Luminae are a semi-fossorial (subterranean) species, having settlements both in the surface and underground, originated from cerrados, but expanding into most expansive valley-like biomes such as savannas and prairies. They're a small-sized biped with thick antennae sprouting above their eyes. They are furred, the thickness and texture of fur ranging from short to long, straight to curly, with their tails and necks' being longer than the rest of the body on average. However, they can also be fur less.
Their feet are long, and can swap from to plantigrade, though digitigrade is the most common locomotion method. They have long, dexterous fingers which can grow large claws made for digging. and thick padding underneath They're great at living in packed and darker spaces, being extremely flexible and a natural sense of direction and space. They are omnivores, with a wide diet ranging from fruits, nuts, insects, larger meat, fish and roots. They will also consume rocks for additional mineral sources.
Physiology Notes
Head
Luminae have a wide range of head structures. On average, they have an elongated, somewhat sharp snout with a flat head. However, prominent foreheads and blunt, short snouts are also present due to minor Aether Tampering. They have long whiskers sprouting from their muzzle, chin and upper head, with tactile functions and being part of their expressions.
Antennae
The flexibility range of antennae.
Antennae are external organs, with 2 to 3 branches rooted above the eyelids. They are stiffer and thicker than whiskers but still have some degree of mobility, sweeping back and forth. Their main purposes are to sense air motion, capture light and identify local pressure. These functions help Luminae locate themselves in dark underground areas, the direction of exits and flow of air in a settlement, and warn themselves of faults in the rock and possible cave ins.
Luminae are born with the antennae root, but it only starts growing around teenage years, leaving pups vulnerable to getting lost. Their length varies, though shorter antennae are less efficient. Less sensitive than whiskers, antennae are sensitive nonetheless, and clippings, piercings or even obstructing with articles of clothing can cause pain and distress. Not only that, but antennae will repair themselves and grow back, leaving any modifications hard to maintain.
Eyes & Ears
Luminae have excellent vision, adapted to low light and bright environments. They can see all colors in the visible-eye spectrum, though they are unable to sense ultraviolet or infrared. Their eyes can have different shapes and colors, but the effect is purely visual as their eye membranes work the same regardless of their appearance.
Left: A collection of some eye shapes and patterns found in Luminae.
Right: Luminae eyes are reflective, and shine when light is pointed at them, especially in low light.
The external ears of a Luminae are heavily affected by Aether tampering. The common ear is large with a triangular shape, but many develop different styles such as short, elongated, circular, square, etc. Because of the variety, it is very common to style and modify ears further, with piercings, clippings and accessories. It takes a while for the cartilage to regenerate, leaving these styles as semi-permanent.
The internal structure remains the same, as such the outer ear can only impact hearing up to a certain point, as the inner and middle ear will not capture and process sound they're not designed for. This gives them good hearing, being better at listening to higher frequency than lower frequency, and otherwise have standard ranges and ability to distinguish sounds and small individual variation in what they're better at picking up.
Top: An example of observable ear styles in Luminae. Flop and droopy ears are a common effect of weak cartilage.
Bottom: Asymmetry in ears can manifest as mismatched ear types, scarring and manual styling: ear cuts, accessories, etc.
Mouth
A diagram of the inside of a Luminae's mouth, and an individual using a dental chewing stick.
Luminae have 36 teeth, with a front row of long incisors, four canines, sharp premolars and flat molars. Their dentition is crafted for their omnivorous diet, allowing them to tear through meat, break nuts and shells, and grind down plant matter such as leaves and fruit. Their bite is not overly powerful, but it can still tear skin and cause damage. Their teeth never stop growing, and must be worn down. Luminae will often grind their teeth in rocks or dental chewy sticks as part of their dental care, otherwise their teeth can become overgrown and cause issues.
They have short, triangular tongues with small barbs for grooming. Their taste buds are sensitive, and they have an easier time discerning sweet flavors than others. They have a small tolerance to spice, and a greater tolerance to bitterness. Their mouth, just like most of their organs, tends to take the most prominent color of their Aether.
Nose
Their nose is a triangular shape with two cavities separated by cartilage. Their cavities can expand in size and capture more air when inhaling, an adaptation to the thinner air inside tunnels and limited airflow. Their lung capacity is large with more efficient filtering systems.
They have an excellent olfactory system, being able to smell pheromones and scent trails, allowing them to discern fauna and flora farther away. They can identify other individuals by their smell and, as each Luminae has an unique odor, with family and friends creating a longer lasting imprint.
Body
A small glimpse at the range of Luminae body types.
Luminae size and builds are diverse, with fat, muscle mass and height based on lifestyles and genes. Underweight Luminae are rare, as their average body mass is already light and further loss can bring sickness and several health issues. Their proportions stay consistent, with arms, legs and torso being around the same size and medium necks, but deviations aren't uncommon.
Limbs
Luminae hands, with filled and grown nail sizes.
Luminae shoulders are placed right below the neck, with their hands resting around their hips. What they lack in strength they have in endurance, built to dig and climb through tunnels and caves. Their fingers are long and dexterous, capable of minute control with tools. Their claws can grow long and impede their ability to hold things, but modern Luminae will file down their nails often as most settlements are dug out and maintained with tools and machines instead..
They have medium size legs, with thighs longer than their feet. They're fast, reaching 30 km/h running speed and 55 km/h sprinting speed, which can only be maintained in bursts of a few minutes. They can also hop while running, using the momentum to reach farther than normal running. They can swap into a plantigrade stance, which is a lot more stable but loses a lot of speed and is considered "baby walk" by most adults.
Left: A Luminae in plantigrade stance.
Right: Arms get tucked in when running.
Tail
Luminae tails range from medium-long, and typically will have longer fur than the rest of the body, a trait shared with the neck. However, fur less and short furred tails are not uncommon. Hairless tails show the structure underneath: long, slender and highly mobile. Some individuals may have thicker tails due to fats or muscle, but they will always appear lithe proportionally.
Their main function is to serve as a balancing limb, keeping them stable when walking and helping with turning and control when running at fast speeds. Longer tails can have a rudimentary ability to grab things, though only effective on objects that are lightweight and easy to hold.
Left: A small sample of fur styles for tails. Usually matches the rest of the body, but not always. Naked tails are common in certain regions.
Right: Minimum tail size compared to maximum tail size (in grey).
Aether
The natural Aether of Luminae is Igazo Aether. This helps them with lighting up underground paths and making travelling at night easier, combined with other adaptations to the dark. Most cast their Aether through their necks or tails, but refined and precise use will use their hands instead.
Aether Shedding
Luminae bodies never stop producing Aether. This can cause issues as excess Aether that isn't given function can become volatile and cause internal damage. To combat this, all leftover Aether moves to their Aether glands to be used for casting, and once those are full the Aether is automatically expelled from their bodies. The frequency of their shedding can vary depending on the user, from once a week to constant.
Visually, it appears as an atmospheric effect around their necks and tail, corresponding to their Aether. This shed Aether is weaker than normal and can have little to no physical effects to the Luminae or others around. There is no consistent appearance to these effects, but the following are the most common:
Aether shedding on an individual with Igazo, Kusho and Ignis Aether respectively.
Gako
Tumuna
Ignis
Hibus
Tocha
Aes
Tocha
Gero
Kusho
Donuma
Kinru
Saisei
Igazo
Sadem
Biira
Jitium
Reproduction
The development cycle of a Luminae, to scale.
Egg
Luminae are a trisex species, with the default sex being infertile and changing into one of the reproductive sexes when first reproducing, depending on their role in the family. This change reverses after reproduction, and one Luminae may swap roles various times during their life.
To create an egg two individuals will sexually reproduce, with lustre for the parent laying the egg and vulto for the sire. While they can attempt to reproduce anytime, attempts are more successful in their breeding months, going from 8% to 35%. On average, one Luminae will produce 2-6 eggs per breeding. Unwanted eggs are eaten by the lustre or discarded, though discarding eggs is not a common practice as seen as wasteful
After reproduction, the egg will take around two weeks to develop and after laying will continue development for two more weeks. It has a soft shell that quickly hardens after contact with air, protecting the embryo. Near the hatching date, the baby will start eating the shell and eclode once the walls become brittle.
Amor
Once they hatch, babies are called amor and will be called that until adulthood. They're born small and underdeveloped, often kept in nests or carried around by parents in their neck fur or clothing. By day 8, amors will have opened their eyes and started growing fur, and they'll grow into their toddler proportions. After one year, they'll reach the toddler stage, characterized by resembling more of an adult Luminae. Their antennae start sprouting around this age, but Aether shedding will not start until near adulthood. Toddlers still have a mainly plantigrade walk and will walk on fours until they develop stronger muscles for digitigrade walking and longer legs. They have the maturity of a 5 year old at that stage.
By their 7th year they'll start walking digitigrade, and begin a teenager stage of development. Their antennae fully grow and they reach their final height at around 10 years old. They'll reach adulthood at 13 years old, no longer an amor but a full adult.