Timekeeping

Space creatures live for much longer than humans, and thus their extremely long lives force them to use different timekeeping systems to keep track of time, since counting years and keeping track of days and months is too much work for them.

## The Space Creature Timekeeping System

 Q = quintillions of years

### Standard Time

Since each planet has a year with a different length than other planets, Space creatures invented standard time. One standard year is, by an amazing coincidence, almost exactly equivalent to one Earth year (a standard year is only 24 hours longer than an Earth year). Each standard day is 36 hours long, and there are 244 of them in each standard year. Also, in addition to using standard time to communicate dates to people in other planets, most people use standard years to count their age instead of their planet's years; that way younglings cannot take advantage of short planetary years to demand birthday gifts too often.

### Eras

Space creatures organize time into different eras to make it easier to tell when an event happened, due to the vast amount of time that the Space creature kingdoms have existed. However, even these eras are too long, so they are further separated into ages, most of which are one hundred trillion years long (to make it easier to categorize an era), and most of these ages are also named after which age they are (for example, the First Age of the Beginning Era).

* Example: 3B FIE-6A means that it has been three billion years since the Sixth Age of the First Imperial Era began.
* Example: 4B SIE-9A means that it has been four billion years since the Ninth Age of the Second Imperial Era began.
* Example: 72T SIE-77A means that is has been seventy-two trillion years since the Seventy Seventh Age of the Second Imperial Era began. As you can see, this is a very long span of time, which is why the Space creatures were forced to use a radically different timekeeping system than humans in the first place.

#### The Prehistory Era (PHE)

* The Prehistory Era encompasses all time before recorded history. Many of the most important and advanced monuments in the Space creature world (such as the Hivenest) were built in the Prehistory Era, suggesting that Space creature civilization started far before recorded history, and that perhaps a terrible war destroyed most or all records from this era, leaving the current people of the universe confused as to how civilization truly started.
* The Prehistory Era's years are counted backwards, so 100B PHE means that it is one hundred billion years before the Prehistory Era *ended*, whereas in most other eras 100B would mean it is one hundred billion years after that era *began*.

#### The Beginning Era (BE)

* For a few quadrillion years after recorded history began, the Space creature kingdoms were formed and began to expand. This period of time is known as the Beginning Era, and is three and a half quadrillion years long. The Beginning Era is further separated into thirty-five ages, each of which is one hundred trillion years long.

#### The First Imperial Era (FIE)

* During the First Imperial Era, the Space creature kingdoms stopped expanding as much and started fighting with each other for control of the universe. Also during this time many species, such as humans and woodpeople, were discovered and enslaved by the Space creatures. The First Imperial Era is two quadrillion years long and is separated into twenty ages, each of which (like the Beginning Era's ages) is one hundred trillion years long.

#### The First Conflict Era (FCE)

* During this time, many Space creature kingdoms were destroyed and defeated while others sank into civil war. The First Conflict Era lasted a mere half a quadrillion years, and is divided into five ages, each one hundred trillion years long.

#### The Second Imperial Era (SIE)

* The longest era so far, during the Second Imperial Era most conflict died down, kingdoms reformed and tentative negotiations began between the Space creature kingdoms. Also during this time the carpeople were created through unknown means. The Second Imperial Era lasted eighty quadrillion years and is separated into eight hundred ages, each one hundred trillion years long.

#### The Peaceful Era (PE)

* After fifty quadrillion years of stressful semi-harmony between the kingdoms, unbreakable alliances began to be formed and true peace began. Although there were occasionally conflicts, and there was still significant tension between the kingdoms, most historians agree that the Peaceful Era deserves to be called as such. The Peaceful Era lasted sixty quadrillion years (during which time Liony was born) and is separated into six hundred ages, each one hundred trillion years long.

#### The Rebuilding Era (RE) *(the current era)*

* The Rebuilding Era is the current era of the universe. The destruction of the Dino Kingdom was such a catastrophic event that it prompted a new era to be formed. Currently, the Rebuilding Era has only been going on for two billion years, so it only consists of one age so far.