《The Ultimate Guide To Writing PJO Fanfics》Making Believable OCs and MCs
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360_Productions here with another chapter! I've read countless PJO fanfics, and some of the OCs that I see are downright horrible. This chapter will be dedicated on creating believable OCs.
Your character most likely has a godly parent, right? Let me remind you, not all half bloods are children of the Olympians. I can't stress this enough, the big 3 don't go around having children all willy-nilly. Use some unique gods and goddesses! Some frequently forgotten, yet great choices for parents are:
And one point brought up by @albdonini that I agree with. There are never any Roman demigods. Seriously, the only Roman demigods that are ever even seldomly brought up are Hazel and Frank, and half the time, they're in the Realm of The Forgotten Characters.
These are a few little-known minor gods, whose children would have AWESOME powers. They are not commonly used. Also, you don't have to be a child of Athena to be smart.
I cannot handle anymore American, blonde or jet black haired OC/MCs!! Now, looks aren't important, and you can have your main character with blonde or jet black hair. They can be American too. But they almost always are. If I were you, I would branch out.
A few ideas:
An African American with a deep scottish accent who is constantly made fun of
A Native American with chocolate brown eyes who tries to escape their heritage
A serious Hispanic American who doesn't like to joke around
An All-American with a sarcastic manner, in a wheelchair
A new to America Brit who's mute and a child of Apollo
A Canadian (The only halfblood Canadian that I've ever read is Frank. Seriously. Just a Canadian.)
A Chinese American who doesn't know much about their powerful family history
*A CRUCIAL reminder that blonde is a very diverse color of hair. There are strawberry blondes, dirty blondes, Ash blonde, honey blonde. Athena kids don't have to have the typical blonde, mix it up! )*
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There are so many other possibilities! Branch out! I need some diversity in here, come on!
A person's looks don't always have to be like their personality. Play around with stereotypes. Blondes don't have to be dumb and peppy, the kid with jet black hair and chiseled features can be the dorky nerd, the kid with taped together glasses can be the star athlete, be creative!
Crucial Reminders for Making OC's:
Frankly, it turns them into a Mary Sue, and completely OP and unrelated. That "Champion of Hestia" thing will eventually make them seem too overpowered, and lose readers.
Yes, stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason, but that doesn't mean they always have to be true!! And you don't have to be a child of Athena to be blonde or smart, right? Now, have reasoning if you're going to break stereotypes. Don't just make the Aphrodite girl hate girly stuff for no reason. Say she used to like that kind of stuff, until her parents couldn't afford it anymore, and she came to envy the other kids who had that, and that envy slowly burned into a hate.
Enough oblivious characters, all right? Yes, you can have them, but it seems to be a built in character trait for all of them.
I mean, there have to be some, right? I want a son of Hecate with Leukemia, a daughter of Ares stuck in a wheelchair, a deaf child of Apollo, just mix it up! Think about demigods' powers being used against them. Hephaestus kids with burns on their arms, Apollo kids slowly going deaf, Iris kids slowly going blind, Athena kids needing glasses because they strain their eyes to read.(Reading the second sentence out of context makes me sound like a horrible person.)
Eventually, there going to send some demigods on a quest to retrieve the kids. It's not an overused idea, and I haven't read any fanfics where there are more demigods in there. Not all of them make it out, you know? Make a demigod who's trying to adjust to these new times, because they went in there in the 80's, and didn't come out into present times.
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What about that kid who just wants life to go back to normal, and fish with his dad, or have another movie night with her mom? What about that boy who had the perfect life until Greek Mythology ripped him away from it? What about the girl who visits her clearsighted parents every single opportunity she gets? It's not boring to read, because they can still conflict, like all parents and children do. It actually makes them more relatable to the reader. There parents could want them to run away from the Greek camp, or never get a tattoo from that Roman Camp.
Now, tragic backstories do add depth to these characters, but the same ones are used over and over again. Abusive Stepdad/Stepmom, Rich Parent who is never there for their children, The Newly made orphan. Now, I haven't ever seen Percy or an OC/MC become a foster kid. Do that.
Do your Research on your character's parent, and the Greek monsters the character will face. For instance, did you know Cerberus had a two headed brother named Orthus? Tell your readers the times if you're switching them to make sense. Otherwise, you're going to be asked a lot about "How do they know about Star Wars: The Last Jedi, if it hadn't come out yet?"(To be fair, Rick made this mistake too, in Magnus Chase. He put a Kylo Ren reference, even though the Riordanverse is staggered years behind us. Kylo Ren wouldn't have been a character for years later.)
If you still can't make your OC, use this form. Fill it out as you read it, and you'll have come up with a character in no time!
Name:
Age:
Personality:
Fatal Flaw:
Godly Parent (Optional.)
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Looks (Eye color, Hair color, Skin color, Nationality.):
Backstory:
Specific Powers:
Extra:
An Example.
Name:
Age:
Personality:
Fatal Flaw:
Godly Parent (Optional.)
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Looks (Eye color, Hair color, Skin color, Nationality.):
Backstory:
Specific Powers:
Extra:
Please tell me if you're going to use this character. I'd like to read whatever story you put her in!
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