Scientists have long debated what truly distinguished characters from creatures and viruses.... With (hyperlink here later and for other terms) ghosts, is it the mysterious ability to create worlds or perhaps it is our developed language that seperates us. While characters may be able to create Pocket-Worlds, we aren't certain if creatures and ghosts may be able to create their own. There have been dotted rumors of worlds created by creatures and there are worlds that simply spawn from nowhere, but if we remove that from the equation then that is what seperates us the ability to create that is. The population of the Western-Connection is around 1,295,973,827 Characters alive, that number may look big but it's only a morsel compared to the actual size of the Western-Connection. There have been rumors as well of the Eastern-Connection having well over 7 billion characters! despite the illusive nature of it we cannot confirm much.
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On the topic of species; characters come in many forms, bears (me), cats, dogs, rabbits, rats, so on so forth. The reality we live in may be harsh, we are only slightly seperated from the ghosts that populate the Connection-Roads. Those beings resemble characters but in a twisted maligned appearance, like a mockery of our uniqueness they may sometimes take the form of relatives to drive fear in many travelers. The truth of the world and the characters that inhabit it, is that anything is possible. Reality is very much akin to a long fever dream... Characters throughout history resign themselves to religious texts one that makes this reality feel more real than it truly is, scientific development and explanation has it's shortcomings and mysteries that let many ignore the true nature of our world. More things exist that are unexplained than what exists with our consent, I don't believe in any sort of being because I've resigned myself to the long mystery long ago.
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My sort of take on the dilemma on what a character is, is that what defines a character from a ghost or a creature is that a character contains a rotting indviduality complex. One that takes on the appearance of living and maturing and partaking in society but is ultimately a self contained defineable aspect seperate from it's relatives. A mother and a father birth a child but neither three are related to one another, their relation only exists a benefit to definition in which definition is a societal construct. If the non-character worlds are true I will record of their existence.