Azure water lapped against the yachtâs white hull as James lazily sipped chilled white wine, watching Lily read a book at the bow. The Greek sun painted her red hair in copper hues, and he couldnât take his eyes off her.
âYouâre staring at me again,â she laughed, not looking up from the pages.
James smirked, swirling the wine in his glass.
âCan you blame me? Youâre the most beautiful thing in the world, and Iâve seen Santorini at sunset.â
Lily rolled her eyes, but the corners of her mouth twitched upward. She turned a page slowly, pretending to focus.
âYou said the same thing about the grilled octopus last night.â
âTrue,â he admitted. âBut you still more beautiful than octopusâ
She laughed, soft and bright, the kind of sound that made James feel like the sky had cracked open just to let in more light.
âRemind me to push you overboard later.â
He stood, walked over, and leaned down to kiss her forehead.
âJust donât do it before dinner. I made reservations on shore.â
Lily arched an eyebrow. âYou planned something?â
James grinned. âA taverna by the cliffs. Wine, sunset, and no octopus this time. Just us.â
She reached for his hand, lacing her fingers through his.
iâve debated on entering this ongoing fandom etiquette conversation because, generally, i donât think iâm articulate or groundbreaking enough to say something that someone else hasnât already said⌠and i may very well regret this but âŚ
when it comes to fic comments:
do this ^^^ not that ^^^^
i received both of these over the weekend by first time commenters on my most popular (and personally beloved) wip that is currently in the throes of a year long hiatus. i wonât get into the in-depth reasons as to why its been on hold because im not asking for pity or sympathy or whatever (the ao3 curse is real) but i am posting this because one of these comments made me want to immediately pick up my drafted chapter 20 and finish it. while the other one made me want to bury my draft in my google drive and never look at it again.
this is a familiar tale, right?? lots of fic writers have exhausted the topic of super motivating and less than motivating types of comments. but i just wanted to add context to why.
first of all, because this is my first impression of both of these readers. one is fresh and exiting and positive! the other is completely disheartening, but why?? because if we infer through the subtext of the second comment that this person is supposedly a long time reader, this is the first time theyâve chosen to interact with me. at all. so my gut reaction is âwtf, i donât know you, what makes you think you can talk to me like this or that you are entitled to that type of information if youâve never felt the need to tell me you liked my fic before this??â
not a great feeling tbh! to immediately dislike someone upon first impression? i kinda wanted to block them so theyâd never get to read the rest when i do end up finishing the story. because i WILL finish it someday.
but SECONDLY, and this is the part that made me want to put the next chapter away forever, the blunt question of âWHY ARENT YOU POSTING đ¤Źâ literally has the direct response of me reflecting on the shitstorm of a year iâve had and the four addresses in twelve months, and the fights with my partner that never seem to get resolved, and my daughters health issues and her two hospital stays, and my own career upheaval and how iâm still not really in a job i truly love or feel invested in, and just SHIT!! you know?? sometimes life is shit and hobbies get put on the back burner. i donât know how else to say this but if you are wanting an update to your favorite fic, be kind!? you donât know whatâs going on in a persons internal life so why wouldnât you choose to be nice??
no one loves the path from you more than i do, or wants me to finish it mORE THAN I DO!!! you should assume this of every fic writer! those stories mean more to them than any reader or beta. i promise you. and having to reflect on all the conscious and subconscious reasons why i havenât been able to work on it just makes me more disappointed in myself, which makes me not want to work on it more⌠and the vicious cycle continues.
so, in conclusion, that second comment up there is not something i would ever expect a person to say in such words or tone if they stopped me on the street so it should never show up in my email either.
a good rule of thumb is: comment like you just ran into the fic writer in the grocery store <3
Thank you so much for this prompt, because it gave me the perfect idea for my last entry to Shirtless JP May đđ
Two drabbles in a day? Feeling quite proud. Also, this is an AU drabble after the longest time! đ
Heat of You
âLily! You made it!â
A smile spills over her face, large and bright, as she steps forward to offer Remus a hug. Overhead, the June sun blazes mercilessly down on her neck, sweat sprinkling generously over nape and brows and upper lip.
âHey!â she greets, wiping away some moisture from her face, sensitive skin already reddening, no doubt a prelude to all the freckles sheâll be welcoming soon. ââCourse I did. Only an idiot would refuse a pool party in this weather.â
âFace it: you were bullied into coming.â
âYeah alright, who am I kidding?â She rolls her eyes, stepping inside as Remus holds the door open, always a gentleman. The house, as grand from the inside as it had seemed from its exterior, sends a mixed bout of nerves and envy fluttering in her belly. âIs everyone already here?â
âOh yeah, the poolâs in the backyard,â Remus says around a bar of half-melted chocolate. âWhy donât you go join them? Iâll fetch some cold beer from the kitchen.â
âUm, where isâŚ?â
âOh, just go on straight and take a left,â he replies, voice already fading as he disappears off to where she can only assume is the kitchen. âYou canât miss Sirius blaring his playlist.â
With a nod to the empty air, she meanders along the dictated path, eyes frequently catching onto photographs of a bespectacled little boy with glasses too big for his face and eyes too mischievous for his age, and proceeds to watch him get older as she progresses. The soft boyishness of his features eventually disappears, replaced by sharp lines, a bright smile, glasses that fit better. The hazel eyes thoughâthey remain the same; equally as playful at seventeen as they were at five. In some of these frames, heâs accompanied by his parents, who seem a good deal older than her own parents, but adoration for their son shines so loud and clear in their expressions, even in the stillness, that theyâre instantly made younger by it.
âEvans!â cries a familiar voice, and she squawks outrageously in surprise, jumping a foot in the air. Hand to chest, she whips around to find Sirius Black standing at the end of the hall, the door to the backyard open behind him. He smirks, thoroughly entertained, and nods towards the photographs. âWhy stare at the frozen copies when you can enjoy looking at the real thing?â
âItâs nothing of that sort,â she hisses, glad that the burning of her cheeks can be attributed to the cruelly hot sun, and walks over to him. Sirius easily turns around, leading her out to the party. âI was just curious. Had to check whether James always had such a big head or whether it was acquired with age.â
âYou say that as if you havenât known me since eleven.â
The unbelievably loud thud of her heart is accompanied by a traitorous grin that pulls on her lips at the sound of that voice. She bites her cheek, manages to look politely pleased instead of madly thrilled. âWell, therein lies my problem, Potter. Your head has always looked big to me.â
âIs that right?â he hums, and itâs all the warning she receives before heâs right in front of her, body clad in nothing but summer-blue swimming trunks, skin glistening with sweat over a delicious tan. He holds a can of beer in one hand, the other rising to his head, feeling around stupidly as he looks straight at Sirius. âWhat dâyou think, Padfoot? Is my head too big?â
âNo, youâre perfect.â Sirius chuckles.
âSee, Evans? I donâtââ he suddenly stops, and she watches the muscles of his chest expand with the breath he pulls in. âExcuse me, my eyes are up here, you pervert.â
Despite the warmth that clings to her neck and ears, she laughs, shaking her head as her eyes land on him. âIâm terribly sorry. Maybe you shouldnât shove your naked chest in my face next time, yeah?â
âWhy?â James leans a little closer. âIs it too tempting for you?â
The thin cotton t-shirt sticking to her lower back registers glaringly on her senses all of a sudden, the music around them dulling to a mindless beat, everything sweltering, everything James and his eyes and the brief flash of his white teeth.
âJesus Christ,â mumbles Sirius, and though they hear the words, neither of them look away. âI swear itâs like watching you have sex openly. Iâm going to find some appropriate company.â
She bites her lip, enjoys how it draws Jamesâs eyes to the movement. âYouâre really red,â he says, tapping twice at her neck, leaving his finger there. Itâs quite evident when her pulse jumps against the spot, eager in its attempt to beat right in his palm. âAlright, Evans?â
âAlright,â she says, voice so breathy that the conviction doesnât carry.
Heâs close enough now that sheâs able to reach out a hand and brace it against the solidness of his abdominals. Tension flutters against her skin as he freezes for a second, nerves a tight coil in her stomach. But then he smirks; smirks so lazily, so lecherously, that she feels devoured by that look, by him, entirely.
âIââ
âLily, I got your beer!â
She instantly steps away at Remusâs voice, heart pounding, blood roaring, even as James lets out a tortured groan at the distance. Sensing what heâs just interrupted, Remus hands her the beer, wince marring his features.
âOops,â he says, turns to James. âSorry, mate. Iâll leave you to it.â
She doesnât even manage to open the drink before heâs pulling it out of her hands, setting it aside on a circular table, and skimming fingers down her elbow. âCome on. Swim with me.â
âI wanted that drink, you know,â she cocks a brow. âYouâre not being a very nice host.â
Something in Jamesâs eyes blazes, and he suddenly leans down, lips brushing the shell of her ear, heat emanating off him in tantalizing waves. Her breath hitches, brain scrambling. âI donât much care about being nice right now, Evans. Do you?â
âNo,â the answer whooshes out, honest.
âGood,â he says, and she definitely feels teeth scrape against her lobe, prompting goosebumps to flower down her arms. âCome on, then.â
Certain that heâs enjoying her tormented state, she takes a deliberate step back, eyes caught onto Jamesâs darkening gaze as she reaches for her t-shirt, pulls it up and over her head in a swift movement. The way he clenches his jaw has her skin buzzing, redder and redder even as she unbuttons her shorts and lets them drop away too. And just like that, sheâs standing in front of James Potter, dressed in nothing but a red bikini set that she knows is flattering on her figure.
Itâs quite a rush of thrill, therefore, when James steps towards her again with a muted swear, scorching fingers splayed over her ribcage, other hand cradling the sweat-damp skin of her neck. âLily,â he says, lips almost brushing hers, setting fire everywhere. âFuck, Iââ
She pushes up, fits her mouth against his, kisses him slow, languid, soft. âI know,â the whisper falls from her tongue, only a heartbeat away. âMe too.â
âI want you to remember that.â
A confused frown stitches her brows together. âWhat?â
âI want you,â he repeats, âto remember that you like me.â
âOkay, but why wouldââ her voice transforms ungracefully into a shrill shriek when James suddenly picks her up and promptly throws her into the pool, guffawing the entire time.
The betrayed annoyance persists only until she breaks the surface, finds him dive in right after. Sturdy arms instantly encircle her waist, warm mouth back on hers, smile pressed against wet lips that wonât stop beaming in return.
everyone in the notes we are all holding hands. everyone who hasnt worked on a wip in weeks or months or years, its okay. we are going slow but we are going
Shaking my brain like an etch-a-sketch, trying to erase the memories of the original plotline for a story of mine so I can rewrite it but *good* this time.
âPathetic?â James scoffed, âYou are the one that saw me with this pin and immediately went to it had to be a joke. Isnât it pathetic of you to be so narrow minded?â
âNarrow-minded?!â Lily narrowed her eyes in outrage. âItâs narrow-minded to think that the detention king would be an unfit person to be in charge of the entire student body?!â
âKing huh?â
âOH MY GOD!â Lily threw back her head as she rolled her eyes. âHow do you live with yourself?!â
ââ-Way Down We Go: Chapter Two: Therefore I Amââââ
When Lily jokingly tells her owl to deliver a letter to "the love of her life", i.e. Marlene McKinnon, her owl misinterprets the directive and, to her horror, her ode to James Potterâs arms lands squarely in his lap.
Lily Evans has been the star Chaser of the Holyhead Harpies for the past six seasons. Her career speaks for itself, an abundance of accolades proving her commitment to the game of Quidditch. The next challenge of her career? Chasing for England's World Cup team.
But it's not the spotlight or the pressure that challenges her the most, but the insufferable James Potter who she is forced to play alongside come hell or high water (or, as it turns out, infuriating attraction).
Lily goes foraging. James tags along. That's the official version of events, anyway.
(James brought himself along, because heâs impossible and obnoxious and when he found her skirting the edges of the forest that morning, he scoffed: âThe good stuff is inside the forest, Evans. Everyone knows that.â She still wouldnât have followed him in, though, if not for his next words. âCowards miss all the best cauldron fires,â he said, striding into the thick brush with all the confidence in the world, and well. Lily is a lot of things, but a coward has never been one of them).Â
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
For @kay-elle-cee @sunshinemarauder Jily Week 2024 Day 2: Partners in crime â partners in potions class, aurors out on a case, fighting side-by-side in the order, engaging in some espionage â these two do it all!
snowghoul
kianamaiart
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
gracieabrams
