Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience. Author: Zorlond Title: Survival of the Excellent Part: Glossary Summary: A collection of facts and data in relation to the Survival of the Excellent story. Keywords: addendum, no_sex, SPOILERS ************************************************************************** WARNING: DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER UNLESS YOU FULLY ACCEPT THE FACT THAT SPOILERS ARE AHEAD. ************************************************************************** You don't HAVE to know this stuff to enjoy the story (I hope). But I include it for the possibility that folks would like to look something up. This Glossary is far from complete, and likely will not be complete until the story is finished. Ye Have Been Warned. ************************************************************************** Glossary Excel - The excels are akin to humans, but larger and highly sexualized. The average excel stands about 2.13 meters tall (7 feet), with no significan height difference between men and women. Excels actually have three genders, men, women, and a very rare futa gender, which while appearing female in general appearance, have both sets of fully functional genitals. Excel are universally attractive, with natuarlly toned bodies and extremely large primary and secondary sexual characteristics. Excel peni average 0.9 meters long by 35 centimeters in circumference when fully erect, and excel breasts average about 70 centimeters in circumference each. Their tongues also average about 30 centimeters long at full extension. Semen and vaginal release from orgams commonly lasts 4-5 minutes and can exceed 3 liters (about 0.8 gallons). Excels are physically incapable of sexual abstinence. They constantly produce sexual fluids internally, and these fluids must be released several times a day. Internal rupture can occour if they accidentally or deliberately go too long without sexual release. Since frequent sexual release is mandatory for all, privacy and monogamy are completely non-issues for excel society. Excels only age to about twenty Earth years, at which point they stop completely, remaining at that apparent age the rest of their lives. It is not known how old they can become, as no excel has yet died of natural causes. Most pass on for one reason or another before 300. Sexual preferences - As mentioned, excels are pretty indiscriminate in their sexual endeavors, but some general patterns do emerge. Males are dominately heterosexual, and females dominately bisexual, no doubt encouraged in large part by the substatially skewed gender ratios. There are exceptions, of course, and excels are quite acceptive of other preferences as long as there isn't any clashing interests, though such clashes are rare and usually caused by lack of communication. Even so, it's quickly resolved with only minor embarassment. Of particular note is how the futa gender fits in with this issue. Futas are near-universally bisexual, but the implementation differs. When a male or female excel has sex with a futa, their normal sexual alignment is considered non-relavent, so a homosexual woman has no immediate issue with having sex with a futa, and is not 'suddenly bi' just because she is. Politeness does state that the futa cater to the non-futa's normal sexual preference, so sex with that homosexual woman would not involve the futa's penis in any way. It's not a hard rule, but futas who consistantly break it can quickly find themselves ostracized and stuck masturbating to satisfy their needs. Naturally, two futas having sex with each other are free to do whatever they like with each other, and this type of sex has no relevant label. Genetics - Excel genetics are highly complicated. Suffice to say incest and inbreeding are both extremely common and not a problem for species survival. In more detail: during sex the father's semen is pushed rather forcibly into the mother's womb, mostly from the amount of semen but also from typical excel vigor. It generally fills the mother's womb to capacity. Into this, her ova are introduced, quickly surrounded by sperm cells. Unlike humans, who generally only get one sperm cell into the egg, a hundred or more sperm cells could enter the ovum to deliver their DNA cargo, where they find up to a dozen complete copies of the mother's DNA. As excel women generally have multiple male partners on any given day, even at the same event, it is to be expected that the percentages of sperm that penetrate the ovum are shared between her male (or futa) partners. What follows is a long, drawn out process of swapping segments between mother's and father's DNA strands, all over the ovum. Other DNA simply swap positions between mother and father camps. Eventually, by an uncertain process, one complete set of DNA is selected and pulled into the ovum's nucleus. All other DNA is then expelled, and the ovum then proceeds with the familiar process of implanting and growing into a fetus. It is notable that sometimes not all excess DNA makes it out of the ovum before it seals itself up. These 'rogue strands' (never a full set) form into a small secondary nucleus that does nothing in regards to cell activity, only replicating when the cell divides, and then going inert again. This includes new ovum and sperm, although the odds of sperm carrying this rogue DNA is very low due to size constraints. Thus it is possible for completely unused traits to (rarely) crop up again in progeny. Fertility - Excel bodies naturally fluctuate in terms of fertility in response to environmental conditions. Air quality, water quality and quantity, as well as stress levels and food availability all affect whether or not an excel can reproduce or not. Essentially, their ability to reproduce never exceeds an area's capability of supporting more population, with surprising accuracy, regardless of their very frequent sex. This sensitivity fluctuates slowly, taking about a month to adjust to new conditions. Excel futas are capable of reproducing with themselves, if their fertility is currently active. However, self-sex is only slightly more enjoyable to the futa than masturbation, so it's generally only done when no alternative partners are available. About one male is born for every six females, and about one in one hundred are born futa. Excel youth begin physical sexual development almost from the moment they are born, and by the time they are about five Earth years old (~1.6 years on the new planet), are fully sexually active. They are not capable of reproduction until they are about ten Earth years (~3.2), although that is simply an average. There appears to be no upper limit on their fertility, either in age or number of children Geneology - Due to Excel's sexual behavior and physiology, it is highly unlikely that any particular Excel has any idea who their own father is. It could be any of potentially dozens of males and futa that their mothers had sex with around the suitable time period. As a result, the term 'Dad' takes on an almost literal meaning of 'mother's husband', although the male in question generally does fulfill the father role in all of the non-genetic meanings. As a result of this lack of geneological knowledge, families follow matrilinear lines, as that is the only concrete knowledge available. Women pair with men or not as they choose, and the woman's children are of her family name. In the cases of two-women households, or with one woman and one futa, children are of their birth-mother's family name, and both are referred to as 'mom', regardless of who is fulfilling the 'father figure' role. Also of note is the term 'Elder', which replaces the honorific children use for anyone further back than grandparents. This is necessary, as it is quite possible for Excels to meet their ten-greats grandchildren within their lifetimes. It is often shortened to 'Elda', much in the same way as 'gramma'. As Excel children achieve adulthood, they traditionally stop using most honorifics for their family, switching to personal names instead. However, they do frequently keep using the term 'Elder', particularly if the person in question is of high social status. Rod - Measure of length, about 0.93 meters. The average excel would be about 2.3 rods tall. A subrod is 1/10th of a rod. The fact that this closely matches excel penis length is unintentional. Time - One day = 26 hours. One year = 1017.2 days. About 34 days per month = 30 months (3 months only get 33 days). Season = just under 8 months. New Years Day is at the start of spring. An extra day is added every five years, just before New Years' Eve, commonly referred to as "Swap Day". Basically, one year is a tiny bit longer than three Earth years. Due to these differences in time, excel gestation takes about 245 days, 35 weeks, or 7.2 months (a little under one season) from the day of conception. Full Excel adulthood takes about 6.29 years, with adolescence (the 'teens' of Earth) starting at about 4.3 years. As earlier stated, Excel are fully sexually active by 1.6 years, and can reproduce by about 3.2 years. Direction - The planet rotates retrograde, so while north, south, east, and west are same relative directions as on Earth, sunrise is to the west, and sunset to the east. Threadleaf - A common species of tree, with a straight central trunk and many branches that each bear one very large leaf. The trees average 5 to 6 meters tall (16.4 to 19.6 feet). Leaves average 1x2 meters (3.2x6.5 feet). Notable is that the primary composition of the leaves is a central vein with innumerable thread-like veins extending out from it. These veins can be woven into a sturdy fabric while still attached to the central vein and then cut free. As this makes for utilitarian flat sheets akin to paper as well as construction material, it has given rise to the terms 'leaf' and 'leafwork', replacing 'paper' and 'paperwork' respectively. Crear - The creature from the first chapter. Six legged, part crocodile, part bear, all mean. Mung - A creature from chapter 3. A herd quadruped with stub-toed feet. Long neck and flat head, topped with rows of horns down either side. Generally peaceful, in battle it swings it's head horizontally, trying to tear flesh with the horns. Long shaggy hair is akin to yak hair, and can be turned into yarn or thread for clothing. The mung is distinctive by it's very strong smell, and the fact that it is attracted to the smell of excel sexual fluids. River mud - Thick, sticky mud with a habit of clinging to any foot that happens to step into it. Found along the banks of rivers, this is actually a diffuse, immobile creature similar to coral. It lives on whatever happens to fall in, as well as whatever nutrients wash downstream. It must remain in proximity to flowing water to live. When removed from water, it soon dries to a terracotta-like solidity. Naner - A type of fruit grown from a bush. Bulbous like a pear, but tastes like a spicy banana. Cheese Fruit - A type of fruit, grown near the core of a very leafy bush. Cylyndrical exterior, dense cluster of seeds in the core, the fleshy part between seeds and skin tastes like a pickled cucumber with the consistency of a soft cheese. Muckfish - Akin to Earth catfish, growing anywhere from 5 to 9 subrods in length, it's a bottom feeder that lives on the edges of river mud deposits. It eats this river mud, gaining nutrition from the organic matter found within. Tastes rather muddy as a result, but high in protein. Madfruit - Semi-spherical fruit about half a subrod across, the bush these grow on are frequently found in the deep forest where breaks in the canopy can be found. Dangerous to eat, it's toxins are absorbed quickly in the body, having the greatest impact on the midbrain and frontal lobes of the brain, where it quickly causes random neuron firing. Victims lose the ability to control their actions, lashing out violently, as well as being unable to see as their pupils shrink to almost nothing. The effect scales to level of exposure, but slight muscle disruption always occours. The mad babbling caused by the madfruit is a result of vocal and oral muscles firing randomly, first resulting in sentences without meaning, and then degenerating to sounds that don't form words properly. A lesser-known side effect for excels is that madfruit scrambles the excel's inherent ability to fluctuate in fertility. Sudden spikes in fertility level can be caused by madfruit. Slab - A shelf mushroom with a furry exterior that grows in moist, rocky climates. It is highly dangerous for excels to ingest, as toxins attack the cerebellum and medulla, resulting in total paralysis. Even involuntary muscles are affected, as breathing comes to a halt, the heart can become sluggish. Death soon follows without intervention, hence the name. ("This will put you on the slab") Even if the victim survives, damage to the cerebellum can be permanent, resulting in substantial loss of fine motor control. Full recovery is near impossible. Village - The initial home of the Excels on this new planet. To the east are mountains and the source of the river through it. West is a lake full of muckfish. South is more gently rolling hills with pockets of woods scattered about. North is dense, old-growth forest. ***** This is a work of fiction, if that wasn't clear enough. Nothing I write about has ever or will ever occour in reality. Any resemblence characters may have to real people is entirely coincidental and unintentional. And I can not and will not condone real sexual activity involving minors. I do however, condone positive feedback, and encourage it. :) If you feel like sending me some feedback, you can reach me at zorlond AT yahoo DOT com.