Decided to try something different and bring the community together by starting a QOTW series, but here we go.
When you create your character in Wolfery specifically to roleplay, do you borrow someone’s character design and RP under a different name, or do you use your own character, like the one that you created or owned?
My characters are all owned and created by me!
Ico is completely original, I didn’t even expand on any existing ideas or fursonas, he simply cam about when I was messing around with trying to get a star like texture that is relative to a camera render on an Ico sphere in blender. Hence the name Ico Twilight. The design e.t.c. I commissioned from 1 artist that scammed Mr and didn’t finish the piece, then I commissioned a 2nd artist to finish it.
When I came to Wolfery, I decided that any character I wanted to play, I would draw as part of an incentive to practice my art style! All my characters are my own. 
I think I often take inspiration from other players/things I enjoy whilst poking around Wolfery or what I’m currently watching. My first character was a catboy, very much a self insert. He was a bisexual vers switch which matches me closely. With later characters I explored my dom side with a total top character and currently am mostly playing a real submissive bunny boi.
None of these are based on anything except from parts of my own personality and whichever fur I’m feeling at that time. I guess my latest character did take inspiration from it being the Year of the Rabbit though and now that I think about it I guess there’s a bit of Beastars Haru in them too 
Personally, I’d rather RP as one of the characters that I own and operated. The primary reason is that I really want to give more life to my characters after watching someone else do it, but the second unofficial reason I rather RP as my own rather than someone else’s character is because you’ll never know if the character owner doesn’t want their character to be used in any RP scenario or not. It’s a matter of respect and wishes.
A good reason not to RP someone else’s character is that there’s a rule asking you not to do so, hmm.
A former staff member mentioned that borrowing art for reference does not constitute a canon rule violation, meaning that you can use the design but not use the character name.
Wasn’t sure the question was about borrowing art for reference. But hey, that part is coverted too, although in the ToS:
For most of my characters, I generally look at others, and take some inspiration from them, but mostly try to make the character seem my own. I’ve generally done well so far, but I also try to make sure that each character is unique in some way. Though, I’m sure there’s some out there who might feel that they should get credit for something that someone else has created, even if they didn’t do anything to help.
For my character, I had my friend make a bundle of pictures for the art, so I am grateful to have them :>
