(This came to mind while I was typing stuff down, so don't worry if it seems a bit random!)

I don't know a lot of other (TM)Worldbuilders personally, but I like most everyone else know what a crazy world we're living through now and how a lot of times it feels like navigating a minefield to try and avoid transcribing concepts and misconceptions from the real world to our fictional races and grossly offending someone, or a lot of someones!

For this reason, I feel talking about unique intelligences and sensory abilities can sometimes be like walking on glass while trying not to wake the slumbering dragon of cancel culture. And I want to help alleviate some of the pressure there.

Now, some of y'all just dodge the issue entirely and say "A wizard did it!" to explain the unique abilities of certain species, and that's fine. But for those who like to get their hands dirty and put the wings of their fae closer to or even on the tiny hominin's glutes because the hips muscles are magnitudes stronger than the abdominals and, especially, the back, I want to repeat: Don't be afraid of unique intelligences!

Even without a PhD in Psychology, most or all of us understand that intelligence is both inherent as well as environmental. And that's okay!

It makes sense to say that a BirdPerson would have a snap decision making, high speed brain that might slightly resemble a Human brain on cocaine because they have to make a thousand and one in flight adjustments to prevent unaliving themselves, and as a result have the figurative attention span of a goldfish on the ground. That makes sense!

Its okay to explain how the TurtlePeople have minds like steel traps because they live upwards of several hundred years, but talk slow and make what we consider mundane decisions slower because their brains resemble five hundred gigabyte hardrives that've gone a while without defragging the whole system. That also makes sense!

More importantly, the above traits make them interesting and unique, something reader would want to engage with and gain a new perspective from! Which is the ultimate goal of fictional intelligent species after all!

Whatever you're making, relish being able to share a cool brain function that sets them apart and gives them a natural, enjoyable lore-hook that makes a readers want to learn more about what's going on under the hood and why being able to see and process in sixteen base colors makes your Totally-Not-Another-Sea-Elf different from all the other AquamanElves!

And rather than a warning about "Don't be slappin real cultures (or their less than real stereotypes) on another type of Elf!" instead take with you an encouragment to do even more research and reading! This time, on psychology and the science of intelligence!

After all, that is what you do when you're not here trolling for ideas and not actually writing, right?

(edit: spelling and grammar)