A Guide To Writing Summer
Summer LOVES her family, but in a similar way to Rick...or everyone else, really. They're all dysfunctional and pick one another apart. This section also serves to continue the dialog part from before.
Always emphasize the bond she has with Beth. Whether you're writing angst, comedy, or fluff, this is something you cannot remove from either character in a way that can be endlessly interpreted.
Do you think Summer hates Beth deep down due to how she was raised and how she was nearly aborted, never truly moving on?
Do you think she acknowledges the teen pregnancy and how they both grew up together?
Do you think that they talk while Beth drives Summer to school and Summer catches her up on gossip in class?
Write what you want to write! Just know that they have a strong mother-and-daughter bond, with episodes like Morty's Mindblowers showing us how deep it can go.
If you're writing in such a way that your story takes place in the current timeline, you should acknowledge the new boundary that Summer and Beth have set up for one another. They are not friends, they are clearly mother and daughter, and bond as such. Show how Beth IS her mother, not a cool adult she hangs out with. Beth trying to win her over in a non-genuine way wouldn't fit.
If you're working off of older seasons (preferably anything taking place before Season 3's The Whirly Dirly Conspiracy), show the drift between both still being present. Summer doesn't think Beth would understand what she's going through, while Beth can't find a way to tell her daughter how much she loves her. And if you're going back even further to before Season 1's Rixty Minutes, then you should emphasize that the drift isn't addressed. Summer wouldn't know that she was almost aborted, especially that her parents considered it for themselves of course, but she would know something is off. She doesn't have to directly say it, just try to find ways to explore it. My friend @lainakeia has an amazing ongoing fic (link here!!) through Summer's eyes as she grows up, with a lot of sequences of Summer knowing things are off when Jerry or Beth push the family dynamic in a way they don't typically do.
She has a VERY rocky relationship with him, if it wasn't obvious enough. Summer finds his usual behavior to be really lame, but she always attacks how he's "fake" in how he puts on this persona of adoring his family when, in her eyes, he does it to further boost his own self-esteem. This is seen in Look Who's Purging Now and Childrick of Mort (an episode I never thought I'd cite when it comes to writing).
Again, she's reactive. She doesn't just go into the room and call him a loser. And as I said before, she is both used to his loafing around and is on her phone most of the time. Look Who's Purging Now shows this very well, so it's a good episode to watch if you wanna study the father and daughter dynamic. If she ever has to attack him, it HAS to be for a reason. Childrick of Mort made the mistake of making her snap for a really bad reason, if you ask me. If, say, Jerry is trying to flirt with Beth and it's embarrassing, Summer wouldn't just break him down right then and there. She'd either go to her room or say that's gross, but stop there. On the other hand, if Jerry starts doing nice things for Summer (and she'll probably like it) only to realize that Jerry makes it about himself and making himself look good, she WOULD tear into him and his self-esteem.
Don't forget!! Jerry loves movies, and Summer does not care for them! If you want an inciting incident that is reactive as I said before, you could ABSOLUTELY do something with this dynamic! Not to mention that Summer seems to not mind Rick's colorful references, with Hot Rick showing that she was willing to watch a piece of media because Rick referenced it. If you want a nice tidbit in your story and/or want to push her character exploration, try showing Summer's reaction to both men making references to a movie. Summer would likely retort with "Dad, nobody knows what that means" or "Nobody knows what you're talking about"
If you want a story where Summer isn't mean to Jerry, nor one where Jerry is trying to win Summer over, then I suggest you do what you want! But just like how Beth and Jerry have a strong bond, explore their past. Yet again, Look Who's Purging Now shows that she holds her memories with Jerry very closely. Try to explore that little bit and how they did have a far closer father and daughter bond.
While we're here, we can discuss Space Beth. We don't have many instances of Summer with Space Beth, but she does seem to perpetuate the Domestic and Space Beth distinctions, seeing her as a cool badass space mom. You can write a scenario with them on an adventure together, but there's two things to keep in mind:
1 - Space Beth has missions to do. Unlike Rick, she can't just bumble around. You could write that happening (and again, I encourage you all to explore scenarios that we don't see on the show), but it wouldn't be a common occurrence, so perhaps Space Beth is a bit thrown off by it
2 - She doesn't have a strong bond with her like Beth. Summer looks up to her for her actions, and Space Beth does seem to respect Summer as shown in Solaricks. But this seems to start and end with how they do in combat. Again, you guys can explore them however you want, but if you want to see how their relationship works, this is a good start and something worth addressing.
Morty is interesting. They also have a strong bond that was established in Rixty Minutes, and if you want that to be your anchor for their bond, then you are writing a similar dynamic to Summer with Beth. They don't always see eye-to-eye, but are undeniably close, especially following episodes like The Rickshank Rickdemption where they team up together despite their different views on Rick.
When it comes to any clashing dynamics, try to emphasize a usual sister and brother dynamic. I recommend this solely because it stays true to the show and is just a fun thing to do, especially if you're going for a more lighthearted approach.
They can also be written to butt heads over being on missions with Rick, though again, it would be nicer if you were to write all three of them together. I only say this because I encourage everyone to try things we rarely see, and it's just wholesome :)
This section is a little short as I am not the best at writing Morty, but to those who ARE good at writing him, be sure to reblog this with your own advice! As for what I'll say if you're already educated on how to write him 🤓:
You can always reel things back by mentioning their shared friends. Jessica is friends with Tricia, who is friends with Summer. And since both attend the same high school, if you're ever starved for a conversation or starting point when it comes to a grounded story, go with that. Again, sorry this section is so short!!
Rick is one that people sometimes misunderstand. You have to keep in mind that Morty and Summer are not the same person. Summer never mixes errands with adventures. If she has to help Rick get crystals from another planet, she’s not going to turn it into a bonding moment. Sure, she’ll save him and get sappy over familial love, but that’s not what I’m talking about.
Morty Daddy explicitly spells it out for us, as nearly every interaction between Summer and Rick starts with them wanting to go out together for some grandfather and granddaughter bonding that gets interrupted and turns into an adventure. She doesn’t want these to cross over, so if you do write them, try to emphasize the difference between them. How I see it:
“Going out” just means something like the cog restaurant from Morty Daddy or the fender they went on in A Rickconvenient Mort.
“Errands” or “adventures” would be any of the events that take place during them. So again, that would include the chase sequence in Morty Daddy, or Summer realizing Daphne is a bad influence on Rick in A Rickconvenient Mort.
Again, this distinction keeps Summer different from Morty. It also emphasizes how and why they butt heads. If you want to make a clear character-driven divergence, then I suggest you watch A Rickconvenient Mort.
Though, if you're not down to write an adventure, I still strongly advise you watch that episode's second plotline to appreciate how the two understand each other. I always viewed it as Summer and Rick having similar coping mechanisms and when one is unhealthy, the other points it out. They're both a little damaged but wanna fix each other. You can work with that overlap fairly well.
Overall, she's driven to Rick as a result. She wants to be with him to make life less boring. Whether it's to help him or just have fun, she'll take it. Just not both at the same time, necessarily (well, she DOES get a kick out of helping Rick to begin with, so don't exclude that element!)
To wrap up the family section, a few extra notes:
When writing a pre-season 3 Summer, family is not the exact focus. She doesn't care much for them, and will especially favor seeking friendship. This is where you want to hone in on specific relationships rather than trying to emphasize how she sees her entire family.When writing during or past season 3, emphasize the idea of family as a whole. This is especially important when you are writing during or past season 6, where Summer holds family above all else. I'd say season 3 is when she realizes that she cannot lose family ever again, while seasons 5 to 6 deal with how she essentially traded her own relationships to protect the entire family and keep them together. This is an approach that works amazingly well when you are writing a solo and/or POV Summer Story, so I'd start here. It allows you to be a bit more vague about these concepts and how Summer could view them, rather than viewing just family members.
And again, if you're reading this all and know how to write one family member better, that's great! If you are reading this, don't feel afraid to reblog with some tips on writing the other family members and their dynamic with Summer! But I'd also say to not allow this to reimagine how you see them. Rather, combine it with what I've said, or use it to explore your own headcanons.
Link to Part 1 of my guide here
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