Well, I just did my first batch of Animagus voting yesterday, so this is coming from a total newcomer's perspective. Any advice would be appreciated, if you feel up to sharing your thoughts.
First of all, I thought it best to look at whether the applicant would feel most comfortable in an earth, air or water environment, as that seems like the best place to start. Then to narrow it down, I try to think of what specific type of animal the applicant’s most glaring traits remind me of. Depending on the applicant’s argument for why they feel close to a specific type of animal, I might start there as well. I try to match the temperament and sociability of the applicant to an appropriate animal or sub-group (if the applicant is close to dogs and comfortable in earth but would like to swim, likes to be social with a tight group of friends and is fiercely protective, I would suggest something like a German Shepherd rather than, say, a Dalmatian).
It’s a lot like sorting, I think, when I go off the general feel I get off an applicant, really. A lot of times I will use Wikipedia or Google to figure out animals that have certain traits together, such as nocturnal primates or snakes that can swim versus snakes that make their home in the trees. I also, of course, take into consideration the time of day during which they are most active, and what capabilities they feel it’s important for their animagus to have. I usually narrow it down to a group of animals and then Wiki the specific animal to make sure they have the qualities I have in mind for an applicant.
That’s just me though, and I’m new at this, obviously.
no subject
First of all, I thought it best to look at whether the applicant would feel most comfortable in an earth, air or water environment, as that seems like the best place to start. Then to narrow it down, I try to think of what specific type of animal the applicant’s most glaring traits remind me of. Depending on the applicant’s argument for why they feel close to a specific type of animal, I might start there as well. I try to match the temperament and sociability of the applicant to an appropriate animal or sub-group (if the applicant is close to dogs and comfortable in earth but would like to swim, likes to be social with a tight group of friends and is fiercely protective, I would suggest something like a German Shepherd rather than, say, a Dalmatian).
It’s a lot like sorting, I think, when I go off the general feel I get off an applicant, really. A lot of times I will use Wikipedia or Google to figure out animals that have certain traits together, such as nocturnal primates or snakes that can swim versus snakes that make their home in the trees. I also, of course, take into consideration the time of day during which they are most active, and what capabilities they feel it’s important for their animagus to have. I usually narrow it down to a group of animals and then Wiki the specific animal to make sure they have the qualities I have in mind for an applicant.
That’s just me though, and I’m new at this, obviously.
spoon//Gryffindor