My favorite fantasy species? I suppose if I had to choose any and out of them all, even the tenants of supernatural in reality, that would have to be spirit beasts. While more or less animal ghosts they tend to be more exotic and more fantastic than their human counterparts, good and evil souls alike, most being neutral or at least in different. I have always been fond of the natural themes of some fantasy and magical practices, both fictional and real alike, but I find it more fascinating to consistently encounter them where they do arise and find myself wishing for more. They make for interesting phenomena and something close enough to home to understand or appreciate. Many of their supposed talents are wonderfully flavored as well, being bodies and ethers of rolling, shaped mists that come and go, blink between forests and wilderness, or stalking shadows that drift and disperse at moment's notice.

There is plenty of inspiration form reality for them, mostly ancient or what we now view as "primitive" practices, but these totems, dream constructs, or animist spirits are always sort of universal in their own way. Fantasy tends to spin them in wonderful directions as that or from it, but out of them I admit I know no one series or universe that makes extensive use of them. I suppose Dungeons and Dragons is a great example, as is some Warcraft incarnations, but one-off pieces tend to catch my attention. Always better when I hear of them appearing elsewhere too, apparently Fallen London has some cat spirits that manifest as tigers in the real world; really a fascinating detail that goes back into how many of these things are portrayed throughout time.

The other component I enjoy about them is that it gives animals personality, not that they lack any, but in fantasy they tend to have a voice and varied presence from bombastic to humble. A hare totem might be silent and flitting about, then off the next moment until it vanishes into a rolling fog, while an eagle might be accompanied with a clap of thunder and like a bolt of lightning. Most even speak, at least the powerful sorts do. [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi00r1zxc9w]Imagery as this tends to be what evokes the best incarnation of it, at least for me.[/url]

Speaking to a personal level, they are some of the most fantastic things and I always seek out there themes wherever I can find them. 

On a similar note, of all genres, horror, fantasy, science fiction, steampunk, whatever you wish, what genre garners your attention the best and holds it?