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Originally Posted by
DanialRadFAN01 
Well if it is your first role-playing character i found it was easy to have your character based mostly on yourself. Yes i know you do want to have fun so you can change some things, but my character was mostly based on myself. After you have fun with that character you can see how others have portrayed theirs and then you can come up with other ideas for later rping.
Um another idea which i think was stated before, was to take attributes from people you know,friends, family and etc. and put them all together to make the perfect character for you. I hope this advice helps! I can't wait to see you all in this term's rp!
I would have to agree with some of what Chris said. My first RP character 'Freya' was largely based on me; though of course some life history was switched and morphed to suit the Wizarding world. Living and working alongside horses transformed into Freya having to work with animals that were considered dangerous in the wizarding world, (werewolves).
Physical characteristics were pretty dead-on with her though, as far as comparing her to myself.
It's important to have a history for your character, as well as a set personality. It made RPing a LOT easier for me, and since I was a newcomer, it was very helpful to set immediate boundries/weaknesses/dislikes/favorites/experiences for my character. If everyone made things up as they went along, half of us would have no clue of what was going on.
Random outbursts and cheerfulness is common with my character, since she is unpredictable and somewhat unstable. (In my opinion it makes dealing with her somewhat difficult.) I also had her birth name create an impact on what she likes, her emotions, possessions, etc. (Since Freyja is a Norse goddess.)
As your character meets new people and deals with different things, their personality (might) change as well. That's how I make things work anyway. So over time a character might act strangely or become an entirely different individual, much like a person who has had something impact them severely enough to change their life. Such as having a character who was shy and stubborn, but eventually warmed up to others and later on would be more compliant.
Yes, some people that my character actually knows/knew, were also based on people I am familiar with in real life. (Even animals/pets.)
I wouldn't go overboard with a character and make them good at everything. Everyone has weaknesses and preferences. Some of my other characters are completely fascinated with muggles, while others couldn't care less. And some know a lot about one topic and another has no clue as to what they are doing. Freya can't draw, loves the cold, and can't swim very well; while Leticia is an avid fisherman/woman and can sketch things fairly well, and likes playing in the warm sun.
All I have left to say is to have fun with it, and make things interesting.
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Originally Posted by
Slytherin Fox Excelsior Black was the very first charrie I have ever RPed. Before that, I had no experience whatsoever and was really concerned that I would do a terrible job of it. This was the only time I chose a name common to many HP charries for his last name, and I admit that was a big mistake. Try to be original in your surnames, unless you want to find half the school claiming to be related to you (well, some people might want that, I don't know!) Excelsior ended up acquiring a sister and many, many cousins during the three terms I RPed him. It's so much better to be original and start on your own.
Be sure and build flaws into your charries, it's very important. No one wants to RP with someone who is perfect in every detail, and it just isn't realistic or much fun. How many people have you met in your life that were perfect in every single way? Don't be a Mary Sue or a Gary Stu! Give your charrie some eccentric little habits if you can, it makes them interesting.
Okay, I hope this helps! Have fun!
I had to make a few comments to this reply, even though it was posted after my own.
I'm so glad that I didn't even think of using an actual HP surname. RPing for the first time in DA was a great relief when I realized I had made the right choice to use all original names. I viewed like, 2 Potters, 2 Weasleys and several Malfoys, even a few Riddles.
Yes, yes, yes! Flaws, flaws, flaws! Don't be afraid to give your characters as many flaws as you want. I came across one character (they aren't active anymore) who was good at everything, knew everything and was just no fun to RP with after a while. It's much more interesting to have a character who can fly off the handle with the slightest notice, or who vanishes every so often doing goodness knows what. My very first character Freya was/is very well rounded to adapt to her work, but once RPs continue, others realize how many flaws she has. I like to make things interesting and not immediately give every imperfection away in the first few greeting posts, where's the fun in that? It's better to play things along, and when the opportunity arises, then certain fears, dislikes, and other personalities can come to light.