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

[raphiael]

Perhaps there is an assumption that Back In The Day, people were more aware of what plants would kill them? That's the only thing I can think of, really.
Logically, though, if you sent, I dunno, Eliwood off into the woods to gather plants to eat, he'd have no idea what was okay to eat and what wasn't.

Poison in general, despite the canonical basis for it (Lundgren comes to mind immediately, and one of Izuka's plots in FE10) doesn't seem to be a favored thing in the fandom at all. Perhaps just because there are so many more ways to die in battle that would be perceived as more "noble"?

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

Perhaps. It's very hard even for trained people to necessarily spot everything (especially with lookalike plants and fungi), and you're quite right about sending someone like Eliwood off to forage. Even if you've seen the illustrations in botanical texts, that won't necessarily help you identify something in its habitat.

Perhaps just because there are so many more ways to die in battle that would be perceived as more "noble"?

But poison is so fun! With so many mythical and historical precedents!

[raphiael]

Poison is fun!
I've yet to really think of anything, myself, where it could be utilized. I have to deal with it by default for Elphin, but aside from that, nothing's really made its way into my mind.

Perhaps, also, it's just another case of the FE fandom not being very into external plot. The majority of what I've seen anyway is more on a very personal level - relationships, rivalries, that kind of thing. And poison, even accidental "oh hey I thought that mushroom would be tasty" things, are more of an external influence that would need to be explained.

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

Perhaps, also, it's just another case of the FE fandom not being very into external plot.

I still find this state of affairs SO WEIRD.