@Moriarty
Hello there.
I found myself up until well after 4:00 AM, trying— or, more accurately, failing— to brainstorm a particular race that I have been working on. I thought for certain there would be some preexisting race that matched my mental image, but I searched for hours yesterday and I could not find it. It's nothing too complicated in my head.
Imagine, if you will, something that looks much a regular human, except with a long, thin tail that is covered in very short, thin hair (call it fur if you dare), with a tuft of longer fur at the end. I've seen images like this, but these races are generally not as humanoid in the face and have horns (my race does not have horns).
For a decent mental image of the tail, imagine Nightcrawler's tail, except not blue, and replace the point at the end with a tuft of hair (imagine a gerbil's tail or a lion's). The tail is very long and can operate as a third limb to some extent, though clearly it has no extra appendages and is not nearly as strong as an actual limb. So, they could pick up perhaps objects with handles, or wrap it around smaller objects, but you won't see them voluntarily hanging from their tails like spider-monkeys. Though they could be lifted up or suspended by their tail, this would be incredibly uncomfortable for them and it would not be voluntary, as their tails don't have a strong enough grip to support their body weight. The color of the hair on their tails matches that of their actual hair and body hair colors. They are usually fair-to-olive skinned, but there are still occasionally darker skinned variations.
This race usually has wiry or lean builds (though stocky ones to exist). They're generally nimble and agile, quick in their movements. Facially, their features vary as much as a natural humans, but they rarely seem to have squared features and are usually rounder or more angular. Eye and hair color tends to vary greatly, but both are usually some shade of brown (blond is also common for hair though). I imagine that the males are slightly hairer than the average human, but it's short, soft hair and young males that tends to get coarser as they're older. The hair can be found on general places that hair grows on humans, such as the armpits and other areas (not so much their legs, though). However, these guys have additional hair. Both males and females have a thin strip (maybe an inch wide) of short fur that runs along their spine, down their back, to where it connects to their tales. It is thicker and more noticeable in adult males. Adult males may also have a strip of hair along the bottom of their forearm, extending to their elbow. Though they generally don't have a lot of chest hair, it's not uncommon for older males to have a thin line of fur that runs down the middle of the chest, between the pecs, down to their belly button and so forth. Unlike humans, they tend not to have as many stray hairs in other places. Most of it is focused in these specific areas, especially for males. Of course, they have normal eyebrows and head-hair. Males, however, usually can't grow beards, but rather goatees or essentially a "chin strap" along their jawline. Their facial hair doesn't tend to grow very long.
Personality wise, they're known for being timid and intelligent. They are curious, but at the same time they generally don't like change. There are exceptions of course.
They are not hated by society but are viewed somewhat derogatorily.
Anyway, I'm looking for thoughts on the appearance and design. Let me know if this is a foolish or bland idea, and ways I can improve. I wanted to make a race with a tail that appeared mostly human otherwise but still was not, of course. I like the aesthetic of Nightcrawler, but the only races that tend to resemble that at all are demonic races and some genies, but I preferred to make my own. These clearly don't look like Nightcrawler, per se, but the aesthetic of the tail and the more lean build helps with that. If anyone could give me feedback or suggestions, that would be great.
Kind regards,
— M
