
Sirius gaped at him. Lily had covered her mouth in astonishment.
“So what does this do, then?” James went on, heedless to the shock on his friends’ faces. He held up a shiny red and gold badge. “Will it turn my hair green or piss at me if I try and pin it on?”
“You’re having a laugh, aren’t you?” said Sirius at last. “You’re not really Head Boy.”
“Of course not, because you sent me a counterfeit letter.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Come off it,” said James, whose amused expression had at last faded into something more closely resembling genuine alarm. “Joke’s up, I figured it out. We both know there’s no way Dumbledore made me Head Boy.”
Sirius walked over and grabbed the letter from James, examining it closely. “Did you try any anti-counterfeit spells?”
“N-no…”
Sirius began to poke the letter with his wand.
“Mate,” said James, “just tell me you sent this letter.”
“Would if I could, Prongs. It’s legitimate. This letter came from the desk of Minnie McGee herself.”
“No…no. There’s no way.” He turned beseechingly to Lily, who was still hiding her mouth behind her hand. “There’s no way. Leadership skills? I mean, I wasn’t even a prefect.”
“Well, you are Quidditch Captain,” offered Lily. “That’s a leadership position.”
“But that’s…that’s Quidditch. Head Boy should be a prefect. Remus—”
“—was a bloody awful prefect and he’d be the first to admit it,” said Sirius.
“Yeah, but—”
“They’re probably hoping a bit of you-know-what will sort you out,” said Lily.
“You-know-what? I don’t know what. What?”
“Responsibility,” she whispered in a conspiratorial hiss. Sirius let out a bark of laughter.
James, for his part, looked at them with dawning horror in his eyes. “Oh, sweet Merlin with his knickers out to dry. They’ve made me a figure of authority.”
At this, Lily dissolved into giggles, falling back into the sofa cushions.
“It’s not funny. Evans, stop laughing!”
Lily sat up and gave a sharp salute. “Sir, yes, sir!”
“Nice,” said Sirius approvingly.
“Well, I learned from the worst,” said Lily.
James looked on with a sulky glare. “You know, I’m not sure I like you two being friends.”
“Cheer up,” said Sirius. “I’ll still be your mate even if you are Head Swot. I mean, not publicly, of course. And you probably shouldn’t eat meals with us anymore, but you can still sleep in the dormitory. For now.”
“Shut it.” James chucked his Head Boy badge at him. Sirius dodged and the badge hit the wall with a resounding ping. “This can’t be happening,” moaned James, sinking further into the depths of his chair. Then, he sat up abruptly. “Oh, Merlin. Who do you think the Head Girl is?”
“Probably someone really awful,” said Lily with a commiserative grimace. “Sorry.”
“Yeah,” agreed Sirius. “Probably some stuck-up, frigid goody-two-shoes who — ow! — hits disturbingly hard for a girl” he finished, glaring at Lily while he rubbed his shoulder.
“You think it’s McKinnon?” said James, wide-eyed and appalled.
“God, you’re stupid,” said Lily affectionately.
Sirius tapped her on the shoulder. “Should we tell him? I think we should tell him.”
“But he’s so cute when he’s terrified.”
“You’re mean.”
Lily stuck out her tongue. “And you used to be fun.”
“What are you two on about?”
Sirius smirked and gestured at Lily. “Head Boy, meet Head Girl.”
“What? You’re Head Girl?”
Lily shrugged. “That’s what the letter says.”
James’s entire demeanor was suddenly transformed. “Blimey, why didn’t you say something? Letting me prattle on and on like an idiot…”
“It was much more fun watching you angst.”
“Hey, if you two need a set of matching crowns, I know a goblin,” offered Sirius.
James and Lily both flipped him off in unison.
Sirius snickered. "Look at that. A united front. Just what Hogwarts needs."
And, quite suddenly, the sight of James there was ridiculously endearing. Lily crossed the distance between them in about a second, pulling him into a tight embrace. He seemed stunned for a few seconds, before relaxing a little and reciprocating the hug, his arms wrapped around her waist. They had never—she thought—been so close, and James was right—he could use a good shower, but, Lily found she didn't mind the vague scent of fatigue and life. It was James. It was the same James who had sat and stood and ran and shouted with her that day. He had held her hand, and that had meant something, though she really didn't know what. She didn't question it either, just as she did not question his presence with her now. It was James—she knew better now than to question anything.
She didn't want to let go. Something strange—familiar and alien at the same time—stirred in the pit of her stomach as they stood there. She was suddenly conscious of every inch of her body—the stubble on his unshaven face that bristled against her bare arm, his arms on the crook of her back. She had never found much solace in another's arms (for her, comfort was better achieved in solitude), but just then, this was exactly what she needed. She didn't want to let go, but, when he began to pull away, she did.
andulkaphoto
annaxmalina
stormborns
discoholicmusic
tangentwithtanner
germansingergirl
titsay
romaincrisis
