A Storybook Creatures Meeting in Albia

After such an exciting start to life, little Dahloi decided to take his first nap at about 20 minutes old. It was a cause for celebration! Then again, Grendels have always been a little more together than Norns in my Creatures 1 experience. The fact that he was chasing around a toy constantly might have also played a role in his first deep slumber! While Dahloi was whisked off to the world of dreams, it seemed like a good opportunity to take a look at the Grendel genome that Grendel Man from The Realm had kindly sent me. There was a whole list of improvements that included the following:

• Locked Lobes (GM): The attention, concept, and decision lobes can no longer be duplicated nor mutated.
• Locked Learning Receptors (GM): The chemical receptors associated with learning can no longer be changed.
• Functioning Reproductive Receptors (GM): The chemical receptors for proper reproduction are in place.
• Functioning Floating Glycogen Receptor (GM): The floating glycogen chemical receptor is in place.
• Proper Old Age Death Receptor (GM): The chemical receptor to die of old age is included and functional.
• Locked Learning Emitters (GM): The chemical emitters associated with learning can no longer be changed.
• Functioning Reproductive Emitters (GM): The chemical emitters for proper reproduction are in place.
• Functioning Adrenaline Emitters (GM): The chemical emitters for adrenaline from high drives are in place.
• Functioning Floating Hunger Emitter (GM): The floating hunger chemical emitter is in place.
• Better Drive Reactions (GM): The chemical reactions for increased drives no longer include punishment.
• Better Digestive System Reactions (GM): The chemical reactions related to digestion are more realistic.
• Functioning Reproductive Reactions (GM): The chemical reactions for proper reproduction are in place.
• Functioning Adrenaline Reactions (GM): The chemical reactions for adrenaline and stress are functional.
• Functioning Medicinal Reactions (GM): The chemical reactions for syringe medicines are in place.
• Better Reactions to Events (GM): Activase, collapsase, and turnase chemical reactions are functional.
• Better Stimuli Responses (GM): Some of the stimuli genes are similar to the responses of Norns.
• Better Reactions to Stimuli (GM): Collapsase and turnase chemicals are included as stimuli responses.
• Improved Instincts (GM): New instinct genes allow for more independent behaviors related to drives.
• Longer Half Life Value (DA): The half life for aging is set for a lifespan of approximately 20 hours.
• Locked Appearance Genes (DA): The appearance genes can no longer be mutated.

* “GM” refers to Grendel Man’s edits. Some of these come from Norns, Slink’s Many-Colored Grendels, or the Wood Norns.
* “DA” refers to Discover Albia’s (my) edits. These are very minor, but still play a small role!

After that long list, the new mystery member had the perfect word to end the list of genetic edits! She was far less concerned about what was swimming around inside her. Meet Nildeleer! She certainly had her own Grendel personality, and it was nothing like that of Dahloi. She was stubborn, obstinate, and did everything in her power to disobey. In other words, I had myself a tough cookie whom I adored a few minutes.

The first interaction between two Creatures can either be exceptionally ordinary, or one of those unforgettable moments. Luckily, this was a case of the latter! Dahloi was still in the garden bouncing the ball, when it caught Nildeleer’s attention. It bounced towards her, she bounced it back towards Dahloi, and their eyes met as it soared above their heads. This was one of those times when I had nothing to stage: They did all the work! It was a storybook beginning, and the two immediately bonded over their shared love of chasing shiny things around!

Now, it often takes a little bit of time to get a baby Grendel’s life force up to the typical range of 70-77%. I noticed that even after multiple meals, Nildeleer was still only hovering in the 50-60% life force range. And what did I discover? A party crasher! Antigen 2, no one invited you to this brand new Albia. And then you went and brought some friends? How terribly rude! This was a dangerous time for Nildeleer to fall ill, since she was just starting out in the world and was not exactly a willing eater. There was a silver lining to this storm cloud, however. No histamines were present, which meant that this illness was completely contained inside her with no chance of infecting Dahloi. I still felt bad for the baby Grendel. Just when she met her first friend, something like this decided to take over her system. Luckily, she was young and strong!

By this time, Dahloi and Nildeleer were very close friends. They were also exceptionally polite to one another: I only heard kisses and tickles, and literally zero slaps. Yet not all was perfect in paradise… Dahloi was a little perturbed about how much Nildeleer loved that toy ball. Up until recently, it had been his sole property. She bounced it over him, next to him, and likely would have bounced it off of him if she could have! Apparently her personality also included frustrating elements that Dahloi would soon learn to live with. There were no plans to hatch any more Grendels this generation… For now.

So Dahloi learned his first lesson in “living with” Nildeleer: He ran like the world was coming to an end! It was a most amusing scene, though it played a practical purpose. Once he escaped her grasp, he laid down to rest his weary legs, along with his mind. Nildeleer was a rather difficult companion, yet she was just the beginning! The two Grendels were about to encounter something else: Norns! Albian life was about to get much louder, crazier, and cuter.