In this chapter:

Detailed tips and help to write The Walking Dead's most complex and fan-favorite character, Daryl Dixon.

Daryl Dixon

Daryl Dixon is one of The Walking Dead's fan-favorite characters. He's been around since the beginning and his character has developed a lot throughout the show. Daryl is the redneck lone wolf turned silent alpha. Like we did with Rick, let's break down Daryl's character to better understand his reaction to anything your fanfic might throw at him.

Things that are important to Daryl Dixon:

( ) Survival, Daryl is known for surviving. It's all he's been doing since the beginning of his story even before the apocalypse.

( ) Selflessness, this is a big trait of Daryl and different moments throughout the show have expressed this.

( ) Fury, we can't leave this one out. Daryl carries a lot of fury within him and whether he gets mad for the right or wrong reason, he will speak his mind if he feels the need to. Don't be afraid to show this side of him, even if it's negative. Daryl isn't perfect and the way he handles his anger is a perfect example of that.

( ) Passion, Daryl is a character who does every single thing with so much passion. Nothing he ever does seems meaningless. Whether it's hunting, protecting people or expressing his emotions. Everything seems to be done with a burning passion.

Romances

This is a difficult section to explain for Daryl... Since the beginning of the series, people have been shipping Caryl although, with the show's progression, it has become more prominent that Daryl and Carol are 'best friends'. Daryl is very task-oriented. He sets his mind to something and doesn't let anything distract him. It's hard to know exactly how Daryl would react to the idea of a relationship since he hasn't had an on-screen romance.

So we will stick to the things that we know for sure:

( ) A Daryl x OC relationship would have a slow progression.

( ) Daryl is loyal and values loyalty, Ex; when Dwight and Sherri take Daryl's bike his disgust is vivid as they betray him.

( ) Selflessness is a key trait of Daryl. After being engaged in a relationship (romantic or friendly) with an OC, we can safely say that Daryl would vow to protect them like the rest of his family.

( ) Impulsiveness is something that we see from Daryl a lot throughout the show and I think showing this in a relationship would be important.

Preexisting Relationships

Daryl's character dynamics are very interesting. We think that some of the strongest character dynamics with Daryl would be:

( ) Carol Peletier, best friend

( ) Rick Grimes, brother

( ) Judith Grimes, family

( ) Beth Greene, friend

( ) Carl Grimes, family

Every character that Daryl has met in one way or another, has played an important role in his storyline. These characters have however impacted him over long periods or in very strong ways.

Carol and Daryl have both been around for as long as the show has been going on so they've definitely got some history. Since their first scene together, it's slowly become more prominent that Daryl cares about her. After Sophia's disappearance, Daryl was selfless in trying to find her and that meant a lot to Carol. The pair have bonded over so much throughout the show and if Daryl were to have a relationship with an OC it would be very important to note their friendship like Ezekiel did. It doesn't necessarily have to be in a negative way like he did but it needs to be brought to attention somehow. Your OC should acknowledge their dynamics.

Rick is Daryl's long lost brother. Over time we see the pair develop and things really take a turn in their relationship when Dale is fatally wounded and Rick can't quite bring himself to shoot him so Daryl does it instead. This was a big change because Daryl had mostly been keeping himself to the outskirts of the group but here it shows that he cares and he's there for Rick when he can't do it. In your fanfic, it's important to show Rick and Daryl's relationship because it's affected Daryl so much. If your fanfic starts early on, then Daryl should be a little more hostile towards the group and possibly your OC depending on their placement in the story. If your fanfic starts later, then you should make sure that your OC takes note of their dynamics together and sees how much they are to each other.

Judith and Carl are both important characters in Daryl's story. They both show a bit more of his child-appealing side. In the newer seasons, he's best friends with Judith. When Carl was alive, he looked up to Daryl and there were several times when Daryl was there to support Carl in one way or another. An example of this being the time he shared his mother's death story with Carl.

Beth and Daryl were forced together after the fall of the prison. At first, things were a little rocky. Daryl shut down, thinking he'd lost everyone, but Beth was with him and she got him to open up again. They started bonding, Daryl taught her how to track and she taught him to have hope. Their characters couldn't have been more different which added to their dynamic. Their story after the fall of the prison is important and should be remembered. In fanfic, if your OC and Daryl get separated, then learning about the story between Beth and Daryl would be important. Your OC should have some sort of knowledge/understanding of their relationship and why Beth's death affected Daryl so much. If your OC and Daryl don't get separated, then there should still be some sort of dynamic created where Beth and Daryl gain an understanding and form a relationship but you'll also need to make your OC's presence prominent.

Relationship aesthetics:

This is just to paint a picture of what a relationship with Daryl might include:

- Riding on the back of his motorcycle

- Him teaching you how to hunt

- Careful touches (his fingertips brushing against your arm)

- Waking up early to watch the sunrise

- Being very protective of each other

- Having entire conversations with just your eyes

- Forcing him to take showers

- Teasing him with his awful flirting

- Arguments that end in a make-out session

- Him only being able to sleep when you're next to him

- His eyes always going to you first when he enters a scene

And many more!

Platonic friendships

Of course, some people just want to write Daryl as a good friend. Here are some tips for doing just that!

- A very important thing to remember when writing Daryl is that he isn't always quiet and in the background. The guy can be really fun around people he's comfortable with.

Remember the scene at the beginning of season four where he teased Zach and acted like he used to a homicide cop before the apocalypse. Or that time in the forest when he came walking out of the treeline with his squirrels and Rick pointed his gun at him and he casually said: "we surrender." Or that time in season 9 where he was talking with Carol about Ezekiel and asked her if he snored fancy too?

If Daryl becomes friends with your OC be sure to write this teasing side of him too. If they're close friends, he'd definitely make fun of things he/she does.

- Of course, friends are allowed to ride the motorbike too. There are plenty of occasions Carol or Rick is on the back of his beloved motorbike.

- A friendship with Daryl would without question include that he would give his life for you. That guy does not make jokes when it comes to protecting people. If your OC is close with him, there's nothing he wouldn't do for him/her.

- Also, don't hesitate to make him care, because he does. And there are moments he shows it. He isn't always hiding behind a mask of anger and badassness. Don't be scared to make him vulnerable. Remember how he opened up to Beth in the end and how he shares his opinions with Rick and how mad he was when Justin put Aaron in danger. He cares, let him show that.

- Don't forget that Daryl is still impulsive and aggressive. While we've talked a lot about Daryl's softer more vulnerable side, make sure not to forget about his harsher more abrasive side. Daryl had a bad temper and acts very impulsively.

We hope this was helpful!