Kelsey ( @kay-elle-cee ) and I are thrilled to host Jily Week for the third year in a row. After being treated to 80+ creations each of the past two years, we can’t wait to see what all of you talented people will come up with this year. GET EXCITED for the week of August 17th to 23rd!!
To participate, post a creative work corresponding to the daily prompt – fanfiction, fanart, playlists, metas, moodboards, etc. – anything goes! You can participate in as few or as many days as possible, but we challenge everyone to try and create something for every prompt, even if it's only a hundred-word drabble or a 5-minute sketch! Don't stress about meeting the exact prompt or the deadline - the most important thing is to have fun with it!
Remember to tag your works with #jily week 2026, mention @sunshinemarauder and @kay-elle-cee, and add any fic you write to the Jily Week 2026 AO3 Collection.
🌟 PROMPTS:
☀️ Day 1 – 17th of August – Mistaken Identity
Or: when the road to love is obscured by mistaken identities. Secret superhero identities, masquerades, love squares, or wrong numbers can complicate things… but don’t worry, they’ll get there eventually.
☀️ Day 2 – 18th of August – Star Power
Romance is hard as it is, but it can get even more complicated when you’re in the limelight. Put one or both of our favorites in the public eye, and you get a recipe for delicious fanfiction. Make ’em celebs, actors, royals, athletes – anything goes!
☀️ Day 3 – 19th of August – Break Up / Make Up
You’ve heard of Angst vs Fluff – now get ready for Break Up / Make Up. Choose your fighter: break hearts or put them back together?
☀️ Day 4 – 20th of August – Mythos
Whether you choose to modernize your favorite myth or place James and Lily on Mt. Olympus, this is the perfect time to pull out all the obscure folkloric trivia we know you’ve been waiting to put in a story. (Percy Jackson crossovers WELCOMED.)
☀️ Day 5 – 21st of August – Damned to Detention
We all know the Marauders spent much of their Hogwarts years in and out of detention. Though Lily may have been a Prefect, she wasn’t so removed from their antics. Who’s the unlucky one this time?
☀️ Day 6 – 22nd of August – And There Was Only One Bed
You know it — a trope as old as time and a forever favorite.
☀️ Day 7 – 23rd of August – Write a Fic Rec
There’s a wealth of fantastic Jily works out and about. Take a moment to shine the spotlight upon a current fav/recent read/comfort fanfiction. Write the recommendation the author deserves and introduce it to a new audience!
———
Feel free to message either of us or drop an ask if you have questions! 🌟
Kelsey ( @kay-elle-cee ) and I are thrilled to host Jily Week for the third year in a row. After being treated to 80+ creations each of the past two years, we can’t wait to see what all of you talented people will come up with this year. GET EXCITED for the week of August 17th to 23rd!!
To participate, post a creative work corresponding to the daily prompt – fanfiction, fanart, playlists, metas, moodboards, etc. – anything goes! You can participate in as few or as many days as possible, but we challenge everyone to try and create something for every prompt, even if it's only a hundred-word drabble or a 5-minute sketch! Don't stress about meeting the exact prompt or the deadline - the most important thing is to have fun with it!
Remember to tag your works with #jily week 2026, mention @sunshinemarauder and @kay-elle-cee, and add any fic you write to the Jily Week 2026 AO3 Collection.
🌟 PROMPTS:
☀️ Day 1 – 17th of August – Mistaken Identity
Or: when the road to love is obscured by mistaken identities. Secret superhero identities, masquerades, love squares, or wrong numbers can complicate things… but don’t worry, they’ll get there eventually.
☀️ Day 2 – 18th of August – Star Power
Romance is hard as it is, but it can get even more complicated when you’re in the limelight. Put one or both of our favorites in the public eye, and you get a recipe for delicious fanfiction. Make ’em celebs, actors, royals, athletes – anything goes!
☀️ Day 3 – 19th of August – Break Up / Make Up
You’ve heard of Angst vs Fluff – now get ready for Break Up / Make Up. Choose your fighter: break hearts or put them back together?
☀️ Day 4 – 20th of August – Mythos
Whether you choose to modernize your favorite myth or place James and Lily on Mt. Olympus, this is the perfect time to pull out all the obscure folkloric trivia we know you’ve been waiting to put in a story. (Percy Jackson crossovers WELCOMED.)
☀️ Day 5 – 21st of August – Damned to Detention
We all know the Marauders spent much of their Hogwarts years in and out of detention. Though Lily may have been a Prefect, she wasn’t so removed from their antics. Who’s the unlucky one this time?
☀️ Day 6 – 22nd of August – And There Was Only One Bed
You know it — a trope as old as time and a forever favorite.
☀️ Day 7 – 23rd of August – Write a Fic Rec
There’s a wealth of fantastic Jily works out and about. Take a moment to shine the spotlight upon a current fav/recent read/comfort fanfiction. Write the recommendation the author deserves and introduce it to a new audience!
———
Feel free to message either of us or drop an ask if you have questions! 🌟
On Lily’s final day at Hogwarts, it rains.
That can't stop her from running through the storm in her underthings, contemplating nihilism, and kissing the boy she loves.
On Lily’s final day at Hogwarts, it rains.
That can't stop her from running through the storm in her underthings, contemplating nihilism, and kissing the boy she loves.
I'm trying to get my ass in gear and get writing, but I'm curious....
If you're writing for Jily Week, what prompts are you writing for?
Mistaken Identity
Star Power
Break Up/Make Up
Mythos
Damned to Detention
And There Was Only One Bed
[More Than One Prompt] (tell us!)
Voting ended on60m
A reminder of prompts and dates here (August 17-23!)
I omitted the Fic Rec prompt as a stand-alone option, because I'd really hope EVERYONE participates in that one, whether you're writing/drawing/creating something else or not!
As always, if you have questions about the event, feel free to drop and ask to me or @sunshinemarauder 💕
OKAY so I don't know if I will be able to finish this but I've suddenly got 2k of a New Girl-adjacent hookup fic written for Jily Week???
The plot is smut and what if Jily were simultaneously Nick/Jess + Cece/Schmidt and I'm gonna be honest that's about the extent of it. Also James wears a suit. That's important.
Kelsey ( @kay-elle-cee ) and I are thrilled to host Jily Week for the third year in a row. After being treated to 80+ creations each of the past two years, we can’t wait to see what all of you talented people will come up with this year. GET EXCITED for the week of August 17th to 23rd!!
To participate, post a creative work corresponding to the daily prompt – fanfiction, fanart, playlists, metas, moodboards, etc. – anything goes! You can participate in as few or as many days as possible, but we challenge everyone to try and create something for every prompt, even if it's only a hundred-word drabble or a 5-minute sketch! Don't stress about meeting the exact prompt or the deadline - the most important thing is to have fun with it!
Remember to tag your works with #jily week 2026, mention @sunshinemarauder and @kay-elle-cee, and add any fic you write to the Jily Week 2026 AO3 Collection.
🌟 PROMPTS:
☀️ Day 1 – 17th of August – Mistaken Identity
Or: when the road to love is obscured by mistaken identities. Secret superhero identities, masquerades, love squares, or wrong numbers can complicate things… but don’t worry, they’ll get there eventually.
☀️ Day 2 – 18th of August – Star Power
Romance is hard as it is, but it can get even more complicated when you’re in the limelight. Put one or both of our favorites in the public eye, and you get a recipe for delicious fanfiction. Make ’em celebs, actors, royals, athletes – anything goes!
☀️ Day 3 – 19th of August – Break Up / Make Up
You’ve heard of Angst vs Fluff – now get ready for Break Up / Make Up. Choose your fighter: break hearts or put them back together?
☀️ Day 4 – 20th of August – Mythos
Whether you choose to modernize your favorite myth or place James and Lily on Mt. Olympus, this is the perfect time to pull out all the obscure folkloric trivia we know you’ve been waiting to put in a story. (Percy Jackson crossovers WELCOMED.)
☀️ Day 5 – 21st of August – Damned to Detention
We all know the Marauders spent much of their Hogwarts years in and out of detention. Though Lily may have been a Prefect, she wasn’t so removed from their antics. Who’s the unlucky one this time?
☀️ Day 6 – 22nd of August – And There Was Only One Bed
You know it — a trope as old as time and a forever favorite.
☀️ Day 7 – 23rd of August – Write a Fic Rec
There’s a wealth of fantastic Jily works out and about. Take a moment to shine the spotlight upon a current fav/recent read/comfort fanfiction. Write the recommendation the author deserves and introduce it to a new audience!
———
Feel free to message either of us or drop an ask if you have questions! 🌟
my james is not just south indian written by a south indian or man written by a woman… he is also person with glasses written by a person with 20/20 vision, because i always have to add in mentions of his specs while editing
12 Jily one-shots in 12 days. 7/14-7/25 so my birthday can be part of it, and so I can hopefully do something else for Harry's.
Day 1: The Mistletoe Conspiracy - Hogwarts Sixth Year - James and Lily are hounded by bunches of stalking mistletoe. James is going mad trying to work out who in Gryffindor Tower is responsible.
Wordcount: ~2300
Read it on tumblr / AO3
Day 2: 12 Days of Secret Santa - The sixth year Gryffindors decide to do twelve days of Secret Santa. Lily is surprised by how well her Secret Santa seems to know her.
Wordcount: ~3700
Read it on tumblr / AO3
Day 3: A Christmas Wish - Muggle school AU - McGonagall has students submit anonymous Christmas wishes for a public display. Lily notices James is acting very strange about it.
Wordcount: ~3100
Read it on tumblr / AO3
Day 4: The Jumper - Hogwarts Seventh Year - Lily borrows James's Christmas jumper because she's cold. They spend the rest of the day trying to be normal about it.
Wordcount: ~3300
Read it on tumblr / AO3
Day 5: Decorating Duty - Hogwarts Seventh Year - McGonagall catches James and Lily after curfew and assigns them the punishment of decorating the castle for Christmas.
Wordcount: ~ 2400
Read it on tumblr / AO3
Day 6: The First (and Last) Annual Gingerbread House Competition - Muggle AU Emmeline decides to host the first annual Gingerbread House Decorating Competition. Lily and James are on opposing teams. Things become absurdly competitive.
Wordcount: ~ 1100
Read it on tumblr / AO3
Day 7: The Holiday Photos - Hogwarts Seventh Year - Lily meets James's parents over the Christmas holiday. She did not expect his mother to be obsessed with taking photos.
Wordcount: ~2300
Read it on tumblr / AO3
Day 8: The Hogwarts Express - Hogwarts Seventh Year - For the first time ever, James Potter and Lily Evans ride the train home together.
Wordcount: ~2900
Read it on tumblr / AO3
Day 9: One Missed Date - Hogwarts Seventh Year - When James agrees to help Professor Wycliffe with a task the morning of his final Hogsmeade date with Lily before Christmas, he doesn’t expect a snowstorm to trap him in the castle – or the emotional whiplash of coming face-to-face with his deepest fear.
Wordcount: ~3200
Read it on tumblr / AO3
Day 10: The Weather Delay - Hogwarts Seventh Year - James and Lily are caught beneath a shop awning during a snowstorm in Hogsmeade. Neither minds the delay.
Wordcount: ~1400
Read it on tumblr / AO3
Day 11: The New Year's Kiss - Muggle Uni AU - Sirius and James invite Lily to their New Year’s Eve party. Lily doesn’t realise she’s supposed to find someone to kiss at midnight, or that everyone else already assumes that person will be James.
Wordcount: ~3800
Read it on tumblr / AO3
Day 12: The Long Way Home - Muggle Uni AU - Sometimes the longest road home is the one that leads you exactly where you were always meant to be. Lily Evans and James Potter discover that friendship, love, and a crowded, cozy inn during a blizzard may be just what it takes to change everything.
Wordcount: ~15,500
Read it on tumblr / AO3
2 of my jily week submissions grew more ambitious than intended (as tends to happen to me).
Most of them are in the 1-3k range. And then I have 2 that are approaching 10k.
And guess which ones I love?
Well, most of them. But really, really, really love the long ones.
Day 1 of 12 Days of Jily Christmas in July *but it ends on the 25th instead of beginning then*
Lily and James are hounded by bunches of stalking mistletoe. James is going mad trying to work out who in Gryffindor Tower is responsible.
AO3
~2300
There had always been mistletoe floating about Hogwarts in the weeks leading up to the Christmas holidays, as far as James could remember. In fact, just last year a particularly stubborn clump of the stuff had followed Davey Gudgeon around the castle incessantly until he had finally reluctantly kissed Bertha Jorkins just outside of the Great Hall on the last day of term. James had always suspected Sirius as the culprit behind that particular incident, but Sirius had refused to claim responsibility.
The fact that this year he, James, seemed to be the target of the dreaded clingy bunch of mistletoe did nothing to convince him that Sirius was not the one with the proclivity for this particular charm. Unfortunately, he couldn’t prove it since it didn’t actually behave the way it had last year with Gudgeon. Last year Gudgeon hadn’t had a moment of peace from the stalking mistletoe for three days before he’d given up and done something about it.
James’s mistletoe seemed to be selective about when it chose to stalk him. Sometimes Sirius was there with him, looking very convincingly unaware of what was happening, though James of all people knew how well Sirius could sell the innocent act. Sometimes, though, he knew for a fact that Sirius wasn’t around, whether Sirius was with a girl or in detention or off brooding, the mistletoe would zoom over to James, who stood scowling, looking for the person who had charmed it.
He suspected Remus for all of three minutes until Remus addressed it.
“What’s with the mistletoe?” Remus asked, attention fixed over James’s head as they sat in the squashy armchairs in front of the warmest fire.
“I should ask you,” James grumbled.
“Beg pardon?” Remus said mildly.
“I thought it was Sirius’s doing, but he’s off with Donna or whatever her name is. That Ravenclaw Seventh Year.”
“Dana,” said Peter.
James startled. He hadn’t noticed Peter coming down from their dormitory. Probably he had been too fixated on Lily Evans who had just entered the common room through the portrait hole.
“Yeah, her,” James said.
There was a similarly stubborn clump of mistletoe now bobbing along over Lily’s head as she crossed the common room. She noticed him sitting there, took note of his mistletoe, and looked up to see that she had one as well. She scowled at him and stomped up to her dormitory.
Over by a window near the boys’ staircase, Mary MacDonald was laughing to herself. James eyed her suspiciously.
The mistletoe over Lily’s head did not follow her up to her dormitory. The bunch over James’s head zoomed away, lingering near the fireplace. James pointed his wand at it and flicked to send it into the fire. It didn’t budge. He sighed.
“What’s going on?” Dorcas asked from a nearby couch, looking from James’s drawn wand to the stubborn mistletoe.
“I don’t trust a single person in this room,” James announced to the room as a whole as he got to his feet. A startled first year who realistically was probably innocent, stared after him as he headed out of the common room and down to the Quidditch pitch.
He flew for nearly two hours, diving and looping the pitch at top speed as he always did when he was frustrated, or angry, or disappointed, or just needed to clear his head. It just so happened that tonight he was experiencing all of those emotions.
He was on his way back up to the common room, chilled to the bone and still frustrated, when he turned a corner and nearly collided with Lily Evans herself. He stopped just short of toppling her over; his hand instinctively went to her arm to catch her as she reeled back. Almost immediately, he released her and stepped aside.
They both stared in horror as two nearly identical bunches of mistletoe came zooming toward them at breakneck speed, one settling squarely over each of their heads.
“Oh, for the love of Merlin!” he exclaimed.
“God damn it!” Lily shouted. “Potter, what have you done?”
“Me?” James was dumbfounded by the accusation. “You think I like having this shit floating over my head every time you’re around?”
“It’s floating over my head too!” Lily pointed out.
“I’ve noticed!” He turned and paced away from her, taking several deep breaths in an attempt to steady himself. She was still glaring at him when he turned back to face her. “You see the pattern, don’t you?”
“Yeah, of course I do,” she snapped. “I think the entire school has caught on this bloody mistletoe accosts me-”
“And me!” he cut in.
“- whenever you’re near me!” she continued loudly as if she hadn’t heard him.
“Do you really, honestly think I like the implication behind a bunch of mistletoe attaching itself to me whenever you’re around?” James demanded. “You don’t think it’s embarrassing for me, as well?”
“You’ve never been quiet about it before!” Lily shouted.
She didn’t have to define it. He knew what she meant. His huge all-consuming crush on her. He’d even made the stupidest decision of his life and asked her out in front of half the school at the end of last year.
“Yeah, well, I’m trying to be mindful of your feelings too, now,” he informed her.
He’d thought she’d noticed. They had been friendlier than ever before lately, and on a much more consistent basis than in years past. Some part of him, small and stupid and hopeful as it was, had thought maybe she was even starting to fancy him a little bit, too. It wasn’t until this mistletoe incident that she’d suddenly turned against him again. When he found out who was behind it, he was going to kill them.
“You really didn’t do this?” Lily asked uncertainly.
He looked at her. He had never seen her look so unsure of herself, not even as a first year entering a magical school as a Muggle-born.
“I swear I had nothing to do with this, Lily,” he said, walking back over to her. Her eyes, green as the forest and enchanting as anything he’d ever seen, roved his face as he approached.
“Maybe you put the idea into someone’s head, then,” she suggested, still studying him warily.
“Lily, I swear on the Quidditch Cup that I had nothing to do with this,” he said earnestly.
The corners of her mouth quirked upward. “Not the Quidditch Cup.”
“Yes,” he said gravely, putting one hand to his chest and raising the other in the air. “The Quidditch Cup.”
“Okay, I believe you,” she said quietly, smiling slightly as she looked up at him. “I’m sorry I’ve been awful to you since this started.”
He shrugged. “It’s not like I have the cleanest track record with this sort of thing.”
“But you have been a lot better this year,” she said softly. “That’s why I was so upset. It didn’t really make sense for you to suddenly backslide this hard.”
“I get it,” he told her.
They were quiet for a moment, each staring at the mistletoe over the other’s head. Then Lily sighed.
“It seems pretty obvious, doesn’t it?”
He looked from her mistletoe to her face, frowning thoughtfully. “No? I really can’t figure out who did it. I thought, at first, Sirius. Then Remus. Mary’s been a bit weird lately. And Dorcas just showed up in the common room this afternoon.”
“No, James.” Lily laughed and shook her head. “I meant it’s obvious what we’re meant to do to get it to stop following us around, right?”
For a moment, he was too charmed by her smile to follow. Then, her words hit him like a train.
“You want to kiss?”
Her smile turned wry. “That’s not exactly what I said. Sorry. But I do think it’s what’s got to happen if we want to be free of it.”
“Right. Yeah, right,” James said, feeling foolishly out of his element. He had kissed girls before. Well, he had kissed a girl before. It had been nice. Fine. Decent. It hadn’t been awful. He hadn’t really thought much about it, or her, afterwards. He suspected he wouldn’t be so blasé about a less than extraordinary kiss with Lily Evans. Even less if it did turn out to be extraordinary.
“Should we, then?” she asked, looking up at him almost shyly.
He swallowed thickly, and nodded. “I mean, sure, yeah, if you’re comfortable with that.”
“I’m more comfortable with the thought of kissing you than the thought of this-” she scowled up at the mistletoe “-continuing to follow us around until the professors banish all the decorations.”
It wasn’t exactly the eager consent he had always dreamed of, but it was practical and he had to admit he didn’t care to have mistletoe zooming in and out of the room whenever they found themselves near each other.
“Alright, then,” he said, clearing his throat and taking half a step closer to her.
She held up a hand between them. He froze immediately. “No tongue.”
Despite himself and how incredibly nervous he was, he smiled. “That's fine.”
“I mean it. I will hex you if you shove your tongue in my mouth,” she said severely.
“Honestly, woman. I'm not some creep pervert trying to take advantage of you,” he said defensively. “This was your suggestion.”
“I'm just making myself clear,” she said.
“I get it,” he said and started to lean closer again.
“But make it nice, would you?” she requested. This close to her, he could see that she actually had a very light dusting of freckles along her cheekbones. Her dazzling eyes looked distinctly nervous, which somehow eased his own nerves a bit. “If I've got to kiss you, it should at least be enjoyable.”
“Would you shut up?” He said mildly and placed a hand on her waist.
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, that's nice and romantic.”
“So sorry, Evans. I didn't realize this was a romantic moment,” he said sarcastically.
“Well, Potter, it's a ki-”
He slid his other hand behind her head and pulled her body flush against his as he pressed his mouth to hers. Her arms went around the back of his neck so quickly he wondered if it was instinct.
He kissed her like he would never have another chance because, honestly, he might not. And when she rose up onto the tips of her toes to press herself closer, lips soft and pliant under his, his grip on her tightened.
When her lips parted of their own accord, James kept his tongue firmly behind his teeth even as she deepened the kiss. And when he finally pulled back, he was intensely pleased by the dazed look on her face as her eyes fluttered open. He would be surprised if he didn't look similarly affected.
Her eyes widened as she seemed to come back to her senses and she took a step back, her arms falling from his shoulders.
“Well, I hope that was sufficiently…nice,” he said lamely.
She ran a hand down the length of her hair as if to fix any hair he may have inadvertently pulled disturbed. “It was…enjoyable, as requested.”
He grinned. He couldn't help himself.
“Don't do that,” she warned, but there was no heat behind the words, and the corners of her mouth hinted that she wanted to smile at him. His grin widened. “Stop.”
“I'm smiling,” he said. “You can't tell me not to smile.”
“You are not just smiling,” she argued as she turned on her heel and started up the stairs. “You look entirely too pleased with yourself.”
He remained silent, smiling to himself as he followed her along the familiar path towards the common room. Then, he noticed something. “Hey. Your mistletoe's gone.”
She stopped suddenly and wheeled around to face him, eyes wide. Her smile finally broke free. “So's yours.”
“Thank Merlin,” he muttered as they continued walking. “But you know what this means, don't you?”
“Yes,” she said, sounding darkly pleased. “Whoever did this to us is going to know we kissed. Which also means if they say anything…”
“They'll immediately give themselves away,” James finished.
“Exactly,” she said. “And then we can hex them!”
“You're a bit scary, Evans. Did you know that?” James said lightly. Honestly, he'd never fancied her more.
“I am a delightful person, I will have you know,” Lily told him as they walked up the last flight of stairs toward the Fat Lady.
“Usually, genuinely,” James agreed. “When you're not threatening to hex me.”
“Actually, that is when I am at my most delightful,” Lily insisted, chin up proudly.
“Many apologies,” James said on a laugh, turning to give the Fat Lady the password. “You're right, I love when you threaten me.”
She nodded sagely. “I always knew it.”
They stood there for a moment before they spotted their respective friend groups on opposite sides of the room. Sirius had turned up after his date, James noticed.
“Well, goodnight,” James said as he started toward the boys.
“Goodnight, James,” Lily said as she headed toward the girls. “And…thank you.”
He turned back to her and winked. “Anytime. Really. Anytime.”
She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling and there was a pretty flush to her cheeks as she hurried over to the seat next to Mary.
“Hey, no mistletoe,” Sirius observed as James fell into the empty spot next to him on the couch.
“What about it?” James asked, eyeing him suspiciously.
“It seemed like it was only following you around when Lily was in the room, and now it's not,” Peter added. He glanced toward Lily. “Hers is gone too.”
“Yeah, maybe we figured out how to break the enchantment,” James said, looking from Peter to Remus to Sirius again.
“Are you feeling alright?” Remus asked, frowning at James. “You're acting like a nutter.”
“I’m fine,” James insisted, crossing his arms over his chest and glancing back at Lily to find that she seemed to be trying to coax the truth out of her friends as well. Between the two of them, James was certain they would get to the bottom of this.
