Animal fetish: I think the appeal of cat-girl, bunny-girl, whatever-girl isn't so much that they're part animal, but that they're "exotic". They appeal to people for the same reason that pointy ears appeal to elf-fans (or Vulcan-fans), or even more mundane, slanted eyes or dark skin or white skin appeals to many people in real life. It's just another way of saying, "Here's an exotic type of human for you to enjoy!"

Padjal: Folks have brought up the fact that Padjal are essentially slaves to the elementals, and therefore wouldn't make great adventurers. However, the elementals have been making some unprecedented decisions lately, including allowing mass immigration of adventurers into the Shroud, so it's not outside the realm of possibility for the elementals to decide that, hey, they want some direct representation in the whole adventuring gig. Hence, allowing Padjal to become adventurers, and stepping up the rate of Hyur that transform into Padjal. Not saying that I EXPECT Padjal to become a playable race, but there's plenty of leeway to allow it if SE so chooses.

Tonberries: I want to craft food as a Tonberry. That would be epic. XD