THE POISONOUS PLANTS OF FISTBUMP THE SKY #1

The NEW chapter one of Fistbump the Sky encyclopedia

May 21, 2025

Continue to PART 2»

AUTHOR NOTE

My inspiration for this encyclopedia chapter was my mom’s garden. I used to be terrified of these Strelitzia (Birds of Paradise) flowers, which my mom used to have. I honestly thought they would transform into birds and peck my eyes out. So I forced myself to walk past them every day until I got over my irrational fear of bird-looking flowers. It didn’t help. But this got me thinking what it would be like if every single plant around you was out to get you. That’s how I made the Pink Forest. It was also necessary to maintain some sort of balance as the Blue Forest is filled with medicinal plants. Equilibrium, my friend, equilibrium.

Alles, was Sie über Strelitzien wissen müssen

INTRODUCTION

Deep in the South of Fistbump the Sky, underneath the Central Ocean and bordering the territories of Ma-A, lies the Pink Forest. The Pink Forest is home to poisonous plants and almost no living creatures. One of the three forests, along with the Blue Forest of Healing and the Green Forest of Growth, makes up the Three Forests of Colour.*

The vile plants found in the Pink Forest lure their victims with their benign appearance, making it easier to strike. Unfortunately, death is not an immediate guarantee as the plants only kill if they are boiled before consumption. Those who do not boil the plants before eating them undergo torture of the body, or even the soul, wishing for death.

Only a handful of creatures have lived to share their stories, the majority of them having left the plants untouched. It is their recollection on which this chapter is based.

*NOTE: Aside from the Pink Forest, the Forests of Colour also consist of the Blue Forest of Healing and the Green Forest of Growth. These will be discussed in future chapters.

DIVOC

Divoc plants have been found to grow in vacant nests of predatory birds, surviving by absorbing the remaining energy of the birds and their kills. The Divoc plant does not kill its victims but forces them to observe the world through the eyes of others.

The Divoc plant rests with its neck and stem pulled tight, enabling it to use the momentum during release to reach its prey. The Divoc eyeballs are covered in a thick and sticky substance called Slikore. This substance releases potent neurocramping pollen that affects the prey’s brain into believing that they are viewing the world through the eyes of the plant. Without the mercy of a time limit, this experience tends to drive its victims mad.

CONSUMPTION METHOD:
Eat it directly for torturous side effects. Boil and drink for instant death.

SURVIVAL TIP:

Gather as much mucus as possible in the back of your throat if captured. The eyeball plant will naturally fear the threat of an infection.

Salivatsas can be described as a bush of slithering tongues. These bushes are on most watery surfaces, preferring still waters, such as ponds and lakes. Unlike many of the Pink Forest plants, Salivatsa tongue bushes do not actively hunt. Instead, its poison is also felt by those brave enough to eat it.

The effects depend on the amount that was digested. If a pinch or less, one will lose all of one’s senses, except for taste. However, if more than that, one’s body will slowly and painfully morph into a tongue.

The only known method of survival is to find a Salivasta plant with which to merge. We believe this is because tongues cannot survive without being attached to something else, such as a mouth.

CONSUMPTION METHOD:
Chew raw without swallowing. Boil and drink for instant death.

SURVIVAL TIP:

Do not consume the plant in any form. If you do, find the nearest Salivatsa bush to merge with.

TONGUES
A mere touch, even an accidental one, is enough to trigger metamorphosis.

POROUS LEAVES
Used as flotation devices and for sensing movement in the water.

KARMA

Karma plants typically grow in shaded areas that avoid direct sunlight, such as the base of trees and in caves. Known as the “Revenge Plant,” Karma plants torture their victims by placing them in a trance where they are faced with their past deeds. An example would be a person who enjoys gossip losing their ability to speak.

Their effects are usually felt as an oppressive feeling when passing the plant. However, if the plant is consumed, he trance is immediate, only broken once the consumer dies.

CONSUMPTION METHOD:
For side effects or revenge, crush the plant and rub it on the hair or skin of the creature you wish to poison. Boil and drink for instant death.

SURVIVAL TIP:
Do not consume the plant. If you do, then better hope that your past deeds will soften the blow.

NEURON TENTACLES
These antennas can read a creature’s karma and decide its prey’s punishment accordingly.