#british characters

[morggard]

Nina & Keith wedding outfits

They're also British now

Some facts about them:

If anyone wondered Nina is 175cm/5.7ft and Keith is 190cm/6.2ft

[justcallmemrslupin]

A Love Letter to Britishness (Through "Harry Potter")

As someone who’s been a lifelong Britophile, raised on Enid Blyton adventures, Agatha Christie mysteries, Oasis, the Beatles and Queen songs and Julie Andrews’ perfect accent, I’ve always adored the quirks of Britishness: the dry humour, the self-control, the endless cups of tea. I even spent a while in Cambridge, living with a British family, studying in a British school, and soaking up every “sorry,” every “cheers,” every drizzle-filled day with absolute delight.

When I was a kid in my country (Portugal) and my parents asked me where I wanted to fly to (my dad worked for the Portuguese air transportation company, so we had free trips every year), I would always choose London or Rio de Janeiro.

So, naturally, when I first read "Harry Potter", it felt like coming home, not to a world of magic, but to a world of Britishness. Every character, from Harry to McGonagall, is a walking, talking British archetype. And I say that with love!

These aren’t lazy stereotypes, they’re storytelling DNA, the kind of cultural shorthand that gives the wizarding world its charm, wit, and texture.

Harry Potter

The everyboy, the “João Silva” (most common Portuguese male name) of Britain, if you will. Ordinary, awkward, and quietly brave. He’s the embodiment of the working or middle-class British teen who just wants a normal life but ends up in something extraordinary. Even his name sounds like someone you’d find on a list of average Britons.

Ron Weasley

The archetypal “boy next door.” Loyal, funny, insecure, and slightly embarrassed by his big family. He’s that perfectly British mix of self-deprecation and heart, the kind of lad who’ll save your life and then make a joke about it.

Hermione Granger

The classic “swot”: the overly academic, rule-loving overachiever. There’s a long British tradition of characters like her in school stories: brilliant, slightly bossy, but ultimately the moral compass. She’s the one rewriting the system with her homework turned in early.

Minerva McGonagall

The stern-but-fair Scottish schoolmistress, straight out of the pages of British boarding school fiction. Sharp as a tack, dryly witty, terrifyingly competent and, of course, she secretly loves her students. She’s the kind of teacher who could silence a room just by raising an eyebrow. Reminds me of Enid Blyton's boarding school books.

Draco Malfoy

A perfect specimen of the upper-class snob: posh accent, expensive haircut, inflated ego, and a family crest on the silverware. He’s Eton and Oxford privilege rolled into one sneer. You can practically hear him saying “Father will hear about this” in any British school corridor.

Horace Slughorn

The old Oxford don in wizard robes. Loves good food, fine company, and name-dropping his “famous” students. A social climber wrapped in tweed and charm; you just know he’d be in the Rotary Club, chatting about his connections while enjoying a second dessert.

Remus Lupin

Polite, weary, intellectual, the archetype of the British gentleman scholar. Self-controlled to a fault, with that dry, apologetic humour. You can practically see him marking essays in an old cardigan, sipping tea as he broods over his tragic fate. The kind of man who says “I’m terribly sorry” even when you step on his foot.

Sirius Black

The “bad boy” from the late 20th century. Long hair, motorbike, and posters of bikini girls in his room. He’s the rebellious aristocrat: posh roots, bad attitude, reckless charm. Every school had a Sirius: the popular, untouchable heartbreaker who probably snogged everyone.

Cornelius Fudge

The ultimate British bureaucrat: full of polite evasions, terrified of scandal, and obsessed with keeping up appearances. He could stroll straight into "Yes, Minister" and no one would blink. If denial were an Olympic sport, he’d have a Ministry-funded medal.

Molly Weasley

the quintessential late-20th-century British “mother hen”: warm, bustling, and endlessly protective. She runs her home like a cozy command center, balancing affection with firm discipline. Her heart is enormous, her patience occasionally frayed, and her love fierce enough to face down dark wizards. She’s the kind of woman who’ll scold you for tracking mud in and knit you a jumper five minutes later.

Why it works?

These characters feel real because they draw from real British archetypes. Rowling’s world mirrors Britain itself: its class divisions, eccentric teachers, dry wit, tea culture, and obsession with keeping calm in chaos. It’s the kind of Britain that’s half Enid Blyton and half BBC satire.

Those archetypes are what make the story read like home... or like a perfect British boarding school you’ve somehow been invited into.

And if you love the Britishness of it all (the humor, restraint, manners...) you’re in good company. 😁

[tozierandishareglasses]

I just realized why I like marauders fics so much! It's because they're British and dramatic.

[harmonykayjones]

I’m not putting to all the hashtags on because I’m to sick right now.

[squales4life]

Aurem Alibaster ! One of my ocs for peculiar high! a fellow classmate to Liana, Delphina, and Chrystal

Age: 13 at the start, 20 at the end!

Level: 10

Height: 5”9

Species: Antinorm

G.P.A: 3.9

Set: 7

Favorite food: English breakfest, coffee cake

Favorite color: Yellow 💛

Race: White

Male.

Class:Job: Metal worker

Hobbies: welding

Parents :?

Siblings :?

Birthday: July 17

[captainfreelance1]

Captain Britain's Forgotten Answer to Flash Thompson

Back in the mid Seventies Marvel Comics began to branch out into the UK market with their latest superhero Captain Britain; Thames University studant Brian Braddock the Good Captain's alter ego was also introduced, along a small supporting cast which included love interest Courtney Ross and his rival for her affections Jacko Tanner.

Jacko was essential Flash Thompson with a Perm and a British accent, sadly none the depth or redeeming traits that made Thompson an interesting character.

[siftingmonsoonskeleton]

[ghostflowerdreams]

some of those us english and uk english is wrong

I was setting up the post in my draft folder, but I accidentally click on publish now in the middle of my editing/fixing the chart since I wasn't finish working on it. I did notice there were a couple of mistakes, such as mixing up the words and/or meaning in the wrong category. At that point too many people were reblogging it and it was too late for me to delete the entire thing.

I don't know if you're referring to that or the list in general. If its the list itself, I did say to please keep in mind that the words and slang could've changed through out the years and it also depends on the area. Maybe for you something you've always known as has never been called by anything else, but for someone else they've always known it by another name. So don't be too quick to declare something as wrong.

A good example of this was when I discovered that a couple of states in America do call the water/drinking fountain a bubbler. There are even articles online by credible sources about it if you don't believe me.

This chart is suppose to be a starting point. I truly hope that when people actually begin the work on their stories that they take the time to do the research. After all, you can’t write a accurate American or British character if you don’t research exactly where they’re from because each location will have their own slang and terminology. And that’s not even taking into account of the characters’ identity, culture, ancestry, religion and social hierarchy because those too factor into how a character speaks.

For example in Texas they have their own lingo. Using ain't, a contraction for “am not”, “is not”, “has not”, and “have not”. Y’all, a contraction of “you all” and even all y’all for “all of you” when referring to a large group of people. Instead of saying maybe Texans at times will say “might could”, skeeters instead of “mosquitos”, over yonder instead of “over there“, pitch a hissy fit instead of saying to “throw a tantrum”, and so on.

It also wouldn’t be surprising if you were to travel to the other southern states and find that they too have their own local jargon. It’s the same way in the UK, which is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. So trying to compile a list of all UK’s slang and terminology is difficult because there’s always going to be more than one answer depending on who you’re talking to.

For example someone from west of Scotland will say wean (young child) or even wee yin (little one), but someone from the east coast of Scotland and in North England will say bairns (child) instead.

In South West England (specifically in Wiltshire), they would call a child “babber”, while in Southern England a child is often referred to as a “nipper” or “nippers” when talking about more than one. Apparently, other British words for a child can also be “sprog” and “moppet”.

While in America, a child could be referred to as a “kid” (also ”kiddo; kiddie”), “small fry”, “squirt”, “munchkin”, “young'un”, “ankle-biter”, “pipsqueak” or sometimes as a “rugrat”. It depends on the location (and sometimes even on the person) because a word for something that you’re familiar with could be completely different in another state or it may not be as commonly used by everyone else.

That's why I asked to please share any differences in the words and/or slang in your area, no matter if it’s in the US or UK. I think if everyone made their own chart and specify the areas they’re referring to we'll get a more accurate and up-to-date comparison. Because in my search I discovered that some of the information available isn't recent and what was correct 10, 30 or 50 years ago isn’t accurate now. Some of it was also not clear about the specific location in the US/UK that the words and slang came from, which made it difficult to figured out if it’s commonly used by everyone in the US/UK or if it’s just a small area within it.