What Has Botany Done Now?

[petcromancer]

Who:Open (plant-shenanigans brought to you by Hector)
When: The month of July/Juril
Where: Around the city of Aefenglom.
What: Hector can no longer make Night Creatures/horrific monsters, so he's turned to sinning against Plant God instead. Plant Chimera? In your garden? It's more likely than you think!
Warnings: Potential for NSFW options (please add CWs appropriately!)



What's Going On?

The wildlife of Aefenglom and the surrounding Wildes has always been...interesting. But in the last month, an abnormally high number of new plant species have been cropping up around the city. Mirrorbound may be asked by locals to investigate weird occurrences, or they may find some of these plants in their very own gardens. There may even be some new teas at DiplomaTea. Whether they choose to leave them be, destroy them, or even cultivate them is entirely up to them!

How Did It Happen?

These plants are the result of Hector's experiments with combining various plants via grafting, cross-pollination, faun magic, and just pure trial and error. A few have been bred purposefully --like Dognip-- but most seem to be the result of pure chance and bizarre magic.

If your character would like to track down Hector as the source of these new botanical oddities, feel free. Hector has also been researching the moss from the ruins and the Underground, and is willing to share his research with interested parties.

(OOC, my responses may be slow- I just got a new puppy and life's going to be a little on hold until she can sleep through the night.)

Mirrorbound can also encounter these plants and deal with them on their own, so feel free to have fun with these without Hector present.

So, About These Plants...(and their by-products)

Bondageweed- Grasping vines that tend to seek out and wrap themselves around limbs. They seem to be attracted to body heat...or at least that’s the working theory on why it behaves the way it does. They don’t grasp tightly enough to harm, but they may end up holding you in a position that makes you blush!

Dognip- A fragrant herb with a scent that attracts dogs (or, less intentionally, it may also lure Turnskins). If consumed, it makes the dog either loopy or zoomie until it wears off.

Frankenteas- A few new blends of tea leaves. EnerTea has a little bit of energizing moss blended in. AphroTeasiac is said to increase stamina and pleasure. ConBrewsion is great for calming someone down, as it literally makes you forget your troubles and cares...and everything else until you’ve had a long nap.

Glow Aloe- Luminescent aloe that soothes burns, but leaves glowing marks as it heals

Lieberries- A variant on the iunerberry plant, except the scent of the leaves causes those inhaling it to speak primarily in lies. It can still have an added effect of drunkenness in some test subjects.

Moonfire Bells- A cross-pollination of Firelight Flowers and Moonbells. This attempt to make the firelights more Cwyld-resistant and less explosive seems to be a success...during the daytime. However, the flowers still tend to heat up and spark under the light of the moon, and can be a fire-hazard if not properly monitored. They are very lovely, though, with a pleasing fragrance and a vibrant glow that could make them the centerpiece of any flowerbed.

Remember-me-nots- A flower that, when brewed into tea, induces short term memory loss

Rose Incense-An incense made of sleep-inducing Rose Petals. Getting a good whiff of it and you’ll have to fight to stay awake.

Wereradishes- Perfectly normal radishes that double in size and grow a layer of fuzzy roots all around them during the full moon.

Witchflowers- A variety of wildflowers that now glow when spells are being cast in close proximity. Hope you weren't trying to cast a spell on the sly with these around...

Venus Echo Trap- A flytrap plant that echoes back the voices it hears. If the sap enters your bloodstream, it renders you temporarily mute.

The list of plants can also be found here.

Comments

here to see a man about a dog

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard is checking on his fledgling rose garden when he sees it.

Or well, when he sees a familiar lump of dog on the lawn, sprawled out and looking more than a little too blissful. It takes precious little time for Alucard to follow the trail from Cezar to the trail of dirt that leads to the rosebed to--

--plants that absolutely should not be there.

Alucard frowns, taking a sniff of the stuff and then frowning. The scent is distinct, but h can't place it. Not in the slightest, but frankly it isn't the priority. Cezar is, and so he runs back inside to grab a few things: his summer hat, sunglasses, and a bag large enough to carry the pug over his shoulder. The whole effect makes Alucard look like some Beverly Hills socialite with a purse dog, and he can't know how good a look it is on him.

It takes time to get to Hector's place, but he gets there all the same. He knocks thrice, and then yells for good measure.]

I found your dog!

[petcromancer]

[This particular plant, Hector has engineered. He knows what he hopes it will do, but there was no point in testing it in his own yard, which is constantly full of animals anyways.

And really, since Alucard loves dogs so much, he should consider himself grateful that Hector impulse-chose his yard as the testing ground. He didn't expect Cezar to be one of the dogs lured in, but he can't predict every turn of events.

He opens the door and raises an eyebrow at the summer-chic look.]

A little sun won't kill you, you know.

[Cezar, in the bag, barks out a happy bark that roughly ruffly translates to 'Good smell!' With the way his feet are starting to paw at the bag, it looks like those zoomies are about to kick in.]

I can't believe he went that far. Tell me, did you observe any other dogs in the vicinity?

[Is he reaching for his research notebook? Maybe.]

[cryptsleeper]

It will burn however, and I don't have the luxury of healing quickly anymore.

[Also it's a great look, excuse u Hector. With the door answered, Alucard places the bag down on the floor, as that's much easier to get Cezar in and out of. The pug is subsequently freed, and--

Alucard's eyes catch that sloooooow move to the notebook.]

What did you put in my garden, Hector?

[petcromancer]

[Oh boy, does Hector have some aloe for you, Alucard. A glow-up to complete that summer look.]

Hmmm? Who said I did anything?

[He says as he starts jotting down notes. Cezar is certainly as loopy as a cat on catnip. Interesting. This could be great for helping him bring in hard-to-catch stray dogs to the shelter.]

So no other dogs around your house? Shame. They might actually improve your mood.

[cryptsleeper]

[He didn't expect the glow up to be so literal.]

Hector, you're reaching for your notebook. That isn't subtle, and moreover, the dirt in my roses was disturbed. With an addition I know I didn't place there.

[Alucard tries being mad, but his eyes glance down and catch Cezar's loopiness. He laughs just slightly.]

--This one might. And no, no others.

[petcromancer]

Fine. It's an experiment of mine, and I was running out of room to plant it.

[He's living with Everett now, and the other faun already had an established garden by the time he moved in. He's bad to find creative solutions for trials all around the city. What could go wrong?]

You know about the Nepeta cataria plant? [Catnip. This is just fancy talk for catnip.] I am trying to design a version that canines react to. It seems to have some effect. I didn't think anyone in your household would be opposed to a few dogs passing by.

[cryptsleeper]

You should have asked.

[Admittedly, Alucard would have said no, but all the same. It's about being polite!!

But Hector making new plants? That tracks based on their conversation in the underground. He frowns though, pausing to adjust the angle of his hat.]

As far as experiments go, I suppose that's a very fine one. But still.

[petcromancer]

That would have endangered the trial, so no.

[It's not like he's concerned that Alucard dislikes him. That's a universal constant.]

This one was self-indulgent. I have been trying for some useful changes, though. Creating more resistant plants, allowing rare species to be grafted onto more common varieties.

[So if you nay-say it, Adrian, you're stopping progress that could help this city in its time of need.]

[cryptsleeper]

I'm removing the plants. Do you want them returned?

[At least he's offering that much? Probably.]

What kind of changes are you hoping for, precisely?

[petcromancer]

Yes, don't waste them.

[It's the faun in him, but he's horrified at the idea that Alucard might destroy one of his plant-creations. What did dognip do to him, other than net him a visit from a dog that Alucard admits to liking?]

Just what I said. Cwyld-resistance, wider availability of rare species, the continuation of plants that might otherwise verge on extinction. And I suppose there are some that are pure experiment, to help me better understand how the species can combine and what ways their innate magic can be changed or amplified.

[Some of them are more useful than others, but there's merit to be found in at least some of them.]

[cryptsleeper]

If you'll give me a pot to take home then, I'll put the plants in there and return them.

[It's that you put it in there without permission, Hector. You should have asked!]

Mmm, interesting. [Meaning Alucard's not sure what to make of it, and he's actually trying to reserve judgement.]

Have you found any that seems to support Cwyld resistance?

[petcromancer]

[Hector walks over to a shelf an fetches a pot of appropriate size for the plant he secreted in Alucard's garden. He resists the urge to chuck it at Alucard's head, and instead hands it over.]

Be gentle with it. There are only a few specimens in existence, and they're not as hardy as other plants.

[It wouldn't be hard for Hector's new creation to be wiped out by a few careless or deliberately malicious gardeners.]

The moss from the ruins and the Underground do. I have to start by crossing them with other like species, so right now, all of my trials of that vein are with spore-bearing species.

[cryptsleeper]

I assure you, just because I'm not happy about this doesn't mean I'm going to deliberately wreck your work.

[He takes the pot, tucking it into the bag that originally held Cezar. Who has Alucard's gaze settle him for a few moments.]

Hmmm. Spores can spread very easily. How are you controlling the space to ensure there's nothing that escapes?

[petcromancer]

[Hector pouts stares at Alucard flatly. Don't backseat mad-science him, Adrian.]

I have been doing most of those experiments outside of the city, contained in a cabin outside the walls. And it's not a concern if the spores spread. We want more Cwyld-resist plants around, don't we?

[He's not going to admit he's taken no precautions. What's the worst that could happen if his experiments got out besides bondageweed everywhere?]

[cryptsleeper]

That isn't a controlled environment though, is it?

[Alucard's concern for once isn't a judgement of Hector being Hector. It's of actual principles of science. Not that that's any better.]

As much as we want that, we can't endanger the ecosystem by accident either.

[petcromancer]

[Hector's eyes narrow.]

I am working with what I have. In case you hadn't noticed, there's no enchanted castle with a fully stocked laboratory here for me to use.

[He's probably not going to hurt the environment. Cross-pollination happens in nature all the time and it works out just fine. He's just using his faun magic to...encourage it to work a little better. Look, forethought has never been Hector's strong suit.]

[cryptsleeper]

I'm well aware. [So why don't you fix it?!] I can design something safer if you want to work on figuring out how much construction might cost.

[petcromancer]

[Hector's lips form a line. He'd love to tell Alucard to fuck right off...but he also knows the kind of equipment had been available in the castle.]

Could you make one of those looking glasses your father had? The 'micro' scope?

[cryptsleeper]

I could attempt. Manufacturing on that scale isn't my forte though. I'm a far more skilled architect.

[petcromancer]

I doubt you'd want to venture out beyond to my cabin to build upon it.

[It's a dilapidated shack that looks like it was abandoned before the Cwyld. It's a shelter in the loosest sense of the word.]

[cryptsleeper]

--Well, I'd only be doing the drawings and plans. I don't do the actual building part.

[petcromancer]

Well, you're welcome to try.

[Hector doubts any builders would want to come out to work on it either, but if it keeps Alucard entertained, why not let him play with designing something? It'll be interesting to see what he comes up with, even if Hector continue to work in his hovel due to time and budget.]

[cryptsleeper]

That would require directions to the shack you know.

[Alucard is always entertained by having a new project to build, after all.]

This isn't a favor. And I'd expect payment if I commit.

[Lest there be any doubt.]

[petcromancer]

[Hector snorts, but rattles off directions. He doesn't bother writing them down for Alucard; the dhampir is annoying smart and retains knowledge in a way that makes him writhe with jealousy.]

Go and see if if you want, then we can figure out if you think it's even worth working on. I'd be happy if the roof didn't leak. I've no need for gears and steam power.

[It may be easier to just leave it be and let nature take back the shack. Hector's a faun- he can work in wild spaces just fine.]

[cryptsleeper]

[The dhampir is indeed annoyingly smart and very, very good at remembering things. So he'll absolutely go to Hector's shack in the near future and return with an obnoxious amount of suggestions.]

No, I imagine gears and steam would be counter productive. What you probably need is an enclosed growing space and double doors, just for contamination purposes. And maybe running water?