Lumizass

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Lumizass
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Fauna
Official Name Lumizass
Common Nicknames Zzumi Snake, Loomi Snake
Classification Reptile
Habitat Westwynd
Domesticated Yes
Current Status Uncommonm

The Lumizass, a very small and fragile-appearing snake from the south of Ithania, is a relatively rare, but very beloved house pet among Ithanians and certain groups of the Maquixtl. Lumizass are creatures generally described as being “wholesome,” yet at the same time, they can come across incredibly picky and needy for those who do not know how to properly take care of this little cute critter. Lumizass are not found in the wild anymore, largely because their natural habitat has been mostly destroyed by the desertification of southern Ithania, but also because this creature lacks any defense mechanisms, and is often completely at the mercy of predators. Despite this, they thrive in confined holdings, and may sometimes even comfortable rest on the shoulders of a person, while some pygmy Lumizass can even nestle in a person’s hair.

History

The exact origin of the Lumizass is not known, but some scholars speculate that it was a type of snake that developed in the fruit orchards of the Allorn Empire in the south of Ithania and other nearby regions in Westwynd. Back then, these regions were very urban and the Lumizass had plenty of places to hide, while also having plenty of their favorite food to be found: peaches and nectarines. With the Wildering however, most of the urban landscape that the Lumizass lived in was destroyed, and many of the regions suffered ecological upheaval. Larger predators, or even feral cats who had survived the Wildering, started hunting the Lumizass as an easy snack that had no defense mechanisms worth speaking of, and in most cases couldn’t even slither away fast enough to hide in holes. Some would also argue that the Lumizass can sometimes come off as ditzy, and as such, was completely oblivious to the threats and risks of approaching predators. The population of Lumizass started dying off rapidly in the countryside, though some populations remained in the south Ithanian landmass. As the desert in the south of Ithania widened and reclaimed more of the Cataclysm-riddled land, the population of Lumizass split in the north and south variant, though both are practically identical save for their scale colors. Both groups were cultivated domestically by the Ithanian Ailor and the non-Westafar Maquixtl, because of the very docile and child-friendly nature of this snake, despite it still being a snake. Over the years, both Lumizass localized populations started developing more to the ideal of the pet, until they could practically no longer exist in the wild because they became loud, being somewhat unaware or naïve about the world around them.

Physical Appearance

Lumizass appear like simple grass snakes in their proportions, but much smaller, never growing longer than six inches. One could easily hold an adult Lumizass rolled up in the palm of a hand, for instance. Lumizass' heads are smooth, while their prominent eyes possess a unique trait not seen in other snakes, let alone reptiles; they do not have slitted eyes, but round pupils. This deviation is speculated to be because the Lumizass eat fruit that has fallen off trees, not smaller mammals or insects and because it would operate better at night by seeing more light and being able to distinguish the shapes of fruit over that of say, leather balls, or rocks. Why the Lumizass doesn’t rely on snake-smell is unclear, as they do possess a pink forked tongue, though it is short and small. Their mouths also possess the outflow of a strange internal gland that secretes an anti-rotting agent that allows they to sustain a single large piece of fruit for days after beginning to eat it. The rest of the animal's body is covered in sleek scales, and their underside is a cream-colored hue. However, it should be noted that the Lumizass does not molt unlike other snakes, and they may sometimes lose scales which individually regrow.

Diversity

The Lumizass have two variants, the Ithanian variant which comes in shades of cool and candy pink, and the Southern variant which comes in light beige and banana cream yellow. Some darker discoloration may occur on the head, while the eyes usually have a ring of red scales around them. Both are identical in their temperance and appearance save for the scale color, and both can also intermingle to create a mutt variant that has a number of swirl patterns that may almost come across as smokey, or sometimes even like the patterns of a flame. These mutts however are considered undesirable among breeders, who discard them because their beauty is praised in the consistency of their scale pattern, and any pattern disruption like stripes is considered inauspicious. Lumizass are virtually indistinguishable in terms of their gender, and often gender is only discovered when one of them lays eggs.

Lifespan and Development

Lumizass are snakes that live in the motto “live short, party hard”. Born from very small, soft-shelled eggs which come in clutches of six, a newly hatched Lumizass might easily be mistaken for a tadpole as it tries to rapidly flit around looking for small fruit morsels. Their maturation period takes place over a matter of weeks, and they are considered adults by around two or three months old. Lumizass can theoretically repeatedly reproduce upon their maturity, but are best described as temperamental. They might entirely ignore a member of the opposite sex even when directly placed in close confines with them, and go so far as to play dead to seek their removal from the environment. Lumizass are capable of living up to four years in the wild, while those in domestic care can reach eight.

Mental Overview

Lumizass are in the best of ways described as wholesome and kind hearted critters with a stroke of drama and neediness. They do not harm any animals, and do not bite into anything, no matter how irritated they may become. They do not even defend themselves when attacked, often resorting to playing dead, and being very in-effective at doing so. These snakes are thus also greatly prized as children's pets, because they tend to become very clingy to those who take good care of them, and enjoy cozy behavior with their tenders. A Lumizass’s main function in life is to consume peaches, which they generally wrap around and then slowly bite into from the underside up, until sometimes they reach out the top. Usually, a Lumizass is also easy to feed with a single peach for a few weeks, since it will only eat small pieces at a time, and secretes some sort of chemical that prevents the rotting of fruit, prevent it from being spoiled (albeit while it’s being slowly eaten).

Lumizass can however also be very dramatic. When irate or being handled in a way they don’t want to, they start squealing with a high pitched noise, and they absolutely hate the wailing noises of a baby. They become uncomfortable around the sadness of others, and either try to comfort them by crawling near them or up their hair, or by leaving the direct area, depending on the temperament of the Lumizass in question. Lumizass love listening to singing and music in general, but generally don’t like strangers and love small tight spaces to crawl into and hide while they aren’t eating. A Lumizass can be taught very basic tricks, but will get very testy with its pitched noises if prompted to do them and it doesn’t feel like it. Finally, Lumizass are very, very social, to other Lumizass, as long as they are not of the opposite gender. This tragically also extends to other snakes, who unfortunately end up eating their much smaller relative as they perceive it as prey. The snake doesn’t attack its own kind, though they’re not known to work in groups beyond coincidence. Lumizass are also very fond of cats, for some reason, likely related to their love for soft furry textures to crawl in, which is also very unfortunate for them, because most feral cats enjoy hunting them.

Territory and Groupings

Lumizass in domesticated surroundings rarely move around much, or seek to travel great distances when they escape confinement (itself a rare occurance). However, wild Lumizass are far more active. Upon reaching adulthood, it will migrate as far as it can from their home nest and seek a mate. Once that is complete, they stay in the same place until their young hatch. They then migrate again, seeking other potential mates in their region. One way wild Lumizass can be tracked down is the light glittering of pink or yellow that can trail behind them when they have a damaged or regrowing scale. This sparkling effect can also exist in domesticated Lumizass cages.

Trivia

  • Lumizass sometimes "dance", where they raise the front end of their body up and start swaying back and forth. It is not clear why they do this, as unlike other serpents who are trained to respond to music, Lumizass will often just do this on their own.
  • Lumizass may, when put together with other Lumizass engage in an exchange of high pitch noises that sounds like a conversation, but is actually a competition over who can be the cutest snake (since cuteness they have learned, results in more peaches).
  • Some scholars have tried to extract Lumizass glands for the preservation of fruits, but those who tried failed, citing “moral objections” to dissecting a Lumizass, likely referring to its eyes right before they were supposed to harvest them.

Accreditation
Writers MonMarty
Processors HydraLana
Last Editor HydraLana on 09/2/2023.

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