Creating a Character at SWI

Your Character's Backstory

All characters are unique individuals, but you should NOT start with any of the following to try to distinguish your character as different from the rest:

• descendant of a founder
  
• descendant of canon character (Unless you have gotten prior approval)
  
• part-anything other than human (we are all humans here, not vampires, not veela, not centaurs, giants, or other creatures as noble as they may be. The only exceptions are if these traits are in your family history, i.e. your great grandmother might have been a veela, but that doesn't mean that you have remarkable sway over men).
  
• having remarkable powers (no animagi, legillimens, occlumens, you can't start fires because you're mad, you can't freeze water with a glance - - this is Harry Potter, not X-Men.)
  
• bizarre physical characteristics, like amazing eye color that changes, hair that grows or shortens on its own, or any other physical attributes outside of what is in the "real world".
  
• mental or physical disability of any kind.
  

Choosing a name

Surnames (last names) on this list are NEVER to be used (Unless your character IS NOT related to the canon family or, if they are, you have gotten prior approval):

NOTE: In order to gain approval, your character must have a dynamic backstory that blows the staff's hair back.

• Black
• Crabbe
• Dumbledore
• Dursley
• Goyle
• Granger
• Krum
• Lestrange
• Lockhart
• Longbottom
• Lovegood
• Lupin
• Malfoy
• McGonagall
• Moody
• Patil
• Pettigrew
• Potter
• Quirrell
• Riddle
• Slughorn
• Snape
• Tonks
• Umbridge
• Weasley
• Zabini

Choosing a Face

Famous people can be used as your character. Please keep in mind that you will start out as an 11 year old. Try to find a suitable picture that matches your age. Also, make sure you scroll through face claim to see which celebs have already been used.

Also, keep in mind when selecting a face that this is a school. If you are showing more than a face in your avatar, modest dress is a must. No bikini pics please--they will be taken down.

Once you have selected your avatar, you can feel free to add it into your profile and post the name of your chosen celeb in the face claim forum.

If you decide NOT to use someone famous as your face, you can find a random pic off the internet--NO PERSONAL PICS ARE ALLOWED.

Originality

The character you create should be YOUR creation. Think about what motivates him or her to do the things they do. If your character is shy, figure out why. People are rarely shy just because.

Please don't rehash your favorite characters from a TV/Movie/Book. Bio's that do will not be approved and you will only have to start over.

All students are allowed to create a new 1st year student only after their original character has become a 2nd Year student.

Once the original character becomes a 3rd Year student, they may create another new 1st Year student.

New students need not be played immediately: the player may wait for their original character to advance to a later grade before introducing their new character. (Example: an original character becomes a 2nd Year student, but the player decides not to introduce a new 1st Year student until their original character has become a 5th Year.)

A player may never have more than 3 characters at any time, and at no time may character be in the same school year.

Yes, I um used the last name Weasley. May I have permission?

Ooooh! A Weasley! How cool. Didya get permission? I'd be coolio. So... I guess I'm a Kettleburn. I don't think that's bad. I'm good, yes?