video- don't you put it in your mouth

[zen_en_vert]

Hello, Hadriel.

We have a garden now, and Sorrow has made comments to the effect that the food in it might disagree with us, so I'm going to talk to you about how to test for poisons in plants.

First of all, to those of you who aren't human, let me apologize, because I won't be able to help much with your physiology. But for those of you who are-

We need to catalogue and name everything we can that's growing in there, and then identify the plant species that no one knows. Once we have the unidentified species, each one needs to be assigned a volunteer. The testing period takes several days, and if you do two at once and get a reaction, you won't know which are poisonous.

The first step is to test for contact toxicity- that is, touch the leaves and stems and fruit juices of the plant to your skin, and see if it poisons you that way. Plants that provoke that kind of reaction aren't generally safe to eat. You take a few days to see if a reaction develops, and then begin by cooking small portions of the plant, and holding it in your mouth for a few minutes- three, and then later fifteen, testing to see if it provokes tingling, swelling, or any kind of reaction.

No one should try to test any plant with milky sap, white berries, or any kind of pod. You never want thorns, spurs, on the plant itself or on grain heads. If you get an almond scent or a bitter taste, stop eating, and just to play it safe, avoid plants with leaves in clusters of threes.

I've got a small supply of activated charcoal in the clinic. Let me know if you can help. Nothing is ripe yet, but we can begin classification and contact testing immediately.

Thank you, everyone.

Comments

Re: video

[fortunefavored]

[omg Bruce Banner called his microscope amazing.

Best day ever.]

It is pretty awesome! I had to instruct some super powered teenagers to help me to make the lens. That was the hard part. It took us a couple tries.

video

[zen_en_vert]

Really? How did they do that?

Can I see it? Where are you?

video

[fortunefavored]

A combination of fire powers, water powers, and very careful timing.

Hey, why don't I come to you? I'll just come with Hermann since he's planning on heading your way to do some cataloguing, and I'll bring it with me. [already starting to get up like it's decided l o l]

video

[zen_en_vert]

Perfect. Sorrow's garden, see you soon.

[He'll be digging at root structures when they arrive.]

permaction

[verinumeri]

[ From the house in Delight's spiral, there's no much shorter way to the garden. They opt for the bridge and the path that will take them past the ruined buildings, rather than that which remained of that horrible town. It takes time to make the walk -- Hermann knows the minute, thanks to the timer -- even at a reasonable pace.

Which they keep, despite arguing the whole way, Hermann waving his hand and thus the notebook in it as he gesticulates. ]

--because there is nothing to admit, it was a terrible film in 2010, it was still terrible in 2024, and no matter where or when we are, it is and will always be an objectively terrible ah, Dr. Banner.

[fortunefavored]

[Newt was half talking over Hermann when they arrived, so he's also in the middle of this argument when Hermann addresses Bruce]

--ugh, no, it is a freaking classic, Hermann, and just because your taste is terrible--[but hey! look! It's Bruce! that grabs Newt's attention for now, because lbr they've had this argument before and will probably have it again. He's got his backpack on, and lifts a hand to wave as they come closer, grinning]

Hey, Bruce! How's it going so far?

[zen_en_vert]

What movie is this?

[He wonders, and then;]

If I'm in it, I don't want to know. Hello Newt, Hermann- it's fine so far. The only stumbling block is how little I know about actual farming. I got halfway through testing to see if this was poisonous then discovered it was a common radish.

[verinumeri]

[ Hermann frowns at Dr. Banner, his eyes narrowing, as he attempts to remember. There's little chance of his remembering any of the faces in the film, but he makes the effort. ]

By George, Dr. Banner, but I hope you weren't in Hot Tub Time Machine.

[ Imagine, if you will: 2014, neck deep in developing the Jaeger code, 8 months into his correspondence with Newton, taking seriously the suggestion of an 'awesome' science fiction film featuring time travel. That probably ought to have been a neon, flashing clue as to how their eventual 2017 meeting would go.

More importantly: the garden. Hermann fights a smile, because he'd have made the same mistake. ]

Or it looks like a common radish. It probably cannot hurt to be that careful. Would you mind going through your process?

[ To ensure he replicates it exactly. ]

[fortunefavored]

[Newt can't help but laugh, high and cackling, at Hermann's question]

No, he definitely, definitely wasn't.

[so he's still grinning when Bruce tells them about the common radish.]

Hey, you never know. We could check the cellular structure also. [said while jostling his tablet-slash-microscope in his hand, pointedly]

[zen_en_vert]

I don't have anything to compare it to, and I never studied much plant biology.

What do the pair of you research?

[It occurs to him that he doesn't know- but he assumes they each have at least one PhD in something.]

[verinumeri]

Yes, Newton, [ dryly ] unless you happen to have memorized the cellular structure of common radishes and other like vegetation.

[ Ah, but addressed, and his study. ]

I've never done plant biology, either. In fact, exposure to biology has largely been through him.

[ Inclining his head to the side, toward Newton. He'd kept up with research and periodicals across the sciences before the war, and after, through their correspondence and eventual partnership, certain things were essential, inevitable. Mostly kaiju related. ]

No, I was Applied Sciences and Engineering. That was the doctorate. Recently, my research focused on predictive models and physics, particularly related to a wormhole.

[fortunefavored]

[Newt wrinkles his nose at Hermann] I know enough plant biology that it could be interesting and informative!

[but he's off on an explanation, and Newt huffs a bit, before adding on the end, seamlessly]

I've been focused on xenobiology for the last twelve years or so, but before that I also did research in bioengineering, biochemistry, genetics, mechanical engineering aaaaand music. Those are my doctorates. [y'know. nbd.]

Anyway, yeah, what process are you going through in terms of testing?

[zen_en_vert]

The wilderness training version you get for survival in abandoned locations. Skin tests, holding substances in your mouth without swallowing- looking for rashes or inflammations.

[Aka, quick and dirty.]

We have had an amazing number of volunteers, considering.

[verinumeri]

[ They ought to have asked after Dr. Banner's research, but then, Newton probably knows. Hermann doesn't.

He'd been looking for a touch more precision, such as how long each exposure and contact was given in seconds, for the sake of consistency. He did remember Dr. Banner describing the same general process in his previous testing of god provided food. ]

Yes and no. After all the trouble, people will want to be useful.

How are you recording your results? We ought have a look so to replicate as we go along.

[zen_en_vert]

Here, come see the spreadsheets-

[That's where he's got all that accounted for. Those are over here, in this corner of the garden- and are done in pen on construction paper, because the supplies in Hadriel are spotty, it's just what you can find in the shops. A map of the garden on red, a table of results on pink.]

[fortunefavored]

[Newt's more than happy to follow Bruce over there, peering at his work] So, considering that you seem to be in a decent state right now, I'm guessing no sign of anything extremely poisonous yet?

[verinumeri]

[ No stranger to limited supplies, the only thing about construction paper that surprises Hermann is that Dr. Banner could find it at all. ]

Unless we aren't seeing the poisoned helper because they are currently laid up in the clinic. Are you also making illustrations or taking photos?

[ Hermann leans, squinting, fumbling his glasses onto his face. ]

[zen_en_vert]

Everything is absolutely fine at this stage. We're doing illustrations-

[Flipping to the next place to show them.]

But Sorrow seems to have genuinely tried hard.

[fortunefavored]

That's...kinda surprising, honestly. [Newt's leaning in to study the plants] I mean, I don't trust the guy, but if we have legit grown fruits and veggies, that is nice.

[verinumeri]

[ Predictably, Hermann rolls his eyes. ]

Should it be surprising? It was as probable as the alternative. We shouldn't trust any of them, but he's called Sorrow, not Poison. I doubt our primary emotional response to indigestion or venom would be sadness.

[ That nitpicking aside. Hermann also examines as Dr. Banner demonstrates. ]

Right. We'll start at that end?

[zen_en_vert]

But we need to make it known on the network that this is how they get in. They offer us a vote, and the things we have to choose from make bad choices look enticing. We took Rage as our very first one, got an armory, and then spent days murdering each other in the streets.

[And;]

We wanted the fruit, we got the weeping.

[fortunefavored]

[Newt's mouth twists harshly at that, morphing into a scowl.] So they make it sound as though they're doing us a huge favor every time a god is resurrected, but really it's weak compensation for what they inflict on us. But they make it SEEM like they're doing something good.

[verinumeri]

[ Hermann frowns, but there's less severe, absolute disapproval. ]

Miss Rage and her armory I wouldn't have prioritized, and I suppose there's less wonder in the effects. However, are a few days of weeping, of emotional excess, a terrible exchange for a steady supply of fruits and vegetables?

[ It isn't that he's dismissing the emotional manipulation. He loathes it. Every bit of it. Yet, while none should be trusted, it seems a mistake to consider the gods equally loathsome. ]

Besides, if Mr. Hope's doing it for himself, is it really presented as a favor because the god'll bring something along we want?

[zen_en_vert]

That's because you haven't been through very many violent events yet. I can't even count the number of monsters we've been attacked by now. The weapons truly do help.

[As much as the pacifist in him hates to admit it.]

I don't know if Hope is unintelligent, or a very good manipulator.

[fortunefavored]

[Newt shakes his head, a negative] I just--the fact that they're not straightforward about what happened to the other residents. And the fact that we can't read any of the books in the library. It's too suspicious. Not to mention I definitely don't trust them to try and pull some of the stuff that you guys [he vaguely indicates Bruce with a nod of his head] already went through. I've dealt with enough of that crap already; I'm not looking for any more.