[@Ryuji Sakamoto] Completely optional, yes.

[@Conch Shell VII] Good Cs. I'd change your power if I were you though. Your light element has the power to heal anyway. How about something like bone manipulation, density manipulation, body manipulation, etc? Now what are your questions?

[@deyinger] Animals could literally be anything as long as it is reasonable and makes sense. So if you REALLY wanted, yes you could have a turtle or tortoise. 

For technology, think along the lines of Star Strek. They aren't advanced enough for a Star Gate but it's pretty close. You can have villages, towns or cities focused on technology if you wanted. Does that help?