The Dangers of Stress in Creatures 1

The Albian desert island was still a popular vacation spot for many of the Norns, although many had headed back to the mainland for a break from the scorching sun. Those umbrellas couldn’t quite do the trick anymore! Stokka posed just in front of Ure so that it looked like she had sprouted a beard. Maybe Forest Norns would not look so bad with a Santa Norn beard! Luckily, the smile was not to celebrate this latest cross dressing adventure: Stokka would soon lay her fifth egg. I checked the genetics of this unhatched Norns, and got quite excited about a mutation regarding the immune system. However, the mutation only changed the half-life from 80 to 81. Unexciting.

If the Norns were to continue on through the generations, the males were in serious need of care. Oppeid had surrounded himself with about six Norns, and completely ignored his need to eat and sleep. Not surprisingly, his testosterone level fell to zero, which rendered him infertile at just over six hours old. I herded him to the abandoned learning computer, where he could finally get some peace and quiet. Along with a honeypot all to himself! Oppeid was over the moon with happiness, and I spent a good deal of time nursing him back to a healthy lifestyle. Norns are not immune to stress: Particularly the males.

It took over ten solid minutes to get Oppeid to this point. From experience, testosterone usually needs to be at about half of its maximum or higher before a male can be deemed reliably fertile. When testosterone ceases to exist in a male Norn, it takes a very long time to jump start its production again. I caution all Creatures 1 players to check up on the males regularly, especially if it seems like kisspopping is going absolutely nowhere. However, I tend to ignore the gauge in the breeder’s kit which measures fertility. Although it looks like it could go up to its maximum, I have never seen it rise above the first or second mark in both males and females. Breeding Norns is quite tough in C1, especially when compared with C3/DS. However, these Norns usually find a way! With all of the Norns in this world, only one fertile Norn failed to have a child of his own. Luck also plays a role: Norns have to be in the right place at the right time, and there is no guarantee that anything will happen. Talk about an absolute shot in the dark!

Although Ure had just become a father again, the stresses of being overcrowded, hungry, and tired got to him. I intervened long before his testosterone dropped to nothing, though: Note how much faster his body began to produce it, as compared with Oppeid. Stress causes males to experience a decrease in testosterone, which in turn can render them completely infertile. Female Norns also experience stress, but this only serves to reduce the rate at which they produce estrogen: They are still capable of going through their regular cycles and becoming pregnant. When I first jumped back into playing Creatures, I assumed that old age made males infertile, when in fact, it was just extra stress that caused the reaction. If only the males could take better care of themselves! At least there was a lull in new pregnancies… I nearly allowed Stokka’s egg to accidentally hatch while I was watching over Oppeid and Ure. Maybe they would retire from kisspopping, although it was highly unlikely. Bringsli was nearly an adult, too, and he already established himself as an affectionate one!

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