name: James Willum Potter nicknames: Prongs; Afonso, the Great Italian Pirate (from that dreadfully boring family summer trip to the coast that was only made bearable by Sirius’s company and the game Lying to Muggles); Master of All He Surveys; Captain Fancy Pants (which might have something to do with a lucky pair of shorts he happens to wear for every quidditch match); His Holiness, the Patron Saint of Bad, Bad Things; Toerag (quiet, Evans, you said it, it counts.); Yetsubah Cavendish, for when he writes mock letters to the Daily Prophet; and whatever Sirius happens to come up with that day age: 17 birthdate: March 27, 1960 house/year: Gryffindor, Class of '78 sexual orientation: Mostly, pretty much almost entirely straight. But what happens during Dare or Ultradare stays in the Common Room. immediate family: -Willum Harold Potter II: father, deceased. -Aurora Evanne Bradley: mother, deceased. -Sirius Black: brother, try to argue that one with him. marital status: Unmarried blood status: Pureblood loyalty/alliance: The Marauders, Gryffindor House, Dumbledore
appearance
James moves with a casual sort of grace- not that he'd call it grace, but he wouldn't call himself clumsy, either. At its most basic level, James moves with a sense of purpose, even when he hasn't got any particular destination in mind. And James is almost always moving. His build, though trending toward tall and lean, still bears the signs of muscles toned from years spent stirring up trouble with Slytherins, and on a broom. His hair evokes a similar nostalgia. More often than not, his mouth is curved into some happy medium between a smile and a smirk, except when he's reading, which is when he most often wears his glasses.
James's wardrobe varies significantly. He's as comfortable in stylish wizarding cuts as he is in the charming ease of muggle denim paired with t-shirts. He certainly cleans up well enough, but when he doesn't have to, he rarely bothers much with formality unless struck by a particular mood. Looking presentable, however, is important to James, and he manages to usually keep himself rather clean shaven and put together, even if he is dressed casually. Conveniently, James happens to believe he looks fantastic, regardless of what he happens to be wearing.
personality
James's state of nature is rather laid back. He's easy going and friendly, and largely prefers taking things lightly whenever possible. This isn't to say he isn't serious when he feels the need, but he figures being too somber for too long is probably hazardous to his health. Generally good-natured and optimistic, James finds plenty of cause to be carefree. With his friends and strangers, James is generous and protective, and quick to help out when he's able. His unfailing trust in his friends is a projection of how he feels about them; they're his family, and he'd do anything for him. The truly good parts of him are the things instilled by his father, a man James perpetually aspires to emulate- a man who provided well for his family, was noble without being stodgy, was intellectual and cultured without being a snob, and who commanded the respect of his peers. His father impressed upon him a sense of responsibility on the part of those who had wealth and charm to help those who did not, which James largely absorbed. The trouble in this really arose out of the designation of who deserved such aid, and who did not.
For James, morality encompasses both action and avoiding omission - it's not enough to simply avoid doing what's wrong, it's actively righting wrongs in the world around him. When he was younger, this belief was heavily skewed by his own ego and the resolute belief that the world, did in fact, orbit around the singularity of James Potter and Company. His world-view isn't completely binary, but he does still maintain a bit of an 'us versus them' mentality about those he deems his adversaries. He finds it difficult to put himself in the shoes of his opponents. (However, when push comes to shove he is willing to set aside nearly any differences to deal with moments of crisis.)
During his younger years, James subscribed to a belief in natural order, seeing competition as a good thing. It wasn't his fault that he was clever and popular and the best thing to happen to quidditch since gripping charms for gloves. That was just the way the world worked- and the fact that some people were unpopular and annoying meant that James was entitled to treat them... well, however he pleased, so long as he had the reward of social approval. As James grew older he was better able to appreciate that social Darwinism left quite a good deal to be desired, both in himself and the world around him. A bit of natural maturing also helped him to realize that he was not quite the center of the universe.
That being said, James very much enjoys being the center of attention. (There are exceptions. When it comes to his better qualities, James would rather exaggerate them, essentially negating their praiseworthiness, and is inclined to conceal or at least downplay true acts of charity. This comes, in part, from a bit of insecurity over his own moral character. In retrospect, he is able to see the inconsistencies and failings in his character, making it difficult for him to accept genuine compliments in this regard.) James's sibling-less childhood to an older couple cultivated a craving of the company of his peers and an unconscious comfort with being the object of others' attention. He's no longer quite so greedy for the spotlight as he once was, but with the proper level of boredom and the barest hint of competition from Sirius is certainly enough to send him into its merry pursuit.
Boredom might be the true bane of James's existence. He finds his mind often whirling away with a few things at once, propelled by a desire to keep himself constantly entertained. His malicious bullying was reined in by his 6th year, but James sometimes still has a bit of trouble with considering whether or not he should do something instead of whether or not he could. He can often be impulsive, and a bit reckless. (But you only live once, right?) Either innately, or honed be necessity, James is now very good at thinking on his feet. The universe, as he sees it, will never be without an element of the unknown, and wasting time trying to figure out every single last detail seems like a waste of time and, if you've planned things out cleverly enough, is completely pointless. And James is always certain that he's clever enough.
What James loves best it to be engaged, to be challenged. Thanks to his mother, he's rather well read. He's exceptionally partial to philosophical discourse, but most enjoys turning things on their heads to make a funny point rather than the correct one. The morality of 'good' and 'bad' being rather firmly grounded, the arena of 'play' is a landscape of endless gray possibility. So long as no one comes out too roughed up at the end, James is usually on board. (The head of his bed was decorated with ties from various houses that he'd stolen won over the years.) When the Rules of His Upbringing don't have something to say on a particular matter, James's rule of thumb is to go with whatever feels best. Or looks like the most fun.
Strengths: Transfiguration, making up excuses, dueling, flying, defence, making up excuses, finding his way home, is able to sleep absolutely anywhere, picking up new things, dancing, loyalty, making breakfast-- this list could go on for days (especially if you’re asking James) Weaknesses: Thinking about other people’s feelings, apologising (especially when he’s not actually sorry), actually feeling sorry about something, dealing with girls who are crying, not trying to gloss over serious situations with humour, remembering that not everyone has money, sometimes James gets spectacular bouts of foot-in-mouth syndrome, is rather prone to holding grudges, arrogant, maybe just a wee bit sexist Likes: Dare or Ultradate, Pink Floyd, flying, being right, Belgian beer, quidditch, adrenaline, the colour red, muggle laser shows (though admittedly, the first time he saw one, he had no idea what was going on and sort of thought he was going to die), poetry (though he will deny it up and down, and then probably make fun of poetry in general, any sort of gummi candy, the unexpected, Communism (in theory, anyway) Dislikes: When people write in book margins, tomato sauce, misplacing his glasses, Dark Magic in general, being stuck inside for too long, people who are afraid to live a little, the mere suggestion of betrayal, most people who like poetry, seeing his friends publicly embarrassed, discussing finances, most Slytherins, weak coffee, wasting time, being ignored Motivation: He wants his life to count for something, to make a difference in the world, to have has much fun as possible, to try just about everything at least once Fears: Disappointing his father, losing Sirius in some capacity, making his mother cry, Slytherin winning the House Cup, morons running the country
history
James really would have liked having a few younger siblings-- but by the time he was born, his parents were pretty well along in years. Actually, James turned out to be quite the surprise, and was treated like something of a blessing. This might have contributed to the general impression that he was, in fact, a gift to the world, from the gods themselves. That his mother favoured rather epic bedtime stories for her son probably helped in that regard, too. Both of James’s parents seemed to adhere to the mentality that boys were apt to be boys, and ‘no’ wasn’t something James ever had much cause to hear. His family had both wealth and status, and while he might have been rather spoiled, he wasn’t much of a brat. Both men in the Potter household subscribe to the idea that the sun rises and sets on Mrs. Potter. James won’t swear in front of her, won’t smoke if she’s in the room, and will bend over backwards to make her happy. (Conveniently, James just pretty much has to show up for her to be happy.)
Not many of James’s parents had friends with children his own age. Maybe it was that she didn’t want James to be lonely, or maybe she was simply committed to making sure her son was a well-rounded young man, but at any rate, this prompted his mother to enroll him in a number of activities-- dance lessons, a brief stint with fencing, and a failed attempt at piano lessons which was ultimately futile because James kept losing interest. Archery, however, proved an entertaining substitute. Through these activities, and some of this parents’ friends’ children, James became quite skilled at making new friends easily.
Nothing, however, was more exciting than the prospect of going off to school. At the wisened age of 11, James was quite ready to break out on his own, become his own man. He couldn’t have found a better cohort than Sirius Black. It was like finding the brother he’d always wanted and never had. Remus fell in almost just as easily-- and while James doesn’t often admit it, having someone else around to be practical granted him the liberty to be as unrestrained as he liked. Peter, it took James a while to warm up to. Fans, James was pretty much used to. Admirers weren’t friends; they were too distant, too taken in by the image and their idea of him for James to ever really expect them to know him for himself. And to be fair, Peter paid his dues. He went above and beyond in the service of his friends, a quality James was never quick to overlook.
Except maybe for Slytherins. But Slytherins were different-- self-interest, masquerading as friendship. Every good qaulity James could see in humanity, he could see someone from Slytherin twist into something sinister. And really, nobody goes looking for a fight who doesn’t want one, and James was just the sort of boy ready to give a fight to anyone who wanted one. Snape just invited it. He practically begged for it. He couldn’t take a joke to save his life, and really, if he’d just left James well enough alone, James is certain he’d have forgotten all about him and moved on. But no, Snape had some bone to pick. And moral high ground only works if everybody’s playing by the same rules.
And then there was Lily. Who James found fascinating because she seemed to hate him for no apparent reason. What was to hate? Oh, sure, he could have played up some sterling, perfect image of himself-- some hippie who thought the world’s ills could be solves with hugs and flowers, but that wasn’t him. So maybe he was more of his crassest self around her, because part of him wanted her to like him in spite of his faults, or because of them. Honestly, Sirius managed to pull it off, so surely she was up to the task. Other girls had a habit of just giving James whatever he wanted with practically no effort on his part. Where was the fun in that? Okay, there was plenty of fun in that, but that didn’t mean that James didn’t want something more.
The werewolf business. James was blessed with a rather egalitarian father, and the family view on lycanthropy was that it was an illness, not a reflection of evil. Having made a family of his friends, James wasn’t about to let one of them get locked up in a shack on his own once a month. Plus, what better excuse to go tinkering around in the Restricted Section? Though he couldn’t prove it, James was pretty sure they were the youngest animagi ever. Truth be told, he’d never been more proud of Peter than when all three of them managed to pull off the transformation.
And part of him had never been happier than when Sirius came to stay for good during the summer before sixth year. The universe or the gods or whatever made up for Sirius’s lousy family by giving him a better one: the Marauders and the Potters. Which was what made it all the more harrowing, when it came to the Incident They Do Not Discuss. They’ve sorted it out, it’s over, and James much prefers to not talk about it. Sirius made a mistake, James did what he had to do, and then he did his best to both dole out a bit of punishment and then keep the peace. No need to ever talk about it again.
Still, it was something of a maturing moment for James. It changed the way he thought about his own actions, though not all that much. But it did give a bit of weight to the games they were playing at. The tensions in the world outside had always been something James was aware of. Talking politics with his father was one of his favourite things to do when he was home. James fancies himself rather enlightened, and quite in tune with the plight of the worker, of the lower classes. The muggle world is something of an amusement park to him. A nice place to visit, but certainly not somewhere he’d elect to live. But muggleborn, and the whole ‘blood-purity’ thing? James couldn’t care less. Magic is magic. His outspoken sentiment about pureblood supremacy has gotten a bit more serious lately, and he’s quite seriously considering pursuing a career as an Auror.
Occupational History: None, James is still in school
Game Questions
What year in time was your character transported from? November, 1977 What is your character's deepest darkest secret? He very nearly got sorted into Slytherin. According to the hat, it was all there-- ambition, a drive for greatness, and loose relationship with compliance with the rules. And it can’t really be denied that James enjoys taking people down a peg. Or two, or three. But it just-- no, it couldn’t stand. So he begged, pleaded, bargained with the Hat. Part of his antagonism of Slytherins stems from more than just House animosity, it’s that he sees his own potential for corruption there.
in Lockewood
residence: 27 Quills St housemates: George Weasley occupation: Fisherman. (Meaning, yes, that's 'Captain,' to you.)