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In this chapter:
Detailed tips and help on writing everybody's favorite ex sheriff, Rick Grimes.
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Rick Grimes
Rick Grimes is a huge part of The Walking Dead which can make it hard to write his character in fanfics. As we all know, he's the ex sheriff turned apocalyptic badass father. First, we should break down the character to better understand how he would be in any situation that your fanfic may throw him in.
Things that are important to Rick Grimes:
( ) Family, at heart Rick is and will always be a family man.
( ) Survival, Rick has a lot to survive for and he'll do almost anything to survive if he has to.
Romances
Rick is a very straightforward and honest man. He's the kind of guy who is going to tell someone how they feel. For example, in the short lived romance between Rick and Jessie, Rick was very open and quick to let Jessie in on his feelings. However that was in a safer not-on-the-road situation. When Rick is on the road he's focused on his family and keeping them safe so his feelings for someone won't be as important to him.
Rick is a complicated man so his feelings towards someone else may be just as complicated as he is.
Preexisting Relations
As mentioned in the previous chapter, writing preexisting characters can be difficult. It can especially be difficult if you don't create the proper dynamics between the characters.
Specifically for Rick, I think the people he has the strongest dynamic with would be:
( ) Carl Grimes, son
( ) Judith Grimes, daughter
( ) Daryl Dixon, brother
( ) Michonne, love interest
While every character on TWD has played an important role to Rick, these three have some of the more complex dynamics.
Carl is Rick's son and seeing as Rick is a family man, they've got a strong bond and a very strong dynamic. It's important to show in your fanfic that Rick loves his son and protects him at all costs. If your OC is Rick's love interest then Carl could very well be brought into a part of that relationship seeing as the OC would be in a relationship with his father. Carl's opinion is important to Rick too.
The same goes for Judith she is is daughter and he will do anything to protect her. Having your OC be in a relationship with Rick means you can add lots of cute scenes between your OC and Judith because whenever he can, Rick will be close to her.
Daryl has throughout the show become Rick's brother. If you're fanfic starts early in the show then it's important to have that progression of Daryl being the outsider then becoming more of Rick's brother. If the fanfic starts later in the show then it should be set clear that Daryl and Rick have a strong bond forged through the harsh moments of the apocalypse.
Michonne could definitely be harder to write into your fanfic with Rick depending on the situation. If your OC is Rick's love interest then you've got to figure out why in your fanfic Richonne isn't a thing. It could be as simple as your OC got to him first. Or you could find a more complex way of writing it out if you so choose. However you've still got to keep in mind that Rick and Michonne have a strong bond because they've been in the group for so long so you've got to acknowledge their dynamics.
Then there are people who were important to Rick but don't live anymore. Two very important characters you should never forget are Lori and Shane. Just because they don't live anymore, doesn't mean they're not important to Rick anymore.
Losing Lori hardened Rick and made it harder for him to open up to people. Even though he is straight forward and will eventually tell your OC how he feels, he will try to figure her/him out first. Only when he is certain he can trust your OC will he be open to the possibility of dating him/her.
Then there is the difficult situation of Shane. What Rick did to him will always haunt him and the fact that Judith is Shane's daughter, is something that Rick knows. If you want to create a strong bond between your OC and Rick, an important point to include is have Rick tell your OC that Judith isn't his. With that information you show that Rick fully trusts your OC and you stay true to his character. (Which is him knowing it, but letting it define his love for Judith).
Relationship aesthetics:
This is just to paint a picture of what a relationship with Rick might include:
- Cuddling at night
- Him learning you how to shoot a gun
- Late night talks about the future
- Playing games with Carl and Judith
- Early morning walks through Alexandria
- Comforting each other with long hugs
- Not being afraid to kiss in public (not a full on make out session, just quick kisses)
- Holding hands
- Singing along to the radio in the car
- Dancing in the living room
- Him wrapping his arms around you from behind when you're cooking dinner.
And many more!
Platonic friendships
Of course not everyone writes Rick Grimes as a love interest. So here are some tips for when you want to write Rick as a friend:
- Rick is someone will always give your OC advice when he/she needs it but also needs a lot of advice himself. Being friends with him means knowing when to give him a peptalk but also receiving peptalks in return.
- Another thing Rick values is protection. If your OC is his friend, part of his family, he will protect her/him, without your OC having to ask him to do so. He will have your back and is not likely to ever betray you. (Unless you do something to provoke him)
- But Rick can also be stern. When your OC needs to be put in check, or is endangering other people, he won't hesitate to tell him/her so.
