Bump~
I'm really curious as to what draws different people to a closed species~
Is it complete originality? Colors? Markings/pattern? Quality?
Feel free to comment ^^
Honestly I like CS most when I can draw/remember their details without sweating it. Complex-looking designs and features are gorgeous and totally deserve praise, but if I can't recreate it in my own art without a ton of study I usually pass ;;
But looking at what my faves have been to own, I like well-thought out anatomy/varations the most? Simple as limbs that make sense for the environment they're expected to live in. And extra features from their basic type that don't feel... phoned in (some do, some don't on diff species so I'm not naming any). I like humanoid, simple patterns/color schemes, and as an odd-particular, species that aren't pocket sized?? I love tall/long/big ones omg
I guess one of the biggest things for me is unique lines for each adopt. Not having a default base & the pre-drawn traits just added in each time. Design stands at the same importance.
I'm probably not the right person to really answer to this because I don't really participate in adopt buying at all (I make designs once in a while myself but I don't really buy any). But I generally tend to be drawn to species whose physical traits interest me: for example scarfoxes really interest me because of their scarf hands look really aesthetically pleasing in my personal opinion!
I also tend to be interested in adopts with varying body structure/facial details, and I also often have to ask myself: "Do I like this design itself or do I just like the clothes that are on this character?" because really often I notice myself drooling after a design where the character is a rather generic looking pretty androgynous looking person BUT with really cool clothes.
Lore is also important to me and some sort of character data so I know what they eat or how they just generally live. Also I prefer characters whose lore can be fit into any of my own worlds without an effort o/
What interesting answers!! For me, I think ease of restrictions first, then lore, then design -- art quality dead last, though I do have some standards, no mspaint, things like that.
I first want to know if the creator is going to go awol on me for using the design elsewhere, or changing bits and pieces, because... that's generally what I do with my designs. I absolutely will not purchase something if the creator is controlling, no matter the quality.
Second, lore is killer! It can make something that I was meh about, or something I've seen twenty times before, turn into something I adore! Even if I never plan to play in a specific world setting. It gives me ideas about how to use and make your design my own, and I especially love details on adopts I personally could never have come up with myself. It gives them personality.
The rest of it is pretty meh -- there are a few palettes I like, but if the first two things are there then the last two aren't going to matter.
I want things that are trully original. Like, adding tails, ears and horns to a humanoid does not make it an original species to me, no matter the colours and patterns on it. I am more interested into "original adoptables" than "original species" and I think it is quite stupid to turn everything into a "closed species", mostly when it comes to things like "do not copy" and "do not make your own". Like, you mean I cannot make my own nekomimi because you claimed your nekos are a closed species ? Artists who does that just seems so greedy to me. Actually, I've never seen a truly original humanoid species.
When it comes to anthros and ferals, I have seen some interesting closed species, and I bought a few as well, because they are trully original and unique. Like, you would not do the same by random chance.
Lores can be really interesting too but they can be restricting as well. I do not follow the lore for my two closed-species adoptables because I wanted them to fit in my universe. If the lore is too restrictive, then character can hardly be introduced in a world with other characters, or cannot even interact with characters that are not of the same species. Then, unless there is a big community for the species (like these artic dogs, I forgot their name), lores can be quite annoying. Unless they are really creative and interesting and can lead to some interesting world-building and story-writing.
So, what I look in a CS is TRUE originality, and flexibility, like, being allowed to make changes to the lore or not follow it at all if I do not feel like playing this kind of thing.