Questionable Parenting Decisions by Norns

My most recent visit to Albia was filled with humor and frustration as the store of second generation eggs grew. It seemed like everyone wanted to become a parent to a baby Norn, yet the decisions were questionable, at best.

Decision #1: Kiss Popping in a Crowd
Barely visible through the submarine window, Ingelill decided to begin another pregnancy in a very crowded area. Kiss popping was a common tradition in Albia already, but a little privacy might have been nice! At least Valborg was able to father his first egg, though. Keir was terrified. I was terrified. It was a very poor Norn decision.

This prompted me to suddenly wonder if it was possible to write either a script or gene that would prevent Norns from breeding with their children and/or siblings. Perhaps something like this already exists: It seemed relatively simple, since each genome stores the moniker of the father and mother. It would be a matter of preventing a Norn from kiss popping based on the moniker. Any thoughts? Or is this much more complicated?

Decision #2: Laying an Egg Next to the Still
Was Eydis attempting to fill the egg with hootch? Luckily, the empty cans had been consumed long before. Although alcohol has limited negative effects, unlike in our world, leaving an egg to hatch nearby seemed crazy. Imagine how a drunk baby Norn would be affected: Learning would be nearly impossible! Luckily, I moved the egg.

Decision #3: Hatching a New Baby Norn into Chaos
I was partly to blame for one big decision! This is Ranulf, pronounced [RAN-ulf], and his Norse name means advice or decision. Although he possessed no mutations, he was the most difficult Norn to teach. He focused on himself for a good ten to fifteen seconds after he was born, and I feared he would never move. All of my attention was focused on Ranulf for a bit, which left everyone else free to roam about on their own. Quite a dangerous situation, since I often need to intervene.

Decision #4: Getting Pregnant on an Empty Stomach
Folkvar was certainly getting around! Even with the parsnips on the deserted island, though, both he and Bera refused to look at anything else besides one another. It was close to impossible to separate the two. Even then, Folkvar refused to eat without an excessive amount of begging. Bera was also difficult, although she seemed to eat on her own when she was hungry enough. Apparently being pregnant did not qualify as a good time to eat. I was unsure of her thought processes, but there they were. One more smart decision to add to the list!

Decision #5: Planning a Grand Overpopulation of Albia
Before I knew it, Folkvar had found Dagny in the dim submarine bay and another egg was on its way. I have to wait until the exact moment to move each egg and pause its growth: Bera and Dagny were scheduled to lay eggs at about the same time. Thank you very much, Folkvar! Such a devious Norn, yet he had everything planned perfectly.

Decision #6: Returning to a Harmful Pastime
Eydis had long abandoned her desperate attempts at becoming a beekeeper. She was absolutely horrible, and was constantly in pain from all of the stings. After laying her egg and resting up for a bit, she appeared to have a mid-life crisis and decided it would be wise to get stung all over again. Although she was happy, I could just imagine what could have happened if she had brought a young Norn to the beehives. At least she brought hootch!

Decision #7: Laying an Egg Next to the Deathcap Mushroom
Dagny, why?! The egg blended in quite nicely, but baby Norns have a penchant for eating anything and everything right after birth. Glycotoxin can take a healthy adult Norn from a life force of 75% to about 40% in no time: Baby Norns in Creatures 1 are born with life forces of about 45%. A little bit of deathcap mushroom can often be fatal. This was probably the worst decision ever, although a female Norn has little control over when she will lay an egg. Dagny could have at least headed for the garden, since she was well aware of her pregnancy!

Decision #8: Coming Down with an Illness
I had two eggs that I had to watch vigilantly to ensure that they didn’t hatch in the wild. When the observation kit indicated that Ingelill had become ill, I had no choice but to leave her to fend for herself. It was a nasty illness, complete with fever toxin that is not pictured. However, Ingelill was one of the best eaters in Albia, and I could see that her life force was actually improving. She was quite contagious and I was excited that no one else had become infected. Once I moved Dagny’s egg to a safe location, though, Signe got a little too close and contracted the illness. I would need to play the roles of doctor and nurse. What else is new? Ha!