Any good James/Lily in the Marauder era fics? I honestly don't want to have to read 50 pages of ff.net to find one.

Anything is fine, except slash, I'll be honest and say I can't stand it.

 

No, there is not.

 

Well that's a huge generalization that makes no sense. There are most likely at least one or two good fics and I know there have been fics rec'd on DLP that have garnered a generally favorable response. Check the library and almost reccomendable threads, OP, as I don't know any off hand.

You could also try Tinn's profile on FF.net as I seem to remember her having a soft spot for good James/Lily fics.



Edit by Minion:

[21:49] Tinn: Oh, and Seratin could get his fingers out of his Irish arse and capitalise my name.
[21:49] Tinn: That's just rude.​

 

The problem with most James/Lily fics is that they follow the same cliche:

- James stops fapping over Lily (but not really).

- Lily realizes that she really likes James.

- Lily persues James.

- James ignores her, and moves on.

- Lily tries to make him jealous.

- James tries to make Lily jealous.

- They get into a fight.

- They confess they're love for each other.

- They die.


Although, if you really want to read one, I would rec The Life and Times. Now, I've never read it, but it seem the most popular one. Plus, it's fucking long at 600k words and counting.

Also, this.

 

My personal favourite is Tears on the Balcony, and it's sequel Kisses on the Balcony. They're both completed and both over 500k words so they're fucking long. They do fall in to some of the usual clichés but they do them better than most.

 

I second this, while by no stretch great, it'll be the closest to what you want. Only thing I hated at all was Hot Dog Day.

 

... I think I've read both of those. A really long time ago.

They're alright, if I recall correctly. Nothing groundbreaking, but good enough if you're just looking for typical teenage-romance. The problem is, most Marauder-Era fics could be described as written versions of Dawson's Creek; very few of them are genuinely good stories. The one I always recommend is rockinfaerie's Red.

I haven't read it in a long time. I don't think Romance is a main, or even a secondary genre in this story; but it's one of my absolute favourites. However, you should know rockinfaerie's update rate is worse than mine.

The other Marauder-Era stories in my favourite list are all about James and Lily's couple. Give them a try if you want (there must be a link to my profile page somewhere in my sig). I don't remember them very well, but I must have liked them at one point, so... I hope you find one to your liking.

 

Frankly there is a lot of enjoyable L/J story.

Of course, after seeing the same general framework again and again it's bound to be a little bit annoying, but I found that the quality is usually here.

But again I am pathetically fond of this couple.

I tend to stick to short stories or OS, and you have to read this one:
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7866861/1/A_Wizard_Walks_Into_A_Bar

It's very good.

From there you just have to see the author's other work, and what she has in her favourite. It's a good start.

 

I like this story, although it isn't 100% what you're looking for

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4198643/1/Timely_Errors

 

I second timely errors. Succinct, good focus, and enjoyable.

 

Idk, I've always liked Before The Fawn more than I should have~

 

Maybe I'm in the minority once again, but I really don't like James/Lily. I attribute that fact to my SS/LE binges, which destroyed the canon pairing for me, although I aknowledge that it is in itself neither inplausible, nor is it impossible to write a good romance using the ship.

 

I find that reading SS/LE is akin to watching a train-wreck; it's not something I like, but still somewhat fascinating to watch in a morbid sense. That said, I definitely prefer James/Lily to SS/LE.

 

I do like SS/LE because I think the great thing about Teen!Snape is his redeemability.

 

You fuckers probably secretly read Draco/Hermione too. :facepalm

 

In my Time of Dying was decent, back when I read it. It's a little more serious, and focuses on the Marauders' roles in the first war.

However, if you want the cheesy, full of clichés fic, the only one I've read, and really liked is Priori Incantatem, if only because of Snape in this fic. I think it came out before HBP, and the author still managed to pull off a decent storyline for Snape, who is a character I don't normally like.

 

To be absolutely fair, I did start in Harry Potter fanfiction reading a fair amount of Draco/Hermione, but I very quickly stopped even before coming to DLP. You want to talk a cliche-ridden genre? Draco/Hermione fics nearly all go the same way, and they're more fucking tedious than the average Indy!Harry fic.

That being said, I do prefer SS/LE to JP/LE, simply because I find the former more interesting and having more story opportunities. Snape, despite all of his glaring flaws, is at least somewhat more sympathetic in his younger years than James was, and there was more visible material for his character. As I've said before, I prefer SS/LE fics simply because the ship is so fucked up. There's real potential for conflict and growth for both characters, and thus far more story opportunities.

When I read James/Lily, I don't see the same depth of potential, and maybe it's a few too many saccharine stories from this genre that has led to my general distaste for it, but really, I don't entirely enjoy the message it pushes either. James is the classic popular jock, and Lily then falls into the role of the popular smart girl, and they become more of a golden duo than anything. My issue isn't that it's just a stale archetype, it's more that it's boring. I haven't read enough fics that do anything interesting with either character to make them anything other than the 'perfect doomed lovers', and if such fics exist, I'd love to read them, but I really haven't seen them.

 

I second this because reading JP/LE is like reading reading HBP after seeing "Snape Kills Dumbledore" on 4chan . . . only, worse, because you know for a fact that you're not being trolled.

 

I think the main reason SS/LE is so disliked (and I'm a part of that group) is because we saw Snape's characterization and actions before we knew of his relationship and feelings towards Lily; his character is just better without having any romance attached to him. There's also a 'perfect world' stigma attached to Harry's origins: Lily and James are his parents, and they belong together, which shouldn't change. Of course, realistically, couples break up, remarry, etc... all the time, but I'd imagine that idea doesn't sit well with everyone.

Hmm... stigma isn't the right word. Stereotype, perhaps?

 

Try Before The Fawn by andelyn kinsey.
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6019444/1/Before_The_Fawn

Best Jily fic i've ever read. The author did a great job writing Lily. IMO its as close as anyone could get at canon Lily. Lily in this story posesses many of Harry's traits. She resembles Harry a lot, which is true to Dumbledores words: "in looks perhaps, but his deepest nature is much more like his mother". The Marauders characterization is also awesome. Its extremely canon to me. Thats why i like it.