Poison

[mark_asphodel]

So, while contemplating my rhubarb crop (all one plant of it) this afternoon, something occurred to me-- where are the herbal-based poison plots in FE fandom?  Hell, I remember a damned good Gundam Wing 'fic that hinged on tainted rhubarb jam.  Harry Potter was littered with such, though of course the plants in question were a little more fanciful.  But I can't even remember coming across a bad batch of mushrooms in a Fire Emblem story.  Can't recall anyone accidentally ingesting rhubarb leaves, or confusing wild carrots with hemlock, or decorating a wedding cake with lily-of-the-valley and white oleander.

There is a void here that needs to be filled.  Discuss?

Comments

[sailorvfan10.livejournal.com]

I find it funny that you're talking about this right as I'm looking up poisonous plants and flowers to use for the assassination plot for "My Sins Won't Leave Me". (The assassination plot from FE12.)

In one of my fandoms, poison is actually quite commonplace, but that fandom's main character is a collector of strange and rare poisons and he knows everything there is to know about them. So anyone who dies in said fandom is usually poisoned in some form.

But yeah, I think the majority of characters would be more aware of what was good to eat and what wasn't--I'd expect knights and commoners to know especially because, well, if you run out of food, have no rations, and you're in the middle of a forest, you gotta know what's good to eat and what might kill you. But someone like Marth? He won't have a clue. That's why MyUnit Jagen and Cain are there.

But I agree, there needs to be more poison fic. There's so many to choose from!

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

Yeah, actually the assassination storyline factors in to my current interest. Coldblooded premeditated murder is rather more interesting than just settling things with a duel.

[sailorvfan10.livejournal.com]

I was thinking of going with poisoned tea or something. Tea was made with tea leaves back then, so what if someone slipped in some hemlock 'by accident'...

I mean it has to be something deadly XD

Coldblooded premeditated murder is rather more interesting than just settling things with a duel.
Indeed!

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

Tea works. Also flavored wines and liquors... hemlock tastes pretty strong from what I've read.

Though opportunity plays a role here, especially when poisoning someone prominent who might have food tasters. And depending on whether you wanted some poor kitchen boy to get hanged for it...

Using something that builds up slowly over time has its advantages there. That's one thing I loved about the jam story.

[sailorvfan10.livejournal.com]

Marth could have his tea poisoned every day by something that builds up over time. Like, uh, whatever Lundgren did. "Oh, it's just a passing cold, sire! Drink this!"

That might actually work if Marth needed some sort of soothing tea and the suspicious kitchen boy over there cackling to himself has just the thing for that stubborn sore throat...

The jam idea actually sounds interesting.