TEN YEARS OF THE KITTEN!!

[WebWarlock]

Ok sorry for the shout and it might even be a tad premature (not sure when in July) .

BUT THE KITTEN IS TEN YEARS OLD!!

We have outlasted One List, Ezboard and others I may have forgotten.
We have outlasted a multitude of other "Buffy" sites.
We lived through the meltdown of 2002-2003.
And we outlasted three TV shows that won't be named.

I think that is cause to celebrate.

I started coming here in 2001 and been coming back ever since.

What are your favorite things about the Kitten? What keeps you coming here?

Tim

[Candleshoe]

Ten years! Yay!

I came for the fic five years ago, and stayed for the girls...

[tarawillow<3]

WOOP !!!

[taralicious]

I came for the Willow and Tara smut and stayed for the Kittens themselves.
As a writer now myself, I am grateful for the kind words people have given me about my feedback to boost my neurotic insecurity and reassure me I have a way with words.
A decade for the Kitten Board. We rule.

[Nue]

10 years!!!

we rock!!

[Hemiola]

I was a regular visitor to the original Buffyboard, but was put off by the wave of vitriol directed at both the Willow-Tara relationship and, even worse, at Amber Benson herself! I was therefore very interested to learn that there was a message board in support of the relationship, so I decided to pay a visit.

What can I tell ya, I stayed.

[SJ]

Made a great friend from this board and met my gf on here.
Been here since 2000 and liked the community and enjoyed the fics.

[Willowtree252]

Happy 10 years everyone!!!! I came to stay in the land of Willow and Tara. Bonded with alot of wonderful friends and met the love of my life here! Thank you Kitten and Xita!!!

[willowtaralover]

I discovered the kittenboard by chance after reading most of the stories on 'UberWillowandTara'. I came for the stories and made some good friends and it's basically the greatest site in the world. Until someone makes one with nudie pictures of Amber and Alyson *sigh*

WILLOW AND TARA ROCK ALWAYS AND FOREVER

[WebWarlock]

I came across this site back in summer 2001.

It helped me through some rough times that is certain.

I also met some really good freinds here and t helped me get a deal to write the Ghosts of Albion Roleplaying Game and meet Christopher Golden and meet and have diner with Amber Benson herself.

So yeah, this is a great board and a great community.

Tim

[CaptMurdock]

Willow and Tara were the characters that actually awoke my muse for the first time in years. I truly feel I have done some of my finest work ever writing about these two.

Also, the Kittens have been a source of support through some rough times. You guys let me lean on you when I needed it.

All my love and best of luck to you all!

Matt

[NeverChosen]

I haven't been around long, but here are my two cents...

I came to the board for purely pragmatic reasons; I was moving and working so much that carrying books was out of the question, but I had frequent internet access and have been a prodigious reader my entire life. A friend told me about this 'fanfic' thing years before and in desperation for mental escape I started reading it. I was about to give it up, unwilling to slog through all the smut and poorly-written material to find the few gems, when I came here... and discovered the highest concentration of brilliant fanfic writers that I am aware of. Sidestep made me realize that fanfic could be as good as any novel published, Bread showed me that poetry in prose is not a lost art, and Once More, All Naked, All Gay proved to me that spewing Diet Coke all over your computer as you laugh does not necessarily destroy your keyboard- and doesn't even get sticky.

I know I came late to the game. This was the first forum I joined (and only, so far) and it was here that I tried my first chat room (and now tell stories there regularly). I started writing fanfic because I felt I owed something to this community after receiving as much from it as I have. I kept writing because- dammit, it's addictive! People I've met here have been lovely, not to mention encouraging to someone as new to writing as myself. It is intimidating, but motivating, to post where you hope and dread that those who have given you joy may read.

My thanks to those who spawned this board, and again to those that keep it alive.

-Never

[Owl]

It's really strange to think that I was 10 when the Kitten started. Wow. I showed up shockingly late to this wonderful party, a transgression for which I'll never fully forgive myself, but I did get here in the end and I never plan to leave. Since I found the Kitten, there hasn't been a single day that I haven't checked the board and I've lost countless hours just completely transfixed by the stuff I've found here.

Willow and Tara, and this board, have totally changed my life. Heck, I even got a tattoo a couple of months ago (on the one year anniversary of my fully fledged, registered Kitten status to be precise) entirely inspired by these two wonderful characters. I really hope you're all imagining a garish, out of proportion portrait of the two of them covering my entire back right now 'cause that's what I think of when ever I consider the idea of someone getting a 'fangirl'-ish tattoo . It's certainly nothing like that, don't worry.

Anyhow, what I'm trying to is that this is, and always will be, my favourite place on the internet, and as long as there's a Kitten Board to come to, I'll be here. I can only hope that that'll be for a very, very long time to come. Thanks, as always, to Xita, our wonderful mods, all you legendary authors and artists, and every single Kitten that ever there was for making this the perfect, purple place that it is.

[still waters run deep]

happy birthday/anniversary Kittenboard. been here off and on since more-or-less the beginning or shortly after, and it's the only buffy/scifi board I deign to take a look at these days.... keep on keeping on and here's to few more years yet!

[Katharyn]

Ah... late to the topic. I don't get here as often as once I did even though I promised they'd have to wheel me out...

I came to the Kitten in 2002 mostly because I had been writing fanfic and didn't know what to do with it. At that point I didn't even realise it was fanfic (or what the definition was) but practically the first thing I wrote was T/W... a missing scenes fic called the Beginnings Cycle that still lurks in the archives but makes me cringe to review these days.

However through that I found some good friends who improved my writing and my awareness of what it was to be a fan/gay woman/friend. Of course the fact that I was chatting from the UK while they were in the states meant that I was the one who always had to get up early! So shout out to Celia (TiredSoul), Kerry (Forrister) and Xita (Ya know who she is.) At least I seem to have outlasted those gals

I was here through the dark times when hope was cruelly dangled by people who had nothing better to do than screw with us, I was here when hope was lost and anger took over. More importantly I was here after and have seen how this community is still strong and still living up to it's purpose. I can't imagine there are many places like this, going on 8 years after the TV end of the ship that started it. We lost plenty of people along the way and we found others. It makes me feel old when people who are clearly in their teens now are still discovering the Kitten. But it's f*ckin marvellous with it.

I have over a million and a half words of writing of various quality on this board. It made me the writer I am today. Unpublished (and content to be so) but much the superior one to the person I was then. It's still a big part of my life and every once in a while I still return to T/W. More to the point T/W shapes practically everything I write, I find their nuances slipping into what I do.

The Kitten is a marvellous place full of creative/wonderful/erotically voracious peeps who have always - right from the start - made the things they never saw on screen come to pass and ignored the things that were on screen when we didn't like what saw.

Keep supporting it and don't let it go, because I doubt any of us will see it's like again.

Thanks Xita.

Katharyn.

[Mrs. Pineapple]

Ten years! Wow! I'm really happy the kitten still exist cause if not, I'd have nowhere to go
But really, Will and Tara have been really important to me, cause they helped me discover my own gayness, and they showed me that that is actually okay. More than that, it's something to be proud of

But, seriously, where is the birthdaycake? And can I have a piece?

[still waters run deep]

Just thinking back. anyone remember Tara's Willow Cafe in Menlo California?

somewhere I have photos although I missed the Kitten gathering there.

[vampyregurl73]

That is amazing. I am extremely new (May if this year) and late on the bandwagon; even with the show. I had watched sporadically when it was on. It was the encouragement (to write again) and the mandatory Buffy marathon some very dear friends tied me to a chair at that changed this.

Not only did Willow and Tara's relationship warm the cockles of my heart but the show it's self grew on me. Not to mention realizing how many of Joss Whedon's "Buffy-isms" have made it into everyday speech not just as fan speak.

Me being, lol, all knowledge-y girl, had to know more. So with my trusty laptop and google as my friend off I went. I found good stuff, I found stuff so bad it made me want to cry and stuff that just plain gave me the creeps. I found out what fan fiction was - good fan fiction - not more of the poorly written 7 of 9/Janeway hump fests...if I never read another it will be too soon.

I found an author I like/liked but who had vanished and her trail led me here. I had no idea what I had found here. Other links died or didn't exist and pretty much everything pointed my back to The Kitten. So for grins and giggles, I joined. I began to read everything I could, JustSkipIt, EasierSaid, Ophelia11, Laragh, Alex_Vixen, Jasmydae, Alcy, NeverChosen and sooo many more.

Most importantly, I also found an extremely supportive group of people. Friendly, nonjudgmental, considerate,inviting and from all across the world. I'm not a big one for chat rooms but I do visit the one here and it's always fun. With more encouragement from said friends who tied me up (not really but there were threats and the showing of rope *shudder* - they're some scary girls, trust me ) I've now even tried my hand at fanfic, I have a wonderfully supportive beta - thank you Meg - and oiling my rusty writing skills back into shape with a topic that's fun while doing something I love to do - write.

Thanks to everyone for keeping this alive, for being so kind and just being one of a kind. We all got lucky the day we found The Kitten.

So Happy Birthday/Anniversary/Just Glad We Made It - whatever you want to call it. Here's my support for at least another ten more!

[Scortor]

Congratulations Kittenboard! Wow, I don't even know where to begin...

I grew up in an extremely homophobic family/culture. It's hard growing up and being different from everyone, but even before I hit 10, I knew I was a bit more different than my family would like. I was only 11 when Willow and Tara got together in Buffy, but I recognized something in them that I saw in me and for the first time, I was okay with being a little different. Not quite ready to march in any Pride Parades or wear t-shirts that say 'Vagitarian' around, but I didn't hate myself anymore after seeing the happiness and connection between Willow and Tara. It was almost as if I were living my lesbian life vicariously through them. I'd read fanfiction before but never really thought about reading Buffy fic...well, after Tara's murder and Willow's ridiculous involvement with a certain potential slayer, I sought out stories with happier endings for our two Wiccan lovebirds. By 2003, I was a bonafide Kitten lurker. So many stories here, so much imagination, so much Willow and Tara!! I never turned back. =)

Willow and Tara's relationship and this site had an absolutely phenomenal effect on who I am today, so thanks KittenBoard! The happy, healthy, 22 year old lesbian business student owes you a lot!

-Scor

[Ariel]

10 years+ and counting!

I came for fanfic and found cyber-friends. There are a lot of story sites and while this one is the best, it's the community that really touches my heart.

So glad to be a part of it, so great to start to get to know a few people.

I'm another newbie. I was going to watch BtVS and being a purist I decided that I had to see the movie first. Well, that was it. The movie was nothing special so I never watched the show. (Yes, I curse myself for my stupidity!)

Wonderful place, thanks to the mods who have keep the fire burning all this time.

Ariel

[RowanLanfear]

Wow 10 years! I am in awe. Not just because a board such as this has lasted so long, but by how it grew and developed into such an amazing community that it is today. I came for the fanfics and I stay for the people. Everyone on here is so....I can't come up with a word (maybe one of you can help me ). So many wonderful people have made this a safe place where someone can come and be who they are. I know I have found support here and have found help with my writing. So, what I am trying to say is...

Here is a toast! To all the writers, mods, betas, friends, family that we have all found on here. To ten more years and many more. And, of course, to our girls!

[Tangetman]

The kitten board is a refuge, a place to smile, a place to cry, a place to dream, a place to sigh. In it I can shelter my quietest whispered hopes. Here I can cheer for the quiet victories and share a warm and safe place. I absolutely love all the positive encouragement and gentleness and wonderfulness I've found here. Thank you one and all for your support and understanding.

Hugs and Kisses to all.