Norn Birthdays on a Blog Anniversary

The very first Norns in Artemiidae were growing up nicely, which meant it was time to hatch some more! It likely comes as no surprise that the Colortrue Pearl Mermaid Norns would join this underwater world. Although I released the genomes ages ago, I still get so many different color varieties throughout the generations. These two females were right at home on the sandy floor of Artemia Sea! The naming conventions actually weren’t too far off: Pale Cyematidae looked like a relatively pale shade of pink, while Fuchsia Rhodeus sounded eerily correct! Without the ability to swim so early in life, these Norns set to work exploring the very bottom of the ocean. Maybe one day, they would reach the water’s surface!

Another new hatchling of the Colortrue Pearl Mermaid Norn variety was Patterned Cyanellus. She was easily the one with the most voracious appetite: Everything in sight disappeared near her! Certainly not a bad trait, though. I will take a moment to mention that there will be a mix of colortrue and non-colortrue Creatures in this world. This means that there will the possibility of slider syndrome. It’s a risk I’m willing to take, although I would like to note it in case anyone else is planning to create a similar world. None of my tests resulted in any Norns suffering from this syndrome, so the chance of it occurring should be very low. Hopefully Artemiidae can avoid it altogether!

I had to dig around in the corals and grasses to find a few more new Norns. They certainly were already masters of disguise! Tangelo Agassizi also fit his name quite well, but it was at this point that Protective Tub made it clear how random it was. A green Colortrue Pearl Mermaid Norn was named Bronze Bythitidae, which seemed quite off! However, I still enjoy this naming scheme. After all, he had eyes that looked like they were bronze! In my mind, the colors can always be understood to mean something in relation to the subject.

That idea was quickly put to the test when I met Cerise Walkerie… And he turned out to be blue. Ha! Talk about completely the opposite. In upcoming stories about Artemiidae, though, these unusual names will make more sense, as they came from the Shee. I like to pretend that the colors can also refer to the egg color, or even the color of the coral where an egg hatched. In any event, Cerise Walkerie turned out to be one sleepy little guy who loved to take naps and move around by walking backwards. I was cracking up! Yet I felt more attached to these Norns simply by letting them be and checking in on them. I had a whole cache of eggs to attend to, and many new faces to meet!

In unrelated news, this post is extremely special for a couple of reasons. First, I wanted to take a moment to mention that today marks the fifth anniversary of Discover Albia! Exactly five years ago in 2010, I started writing. I can’t believe how long it’s been! However, I don’t mean to harp on myself or sound proud. This anniversary never would have happened had it not been for you, the readers. I receive lovely comments each week, and I truly enjoy making people happy. Not to sound too sappy, but Creatures is a part of my life that’s always brought me joy, and I hope I’ve shared some of that with everyone. I hope Discover Albia can continue on for many more years! Or until everyone gets tired of my ramblings. Ha!

Second, the record for the most posts in one month has stood at 40, set in July 2011. I’ve been trying to beat that record every now and then, but this month it finally happened with this post! Oddly enough, I did it without trying: I’ve simply loved writing about Creatures lately. However, I do apologize for the massive amount of content! I always feel bad for anyone who wants to get caught up. Most of the time you can jump right in, though, as I try my best to link up important related posts. Celebrate the most talkative month yet at Discover Albia… There’s still more to come!