Alaric Saltzman

Alaric Saltzman is a popular character on The Vampire Diaries introduced in season one of the show as a history teacher.
==Canon==
It was later revealed that he was a vampire hunter, who came to Mystic Falls to hunt down a vampire who killed his wife, Isobel. That vampire turned out to be Damon Salvatore. After a confrontation with Damon, Alaric died, but was brought back thanks to a magical Gilbert ring, a gift from his wife.
He develops a relationship with Elena and Jeremy's aunt, Jenna Sommers and after she is killed by Klaus Mikaelson, he assumes guardianship of Elena and Jeremy.
In season 3, he is turned into a vampire by Esther in a plot to kill her family and end vampire existence completely. His life is connected to Elena's and he cannot be killed for as long as she lives. When she dies in a car accident caused by Rebekah Mikaelson, he also dies.
He is seem sporadically in ghost form in seasons 4 and 5. In the season 5 finale he is brought back from The Other Side, still a vampire. It's revealed that, because he was created by Esther's magic, he had all the skills and advantages of an Original Vampire, including ability to compel other vampires. Since then, he has been turned back into human.
==Fandom==
After Alaric's death in season 3, fans of the character were devastated. There were a lot of tribute fanvids made during the hiatus between season 3 and 4. When he appeared briefly at the beginning of season four, his "I miss you too, buddy" scene with Damon was giffed and squeed about by a lot of people. The writers themselves said that, Alaric has always been the first one on the list of characters they wanted to bring back.
===Gen Relationships with other characters===
Fandom often uses Alaric as a supportive character in fanfic, where he has a familial or friendly relationship with the main character/pairing. The most common dynamics include:
* Alaric & Damon - a deep friendship with Damon Salvatore that in many ways resembles their relationship in canon. Alaric is often the sounding board, the drinking buddy, best friend, partner in crime with Damon.
* Alaric & Jeremy - this relationship varies in fics, from a guardian/ward, mentor-like relationship to a close father/son dynamic
* Alaric & Elena - very much like his relationship with Jeremy, Alaric's relationship with Elena is often portrayed in fics as a family dynamic (often due to him dating Aunt Jenna)
==Common Romantic Pairings==
The most popular slash pairing is Damon/Alaric, but there's also some rarepair ships including Alaric/Elijah, Alaric/Damon/Elijah and Alaric/Jeremy. His het pairings include Alaric/Jenna and Alaric/Elena.
==Fanon and Common Tropes in Fanworks==
* Evil!Ric - this trope gained popularity after season 3, where for several episodes Alaric was possessed and evil, trying to kill the protagonists. Due to his canon connection to Esther, he is sometimes portrayed as working for The Original Family (especially in human Crime AUs, where the Mikaelsons are a crime family.
* Alcoholic!Ric - in season 3 Alaric is portrayed as having a serious drinking problem after the death of his girlfriend Jenna, some writers address that issue in more depth
* Vampire!Ric - even before he was turned into a vampire, this was a popular trope, especially in Damon/Alaric fics.
==Example Fanworks==
===Fanfic===
* Watching You Like This by kwritten, Damon/Alaric Alaric watches Damon live his life after he is gone.
* Preliminaries by scy, Damon/Alaric Alaric didn't mean to hang out with Damon
* The History of Seduction by scy, Damon/Alaric Alaric is a scholar
* Much More Complicated by iphignia939, Damon/Alaric “Damon snapped your neck and you got up to kill vampires with him and punch him in the face. For him, that’s like a valentine.”
===Fanart===
* Matthew/Alaric pencil portrait by Sabriiistrash
* Alaric Saltzman by XChelinkaX
* The Teacher by Ten-1717
===Vids===
* Be Still by xXWhisperOfDreamsXx, character tribute post season 3
* This seat is taken by Juste Gaga, a Damon/Alaric vid
* Thanks, Friend by Victoria666100, a Alaric & Damon vid
* Family isn't whose blood you carry by tabbleey, a Alaric & Elena vid
* Pieces by doode25's backup!, a season 1 vid
* Broken by SilentxRaindrop, made for a competition for a Greek vampire diaries fan page
* i'm only human by LoveSucksManiac, a tribute vid
* Introducing the common hunter by Every End Means A Start Productions, a humor vid
* Just Alaric by BlackColourSplash, a humor vid
==Archives and Communities==
* alaric saltzman tag on Tumblr
* Alaric Saltzman tag on AO3
==Links and Resources==
* Alaric Saltzman at The Vampire Diaries Wiki
==References==
Category:Vampire Diaries Characters