Everything You Need to Know That Isn't Somewhere Else

[Kunabee]

Yup. That, up there.

Each post will have something that's good information. Reading this will just give you that extra needed bit of information, so I'd advise doing it.

[Kunabee]

Sapient vs. Sentient


Sentiency is the ability to feel emotion. All creatures are sentient.
Sapiency is self-awareness and higher thinking. Only some creatures are considered sapient.

How is it decided whether a creature is sapient or sentient in the Glorier - Continuum worlds?
Sapient creatures have some important things that not everyone does:

1. A written language - whether it’s hieroglyphics or a rough form of words, having a written language where one thing always means this same thing, is a clue to sapiency.
2. An ability to read and hear slightly different languages and understand them. They don’t need things to be exactly the same for them to register similarities and understand these similarities, as well as the differences and actually point out the difference.
3. This creature can see another of its species and register they’re the same species, and can recognize different species and even different subspecies. They have a system of classification.
4. Religion. Every sapient species has some sort of religion, if not more than one. Religion is a sign of intelligence and higher thinking.
5. An optional fifth one is 48 chromosomes, at least on Adricta. As all Adrictan sapients have 48 chromosomes, oftentimes some deeper research is used to discover if all three traits are available. However, this isn’t necessary, as Kaddekians have 100 chromosomes, and Zvottian sapients have 50 chromosomes. An option for Zvottians are having these 50 chromosomes. Like I said, not necessary, due to chromosomal differences from world-to-world.

What if a creature doesn’t have ALL of these things but has one, two, or three?
Well, then they’re considered semi-sapient. Basically, within the next five generations they have the ability to become sapient. If they don’t display all required four, then they are classified as sentient. If they displayed a second trait (having a first) or a third trait (having two) within these five generations, they’re given another five generations to develop the third(final) trait.
If they’re stuck at three, they’re considered nonsapient. So few creatures are nonsapient (faeries are one of the few) that, for the most part, they’re considered just plain sentient. For example, faeries have a written language and can understand slightly different languages; they even have 48 chromosomes, and a developed religion. But they lack a system of classification and can only recognize their own species and subspecies, not different subspecies. They only know non-faeries are not faeries; not what species they are. As such, they’re nonsapient.
Another nonsapient, cojuro, doesn’t have written language but have classification and religion, as well as the ability to understand slightly different languages. They also lack 48 chromosomes, instead having just 40...
Anyway, this is how sapiency versus sentiency is determined.

And, in case anyone will ask me this, being a plant is determined by the fact you use photosynthesis and can’t pick yourself out of the ground and move somewhere else. There are a couple of semi-plant creatures, due to the fact these plants CAN pick themselves up out of the ground and move (but still use photosynthesis).
There, we’re done here. You’re welcome.

[Kunabee]

Kingdom vs. Empire vs. Territory vs...


Okay so, what makes all these things different? Why do Adrictan humans have Kingdoms but no other species is considered to have Kingdoms, except for human hybrids?

The answer is in population size, first and foremost. Humans are the most likely to gather together in huge cities. These cities band together under one ruler. Thus, a Kingdom. Why isn't it called a country? Well, humans live with other sapient creatures - which means that Kingdom bounds may overlap settlements of non-humans, who don't necessarily follow the Kingdom's laws. Kingdoms are then easier to maintain than countries, because otherwise there'd have to be constantly changing boundaries!

What about an Empire? Well, theoretically, Calvin's Kingdom of Calsevor is an Empire. He attacks and takes over other Kingdoms (something most don't do). However, it's still referred to as a Kingdom. Who knows what Calvin is thinking?

Anything else could be a territory (a distance belonging to a nomadic group), a settlement (a stay-in-one place town of some people), or a city-state (City size or bigger but not Kingdom joined).

[Kunabee]

WHY NO MICROORGANISMS AND BUGS?!


There's trillions of species of insects alone, about the same with other bug species, and ten times more microorganism species. I would spend five lifetimes on that, and I have other plans thank you. But seriously you would get bored reading "Microorganism A uses photosynthesis, but also requires supplement from other microorganisms. Doesn't cause disease" or "Microorganism ABZ eats other microorganisms. Has a toxin it uses on multicellular organism's cells, namely elves". Ain't nobody got time for that.

As for the bugs thing, well, cockroaches are everywhere. Legit Earth-style cockroaches. The only bug on Kaddek, which is too hot for pretty much any other bug species. Adricta has equivalents to Earth's guys, i.e. spiders, ants, bees, etc. Sort of similar. So go on that. Zvott has huuuggeeeeee bees (they can make a fifty-year-old Crystalwood tree bend with their hives) and a smaller spider that lives in groups and eats the bees one by one. And yes, Zvott has cockroaches as well.

THEY'RE EVERYWHERE.

[Kunabee]

The Seasons are Aligned? o.o And The Generally Bizarre Whether

YES SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION OH MY GOSH. (and you thought this was laziness!)

Each world has a specific tilt and movement. However, each tilt is in such a way that Northern/Southern Hemispheres are in congruent seasons. I can't tell you specific tilts, I just know this is the case. This means that fall in the Northern Hemisphere on Adricta is fall in the Southern Hemisphere on Adricta. Same for all the others.

Now, Kaddek is a desert planet. This is mostly because it gets the heat of the sun - plus there's a BUNCH of CO2 on it, which as you know is one of those greenhouse gases. There's also a fair amount of methane (greenhouse gase) and several others. It's like super-heated all year round. The poles can't even support ice in the midst of winter - they can, however, support water in in the midst of summer, except for times when these nearly-sunless areas get above 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit). This does happen, but usually only for the sparing hours of the day when Kaddek's North and then South Pole are tilted towards the sun - the water does return within an hour of the sun setting in the Poles area. However the Poles are mostly too cold for the native Kaddekian species to survive there for long.

Zvott doesn't have much C02 (lots and lots of trees. LOTS AND LOTS OF TREES), nor any of the other greenhouse gases. Plus, of all four planets, it's the furthest away from the sun. This means, for it, lots and lots of snow. It's cold, and it's chilly, which means that the only time it doesn't have ice (or at least snow and cold) is in summer. Which, due to the volatile and violent species that live there, is probably a good thing...

Anyway, that should about cover it.