Matchmaker Matchmaker, Make Me a Match
Written onWith the number of males in Albia nearly double that of the females, I had little to worry about in terms of eggs. It seemed like the females were staying single a little too long, though, so I stepped in to play matchmaker! Dallben and Eilonwy were very happy together, yet it seemed like they were content just hanging out together. Strike one for the matchmaker! What would happen in this visit to Creatures 1 was quite interesting, though, and quite unexpected.
Gurgi was still a youngster and would have to wait to pass on his genes, but I was thrilled to see how happy he was. He formed a little bachelor group with Coll, Ellidyr, and Fflewddur, where they basically tramped across the land and tried to get attention from anyone who would listen. Naturally, that attention only came from me! These boys apparently assumed that the ladies would flock to them, when they should have been the ones putting in the effort. At least Gurgi was still young and had enough time to learn what to do. I am still convinced that he is paler than the typical Forest Norn.
There was one Norn who deserved a long rest, and Angharad took advantage of that opportunity as soon as she could. Literally, too: She didn’t even bother to lay down before she fell asleep! Her most recent egg had tired her out quite a bit, and she struggled to keep her life force above 60% during her pregnancy. A little extra care afterwards was all she needed, and she continued to eat all on her own. This picture made me cringe a little as I noticed a bunch of sprite and body data issues. Soon enough, the Horse Norns will have better looking bodies without any missing patches! My goodness, what a mess.
I nearly forgot about one particular Norn named Dwyvach. She was off in the settlement by herself, sleeping contentedly and eating out of a few honeypots. Life seemed rather lonely, though, so I decided to attempt to play matchmaker again. The first order of business was a healthy diet for Dwyvach, mostly so she would be full for a decent amount of time. In her world, her new friend the fish needed the carrot more than she did! Dwyvach proceeded to pick up and look at the carrot for a minute, then she carefully dropped it in front of the fish bowl. She was so proud!
This wonderful graph shows a nasty illness, complete with a good dose of sleep toxin not pictured. I define a nasty illness as one that is usually contagious, but more importantly, takes a long time to be fought off by the Norn’s system. Notice the enormous gap between antigen 2 and antibody 2, as well as the slow buildup of antibody 2. Who does this wonderful illness belong to? Doli! It was even more frustrating because he picked this up as soon as he met up with Dwyvach. I had to fight to tear them apart in order to keep Dwyvach from catching the illness. This was a fairly easy feat, for Doli was constantly knocked out by the sleep toxin. However, this was still strike two for the matchmaker! Unless, of course, matching Norns and antigens counts as a form of matchmaking. Then, I was a master!
Poor Doli. For all of his ridiculous behavior and slightly dull mind, I was horribly worried about him. The sleep toxin helped him reduce his energy usage, but his life force quickly began to drop. He had to be awake in order to eat, so there was a delicate balance of keeping him away from Dwyvach and keeping him alive. His slow acting immune system made things quite difficult, for his body was burning up a lot of energy in order to produce the correct antibody. Doli had to survive!
Before Doli healed properly, I noticed that Angharad had become ill. I brushed off the alert for a few moments, hoping that she had just eaten a weed. It remained, though, and I rushed off to her aid. By the time I reached her, Angharad had already beaten off an antigen. I sighed out of relief, but that relief was not to last. Eilonwy caught the same illness, courtesy of histamine B, and required my expertise in quarantine and doctor skills. This came at the time when the males were just starting to get close to Eilonwy. Strike three for the matchmaker! That, or I was just really skilled at bringing illnesses and Norns together in Creatures 1. It’s a gift. A very, very odd gift that takes more than it gives. Eilonwy soon recovered, though, and was on her merry way. Doli was not so lucky.
That Banana Norn took almost twice as long to recover, and I very nearly cleared all the carrots out of the garden. It was worth it, though. Long after I gave up my matchmaking duties, Doli and Dwyvach found their way to one another and an egg! Although they were far from the most diverse couple in terms of appearances, they each stood out in their own way. Perhaps Dwyvach would have something of a perfect life now: She had the food, the toys, a fish, and now, another Norn! Doli’s odd sayings and simplistic mind didn’t bother her in the least, and it seemed like he fit right in. Maybe matchmaking had worked after all, although luck was the ultimate winner!