Greetings and salutations, Carylers! I hope this post finds you all happy and well in your corners of the world. We have a lot of things to cover that the admin team is very excited about, so I’m going to get right to it!

First, I am back in full active admin status. Yes, I’m still in grad school. I just found a way to  make my schedule work better than last semester, but more importantly - I really missed all of you! Nine Lives has been my home for almost three years and let me tell you: the withdrawals are real. I have to give a serious shout of love and adoration for my girls Ikkleosu and subversivegrrl for running things in my absence. They took on the entirety of the site while I focused on readjusting the balance of my life to now include school, and I think they have done a terrific job. Despite my lack of daily activity, I was very much involved behind the scenes and kept in the loop this summer and trust me when I tell you that nobody cares about you, and this archive, like these ladies do. Please, if you find a moment, show these wonderful admins of ours some love.

Let’s talk about the archive for a bit. I’ve done this before and I tend to wax sentimental when I do, so I’ll try to keep it lowkey. You all know how the archive came to be. (If you don’t, go here). The archive has come to mean something different to each of us who calls this place our fandom home. For us behind the scenes, Nine Lives can be a job, but it’s one we take on gladly. It’s the shared belief in Caryl that drives us, and our commitment to keeping a corner of the fandom enjoyable and without interference from those who just want to cause friction. It’s never a perfect endeavor, running Nine Lives, and we’ve had some stumbles and mistakes along the way as well as moments of great triumph. What I feel we have most accomplished is a sense of home for us all and that’s what holds strong. We hope to increase the community aspects of Nine Lives in the coming months, and that’s where you come in.

Now and again, the topic of fundraising for Nine Lives comes up. Previously, the site was funded by Ravenesque and Elysian Fields. Since we broke off on our own, I’ve paid for the site fees - hosting, the domain, maintenance, upgrades, security, etc. While I am happy and more than willing to continue to fund the site, we’ve had so many offers from people willing to donate that we’ve decided to go for it. We’re hosting a fundraiser! The details of our fundraiser events will be forthcoming at a later time, but we do have a question we wanted to put to all of you. We’re asking because we’ve done a lot of challenges lately, and we have events scheduled through the end of the year to keep things interesting around here. However, our schedule is flexible, so what our question for all of you is: WHEN would you like to have our fundraiser party? These are the dates we had in mind:

• Early October (around the season 7 premiere)


• November (before folks gear up for the holidays)


• January (for Nine Lives’ 3rd anniversary)

Cast your vote in the comments below! You can pick from the options above or give us your own idea for a time frame. I’ll say one more thing before I change topics - please don’t think that we’re raising any money for personal gain. 100% of any money raised will go towards the maintenance and future expansion of Nine Lives. We’re going to go into more details about our plans and how this will work with our actual fundraiser announcement. For now, let’s pick a play date! ;)

Now, I’ve been an absentee admin this summer, and while Ikkles and Subs kept me up to date, I really would like to hear from all of you. I want to know how your summers have gone, how you’re enjoying the site and our summer challenge series, any ideas you might have for us in the future. We have a lot of things in the works but Nine Lives is for all of us, and I want to make sure that the voices of our members are heard. It’s your archive as much as it is ours, so take a chance and please drop me a PM with your feedback and your thoughts.

That’s all for now, kiddos. Stay tuned for more fun, get those submissions ready for our ‘Missing Moments’ challenge this weekend, and as always: Caryl on!

Here they are - your Members of the Month for August 2016.

Author of the Month: silversundown

What draws you to the Caryl ship?

This is a tough thing for me to answer since there’s so many different aspects to their relationship that pulls me in and won’t let go. They sort of snuck up on me around late season two and then season three. Then it just hit me over the head and I was a goner. I’m a sucker for a slow burn and while at this point in the show it’s starting to be a little too slow, that was what hooked me at first. Then I saw the way they support each other unconditionally, how they bring out the best in one another and how the only times they really seem happy is when they’re together and it’s a perfect storm. 

Who are your writing influences?

I’m going to be honest here and say that I don’t spend a whole lot of time reading published works anymore. I know, I know…I feel some kind of way about that too, but every time I think about getting back on that I get sucked into some fanfic. So lately, all the lovely writers who’s works I read both in this fandom and in a few others serve as influences and inspiration. Some of these stories…wow, better than a lot of the published works I’ve come across. You all blow me away on a regular basis.

How do you handle writer’s block?

Mostly I try to plow through it. I find that if I just start writing sometimes it’ll flow on it’s own. If I try to plot out something in my head and get stuck on it before even attempting to write I’ll sit and ponder that forever and writer’s block will claim me as it’s victim. So, I try to just start and see where it takes me. Sometimes it works, other times I end up with a bunch of stuff I can’t use, but either way it gets the words flowing. Other times I give up, watch some netflix and admit defeat. I’m a night owl and most of my writing is done in the middle of the night, so sleeping on it after stewing for a while can help too.

Anything you want to say to your readers? ;)

Yes! How much I appreciate all of you! This fic writing stuff is pretty new to me in general, I dabbled a long time ago in another fandom but I haven’t felt the bug hit me this hard until I fell for Caryl. Those two have sparked so many ideas that I can't help but want to write them and share them, so the fact that you all embrace those ideas that have turned into stories is pretty wild and fantastic and amazing to me. I feel so grateful to have found this site. It’s become my happy place and I spend more time here than I will admit too. Thank you for making me feel so welcome and for going on these little fic journeys with me. You guys are the best.

Reviewer of the Month: LovesDarylDixon

What draws you to the Caryl ship? 

Wow that’s tough to answer…lol I think what really drew me to them was very early on.  Their first scene really, Daryl's holding the pick ax ready to take out Ed, and Carol comes over and tells him that she can do it.  And then he really just stands over by her, not moving away like he probably would anyone else and just watches over her… Protecting her, but not wanting to at the same time.  I think it’s just their chemistry that draws me in.  The way they support each other really that it’s unconditional, they bring out the best in one another.  I’m one of those that likes a slow burn in a relationship, one that’s built on a firm foundation of friendship, and just love. (Though have to admit the show is moving slow, so that's why I started to read fanfiction :))  So I think that’s what draws me in.  Their chemistry on screen and just that Daryl would do anything for Carol, and vice versa I'm certain that Carol would do anything for him.  It's just a beautiful relationship that the two of them have. 

What do you look for in a story to keep reading? 

That the story is engaging, and that it draws me in as I'm reading.  That I can't put the story down.  That the story can hit me emotionally whether that be with humor and happiness, fear, sadness, or despair even.  I just like to be drawn into the world that the author creates.  And I've found that on here and in reading stories.  :) 

What are your top five favorite stories on Nine Lives?

This will be a very tough one because everything I've read on here I've loved, and I don't think I can just pick five.  But here we go :)

1. This Is Now by sienna27

2. The Days In The Cedar Forest by sienna27

3. The We You Don't See by sienna27

4. Heart Song by CarolPeletier

5. Sophia's Choice by SOA Loving Mom

Anything you want to say to all the Caryl authors out there?

Thank you all for your stories! And thank you so much for sharing your talent.  I love to be able to come to nine lives and read, and just escape to the worlds that you all create :)

We’ll be doing a little something different at the August Writers Chats: Word Wars!! No, you won’t be expected to wear clunky armor or be the last person standing. You will, if you wish, participate in a series of short writing sprints based on some Caryl prompts, culminating in working on a writing sprint for a fic you may be stuck on. (Or is that just us? On all our fics? No, not just the chat mods? *whew*)

This chat will focus more on the writers, but readers are welcome to join. After each sprint, we’ll invite whoever is willing to share what they've written for some constructive feedback. OR, you can choose to keep your words to yourself. ;) There’s no pressure to share, but a little feedback could get the creative juices flowing.

So, bring your sense of humor, your anxiety, your patience, and a stopwatch/timer. We’ll have a good time, and hopefully no blood will be shed. Maybe just a few tears from feels. We’ll bring some tissues, too, just in case.

Join us on Thursday, August 4th from 10pm-12am EDT or Saturday, August 13th from 1pm-3pm EDT to battle support your fellow writers!

Have ideas for a future chat topic on Nine Lives? Send a PM to meeshie, jaibhagwan, or AlannasTara with writing topics you'd like to discuss. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Our goal is to motivate you to keep writing!

(gif from GIPHY)

Hello and Happy Sunday, Nine Lives Community! (It may be Monday for some of you, but for me, it’s still Sunday.) Fairies Masquerade here. No, I’m not dead - I’ve just been crazy busy with work and grad school. But I’m still around and very much involved behind the scenes here, and there are some things we need to talk about.

It has come to my attention that people are abusing our archive for the sole purpose of self promotion. We’ve caught onto the fact that we have members creating a second membership account, then using that account to nominate themselves for things like Featured Story of the Week.

We have never had to declare this before, and in fact we have allowed a certain amount of leeway in this area since Nine Lives began; for instance, with authors who wanted write McReedus but under a different handle from their usual one. However, trouble has been brewing in this area for a while now, and as a result of our lenience we find ourselves in the situation unfolding today: a member who has been previously featured and spotlighted on several occasions has been caught with an account created just to nominate themselves for Featured Story of the Week.  

You might wonder how we know if someone is creating multiple accounts? We can see the IP address each account registered with (and pull up all the details of that IP address), we see when an account is created down to the exact hour and minute, the email address used for the account... we see it all. And we pay attention to what is happening on this archive, because we have all invested way too much of our blood, sweat, tears, time and money into keeping this place running to not pay attention.

So now, we’re making it a rule: multiple accounts are allowed for people who want to explore writing RPF/other genres but are uncomfortable publishing under their regular handle. Secondary accounts found to be created for the sole purpose of self promotion (reviewing your own stories, nominating the primary account for Featured Story or other NL events) will be deleted, and the primary account temporarily banned for 15 days on the first infraction. Repeated infractions will see the primary account permanently banned and the IP address blocked from accessing the Nine Lives Archive.

In addition, we the admin team also reserve the right to pull the privilege of multiple accounts entirely if situations like this continue.

You might think we are overreacting. That’s ok, and if you want to send a PM to either myself, Ikklesou or subversivegrrl, or politely make your case in the comments below this news article, we would be happy to discuss it with you. But to put a point on it, the issues we have had recently with multiple accounts has defied the very first rule of our Terms of Service:

You are agreeing to be a courteous, responsible member of Nine Lives, and treat everyone with due respect.

Creating extra accounts to give yourself an unfair edge in a NL event like Featured Story is not treating your fellow members with their due respect. In addition, if the Featured Story process has been compromised in this manner then it is safe to assume, and indeed only logical to assume, that other events like Member of the Month have also been abused. In light of the current circumstances, it may be time for us to change how we handle these events, or possibly stop doing them altogether.

We want Nine Lives to be a safe and fun haven for all Caryl fans. The systems we have in place are/were the best options for keeping events and challenges fair to everyone. To see them being abused in this manner breaks our hearts, particularly mine. I’m going to get personal with you here, and add a note I did not previously share with my co-admins: Nine Lives is not free or even cheap to run, but I usually don’t mind because I, like so many of you, need a safe place for all my Caryl feels. All I, and the rest of the Nine Lives staff, have ever asked in return is for everyone to behave and interact in a way that keeps the Nine Lives community safe, respectful and supportive for all. When I see the site abused in this manner, I start to wonder if Nine Lives is even needed anymore, because either I’m obviously doing something wrong that this sort of thing happens, or I’m wasting my time, and the time of everyone who volunteers for Nine Lives behind the scenes. I hope not. I still believe in Caryl, I still believe that this fandom can be a positive, even life changing, experience for those involved and I still believe in the benefits of a place like Nine Lives. Please, continue to believe with me.

Stay safe and Caryl on,

Fairies Masquerade

As always, we make our Members of the Month reveal their deepest darkest shipper secrets by asking the REAL QUESTIONS and sharing their answers here:

From kaoscraze82, Author of the Month:

1. What draws you to the Caryl ship?

I have always been one of those girls that’s a sucker for a good television romance, although many times I’ve been burned either due to shows being cancelled or the characters going way off balance and ruining the chemistry. When I saw the interaction between Carol and Daryl in season 2, I wasn’t exactly sure what was going to happen between them (mainly since I knew that Carol hadn’t survived in the comic book and Daryl wasn’t in it at all) but when I heard the Cherokee Rose speech and witnessed the death of Sophia, I knew that there was no way I could turn my back on them. They went through something so incredible horrific together and yet managed to come out on the other side of it stronger and better able to take care of themselves. I was fascinated by the idea that through pain can come strength and in that strength comes love and acceptance. Whether or not they get a chance to prove their love for each other on the screen, I still believe with all my heart that they love each other and there are very few characters I’ve encountered who have been able to convey that in the simple yet powerful way that they can.

2. Who are your writing influences?

I grew up being an avid book reader (my mom told me at two years old I used to fool adults by memorizing my favorite stories and flipping through pages ‘reading’ them back) and one of the favorite authors in my household was definitely Stephen King, although I didn’t get into him until much later because I was a huge scaredy cat. I try to pull the essence of his storytelling into my own work in hopes that it will bring the reader into that moment with me. I also adore JK Rowling and, despite being in my early 20’s when I discovered the books, found myself being transformed back into a child again at the absolutely magical adventure she took me through for those seven years. I also love an up-and-coming YA author named Jennifer L. Armentrout, who never seems to run out of ideas for stories and who makes her female lead characters strong and witty at the same time.

3. How do you handle writer’s block?

The simple answer to that is that I really don’t. Like everyone else, I come across it a fair amount, and find that the only way to really get rid of it and allow my creativity to flow again is to step away from writing until I feel the ideas starting to flow again. I started writing Caryl fic back in 2013 when I was not working a full time job so I had lots of time to sit around and just think about stuff. Now back in the working field it can be tough to even find the time to entertain the notion of writing but I find that if I set time aside to write I usually set myself up for failure. I went through a period of almost a year before I finally felt ready to start typing again, but I try to start with small ideas and work my way up. Doing the last three challenges really helped get my creative juices flowing again for sure, and now I have an idea for a new story as well, which is great!

4. Anything you want to say to your readers?

As always, thank you for all the kind words and support you’ve given me over these last three years. If I hadn’t found this ship and the lifelong friends I’ve made in it (including the woman who took me in and gave me a new lease on life) I don’t know where I would be right now. Despite the messy shipping wars and general annoyance at the writing on the show, this has been a good place for me and I’m so grateful to have gotten to know so many of you and share this experience together!

From faegal04, Reviewer of the Month:

1. What draws you to the Caryl ship?

There is so much about Caryl that I adore. They are two people who up until the world ended had been dealt very bad hands. They gravitated towards each other because they both can see the person who was hurt and treated badly, and they want to remind the other that they do matter in the world. I could go on an on, but I will stop now :-)

2. What do you look for in a story to keep reading?

There are so many different things that I look for. The plot is a major one for me! If the author can pull me in with just a brief summary, I am hooked! I have found that I prefer the AU world for Carol and Daryl to meet in and find each other.

3. What are your top five favorite stories?

This is a hard one! There are so many fabulous writers on this site but I will try to narrow it down :-)

Mad City by Fairies Masquerade

9 Lives by AffairWithACrossbow (this was actually the very 1st Fanfic I had ever read)

When the Levee Breaks by Haitus80

Wayward Sons by halohunter89

Demons by SOA Loving Mom

4.Anything you want to say to all the Caryl authors out there?

Thank you so much for the stories you share with us! Sometimes it can be hard to write something and put it out there for other people to read. Some may like what we write and some won't -so be sure to write what you want and not worry about the ones who don't like it! Also I know we have had a rough past season but I truly believe that Caryl will happen, so don't give up hope! Caryl is endgame!

The Nine Lives Community keeps on growing, and with all the new names around here, we decided to get a little less formal with our July Writers Chat, and focus on getting to know each other.

We realize that sometimes the chats can be intimidating when you’re new (or not so new) around here… tons of inside jokes, past history, and general camaraderie can make it difficult to crack your way into the conversation. So, we’d love to invite everyone to come on in, kick your feet up, and get to know your fellow Caryl writers and readers (and create some new inside jokes!).

We’ll be guiding the conversation with some Caryl-related questions, but there is no obligation to participate if you simply want to lurk. We love lurkers! But we will be sure to say hello when you enter the room. It’s only polite. =)

Join us on Thursday, July 7th  from 10pm-12am EDT or Saturday, July 9th from 1pm-3pm EDT and get your social on!

Have ideas for a future chat topic on Nine Lives? Send a PM to meeshie, sweettooth7, jaibhagwan, or AlannasTara with writing topics you'd like to discuss. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Our goal is to motivate you to keep writing!

Challenge Dates: posting date June 25th; publication June 26th

Open to: Fan Fiction, Fan Art, Graphics

THE PROMPT:

"The minutes that we missed,
The idle lips that should have kissed,
Are now gently together,
The first kiss lasts forever."
- She Loves Me, Stephen Duffy.

Most of us became Caryl shippers because of the many scenes Daryl and Carol have shared over the past 6 seasons. All of those scenes spoke to us, and showed us some kind of potential that things between these two people could turn romantic.

This challenge takes that idea a little further and says imagine any of the Caryl scenes we've already witnessed could have taken a little turn and been THE scene that gave us our first Caryl kiss!

Your challenge is to take an existing Caryl scene and show how it could have easily turned into the moment their lips first met, with just a twist of the writer's pen.

THE DEADLINE: Submissions must be turned in by midnight Pacific Time on June 25.

THE RULES:

For FANFICTION:

• Send a PM to Fairies Masquerade, Ikkleosu or subversivegrrl that you want to enter the challenge. Even if you're not sure you'll have anything ready in time - let us know you're planning on it.


• Write! Stories must be at least 100 words


• Multiple entries are allowed!


• No McReedus this time (given the theme, we assume you already knew that.)


• Do not upload it yet! Wait until June 25 to upload your fic – just like in challenges past, we will be suspending automatic validation for that day for all authors who enter the challenge.


• Submission Day is June 25 – post your fic. It will not appear on the archive, but will enter our validation queue. Make sure you submit it under the Nine Lives Challenge category!


• Posting Day is June 26 – We will post the master list and all of the challenges entries so everything shows up at once. That way, we’re all surprised by what we get to read!


• Any challenge fics posted before June 25 will be deleted.

For FAN ART/GRAPHICS

• Send a PM to Fairies Masquerade, Ikkleosu or subversivegrrl that you want to enter the challenge --OR--


• Send an ask to the Nine Lives tumblr account


• Anonymous submissions are not allowed!


• Create!


• Submit your challenge piece via one of the following channels:
  
  Nine Lives tumblr submissions box
  Email your submission to challenges@ninelivesarchive.com
  
  Email title: First Kiss Challenge Submission
  Emails must include your tumblr OR Nine Lives Archive username along with any other information you wanted posted with your artwork
  
  


• Submission Day is June 25- We need to have your artwork submitted to our Tumblr or email by 12:00 midnight Pacific time on 6/25.


• Posting Day is June 26 - We will post all artwork via the Nine Lives tumblr account and add them to the master list of challenge entries on the Nine Lives Archive.

For FAN VIDEOS: 

• Send a PM to Fairies Masquerade, Ikkleosu or subversivegrrl that you want to enter the challenge.


• Upload your video to YouTube - ensuring you select "UNLISTED" as the privacy setting. You will have a URL for your video.


• Send a PM to Fairies Masquerade, Ikkleosu or subversivegrrl with the URL for your video, along with a title and the name you use on YouTube (if it is different to your Nine Lives name).


• Submission Day is June 25- We need to have your artwork submitted to our inbox by 12:00 midnight Pacific time on 6/25.


• Posting Day is June 26 - We will post all artwork via the Nine Lives tumblr account and add them to the master list of challenge entries on the Nine Lives Archive.


• You can change you video's privacy setting to PUBLIC once it has been listed on Nine Lives.

Any questions? please PM an admin.

Now let the lips do the talking!

Do you find yourself having trouble finishing? Do you sometimes need a helping hand? Are your readers often left with blue balls? If so, this is the chat for you!

We want to hear from the writers who finish every time, the ones who need a little extra wining and dining, and all you readers who’ve been left in a lurch more times than you can count (your sweet talk may just inspire our writers to let go of their inhibitions and let their freak flags fly). Some authors prefer to post chapters on the fly and feel encouraged by the pressure of leaving something unfinished to push them in the right direction. Others prefer finishing a story behind closed doors and only post it when it’s been massaged and caressed to its culmination. Whatever your guilty pleasure, we invite you all to come out and share your deepest, darkest secrets on what helps you cross that finish line. We urge you to embrace your unfinished business and bring all of your questions and concerns to this very special group love session writers chat. We’re all here for each other, and we want you to be fulfilled by your work and bask in the afterglow of completion.

Join us on Thursday, June 2nd from 10pm-12am EDT or Saturday, June 11th from 1pm-3pm EDT with a glass of red wine and some dark chocolate, for the support group that most of us writers yearn for, with a riveting discussion that may lead us to some electrifying climaxes. Let us help you find your F-spot, and leave your readers satisfied.

Have ideas for a future chat topic on Nine Lives? Send a PM to meeshie, sweettooth7, jaibhagwan, or our brand new chat moderator AlannasTara with writing topics you'd like to discuss. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Our goal is to motivate you to keep writing!

We’ll see you at the Writers Chats! In the meantime, I’ll be in my bunk…

It was a dark and stormy night. Or...

She blinked reflexively against the sting spreading across her cheek, each raindrop hurled by the wind as another burst of cool air assaulted her. Carol ducked behind a tree, glancing toward the house again. The warm glow of a lantern outlined his silhouette, moving with a quiet grace as he worked at the tiny table beside the window. It would have been almost peaceful, watching him, if not for the slashing light and thunder ripping through the night air. Almost soothing, if she could put it out of her mind. If she could forget the reason she was here.

The air shifted, suddenly calm, and the low-blooming flutter she'd been steadfastly ignoring worked its way from darker parts of her. Her breath halted, and that flutter crept upward, snaking around her heart, constricting as though it were taking down its next meal. Pure instinct kicked in and she scrambled for the door, shoving against it as the bolt of electricity sent shards and splinters flying in every direction. A few small pieces stuck at odd angles from her arm. They probably hurt, but the sharp, angry blue eyes made the only cut she could feel.

Okay, I was having a little fun with this one (and trying to stretch my writing legs a smidge because it’s been way too long). Join us for our May writers chats when we will discuss the concept you always hear about in theory, and get tips for putting it into practice when we cover Show Us, Don’t Tell Us: Writing Descriptively.

We’ll discuss techniques for recognizing when you’re “telling” and helpful ways to move toward “showing”. And shhhhh, we may even mention times when it’s better to Tell Us, Don’t Show Us. Wha???

Come one and all on Thursday, May 5th at 10pm EDT, and again on Saturday, May 14th at 1pm EDT. Writers, readers, reviewers, lurkers, and pets welcome!

Challenge Dates: posting date May 21st; publication May 22nd
Open to: Fan Fiction

THE PROMPT: It’s a Season 6 rewrite challenge!

Season 6 gave us a lot of Carol and a lot of Daryl, but not a whole lot of them together. Given how much we got from interviews, behind-the-scenes talk and more about how Carol and Daryl care about each other, think about each other, blah blah blah, not having them onscreen together seemed weird.

We've compiled a sample list of scenes that featured only either Carol or Daryl - your job is add the other half of our dynamic duo and make the Caryl magic happen! (You're not restricted to this list - any scene from S6 that contained only Carol or Daryl will fit the challenge.)

• The Wolves' attack (6.02)


• In the burned woods, encountering Dwight/Tina/Honey (6.06)


• In Alexandria when the walker horde hits (6.08, 6.09)


• In the truck when they encounter the Saviors (6.09)


• The supply run where they encounter Jesus for the first time (6.10)


• On the trip to Hilltop (6.11)


• The night before the raid on the Saviors (6.12)


• The run to Edison's Apothecary (6.14)

THE DEADLINE: Submissions must be turned in by midnight Pacific Time on May 21st.

THE RULES:

• Send a PM to Fairies Masquerade, Ikkleosu or subversivegrrl that you want to enter the challenge. Even if you're not sure you'll have anything ready in time - let us know you're planning on it.  

• Write!
  Stories must be at least 100 words


• Multiple entries are allowed!


• No McReedus this time (given the theme, we assume you already knew that.)


• Do not upload it yet! Wait until May 21 to upload your fic – just like in challenges past, we will be suspending automatic validation for that day for all authors who enter the challenge.


• Submission Day is May 21 – post your fic. It will not appear on the archive, but will enter our validation queue. Make sure you submit it under the Nine Lives Challenge category!


• Posting Day is May 22 – We will post the master list and all of the challenges entries so everything shows up at once. That way, we’re all surprised by what we get to read!


• Any challenge fics posted before May 21 will be deleted.

Any questions? please PM an admin.

Now go forth and fix the world!

Carylers, NL family, friends, neighbors and that random stranger lurking the the back corner - yes, we see you - it’s time to kick off our 3rd Annual Summer Survival Series!

Those of you who are faint of heart or want to keep their fandom experience to a PG-13 rating at best, now is the time to avert your eyes.

..... 

We good? … Okay then.

Smutfest 2 is here!

We’re bringing sexy back. Smutfest was one of our most popular challenges and the most requested challenge from Nine Lives members to bring back for another round. What better way to kick off a summer of Caryl fun than to grant this popular wish? Even better - we’re inviting all the artists out there to play as well!

Here’s how this goes:

THE PROMPT: Smut. Sex. Screwing. Love-making. Whatever you want it, however you want it - fast and hard all the way to tender and sweet - bring it. With or without plot. Those of you who just want Carol and Daryl to get down and dirty, this is your moment.

THE DEADLINE:Submissions must be turned in by midnight PST April 23.

WHERE: Fanfiction will be posted on the Nine Lives Archive. Fan art and graphics will be posted to the Nine Lives tumblr account.

THE RULES: 

• FAN FICTION




• Send a PM to Fairies Masquerade, Ikkleosu or subversivegrrl that you want to enter the challenge


• Write!




• Stories must be at least 100 words


• Multiple entries are allowed!




• McReedus fics are allowed - however, if you're going to submit multiple entries, one of them MUST be Caryl


• Do not upload it yet! Wait until April 23 to upload your fic – just like in challenges past, we will be suspending automatic validation for that day for all authors who enter the challenge.


• Submission Day is April 23 – post your fic. It will not appear on the archive, but will enter our validation queue. Make sure you submit it under the Nine Lives Challenge category!


• Posting Day is April 24 – We will post the master list and all of the challenges entries so everything shows up at once. That way, we’re all surprised by what we get to read! Any challenge fics posted before April 24 will be deleted.




• FAN ART/GRAPHICS




• Send a PM to Fairies Masquerade, Ikkleosu or subversivegrrl that you want to enter the challenge --OR--


• Send an ask to the Nine Lives tumblr account




• Anonymous submissions are not allowed!




• Create!


• Submit your challenge piece via one of the following channels:




• Nine Lives tumblr submissions box


• Email your submission to challenges@ninelivesarchive.com

• Email title: Smutfest 2 Submission


• Emails must include your tumblr OR Nine Lives Archive username along with any other information you wanted posted with your artwork
  
  






• Submissions are due April 23 - We need to have your artwork submitted to our tumblr or email by April 23. 


• Posting Day is April 24 - We will post all artwork via the Nine Lives tumblr account and add them to the master list of Smutfest 2 challenge entries on the Nine Lives Archive 

That’s everything! If you have questions, please PM an admin. Now get out there and get down and dirty like we know you can.

Hello Carylers! The time has come once again to honor two of our own, chosen by their peers as the cream of the crop here on Nine Lives. Give it up for our April Members of the Month: whowhatsitwhich and heyansky99!!

whowhatsitwhich - Author of the Month

What draws you to the Caryl ship?
God, I went through so many drafts of this answer. I’m almost embarrassed to admit that. I see something in their connection that’s so beautiful and unique and unexpected. It’s made them better. It’s given them something to rely on. Even though it hasn’t been defined one way or another, it’s real. It’s lasting. It’s special.

Who are your writing influences?
Madeline L’Engle, the author of my most favorite book, for how she uses words to paint pictures. Poets like Edna St. Vincent Milay and Robert Frost who taught me the power of a properly chosen word. Stephen King and his use of setting to not only give a scene a place but also to set a tone and demonstrate a character’s mood. He also showed me how a good opening line can be magic…

The man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed.  

That line hooked me, reeled me in, and kept me there through 7.5 books. My fellow fanfiction writers who write stories because they love  the characters and the relationships and  the worlds and can’t say good bye when the screen goes black or the last page is turned.

How do you handle writer’s block?
As much as I hate to say it, writer’s block handles me more often than not. I read. I ask for drabble prompts. I give myself a goal of writing at least 500 words minimum per day. I listen to a playlist I compiled just for writing. I challenge my friends to word war.  I also have friends who have been there for me when I had to kick and scream my way through a chapter. They wouldn’t let me quit.  Sometimes, I just walk away and turn on Netflix.

Anything you want to say to your readers?
I love love love love love love you!  I couldn’t write these stories if not for you. Your reviews and interest and drabble prompts and kudos…you have no idea how much they mean. Some days, they are the only thing that makes me smile. This ship is not a smooth sailing one sometimes. But Caryl shippers have no equals. I’ve never seen such a supportive and enthusiastic group. I’ve met so many wonderful people because of Caryl and made some amazing friends. You guys have a big part of my heart and I cannot say in words how much I heart you.

heyansky99 - Reviewer of the Month

What draws you to the Caryl ship?
Caryl is the first thing I've shipped with any sort of intensity since Mulder and Scully when I was back in high school.  That's saying a lot because I am not romantic in the least and fairly pessimistic about love to boot.  I fell in love with Carol and Daryl individually in season 2.  I loved the Sophia arc and the time on the farm.  Then the bus scene happened and I was floored.  Are those sparks?  Are they smiling at each other?  What is this magic!?!?  I spent a lot of time imagining how that closeness developed.  When I discovered a ton of fanfic that explored that time as well I was totally gone.

To me Caryl is a love that is soul-deep.  It seems rare and profound and reverent.  Factor in the chemistry MMB and NR have together on screen and it’s so obvious I don't get how anyone doubts it.  Plus I'm a sucker for the underdog story.  These two tortured people finding each other at the end of the world?  It’s something that both *is* and something they may not even comprehend.  What's better than that?  For me there's nothing that can sink this ship.  It has firmly penetrated the cracks of my cynical heart.

What do you look for in a story to keep reading?
Well that's a silly question because my stack of actual books is covered in an embarrassing amount of dust.  I am truly addicted to Caryl fanfic.  I will say that if the characterization and dialog seem spot on that will keep me anxiously awaiting the next update.  Stories that make me feel something either for or with them are the ones I reread over and over.

What are your top five favorite stories?
I’m cackling because that's impossible to answer.  It's more like a top 50, no joke.  There is so much talent here it is ridiculous!!  Since I'm terribly unorganized and don't have an actual list here are some I absolutely love that have been on my mind recently.

• Three Little Birds by Fairies Masquerade.


• Landslide by Lamport (and Heyday in the Blood, and Pride, and Home).  You can't pick just one!


• Frostbite by Little Cinch (and Turnabout)


• Stages of Grief by NotLaura (and Fences, and State Lines, and Other Half)


• What the Sky Looked Like by Leigh57


• if I had my way i would tear this building down by queenpeletier (and - the midas light turning your limbs to gold)


• Every single thing that darylsdiva1 has written.  She slays both caryl and McReedus.


• Hey, since we're now talking McReedus - Demons and Untouchable Face by meeshie.

And currently I'm loving WIP stories:

• illuminate the heart by lilabut


• Out in the Cold by Haitus80


• Birmingham Safe Zone by Rhinozilla


• Mad City by Fairies Masquerade

I mean I could go on and on...  This was the most difficult question! 

Anything you want to say to all the Caryl authors out there?
Whether you've written a few drabbles, or dozens of multi-chapters, it's all so important and amazing.  I’m sure there are many reasons people read fic.  Personally I was dealing with a lot of loss and grief in my life when I discovered the Nine Lives community.  Being able to immerse myself in all these fics where these two life-ruiners find themselves and each other over and over helped me tremendously.

I’d also like to say to authors and readers alike, take advantage of the ways to get involved, like the challenges and the writer's chats!  They helped me get the nerve to try my hand at writing and I got to meet and talk to a lot of my favorite writers and really feel like a part of the community.

I’m so grateful for all the writers and the founders and admins that keep this the happiest of havens for all of us Caryl lovers.   And thank you to whomever nominated me I’m really touched by that.  

Dialogue is an unquestionably important part of any story. It can help set a scene, advance the action, give insight into characterization, or simply remind the reader of something important, just to name a few. Dialogue can serve to further connect a reader to the characters or even the story itself. Writing dialogue is also one of the hardest things for writers – both new and old – to master, and requires much more thought and effort than one might think.

This month’s writers chat will focus on all elements of writing dialogue in a story – anything and everything you’d like, including formatting, punctuation, paragraph structure, use of character thoughts in dialogue, speech patterns and dialogue tags (sometimes the best option really is to use the word ‘said’!). We’ll discuss how to reveal information in what your characters say (or don’t say), and how to break up dialogue with actions or thoughts in order to keep it intriguing for readers.

Bring your tips and tricks, questions and queries – we’ll chat about it all!

Please join us Thursday, April 7, 2016 from 10pm-12am EDT and/or Saturday, April 9, 2016 at 1pm-3pm EDT for our monthly writers chat. Hope to see you all there!

Have ideas for a future chat topic on Nine Lives? Send a PM to meeshie, jaibhagwan, or sweettooth7 with writing topics you'd like to discuss. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Our goal is to motivate you to keep writing!

Hi guys. Here’s the dealio:

We’re not done with the maintenance on the site. Which sucks beyond measure, but it is what it is. On the other hand, you guys have been incredibly patient and supportive of us during this down time, so even though we’re not finished working on the site, we’re going to let it go live again. 

HOWEVER: this means that some things still don’t work, primary email notifications. We’re working on it, but all of us (meeshie and FM especially) need to take a break, eat some food and get some rest. It’s been an incredibly trying and totally exhausting couple of days over here.

Mega thanks to @kaoscraze82, Mr. Meeshie and Mr. FM for keeping meeshie and FM fed and stuff and things the last 2 days, @liddym2113 for keeping us smiling when things got rough and especially @subversivegrrl and @ikkleosu for planning the awesome trivia games, running the social media sites to keep everyone informed and in general being amazing head cheerleaders and admins. 

Nine Lives takes a village sometimes, y’all! We will keep you guys posted as we work to resolve the final issue on our maintenance list, but in the meantime, we’re going back live!

Caryl on, kiddos!

Yo peeps!

FM here, dropping a few super quick notes for y'all regarding our monthly Writers Chats.

In the past, the planning and running of the Writers Chats has been a group effort, primarily headed by the trio of myself, Ikkles & Subs plus meeshie, the owner of the NL Chat Room and Chat Admin. Then we expanded the chat team by adding moderators sweetooth7 and jaibhagwan, both of whom are unbelievably awesome and dedicated members of the team.

Now we're in the midst of regorganizing things behind the scenes (and planning some amazing things for our future, but more on that later). With that reorganization comes the passing of the Baton of Power, if you will, to the Chat Team of Nine Lives. Meaning that meeshie, sweettooth7 and jaibhagwan have taken on full control of planning, scheduling, promoting and running the monthly Writers Chats! 

With taking on full responsability for the chats, we decided an expansion to the chat team was required. We are incredibly pleased to announce that Liddym2113 has joined the Nine Lives team as a Chat Moderator! 

I know that this remarkable, creative, totally kickass team is going to do some truly amazing things, and I look forward to partying every month with them at our Writers Chats!

That's all from me for now. Stay tuned, because as always, we have so much more headed your way soon!

Caryl on, my turtledoves!

FM