An Interesting Discovery in a Case Study Norn
The conclusion of Aurn’s case study begins with an interesting development, which was revealed by Grendel Man. I suspected that some of his different genes were engineered, and it turns out that he is actually closely related to the Night Norn! This Creatures 1 breed has an almost exact description of Aurn’s genome. Horse Norn with a darker tint? Check. Dangerous reactions if cornered? Check. A reaction between sleeping pills and pain killers? Check again! There were just a few loose ends to examine in Aurn’s genome.
Instincts
Instincts define the expectations for certain behaviors. These genes do not state exactly what happens when the parameters are met, but rather provide the basis for Norns to base their decisions on.
160 Ado F MutDup Drive i/ps SexDrive + General Sensory i/ps IT is opposite sex + (Lobe/Cell=0/0) and I Push => 207*Reward
161 Ado F MutDup Drive i/ps SexDrive + General Sensory i/ps IT is opposite sex + (Lobe/Cell=0/0) and I Pull => 112*Reward
These two genes are slightly different, but deserve a single explanation. They are the genes used to control the instinct to court and mate. In a standard Norn, it is the males who possess these genes. Yet in Aurn, and the Night Norns in general, the females initiate courtship and breeding. The difference should be shown in how Aurn interacts with females… He’ll be waiting for them to make the first move once he’s of breeding age!
New 317 You B Mut Drive i/ps Anger + General Sensory i/ps IT is approaching + General Sensory i/ps IT is a creature and I Stop => 128*Reward
Aurn never has a dull moment! This new gene switches on at the youth life stage, and rewards a Norn who is angry, notices a creature approaching him or her, and stops. My thinking is that this is to help reinforce the fighting instincts in the Night Norns: Their anger remains the same, yet they should wait for an approaching creature to reach them. An unsuspecting Norn approaches an angry Norn who is being rewarded for waiting… Do the math! This gene should cause Aurn to become more violent when he reaches the youth life stage.
New 319 Chi B Mut Drive i/ps Fear + General Sensory i/ps IT is approaching + General Sensory i.ps IT is a creature and I Run => 10*Fear++
New 328 Adu B Mut Drive i/ps Fear + General Sensory i/ps IT is approaching + Genera Sensory i/ps IT is a creature and I Come => 48*Anger++
This final pair of genes go hand in hand, albeit a little differently. The first switches on at childhood, and reinforces any fear Aurn will have when is afraid and runs away from an approaching creature. Effectively, this should teach him not to run away from approaching creatures, thereby conditioning him from an early age to either stand his ground or go on the offensive. This then leads into the second gene, which switches on at adulthood. The first gene will still be active, but Aurn will now become even angrier when he goes on the offensive and moves towards an approaching creature. Aurn could still live a fairly normal life… Just make sure not to make him afraid! While most of us have fight or flight instincts, Aurn simply has enhanced fight instincts.
Aurn certainly has more to him than meets the eye! However, I wouldn’t say that his violent tendencies would make him a terrible addition to a population of Norns. He just has a lot of different genes that may lead to different behavior. Of course, he would probably grow into a slap happy adult, but standard Norns can do just the same! Aurn seemed content to wander around Albia and explore, just as any other. Thanks again to SpringRain for this interesting case study!
Definitely an interesting little guy. When I read the last post on the sleeping pill and the pain killer I had a hunch he was a created breed, although I wouldn’t have had a hope of knowing which one.
I’m liking these particular posts. It’s giving me some ideas for genetic manipulation…
I wouldn’t have had any luck figuring out which breed Aurn was based off of, either. Thank goodness Grendel Man has a great memory! I’m also glad you’re enjoying these posts. Each case study has been very different so far, and has really helped me dive into more genetics. The genetic mutations in my world are a bit limited, since we’re still in a low generation, so it’s nice to see some Norns who have some really crazy genes! Good luck with the genetic manipulation, ArchDragon!
Aurn, and the Night Norn breed he descended from, is really rather fascinating! I always find the way that natural mutations affect a norn interesting but I also enjoy seeing the results of others’ imaginations and hard work. I wonder whether the sex of the norn initiating mating makes any difference to fertility? Anyway, I really like Aurn’s dark colouration – it’s almost as if he’s a shadow, the way he blends in so well!
While I know many prefer to have passive and friendly grendels, I can’t help but think that this genome would be great as a grendel genome for those that want fiercer grendels and a more difficult world.
I like these types of engineered genetic changes, too! The whole idea of evolution isn’t really apparent in Creatures: Genetic mutations are pretty much all due to chance, and aren’t based on the environment. I don’t think fertility should be affected, but Aurn might be at a little disadvantage in a population of females who expect him to make the first move. He’ll be waiting, too! Ha ha!
I’ve got lots of babbies from the first generation of Norns and Aurn was the father of most of them. <3 But that’s probably because all my females seemed to like him. Plus, I think Aurn was the only breedable male at the time. Hmm…
It will be neat to see how Aurn’s children and grandchildren turn out: I imagine many of them only inherited part of the Night Norn genes, which could create unique Norns. Although he has a few negative genes, it didn’t look like he would be a completely awful fellow! He just needs to make sure he’s not cornered… Otherwise, watch out!