Heroes of Olympus OC Guide

A blog dedicated to helping people with their Heroes of Olympus fan characters. We provide tips, resources, and even critiques and evaluations for those who want it. Warning: Some articles in this blog may contain spoilers for the Percy Jackson and the Heroes of Olympus series.

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I save a helpful links so I think “ow,i should made a masterlist”. I only found the link from my bookmarks.

**maybe i renew/add a new link that i found

[alliaofrph]

WRITING HELP/CHARACTER

writing a bitchy character (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10)

writing a cocky character (1,2,3,4)

writing a emotion character (1,2)

How to play a hippie

Playing the quiet character.

Portraying the shopaholic.

Portraying a mute character.

Portraying a kleptomaniac.

How to play the stalker.

Writing distant, indifferent characters.

How to write a character who stutters.

Writing a character who is sassy.

A guide to playing a southern character.

Portraying characters with crushes.

How to portray a teen mom.

How to play a character who is mean.

How to portray a character high on cocaine.

Writing a character who is high on amphetamines.

Playing an efficient male character.

Portraying the asshole.

Playing a character who suffers from shyness.

How to play a mentally ill/insane character.

Writing a character who self-harms.

Writing a happy character.

Writing a character who suffers from night terrors.

Writing a character with paranoid personality disorder.

How to play a victim of rape.

How to RP a blind character.

Writing a leader.

Writing a character with Dissociative Identity Disorder.

Writing a character with depression.

Writing a character who is homosexual.

Writing a character with schizophrenia.

Playing a fe/male character.

Writing a character with Nymphomania.

How to write a worry wart.

How to write a character with HPD.

How to write a bad ass character.

Playing a pansexual.

Tips on writing a drug addict.

Tips on writing the pregnant female.

Writing insane characters.

Playing a character under the influence of marijuana.

Portraying a character with diabetes.

How to play a prankster.

Playing a character who has been adopted.

Portraying a vampire.

Playing a character with an eating disorder.

Portraying a character who is anti-social.

Portraying a character who is depressed.

How to portray someone with dyslexia.

How to portray a character with bipolar disorder.

Portraying a character with severe depression.

How to play a serial killer.

Writing a tomboy.

Playing a pyromaniac.

How to write a mute character.

How to write a character with an OCD.

How to play a stoner.

How to write an asexual character.

How to play a bitchy/vicious character.

How to play a character with HPD.

Playing a pregnant woman.

Playing the burn-out.

Writing a “nice” character.

How to play a gentleman.

How to play a shy/introvert character.

How to play a naive character.

Playing characters with memory loss.

How to write a character who smokes.

How to write pirates.

How to write characters with PTSD.

How to play a character who isn’t ready for sex.

How to play the geek.

Playing the manipulative character.

Portraying a character with borderline personality disorder.

Playing a character with Orthorexia Nervosa.

Writing a character who lost someone important.

Playing the bullies.

Portraying the drug dealer.

Playing a rebellious character.

How to portray a sociopath.

How to play a swimmer.

Portraying a ballerina.

Playing a promiscuous male.

Playing a character with cancer.

How to portray a bubbly character.

How to portray a power driven character.

How to portray the shy character.

Playing a character under the influence of drugs.

Playing a character who struggles with Bulimia.

Portraying a hippie.

Portraying sexually/emotionally abused characters.

Playing a character with asthma.

Portraying characters who have secrets.

Portraying a recovering alcoholic.

Portraying a sex addict.

How to play someone creepy.

Portraying a foreigner.

Portraying an emotionally detatched character.

How to play a character with social anxiety.

Portraying a character who is high.

How to play a strong, female character.

Writing a character with a hangover.

Playing angry characters.

Playing a character who is smarter than you.

Playing and writing autistic characters.

Portraying a trans character.

How to portray a dominant character.

Playing a character who is faking a disorder.

Playing a prisoner.

Playing the opposite sex.

Portraying a character who has PTSD.

Playing a character who stutters.

Portraying characters with Aspergers Syndrome.

How to play a depressed character who selfharms.

Portraying the “dumb” character.

How to portray a lesbian.

How to play a blind character.

How to play a sexual assault victim.

Writing a compulsive gambler.

Writing a closeted character.

Playing a werewolf.

Writing a character with an addiction to sex.

Writing a character who is drunk.

Portraying a character who is British.

Playing a Brit.

Portraying a character with amnesia.

Playing heroes.

Portraying a witty character.

How to play an INTJ.

How to play a vampire.

How to play a character who is manipulative.

Portraying the natural born leader.

Portraying the character who is flirtatious.

Writing a nice character.

How to portray a character who has asthma.

Playing a character with ADHD.

Writing characters with anxiety.

Amnesia

Children

A Death Scene

Loosing Someone (2)

Old Persons

Physical Injuries (2, 3)

Sexual Abuse (2)

Fight Scenes (2, 3, 4)

Horror

Torture

How to Describe the Body Shape of Female Characters

Character Apperance Help

Words to Describe Voice

Body Language Cheat Sheet

Character Development Exercises

101 Character Development Questions

Art of Character Development

Introducing Characters

Characters You Need to Reinvent

Making Characters Likeable

Heros and Villains

Describing Clothing

Understanding Body Language

100 Positive Traits

Mental Illness in Writing

Conflicts and Characters

JOBS/HOBBIES

Actors

Ballet Dancer (2)

Christianity

Foreigners

Gamblers

Hinduism

Hitmen

Satanism

Smokers

Stoners

Taoism

Journalists

Vegetarians

LOCATIONS

Australia

Boston

California (2, 3)

England/Britain (2, 3, 4, 5)

New York

Prison

London

The South (2)

GENDERS

Females (2)

Males (2)

Transgender People

NAMES

Female Names (2, 3, 4, 5)

Male Names (2, 3, 4, 5) 

Last Names  (2, 3, 4)

QUOTES

Song Lyrics Masterlist

Songs for Biographies

Favorite Quotes: TV and Movies

Favorite Quotes: Notable Authors

Favorite Quotes: Celebrities

Favorite Quotes: Popular Books (2)

Quotes From Songs

Character Quotes

Masterlist of Bio Lyrics

Masterlist of Bio Quotes

Masterlist of Song Lyrics

Biography Lyrics

A Masterlist of Quotes

+130 Quotes

SMUT

Smut Guide: Casual Sex

Smut Guide: For Beginners

How to: Write a First Time Sex Scene Romantically

How to: Smut - The Bare Bones

How to: Smut (For Virgins)

How to: Write Lesbian Smut

How to: Write Smut (2, 3)

How to: Write a Blowjob/Prepping for Smut

Smut Guides of Tumblr

Tips on Writing Sex Scenes

A Guide to Language in Smut

Domination and Submission

Making Love

A Smut Guide

KISSES

How to: Write a Kiss (2)

Different Types of Kisses

Writing Out the First Kiss

GRAMMAR

Placement of Speech Tags

Grammar and Spelling

Grammar Slammer!

American vs. British Grammar

HyperGrammar

Grammar Girl

Punctuating Dialogue

How to Use the Semicolon

Introduction to the Basic Rules of Punctuation

Comma 101

All About Dialouge

11 Grammar Tips

Comma Usage

Correct Use of Apostrophe

Proofreading

Transition Words

40+ Tips to Improve your Grammar and Punctuation

Better Writing: Grammar & Spelling

Semicolons and Colons

Underlining and Italicizing

Dashes and Parentheses

Hyphens

Apostrophes

The Ellipsis

List of 1000+ Adjectives

ART

painting tutorial

colour palette (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)

drawing clothe folding

avoiding drawing the same face

draw ice

anatomy help

free drawing program (1) (2)

sai brushes (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8)

draw hair

drawing ref

dont know what to draw?

draw 3D room tut

drawing eyes

lip tutorial

how to draw jeans

how to draw arms

expression tutorial

drawing hair and fur

drawing cats

pose reference blog [its actually a blog full of references i-]

download photoshop

paint blood

color blender

draw hands

hands 2

photoshop help (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

remove backgrounds from images online

clouds

brush setting ref (SAI)

kissing ref 

how to draw curls

realistic woman body ref

draw knees

draw feet

shadow help

male body

lips ref

contouring and highlighting

draw wings

change images using blur (PS)

gray

hat ref

glowing stuff

pastel colors

draw grass

eyeliner ref

Painting tutorial

Female/male arms

Kneeling + Sitting ref

Dragon head view tutorial

SAI brushes 86786

Drawing expressions

Sai Brushes 1

NGE colour palette 1

100+ colour palletes

Avoiding same face

Face contours/highlighting 

free art MyPaint

Body anatomy help 1

How to shift images using blur in PS

Drawing clothe folding

How to draw ice

Colour palette 1

Colour palette 2

SAI brush settings 2

SAI/PS pixel brushes

Warm/Cool gray

Flower crown tutorial

Skin colour palette

Pink colour sheet

How to draw butts&thighs

The male torso

Drawing glowing stuff in SAI

Drawing horse/animal legs on humans

Drawing clouds

Muscular male with bow stock photos

Pastel colours

Drawing grass fields in SAI

Expressions&Legs

All about the human body

20+ colour palettes 

Colour conversion

Kissing ref

Creature design 

Colour meanings

Creating expression

Tutorial masterpost (100+)

Lineart

Canine

How to colour

Pose studies

Feline comparisons

How to draw penis

Leaf pressing

100+ anatomy references 

How to draw folds

SAI brushes 3

Sitting poses

Colour palette 4

Cloud painting

How to draw 3D rooms

Colour info

Colouring ref

Hair tutorial

Clothing ref

Bodies and poses

SAI brushes 5

Colour scheme designer

Folding ref

Heads&Angles 

Paint tool SAI masterpost

Drawing ref masterpost (10+)

Hair+Fur

How to draw faces

SAI brushes 4

Anatomy of mutant humans

What should I draw?

Free art software

pastel colour ref

Mass art ref

Soft SAI brushes

ways to draw stuff

SAI brush settings

baseball cap ref

Penis ref

Drawing human wings

Cool free art software

Huge art ref

Colour blender

2 SAI brushes

Photoshop for free 

MAKEUP

eyeliner

how to apply blush

how to draw eyebrows

ombre eyeliner

lipstick trick

the kitty eye ^.^

nude lips

smokey eye make up

what you need to know about beauty

5 of the best foundations 

best powder foundations

quick foundation tip

how to apply liquid foundation

breaking it down

makeup highlights tutorial

blush for your skin tone

how to apply bronzer

how to contour your face

apply blush like a pro

blush according to your face shape

d.i.y. gel liner

get the perfect winged liner

get winged liner using tape

awesome eyeliner tricks

9 different eyeliner looks

different eyeliner styles

guide to applying eyeshadow

suit your eyeshadow to your eyes

glittery smoky eye

get the perfect smoky eye

a shade for every occasion

kool-aid lip stain

best lipsticks for blondes

hot red lips

how to get gradient lips

lipstick shades for fall

how to make any lipstick look matte

get soft kissable lips

long lasting makeup tricks

victoria’s secret model tips

saving face

beginner’s guide

when will it expire?

10 makeup tips from mac

best tips from professionals

18 beauty essentials

basics you should own

make-up brush tutorial 

brush tricks

clean your makeup brushes

make-up brush guide

make up hacks

easy make up tips

BODY CARE

the runaway to gorgeous skin

winter dryness

acne foundation routine

wash your face correctly

how to wash your face 101

HAIR

messy bun tutorial

different ways to braid

three-braid updo

waterfall braid

how to fishtail

romantic curls

braid + bun updo

how to do pastel hair

8 ways to wear a bow

4-strand braid

braided bun

braided headband

dutch braid crown

pin curls!

how to contour

everyday makeup routine

lipstick using crayons

eyeliner ref wow

filling in eyebrows

banana facial mask (moisturizes)

strawberry facial mask (acne prone skin)

avocado facial mask (dry skin)

yogurt facial mask (sensitive skin)

list of oils to add to your face masks

already made masterpost :*

OTHER

sleep calculator

survive nature

rain

tumblr music

calming rain

need a hug?

like the sound of a coffee shop?

can’t remember the name of a song?

the thoughts room

how to love yourself

upload anything from your iPhone etc. to your laptop

learn another language

make HUGE unpoppable bubbles

play some piano

draw a stick man and watch the story!

thousands of stars (you can zoom in/out and learn about them)

check if a username is taken (any site! twitter/tumblr, etc)

draws stuff as you move your curser

tell your thoughts to no one

play with cob web

make music with balloons

learn to play the guitar

learn to build a ship in a bottle

learn origami

learn some yoyo tricks

make your own stuffed animals

how to decorate iphone cases

make a candle

important things you should remember

how to kill your anxiety

how to help someone with their anxiety

look for literally any book you want (free)

waterproof your shoes

know what your emotion is

how to love yourself

ultimate writers resources masterpost

learn how to make punk edits without photoshop

dont know what to read?

learn a new habit 

how to answer the top 35 asked questions when applying for a job

want to draw?

The quiet place

MOVIES

Giant Movie masterpost

Disney movies masterpost

Superhero movies masterpost

Movies for when you’re sick

Scary movies masterpost

Tumblr dedicated to finding movie links

When to pee during a movie

[eating-out-kaneki-deactivated20]

HOLY FUCK

[naruto-oc-guide]

Read this. Read one of these. It’s a miracle!

-Admin Kei

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Well...there goes my blog.

[hoo-oc-guide]

Shadow James

Hi, if you wouldn't mind, could you evaluate my OC?

Okay, let's do this.

Name: Shadow Elizabeth James (I know, the unusual first name is a big turn off to start but I have good reason, I think. Her mother had picked the name, not because of who her godly parent was, but the fact that when she first held her after she was born she looked over at her shadow, though Shadow wasn't visible at all really in the shadow itself, it seemed a lot more perfect than it was before and it felt more complete than before.) (I am terribly sorry if it doesn't make much sense, it made sense when I thought of it and it's so difficult to put into words and I wish I could explain it better.)

Hm...I do appreciate that you have a reason for her name, although it seems like a peculiar reason to name a child.  However, if seems in character for the mother to do, I suppose it could work.  I expect Shadow to get a lot of strange comments and tedious questions because of it, though.

Godly Parent: Hades

Age: typically written from ages ranging from 14 to 16. She's normally written around 15 or 16, though. (The only fic where I do have her as 14 is in a school!AU and it's her freshman year of high school.)

Birthday: December 19th (as much as I'd love to put a year, but like I said her age ranges and I like to keep her character in a modern day time period. She is kept with present time.)

That's fine, plenty of authors do that.

Appearance: She is below average height for a female, standing around 5'1". She is considered underweight, at least by my standards, weighing around 95lbs (there will be a description as to why below and to be as skinny as she is, she does have certain health issues that are caused by her diet and such).

So her BMI is around a 17.5 or an 18.  I appreciate this because while she's definitely in the underweight category, she's not so underweight that she shouldn't be able to stand.  She's right on the border.

(Not skinny-shaming at all, just there are some people who give their characters a BMI around 7 without going into the health issues with that.)

She does not have an eating disorder, the reason for her thin frame will be explained in another section. Shadow's skin tone is warm and the color is very light/pale. Along her cheeks and nose she has some freckles, but not a whole lot of them. Her eyes are almond shaped and a russet brown color. Because of her weight, the features of her face are a bit more prominent. She also has deep set eyes and dark circles. In a typical, setting (no mortal!AUs or anything) she would wear her Camp Half-Blood shirt (though it's hot, she wears long sleeves most of the time) and a pair of looser jeans or yoga pants (Face it, training in skinny jeans would be horrendous).

I just wanted to thank you for the skinny jeans comment.

Once her training is said and done for the day, normally she keeps her camp shirt on and switches her pants to a pair of skinny jeans. When training, she wears a pair of athletic sneakers (running in converse stinks, training in them would probably be even worse and sure sneakers and yoga pants are weird looking mix at times but when a demigod is training they need to be able to be flexible and have support on their feet). What she wears in a mortal!AU varies.

Her appearance seems realistic and her clothing is practical.  So far I don't see any real problems.

Personality: Shadow is very shy when someone first gets to know her. In general, she fades into the background and watches on the sidelines. Due to her past, which will be explained next, she doesn't enjoy people touching her and normally she flinches and tenses up when she's touched. After a while of getting to know her, she's still rather quiet but she is more open and will smile wider than before and be less touchy. The way she speaks is a lot more formal than most kids her age, and she speaks with a stutter at times. Also, because of her AD(H)D, she finds it a bit difficult to put her thoughts together at times so she sometimes has to take pauses and try to focus with all of her racing thoughts. If one were to get really close to her, she would probably be incredibly open and playful, still not very loud, but a lot louder than she was before. (please post in my ask box for more personality information if I posted too little for it, my mind is kind of everywhere right now)

This all makes sense considering her godly parent.  I do like that she does seem to have some control over her ADHD.  Sometimes in RP settings, I'm not a fan of the "you have to get close with them for them to open up" type of character since it's often used as a way for the other characters to do all of the work, but you build her up rather nicely.  Right now, she seems like a person who could actually exist, which is always good.  I would like to know more about how she goes about things when on her own.  Is she always quiet and reserved?

History: Her mother, Ryanne James, grew up in London, England but her course of work caused her to move to Cardiff, South Wales. She was a fairly young woman with curly brown hair and brown eyes. A little while after her move to Wales, she met Hades and they "hit it off", but it wasn't going to last because he was a god. The end result was her becoming pregnant with Shadow. Shadow spent the first ten years of her life in Cardiff. When she was two, her mother had met a man by the name of George and by the time Shadow was three they were married. He didn't really want any kids, but after a while he finally agreed to the marriage and the idea of raising Shadow as his stepdaughter. At the age of four, she began attending ballroom dance classes in Cardiff called Saturn dance (http://saturndance.com/classes/children-youth/) and she had a lot of fun in those classes and they taught her a lot about form and posture (she continued dancing there up until her move to the states). Life had been pretty good for Shadow up until the age of five when her stepfather's true colors began to show. Problems at work had uncovered his anger issues and because Shadow's mother was gone for the majority of the day working he was even moodier. At the age of five, Shadow was hit across the face for the first time. George apologized soon after and for a while he kept pretty calm, but once again his top burst off and he took his anger out of Shadow when she had made little mistakes. Shadow didn't quite understand why he was hitting her, but it sure did hurt. By the age of seven, Shadow began to flinch when people would touch her and she found herself attempting to hide from her stepfather. A year later, Shadow was sexually abused for the first time. It started out with touching, but soon escalated into much more. Her stepfather and mother weren't having the best relationship when it came to their sex lives and her stepfather was almost deprived, in a sense, and being that he saw Shadow the most in the day (he worked from home) and that she was female, he began to grow interest in her and with his underlying anger issues and the fact that abuse was in his own past, well, he took it all out on her. His abuse only lead to more abuse. When Shadow was the age of ten, she had now grown a lot quieter and now spent most of her day hidden and school seemed to be a blessing in disguise. Though she had a little trouble working with her dyslexia, she really did enjoy the comforts that school brought her. It was her safe zone and though she didn't talk to many people, she felt really good. At that age, her family moved to New York and that's when things got a little weird. As she grew older, what had happened to her because of her stepfather began to set in. She thought what happened was all her fault and the images seemed to be coming back. The abuse continued, though on a much smaller scale because her stepfather was busy looking for a job, her mother having gotten a job similar to hers in Wales in the medical field and plus, his acts usually were more spaced out and once he boiled over, he'd do something and then he was ok for a while. Over time, Shadow grew more depressed because of this and found herself in internal turmoil. Her social skills practically diminished and now felt hopeless and in pain. What got her sent to CHB was that monsters began picking up her scent and after escaping the wrath of a hellhound she came out to her parents about what happened and she was sent to camp. (Ok, this history was absolutely atrocious I know, like the reason for her name it's hard to put into a detailed description what had happened to her. So, summed up she spent most of her life in Wales, was abused, went to the states, things happened, she was sent to chb and that was about it. She wore long sleeves to cover up the marks given to her by her stepfather and because of the fact that she got into cutting at the age of 12, a year after she got to camp. The physical pain of the cut distracted her from how she was feeling mentally. Of course, her backstory is no excuse for actions like this and as she grew older, she realized that and slowly, she managed to stop the habit and try other methods of calming herself down. And no, there wasn't one person she came out to about her abuse except for mother, and even then she only mentioned being slapped once or twice because she didn't feel quite ready to tell her mother exactly what went down over the years. She arrived at camp for the first time when she was 11 years old).

I'm a bit torn because while often times sexual and parental abuse is overused in OC backstories, it is something that real people have to go through on a daily basis and I'm a firm believer in the idea that anything can be written about if done well.  From what I read, nothing seems exploitative or romanticized about what she went through.

However, a problem I have is that (at least in this summary) her demigod status hardly gets a mention.  Demigods are tracked down by monsters throughout their childhood, especially children of the Big Three.  While the abuse does play a major role in her as a character, in this universe the process of coming to terms with her heritage and dealing with the consequences is just as important.

Weapon of choice: She uses a bow and stygian iron arrows. The bow doesn't turn into something portable like a pen or a pin or anything like that, it's nothing special either. Just a bow and some arrows.

All seems good here, did she start practicing archery after she got involved with the camp, or was it something she always dappled in?

Ok, so this whole thing turned out a lot worse than I thought and I apologize so much for how horrid this was. Like I said, it's so hard to get this down into words in a manner that didn't involve dialogue and an incredibly long writing piece so I really apologize for that and I hope you get the gist of what I'm trying to say and if not you can always ask me something. I have spent so much time on this character and I'm just really sorry.

I understand, you really have no reason to apologize--your OC is in a stable place.

Other than the points I put in the text, I have some more I would like to add:

While her personality in social situations is important, it's also good to detail how she is on her own.

Some questions to consider:

1.  How does she view herself as a person?

2.  What does she value, both in herself, others, and the world around her?

3.  How has her life changed after getting involved with the camp (besides the obvious)?

4.  Right now, has she come to terms with her past?  Does she have anyone to talk to?

5.  What are her interests?  What makes her happy, what does she do to unwind after a crazy day?

Like I said, if you have any questions, please let me know!

No problem, and thank you for the submission.

-- Admin Fish.

[hoo-oc-guide]

I love this blog, and it's very helpful to me because I am a writer myself, but I do have one question :) how does one "romanticize" a mental condition? This genuinely fascinated me and I'd like to know exactly what you meant by that. Thank you

It's tricky to put an exact definition on it, but in the context of mental illness romanticizing comes down to giving a character a condition to make them seem more innocent, mysterious, unique, and/or helpless without going into that much depth.  Like a character having depression so they seem more like an "artist" and people can feel sorry for them.  When people do this, it turns the condition into a plot point or a quirk, rather than something that real people deal with on a daily basis.  I hope this answers your question, basically a good way to prevent doing this is to research the condition and ask yourself how the condition affects the character.  Happy writing.  :)

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Your OC's Appearance

Remember to take everything with a grain of salt.  These are just tips, not a code of law.  In this guide, I'm going to be going over the different genetic traits demigods and legacies seem to inherit from their godly parent/ancestor, as well as writing and illustrating diversity with different traits.  Keep in mind that your OC doesn't have to have these traits (these are just some basic ideas), but godly genetics seems to be dominant over mortal genetics.  Then again, the gods are able to alter their mortal form, so your mileage may vary.

Common Demigod Traits:

Zeus/Jupiter:  Zeus is described as being a large man with long dark gray hair and gray eyes.  Most of the children of Zeus have some sort of blue or gray trait, as most of the children of Zeus in the series are shown to have blue eyes.

Poseidon/Neptune:  Poseidon is tan with black hair and green eyes.  The children of Poseidon tend to really vary in features (especially the cyclopes), but it's possible to have one who is a splitting image of their father (Percy, for example).

Hades/Pluto:  As Hades he's described as being pale with black eyes and shoulder length black hair.  As Pluto he appears to be a bit more cleaned up (usually shown wearing suits and jewelry) but the same traits still apply.

Dionysus/Bacchus:  Dionysus has a rather chubby face, curly black hair, a bit of a pot belly, and violet eyes.  Most of the children of Dionysus have some violet feature, usually the eyes.

Athena:  Athena's overall appearance tends to change a lot, but she always has gray eyes--this is a key trait.  It's not necessary for a child of Athena to have gray eyes, but it's extremely common.

Hermes/Mercury:  Hermes has a lithe but athletic build, salt-and-pepper hair, and overall rather elfish facial features.  Hair color and eye color tend to vary a lot among the children of Hermes, but almost all of them have similar builds or facial features.

Ares/Mars:  Ares' features tend to change, since they seem to take the form of someone the onlooker hates.  But some common themes are the color red and overall strength in appearance.  Not every child of Ares has a body builder structure, but they should give off some aura of strength with their appearance.

Apollo:  Usually appears as a young man with blond hair and blue eyes.  His decedents usually have a sense of brightness about them (especially Octavian, the biggest ball of sunshine the world has ever seen.)

Aphrodite/Venus:  Her features seem to change nonstop, and that seems to rub off on her children.  The children of Aphrodite tend to have eye or hair colors which are hard to pin down.  I assume it's subtly, though.  It's possible to have eyes that seem to shift between hazel, brown, or even shades of blue depending on the light, but there doesn't seem to be anything supernatural about it.

Hephaestus/Vulcan:  A large man with rather misshapen features and I would assume he has a lot of burns and scars from over the years.  Most children of Hephaestus tend to have large builds and strong arms, but it depends.  Leo is described as being scrawny, but his chosen craft doesn't really require beefy arms.

Now, let's move onto genetics as a whole.

Skin

Before I move on, here's a little tangent about writing and/or deciding your character's race.

Not all of the demigods are of Greek or Roman decent (i.e. Frank, Hazel, Piper, etc.) and since the gods can alter their mortal form, the traits a demigod inherits can be very flexible.  For reference, I recommend using these guides.  Now going back to god genetics vs. human genetics, it is possible for the most distinctive physical feature of the godly parent to overpower the mortal parent's genes.  For example, you could have a character who is a person of color, but inherited striking gray eyes from their mother, Athena (although I would like to argue that this isn't really strange since it happens a lot in real life).  Also remember that when writing for a race that isn't your own, it's best to do it as respectfully as possible.  Please try not to fall into the trap of tokenism and be aware that every race (and every subgroup of people, really) has their own issues that they have to deal with.  Don't let their race define them, but also their upbringing, peers, self-image, and education--these are all things that can shape a person.

Check this site out, there are some good tips and some handy links

Okay, now let's move onto skin.

Pretty much everyone has some birthmark, mole, or freckle.  Skin isn't perfect.  Even a child of Aphrodite would have some marking somewhere on their skin (but being a child of Aphrodite, it would probably enhance their appearance).  Don't be afraid or ashamed of freckles either.  If your character spends some time in the sun, they're bound to have at least some freckles.  The amount of freckles they have, however, depends on both their skin and how much exposure their skin gets to the sun.

Tattoos hurt and they're bound to draw attention.  This doesn't mean that there's anything wrong with tattoos of course, they can be very attractive.  But before you think about giving your character a full sleeve, think about your character's normal tolerance for pain.  Most of the people in Camp Jupiter have the SPQR tattoos on their forearms, but not only is getting one supposed to be a huge honor thing, but you have the warm, comforting gaze of Octavian to bring sunshine into your life while your skin is being burnt.  If it's not a required thing, giving your character a tattoo could take some more thought.  Children, for example, tend to have a lower tolerance for pain so one getting a full-body tattoo would be rather unlikely.  But usually when people reach their teens, it's more likely for them to get a tattoo.  I imagine the decedents of Ares would have the most tattoos, and probably the most cliche designs like barbed wire around the bicep or something, while children of Aphrodite would probably have something more artistic in appearance (turning their bodies into art).  Think about your character's personality and motives, and if they don't mind getting stared at or answering questions like "what does this mean?" or "did it hurt?"

Scars happen when hurt happens, typically.  Keep track of where your character gets injured and decide whether or not that would leave a scar.  Scars can get ugly, but they don't have to make your character ugly.  If your character gets into a lot of fights, there's a chance that they'll have the scars to show.  Unless if they're a child of Aphrodite (seriously I'm going to have to have a talk with these people.  They're contradicting all of my points).  If your character takes a sword to the face and lives, let them keep the scar.  Dude, they survived a sword to the face.  That's fucking awesome.  Let them rock that scar.  Let them tell stories about it.  Don't worry about keeping your character pretty.

Skin isn't so "black" and "white".  As you can see in the references I posted earlier in this guide, saying your character is "white" or "black" really doesn't say much about what they look like.  Experiment with skin tone.  Do they tan or do they burn?  What different shades seem to appear in their skin?  There are a lot of possibilities and combinations for skin tones beyond just "pale" and "dark" (not that there's anything wrong with having a character who is pale or dark).

Hair

Two-toned hair does not happen naturally.  Not that your character can't have this, however it probably won't last long.  Now, I'm not talking about hair that changes shades depending on the light or natural highlights, I'm talking about having streaks of blue, green, red, or whatever in your hair.  That's perfectly fine, but it takes effort to manage.  Redyeing and touching up hair takes a lot of work, so consider whether or not your character is willing to go through the trouble (or they could help out Atlas for a little bit to get free gray streaks in their hair).

Hair takes a lot of work to take care of, especially long hair.  If your character is active, having hair everywhere only gets in the way.  If your character has long hair, have them tie it back when they're on the go.  Emo fringe is annoying, but sometimes the wearer can get used to it.  Also remember that your character probably won't have a comb, hair dryer, and hair curler on them at all times.  Really intricate hairstyles only get in the way during combat and having one extremely long braid or ponytail only acts as something to get caught in things or as a rope for the enemy to grab onto.  Think about how much your character moves and their combat style.

Body hair is okay.  This isn't that important in writing ("And then I ran my hand down my hairy legs"), but it's just something to think about.  Some people have very visible body hair, some people don't.  Some people shave only their armpits or their legs, some people shave it all.  You can have a character with stubble under her arms or on her legs without making some sort of feminist movement.  Remember that at core your character is a person.  Not a vessel for some message, not this beautiful and perfect thing, just a person.  Look over what you know about them already and figure out what they would do about their appearance based on that.

Eyes. 

Heterochromia is very overused.   Heterochromia is a mutation in the eyes that can be caused through genetics, injury, or disease and often times, it's really overdone in OCs.  Just because two parents have different eye colors does not mean their child is going to have one eye of each color (here's a hint: genetics doesn't work that way).  However if you are planning on giving your character Heterochromia for reasons other than making them more special, here's some more information.

Character's eyes don't usually glow when they start using their powers. There are exceptions (like the oracles or people tapping into some seriously crazy stuff), but having your character's eyes glow red every time they swing their sword will get old after a while.

Questions to consider:

Which parent does your character most resemble?

Which feature are people most likely to notice first?

What does your character do to enhance/diminish their appearance?

Would your character like to change anything about their appearance?

[hoo-oc-guide]

Writing Mental Conditions Realistically and Respectfully

Remember to take everything with a grain of salt.  These are just tips, not a code of law.  Most of the characters in the Percy Jackson or Heroes of Olympus universe have AD(H)D, dyslexia, or some other mental condition.  When I was a child, I was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia so I'm willing to answer any questions about the experience.  But keep in mind that everyone experiences and responds to these conditions differently.  Also I'm not an expert.  I'm only going off of psychology101 courses, online medical journals, and personal experiences.  These are very basic, so I encourage you to do more research on your own if you plan on using any of these.

Firstly, some basics:

Do as much research as you can.  Research both the medical side of the condition as well as reading up on people's personal experiences.

Do not romanticize the condition.  Not only is it disrespectful, but it's also kind of cheap.

On the flip-side, don't turn their condition into a big joke.  Just because your character has ADHD does not mean they will start chasing a butterfly in the middle of a large battle (we'll get into that).

AD(H)D.  Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder.

AD(H)D is tricky to talk about because, well, some people don't think it's a real condition.  Part of this is because it has the word "hyper" in it and most of the people who are diagnosed are children.  "What child isn't hyper?" people ask, but AD(H)D is a lot more than just being rowdy and easily distracted.  People with AD(H)D often experience racing thoughts.  This can make sleeping and concentrating especially hard.  This can also be a side effect of depression, which a lot of people with AD(H)D experience (having people your entire life tell you that your brain doesn't behave correctly is not fun).  There are so many myths about AD(H)D and I would cover them all, but the "people with AD(H)D are lazy and need to try harder" stereotype makes me rage, so I'm just going to cover one very important one:

Myth:  People with AD(H)D are always distracted and can't focus on anything.

One criticism I often see about the Percy Jackson series is that it's unrealistic for people with AD(H)D to fight because they're going to be too distracted.  Bullshit.  AD(H)D is very prominent in my dad's side of the family and my uncle was diagnosed when he was in high school.  He was a class clown and did poorly in school, but now he has a job developing computer software and he's an absolute genius at it.  So what happened?  Did he somehow "cure" his condition?  No, because a lot of people with AD(H)D have this awesome thing called Hyperfocus.  Hyperfocus is key when diagnosing people with AD(H)D beyond checking to see if they have a hard time concentrating.  I once sat at my computer, typing in lines of code, for twelve hours straight (with no food breaks) when I tapped into the hyperfocus.  When in the hyperfocus, your brain spouting millions of thoughts a second can now be an advantage.  Everything around you becomes a blur except for whatever you're working on.  People can scream your name, but you won't hear them.  A lot of people with AD(H)D get into coding because the hyperfocus is perfect for that.

Let's look at Leo for an example.  Leo has hardcore ADHD, but you don't see him get up in the middle of a project and say "this is boring now, lolz, ooh shiny thing!".  Working with machinery takes a lot of work and a lot of dedication.  Everyone has different things that triggers their hyperfocus.  For me it's coding and running.  For someone else it may be video games and art.  People can also train their mind to go into hyperfocus on command.  Caffeine can also help with that, which is why a lot of people with AD(H)D seem a lot more mellow after they drink coffee.  It's not because the caffeine took away their AD(H)D, but they're now able to focus a lot more easily.

Long story short:

AD(H)D is real, not just a sign of lazy parenting.

People with AD(H)D are able to function just like everyone else.

People with AD(H)D are not always geniuses, but they're not always stupid either.

Hyperfocus kicks ass.

Dyslexia.

Dyslexia is interesting because everyone describes it differently, but I'm going to try to explain my experience.  A lot of times when I read, words and sentences appear out of order.  I can get the general concept, but letters, words, and sometimes entire sentences will be on other parts of the page, and I won't notice it unless I read it over and over again.  This is not an issue that can be solved with glasses, since the letters are in focus.  People with dyslexia can still read, they just read differently.  Of course a lot of schools emphasize that the quality of a reader is defined by how fast/accurate they can read, which is why a lot of dyslexic people find themselves being turned away from enjoying reading.  Reading outloud is a nightmare, and some teachers view dyslexia as an excuse to get out of reading.  It's very possible for people with dyslexia to like, or even love reading.  I started using notecards and audiobooks to help aid my dyslexia because I love reading so much.  Dyslexia is also not entirely restricted to reading.  Sometimes I write words or sentences backwards.  Sometimes I jump around the page as more and more words form in my mind.  Dyslexia isn't a sign of stupidity or not learning to read/write properly, it's a mental condition like any other.

Long story short:

Dyslexic people can read.

Dyslexia is mental, not an eye thing.

Dyslexia can be treated.

OCD.  Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Okay, so these ones may be a little tricky since I can't use personal experience, but I thought I'd tackle the conditions that I see people use a lot.  Before I go any further, here's something I would like to stress:  OCD isn't the same as being organized or neat.

In case someone out there didn't catch that, I'll say it again.

OCD ISN'T THE SAME AS BEING ORGANIZED OR NEAT.

One more time in bold:

OCD ISN'T THE SAME AS BEING ORGANIZED OR NEAT.

OCD is a form of anxiety.  It is not wanting your pencils to be lined up properly.  A lot of people describe OCD as being trapped inside their own mind, or it's like playing a game you can never win.  You have to do certain things to prevent something from happening.  People can have this to varying degrees.  Like if a teacher erases the whiteboard and there's a little piece that she missed, I find myself staring at that one section of the board and my brain begins freaking out and going into panic mode (yes this can be a symptom of OCD, but since I was not diagnosed by a medical professional, I don't want to say that I have it).  Not everyone with OCD is neat and tidy.  A good chunk of people with OCD are hoarders.  It's about anxiety and ritual, not cleanliness.  Like every condition or disorder, everyone has a different response to it.

Long story short:

Anyone can have traces of compulsive behaviors.

OCD isn't the same as being organized or neat.

Everyone responds to their conditions differently.

OCD ISN'T THE SAME AS BEING ORGANIZED OR NEAT.

Schizophrenia.

Oh boy, this is another one I'm going to have to scream in bold letters.

SCHIZOPHRENIA IS NOT THE SAME AS MULTIPLE PERSONALITY DISORDER.

Now that that's out of the way, we can get started.  Schizophrenia is going to be hard to talk about because there are so many symptoms and conditions under the schizophrenia umbrella.  However, people with schizophrenia aren't dangerous and impossible to control.  People with schizophrenia can live normal, productive lives just like anyone else.  The symptoms of schizophrenia go beyond hallucinations and paranoia.  Schizophrenia is not something that people do to themselves, as are all mental illnesses.

There are five main types of schizophrenia:

Paranoid type:  The most commonly heard type of schizophrenia because this one contains most of the hallucinations and delusions.  Most of the hallucinations are auditory, although this can differ from person to person.  (Listen to this if you want to get a feel for auditory hallucinations.  Listen to it late at night with headphones on if you want nightmares).

Disorganized type:  Disorganized schizophrenia can be identified through disorganized or inappropriate thoughts, speaking patterns, or behavior.

Catatonic type:  Identified through behaviors or movements.  This can include immobility, excessive mobility, peculiar movements, and mimicking other people's sentences or gestures.

Undifferentiated type:  Undifferentiated is a type of schizophrenia where the person seems to switch consistently through different types of schizophrenia, to the point where it is hard to narrow down.

Residual type:  A person with residual schizophrenia no longer actively displays symptoms of schizophrenia.  They may still experience hallucinations or delusions, but often not as frequently.

Long story short:

Schizophrenia is not the same as multiple personalities.

Schizophrenia can not be narrowed down by only a few symptoms.

People with schizophrenia are not dangerous and are still able to properly function.

Questions to consider:

At what age where they diagnosed?  How long did they show symptoms before then?

Does your character have anyone they can talk to?

Does your character take medication?

If they do take medication, does it seem to work?  Do they mind taking medication?

If they don't take medication, why don't they take medication?  Would they like to?

What are the extra measures your character has to take to get through daily life like through work or school?

How does your character feel about their condition?  Would they like to get treated?

Resources:

AD(H)D:

Information on AD(H)D

Common myths about AD(H)D

People sharing their experiences with AD(H)D

Dyslexia:

Dyslexia information

Dyslexia myths

People sharing their experiences with dyslexia

OCD:

Basic information about OCD

Myths about OCD

People sharing their experiences with OCD

Schizophrenia:

Basic information about schizophrenia

Schizophrenia myths

Five types of schizophrenia

People sharing their experiences with schizophrenia

Writing Mental Conditions:

Using mental illnesses in writing

Writing characters with mental illnesses pt. 1

Writing characters with mental illnesses pt. 2

[hoo-oc-guide]

Naming Your Heroes of Olympus OC

Remember to take everything with a grain of salt.  These are just tips, not a code of law.  I listed out some things to consider when naming characters and while these were specifically written for the Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus universe, feel free to use these for other fandoms.

When choosing a name, ask yourself it the name makes sense considering the character's place of birth, upbringing, and time-frame.  A character who grew up in Prohibition-era USA is not going to have the same type of name as a French aristocrat in the 1700s.  Consider the character's parents (or whoever named them).  Generally speaking, a pair of highly conservative parents wouldn't name their daughter "Raven" or "Bloody Mary" or something else of that nature.

If your character does have a name that may be unusual for their place of birth, upbringing, or time-frame, it helps to have a good explanation for this.  For an example, plenty of people when immigrating to America would change their name to something more "western", and the flip-side also exists.  There's nothing really "wrong" about a white girl being named Sakura.  Maybe her parents lived and worked in Japan for a while so she was raised with a heavy Japanese influence.  Maybe her parents named her after a friend.  Maybe they're big Clamp fans, who knows?  Even the explanation of "her parents just really liked the name" is good enough.  However if your character has a name that doesn't fit with their environment, they should expect to get a lot of comments like "wow you have a really cool name!" to "is that your real name?"

Your character's name can be based off of something from Greek/Roman culture, but it doesn't have to be.  Percy was named after Perseus, one of the few Greek heroes to actually have a happy ending. Annabeth is an anagram for Athena (with a few extra letters thrown in) and while it technically isn't a real name (or at least a common one) it does fit.  Octavian was named after Caesar Augustus, whose birth-name was Caesar Octavian.  These are just some examples of Greek and Roman culture being used to name characters, but your options aren't limited to this.  Having every child of Aphrodite being named "Venus" or "Love" or "Captain Love Doctor" would get very old.  Just know that you have the option, but you aren't restricted by such.

Ridiculously hard to pronounce names should be avoided.  I'm not talking about names like Leah which have multiple pronunciations, or names like Chibuzo which is an actual African name, I mean things like naming your character Flsig'azzjouy De L'amiananana.  Not only is it going to be a pain to write over and over, but characters with these types of names are often viewed as Mary Sues. 

Keep in mind the names that already exist in the story's universe.  The Heroes of Olympus universe has characters with names like Percy, Luke, Frank, Jason, etc.  Having a character named Lyrisqraslamadomadingdong in the midst of all that would be extremely jarring and out of place.  Of course there are exceptions.  Characters who have more exposure to mythology tend to have stranger names than others.  Octavian, for example, was raised under heavy Roman influences in an environment where he didn't have to worry about hiding his relation with the mythology.  Also he's kind of weird, so that works too.

Please consider the certain patterns that names have.  Not all cultures fall under the First Middle Surname pattern.  Arabic names, for example, typically have five parts (the ism, the kunyah, the nasab, the laqab, and the nisbah).  The structure of a typical Korean name is the family name followed by another name which usually has two parts.  If you have a character who is from a culture you are not the most familiar with, it helps to do some research beforehand.

Questions to consider:

What was the reason behind your character's name?

Do they like their name?

Are there other variations of their name they prefer?

Are there any variations of their name that they can't stand?

How do they introduce themselves or sign their name?

Do they prefer to be addressed by their first name (or preferred name), surname, full name, or title?

How do they usually address others?

Random Name Generator

Baby Names

Greek Mythology Names

Ancient Roman Names

[hoo-oc-guide]

[hoo-oc-guide]

General Tips for Making Heroes of Olympus OCs

Remember to take everything with a grain of salt.  These are just tips, not a code of law.  Before I begin submitting more extensive guides to this blog, I thought I'd outline some basics first.

It's helpful to have a basic understanding of Greek/Roman mythology.  No, you don't have to be an expert; the information from the original series should be enough.  I'm not sure how much the movies can help you, but I remember they had Persephone chilling in the underworld when it was summer, so probably not much.

Ask yourself if the character works and makes sense in the universe.  This can include obvious physical features, like giving your OC cat ears that shoot lasers or something, but this can also to relate to how your character behaves and interacts with the environment.  Remember the rules put in place by the universe.

Do not make a character just for the sake of pairing them with a cannon character.  Not only does this mean that the character's existence depends on this relationship (thus making them less of a person), but often times these particular characters are just clones of whoever they're paired with.  Attraction doesn't work that way.  Annabeth isn't a female version of Percy, and in some ways that's why they work together.  Develop your character as a person.  Give them a chance to breathe, interact with the world and characters, and if they end up in a relationship, let it form naturally.  Making an OC for the sake of romance with a cannon character also reeks of a self-insert.

Typically, a character has a fatal flaw.  Use it.  Fatal flaws are real drawbacks based on the character's personality.  They are not quirks and they will not just go away when it's convenient.  "They can't sing" is not a fatal flaw, even if they are a siren.  These are weaknesses that can cause the character's downfall.  Even "good" traits can be considered fatal flaws if they are pushed enough.  If your character is "independent", how independent are they?  Are they unable to connect with people?  Would they betray a loved one?  Fatal flaws are meant to either bring about the character's downfall, or for the character to overcome through effort.

A Mary Sue is not the same as a character who is pretty and/or talented.  If that was the case, where would that put the Aphrodite cabin?  A common misunderstanding is that a Mary Sue is a character who has neon rainbow hair that sparkles in the sunlight, purple and green eyes that change color with their moods, and the ability to do everything perfectly.  However, it is possible to have a character who is very plain-looking, and still have them be a Mary Sue.  It's all about framing.  This is why Mary Sue tests are often unreliable, because really it's about how the character is presented to the audience.  Often times, a Mary Sue character never grows or evolves as the story goes on.  They have no real flaws to speak of, they seem to be perfect at everything, and the audience is told how to feel about them.  It's hard to describe what makes a character a Mary Sue without seeing them in action.  Just let your character breathe.  Let them screw up, let them make mistakes, let them grow as people.  I can guarantee that the audience will find that a lot more interesting than a character being the best at everything.

Don't get offended if someone critiques your character.  A proper critique is structured so the creator can gain something from it, and not all of them will be pretty.  A good critique will outline what works, what doesn't work, stuff that's missing, stuff that isn't needed.  A critique is not needlessly flaming, nor is it mindless worshiping.  Just because someone says they're confused about your character's backstory does not mean that you're being personally attacked.  That being said, people are jerks and it isn't uncommon to get comments full of personal attacks.  This isn't the same as a critique, though.  Remember a critique is designed to help you.