Glitches

Glitches refer to the abnormal traits and behaviours of individuals, species, and even the land itself within planets built using the Celestial Data system. Glitches are caused by data inconsistencies, corruption, and splicing, among other things.

Types of Glitches
Glitches can be difficult to identify, not because they are subtle, but because they are believed to form so much of the foundation of Celestial Data as it has been used by the Wisps. Scholars believe that Wisps have long used Glitches to simulate evolution through the mutation of existing life forms, thus allowing for more rapid -if not more unstable- development of new species and subspecies. Some radical theorists propose that nearly 100% of all living humanoids in the universe have been genetically affected by a glitch somewhere in their ancestry, due to the ease with which glitches can be adapted to and passed on.

Though the potential of glitching is thought to be limitless, there exist two common glitch archetypes which occur in many planets all across the universe:

DNA Glitching
This is assumed to be the most common type of glitch, as it affects living beings and is easily controlled and propagated through breeding. Because there are no consistent identifying traits of a DNA glitch, It is near-impossible to identify a glitched being in a vacuum, but when compared to others of its species, its serious glitches will tend to become obvious.

Many Scholars engage in debate surrounding the relationship between glitches and mutations, as without knowledge of a being's origins, it can be impossible to tell the difference between them. As a general rule of thumb though, glitches produce more rapid and abrupt mutation, and only occur in beings created from celestial data. The offspring of these beings, if produced via union with a non-data based being, can retain its parent's glitches, but will not produce glitches of its own. The implications of this behaviour are many: most scholars agree that Celestial Data is 'overwritten' by more natural evolution, but some go as far as to claim that all glitches stem from mistakes in 'programming' that are specific to the planets that produce them.

For example, it has been proposed that although not all humanoids develop Voracious Gluttony -one of the most common confirmed glitches- the trait is latent in the code of their homeworlds and will emerge when the data of these humanoids conflicts with existing data, be that leftover, misplaced, or intentionally written. Not all scholars have embraced this theory, as the widespread existence of Voracious Gluttony would suggest that either all beings that possess it share a common glitched ancestor, or there are many planets which have produced that specific glitch. Both outcomes are not supported by any concrete evidence, though there are some who believe they are possible.

World Glitching
This type of glitch is rarer and often more disastrous than DNA glitching. While those affected by a DNA glitch may certainly suffer or even perish at the hands of their mutation, world glitching has the potential to destroy entire ecosystems and even destabilize the very core of the affected planet.

World glitches range in size from extremely small and contained to utterly rampant. A smaller World glitch may turn a pond to ice or nullify gravity within a contained area, while the largest have been known to literally tear planets apart. Imperium's Glitchlands are an example of a localized World glitch which is sizeable, but not world-threatening. Once a desert containing the Pigman settlement of Gezura, the Glitchlands became a snowy wasteland following a mysterious explosion in the year 932RH. The lack of life in the area forced the inhabitants of Gezura to relocate, though they were able to move their sacred burial sites with the help of the Air Lord Zephryn.

World glitches are impossible to track, predict, or reproduce, which leads some to theorize that they are not 'natural' occurrences but rather the work of sentient beings. Some blame datamancers, while other believe they are the work of the Wisps themselves, though if they are, then their actions often appear to be without motive.