Magic Mushroom: Difference between revisions

In [[Real Life]], Mushrooms, toadstools, and fungi comprise a ''vast'' array of types and genuses. While a few are cultivated for food, and some for medicinal or religious (or [[Mushroom Samba|hallucenogenic]]) purposes, others are ''so'' toxic they are outright lethal, so one should '''never''' assume that a mushroom found in the wild is safe to eat without consulting a reference book (or better yet, a trained expert who can distinguish between seemingly identical specimens). Sometimes the visible mushrooms are actually just the tip of a proverbial iceberg, with the majority of the organism being a large underground colony of fungus. And the ability of fungi to reproduce via infectious microscopic spores allows them to grow in just about any environment (including ''inside living bodies''), and can make it nearly impossible to get rid of a fungus infestation.

 

 

Often used by witches, as it's a symbol of their knowledge of the nature around them. [[Good Witch Versus Bad Witch|What they do with it is another matter.]] Toadstools appear to be most common in healing potions or poisons, though the last one does not require much magic. Toadstools and brightly colored mushrooms are often hiding places for smaller members of the [[Fair Folk]]. In some cases, the fungi, usually mushroom-like, can even become ambulatory. This is usually not a good thing, unless they just want to dance.

 

See also [[Fantastic Fruits and Vegetables]].

 

** Then there's the mushroom which, immediately after eaten, makes the victim susceptible to a single "post-hypnotic command" which will be performed whenever they hear the same sound as was around when the suggestion was made. (Why someone selling ingredients to a restaurant would be carrying some of those around with him is anyone's guess)

** The anime also had vaguely explained "Mushrooms of Love" that caused people who ate some to fall into a state of love that could only be cured by the local "Mushroom God", an extremely large mushroom with healing properties that also included curing mushroom poisoning. If they didn't eat some soon enough (Ranma and Akane, the victims in the episode, had until the first evening star came out), the effect would become permanent. It's never made clear exactly what caused specific couples to form from eating the mushrooms.

== [[Literature]] ==

* The Caterpillar's mushroom in ''[[Alice in Wonderland]]''. Eating one side of it makes you grow taller, eating the other side makes you grow shorter.

 

** Two adventures by [[Gary Gygax]] himself (who had mushrooms as a [[Creator Thumbprint]])

*** S4 ''The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth''. One room had mushrooms which gave special benefits if eaten. Red ones cured one Hit Point of damage, purple ones granted infravision and yellow-gray ones gave immunity to poison for a time.

 

== [[Video Games]] ==

* Various mushrooms can be used with [[Item Crafting|Alchemy]] in ''[[The Elder Scrolls]]'' (or eaten raw) for different effects. Played realistically, as the mushrooms also have various negative effects in addition to positive, depending on how you mix the potion.

*** And apparently turned a guy into a Tanuki

* ''[[Angband]]'' has various types of mushrooms, a few of which have beneficial effects when eaten. Of course, telling which ones are Poison Mushrooms can be tricky without scrolls or spells of identify... And then there's the [[Mushroom Samba|Mushrooms of Hallucination]].

* In the first ''[[Quest for Glory]]'' game, there is a ring of magic mushrooms somewhere in the forest which is protected by the fairies at night. If they see you go inside their ring, they will [[Magic Dance|dance you to death]]. Their only true use is to be given to the healer for a gold coin apiece. Eating one will make the screen briefly flash with colors, and eating more will kill you.

* [[Metal Gear Solid]] 3: "These Glowing Mushrooms recharged my batteries!"

* The [[Pokémon]] Paras is an insect-like creature with a pair of mushrooms growing on it's back. In it's evolved form Parasect, the Mushrooms have merged into a single cap and ''[[Nightmare Fuel|taken over the bug's higher brain functions]]''.

* In a reference to ''[[Alice in Wonderland]]'', ''[[King's Quest]]'' has a shrinking mushroom that you need to get out of the Land of the Leprechauns and back to the west side of the river. Wasted it or went underground without it? Congrats, now your game is [[Unwinnable]].

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Food Tropes]]

[[Category:Magic and Powers]]

[[Category:Fruit and Vegetable Tropes]]