And before anyone makes a cheeky “what do you need this for 🤨” comment, I’m a writer. I’m not going to murder anyone I promise, I just want to write a scene where one guy gets poisoned.

I need something that doesn’t require modern technology to extract/produce, and would make sense to be avaible in a place with a temperate to mediterranean climate. The slower, the better. Does a plant or something like that exist or do I need to make one up?

Update: I looked into death cap mushrooms and they might be just what I’m looking for! Long reaction time, and being dried doesn’t make them less toxic! (the scene takes place in midwinter so no fresh ones would be avaible) If anyone has more info on them, please do share.

  • sem
    13·
    3 days ago

    I’ve heard something about writers writing about guns – if you describe a specific gun they’ll come at you for being wrong, but if you say something like “a modified Kalashnikov” you’re conveying the image you want, and the nerds will do the work for you in figuring out how it could have been modified.

  • Hobo@lemmy.world
    106·
    4 days ago

    In almost every case in fictional writing it’s better to make up a poison then use a real one. That way you don’t have someone picking it apart later. Also you can give it whatever properties you want/need. Now excuse me while I continue to work on my immunity to iocane powder.

    • SharkAttak@kbin.melroy.org
      51·
      4 days ago

      They’re gonna pick it apart anyway. A reader criticized the historical accuracy of a fantasy novel my sister wrote.

      • hungryphrogOP
        18·
        4 days ago

        H-how does one even criticise something like that? Like, “you got this and that wrong about the world you made up”?

        • monarch@lemm.eeEnglish
          9·
          3 days ago

          I have read some novels where their history straight up breaks if you think about it for too long. Not saying this happened in this case but I read a fantasy novel that had a history that implied that people existed in the wrong times. Like this person was said to have died in X year yet someone met someone who was born in X+100 years.

        • SharkAttak@kbin.melroy.org
          4·
          3 days ago

          Not even that, (in a medieval-fantsy setting) one criticized the use of archer for defense, another wanted for her to write the exact years the events happened… Another one asked why one nation had an italian-sounding name, while the bordering countries had foreign-like names, and different languages! (hello, ever been to Europe?) @monarch@lemm.ee (is this how I mention someone?)

          • monarch@lemm.eeEnglish
            3·
            3 days ago

            that is indeed how you mention someone. Yeah being pedantic for the sale of it isn’t something I understand. Unless it impacts my ability to enjoy the story I couldn’t care less.

      • scarabic@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3·
        3 days ago

        I’ve never seen anyone even think twice about the Tears of Lys or The Strangler. And after Milk of the Poppy, it’s established that we may expect some similarity to reality in this world.

        • Gloomy@mander.xyz
          14·
          4 days ago

          Mental illnesses are very clearly defined, for example in the ICD-10 puplished by the WHO. Pedantry is defnetly not listed in there.

          And yes, this was an attempt of humour.

      • HubertManne@piefed.socialEnglish
        9·
        4 days ago

        I knew a guy I was working summers with in college. Said he did not like roger rabbit because it was unrealistic.

  • CrazyLikeGollum@lemmy.worldEnglish
    15·
    3 days ago

    Depending on your setting and desired outcome for the poisoner, uraninite (aka pitchblende) might be an option. It has historical uses in glass making and pottery glazing, which could provide justification for why someone would have it.

    It contains Uranium, which is radioactive, but I don’t believe will bioaccumulate, but can build up on surfaces, tools, and clothing providing a source of long-term radiation exposure. In addition, it contains lead, which does bioaccumulate, providing a source of gradual long term poisoning as well as radium which also bioaccumulates and is radioactive, providing an additional source of longterm radiation exposure.

  • yesman@lemmy.world
    63·
    4 days ago

    Alcohol. Sometimes it takes 30 or 40 years to be effective. Not very good for murder, but wildly popular for suicide.

    • scarabic@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      3 days ago

      Yeah OP needs to define what “slow” means to them. You could say that a one-week delayed effect is slow. Or you could say that it’s only slow if it takes months of exposure.

  • LustyArgonian@lemmy.worldEnglish
    17·
    3 days ago

    Mushrooms are a good option, and you can just make up a species if you want specific time frames/symptoms. Mushrooms can cause a lot of weird symptoms.

    There’s also a brain eating amoeba or other sickness from still water (people back in the day were very aware of tainted water).

    If you have access to polar animals, a unique poisoning would be vitamin A toxicity from their livers. It’s a horrific way to die, though (skin sloughing off).

      • truxnell@infosec.pubEnglish
        8·
        3 days ago

        Ongoing case here in Australia with a lady accused of murdering her ex and ex-inlaws. Invites them to lunch of beef Wellington and death cap mushrooms.

        3 died fairly awful deaths in the following days/weeks, 1 survived after intensive care.

        Accused of trying to murder the ex 4 prior times too.

        The “Mushroom lady” case absolutely captivated us for weeks

        • GoofSchmoofer@lemmy.world
          12·
          3 days ago

          Ex-spouse: (on the phone with parents) My ex-wife has invited us over for beef wellington.

          Ex-spouse’s parents: Hasn’t she tried to kill you like four times before? Why would you accept this invitation?

          Ex-spouse: well her beef wellington is to die for!

          Ex-spouse’s parents: Well that’s good enough for us, were in see you a 6

    • BlushedPotatoPlayers@sopuli.xyz
      1·
      2 days ago

      Was going to say that. They to go through the digestive track, so it needs a day or so to work. The toxin of amanita is heat resistant so you can make a stew of it, and when the first symptoms show up your liver is probably already beyond repair. If you want it to be more interesting, there are some species that are poisonous only with alcohol, like https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coprinopsis_atramentaria , although the symptoms are less severe as in death cap, but maybe it’s not unimaginable to give a hearty stew a day before a known heavyweight drinking run to kill the dude(ette).

  • ornery_chemist@mander.xyz
    9·
    3 days ago

    Arsenic is a classic murder poison. It’s been known since anciemt times, though possibly unsuited to your onset requirement. Acute poisoning by ingestion is generally within a few hours, but if your character sustains lower doses over time, you could probably draw out the timeline to whatever you wanted. It would be obvious that the character is unwell during this time, but the symptoms aren’t super specific and could be confused with e.g. food poisoning.

    Or just invent a mushroom like others said. The toxins are diverse enough that I doubt anyone would be too upset if you tuned it exactly to your timeline and desired symptoms.

      • Diddlydee@feddit.ukEnglish
        2·
        21 hours ago

        There are a number of options for things you could dose such that it takes 2 to 7 days. Cyanide, Atropine (belladonna) Arsenic, Thallium.

  • rosco385@lemm.eeEnglish
    11·
    3 days ago

    Apple seeds contain cyanide. You’d have to crush and eat anywhere from 150 to a few thousand seeds for it to be fatal though. I’m sure that hasn’t stopped authors from using it before.

  • bluGill@fedia.io
    23·
    4 days ago

    As a writter you should get enough details wrong that someone trying to follow your recipie fails. Ideally they are also caught.

      • southsamurai@sh.itjust.works
        9·
        4 days ago

        See people? I told you that everyone on lemmy is one person! But noooo!

        Here’s the proof. I can’t even buy readers. This has to be me.

  • MyTurtleSwimsUpsideDown@fedia.io
    22·
    4 days ago

    What do you mean by slow? Time till symptoms? time till death? Hours? Days? Weeks?

    Raw castor beans contain ricin its a cool looking plant that gets big. My neighbor grew on once accidentally.

    symptoms commonly begin within two to four hours, but may be delayed by up to 36 hours.

    Unless treated, death can be expected to occur within 3–5 days; however, in most cases a full recovery can be made.

    Actually a lot of beans are toxic when raw, but not deadly. Raw lima beans are special though; they contain something that the human body breaks down into cyanide. No clue how long that takes or how many it would take to cause harm.

    Heavy metals (mercury, arsenic, cadmium, lead) are known for building up over time with many exposures. Think mad hatter syndrome, etc. but exposures can also be acute if high enough. IIRC acute arsenic poisoning makes you vomit and diarrhea until you die of dehydration after days or weeks.

  • DirigibleProtein@aussie.zone
    10·
    4 days ago
    • Heavy metals: lead, mercury
    • Arsenic in small doses over a long period

    I don’t know of any plants, but I do know that the leaves of nightshades (potato, tomato, eggplant, capsicum, tobacco) are poisonous toxic in large doses.