HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US!

Holy cow, y’all. Nine Lives is 2 years old today! We’re a toddler!

The last year has seen some seriously crazy ups and downs. We revamped the Shoutbox, increased the frequency of our now twice-monthly Writers Chats, kept our Member of the Month event running strong, the admins went on “vacation�... and then, in a moment that will live on in infamy, we all survived The Move together! (#NLMove2k15… FM still has nightmares, yo.) A host of challenges, events, parties, games and chats all alongside a daily outpouring of the most incredible variety of Caryl and McReedus fanfiction imaginable.

And all of this boils down to one thing: you. The writers, the reviewers, the readers, the fans. The Nine Lives family. Without you, we are nothing. Without you, there is no Nine Lives, no fandom. Just see what you’ve done in the past year alone:

Since Ravenesque launched the site in 2014, many things have changed but one incredibly important thing has stayed the same: our commitment to showcasing quality fanfiction and providing a safe haven for Caryl fans everywhere.

Thank you - yes, YOU, reading this right now. Thank you for choosing to be here and be part of this unbelievable fandom experience.

In another week, we’ll be posting the submissions from our latest challenge Pic-spiration. Later today we’re going to flood the internet with recommendations and comments about our favorite stories for the Best of the Best challenge, but for right now, we the admins wanted to talk a little. You’ll get your chance at the end of this, too. Don’t worry. ;)

Nine Lives means something special to each of us - it has to, or we wouldn’t keep coming back here every day, right? Well, some of us are insane enough that we took on the role of running the archive. In many ways - yeah, it’s a job. There are times the staff easily puts in 40 hours a week on all the behind the scenes minutiae that goes into running this place. It can be ridiculously frustrating and highly satisfying all at once. We’ve all pulled our hair, lost sleep, cried, yelled, laughed - basically, we’ve run the whole gamut of the emotional spectrum with Nine Lives… and that was just last week!

We wanted to share our thoughts on this, our 2nd anniversary, about Nine Lives, fandom, all of you and what being part of the Nine Lives family has meant to us. 

subversivegrrl: It's probably a good thing I never enlisted in the military, because I know one of the cardinal rules there is "don't volunteer" and I have a bad habit of putting my hand up - or sticking my nose in - or otherwise intruding (often uninvited) into stuff because I have opinions. LORD do I have opinions. Can't help it; it's partly nature and partly nurture. I come from a long line of opinionated women.

I'm not sure what on earth provoked Jessa to ask me to be part of Nine Lives' admin team, but I suspect it was sparked by at least one venting of said opinionation w/r/t something that I felt strongly about (correct punctuation, probably. I've been told I'm a bit of a nudzh about that.) Or maybe because I have a snarky response to pretty much every situation. It's possible she has grown to regret her decision somewhat. (FM Edit: Not in a million years) Bottom line, though: she asked, I answered, hand up, nose in, the whole megillah.

What I have gained in return is immeasurable: the camaraderie of some of the smartest, most generous people I've ever met, and a massive overhaul of my own understanding of what fandom is and can be. It's not a one-way thing, where the creators of a work put something out there and we fans appreciate it -- it expands on the notion of what is meant by that appreciation. We take their groundwork and stretch it and spin it and weave it into a larger tapestry, and put it out there to entertain and inspire others. I've never been part of fandom before, in that sense, and it's been a real gift, one that continues to give to me every day.

Ikkleosu: The thing I love most about Nine Lives is that a lot of times fandom feels like standing on the street shouting into the void and hoping someone passes by and agrees with you. With fanfic it can be even worse, like trying to hand out leaflets and having all the passers by ignore you or screw up what you hand them.

At Nine Lives it's a very different atmosphere. It's akin to walking into a party with a plate of treats. There's always a hungry audience dying to try your wares. And as a reader, you know there's always a very full buffet laid out with something for every taste from the fluffiest marshmallow to very hot and spicy nibbles.

I love that Megan and the others created this safe place where you know the quality is always good, and I was very proud to be part of it and help in any small way to keep it going. Nine Lives for me is like Sam's bar in Cheers, I know whenever I post there's crowd greeting me with a welcoming "Norm!"... Or "Ikkles!"

Fairies Masquerade: I’ve been staring at my computer screen off and on for the better part of a week trying to find words to describe my Nine Lives experience.  It’s proven to be far more difficult and emotional than I imagined.

On my tumblr account, I jokingly tag everything Nine Lives related with “my baby�. The truth is, it isn’t a joke. It is my baby. This place has consumed me, transforming me from a simple Caryl fan to… someone completely insane? But in a good way? I don’t quite know how to describe it.

When Ravenesque asked me to help out with the archive before it launched in 2014, I never dreamed it would become part of my heart the way it has. I thought I was signing up for something fun to do that wouldn’t take up much time. Fun it has proven to be but I drastically underestimated how much being a part of Nine Lives would change and reshape not just my fandom experience, but how I focus my creative energy as a writer and a person.

It’s introduced me to amazing friends, it’s challenged me as both a writer and a reader to stretch my boundaries and explore new ideas. It’s scared the hell out of me, tried my patience, emptied my wallet, encouraged my imagination and given me an online home. I came here first for the Caryl, because I’m going to ship it to infinity and beyond. I stay for you. I hope this ride has been as amazing for you as it has been for me.

meeshie: Though it was a few years ago, it feels like yesterday that a beautiful little ship welcomed me aboard, giving me all the feels I could ever want and then some. It was inspiring to watch, and soon I discovered that watching wasn't the only way to enjoy my experience on this growing vessel. There was this thing – this phenomenal, incredible thing – called fanfiction! (I honestly had no idea it existed. Yes, I lived under a rock.) I jumped in with both feet and never looked back.

In the early days, I posted on tumblr. Then one day, it occurred to me that I would really love to be part of a community, where writers could interact, ask questions, rely on each other for support. When I brought up my thoughts on that, someone told me to contact Ravenesque, because she was building that very community.

I got in touch and she told me all about this new site that was about to launch: Nine Lives. I was THRILLED. I mentioned wanting to run chats, and she graciously agreed to let those piggyback onto the site. Before I knew it, I was sailing on an even bigger ship through some of the most magnificent waters around.

To this day, Nine Lives is my happy place… the outlet I enjoy most in this fandom. There are fantastic discussions, tons of support (did I say "tons" because I mean TONS), and most of all – AH-FREAKING-MAZING fics to read! The show doesn't give us what we want? We write it! An alternate universe can showcase our precious cinnamon rolls in a new and creative way? We write it! Love and heartbreak and fluff and angst and all the terrible, wonderful things that make up this beautiful ride called life? We write it!

Nine Lives has brought me all this, but I'm most grateful for the unexpected benefits I've gained: some of the most important people in my life. I've been able to meet people from NL in real life, and those people have changed me in so many countless ways, all for the better. I look forward to this site growing and growing, and continuing to have a positive impact on this fandom. I can't wait for more.

Now, it’s your turn. We want to hear from you, because Nine Lives is as much yours as it is ours. Comment below. Read. Rejoice. Celebrate with us and, as always, Caryl on.

Happy anniversary, friends.