Thank you for the reception on the last chapter! First, I want to apologize. The chapter on Characterization was rather blunt about things. Also, please know that these are things that I am coming up with off the top of my head, and I can be wrong some of the subjects. Also, this is advice! I'm not forcing anyone to value this like the Bible and follow every word. There are exceptions to everything I write (mostly).
I became so carried away with this idea that I wrote this chapter immediately after the first. It took a lot of self-restraint not to post it until today. I'm ridiculous.
Antagonists!
[the people that are necessary for nearly every story]
Part 1: Break Away from the Cliché
In this section, I'll be pulling some things off of the PJO wikia for reference, so ye have been warned.
Antagonists are the really the things that pull a story together, in my opinion. While you need three-dimensional, flawed characters - as we talked about in the previous chapter - they can't really do anything unless there's a problem. And that problem is nearly always set by the antagonist.
According to our lovely Google [all bow down to the overlord], an antagonist is "A person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something; an adversary" and/or "A substance that interferes with or inhibits the physiological action of another." So, Luke/Kronos is the antagonist in the PJO series, and Gaea the antagonist in HoO. Easy enough, right?
Sort of.
Antagonists can be tricky for me because they need substance. They need a reason to be so dastardly to our poor heroes. It is just as important for your antagonist to be three-dimensional and flawed, just as your protagonist is. Antagonists need weaknesses and strengths that are relateable (relatable? I still don't know how to spell that word!), and if you've managed to do that, you'll have a deliciously evil character to work with. Remember, antagonists need a motive. If you just have them doing bad for badness's sake, you won't really be getting anywhere. They'll just be flat and stagnant. A well-written antagonist will attract readers like moths to a flame.
Rachel
You guys, please! This kills me on the inside. My heart stops every time I see it. The poor girl. She is one of the most used antagonists in many of the PJO fanfictions out there. One of the reasons why, I think, is because she was a roadblock in the Percy/Annabeth relationship, which made her extremely easy to dislike. Since the writer [You, not RR] originally hated her, she's a very easy pick to make her be the snotty brat that flings herself seductively on Percy at Goode highschool, causing Annabeth to be steaming from the ears with jealousy (because Annabeth obviously transferred. Duh).
Remember Characterization? This still applies here. I will now draw from the Camp Half-Blood wikia. And I quote, "Rachel is very artistic, intelligent, and kind. She enjoys volunteering for charity..." She volunteers for charity, kids! If that's not kind, I don't know what is. I may as well redefine my whole life and get plastic surgery.
Calypso
Again, I'm begging you not to use her. I'm on my knees right now, hands clasped and pleading, whispering in your dreams and haunting you if you do. Calypso is one of the characters that I feel the most sympathy for. Every thousand years—give or take—the incredibly unlucky girl gets a gorgeous hero that she falls in love with, and every time, that boy has to leave. Guurl, I know how you feel.
Now, Calypso was slightly nasty in the myths, seductively luring boys onto her island so they'd never leave again and turning them into birds, but unless you're basing Calypso the Villain in Goode High School off of this Calypso in the Odyssey (which I seriously doubt), I think you should reread the Battle of the Labyrinth again.
Calypso certainly did not seduce Percy (intentionally). She pulled away from him. And she sure as Ogygia did not turn Percy into a bird. I think he'd have a nervous breakdown if he relived his nightmarish guinea pig experience. She nourished him and nursed him back to health, and while she wanted him to stay, she didn't turn on her womanly charms to enchant him into staying forever. Personally, I think she is a very strong character for having to endure this so many times. Guize, Calypso is a sweetie.
Overview of Part 1
[cause I like doing them]
1. Antagonists need substance. They are just as important to characterize as protagonists. If they aren't detailed, they'll be flat and boring
2. Rachel donates to charity. She is not a slutty girl that wears too much makeup. She also respects Percy and Annabeth's relationship. Same applies to Calypso—minus the charity bit. I seriously doubt they have charities on Ogygia
3. To avoid the cliché, don't rely on Calypso and Rachel as the baddie. There are plenty of people you can use out there, trust me...
...Which leads on to part two!
Part 2: Finding the Right Bad Guy
Bad guys are hard to write! It's probably because I'm one of those annoyingly sensitive people that just can't understand why people have to be mean. I just want world peace and sparkly rainbows all around, but unfortunately, that's never going to happen. Also, I can sometimes get so carried away when writing my villain that I have to reign myself in and remind myself that they are not Umbridge.
So what do you do?
Use What's Provided
Let's say that just for kicks and giggles, you're writing a story that just has to have a girl that seeks attention from our sometimes oblivious hero. Does Drew Tanaka ring any sort of bell? She's the vain, popular girl in Heroes of Olympus and the Kane Chronicles. People, she is the perfect b—cough, I'm not going to say it. Anyway, she's perfect for the role! She fits the stereotype because she made the stereotype. Rick-sizzle practically handed her to us on a silver platter with the note Knock yourselves out.
Another despisable character is Octavian. I've even used him as an antagonist in one of my own fics. Thin, scrawny, and just nasty all around, I think he's good to do some pretty blegh things. Why not expand it? These two may seem a bit borderline cliché, but I honestly think they're better than Rachel and Calypso, who are so overused, I cry a little every time I see them.
Originality
BUT, for those of you are insistent on using your own original baddie [and I applaud to you most enthusiastically], reach into that blessed mind of yours and whip out the 'ole imagination, as it can do many an incredible thing. With a little thinking and standing in the shower for half an hour, an idea will most likely fall into your head. Still can't come up with anything? Inspiration is your new best friend. Do a bit of Greek mythology research. I do this myself, returning to Google [salutes], Wikipedia [bows] and Theoi [a Greek Mythology encyclopedia. This thing is ambrosia from the gods, my friends] to look up multiple the bad guys that our ancient Greek friends already came up with for us.
Here, I'll give you a bad guy that I slightly created as an example. Feel free to use it.
Lamia: In Greek Mythology, she was a queen that was transformed into a child-eating demon. Her eyes can come out, and she has the lower body of a snake. She can also be a vampire that seduces boys and then drinks their blood
Now that I have the general myth, I can manipulate this a bit to fit my needs.
A new girl moves to school, that somehow manages to seduce the boys. She constantly wears sunglasses to hide her face, and always wears snakeskin boots. She also causes contention among her admirers, changing their personalities drastically.
Just by basing my new baddie off of the myth, I have a more original antagonist. Do a bit of digging around the interwebs, and you'll be able to find a goldmine of monsters and villains.
Overview of Part 2
1. Rick Riordan has a lot of nasties in his books. Instead of manipulating good characters, use the bad ones provided
2. Originality is the golden ticket. Either using imagination or researching Greek myths, and then 'translating' them to modern times is the best way to have your own personal bad guy you'll be proud of
And that concludes chapter two! I know that I said I'd talk about Chaos stories but I changed my mind, because you can't have a story without a bad guy. I hope this helps! Again, no offense is intended to any writer on this website.
Darlings, remember, practice makes perfect. Keep writing and you'll get it. Best of luck!
