Batblog

Precious Babbies

I haven't written a blog post in a few days (too busy working on that short story, mostly), so I might as well just throw something fun and simple up here to fill the gap. Like, say, a list of my favourite animals. Yeah, that sounds good:

#1) Bats: In case the name and cover of this blog, and the cover of my portfolio weren't enough of a tip-off, I have a soft spot for bats. One of the coolest things about them is how diverse they are (the most diverse mammal group in existence, as I recall). Some bats are adorable, some are goofy, some are awesome, and some are downright freaky, but every single one is a loveable little leathery-winged snowflake.

#2) Spiders: The funny thing is, I actually grew up with a mild arachnophobia. "Mild" as in not so bad that a simple picture could trigger a panic attack, but if I ever actually saw a spider in the room with me I'd feel intensely paranoid until I'd found and killed it. It took a conscious effort for me to realize how irrational it all was, and (through a process of self-education) I eventually just kind of... Got over it. Able to look at these creatures with an objective mind for the first time, I realized something; spiders are awesome. For a lot of the same reasons as bats, too; some are cute, some are cool, some are weird, some are freaky, but all of them are wonderful. As you can imagine, I feel quite a bit of guilt for the way I've treated them in the past.

#3) Crows: There's not a whole lot to this one; crows are simply handsome, fascinatingly intelligent birds. I'm probably unusual in that I actually like the sound of crows cawing, just because I just love the animal behind the sound so much.

#4) Snakes: I grew up watching a lot of The Crocodile Hunter as a kid, and one of the things I took away from that series was a healthy love of reptiles. Snakes in particular were basically the Holy Grail of my backyard animal-catching adventures; toads and bugs were all well and good, but nothing was quite as exciting as turning a log or rock to find a scaly serpent coiled beneath. I'm not entirely sure how I managed to avoid forming a phobia of snakes like I did with spiders, but they just never seemed to bother me. Good thing, too, because I'd miss out on a lot of beautiful, adorable animals if I had.

#5) Owls: Like bats and spiders, part of my love for these birds comes from their diversity; they run the gamut from pretty, to awesome, to adorable. My love isn't going to save them from being antagonists most of the time once I get around to writing that crow detective story, however. Someone needs to balance the scales.

#6) Foxes: Finally, something that isn't a living Halloween decoration! Now, while there is no animal that I hate, I do tend to find the sorts of animals that people usually name as their favourites rather... Boring. Things like wolves, horses, and dolphins; I like them, but it's hard to not resent them just a little when so many people practically worship them while also reviling much more interesting and ecologically-important animals. But something about foxes and their sly, slick personas just forces me to join in that popular adulation despite the fact that they're kind of overrated. Part of it could be that they also have an element of diversity going for them; foxes can be sickeningly adorable, elegantly handsome, or even hilariously derpy (ever seen that Youtube video of that fox licking a window?). I just like them, all right.