New Species concept (Arnasca race)

UPDATE #4:

THIS DEVIATION IS NOW OUTDATED AND DEPRECIATED!

CHECK THIS INSTEAD:
 
THIS ONE WILL NO LONGER RECEIVE ANY UPDATES!!!


UPDATE #3: Minor edits, mostly spelling/grammar and pointing things out, as well as cleaning up slightly. Also, added Mew's great rendition.
UPDATE #2: More details concerning fur, eye and hair color, as well as a better explanation on how they're glass cannons.
UPDATE: Working on better reference art, actually using proper references in attempting to draw digitigrade legs and I guess I should make the fur more obvious too, will remove current image when I do (it'll go into scraps dont worry) Well, there's a better image but this still serves fine for a detailed text.

Alternative image by mewhaku:


APPEARANCE / ABILITY:
> Arnasca look mostly human-like, but have digitigrade legs. Their legs end in rabbit-like paws. (Obscured by shoe/armor in image.)
> Skin ranges from very pale to very dark, depending on the amount of melanin, similar to humans.
> Arnascan eyecolor can be literally any color without regard to lineage or genetics. It can, however, not be changed. It will be the same color from birth to death.
> While colored lenses exist in their world, there has yet to be an Arnascan that can stand the feeling of having those on their eyes.
> They are incredibly fast and their legs allow them to jump about 10 meters in any direction, as well as deliver powerful kicks.
> The tallest Arnascan was exactly 2 meters, and there has not been a single Arnascan taller. Many have hit the exact same number, but not once taller. The Arnasca have a specific measuring tool for precise measurements, making it hard for Arnasca to 'cheat'. Many still try by stretching their utmost, which succeeds by millimeters or even a centimeter.. but their height is not taken officially, as their attempt at cheating is fairly obvious.
> Arnascan hands are normally five fingered, but when they engage in combat, they can change their hands to become like smooth cylinders and hard as metal, as a means to make their punches stronger.
> Combined with their speed, they make for pretty good Close Quarter Combat fighters. But regardless of their combat prowess, they are kind of glass cannons. They can dole out nasty hits, but they cannot take them very well.
> Or, in other words, they are physically strong, but overall fragile in terms of their endurance and defense abilities.
> Those with completely furred hands often also have retractable claws similar to cats, those who don't have fur over their fingers have human fingernails.

FUR:
> They have fairly little fur, mostly around the arms the legs and feet. The amount, thickness and where it starts differs per-person. Rare cases have none or are completely furred.
> Some Arnasca have fur on their heads, rather than a head full of hair. It follows the same coloring rules as the rest of their fur.
> Some Arnasca are, in fact, bald. It is possible to have neither hair nor fur on their head.
> Arnascan haircolor has the same range as human haircolor and cannot be changed. Hair dye exists, however, so it's not rare to find unrealistic colors.
> Similar to their eyes, their fur color can be anything. Big difference is that they can pick a fur color.. It takes around 10 minutes to switch colors. Mid-changing it basically looks akin to the result of throwing a bucket of water onto a painting made of waterpaint.

EARS:
> Arnascan ears resemble cat ears, although they are generally about twice as long as regular cat ears.
> Actual size strongly differs per person, and in rare cases could actually be smaller than even regular cat ears.

TAIL:
> Arnascan tails are akin to a thin wire and feels like it's made of metal.
> The shape at the end differs per-person, and it's possible they actually have no additional shape. Families usually have the same shape.
> The tail is prehensile and extremely strong- they can basically lift themselves or carry others with it.
> Strangely enough, the tail is also extremely fragile. If someone else purposely tries to bend it, it will immediately snap. The snapped off piece disintegrates into dust, which further dissipates into nothingness. At the same time, the tail also immediately grows back. This entire process takes no more than three minutes from the initial damage, though it is generally shorter depending on how much of the tail was snapped off.
> A person can feel with the tail, allowing them to sense what they're attempting to grab or if someone touches the tail. This is odd, however, as there are no nerves in the tail. As such, it doesn't hurt to snap or grow back the tail.
> There are extremely rare cases of Arnasca with furred tails, not unlike cat tails, that are supposedly very soft to touch.

LIFESTYLE / GENDER / REPRODUCTION:
> While they're a race with binary genders, as in male and female, their physiology allows them to change their gender by will.
> This process, however, takes about a week. It is very tiring, making it difficult to do day to day tasks, essentially forcing them to stay in bed, so many don't do it.
> There have been cases of same-gender relationships where one of the two changed their gender to procreate.
> Many Arnasca in their teen years tend to experiment with their gender, and all schools hold 'gender weeks', in which teens are allowed to stay away from classes to change genders.
> It differs per school how many weeks a student is allowed to stay away from class, but the absolute minimum is two. The second week reserved to change back in case they’re unhappy with their new gender.
> They have no such thing as gender norms. The concept of gender norms is completely foreign to them.
> The race seems to be pansexual by default, but they do have a hint of xenophobic behavior as most don't like to have relationships outside their own race.
> They CAN procreate with most other humanoid races, as their reproduction system is strangely adaptive. The child will always be the race of the mother and conform to the rules of nature for that race.
> Due to their xenophobic behavior, newborns of a non-Arnascan parent are often frowned upon, despite that the child is as pureblood as their parents. An Arnascan child is thus always pureblood Arnasca.
> The gestation period of Arnascan children is identical to that of humans. Unlike humans, though, they have the physical ability to 'choose' whether they are capable of reproduction at the moment. Ergo, when someone gets pregnant, it is because they have chosen to become pregnant and wanted a child. Because of this, abortion is extremely rare, as most who decide to abort do so due to physical issues.

COLOR:
Though all of this has already been told above, here's a more specific section.

Skin: Ranges are equal to that of humans. So any human skin color. Cannot be changed.
Hair: Also runs the same gamut as humans. Hair dyes are allowed.
Eyes: Somewhere in between hexcolors 000000 and FFFFFF. Does not change.
Fur: Can be of any range. Slightly off-kilter colors do exist, like their fur being a lighter or darker shade on one part than another.. but it's typically the same hue. Can be changed.
Tail: Gray. Dark gray, light gray, if you have to color it it can even be black. It's thin and wirey, hard to see. Doesn't reflect light like metals tho, despite the metal feel.

Additionally, Albino Arnascans exist. Their eye color is always red, their skin is pale and their hair color is white or light gray.. but are still able to change their fur colors like any other Arnascan.

GRAMMAR:
Though when using English, Arnascans generally follow English rules, for the name of the race there is a specific pattern required:

The Arnasca
    humanity' / i.e. the name of the race, considered plural
The Arnascan race
    'the human race' / i.e. possessive form
An Arnascan
    'a human' / i.e. singular
Arnasca
    'humans' / i.e. nonspecific plural
Those Arnascans
    'those humans' / i.e. specific plural

If any additional information is required, please ask. I will gladly come forward with additional information, though I cannot guarantee whether I'm deciding on it on the spot or if it's something I had already thought of.