A Final Resting Place and the Echo of Memories
Written onTime had slowly woven itself into the past, and little Orgoch was already growing up before I knew it. She tried to follow in Eilonwy’s footsteps, though that entailed terrible eating habits and a lot of slapping. I coaxed her into independence, so that she could make her own decisions. Orgoch benefited very much from this extra attention, and she was soon uprooting all of the carrots with a joyful gleam in her eye!
Llyan managed to lay her egg in precisely the same spot where she had played with a different one not long ago. This new egg started off so tiny… And it remained so, unfortunately. This is one glitch that seems to happen from time to time, and one that I experienced with another generation. Although Albia seemed to be in good health, I knew that I had to be prepared to make the move to another new world. Any idea if this is purely random? Or perhaps I just have some very bad luck!
I had little time to consider the glitch, for the event I had been dreading happened just then. Angharad passed away. Moments before, I had watched her practically drink an entire pot of honey, and the smile on her face said it all. She died in peace, though I was deeply saddened. At 12 hours and 57 minutes old, Angharad lived to be one of the oldest Norns. She had brought so much to the world and taught so much during her rich life. Goodbye, little Norn friend.
I was unsure of the best way to bid Angharad a final farewell. There was a somewhat somber mood around Albia, as if all knew they had lost their matriarch. Gurgi, who was the father of her last four children, seemed to be quite sad. Yet he mustered up the strength to say goodbye by sending off a salute via the cannon. The noise was heard throughout the world, as both Norn and Grendel listened. The echoing boom brought back memories of Angharad, who would echo on through all the generations, and never completely fade away.
Poor Angharad. I’d grown quite attached to her over the past few posts. How many eggs did she end up with?
Good ‘ol Gurgi. It’s times like this that make me wonder whether all those 1’s and 0’s have somehow combined to make something more than what’s obvious.
Angharad ended up with a total of eight eggs, but I thought it was kind of surprising that her last four were from Gurgi. Of her others, three came from Dallben and one came from Fflewddur. Seems like she was a little more monogamous than the typical Norn! There might be a slightly higher number of her direct descendents in the next generation… I’m still rather sad about her passing.
Gurgi’s use of the cannon was quite unexpected. He had never traveled to that part of the world before, and there were plenty of other things to keep him occupied. Maybe it was just coincidence, but it seemed like a very meaningful moment.
Note to self: While fixing up the C1 sprites, make the elders look merely faded, rather than ridiculously tired. Gurgi appears to have lost control of his eyelids!
Either he lost control of them or it’s that thing where everything sags. ._. A little pixel surgery might be a good thing.
Oh no, that poor egg. It’s so frustrating when eggs get stuck or frozen. Maybe you can still use the genome later…
Orgoch looks like a mischief maker but it’s hard to tell with that sweet expression just what she’s up to. Gotta watch those ones. Lol.
Wow, almost 13 hours old. Angharad has surely set a new record. I wonder if that will pass onto her children.
Pixel surgery it is! Not quite plastic surgery, but it should achieve the same results… Hopefully. I’ve got the genome stored away, as I hatch all of my eggs from the Genetics Kit. I just don’t know what that little one will end up doing to the world. We’ll have to see!
Angharad actually missed the all-time record in my worlds by a little bit: Two Norns, Forvika and Junkerdal, lived to be 13 hours and 17 minutes old. Seems like lifespan is a bit randomized, but I certainly hope this longevity lasts! I get so attached to these Norns and Grendels: Even an extra ten minutes of life makes all the difference!
Yes, life is incredibly precious, even with Norns and Grendels. You get attatched to them somehow despite them being ‘computer pets’. They’re really so much more! I hope that Creatures 4 will continue this feeling and these kinds of experiences, albeit in a new and different way.