This Yunzii keyboard is the most adorable thing ever (it’s a cat!! it has all the different colours! the fun key caps! the fish USB dongle stored in its paw!) AND has hotswap switches, but unfortunately, it uses a proprietary web-based software instead of VIA. Is there any good keyboards are that are equally cute with open-source QMK firmware and VIA support?
Bonus points if it features an animal friend too
A practical way to narrow this down is to start from the VIA and QMK side rather than the cute side. Look for a hot-swappable 75 percent board that is actually listed as VIA-supported, and test that claim before you commit if you can: with the board connected, VIA should recognize it and let you remap a key without a separate proprietary app. Once the firmware side is settled, you can add the playful look with a colorful, animal-themed keycap set, which is much easier to change later than the board itself. Hotswap also helps here, since you can try quieter or lighter switches later without soldering.
I’ll propose the opposite. Aesthetic is one of the most deciding factors IMHO, the underlying hardware could theoretically be reverse engineered. And beside, how often someone change their keyboard layout.
