Archive of Our Own ^beta

"The month of May was come, when every lusty heart beginneth to blossom, and to bring forth fruit; for like as herbs and trees bring forth fruit and flourish in May, in likewise every lusty heart that is in any manner a lover, springeth and flourisheth in lusty deeds. For it giveth unto all lovers courage, that lusty month of May."
-- Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte d'Arthur

"Every year, back comes Spring, with nasty little birds yapping their fool heads off and the ground all mucked up with plants."
- Dorothy Parker

Like the phoenix rising from the ashes, Spring defies the last icy winds of Winter and allows the earth to rejuvenate. Life rushes in where previously there had only been death. It is the drama of resurrection whether it is the butterflies or the gods. Nature does nothing in half-measures in this season. Tulips and daffodils brave the lingering threat of frost and snow bursting forth in vivid color against the stark landscape. Short lived but spectacular, they set the tone of the season.

Spring is the quickening of the year. Day by day the trees bloom, the grass becomes green, insects begin to fly, birds sing, and every manner of animal begins to give birth. It is not surprising that eggs and rabbits have become symbols of the season. Daylight surpasses the darkness, as warmth and heat return but do not become the scorching heat of summer.

In the ages of man it is the time of birth and early childhood, filled with exuberance, curiosity, and insatiable need. It is the beginning of the hero's journey where we see him in the near paradise of home and family -- Frodo's Shire and young Arthur as Kay's squire. Sweeping romance and reckless love are hallmarks of the season, defined by Romeo and Juliet, Tristan and Iseult, Guinevere and Lancelot, and infamously, Arthur and Morgan LeFey.

Perhaps more often we see our young hero in of state of barely contained energy the unrelenting boredom, such as Ged from The Earthsea Trilogy or the Luke of Star Wars. Cooler heads and mentors are both frustrated and inspired by them. These bright beacons of light are never without their shadows. Dark forces and archenemies lurk in the background. Ultimately our young heroes choose to leave paradise in order to save it.

However, the spirit of youth and newness that pervade the season is not restricted to only the young. Since it is also the time of rebirth, it is the time where the world-weary hero, having suffered his darkest hour, celebrates the conquest of his obstacles -- Aragorn is crowned king in Minas Tirith after the destruction of the ring, and Samwise marries Rosie.

More than the other seasons, the renewal of nature is made metaphor in religious celebration. The Jews are freed from captivity in Egypt; gods and goddesses return from the nether realms, renewing the earth, bring enlightenment and the conquest of death. But all of these wonders come at a price. In the rush of victory the Jews displeased God and were forced to wander the desert. Innana could not leave the underworld without putting another in her place. Persephone would return to Hades after six months time. Even Jesus' time on earth was limited, leaving his followers with only their faith. These tales of joy are filled with cautionary notes, bringing to mind Jasmine in Season 6.

Angel by its nature is not very Spring like, but it is a show of heroes, striving to walk in the light. Birth, rebirth, quests, and missions are not strangers to our storylines or characters. Some episodes that have that Springtime feel include Guise Will Be Guise, Epiphany, Shiny Happy People, Home, and You're Welcome.

"The world's favorite season is the spring. All things seem possible in May." -- Edwin Way Teale

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"Sweet April showers
Do spring May flowers.
." - Thomas Tusser, A Hundred Good Points of Husbandry, 1557

"Everything is blooming most recklessly; if it were voices instead of colors, there would be an unbelievable shrieking into the heart of the night.
." - Rainer Maria Rilke

Spring Challenge for the Angel Book of Days

The Original Rules:

STORY REQUIREMENTS -- what you want to see in the story that is to be written for you.

i. ATS CHARACTER -- choose only from the following characters -- Angel, Cordelia, Doyle, Wesley, Gunn, Fred, Connor, Lorne, Spike, Lindsey, Lilah, Kate, Darla, Faith, Drusilla, Holland.

ii. GENRE -- choose only from the following genres -- schmoop, dark, angst, h/c, humour, action, drama, romance, gen, future/past/AU (note, we're counting that as one genre, the writer gets to choose which to do).

iii. ONE OTHER THING -- this can be almost anything, such as...

A specific character -- Any character is acceptable here, including one shot guest stars and characters from BtVS
A location -- e.g. the White Room, Alaska, etc
A holiday within the season -- e.g. 4th of July (summer), Halloween (fall), etc
The story title
A specific line to include -- e.g. 'Are those fangs in your mouth, or are you just happy to see me?'
Another story element -- e.g. puppies, leather, chocolate, ancient Mesopotamian poetry, etc.

What NOT to request: Anything specific that a G-rated author couldn't accommodate (e.g. You can specify someone should be wounded, but you cannot specify rape). Long lists of wants and restrictions masquerading as the requisites via the use of conjunctions are also likely to get a polite mail back from us saying, er, no.

Remember -- you are requesting an AtS fanfic. Requests which remove the story too far away from AtS for the organisers' comfort will be politely refused.

iv. RATING RESTRICTION -- such PG-13, etc

Note: This is an upper limit, not a request. 'NC-17' may still lead to a G-rated story. If you are under the age of consent in your country, you *must* set a limit here of less than NC-17.

v. ACCEPTABLE SPOILERS -- you have a choice between three spoiler catogories.

S4 -- everything to the end of season four is acceptable.
S5 (aired) -- all aired (in the US) episodes of s5 are acceptable, but not beyond.
Unrestricted -- any level of spoilage is fine.

vi. OPTIONAL RESTRICTIONS - Up to two EXTRA restrictions. E.g. No character death, no violent sex, no fluff, etc. You don't have to give any restrictions at all, but if you have a particular hatred of, say, character death, you can use this opportunity to forbid it.

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4. WRITER'S LIMITATIONS

i. WRITER'S SPOILER LEVEL -- readers may require specific points in canon as their One Other Thing. Please say here if you haven't yet seen beyond a particular point in canon, otherwise we will assume you to have seen up to the most recent episode aired in America.

ii. ONE THING I DO NOT WISH TO WRITE -- for instance: romance, Connor, violence, etc

Stories

Soon after the joining-up deadline, you will receive your randomly allocated assignment. Your job will be to write a story of no less than 3000 words which...

1. is primarily about the characters of AtS. BtVS guest stars are allowed, but the story shouldn't ever lose sight of the fact this is Angel (the series) fanfic.

2. has the appropriate seasonal theme or undertone.

3. fits the story requirements given by your 'reader'.

4. is received here by the deadline for stories given here.

Having a good beta-reader look through your story before submission is highly recommended.

After the stories deadline has been reached, we will work our arses off getting the fics up on this site. A notification will then be sent to the mailing list. Shortly after that the archives will be made public. The challenge will then be complete. Yay all of us :-).