Not everything needs to be a Closed Species:
11 years ago
I'm sorry but if I see another very generic design being called a closed species I will lose my mind, adding gemstones to a shark does not make it a super original species, adding a magic piece of clothing doesn't cut it either, if your closed species can be described as "Oh, it's an X that has a Y." you need to go back to the drawing board.
If you want to claim something as unique to you at least do it with something that is actually unique, does it have a unique piece of anatomy that differentiates it from others? Great, good job, now do that for the rest of it too so it's no longer an X and is something uniquely you. I may not like Dreamies but they at least don't just look like an average run of the mill anthro with some bullshit item or gems slapped on it, a Dreamy looks like a Dreamy and not like a cat or a dog or a fox or an elk or a whatever, they're humanoids with frilly ears, other frilly/fluffy elements, and that identifying pom-pom tail. Heck even look at Eerays, an Eeray is how a unique closed anthro species design should be done, they have a humanoid build with distinct elements, namely the large tails and 'wings' that flow together seamlessly, the extra long tail having 2 additional fins at the base of it and a longer one adorning the end of the tail. Or hell, even look at something like my own Kaeroki, what is a Kaeroki in basic terms? An amphibian anthro, but it's more than that and it shows on their features and biology, they poses fairly unique pointed ear/nubs lined with a frill of gill-like structures, they have 2 large singing cheeks that inflate and deflate as they sing, and they have paddle shaped tadpole tails.
Are those features unique to those species alone? Not at all, you can easily come up with a pom-pom tail or manta ray wings or cheek pouches, it's how those features are used together to make a whole that is unique from the rest visually. As a further comparison look at Manta Charks and Eerays, they both have those manta ray wings but they are unique and different from one another, an anthro Manta Chark will not look like Eeray and vice versa, that's not because of their backstory but because of the sum total of their parts. Compare the wings directly and they're very similar, compare the rest of them too and they're pretty clearly different, can you really say the same for some of these other ones that get made every day? I know I sure as hell can't when the most distinguishing feature is "extra fluff" and some gemstone/clothing/item.
Not everyone needs a closed species, if your species is a generic anthro with a piece of clothing to serve as the unique trait you don't need to close it, there's not much quality control needed for cats and dogs with magical gemstone sweatervests.
If you want to claim something as unique to you at least do it with something that is actually unique, does it have a unique piece of anatomy that differentiates it from others? Great, good job, now do that for the rest of it too so it's no longer an X and is something uniquely you. I may not like Dreamies but they at least don't just look like an average run of the mill anthro with some bullshit item or gems slapped on it, a Dreamy looks like a Dreamy and not like a cat or a dog or a fox or an elk or a whatever, they're humanoids with frilly ears, other frilly/fluffy elements, and that identifying pom-pom tail. Heck even look at Eerays, an Eeray is how a unique closed anthro species design should be done, they have a humanoid build with distinct elements, namely the large tails and 'wings' that flow together seamlessly, the extra long tail having 2 additional fins at the base of it and a longer one adorning the end of the tail. Or hell, even look at something like my own Kaeroki, what is a Kaeroki in basic terms? An amphibian anthro, but it's more than that and it shows on their features and biology, they poses fairly unique pointed ear/nubs lined with a frill of gill-like structures, they have 2 large singing cheeks that inflate and deflate as they sing, and they have paddle shaped tadpole tails.
Are those features unique to those species alone? Not at all, you can easily come up with a pom-pom tail or manta ray wings or cheek pouches, it's how those features are used together to make a whole that is unique from the rest visually. As a further comparison look at Manta Charks and Eerays, they both have those manta ray wings but they are unique and different from one another, an anthro Manta Chark will not look like Eeray and vice versa, that's not because of their backstory but because of the sum total of their parts. Compare the wings directly and they're very similar, compare the rest of them too and they're pretty clearly different, can you really say the same for some of these other ones that get made every day? I know I sure as hell can't when the most distinguishing feature is "extra fluff" and some gemstone/clothing/item.
Not everyone needs a closed species, if your species is a generic anthro with a piece of clothing to serve as the unique trait you don't need to close it, there's not much quality control needed for cats and dogs with magical gemstone sweatervests.
FA+

Here is my species (it's open though) http://www.furaffinity.net/view/14086370/
See? Does that look like anything in particular? Maybe many things AND its own thing? That's how I prefer it.
I could never look at any members or that species and say "it's a dragon with gems on it's tail" like I can for around 5% of the closed species market.
Ty for your input XD