Congratulations to our September Members of the Month: Na Bruma Leve for Author and our esteemed Reviewer - RandomCat!

Na Bruma Leve - Author of the Month

1. What draws you to the Caryl ship?
I think shipping Caryl was inevitable. I always tended to fall in love with those couples that have an unique story, where things are not even close to perfect, and you can actually relate to them in a sense where that story could be actually true. And there is this element in their relationship, of trusting and being a better person when the other is around. They have so many issues, they have so many problems surrounding not only the present world they live in, but their past and what they went through, and still, you feel that what they really want and value are the simple things. They respect each other, they trust each other, and they try to be a better person for the other. They see in each other what they can't see in themselves, and I think this is so beautiful. They love each other in every sense of the word. I can't think of a fictional couple that have such a rich and unique relationship.

2. Who are your writing influences?  
I'm a huge huge fan of Agatha Christie. I think I read 99% of her work, and she is a huge inspiration when it comes to creativity. Especially in the way she gives her characters a depth even though falling in love with any of them is a huge risk, especially if they are the killer at the end of her story haha. And, coming from the fandom, I know so many wonderful writers, like Saedhriel, Lovesdaryl and Lilabut. I think the way they can convey the love between Carol and Daryl and how some of their stories stuck with me, is what made me want to write for this ship.

4. How do you handle writer’s block?
I think I actually don't handle it lmao. I don't know if there is a right way to deal with writer's block, but when I feel I reached that point, I just don't push myself to write something. I feel like I need to respect what I'm feeling right now, and I need to respect the story I was building up. If I keep forcing myself to do it, it becomes worse. It's difficult, because as a reader, I know how much it's frustrating to wait for an update of a story you were really into, but I also feel I own this person the best I can give, and for that, I need to respect my time. 

4. Anything you want to say to your readers? ;)
First of all, thank you soooo much for the support and the encouragement, I wasn't expecting this at all. To be Author Of The Month is a huge huge honor to me. It's a joy to know that people appreciate my writing and my stories. And it's actually you who inspires me to continue. The Caryl community is one of the best fandoms I ever had the pleasure to be part of, and I hope that with my stories, I can provide an escape from the sometimes not so nice canon events we have happening with our favorite characters lmao. I feel that this here, being able to create new stories and feel that you are contributing to this amazing world, is what makes me continue to be in this fandom. I hope you feel as happy by reading my stories as I am for writing them.

And thank you so much NineLives, for give us the opportunity to become better as writers and to provide such a wonderful place to show our love for this two life ruiners <33

RandomCat - Reviewer of the Month

1. What draws you to the Caryl ship?
Honestly, they blindsided me and I love a good surprise. I disliked Daryl at first and even though Carol had won me over with the pickaxe to Ed's head and hiding the grenade in her purse, I was focusing on the Grimes family and Glenn for the first season. And then bam! Second season comes around and we get these really beautiful scenes between the two of them.  I really enjoyed the what they brought out in each other during their interactions and by the end of the second season, I was sold. I don't think I shipped them super hard until the third season, but I definitely had two new favorite characters by the time the barn burned down.  Both of them proved to be more than meets the eye, and I really enjoyed the reveal.

Since then, their interactions are always a treat. They clearly would do anything for each other and watching these two damaged people come together and support one another, I found that to be a really beautiful thing to watch and I just couldn't help but ship it. They've both suffered so much and I feel like it's pretty clear that they need each other.  They're better together!!

2. What do you look for in a story to keep reading?
Characterization and dialogue are really important to me for these two.  I gotta be able to visualize and hear them in my head. Daryl has a very distinct way of speaking and then to top it off, he and Carol tend to not mince words. I also really get into stories that look at the whole picture and not forget that their pasts greatly impact who they are today. If I'm completely honest, I'm a sucker for angst, but really it's about them working through their troubles together.

I gravitate towards stories that fit with the canon.  The zombie apocalypse is a very exciting environment to explore and there are so many stages to Caryl's relationship. The farm, the prison, and Alexandria offer so many possibilities, so I like seeing people's unique versions of them at each of these stages. 

3. What are your top 5 favorite stories?
Ooh boy, I'll go with a mix of all time favs and current favs. Hard to narrow it down to 5, that's for sure! I'm not sure I even reviewed some of these on ninelives, I probably did some over on fanfiction.net, but here we go:

• 1. A Drop of Blood Among The Sharks by silversundown
• 2. Home by Lamport
• 3. Spark by Tinkerbell99
• 4. Other Half by NotLaura
• 5. static by lilabut

4. Anything you want to say to all the Caryl authors out there?
First things first: Thank you all! I don't think I've ever been part of a ship with so many talented writers.  The quality of the stuff here is incredible to me.  I've spent many hours tearing through the stories posted here and it's been nothing but great fun. I've cried, laughed, and sighed probably as much as I have watching the show, so thank you all for expanding upon the world and this relationship!

Second, I lurked on this site for...ehhhh, almost embarrassed to say, but probably four months before joining.  I plan on going back and reviewing what I read during my lurker days. I will spam your inboxes with comments! Hope nobody minds reviews on older stories!

I'm so happy I found this site! Keep up the great work!!