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Post by Hermes on Jun 26, 2010 15:12:20 GMT -5
In TGG chapter 13, when Fernald says that the helmet contains medusoid mycelium, Esme exclaims 'That fungus was destroyed long ago'. That suggests people in general don't know it still exists. However, there's some evidence pointing the other way.
First, there's the book Mushroom Minutiae, which describes the fungus as being found in the grotto. It's possible that the book was published before the destruction of Anwhistle Aquatics, but this seems unlikely, since at that point the mycelium was a secret project.
Then, Kit in TPP says that the one thing worse than Olaf getting the sugar bowl would be if he got hold of the Medusoid Mycelium - implying she knows it exists.
Finally, one would in any case expect people from VFD to know about the mycelium, since it seems someone regularly vists the grotto to change the bulbs - and, as I suppose, to look for valuable detritus (since there's be no point going there just to change the bulbs). Indeed, soemone must have been there to pick up the sugar bowl. I speculated earlier that the wasabi was deliberately left there in case anyone needed an antidote.
So, who knows and who doesn't? Any thoughts?
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Post by Dante on Jun 27, 2010 5:32:00 GMT -5
I would assume we can agree that Widdershins knew everything all along and was just keeping secrets again, aye? There were things about the past that he didn't want the Baudelaires and Fiona to know.
It seems to me that Mushroom Minutiae was probably written before the destruction of Anwhistle Aquatics, since it doesn't refer to the centre as being destroyed or as a set of ruins. So, off the top of my head, maybe as a compromise everybody always knew that there was Medusoid Mycelium in Gorgonian Grotto but it was too dangerous for most people to even approach, and Anwhistle Aquatics ostensibly served as a guard post of sorts but its experiments with Mycelium formed a secret project. When the centre was destroyed, people associated with it put around the rumour that the fire also destroyed all the Medusoid Mycelium, but in fact a few people knew that that was never true - people like Kit, who was clearly watching very closely, for instance, and Widdershins. With the question mark roaming the oceans, anyone with a submarine probably didn't want to stop in one place for very long anyway, so nobody was particularly interested in checking the state of the grotto unless they were already in the know. In reality, I suspect that this wasn't actually thought through too well and there aren't any planned reasons for the inconsistency here.
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Post by Christmas Chief on Jun 27, 2010 8:47:22 GMT -5
First, there's the book Mushroom Minutiae, which describes the fungus as being found in the grotto. It's possible that the book was published before the destruction of Anwhistle Aquatics, but this seems unlikely, since at that point the mycelium was a secret project. Well, after the destruction, as you say, the general population were unaware of its existence. So the writer of the book would have to be one of the few people to know not only that it exists, but also its location and structure. Before the destruction, however, I agree that the secrecy of the project would make it rather difficult to get enough information to write a valid chapter. I do wonder whether Kit was being hypothetical here, or if she truly was concerned that Olaf could possibly have the mycelium in his grasp. We know that the sugar bowl was there at one point, because of TGG's line: "...journeying through a dark cave filled with a poisonous fungus in order to search for an object that was taken away quite some time before..." . I actually think reasons for going to the grotto would be switched; that is, volunteers would travel to the grotto to look for valuable detritus and change the bulbs while they're at it, rather than the other way around. Oh! That seems quite likely, but why wouldn't it stand out somehow? When the centre was destroyed, people associated with it put around the rumour that the fire also destroyed all the Medusoid Mycelium, but in fact a few people knew that that was never true - people like Kit, who was clearly watching very closely, for instance, and Widdershins. Why didn't they "correct" the rumors? (Unless they thought the ignorance would be best for everyone; after all, it was relatively hidden from the rest of the world, unlikely to bother anyone if it stayed that way.) |
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Post by Dante on Jun 27, 2010 8:56:09 GMT -5
When the centre was destroyed, people associated with it put around the rumour that the fire also destroyed all the Medusoid Mycelium, but in fact a few people knew that that was never true - people like Kit, who was clearly watching very closely, for instance, and Widdershins. Why didn't they "correct" the rumors? (Unless they thought the ignorance would be best for everyone; after all, it was relatively hidden from the rest of the world, unlikely to bother anyone if it stayed that way.) Let's say there's this immensely powerful weapon sitting underground where anyone can walk in and take it. Do you really want everyone to know about it? The question is more like why they didn't take steps to eradicate the Mycelium. Probably "just in case." The comparison some have made to nuclear weapons ("mushroom clouds") is instructive here, I think. |
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Post by Christmas Chief on Jun 27, 2010 11:24:19 GMT -5
Though if it was that powerful of a weapon, wouldn't you want the public to know about it, so if someone did get a hold of it, everyone else would be prepared? I think if they killed off the mycelium someone would try to make a stronger poison; the creators of the first couldn't do so with the mycelium still in existence.
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Post by wasabi20 on Jan 3, 2011 1:05:50 GMT -5
Well, I am honoured, Hermes, that you would make a thread about me! Haha, just kidding. I named myself "Wasabi", not just after the Japanese condiment; also from TGG, when it said that it's the antidote for falling ill from inhaling spores from the Medusoid Mycellium. And it's interesting that you do bring up this topic. I think you are correct in saying that someone must have left wasabi down there, for whoever took the Sugar Bowl. And I don't think we know what's in that either, as that can be discussed in another thread. Seeing as the Baudelaires were being looked after by Captain Widdershins, I'm pretty sure someone must have known that there would be some down there, seeing as the Baudelaires went down there to investigate. I'm sure that this fungi does exist, I'd have to do some research on Google and Wiki to be sure, but there's so many kinds out there now, it could be somewhat of a possibility, aye?
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