haha, no problem! It started off that way but then I got deluged in requests from other people and realized that NOPE THIS WAS WAY TOO MUCH and decided to make it a general thing

Daemons are SUPER interesting, it’s true :D It’s all good

So, the maned wolf.

or do you mean… THE SKUNK WOLF???

Apparently they smell super intensely of weed, to the point that police have started hunts for cannabis smokers because a maned wolf lived nearby. So like… if you have a maned wolf you either have to REALLY LEAN INTO IT and blame the smell on your daemon or become super straight edge because if there’s even a shred of a doubt about it people will assume you’re high. (this is a joke, but I imagine it’s a joke that people with maned wolves make to each other. ‘so are you a weed wolf?’)

I think that it would mean a person who accidentally calls attention to themselves a lot, despite their best attempts to stay under the radar. Perhaps they’re awkward in an eye-catching way, or particularly talented at something that causes people to take a second look at them

They are shy creatures, with a tendency to flee from danger. This is interesting because they aren’t really a prey animal, although feral dogs might fuck them up if they get in the way. That would indicate a person who is a bit jumpy and shy, regardless of whether or not their environment would cause that. They just prefer to be by themselves usually. Or it could point to a person who learned very young that the way to survive was to get out of the way, regardless of whether or not the danger was salient. Regardless of why, they’re not a fan of attention and become anxious with too many interactions.

They’re shy, but as I said earlier, they get a LOT of attention for the way they mark their territory. I think this indicated a person who needs their own space. They’ll flip shit if you try to take their stuff, although their natural hesitance might mean it’s a silent meltdown.

They hate confrontation, so they’ll just… slowly move in and take over without quite telling anyone what they’re doing. Picture a a squeakily shy intern who bustles around constantly and then you slowly realize she’s taken over the jobs of people twice her age. Or an awkward student who wants lab space and so just… quietly starts leaving his stuff there. They want to have their own place (whether that’s physical or not), and will work quietly but steadily to get it. And once they’ve got it, it’s THEIRS and DON’T YOU DARE TAKE IT

Although called wolves, the maned wolf eats mostly plant matter - only sometimes snapping up small rodents for protein. So a person with a maned wolf is fairly gentle, and while they’re capable of being tough and ruthless it makes them a bit sick to think of it (eating a lot of meat makes maned wolves physically ill).

They have symbiotic relationships with ants, in that they shit directly onto the ants who then use that fertilizer for their gardens and help grow the plants that the wolf eats. So a person with a maned wolf prefers working on the little things behind the scenes that help make everything work rather than be out in the spotlight doing the big flashy stuff. As I said before, they’re not a fan of attention. 

Interestingly, maned wolves aren’t actually wolves. They’re not closely related to ANY living canid actually. They’re loners, although they might have a few close friends. They’re distantly friendly to everyone (as they are distantly related to most canids) but there are few that they are close to. And that’s okay. They like being by themselves.

no need to feel bad!! I feel bad that I don’t really keep up this blog nearly as much as I should…

that being said though, I have an EVENT planned for September so keep your eyes peeled!

But back to your question. Tips and tricks.

Well basically my biggest tip is this:

research

research

research

I try to find out everything I can find on the animal, as specific as I can get it - wikipedia is my best friend but I also use lots of other sites. And then you have to kind of think of what those animal traits could reflect in a human. I tend to look more towards their behavioral traits but physical ones can tell you things too. Like blue morpho butterflies have VERY LITTLE about their behavior, but we know that they are beautiful and poisonous. I think that means a person who is very attractive and interesting, but also more dangerous than people think. They seem innocent, and they are in some ways, but they know how to protect themselves.

It can go in different ways too. Packrats have a tendency to drop whatever they;re holding if they see something better. You could say that they’re calculating, you could say they’re flighty, you could say that they are determined, you could say that they’re focused on the future rather than the past. It’s all about how you want to look at it, and so two people with packrats could be very different.

In that vein, I try hard to be as open-minded as possible. There are so many ways to be human, one animal isn’t going to reflect it better than the other. I like to be kind, and give animals the benefit of the doubt - if that makes sense. To go back to the packrats, I phrased it as a sense of curiosity, wanting to see what the next thing holds for them, rather than a more negative trait.

Also, try to focus on a few big traits to make it easier on yourself like I did with the packrats. I focused on that thing and extrapolated from there. 

I personally also have little tips for myself for assigning animals. Birds for people who are ambitious and have a wide view of the world - I think many aspiring actors or people desperate to get out of their small town life have birds for example. Dogs are for people who value loyalty, hard work and have a tendency to love hard (although that doesn’t mean indiscriminately). Cold-blooded animals are people who are a bit aloof - although that can be because of introversion or awkwardness or straight up vanity or a million other reasons. Sea creatures are rare daemons, and you’re more likely to have a daemon from where you’re from. Chekhov (the quintessential Russian) is gonna have a Russian animal for a daemon.

A lot of it though, is instinct. Read the animal’s history, their behavior, they mating styles, and just see what jumps out at you and makes you think  yes that’s what makes them them.

TL;DR: do a whole bunch of research and spin traits until they feel right

what kind of butterfly?

In general I would say someone with a butterfly daemon is someone who is a bit unorthodox, whose thought processes are a bit all over the place (they’re rather FLIGHTY, heheheh) and relies on their instincts rather than logic. This doesn’t mean that they should be taken lightly however. Butterflies have a vast array of defense systems, from terrifying coloring to straight up poison. They’re someone who seems a bit floaty and is often taken lightly but can be very sharp when they want to. Think a hippie-dippie mom in her long skirts and necklaces who is always giving everybody hugs - but who can, with only a few words and a dangerous glint in her eye, make you quake in your boots.

NGL the reason I finally got off my ass and answered this is because Hannibal is giving me a lot of thoughts and feels about fireflies. CREEPY, CREEPY THOUGHTS AND AWESOME FEELS. Everyone should watch that show and then cry with me at my personal tumblr about that fairy tale of a show. I CAN’T BELIEVE IT’S ENDING. NO. HOLD OUT HOPE THAT IT WILL BE REBORN AS A GLITTERING NEW SHOW/MOVIE

*cough*

I’m fine.

Anyway. 

Fireflies

There is actually a LOT of variation among types of fireflies, and their behavior is very interestingly unique. My favorite discovery was of the ‘femme fatale firefly’ which uses her light to mimic the flashes of other species of firefly to lure males over for dinner, if ya get my drift. Also a bunch of fireflies don’t even glow. FALSE ADVERTISING. So people with firefly daemons are gonna be pretty different from each other, which I think would lead to a lot of very annoyed lectures about insect species to anyone who makes an off-handed comment about their cousin/neighbor/roommate’s partner’s mother-in-law’s ex-gardner/etc. who also had a firefly daemon.

But in general, fireflies to me give off the sense of a person who is very very good at the specific thing they do - and there is a huge range of possible things! Their bioluminescence is used in medicine, forensics, even art! - most of which comes from their almost endless well of patience. Fireflies hibernate over winter, sometimes for YEARS. Little guys have a lot of CHILL. Heheheh. They will work very patiently and emthodically at becoming the absolute best at whatever they are interested in. However they are interested solely in depth, not breadth. Fireflies are specialized predators, and they’re not interested in branching out. They study TRAINS, man, what madness are you courting trying to talk about planes?

Fireflies are disgusting to eat. I think this would show itself as a person, who is, to continue the metaphor, an acquired taste. They’re kinda irritable and wil get super annoyed if you interrupt them or try to question their skill within their field. EXCUSE YOU. I keep thinking of Price on Hannibal, NGL. I am having a Hannibal problem today.

I don’t do daemon analysis for people I know in real life, which includes myself, but I have been told by others that I have a meerkat! I talked about it here. Although rereading it I’m not sure how accurate it is. I think I am am a bit too close to be able to judge myself though.

People are really into leopards aren’t they. I have done THREE analysis of leopards. Snow, Clouded, and Amur. If you’re still trying to figure yourself out then I wold suggest you check out y post about snow and clouded since it also includes a basic run-down of leopard characteristics.

Okay well giraffes are an interesting mix of very sociable and super unsociable. Giraffes tend to congregate in large groups but individuals come and go with little fanfare, they’re not actually attached to each other just to being in a group. They’re also very quiet, and don’t communicate very much. I’m thinking, someone who likes being around people and hanginging out in crowded areas but doesn’t actually wanna have one-on-one conversations. They’re an extrovert in that they get energy from being around people but just being around them is enough. They’d be totally happy squeezed into the corner of a booth packed with people, smiling and laughing as everyone chattered away while not actually directly interacting with anyone. They get along well with everyone, just as a giraffe can live alongside pretty much every animal since they don’t compete for any food. 

gimme some hoof!

So they’re the type of person who has many friendly acquaintances but not very many close friends. This does not bother them a bit though, although I think sometimes the fact that it doesn’t bother them might worry them because of a lot of society’s emphasis on strong bonds. I think they might be good at poly, especially if the other person doesn’t have a giraffe and might want more attention than the person with the giraffe daemon wants to give.

The closest relationships within giraffe societies are between mother and child and even that relationship is remarkably laissez-faire for a species that doesn’t just ditch the kid at birth. So while a person with a giraffe would probably be a good, loving parent, they might not be the most attentive of parents. They do love their kids though, even if they don’t really see the appeal of kids in general. Like mother giraffes will leave a female in charge of the babies while they go foraging, since infant giraffes are a HUGE target for predators. But the female in charge doesn’t... actually... protect them?? Like, giraffes can kick the shit out of a predators so we know she COULD kick some ass if she felt threatened enough. But if she sees a predator she generally just moseys away, nudging her own kids from the jaws of death. Usually the others twig to what’s happening but if they don’t? Meh. Sucks to suck. Lions gotta eat too I guess.

Giraffes are super long-lived and not often prey (though it does happen). I imagine you see a lot of little old spinster ladies with giraffe daemons just puttering around doing their thing. Not a lot bothers people with giraffe daemons, which I think is related to their fairly shallow relationships with people. Few people matter enough to really hurt them, and they have very thick skin so they can shrug off most insults or troubles.

Just as the giraffe greatly impacts their environment (they really affect the trees whose leaves they eat), the person with this daemon can enact a lot of change in the world. I think they’d be REALLY good at politics and business - not as a leader mind you! But as a high-to-middling person, who greases the wheels by being liked by everyone and being able to work steadily and methodically, unworried by others opinions.

You're not bothering me! Sorry if I like... never reply to asks. I'm just really awful about it >.>

So, amur leopards! Interestingly, they are the only cat species to adapt to the cold snowy climates which would indicate someone who thrives in unusual circumstances. Like,most people would burn out on a high-stress busy lifestyle but people with amur leopards love it. On the other hand, the idea of a 'normal' life, such as a 9-5, would drive them insane.

They have pretty conservative habitats, which I think could indicate someone who isn't particularly interested in material things. However, the few things or habits they do have are very very important to them. Like, I'm picturing a nature photographer who is constantly traveling around with very little (a lifestyle hard for most people) but makes sure wherever they go they always do the same thing first (ex. putting up a certain picture, finding the nearest ice cream shop that they go to religiously while they're there, etc).