hih_wilderness | Open Activity: Animagus Voting Discussion

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Open Activity: Animagus Voting Discussion

Activity: Animagus Voting Discussion
Points/Knuts: Participation Only - 10 points/5 knuts (2 points for additional comments, 30 points cap)
Deadline: December 28th, 5pm UTC

We know that Animagus Voting can be a time-consuming, complicated thing, with so many animals and species to choose from and so many places to check. It can be especially hard when you really don't know much about animals at all. But it's really, really not that scary! We promise ;-)

So this activity is all about Animagus Voting! If you vote on Animagus apps regularly, tell us how you go on about it! Where do you start? Do you get a ~vibe from an applicant and then go off that? Do you look at their preferred weather or time of day? Do you take their appearance or pictures into consideration? And where do you look? Do you go to wiki straight away or do you know some animal resource pages we might not know about yet?
And if you DON'T vote for Animagus, if you've never tackled it before, tell us what kept you from it and what we could do to help you try it. If you're new at HiH, tell us what you WOULD do, maybe check out some apps for ideas.

Please make your initial comment at least 250 words long, so it can count for points. 10 points per initial comment, 2 points for any substantial additional comment (30 points cap). Don't forget to sign with your name & house! (you don't have to sign with your animagus form, since this is an activity open for everyone).

We know that voting can be intimidating (I didn't vote for Amimagus either at first, until I had former Animagus mod peyton07 help me through my first voting, which made it so much less complicated :D) and hope that this post will result in a lively discussion about how to vote on Animagus, what your different strategies are and what tips you can share. We hope that it helps you and that more of you will tackle Animagus voting in the future :D

(and don't forget to check out the current batch of applications here and apply your new-found voting knowledge that you will hopefully gain from this activity to them :D)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Animagus voting is definitely intimidating. >.< I'm always afraid that I'm not going to say enough or that I'm going to be completely off the mark when it comes to picking an animal!

Usually, though, I go off the vibe that the person gives me. If I'm lucky, their vibe coincides with the animal they feel most connected to - that makes it super easy! I like when that happens. :) But usually I actually sit down and make a little list - I'll list off the person's main traits, good and bad, and include the animal requirements they mentioned, like "loves swimming" or "hates the cold". Then I just... stare at the list until I can come up with something that's similar to the requirements I've written out!

Usually I troll Wikipedia when I'm trying to pick an animal - that site is great. :D I'll scroll through the animal classes until I find one that seems to fit, be it bird or cat or dog or horse or whatever. And then I'll scroll through those and see if I can find an animal description that jumps out at me and reminds me of the applicant! Sometimes I'll come across new animals that I've never even heard of before, but when I read their description, I'm like, "Yeah, that totally fits this applicant!".

The whole process, to do five apps, takes me about an hour to an hour and a half. Sometimes it feels daunting and I feel like I can't be bothered... but then I remember how exciting it was to get my own Animagus form, and how pleased I was that people voted on me. :) So it all works out in the end!

Janna/Hufflepuff

Oh Wiki is the best thing ever for Animagus. I use it constantly. Sometimes I have trouble finding a specific 'breed' of animal. I'll look up horse but then I can't seem to find something like "Arabian" to really make it work.

Kerri//Gryffindor

Animagus voting is super intimidating, and I'm someone that loves voting in general. When I do Animagus voting (which I admit, isn't enough) I find that the first thing I do is get a vibe off the applicant. For the most part, I can get an idea of what type of animal they should be right away. For example, I can usually tell whether I'd want to vote the applicant as a mammal, a bird, a sea creature, etc.

I use Wikipedia a lot, actually. Sometimes I'll search something like 'lists of big cats' or other lists that fit what I think that person could be. That way I can find other animals in the category that haven't been taken yet by other applicants. There are a lot of good lists out there that include animals I've never even heard of, and if I get lucky, sometimes the applicant really fits one of them.

The whole process probably takes about an hour. I find that I definitely don't do it as much as I should since it's pretty time consuming. One thing that does help is making a list of their main traits and the things they definitely don't want to be included in their form. If I can write down a list of about ten or so things that needs to be included in their Animagus form, then I can usually narrow things down.

It's an intimidating process but I do recall how excited I was to get my Animagus form, so I'd really like to do it more and help other people feel that excitement for getting their form.

Tasha//Gryffidor

I agree with the list of main traits. It is so much easier to do that. I find that if I make that list then do something else and come back to it the process seems much less daunting.

Kerri//Gryffindor

Animagus voting can be intimidating, because there is a lot to it. You have to read the application, and then write a good bit out about the animal and your reasons why.

The very first thing I do, is read the entire application over once. I usually get a vibe for that person, at least of a general animal. In separate tabs, I open the profile page, to check that the animal I pick is not chosen, and wikipedia. I search the general animal up on wikipedia, and try to make sure they fit most of that person’s wants and abilities. I do take in their wants and the animals they relate to most, but it’s a thin line between that and what I believe best fits this person.

Choosing a subcategory is a bit easier. A big thing to take into account in subcategory is their aggressiveness. You don’t want to give a quiet, passive person an aggressive animal and vice versa. You can also take into account aesthetic wants while choosing a subcategory. Other things to take into account are: their weather preferences, day/night preferences, locale preferences, and personality.

Basically, the main animal is chosen by your vibe for the person. The subcategory is a bit more refined, though easier to pick somehow, which bases more on their wants.

Making the vote long enough can be a bit harder. Stick to the easy things! Why is this person like the animal? Why did you get the vibe for the animal? What will this person like in the animal? (Claws, aesthetic, locale, etc)

Ashlee/Hufflepuff

If you make a little trait cloud you can pull your reasoning right from that. Once you figure out what you want to give them a ... uh, Australian Cattle Dog you talk about the applicants need for organization and relate it right back to what the ACD does. Maybe that will help you in the future! It makes writing those reasonings SO much easier!

Kerri//Gryffindor

I've been voting in every application for quite some time now, and it is a MAJOR pain in the butt as you said. For me the best way to endure it is to think about it this way:

#1. Being an animagus is a big deal. But becoming one doesn't happen without people voting. Just because other people vote doesn't make it a good excuse for me not to vote.

#2. No one wants a crap selection of animals, especially when it comes time to having people vote on your app. So put your best effort into it and you'll be rewarded (and I was! yay!).

#3. I absolutely cannot understand people who only post their applications, but don't vote in return. They do not appreciate the time and effort it takes to vote, yet they bring more work. How ungrateful/rude.

#4. I am very thankful for the people who voted on my application, and I feel like it's only right to return the favor. They gave me such a wonderful group of animals to choose from. They gave me animals I had never even thought about associating myself with and after doing some research in each animal, I was in awe at how perfectly they fit me. So I definitely want to return the favor!

With that said, I get a ~vibe from every application and go from there. I usually get an idea of what animal I want to stamp them as, and then use google to search for specific species.

Bess//Gryffindor//Sugar Glider

Google search is amazing. Wiki works really well too. Do you know we have a link in the CR about traits for animals? I have found that works really well when I am stuck and can't figure out where to start (which is rare, thankfully).

Kerri//Gryffindor

I used it for a bit and it really is helpful! However, I try not to go back to it too often. The list is somewhat limited in that people who are "shy" or "bold" would always get the same stamps from me (which is not what I want happening).

...You know what helped the most? That time when someone from the CR summarized each app! Now THAT was tres helpful!

Bess//Gryffindor

>_> shhhhhh our secret

I use that secondary database when I am going "I have nothing." it gives me a bit of inspiration when I feel stuck. I always want to give people dogs or horses or big cats so I kind of have to force myself out of the mammal box sometimes.

Kerri//Gryffindor

I agree absolutely. Getting a form is a huge deal. If you get a list of animals you just don't connect with it can be absolutely devastating. If you feel overwhelmed when approaching the animagus votes, it does help very much to put yourself in the shoes of the applicant.

Psst I was the one who voted Sugar Glider for you so every time I see you include your form in your signature I feel warm and fuzzy inside. :3 That was one of the votes I've cast that I was absolutely sure about.

ses//slytherin//red-tailed hawk

Ah!! Thank you ^__^

I totally agree though. When I saw Adrienne pick the animal I had voted for I about squeed. I was pretty proud of myself. Afterwards, she told me she actually really liked Kiger Mustangs so I felt pretty spot on.

Bess//Gryffindor

I'm going for a awesome list form here. It's the only way to keep my thoughts in order.
1. The voting system is confusing for new-ones, specially with all the applications being smooshed together in "batches". I imagine there is a reason behind it (keep it anon for one) but I'd rather have each separate application be it's own entry like with stamping and sorting. (again, I have no mod duties, so I have no idea how much work that would add and/or save)

2. No set defined list of what we can vote them as (such as the stamping guides) The instructions provide one or two sites to start with then push you on to google to figure out how to find different species of general animal names. If you don't know animals outside the song "old Mcdonald" it can be hard to figure out ANYTHING to start with. Even if we could have a few pre-set definitions for types of animals (such as "Horses: look for free spirited, nature loving, possible domesticated applications") then we'd have a good base for our own google research.

3.Terminology- I have no problem with it now, but maybe a little glossary for terms that may confuse newbs to the voting process (as well as for the application)

other than that it's pure laziness keeping me from voting on applications ~~(and applying....)~~

Tracy::Hufflepuff

We actually have everything for #2 in the Gryffindor Common room. We had a former mod put it together for us and it links us to wiki pages. It works wonders. It just has a few key words and then we can kind of pick and choose what we want out of it.

I will admit though, it's really fun to think you're going to come out of it with 4 dog choices or something and then find that one of the animals fits you so perfectly you can't figure out why you didn't think of it yourself!

Kerri//Gryffindor

you greedy gryffs- we totally need that to be HiH wide! :) I don't need someone to tell me about all the sub-species, just give me a little push in the right direction! :)

Not greedy! The person who made it was the Animagus mod at the time and she was ~bribing us into voting! It worked. lol

I still find animagus voting to be daunting only because it takes time not only to find a good animal that fits the applicant, but then you have to make sure that animal is not already claimed. When I begin, I read the whole app and immediately look to see what animals the applicant does not want. That way I can already start narrowing it down. Then what I do (which is probably really time consuming) is go through each question and write down what animals or species come to mind first. After I am through all the questions I see what particular animal or type has appeared the most and go from there. I do not find the very last question on the application particularly helpful when it comes to trying to decide what animal to choose for that person. I try to always vote but because we don't really have a set day (or so it seems to me) like we do at platform I tend to forget until it's too late, which makes me sad. Also because I try to spend so much time with each app, even when we only have five at a time, I usually do not have time to do them all. I do not like to start something and not finish, so if I think I won't even finish sometimes I don't even bother. Also I'd just like to note while I like seeing what everyone looks like when they do post pictures, I've found it really does not change my mind or help me decide on an animal for them. Questions like "earth water or air" or "what time of day do you prefer" are probably the most helpful.

Keisha//Hufflepuff//Siberian Husky

Ug, it's so horrible when you have the 'perfect' animal but someone already has it. I have taken it upon myself for Gryff to make announcements in the CR when the post goes up and then with about 5 days left (because most of us don't do it before then anyway) so that helps to remind me/us when everything is due. Have you thought about doing one a day for a week? Sometimes breaking them up works really well. I tend not to do more than 3 Platform apps at once so I really don't do all the Animagus apps at once (though I do submit all at once).

Kerri//Gryffindor

I love animagus voting! It's really time-consuming, and can be a total pain sometimes, but I love that everyone gets their own unique animal form. Also, it's worth heaps of points, which is nice.

When voting, I generally go with something like this:

1) Make notes on the app: qualities, abilities, temperature, time of day, likes and dislikes, etc.
2) Narrow down to a general group based on the vibe of the app.
3) Wikipedia! Go through individual entries for members of the chosen group and see which one fits best.
4) Write out a paragraph for my vote.

So, for example:

1) The applicant wants fur, likes the night, loves earth and water, is solitary, loves to swim etc.
2) Cats are furry, solitary and nocturnal, maybe a cat?
3) Wikipedia! Find a type of cat that loves to swim.
4) Write a paragraph on which traits the applicant mentions match up with traits of the animal I've chosen.

I always vote on animagus apps (at least, I always have so far!), because I think it's really important that the applicant gets a good range of choices, and because I'm planning to apply soon, and I want as many people as possible to vote on my app.

I think I prefer not having much in the way of guidelines, because it forces people to really think about their votes. More guidelines would probably make it easier to vote, but it would also make it easier to be lazy with your votes, and not put as much effort into finding the perfect animal.

Kit//Ravenclaw

I am highly amused that I wanted to give a Tiger for your example lol. I often wonder how many people actually give the same animal even though we don't see the other votes, which just encourages me to vote since I want to make sure everybody gets something awesome that they connect with.

Kerri//Gryffindor

I have never voted for Animagus. I think mostly it's laziness on my part, but I do find it a bit intimidating. I don’t even sort every week anymore. Sometimes it's due to time constraints, sometimes it's laziness and sometimes I simply forget. I've been having major computer issues this year too, which hasn't helped.

On the whole though, it frightens me. Like the introduction to this discussion says, there is just so much to choose from. I'm new to the whole Harry Potter thing, and I'm still trying to find my footing around HiH, despite being here for at least six months now, so getting to grips with that makes the prospect of diving right in a little daunting.

There's just so much to consider; are there certain animals for certain houses? Can each animal be used more than once? For example, can there be two wolves? (That sounds so lame and far too simplistic). Would I need to sign a roster, or have submitted an application myself to vote? How do I submit an application? I'm sure all of this is explained somewhere, but it's just all way above my head.

Also, when I applied to join HiH, I got a few requests to lengthen my application. I’m not good with words, I never really have been. It’s like if someone gives me a limit, I really struggle to reach it, so I think having to provide detailed reasons for each application would be a real task, so that frightens me off too.

I think that I would like to try it, but I don’t want to get into it just to find that I can't really do it.

Claire//Hufflepuff

(deleted comment)

Thanks so much for all your help :)
I think I'm going to give it a go.

Claire//Hufflepuff

Normally, when I vote, I copy+paste everything into either the comment below, or a word file, if I don't feel like doing it all at once and wish to come back at it.

I use ctrl+T a lot to open any new tab I need to create to go from one window of information to another. The most intimidating thing is that you can't vote on an animal that already exists. It is fortunate that you do a good job of trimming these choices often as members leave and render their forms inactive and unable to be given to a new applicant. But it's rather frustrating when you are so certain of a particular animal, from a particular region (btw I love the "specific species" classification you require, because it can be kind of a loophole -- except when that species exists in an area the applicant didn't want). I assume animagi in the wizarding world on occasion repeat each other, and animagi is meant to represent that person's core personality -- and many, various people can have similar, if not almost identical personalities.

Cynthia/Ravenclaw/Osprey, Team Raptor

I see we have the same method!

I hate when I find that 'perfect' one and can't use it either. Well if animagi are supposed to be registered perhaps that is why? They don't want someone to 'frame' someone else? I mean, I'd hate to see someone else be a big black dog and then get in trouble when Sirius does something dumb. ~~not that he would ever have done that~~

Kerri//Gryffindor

Sirius did something stupid? Never!

/at this point we are abusing sarcasm

But it does raise an interesting point, sure it'd be confusing, but how can you control something like that? "Life...finds a way."

Cynthia//Ravenclaw

Well from what we have seen in transfiguration you can choose to turn ANY teacup into a mouse... any mouse, and then back, so I think that you would be able (at least to an extent) choose what you yourself are going into. But that's just my theory!

Kerri//Gryffindor

Yeah, I kind of recall Rowling in interviews being very vague about how much animagus transfiguration was a reflection of your personality and what was choice (I mean, choices are personality, aren't they, Jo?). So when I vote on an animal I always look more at the answers that tell me more about that then anything.

Cynthia//Ravenclaw

Animagus used to be pretty overwhelming for me, but one day it just clicked. I found that if I took the entire set of apps and copy pasted into word, I could edit them down pretty easily. I do the same thing when I sort, so it was pretty similar. I take out all the key words and leave them in a little word cloud. Once I have that I already have a pretty good idea of what the applicant "feels" like so I start going from there. Gryffindor has a wiki database, if you will, of types of animals with key words, so if I'm stuck I start looking in there to see what fits. If something already jumps out at me I simply start looking in wiki for what I think they are/specific 'breed'. I also sometimes simply open up google and search for a specific skill or idea. Once I looked for nocturnal animals and pretty quickly I found something that fit what the applicant wanted. Sometimes I also go that route when I know I want a (for example) mouse, so I can find a specific kind instead of simply suggesting mouse.

My parents show dogs, so I find that I want to always give people a breed of dog because I know so much about them. Once I finally did start voting on this, I found I was pretty successful. More than once one of my animals made it into the final cut, which encouraged me to continue voting again in the future.

Kerri//Gryffindor

When I vote on animagus apps, I write down adjectives in a Word document so I can really focus my thoughts. I might also look at favorite kind of weather or time of day. Then if I have a vibe, I’ll go off of that, and if I don’t get one, I’ll see if they listed any animals that I think fit with their app at all.
I’ve never taken what a person looks like into consideration for a form, though I know some people do. For me it just makes things more complicated, I guess. Like, now I have to focus on finding an animal that not only matches in personality, but in looks, and sometimes just finding a personality match is incredibly difficult. X_x
I usually go to google and type in something like “cold weather animals”, “fastest dog breeds”, etc.. Then I’ll go from the sites that pop up, see if I find an animal that I think matches the adjectives, and then see if Wikipedia can shed more light on it. Then if it doesn’t, go back to google and type in the animal’s name, because there’s usually at least one site that has enough information on the animal to let me know if it’s a good match, or if I hit a dead end.
I had to take a break from voting on apps for the past couple batches, because the past quarter of college ran me ragged. I like to attempt to get all 5 apps done at once, for some reason, rather than doing it spread out (even though spreading it out is probably the better way xD ). I dunno, I think it feels like I have more to do if I spread it out over a couple of days.

Kat//Hufflepuff

I don't take what people look like into consideration either - not even for Stamping! I try to ignore what they click with most times because I feel that I click with English Bulldogs, but I'm ~not one. Sometimes it works, but I think if I let myself do that everyone would just be voted an animal they connect with from me.

I find spreading them out works better. I spread out sorting most weeks as well, but man I know how to power through Stamping if necessary, so I understand it both ways.

Kerri//Gryffindor

Yeah, it's true sometimes people list animals that they're not like, in which case I end up entering "random adjective animals" into google and hoping for an idea to pop up. xD

Kat//Hufflepuff

Voting in the animagus community can be pretty overwhelming, but I've devised a personal system that helps me do it in a relatively quick manner. Before I came up with this system, animagus votes would a take about an hour a piece because I'd keep having to click between windows.

First, I pull up a blank notepad file, and I start to read the applications. While I'm reading, I make a keyword or two for each answered question, such as "adaptable" or "nocturnal" or "flying." By the time I'm done, I have a list of roughly 15-20 keywords that help me narrow down my animal selection really fast. And since I've made sure to write down all my impressions, I can go ahead and search for which animals came to mind without having to click between three windows. Plus, writing while I read helps the vote stick in my head better.

Second, I jot down about three different animals that I think would suit the person, without searching. Once they're jotted down, I search the registered list of animagi to be sure that these forms haven't been taken. If one has, hey, I still have two other choices. Since I started voting, I've never had more than one or two forms end up being already taken.

Once I decide on the form, I pull up wikipedia and search for the animal in question. From there, I begin to construct my vote.

Since votes must all have three solid reasons why you've picked the animal, I number my lines (1, 2, 3) and make sure to mention three of the keywords I jotted down when deciding on the form. When you use my method, you not only have your three reason ready, you could write fifteen if you so chose.

And there you have it! An organized and efficient method of voting that keeps your votes as personalized as possible. :3

ses//slytherin//red-tailed hawk

I find Animagus voting one of the most difficult things to do at HiH because you have to read carefully through the whole paragraphs but usually what I do is quite simple and it also depends on how much time I have to vote and read the applications...

I normally have the current Animagi list open and then I start to read every application carefully to see if I get a general vibe about them and the animal they relate the most. If I get one, I probably try to focus on that family of animals and look for the one that I think it would fit better. If I don't get any vibes, I take a special look at social habits, climate, choice between water and air, etc... And the animals they most relate too and I try to strengthen my choices into the ones they like the most... I, of course, take care of not repeating an already chosen animal!

I have in mind what I know about animals and animals I like and think that would fit into the candidates... Using Google and Wikipedia is useful too!
But to choose properly it is difficult. Because there are many things to take into account and it usually takes me about an hour to do it with the full elaboration and the reason needed to make clear why I choose that animal and not that other...

But we have to take care and a deep look into applications because I think this is a very important process and definitively, an exciting one!

Ruth // Slytherin // Black Mamba

Edited 2010-12-11 01:25 (UTC)

I don't vote a lot. I think I've voted maybe two or three times total. Part of it is that it's time consuming but a lot of it for me is that almost every single applicant asks for something with fur, something with four legs, "maybe like a dog! because they are happy and loyal blah blah blah" and it just gets kind of uninspiring to look up dog breeds. And when I do venture off and pick something different than a dog or a cat or whatever the applicant expressly mentioned, I feel like they won't be happy with the suggestion. And I also feel like some of the questions in the application don't help me at all but instead make me confuse. Especially the introverted/extroverted question because more than half the applicants say "I'm introverted around people I don't know but once you get to know me, I'm extroverted!" and then I spend forever trying to find an animal that can be both or isn't strictly a loner animal or strictly a herd animal and I get too wrapped up in finding something the applicant wants that it takes me forever.

When I do manage to vote and not get annoyed I just do each applicant separately. I look up whatever kind of animal I feel fits them as a whole, usually based on whatever the applicant stresses or mentions more than once, and then I find different breeds and make sure the one I choose isn't already registered. Usually my comments end up having too many characters for one LJ comment so I have to trim out some reasoning. I realize I go a little overboard and that's my problem with the whole thing.

Caitie//Hufflepuff

The introverted/extroverted question is a tricky one. Usually I'll put that and the shy/outgoing, and hope they'll say if they want a quieter or more outgoing form. If they don't, then I look for other clues. Like if they say they like being with a small group of people, but hate being in large crowds/alone, I tend to go with animals that travel in small family packs. If they say they're introverted and mostly shy, then more a loner animal.

Kat//Hufflepuff

For me, Animagus voting takes quite a long time.

When I first started, I did a lot of research, but didn't realise that I was meant to explain why I chose the animal I did, so I spent a lot of time researching only to get 1pt/1knut. I then re-read the rules and saw the scoring system and started explaining more thoroughly my decision.

What I generally do is read through the entire application first; as I go through, I will eliminate of keep certain animal types - e.g. if someone says they prefer air, then I will most likely choose a bird, and if they say that they do no like air, then I won't consider anything that has the ability to fly. I always try to keep a balance between what the applicant wants and what kind of vibe I get from them. If they don't want to be a particular type of animal, then I won't give it to them even if I feel it fits. But I also won't choose an animal just because they feel a strong connection to it, if I don't feel it fits their personality.

Once I've read through the entire application, I will usually have whittled it down to a few choices. I will check to see that those animals are not already registered and then I will go to google/wikipedia and research those animals. I will try to find the one most suiting.

If after reading the application I have no idea, then I will type in some of the features described in the application into google and see what animals it comes up with. I will then make a determination out of that.

Sometimes it can take 40 mins to even an hour to finish voting.

Bryony/Sltyherin

I have been voting on Animagus applications under five different sets of mods (Ing and Fox, Fox and Sil, Sil and Peyton, Curtis and Liz; Olga and Sonja) - yes... back from the days when mods used thre letter names - and they all have had different requirements about voting.

That said, the current definition of an elaborated vote (requiring 3 substantive reasons with explanations) has given me my template on how to give a vote that earns the full ten points and hopefully sways both the mods and the applicant.

I usually begin by looking through the application for a few key words and phrases that I feel define the applicant (what they're drawn to - maybe - or what they stress particularly much). With that, I usually know what general type of animal fits those traits (if I don't, I look it up). Armed with that knowledge, I then choose a species of animal (or subspecies, in the case of housecats, or genus in certain cases) that perfectly fits the rest of the application by looking up the broad type of animal (Google or Wikipedia) for the specific type of animal that exactly fits the traits I'm looking for. Once there, I'm almost done; all that's left is to find three specific things that the application has in common with this application, and then write out a sentence or two about each of them!

An example of such a sentence:

First of all, it lives in the desert, ensuring you're as far away from water, sharks, ~~and myself – the only 'desert' I like is spelled with TWO s's~~ as possible.

One last thing to point out: ever since I was stamped as a tiger shark, I have been looking for a great white shark to join me in the ocean; however, in order to vote someone as that, I would need them to both have a personality like mine (ambitious, loving to be on top of the food chain) AND love being in the water. The fact that I haven't found one other such soul in over a year is slightly depressing...

William//Slytherin//Tiger Shark//358 words

The first time I voted for animagus, I was really surprised how difficult it was. I think it was mainly because it was my first time and I had no idea what to expect. Not only was it difficult because I had to make sure that no one already had that form of animagus.

Now that I've been voting in animagus and have been given a form, I pretty much have a system down. Each time I do it, it because much easier and the feedback I give gets better. The first time I voted it took me forever and my feedback was awful, but I've really improved.

The first thing I do is read through the app and get a general idea of the applicants. Then I look at what animals they most identify with and which ones they don't want to be. I really believe in voting someone for what they're interested in. I don't think an animagus form would work out very well if they didn't love their form. After I decide what they identify to, I look at the sleeping pattern and climate. By this point, I already have a strong idea of their form. I then look at the traits the applicant would like to have. Oh and size. A lot of applicants have a size preference such as small creature or medium, etc.

I start searching in google for the animagus I want to suggest and the specific breeds. If I don't have an idea of which one I want to use, I'll look for the traits, climate, sleeping pattens the applicant identified. After some practice you'll have it down!

Jenna//Gryffindor//Akita Inu

I’ve tackled Animagus voting once. And it was hard. I tried a second time but I had a lot of school work so that I couldn’t devote the amount of time it took me to do it the first time. It’s just so hard and pretty time consuming. It’s hard for me to get a vibe for types of animals other than cats and dogs but there are so much more than that and I don’t want to limit people’s choices. I feel that it’s because I don’t know enough about different types of animals and when I start to look up animals some of them don’t have enough information for me to consider them as possible choices. Plus I’m worried about picking a horribly left field choice that is based on what I thought the applicant was like and not what they really are.

Plus I’m really bad at explaining why I stamped someone a certain way with just regular voting let alone Animagus voting. Usually it isn’t a few specific things that scream at me “I’m this” it’s the generally overall feel of an application and I don’t know, that just doesn’t seem to be enough? I did try that one time I voted but it was such a struggle to be “I think they’re like this because of this” blah blah blah.

And I also feel that some of the questions in the application don’t really help at all. And so with the answers I’m like that’s great….but how do I use this to stamp you? Especially since answers to those questions always seem to be the same and then I have to just randomly pick between animals that are all slightly similar. But that could just be me.

Alecia//Hufflepuff

I jumped in right away after getting Sorted because I figured that if I was doing something wrong, the mods would simply not pick my votes. I was really happy when my Akita Inu and Appaloosa votes got picked the first time around and then I opened up the Daily Prophet today and

_chngingx3lanes decided to become an Akita Inu Animagus :-D

I definitely go with my intuition and a vibe first when I'm voting, so my votes can be a little hard to explain sometimes. I find that the more I elaborate on how my exact train of thought went, the better. I feel like the examples given here (http://animagusmod.livejournal.com/4537.html) of what makes a good vote really helped as a good model.

I read through the app, and start winnowing through the class (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_%28biology%29) rank of species. What helps me here is when the applicant specifically tells us about what types of animals they DON’T want to be, and whether they want to be adapted for land, sea, or air. Using that, I can narrow it down a lot from the class rank (often, a lot of the applicants don’t want to be reptiles, arachnids, insects, etc.). I have to admit, I often confuse what I'm doing for picking out the applicant’s “spirit animal”, like a Patronus or something. But I have to remember that I'm actually picking out a practical Animagus form for them to run around in. I mostly use Wikipedia for research.

From there I tend to rely on my intuition. I think I just respond to certain parts of people’s apps more and prioritize these aspects when deciding which animal’s skins they would feel the most comfortable in. Temperament is key. I find the physical form of the animal in some way corresponds strongly with the applicant's temperament (i.e. how the applicant would use size and presence to their advantage). I definitely think comfort is also an important quality in making a vote. I don’t often see people say that they want to be animals they would be temperamentally unsuited for, like ones that would make them more outgoing, etc. In general, they seem to want to pick animals that they are well adapted to being. So I think adaptation also plays a key role here; they want to pick animals they are adapted to being, and they want these animals to have evolved to conditions they would feel comfortable in.

By now, I usually have a pretty good idea of a form I think would be suited to the applicant. I check it over to make sure it hasn’t been picked yet; if it has, I find a very similar species. I don't like completely changing my mind (like "Oh, spider is taken. Maybe s/he should be a dog instead.") because then I feel like circumstance is just cheating the applicant; she might've gotten that animal as a choice if it hadn't already been taken.

That's about it I think. If I've left out something, I'll add more later.

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.

spoon//Gryffindor

Animagus voting is daunting! I don't vote that often, as I find it hard to choose with an unlimited amount of options to choose from, so when I do vote, I try to limit the options as much as possible. Setting parameters helps: I work outside-in. Air/land/water, then big/small, herbivore/carnivore/omnivore (or predator/prey) and fit all that in with the characteristics stated in the application. Wiki is a great help to see the visual aspect of the animal (and to find subspecies when necessary) as well as providing background information on on animals I don't know that much about.

Mel//Claw

When I first started voting, I was intimidated, but that's a moot point because that's mentioned a lot. But everyone was intimited, so that's normal.

Now, when I vote on batches, I read through the whole application, taking down notes as I do. Does a certain animal stand out to me when the applicant is describing themselves or am I coming up on a complete blank? If it's a blank, then I'll go through the whole application again, look at where they want to be and what attributes they want, and then I'll open Wiki and look for something fitting. However, if I have a gut feeling, I'll still go to Wiki, but with a list of animals in mind, where I'll then compare and contrast each animal to the applicant, deciding which one is more suitable, while still trying to follow the applicant's desires.

If anything, I think that the most important thing about voting is to keep to your gut instinct, while listening to what the applicant wants. Always have notes on you, because they're extremely helpful and always, always, always go back and re-read each application, because you definitely cannot vote with only reading the application once.

Jae(Jamie)/Claw

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Open Activity: Animagus Voting Discussion

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